Civil service: ‘Dayaks are not stupid, Zaki’

Dayak leaders have taken offence to Special Review Commission on Civil Service Transformation chairman Zaki Azmi's 'insulting' statement about Dayaks

KUCHING: Dayak leaders including those from the Barisan Nasional and the opposition are up in arms against a proposal to lower the requirements for ethnic minority groups to enter the civil service.

Some even described the recommendation as an insult and mockery to the Dayak community.

The focus of their indignation was directed at Zaki Azmi, the chairman of the Special Review Commission on Civil Service Transformation.

On Tuesday, Zaki said that the commission would recommend to the government to lower the qualification requirements for the Dayaks and other non-Malay natives not only to enable them to be recruited to the civil service, but also to address the imbalance of racial composition within the civil service.

The first to fire the salvo was the president of Parti Rakyat Sarawak and Land Development Minister James Masing. He said he did not agree that the quality of the civil service should be compromised by the lowering of entry criteria for ethnic minority groups.

He said that there were enough qualified people from the minority groups who could be roped in to serve in the civil service.

“Lowering the standard for the sake of the Dayaks is not good. I oppose such a move. But if the main criterion for civil service requirement is merit, then we have enough Dayaks who are qualified to be recruited,” he said.

Masing pointed out that no encouragement was needed to attract more Dayaks into the civil service as long as recruitment and promotion were done purely on meritocracy.

Even an NGO, the Miri branch of Orang Ulu Association, opposed the proposal. Its chief Peter Kallang described Zaki’s move as a “mockery and insult” as if there were too few Dayaks qualified to take up jobs in the civil service.

“We have many qualified Dayaks working all over the world, with some even employed in international companies. What do you mean we are not qualified?” he asked.

Kallang pointed out that there were two reasons why so few Dayaks are in the civil service and these had nothing to do with qualifications.

“One, almost all of the top civil servants are from a single ethnic group.

“And two, without a set of transparent and unambiguous criteria based on merits, promotions are inevitably subject to the personal judgment of those who do the recruitment and promotion.

“The tendency to choose and promote would thus be in favour of those who share a common background with the recruiters, for example, ethnicity, religion, hometown and so on.

“Thus, this boils down to discrimination,” he said.

Dayaks are dedicated

Kallang also said that as far as Dayaks are concerned, once they realised that the majority of civil servants were from a particular racial group, they preferred to be in the private sector “where they may not have to struggle with the hurdle of dealing with discrimination due to ethnicity, religion, and hometown”.

The Piasau division Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) Youth chief James Joshua also expressed similar feelings.

He said that Dayaks were dedicated, hardworking and capable as evident by their excellent services in the military.

Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian said that he could not help but feel indignant and annoyed at Zaki’s statement.

“Any reasonable person reading that statement would take it to mean that the ethnic groups of Sabah and Sarawak do not have the intelligence and qualifications to join the esteemed civil service and are somewhat deficient because of that.

“I wish to ask the commission chairman [Zaki] to produce statistics to justify his stand. Can we please see the civil service racial parity statistics for last three decades?

“It is too simplistic to assume that the percentage of ethnic people in the civil service is low because they do not meet the requirements,” he said.

“If the Special Review Commission is really sincere about wanting to correct the imbalance, let them look at the problem squarely in the face and call it what it is,” Bian said.

He also asked the commission why is that so many civil servants and heads of most federal agencies and services in Sarawak were from Peninsular Malaysia.

“We do not have the exact figures on the number of directors in the civil service. Deputy Chief Minister [Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang] skirted the issue when he was asked about it during the last State Legislative Assembly sitting for a percentage breakdown of ethnic groups who hold ‘director’ posts in the civil service departments.

“He informed the state assembly that Bumiputeras held 88% and non-Bumiputeras held 12% of the director posts and that there are 100 ‘Anak Sarawak’ holding posts as department chiefs in the Sarawak civil service.

“What we want to know is how many of the 88% Bumiputeras holding director posts are Sarawakians. Although it is nice to know that there are 100 ‘Anak Sarawak’ department chiefs, that is not what we want to know. Anyway, that figure seen in isolation does not mean anything to us.

