Thank Malaysian Indians for nation-building with deeds in the country by ending their marginalization and status as the new underclass and not go to Chennai to make beautiful-sounding but meaningless tribute

I was flabbergasted by the Bernama report yesterday of what the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in Chennai on Friday, as follows:

January 23, 2010 18:48 PM

Najib Visits Chennai To Thank Malaysian Indians For Nation-Building

By  P. Vijian

CHENNAI, Jan 23 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak, who made a historic trip to Chennai, said it was to honour Malaysian Indians as a vast majority had cultural bonds with Tamil Nadu from where they originated.

“My trip ends in Chennai, it is not coincidental but intentional because Chennai, Tamil Nadu is the original state where many Malaysian Indians originated from.

“Eighty-five per cent of Malaysian Indians are ethnic Tamils and my visit was to recognise the Malaysian Indian contributions to the development of Malaysia,” said Najib.

Speaking at a special dinner held in conjunction with his visit to the city, Najib said it was important to recognise those who contributed to nation-building, irrespective of their ethnic background.

“So, this visit is important…for 52 years, we have no (Malaysian) prime minister who visited Chennai, I am the first one to visit,” he added.

He also assured Malaysian Indians that their plights would be addressed and the government had taken and would continue to purse policies to help those in need.

“We have heard your call, Malaysian Indians have some dissatisfaction with the Malaysian Government in the past, but we are going to do more for the Indian community,” he said.

It raised eye-brows all round and provoked many questions, such as:

Why go to Chennai to thank Malaysian Indians for nation-building, to “recognize the Malaysian Indian contributions to the development of Malaysia” and to tell Malaysian Indians on behalf of the Malaysian Government “We have heard your call…we are going to do more for the Indian community” when all these should appropriately be said and done in Malaysia, the homeland of all Malaysians regardless of ethnic origin?

Isn’t it most inappropriate for the Prime Minister to make such statements in Chennai, which will give ultras and extremists the ammunition to attack the loyalty of Malaysian Indians to the country, accusing them of divided loyalties when Malaysian Indians like Malaysian Chinese, born, bred and who will die in Malaysia, have only one undivided homeland – Malaysia?

Najib making the first visit of a Malaysian Prime Minister to Chennai (capital of Tamil Nadu from where 85 per cent of Malaysian Indians originate from) is memorable and even historic, but why tarnish it by linking with Malaysian politics, which is of no service to the cause of the Malaysian Indians or Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan and policy?

If Najib has to visit Chennai to be credible to thank the Malaysian Indians for their contribution to Malaysian nation-building and development and to acknowledge their cries for just and fair treatment as Malaysian citizens, would he have to visit Xiamen or Guangzhou to similarly thank the contributions of six million Malaysian Chinese to Malaysian nation-building and development as well as to signal that his government has heard their call for justice, fair play and equality so that all are first-class Malaysian citizens without second or third-class categories? Nobody is suggesting that Najib should make such a visit to Xiamen or Guangzhou but this is why his speech in his visit to Chennai is so jarring, out-of-place and inappropriate.

Najib’s speech in Chennai is completely at variance with his 1Malaysia concept and slogan. He should dispense with his highly-paid foreign and local  advisers who have been giving him all the wrong advice, reducing his 1Malaysia slogan and concept into a joke and mockery

My advice to Najib – thank Malaysian Indians for nation-building with deeds in the country by ending their marginalization and status as the new underclass and not go to Chennai to make beautiful-sounding but meaningless tribute.

Let Najib make a true and real beginning by announcing a New Deal to end the marginalization of the Malaysian Indians which is part of a National New Deal in the Tenth Malaysia Plan to end the marginalization of all Malaysians who have been left out of the mainstream of national development after nine five-year development plans, whether Malays, Indians, Chinese, Orang Asli, Kadazan or Iban.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 24 January 2010, 12:12 pm and is filed under
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The Fight Over ‘Allah’ – Malaysia’s delicate balance is at risk

By Ioannis Gatsiounis

NEWSWEEK

Jan 22, 2010

(From the magazine issue dated Feb 1, 2010)

The interethnic chaos Malaysia has long feared moved closer to reality this month when 10 churches were at-tacked around the country. The attacks followed a civil-court ruling on New Year’s Eve declaring that a law prohibiting non-Muslims from using the word “Allah” to describe their God was unconstitutional. Strangely, though, Christians have been using “Allah” for “God” in East Malaysia since the 1920s without much controversy. So why the sudden spate of violence in a nation long viewed as a model of tolerance in the Muslim world?

