Gun brought into Perak DUN on May 7

HOW THE SCREWEE BECAME THE SCREWER - Malaysia Today

HOW THE SCREWEE BECAME THE SCREWER

Posted by admin

Wednesday, 13 May 2009 04:29

I know they have issued a fresh detention order and the instant I appear in court they will detain me under the Internal Security Act and send me to Kamunting. And it burns them up so much that I am so near yet so far away. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin On late Monday afternoon, the court ruled that Nizar is still the Menteri Besar of Perak. On early Tuesday morning, the Appeal Court allowed a stay of execution. This means Nizar was back as Menteri Besar for a mere couple of hours yesterday and then had to hand the state back to Zambry. What was astonishing was the speed in which the Appeal Court sat to make its decision when there are still so many older cases pending -- sometimes up to ten years while the convicted persons awaiting the outcome of their appeal languish in jail without bail during all that time. And the beauty about this is, even if they lose their appeal, their jail sentence is shorter than the time they have thus far spent in prison under remand. Some have withdrawn their appeal just so that they can go home. It is better to plead guilty or not contest the verdict since the sentence is shorter than the time they would have to spend in prison under remand. The second thing that has astonished most people; lawyers especially; is the one-man quorum that sat to hear Zambry’s application for a stay of execution. They would have expected a minimum quorum of three judges since this case is of great public interest. But only one man sat to hear Zambry’s application and it certainly does not give an impression that Nizar saw justice done yesterday in the Appeal Court. That happened to me in the appeal that the government filed against my release from ISA detention in November last year. We asked for a quorum of seven judges. If we can’t get seven we would settle for five. But they refused both seven and five and agreed on only three. Why only three and whose decision was that? It was an administrative decision, meaning a court clerk somewhere decided that it should be three. We were not told who the judges were until the morning of the hearing. And when we found out who they were we objected to one of them because I had crossed swords with him many times over the last ten years. So this judge was asked to leave the room while the other two sat to hear our objections. When it was pointed out that it is illegal and unconstitutional for only two judges to sit and that we would be appealing against this the judge said, “Do what you like.” Then the two judges ruled that the third need not recuse and he was invited back to ‘take his rightful place on the bench’. The court is just fucking around with me and I am expected to ‘respect the court’ and abide to its decisions without a peep or a squeak. Balls! I do not have to, and will not, take this crap. I attended the first day’s hearing, and after seeing how the court pushed us around and treated us like idiots, I refused to walk into that courtroom again for the rest of the hearings. You want to put me on trial, well and fine. I will face the court. But if you want to fuck around with me and treat me like I am one stupid country bumpkin then I do not need to take this crap. Okay, let us now talk about my second brush with the court, the criminal defamation trial at the end of this month. When I was first charged and asked how I plead, I replied that I refuse to enter any plea. The court said it would take that as a ‘not guilty’ plea. I then raised my voice and told the judge that I did not plead ‘not guilty’. I had refused to enter any plea. I was advised that, under the law, refusing to enter any plea would be interpreted as a ‘not guilty’ plea. When they transferred my case to a higher court they again asked me how I plead and I again refused to enter any plea. And, again, they interpreted this as a ‘not guilty’ plea and, again, I raised my voice and said I did not enter a ‘not guilty’ plea. Look, I did not plead ‘not guilty’. And I don’t care a damn how the court wishes to interpret that. No plea means ‘no plea’ as far as I am concerned and, at that point of time, they had a choice to pronounce me guilty and send me to jail -- which is what I wanted and I told my lawyers so. But my lawyers said that this would not happen because, since I did not enter any plea, then I shall be subjected to a trial. That is stupid and, in spite of that being the law, a stupid law is still a stupid law. When I refused to enter a plea on both occasions I told the court my reason for doing so was because the charges are defective and mala fide. But the court ignored that. The prosecutor asked my lawyers in what way the charges are defective and mala fide but of course my lawyers would not tell him. If we did then they would amend the charges as they did in my sedition trial when they discovered they were losing their case against me. When the police called me in for interrogation it was on the basis I had signed a false Statutory Declaration. In fact, the day after I signed it, the AG said that I am guilty of signing a false declaration. Two days later, the IGP also announced they would be taking action against me for signing a false declaration. How did the AG know? How did the IGP know? I had signed a SD, which I then officially, through my lawyers and by way of letter, sent to the prosecutors in the Altantuya murder trial. This was a ‘for your eyes only’ document. This means, since it is a criminal investigation matter, the SD is classified information and automatically comes under the Official Secrets Act. However, mysteriously, within 24 hours, my SD appeared on http://bigdogdotcom.wordpress.com/, a Blog run by Zakir, a man aligned to Mukhriz Mahathir. I know Zakir lives next door to a very senior Special Branch officer because he has mentioned this often enough so this is probably how he got a copy of my SD. Why did the police leak my SD to an Umno Blogger? It was confidential and meant only for the prosecutors in the Altantuya murder trial. But almost immediately the AG plus IGP both told the whole world about it and announced publicly that I had signed a false SD and that they would be taking action against me. They had not even seen the SD yet when they made those announcements. Furthermore, no investigation was launched to determine whether my SD is in fact false or otherwise. Yes, the decision to ‘take action’ was made way in advance of any investigation. They had put the cart before the horse. Now they had to go look for the horse since the cart had already been announced. After that they called me in for interrogation so that the AG and IGP would not look like the stupid idiots that they are for announcing something before it