KENYATAAN AKHBAR OLEH YB SIVARASA RASIAH bertarikh 31 hb Januari 2012.
“UMNO/BN yang sebenarnya yang melakukan penindasan terhadap penduduk Rumah Panjang Bunga Raya tempoh 1993 -2008.”
Dengan mengapikan isu rumah kos rendah untuk penduduk rumah panjang Bunga Raya di Subang, UMNO/BN sekali lagi mengambil kesempatan mencuba memperbodohkan rakyat dan mempermainkan emosi rakyat. Saya yakin penuh penduduk Subang tidak akan termakan oleh propaganda mereka.
Penduduk Subang tahu dan faham masalah penduduk rumah panjang Bunga Raya adalah masalah tinggalan dari zaman UMNO/BN memerintah negeri Selangor.
Pada tahun 1993, penduduk Kg Bunga Raya telah dipindahkan ke rumah panjang mereka di sana kerana tapak rumah asal mereka akan dibangunkan oleh Syarikat Sinar Fadzilat Sdn Bhd. UMNO/BN telah menjanjikan untuk membina rumah kos rendah di tapak bersebelahan dengan rumah panjang.
Malangnya selepas dua tahun, ini tidak berlaku dan sebaliknya tapak tersebut didirikan banglo-banglo mewah yang dimiliki antaranya oleh pemimpin-pemimpin BN tempatan.
Penduduk rumah panjang terpaksa terus tinggal dalam rumah sementara mereka yang semakin tahun menjadi semakin daif. Sepuluh tahun kemudian pada 2003, BN sekali lagi menjanjikan mereka pangsapuri kos rendah di Jalan Pluto yang akan dimajukan oleh pemaju kedua Unique Creation S/B.
Perjanjian jual-beli ditandatangani pada tahun 2003 dan projek dijangka siap dalam tahun 2004. Malangnya projek tersebut dibenarkan oleh UMNO/BN menjadi projek terbengkalai serupa dengan 140 projek terbengkalai lain di Selangor. Ratusan pembeli rumah kos rendah termasuk penduduk rumah panjang di Bunga Raya terpaksa terus menderita tanpa menerima rumah kos rendah mereka. Pemimpin UMNO/BN tempatan terus menetap dalam rumah banglo mewah mereka.
Penduduk-penduduk rumah panjang juga telah mendakwa bahawa RM 4500 wang pampasan yang patut dibayar kepada setiap keluarga oleh pemaju lama telah diambil oleh Pengerusi MIC Subang En N R Krishnan melalui bekas ADUN UMNO Mokhtar Dahlan. Saya difahamkan En Krishnan sekarang tinggal di sebuah banglo mewah di kawasan bersebelah Kg Bunga Raya.
Selepas 2004 penduduk-penduduk Rumah Panjang Bunga Raya dilupakan begitu sahaja oleh UMNO/BN seolah-olah mereka tidak wujud. Rumah panjang tersebut didirikan pada tahun 1993 dengan tujuan digunakan hanya untuk tempoh dua tahun namun penduduk terpaksa terus menetap disitu dalam keadaan daif sehingga hari ini.
Kesemua ini berlaku dalam zaman kegelapan UMNO/BN memerintah di Selangor. Walaupun hanya setahun mengambil alih pentadbiran di Selangor, Pakatan Rakyat mula mencari penyelesaian pada tahun 2009. Pemulihan projek perumahan terbengkalai khususnya yang melibatkan rumah kos rendah yang terhutang berjuta ringgit bukan satu perkara mudah. Namun, usaha memulihkan projek terbengkalai di Jalan Pluto oleh pemaju baru ECL Sdn Bhd yang melibatkan hampir 500 pembeli termasuk 57 keluarga daripada rumah panjang Bunga Raya telah dimulakan.
Isu-isu saperti tunggakan cukai tanah dan cukai taksiran berjumlah berjuta-juta ringgit oleh pemaju lama telah menyebabkan sedikit penangguhan masa untuk mengatasi masalah ini.
Saya bersama dengan YB Dr Nasir, ADUN Kota Damansara akan terus berbincang dengan EXCO Kerajaan Selangor YB Ir Iskandar Samad dan Menteri Besar Selangor untuk mempercepatkan penyelesaian masalah ini.
Jelas UMNO/BN kini amat gelisah kerana pemulihan projek terbengkalai di Jalan Pluto adalah dalam proces pelaksanaan oleh pihak ECL Sdn Bhd. Tiga blok rumah pangsapuri kos rendah dengan jumlah 480 unit akan disiapkan oleh mereka. Sekarang blok pertama telah dimulakan dan sudah hampir 70% siap. Masalah penduduk-penduduk Rumah Panjang Bunga Raya dan pembeli-pembeli lain akan diselesaikan dalam jangka masa yang diperlukan.
Selama 15 tahun ( 1993 - 2008 ) penghuni Rumah Panjang Bunga Raya telah dilupakan oleh pemerintahan UMNO/BN. Tapak tanah rumah kos rendah mereka yang asal telah diambil oleh pemimpin UMNO/BN dan didirikan rumah banglo. UMNO/BN sendirilah yang menindas penduduk Bunga Raya!
