2 theSun | FRIDAY JANUARY 2 2009

news without borders

Indians not marginalised

in PKR, says Syed Husin
by Husna Yusop
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Parti Keadilan
Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Dr
Syed Husin Ali yesterday hit out at
claims that Indians in the party were
marginalised and that many had
threatened to quit the party.
He said the accusation was made
by certain “government-controlled”
media who had ill intentions against
Pakatan Rakyat as a whole and PKR
in particular. For instance, he said, it
was reported that hundreds of PKR
Indian members would quit the party
but this never happened.
He said a meeting organised by
former PKR deputy secretary-general
P. Jenapala, also the party’s informal
Indian liaison committee member, on
Wednesday which was attended by
about 40 members, was “a flop”.
It was reported that Jenapala held
the meeting to discuss whether Indian
PKR members should stay in the party or
leave. Jenapala later said they decided
not to leave PKR but to solve whatever
problems faced within the party and to
arrange a meeting with party adviser
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He expressed disappointment over
the absence of party Indian leaders
like vice-president R. Sivarasa (Subang
MP), Selangor exco member Dr Xavier
Jayakumar (Sri Andalas assemblyman)
and supreme council member N. Go-
balakrishnan (Padang Rengas MP).
However, Kapar MP S. Manick-
avasagam, who had earlier quit as
Selangor PKR deputy liaison chair-
man, was present at the meeting.
The issue of Jenapala and Man-
ickavasagam was discussed during
the party’s political bureau meeting
chaired by Syed Husin on Wednesday.
Syed Husin said the meeting took
cognizance of the prominence given
by certain media on the threats made,
especially by Manickavasagam.
“Manickavasagam has not quit
Newscaster, actress among
the party or withdrawn as PKR
parliamentarian but only resigned
from the deputy liaison chairman
post to which he was appointed by
the chairman (Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim).
This is an old story because as far as
back as September last year, he had
26 arrested at sex party
KUALA LUMPUR: Police arrested liquor and various drugs such as – a social network in the internet.
expressed the same intention.” a female newscaster of a private ketamine, cocaine and syabu in the Those arrested were taken to the
On the issue brought up by Man- television station, an actress and 24 room on the 11th floor of the hotel. Kuala Lumpur contingent police
ickavasagam, especially about the others who took part in a sex party at A 20-year-old student of a private headquarters.
relocation of the Klang bus station, a hotel room in Jalan P. Ramlee here college in Kelana Jaya, believed to be Meanwhile, about 40 people were
Syed Husin said the state government yesterday. the drugs supplier, was among those arrested for various offences during
was only continuing with the decision The two women and seven oth- held. the new year’s eve party in Bukit Bin-
made by the previous administration ers – six men and a woman – tested During the raid, three couples tang where several fights took place
and that any change to an agreement positive for drugs, said ASP Mahani were in the bed while the rest were among drunken youths.
would create more problems later. Ahmad of the police’s vice, gambling entertaining themselves and believed A number of people including for-
He claimed that most of the peo- and secret society branch. to be intoxicated, Mahani said. eign tourists also lost cash, passports
ple, including Manickavasagam, were All those arrested during the She said preliminary investiga- and electronic gadgets to pickpockets
actually angry with Klang Municipal 3.30am operation were aged between tions showed the sex party was hosted and 10 police reports were lodged at
Council president Mislan Tugiu for not 18 and 31 years, she said. by two men and those who attended it the mobile police station deployed
disclosing the agreement made be- Mahani said the police also found knew each other through Friendster there. – Bernama
tween the developer and the state.
“He refused to open the file. The
council members also were angry
with him. They wanted to see the
information contained in the agree-
ment to check for any hanky-panky.
“In this case, Khalid has the power
to instruct him to open the file,” he
said, adding the political bureau Buckle
hoped that the file will be opened.
“Yes, there are minor differences
up ...
Road
between him (Manickavasagam) and
Transport
Khalid but it has also been exagger-
Department
ated by the media,” he said.
director of
Former Selangor mentri besar
enforcement
Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Khir Toyo
Salim Parlan
said Manickavasagam’s resignation as
checks a car
state liaison deputy chairman was the
for rear seat
beginning of the break-up of PKR.
belts during
“I am saying that this is the begin-
an operation
ning for bigger things are yet to come
at Jalan Duta
because their (Pakatan Rakyat gov-
toll booth
ernment in Selangor) promises to the
yesterday.
Indian Malaysians (in the state) have
yet to be fulfilled,” he was quoted as
saying by Bernama.

