Saturday, 6 November 2010

No pork allowed in school ?

Thursday, 4 November 2010

Happy Diwali!!



Diwali is a festival that relieves traditions/beliefs/faith which originates in Hindu Mythology. My exposure to Hindu mythology started during my student days ..... and not much since, actually.
Anyways, some regions in India have "localised" the myths associated with Diwali with different myths. However, the significance of it all remains the same- Victory of Good over Evil, Light over Darkness.

The info with regard to Diwali and how it is celebrated in various parts of India, is available all over the net. What is culturally predominantly prevalent in Malaysia is as practiced in Southern India, particularly Tamil Nadu.
Here is something from Musings of an Unknown Indian:-

Celebrations across faith: In Hinduism, across many parts of India and Nepal, it is the homecoming of Lord Rama (along with his consort Sita and brother Lakshmana) to Ayodhya - after a 14-year exile in the forest and his victory over Ravana, the King of Lanka (who had abducted Sita and held her prisoner). According to the legend, the people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) welcomed Rama by lighting rows (avali) of (ghee) lamps (dĭpa), [thus its name: dīpāwali] - along the way to light their path in the darkness. Rama is considered as a symbol of good and a positive force while Ravan represents evil. Therefore, Diwali is considered as the festival, which establishes the 'victory of good over the evil'. More on this here.

On the night of Diwali, people light diyas, which is again a symbol of positive energy... in order to conquer darkness, i.e., the symbol of negative energy. Since Ram traveled from South India to his kingdom in North India, he passed through the south earlier. This is the reason why the festival is celebrated a day earlier in South India. Diwali usually comes 19 or 20 days after Dasara/Dussehra. In South India, it marks the victory of Krishna over Narakasura. Over time, this word transformed into "Diwali" in Hindi and "Dipawali" in Nepali, but still retained its original form in the South and East Indian Languages. In the Dravidian languages it is called as Deepavali and the same is used in Malaysia and Singapore.

In Jainism, Diwali marks the attainment of nirvana by Bhagavan Mahavira - the founder of Jainism - on 15 October, 527 BC.

Diwali has been significant in Sikhism since the illumination of the town of Amritsar commemorating the return of Guru Har Gobind Ji (1595-1644), the sixth Guru of Sikhism, who was imprisoned along with 52 other Hindu kings at Fort Gwalior by Emperor Jahangir. After freeing the other prisoners, he went to the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in the holy city of Amritsar, where he was welcomed happily by the people who lit candles and divas to greet the Guru. Because of this, Sikhs often refer to Diwali also as Bandi Chhorh Divas - "the day of release of detainees."

The festival is also celebrated by Buddhists in Nepal, a majority-Hindu country, particularly the Newar Buddhists.

For more click HERE


Tuesday, 2 November 2010

Response to Waytha ....

"We in Hindraf/HRP are in no hurry. We are prepared to wait another 53 years if it means ultimately getting a true democratic country. After all, the blacks in America fought a “war” for more than 200 years to be recognised as equal citizens. The Indians fought another 250 years to gain independence. It took centuries for the French to be rid of the monarchy."
- Waythamoorthy

Dear Waytha,
This letter I write is in respose to the letter "WILL PAKATAN COMMIT TO A ROADMAP FOR TRUE DEMOCRACY" which you wrote.
It is really touching to note that you are so much into human rights. It is also touching to note that you wish to have all that you speak of through PR, despite not coming out in support of it.

Yes, yes- we know all this crap you speak of when you need the spotlight.
I can do the same too.
Firstly, I wish to ask of you to stop blowing your horn about HINDRAF's past "flash in the pan" - which came after the Bersih rally which was attended by Malaysian from all walks of life (as opposed to your HINDRAF) rally.
These delusions of grandeur you have isn't helping you one bit, mate!!!

How is it that you claim that the "tsunami" of 308 is because of the Hindraf Rally?
Are you saying that the people of Malaysia were in awe of the "courage" of Hindrafians, and so "fell in line"?
If that was the case, I'm Abraham Lincoln.

