GMI ANJUR HIMPUNAN BESAR-BESARAN


GMI rancang himpunan besar bantah ISA Mac depan




Salmiyah Harun Fri Nov 07, 08 12:29:08 pm MYT




KUALA LUMPUR, 7 Nov (Hrkh) - Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI) sedang merancang mengadakan satu perhimpunan besar-besaran pada Mac tahun depan di Kuala Lumpur bagi mendesak kerajaan memansuhkan Akta ISA serta membebaskan semua tahanan.





Naib Presiden PAS Muhamad Sabu ketika dalam sidang media semalam berkata, akta drakonian itu semakin mendapat tentangan daripada semua pihak termasuklah parti komponen BN iaitu Gerakan dan MCA.
Pelancaran himpunan itu adakan diadakan pada 23 November ini yang akan dihadiri oleh bekas Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Zaid Ibrahim.


Biarpun mendapat tentangan hebat katanya, sehingga kini kerajaan dilihat masih tidak melakukan apa-apa ke atas tuntutan rakyat itu.
"Justeru, GMI bercadang akan membuat perhimpunan besar-besaran memansuhkan ISA seperti mana Himpunan Bersih pada 10 November 2007 yang telah memberi tamparan hebat kepada kerajaan," katanya di Pejabat Agung PAS, Jalan Raja Laut.




Muhamad Sabu juga memberi jaminan bahawa perhimpunan itu nanti adalah perhimpunan aman dan pihak penganjur tidak sekali-kali melakukan kekerasan.
"Kami juga yakin tidak ada halangan daripada mana-mana pihak termasuklah pihak berkuasa sebab ia perhimpunan aman, dalam perhimpunan Bersih terbukti ia adalah yang paling aman, tidak ada kekerasan melainkan ada pihak yang cuba melakukan provokasi," katanya.
Beliau juga percaya akan ramai lagi NGO turut serta dalam perhimpunan itu nanti termasuklah parti politik daripada BN.




Dalam pada itu, Ketua Pemuda PAS Salahuddin Ayub berjanji akan mamastikan himpunan nanti mendapat sambutan dan dokongan daripada semua pihak.
"Saya akan menggerakan seluruh tenaga pemuda PAS seluruh negara dengan ini akan menjadi pemangkin dan semangat supaya perhimpunan ini akan menjadi realiti," katanya.
Pengerusi GMI Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh berkata, lebih 83 NGO yang bergabung dengan GMI akan turut serta dalam perhimpunan itu nanti.




"Perhimpunan ini bukan perhimpunan kaum atau agama tetapi ia mahu menghapuskan kezaliman kerajaan terhadap mereka yang ditahan tanpa bicara itu," katanya.
Sejak GMI ditubuhkan pada 2001, katanya usaha GMI berterusan untuk menuntut akta itu dimansuhkan bukannya kerana penahanan Hindraf atau beberapa aktivis lain.




"Usaha ini bukan usaha baru, malah kami berterusan mendesak kerajaan memansuhkan dan mendedahkan kezaliman ISA itu, walaupun tahanan di buat ke atas Hindraf," katanya. - mns _









Perbicaraan kes Anwar kekal di Mahkamah Sesyen KL


07/11/2008 4:02pm


KUALA LUMPUR 7 Nov. – Hakim S. M. Komathy Suppiah hari ini menetapkan sebutan kes liwat yang dihadapi oleh Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim di Mahkamah Sesyen pada 14 November ini.
Beliau membuat keputusan itu selepas mendapati sijil perakuan yang ditandatangani Peguam Negara, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail untuk memindahkan kes itu ke Mahkamah Tinggi adalah tidak sah di bawah Seksyen 418A Kanun Tatacara Jenayah.


Komathy berkata, Abdul Gani tidak sepatutnya mencampuri kes liwat berkenaan setelah Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi `berjanji’ bahawa peguam negara itu tidak akan terlibat dalam kes Anwar.


Komathy akan mendengar sebutan kes itu bagi menetapkan tarikh perbicaraan di mahkamah tersebut.


Bagaimanapun, Timbalan Kanan Pendakwaraya, Datuk Mohd. Yusof Zainal Abiden memberitahu para pemberita bahawa pihaknya pasti membuat dua permohonan iaitu bagi rayuan dan semakan kehakiman berhubung keputusan hari ini.


Malaysian blogger freed from detention under security law



Submitted by Mohit Joshi on

Fri, 11/07/2008 - 07:49.