“What is the figure as a percentage of the total number of department chief posts available in Sarawak?

“What is the rationale of sending civil servants from Peninsular Malaysia to fill positions which Sarawakians are perfectly capable of filling?” he asked, pointing out that most of those transferred are unhappy about being sent to Sarawak.

Election ploy?

Bian also said Sarawak is considered a “hardship” posting, and to compensate those who were transferred there, the government has to spend extra to pay them “hardship” allowances.

“Similarly, Sarawakian civil servants do not want to be posted away from their hometowns to the Peninsula.

“I believe that civil servants will be more motivated and committed to their jobs if they are serving in their home states.

“This is not to say that we are against integration between Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak; our main concern is that the director posts in all government departments should be held by Sarawakians,” Bian said.

He added that it was now imperative that the federal government give “immediate effect” to the “Borneonisation” of the civil service.

This is so that Sarawakians can play a direct role in the administration of their home state as was envisaged by the leaders who insisted on the 18-Point Agreement before agreeing to join in the formation of Malaysia.

Questioning the motive of the commission in raising the issue, Bian said: “Lack of qualification is not a factor.

“It makes me wonder whether the ‘magnanimous’ gesture of the commission so close to the election is yet another election gimmick.

“To truly effect a change in the public service requires moral fortitude and resolute commitment, which I hope the Special Review Commission and Public Services Commission possess in plentiful supply.

“However, judging from this initial recommendation, I have my doubts.

“Please do not condescend to the Dayaks by offering this special concession, which purports to address a non-existent issue.

“Besides being a gross insult to the Dayaks, it most definitely does not offer a solution to the real cause of the poor representation of ethnic minority groups in the civil service.

“The people recognise a whitewash when they see one,” Bian added.

Learning to accept changing demands

Unless we get the basics right, we maybe steadily heading in a collision course.

COMMENT

By R Kengadharan
Malaysia celebrates 55 years of independence from British imperialism today. The sudden growth of anti-colonialism and nationalism sentiment regionally accelerated the pronouncement of independence.

After independence the campaign against the communist started which ideology spread posed a direct threat to the Federation and there was a real need to resist the thrust of the communists and if left unattended capable of causing a disastrous scenario.

While Malaysians in general take stability, growth and prosperity for granted, these conditions did not come naturally but required ceaseless effort and we must never forget the perils of communist insurrection, communal riots and intimidation.

Our bitter past and achievements serve as a clear reminder for the younger generation to be more vigilant.

As an independent nation since 1957, with all that diversity, are we able to establish a true Malaysian identity? Are we united now than before?

Have we undertaken constructive measures or intensified steps to foster and strengthen national unity within the multi-racial and multi-ethnic sphere? Is our conduct today causing or creating political and social instability?

As a secular nation we must win the people’s support and their hearts through the building of a clean and effective government and fair society.

There must be no desire to break the very peculiar unity enjoyed thus far i.e. the social unity in the country. We must unite and denounce race based politics, aspersions and remarks.

We must aggressively aim to create a Malaysian Malaysia thus effectively closing the gap of resentment between the non-Malays and Malays. Unless we get the basics right, we maybe steadily heading in a collision course.

As a modern nation we must adopt a visionary approach and learn to accept changing demands of the people and nurture a new generation of young leaders who must take full control of the government and economy.

We must enhance our current multi-cultural society and learn to be less authoritarian and must ensure to rule the country effectively and someday hoping to become a role model.

Additionally, it is ever more imperative to make Malaysia uncorrupt and meritocracy based society. We must be determined to accomplish an efficient and competent administration and to achieve this, quality of political leadership must constantly be re-visited.

We must be able to see beyond personal wants and wishes, and only support policies for the overall good of the country. Remember, that the opportunities you have today came from a cohesive society that nurtured you.

R Kengadharan is a lawyer and a former ISA detainee.

Merdeka: The end of the fairy-tale

Najib has made a lot of mistakes and has reneged on many promises. His Merdeka slogan, ‘Janji DiTepati’ is an affront to the rakyat.