even happened. Then they panicked. If they charge me for the crime of signing a false SD then they have to prove it. I need not prove anything. It is not my job to prove anything. Since they are the ones charging me then they have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that I did in fact sign a false SD. What if I manage to put on a good defence and prove that I had not signed a false SD but had in fact signed a truthful one? What if witnesses come forward to testify that what I signed was true? That’s when they realised they had blundered. If they charge me for signing a false SD and can’t prove it, or I can in fact prove otherwise, then Najib and Rosmah are dead meat. So they changed their strategy and instead charged me for criminal defamation. But they can’t charge me for criminal defamation. Firstly, Rosmah is not a government officer. Criminal defamation involves you defaming a government officer in the execution of his or her official duties. Rosmah is merely the wife of a politician. She is not a government officer. The husband and wife army officers may be considered government officers but I ‘defamed’ them in what they did outside their official duties. I did not accuse them of committing a crime when they were discharging their official duties. I did so in their capacity as off-duty army officers on a frolic of their own, as the law would say. This means they were not doing things as government officers but were moonlighting. The government is therefore not involved in what they did so I did not commit a crime of criminal defamation. Or are they saying that the husband and wife army officers were merely carrying out their official duties under orders from the top? The government is playing games with me. From the first announcement by the AG, followed by the announcement by the IGP, followed by my interrogation for the crime of criminal defamation, then the eventual charge for a totally different crime altogether, and finally, the transfer of my case to a higher court for no apparent reason whatsoever, I can see that all the government wants to do is to screw me good and proper. Well, why should I endorse what the government is trying to do? I already said I refuse to enter a plea. I refuse to entertain the government with a trial. If they want to charge me for the crime of signing a false SD, well and fine. Let us fight it out in court and they can try to prove I did in fact sign a false SD -- while I will try to prove otherwise. But in a charge such as criminal defamation, they need not prove the truth of the matter. They only need to prove that I signed the SD. If they can prove I signed it, which they can since I did sign it and never denied doing so, then they can send me to jail. In short, whether what I signed is true or false does not matter. They need not go into the truth or falsity of my SD. All they need to do is focus on proving that I did sign it and that would be enough to send me to jail, even if what I signed was absolutely true. And the same goes for my sedition charge. Initially, they made a police report against me because I was alleged to have lied. The police officer who made the police report against me is the same chap who investigated the Altantuya murder. And he knows I lied because, according to him, he investigated the murder and did not stumble across what I was alleged to have written. In short, he investigated the murder so he knows. And he knows what I was alleged to have written is therefore not true. So, I lied. Then, he discovered that, since he investigated the murder and therefore knows everything about the murder to the extent that he knows I lied, the court would require him to reveal the truth so that the truth can be compared to what I am alleged to have written to establish whether I had indeed lied or not. That’s when he changed his story. He said he actually does not know that much because he did not personally investigate the murder. Some other people conducted the investigation and he was merely the coordinator. But earlier he said otherwise. If he did not personally investigate the murder and does not really know that much about it, how did he then know that I lied? He did make the police report against me on the basis that I lied. He knows that I lied. But he does not know that much about the murder. Yet he knows that I lied because he did not stumble across what I wrote. What total crap! And when YB Gobind Singh repeatedly asked him about certain facts of the investigation to compare these facts against what I was alleged to have written; to establish in what way I had lied; this police officer with the rank of Superintendent refused to answer the questions. If he refuses to answer the questions how can we establish the truth and at the same time establish whether I lied? That was when the prosecution told the court that it does not matter whether what I was alleged to have written is true or false. The court only needs to focus on whether I had in fact written that article. And if it can be proven I had indeed written it then I can be sent to jail even if what I wrote was true. But did not the police report say I had lied and was I not charged for the crime of sedition because I am alleged to have lied? Now it does not matter any longer if I lied or not? Even if I did not lie I am still guilty? Aiyah, games, games, and even more games. They keep changing the rules and move the goalposts halfway through the game. And they are still doing this. And the Umno guys whack me and insist that I face the court and they call me a coward for refusing to ‘face the music’. I can face the music as what these Umno people insist I do. But what music are they playing? I need to know first before I am asked to face it. What Umno can’t stand is when you refuse to play by their rules and instead make up your own rules, which they are then forced to follow. Our HINDRAF chap did this when he refused to sign the conditional release papers and insisted that he remain in Kamunting. They had to physically throw him out of Kamunting like they threw Siva out of the Perak State Assembly last week. Yes, I am having more fun this way. I refuse to tunduk to them and it upsets them like crazy. They tried to screw me and I turn around and screw them instead. They gave me an ultimatum to issue a public apology to the Sultan of Perak or else the family is going to insert a full-page advertisement in the mainstream newspapers announcing that I have been disowned. Then I turn around and disown them instead by going into exile. No, I am nobody’s patsy. And I will go to great lengths to defy them every step of the way. I know they have issued a fresh detention order and the instant I appear in court they will detain me under the Internal Security Act and send me to Kamunting. And it burns them up so much that I am so near yet so far away.

