The Memorandum from the Selangor State Government to the King

Below, is the full text of the Selangor government's memorandum to the King.

From: The people and the Selangor state government

To:

Duli Yang Maha Mulia
Tuanku Al-Wathiqu Billah Al-Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Ibni Almarhum Sultan Mahmud Al Muktafi Billah Shah
Yang Dipertuan Agong, Malaysia

Dengan nama Allah s.w.t., Tuhan Yang Maha Pengasih dan Maha Penyayang.

Selawat dan salam buat junjungan besar Nabi Muhammad s.a.w., pesuruh Allah s.w.t. yang sangat mencintai dan menggesa umatnya berlaku adil.

Assalamu'alaikum w.b.t.
Ampun Tuanku beribu ampun, sembah rakyat harap diampun.

i. With the knowledge that basic human living is dependent upon access to clean and affordable water,

ii. With the realisation that people's expanding costs of living are steadily increasing in comparison with their incomes,

iii. With a firm opposition to misappropriation, abuse and mismanagement of power,

iv. With a commitment towards building a leadership that is transparent, responsible, efficient and respectful of the spirit and practice of Federalism;

We, the people and the Selangor state government, hereby gather together seeking the humble permission of Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku to deliver our concerns towards the issue of restructuring of the water services industry in Selangor Darul Ehsan.

Ampun Tuanku beribu ampun, sembah rakyat harap diampun.

1) Return the rights of water to the people

We, on behalf of 150,000 people of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, plead that justice is given to us by correcting the past mistakes of water privatisation, resulting in poor quality of water and water services, and with water tariff increases at unreasonable rates.

We hereby seek clean and good quality of water and water services at reasonable and affordable prices, taking into consideration the poor and low-income groups of Selangor. We call upon Tuanku to return the rights of water to the people.

2) Uphold the Water Services Industry Act 2006

We humbly request for Tuanku to uphold the spirit and aim of the Water Services Industry Act (WSIA) 2006, that is to restructure the water services industry into one that is holistic and managed by the Selangor state government.

The WSIA 2006 was originally enacted for the purpose of reversing the errors made in privatising the water industry. We call upon Tuanku to remind the federal government of this.

3) Empower the people

The concession agreement signed in 2004 between Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas), the federal dovernment and the Selangor State Government contains a number of ambiguities that show SYABAS is not concerned with the people's welfare, namely the water tariff increases at alarmingly high rates (37% in 2009, and 25%, 20%, 10% and 5% in 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2021).

The agreement should have been discussed with the people originally as it affects them primarily. We call upon Tuanku to empower the people by ensuring that any new agreement must be discussed with the people before it is finalised.

4) Restore state government's powers

Water services falls under the 'Concurrent List' in the Federal Constitution 1957, giving both the federal government and state government shared jurisdiction over the matter.

We urge the federal government to uphold the spirit of federalism and the powers of the state in the issue of water services, instead of using coercion tactics against the Selangor government. We call upon Tuanku to restore the state government's powers.

5) End cronyism

It is the perception of the people that the federal government sides with the private sector, in this case a particular company, which is equivalent to cronyism.

It is evident that to ensure concessionaires' profitability, they were allowed high tariff rates and more than adequate federal government guarantees to loans that the rakyat has to ultimately pay for.

The rakyat has to now pay high water rates, and Malaysian taxpayers are forced to underwrite the risk of Syabas' business. We call upon Tuanku to remind the federal government of their promise to end cronyism.

With the mandate that is given by the people, the Selangor state government is committed to ensure their interests are protected. The Selangor state government ensures that the water services industry will be managed in the best manner possible for the benefit of the people through its taking over of the water services industry.

Thus the Selangor state government together with the people have placed their hopes in supporting this important motion.

It is the people's hope that this issue will be given serious attention by Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku. The people thank Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku for the attention that has been given.

