‘Interlok’ and Our Tragic Reality

by
Kee Thuan Chye

I HAVEN’T read Interlok by Abdullah Hussain, but some of those who have, accuse it of racial stereotyping and derogating Chinese and Indian Malaysians while others say it is a novel that calls for inter-racial unity. The interpretations appear so poles apart that one might wonder if they are talking about the same novel.

I suppose how we read it would depend to a considerable extent on our racial background and predispositions. And these have been so coloured by the politicisation of race that has been at the centre of Malaysian life for so long that they will not be easy to shake off. Our biases die hard.

I’m always on the side of literary freedom. If a writer expresses a view that I am vehemently against, I would nonetheless defend his right to say it. At the same time, I would exercise my right to critique it. I believe this is the best approach to any discourse. Even if, in the process, people get offended.

If Abdullah Hussain has derogated certain races, his detractors should acknowledge that it is objectionable, even wrong, but at the same time, they should recognise that it merely reveals his true feelings towards other races.

We cannot always be politically correct; nor need we be. In fact, in literature, political correctness results not only in weak writing but also – far worse – untruthful sentiment.

I also believe that we must consider context. Artistic creations like novels, short stories, plays and films are constructs – and, therefore, fiction. Even works based on real-life people and events are essentially fiction; they are dramatisations, and the act of dramatising real-life events turns them into fictional constructs. Therefore, when we engage with them, we have to be aware of their parameters.

If characters of a certain race behave in a horrible manner in a novel or a play or a film, it should not be concluded that they reflect the race they belong to and that their rotten characteristics are common to that race. They are merely characters in a fictional work, exhibiting human traits that are not the monopoly of any one race. Whether you are Polynesian or Mongolian, you can be greedy or unscrupulous or sadistic.

Malaysians, however, tend to take the simplistic view that if an Indian is villainous in a novel or a film, it must imply that most if not all Indians are villains. Or that if a Malay is shown in a play as someone who likes to drink and often frequents pubs, it must imply that most if not all Malays like alcohol. Because of this myopic view, we often hear of how the image of a race has been tarnished because of such depictions.

It stems from nothing more than ultra-sensitivity, a condition afflicted on Malaysians by the unrelenting politicisation of the issue of race. And the effect of this on Malaysian writers, theatre people and film-makers is that it puts them in a ridiculous dilemma. They can’t portray an Indian prostitute without incurring the wrath of some Indians. They can’t have a Chinese drug baron because some members of the Chinese community might protest. They can’t have a Malay character who philanders like a bullfrog in heat because that would paint a negative image of Malays, who are supposed to be pious Muslims, even if in reality that is not always so.

In the case of Interlok, the objections have centred on the unflattering (some say, demeaning) portrayals of the Indian and Chinese characters in the novel. The most obvious objections are of the use of the word “pariah” in relation to the Indian characters and their representation as being from a low caste, and the depiction of the Chinese as being self-serving, to the extent that a poverty-stricken Chinese character says if he had a daughter, he would sell her. The Chinese are reportedly shown to be interested mainly in making money, even without caring for scruples.

I hope the objectors have considered all these strictly in the context of the novel and asked whether there is evidence in the text to show that Abdullah Hussain means to say that all Indians are pariah and that all Chinese sell their daughters and are money-grabbing. Outside of that, does it degrade the entire Chinese race if a fictional Chinese character is forced to sell his own daughter or to be obsessed with making money if he has known nothing but the famine and poverty of immigrant life?

The objectors also take umbrage against the numerous descriptions of the Chinese as having sepet eyes and fat bodies. They conclude that these and the abovementioned traits cohere with the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) agenda of promoting Ketuanan Melayu and degrading the other races. Is there a case to be made from this novel written 40 years ago that Abdullah Hussain actually hates the Chinese?

The questions to be answered are many. In view of this, the overriding concern of the objectors is whether Interlok should be made a compulsory text for Malay Literature in Form 5, whether it should be let loose on 17-year-olds who might not be discerning enough to separate fiction from reality.

The Government response so far has been to agree to edit out some parts of the novel, including the objectionable p-word. But if that is to be done, what are the repercussions?

First, it shows disrespect for a literary work. More significant than that, it compromises literary freedom. If I were Abdullah Hussain, I would unequivocally say no to that. I don’t know if he was ever consulted, but he should have been. The author must be allowed the last say. If he disagrees, he should be the one with the option to withdraw the text.

Ultimately, the Government needs to ask itself why it should still insist on pushing the novel through when these compromises have to be made. Why add to the mess arising from an issue that is already so contentious? Unless it is concerned that Abdullah Hussain will be unfairly deprived, it could easily look for a substitute text.

It should also ask whether Interlok itself is of sufficient literary merit to deserve being included as a compulsory school text. I can’t answer that as I haven’t read it, but looking at a synopsis of it and the passages quoted from the book by its critics, I would hazard that it is melodramatic and outdated in literary expression. I stand to be proven wrong.

When all is said and done, what can we derive from this entire controversy?

I think we all need to grow up – and grow out of our fixation on race. But the problem of course is that the ruling regime itself is the one that has been perpetuating racial divisiveness in order to remain in power – and that makes it all the more complex.

More and more, non-Malays are feeling they are being disenfranchised despite the lip service being paid by the Government to the 1Malaysia slogan. They have been called pendatang, told even by officials to go back to the countries of their ancestors, reminded by even personages like Mahathir Mohamad that this is the land of the Malays. Thus, more and more, they feel they need to resist when they are pushed against the wall.

Even if there were no sinister BTN-like agenda behind the inclusion of Interlok as a compulsory school text, the Government has been so deep in its practice of divide-and-rule that the sceptics would not believe otherwise.

With regard to Interlok, I think it is better that we educate our children so that they know how to distinguish between fiction and reality, so that they understand that it is the right of everyone to express what he or she believes, and that they too have the right to disagree with what is expressed. If our students are thus enlightened, they will read Interlok with eyes wide open and not agree with everything it says. They will resist its discourse. And that is also part of the learning process.

Unfortunately, however, we live in a society that has been psychologically damaged when it comes to the issue of race. And it will take a government that eschews racial politics and a lot of time to set us right again. Unfortunately, too, that is not fiction – but tragic reality.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 22 March 2011, 10:38 am and is filed under
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Malaysia opposition vows to support Anwar after mystery group shows alleged sex video of him

By
Julia Zappei
The Associated Press

22nd March 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s opposition pledged Tuesday to fight allegations that Anwar Ibrahim was filmed having sex with a prostitute, insisting its leader’s troubles won’t fracture his three-party alliance ahead of national elections expected within a year.

A sex video depicting a man believed to resemble Anwar was shown to several Malaysian journalists under mysterious circumstances Monday. It has not been publicly circulated, but opposition officials are scrambling to convince people that it is a plot hatched by the government.

Prime Minister Najib Razak denied authorities made the video, which marks the latest accusation of sexual misconduct confronting Anwar. He is currently on trial on charges he sodomized a 25-year-old male former aide and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Anwar’s top allies held a news conference Tuesday to voice their support for him, claiming the video was simply the latest effort to smear Anwar’s reputation.

“All Malaysians must express their outrage and condemnation that Malaysian politics have reached a new depth of character assassination,” said Lim Kit Siang, a veteran official in the Democratic Action Party.

The opposition believes the release of the video was timed ahead a key state election on Borneo island expected next month. Anwar’s alliance needs to perform well in the election to boost its flagging morale ahead of snap national polls that many believe Najib will call by early 2012.

A group of people who refused to identify themselves summoned journalists from several Malaysian newspapers and websites Monday to a hotel, where they privately screened a 20-minute video of a man having sex with a woman.

The group’s representative claimed the woman was a prostitute from China, the Malaysiakini news website said. He alleged it was made at a Kuala Lumpur hotel Feb. 21, but Anwar insists he was at home with his family that night.

Anwar filed a police complaint Tuesday seeking an investigation into what he described as “an orchestrated attempt to force my wife and me out of national politics.”

“I will fight them, and I will fight them hard,” Anwar said.

Nazri Abdul Aziz, the Cabinet minister responsible for parliamentary affairs, on Tuesday criticized opposition leaders for blaming the government for the video.

“The opposition always says it is the work” of the ruling coalition, Malaysiakini quoted Nazri as saying. “You have problems in your party, solve it.”

Copyright © 2011 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 22 March 2011, 6:54 pm and is filed under
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The prelude to the Battle for Putrajaya

By
Thomas Lee

The dissolution of the 71-seat Sarawak legislative state assembly on Monday 21 March 2001 has set the stage for the introductory phrase of the Battle for Putrajaya.

The Sarawak state election is a foreshadow of the battle royale between the Barisan Nasional and its formidable foe Pakatan Rakyat in the impending 13th general election for the control of Putrajaya.

The Sarawak Barisan Nasional is not expected to have an easy time sailing through smoothly in the current state election, unlike almost all previous state elections when it literally had the monopoly of the Sarawakian support.

The alternative Pakatan Rakyat coalition is going all out to cash in on the current revolutionary fervor in Egypt and in almost the wholes region of the Middle East to sound a clarion call to the people of Malaysia for an electoral revolution to oust what it claims to be an oppressive and corrupt regime. And Sarawak will be the acid test on whether the momentum of the March 2008 tsunamic impact is gathering force or losing steam in its march to Putrajaya.

Long-serving incumbent Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud himself is certain to be the focus of an all-out political assault, mostly through a concerted cyber campaign, over what has been exposed as his alleged enormous personal wealth and properties, including those in some major cities in the West. As it is, over the last few months, there had been many cyber postings on his alleged remarkably prodigious financial empire.