United Nation is doing nothing against genocide in Sri Lanka

It has been more than months since Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapaksa said he will finish the war in the next few hours, but till today nothing happen. Scores of human casualties and civilians death are piling due to heavy shelling by the SLA into the safe zone where the Tamils are living.

What is Sec Gen Ban Ki-Moon doing, laying eggs? I don't understand why a lame duck was appointed as UN Sec General? What is Obama doing, waiting for the count down of the Tamils death?

India, the highly educated but stupid Singh as their prime minister, a good for nothing fan of Indian Congress will do nothing to stop the killing.

In conclusion the whole world wants to finish of the Tamils in the pretext of attacking the outlawed LTTE. Sri Lanka could not win the battle with LTTE so it join ventured with China, India, Russia, etc in the name of attacking LTTE but actually targeting the Tamils.

Those countries which blacklisted, banned and outlawed LTTE has no shame. Who are they to call LTTE as terrorist as the LTTE is only fighting the SLA in their own country. When the SLA attacked the LTTE and simultaneously killed scores of Tamils, the world call this as war against terrorist, meanwhile when the LTTE attacked the SLA for their own freedom in their own land it is called terrorism.

What kind of international law is this? On one side they call the LTTE to surrender and ceasefire, calling the LTTE to release the so called human shield knowing pretty well that the Tamils are LTTE and LTTE are the Tamils.

Why the world is not calling Sri Lanka to cease fire and halt the war so that the innocent Tamils can be removed from the war zone? Why there is no question on the ban for reporters to enter the war zone? Why the world fear for Sri Lanka?

Who are these Sri Lankans ( Sinhalese)? Criminals of the first degree?

Why, President Mahinda Raja Paksa is not cited for war crimes and genocide against the Tamils?

If the United nation have no guts to halt the fight and bring forward the criminal Mahinda Raja Paksa to face charges, why in the world we should respect United Nation as world body. World body for what?