M’sian helicopter Briefings on pension

saves ship from option for civil servants
Somali pirates KUALA LUMPUR: The Public
Service Department (PSD) will
hold briefings from Tuesday to
KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian military helicopter, Jan 14 on the option for civil
taking off from a warship sailing nearby, scared away servants under the Employees
Somali pirates trying to hijack an Indian vessel in the Provident Fund (EPF) scheme
Gulf of Aden yesterday, the Kuala Lumpur-based to be placed under the pension
International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said. scheme.
The incident, the first of 2009, involved an Indian This follows the govern-
ship with a dead weight tonnage of 92,687 tonnes, ment’s decision last November
IMB official Noel Choong said. to allow civil servants who
“Two small boats carrying pirates came close chose to be under the EPF
to the Indian vessel and started firing on the bridge scheme to go back to the pen-
and the accommodation area. The pirates tried to sion scheme, so as to enable
board the vessel repeatedly but failed, as the captain them to enjoy the privileges,
manoeuvred the ship and increased its speed.” such as medical benefits, given
A Malaysian warship, KD Sri Indera Sakti, which to government retirees.
was about 15 nautical miles from the area, responded In a statement issued here
to the Indian vessel’s distress calls and sent a helicop- yesterday, PSD said nearly half
ter which scared the pirates away, he said. of the 66,000 public sector em-
“We have been told that all crew members are ployees who had been making
safe, while the damage to the vessel is being as- EPF contributions would be
sessed,” Choong said. offered the pension scheme.
Last week, quick action by a German warship It said 13 locations nation-
halted an attack on an Egyptian bulk carrier, while a wide had been selected for
Chinese commercial vessel was helped by a Malay- the briefing sessions with the
sian warship earlier in December, he said. first to be held for the central
The rescues are a sign that foreign navies patrol- region on Tuesday from 9am
ling the key shipping lane linking Europe and Asia are at Dewan Canselor Tun Abdul
adopting more effective tactics against the surge in Razak, Universiti Kebangsaan
piracy in waters off Somalia. Malaysia, Bangi and from 3pm
“Despite the increased naval presence, the pirates at the Dewan Bankuet, Univer-
are still finding loopholes to attack ships like this, siti Putra Malaysia, Serdang.
highlighting the need for more effective anti-piracy On Wednesday, the brief-
measures,” Choong said. ing will be held at the Kuala
The rise in attacks on shipping prompted Nato Lumpur City Hall auditorium,
ships to begin anti-piracy operations off the Somali Dewan Serbaguna of Per-
coast in October, joined by other nations such as badanan Labuan and at Bilik
China and India. – Reuters
Gerakan Negeri, Wisma Bapa
Malaysia in Kuching, Sarawak
from 9am.
For Selangor, it will be held
at the Dewan Jubli Perak,
Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz
Shah Building, Shah Alam, also
on Wednesday from 3pm.
For the northern region, the
briefing will be held at Dewan
Sri Pinang, Penang on Thursday
at 9am, and at Dewan Sri Neg-
eri, Block D, Wisma Darul Aman,
Alor Star, Kedah at 3pm.
In Perak, it will be held on
Friday at the Dewan Bankuet,
State Secretariat Building, Ipoh
and for Sabah, at the audito-
rium of Kompleks Pentadbiran
Kerajaan Persekutuan Sabah,
Kota Kinabalu, from 9am.
For the southern region, the
briefing will be held on Saturday
from 9am at Kompleks Islam
Johor, State Islamic Religious
Department, Johor Baru, and
for the East Coast region, at
Dewan Utama, Wisma Belia
Bandar Indera Mahkota, Kuan-
tan on Jan 12 from 9am.
The last briefing session
will be on Jan 13 from 9am at
Kompleks Dewan Warisan in
Kangar, Perlis.
For more information on the
briefings, visit www.jpa.gov.my
or www.jpapencen.gov.my or
call 03-88854906. – Bernama