Where was Hindraf when BN sold the Kg Buah Pala land?
Where was Hindraf when civil society was fighting for a fairer election?
Get off your high horse, and come down to earth and face reality- You cannot fight this war alone!!!
If it was not for PR- Uthayakumar would probably be in jail.....
If it was not for PR, all your Kg Buah Pala folks would probably have been sitting quietly like church mice in some nook or cranny, while BN was selling out on them (as they did, when THEY sold the land!!).
While you come around pointing fingers at PR, bear in mind Waytha- that you wouldn't have had the publicity and the voice you seek- IF IT WAS NOT FOR PR!!

I would also like to remind you that HINDRAF had issued a statement in support of the UMNO/BN government (but only disapproves of the MIC leadership!!!)- even immediately after being blasted with chemically laced water, and whacked silly by the FRU on November 25, 2007.
Yes- you guys did that- hoping that you'll get some lollipops from the BN/UMNO Govt to serve your narrow and myopic sectarian agenda.What happened to all these litany of demands you make of PR today, back then when you were "supportive of the Govt, but protest the "Indian" leadership in Govt?

Suddenly, after the Hindraf rally, your balls swelled up so big after getting kicked by UMNO, that you cannot see if your feet are on the ground, is it?
You complain and whine like a child about how PR is "coalition without adequate mutual understanding"- but what have you done to make things any better?
What have you done to wrest power away from UMNO which has been persecuting a whole generation of the people you claim to represent?
Your hypocrisy here, is at best nauseating- just as your sectarian agenda.

You Waytha- don't understand that you play the game UMNO wants you to- the sectarian platform.
You Waytha- are so myopic, that you do not see how you can achieve what you ask of from PR (and probably more), IF ONLY you stood with them and understood the working of the system.
You Waytha- know that the State govts cannot do much when certain matters were decided by the previous govt or the federal govt.
You Waytha- should know that PR- warts and all - can only do the things you ask of it if it gets to Putrajaya.
You Waytha- should come down to Malaysia and tell us whether you wish for an UMNO Govt in perpetuity, or wish to ride on a hope for change through civil society & PR.
Of course- you also have the option of waiting for 200-300 yrs (as the African Americans, French or Indians you mentioned) for the "struggle" you wage from afar, while your countrymen suffer as a result of being convinced that they're "Indians" in Malaysia ....

Waytha- get one thing straight- those who fight for reform, know that we are in it for the long haul, and don't expect changes overnight. In fact, I think I can safely say that I do not belive that the changes can be fully implemented in our lifetime. The damage done to the very fabric of society over the yrs of Mahathir rule will take a generation to repair (if at all).
But we can try- for the sake of our children ..... nothing more.

Waytha- are you with us? Or against us?
Make your stand now, UTHAYA- or forever stop the hogwash!!!

Monday, 1 November 2010

The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) has been legalised

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The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) was legalised yesterday in London. The officer bearers are as follows:

Chairman:
Raja Petra Kamarudin

President: Haris Ibrahim

Secretary: Yolanda Augustine

Treasurer: Natalie Sylvia Chow

Legal Adviser: Gilbert Jacobs

3 Committee Members:

Farouk A. Peru, Jeff Tan and Sam Chong

3 Board of Trustees:

Amarjit Singh Sidhu,

Lee Wai Siang and

Paramjeet Singh Karam Singh

2 cheque signatories:

Legal adviser and Treasurer

Bank account: HSBC

The MCLM website is in the process of being set up (http://mclm.org.uk/) so that you can read the movement's mission and vision statement plus sign up a as member. We will keep you updated of the progress.

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Saturday, 30 October 2010

Azmi Sharom- The Man with the Tochang and His Ideas ....

(He once mentioned at an anti-ISA gathering at MBPJ (at the height of the "Free RPK" movement, that he hopes that the new complex being built in Kamunting for "Hotel Kamunting" will have a gym ......)