The people of the world should throw their shoes at Ban Ki-Moon who is not only lame but totally useless in saving human lives.

The silent horror of the war in Sri Lanka | Arundhati Roy

March 30, 2009, 6:39 pm
Filed under: Indian Subcontinent

* * * * *

30 March 2009

Source: Times of India

The horror that is unfolding in Sri Lanka becomes possible because of the silence that surrounds it. There is almost no reporting in the mainstream Indian media — or indeed in the international press — about what is happening there. Why this should be so is a matter of serious concern.

From the little information that is filtering through it looks as though the Sri Lankan government is using the propaganda of the ‘war on terror’ as a fig leaf to dismantle any semblance of democracy in the country, and commit unspeakable crimes against the Tamil people. Working on the principle that every Tamil is a terrorist unless he or she can prove otherwise, civilian areas, hospitals and shelters are being bombed and turned into a war zone. Reliable estimates put the number of civilians trapped at over 200,000. The Sri Lankan Army is advancing, armed with tanks and aircraft.

Meanwhile, there are official reports that several ‘‘welfare villages’’ have been established to house displaced Tamils in Vavuniya and Mannar districts. According to a report in The Daily Telegraph (Feb 14, 2009), these villages ‘‘will be compulsory holding centres for all civilians fleeing the fighting’’. Is this a euphemism for concentration camps? The former foreign minister of Sri Lanka, Mangala Samaraveera, told The Daily Telegraph:

‘‘A few months ago the government started registering all Tamils in Colombo on the grounds that they could be a security threat, but this could be exploited for other purposes like the Nazis in the 1930s. They’re basically going to label the whole civilian Tamil population as potential terrorists.’’

Given its stated objective of ‘‘wiping out’’ the LTTE, this malevolent collapse of civilians and ‘‘terrorists’’ does seem to signal that the government of Sri Lanka is on the verge of committing what could end up being genocide. According to a UN estimate several thousand people have already been killed. Thousands more are critically wounded. The few eyewitness reports that have come out are descriptions of a nightmare from hell. What we are witnessing, or should we say, what is happening in Sri Lanka and is being so effectively hidden from public scrutiny, is a brazen, openly racist war. The impunity with which the Sri Lankan government is being able to commit these crimes actually unveils the deeply ingrained racist prejudice, which is precisely what led to the marginalization and alienation of the Tamils of Sri Lanka in the first place. That racism has a long history, of social ostracisation, economic blockades, pogroms and torture. The brutal nature of the decades-long civil war, which started as a peaceful, non-violent protest, has its roots in this.

Why the silence? In another interview Mangala Samaraveera says, ‘‘A free media is virtually non-existent in Sri Lanka today.’’

Samaraveera goes on to talk about death squads and ‘white van abductions’, which have made society ‘‘freeze with fear’’. Voices of dissent, including those of several journalists, have been abducted and assassinated. The International Federation of Journalists accuses the government of Sri Lanka of using a combination of anti-terrorism laws, disappearances and assassinations to silence journalists.

There are disturbing but unconfirmed reports that the Indian government is lending material and logistical support to the Sri Lankan government in these crimes against humanity. If this is true, it is outrageous. What of the governments of other countries? Pakistan? China? What are they doing to help, or harm the situation?

In Tamil Nadu the war in Sri Lanka has fuelled passions that have led to more than 10 people immolating themselves. The public anger and anguish, much of it genuine, some of it obviously cynical political manipulation, has become an election issue.

It is extraordinary that this concern has not travelled to the rest of India. Why is there silence here? There are no ‘white van abductions’ — at least not on this issue. Given the scale of what is happening in Sri Lanka, the silence is inexcusable. More so because of the Indian government’s long history of irresponsible dabbling in the conflict, first taking one side and then the other. Several of us including myself, who should have spoken out much earlier, have not done so, simply because of a lack of information about the war. So while the killing continues, while tens of thousands of people are being barricaded into concentration camps, while more than 200,000 face starvation, and a genocide waits to happen, there is dead silence from this great country.

It’s a colossal humanitarian tragedy. The world must step in. Now. Before it’s too late.