Tetap tiba-tiba pada hari Ahad 28hb Januari 2012, setiausaha politik Perdana Menteri Datuk Shafie Abdullah telah turun ke Bunga Raya dan membuat janji kepada penduduk bahawa BN akan menyiapkan rumah mereka selepas PRU 13 sekira mereka memerintah semula kerajaan Selangor.
Janji ini yang dibuat bagi pihak Perdana Menteri memang satu janji yang palsu dan tidak ikhlas! Kenapa tidak ikhlas? - sebab, untuk tempoh 15 tahun daripada tahun 1993 ke 2008 semasa memerintah Selangor dan Malaysia, UMNO/BN langsung tidak pernah peduli kepentingan penduduk rumah panjang Bunga Raya dan cuba selesaikan masalah perumahan mereka. Malah pemimpin BN sendiri telah ambil tanah asal yang diperuntukkan sebagai tapak rumah kos rendah dan menghancurkan segala harapan penduduk yang miskin untuk menerima rumah mereka.
Sebaliknya, Datuk Shafie Abdullah sepatutnya minta maaf kepada penduduk Bunga Raya dan ratusan pembeli rumah kos rendah atas penindasan yang telah dilakukan terhadap mereka oleh UMNO/BN.
YB Sivarasa Rasiah
Ahli Parlimen Subang
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Pesta Ponggal
Ponggal adalah perayaan budaya kaum India meraikan hujung musim menuai dan sambutan Tahun Baru kaum India. Perayaan ini adalah untuk memberi kesyukuran untuk tahun sebelumnya dan mendoakan segala yang terbaik untuk tahun yang akan datang.
Seperti pada tahun-tahun sebelumnya, YB Sivarasa terus menghadiri Pesta Ponggal yang dianjurkan dipelbagai sudut di seluruh kawasan Parlimen Subang.
Seperti pada tahun-tahun sebelumnya, YB Sivarasa terus menghadiri Pesta Ponggal yang dianjurkan dipelbagai sudut di seluruh kawasan Parlimen Subang.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Distributing Oranges to Residents
Every year, in the week before Chinese New Year, Sivarasa would meet residents to wish them Happy Chinese New Year and giving out oranges as a token of good wishes and blessings. 2012 is no different and Sivarasa was present at the Chinese New Villages of Subang and Sungei Buloh as well as at the Night Market at Matang Pagar and morning market at Desa Jaya.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Harvest Festival
Here's wishing everyone a HAPPY PONGAL: Pongalo Pongal! Pongalo Pongal! Pongalo Pongal!
Pongal Festival
Pongal Festival
Pongal is a four day long harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India. For as long as people have been planting and gathering food, there has been some form of Harvest Festival. Pongal, one of the most important popular Hindu festivals of the year. This four-day festival of thanksgiving to nature takes its name from the Tamil word meaning "to boil" and is held in the month of Thai (January-February) during the season when rice and other cereals, sugar-cane, and turmeric (an essential ingredient in Tamil cooking) are harvested.
Mid-January is an important time in the Tamil calendar. The harvest festival, Pongal, falls typically on the 14th or the 15th of January and is the quintessential `Tamil Festival'. Pongal is a harvest festival, a traditional occasion for giving thanks to nature, for celebrating the life cycles that give us grain. Tamilians say `Thai pirandhaal vazhi pirakkum', and believe that knotty family problems will be solved with the advent of the Tamil month Thai that begins on Pongal day. This is traditionally the month of weddings. This is not a surprise in a largely agricultural community -- the riches gained from a good harvest form the economic basis for expensive family occasions like weddings.
The First Day
This first day is celebrated as Bhogi festival in honor of Lord Indra, the supreme ruler of clouds that give rains. Homage is paid to Lord Indra for the abundance of harvest, thereby bringing plenty and prosperity to the land. Another ritual observed on this day is Bhogi Mantalu, when useless household articles are thrown into a fire made of wood and cow-dung cakes. Girls dance around the bonfire, singing songs in praise of the gods, the spring and the harvest. The significance of the bonfire, in which is burnt the agricultural wastes and firewood is to keep warm during the last lap of winter.
The Second Day
On the second day of Pongal, the puja or act of ceremonial worship is performed when rice is boiled in milk outdoors in a earthenware pot and is then symbolically offered to the sun-god along with other oblations. All people wear traditional dress and markings, and their is an interesting ritual where husband and wife dispose off elegant ritual utensils specially used for the puja. In the village, the Pongal ceremony is carried out more simply but with the same devotion. In accordance with the appointed ritual a turmeric plant is tied around the pot in which the rice will be boiled. The offerings include the two sticks of sugar-cane in background and coconut and bananas in the dish. A common feature of the puja, in addition to the offerings, is the kolam, the auspicious design which is traditionally traced in white lime powder before the house in the early morning after bathing.