Thank You
Daulat Tuanku
Dec 5, 2010

Your credit card - welcome to ePickPocket

What you are about to see concerns you and everyone who has a credit card in his wallet, handbag or purse. The data on your card can be stolen electronically without you even knowing it, and the person doing it could be standing beside you in a crowded place. Welcome to ePickPocket! I hope our thieves here don't get wise to the idea.

Click the following link to see video:

http://www.wreg.com/videobeta/?watchId=8ba6f8fc-90a2-4711-90ea-1884ec348310

Our PDRM and Hong Kong Police - the difference

From the pictures below, you tell me which police force shows more professionalism in crowd control, especially when it involves street protesters.

THE HONG KONG POLICE: The police personnel would line the route to be taken by the protesters and not only to ensure orderliness of the participants but are there to provide any assistance that may be required. Special attention will be given to female protesters and the ageds.

The people of Hong Kong protesting against the Chinese government for confiding Nobel-prized winner and Chinese dissident, Liu Xiaobu. Notice the position of the police personnel.

The people of Hong Kong stood together with their Palestian friends in the "End Gaza Seige" march. Again, notice the position of the police personnel.

OUR POLICE DIRAJA MALAYSIA: What more can we say that have not already been said?

They clobber you

They drench you with chemical laced water

SEE THE STARK DIFFERENCE????

Royalty Extraordinaire, that is Raja Zarith Sofia Sultan Idris Shah

This account was written by Dr Lim Teck Ghee of the Centre for Policy Initiatives.

With their front page headlines highlighting developments on the massive Sime loss, readers of the country's two main English papers may not have noticed the news report of the speech by Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah, the consort of the Sultan of Johor, which was buried in the inner pages.

The occasion of the speech was a conference on 'Voices of Peace, Conscience and Reason' held on Nov 16 in Kuala Lumpur. The prime mover of the meeting in which I participated as a panelist was PCORE, a group that is representative of Malaysians who embrace and share the notion of peace as the way forward to achieve unity and integration.

Credit must go to the PCORE leadership for bringing together a diverse mix of young and older people from different backgrounds to voice their frank concerns on current issues and developments in the country.

For me the real star of the conference was Raja Zarith Sofiah. Readers who missed the news item may be interested in the excerpt from the news report of her speech.

"In her keynote address at the Voices of Peace, Conscience and Reason conference, she described the use of 'pendatang' to describe non-Bumiputeras as "hurtful and ignorant", and that more discussions were needed to address and resolve the gulf between ethnic and religious communities.

"Rather than simplify and shy away from sensitive issues, we should fight destructive rhetoric with constructive dialogue. It is shameful when apparently educated and mature individuals use such terms or suggest fellow Malaysians go back to where they came from.

Describing her own ancestral background as a mix between Sumatran and Peranakan Chinese, she said it was important to recognise the diversity of Malaysian society, brought about by centuries of interracial and interfaith marriages and communication." (New Straits Times, Nov 17, 2010)

This open and proud acknowledgment of her mixed ancestral background is quite unprecedented. It puts to shame the way in which many of our leaders who have a similar mixed ancestry either try to hide or suppress the inconvenient truth, or engage in flaunting or agitating a mono-ethnic or religious stance as if this has been part of their, and the country's DNA from time immemorial.

Raja Zarith Sofiah's speech was much more than what was reported in the newspapers. It also covered her personal experience and thinking on religions and the importance for Muslims to learn about other cultures and religions and their heritage.

She spoke from the heart, simply and without the need for any convoluted intellectual argument or high sounding clichés to drive home the importance of cherishing and protecting the country that belongs to all of us -- highly or lowly born; brown, yellow or black; and worshipping one, many or no god.

Readers may not be aware of the wide ranging accomplishments and interests of Raja Zarith Sofiah. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Master's Degree from Oxford University (her BA is in Chinese Studies). Besides Malay and English, she is able to communicate in Mandarin, Italian and French. She is a patron of the arts, an artist and author who has written children's books including Puteri Gunung Ledang. She is also the columnist of The Star's 'Mind Matters' column, and let out that her articles are being put together in book form soon.

