TM fails to restore phone/internet service to kampung folks - 6 Days and still waiting??

People in Malaysia depend very much on TM's(Telekom Malaysia) phone and internet services - we use the internet to stay updated with news, social network, Facebook, emails,... and even to do our own work and research - and as such any disruptions should be speedily resolved by TM...in hours ... TNB can do it speedily in a couple of hours - so come TM cannot do this... is it because TM is not using their OWN employees to do this - but have outsourced these repair works to 3rd parties? Phone/Internet, just like electricity is now a BASIC amenity and repair works must be done speedily....or maybe the Malaysian government should just take over TM, just like MAS. 

Privatization is not working.... and is certainly not more efficient as promised when this government pushed privatization...Further, companies like TM should not be outsourcing repair or service restoration work to third party contractors - they must be doing in using their own TM employees....[Some people have been saying that these 'cable cutting/thefts' could be directly linked to these 3rd party contractors - creating work for better payment rates and profits? Possible, and it would not be the case if TM employees were doing all these repair/restoration works]

Now, SIX(6) DAYS have passed and I still have to travel 6 Km to town and to an internet shop to access the internet..

TM subs for phone/internet are based on monthly fixed rates....and it is not CHEAP - will TM make the necessary 'deductions' when TM fails to provide continuous service... would it make relevant deductions for the people in this kampung for the 6 (or longer days) that TM failed to provide service ....When they do not provide service, we spend MONIES - travelling, shop internet charges, mobile phone charges... It affects our social life - for many people just rely on landlines and when there is no phone service, many people just cannot get in touch. [Worse still, when you dial my number, what you hear is the phone ringing and no one is picking it up.... people will think us rude or avoiding their calls...why can't TM insert a message that people who dial phones where service is disrupted will know that there is a 'disruption of service' - a simple message telling people who try to call us that there is a disruption of service is so simple - unless TM does not have the capacity or skill to do so??]

16/9/2014 - Discovered and lodged complaint with TM that there was no phone/internet service - service disruption to the entire Kampung(village), and when complaint lodged, said the problem will be resolved in 24 hours

24 hours and still no service restored - then an SMS saying service disruption, and service would be restored on 19/9/2014 (Discovered that there had been a phone cable theft...??)

19/9/2014 - still no service - No TM technicians seem to have even come or contacted me, which TM said would be done when they came to do the repairs.... We were LIED to?

20/9/2014 - the same

22/9/2014 - still the same .... and on wonders whether we who are living in villages are being discriminated by TM? If it was in Putrajaya, it would have been restored in hours...but, here it is now SIX(6) DAYS 

When you call 100 to report a service fault, the whole call takes about 10 minutes - and we are billed for this call - and, if not mistaken it is about RM2, anyway, I have made so many of these calls since 16/9/2014(Hari Malaysia). These calls should be FREE ... 

Claiming For an Adjustment of Billing When TM fails to ensure service - should be automatically done by TM BUT No....I was informed that I will have to make yet another call to the Billing Department and make such a request.... TM already knows when and where disruptions happen and surely, TM will bill customers accordingly .... (But alas, they so easily BILL us, threaten us with discontinuing of service when payments not received - but alas when the failure is TM's, they make it so difficult for customers to claim justice...}

Continued Billing after tmnet and streamyx emails and dial up services terminated 

Well, I continued being billed for my ___@tm.net.my and the 1515 Dial-Up internet service until about last month even though TM discontinued this service in December last year(2013) - WHY? When I recently inquired, they said that they will discontinue billing me after I go to the TM Office, fill a form and discontinue the service??? Absurd, is it not? TM stopped this service - so what rationale to continue billing customers? Wonder how many people in Malaysia are still being billed for these internet dial-up, tmnet  and streamyx emails after TM discontinued the service? How much MONEY has TM made by this billing after the TERMINATION of the service by TM? Maybe, the police and the government should investigate, and action must be taken against TM? 

I went to the TM Office and did the needful - still waiting for the payment back of monies by reason of overcharging and later adjustments....about RM500 TM owes me still... 

I SAW NO ONE COMING TO DO ANY REPAIRS TODAY ... I HOPE THAT TM WOULD IMMEDIATELY RESTORE PHONE/INTERNET SERVICE TO ME AND MY KAMPUNG NEIGHBOURS...

Bomb threat does not prevent lawyers from passing Resolution against the Sedition Act with an overwhelming majority

Bomb hoax at lawyers' anti-Sedition Act meeting

The bomb threat at the Malaysian Bar's extraordinary general meeting against the Sedition Act was found to be a hoax.
 

The police, after scanning the premises with a canine unit for about an hour, found the premises free of any explosives.
 
Earlier, lawyer Edmund Bon, who is being investigated for sedition, said that an anonymous phone call was received, warning of a bomb in Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur. 

 

"Police (are) scouting. We will continue," tweeted Bon.

 

Human rights lawyer Eric Paulsen had also tweeted that the crowd "laughed off" the threat when the announcement was made. 

 

Those present had said that there are about 1,000 lawyers in the hall at the moment, who make up more than the quorum.

Despite the threat, the EGM continued with the motions and the voting process.

The Bar passed a motion to organise a peaceful protest against the recent spate of arrests under the Act, which saw politicians, activists and a law lecturer being charged for making allegedly seditious remarks.

According to Bon, the motion was carried with 701 voting in favour, while 13 against.

In immediate reaction, former de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim said that the decision made him proud to be a lawyer.

"They always fight for your rights. You don't see developers engineers, accountants, towkays doing it," he tweeted.

Elections watchdog Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah, meanwhile, congratulated the Bar and said Bersih will support the walk.

PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar said the decision is "explosive", while musician Pete Teo called on all to walk with the lawyers.

