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

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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Now a Lawyer cannot do his JOB??!!

RMAF threatens lawyer for defending airman in jet engines theft

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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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

JUSTICE??? What a farce ....

The Coroner’s Inquest has failed in dispensing justice to Gunasegaran and his family

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Now what, Anwar/PKR/Azmin?

Will Azmin dare lead the PKR charge in Batu Sapi?
~ The People’s Parliament

October 25, 2010

Anwar’s blog carries a post entitled ‘Ansari bawa harapan rakyat Batu Sapi’.

I’m hearing differently from my sources in Sabah.

I’m hearing that on the ground, Ansari is perceived as handpicked to serve, not the people of Batu Sapi, but Azmin’s agenda in Sabah.

What’s that agenda?

“Let Azmin come and tell Sabahans what his plans are for Sabah when he campaign in Batu Sapi, if he dares to.
Many PKR members are going to use this by-election to let PKR HQ know what we think of Azmin. Let him come”, I was told over the phone.

Posted by Haris Ibrahim

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PKR is Begging For a Spanking?

What does Anwar think he's doing?
Does he think he can walk into Sabah and put whomsoever he pleases, wherever he pleases to pusue the PR agenda- when Sabahans don't give a fig about him?
More so, after his actions upon entry of UMNO into Sabah & "Project M"?

Maybe what Zaid said has some truth in it- Anwar seems to be thinking that this whole anti-BN sentiment is about him .... he seems to think that people willrally around him at every turn!!
PKR is fielding Ansari from Tuaran in Batu Sapi, hoping that Sabahans would clamour for his leadership. To say that Sabahans are disappointed would be an understatement. Maybe they're just dumbfounded with the stupidity shown by PKR in Sabah. They seem to be no different from Umno in their early days in Sabah, pushing their weight wherever possible..... and he hopes that people take him in with open arms. WTH- If he was so hard up for a Bumiputra Muslim to contest in that seat, the least he could've done was field Thamrin ....

This time around, I don't think BN needs to do much "buying"- they'll win hands down in both Batu Sapi & Galas (thanks to the destruction of the Orang Asal church).

RPK mooted the idea of a third force- well maybe not exactly, but he has been pushing for it hard lately. Earlier, I thought it may not be a good idea, as it could pull the rug from under the PR agenda to "March to PutraJaya" to displace UMNO.
While I used to be sceptical about the need for a "Third Force" in the past, looking at the way PKR is destabilizing the PR "electoral pact"- I now think that it is imperative that we have this "third force".
If DAP cannot sort out the mess in their own house, if PAS cannot be more consciences in dealing with those who aren't Muslims (more so, the poor Orang Asal), if PKR cannot get rid of their old UMNO ways- let let Anwar's agenda be damned (barring the issue about Saifool's ass), let PKR's agenda be damned, let PR be damned let Malaysians be damned .....
- it wouldn't make a difference anyways!!

Maybe something positive may rise out of the ashes left behind, after UMNO has sapu-bersih this country!!

So Raja Petra Kamarudin/ RPK/ Pete - Go for it!!

The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM)

NO HOLDS BARRED

Monday, 25 October 2010

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Here's something from Simon Templer:-

"Anwar, ......... Don't you get it?
The East Malaysians do not trust us West Malaysians
(seriously, can anyone blame them when we have been ripping them off since 1963?)
Let the Sabahans fight their own battle.
Let them keep their own state. "

Anwar, Pack Up And Leave Batu Sapi

Posted by Simon Templar On Monday, October 25, 2010

We rakyat are real suckers.

At least that's what most of our Malaysian politicians seem to think.

The entire Barisan Nasional politicians think that we are idiots who cannot think. (Ok... Truth is I actually know quite a few people out there who can't think. But... Some other time...)

Then we have our not-so-beloved-anymore PKR who thinks that we enjoy watching their year-round circus acts. Yup, definitely not so loved anymore. And I don't think I am an isolated case. We shall leave DAP and PAS out for now as they are not the subject of discussion here. But mind you, they have their own shit-load pile of dung too.

Now what's with the Batu Sapi fight? Isn't PKR the one who first brought DAP and PAS to the table to discuss how to prevent a 3-corner (or more) fight. Isn't the objective of the entire 'opposition' coalition that to fight the single common enemy i.e. BN? So what is PKR now blardie doing in the Batu Sapi fight?

Some of you may say that why can't SAPP not fight and let PKR field their candidate?

Or some of you may say that well SAPP is not part of the coalition, so why should PR even need to talk to them in the first place.

That will be to miss the whole point of the rakyat's fight. The rakyat is not fighting for Anwar (please imprint this in your mind, Anwar). The rakyat is not fighting for PKR or DAP or PAS. You will be dammed if you think that we really love you. What we want is CHANGE. And you political parties are nothing but our tool to get BN out of power. Well that's how things are. You guys are using us to get to power. So don't complain or call us ungrateful.

It doesn't matter to us if SAPP is fighting BN or PKR is fighting BN. As long as someone is there to fight BN, then we'll be on your side. But if you have PKR, SAPP and BN in the fight, what do you want us to do? To choose who we love more between SAPP and PKR? What are you guys trying to do? Eh wankers... The common enemy is BN. Let's keep it that simple.

Now that we have establish that line of thought, PKR or SAPP for Batu Sapi? SAPP la. Look at the name - Sabah Progressive Party. Sabah dei, Sabah... Let the Sabahans fight their fight. This is why East Malaysians do not like West Malaysians. The West Malaysians are always thinking that they are better and more superior than the East Malaysians. What on earth is PKR trying to do fighting the Sabahan fight? You don't see UMNO (Penang based) Gerakan fielding their candidate in Sabah or Sarawak do you?

Seriously, I cannot understand PKR's objective in the Sabah fight. Do you see Ford aggressively selling cars in Japan? No, they do not. They acquire Mazda and let Mazda do the fighting. The profits still ultimately land on their laps.

Anwar, similarly, you do not need to penetrate Sabah via PKR. Neither will the Sabahans accept that. Don't you get it? The East Malaysians do not trust us West Malaysians (seriously, can anyone blame them when we have been ripping them off since 1963?) Let the Sabahans fight their own battle. Let them keep their own state. But while at that, get them to work together with us to form the ultimate central government. I mean, can you imagine PBS recruiting a Wan Kelantan and field him as a candidate in Galas? Ridiculous isn't it. That's exactly what PKR is doing right now at Batu Sapi.

Continue reading at Anwar, Pack Up And Leave Batu Sapi

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