The answer is that beneath Malaysia’s outward glow of progressive moderation, racial and religious consciousness has risen steadily among Muslim Malays, who make up 60 percent of the population. That creeping conservatism has been fanned by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), seeking to revive support that is slipping amid rampant corruption and other forms of misrule. Rather than trying to quell misgivings among Malays who felt that the use of “Allah” to describe the Christian God would sow confusion, the government appealed the decision, saying that Muslim sensitivities must be respected to protect the fragile ethnic balance. Then UMNO leaders, including Prime Minister Najib Razak, said the government could not stop planned protests against the ruling, though he has often opposed the exercise of free speech in the past. Critics charge the government with institutionalizing racism and emboldening Muslim hardliners. Whatever the case, the church attacks are the clearest sign yet that Malaysia’s racial-religious compact is unraveling.

 During the 1980s and 1990s Malaysia transformed itself from an agrarian-based economy to a manufacturing one. More recently it has struggled to shed its low-value-added, low-wage structure. Private investment, now at 11 percent of GDP, is down more than two thirds since the late 1990s at least in part because of investor concern about the social tension. Efforts to create a high-tech innovation economy have been set back by the flight of talent: opposition leader Lim Kit Siang says 300,000 “top brains” have fled to Singapore since the last general election. Now Malaysia’s reputation for stability is under threat, and investors are jittery amid reports that Malaysia saw the biggest foreign-exchange outflows in Asia last year. Though some an-alysts give Najib high marks as a liberalizing economic reformer, sectarian unrest won’t help, and could well thwart the country’s aim of becoming a fully developed nation by 2020.

The church attacks also threaten regional stability. Indonesia’s Muslim leaders have cautioned Muslims there not to take their cue from Malaysia. The U.S. government issued a travel advisory warning that the court ruling could trigger criminal or terrorist attacks on foreigners in Malaysia’s eastern Sabah province, which borders the southern Philippines, home to the Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf. And so it is that in a few short weeks Malaysia has gone from pointing the way for Muslims in neighboring countries to joining the list of regional hot spots.

Last week the government took a step to undo the damage, saying Christians may use “Allah” in the states of Penang, Sarawak, and Sabah, and in the Federal Territory, which includes Kuala Lumpur. That, along with Malaysians’ tendency to avoid racial confrontation, may stave off wider violence. But it hardly addresses the festering racial resentments that precipitated the attacks.

Almost 40 years ago the government introduced a policy of positive discrimination for Malays, a move that helped reduce income disparities between the Malay majority and the big Chinese and Indian minorities. But it also heightened communal identification, restricted educational and economic opportunities for non-Malays, and bred dependency among the Malays. Until now, all that was hidden by political sloganeering, tightly controlled media, and billions spent on eye-catching infrastructure projects in-tended to make Malaysia appear both modern and progressive. But the at-tacks have blown the cover off the myth of racial harmony. Now Malaysia must get down to the nitty-gritty of building a truly pluralistic society. As the church bombings make clear, it can’t afford not to.

Gatsiounis is a Malaysia-based journalist and author, most recently, of Velvet & Cinder Blocks, a story collection detailing a planned attack on a Christian landmark in Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 24 January 2010, 1:13 am and is filed under
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Umno/Barisan Nasional leaders even more wrong in driving out Malaysians talents and funds out of the country continuing apace after the March 8, 2008 political tsunami

The Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah is more wrong than right when he
criticized
 Malaysians who have emigrated, saying it was “wrong” and insinuating that they were betraying the sacrifices of their forefathers.

I agree that there is basis for Husni’s criticism of increasing numbers of Malaysians uprooting themselves and emigrating overseas to enlarge the Malaysian diaspora which could easily be in the two-million figure but Umno/Barisan Nasional leaders are even more wrong in driving out Malaysian talents and funds continuing apace after March 8, 2008 political tsunami.

I first raised the national problem of brain drain of Malaysians in Parliament in the seventies but invariably the Barisan Nasional Ministers would turn a deaf ear, either dismissing it as “Good riddance to bad rubbish” or denying the existence of the problem, although in some Malaysian towns at the time, “more than 50% of the medical practitioners have packed up their bags and emigrated” – as I said in my speech in Parliament in March 1978 when cited the case of a “doctor-brother of the Deputy Education Minister” who had joined in the emigration.

