Isnin, 11 Julai 2011

MIMPI SENJA

MIMPI SENJA


"Jangan bentang karpet merah pada Najib"

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:34 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: The consensus from international organisations is that the red carpet should not be rolled out for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak when he begins his official visit to Britain today.

Najib begins his four-day official visit to the UK today, after which he is expected to be in Rome to meet with Pope Benedict XVI.

Najib has said that street protests are not the Malaysian way but the International Human Rights community are angry with him and the police force for denying Malaysians their basic rights during Saturday's Bersih rally.

Amnesty International (AI) had even gone a step further and called for heads of states to censor Najib .

"Prime Minister Najib's government rode roughshod over thousands of Malaysians exercising their right to peaceful protest," said Donna Guest, deputy Asia-Pacific director at Amnesty International in a statement.

"This violent repression by the Malaysian police flies in the face of international human rights standards and cannot be allowed to continue," she added.

"The British government shouldn't reward this brutality by rolling out a red carpet for Malaysia's prime minister… (British Prime Minister) David Cameron should tell prime minister Najib that these human rights violations against peaceful reform protests are unacceptable," she said.

Amenesty International also called on the Vatican to press Najib to respect human rights when he visits the pope later this week.

AI also highlighted the many complaints of police hard-handedness during the rally. It said that the use of force by the police was "excessive, unnecessary and designed to instill fear".

The Malaysian government however has denied this and said that it has video footages of its own to show otherwise.

The international human right watchdog also asked the Malaysian authorities to investigate claims that police failed to provide immediate assistance to Baharuddin Ahmad, the husband of PKR Setia Wangsa chief, who passed away in the vicinity of KLCC due to heart complications during the rally.

Undermining progress

The United Nations (UN) had also took Najib and the police to task for the handling of Saturday's rally and events leading up to it.

Frank La Rue, UN special rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, said that the Malaysian government "risks undermining democratic progress to the country" with the pre-emptive measures taken to derail the rally.

"Declaring Bersih illegal based on claims that it is trying to topple the government or it is a risk to national security and public order – in the absence of any credible evidence to substantiate such claims – is also an unnecessary restriction of civil and political rights," La Rue added.

The UN also reminded Malaysia that as a member of the Human Rights Council, Malaysia has pledged to uphold the "highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights".

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch highlighted that the estimation by the authorities over the number of protesters "lacked any credibility".

"The claims that the number of protesters only numbered 6,000 lacks any credibility, it defies logic that the police were so efficient that they arrested almost one of every three protesters," said Phil Robertson, Deputy Director of the organization's Asia Division.

Bersih organisers have said that about 50 000 supporters have turned up for Saturday's rally. Police, however, have put the number at only 6,000. Press reports estimate that there were 10,000 to 15,000 people who participated in the rally.

"This is a maelstrom of the Malaysian authorities' own making. The failure of the top levels of the Malaysian government to engage in good faith dialogue with citizens demanding basic electoral reforms is the heart of the matter," he said.

"The biggest victim is the country's reputation as a moderate democratic state," he added. - FMT

DSAI : Awas Najib, akan ada lagi himpunan jalanan

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 09:06 PM PDT

Jika Najib tak boleh beri jaminan pilihanraya yang adil dan bebas, PKR tidak ragu-ragu untuk menganjurkan lagi himpunan jalanan - DSAI

SEBERANG JAYA: Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has warned of more street rallies if Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak does not guarantee free and fair elections.

Speaking at the Agricultural expo site here last night, the PKR supremo, who sported a neck brace, stressed that Barisan Nasional's days in power were numbered.

"The Bersih rally is just the start for an imminent greater change," he said, drawing a thunderous roar from the 10,000-strong crowd.

Anwar cautioned Najib that Pakatan Rakyat would back Bersih 2.0 if it wanted to hold another rally to push for electoral reforms.

"Unless Najib can guarantee us clean, free and fair elections, we will not hesitate to demonstrate on the streets again," he said.