COMMENT

The nation is 55 years old today. To read some newspapers you’d think that it was Barisan Nasional, and not the people, which achieved independence from Britain.

To learn that the Merdeka Day celebrations at the Bukit Jalil Stadium is “by invitation only”, is appalling. Who decreed that the rakyat had to be members of the “select” BN club to celebrate Merdeka? If Merdeka is exclusively BN, then the slogan “1Malaysia” is rendered meaningless.

As with many things in Umno, the taxpayers are made to pay for the prizes and the ceremony, but they are denied the opportunity to win any of the prizes or even attend the event.

If the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his Information, Communications and Culture Minister, Rais Yatim, cannot even organise a Merdeka event that is inclusive of all Malaysians, then they are not fit to run the country after the 13th general election.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that it was not Merdeka we were celebrating but Hari BN. Rais’ foray into composing the Merdeka song makes you wonder: which is he worse at – songwriting or being a Cabinet minister?

The biggest disappointment is Najib. He is weighted by personal and political baggage. Even if he listened and learnt (from his and others’ mistakes), he cannot be rescued politically. He was not elected into office and is now vilified by the man who put him there, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Najib has made a lot of mistakes and has reneged on many promises. His Merdeka slogan, “Janji Di Tepati” is an affront to the rakyat. He is insecure and is desperate to win the affection of the rakyat. His reputation locally and abroad is tarnished.

Wasting taxpayers’ money

At the beginning of the week, it was reported that The Guardian had sacked its journalist, Joshua Trevino, for conflict of interest and for bringing the media industry into disrepute.

Trevino had belonged to FBC Media, a public relations company, which had been paid by Najib to bathe Malaysia in a good light, to whitewash the misdeeds of its government, and to criticise Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. Using taxpayers’ money, Najib paid overseas PR companies such as Apco, FBC and CNBC millions of ringgit to promote him and his administration.

Why does Najib need to spruce up his image? Why waste taxpayers’ money when he only needs to act responsibly at home? If he is not sure of his duties, they are to lead, to listen and to learn.

Najib holds on to the illusion of power, but the real power is in the hands of a man, who is sitting in The Mines Resort, just outside Kuala Lumpur.

Najib thought he could win the hearts of the overseas Malaysians with the promise of enfranchisement, but his promises have remained an illusion.

The Home Ministry, the police and Pemandu CEO Idris Jala, all gave us the illusion that crime was falling, but the truth is people are being raped, mugged, killed, abducted and robbed, on a daily basis.

The illusion that Najib presents to overseas leaders is that he is a champion of the “moderates”, but Malaysians beg to differ. At home, race and religion are used to divide the nation. Thus, the illusion of racial and religious harmony is just that. An illusion.

Periodically, Malays are scared into thinking that Muslims are covertly being converted to Christianity, en masse. The controversial raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) sparked off the formation of Himpunan Sejuta Melayu to defend Islam.

Himpunan reported that it had the support of four million Muslims and 200 NGOs. Last October, a mere 5,000 people turned up for the rally, at the 100,000-capacity Shah Alam stadium. Another illusion was broken.

Last May, the government held a “Million Youths Rally 2012” in Putrajaya, an event which some alleged was the government’s attempt to try and rival the success of the Bersih 3.0 rally.

The illusion of mass support by the youth was crushed with allegations of money and free food for those who attended. To make matters worse, several people were injured when a drag race car tore into the crowds.

The illusion that the government looks after its youth was shattered when the Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek asked that the event not be politicised. Both he and the organisers refused to be held responsible for the lack of safety at the event.

The 11th National Cooperative Day Expo 2012 held in mid-July at the National Stadium was another flop. Many seats were unoccupied. Old-age pensioners who had been bused in to fill the seats started to disperse as Najib started to speak. Bored schoolchildren blew their vuvuzelas and were reprimanded by Najib for drowning him out.

The illusion that the prime minister draws crowds wherever he goes is false. It is also alleged that several government servants were transferred because of the dismal attendance.