Court rules Nizar is Perak MB ; BN to appeal

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional will appeal the High Court ruling on Monday that declared Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as the rightful Perak Mentri Besar, and not Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.

The appeal would be filed on Tuesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

In the meantime, he urged the people of Perak to remain calm while “the situation is resolved.”

Pakatan Rakyat is however adamant that there is no “situation.”

“This is a great day for the rakyat (people) because the Law and the Constitution are the true winners,” Nizar said in a statement.

“It is a historic day for all who love democracy and it will be remembered for years and years to come. Its positive effects for revitalising parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy is tremendous,” he said.

He said that everyone from both sides of the political divide would benefit from this ruling “because an independent judiciary is absolutely essential for the well-being of any country and its people.”

Nizar said that all previous decisions made by the Dr Zambry administration would be subject to review but not invalidated except for the tumultous May 7 sitting.

He also suspended the state legal adviser with immediate effect.

Nizar said that once he arrived in Ipoh, he would meet with his Pakatan colleagues and a press conference could be expected late Monday night.

Earlier, Zambry said he would apply for a stay pending appeal. This was immediately rejected by the court.

The court also ordered Zambry and the six executive councillors he had appointed to vacate their office.

An aide to Dr Zambry told the media that Perak Barisan Nasional will respect the court order and will vacate their offices at the state secretariat building immediately.

He added that Dr Zambry is on his way to Kuala Lumpur from Ipoh. Dr Zambry could not be reached for comment at press time.

Dr Zambry’s private secretary Khairul Azwan Harun then asked the media to vacate the office, saying that their presence was “scaring off the staff.”

By 5:30pm, several truckloads of Federal Reserve Unit personnel and police had arrived at the state secretariat building in Ipoh.

“Our presence is to maintain law and order,” said Perak CPO Deputy Comm Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah.

“We will not allow any illegal assembly or procession by either party,” he said.

Nizar left the KL courtroom saying he would seek an audience with the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, to get his consent to dissolve the Assembly and call for fresh state elections.

He would make his request for the audience at a state function at the Istana Kuala Kangsar Tuesday morning.

In his ruling Monday, Justice Abdul Aziz Abd Rahim said that a new mentri besar could not be appointed as the office had not been vacated.

He said a mentri besar can only be dismissed by a vote of no confidence, and upheld the Stephen Kalong Ningkan ruling.

He noted that the Perak State Legislative Assembly had not held a vote of no confidence.

In 1966, Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Stephen Kalong Ningkan was ousted when the state governor showed him a letter of no confidence issued by 21 out of 42 legislators and asked Ningkan to resign.

Ningkan refused, saying the letters were not tantamount to a vote of no confidence in the state legislative assembly. He was sacked by the governor but eventually reinstated by the Borneo High Court, which saw the necessity of a formal vote of no confidence.

Mixed reactions (no, really!)
Not all Barisan reps were ready to accept the court’s ruling. Perak senior executive councillor Datuk Hamidah Osman said in a democracy, the majority rules.

“How can Pakatan Rakyat rule without having a majority?” she said in IPOH. “Why should the State Assembly be dissolved?”

Perak DAP deputy chairman M. Kulasegaran said the KL High Court’s decision confirmed that the appointment of Dr Zambry as mentri besar was unconstitutional.

Kulasegaran, who is also Ipoh Barat MP, said the Perak State Assembly should now be dissolved and fresh elections be called.

“All this while during the political impasse, the people ended up being the biggest losing party.

“Investors are shying away from the state due to the uncertainty,” he added.

In KOTA BARU, Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said the court’s decision had “revived democracy in Perak that has been in a ‘coma’ for the past three months.”

In GEORGE TOWN, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng described the High Court’s decision “a glorious victory” for the people of Perak.

He said the DAP reiterates its call for the dissolution of the state assembly and the holding of fresh elections to allow the people to choose their own government.

“The verdict clearly shows that Mohammad Nizar and his state executive councillors are the rightful leaders of the state government,” he said.

Earlier, he had said that the Opposition was willing to work with anyone to resolve the crisis in Perak.

“The crisis has caused shame not only to the people of Perak but also the entire country. What is more shameful is that the police forcibly took over the state assembly.