Azmi Sharom, human being
Written by straits-mongrel
Dr Azmi Sharom will speak this evening (Sat, Oct 30) at this month's SABM Dinner Lecture, an event that is sold out. A couple of months earlier, we met the man in his office at Universiti Malaya in the hope of uncovering what makes this soul tick

Candid: A scowl begins to escape when Azmi talks about racism.

YOU know him as the law academic with the semi-tochang hairstyle, those piercing eyes framed in black plastic; eyes that can burn a bigot in a flash. You probably remember his bold pieces in Brave New World, his fortnightly column in The Star (The Real Social Contract, We must never allow the mob to rule, Under Threat? What Threat?).

One of academia's few good men, many say. He's a brave one, echo others.

The man rolls his eyes. "What's so extreme about what I do anyway? Look, the stuff that matter to me - human rights, equality, fundamental liberties - these are values of a human being. I'm just being human. Being human! I don't carry a bomb, I'm not plotting a coup, I don't come anywhere near being a threat to national security."

Welcome to the world of Azmi Sharom, where in crisp humour-laced lines, it's a given that a spade is called a spade. The main question is what are you going to do about it.

"All too often we hear racists stepping up to make announcements - tuntutan ni, tuntutan tu - and we get all flustered," he observes in a frown. "We can't let these types dictate how we feel. If some bigot says 'Go back to where you belong', a whole bunch of us end up moping in one corner and feel all hurt.

"But why should we care?" he asks incredulously, his head slightly cocked.

"It should be 'We're born here. We belong here, equally as much as you. Equal, geddit?' That's how it oughta be. There's just not enough of standing up to these people. Take charge of your lives, folks.

"Sure it's not easy - there're two tiers where racism is perpetuated. One, it's in the institutions - it's embedded in government policies; you've read all about them especially in the alternative news. I needn't elaborate on that; it's boring. Two, personal attitude. This one's insidious. It lurks inside so many of us. The very same people who cry out against racism bear racist tendencies themselves. You just need to listen to conversations to know what I mean.

"We can fight both, and we should. We need to take possession of our lives again. And mean what we say, for crying out loud."

Inspiration for a good fight: Bruce Lee memorabilia tells quite a bit about the man:).

Azmi's office in the Law Faculty of University Malaya reveals an organised person - books and folders have their place yet they sit in spontaneous fashion, not ordered like soldiers. Looking about, you also catch the man's sense of humour and his life's pace - there's a South Park 60's-style alarm clock that shows 11:36 and 46 sec. It's stopped. On the wall above the door hangs another clock. It's stopped too. And Azmi doesn't wear a watch. Time has ceased being a linear arrow, it seems; what's to hurriedly measure about time anyway?

"These changes we seek, they're not going to happen overnight. But as more and more citizens get informed about human rights and equality, we will see that ethnicity doesn't matter any more.

"In my own case, it took me years to burn that away," says the Environmental Law specialist. "Today I don't give a hoot about it anymore. But it took time. I grew up in Penang. My parents are apolitical - there was no politics on the dinner table - but, you know, ethnicity is everywhere. It's always at the back of the mind, a bothersome bug.

"Of course, the good thing about growing up in Penang is you cannot date if you're a racist. I mean, Chinese girls were everywhere," his mischievous side shows.

Just souvenirs: "Hey, they are wrongful only if I use them. Nothing wrong in owning them. You got to know your rights."

The dare-to-think side of Azmi we know today was forged on foreign soil.

"My dad sent me to the UK to do my 6th Form - his personal funds by the way. Two key lessons I learned. I remember the teachers being openly critical of government policies. We were in Economics class, and the teacher was rationally ripping apart Thatcher's tax policies. I learned that there was nothing wrong with being critical. When rational it is, in fact, constructive.

"The second was getting engaged in honest conversations with other Malaysians of different background. A friend, half-Indian ethnicity, basically told me this: 'We just want to be equal'."

Sheffield University, where Azmi would go on to read Law, was also a plough to the young man's newly-tilled mind. "Sheffield was left-wing. There was a lot of discussion about fundamental justice and human rights issues. I was very exposed to different 'right' views with regards to the law. Generally, the premise was there has to be a strong sense of Justice. This I try to apply in my own teaching."