The doctored photo

Perhaps, the most glaring example of using the media to create the illusion that Najib is a man of the people and a much loved leader, was when DAP Senator S Ramakrishnan alleged that The Star newspaper’s front-page photo of Najib’s Hari Raya open-house, on Aug 21, was a “blatant lie”.

The photo has come under intense scrutiny and the allegations that Bernama doctored the photo, raises serious doubts about the ethics of Bernama. If the allegations are true, why did they do it?

From a personal viewpoint, why would well-wishers wave Malaysian flags at a Raya open-house?

Is Najib so insecure that he needs to be reassured of his popularity (or lack of) by the presence of rent-a-crowd? Najib has failed to live up to his promises – transparency, control of public spending and an end to corruption. Everything he has done in his tenure as prime minister is just a fairy-tale.

For the rakyat, the fairy-tale story of a nation gaining its independence is not quite over. We may have gained our sovereignty, but the Malaysian identity is proving elusive. The plots and sub-plots are about to reach a zenith. Our Merdeka fairy-tale could have a happy ending, but only if we allow it. Or will there be a twist in the fairy-tale?

Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.

We have become politically awakened

Organising a glitzy event at Bukit Jalil for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his cabinet, civil servants and selected others won't make pressing problems in the country disappear.

COMMENT

By Charles Santiago
All we heard and saw the last few weeks heading into the Merdeka Day were squabbles, open spats over Twitter, Facebook and pure disgust. And simply because the government has tried, in every possible way to hijack Merdeka Day.

Its Janji Ditepati or Promises Fulfilled slogan is pure propaganda, crafted to send a strong election message to the people as the country gears towards what’s most likely to be the most fiercely-fought polls ever.

Dissatisfaction over the government’s choice of slogans, logos and song clearly signals the sharp divisions in the society as Malaysia celebrates its 55 years of independence.

These are not the only issues we are concerned about.

A gutless democracy, discrimination against women and children, racism, curbing of civil liberties, trampling of human rights, rampant corruption and a government that would bend or amend every law and indulge in a dirty electoral process to stay in power are what the nation is gripped with now.

Organising a glitzy event at Bukit Jalil for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his cabinet, civil servants and selected others won’t make pressing problems in the country disappear.

Just days before Merdeka Day, we saw a repeat of a court ruling which shocked the public. A 21-year-old man who had raped a 12-year-old child escaped a jail term. This is the second case in weeks where another perpetrator walked free. In both cases, the court ruled that both men had great future and the acts were consensual.

This is outrageous. It sets a bad precedent and has failed to look into the welfare of the victims.

Over the last few months, the fight for power has intensified in the country. Whistleblowers were penalised. Corrupt politicians walked free despite strong proof of corruption amounting to billions of dollars and opposition leaders have been targeted in smear campaigns to break the increasing support for Pakatan Rakyat.

Political discourse in the country is almost non-existent and ruling politicians are happy to use devious tactics and gutter politics centering around the private lives of opposition leaders.

Hoodwinking the people
While the second quarter GDP growth of 5.1% has surprised even government optimists, this surge was largely due to pump priming of the economy. But can the government continue to maneuver the economy, if there is another downturn brought about by external factors, given its huge spending on mega projects and cash handouts ahead of the polls?

If all this is not enough, we have government-backed water concessionaire Syabas manufacturing a water crisis to hold the opposition-led Selangor government hostage in order to force the state to agree to building a water treatment plant which would cost Malaysians billions of dollars.

Our stand is that there are other pressing problems like Syabas looking at ways to reduce the amount of water wastage lost to leakage and theft, which is about a third of total production.

While the government is busy scheming and trying to devise new strategies to hoodwink the people, including using the Merdeka Day as a bait, it has failed to realise that Malaysians are becoming politically more vocal.

The thousands of people who turned up at Dataran Merdeka yesterday in yellow t-shirts to show support for Bersih, a coalition demanding free and fair elections, and other groups is a clear sign that Malaysians will not allow the government to indulge in shadow play.

And the success of the protest is a signal that as Malaysia enters its 55th year of independence the society, no matter what the government says, is sufficiently mature to hold peaceful political rallies. It also illustrates that the society is politically awakened to ensure their demands are met.