Referring to the police's actions against those who attended the Bersih 2.0 rally last Saturday, he said Najib could "beat, shoot and torture but never win over the people's hearts."

"The whole world knows now that Bersih is the start. We have to ensure the change takes place," added the opposition leader, who was also injured during the protest.
Anwar also condemned the police's treatment of the protesters, including PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, as shameful.

"Hadi is a leader, who is over 60, but he was dragged away," he said.

Others who spoke at the event were Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman and Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy.

'Police must stop serving Umno'

Mat Sabu, who came in a wheel-chair after suffering a torn ligament when he was allegedly knocked down by a police vehicle during the protest, stole the limelight with his usual humourous jibes and hard-hitting remarks against Umno and BN.

He called on the police to stop serving Umno's interest and start working for the people instead.

Mohamad Sabu also noted that most of those arrested were Malay leaders from PAS and PKR, because the government wanted to portray them as stooges of the Chinese-dominated DAP.

He said the police's failure to arrest DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang was proof of this. "This is the level of racism Umno wants to play," he added.

In his speech, Guan Eng slammed the police for allegedly firing tear gas into a hospital to disperse the Bersih crowd. The police had denied this.

The chief minister also rebuked Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai's claim that the wind had blown the gas into the hospital.

"We have video evidence to show that the police deliberately fired tear gas into the hospital. Who is he trying to bluff?" he asked.

A minute of silence was also observed for Baharuddin Ahmad, 59, the husband of PKR's Setiawangsa division chief Rosni Malan, who died due to heart problems during the Bersih rally. TMI

BERSIH 2.0 ; PBB tidak senang dengan penggunaan air berasid dan gas pemedih mata

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 07:53 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Julai — Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) menegaskan penggunaan pendekatan keras termasuk gas pemedih mata oleh polis untuk menangani perhimpunan Bersih 2.0 di ibu negara Sabtu lalu menunjukkan Malaysia memperlekehkan proses demokrasi.

Badan sedunia itu berkata Malaysia, yang turut menganggotai Majlis Hak Asasi Manusia PBB telah "mengehadkan kebebasan bersuara, berhimpun dan berpersatuan."

Pakar-pakar hak asasi manusia PBB melahirkan pendirian tidak senang dengan penggunaan air berasid dan gas pemedih oleh pihak berkuasa keselamatan ke atas penunjuk perasaan aman, yang turut membawa kepada kecederaan dan satu kematian, kata pesuruhjaya tinggi hak asasi manusia agensi itu dalam satu kenyataan dari Geneva lewat malam tadi.

Malaysia dipilih menduduki majlis itu tahun lalu tetapi berhadapan dengan kritikan ekoran penggunaan undang-undang penahanan pencegahan seperti Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri dan perkembangan semasa boleh menjejaskan peluang ia dipilih semula menganggotai badan itu pada 2013.

Frank La Rue, Pelapor Khas PBB mengenai hak kebebasan pandangan dan pendapat berkata, tindakan Malaysia mengisytiharkan perhimpunan sebagai haram, menutup sebahagian besar ibu negara dan menangani peserta dengan cara sedemikian memperlekehkan kemajuan demokrasi.

Ahad lalu, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak mempertahankan tindakan polis.

Semalam, Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein berkata polis akan menggunakan rakaman video sebagai bukti untuk mendakwa di mahkamah pihak-pihak tertentu khususnya media asing yang membuat tuduhan tidak beasas terhadap pasukan keselamatan.

Meskipun polis telah mengatakan bahawa pihaknya sudah membebskan kesemua 1,700 tahanan pada hari yang sama Sabtu lalu, PBB berkata tindakan menahan enam pemimpin Parti Sosialis Malaysia termasuk Ahli Parlimen Sungai Siput Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj belum lagi dibebaskan daripada tahanan di bawah Ordinan Darurat.

