Charles Santiago

கொள்ளையர்களின் அச்சுறுத்தல்
போலீஸ் அலட்சியம் தொடர்ந்தால் அமைதி போராட்டம் தொடரும்.
தடை விதிப்பது நியாயமல்ல
Interlok Arrests: Najib Should Walk the Talk
இண்ட்ராப் பேரணி: “மலேசிய இந்திய சமூகத்தின் குரல்”, சார்ல்ஸ் சந்தியாகோ
Lone judge wants Putrajaya to answer for water deal
Interlok Arrests: Najib Should Walk the Talk

கொள்ளையர்களின் அச்சுறுத்தல்

Posted: 27 Feb 2011 08:25 PM PST

மூலம் :- மலேசிய நண்பன்

போலீஸ் அலட்சியம் தொடர்ந்தால் அமைதி போராட்டம் தொடரும்.

Posted: 27 Feb 2011 08:00 PM PST

மூலம் :- மலேசிய நண்பன்

தடை விதிப்பது நியாயமல்ல

Posted: 27 Feb 2011 07:47 PM PST

மூலம் :- மலேசிய நண்பன்

Interlok Arrests: Najib Should Walk the Talk

Posted: 27 Feb 2011 02:38 AM PST

A protester was pushed down, his face rubbed against the road, kicked and then arrested.

I am not writing about what happened in Libya. This scene took place in Kuala Lumpur, a couple of minutes away from KLCC, Malaysia’s symbol of growth and prosperity.

Ahead of time, the police had locked-down Kuala Lumpur to prevent members of Human Rights Party and supporters from gathering to stage a protest, calling for the ban of Interlok.

Friends who were on location around the KLCC said that the police verbally abused the protesters including media workers.

Indians sighted around the Shangri-La Hotel and KLCC area were stopped, interrogated and even had their identity cards scrutinized.

Journalists were asked to show their media passes and shouted at for filming the violent arrests.

A few days back Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak slammed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for unleashing violence on his people who were opposed to his rule.

“We believe he should not use violence. What is important for us is to take into account the aspirations of people…The system should be legitimate, it has to be based on support of people” –

These are Najib’s words.

His deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, called on Gaddafi to allow the people to demonstrate peacefully.

Therefore, what happened on the streets of Kuala Lumpur today clearly shows that the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional government practices double standards.

Interlok contains racial slurs against the Indians.

It is a slap on the face of Malaysian Indians and clearly a play of racial politics, crafted to please the ultra-Malays.

It’s me or chaos – this the mantra of Gaddafi. Toe the government line or face abuse is the slogan of Barisan Nasional and particularly UMNO leaders.

And if Ghaddafi says that the Al-Qaeda instigated his people to take to the streets, UMNO says that issues raised against Interlok were carved out by the opposition.

This is a joke.

In Northern Africa and the Middle-East, we are seeing an uprising as people stand up to re-claim their rights.

Here, Malaysian Indians are fighting to retain their dignity against a piece of literature which is derogatory. And if UMNO cares about democracy, the leaders would allow for legitimate dissent instead of trying to keep a lid on it.

As I write this, the whereabouts of the 109 protestors who have been arrested are unknown.

This further caricatures the abuse of power by the police force. And bins Najib’s 1Malaysia policy which zeroes in on national integration through racial unity.

Opposition politicians and non-governmental organizations have repeated calls for the setting-up of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

The recent high-handed behaviour of the police at peaceful protests signals the crucial need for an independent body to act as a check and balance on the force.

I, therefore, call on the government to immediately set-up the IPCMC and release all those detained at the protest.

Charles Santiago

Member of Parliament, Klang.

இண்ட்ராப் பேரணி: “மலேசிய இந்திய சமூகத்தின் குரல்”, சார்ல்ஸ் சந்தியாகோ

Posted: 27 Feb 2011 02:27 AM PST

மூலம் :- மலேசியா இன்று

26 Feb | செய்தி.

நமது தலைவர்களும் மக்களும் மலேசியா ஒரு ஜனநாயக நாடு என்று மார் தட்டிக்கொள்கின்றனர். ஆனால், உண்மையில் ஜனநாயகம் கடைபிடிக்கப்படவில்லை என்று கூறுகிறார் டிஎபி கிள்ளான் நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் சார்ல்ஸ் சந்தியாகோ.

எதிர்வரும் ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை இண்ட்ராப் நடத்த திட்டமிடிருக்கும் பேரணியை நடத்த அனுமதிக்கக்கூடாது என்றும் அதில் பங்கேற்பவர்கள் மீது போலீசார் சட்ட நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும் என்று துணைப் பிரதமர் முகைதின் யாசின் கூறியிருப்பதைச் சுட்டிக் காட்டிய சார்ல்ஸ், "இவரின் கூற்று வேடிக்கையாக இருக்கிறது. மலேசியா ஒரு ஜனநாயக நாடு; நமக்கு பேச்சு உரிமை இருக்கிறது. ஆனால், இண்ட்ராப் பேரணி நடத்தக்கூடாது. இது அரசாங்கம் மக்களின் உரிமையைப் பறிப்பதாகும்", என்றார்.

இண்ட்ராப் நடத்தும் பேரணிக்கு போலீஸ் பாதுகாப்பு வழங்குமாறு கேட்டால், அக்கோரிக்கையை நிராகரித்து விட்டு இது சட்ட விரோத நடவடிக்கை; மீறினால் சட்ட நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என்று மிரட்டுதல் சிறிதளவும் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ள முடியாத ஒன்று என்று அவர் மேலும் கூறினார்.