And this is what Najib and his government must remember on this historic day.

Charles Santiago is the member of parliament for Klang.

BN, PR: dua kali lima

 

But the political parties that they belong to will not allow this. Although they are called Wakil Rakyat, in reality they are Wakil Parti. They have to represent their party, not us, the voters. And when they try to do what they are supposed to do, the party will pounce on them. Hence they have to toe the party line or else they will be suspended, or worse, sacked.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

No, this is not an anti-government article. It is not an opposition-whacking article either. This is an article about why we vote for 222 Malaysians to represent us in Parliament -- never mind whether you voted (or will be voting) for Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat. That is not important. What is important is: why do we vote?

We vote for 222 Malaysians to go to Parliament (and another almost 600 State Assemblypersons for the State Assemblies as well -- known as ADUNs) so that they can become our representatives or wakil.

The Malays have the correct term for this. These people we vote for (both MPs and ADUNs) are called Wakil Rakyat in Malay, which means Citizen’s Representative (or People’s Representative). 

And, as the name implies, that is exactly what they are supposed to do -- represent us, the voters.

But the political parties that they belong to will not allow this. Although they are called Wakil Rakyat, in reality they are Wakil Parti. They have to represent their party, not us, the voters. And when they try to do what they are supposed to do, the party will pounce on them. Hence they have to toe the party line or else they will be suspended, or worse, sacked.

Why call them Wakil Rakyat then? They cannot function as Wakil Rakyat. We might as well call them Wakil Parti. And in the coming general election, 10 million Malaysians can go to the polling stations to vote for theWakil Parti.

Both Barisan Nasional as well as Pakatan Rakyat are equally guilty of this. And since we do not have a ‘third force’, so to speak -- unless the rakyat can be regarded as that third force -- that is how things are going to be for a long time to come.

But, no, I am not going to talk about the third force. Malaysians are too dumb to understand the meaning of ‘third force’. To most people, ‘third force’ means three-corner contests. Then they will say I am trying to sabotage Pakatan Rakyat so that Barisan Nasional can retain power.

So what if some Members of Parliament (never mind BN or PR) go against their party stand? If it is for the good of the rakyat why can’t they break ranks and not toe the party line? That is why we sent them to Parliament (or the State Assemblies) in the first place.

In America, the Congressmen or Senators from the President’s own party can vote against the President while those from the other side will vote in support of the Bill that the President is proposing. On more than one occasion the President’s Bill had been defeated by his own party while those from the other side actually voted in support of it. No one was suspended or sacked because of this.

I know, some of you are now going to argue that we follow the British Westminster system and that this is how they do things in the UK. They have the Parliament Whip whose job is to ensure that no one breaks ranks.

Okay, if we are so concerned about what they do in Britain, and hence we need to follow the British model, then what about the written constitution? Britain does not have a written constitution. Why not follow Britain and abolish our Constitution?

I have no problems with that. Then no longer will Islam be the religion of the Federation or Malays have special privileges or the Agong be the Supreme Head of the Federation and all that. Britain’s ‘laws’ do not allow a Prime Minister not from the Church of England. You must belong to the Church of England. You want to follow that as well since it is very important that we follow the UK?

Some things we say we MUST follow. Other things we don’t want to follow. Apa ni? Gay marriages also allowed in England, mah! Want to follow or not?

This sorry state of affairs can only be corrected by you, the voters. If you, the voters, insist that the Wakil Rakyatspeak for us and not for their party, only then can it happen.

I am going to tell you a story about why Ali is my favourite of the four (Rightly-Guided) Caliphs of Medina. And, no, it is not because I am a follower of the Shia sect of Islam.

Ali was the last of the four Medinan Caliphs. The Shias, however, allege that Ali was robbed of his right to be the First Caliph. I am not going to talk about that. What I want to talk about is he almost became the Third Caliph. And according to the story this is what happened.

As Omar, the Second Caliph, lay dying, he told the people of Medina to form a committee to decide on who should succeed him when he dies. A few candidates were selected and finally it was short-listed to just two, Osman and Ali.