La Rue berkata tindakan mengisytiharkan Bersih 2.0 sebagai gerakan haram tanpa bukti kukuh juga satu lagi halangan tidak munasabah ke atas hak sivil dan politik.

Bersih mendakwa telah dapat menghimpunkan kira-kira 50,000 orang di ibu negara tetapi dinafikan oleh pihak polis.


BERSIH 2.0 Berjaya, BN habis modal

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 07:42 AM PDT

Oleh JOHARI M

Penilaian mudah terhadap perhimpunan Bersih kedua 9 Julai lalu ialah protes besar-besaran itu berjaya mencapai matlamatnya, tanpa peserta perhimpunan mencetuskan kekacauan atau keganasan seperti yang didakwa sesetengah pihak.

Pandangan ramai yang menyifatkan cara pemerintah menangani perhimpunan menjejaskan imej dan undi menambahkan lagi poin negatif untuk pentadbiran Najib.

Sasterawan Negara, A Samad Said dengan yakin menyatakan bakal berlaku perubahan besar dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 nanti, selepas kejayaan perhimpunan Bersih 2.0.

Samad Said semakin menonjol dalam aktivisme beberapa isu sejak beberapa tahun lalu, menjadi wajah popular kepada gerakan kepembangkangan masa kini.

Sasterawan ini menjadi salah seorang tokoh yang berdiri di barisan hadapan protes terhadap usaha mengangkat bahasa Inggeris melebihi bahasa kebangsaan di sekolah, protes yang menyaksikan beliau terkena tembakan gas pemedih mata.

Ketegasan Samad Said dalam isu-isu ini kelihatan mencemaskan pemerintah Barisan Nasional, disebabkan kedudukan berprestij beliau dalam dunia seni budaya negara.

Pada masa yang sama, Marina Mahathir, pejuang liberal anak kepada bekas perdana menteri turut sama menyertai perhimpunan 9 Julai, dan menjadikan penyertaannya satu bahan berita.

Secara tidak langsung, sedikit tempias Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad terkena pada pentadbiran Najib ekoran penyertaan Marina.

Kritikan Mahathir telah menjejaskan teruk Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dulu, dan kini Najib kelihatan berdepan ancaman yang sama.

Marina boleh dilihat sebagai mewakili golongan menengah elit negara ini yang kritikal terhadap pemerintah hari ini, golongan yang tidak dapat diperhatikan dengan jelas perwakilannya dalam protes-protes di negara ini sebelum ini.

Selama ini, dalam demonstrasi jalanan, sukar untuk didapati golongan seniman dan kelas elit muncul dengan berprofil tinggi seperti yang ditunjukkan Samad Said dan Marina.

Adakah ini bermakna penolakan terhadap BN kini meliputi semua kelas dan golongan di negara kita?

Sekiranya benar, apakah lagi modal yang ada untuk digunakan BN menghadapi Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 nant

BERSIH 2.0 : Berita Harian Penipu Besaq

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 06:22 AM PDT

PULAU PINANG: Angkatan Muda KEADILAN Pulau Pinang (AMKPP) mengecam sekeras-kerasnya imej yang dipaparkan akhbar Berita Minggu Ahad lalu bertajuk 'KL Tegang' dengan memaparkan imej seorang lelaki merusuh dengan bersenjatakan pisau.

Dalam satu kenyataan media yang dikeluarkan, AMKPP mendapati lelaki itu hanya memegang bendera dan bukan pisau, selepas meneliti dan membandingkannya dengan foto asal.

AMKPP berpendapat, pihak Berita Harian samada sengaja mengedit gambar tersebut untuk menampakkan imej ganas peserta Bersih 2.0 atau hanya menyiarkan olahan grafik yang dihantar kepada mereka.

"Namun, apa pun alasan yang diberikan, pihak editorial Berita Harian telah melakukan kesalahan yang besar dengan memfitnah perhimpunan aman tanpa senjata rakyat Malaysia semasa Bersih 2.0 dan dalam masa yang sama menghasut & menakut-nakutkan rakyat Malaysia dengan suasana keganasan," kata kenyataan itu.

