vox populi big thumbnail ‘If Hisham has apologised shouldn’t the other five follow suit as well? I now ask that these individuals apologise as well.’

Meng Yee: Hishammuddin’s apology for his arrogance and manner in which the keris was waved at each Umno General Assembly, should be followed by the following apologies from these individuals:

• Malacca delegate Hasnoor Sidang Hussein who stated that: ‘Umno is willing to risk lives and bathe in blood in defence of race and religion’. Whose blood is he referring to?

• Umno Youth exco member Azimi Daim, who said ‘when tension rises, the blood of Malay warriors will run in our veins’. And who exactly are these Malay warriors he is referring to and what do they intend to do?

• Perlis delegate Hashim Suboh, who directed his question at UmnoYouth chief Hishammuddin Hussein: ‘Datuk Hisham has unsheathed his keris , waved his keris , kissed his keris. We want to ask Datuk Hisham when is he going to use it.’ What does he mean by ‘use it’?

• Razak Idris, Ketua Penerangan Pemuda Umno Terengganu who said that ‘Hak orang Melayu tidak boleh dicabar, jika tidak orang Melayu akan mengamok, peristiwa Mei 13 akan berulang yang ianya akan lebih teruk daripada tahun 1969 yang akan menjadikan Kuala Lumpur padang terkukur’ Was this a threat?

• Former minister, former Barisan Nasional and Umno secretary-general Mohamad Rahmat who warned that the Malays ‘can run amok’

Deputy Minister Najib Razak himself admitted that there were many racial remarks which could be considered seditious but no police action was taken. I now ask that these individuals apologise as well.

LK Yong: Hisham finally apologised after several years of doing it. My comment is that a delay in any apology will diminish the value of apology. However, an apology is still better than no apology.

Tan, Joseph K: What caused Hishammuddin to apologise? Is it the1results of the 12 ^th general election and losing the people’s support? A person who is too self-centered cannot lead a party and much more to lead a nation.

On Hishammuddin : No need for me to step down

Pakatan Rakyat Supporter: Who is Onn Jaafar? Grandfather of Hishammuddin and the founder of Umno. He left Umno because he could not get the support of Umno members to open up Umno membership to all the races of Malaya. His mission to convert Umno into a multi-racial party was not achieved. By right, his son or grandson should help him to achieve this great mission.

Who is Hishammuddin? Grandson of Onn Jaafar and the current Youth chief of Umno. He stays put in Umno to champion the rights of the Malay and brandishes the keris to hurt the feelings of other races. Hishammuddin has been indulging in the keris -wielding act for the past three Umno annual meets. He apologises for his mistake only after BN suffered a huge defeat in 12th GE. He says that there is no need for him to step down.

Who is Anwar Ibrahim? The reborn Onn Jaafar. Anwar was sacked from Umno and formed PKR which is a multi-racial party. He helps Onn Jaafar to achieve the mission which Onn Jaafar could not achieve during his time. What would happen if Onn Jaafar was still alive and observed all these actions? I presume Onn Jaafar will tell Hishammuddin to leave Umno and join PKR to be in the same ship with Anwar. Hishammuddin, what are you waiting for? Hurry up, before it is too late.

On Samy says it's Khir's fault

Murugesan Sinnandavar: How could Dr Mohd Khir Toyo say that the temple was broken two days after Deepavalli? It was broken a week before Deepavalli. Did the whole nation get it wrong? Or were all the reports and pictures in all the three Tamil dailies of the broken temple, lies? Perhaps the former MB was referring to remnants of the temple structure that were left standing or the ‘temporary temple’ ‘rebuilt’ at the same site by some quarters after the initial breaking. However the Kg Karuppiah Maha Mariamman Temple, as we know it, was broken on the Oct 30, 2007.

I was there on that day. The MBSA made the first attempt to break the temple in the morning around 9am. They were stopped by the residents there and Shah Alam MIC Committee members. MBSA officers then said that the temple will be broken by 12 noon and all the deities were to be removed by then. A number of youths began to gather at the temple site in an attempt to prevent the temple breaking. MBSA kept to their word and made a charge around noon but was ordered to be stopped by the police as it turned violent. In the meantime fellow lawyer, Sivanesan and me demanded MBSA to show that they had the authority to break the temple.

The MBSA legal officer was called to the site but was unable to show a court order that specified that the temple be broken. He then resorted to a notice by MBSA. Upon inspection the notice was dated two years ago. We argued on the validity of the notice but the Legal Officer held his ground. A plea that the matter be referred to court to resolve ambiguity before the temple is broken also fell onto deaf ears.