A few interviews were conducted and during the final interview Osman was asked how he would rule if he was chosen as Caliph. Osman replied he would rule according to tradition and by following the example of the Prophet.

Ali was asked the same question and he replied he would rule according to his conscience and with God as his guide.

Osman got the job and some historians say that that was the beginning of the decline of the Islamic Empire. Osman appointed his relatives to important posts in the government and corruption soon emerged. One of Osman's blunders was he appointed his cousin Muawiyah as the Governor of Syria. When Osman died and Ali took over, Muawiyah declared war on Ali, the first ever war where Muslims fought Muslims (and have been fighting ever since)

I know many Islamists will disagree with my analysis of events, although these events did take place. Nevertheless, my interpretation of this event is Osman said he would follow tradition while Ali said he would follow his conscience. And we have seen how tradition may not always be the best thing to follow.

And the same goes to the issue of our Wakil Rakyat. Forget about tradition, especially Westminster tradition. Follow your conscience. Did we, the voters, or your party vote you into office? And if we voted you into office then serve us instead of your party.

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BN trio face reprimand for Section 114A gripe

(Malaysiakini, 29 Aug 2012) - The cabinet has accepted a suggestion to reprimand three key BN leaders for their open objection to Section 114A of the Evidence Act 1950.

The trio are Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Gan Ping Sieu and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

Government sources told Malaysiakini that the cabinet made the decision at its meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Aug 15.

“It was suggested that the prime minister or deputy prime minister should summon the two deputy ministers and give them a warning because their actions went against the government's stance,” revealed one source.

“It was also suggested that Minister in Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz should meet with the two deputy ministers and Khairy to hear their views, and provide them with the government's explanation.”

A day before the meeting, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who was abroad then, had instructed the cabinet to discuss the contentious following a major online protest dubbed ‘Internet Blackout Day’.

However, the meeting decided not to review the amendment. The decision was later reaffirmed and explained by Nazri.

According to the sources, the cabinet was of the view that if action was not taken, it would jeopardise the government's credibility and weaken the administration.

“The cabinet also noted that the trio have been openly issuing statements contradicting government policies.

"They should have convey their views through internal channels such as their ministers or political parties," a source added.

The sources also disclosed that the cabinet had pointed out that disciplinary action had been taken against defiant members of the administration since the era of second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein, but this practice is absent in the current administration.

When contacted today, Khairy and Saifuddin said they have yet to be informed about the cabinet decision.

“Didn't receive anything yet, so no comment,” replied Saifuddin.

Khairy said he would meet Nazri and Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail today to pursue his views on the amendment.

Nazri and Gani could not be reached for comment despite several attempts to contact them.

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(The Star, May 2012)) - The DAP disciplinary board wants Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim to confirm if he has repeated his public criticism of Bersih 3.0 although he was rebuked earlier by the party leadership over the matter.

“I am trying to locate Tunku (Aziz) for the statement,” the board's chairman Tan Kok Wai told a news portal yesterday.

Kota Alam Shah assemblyman M. Manoharan called for disciplinary action to be taken against Tunku Aziz, who is party vice-chairman, over his remarks on the rally.

Manoharan accused Tunku Aziz for failing to toe the party's line by making the remarks, which he said were tantamount to a “double misconduct”.

“It is my personal view that severe action should be taken against him. He seems to be a great embarrassment to the party.

“It is the police and not the public that should be blamed. The public have a right to voice out (their feelings),” he said yesterday.

He called on Tunku Aziz to leave the party on his own accord, claiming that the latter did not understand the party leaders' struggles, especially those who were held under the Internal Security Act.

Tunku Aziz had spoken out against the rally before it was held on April 28, fearing that it might turn violent.

Expressing sadness over the violence that did occur, Tunku Aziz recently remarked that the Bersih 3.0 organisers should have realised that while there were those who were genuinely fighting for electoral reforms, others were out to create havoc or hijack the rally for their political agenda.

He added that it was unfair for Bersih leaders and politicians to solely blame police for the violence between protesters and police.

Tunku Aziz reportedly said Bersih 3.0 organisers were not “angels descended from heaven” who were blameless, adding that they should look at themselves before pointing at police for last Saturday's violence.