Justeru, AMKPP mendesak tiga tuntutan berhubung penyiaran gambar berkenaan:

1. Menarik balik gambar & imej yang mengelirukan rakyat Malaysia tersebut

2. Memohon maaf secara terbuka kepada seluruh rakyat Malaysia secara lisan & bertulis dalam laporan mereka

3. Menghentikan segera siaran sebarang foto, imej & artikel yang menimbulkan suasana tegang dan ganas di negara ini.

MKPP juga menggesa pihak editorial Berita Harian supaya profesional melaksanakan ketiga-tiga tuntutan ini, demi menepati garis etika kewartawanan yang tulen.

"Berita Harian perlu menyampaikan maklumat tepat kepada rakyat, dan bukannya menjadi agen putar belit dan terus-menerus menakut-nakutkan rakyat," katanya.

Short URL: http://www.keadilandaily.com/?p=16911

Skandal scorpene bakal ditimbulkan peguam Peranchis pada 21 dan 22 Julai ini

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 04:42 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Skandal pembelian kapal selam Scorpene bakal didedahkan secara langsung kepada rakyat Malaysia oleh peguam Perancis yang dilantik Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) 21 dan 22 Julai depan.

Menurut Penyelaras Suaram, Cynthia Gabriel dalam sidang medianya hari ini, pendedahan berkenaan rasuah pembelian kapal selam berkenaan akan diberitahu sendiri oleh peguam yang dilantiknya, William Bourdon.

"Peguam Perancis, William Bourdon yang akan memberikan maklumat dan status berkenaan kes rasuah Sorpene.

"Beliau akan mendedahkan kes berkenaan dan mungkin ada melibatkan orang-orang penting negara," kata Cynthia ketika sidang media di Dewan Perhimpunan Cina Kuala Lumpur dan Selangor di sini, hari ini.

Kata beliau, kehadiran peguam itu sempena Ops Scorpene yang dilancar Suaram bagi memungut dana membiayai perbicaraan skandal itu di Mahkamah Perancis.

"Majlis makan malam kempen Ops Scorpene itu akan diadakan di Pulau Pinang pada 21 Julai ini di Sunshine Square, Bayan Lepas bermula jam 8 hingga 11 malam.

"Manakala majlis makan malam kempen kedua Ops Scorpene juga akan bermula pada jam sama di Dewan Sivik, Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ), Petaling Jaya, Selangor pada 22 Julai ini," ujarnya.

Dalam pada itu, beliau memberitahu penjualan tiket untuk majlis makan malam itu boleh didapati di pejabat Suaram.

"Orang ramai boleh membeli tiket di pejabat Suaram dengan harga RM1,000 bagi semeja dan RM5,000 bagi meja VIP. Maklumat tiket boleh diperoleh dengan melayari www.suaram.net

"Bagi yang ingin menghulurkan sumbangan cek boleh dibuat atas nama Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd atau Hong Leong Bank di akaun nombor 0300-0065-200," kata beliau.

Sementara itu, antara individu yang akan menyerikan majlis makan malam itu terdiri daripada pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat seperti penasihat Dap, Lim Kit Siang, TImbalan Presiden Pas, Mohamad Sabu dan Naib Presiden KEADILAN, Nurul Izzah Anwar dan Tian Chua.

Kartunis politik terkenal, Zunar yang baru menerima anugerah di luar negara juga akan hadir bagi melelong lukisannya semasa majlis tersebut, katanya.

Short URL: http://www.keadilandaily.com/?p=16908

BERSIH 2.0 : Marina Mahathir menceritakan pengalamannya ...

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 12:23 AM PDT

So I went.

I have to say that the night before I had many many misgivings, especially after reading about the army doing exercises with the FRU. Could the government seriously be contemplating shooting their own people? Who knows? My stomach was in knots thinking about the many young people I knew who were intent on going, including my daughter. Would I be able to forgive myself if something happened to them?