The Shah Alam Dato Bandar was there. He said he has his instructions and refused to budge. This was despite Alex Thiagarajan (Klang MIC chairperson) telling the Dato Bandar that the temple breaking will have dire consequences for the BN government. The Dato Bandar gave the order and ‘disappeared’ from the site. This was when MBSA made the final charge. Some youths were injured whilst others were arrested in the process. Some MBSA officers were also injured. With the youths that barricaded themselves between the MBSA officers and the temple removed, the bulldozer moved in.

The picture of the damaged the yellow structure shown in the Malaysiakini report is that of the temple’s ‘ mulla staanum ’ or inner sanctum. It is the most sacred place in the temple and the statute of the main deity is placed there in accordance with rites dating back thousands of years. Once the inner sanctum was damaged, the temple committee had no choice but to remove the statute of the main deity as they didn’t want the statute to be desecrated. All Hindus know that once the statute of the main deity is removed from the temple, the place ceases to be a temple.

Therefore the temple was broken on the Oct 30, 2007. To say otherwise runs counter to irrefutable facts. ( The writer is a MIC CWC member. )

The Silent Saint: Can anybody think of a reason why Samy Vellu would request for the demolition of a Hindu temple of all things? There is no logic behind this. I am no sympathiser of Samy Vellu. He was a co-conspirator in this sinister plot by not defending the Hindraf members but there is absolutely no reason why he would want a Hindu temple demolished.

Unless he had some vested interest in the plot of land where that the temple stood. Khir Toyo is trying to divert Malaysians’ attention so that his mistakes and other mismanagement of the state would be forgotten for now. Khir Toyo and Khir Toyo alone should be held responsible for the wrath of the Hindus and the fall of BN in Selangor.

Truth Must Prevail: This Malaysiakini report Samy: Stop demolitions or risk Indian votes is dated Oct 31, 2007 at 5:25pm. In this report (paragraph 4), it is stated: ‘The most recent example, was the demolition of a temple in Kampung Rimba Jaya, Shah Alam, yesterday which Samy Vellu said had ‘hurt the feelings’ of residents there’.

How then is it that Mohd Khir Toyo is now saying that the demolition took place on Nov 15 night as was requested by Samy Vellu? Samy Vellu is abominable but then the truth is the truth.

Mohd Khir Toyo should not be allowed to hoodwink readers.

Agogo: It seems as if the only time Khir's and Samy's stories match up is when they met up at the Blue Wave Hotel. And even then, it seems they had different conversations and came out of that hotel with different understandings. Of course, there was one other guy in that meeting. Our prime minister. So it seems that he would be able to set the record straight! But I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon huh?

On Auditor: Balkis never submitted accounts

Meng: The recent revelation of Balkis transfering public funds from a public organisation event hough the dissolution of Balkis had not yet been approved by the ROS is a clear sign of total disregard for the law by wives of former Selangor state government leaders. This is the kind of lawlessness and arrogance that the rakyat had enough off pre-March 8th. No matter how you look at it, its obvious that the former menteri besar of Selangor and his wife had enjoyed the perks of the position.

It was revealed that the wives of former BN state assemblymen traveled and received trinkets and allowances from Balkis. Even if they were legally allowed, it was morally degrading. While the rakyat and the people of Selangor continue to struggle to make ends meet, the wives enjoy luxurious trips abroad.

The transfer of funds to Bakti is morally wrong and devoid of any accountability. The full extent of the law must come down on this people. It is a breach of trust. The rakyat have had enough and it is for these reasons we booted them out.

On 'We cannot afford mess up in Penang'

Yumcious: Jeff Ooi has always called a spade a spade. I found his candor refreshing yet again. I especially liked the one about the exco not having run a company before. I was actually sniggering when reading about the fellas being sent to executive MBA classes.

But I snigger not in a demeaning way, like I do when I read Khir Toyo's interview . Here's a refreshing admission that we all need to learn new things to move ahead, and these Pakatan people are confident enough in themselves to admit their shortcomings. And better yet, to take steps to address them. Now, only if my staff in my company had the same attitudes, we'll be world-beaters.

I fully expect the self-righteous BN people (read: Lim Keng Yaik and his ilk) to harp on what Jeff said about the exco. And I fully hope they will. It will give us, the rakyat , the opportunity to ‘wallop them back’. Interesting times call for interesting measures.

On NS trainees: safety, health main priorities

Ex - Army Doctor: Although, the director-general, National Service, Ministry of Defence has stated that there are very strict and clear protocols on managing health problems among trainees of the National Service programme, without proper implementation, all the protocols are useless.

In one paragraph he states: ‘The trainee will be provided with the highest medical attention and diagnosed for levels of their illness. Under the Protocol, should the problems continue or the initial diagnosis is chronic, the Medical Officers will immediately refer the case to the nearest hospital for further treatment.’. However in the next paragraph, he states that a Medical Unit comprises three Medical Assistants and two training nurses. So where did the Medical Officers come from?