"(Because) they are walking for you. No more abuse of the law by authorities," he tweeted. - Malaysiakini, 19/9/2014, Bomb hoax at lawyers' anti-Sedition Act meeting

Bar vows sedition protest march sooner than later

By V. ANBALAGAN

Published: 19 September 2014

Leong speaking to the media at the press conference following the Extraordinary General Meeting in Kuala Lumpur today. - The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, September 19, 2014. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A peaceful walk by lawyers to protest the Sedition Act will take place soon, following the overwhelming approval by members of the the Malaysian Bar Council of a resolution to repeal the law, its chairman Christopher Leong said.

"A deadline of three or six months is too long. The walk will happen soon," he told reporters after chairing the Bar's EGM at Wisma MCA in Jalan Ampang today.
Leong said the council needed to look into logistics like venue and time to enforce the resolution.

This will be the third walk organised in the last seven years. Leong said that 973 members voted in favour of the motion to repeal the law and for the council to hold the walk.

"Only 13 voted against it while no one abstained," he said,  adding that the turnout at the EGM was very strong.

He said this reflected members' sentiment on the use or abuse of the law by the government against members of the public.

Leong said the Bar was against the use of the law because "you cannot stop discussion, debate and criticism as these are integral part of a thinking and maturing process".

He said there must be public discourse for mutual understanding and lasting harmony.

"We cannot walk on egg shells with draconian laws hanging over our head.

"The way forward is to engage like debating, discussion and even making an argument," he added.

He said that was the reason the council had started a campaign to get the law repealed apart from organising the walk.

He said the Bar was also against jail terms imposed by the courts on those found guilty of sedition.

"The custodial sentence of 12 months jail today on Adam Adli Abdul Halim is wholly disproportionate with the offence," he said.

Leong said the government had promised to abolish the Sedition Act in July 2012 and the council was hopeful the legislation would be removed from the statute books soon.

"We expected a replacement Act to be ready at the year end but now we are told it will be next year. Too much time has passed but we are prepared to wait," he said.

Leong also clarified that the council was not involved in the drafting of the National Harmony Bill.

"It is a Bill from the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) and we were only asked by its law and policy sub-committee to assist in the drafting because they did not have the resource," he said.

Leong said the contents of the Bill reflected the views of the NUCC.

"We also did not circulate the Bill or place the draft on our website and any accusation against the Bar is unfounded," he said.

Leong said the draft could be accessed at the NUCC website.

Retired chief justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad was among those who claimed that the Bill was drafted by the council and should not be accepted. – September 19, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bar-promises-anti-sedition-law-protest-march-will-take-place-soon#sthash.2DVoLFei.dpuf  

 

 

Lawyers to march against Sedition Act

 

The Malaysian Bar has passed a motion to organise a peaceful protest against the recent spate of arrests under the Sedition Act.

Proposed by the Bar Council, it was passed after debate during the Bar's extraordinary general meeting at Wisma MCA today.

The motion was triggered by the flurry of arrests under the Act, which saw politicians, activists and a law lecturer being charged for making allegedly seditious remarks.

Bar Council president Christopher Leong (right) said that the motion was passed with an overwhelming vote of 701 to 13.

He also commended the high turnout of 986 members today, he said.

"The Malaysian Bar mandates the Bar Council to immediately organise a peaceful protest in the form of a walk," Leong said.

He said that the logistics of the march, including the date and venue, has not been set but waiting “three to six months” would be "too long".

He also vowed that the walk will not be a “one-off” action in the Bar’s campaign against the Act.

"Our #MansuhAktaHasutan campaign launched on Sept 4 will be a fluid and ongoing campaign," he said.

Moratorium

The Bar had also resolved to condemn the Sedition Act and called the government to abide by its pledge to repeal the Act.

It also urged a moratorium on the use of the Act, and for the proposed National Harmony Act not to be a "recast of the Sedition Act".

"The Malaysian Bar is against the use and abuse of the Sedition Act because it is of the view that you cannot stop discussion, debate or criticism as they are all integral parts of the thinking and maturing process," he said.

The Bar had previously led processions against police abuse and the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011.

The 'Walk for Justice' was held in 2007 where 2,000 lawyers marched 3.5km to the Prime Minister's Department in Putrajaya demanding that a royal commission of inquiry be established to stem the slide in the judiciary.

The march succeeded in compelling then-prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to set up a royal commission of inquiry into the infamous Lingam Tape on appointment of judges.

Meanwhile in Batu Pahat, PAS in its general assembly also passed a motion urging the abolition of the Sedition Act.

Earlier, Mariam Abdul Rashid, the mother-in-law of Muhammad Safwan Anang (right) who was sentenced to 10 months' jail for sedition, made the case to delegates against the colonial-era law.

"We are convinced that more will be arrested and none can escape from BN's abuse of the Sedition Act," she said.

Safwan was given the sentence for remarks made about the last general election, which the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court found to be seditious.

Among other related motions passed at the muktamar today, which was proposed by PAS Muslimat and PAS central committee, is a moratorium on the Sedition Act and the halt of all charges under the law.

The Islamic party also wants a guarantee from Putrajaya that any replacement law for the Sedition Act, as is being mooted by the government, will not be draconian or worse.

Excessive sentence

On a related matter, Bar Council president Leong condemned the "excessive" and "disproportionate" sentence of former student leader Adam Adli Abdul Halim for sedition.

"Since it is a first offence, at best, it should have been a fine," he said.

The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today sentenced Adam Adli (left) to 12 months’ jail for urging the toppling of the Umno/BN government, at the same forum as Safwan last year.

On the National Harmony Bill draft, Leong stressed that the Bar had only assisted the National Unity Consultative Council upon the request of NUCC’s law and reform and policy committee.

"We worked with them to draft the contents of the bill and as such, the bill reflects the view of NUCC. We only provided our experience and resources," he said.

He denied that the Bar had circulated the drafts, but said that the provisions "would go a long way to promoting true and meaningful harmony, unity and mutual respect among Malaysians".

The National Harmony Act is said to be the replacement for the Sedition Act.

However, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said the government is still reviewing whether to replace the Sedition Act or just amend it. - Malaysiakini, 19/9/2014, Lawyers to march against Sedition Act

 

See also 

SEDITION ACT - an draconian legislation that has no place in a true democracy?

Malaysian Bar:- Cease the Sedition Act Onslaught 

Note: I will try to upload the full resolution later

 

 

Malaysian Bar:- Cease the Sedition Act Onslaught

Press Release | Cease the Sedition Act Onslaught 
 Thursday, 18 September 2014 05:20pm 

The Malaysian Bar is appalled by the unrelenting misuse of the Sedition Act 1948 and other laws, and investigations and threats of prosecutions thereunder, to stifle speech and expression over the past four weeks.  The abuse has continued unabated in the past few days.

We refer to the following incidents:

(1) A preacher, Abu Bakar Baikalani, was reported in the news media on 11 September 2014 as having been arrested and under investigation pursuant to section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 for allegedly insulting the Government and police, by criticising the mass arrest of members of Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (“PPS”);

(2) A lawyer, Edmund Bon, was reported in the news media on 12 September 2014 as being investigated under the Sedition Act 1948 in relation to his alleged comments on the Federal Constitution, by way of legal opinion, in a news report entitled “Bukan Islam tidak perlu patuh kepada titah Diraja atau fatwa, kata peguam”;

(3) An opposition politician and lawyer, Hassan Karim, was reported in the news media on 13 September 2014 as being investigated under the Sedition Act 1948 over postings on Twitter with regard to the Selangor Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) crisis.  The police had attended at his house and confiscated his laptop and mobile phone;

(4) A director of a Malaysia-based think-tank known as Inter-Research and Studies, Wong Hoi Cheng, was reported in the news media on 15 September 2014 as having been charged in court under section 504 of the Penal Code for allegedly insulting and provoking the Inspector General of Police (“IGP”), by having tweeted a criticism of the mass arrest of members of PPS and comparing the IGP to Henrich Himmler, the leader of the feared “SS” during Adolf Hitler’s World War II rule over Germany.  He also faces an alternative charge under section 233(1) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

These recent events or actions are alarming.  The Malaysian Bar is deeply concerned that as we celebrate the 51st anniversary of the formation of Malaysia we are lurching steadily towards an intolerant authoritarian State.

The recent reports of a lawyer, Edmund Bon, being placed under investigation for expressing his legal opinion on matters in the public domain are deplorable.  The Malaysian Bar also recalls the recent prosecution of Dr Azmi Sharom, a law lecturer, for offering an opinion on matters connected with the law and the Federal Constitution.  It is unjustifiable and unacceptable that people are being placed under investigation or charged for expressing opinions or views with regard to or based on the law and the Federal Constitution.

Lawyers are duty-bound by the Legal Profession Act 1976 and the Montreal Declaration of June 1983 to uphold the cause of justice without fear or favour, and without regard to their own interest; and to protect and assist the public in all matters touching, ancillary or incidental to the law.

The United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers provides that lawyers shall have the right to freedom of expression, belief and assembly, and shall have “the right to take part in public discussion of matters concerning the law, the administration of justice, and the promotion and protection of human rights”.

The United Nations Basic Principles go on to provide that governments shall ensure that lawyers “are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference”, as well as “shall not suffer, or be threatened with prosecution or administrative, economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties, standards and ethics”.

Previous to the recent events, we witnessed various actions being taken by the authorities under the Sedition Act 1948, or section 499 or section 504 of the Penal Code, against students, an academic, members of civil society, journalists, Members of Parliament and Members of the State Assembly.  There was additionally the mass arrest of members of the PPS immediately after they completed their participation in the Penang State National Day parade.

These actions by the authorities have given rise to grave concerns that a culture of intimidation, fear and subjugation is being perpetrated and perpetuated by the misuse of the Sedition Act 1948 and other laws such as section 499 and section 504 of the Penal Code.

The Malaysian Bar shares the wishes and hopes of all right-thinking Malaysians for genuine peace, harmony and unity.  The Malaysian Bar however questions whether these can simply be legislated into existence, and whether the use of the Sedition Act 1948, and the other laws as described, would serve to achieve these aspirations.  In addressing the substantive issues, the people of Malaysia should honestly ask themselves these questions: “Who is it that is behaving in a menacing manner and threatening public disorder?  Who is it that is causing disharmony and disunity?  Is the Sedition Act 1948 being evenly used?”  The answers are plain for all to see, if only one bothers to look.

The Malaysian Bar calls on the authorities to cease their action against all of these individuals, and to recognise the right to freedom of speech and expression.  The authorities must not use an abhorrent piece of colonial-era legislation to protect themselves from fair comment and criticism. 

Christopher Leong

President

Malaysian Bar

18 September 2014

Source: Malaysian Bar Website

  See also:- 

SEDITION ACT - an draconian legislation that has no place in a true democracy?

Malaysia among the worst for rights of workers (Malaysiakini)

See also:-

Malaysia among 24 'worst countries for workers': 2014 survey (Star)

 

Malaysia among the worst for rights of workers

Malaysia is ranked among the worst countries in the world to work in, according to the recently released International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Rights Index.

Among the 139 countries that were studied for a period of a year, Malaysia was placed 22nd from the bottom which ranked lower than Asean neighbours Myanmar, Indonesia and Singapore in exercising worker rights.

The countries which were categorised using a rating scale from 1 to 5+, where 1 is for countries that have guaranteed labour rights like Uruguay, Germany and France. 

Malaysia, was categorised as 5 where workers have very minimal rights and are subjected to unfair labour practices, with 5+ being for war-torn countries without any law for worker rights at all, like Syria, Somalia and Palestine.

 

Civil liberties, rights to establish or join unions, trade union activities, rights to collective bargaining and rights to strike were among the indicators taken to determine the countries index ratings.

 

The Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (Jerit) and Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor at a joint press conference today condemned the government for its lack of role in upholding worker rights.

