Researcher: Indian M’sians dominate lowest-paid jobs

Researcher: Indian M’sians dominate lowest-paid jobs Malaysiakini.com

Syed Jaymal Zahiid | Dec 6, 07 11:22am

The Indian community in this country is ailing and no argument by any Barisan Nasional (BN) leader can rebut this fact, according to one researcher. Monitoring Sustainability of Globalisation director and researcher Charles Santiago said the recent remark by a deputy minister that the Indians were doing better than the Malays, gave the wrong impression. Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Zainal Abidin Osman told the Dewan Rakyat that the household income for Indians in 2004 was RM3,456, while it was RM2,711 for the ’Malays’ and RM4,437 for the Chinese. The spotlight fell on the Indian community following a mass rally on Nov 25 organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), which saw some 30,000 people taking to the streets amid allegations of marginalisation and ill treatment. So are the Indians better off as claimed by Zainal Abidin? ‘Bumiputera’ term “This is not true,” stressed Santiago when met yesterday. “He must have acquired his facts from the Ninth Malaysian Plan (9MP) but I can tell you that Zainal’s method of approaching the issue was incorrect.” Research showed that Zainal did acquire his facts from the 9MP in which the income per capita indicator had shown that the Indian household income was higher than the bumiputera. However, Santiago noted that the key word here is the term ‘bumiputera’. He said the bumiputera category included non-Malay bumiputeras like the natives in Sabah and Sarawak and the Orang Asli. This “weighted down the per capita income of the well-off Malay bumiputeras,” he added. “Their (non-Malay bumiputera) income is one of the lowest in the country and of course if you categorise them as a single bumiputera ethnic group, the income index for the well-off Malay bumiputera will be lower than the Indians because the non-Malay bumiputera population is considerably high,” he explained. The 9MP’s Employment by Occupation and Ethnic Group chart from 2000 to 2005 also showed that the Indians were economically the worst of the three major races in this country. In 2005, for the low-wage labour sectors like plant, machine operators and assemblers, Indians constitute the highest number at 20.8 %, compared to bumiputeras (15.5 %) and Chinese (11.1 %). Indians also dominate the lowest-paid non-production employment sector such as janitors and cleaners, with16.3 % compared to bumiputeras (9.9 %) and Chinese (8 %). [See chart below] Another startling fact was that under the 9MP, a total of RM64 million had supposedly been allocated for 525 Tamil schools but only a total of RM2 million was given, which means that each school will only get a total of RM24,780 for a five-year period. There are 148 Tamil schools which are fully aided while the remaining 396 are partially aided despite a Social Science Foundation’s study showing that Tamil primary schools performed much better than national schools. Apart from the schools issue, about 70,000 Indians born in this country do not have identity cards or birth certificates. Set-up task force Although Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi promised to elevate the status of Indians under the 9MP saying that they will be given a compulsory three percent equity ownership by 2010, Santiago fails to see the light at the end of the tunnel. “No concrete mechanism to introduce this law was mentioned in the 9MP,” he said. “The 9MP has 599 pages but there is no mention about how the Indians are to enjoy the benefit of the compelling of businesses to give a three percent equity to them,” he added. If the government is serious in tackling Indian woes, Santiago said emphasis must be placed on education. “Most of the Indians out there are unskilled and they cannot cope with a world that is ever demanding for more skilled workers. “If education for the Indians remains as it is, how will they survive? This is the kind of situation that forces them to resort to crime,” he added. He suggested that the government set up a task force to be chaired by the prime minister himself to focus on measures to help tackle the ‘Indian problem’. “It must be Abdullah himself. No one else can solve this but the head of the policy makers,” he added.

BERSIH Mass Rally 10th November 2007

All Malaysians regardless of creed, political ideology, race, and other differences should join the rally.

—————————————————————————————–

Sekretariat Gabungan Pilihanraya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH)

4A Jalan Sepadu, Taman United, 58200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (03) 7980 6571, Fax: (03) 7980 2697, URL: www.bersih.org

The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) will hold a mass rally on 10 November (Saturday), starting from 3 pm, at Dataran Merdeka to press for electoral reform. A memorandum will be subsequently submitted to the Yang Dipertuan Agong.