The Third Day
The third day is known as Mattu Pongal, the day of Pongal for cows. Multi-colored beads, tinkling bells, sheaves of corn and flower garlands are tied around the neck of the cattle and then are worshiped. They are fed with Pongal and taken to the village centers. The resounding of their bells attract the villagers as the young men race each other's cattle. The entire atmosphere becomes festive and full of fun and revelry. Arati is performed on them, so as to ward off the evil eye. According to a legend, once Shiva asked his bull, Basava, to go to the earth and ask the mortals to have an oil massage and bath every day and to eat once a month. Inadvertently, Basava announced that everyone should eat daily and have an oil bath once a month. This mistake enraged Shiva who then cursed Basava, banishing him to live on the earth forever. He would have to plough the fields and help people produce more food. Thus the association of this day with cattle.
The Fourth Day
The Fourth day is known as Knau or Kannum Pongal day. On this day, a turmeric leaf is washed and is then placed on the ground. On this leaf are placed, the left overs of sweet Pongal and Venn Pongal, ordinary rice as well as rice colored red and yellow, betel leaves, betel nuts, two pieces of sugarcane, turmeric leaves, and plantains. In Tamil Nadu women perform this ritual before bathing in the morning. All the women, young and old, of the house assemble in the courtyard. The rice is placed in the centre of the leaf, while the women ask that the house and family of their brothers should prosper. Arati is performed for the brothers with turmeric water, limestone and rice, and this water is sprinkled on the kolam in front of the house.
Traditions & Customs
Traditions & Customs
Inspite of immense urbanization, the traditions and customs attached to the harvest festival of Pongal has not diminished. Though the nature of these tradition and customs has changed, the glitter of this festival has not dimmed. The fast changing times notwithstanding, certain things do not change. The way we celebrate the festivals, for instance. The festival of Pongal captures the quintessence of south Indian culture in all its entirety and traditional practices and customs continue to hold their own even today.
The spirit is alive and Pongal is still treated as a time to discard the old and welcome the new. The new crop that is harvested is cooked and offered to the Almighty. Celebrated for four days, the various traditions and customs of this harvest festival are:
Bhogi Pongal
The first day of Pongal known as 'Bhogi Pongal' is a day for family gathering and is dedicated to Lord Indra, the king of the deities and God of the Clouds and Rains. Offerings are made to him to please him so that he blesses us for the plentiful harvest. It is also the beginning of the New Year according to the Malayalam calendar and before sunrise, a huge bonfire of useless things in home is lit that is kept burning throughout the night. All the time, boys beat little buffalo-hide drums known as 'Bhogi Kottus'. The houses are then cleaned till they shine and are decorated with Kolams painted using rice four. There are yellow pumpkin flowers are set in cow-dung balls in the middle of these designs.
Surya Pongal
The second day of Pongal known as 'Surya Pongal' is dedicated to the Sun God. The granaries are kept full on this day and Sun God with his rays are painted on a plank as he is worshiped with the birth of the new auspicious month of Thai. Since the word 'Ponga' means 'to boil' representing plentiful and excess yield, a special dish is cooked on this day in a new mud-pot that comes in innovative shapes and have artistic designs on them called 'Pongapani'. The special dish is called 'Sarkkarai Pongal' and is offered to Sun God with sugarcane sticks. It is said that Lord Sundareshwar performed a miracle on this day in the Madurai temple and breathed life into a stone elephant who ate sugarcanes. One can see the depiction of the event in the Meenakshi temple.
Mattu Pongal
The third day known as 'Mattu Pongal' is dedicated to the cattle as cowherds and shepherds pay thanks to their cows and bulls, paint their horns and cover them with shining metal caps. They are fed 'Pongal' and tinkling bells are tied around their neck. Cattle races are conducted and in the game called 'Manji Virattu' groups of young men chase running bulls. Bull fights called 'Jallikattu' are also arranged at some places where young men have to take the money bags tied to the horns of ferocious bulls single-handedly and without the use of arms. Lord Ganesha and Goddess Parvati are also worshiped on this day. At some other places, this day is celebrated as Kanu Pongal when girls feed colored balls of cooked rice to the birds and crows and pray for their brothers' happiness and that they always remember them.
Kaanum Pongal
The fourth day is termed as Kaanum Pongal. On this day, people travel to see other family members. On this day, the younger members of the family pay homage to the elders, and the elders thank them by giving token money. Another thing many do is leave food out on banana leaves for birds to take. Many South Indian people will take the first bit of rice cooked in any given day and set it outside for the crows to take, so this is not necessarily a habit only for Pongal.
What is Pongal?
What is Pongal?
Pongal is the only festival of Hindu that follows a solar calendar and is celebrated on the fourteenth of January every year. Pongal has astronomical significance: it marks the beginning of Uttarayana, the Sun's movement northward for a six month period. In Hinduism, Uttarayana is considered auspicious, as opposed to Dakshinaayana, or the southern movement of the sun. All important events are scheduled during this period. Makara Sankranthi refers to the event of the Sun entering the zodiac sign of Makara or Capricorn.