Although I am a republican at heart, logic tells me that we may need the type of monarchy she personifies more than ever to hold the country together and to remind us of our common humanity. With her and other royalty who care for the country in the way she does, there is greater hope that the nation can overcome the racial and religious demons that torment us.

Finally, I should point out that I was privileged to sit at her table where I and others -- during the lunch chit-chat on topics ranging from how the handphone and Skype have transformed our lives to the inconvenience of sleep apnea - learnt that she has sleepless nights thinking about the predicament of our country and our people, and wondering how best she can be of service. The insomnia that troubles her, I am sure, also afflicts all of us concerned about the way ahead for the country.

[Source: CPI]

This is the person whose neck many Selangorians would like to wring. Mark his name, Rozali Ismail, CEO of SYABAS, the water company who is going to make many people in the state much more poorer with his proposed water tariff 37% hike. The aim of the Selangor state government is to de-privatise the company so that the people will not have to bear the burden of the new tariff should it gets approved by the government. What is most unforgiving is that this guy earns a salary of RM425,000 per month, yes PER MONTH which is 19 times more than the salary of the prime minister, at RM22,826.65 a month. To rub salt into the wound, he is heading a debt-ridden company to the tune of RM2.9b. Don't these people have anymore CONSCIENCE left in them?

One more thing. This "Ketuanan Melayu" Rozali is the former branch Treasurer of UMNO. Now you see where we are heading?

Latest video : Demo for water right

Selangorians stood up for their water !!!

If UMNO regain Selangor, we will pay more for our water. The rot has to stop.

Tear gas, water canons fired at Pakatan crowd protesting SYABAS bailout

For the unbelievers - look again at the depth of the crowd!

Police fired tear gas and water cannons at some 10,000 people comprising mostly Pakatan Rakyat supporters trying to hand over a memorandum to the King to protest the federal government's bailout of SYABAS, a water distribution firm controlled by Umno crony Rozali Ismail.

Among Pakatan leaders who came to appeal to the King to advise Prime Minister Najib Razak to return the water rights of the Selangor people back to their state government were PKR deputy-president Azmin Ali, Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, state exco Dr Xavier Jeyakumar and DAP MP for Klang Charles Santiago.

DAP's Ronnie Liu, PAS MP for Kuala Selangor Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad, PKR vice president Tian Chua and youth leader Badrul Hisham were also present.

Was this necessary? The crowd was huge but clearly peaceful

The pro-Pakatan crowd gathered at the Masjid Negara or National Mosque, while another group led by a pro-Umno NGO had made Merdeka Stadium or the National Stadium its base.

SYABAS raised tariffs

Selangor MB Khalid told the cheering crowd more than 250,000 people had already signed the petition to the King. SYABAS had also increased tariff by 37 percent last year, Khalid revealed, turning the applause into loud boos for the firm and Rozali.

The SYABAS chief has been accused of arrogant behavior and unabashed courtship of top Umno leaders to support his plans for monopolizing the state's water rights.

The Pakatan protesters had gathered at the National Mosque since 9am and began their march to the Palace a few kilometres away at about 1.30pm.

Return to us our rights

They were approaching the railway station when Federal Reserve Unit personnel blocked their way. But they refused to retreat, shouting 'Hidup Rakyat' and appealing to the police to let them pass as it was a peaceful march.

However, the police retaliated by firing round after round of tear gas and chemical-laced water at them, forcing many to scamper for cover.

Earlier in the day, police had set up roadblocks leading to the Palace in anticipation of the rally. They also guarded the maze of small roads in the vicinity of the National Mosque, where thousands had gathered to await word from the organizers to begin the walk to the Palace.

City police chief Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah told reporters he had informed Khalid that the march had not been approved. His men have picked up at least three people for questioning in connection with the protest.

[Source: Malaysia Chronicle]