In view of the fact that the main stream media (MSM) have been known and are expected to be very bias and one-sided in their coverage and reporting on the electoral campaigning, the Pakatan Rakyat has mobilized its cyber campaigners and friendly bloggers to launch a massive drive to deliver its message to the people through the cyber space.

The timing seems to be in favour of the Pakatan Rakyat as a new generation of well-educated, well-informed, independent-thinking and professional young voters are clamouring for change, and are not afraid to vote against the establishment. A substantial number of these urban and semi-urban based young people are expected to give their votes to the alternative coalition.

However, the Pakatan Rakyat is certain to have a real hard time breaking through into the rural areas, which comprised most of the constituencies. Despite facing many problems involving customary native land, etc, the rural populace seems to be comfortable and happy with the Barisan Nasional as most of them, particularly the household heads, have benefited from its development policies and programmes. It is expected that the Sarawak Barisan Nasional will exploit their soft spot by pouring in massive grants and allocations during the election campaign.

The Ibans constitute nearly 35% of the Sarawak population, with a large majority of them being Christians. It is this group of Iban Christians that could help the Pakatan Rakyat gain a foothold in the rural constituencies, particularly with the current controversy over the seizure of the Bahasa Malaysia Bible and the restriction on its distribution by the Barisan Nasional federal government.

Although the federal government has announced that there is no restriction on the Malay Bible in Sarawak and Sabah, and that Christians in both states are allowed to used the word “Allah” as the name of God, the unreasonable conditions and restrictions imposed on Christians in peninsular Malaysia have also anger the Christians in Sarawak. They feel that solidarity with their “sisters and brothers in Christ” requires them to stand firmly in the “Body of Christ” in opposing the unjustified and unconstitutional conditions and restrictions. Hence, the Sarawak Christians are expected to use their votes to send the message to the Barisan Nasional federal government that enough is enough and it has to stop its nonsense.

Meanwhile, the Chinese make up 26% of the population of Sarawak, and they are a formidable electoral force in the urban areas.

In the 2006 Sarawak state election, the DAP sent the Barisan Nasional’s Chinese flag-bearer Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) packing by winning eight seats, a marvelous performance in the face of the powerful massive Barisan Nasional election machinery, resources and personnel.

The DAP is expected to do sweep the Chinese-majority areas in the current state election, hammering in the final nail into the SUPP coffin.

The Chinese community has lately been bombarded with stories and allegations of corruption and cronyism among the state leaders. SUPP president George Chan’s daughter Elisa Chan Wai Kuen @ Anisa Hamidah Abdullah has been alleged to have received 12% of 269 acres of prime land near BDC Stampin in Kuching, and the people are demanding that George come clear and clean on the matter. It is expected that the Pakatan Rakyat will highlight this issue and demand for accountability and transparency on it.

Sarawak DAP secretary Chong Cheing Jen had recently listed 10 urgent matters which the party said the Taib and the state authorities should seriously look into and take action to rectify them.

The vital issues Chong raised are (1) the increasing crime rate, (2) high accident rate, (3) state budget deficit, (4) state government debt amounting to RM408 billion, (5) the brain drain, (6) unemployed graduates, (7) illegal immigrants, (8) corruption, (9) multi-billionaire chief minister, and (10) high transport costs cum lack of public transport.

The DAP is all set to make waves during the election campaigning among the Sarawak Chinese, who belong to a wide range of dialect groups, the most significant being the Hakka, Hokkien, Teochew, Hailam, Foochow, and Puxian Min.

As there is a substantial number of Sarawak Chinese who are Christians, it is expected that most of them will cast their votes to register their solidarity with their fellow believers in the peninsula over the Bible seizure and Allah issues.

It is anticipated that election bribes masquerading as government grants will again be offered to the churches, like during the last year’s Sibu by-election. I hope the church members in Sarawak will unite to oppose their pastors and church leaders from accepting those so-called grants to discourage and stop such unethical and immoral practices. The Sibu incident has put the whole Christian community to shame, and I hope it will not be repeated.

The current Sarawak state election is set to be a very fiercely-fought electoral battle, and will be the real baptism of fire for the Pakatan Rakyat.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 22 March 2011, 10:29 am and is filed under
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Police efficiency, independence and professionalism major casualties of the Sri Carcosa sex tape caper

Police efficiency, independence and professionalism are again the major casualties of the Sri Carcosa sex tape caper targeting Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim  two days ago on Monday.

Would the police stayed on the sidelines, claiming ignorance  of the flagrant commission of crimes and impotence to act  until Anwar lodged a police report, if the target of the Sri Carcosa sex tape caper had been the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin or anyone of the Cabinet Ministers?

Would the de facto Law Minister, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz in these circumstances come to the defence of the mysterious “Datuk T” and made the astounding declaration  “Don’t kill the messenger”  and claimed that there was nothing illegal in the Sri Carcosa sex tape caper?

And if there is nothing legally wrong in the Sri Carcosa sex taper caper as claimed by the de facto Minister, then what is the police investigating about following the report lodged by Anwar?

There can be no doubt that if the target of the Sri Carcosa sex  tape caper had been the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister or anyone of the Cabinet Ministers, the mysterious “Datuk T” would not remain incognito for  more than a flicker of the eye as the full force of the law would have come smashing down on him without the niceties of waiting for a police report to be lodged  and he would instantly have been arrested and  clapped behind bars by the police for a variety of heinous crimes, including Section 292 of the Penal Code for “publicly exhibiting any obscene or pornographic material” liable to a jail term of three years or Section 5(1) of the Film Censorship Act 2002 where he is liable to be fined up to RM50,000 or jailed up to five years or both.

Why then the double standards by the police in the Sri Carcosa sex taper caper?

With “Datuk T” and his team operating so freely and openly  in the past two days, who will believe that the Police and those in authority do not know their identity at all?

In fact, Nazri’s comments would be difficult to understand unless he had been privy to the identity of “Datuk T”, like the following: “But we all know that he (Datuk T) has all intentions to report (the matter) to the police and he got editors as his witnesses…”

But there appears to be a change of plan with “Datuk T” sending out an email  yesterday signifying that he would not send the sex video to the police – showing utter  double contempt for the police and  for public opinion because of sense of immunity  and impunity from the law for the Sri Carcosa sex tape caper.

It is just not good enough for the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Ismail Omar to belatedly wake up to the Sri Carcosa sex tape caper when both should be fully aware that they had failed to live up to national expectations that the police would have acted strictly according to the tenets of efficiency, independence and professionalism uninfluenced  by any political considerations in the first 30 hours of the  most disgraceful political scandal in the nation’s history.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 23 March 2011, 4:58 pm and is filed under
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Sex Video: Who Is the More Immoral?

By
Kee Thuan Chye

OH no! Not again! They’re gunning for Anwar Ibrahim over another alleged sex scandal. The video revealed by the mysterious “Datuk T” showing a man resembling an Opposition party leader having sex with a woman, said to be a prostitute, is obviously targeted at him.

But the timing of its revelation to the media on March 21 suspiciously coincides with the dissolution of the Sarawak State Assembly, paving the way for state elections. Not to mention the part in Mahathir Mohamad’s recently launched memoir, A Doctor in the House, that claims Anwar arranged to have sex with four girls when he was deputy prime minister in 1998.

What has Malaysia turned into? The sordid sex opera capital of the world? What are we showing the world? That we are a nation of sex maniacs? Or, worse, that our politics is so dirty that we turn to sex to discredit our enemies?

We have done it to Chua Soi Lek, and now we are doing it to Anwar – for the third time. Who will be next in the near future?

On the other hand, the case in which a minister was alleged to have raped his Indonesian maid seems to have been adeptly swept aside.

Rape is certainly serious because it causes harm to another person. But if a politician visits a prostitute, what’s the beef? Isn’t it his private matter?

When Soi Lek had sex with the woman with whom he was caught on video, that was also his private matter. But what is more despicable in that case – and the current one – is that the videotaping was arranged.

If we want to accuse Soi Lek (and now, apparently, Anwar) of being immoral, what about the morals of the person or persons who masterminded the videotaping? Aren’t such individuals more devious – and therefore more worthy of our contempt – for conniving to destroy another human being? Aren’t such people cowardly for resorting to such covert acts?

Isn’t “Datuk T” cowardly for not revealing his identity? He claims he was not the one who set up the videotaping, that he actually discovered it, so why is he afraid to come forward and show who he is?

He says he was shocked when he discovered the four cameras and a recorder in the hotel room where the sexual tryst took place, and decided to take the recorder with him. As someone who was presumably close to and trusted by the politician concerned, why did he not show the video to the latter? Why was he keeping it to himself? Did he there and then plan to use it at some point in the future?

If he wasn’t the one behind the videotaping, who was? Why did he not investigate it further? Especially since he was at the time an “insider” in the politician’s camp? Why is he now allowing himself to be a pawn of some other person or persons without finding out who they are? How can he simply take over the product of someone else’s handiwork and use it for his own purpose?

Why is he now turning against the politician who had trusted him? Why does he now call on the politician – and even the latter’s wife – to quit politics? What has she got to do with this?

Is he even sure about the authenticity of the video? If he is, why does he write in the statement given to the press: “If it is true… [the couple] must step down from politics” (my italics)? He says if they did not accede to his demand, he would call on several NGOs to set up an independent panel to investigate and study the authenticity of the video. Does that connote that he’s not sure?

It’s interesting that the set-up of the press conference to reveal the video smacks of an organized and sophisticated backing to it. The security checks on the journalists attending it were reportedly done with metal scanners, and the journalists were provided with jackets to wear to prevent them from touching their pockets. The event was held in the luxurious Carcosa Seri Negara. Who sponsored all that?