 

“It is shameful that Malaysia is classified as among the worst countries for workers when the prime minister wants us to compete and be among the developing countries in the year 2020,” PSM treasurer A Sivarajan (below) said.

The coalition also slammed the government for being more interested in bringing in foreign investors with incentives at the “expense of workers who are exploited for profit”.

 

Meanwhile, Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor advisor Irene Xavier accused the government of not being “union friendly”, hence, the rampant deficiency in worker rights.

 

“All activists and NGOs know that our government is anti-union. The right to be a trade union member is on paper only.”

 

Jerit Worker Coordinator, Sivaranjani demanded for the government to revamp the laws regarding worker rights, as there are many contradictions especially in areas of jurisdiction between the Human Resources Ministry and Immigration Department.

 

“The laws for workers need to be reviewed according to the universal worker law. There are two set of bodies enforcing laws that are contradictory to each other.”

 

The coalition said that it will write a letter to the Human Resources Ministry to demand an answer to the ranking of Malaysia, as there are over 12 million Malaysian and three million foreign workers affected by improper worker rights in the country. - Malaysiakini, 17/9/2014, Malaysia among the worst for rights of workers

Malaysia: Sedition Act Wielded to Silence Opposition (Human Rights Watch)

Malaysia: Sedition Act Wielded to Silence Opposition
Government Campaign Violates Free Expression Rights
(Bangkok, September 15, 2014) – The Malaysian government should cease using the country’s sedition law to arbitrarily arrest opposition lawmakers, activists, and critical academics, Human Rights Watch said today. Since 2013, at least 14 people have been charged under the Sedition Act 1948 for criticizing the government or government officials. Those found guilty face up to five years in prison and a fine of RM 5,000 (US$1,600).

The government of Prime Minister Najib Razak should repeal the Sedition Act, which has repeatedly been used to prosecute people for political purposes in violation of the right to freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said.

“The Malaysian government is increasingly using the Sedition Act to instill fear and silence in political opponents and critics,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Prime Minister Najib’s crackdown on free expression has shown his true rights-abusing colors.”

The Sedition Act prohibits vague offenses such as uttering “any seditious words” without defining what constitutes “sedition” or “seditious words.” It broadly outlaws any “seditious tendency” that would “bring into hatred or contempt or excite disaffection against any Ruler or against any Government.”

In the period before the general election on May 5, 2013, Prime Minister Najib repeatedly said that he would lead an effort to repeal the Sedition Act and replace it with a so-called Harmony Act. However, following the election, in which the ruling coalition the Barisan Nasional retained power despite major losses in the national parliament, he retreated from his pledge.

Malaysian authorities have used the vaguely worded act to charge four opposition members of parliament with sedition, including Party Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Vice President Tian Chua and Democratic Action Party (DAP) Vice President Teresa Kok.

On August 19, 2014, the authorities charged PKR Vice President N. Surendran with sedition in connection with a statement to the media attacking the decision of the appeals court. A second sedition charge was brought against him on August 29 for alleging that the renewed sodomy charges against his client, the parliamentary opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, were “an attempt to jail the opposition leader of Malaysia,” and that Prime Minister Najib was responsible.

On August 26, the authorities charged Khalid Samad, a member of parliament from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), with sedition for allegedly critical remarks he made regarding the Selangor state sultan and the State Islamic Affairs Council. Khalid had called for reviews of laws after the state council failed to abide by the attorney general’s decision that Iban and Malay-language Bibles seized by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department must be returned to the Bible Society of Malaysia.

In June, authorities charged Kok with sedition for her Chinese New Year video “Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014,” which depicts Kok as host of the program with three volunteers playing characters before a small audience. The video makes no mention of any individual or the government.

The DAP Penang State Assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer was charged on August 27 for allegedly saying “celaka celaka UMNO” (“damn, damn UMNO”) to several state assemblymen of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) during an assembly session in May.

On September 3, the authorities brought sedition charges against David Orok, a politician from the state of Sabah, claiming that he defamed Islam and the Prophet on Facebook. He has pleaded not guilty and apologized on his Facebook page, but the authorities confiscated his passport and the court released him on RM 7,000 ($2,200) bail.

The authorities charged five activists and Tian Chua with sedition for remarks made on May 13, 2013, at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. The group had accused the government of pervasive voter fraud and suggested that under current election regulations, the opposition coalition could never win an election. On September 5, 2014, a Kuala Lumpur sessions court sentenced Safwan Anang, former chair of Malaysian Students Solidarity, an activist group, to 10 months in prison, although he was released on RM 15,000 ($4,700) bail pending his appeal. Cases are still pending against Tian, the activists Hishamuddin Rais, Haris Ibrahim, and Tamrin bin Abdul Ghfar, and the student leader Adam Adli.

The government is also prosecuting academics and journalists under the Sedition Act. On September 1, Dr. Azmi Sharom, a University of Malaya professor, was charged with sedition for comments related to a political event five years ago. On September 10, a group of academics and students organized a public rally on Azmi’s behalf and to decry the threat the Sedition Act poses to academic freedom. The Attorney General’s Chambers announced that it would review the sedition charge against Azmi and possibly others.

On September 4, the authorities arrested Susan Loone, assistant editor at Malaysiakini, an online newspaper critical of the government and ruling coalition, on suspicion of sedition for her article that included statements by Phee Boone Poh, a Penang State executive councilor. Loone was held and interrogated for nine hours before being released on bail. Police had earlier detained Phee because of his role as chairman of the Penang People’s Voluntary Patrol, an auxiliary force connected with the state government that the inspector general of police alleges is illegal. The story reported Phee saying that during four hours of police questioning he was “treated like a criminal.”

The government has also investigated several senior opposition politicians but ultimately charged them with sections of the penal code that severely restrict expression. On August 28, the authorities charged Rafizi Ramli, a senior member of the PKR and member of parliament, with article 504 of the penal code, which criminalizes “intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.” The charge was based on statements he made in a newspaper article that suggested that UMNO was attempting to undermine and destroy the PKR leadership in Selangor State by using policies emphasizing race and religion.