Kuala Lumpur - A Malaysian court on Friday ordered the release of a popular anti-government blogger, ruling that his detention under a draconian security law was unlawful.
Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin was arrested on September 12 under the Internal Security Act (ISA) after the government said his articles incited hatred and racial discord as well as insulted Islam, the official religion.


The editor of the popular Malaysia Today website had denied the allegations and appealed against his detention, which could have been indefinite under the ISA's provisions.
Malaysia's High Court ruled that Raja Petra would be brought to court later Friday and immediately released from the detention centre in the northern Perak state.


Judge Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad said that the home minister had acted outside his powers in having Raja Petra arrested, and ruled that his detention was unlawful.
The ISA is a law formulated during Britain's previous colonial rule to fight a communist insurgency. It allows the government to detain anyone for an initial two-year period without being charged and to extend the detention indefinitely.


Raja Petra, 58, is also on trial on separate charges of sedition, after he allegedly implicated deputy prime minister Najib Razak in the murder of a Mongolian woman in 2006. Raja Petra denies the charges.

Following the ruling, Raja Petra's wife Marina Lee Abdullah said she was very happy with his impending release.

"I am glad that everything turned out well. It is a fantastic breakthrough," she was quoted as saying by the Star online news portal.

Raja Petra's release was hailed by opposition leaders and fellow bloggers who said the ruling was a sign of growing judicial independence in the country.

"The court decision sustains hope that basic judicial decency, independence and integrity have not been completely destroyed," said Lim Kit Siang, a senior leader of the opposition Democratic Action Party.

Paul Sebastian, a fellow blogger, said Raja Petra's release was a victory for all who defended the freedom of speech and freedom of the internet.

"If what he says are lies, people are intelligent enough not to believe it.
"If what he says are the truth, then all the more there must be an avenue where the people have a chance to know," he said.

Raja Petra has in the past come under fire from the government for his often sensational articles, alleging wrong-doings by top leaders. (dpa)

Aliran media statement

http://www.aliran.com/


Unconvincing claim that ‘anyone can be PM’
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s comment that it is possible for anyone, regardless of race and religion, to be the nation’s leader, if the rakyat wanted it to happen sounds rather unconvincing. It even sounds ridiculous.


The truth of the matter is that it could only happen if Umno agrees or permits it to happen - which is utterly impossible. It can only happen if the BN is defeated and an alternative party or coalition which is not race-based comes into power. Until then it will only remain wishful thinking.


When a qualified person like Low Siew Moi cannot be accepted as the acting CEO of PKNS, what hope is there for higher political office to be occupied by someone regardless of colour and creed? Just take note of the vehement opposition that is being mounted against her appointment solely because she is not a Malay.

Has the Prime Minister condemned this unreasonable opposition to this well-deserved appointment?


Malaysians had for 50 years given their support to the Alliance/Barisan Nasional. All the component parties had participated in the election not under their party banner. They stood under the BN banner and were accordingly elected.


In view of this, the MCA had requested that a second BN Deputy Chairman’s post be created and filled by someone from the MCA. (At present the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Secretary General of the BN are all from Umno.) It has also been suggested that the Deputy Prime Minister could be decided by the component parties of the BN.


What has been the response from the Prime Minister? If he had responded positively to these suggestions, then we can see some hope for the emergence of non-racial politics in Malaysia.
Until then, we can continue to hear words that have no meaning.

P Ramakrishnan
President
6 November 2008



Aliran media statement


http://www.aliran.com/


Barack Obama’s election offers a lesson


Aliran applauds the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America. It was a stunning victory that recorded a landslide majority. It was a victory that brought together ordinary Americans of different shades and faiths to elect the first Afro-American in a historic decision that clearly responded to Obama’s call: Time for change.



The victory has put to an end the old prejudices of the past that have persisted for centuries. It has freed Americans from their narrow mindset that had discriminated and deprived others from the marginalised communities a chance to progress as human beings on an equal footing.
While the Americans chose to look forward to their future with hope, sadly there are others elsewhere who are still trapped in their age-old prejudices that discriminate against others based on their colour and creed. They can’t look forward confidently but prefer to cling to the past as a solution to their progress.



We in Aliran hope that Obama will bridge the gap that divides the rich and the poor, the West and the East, the Muslims and the others. We hope that he will heal the wounds inflicted by war and deprivation of poverty. We hope that he will bring about a just peace to the Middle East, end the Occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, shut down Guantanamo Bay and put an end to rendition (the outsourcing of torture to third countries).



We believe that there is a lesson to be learnt from the outcome of the American election.


Aliran Executive Committee
6 November 2008