In Hindu temples bells, drums, clarinets and conch shells herald the joyous occasion of Pongal. To symbolize a bountiful harvest, rice is cooked in new pots until they boil over. Some of the rituals performed in the temple include the preparation of rice, the chanting of prayers and the offering of vegetables, sugar cane and spices to the gods. Devotees then consume the offerings to exonerate themselves of past sins.
Pongal signals the end of the traditional farming season, giving farmers a break from their monotonous routine. Farmers also perform puja to some crops, signaling the end of the traditional farming season. It also sets the pace for a series of festivals to follow in a calendar year. In fact, four festivals are celebrated in Tamil Nadu for four consecutive days in that week. 'Bogi' is celebrated on January 13, 'Pongal' on Jan 14, 'Maattuppongal' on Jan 15, and 'Thiruvalluvar Day' on Jan 16.
The festival is celebrated for four days. On, the first day, Bhogi, the old clothes and materials are thrown away and fired, marking the beginning of a new life. The second day, the Pongal day, is celebrated by boiling fresh milk early in the morning and allowing it to boil over the vessel - a tradition that is the literal translation for Pongal. People also prepare savories and sweets, visit each other's homes, and exchange greetings. The third day, Mattu Pongal, is meant to offer thanks to the cows and buffaloes, as they are used to plough the lands. On the last day, Kanum Pongal, people go out to picnic.
A festival called Jalli katthu is held in Madurai , Tiruchirapalli and Tanjavur,all in Tamil Nadu, on this day. Bundles of money are tied to the horns of Pongal ferocious bulls which the villagers try to retrieve. Everyone joins in the community meal, at which the food is made of the freshly harvested grain. This day is named and celebrated as Tamiliar Thirunal in a fitting manner through out Tamil Nadu.
Thus, the harvest festival of Pongal symbolizes the veneration of the first fruit. The crop is harvested only after a certain time of the year, and cutting the crop before that time is strictly prohibited. Even though Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, today it is celebrated by all. In south India, all three days of Pongal are considered important. However, those south Indians who have settled in the north usually celebrate only the second day. Coinciding with Makara Sankranti and Lohri of the north, it is also called Pongal Sankranti.
Meaning & Significance
Thai Pongal is an occasion for family re-unions and get-together. Old enmities, personal animosities and rivalries are forgotten. Estrangements are healed and reconciliation effected.
Indeed, Thai Pongal is a festival of freedom, peace, unity and compassion crystallized in the last hymn on unity in the Indian spiritual text the Rig Veda. Thus, love and peace are the central theme of Thai Pongal.
Pongal Festival
Pongal Festival
Pongal is a four day long harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India. For as long as people have been planting and gathering food, there has been some form of Harvest Festival. Pongal, one of the most important popular Hindu festivals of the year. This four-day festival of thanksgiving to nature takes its name from the Tamil word meaning "to boil" and is held in the month of Thai (January-February) during the season when rice and other cereals, sugar-cane, and turmeric (an essential ingredient in Tamil cooking) are harvested.
Mid-January is an important time in the Tamil calendar. The harvest festival, Pongal, falls typically on the 14th or the 15th of January and is the quintessential `Tamil Festival'. Pongal is a harvest festival, a traditional occasion for giving thanks to nature, for celebrating the life cycles that give us grain. Tamilians say `Thai pirandhaal vazhi pirakkum', and believe that knotty family problems will be solved with the advent of the Tamil month Thai that begins on Pongal day. This is traditionally the month of weddings. This is not a surprise in a largely agricultural community -- the riches gained from a good harvest form the economic basis for expensive family occasions like weddings.
The First Day
This first day is celebrated as Bhogi festival in honor of Lord Indra, the supreme ruler of clouds that give rains. Homage is paid to Lord Indra for the abundance of harvest, thereby bringing plenty and prosperity to the land. Another ritual observed on this day is Bhogi Mantalu, when useless household articles are thrown into a fire made of wood and cow-dung cakes. Girls dance around the bonfire, singing songs in praise of the gods, the spring and the harvest. The significance of the bonfire, in which is burnt the agricultural wastes and firewood is to keep warm during the last lap of winter.
The Second Day
On the second day of Pongal, the puja or act of ceremonial worship is performed when rice is boiled in milk outdoors in a earthenware pot and is then symbolically offered to the sun-god along with other oblations. All people wear traditional dress and markings, and their is an interesting ritual where husband and wife dispose off elegant ritual utensils specially used for the puja. In the village, the Pongal ceremony is carried out more simply but with the same devotion. In accordance with the appointed ritual a turmeric plant is tied around the pot in which the rice will be boiled. The offerings include the two sticks of sugar-cane in background and coconut and bananas in the dish. A common feature of the puja, in addition to the offerings, is the kolam, the auspicious design which is traditionally traced in white lime powder before the house in the early morning after bathing.