Similarly, on August 25, authorities charged the former Perak State Governor Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, from the opposition PAS party, for defaming Prime Minister Najib in remarks he made in Ipoh in April 2012.

“The Malaysian government has apparently decided that its vaguely worded Sedition Act is its new catch-all charge against its most vocal critics,” Robertson said. “Prime Minister Najib should realize that throwing activists and opposition leaders in jail for what they say is a slippery slope to authoritarian rule.”

For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Malaysia, please visit:
www.hrw.org/asia/malaysia

For raising minimum wages, Egypt sued by Veolia, a French multinational?

A government cannot increase MINIMUM WAGE? A company can sue the government for doing that?

This is the danger of investor protection clauses in investment agreements and treaties between countries like the TPPA - Is Malaysia bothered about workers, communities, people....?

Now countries cannot even increase minimum wages .... or ensure  better protection of worker safety and health, better protection of the environment, better protection of the local community,... BECAUSE some foreign company may just sue Malaysia...therefore, in fear, government may just avoid such risks... 

How many such agreements/treaties have this BN government signed? What steps is our government taking to get rid of these investor protection clauses...and these  ISDS provisions

 

The Injustice Industry: Egypt challenged over rise to minimum wage

Le Monde Diplomatique reports that the Veolia group, a French multinational, is suing the Egyptian government because of a rise in the monthly minimum wage. The company is using the ISDS provisions in an investment treaty between France and Egypt.

The case is still in progress, but is yet another example of the dangers of including investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). - http://aftinet.org.au/cms/veolia-vs-egypt-workers-2014

25/6/2014

Special courts for foreign investors have no place in trade deals

09 Nov 2013, by Owen Tudor in International

 

The TUC has called for ISDS procedures to be excluded from the  Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – the free trade deal being negotiated between the EU and USA. I last wrote about Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) procedures on Touchstone in September, and this week George Monbiot, David Martin MEP and Nobel prize winner Joe Stiglitz have all opposed them. European governments like France, Germany, Greece and Hungary are not keen, and, further afield, the Australian and South African governments have refused to agree any more trade deals with ISDS procedures included. It looks like this is a campaign we can win.

ISDS procedures create a special status for foreign investors, and disadvantage everyone else. They have been inserted in trade agreements (and, more specifically, bilateral investment treaties) to protect foreign investments from totalitarian or failing regimes lacking the rule of law. They provide foreign investors with access to panels which can require compensation from governments which expropriate their investments. AFLCIO trade expert Celeste Drake describes them as giving 

“foreign investors in the U.S. (and U.S. investors operating in foreign countries) the opportunity to skip traditional methods of complaining about laws and regulations they don’t like and sue nations directly in private arbitration tribunals made up of for-profit arbitrators rather than full-time judges.”

Trade unions in Europe and the USA oppose ISDS because multinational enterprises’ lawyers have extended the definition of ‘expropriation’ to cover almost everything that is to their employers’ financial disadvantage. Egypt has been sued by Veolia for raising the minimum wage, Germany is in court for abandoning nuclear power, and Canada has been challenged by US pharmaceutical giants for restricting the use of high price drugs. George Monbiot’s Guardian article gave even more examples.

In the UK, there are genuine concerns that ISDS would restrict the scope for a future government to redraw the boundary of procurement in the NHS, as Labour has pledged to do. Under ISDS, such a promise could become paralysingly costly, regardless of its popularity with the electorate.

We know that multinationals plan their use of ISDS provisions not just to win compensation where they have lost out, but also to threaten democratically elected governments with costly and time consuming litigation. That makes governments even more averse than they already are to the risk of taking on corporate power.

ISDS also disadvantages domestic investors, who need to use the normal courts to pursue their governments for any perceived wrongdoing. Outrageously, the European Commission has issued a so-called ISDS “fact sheet” (in fact a highly tendentious document brilliantly dissected by open source industry correspondent Glyn Moody) which suggests that US investors might have reason to consider European courts biased in hearing such claims. Trade deals already provide well-established systems of state-state dispute settlement in the worst cases.

But what should really set alarm bells ringing is the privileged position ISDS processes provide for the transnational enterprises and sovereign wealth funds which provide most foreign direct investment. There are no proposals to give consumers, environmentalists or workers the same protections. An ISDS provision in TTIP would create a completely separate justice system for corporate litigants – a sort of platinum class law court for the world’s frequent flyers.

Governments should acknowledge that free trade must be for everyone, not just for a privileged class. Investor-state dispute settlements must be ruled out now from the TTIP negotiations. - Touch Stone, 9/11/2013

Detention Without Trial for 2 years - this law(PCA) must be repealed?

Well, here is another draconian law that allows for 'Detention Without Trial' for 2 years - this must also be appeal.

Let us not forget that all are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. How many people have been detained without trial for 2 years under the Prevention of Crime Act? Will they ever be tried? 

The trio were detained under the Section 19A of the Prevention of Crime Act, which allows for detention of up to two years for investigation purposes, without trial.

Police have only a maximum of 14 days for the purpose of investigation under the Criminal Procedure Code, and that should be the case for all laws.  

Police need to improve their investigation skills, and charge people in court when there is sufficient evidence to prove that a person is guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Keeping someone in detention for 2 years for the purpose of investigation is absurd - How many have been detained for periods from 14 days to 2 years under the PCA - and then released without even being charged or tried in court - I would say that such 'detention without trial' is a gross injustice...

Three detained for up to two years for 'secession'

Police have detained three men for allegedly joining the group loyal to the Sulu sultanate with the goal of secession of Sabah from Malaysia.

The trio were detained under the Section 19A of the Prevention of Crime Act, which allows for detention of up to two years for investigation purposes, without trial.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar (right) said that the trio were detained on July 22, as the Sulu sultanate is an illegal entity with the objective of seeing Sabah secede from Malaysia.