When contacted yesterday, Tunku Aziz said he was not upset with Manoharan as he was entitled to his personal view.

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(The Star, 2007) - Cameron Highlands MP K. Devamany has been let off without a suspension or warning over his remark in Parliament recently.

Devamany had a 20-minute meeting with Barisan Nasional Chief Whip and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday morning to explain himself.

The MIC backbencher told a press conference at the Parliament lobby that he had told Najib that he regretted his statement.

He, however, declined to say whether he was sorry over what he said when pushed further by reporters.

Devamany was said to have broken ranks with the ruling coalition over his remark in Parliament last Monday.

He had said the fact that 50,000 people showed up at the Nov 25 Hindraf protest showed the Government’s failure in distributing wealth equally.

His remark irked some Barisan backbenchers who felt he should have used proper channels but Devamany, who received support from the MIC top brass, maintained that he was only speaking up for the Indian community.

Devamany thanked Najib for meeting him and said he explained to the Chief Whip the concerns of the Indian community.

“He was very nice to me. I told him I regretted the statement. He advised me on what happened.

“I truly believe that unity, peace and stability is paramount in the country and cannot be compromised,” he said.

Devamany said Najib had expressed concern over the plight of the Indian community, which would be addressed by the Government and MIC through the Barisan Nasional spirit.

“He (Najib) has assured him that he would look into legitimate concerns of the Indian community,” he added.

Devamany said he would still speak up in the House but would be more responsible and not just throw words around.

“I fully support Barisan Nasional and the party leadership. That cannot be questioned,” he added.

Also at the press conference was Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and Deputy Chief Whip Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, who confirmed that no suspension or warning had been given to Devamany.

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(Malaysiakini, 2005) - MIC secretary-general S Sothinathan has been suspended as a deputy minister for three months over his remarks at yesterday's parliamentary debate on the Crimea State Medical University (CSMU) issue.

The unprecedented decision was made at a cabinet meeting today. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that the suspension was because Sothinathan had breached BN party discipline.

"We made a decision to suspend him with immediate effect for what he did in parliament," Abdullah told a press conference.

"He's a member of the front bench, he should not have taken a stand like he did, criticising his own government. It is certainly a breach of party discipline," he said.

Sothinathan, who is deputy minister for natural resources and environment, could not be reached for his reaction on the suspension.

Yesterday, Sothinathan irked Barisan Nasional backbenchers when he broke ranks and interrupted Deputy Health Minister Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad over a point raised in explaining the decision to withdraw recognition for Ukraine-based CSMU.

The withdrawal of recognition by state agency, the Malaysian Medical Council, has affected about 1,400 Malaysian students who are currently studying at the university - the oldest and leading medical university in Ukraine.

The non-recognition resulted in the students, who are mostly Indian Malaysians, not being able to practice as doctors upon graduation, but will have to sit for an additional medical qualifying examination under the MMC.

Latiff told Parliament during a heated debate yesterday that the decision was made to maintain the quality of our doctors, and stressed that it had "nothing to do with race, ethnicity and religion".

He said the number of Malaysian students in CSMU had increased from 53 to 1,366 in May this year.

According to Latiff, unqualified CSMU students, including those who failed their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, had obtained no-objection letters from the Higher Education Ministry to enable them to enrol in the university.

Sothinathan, who was agitated by Latiff's remarks that the majority of those who graduated from unrecognised universities were Indians, had pressed the deputy health minister on how the Higher Education Ministry could have issued no-objection letters to unqualified students.

He also asked why one community was being single out when the problem of unrecognised medical graduates involves all communities in Malaysia.

"If MMC is indeed professional, how come it recognised CSMU in 2001? Why did it make a decision in haste?" he asked.

The debate, which was sparked by an emergency motion moved by the opposition DAP, saw the blurring of party affiliations with DAP and MIC MPs exchanging barbs with Umno MPs over the issue.

Works Minister S Samy Vellu, contacted by reporters in Parliament today, refused to comment.

Samy, who is MIC chief, had earlier described the MMC decision as a move to prevent more Indians from becoming doctors.