Since then, what started as a river of migration in the seventies have turned into a tide so to create a Malaysian diaspora of some two million strong in the world – and the loss to Malaysia is so overwhelming in all aspects that they defy proper computation!

The present migration of talented Malaysians to enlarge the Malaysian diaspora today are different from previous decades in two important aspects:

Firstly, unlike the early decades of seventies and eighties when Malaysians who emigrated abroad are predominantly Malaysian Chinese and Indians, today it is multi-ethnic including significant numbers of Malays.

Secondly, in the seventies and until the nineties, Malaysians parents who sent their children overseas for higher education denied them in the country, want their children to return to home after their graduation. But today, a substantial number of parents not only approve but even encourage their children studying overseas to stay back and emigrate instead of coming home as they see no hope of change for the better for the country and their children.

In the 18 months from March 2008 to August 2009, 300,000 Malaysians emigrated for better education, career and business prospects, working out to a loss of some 630 talented Malaysians a day.

Had the Cabinet, whether under former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi or the current Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak ever had a special meeting or brain-storming session to stop the brain drain of Malaysian talents and to work out a strategy of brain gain, not only to retain Malaysians talents presently in the country, but also attract the best talents and brains from the Malaysian diaspora and the world to come to Malaysia to develop and prosper the country?

Are Najib and his Cabinet prepared to stake their political reputation on their ability to staunch the brain-drain of Malaysians as well as to successfully implement a brain-gain programme not only to get the “best and the brightest” from the two-million strong Malaysian diaspora to return to serve the country, but also to attract the service of  the “best and brightest” in the world?

Najib is to launch the Tenth Malaysia Plan in the June meeting of Parliament. But what has happened to the ambitious “brain gain” programme of the Eighth Malaysia Plan ten years ago to “reverse brain drain”, especially in the fields of information and communications technology, science and technology, manufacturing industries, finance and medicine, to transform Malaysia into a K-economy and Information Society through a two-prong strategy, viz:

An annual “brain gain” of 5,000 “extraordinary world citizens of extraordinary talent” to “lure the best brains regardless of race and nationality, from Bangalore to California”’;

Encourage 500 skilled Malaysians overseas every year to return home with their expertise, starting from 2001.

Parliament will meet again on March 15 and I will ask Najib to report on annual results in the past 10 years to recruit (i) “extraordinary world citizens of extraordinary talent” and (ii) skilled Malaysians from the Malaysian diaspora to return to Malaysia to serve the country.

Husni and Najib should know that the government mishandling of the “Allah” controversy has further undermined national and international confidence, driving more Malaysians to think seriously about emigrating to enlarge the Malaysian diaspora. This is why the “Allah” controversy must be resolved without any further delay.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 24 January 2010, 2:57 pm and is filed under
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BN-style resolution to “Allah” issue

By
Jacqueline Ann Surin | The Nut Graph

WORD is, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is mightily concerned about the “Allah” issue and wants the matter resolved.

Forgive me, but it’s hard to believe this, based on the public statements the government has been making. Honestly, how can we believe that the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) government under Najib’s leadership is sincere about resolving the issue of who can use “Allah”?

Indeed, apart from Najib, at least three other cabinet members have publicly displayed a lack of respect, knowledge, or even intelligence about the issues at stake.

Dialogue BN-style

First off is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom, who calls for interfaith dialogue but in the same breath tells church leaders to drop their claim to use “Allah” to refer to God.

To substantiate his argument, reported on 11 Jan 2010, Jamil Khir declared that “church leaders must have deep understanding of the situation and history” about the use of “Allah” in Malaysia.

The following day, Jamil Khir was quoted again as calling for dialogue, and highlighting the initiatives by agencies such as the Institute of Islamic Understanding. But the minister’s call was made together with his call for the different states’ religious authorities to challenge the High Court decision that allowed non-Muslims the right to use the word. Jamil Khir also lauded the Selangor sultan’s statement about the state’s prohibition against the use of “Allah” by non-Muslims.