The detention order for Abu Bakar Jayari, Zainuddin Mislani and Kassim Ibrahim was issued on Sep 9.

Abu Bakar and Zainuddin are Malaysian while Kassim is a Filipino citizen who entered Malaysia illegally, he said in a statement.

“They are also believed to have successfully recruited new members as preliminary measures to claim Sabah on behalf of the Sulu sultanate,” he said.

A group claiming to be the Sulu sultanate were involved in a standoff with Malaysian security personnel in Lahad Datu in 2013.

68 from the Sulu side and 12 Malaysians, including two civilians, were killed in the incursion which lasted slightly more than a month.

More recently, there have been urgings that action be taken against groups proposing a review of the Malaysia Agreement  and allegedly promoting  the secession of Sabah and Sarawak from Malaysia.- Malaysiakini, 10/9/2014,

Average household income is RM5,900 per month? 1 earns RM500K, and 99 earn RM900 - gives average of RM5,000plus

Malaysians earn RM5,900 per month? 

Nope, they are talking about AVERAGE(Purata) - If one person earns RM500,000 per month, and 99 earns RM900 - the the average monthly income would be RM5,891-00. So from increasing averages, it may mean that the rich are just getting richer and the rest are still as poor..

We really need the information about figures of households having income less than RM500, RM1,000, RM2,000, RM3,000, etc - that would give a clearer picture of Malaysia. 

Remember BRIM - that provided financial assistance to families earning RM3,000 and less - and indication that people are poor and need financial assistance to survive in Malaysia today...

What is the poverty line income of Malaysia today? - I have been trying to get these figures but have not been able to get it. With increased cost of living, Poverty Line Income for households may be RM3,000, and for individuals living alone, it may be RM2,000 - given that this is condition for receiving BR1M? What is it?

Unjust BR1M - the poorer must receive more assistance...the richer households lesser

21 million poor Malaysians in need of government financial aid? Poverty line income should be increased to RM3,000 in line with BR1M

 

  

 

RM5,900 a month income is simply not true – Steven Sim

Published: 9 September 2014

People say politicians often tell lies. But really, more often than not, they actually give us statistics. What is the difference? I'll let Mark Twain tell you: “There are three kinds of lies; lies, damned lies and statistics”.

The latest statistics our government proudly brandish at us is the report that household income in Malaysia has surpassed RM5,900 a month. This was presented by Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, the former Maybank boss roped into the Cabinet as “economy minister”.

Intuitively, most Malaysians know it’s a farce. Why?

Because many families we know, maybe including our own, earn much lesser than RM5,900 a month. 

 

Because even the government itself proudly claimed that its cash transfer programme BR1M has benefited 80% of Malaysian households. The only condition for BR1M is that a recipient household must earn less than RM3,000 a month.

Because as recent as September of 2013, the government said that 82.5% of young Malaysians below the age of 30 earn below RM3,000 a month. They constitute more than one-third the workers in Malaysia.

Because according to the 2012 Household Income and Basic Amenities Survey (HIS/BA 2012), the bottom 40% of Malaysian households only earn about RM1,800 per month.

Additionally, while the HIS/BA 2012 already noted that the average Malaysian household earns RM5,000 a month, 50% of Malaysian households actually earn less than RM3,626 monthly.

How did that happen?

Statistics, the art of telling official “lies”
(Caveat: I love statistics because if used responsibly, they provide useful insights into reality.)
 

The "economy minister" used the latest HIS/BA 2014 which has yet to be published by the Department of Statistics on its website. Hence, I will use the HIS/BA 2012 to illustrate how he has cleverly used statistics to paint a rosy picture of our earnings.

Abdul Wahid used mean household income to demonstrate that we are already earning RM5,900 a month. 

 

In the HIS/BA 2012, as mentioned above, the mean household income was already RM5,000 a month. This was basically arrived at by averaging the total income of all households with the total number of households.

As we all know, an average works well if the data set is symmetry, i.e., if everyone has roughly the same salary in this case. Otherwise, a one or two greater values in the set will significantly skew the average from the other values.

We may just add a local twist to the famous anecdote: Bill Gates entering into a workmen's bar, immediately turned everyone into a millionaire, if a minister like Abdul Wahid comes in to take an income survey and presented the mean income of the bar patrons.

On the other hand, the HIS/BA 2012 also reported that the median household income in Malaysia was only RM3,626. Median gives a better picture of an asymmetrical set of data, that is, a set with values which differ greatly from one another. It divides the set equally into two parts above and below the median value.

Thus according to the HIS/BA 2012, 50% of Malaysian households actually earn less than RM3,626 monthly although the average income is RM5,000 a month.

Both are valid statistical outputs, so what is the problem?

If you ask me, the problem with such “dishonesty” is not much about the government lying to us but rather the government lying to itself. By patting its own back on the so-called achievement, the government created a false sense of its own success, thus risked ignoring the real situation and the work that still needed to be done.

During my first parliamentary sitting in 2013, the self-same "economy minister" proudly told the House that because our country’s unemployment rate was below 4%, according to economist John Maynard Keynes, we can be deemed to have full employment. Since then, I have been pointing out that such self-congratulatory perspective continues to blind the government towards the real condition of employment in this country, ranging from high unemployment among young Malaysians including graduates to the issue of underemployment, from unfair industrial practices to gender discrimination in the job market, from our over-dependence on low-skilled migrant labour to brain drain.

Similarly, when someone the stature of an "economy minister" says we are already earning RM5,900 a month, the government risked overlooking the actual problems of low wages, high cost of living, high indebtedness among Malaysians and income inequality.

Even with all the reports showing economic growth, we have failed in the last 20 years to achieve any significant improvement to close the gap on inequality.

According to Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni, Malaysia’s Gini Coefficient Index, which measures inequality (0 means perfect equality, 1 means perfect inequality), was 0.431 in 2012, one of the highest in the region, compared to countries such as Thailand 0.4 and Indonesia 0.37.