"சர்ச்சைக்குரிய இண்டர்லோக் நாவலுக்கு எதிராக நடத்தப்படும் பேரணிக்கு தடை போடுவது ஒட்டுமொத்த இந்தியர்களையும் அவர்களது உரிமைகளையும் அரசாங்கம் உதாசீனப்படுத்துகிறது என்பதைக் காட்டுகிறது. இது எங்கள் உரிமை. இப்பேரணி மலேசிய இந்திய சமூகத்தின் குரல். அதைத் தடுக்கும் அரசாங்கத்தின் செயல் கண்டிக்கத்தக்கது.

"இண்டர்லோக் நாவல் விவகாரத்தில் அரசாங்கம் மௌனம் காப்பதும், இந்தியர்களையும் அவர்களின் உணர்ச்சிகளையும் பொருட்படுத்தாமல், மதிக்காமல் இருப்பது இந்தியர்களின் மனதை மேலும் நோகச் செய்கிறது.

"ஆகவே, இந்தியர்களின் கோபத்திற்கு முற்றுப்புள்ளி வைக்கும் வகையில் இண்ட்ராப் பேரணி நடத்த அனுமதியும் பாதுகாப்பும் வழங்குவது மட்டுமில்லாமல், இண்டர்லோக் நாவலை மீட்டுக்கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்று அரசாங்கத்தைக் கேட்டுக்கொள்கிறேன்", என்றார் சார்ல்ஸ்.

Lone judge wants Putrajaya to answer for water deal

Posted: 27 Feb 2011 02:19 AM PST

Source :- themalaysianinsider

By Melissa Chi

February 25, 2011

Water was a basic necessity of life, said the appeals court judge. — Reuters pic

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 25 — The public has a legitimate expectation to know how water tariffs are determined, a dissenting judge in the Court of Appeal said today, disagreeing with a majority decision to keep secret the details of a concession deal between a private water company and the federal government.

Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Mohd Yunus said the court action to demand public disclosure of the deal was considered public interest litigation.

"Water is a basic necessity of life and any increase in tariffs will have an important impact on their lives.

"If one has to pay in order to have water, then the charge must be extremely nominal and affordable to the citizens. Then the process of determining the water rates or tariffs must be transparent. The citizens have a legitimate expectation to know the process involved in determining any increase of tariffs," he said.

Hishamudin accepted the respondents' argument that the government has a legal responsibility to the citizens and that good governance requires transparency, particularly in matters pertaining to basic human needs such as treated water.

Earlier today, the Court of Appeals had decided today to keep secret the concession agreement between Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) and the federal government as well as an audit on the firm.

The majority decision was made by two of the three-man panel comprising Datin Paduka Zaleha Zahari, Datuk Seri Abu Samah Nordin and Hishamudin.

In 2007, Klang MP and co-ordinator for the Coalition Against Water Privatisation (CAWP), Charles Santiago, had filed for the judicial review seeking to declare the audit report and the 2004 concession agreement signed by Syabas, the Selangor government and the federal government as public documents.

In a landmark judgment, the High Court on June 28 last year ordered the contents of the documents to be disclosed, as requested by CAWP.

Judicial commissioner Hadhariah Syed Ismail had stated she was not convinced such a disclosure would be harmful to national security or public interest, as claimed by Syabas and the Ministry of Green Technology, Energy, and Water.

CAWP comprises the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) and 13 others from Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, including Santiago himself.

In his dissenting judgment today, Hishamudin also said the federal counsel appeared unaware of clause 45 of the concession agreement.

"But it is disclosed in the submission that according to clause 45, none of the three parties to the agreement namely, one, the federal government; two, the state government; and three, Syabas, may disclose the contents of the agreement to third parties without a mutual agreement of all three parties unless it is right by law," he said.

In this case, the state government and Syabas have no objection to the disclosure of the concession agreement, he said.

"The High Court judge had examined both the concession agreement and the audit report, and has come to the conclusion that there is nothing that is detrimental to the national security or public order, are disclosed except that the disclosures might invite public criticisms," he said pointedly.

He said that prior to the Cabinet meeting inquest, the audit report was already in existence and has never been classified as an official secret.

"The audit report was never prepared solely for the purpose of Cabinet discussion.

"To my mind, it cannot be the law that just [because] subsequently this audit report was discussed by the Cabinet, it just then becomes an official secret. There is no basis for the minister to withhold this audit report from the public," Hishamudin said.

CAWP lawyer, Ang Hean Leng, today said the High Court judgment should have been upheld as average users would be "adversely affected", adding that today's ruling meant consumers "do not have legal standing to request for information related to the water supply and water rates".

"We have to wait for the judgment to see what the majority [said]," Ang said, before adding that today's decision had baffled them.

Syabas was allowed to raise water tariffs after the company said it had complied with the requirement to reduce non-revenue water by five per cent.

Non-revenue water is the difference between water produced and water lost through leakages, faulty meters and theft.

The energy, water and communications minister had earlier rejected the coalition's request on the grounds that the concession agreement was confidential and the audit report, an official secret.

Syabas provides water for Selangor and both the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya

Interlok Arrests: Najib Should Walk the Talk

Posted: 27 Feb 2011 02:13 AM PST