The Third Day
The third day is known as Mattu Pongal, the day of Pongal for cows. Multi-colored beads, tinkling bells, sheaves of corn and flower garlands are tied around the neck of the cattle and then are worshiped. They are fed with Pongal and taken to the village centers. The resounding of their bells attract the villagers as the young men race each other's cattle. The entire atmosphere becomes festive and full of fun and revelry. Arati is performed on them, so as to ward off the evil eye. According to a legend, once Shiva asked his bull, Basava, to go to the earth and ask the mortals to have an oil massage and bath every day and to eat once a month. Inadvertently, Basava announced that everyone should eat daily and have an oil bath once a month. This mistake enraged Shiva who then cursed Basava, banishing him to live on the earth forever. He would have to plough the fields and help people produce more food. Thus the association of this day with cattle.
The Fourth Day
The Fourth day is known as Knau or Kannum Pongal day. On this day, a turmeric leaf is washed and is then placed on the ground. On this leaf are placed, the left overs of sweet Pongal and Venn Pongal, ordinary rice as well as rice colored red and yellow, betel leaves, betel nuts, two pieces of sugarcane, turmeric leaves, and plantains. In Tamil Nadu women perform this ritual before bathing in the morning. All the women, young and old, of the house assemble in the courtyard. The rice is placed in the centre of the leaf, while the women ask that the house and family of their brothers should prosper. Arati is performed for the brothers with turmeric water, limestone and rice, and this water is sprinkled on the kolam in front of the house.
Traditions & Customs
Traditions & Customs
Inspite of immense urbanization, the traditions and customs attached to the harvest festival of Pongal has not diminished. Though the nature of these tradition and customs has changed, the glitter of this festival has not dimmed. The fast changing times notwithstanding, certain things do not change. The way we celebrate the festivals, for instance. The festival of Pongal captures the quintessence of south Indian culture in all its entirety and traditional practices and customs continue to hold their own even today.
The spirit is alive and Pongal is still treated as a time to discard the old and welcome the new. The new crop that is harvested is cooked and offered to the Almighty. Celebrated for four days, the various traditions and customs of this harvest festival are:
Bhogi Pongal
The first day of Pongal known as 'Bhogi Pongal' is a day for family gathering and is dedicated to Lord Indra, the king of the deities and God of the Clouds and Rains. Offerings are made to him to please him so that he blesses us for the plentiful harvest. It is also the beginning of the New Year according to the Malayalam calendar and before sunrise, a huge bonfire of useless things in home is lit that is kept burning throughout the night. All the time, boys beat little buffalo-hide drums known as 'Bhogi Kottus'. The houses are then cleaned till they shine and are decorated with Kolams painted using rice four. There are yellow pumpkin flowers are set in cow-dung balls in the middle of these designs.
Surya Pongal
The second day of Pongal known as 'Surya Pongal' is dedicated to the Sun God. The granaries are kept full on this day and Sun God with his rays are painted on a plank as he is worshiped with the birth of the new auspicious month of Thai. Since the word 'Ponga' means 'to boil' representing plentiful and excess yield, a special dish is cooked on this day in a new mud-pot that comes in innovative shapes and have artistic designs on them called 'Pongapani'. The special dish is called 'Sarkkarai Pongal' and is offered to Sun God with sugarcane sticks. It is said that Lord Sundareshwar performed a miracle on this day in the Madurai temple and breathed life into a stone elephant who ate sugarcanes. One can see the depiction of the event in the Meenakshi temple.
Mattu Pongal
The third day known as 'Mattu Pongal' is dedicated to the cattle as cowherds and shepherds pay thanks to their cows and bulls, paint their horns and cover them with shining metal caps. They are fed 'Pongal' and tinkling bells are tied around their neck. Cattle races are conducted and in the game called 'Manji Virattu' groups of young men chase running bulls. Bull fights called 'Jallikattu' are also arranged at some places where young men have to take the money bags tied to the horns of ferocious bulls single-handedly and without the use of arms. Lord Ganesha and Goddess Parvati are also worshiped on this day. At some other places, this day is celebrated as Kanu Pongal when girls feed colored balls of cooked rice to the birds and crows and pray for their brothers' happiness and that they always remember them.
Kaanum Pongal
The fourth day is termed as Kaanum Pongal. On this day, people travel to see other family members. On this day, the younger members of the family pay homage to the elders, and the elders thank them by giving token money. Another thing many do is leave food out on banana leaves for birds to take. Many South Indian people will take the first bit of rice cooked in any given day and set it outside for the crows to take, so this is not necessarily a habit only for Pongal.
What is Pongal?
What is Pongal?
Pongal is the only festival of Hindu that follows a solar calendar and is celebrated on the fourteenth of January every year. Pongal has astronomical significance: it marks the beginning of Uttarayana, the Sun's movement northward for a six month period. In Hinduism, Uttarayana is considered auspicious, as opposed to Dakshinaayana, or the southern movement of the sun. All important events are scheduled during this period. Makara Sankranthi refers to the event of the Sun entering the zodiac sign of Makara or Capricorn.
In Hindu temples bells, drums, clarinets and conch shells herald the joyous occasion of Pongal. To symbolize a bountiful harvest, rice is cooked in new pots until they boil over. Some of the rituals performed in the temple include the preparation of rice, the chanting of prayers and the offering of vegetables, sugar cane and spices to the gods. Devotees then consume the offerings to exonerate themselves of past sins.