More than an education, Azmi also borrowed other aspects of Sheffield U's bohemian lifestyle. ("Guys, you got to have a life.") He jams in a band.

Loyal buddy: The guitar sits close by his desk, and there's no dust on it too.

"Please, to begin with, I don't have a band. Rather, my friends tolerate me in the group. But yes, music is a good outlet. I still play futsal too," says the man who tried one year of law practice and hated it. "I make space for recreation. Maybe it's easier for me as an academician to find the time, but hey, the lawyers have faster cars. They can get to places faster."

And as an academic in a public institution, might there be boundaries where he's prevented from venturing? "Honestly, I haven't been in a situation where I have to hold back. Of course, you need to know your rights. And your parameters. You need to stay informed."

And a parting advice for the concerned citizen: "Internalise. Really internalise the good stuff. All those questions about equality, they can only be answered by someone who truly lives by it. It's as simple as this, 'If I am a human being, how can I be treated otherwise? Equally so, how can I treat others otherwise?'."

And you realise there's really nothing extreme in what Azmi Sharom is saying. It's all fundamental.

Human being stuff.




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Friday, 29 October 2010

Now a Lawyer cannot do his JOB??!!

Lawyer N Surendran who is acting for Air Force Sergeant N Tharmendran in the jet engine theft case is now being threatened with criminal proceedings by the RMAF Chief.

This is as a result of the position taken by Tharmendran that his service with the air force has ended on 28.5.10.

The air force's own documents show that his service had ended on 28.5.10 and they had stopped paying his salary for several months after June 2010.

The air force now mischievously caims that Tharmendran is a deserter.

By a letter dated 28.10.10 to N Surendran, the air force Chief has threatened him with s.135 and 136 of Penal Code allegedly for abetting a deserter which carries a 2 year prison sentence. (Letter attached)

This is a serious and unprecedented interference with the duties of a lawyer defending his client in a criminal matter.

The RMAF Chief has also made an outrageous demand ordering Surendran to advise his client as demanded by the RMAF.

Surendran has been given 7 days to comply with the demands or face action.

Members of the Malaysian Bar do not take instructions from the Armed Forces as to what to advise their clients. This unlawful threat and demand against Surendran must be immediately withdrawn, and the Minister of Defence must answer for the actions of the Air Force Chief to the public and the Bar.

We will also be raising the matter with the Bar Council.

Released by,

Latheefa Koya
Lawyers for Liberty




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Thursday, 28 October 2010

MR. IGP/ HOME MINISTER- WHERE IS K. SELVACHANDRAN?

On July 16, 2009, Teoh Beng Hock died......
Across town in a Sentul police station on that very same day,
another man died as well.

His name was R. Gunasegaran, and I believe he was beaten to death.
Today, 15 months later, I fear that the chain of events that started on that July 16 may endanger the well-being or even lives of another three men.
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Arrested and beaten for testifying against cops?
~Nathaniel Tan

OCT 28 — I try not to hate cops, I really do.

I remember the ones who made an effort to get me better food than what lock-up inmates usually get. I think of those who risk life and limb to protect us every single day on the job.

Very little is to be gained, after all, from hating anyone. Or from trying to lump every member of a group as one monolithic being.

While we avoid hating people, I’m not sure it’s wrong to hate acts.

Some say hate is only one side of a coin away from love; that those who hate at least still care, and that the true attitude to worry about is indifference.

Gunasegaran and Teoh Beng Hock — Two deaths, one day

On July 16, 2009, Teoh Beng Hock died. This is an incident I hope we will never, ever forget.

Across town in a Sentul police station on that very same day, another man died as well. His name was R. Gunasegaran, and I believe he was beaten to death.

Today, 15 months later, I fear that the chain of events that started on that July 16 may endanger the well-being or even lives of another three men.

Gunasegaran was arrested in a narcotics sweep in Sentul. Two hours later, he was dead.