At the very least, Jamil Khir is clueless about what a dialogue is and how it works. Dialogue, as experts in conflict resolution will share, can be a powerful tool, but only if it embodies a deep and respectful listening of what is important to the different stakeholders. Meaningful dialogue only happens when all parties are treated as equals. It does not happen when one party is more powerful than the others and has already dictated what results are expected of the dialogue.

Hence, Jamil Khir’s proposal for an interfaith dialogue is either a half-baked public relations exercise to demonstrate that the Malaysian government is fair to all, or, Allah help us all, the minister doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Worse still, it’s both.

No matter — when a minister repeatedly declares that the government is right in stripping away the rights of minority groups, one has to pause to wonder just how sincere the BN government is.

And when a minister extols others to have “deep understanding” of the history of the use of “Allah” in Malaysia, but clearly demonstrates ignorance about the historical and cultural use of the word, one has to protest. Is this the kind of leadership the nation needs governing our country?

Safety BN-style

Then, of course, there was the downplaying of the attacks on non-Muslim places of worship. “Everything is under control,” declared Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein on 11 Jan 2010, even though by then there were eight churches that had been targeted. And Hishammuddin said this even though the Inspector General of Police had announced that the police force could not guarantee the safety of churches in Malaysia.

Of course, Hishammuddin’s declaration proved faulty when four other churches were subsequently targeted. Additionally, two suraus became arson targets on 21 Jan even though it could not be ascertained if the arson attempts were related to the attack on churches.

And so, what was even more troubling about the home minister was his description of the suburban terrorism happening in modern-day Malaysia. “This is just a small case and only the front door was damaged by splashed petrol,” Hishammuddin said of the Sidang Injil Borneo church in Seremban.

Now, I’ve argued before that Hishammuddin should be sacked for his incompetence. But when the prime minister also downplays the seriousness of the attacks by calling them a “minor aberration”, we really have to stop in our tracks and demand for some answers.

How can the seemingly systematic targeting of churches be “small” or “minor”? It cannot feel like a minor aberration to the community that is being attacked, especially when the state has told them specifically that it cannot guarantee protection.

And really, how different is Najib and Hishammuddin’s statements from a patriarchal society telling women that being sexually harassed is but a small matter? When violence is committed, it is never a “minor aberration” for those being targeted. Indeed, it is to the advantage of the party holding power to downplay the seriousness of the violation in order to continue perpetuating violence.

There is no doubt that the churches were attacked, regardless of whether the attackers were successful in starting a fire. There is also no doubt that the church’s right to use “Allah” is being attacked by the same government that claims it wants dialogue. Hence, unless the Najib administration learns to acknowledge this and respect the feelings of those whose safety are being violated, I have no reason to be convinced of the government’s intention to resolve the “Allah” issue.

Fairness BN-style

Another Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz also gave us all just cause to screech to a halt when he declared that the issue could be resolved if “Allah” was used in Sabah and Sarawak only, but not in the peninsula.

Why? Because peninsular Muslims are insular? And weak in their faith compared to Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak?

Because we may be one nation, but we are actually two countries?

How does this suggestion even resolve the issue of what right the BN government has, through the Home Ministry, to deny non-Muslims the right to use a word that pre-dates Islam and for which Muslims don’t own copyright over?

Let’s be clear. Muslims don’t own the word “Allah”. They never have. And Muslims elsewhere face no confusion over the use of the word by non-Muslims and are, in fact, bemused by the Malaysian government’s actions.

Clearly, Nazri’s suggestion is a half-baked one. It tells us that the minister has no respect for the rights of peninsula-based non-Muslims — even if they are from Sabah and Sarawak — to worship in the national language as they have done for generations.

Whither Najib?

What will it take for me to be convinced of the Najib administration’s sincerity in resolving the issue fairly?

First, the government needs to admit it was wrong. There is no historical, cultural or scriptural basis for the ban they have imposed on the Catholic church from using “Allah”. Second, drop the court appeal against the High Court decision. Third, stop pandering to the ignorant and fearful among Muslim pressure groups, whether within or outside the administration.

And finally, learn respect. Respect for the legitimate concerns and rights of all Malaysians. Respect for the fact that the government must represent all Malaysians, and not just the majority. And respect that the electorate deserves intelligent and honest leadership.