After seeking advice from various friends, I finally decided that I could not stay safely at home while my daughter, friends and colleagues faced possible danger. I had to walk with them. Besides even if I stayed home, I would have spent all my time worrying. So I had to go.

A friend who lived in the city offered to be my protector and together we devised a plan on what to do. Hubby was supportive and gave some advice on how to stay safe. My neighbours also wanted to come along. So fairly earlyish, my friend drove over to get me with no problem and we headed back into the city. Despite the roadblocks in some areas, we encountered no problems. In fact driving into KL was so pleasant because the roads were so clear. The police directed traffic where they had to and were generally cooperative (except for one we saw arguing with a man trying to get into his own condo). We got to a roadblock in the KLCC area and my friend explained that he lived in the area and they let us through, four people in a car dressed as if we were going hiking!

From my friend's apartment block, we walked to Times Square and parked ourselves at the Starbucks for a coffee while we waited. A cursory look around the outlet and mall revealed that many people were doing the same thing. Meanwhile a whole van of police was stationed outside the mall but after a while they all went off.

We kept in touch with various friends around the city to find out where they were and what the situation was. At about 12.30 we started to walk up Jalan Hang Tuah towards the stadium area. We were not in big groups, just people out on a weekend stroll. We thought we would encounter police in front of the big police headquarters in front of Pudu Jail but there was nothing. When we got to the corner of Jalan Hang Jebat, we saw some police motorcycles and only a couple of cops. Lots of people were just sitting on the curbside under the eye of the cops. It was pretty clear what all these people were there for.

We walked along Jalan Hang Jebat in front of Stadium Negara towards the OCM and found many other friends waiting there. Apparently at one point the cops had given chase even though there was no reason to and caught some people and hauled them off. But from then on we could sit and wait by the curb without anyone disturbing us.

Jalan Hang Jebat and the small road that led up to Stadium Merdeka stayed pretty quiet. Members of the Bar Council (who had to suffer wearing their suits in the heat just so that we could spot them easily) walked around observing what was happening. At one point one woman in a suit sat herself at the intersection to take notes.

We all debated whether to stay there or move down to Petaling Street but we were afraid that we wouldn't be let back up again. Then it started to rain. My friend and I sought shelter under some hoarding along with young people. Just then I got a message that we were to go to KL Sentral. After confirming this with a friend at Sentral, my friends and I started to walk down Hang Jebat just as a large group of people started walking up. The rain was pouring at that point and I didn't know quite what to do, whether to tell people they should turn round or not.

Seeking shelter for a while under a shop five-foot way, I talked to various other friends and eventually decided to head back to the stadium area where I found my daughter and lots of other friends there. The main group earlier had gone up to Stadium Merdeka, did some chanting in front of the FRU and then headed down again. But many people hung about just to observe everything and soak in the atmosphere. One group of young people had yellow ribbons on sticks and started a little dance. Others were buying ice cream from a bicycle vendor who came by. There was a real carnival atmosphere.

I have to say that I never felt safer than when I was in the crowd. People recognized me and said hello. Some wanted to take photos. It didn't feel any different from any other Saturday out. And to be perfectly fair, the cops and FRU in my area showed admirable restraint. They saw that people were not doing anything more than chanting and nobody was harming anyone so they just stood there and left everyone to do their thing. We came across a whole FRU unit blocking a lane next to the Chinese temple at the roundabout at the bottom of Jalan Maharajalela, waved at them and they waved. Cool cops!

Of course not everyone had the same experience. Here's an account from a colleague who was in a different street:

Unfortunately my experience wasn't so benign. I was part of the marchers (along with A and others) who were effectively kettled by the police in Jalan Pudu. FRU units to the front and back of us prevented us from leaving, and we were trapped by the walls of a construction site opposite Tung Shin Hospital after the FRUs pushed us back. It was probably the worst of the hotspots because of that: when the police started firing round after round of tear gas at us, we had nowhere to run to. I think they were determined to make an example out of us, because they bloody well tear-gassed and sprayed us with water cannons when they had no reason to do so.

