King orders Hindraf 5 to complete their 2-year term

King orders Hindraf 5 to complete their 2-year term KUALA LUMPUR: The five Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders, detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA), will complete serving their two-year term as ordered by the king.

In a statement yesterday, lawyer Karpal Singh said this was contained in a letter dated April 16 addressed to one of the five, lawyer Ganabatirau Veeraman, by the Home Ministry's Security and Public Order Division officer Mohamad Irza Dahari.

"The other detainees, have received similar letters," he said.

They are lawyers Uthayakumar Ponnusamy, 46, Manoharan Malayalam, 46, and Kengadharan Ramasamy, 40, and ex-bank executive Vasantha Kumar Krishnan, 34.

The letter said the Prime Minister's Advisory Board had forwarded its recommendation to the king who issued the order on March 26, following an appeal by the five.

They are detained for allegedly organising an illegal rally.

Karpal Appeals To PM For Hindraf Leaders' Release
KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 (Bernama) -- DAP Chairman Karpal Singh today appealed to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to instruct Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar to revoke the detention order on the five Hindraf leaders detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Karpal said that despite the detention orders by the King, Syed Hamid could at any time under the law revoke the orders on the five leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

The King had on March 26 ordered for the leaders two-year detention, effective Dec 13 last year, be continued until completion.

"I would have thought, in line with the reconciliatory stance of the government in bringing about reforms, including setting up of a judicial commission for the appointment and promotion of judges, the five leaders would have been set free to rejoin their families.

"In fact, the Government should, in line with this approach, repeal the ISA," said Karpal, who is also Bukit Gelugor MP, in a statement tonight.

On Dec 13 last year, the authorities detained M. Manoharan, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, R. Kenghadharan and K. Vasanthakumar for organising a mass rally in the federal capital and making demands for the rights of Indians in the country.-- BERNAMA

Is DAP showing its true colours?
Posted by Raja Petra
Thursday, 24 April 2008

Aiyah, bilalah orang DAP nak buang otak Cina dan tukar kepada otak Malaysia? Patutlah orang Umno suruh orang DAP balek Cina. Aku dah lama nak masuk DAP tapi meluat tengok perangai Chinese Chauvinist DAP ni.

DAP plans reforms in Penang, Umno upset with coming changes

The DAP-led Penang government has outlined several reforms it plans to undertake in the state administration, including awarding government procurement contracts by open tender. Newly appointed chief minister Lim Guan Eng said the party also planned to immediately review the current practice of having only political appointees as representatives in the municipal councils.Speaking to reporters, Lim said effective immediately, information about government contracts and tender bids would be uploaded to an Internet portal for public scrutiny.“We want to run a state administration free from cronyism, corruption and systematic inefficiency.

“Instead, we advocate a stakeholders economy for all based on the principle of shared prosperity in an equitable manner,” he said.Lim said he along with all exco members, state assembly speaker, deputy speaker and the respective heads of the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) and Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) would also be making a public declaration of their personal assets.He added that the DAP-led coalition would also attempt to restore local government elections before the end of its term.In the interim, the state government intends to exercise Section 10(2) of the Local Government Act by appointing professionals and non-governmental organisation representatives as members of local government.

In an immeidate reaction, Penang Umno secretary Datuk Azhar Ibrahim warned that if the new state government goes ahead with its plan to do away with the NEP's practices, it will anger Malays in the state."It will also result in unrest because they will face all sorts of hardship," he said.Despite 50 years of Independence, Azhar said the Bumiputera's equity was still lacking by 18.7 per cent. The group has yet to achieve the 30 per cent target.Azhar claimed the DAP, unlike Barisan Nasional, had never supported and encouraged the NEP."They claimed to represent the people of all races but are they really doing so?" he said.Since the party had been chosen by the people to lead the state, along with Parti Keadilan Rakyat, they should be responsible for each and everyone's well being, Azhar said.

© Copyright 2008 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved. http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/Frontpage/20080311191746/Article/index_html

Malaysia's opposition takes over in Penang - Malaysia's opposition was sworn in to power Tuesday in Penang, one of the nation's richest states, and swiftly announced plans to dismantle controversial race-based discrimination policies. Lim Guan Eng, head of the Democratic Action Party, was appointed chief minister after a stunning performance in weekend polls which handed Penang and three other states to a three-party opposition alliance. Lim immediately targeted the New Economic Policy, which was introduced in the early 1970s to bridge the wealth gap between the Muslim Malays who dominate the population and the ethnic Chinese who are successful in business. "We want to run the state government administration free from the New Economic Policy that only breeds cronyism, corruption and systematic inefficiency," he told reporters.
"Instead, we advocate a stakeholders' economy for all, based on the principle of shared prosperity in an equitable manner," he said. Lim said all government contracts would be conducted through an open tender system, unlike the practice of the previous administration. The new procedure takes effect immediately. "To show transparency, information about the tender bids will be uploaded to an Internet portal for all to see," he said.

Malaysian opposition targets race policies, warns govt - Malaysia's opposition Tuesday announced plans to dismantle race-based discrimination policies and warned the government not to sabotage the transition of power as it prepared to rule in five states. After a stunning weekend election performance that seized a third of parliamentary seats and four new states from the ruling coalition, an opposition figure was sworn in Tuesday as chief minister in Penang. Lim Guan Eng, head of the Democratic Action Party which is a part of a three-member opposition alliance, immediately targeted positive discrimination policies for Muslim Malays who dominate the nation's population. "We want to run the state government administration free from the New Economic Policy that only breeds cronyism, corruption and systematic inefficiency," he told reporters.
"Instead, we advocate a stakeholders' economy for all, based on the principle of shared prosperity in an equitable manner," he said. The New Economic Policy was introduced in the early 1970s to bridge the wealth gap with ethnic Chinese who dominate business, by giving Malays advantages in education, housing and business. It was one of the factors behind a flight by ethnic Chinese and Indian voters in weekend polls, which deprived the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition of a two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time in four decades.

Agenda Ekonomi Malaysia akan memacu pertumbuhan - Malaysian Economic Agenda Set to Propel Growth: KeADILan’s economic agenda received a resounding mandate on March 8th when Malaysians went to the polls and quadrupled the number of seats held by the opposition in Parliament, awarding us with 50% of the seats in West Malaysia. After a decade of economic mismanagement, unchecked inflation in recent years and lagging competitiveness vis-a-vis Malaysia’s neighbours, we are confident that under our leadership and working closely with our partners, we will begin to implement policies to ensure a stronger and more vibrant economy in Malaysia.