Environs Eagles

Thursday March 25, 2010
5th Floor, Kompleks Mahkamah Jalan Duta, KL

As soon as the parliament opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim came out of the courtroom at the 5th Floor of the Duta Court in Kuala Lumpur last Thursday March 25, when his alleged sodomy case trial dates were fixed, as usual, several journalists came forward to ask and seek answers and clarifications on the several current issues and happenings.

One of the journalist took everyone present by surprise by asking Anwar to comment on Zulkifli Nordin’s claim that someone had tried to bribe him to link Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansur in the murder of the Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Zulkifli Nordin, MP Bandar Baru Kulim who was sacked from PKR and has now turned Independent, had made those claims in the Parliament House where he exercises immunity.

Anwar asked the journalist to ask Zulkifli instead. However, the journalist seemed to have a different agenda for her daily, an online Malay news agency, as she kept insisting Anwar gives comments to her questionable insinuations.

This is when Anwar retorted to question her of her professionalism and as to who is paying her to ask such questions and the methods used.

Keeping his cool, he turned toward the other journalists to take on their questions.

It is really astounding to note from the video clip that the same journalist attempts to ask Anwar for more time when he said he was done with the Q & A session.

Sunday, March 7, 2010 at Sultan Sulaiman Club, Kg. Baru, Kuala Lumpur.

The Royal Malaysian Police (Polis DiRaja Malaysia) manhandled supporters at the Majlis Ulang Tahun Ke-2 Pakatan Rakyat dan Jamuan Rakyat’ (2nd Anniversary of Pakatan Rakyat’s Victory Celebration) at the Sultan Sulaiman Club at Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur and abruptly stop the celebration, much to the dismay of the large crowd of parties’ members and supporters.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR), the Malaysian Parliamentary opposition coalition held a gathering to commemorate the second anniversary of the March 8, 2008 general election victory where the Barisan Nasional government was denied its two-thirds (2/3) majority and PR had the opportune to govern five (5) states in the country.

The organizers chose this premise because of its strategic location within the city and its historical attributes and also because the club is privately owned by the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor state government. It was planned that the large crowd and PR component parties supporters will assemble in the open club compound near to the veranda of the club house. Speeches will be delivered from the veranda.

Whilst Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim was giving his speech, a team of policemen, uniformed and plain-clothed, led by Dang Wangi acting police chief ACP Abdul Aziz Zakaria came marching towards the club house. The crowd started jeering, expressing disapproval to this interruption. This had caused Khalid to end his speech hastily. He had to visit a death of someone close in his constituency and thus could gracefully leave the place.

Very quickly as Gombak MP Mohd Azmin Ali begun his speech, the police team and more started pushing forward. Speedily a large group of Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel forced themselves on the veranda paving the way for Abdul Aziz to come up.

Whilst the FRU intrusion, the PR leaders and speakers were swiftly rushed into the club house. Several of the PR supporters took beatings from the FRU personnel in the whole process, right from the ground up till the veranda and the door into the clubhouse.

The FRU and police personnel soon took over the ‘platform’, and the video shows several of them flexing their achievement. An ‘otherwise could have been a peaceful event’, full of inspiring speeches and to celebrate triumph now has the PR supporters crying foul.

The Dang Wangi acting police chief ACP Abdul Aziz Zakaria and some of his ‘entourage’ walked into the clubhouse to meet the organizers of the event.

This video also show part of the session where Abdul Aziz was justifying and reasoning the rather unruly manner and conduct his and the police team with PKR Batu MP Tian Chua and PKR Information Chief Latheefa Koya, and some others. Abdul Aziz was persistently but unconvincingly trying to persuade the organizers to stop the event.

As the turn of eventual events that took place, many of the PR supporters were able to hear the rest of the speeches inside the crammed hall of the clubhouse. Of course many more could not make it into the already packed hall.

They heard again from Mohd Azmin Ali and then from other speakers like PAS Vice President Mahfuz Omar, DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, and finally from Opposition leader and PKR Adviser Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar launched the DVD entitled ‘Fatwa Mutakhir Dr Yusuf Al Qardhawi berhubung Konspirasi II terhadap Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’ (Edict by Yusuf Al Qardhawi pertaining to Conspiracy II against Anwar). The video was produced by the Women’s Institute of Research Development and Advancement and features a decree issued by the renowned Islamic scholar Dr Yusof Al Qardhawi of Egypt.