As for the video itself, it is reported to have been recorded with high quality equipment which rendered clear and sharp images. It’s “professionally done”, Datuk T reportedly commented. This again smacks of organized and sophisticated backing. Why aren’t we asking who was behind it? Why did Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein initially dismiss it as something that could not be investigated because no one had yet lodged a police report? Now that Anwar has made such a report, let’s see what proceeds from there.

This could be a case not only of invasion of privacy but, more seriously, one of conspiracy. It is also possible that the entire sexual liaison was staged, with a look-alike being employed to pass off for the politician – as is done in movies.

Why was the woman not brought along to vouch for the video’s authenticity? Datuk T says when he went back to the hotel room to look for the politician’s Omega watch and found it not there, he confronted her about it and she gave it back to him. This indicates that he knows how to contact her directly. So wouldn’t he be able to produce her if her testimony is required?

A lot of intriguing questions have arisen from this drama, raising a lot of suspicion. In light of that, the quintessential detective might well say, “I smell a rat.”

Ironically, this episode could turn out in Anwar’s favor as people begin to be disgusted by how low his enemies will go to try and destroy him. Many would no doubt have already been put off by the front page of The Star of March 22 carrying a huge picture of him next to the headline ‘Sex Video Shocker’.

The visual impact is clear – in the picture, both his index fingers are pointing at himself as if to say, “I’m the one”. Considering that no one, not even Datuk T, has been reported to name the politician in the video, it is distasteful to run a picture of Anwar on the front page, and especially in such a pose.

The Sarawak state elections may be coming up and the stakes may be high for Barisan Nasional to score a big victory, but this is a blatant spin that speaks poorly of a national newspaper.

All these underhanded tactics must cease. Politics may be a dirty game, but let’s not make it more dirty than it already is. The general consensus among the public is that there are national problems that need to be urgently solved. Energy should be concentrated on these priorities, instead of spent on distracting us from them.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 23 March 2011, 10:43 am and is filed under
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Was it a big fat lie, Mr PM?

By
P Ramakrishnan
 | Aliran President

Was Anwar’s bid to takeover Putrajaya on 16 September 2008 a “big fat lie” as Najib has claimed? P Ramakrishnan reminds us about a certain trip to Taiwan.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was reported by The Sunday Star (20 March 2011) as having said that PKR had gone to the extent of telling the ‘biggest political lie of the century’ when it announced it would take over the government on 16 September 2008.

“We have to keep repeating this because human memory is short and they forget, but we must remind the people that it was the biggest political lie of the century,’ he said.

He said PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had made the Barisan Nasional worried when he claimed that more than 30 of the coalition’s elected representatives would cross over, “But in the end, it was all a big fat lie’ he added.

I must thank the PM for jogging my memory. The only truth in his statement was that “Datuk Anwar Ibrahim had made the Barisan Nasional worried when he claimed that more than 30 of the coalition’s elected representatives would cross over”. That was a fact. The rest of Najib’s claims about what transpired cannot be said to be the “biggest political lie of the century”. They are Najib’s claims of what happened and they are his lies.

Again, Najib is correct in stating, “We have to keep repeating this because human memory is short and they forget…”

Indeed we have to repeat the past incidents and recall what actually happened so that people can remember the truth.

If the cross over on 16 September 2008 was deemed to be a lie, why did the BN take this lie so seriously by sending some 50 MPs to Taiwan? They were sent, we were then told, on an agricultural tour of Taiwan. But the truth was that the BN was running scared of the possibility of its own MPs switching sides. It did not trust its MPs absolutely.

That was the only reason why the BN wanted to keep these 50-over MPs away from Malaysia. It desperately wanted them to be away from Anwar who was trying to entice some 30 over BN MPs to defect to his side in his campaign to unseat the BN government.

The BN knew that there was this real possibility that its MPs could have provided Anwar the majority that was required to topple the BN government.

There was no other convincing reason why these MPs had to be kept away from Malaysia on 16 September. They could have been sent to Taiwan or to Timbaktu on any other date for whatever course but the BN wasn’t prepared to take any chances by keeping them in Malaysia on 16 September!

So on 8 September – 8 days before 16 September – these MPs were packed off to Taiwan on a “blur blur” tour. One BN MP mentioned that this trip was planned months ago while another contradicted him by claiming it was all so sudden!

Lim Kit Siang alluded to this as “a national shame that BN MPs should be treated like delinquent children who have to be packed off overseas and secluded from mischief – treating BN MPs as no better than chattel. Poor BN MPs!”

John Roberts in an article entitled, “Political power struggle in Malaysia continues unabated” had this to say:

In the lead up to September 16, the government took the extraordinary step of sending nearly 50 BN parliamentarians on a paid trip to Taiwan to study farming techniques. Few believe that farming issues were the reason behind the trip. Among those sent were parliamentarians regarded as most susceptible to being courted by the opposition. PKR secretary general Salehuddin Hashim described the expedition as “kidnapping,” saying it was “a very clear sign of the anxieties and insecurities inside Barisan”.

If the BN had not taken this extraordinary precaution by sending its own MPs away to Taiwan, and on 16 September if Anwar’s bid for power had failed, only then Najib could boast that “it was all a big fat lie”.

Since the BN did not dare take that chance to test the integrity of its own MPs, Najib’s story is nothing but a “big fat lie”.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 23 March 2011, 10:48 am and is filed under
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Why police not yet arrested “Datuk T” – Datuk Trio of Rahim Thamby Chik, Shazryl Eskay Abdullah and Shuib Lazim – for the crimes of the Sri Carcosa sex tape caper

The mystery of the “Dato T” of the Sri Carcosa sex tape caper has been resolved in 48 hours with the confession by the culprits concerned – former Malacca chief minister and Umno veteran Tan Sri Rahim Thamby Cik, Shazryl Eskay Abdullah and Perkasa’s Shuib Lazim.

In a hurriedly-called press conference, Rahim admitted that “Datuk T” stood for “Datuk Trio” comprising three of them.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had immediately denied that he was the man in the video and had lodged a police report the very next day.

Two questions now uppermost in the minds of all right-thinking Malaysians are:

Why police have not yet arrested the trio of “Datuk T”, namely Rahim, Shazryl and Shuib for various crimes including Section 292 of the Penal Code for “publicly exhibiting any obscene or pornographic material” liable to a jail term of three years or Section 5(1) of the Film Censorship Act 2002 where a person is liable to be fined up to RM50,000 or jailed up to five years or both. Do the trio enjoy immunity and impunity for breaches of the law and actions which have brought world-wide shame to the nation?

How Malaysian public and international opinion are to be convinced that the police and the top Umno and Cabinet  leaders including the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Nazri Aziz are not privy to the Sri Carcosa sex tape caper and to the identities of the trio in “Dato T” whether before or immediately after the screening of the sex video on Monday.

A despicable and dastardly political ploy to destroy both Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat’s chances in the Sarawak general elections may prove to be the last straw to break the back of public confidence in the credibility and legitimacy of the Najib premiership and to convince the majority of the people that the time has come to end the mandate of Barisan Nasional and Umno to continue to govern Sarawak and Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 23 March 2011, 6:05 pm and is filed under
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Can IGP Ismail Omar give a categorical assurance that there would be no cover-up in the Carcosa sex tape investigations as happened in 1998 when results of Anwar Ibrahim black-eye police investigations were initially suppressed?

The Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar should give a categorical assurance that there would be no cover-up in the Carcosa sex tape investigations as happened in 1998 when results of Anwar Ibrahim black-eye police investigations were initially suppressed.

More than a decade after the event, the former Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigations Department chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim, who was the investigation officer in the Anwar “black eye” assault case, revealed that he had right from the beginning found out that it was the then Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Rahim Noor who had committed the offence but this information was initially suppressed and it was only finally forced out publicly in a Royal Commission of Inquiry four months later.

A special police team  to investigate into Carcosa sex tape caper lodged by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will not inspire much confidence unless the Inspector-General of Police can give such an assurance as well as explain why the police had been so slow in springing into action following news of the Carcosa sex tape video caper on Monday.

In fact, the IGP should explain whether the police had previous information of the Carcosa sex tape caper as it would reflect most adversely on the competence, efficiency and professionalism of the Special Branch –  undoubtedly one of the most if not the most efficient units not only in the police force but of the entire government service –  if police intelligence had failed completely to alert the authorities of the Carcosa sex tape caper.

And if the police had prior information, why police had allowed the Carcosa sex tape caper to take place and furthermore why it had waited more than 24 hours later when Anwar had lodged police report before taking action?

Furthermore, why up to now, despite the public confession by the culprits admitting that the “Dato T” comprised one Tan Sri and two Datuks, viz. Tan Sri Rahim Thamby Chik, Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah and Datuk Shuib Lazim, why the police have not yet arrested and charged them in court for various crimes including Section 292 of the Penal Code for “publicly exhibiting any obscene or pornographic material” liable to a jail term of three years or Section 5(1) of the Film Censorship Act 2002 where a person is liable to be fined up to RM50,000 or jailed up to five years or both.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 24 March 2011, 5:08 pm and is filed under
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Longing For A Free Mind  (Part 3 of 14)

by
M. Bakri Musa

The Comfort of the Coconut Shell

[In the first two parts I asserted that for Malaysia to achieve her Vision 2020 aspirations, she needs leaders and citizens with free minds.  I likened those without a free mind as frogs underneath a coconut shell.]