We were all tear-gassed at least three, four times. An NGO staffer was hit by a canister. V told me that she saw people jumping off the second floor of the Puduraya bus terminal because the police had released tear gas too close to the terminal and the wind carried the fumes into the enclosed building. When the marchers ran for shelter in Tung Shin Hospital, the police fired tear gas and water cannons INTO the hospital grounds. Later the police lured us into re-assembling on the road on the pretext of negotiating a peaceful dispersal. They arrested the MP (Sivarasa) who was doing the negotiating, then — after ordering us to sit down so (as we realised later) we would be sitting ducks — they fired more tear gas and water cannons at us. A, myself and our companions eventually managed to find a way out from the trap via the Santo Antonius church and (irony of ironies) the car park of the Hang Tuah police station (near the monorail station). There were so many very brave people yesterday.

I now know that smearing toothpaste under the eyes to reduce irritation caused by tear gas actually works (thanks, A)! I'm still itchy and short of breath from all that tear gas, which is a bit annoying. But really, mostly what I remember of the rally was how moving it was: the solidarity among the protesters, how people looked out for one another. Whenever I was tear-gassed there was a stranger running along at my side and offering me and my friends salt to counteract the effects. When the police sprayed chemical-laced water cannons into the crowd and the people affected cried out for water to wash the stuff away, others turned and ran back toward the cannons with bottles of water to help. People helped others climb up a hill towards the hospital to escape (some guy helped me up the steep slope). Someone always stepped up to make sure that a panicked run doesn't turn into a stampede, including an elderly woman who took it upon herself to guide the marchers to safety. She's a first-time marcher to boot! Actually there were lots of first-time marchers, and more young middle-class urbanites than I've ever seen at any other rallies including the 2007 Bersih rally. At one point people started picking up the tear gas canisters and throwing them back at the police, or kicking the canisters safely away from the marchers and bystanders. I heard via the #bersihstories Twitter hashtag when the police fired tear gas into Tung Shin, there were people who grabbed the canisters and wrapped them in their own towels, then threw the canisters into the drain so there wouldn't be so much fumes.

And another one, about people's goodness:

My group has a lovely little story to tell as well, of how we escaped from the Tung Shin hospital area after one of the tear gas attacks. We took a little alley uphill between the shophouses, and there was a block of flats there. One of the residents told us to go through the building to get out through the back! We climbed upstairs and then along the opposite corridor a woman shouted and pointed, "That way, go that way, there is an exit out the back!" and we scuttled along our corridor, down the back stairs and found ourselves safe outside on Changkat Tung Shin or something like that.

Rakyat all contributing in their own ways!

There are many stories and photos, both good and bad, of the whole event. But to me what was most important was that Malaysians proved two things: one, they can assemble together on a common cause peacefully and two, therefore showed that they are a mature people. The fact is that there were all kinds of people there, young and old, all races and religions and all classes and creeds. I bumped into many young people, the children of my friends, who had come to see what it was all about and decide for themselves what to think about the issue.

Whatever one thinks about the issue that Bersih is espousing, we should all be proud of our fellow Malaysians who did not, despite dire predictions by some, behave like hooligans and destroy property and hurt one another. There were people hurt and one death but people who had participated in the rally did not cause them. The restaurants and shops around the area were doing roaring business as people got thirsty and hungry.

There are also some people claiming that the world now has a bad impression of Malaysia because the foreign media (and the local media for that matter) reported only about the teargassing and water-cannoning. I think people are confusing the government with the people. Yes, the world now has a bad impression of the Malaysian government because it has handled this whole issue so badly. They don't have the same impression of the Malaysians who stood up for their rights and their cause.

And by the way, I can't believe some of the mean things being said about the man who died after being teargassed! My goodness, every time I read totally uncompassionate things like that, I know that I'm on the right side

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