This latest citizen action organized by BERSIH will demonstrate the growing public demand for the four immediate actions necessary to reform the flawed electoral process: (a) a thorough clean-up of electoral rolls; (b) the user of indelible inks to prevent multiple voting; (c) the abolition of postal voting for military and police personnel; (d) fair access to mass media for all parties and candidates.

The memorandum to be submitted to the Yang DiPertuan Agong will outline both immediate and long-term reforms needed in the Malaysian election process including the adherence of “one-person one-vote” principle.

BERSIH has chosen yellow, the colour for citizen actions worldwide and the colour for press freedom movement (yellow ribbon) in Malaysia, as the colour for this rally. Citizens may indicate their support with the rally’s t-shirts, posters, yellow armbands, yellow ribbons or any creative expression.

Free and fair conduct of elections is fundamental to democracy. Flawed elections frustrate the functioning of democracy, resulting in corruptions and incompetence of the government. The losers are none other than the people.

To date, the Government and Elections Commission however have arrogantly ignored all demands other than indelible ink. The Chairman and Secretary must honourably tender their resignation if they cannot discharge their constitutional duty to ensure genuinely democratic elections.

BERSIH, a coalition of 64 civil society groups and five political parties, urges all concerned citizens to join in the mass rally on 10 November which will be attended by leaders and representatives of civil society and political parties.

For enquiries, please contact the secretariats; Faisal Mustaffa 019-2232002 or Medeline Chang 012-2192010.

How corrupt is your country?

Transparency International to launch
Corruption Perceptions Index 2007
26 September

Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2007 ranks 180 countries by their perceived levels of domestic corruption.

The index, released annually since 1995, looks at public sector corruption based on expert assessments and is credited with putting TI and the issue of corruption on the international agenda.

Quake felt in Malaysia

Thursday September 13, 2007
The Star Online
KUALA LUMPUR:The massive earthquake off the western coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island sent “shudders” to several parts of Malaysia.

Residents in high-rise units either dashed down on their own or were directed to do so by security personnel. Most reported feeling tremors at about 7.15pm.

A Kuala Lumpur City Hall official said the operations centre received information that tremors were felt in Setapak, Cheras, Jalan Pudu and several other parts of the city.

“We are monitoring all high-rise buildings and have mobilised and sent out teams to the areas concerned,” he said, adding that minor cracks had appeared on two blocks of the Hospital Kuala Lumpur workers’ quarters.

No casualties were reported.

About 2,500 residents of the PPR Pudu Ulu flats and Pudu Impiana apartments in Jalan Pudu ran down when the tremors were felt.

K. Nalathambi, 51, a resident of PPR Pudu Ulu flats, said he felt the building shaking and saw the cabinet in his living room “rattle”.

“It was scary as I had felt such a tremor during the last tsunami,” said the schoolbus driver who lives on the fifth floor.

Safety zone: Residents of the Bukit Cagar flats evacuated their homes after feeling initial tremors as a result of the earthquake in Sumatra last evening.

George Moir, 80, who lives in the Langkawi Apartments in Setapak, said he felt the tremor at about 7.15pm while sitting in front of his computer.

About 3,000 residents of several blocks of the Penara flats in Taman Tasek Permaisuri, Cheras, also evacuated.

Residents at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur quarters were among those asked to evacuate three blocks of flats.

Gurdav Kaur, 40, said they were directed to do so almost immediately by police and Fire and Rescue Department personnel who used a loudhailer.

They were not allowed to return until 9.30pm.

In JOHOR BARU, thousands of people at the Bukit Cagar flats evacuated their units.

Storekeeper Pang Tai Kuang, 35, said he was having a nap when he was awakened by the tremors, which lasted about 15 minutes.

“I thought I was dreaming, but realised the tremors were real and dashed out,” he added.

Housewife Juliana Ghazali, 28, who just gave birth three days ago, had a nervous time walking down from the 15th floor as the lift was out of service.