Pongal signals the end of the traditional farming season, giving farmers a break from their monotonous routine. Farmers also perform puja to some crops, signaling the end of the traditional farming season. It also sets the pace for a series of festivals to follow in a calendar year. In fact, four festivals are celebrated in Tamil Nadu for four consecutive days in that week. 'Bogi' is celebrated on January 13, 'Pongal' on Jan 14, 'Maattuppongal' on Jan 15, and 'Thiruvalluvar Day' on Jan 16.
The festival is celebrated for four days. On, the first day, Bhogi, the old clothes and materials are thrown away and fired, marking the beginning of a new life. The second day, the Pongal day, is celebrated by boiling fresh milk early in the morning and allowing it to boil over the vessel - a tradition that is the literal translation for Pongal. People also prepare savories and sweets, visit each other's homes, and exchange greetings. The third day, Mattu Pongal, is meant to offer thanks to the cows and buffaloes, as they are used to plough the lands. On the last day, Kanum Pongal, people go out to picnic.
A festival called Jalli katthu is held in Madurai , Tiruchirapalli and Tanjavur,all in Tamil Nadu, on this day. Bundles of money are tied to the horns of Pongal ferocious bulls which the villagers try to retrieve. Everyone joins in the community meal, at which the food is made of the freshly harvested grain. This day is named and celebrated as Tamiliar Thirunal in a fitting manner through out Tamil Nadu.
Thus, the harvest festival of Pongal symbolizes the veneration of the first fruit. The crop is harvested only after a certain time of the year, and cutting the crop before that time is strictly prohibited. Even though Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, today it is celebrated by all. In south India, all three days of Pongal are considered important. However, those south Indians who have settled in the north usually celebrate only the second day. Coinciding with Makara Sankranti and Lohri of the north, it is also called Pongal Sankranti.
Meaning & Significance
Thai Pongal is an occasion for family re-unions and get-together. Old enmities, personal animosities and rivalries are forgotten. Estrangements are healed and reconciliation effected.
Indeed, Thai Pongal is a festival of freedom, peace, unity and compassion crystallized in the last hymn on unity in the Indian spiritual text the Rig Veda. Thus, love and peace are the central theme of Thai Pongal.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Sivarasa discusses Anwar Ibrahim's acquittal
Click on this link to watch R. Sivarasa discussing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's acquittal, the political considerations and the implications for PKR.
http://mobtv.my/talkshow-679.html
http://mobtv.my/talkshow-679.html
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Raja Petra’s scurrilous and dishonest accusations
I refer to his comments on January 6 in the blog Malaysia Today titled “Just do it, not DUIT!” and the consequent report in the news portal Free Malaysia Today “RPK reveals cases of graft, power abuse in S’gor”.
Raja Petra’s comments show he is rapidly descending to the level of the likes of Nallakaruppan, Ezam and Zulkifly Nordin the way he is prepared to make completely unsubstantiated scurrilous and mischievous allegations.
He purports to produce what on the surface look like believable stories with flourishes of lurid detail. When you examine them closely, we find that key assertions are false. Other assertions remain simply that – pure allegations without evidence. However he is fully aware that the intent of his written comments is to attempt to damage reputations of individuals and smear PKR and Pakatan Rakyat.
Let me reproduce his allegations in respect of myself, Surendran, Derek Fernandez and Latheefa Koya. “Through the influence of Lateefa (sic) and Derrick (sic), a good chunk of the legal work in MBPJ is diverted to the firms of Sivarasa, Surendran and Derrick.” “legal work dished out by MBPJ legal department is given exclusively to a group of lawyers who are all PKR leaders”. “a large amount of legal work to these chosen few” . In one breath, he alleges “exclusivity” to these firms, and then contradictorily says “a good chunk” and “a large amount”.
He then suggests that this is corrupt practice or at the very least reflects a conflict of interest.
His assertions that Derek Fernandez and Surendran are doing work for MPBJ are completely false. He can’t even get Derek’s name and the name of the name of his firm correct. Derek Fernandez is not even a member of PKR.
Since 2009, my firm M/s Daim & Gamany have been retained by MBPJ to defend it in 4 cases. Two cases involved judicial review challenges brought by advertising companies unhappy with its new billboard policy. Two other cases involved a judicial review challenge initiated by a developer unhappy with stop work orders issued by MBPJ and a related civil suit. The firm is paid according to a scale of fees applicable to all firms retained by it. I believe there are about 14 firms on that list. 4 cases does not amount to the”large amount” or “a good chunk” or the “legal work dished out exclusively to PKR leaders” that Raja Petra alleges
I believe I am retained by MBPJ to defend it in these cases because judicial review is one of my areas of practice and as a lawyer of 24 years experience, they believe I am competent to defend their interest.
I have no executive role in MBPJ or in the Selangor State government. No question of any conflict of interest arises at all.
Similarly with Latheefa Koya. She practices as a legal assistant with Daim & Gamany. She is also a councillor of MBPJ. Hence she ensures she stays OUT of all meetings and decision making in respect of cases that are referred to my firm.