We ignore our better sense and willingly believe the mullah despite the donkey braying in our face because our minds are captive to biology, tradition, and the environment, among others.

            The North Koreans fervently believe that they live in Paradise because their “Beloved Leader” tells them so.  Never mind that they wake up every morning with nothing to look forward to and go to sleep at night on an empty stomach.  Malaysian leaders never tire of telling us that they are competent and not corrupt despite the mess the country is in and their luxuriating in their palatial mansions.  It does not take a donkey to realize that these leaders could not possibly be “clean” to afford such obscene opulence just on their government pay.

            We refuse to hear the braying donkey because our mind is trapped by culture to believe the mullah.  Doubting would be an act of blasphemy, disloyalty, or even treachery.

            Returning to the coconut shell metaphor, that little (or even big) frog can be smug about his world and claim to fully comprehend and in command of it.  After all, what is there to understand?  His world is all dark and small.  As for commanding it, he is the only one to obey his orders!

            What that proverbial Señor Frog does not appreciate is that his universe, large as it may seem to him, is nothing but a speck.  I am not referring here to Señor Frog chain of bars in the Caribbean and Mexico, which is a huge and attractive universe, at least to American college students on spring break.

            We on the outside may be tempted to lord it over the unfortunate entrapped frog.  We may even pity the poor critter.  However, as Pramoedya noted in his Child of All Nations, “Pity is the feeling of well intentioned people who are unable to act.”  Impotent, we assuage what little guilt we may harbor by rationalizing that the poor soul is probably quite happy with his lot.  That may well be; after all you would not miss what you do not know you miss.

            Malaysians face many forces, subtle and not so subtle, that keep us cooped under our shell.  There is our feudal culture, and with it our meek and excessive deference to authority figures.  Our schools and universities are more for indoctrinating, not teaching our young to think critically.  We are also easily trapped by labels; thus we readily dispense with critically examining what is in or behind those labels.  Our leaders exploit this societal weakness by labeling those they disagree with as “anti-nationals” or “unpatriotic.”  We in turn are only too ready to believe those labels.

            Then there are intrusive and repressive laws like the awful Internal Security Act where a minister has absolute power to incarcerate you without trial.  No mortal should ever have that power.  As the Sudanese reformer Mahmoud Mohamad Taha wisely observed, “No person is perfect enough to be entrusted with the liberty and dignity of others.”  We need effective checks and balances, and respect for due process.  Those are not niceties but necessities.  Do not let any mullah regardless how impressive his title or big his turban is tell you otherwise.  You would be a donkey to believe him.

            There are three major obstacles facing our entrapped frog in escaping his lot.  The first and greatest is to instill in him the realization that he is indeed trapped, and then to ignite in him the desire to escape; second, help him topple his shell; and third, assist him in adjusting to his new open world.

            The first obstacle is the toughest for far too often we lack even the awareness of being trapped.  We are blissfully ignorant of the outside world.  This awareness of being entrapped is crucial but by itself is not enough; we must also have the desire to escape.  For that to happen, we must first be dissatisfied with our current state.

            It may seem perverse but there are those who are content to remain underneath their shell, readily accepting their fate and ascribing it to Allah’s will.  Al qadar (divinely destined)!  Who are we to challenge His design?

            Then there is the universal power of inertia; we are comfortable with the status quo.  Besides, it has served our parents, and their parents and even grandparents well.  Again, who are we to alter tradition?

            As for ambition, that would only upset mankind, as Pramoedya sagely observed in his short story, Djongos dan Babu (Houseboy and Maid).  That family destined themselves to be slaves forever.  If God were to pity them, their thirtieth generation would have descended so low as to be no longer humans but worms crawling inside the earth, predicted Pramoedya.

            The coconut shell world of Sabu and Ina (the sibling characters in that short story) was tossed over many times yet they still returned to underneath it.  They were enslaved by the Dutch, but when the colonial world collapsed, instead of liberating themselves they again chose to be enslaved under the Japanese.  When the Japanese were defeated, the pair again chose to be enslaved, this time by the returning Dutch.  Happy to be perpetual slaves they refused to be free with their fellow Indonesians, deeming themselves “too good” to be with the natives!

            History is replete with examples of external upheavals resulting in the inadvertent toppling of coconut shells.  Trapped underneath we are not even aware up until then of the external cataclysms.  All of a sudden we find ourselves in an entirely new, open and much bigger world.

            Those who destined themselves to be eternal slaves like Pramoedya’s Sabu and Ina would find this new world far from welcoming; in fact downright frightening.  Thus they scramble to find new coconut shells to hide under.  For others, the external upheaval that toppled their shell would be a transforming event.

            When the colonials entered the Malay world they certainly turned it upside down, flipping over our shell.  We cursed them for disturbing our world but there would be no denying the ensuing good.  For one, they ended the more odious aspects of our culture, like slavery and indentured labor.  If not for the colonialists, I would today be an orang hamba (slave) at the istana (palace).  The colonials also introduced modern education, through which I am what I am today.

            The British gave us Munshi Abdullah.  If not for them, Abdullah too would be another indentured laborer at the istana, and Malay literature would remain nothing more than chronicles of khayalan (fantasies).

            Another global cataclysm was World War II.  While the colonialists’ entry forced a sea change in Malay culture, the Japanese invasion triggered a momentous change in Malay psyche.  Seeing those hitherto invincible white Tuans and their Mems scurrying in their Austins and Morris Minors chased by short yellow Japanese on rickety bicycles must have made quite an impact on the natives:  The myth of white supremacy forever shattered!  It is the dramatic destruction of this myth that emboldened Malays to pursue with even greater vigor our independence.

            Short of such external upheavals we have to make our own effort to topple our shells from within.  As alluded to earlier, for that to happen we must first be dissatisfied with our present condition.  Progress, and thus change, depends on individuals not being satisfied with the status quo.  Once we have this sense of dissatisfaction, or preferably anger, that alone would be enough to motivate us to topple and get out from under our shell.

            How that is achieved will the subject of the next few sections.

Next:   Liberation Through Information

[
Presented at the Fifth Annual Alif Ba Ta Conference at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, organized by UMNO Club of New York-New Jersey, January 29, 2011.
]

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 24 March 2011, 11:10 am and is filed under
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Sordid politics in Malaysia – Hitting below the belt

The Economist

Mar 24th 2011

EVER since he ascended the greasy pole, the political career of Malaysia’s opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, has been mortgaged to his private life. He is currently on trial for sodomising a male aide, which he denies, in what has become a virtual rerun of a similar case in 1998, after he was sacked as deputy prime minister. Then he was sent to jail for six years, until an appeal court ruled that his conviction had been unsound.

Now a new scandal has broken out over a video clip that purports to show Mr Anwar having sex—this time with a woman. Mr Anwar has furiously denied that he is the man in the video. (The footage was screened on March 21st to a group of Malaysian reporters, all of whom were required to surrender phones, laptops and recording devices.) A man who refused to identify himself said that the video was a secret recording made at a hotel room in Kuala Lumpur. He explained that he had discovered the recording device after a “prominent politician” asked him to search the hotel room for a missing watch. He said he wanted to show that the “prominent politician”—guess who?—was immoral and “not fit to be a leader”. The man of mystery has since revealed his identity, and that of an accomplice: surprise, surprise, they’re longtime political enemies of Mr Anwar’s.

A media storm erupted on cue, as Malaysian media splashed the allegations everywhere, if not the video itself. As in previous sex-tape scandals in Asia, though, it is probably only a matter of time before that too leaks out. This was the case in 2008, when compromising photos of Hong Kong actor, Edison Chen, and his female friends circulated widely online. Mr Chen claimed initially that the photos were faked. His defence crumbled before an onslaught of fury in the Chinese media and then some overzealous policework. A computer technician was later convicted for copying the photos from Mr Chen’s laptop during repairs.

In January, an Indonesian pop star, Nazril “Ariel” Irham, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail for making and distributing sex tapes of himself and two women. The conviction was an odd sort of success for Indonesia’s strict anti-pornography law passed in 2008 and sponsored by Muslim politicians. Mr Nazril’s heavily pixelated videos, which spread via social-networking sites, were a huge hit. Even national news channels ran some of the clips, earning a rebuke from the broadcasting regulator.

In Malaysia, smut videos tend to be more about politics and less about show business per se. In 2008, a cabinet minister resigned after a hidden camera in another hotel room caught him in a romp with a young woman who was not his wife. The minister, Chua Soi Lek, blamed his enemies in the Malaysian Chinese Association, a party in the ruling coalition, of orchestrating the video release. What was unusual was that Mr Chua was a case of a non-Muslim politician being hung out to dry. For Malay-Muslims in Malaysian politics, which is always riven by ethnicity, the stakes are much higher. Muslim voters are presumed to be less forgiving of personal foibles.

This is why attacks against Mr Anwar are so frequently aimed below the belt. Policy debates lack the sizzle of sex. Sodomy presses all sorts of buttons. Even a heterosexual affair can come in handy to his detractors. The story of the mystery tape appears to have exactly the mix of transgression, betrayal (yet another turncoat aide?) and technology that Malaysian politics thrives on. It marks “a new depth of character assassination”, lamented Lim Kit Siang, a veteran politician allied to Mr Anwar.

The timing is fortuitous. Mr Anwar’s opposition movement is preparing for a crucial state election in Sarawak. Some pundits believe that a solid win for the ruling coalition will tee up national elections this year. As when the sodomy trial was announced, Mr Anwar has accused the prime minister, Najib Razak, of conspiring with the police and ruling-party bigwigs to destroy his reputation (Mr Najib has denied all involvement). On March 22nd, Mr Anwar filed a police report over the screening of the video, which he said was defamatory and illegal under Malaysian obscenity laws.