In MALACCA, residents of several high-rise apartments made a quick dash down after realising what had happened.

Those living in Ujong Pasir and Banda Hilir were the most affected. Michael Nunis, 58, who was visiting a friend in Ujong Pasir, said the tremors made him feel dizzy.

Gloria Wong, 30, said she was with her three children on the eighth floor of the 12-storey Kekwah Apartment when she felt the tremors.

“I was scared and immediately rushed down with my children, using the staircase,” she said, adding that there were already about 100 people downstairs when they got down.

Abdullah Bakar, 45, a guard at the apartment, was one of the calmer residents, saying this was not the first time he had experienced tremors.

“This has happened about five or six times before,” he recalled.

Prediction of higher deficit in “election” budget

Khalid predicts higher deficit in ‘election’ budget

Beh Lih Yi Sep 4, 07 6:34pm malaysiakini.com

In the run-up to what will  most probably be the last budget before the next general elections, an opposition party expressed concern that the forthcoming budget could record a higher budget deficit. PKR secretary-general Khalid Ibrahim predicted that government expenditure is likely to increase substantially in preparation for the next general elections, speculated to be called early next year. “Our worry is on the deficit because the people will have to pay for that,” the former corporate figure told reporters at Parliament’s lobby today. “In an election budget, the government will concentrate on spending to attract votes. Thus the amount of spending will most likely be higher this year and next year,” he added. Economists are expecting the government’s budget deficit to be contained at between 3.4 percent and 3.6 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). The budget deficit for 2007 – the 10th in a row – is estimated at 3.4 percent, which was slightly lower than the 3.5 percent for 2006. The budget deficit was slashed from 5.6 percent in 2002 to 3.8 percent for 2005. ‘Distributive justice’ On election goodies, Khalid said he expected the government to announce more welfare assistance for women and senior citizens but did not foresee cuts in taxes. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also finance minister, is slated to table the 2008 budget in Parliament on Friday. During a press conference at the same venue earlier, Khalid and other party leaders wanted the budget to be drawn up based on the concept of ‘distributive justice’, referring to the distribution of wealth regardless of race but based on needs. He said PKR will use the Malaysian Economic Agenda advocated by its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim as a basis to examine whether the government’s budget promoted ‘distributive justice’. “The idea is to allow every citizen to enjoy the benefits, not just a selected group of people. Therefore it is now time to accept the Malaysian Economic Agenda,” he said. Previously, the opposition party would unveil its ‘alternative budget’ before the tabling of the government budget. It departed from the practice this year as Khalid said the party is “not in the position to do so.” Also present at the press conference were party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, vice-president R Sivarasa and treasurer William Leong. http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/71971

Malaysia heading for the same trend as developed nation in the future?

The Widening U.S. Rich-Poor Gap

Exorbitant pay for CEOs… Low-income homeowners abandoned… Government backs away from housing aid… Rural poverty persists and more people go without health coverage…
=======================================================================================

It’s (Really) Good to Be the Boss
Daniel Luban
WASHINGTON – The pay gap between workers and employers in the U.S. remains enormous, with the typical chief executive officer of a top firm earning more in a single workday than the average U.S. worker takes home in an entire year, according to a new study on executive compensation released Wednesday.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39067

*****
U.S. Mortgage Woes Leave Poor Homeowners Adrift
Abid Aslam
WASHINGTON – The prospect of widespread dispossession is prompting closer scrutiny of U.S. mortgage lenders and calls for regulators to help poor borrowers, not big banks.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39008

*****
Low-Income Housing on the Chopping Block
Matthew Cardinale
ATLANTA – Even as people around the United States and the world recall the horrors of Hurricane Katrina two years ago, which displaced tens of thousands of the Gulf Coast’s poorest residents, government-subsidised housing has come under increasing attack by policymakers in the U.S.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39079

*****
Rural Poverty Stagnates as Uninsured Multiply
Abid Aslam
WASHINGTON – Record numbers of people lack health insurance and poverty remains largely unchanged five years after the U.S. economy began clawing its way back from recession.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39064

Does Merdeka mean anything to you?