These issues about my firm receiving work from MBPJ and Latheefa’s role were raised two years ago by Wee Choo Keong after he left PKR. MBPJ clarified then that there was no conflict of interest on the part of Latheefa and myself. A simple check would have verified that.
Raja Petra insinuates scurrilously that I seem to have suddenly increased my personal wealth as a result of being given huge amounts of legal work by MBPJ. His evidence is “ Daim & Gamany has moved from their humble office in ‘slum’ Masjid India area to a new swank office near MBPJ.
Again, he has got it completely wrong. My firm was in PKNS Wisma Yakin in Jalan Masjid India up to 2005. In that year we moved to Megan Avenue II in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng. Then in May 2011, we moved to a smaller office in the Maris Brothers premises next to Catholic High School in section 10 PJ. We currently occupy office space in the form of 2 rooms about 300 sq ft each.
The “new swank office” that Raja Petra describes that Daim & Gamany have can only exist in his malevolent imagination ( Nathaniel Tan has published some useful photos of our office at http://jelas.info/2012/01/07/rpks-accusations-of-selangor-corruption-proven-to-be-bunk/ ). I say malevolent because these are matters that are simple to verify by any responsible writer and should have been verified before they were falsely and scurrilously published.
Raja Petra lied similarly when he described Surendran’s change of car ( again non-existent ) as connected to the non-existent huge work allegedly received from MBPJ post 2008. Language such as “talk about rags to riches in a blink of an eye” is malicious in intent when asserted either knowingly or reckless that it was false.
.
Raja Petra lied similarly when he described Surendran’s change of car ( again non-existent ) as connected to the non-existent huge work allegedly received from MBPJ post 2008. Language such as “talk about rags to riches in a blink of an eye” is malicious in intent when asserted either knowingly or reckless that it was false.
Many PKR lawyers are successful practitioners in their own right and are entitled to the income they generate for themselves in that capacity. What is Raja Petra’s motive in wilfully making such malicious accusations?
Raja Petra again lies when he says I am paid “tens of thousands a month” as a director on the board of Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor. I am certainly not paid “tens of thousands a month”. That would be immediately obvious from the published accounts of the company. I am paid the same as any other director. We are paid as professionals for the services we render on the board and in board committees for the responsibilities of helping to manage a public listed company with assets worth several billion ringgit; the amounts we are paid are similar to that paid in similar sized companies or possibly even less.
Look carefully at the allegations, insinuations and innuendo made against Azmin Ali without a shred of real evidence for something his brother has allegedly done. What is the intent here? Compare the way Rafizi produced documented fact after fact regarding Sharizat and the National Feedlot Corporation scandal. Raja Petra, if you have credible evidence of corruption in Selangor, produce it and I am sure Tan Sri Khalid and the PR leaders will deal with it.
Raja Petra has said subsequently as follows “PKR needs to prove me wrong. And if I am wrong then I will tender a public apology. Maybe my Deep Throats are wrong. Or maybe they intentionally set me up with a Red Herring.”
No. Petra, it is not so simple. You cannot get it so wrong and then wriggle out of it blaming someone else. As I said above, you maliciously knew it was false or were reckless as to whether it was false.
What you have done since your TV3 interview timed for release just before the 2011 Sarawak State Elections and your recent attacks timed for 1st January 2012 just before the 9th January Anwar verdict shows clearly now a malicious agenda with regard to PR and Anwar. Would you like to tell us in some detail what is your part of the deal?
What’s happening to you now is truly a pity. I still remember arguing for your freedom in the habeas corpus case we filed on your behalf in April 2001 after your first ISA arrest with Tian Chua and others.
It’s a timely reminder to us that along the difficult road we will all travel in our struggle and battle for justice and democracy that that there will be casualties. We will also have those who will betray the cause.
Sivarasa Rasiah
8th January 2012
I refer to his comments on January 6 in the blog Malaysia Today titled “Just do it, not DUIT!” and the consequent report in the news portal Free Malaysia Today “RPK reveals cases of graft, power abuse in S’gor”.
Raja Petra’s comments show he is rapidly descending to the level of the likes of Nallakaruppan, Ezam and Zulkifly Nordin the way he is prepared to make completely unsubstantiated scurrilous and mischievous allegations.
He purports to produce what on the surface look like believable stories with flourishes of lurid detail. When you examine them closely, we find that key assertions are false. Other assertions remain simply that – pure allegations without evidence. However he is fully aware that the intent of his written comments is to attempt to damage reputations of individuals and smear PKR and Pakatan Rakyat.
Let me reproduce his allegations in respect of myself, Surendran, Derek Fernandez and Latheefa Koya. “Through the influence of Lateefa (sic) and Derrick (sic), a good chunk of the legal work in MBPJ is diverted to the firms of Sivarasa, Surendran and Derrick.” “legal work dished out by MBPJ legal department is given exclusively to a group of lawyers who are all PKR leaders”. “a large amount of legal work to these chosen few” . In one breath, he alleges “exclusivity” to these firms, and then contradictorily says “a good chunk” and “a large amount”.
He then suggests that this is corrupt practice or at the very least reflects a conflict of interest.