Thus, the problem about telling lies is not that others will be convinced but rather the one telling the lies believed his own lies. – September 9, 2014.

* Steven Sim is MP for Bukit Mertajam. * This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/rm5900-a-month-income-is-simply-not-true-steven-sim#sthash.86KHXyrz.dpuf

Taraf hidup rakyat meningkat, purata pendapatan isi rumah 2014 RM5,900, kata Wahid

Published: 8 September 2014

Kajian Pendapatan Isi Rumah 2014 menunjukkan taraf hidup rakyat meningkat, kata Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar. Gambar fail The Malaysian Insider. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angka awal Kajian Pendapatan Isi Rumah 2014 yang dijalankan kerajaan, menunjukkan taraf hidup rakyat meningkat, dengan purata pendapatan isi rumah melepasi RM5,900 sebulan.

Menteri Di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar berkata ia merupakan pencapaian yang ketara berbanding hasil kajian pada 2012 yang merekodkan purata pendapatan isi rumah sebanyak RM5,000 sebulan.

"Daripada segi meningkatkan ekonomi, kita sudah berjaya, dan dibuktikan dengan pertumbuhan keluaran dalam negara kasar (KDNK) sebanyak 6.3% pada separuh pertama tahun ini.

"Namun, mengembangkan ekonomi semata-mata tidak mencukupi kerana kita juga mesti memastikan ia dapat dirasai rakyat, daripada segi gaji lebih tinggi yang mesti selari dengan produktiviti," katanya pada sidang media di luar acara Simposium Ekonomi Global 2014. Nisbah gaji kepada KDNK di Malaysia berkembang kepada 33.6% tahun lepas berbanding 29.3% pada 2008.

Menyentuh ringkas Rancangan Malaysia ke-11, Wahid berkata kerajaan kini berada pada kedudukan yang baik untuk membentangkan rancangan pembangunan itu di Parlimen Mei tahun depan berikutan penyelesaian pelarasan awal dengan 12 kerajaan negeri.

"Hanya tinggal Sabah. Saya akan menemui ketua menteri dan Kabinet negeri minggu depan," katanya.

Simposium 3 hari ini yang bermula Sabtu, dianjurkan Kiel Institute for the World Economy dan dihoskan Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

Simposium sebelum ini berlangsung di Istanbul, Turki dan Rio de Janeiro, Brazil dan pertama kali berlangsung di Malaysia. – Bernama, 8 September, 2014.

 

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/taraf-hidup-rakyat-meningkat-purata-pendapatan-isi-rumah-2014-rm5900-kata-w#sthash.TuEbBBPR.dpuf

RM5,900 average household income? Lies, damned lies, and statistics, says MP - 
 On Sunday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar (right) was quoted by national news wire Bernama as saying that the average household income in the country has risen to over RM5,900 a month. ― Picture by Choo Choy May 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 ― The federal minister's claim that Malaysian households make an average of RM5,900 monthly is a farce that does not represent the actual earning capacity of most Malaysians, an opposition lawmaker said today.

DAP's Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim said the figure is a result of creative use of statistics in the 2014 Household income Survey (HIS) preliminary report to paint a “dishonest” picture of increased prosperity among the people.

“By patting its own back on the so-called achievement, the government created a false sense of its own success, thus risked ignoring the real situation and the work that still needed to be done,” he said in a statement.

On Sunday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar was quoted by national news wire Bernama as saying that the average household income in the country has risen to over RM5,900 a month, a significant increase from the RM5,000 monthly average recorded in the 2012 HIS.

Sim stressed that the figure does not make sense when the government itself admitted that 80 per cent of Malaysian households had benefitted from the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) cash aid programme, whose recipients must earn less than RM3,000 a month.

He added that government statistics also showed that 82.5 per cent of Malaysians below the age of 30 earn less than RM3,000 a month as at September last year.

The first-term parliamentarian noted that Abdul Wahid's figure was derived from averaging the total income of all households in the country, regardless of earning capacity ― a method that invariably puts out skewed findings due to the income inequality.

Sim stressed that the median household income in Malaysia ― which stood at RM3,626 in the 2012 HIS ― gives a clearer idea of how much Malaysian households actually earn as it differentiates between low and high income earners.

He warned that the government's habit of glossing over figures could distract from its responsibility in dealing with the cascading issues of employment conditions, youth and graduate underemployment, unfair industrial practices, gender discrimination, over-dependence on low-skilled migrant labour and brain drain.

“According to Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni, Malaysia’s Gini Coefficient Index, which measures inequality (0 means perfect equality, 1 means perfect inequality), was 0.431 in 2012, one of the highest in the region, compared to countries such as Thailand 0.4 and Indonesia 0.37.

“Thus, the problem about telling lies is not that others will be convinced but rather the one telling the lies believed his own lies,” he said. - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/rm5900-average-household-income-lies-damned-lies-and-statistics-says-mp#sthash.iarSRvL3.dpuf

They risked all to come out against the Sedition Act?

They risked it all for justice and human rights. They risked it all to uphold the cause of justice without fear and Cavour. The students involved risked expulsion from the University, and disciplinary proceedings. The lecturers and academic staff risked termination, non-renewal of contracts, future discrimination when it comes to promotion, etc. They all risked the possibility of arrest, detention, criminal charges and cases,...

BUT, despite all the risks faced by themselves and their families, they came out to call for the Sedition Act to be abolished...

There were some politicians there, and as usual they seem to have stolen some of the limelight from people who organized and came out to express themselves despite all the risks...

What is this government of us want? For all of us ...to just LISTEN...LISTEN... agree and follow what they say - the question now is with Malaysians, do we defend our right to be able to 'criticize' or have a different opinion from the government, the right to freedom of expression and opinions, the right to practice true democracy...

 

 

Hundreds of UM students march for law lecturer

 

Hundreds of Universiti Malaya students, sporting blue ribbons, staged a march in campus in solidarity with law lecturer Azmi Sharom, who has been charged with sedition.