The Unfinished Business of Merdeka

Press Freedom Malaysia – Annual Report 2007

Malaysia – Annual report 2007

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has still not fulfilled the promise of openness which he made when he came to power in 2003. Censorship and self-censorship have not gone away and media concentration in the hands of the families of government members has been further boosted this year.

On 7 December 2006, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also public security minister, told parliament that he planned to intervene regularly with the media to warn them off certain subjects. “If the media persist in not respecting the law, the ministry will send a caution, which could turn into a suspension or withdrawal of a licence”, he said. The government, which is extremely vigilant on issues which might provoke tension between the country’s different communities, regularly puts the press under pressure. Sensitive subjects are censored or avoided completely. For example, in March, demonstrations against a hike in the price of petrol went off without any coverage in the main media. In June, the presenter of a radio talk show in Chinese was replaced and the phone-in section of the programme was axed. In the same way, in November, police summoned several journalists to tell them to cut back their coverage of a particularly grisly murder in which police officers were implicated.

The rare independent publications are to be found online, including Malaysiakini which did not suffer any official harassment in 2006. On the other hand, bloggers and discussion forums did find themselves in the government’s sights.

The Public Security ministry and censorship bodies are also very prompt to defend good morals in the press. In November, a weekly and its editor were suspended for having published an article about sexuality. Hundreds of international publications and books on sex and religion are banned in the country. The authorities invoke Article 6 (2) of the press law to punish media accused of putting out indecent news.

The Danish cartoons case also caused damage to the Malaysian press. Three publications were suspended, one of them permanently. The government was quick to politically exploit the case, once again condemning western arrogance.

The government has an impressive legal arsenal at its disposal. The 1984 law on publications and the written press covers books and newspapers as well as foreign publications. It gives discretion to the Ministry of Internal Security to grant or revoke newspaper publication licences. The 1948 sedition law, inherited from the British colonial era, is poorly defined. It punishes “seditious tendencies” such as incitement “to hatred or contempt of the government, administration, or the justice system”, provocation “of discontent between subjects, hostility between the races or classes” or challenges to “constitutional articles about the language (…) and the sovereignty of the rulers”.

As in Singapore, there are very strong links between ruling parties and the media. The biggest press group, Media Prima, is owned by Malaysia Resources Corporation Berhad which has close ties with the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and the government. Media Prima owns the leading English-language newspaper The New Straits Times, the second biggest Malaysian-language paper Berita Harian, Maly Mail, Harian Metro and the Shin Min Daily News. In addition, Media Prima owns four terrestrial TV channels.

In 2006, the group Sin Chew owned by Malay business magnate Tiong Hiew King strengthened its control of the Chinese-language press in buying Nanyang Siang Pau, adding to his ownership of the Sin Chew Daily and Guangming Daily. This press tycoon, who also has a presence in Hong Kong and south-east Asia, does not hide his ambition to build a worldwide Chinese press empire.

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=20789&Valider=OK

TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR CHANGING THE WORLD.

by ANGELA BISCHOFF , TOOKER GOMBERG

Seasoned activists Tooker Gomberg and Angela Bischoff offer tips on where to start, how to maintain the momentum and have fun while trying to make a difference

“If you go to one demonstration and then go home, that’s something, but the people in power can live with that. What they can’t live with is sustained pressure that keeps building, organizations that keep doing things, people that keep learning lessons from the last time and doing it better the next time.”

– Noam Chomsky – What Uncle Sam Really Wants (Berkeley :Odonian Press, 1992)

Changing the world is a blast. It’s all the more achievable if you have some basic skills, and lots of chutzpah. With apologies to Moses, and God, here are our top ten commandments for changing the world. Try them out on your issue. Have fun!

(1.) You Gotta Believe

Have hope, passion and confidence that valuable change can and does happen because individuals take bold initiative.

(2.) Challenge Authority

Don’t be afraid to question authority. Authority should be earned, not appointed. The “experts” are often proven wrong (they used to believe that the earth was flat!). You don’t have to be an expert to have a valuable opinion or to speak out on an issue.