———————-

Jacqueline Ann Surin is not convinced that the Barisan Nasional is capable of doing what is right over the “Allah” issue. She wonders why the government is undermining the “national unity” and “mutual respect” among different communities, which the prime minister says has been the nation’s cornerstone, through its words and deeds.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 25 January 2010, 5:00 am and is filed under
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Dr Mahathir – a Creation of the US!

By
Martin Jalleh

For a very long time the US government was looking for a political lackey to do its bidding in South East Asia. They scoured the earth and soon found their man in Bolehland – a land where anything is possible. He was none other than Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Dr M). They would mould, modify and manage him into a perfect make-believe.

They first portrayed Dr M as the savior of his nation. He would make great speeches about the grave threat of recolonisation but for his own political survival he would hone to perfection and use a gamut of archaic repressive laws left behind by the Colonial Master. US professors in history and politics would then write about the tragedy of how the once-oppressed are now the oppressors in the Third World!

Next they projected him through the foreign press as a Voice of the Third World. Dr M would invite Nelson Mandela to stand next to him in Kuala Lumpur to declare his anti-apartheid vehemence. The same media would then go to town with his racist stance at home reinforced recently by a Cabinet minister who crowned him a “Bloody racist” and a “Father of racists”! It was an excellent smokescreen for racism in US.

The US singled him out, shored him up and saluted him the hero of the Muslim world. Dr M would declare his country an “Islamic State” and preach on Islamic values. Yet, his party was corrupted to the core and his Federal ministers and Chief Ministers (Menteris Besar) were guilty of sexual immorality and many other sins.  The West pounced on the tragic contradiction and used it to smear the good name of Islam.

The US gave him free rein with his occasional anti-semitic invective. He would blame the problems of his country and the world on the Jews, though he had official Jewish financial advisors to his government, such as Salomon Smith Barney and Goldman Sachs. The more he attacked Israel, the more it gave the US the excuse to defend and protect them!

He was pictured as fearless in criticising and castigating the US for its many human rights abuses, whilst the US collected evidence of every human right violation he had committed especially those related to the Internal Security Act. Every year such evidence would fill the pages of the annual reports by US agencies on human rights abuse in the country which are sent to potential investors of Malaysia.

“Mahathir, despite his nationalistic rants, signed a secret security agreement with the United States in 1984 that gave the Americans access to a jungle warfare training school in Johor and allowed them to set up a small-ship repair facility at Lumut and a plant in Kuala Lumpur to repair C-130 Hercules transport aircraft,” wrote Barry Wain, author of the ‘Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times’.

The US recognized him as the man behind Malaysia’s economic success but at the same time it would point the finger at him for the nation’s stagnant economy and for the scandalous amount of money lost during his premiership. As Barry Wain would also reveal: “Malaysia has squandered an estimated RM100 billion on financial scandals under the 22-year rule of Dr Mahathir Mohamad.”

In spite of the big show he had put up in demonising the US, Dr M would seek to return to the US for re-engineering and to receive further instructions. The government paid RM4.6 million for the services of disgraced US lobbyist Jack Abramoff to secure an audience with the then US President George W Bush, whose many crimes against humanity gave an elated Dr M a longer anti-US script to act out.

Dr M said recently that if the US can make ‘Avatar’, they can make anything, even 9/11!

Alas, how true, they can even make their very own Dr Mahathir Mohamad, one who would do anything at the behest of the US to satisfy his craving for the attention and adulation of his country and the world, and the adoration of his many followers who consider him their very avatar of power!

                This entry was posted on Monday, 25 January 2010, 8:46 am and is filed under
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Najib should set a two-week deadline to resolve the “Allah” controversy to salvage his 1Malaysia slogan and to defuse the latest factor driving away Malaysian talents and FDIs

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should set a two-week deadline to resolve the “Allah” controversy to salvage his 1Malaysia slogan and to defuse the latest factor driving away Malaysian talents and FDIs.

The Police are to be commended for their quick arrests in connection with four arson attacks on churches and suraus and Malaysians hope that the police can expeditiously resolve all the 15 cases of arson and vandalism against places of worship in the first three weeks of the year since the Kuala Lumpur High Court judgment on the “Allah” controversy on Dec. 31 last year.

Right from the beginning, this controversy had been mishandled  by the authorities, in particular the political leadership, who have failed to fully realize the negative impact and far-reaching consequences of the issue to the country.

The Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, for instance, should stop play politics on the issue and not allow his political role as Umno leader to wrongly influence his professional judgment and other aspects of his duties as Home Minister.