“I think we should respect the power that emanates from the ballot box,” he said.

Perak crisis
The political impasse in Perak goes back more than three months when three assemblymen from Pakatan quit their parties, saying that they would remain independent but pledging their loyalty to Barisan.

While the state assembly was evenly divided between Pakatan and Barisan with 28 seats each, the “pledge of loyalty” was sufficient to convince the Sultan of Perak that Barisan commanded the majority.

He refused Nizar’s request for the Assembly to be dissolved and for fresh state elections to be called, instead asking the PAS man to step down as mentri besar.

Nizar declined, claiming he still retained the confidence of the Assembly.

The Sultan however gave his blessings to Barisan’s choice of mentri besar, Dr Zambry.

Nizar filed for a judicial review on Feb 13, seeking a declaration that he is the rightful mentri besar of Perak and asked for an injunction to bar Dr Zambry from discharging his duties as the mentri besar.

On March 6, Justice Lau Bee Lan had ruled that there were constitutional issues involving the interpretation of Article 16 (6) of the Perak Constitution and later referred four consitutional questions to the Federal Court for determination.

However, on March 23, the Federal Court ruled that the case of who the rightful mentri besar is should be heard by the High Court.

Nizar’s lead counsel Sulaiman Abdullah, in wrapping up his submissions last week, said the Constitution was the “genius of the Malaysian people”, adding that the court had a duty to uphold it. Over the last few days, he had submitted that the Sultan, while granted powers in the Perak Constitution to appoint a mentri besar, could not dismiss him.

The only way Nizar could be dismissed, he said, was through a vote of no-confidence in the House.

He also said that a mentri besar could request for the State Assembly to be dissolved in the middle of a term without losing the confidence of the majority of the House.

Dr Zambry’s lawyer Datuk Cecil Abraham, however, argued that Nizar went by Article 16(6) of the Perak Constitution when he sought an audience with the Sultan – this article specifically provides for the mentri besar to request for a dissolution when he has lost the confidence of the majority in the House.

Under the article, Nizar is required to tender the resignation of his executive councillors when his request was rejected, he said.

UN condemns Sri Lanka 'bloodbath'

Monday, May 11, 2009

Tamil refugees seek shelter

The United Nations called the shelling of Tamils northern Sri Lanka a "bloodbath" with hundreds of civilians killed.

The artillery attack - which lasted from Saturday evening into Sunday morning - killed at least 378 civilians and wounded more than a thousand more, according to a health official inside rebel-controlled territory.

A rebel-linked Web site blamed the attack on the government, while the military accused the beleaguered Tamil Tigers of briefly shelling their own territory to gain international sympathy and force a cease-fire.

The TamilNet Web site said many more civilians were killed in a second attack and that the death toll from the two days of violence was likely in the thousands.

That attack marked the bloodiest assault on ethnic Tamil civilians since the civil war flared again more than three years ago. Health officials said a hospital in the war zone was overwhelmed by casualties, and the death toll was expected to sharply rise.

"The U.N. has consistently warned against the bloodbath scenario as we've watched the steady increase in civilian deaths over the last few months," U.N. spokesman Gordon Weiss said Monday.

"The large-scale killing of civilians over the weekend, including the deaths of more than 100 children, shows that that bloodbath has become a reality."

U.N. figures compiled last month showed that nearly 6,500 civilians had been killed in three months of fighting this year as the government drove the rebels out of their strongholds in the north and vowed to end the war.

About 50,000 civilians are crowded into the 2.4 mile- (4 kilometre) long strip of coast along with the separatists, who have been fighting for 25 years for a homeland for minority Tamils.

The government has brushed off international calls for a humanitarian truce, saying any pause in the fighting would give the rebels time to regroup.

Bodies were laid out in rows on the mud outside the hospital, some of their faces covered with mats and sheets, according to photos from the area. One small boy was stripped to the waist, his head covered in a bloody bandage and his mouth agape.

The hospital was struggling to cope with the 1,122 wounded civilians amid a shortage of physicians, nurses and aides made treatment difficult.

More than half the hospital staff did not turn up for work because their homes were attacked and many of the wounded went untreated for more than 24 hours.