Not so, according to Nazri Aziz, a cabinet minister and close advisor to the prime minister. Asked by Malaysian reporters if the screening of the steamy video had broken any laws, he pointed out that the exhibitors had not demanded any money from the invited reporters. Thus it was not a commercial release of a “blue movie”. Fair enough. So commercial porn is off-limits, but political porn is just fine? Mr Aziz contends that the porn-y dimension of this case is merely a distraction. “They wanted to show proof that Anwar had sex with this woman, not to make a pornographic video,” he said. But it can be hard to do one without the other.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 24 March 2011, 5:45 pm and is filed under
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Who’s the fool?

By
Thomas Lee

Although the April Fool’s Day is still a week away, a deputy federal minister from Sarawak has already come out with a “foolish” statement.

Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum was reported as saying that the Christians in Sarawak are “foolish” to hold protest prayer vigils against the way the Barisan Nasional regime is violating the rights to freedom of religion with its detention of thousands of copies of the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible, and imposing certain conditions for their release.

Joseph, who calls himself a Christian, has said that if the Christians “come out and say that we want the Bibles, they will get it” and that “If they want to make fools of themselves, we will not respond,” whatever that means.

Joseph, the federal deputy minister for information communication and culture, was commenting critically on a series of prayer vigils that the Sarawak Christians are holding to seek divine help and intervention in facing the constitutional violation of their religious rights.

It is certainly flabbergasting that a person of Joseph’s standing as a veteran politician and a well-versed Christian (I heard he did some theological studies in Australia) should react in such a manner to the united reverent prayer vigils held by the churches.

The Malay Bible and Allah controversies are not partisan political in nature per se, but fundamentally concerned with the human, civil and constitutional rights of the Christians in Malaysia to practice and propagate their faith in their own national language without restrain and restrictions on the use of all the words in its vocabulary.

The Church, hence, remains non-partisan in its perspective on politics, and all it does is to protest against the repressive, oppressive and unconstitutional treatment of its Bible and the unilateral restriction on the use of certain Bahasa Malaysia words in its publications.

Although the Church is, for all intent and purpose, non-partisan in the political arena, it certainly needs to provide some vital principles and guidelines for its members in exercising their role and duties as loyal and responsible citizens of the nation.

The fundamental basis on which the Church bases its principles and guidelines is of course, the theological, doctrinal, moral and ethical teachings of the Bible. And it is on the underlying theological and philosophical idealism deduced from the careful study and exegeses of the Bible that the Church formulates its perspective on life and thoughts, including in the area of politics.

Hence, it is certainly the height of folly to suggest that the Church in Malaysia is aligned to the opposition or alternative political front.

As an organized assembly of followers of the Lord Jesus, the Church is a non-partisan, neutral and impartial body, so far as the matters of state and politics are concerned.

Individual Christians, however, are free to exercise their personal choice of political ideologies and practices, so long as they do not violate the basic core teachings of the Bible, such as the ethical values prescribed in the Ten Commandments, and enjoined in the Sermon of the Mount.

Meanwhile, as a fellow Christian, I want to draw Joseph’s attention to what the Bible has to say concerning “fools”.

The Apostle Paul said that “If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a ‘fool’ so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.” (1st Corinthians 3:18). And in 2nd Corinthians 11: 16 & 17, he said: “Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool.”

In the Old Testament, the Prophet Hosea quoted God as saying: “Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired man a maniac.” (Hosea 9:7).

The Lord Jesus himself has said that “anyone who says, `You fool!’ (meaning calling others fools) will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (Matthew 5:22)

I rest my case.

[
Thomas is a veteran newspaper editor and socio-political analyst of 35-year standing. He has two master’s degrees, including one in theological studies.
]

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 24 March 2011, 11:12 am and is filed under
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Why are sex video trio not charged?

By
Kee Thuan Chye

So, those who surmised that the sex video revealed by ‘Datuk T’ was a political ploy have been proven right. The people behind it – three of them – have confessed to it.

They were forced to reveal themselves because PKR’s MP Johari Abdul had earlier spilled the beans on them. It all unravelled like a cheap soap opera.

Former Malacca chief minister Rahim Thamby Chik, businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah and Shuib Lazim, treasurer-general of Perkasa, have come out to say they are ‘Datuk T’. And they have the cheek to call for a royal commission of inquiry into the sex video.

In the first place, they have transgressed Section 292 of the Penal Code for possessing and distributing pornographic material. Regardless of who the person in the video is, the trio are culpable. Exposing a politician’s sexual activity does not protect them from the law.

After their intended target, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, had lodged a police report, the inspector-general of police, Ismail Omar, announced that the case would be investigated under Section 292.

That being so, the police should now logically arrest all three for possession and distribution of pornographic material and have them charged in court. They should have moved in right after the trio gave their press conference to reveal themselves.

If the trio were the authors of the statement given out to the media calling on the politician (said to be in the video) and his wife to quit politics, they should also be charged for blackmail.

So what’s holding the police back? Are they awaiting further instructions from Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein?

If so, Hishammuddin should observe the rule of law. He should not protect these people because they are Umno members or pro-Umno. This is where the public can judge how sincere the government really is.

If the trio go scot-free, it will be a sure sign that the government practises double standards.

The trio’s call for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the sex video is unwarrantable. Why should there be one? In the case of VK Lingam in 2007, there was ample cause for an RCI – the issue of the fixing of judges was of immense public concern as it affected one of our country’s institutions.

Where is the public concern for a case involving a man, even though he may be a public figure, visiting a prostitute? How does that affect the public? It’s his own private concern, and the public is no worse for it.

In calling for an RCI, the trio appear to be trying to distract us from the offence they have actually committed. In fact, if they were also the ones who masterminded the videotaping, it would mean they are far more immoral than anyone who merely visits a prostitute. They would have no moral right to cast stones at others.

Their actions would have to be seen to be nothing less than repulsive. Even inhuman. For what kind of human being would do something as despicable as this to destroy another human being?

A larger force at work?

But for now, they have not said they were behind the videotaping. They maintain that Shazryl discovered the four cameras and recorder in the hotel room where the sexual liaison took place when he was asked by the politician to go back there and retrieve his Omega watch.

If that is so, who set up the cameras and recorder? Who wanted to catch the politician in the act? And why? There might be a larger force at work here. Finding out who or what it is would be finding the key to the mystery that surrounds the whole drama.

Another key question is why, after discovering the video, Shazryl hooked up with Rahim and Shuib to expose the politician. Why did Shazryl not ascertain the source of the videotaping before deciding to go public with the video?

He admits he was also in the tape but refuses to say why he was at the hotel where the sexual liaison took place. Does this mean he was caught on tape unknowingly or was he in on the taping as well? From his saying that he had felt “used by Anwar for far too long”, could it imply that he wanted to get back at the man by setting the whole thing up?

The association with Rahim is most intriguing. He was the Malacca chief minister who had to resign in 1994 over allegations of his sexual relations with an underaged girl.

At yesterday’s press conference, he indicated he had a score to settle with Anwar by accusing the latter of lying to him. He urged Anwar to take responsibility for his actions by stepping down, like he himself did in 1994.

Did Shazryl go to Rahim after discovering the video, or was Rahim also in it from the beginning? Is all this part of a plot to exact revenge?

Onus now is on the police

Is the sex video also aimed at luring PKR MPs to defect? As PKR’s Johari Abdul (far right in photo) has revealed to the media, he was invited to privately view the sex video on Monday by the trio, after which they made him offers of financial incentives, suggesting that he defect.

He says they also offered to take him to meet Prime Minister and Umno president Najib Razak, and asked him to bring more Pakatan Rakyat MPs to see the video. He inferred that the trio wanted to also turn them against Anwar.

If all this is true, we are seeing yet another instance of gutter politics being practised. The sort that is as dirty as that perpetrated in the Perak coup of 2008.

As it has turned out, the soap opera has apparently not unfolded as it was scripted, and this whole ugly and sordid drama could actually hurt Umno and BN. Even if Rahim and gang were acting on their own, we have now managed to see further evidence of what Umno (and Perkasa) people can resort to.

Besides, we still don’t know who actually masterminded the videotaping. There could be deeper and more sinister implications. There could even be a larger conspiracy. This is a mystery the police must solve.

But first, the police must also do what’s right. Already, the public has lost much faith in them. If they don’t act against the trio in accordance with the law now, they will be seen to be mere puppets of the BN.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 24 March 2011, 11:16 am and is filed under
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Of political desperados, dingoes and demons

By
Martin Jalleh

The PM and Umno are desperate, very desperate indeed. It has dawned very hard on them that they could soon be driven out of Putrajaya and into political oblivion.

Anwar Ibrahim, the man who has been the drawing and driving force behind the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat (PR), must be destroyed at all cost. Never before has anyone posed such a danger to Umno.

They had tried very hard to do his political career in with a sham sodomy trial but he bounced back even more determined, and with his coalition, dealt them a severe blow in the last general elections.

They had once dismissed him as a has-been and irrelevant. But Anwar just refused to disappear. Now they are convinced he must be demolished forever and then Pakatan Rakyat will definitely disintegrate.

Umno would launch relentless dastardly attacks on his reputation with the help of spin doctors in the mainstream media and online cyber-troopers and ceaselessly attempt to damage his credibility and integrity.

They would incessantly drum it into the minds of the citizens of Bolehland long and loud enough that he is a man of dubious character, one who will do anything to be the PM of Malaysia.