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) said that the parliamentary culture of allowing MPs to reflect the people's views without having to toe a party line is still "very superficial if not alien in Malaysia".

"This 'Big Brother' rule for BN back-bench criticism of ministers was broken yesterday, and this explained the strong adverse reaction to the MIC position in Parliament and the 'high drama' over my emergency motion on the MMC derecognition of CSMU medical degrees," he added.

Young lady, your country needs you!

In 2010, there were 2,667,343 women between the ages of 20 and 30 in Malaysia. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 ― Lim Lee Lan, or Elle to her friends, is 23 and newly employed as an account executive in an international advertising agency in the city.

She loves shopping (“H&M is opening soon!”) and is concerned that she is still single while her best friend is almost engaged to her boyfriend of one year.

And whether she knows it or not (“I hate politics... I don’t even read the newspapers”) Elle is being targeted by at least one political party.

Both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat have been focusing on being youth-friendly in preparation for the 13th general election, but there is one subsection of this group that has been underserved: Young women between the ages of 21 and 31.

According to the 2010 national census, there were 2,667,343 women between the ages of 20 and 30 in Malaysia. While there are no new statistics available for 2012, it is safe to say this number will have gone up. Now, that is a lot of votes.

Purchasing power and safety were key issues for young women.

In a previous report on The Malaysian Insider, political analysts said women working at home and the young will be key to the outcome of the next general election which has to be called by April.

“All issues affect women, but political parties have to tune in to the specific elements that affect women more,” said Praba Ganesan, who is the social media strategist for PKR.

“My brief is to help the party interact and engage with women through social media.”

So what issues are young women like Elle concerned about? A straw poll done by The Malaysian Insider revealed that even the most apolitical young woman is concerned with the economy. Or to be more specific, the buying power of her ringgit.

“The ringgit is weaker than say... the Singapore dollar. Someone working as an account executive in Singapore can buy a designer bag like Marc Jacobs but I have to save for a Coach bag,” explained Elle’s best friend, Alina, 24, who also works in an advertising agency.

Then there is the issue of crime and personal safety. Many of these young women go out a lot. On weekends. After work. “I have begun to feel quite paranoid about safety... it feels like there is some kind of crime posted on Facebook or Twitter every other day,” said Elle.

And that is why Praba feels the messaging is important. “Issues like the economy, lowering the prices of cars and crime... these things affect women too. Political parties have to impress upon women that the wrong government leads to the wrong policies which affect their lives. But we have to appeal to them on their terms.”

He added that one key change PKR has adopted was to factor gender into all of their activities. “Even if it is an economic meeting, we ask ourselves if there are enough women both in the panel and audience.

“Having more women in our events will mean, firstly, we will consciously emphasise elements which will attract women, and secondly have more female favoured issues being raised at that specific event.

“If women don’t attend or participate, then it is our failure, not the failure of women to understand us.”

LATEST : 7.9 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE STRIKES OFF PHILIPPINES

Quake of 7.9 magnitude strikes off Philippines a few minutes ago.

So far no reports of a tsunami.

7.9 earthquake rocks Philippines, tsunami warning issued

Manila: An earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter Scale rocked the coast of Philippines on Friday. Following the earthquake, tsunami warnings were issued for Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan and Japan.

Tsunami alerts were also issued for Papua New Guinea and other islands in the Pacific, including the US state of Hawaii.

The NOAA Tsunami Center later lifted a warning for Japan, Taiwan and several other Pacific islands.

"Strong earthquake here in Taft, Eastern Samar! And it lasted very long too!" Samar congressman, Ben Evardone, told reporters via text message.

An official at the Philippines' Volcanolgy Institute said he expected damage had been caused in Samar province but he had yet to receive any reports.

"If you are anywhere near the coast I recommend that you head to higher ground," Paul Caruso of the USGS told Sky TV by telephone when asked about a threat of a tsunami hitting the coast of the Philippines.

The quake was centered off the east coast, 91 miles off the town of Guiuan in Samar province, the US Geological Survey said.

(With Additional Inputs from Reuters)