(3.) Know the System

The system perpetuates itself. Use the tools you have — the telephone is the most underrated and the Internet can be of great value for research as well. Learn how decisions are made. How is the bureaucracy structured? Who are the key players? What do they look like? Where do they eat lunch? Go there and talk with them. Get to know their executive assistants. Attend public meetings.

(4.) Take Action

Do something — anything is better than nothing. Bounce your idea around with friends, and then act. Start small, but think big. Organize public events. Distribute handbills. Involve youth. It’s easier to ask for forgiveness after the fact rather than to ask for permission. Just do it! Be flexible. Roll with the punches and allow yourself to change tactics mid-stream. Think laterally. Recently, while fighting against Toronto’s bizarre plan to dump its garbage into a hole 600 km away in Kirkland Lake, the campaign hit a wall when we ran out of money for printing leaflets. Then we realized we didn’t need money: we needed printing. A few groups offered to print a thousand or two leaflets, and the next day we were back out on the streets leafletting. Don’t get hung-up on money matters; some of the best actions have no budget.

5. Use the media

Letters to the editor of your local newspaper are read by thousands. Stage a dramatic event and invite the media — they love an event that gives them an interesting angle or good photo. Bypass the mainstream media with email and the Web to get the word out about your issue and to network.

6. Build Alliances

Seek out your common allies such as other community associations, seniors, youth groups, labour, businesses, etc. and work with them to establish support. The system wins through “divide and conquer,” so do the opposite! Network ideas, expertise and issues through email lists. Celebrate your successes with others.

7. Apply Constant Pressure

Persevere — it drives those in power crazy. Be as creative as possible in getting your perspective heard. Use the media. Phone your politicians. Send letters and faxes with graphics and images. Be concise. Bend the administration’s ear when you attend public meetings. Take notes. Ask specific questions, and give a deadline for when you expect a response. Stay in their faces.

8. Teach Alternatives

Propose and articulate intelligent alternatives to the status quo. Inspire people with well thought out, attractive visions of how things can be better. Use actual examples, what’s been tried, where and how it works. Do your homework. Get the word out. Create visual representations. Be positive and hopeful.

9. Learn From your Mistakes

You’re gonna make mistakes; we all do. Critique — in a positive way — yourself, the movement, and the opposition. What works, and why? What isn’t working? Find out what people really enjoy doing, and do more of that.

10. Take Care of Yourself and Each Other

Maintain balance. Eat well and get regular exercise. Avoid burnout by delegating tasks, sharing responsibility, and maintaining an open process. Be sensitive to your comrades. Have fun. As much as possible, surround yourself with others (both at work and at play) who share your vision so you can build camaraderie, solidarity and support. Enjoy yourself, and nourish your sense of humour. Remember: you’re not alone!

Kembali semula

Sekian lama menyepi. Seperti selalu, ini adalah kerana perkara-perkara utama yang bertimpa-bertimpa datangnya, seolah-olah tidak kunjung selesai. Apa khabar semua? Saya juga baru berkesempatan untuk menjenguk blog ini. Laman blog ini adalah untuk semua yang pernah, sedang dan juga akan mempunyai apa-apa kaitan dengan Fuziah Salleh (FS); dalam konteks professional, aktivisme sosial, dll. atau hanya kenalan yang mempunyai rasa dan pandangan mengenai beliau, pemikiran beliau atau hanya sesuatu atau apa-apa juga yang boleh dikongsi bersama. Saya rasa, laman blog ini juga boleh menjadi medan untuk mengembangkan idea-idea lontaran FS selama ini dan juga sebarang kekurangan mengenainya. Tentunya FS amat berbesar hati untuk menerima sebarang input dari sesiapa juga dalam rangka meningkatkan kefahaman terhadap realiti kehidupan dan perkara-perkara yang bersangkutan mengenainya, dengan tujuan pembaikan dan demi kemaslahatan bersama.

Saya sendiri sudah lama tidak bertemu FS. Saya rindu, walaupun saya tahu bila bertemu dengannya, saya akan diajukan soalan-soalan yang saya sendiri susah nak menjawabnya. Do you have the same problem?

Anee