His assertions that Derek Fernandez and Surendran are doing work for MPBJ are completely false. He can’t even get Derek’s name and the name of the name of his firm correct. Derek Fernandez is not even a member of PKR.
Since 2009, my firm M/s Daim & Gamany have been retained by MBPJ to defend it in 4 cases. Two cases involved judicial review challenges brought by advertising companies unhappy with its new billboard policy. Two other cases involved a judicial review challenge initiated by a developer unhappy with stop work orders issued by MBPJ and a related civil suit. The firm is paid according to a scale of fees applicable to all firms retained by it. I believe there are about 14 firms on that list. 4 cases does not amount to the”large amount” or “a good chunk” or the “legal work dished out exclusively to PKR leaders” that Raja Petra alleges
I believe I am retained by MBPJ to defend it in these cases because judicial review is one of my areas of practice and as a lawyer of 24 years experience, they believe I am competent to defend their interest.
I have no executive role in MBPJ or in the Selangor State government. No question of any conflict of interest arises at all.
Similarly with Latheefa Koya. She practices as a legal assistant with Daim & Gamany. She is also a councillor of MBPJ. Hence she ensures she stays OUT of all meetings and decision making in respect of cases that are referred to my firm.
These issues about my firm receiving work from MBPJ and Latheefa’s role were raised two years ago by Wee Choo Keong after he left PKR. MBPJ clarified then that there was no conflict of interest on the part of Latheefa and myself. A simple check would have verified that.
Raja Petra insinuates scurrilously that I seem to have suddenly increased my personal wealth as a result of being given huge amounts of legal work by MBPJ. His evidence is “ Daim & Gamany has moved from their humble office in ‘slum’ Masjid India area to a new swank office near MBPJ.
Again, he has got it completely wrong. My firm was in PKNS Wisma Yakin in Jalan Masjid India up to 2005. In that year we moved to Megan Avenue II in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng. Then in May 2011, we moved to a smaller office in the Maris Brothers premises next to Catholic High School in section 10 PJ. We currently occupy office space in the form of 2 rooms about 300 sq ft each.
The “new swank office” that Raja Petra describes that Daim & Gamany have can only exist in his malevolent imagination ( Nathaniel Tan has published some useful photos of our office at http://jelas.info/2012/01/07/rpks-accusations-of-selangor-corruption-proven-to-be-bunk/ ). I say malevolent because these are matters that are simple to verify by any responsible writer and should have been verified before they were falsely and scurrilously published.
Raja Petra lied similarly when he described Surendran’s change of car ( again non-existent ) as connected to the non-existent huge work allegedly received from MBPJ post 2008. Language such as “talk about rags to riches in a blink of an eye” is malicious in intent when asserted either knowingly or reckless that it was false.
.
Raja Petra lied similarly when he described Surendran’s change of car ( again non-existent ) as connected to the non-existent huge work allegedly received from MBPJ post 2008. Language such as “talk about rags to riches in a blink of an eye” is malicious in intent when asserted either knowingly or reckless that it was false.
Many PKR lawyers are successful practitioners in their own right and are entitled to the income they generate for themselves in that capacity. What is Raja Petra’s motive in wilfully making such malicious accusations?
Raja Petra again lies when he says I am paid “tens of thousands a month” as a director on the board of Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor. I am certainly not paid “tens of thousands a month”. That would be immediately obvious from the published accounts of the company. I am paid the same as any other director. We are paid as professionals for the services we render on the board and in board committees for the responsibilities of helping to manage a public listed company with assets worth several billion ringgit; the amounts we are paid are similar to that paid in similar sized companies or possibly even less.
Look carefully at the allegations, insinuations and innuendo made against Azmin Ali without a shred of real evidence for something his brother has allegedly done. What is the intent here? Compare the way Rafizi produced documented fact after fact regarding Sharizat and the National Feedlot Corporation scandal. Raja Petra, if you have credible evidence of corruption in Selangor, produce it and I am sure Tan Sri Khalid and the PR leaders will deal with it.
Raja Petra has said subsequently as follows “PKR needs to prove me wrong. And if I am wrong then I will tender a public apology. Maybe my Deep Throats are wrong. Or maybe they intentionally set me up with a Red Herring.”
No. Petra, it is not so simple. You cannot get it so wrong and then wriggle out of it blaming someone else. As I said above, you maliciously knew it was false or were reckless as to whether it was false.
What you have done since your TV3 interview timed for release just before the 2011 Sarawak State Elections and your recent attacks timed for 1st January 2012 just before the 9th January Anwar verdict shows clearly now a malicious agenda with regard to PR and Anwar. Would you like to tell us in some detail what is your part of the deal?
What’s happening to you now is truly a pity. I still remember arguing for your freedom in the habeas corpus case we filed on your behalf in April 2001 after your first ISA arrest with Tian Chua and others.
It’s a timely reminder to us that along the difficult road we will all travel in our struggle and battle for justice and democracy that that there will be casualties. We will also have those who will betray the cause.
Sivarasa Rasiah
8th January 2012
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