Politics 101 Malaysia

You got to be kidding. Malaysiakini reports Samy Vellu’s joke of a party has been given the task to look into the status of all Hindu temples.

The party which cannot even manage a simple thing like Maika was to submit a report on these temples to the cabinet periodically.

“I will scrutinise all matters concerning temples with a view to ensure that no temples are demolished in the future and if they have to be demolished, suitable alternative sites must be allocated so that Hindus can continue to worship,” Samy said.

Excuuuussssssee me, but I believe such a move is unconstitutional, Mr Prime Minister. ”Continued”

The Ampang Jaya Municipal Council this morning tore down the only remaining structure in Kampung Berembang in Ampang - a surau - but not before leaving the 30-year-old village looking like a battle ground.

Scores of residents of Kampung Berembang, along with members of several non-government organisations and political parties, were involved in a physical battle with enforcement officers from the council, who were backed by police and the Federal Reserve Unit to save the surau.

Full report in malaysiakini.

Melissa Darlyne Chow’s 22, 164cm in height, about 55kg, a graduate and a rookie scribe at the NST bureau in Penang.

And just because she felt confident enough to be attired in a skirt with a hemline no shorter than what her future sis-in-law is seen wearing here, she became the victim of voyeurs operating a close-circuit television (CCTV) camera at Penang’s City Hall last Friday.

Chow(left) has lodged a police report in which she alleged that the CCTV operator had outraged her modesty by focussing the camera on her thighs.

No one has been suspended pending investigation.

I want to see how far Chow’s employer is prepared to go to support her pyschologically and legally.

Is she being offered counselling — victim support — by her employer after such a traumatic experience?

MIC demi-god Samy Vellu has come to the rescue of Hindu temples, shrines and statues of deities.

He made sure the press knew he pioneered the setting up of a five-member committee that would be consulted by KL City Hall before any action was to be taken against any Hindu temples and shrines.

The committee was to be headed by Malaysia Hindu Sangam President A. Vaithilingam with the remaining members made up of reps from other Hindu bodies.

It will discuss current and future temple relocations with City Hall, reports Bernama.

There’s now a web portal for the residents of Serdang, Sri Kembangan, Bukit Jalil and Sri Petaling.

The forum deals mainly with local government issues and acts as a bridge between politicians and the communities of these areas.

The portal was launched last week.

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Updated 18/01/60

The following was sent to this blog by the webmaster of the forum –

Firstly, happy new year to all.

I would like to share with everyone a small portal for our 4 communities to share their thoughts, ideas, issues, problems, announcements etc.

With our busy and hectic schedules, I hope we can built this portal and assist each other to enhance our quality of life, our investment, buying our property within the 4 communities. What is happening, traffic jams, sales,schools, foods, golf, hotel etc…

Best of all we will invite our MPs to view and really listen to our residents issues and problems in our communities each day.

Once again, welcome and let me know how we can improve this wonderful portal as our communications. Thanks to Forumer.com for their kind hosting of the website.

Best regards, Webmaster

Visit us at http://serdang.7.forumer.com

Deputy Minister in the PM’s Department M. Kayveas wants the ACA to investigate local councils without fear or favour.

He said anti-graft laws needed to be toughened to curb the rising level of corruption at local level.

The ACA, he said, should be committed in its duty to investigate and punish corrupt individuals regardless of status and position.

Kayveas said it is time to empower Members of Parliament and State Assemblymen to monitor the local councils.

“At the moment, MPs and State Assemblymen merely report problems faced by constituents to the local councils. They do not have the power to question the council’s decisions in the interest of the voters…If they had the power to do so, as they do in Parliament and the State Assemblies, local councils will be democratic and accountable in the true sense.”

Source: Malay Mail

Local council corruption contributed to Malaysia’s drop of two places to 39th place in the Transparency Index 2004, says Deputy Minister in the PM’s Department Datuk M Kayveas.

“There is corruption in all local authorities, from tender awarding for garbage collection to projects and licence issuing. Several books could be filled with cases of corruption in them,” Kayveas told reporters at parliament’s lobby.

At least he didn’t pretend he has any answers to solving this one.

Hello, Kayveas, how many appointed PPP councillors are there nationwide?

A friend sent me these photos taken in Ipoh recently. In the days when there were local elections, Ipoh was the cleanest town in the country.

That was when the PPP, under the leadership of DR and SP Seenivasagam, was the real deal in the Kinta Valley and headed the Ipoh Municipal Council. No thanks to SP who, after the death of DR, led the party into the BN in 1973, the PPP is now more dead than alive.

The Sunday Star reports the PPP is challenging mayor Hasan Nawawi Abdul Rahman, an avid cyclist, to cycle around residential areas to see the city’s litter and garbage. The city is now plagued by problems of uncollected rubbish, uncut grass, clogged drains and roads with potholes and flash floods.

With the dengue threat and all, the council is helping to breed aedes mosquitoes. DR must be rolling in his grave.

Subang Jaya Municipal Councillor Aftar Singh, in his reply to Deputy Minister in the PM’s Department M. Kayveas’ comment that some local councils were being run like secret societies, dropped a hot potato between the PPP’s president’s legs.

He said the government last year gave council presidents the power to approve projects below RM200,000 without seeking the views of councillors. ”Continued”