Uthaya, you are tough fighter, keep it up...

Uthaya, you are tough fighter, nothing wrong in fighting for your race after all everyone in the world are bloody racist in the brain, from the PM to grass root every one in politics are bloody racial.

Can anyone deny this? Can the PM deny this racial matter....? I dare challenge him withdraw the status of Bumiputra & NEP to prove I am wrong. 1Malaysia is another eye wash not a policy at all.

We had MIC for 52 years and many believe MIC failed the Indians in this country. Some still believe MIC can be revived but how? MIC is tainted with rouge dictator politicians. So how?

We need to start again. It's going to be tough but when the tough gets going nothing can block it's way.

Uthaya, take some rest and get ready for the next chapter. We, Indians are far left behind, we need to race with races. We have to depend solely on our makkal sakthi supporters to make our day. We eill struggle, we will hit hard and we will make big...........

Thamilan endru sollada, thalai nimirnthu nillada.

Uthaya Surian.

P. Uthayakumar: "Never Give In To Them"

By Malaysian Heart In human history, there have been many times when people facing injustice & oppression have used nonviolent resistance to achieve social & political change. Because of the highest moral standards needed to achieve true change, the leaders of these movements have to shoulder an enormous responsibility. Whilst all the time keeping a clear eye on their goal & inspiring & motivating people, they need to ensure that their movement never deviates from the principles of their struggle. If they sacrifice their principles & accept that the ends justifies the means, their movement's moral standing is lost, and will soon disintegrate. In shouldering these responsibilities, time and time again these leaders have had to make great personal sacrifices. Let's look at three notable examples. Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned in 1908 by the racist government in South Africa for resisting the unjust Asiatic Act law. In the words of Nelson Mandela, "Gandhi's most painful experience must have been when he was told that his wife, Kasturbai, was critically ill. He was given the option to pay his fine and rush to her bedside. His commitment to satyagraha would not allow him to do so." Read more here and on page 88 here. Martin Luther King, Jr. took part in protests against segregation in the town of Albany, Georgia in 1961, and was sentenced to imprisonment. The authorities offered to release him (and his colleague) if they paid a fine of US$178. Sticking to principle, they refused. Finally the police chief himself paid their fine & released them to avoid embarrasment. Read more here and here. Nelson Mandela was undergoing life imprisonment in Robben Island, a maximum security prison, when the apartheid government offered to release him in exchange for accepting the bantustan policy by recognising the independence of the Transkei and agreeing to settle there. He chose to never compromise his principles. He remained in prison until he was released unconditionally on 11 February 1990, after being imprisoned for a total of 27 years. Read more here. To this fellowship (which includes many others, some of whom we may not know about), we can now add a Malaysian, P. Uthayakumar, who refused to accept any conditions for his release from detention under the ISA. In his own words, “If they force me (to sign the conditional release papers, which among other things would have barred him from speaking at public functions), I will not do it as I prefer going back to Kamunting prison,” (the words in brackets being mine). Leaders like them inspire us. They & their loved ones have suffered pain, physical & emotional, for us. Let us stand, not behind them but shoulder to shoulder with them, and work together for justice for ALL Malaysians. Let us never forget what these brave people have shown, that truth & justice will always triumph over lies & oppression. Let us not forget either, that all that is needed for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing. Finally, let us never forget these words of Uthayakumar: "Never give in to them." May all victims of the ISA get the justice that they deserve. Makkal Sakthi!

MAS CADET PILOT PROGRAM

Every year, hundreds of male hopefuls try their luck to get into Malaysia Airlines’ cadet pilot programme — a full scholarship for aspiring pilots aged 18-26.

For every 16 that apply, though, only one gets in. The minimum criteria is SPM, with a B in Physics, English, Maths and Bahasa Malaysia. Other requirements include a height of at least 1.63m, proportionate weight, no colour blindness and, vision-wise, a power not exceeding 500 if wearing glasses.

From left: Zulhaimi Othman, and cadets Johann Welch and Andrew Cherang.

“We have relaxed the perfect vision ruling because of the usage of computers nowadays,” says Zulhaimi Othman, assistant general manager of manpower resourcing.