The protesters, which included five DAP MPs, also demanded that the Sedition Act be abolished. Azmi (right, addressing the crowd) was also present.

Led by the UM student union president, Fahmi Ismail, the protesters marched for about 1km from the law faculty.

Meanwhile, a group of students in Penang’s Universiti Sains Malaysia also staged a similar march.

Speaking to reporters later, Azmi said he is proud of the students for coming out in large numbers to voice their concern.

"Freedom of speech is an issue close to the students' hearts,” he said.

He said he does not know if students will face disciplinary action following the demonstration, but is prepared to defend them if any are hauled up by the UM administration.

Students are not sheep

In his speech later, Azmi expressed gratitude to Universiti Malaya Academic Staff Union (PKAUM) and the university's students union for organising the demonstration.

"(But) my biggest thank you is to the students of UM," said the academician, who has 24 years of teaching experience under his belt.

Commenting on Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who urged students not to skip class for Azmi’s sake, he joked that this was probably because Khairy was never absent from class as a student.

"He doesn't understand that all of you here are not pro-Azmi, rather, you prioritise human rights and freedom of speech.

"We will show the country that the students are not like sheep, that they know about important issues.

"This is about freedom of expression, this is not just about freeing Azmi Sharom," he added.

He also urged students to seek freedom for preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin who was charged with sedition this morning.

"We must ask for the freedom of Wan Ji, Safwan Anang, the late Karpal Singh, Adam Adli, Tian Chua, Rafizi Ramli, N Surendran, Teresa Kok, Susan Loone as well as the president of Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma).

"This is the difference between us and those who defend the Sedition Act.

"It is not good for him (Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman) as well. Although I don't agree with what he says, we must defend his rights to speak,” he said, referring to all caught in the sedition dragnet.

'No intimidation'

Meanwhile, Economics and Administration Faculty lecturer Terence Gomez said that this is the first time the student and academic staff union has come together for a cause, since he started teaching in UM in 1993.

Commenting on the spate of arrests, he said academics will not be able to publish controversial articles should it continue.

"We won't accept the kind of intimidation we are being subjected to. I say, stop this nonsense now."

The protest ended at 2pm, after speeches by various students and academics, with protestors singing the national anthem.

Students participating in the student union’s strike will also skip class until 4.30pm today, to attend a separate lecture on campus on issue.

Also present at the demonstration were DAP MPs Gobind Singh Deo (Puchong), Lim Lip Eng (Segambut) and Teresa Kok (Seputeh). - Malaysiakini, 10/9/2014,

On academic freedom and the Sedition Act – PSSM (Malaysian Insider)

On academic freedom and the Sedition Act – PSSM

Published: 9 September 2014

We in Persatuan Sains Sosial Malaysia (PSSM) view with great concern and dismay the ongoing – and widening – use of the Sedition Act 1948 by the current administration.

The recent arrests of law academic, Dr Azmi Sharom, and journalist, Susan Loone, and the sentencing of student activist, Safwan Anang, all under the Act, increasingly creates the perception at home and abroad that the Act is being (mis)used to silence dissenting voices, to curtail legitimate debate and instil a culture of fear and submission.

The Sedition Act is a 66-year-old colonial relic, ostensibly designed by the British to silence local opposition to colonial rule. Sixty-six years on, we believe it is really time for the Act to be relegated to the history books.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak evidently is aware of this. On July 11, 2012, Najib declared that his administration would repeal the Sedition Act. He made this declaration while stating that the Act would be replaced by the National Harmony Act. The announcement came as part of Najib's slew of legislative reforms to increase civil liberties initiated during the eve of Malaysia Day in 2011.

On September 5, just last Friday, he was reported as having reiterated that the Sedition Act would go. For us, the fact that Najib had reiterated his earlier declaration strongly implies that, even for the prime minister himself, the Act has outlasted its usefulness.

And just last week, on the day that Azmi was charged in court, Najib outlined the objectives of Malaysian education, one main objective being "to create a future generation that is truly educated and not merely in possession of academic qualifications".

For us, to create a future generation that is truly educated, universities in particular and society in general, need genuine academic freedom and freedom of expression, and the necessary space and healthy environment for the critical exchange of ideas to flourish. But, how can we achieve this lofty objective when a culture of fear lurks in our midst, where dissent is punished, and academic freedom is severely curtailed?

The university, after all, is the place to push the frontiers of knowledge, and academics and students are the agents for the fertilisation of ideas, often competing, often different.

We seriously note that the reputation of Malaysian universities today has eroded and continues to be under scrutiny both nationally and internationally. The on-going arrests targeting dissenting voices can only erode their reputation further.

Hence, instead of punishing the Azmi Sharoms of this world, the thinkers and public intellectuals who challenge our prejudices and our biases, we in PSSM believe that their contributions should be acknowledged. And if there are those who do not agree with their ideas, let them then challenge these ideas with those of their own, if any.

While recognising the importance of law in maintaining stability and order for the country, it is nonetheless crucial that we uphold the rule of law, and not rule by law.

After all, we keep being reminded that we are on track for Vision 2020, that the Najib administration is really serious about the Vision.

If that were true, if the Vision is still to remain our overall political, economic, cultural, social and, yes, moral, compass, we in PSSM believe that Malaysians, especially the government of the day, need to reiterate and remember the nine challenges of the Vision.

As regards the present situation, we really need to remember the following challenges, namely, Challenge 3: Fostering and developing a mature democratic society, and Challenge 5: Establishing a matured liberal and tolerant society.

Just a week or so ago, on 31 August, we celebrated 57 years of Merdeka from colonial rule. In a few days' time, on 16 September, all Malaysians, in turn, will celebrate Malaysia Day.

We in PSSM believe that all Malaysians can have a meaningful celebration of our nationhood with the repeal of the Sedition Act and the upholding of basic freedoms. – September 9, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

 

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/on-academic-freedom-and-sedition-act-pssm#sthash.PEKwVxeS.dpuf