Yusof, who is also the head of the World Islamic Scholars Union, was awarded Malaysia’s Maal Hijrah award in 2009.

Video by R Vijay Kumar, Citizen Journalist

Lately in Dec 2009 and Jan 2010, we read in the local main stream media that there was bliss & jubilation amongst the former Batu Estate workers & their families who were still residing at the original estate workers quarters. Their current living conditions are deplorable. Also deemed sharing the euphoria were the several squatters whom also came to settle there as soon as the estate land cease cultivation and the land was sold for development. The land is now privately owned by Mayland Development Sdn Bhd.

The elated news was announced with captions such as “Long wait over for Batu Estate squatters”, “Batu Estate residents assured of a fair deal” & “Penduduk Estet Batu lega masalah selesai”.

These residents have been living in their shacks beside the highrise Royal Domain Sri Putramas condominiums at Jalan Putramas, off Jalan Kuching, Kuala Lumpur. In the same vicinity is a long existing but now illegal kongsi which was first set up by the Indonesian construction workers of the Sri Putramas condominium blocks. These Indonesian workers were involved in the now completed two phases of the condominium project and were working on the third phase when the construction was stopped.

Apparently, the residents were grateful to their legal representative who was successfully able to negotiate a deal where the residents were going to be compensated with money and house ownership by Mayland Development Sdn Bhd. It is unclear whether the compensation was determined after negotiations albeit any legal court proceedings.

Their legal representative is S.P. Muthuveloo of Messrs S.P. Veloo & Co (Advocates & Solicitors), Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur.

However, the various reported media news had details and statements from M. Saravanan, the Deputy Minister of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing, & these had the residents apprehensive of the actual compensation & the mode from this private land owner.

In the last two meetings that Saravanan had convened at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur – DBKL), & in a perceived dubious and suspicious manner had the residents raising several issues. Whilst they appreciate the role that Deputy Minister and DBKL want to play in assisting them, they highlighted that the negotiations should be between their lawyer and the developer cum landowner i.e. Mayland. The meetings were organized by the Deputy Minister at DBKL headquarters at Jalan Raja Laut, on two separate working days and without much prior notice. Thus, not all concerned were able to attend.

Even the residents’ lawyer was not at any of these two meetings at DBKL premise.

No written documents were given out to these residents before, during and after these meetings.

In the last meeting, the deputy minister said of the RM2million compensation, RM200,000 will be given to the residents’ lawyers. The remainder RM1.8million will be shared by 41 former estate workers each will be given RM30,000, and the 54 squatter homes each will be given RM10,000.

At this meeting, the residents were afraid & reluctant to sign the agreement for fear they would be cheated. Mayland’s legal counsel Han Seng Kwang who was present during this meeting at DBKL assured the residents that they need not be skeptical or afraid & should trust as they would be paid the settlement as promised. He was quoted that he understands that the residents do not earn much so a home nearby is necessary. The residents fear was justified as nobody provides a straight answer. Their lawyer was not made present.

It is interesting to note the head count of the former estate workers & the squatter homes differs in every of those news articles. A prior census or survey was conducted to scrutinize the actual numbers. The residents noted that several non-residents were also present at those scheduled meetings in DBKL. The residents cry foul that the numbers had increased & thus more will share the RM2million monetary compensation. The office of the residents’ lawyer should have the legitimate information.

The residents are demanding for proper representation and proper agreements.

This subject of discussion for compensation to these former Batu Estate workers had been on for many years and needs a formidable and just conclusion. Let us be mindful that a majority of these residents were from Batu Estate quarters, & they are not to be labeled as squatters, & that they had been promised houses in the area after the estate area was developed.

I personally find the three-acre land compensation transaction from Mayland to DBKL rather strange. As a developer, shouldn’t Mayland be constructing the houses for these Batu Estate residents instead of giving away the three-acre land to DBKL who will only be providing PPR houses to the residents?
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Video by R. Vijay Kumar, Citizen Journalist
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Click on Batu Estate residents assured of a fair deal
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Click on Long wait over for Batu Estate squatters
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Star 2009-12-17

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Click on Double joy for Batu Estate folk
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Star-online-2010-04-12

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Click on No more compromise, squatters warned
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Star-online 2009-01-24

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Click on Penduduk Estet Batu lega masalah selesai
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Utusan-Malaysia-2010-02-04

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2010-01-30

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2008-09-19