Once the initial screening is done, candidates will proceed to the next step. At the preliminary level, applicants are tested in five stages, beginning with psycho-motor testing.

Using a computer monitor and a joystick, the tests measure your ability to interpret information and gauge your eye-hand-foot coordination. It is designed to assess whether you are capable of multi-tasking with the objective of determining your aptitude and flair for flying.

Then, it’s the psychometric tests to judge teamwork and reasoning ability, and whether you can withstand pressure. If candidates ace the first two sections, they will be called for an interview.

“The interview is to validate the findings in the psycho-motor and psychometric testing. There is a 60%-70% chance of candidates being selected for an interview. This is where we test their articulations skills, fluency in English, and from their conversation, we know if they have leadership ability,” says Zulhaimi.

Successful candidates are required to undergo a medical checkup at the MAS Medical Centre. Once you’re in, you’re subject to yearly medical checkups — every six months, if you’re above 40. Following the final selection, applicants have to sign a contract which bonds them for 15 years upon completion of training.

The candidates are then sent to various flying schools in Langkawi, Malacca or Kota Baru, Kelantan for two years. Here, the MAS cadets have to compete with other students.

“These aviation training schools might prefer to take in foreign students because the revenue is higher so we have to fight for slots,” says Zulhaimi.

Upon completion, the cadets are sent to Subang for the “conversion” process. Once pilots become familiar with the aircraft systems, they will make the transition to cockpit procedures training.

Isn’t 15 years a long time?

“Yes,” Zulhaimi says, smiling. “You must understand that they are our investment — our seedlings — so we monitor their progress closely.

“For each cadet, we spend between RM200,000 and RM250,000 on his training and another RM100,000 for his conversion. If they break the bond, they have to pay a hefty amount, but I’m not disclosing how much!”

Since only the cream of the crop are selected, the programme has less than a 1% dropout rate and usually these are due to disciplinary factors.

For cadet pilots Andrew Cherang and Johann Welch, nothing beats the excitement of pilot training. Cherang spent many school holidays flying to various destinations on MAS, and this led him to develop a passion for flying. He applied to MAS’ cadet pilot programme and was ecstatic to get in on his first attempt.

“My parents were probably more relieved that I got accepted because they don’t have to spend too much on my education now!” jokes the 22-year-old Sarawakian.

Cherang spent two years at a flying school in Langkawi and is currently continuing his training in Subang.

“Yes, the training is intensive,” he admits. “It can get tough on the brains, especially the technical aspects and learning about aircraft systems. But there is nothing I don’t like about it. Becoming a pilot is liberating because I don’t have to adhere to office hours.”

For Welch, 24, becoming a pilot has always been a career choice since he grew up in an air force base.

“My dad was with the RMAF, so I was surrounded by planes and pilots but Dad wasn’t keen on me joining the air force,” he reveals.

Welch gave up studying chemical engineering at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman after MAS offered him a place on his second attempt. He believes he has what it takes to succeed.

“The training here is a big jump from flying school. There’s no more spoon-feeding, and you’ve got to have a sense of responsibility. In flying, there’s no grey area — it’s either right or wrong. And you have to know your stuff whether there are exams or not.”

Both boys get a monthly allowance of RM800, and once they become co-pilots, they’ll be paid around RM3,000 to RM4,000 a month.

Cadet pilots are only operational after three years if they’re starting fresh and have to be at least 21 before they can fly. To captain the Boeing 737, pilots have to clock in at least 4,000 hours, which might take eight to 10 years.

Zulhaimi points out, “It’s a rewarding career and one that ensures you are not overworked. Pilots are not allowed to fly more than 850 hours a year or 80 hours a month because the safety of passengers is in their hands. We must give them ample time to relax although we don’t tell them how to do it.”

If you don’t get into the cadet programme, don’t despair. You can still enrol in an aviation school and eventually apply to MAS. To date, MAS has 1,200 pilots, 95% of whom are Malaysian.

“We hope to have all Malaysians by 2011. We plan to allow girls in soon but have currently slowed down our recruitment drive because of the global recession,” says Zulhaimi.

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