They would demonise him as a loyal friend of the Zionists, denigrate him as a spy for the US, defame him as a CIA agent, disparage him as a political chameleon and denounce him as a traitor.

They would deploy anyone to demolish him, whether they be in Umno, Apco or a bozo in the police, AG’s Chambers and especially the judiciary, people who would dance to their tune at the drop of a hat.

They would get deserters, detractors and disgruntled leaders of his party and within the coalition to discredit him with their stale and silly exposé and to derail the process of change that the PR wants to bring about.

A “Doctor in the House” joins in the diatribe against Anwar with his memoirs – a “doctored” memory of the past by a supposed statesman who prefers to live in the present on self-deception, delusion and denial.

Such is their desperation, they would even resurrect characters who played a “vicious role” in the conspiracy of Sodomy I, one of whom was described in a court transcript as being “disowned by her own father”.

They would even deny Anwar a place in parliament for six months with the help of the Speaker whom Tunku Abdul Aziz (a respected public figure) described as a “total disgrace”.

Sodomy Script

Politically bankrupt and devoid of political principles, they would dish out yet another sodomy script. Once again they would ruthlessly drag his and his family’s good name through the mud.

Prosecution star witness Saiful would not disappoint in the judicial circus. He contradicts himself and even has a sex liaison with a DPP in the case! The Court confirms it did happen but refuses to dismiss the case.

The AG and the judge would deny Anwar access to the details that are as a norm furnished to the defence at the start of a trial. But the AG would disclose all documents to the defence in the Ling Liong Sik’s case!

A chemist acknowledges that DNA found in Saiful’s rear end could have come from as many as 10 different people – including himself! Saiful gives new meaning to the phrase “go f**k yourself”! (Asia Sentinel)

The prosecution is at a point of desperation when the AG’s Chambers and the police commit a plethora of mistakes regarding DNA evidence. They should be aptly dubbed the “DNA” – Desperate n Asinine team.

Courage deserts the judge as he overturns his own decision made during a trial-within-a-trial (which is very rarely done). Anwar says he is not surprised. The judge may be pressured and directed to stick to the script.

Umno has even contingent plans to dispose of Anwar. They come up with a new video tape showing a man alleged to be Anwar having sex with a female Chinese prostitute.

From the feedback of reporters who saw it and the glaring questions that have arisen as to how, where and when it was shown, one can only deduce that it is but doctored trash.

Najib parrots Hishamuddin and denies that the police are involved in the making of the sex tape. The public remembers how he had denied that he had ever met Saiful but later admitted that he did meet Saiful after all.

De facto law minister Nazri Aziz, who is reputed for his temper tantrums, theatrics, threats, taunts, and twisting the truth declares that the showing of the “blue film” (his very own words) is legitimate!

Nazri asks the public not to shoot the “messenger”. Datuk T is no “messenger” but a “Terrorist” employed to assassinate Anwar’s character!

Distractions & Diversions

Umno’s alleged sex scandals by opposition members are not only a conspiracy to destroy Anwar, but they are meant to distract the nation from the failures of the BN government and Umno.

The sex video is shown on the very day the Sarawak state assembly is dissolved. Do Sarawakians want to deliberate and decide on their future or waste their energy over the salacious contents of a doctored tape?

When the nation is sex saturated, and the people enjoy their daily sex diet, this is what Umno and the BN government wants to do:

Distract the rakyat from the damning evidence that the country is going to the dogs and that we are living in a “sham democracy” (Tengku Razaleigh).

Divert the people’s attention from the reality that we have a dead constitution (courtesy of the judiciary), a divided nation, decaying institutions, a dour economy and a disturbing diaspora rate!

Deflect the public’s attention from Umno’s rampant corruption, exacerbating internal divisions and that the Umnoputras are bleeding this country dry.

Deceive the nation with Najib’s “performance” consisting of nothing but public relations, publicity stunts, political rhetoric, populist slogans, propaganda puff, a pipe-dream and a pie in the sky!

Downplay the successes of the PR States. Deny, delay and distribute discriminately federal funds they are entitled to, whilst hiding the fact that some of the BN states are near debt or in deficit.

It is very evident that Umno has not changed! It has plunged to such depths that it is only adept at churning out sex stories to destroy its enemies, the No.1 being Anwar!  It has no sense of decency or shame left.

It has to resort to dirty politics (no matter how despicable and disgusting) in order to survive. It will one day reap what it now sows and bury itself in the very grave it has dug for Anwar today.

It would no doubt be an “unmitigated disaster” if the rakyat were to vote for BN and (Najib) in the next general elections!

                This entry was posted on Friday, 25 March 2011, 9:14 am and is filed under
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Public confidence in Police Plummeted in 2010

CELEBRATING “POLICE DAY” (1)

by Martin Jalleh

25th March 2011

Bolehland celebrates the 204th Police Day today. We thank God for each member of the PDRM for risking and putting their lives on the line every day for us and the countless unseen and untold sacrifices they have made.

We would like to believe that the country is at peace because of the police.

Sadly though a review of the performance of the police force last year (2010) indicates the failure of the government’s professed intention of improving the level of public confidence in the country’s police force.

In a four-part series. the reader will be able to see how in 2010, the police

a) aggressively and indiscriminately denied certain citizens the constitutional right to the freedom of speech and assembly b) abused and used arbitrarily the wide powers of arrest and detention

c) acted with impunity and complete disregard for constitutional and judicial safeguards.

d) arrogantly showed their contempt for the rights of the people that resulted in gross abuse of police powers leading to brutality, torture, prolonged detention, shooting, custodial violence and death.

Part I: Police Preferred to Play Politics

In March 2010, then then IGP Musa Hassan’s insisted that “the police did not take into account the political leanings of anyone, including politicians, when conducting their investigation…”

Musa was only fooling himself. There were ample examples in 2010 of the police being blatantly and brazenly biased towards the powers that be. This can be especially seen in the double standards it displayed.

Umno and its cohorts has never had to bear up with any blinding tear gas or burning chemical-laced water from a water cannon. They were never brutalised or bludgeoned by the batons of bullies in blue, or bundled into police vehicles or beaten up in a police cell.

In 2010, the police appeared to believe in and guarded Umno’s constitutional right to the freedom of speech and assembly. They were guaranteed convenient and comfortable passage to and from the place they held their demonstrations. No action was taken even though it was later confirmed it was an “illegal gathering”.

Such was the case when in February about 300 Umno Youth, Perkasa and MIC Youth members besieged the Australian High Commission to protest against the 50 Australian Members of Parliament who had called for the sodomy charges against Anwar Ibrahim to be dropped.

In the same month, police gave their blessings to some 1,000 members of Perkasa and Selangor Umno to march from the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz mosque to the Selangor State Secretariat Building to protest the state government’s handling of the quit rent issue involving Yayasan Basmi Kemiskinan.

In sharp contrast, police subjected the Opposition to “petty prosecutions”. They made it their job to deny, disturb, disrupt and derail events organized by the Opposition, civil groups (like Hindraf) or concerned citizens.

In March they disrupted Pakatan Rakyat gatherings in Kepong and Kelab Sultan Sulaiman field, held to celebrate the second anniversary of its 8 March success. In July, they “ambushed” a dinner-talk in Rengit, Johor. Such senseless police aggression was also seen in Changkat Lada, Perak and many other places throughout 2010.

In March, acting on police reports made by the police themselves, the police interrogated Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim over “sensitive issues” which he had supposedly raised during his ceremahs in Penang. Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and about 15 other elected representatives were also questioned.

“I think this is too much…We strongly resent and protest this continued intimidation by the police force… the police are out to prevent us from carrying out our duties. They should focus on problems of security and criminals and not be subservient to Umno leaders,” Anwar lambasted the police.

On 1 August 30 people were arrested in Petaling Jaya for attending an anti-ISA candlelight vigil to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ISA. On that same night, police also arrested four people in another vigil held at the Speakers’ Square in Penang.

Police confirmed that they knew of the presence at the same spot of pro-ISA members believed to be Umno representatives and that they were there “to create trouble and agitate”. Yet, no one amongst that group was reprimanded or arrested.

The police also stood idly by when a group of pro-ISA protestors disrupted an Anti-ISA Forum in Penang in November. Would the police do the same if a group were to disrupt a forum organized by Umno?

The year ended with the men in blue at their biased best! On 5 Dec. riot police fired tear gas and sprayed chemical-laced water to disperse some 3,000 protesters as they attempted to march to Istana Negara to submit a memorandum urging the King to intervene in the on-going dispute between the state government and water management company Syabas. About 50 protesters were also arrested.

Of course, the police did not mind the 300 or so protestors of the Anti-Penyelewengan Selangor (Gaps) or anti-Selangor government movement gathered at Stadium Merdeka. They sent a delegation to the palace by car and submitted the memorandum on the water issue to a palace representative.

From the examples given above and still more, the Police failed to “act fairly, independently and professionally” in 2010. They remained for yet another year – the Police Farce!

                This entry was posted on Friday, 25 March 2011, 9:06 pm and is filed under
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Who next after Christians, questions non-Muslim interfaith council

By
Debra Chong

The Malaysian Insider

Mar 25, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — A fever has broken out over Putrajaya’s handling of the Alkitab row that appears to have split multicultural Malaysia into two distinct camps — Muslim and non-Muslim — as the nation readies for crucial polls in Sarawak, its biggest Christian state.

The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) issued a strongly worded statement today accusing the Najib administration of riding roughshod over religions other than Islam when it imposed conditions for the release of 35,000 Malay bibles seized from Port Klang and Kuching.