His sister R. Ganga Gowri, who I met for the first time this Tuesday, was understandably shocked and traumatised. She did not believe that Gunasegaran died from a “drug overdose” as reported.

She did not let her malcontent sit idle however; this lady bravely made an effort to locate other individuals who were picked up in the raid along with Gunasegaran, to find the truth about what happened on that July 16.

As you can imagine, it’s not easy to find people who are willing to talk about witnessing any criminal acts by the police (we will soon see why). It took Ganga Gowri a month of tracking down individuals and slowly getting them to talk.

One can only imagine how much work it must have taken to persuade three men, already in trouble with the law, to speak out against the police in open court. This, though, is exactly what Ganga Gowri did.

As a result of her persistence, and in what may have been a first for an inquest into a death in custody, three men finally plucked up the courage to step forward and, in a court of law, openly testified that a policeman beat a suspect.

Witnesses: Gunasegaran kicked unconscious

According to documents provided by M. Visvanathan, the lawyer who represented Gunasegaran’s family, the three men who testified are Ravi Subramaniam, Suresh M Subbaiah and K Selvachandran.

All three men testified that Gunasegaran was beaten and kicked while detained.

Ravi was made by the police to help Gunasegaran take his fingerprints and urine sample, because the latter was in too bad shape to do so himself.

Ravi then helped Gunasegaran to a room with a chair, and was sent back to the lock-up. He then heard a chair fall. When he next saw Gunasegaran, he could not ascertain whether he was alive or dead.

Ravi also testified that a policeman promised him an early release if he would testify that Gunasegaran fell down of his own accord and was not beaten by the police.

All witnesses corroborated this account, and identified one Lance Corporal Mohd Faizal Mat Taib as the policeman who kicked Gunasegaran in the chest and back. There were also accusations of beatings with a rubber hose and wooden stick.

Cops walk free

On Monday, October 25, 2010, coroner Siti Shakirah Mohtarudin gave an open verdict as to the death of Gunasegaran — stating that there was insufficient evidence to prove any cause of death; saying basically that the state had no idea how he died.

This judgment was delivered despite the eyewitness testimonies. According to a lawyer, at one point in the judgment, the coroner speculated that “the injuries could have been caused by efforts to resuscitate the deceased, even though the medical officer testified that no effort was made at resuscitation.”

Unsettled and in tears a press conference on Tuesday (I really hope you’ll take the time to watch the short video), Ganga Gowri said: “Why has there been no action taken, despite there being witnesses who saw the beatings? I have been crying since yesterday, I still cannot understand. I cannot accept what is going on.”
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The last time I saw someone look so lost, numb and distraught was when I attended a similar press conference with A. Kugan’s mother.

One cannot help but marvel at the irony of Manmohan Singh’s visit. Let’s hope he’s aware.

Selvachandran beaten in front of wife and kids

Ganga Gowri was joined at this press conference by one S. Saraswathy (I have a cousin by that name), wife of Selvachandran.

Selvachandran was one of the men who placed the truth above a fear of the authorities, and decided to do his duty to the late Gunasegaran and his family by testifying in court about what he saw happen to Gunasegaran.

On Monday night, the very same day that the “open verdict” was delivered, Selvachandran would pay the price for his decision to stand up for what was right.

Saraswathy explained that at around 10pm, a group of unidentified men came banging at their door. While Selvachandran was looking for the keys, they became increasingly aggressive and broke the door down.

These men handcuffed Selvachandran, made his wife remove his sarung and replace it with a pair of pants, and then bizarrely asked her to give him a kiss (goodbye?).

They then took him outside and beat him severely in front of his wife and children.

When his poor, confused children tried to ask these men why they were taking their father, the men hurled verbal abuse at both mother and children, and continued beating Selvachandran.

They only then briefly flashed some cards showing that they were police and took off with Selvachandran in tow.

Nobody knows for sure where he is or what he is charged with — early indications suggest that one of the many laws allowing for indefinite detention without trial will or have been used.

continue reading HERE