Archive for category Hindraf
Challenge to AG/IGP to substantiate or withdraw terrorist charges against Hindraf
I just came back to Parliament from the Shah Alam Sessions Court where the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail as expected dropped the attempted murder charge against the Batu Caves 31 after being incarcerated for close to two weeks on the ground that they are “national security” threats.
Of course I welcome the Attorney-General’s change of mind and the withdrawal of the charge of attempted murder of a policeman preferred against the Batu Caves 31 – as I had right from the beginning called on Gani to drop the charges of “attempted murder” against the 31 as well as the manhunt for another 30 on the same charge of attempted murder, as it would precipitate a new crisis of confidence in the administration of justice over selective and malicious prosecution in the abuse of the Attorney-General’s discretionary prosecution powers.
However, I am still very disappointed by Gani’s conduct in the Shah Alam Sessions Court.
Although the charges against five students for causing mischief and illegal assembly were also dropped (and they should never have been charged in the first place), the charges of causing mischief and illegal assembly against 26 remained, with their case adjourned till December 27 for sentencing following their guilty pleas this morning.
The very fact that Gani had to drop the capital charge of attempted murder against the Batu Caves 31, (which also means the abandonment of his intention to charge 30 others with the same capital offence) – which could land the guilty with a sentence of life imprisonment – is proof that the Attorney-General had abused his powers in preferring such capital charges in the first place.
It raises the question as to the real motive of the Attorney-General in abusing his powers in slapping the Batu Caves 31 with such a serious charge when there is no basis or justification whatsoever.
The two-week incarceration of the Batu Caves 31 who were denied bail on the ground of being “national and security threats” remains a blot on the nation’s administration of justice and the tenure of Gani Patail as Attorney-General. Read the rest of this entry »
Call to AG – drop “attempted murder” and all other charges against Batu Caves 31
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Hindraf, Indians on Sunday, 16 December 2007
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has asked the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail to reconsider the “attempted murder” charge preferred against the Batu Caves 31, for which they were denied bail and had been incarcerated at the Sungai Buloh Prison for the past 11 days since Dec. 5.
The denial of bail for the Batu Caves 31 is a blot on the administration of justice in Malaysia, as it is harsh, inhumane and unconscionable, completely indefensible on any ground as the contention of national security advanced by the Attorney-General for the collective incarceration of the Batu Caves 31 until their trial in January and the final disposal of their cases do not stand up to any close scrutiny.
The Attorney-General should not only drop the charge of “attempted murder” of a policeman leveled against all the 31, but he should go one step further and withdraw all other charges preferred against them as well.
Furthermore, the police manhunt for more than 30 others to prosecute them under a similar charge of “attempted murder” as the Batu Caves 31 should also be dropped altogether.
The paramount consideration which should be top national priority is to heal the wounds caused by the government insensitivity and mishandling of the long-standing grievances of the Malaysian Indian community at their political, economic, educational, social, cultural and religious polarization and not to aggravate the deep-seated and legitimate discontents of the Malaysian Indian community with harsh and vindictive reprisals by the various state agencies. Read the rest of this entry »
PM-Indian NGOs meeting – utter failure of MIC and Samy, reduced to silent observer/note-taker
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Hindraf, Human Rights, Indians on Saturday, 15 December 2007
The promise by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to look into the plight of the Indian community after meeting with 14 Indian NGOs yesterday is proof of the legitimacy of the grievances of long-standing political, economic, educational, social, cultural and religious marginalization of the Malaysian Indians and the Nov. 25 Hindraf gathering of 30,000 people despite groundless Hindraf allegations of ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Malaysian Indians.
It is also proof of the complete irrelevance of the MIC as the Barisan Nasional component party for the Indians and the utter failure of Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu after over 28 years as the MIC President and sole Indian Cabinet Minister to the extent that he had been reduced to the pathetic role of a silent observer and note-taker at the meeting yesterday.
The question that Samy Vellu and all MIC leaders have to answer is why they are so articulate in their declaration that the Hindraf allegations of ethnic cleansing and genocide are baseless and irresponsible but yet so cowardly and dumb in not daring to declare that the grievances of Malaysian Indians at their long-standing marginalization as equal and rightful citizens of Malaysia is a real and genuine one – and that the 30,000 Malaysian Indians from all over the country who responded to the Hindraf rally on Nov. 25 was a cry of desperation to the Prime Minister and the Barisan Nasional Government for attention and action to end their marginalization and not a gathering of riot or turmoil over the baseless allegations of ethnic cleansing and genocide. Read the rest of this entry »
DPM and PM are both liars
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Hindraf on Monday, 10 December 2007
by Richard Teo
How could god fearing leaders perpetuate a lie in order to further their agenda of remaining in
office?
For DPM, Najib to label Hindraf as a violent and extremist group is doing a great injustice to the marginalised miniority Malaysian indians. This is a blatant lie that honest, fair minded citizens cannot accept as the truth.
How could a peaceful group of Hindraf supporters who participated in a peaceful assembly just two weeks ago suddenly being transformed into a terrorist group is beyond the comprehension of Malaysians of all race and creed.
Quite obviously, Najib was merely parroting what the Attorney-General Gani Patil was arguing in the courts to deny bail for the 31 Hindraf supporters. (They were denied bail.) On the basis of a flimsy Police report without proper investigative measure he surmised that Hindraf was a terrorist group with contacts with the Tamil Tigers, LTTE.
How could any one classify Hindraf as a terrorist group when their only crime to date was to participate in a peaceful assembly to articulate their grievances? An assembly that was deemed illegal because of the govt’s decision not to issue them with a permit.
If at all it was accused as a terrorist organisation then it must be the world’s most harmless
group of terrorists because it had not fired a single bullet, it has not caused any violence, it has not professed the destruction of any instituition and yet beyond the imagination of fair minded people they were called an extremist terrorist organisation. Read the rest of this entry »
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