“This means that the Alkitab (Bahasa Malaysia version) is now considered a restricted item and ‘the Word of God’ has been made subject to the control of man,” it said, citing the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) in the latter’s previous attempt to free the bibles.

CFM is the umbrella body that represents over 90 per cent of churches here.

In a series of news statements that started earlier this month, the Christian organisation denounced the Najib administration for defacing its holy books with the home ministry’s official seal, an act it said amounted to desecration.

“Does our current prime minister wield any authority? And if he does not, who does?” the interfaith council demanded of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

“We also vehemently oppose the present line of action being pursued,” it said in solidarity with the Christian community.

About one in 10 Malaysians is Christian.

The MCCBCHST said the authorities seemed to want Malaysians to believe that the Alkitab conflict is solely a tussle between two creeds, Islam and Christianity; and affects only Muslims and Christians.

“After the Christians have been ‘fixed’, who next?” the MCCBCHST questioned.

The council — which represents five out of the country’s six main creeds — reminded the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition of its founder’s words uttered shortly after Independence in 1957.

“Let freedom be secured for all the law-abiding people. There shall be freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom from want, freedom of association, freedom of assembly and freedom of movement,” it said, citing first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.

“The political leaders definitely do not have a finger on the pulse of the nation. They are definitely wrong in what they are doing,” it added, in a thinly veiled dig at Najib’s 1 Malaysia slogan aimed at uniting the different communities.

The MCCBCHST further accused Islamic leaders of not knowing their own religion despite dipping their fingers into the controversy.

“In the face of what has been alluded to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the narrative about ‘The Promise to St Catherine’, it is highly suspect that the Islamic high officials in our country do not even know their own religion!” it said.

Prophet Muhammad was said to have made a promise to a delegation of monks from the monastery near Mount Sinai over 1,400 years ago that Muslims will always protect Christians and their way of worship.

An English translation of the promise as published in the Islamic web site, Muslim.net, can be read here (http://www.muslims.net/news/newsfull.php?newid=318549) .

The Christian and Muslim religious communities have been engaged in a tug-of-war over the word “Allah”, with the latter group arguing that its use should be exclusive to them on the grounds that Islam is monotheistic and the word “Allah” denotes the Muslim God.

Christians, however, have argued that “Allah” is an Arabic word that has been used by those of other religious beliefs, including the Jews, for centuries in reference to God in many other parts of the world, notably in Arab nations and Indonesia.

The tussle is still trapped in the courts after the ministry won a stay of the 2009 High Court ruling that allowed Catholic weekly The Herald to use “Allah” in its Bahasa Malaysia section.

The ongoing bible row started in January and came to a head last week after the home ministry stamped the two separate shipments with its official seal before ordering their release.

The Christian importers have denounced the Najib administration for the act, which they say is a desecration of their holy book.

Two days ago, the government backed down and offered to paste over the marked Alkitab with labels that simply read “For Christianity”.

In a media statement to national news agency, Bernama, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala said Christian donors have also volunteered to ship in a new replacement consignment so long as the importers agree to have the same words “For Christianity” stamped on their covers in font type Arial size 16.

“No other words or serial numbers will be stamped on the bibles,” Jala added.

CFM is pondering accepting Putrajaya’s offer and has said will give its decision after consulting with all Christian leaders next week.

With Sarawakians going to the polls on April 16, the twin issues are expected to weigh on the minds of Christians who make up close to half of the hornbill state’s total population.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 25 March 2011, 8:18 pm and is filed under
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In Sarawak, a Christian groundswell

By
Sheridan Mahavera

The Malaysian Insider

Mar 26, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 — When 3,000 Christians turned up for a prayer rally in Kuching this week it sent ripples running through Petrajaya, where gleaming structures house the Sarawak state government that is facing elections next month.

In a Christian-majority state where there has been little in the way of religious tension, the prayer rally was an unusual event.

It was a protest against the establishment which Christians have associated themselves with in the state.

The unhappiness with the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is palpable among Christians all over the country. But for it to be become so apparent in Sarawak is worrying BN politicians even in Putrajaya.

Through conversations with ordinary Christians, church officials and Christian Barisan Nasional supporters, a consensus emerged that though the dispute gnawed at their hearts, it would not tilt election results.

For now.

The prayer rally on March 23 has challenged that conclusion.

The 3,000-strong public rally is rare for the Christian community. Its leaders, compared to that of other religious communities, are usually adverse to controversy.

Its organisers and attendees were even slammed by Deputy Federal Minister Joseph Salang Gandum who urged Christians “not to make fools of themselves” over the stamping of Bibles.

A Sarawak Barisan Nasional activist who requested anonymity, maintains that the dispute does not resonate among ordinary Christians. That it is more of an issue among church leaders than the majority.

For those who attended the rally, it was more than just about stamped bibles. It was the collective expression of a community that feels its rights as guaranteed by the Constitution, are being taken away.

Pastor Jeff Wei, one of the rally’s organisers, stressed that it was a non-partisan affair. The preachers who addressed the crowd in Bahasa Malaysia, Iban, English and Mandarin did not press them to vote for any particular party.

“Each pastor was given a particular topic to speak on and we all prayed to God to help resolve these problems,” said Wei who was confident that the crowd included both BN and Pakatan Rakyat supporters.

The recurring theme was that the Christian community’s right to worship and spread their faith was being steadily eroded.

It wasn’t just the recent Al-Kitab issue that weighed upon attendees. It was also about the church-burnings of last year and the Government’s insistence that the term Allah be reserved for Muslims.

It was also about the strictures against worshipping in the national language, Bahasa Malaysia, a practice in Sarawak ever since Christianity arrived at its shores.

One attendee described it as a collective stand against the small and gradual slights against the community that have occurred over the years.

“Christians have never spoken out before even on issues that affect us. We have been patient and tolerant for a long time.”

But the tipping point came when the Home Ministry detained about 30,000 copies of Al Kitab in Kuching.

“Being in Sarawak Christians never really felt the tension that is usually felt between religions like in the Peninsula. Even during the Allah issue. But when the Bibles were seized in Kuching we really felt it,” said another man, 44 who attended the rally.

The dispute that emerged from the seized Bibles punctured a certain exceptionalism felt by the Sarawakian Christian community based on its relatively harmonious relationship with the state’s Muslims.

For instance, Sarawakian Christians continue to use the term Allah in their prayers in defiance of pressure by Peninsula-based Muslim groups for them to stop. Sarawakian Muslims apparently have no problems with this centuries-old practice.

Though it is still felt in Sarawak, the Allah issue is by-and-large considered a “Semenanjung-created problem” being fought over by conservative Semenanjung Muslims.

But when bibles in Sarawak and meant for Sarawak were seized by a Semenanjung-originating authority, it was as if a foreign power had invaded and started imposing alien values.

“It’s as if our right to practice our faith was being repressed,” said the 44-year-old.

Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong Wui Wui feels the BN is being willfully ignorant of the message that the rally was sending — that it’s sign that Sarawak Christians are beginning to speak out against a perceived injustice.

“It has come to a point where they cannot just sit quiet anymore. They want something to be done. They want the government to uphold their freedom to practice their faith.”

An actual groundswell of sentiment may be building in the community. Wei, of the Sarawak Ministers Fellowship, says the organisers have received requests to hold more of such rallies through-out Sarawak.

He admits that there is a political dimension to the rally given that it’s set against the backdrop of the state elections.

“Our call is to anyone in power, whether it is BN or Pakatan, to uphold our right to practice as stated in the Constitution. Our message is that Christians must choose wisely and elect people who are justice-minded.”

As with the rally, it is hard for politicians or church leaders to gauge how far-reaching the discontent will be on the elections.

A Catholic state government officer told The Malaysian Insider that though he is incensed by the Home Ministry’s handling of the bibles, he is unsure whether it will be the prime mover behind his vote.

“You have to look all things not just the issue. You have to look at the party and your area’s candidate.”

But what is sure that the sentiments which fuel this ground swell are only beginning in Sarawak. It is quite possible other prayer rallies will be held beyond the shores of Sarawak and in time for the federal elections.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 26 March 2011, 2:28 pm and is filed under
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Part II: Burgeoning Brutality by the Men in Blue

CELEBRATING “POLICE DAY” (2)

by
Martin Jalleh

2010 was yet another year when the police were allowed to continue to operate in an environment of impunity when it came to their excessive methods in relation to arrest, detention and treatment of persons in custody.

Two tragic episodes in the year made the culture of police brutality increasingly obvious and gave further credence to the accusation that Bolehland has become a Police State.

The first was an “open verdict” delivered by a coroner’s court on 25 Oct. 2010 in an inquest to determine the cause of R Gunasegaran’s death in the Sentul police station on 16 July, 2009, a few hours after Teoh Beng Hock’s body was discovered.

In a press statement entitled: “End Police Brutality now” a “deeply concerned” Malaysian Bar commented on the “inability of the coroner to make a definitive finding in this case” in spite of “the strength of the evidence pointing to the culpability of the police”.

The second was the shocking story of K Selvach Santhiran, a key witness who implicated the police in the abovementioned inquest. His lawyer, N Surendran would describe his client’s nightmare as “the continuing descent of the police force into lawlessness”.

Police arrested Selvach on the very night of the inquest verdict. They hammered and humiliated him in front of his wife and children and hauled him off. For the next five days neither the IGP nor the Home Minister would confirm that Selvach had been arrested despite rising public misgivings.

On 30 Oct., pressured by the presence of more than 100 people in front of Bukit Aman and their refusal to disperse, police revealed that Selvach was remanded by the Dangerous Drugs Act. (Selvach, who was arrested together with Gunasegaran, was cleared of drug charges when his urine tested negative in 2008.)