The level of medical care and attention depends on the competency of those giving the attention. How can Medical Assistants and training nurses give the ‘highest medical attention’? His statements are contradictory, to say the least. He further implies that the problems arose from the trainees not being honest in declaring the state of their health. Obviously, he is out of touch with reality. Most parents do not want their children to participate in this National Service, and would seek any form of exemption. If their children has any form of chronic illness, they would quickly obtain a certificate from their doctor to seek exemption.

All Army battalions have a Medical Officer (Regimental Medical Officer) attached to the unit to take care of the health of 600-700 fit young men. The Medical Officer is supported by a Medical Assistant, a Staff Nurse and a number of Army Medical Corpmen. I do not see how the medical and health needs of these National Health trainees, who did not undergo a vigorous medical examination (unlike soldiers), can be taken care by Medical Assistants and training nurses.

I have great respect and appreciation for Medical Assistants but, unfortunately, they are not doctors and cannot be expected to give the highest medical attention.

On Gov't to subsidise rice price

The Grim Reaper: While the intention to assist the rakyat is admirable, the method (ie, subsidies) is not the way to go. Already we have many subsidies and price controls on various essential items - these are being funded by the ordinary Malaysian taxpayer and not from politicians’ pockets. As anyone living near the border with Singapore and Thailand will tell you, Malaysian subsidised petrol ‘leaks’ to Singapore and Thai nationals who hop across the border to shop. Why should Malaysian taxpayers subsidise consumers from Thailand and Singapore? Also, why do the middle and lower-class Malaysian taxpayers provide support for rich Malaysians who can absorb the price hikes without any assistance?

Another problem with introducing subsidies is that it is extremely difficult politically to remove them. Once the rakyat get used to the subsidies, politicians will not dare remove the subsidies even if there are consistent government budget deficits. What happens when the price of petrol and rice jumps up further ? Once the rakyat gets used to such crutches, they will demand more subsidies to defray additional price rises. At some point the government's budget deficit will balloon out of control thereby increasing the government's (and by extension the taxpayer's) debt burden.

A more efficient and equitable method is to provide income support to the rakyat on lower income to help them defray cost increases which consume a larger part of their household budget compared to rich Malaysians. Such support must of course be income-tested and asset-tested so that only Malaysians at the lower end of the socio-economic scale obtain this monetary assistance. The other benefit of income support is that it cannot ‘leak’ to our neighbours from Singapore and Thailand which saves our taxpayer's hard-earned money. The prices for these items will be the same as across the border thereby negating our neighbour's incentive to hop borders to shop for subsidised goods. It also addresses our King's concern that some unscrupulous Malaysians will hoard the subsidised items and sell them abroad at higher prices at a substantial cost to the Malaysian taxpayer.

On New MPs take oath in Parliament

Zi-zenn: It appears that a good number of ministers were rather sullen and sober during the MPs’ oath-taking ceremony in Parliament, quite an about turn from the usual vibrant and radiant countenances of the previous years. Perhaps they would have sensed that under the present political uncertainty and the seemingly bleak future of BN, they may not even be able to serve out their full term.

To sail through the murky and turbulent waters of politics ahead is surely not easy. Without a giant float to support, any one can sink any time. But then that is precisely what life is – like waves, there are ups and downs, ecstasy and agony.

Do not lament the loss of power or wealth. Things come and go, nothing is permanent. After all, life is short and transient.

On Olympic torch arrives in KL amid heavy security

A Anand: I was disappointed with the recent Olympic Torch Relay in Kuala Lumpur. It should have been a run which involved Malaysians from all walks of life. It should have been a celebration involving our youth. The relay was an opportunity to promote sports and unity. This would have been achieved if the torch bearers were bona fide sportsmen and women. The event would have given them a much needed boost in preparation for the Beijing Olympics. Malaysians would have cheered them on as they carried the torch through the capital.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be an event for high profile corporate leaders who were placed in the limelight instead. How many of those who took part in the relay are representing the country at Beijing?

Sure, there were a few retired high profile sports personalities. But, the spotlight was placed on the CEOs and other senior officials who monopolised the run. If we truly wanted to promote the 'Malaysia Boleh' spirit, we should have given our youth a chance. After all, we will put them in the hot spot and expect them to haul in the medals at the Games.

Instead, we witnessed the spectacle of out-of-shape businessmen and senior sports officials who have been at the seat of power for decades (and yet failing to deliver) bearing the torch. What purpose this served is difficult to comprehend.

There is a time and place for our CEOs to shine but this was not one of them. The last relay was held in Malaysia in 1964 and the next will be years, if not, decades away. It was a wasted opportunity.