After a very brief visit with Selvach, his wife S Saraswathy, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) and Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) revealed that Selvach was tortured during his one week’s detention and taken to a hospital. A habeas corpus application was prepared to get Selvach released from remand.

Police ‘sabotaged’ the habeas corpus hearing by obtaining a two-year detention order of Selvach by Home Minister Hishammudin Tun Hussein. Selvach was transferred to the Batu Gajah Detention Camp on 14 Dec. 2010 and was not given a chance to meet his family members.

The injustice done to Selvach was not an isolated incident. The “Memorandum of Protest” to the IGP submitted by LFL and Suaram on behalf of the Selvach’s family very accurately describes it as “…a continuation of a long standing series of acts by the police that showed their contempt for the rights of the people…”

The police were sending out a very strong message – think twice before you testify against us, we will teach you a lesson, you will be tortured, taken from your home and thrown into prison with the tacit approval of the higher authorities!

Further examples of the police’s culture of impunity in 2010 were the high-handed manner in which the police dealt with the participants of the peaceful assembly who gathered at Masjid Negara on 5 Dec. 2010 and the alleged beating and robbing of businessman Chia Buang Ting by several police officers.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 26 March 2011, 2:42 pm and is filed under
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Part III: Firestorm over fatal police shootings

Celebrating Police Day! (3)

By
Martin Jalleh

There was deep concern and consternation throughout 2010 over what the public viewed as the growing “shoot-to-kill” culture by the police force or what R. Sivarasa, the MP for Subang, called “a culture of impunity”.

“It means that they feel that they can do as they wish and they won’t be held accountable… they can shoot, kill, and there won’t be any questions asked (or)… any investigations and that they can continue doing so,” he said.

The nationwide concern over the trigger-happy cops of PDRM culminated into public outraged in April with the police “killing” of 14-year old Form III student Aminulrasyid Hamzah about 100 metres from his Shah Alam house.

The callous responses and cavalier attitude of the IGP, Home Minister and the police as they tried to contain the public firestorm caused the public to lose confidence in them and repeatedly call for the IGP to resign.

Respected lawyer Art Harun captured the sentiments of the people so clearly: “Right-minded people of Malaysia regard the killing of Aminulrasyid as symptomatic of lawless totalitarianism.”

“But that which makes this case all the more nauseating is not so much that this totally unnecessary killing of a 14-year-old boy had happened, but rather the responses by various parties — those people upon whom our security is entrusted — during the aftermath.

“The responses have been anything but humane, sensitive or even caring. They are arrogant, defensive and downright rude. Where is the love? Where is the humility? Doesn’t it occur to these people that they occupy seats of trust?”

Further, the police have become very predictable with their pat responses: “The dead were criminals. They behaved in a suspicious manner. They tried to evade/resist arrest. They drove away dangerously. Weapons were later found. Police acted by the rules. The law allows them to defend themselves” (Free Malaysia Today)

Cold Blooded

Seven months after Aminulrasyid was gunned down, three youths between the ages of 15 and 22 were shot dead after a reported high-speed car chase in Shah Alam. They were suspected of robbing a petrol station. Two of the families of the trio claimed that they were killed by the police in cold blood.

Lawmakers on both sides of the political divide demanded that newly-installed IGP Ismail Omar end the indiscriminate fatal police shootings. DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang declared: “It would appear that with the change of IGP, there is no change in the police culture as such.”

Before the year ended, human rights and legal reform advocates “Lawyers for Liberty” highlighted the seriousness of the situation. The number of fatal shootings by the police rose 17-fold since 2001 – from five in 2001 to a shocking total of 82 in 2008 and 88 in 2009.

Judging from Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein’s curt, cold and caustic response, it is very clear that such “extrajudicial killings” will continue on in Bolehland!  He said there was no surge in the number of fatal shootings. The matter was just being “sensationalized” in parliament. There could be a “slight increase” after all.

Hishammuddin’s continued his hogwash: “Let the police respond on the data …If not, I would be asked this question every day when there are other serious matters to respond to”. The data provided was from the police themselves! And what is more “serious” than the safety and security of innocent lives of Malaysians?

There were also those who were shot by the police but who managed to survive, the latest being Ho Chei Hang who was shot four times by plainclothes police officers in Kepong in November. The story of Norizan Salleh who was mistakenly shot five times by police officers last year continued to receive public attention in 2010.

It is evident that the only effective way to keep the police in check and the only convincing government action is the formation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). Sadly, the federal government has proven to be a big hindrance to such a necessary move, and for obvious reasons.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 26 March 2011, 3:11 pm and is filed under
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Part IV: Crime – Raw stats or real story?

Celebrating Police Day! (4)

By
Martin Jalleh

The rakyat was told that the government’s battle against crime showed good results in 2010. Home Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein announced in May 2010 that his Ministry’s success in reducing the crime rate index for the first four months of the year had surpassed the initial target.

Minister in the PM’s Department Senator Idris Jala revealed the results of the National Key Results Area (NKRA) for crime were outstanding for the first quarter and what the police and the ministry had done in that period was totally beyond expectation.

In Oct. 2010 a very elated IGP Ismail Omar proudly declared that police statistics indicated a significant drop in street crime by 38% and in the overall crime index by 16% between January and September.

But strangely, and as was so aptly put by Lim Kit Siang in October, “…up and down the country, ordinary Malaysians do not feel this dividend of fall of crime index in their daily lives as they do not feel comparatively safer in the streets, public places or privacy of their homes…”

In fact Kit Siang’s sentiments were so eloquently echoed by former Deputy Bank Governor Tan Sri Dr. Lin See Yin, in his article “The mystique of national transformation” which appeared online before the year ended:

“As I see it, discernable progress in four areas of priority concern to the rakyat and investors needs to come early enough to build confidence. They are corruption, crime, education and private enterprise.

“It is not enough to show that in the first nine months of 2010, crime fell by 16% (but still have 132,355 unresolved reported cases) and street crimes fell 38% (18,299 unresolved reported cases) or that 648 people were arrested for corruption.

“The public and investors (with ears on the ground) have to “feel” any improvement. Raw and biased statistics cannot tell the real story, and don’t impress. At this time, it would appear the rakyat and investors don’t “feel” any material improvement in the crime and corruption situation. That matters. But they don’t rush to judgment.

“What they want to “feel” is for today to be better than yesterday, and tomorrow to be better than today; and come tomorrow, their expectations are fulfilled. Incidents from personal experience reinforce this.”

In spite of the claims by the authorities and public surveys of a drop in the public’s fear of crime thereby signifying growing confidence in the police force, the fact remained, as John Sebastian wrote in the Malaysian Insider  (18 Nov. 2010) that:

More housing estates are having to handle own security, hire guards and put up barricades.

Police are more reluctant to accept reports from public.

Malaysians are altering their lives every day because of fear of crime.

People are putting in more locks, closed-circuit or cyber-camera systems and alarm systems. Because they don’t feel safe.

“So if Pemandu and any other alphabet soup committee actually believe the better crime situation in the country, they must be on magic mushrooms.

“The day Malaysians don’t feel the need to engage their own security guards to guard their homes and family is the day when the tide against crime has been turned.

“That day isn’t coming as soon as the next general elections. So give us a break. Spare us the good news according to surveys. Just do more to make all Malaysians feel safe.”

Perhaps the public would feel more confident about the police, about being more safe and secure and that the statistics truly reflect the crime rate reality – when the police stop playing politics and government sets up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 26 March 2011, 5:41 pm and is filed under
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PR leadership must not allow the Carcosa sex tape caper to distract focus from  the Sarawak general elections

The Pakatan Rakyat leadership must not allow the worst case of gutter politics in Malaysia – the Carcosa sex tape caper targeting Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim – to distract focus from the Sarawak general elections or those behind the latest political conspiracy would have achieved one of their objectives.

With nomination for the Sarawak elections in ten days’ time, it is urgent and imperative to restore public confidence in the Pakatan Rakyat, which had recently come under a bout of adverse publicity particularly in the past fortnight.

The key to the restoration of public confidence in Pakatan Rakyat for the Sarawak general elections is to resolve seat allocations for the Sarawak state general elections without any more delay.

In fact, such negotiations should have been concluded already and not been allowed to be so protracted and inconclusive.

I was very disappointed that DAP-PKR seat negotiations were not resolved on Thursday as I had convinced  the Sarawak DAP leadership that last Thursday should be the deadline for the conclusion of seat allocation discussions so that Pakatan Rakyat can assure the people of Sarawak and Malaysia of a one-to-one contest between Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional in the April 16 Sarawak elections.

Thursday’s seat negotiations broke down however when DAP leaders found that instead of five contentious seats to be resolved, another seat was added increasing the list to six.

It would be a great disaster if there should be multi-cornered contests involving the DAP and PKR in five or six constituencies in the Sarawak general elections for it would gravely undermine public confidence in Pakatan Rakyat not only in Sarawak but in Malaysia.

DAP Sarawak has the full autonomy to finalise seat allocation negotiations but the DAP National leadership is confident that Sarawak DAP leaders are fully committed to the larger goal of ensuring that the Pakatan Rakyat secure a major breakthrough in the Sarawak elections which will pave the way for greater Pakatan Rakyat success in the 13th national general elections.

There must however be a greater sense of urgency by everyone concerned to resolve the seat allocation negotiations so as to ensure a one-to-one fight against the Sarawak Barisan Nasional in the most important state general election in the history of Sarawak and Malaysia.  Every day counts!

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 26 March 2011, 4:20 pm and is filed under
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