For instance, Hishammuddin said in Kuala Terengganu on Friday that the arson attacks on churches and suraus in the country could be attempts to undermine the 1Malaysia vision.

However, he contradicted himself yesterday when he said that the four arsonists arrested in connection with the arson attempts at two suraus in Muar were “simply seeking public attention” and had acted on their own.

Such flip-flops and self-contradictions by the Home Minister, together with other earlier instances of his mishandling of the controversy, are not calculated to inspire public confidence in his competence and professionalism to fully realize the full and far-reaching consequences of the “Allah” controversy.

The Cabinet Ministers have so far proved to be great disappointments in ensuring that there is quick and satisfactory solution to the “Allah” controversy in keeping with the 1Malaysia concept.

The Cabinet on Wednesday should not continue to disappoint the country and should give full support for a two-week deadline to resolve the “Allah” controversy without prolonging the issue, which can only drive away more Malaysians overseas as well as foreign investors, tourists and students apart from delivering a fatal blow to Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan and concept.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 25 January 2010, 2:53 pm and is filed under
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Why Police has not lodged report against Awang Selamat and Mingguan Malaysia for sedition when it had lodged report against Guan Eng for sedition?

Since the publication in Mingguan Malaysia yesterday of Awang Selamat’s editorial “
Melayu sokong DAP?
” reeking with racist poison and incitement, the question many Malaysians ask is why the police has not lodged police report against Mingguan Malaysia and Awang Selamat for sedition and to initiate police investigations when the police could lodge a police report against DAP Secretary-General and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for his speech at the Pakatan Rakyat national convention in Shah Alam last month.

Malaysians want to know whether the police are guilty of double standards, especially when Guan Eng had clearly not committed any sedition when he referred to the mysterious death of Teoh Beng Hock at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Shah Alam on July 16 last year, while the Awang Selamat editorial in the Mingguan Malaysia clearly violated the Sedition Act in seeking to incite racial animosities and hatred with its spiel of seditious lies and falsehood as alleging that DAP is anti-Malay and wants to abolish the Malay monarchy by establishing a republic.

This is a question that the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan should account to the Malaysian people – whether the police are guilty of double standards.

Awang Selamat’s editorial in the Mingguan Malaysia yesterday is also  a clear challenge of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia slogan and concept.

Let it be a test-case for the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday as to whether there are  Ministers – Umno, MCA, Gerakan, MIC, Sabah and Sarawak – who have the courage of conviction to speak up to make it clear that there is zero-tolerance for inflammatory incitement like Awang Selamat’s editorial of poison, lies and sedition in Najib’s 1Malaysia and the full support of the Cabinet for the strongest action to be taken against Awang Selamat and Mingguan Malaysia.

Utusan Malaysia’s editorial today is entitled: “
Tunjukkan ketegasan dalam menangani isu sensitif
”. Let the Cabinet Ministers and the Police demonstrate its “
ketegasan
” in dealing with sensitive issues as far as Awang Selamat and Umno’s Utusan newspapers are concerned.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 25 January 2010, 5:41 pm and is filed under
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Allah row easy to solve if we follow His bidding, not Umno’s

By
Wong Choon Mei, Harakah

The ongoing row over whether non-Muslims can use the word Allah to describe God has flushed out many systemic weaknesses, and also highlighted how unprincipled some of our political and religious leaders have become.

Just to stay on the winning side, many seem to think nothing of abandoning basic truth and simple facts. So much so, it is no longer religious principle but vested interest that is now the core tussle behind the row, and that whoever speaks the loudest – regardless of whether the verbiage is backed by the Quran or not – will emerge victorious.

Against such moral deterioration, what are the chances of an inter-faith dialogue finding a way forward that is satisfactory to all quarters? Against such deliberate cultivation of prejudice, can the voices of every participating faith be heard equally, or will they be drowned out selectively?

The answer depends on whose bidding Malaysians – be they Muslims or non-Muslims – follow.

Deliberate lies

Take the much-hyped Muzakarah Pakar or Experts Forum organized by the government-controlled Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia or Ikim, which was attended by some of the nation’s top religious leaders a few days ago.

When the marathon eight-hour forum ended, former Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, the Ikim president, was not above bending the ‘findings’ of a seven-member expert panel that included luminaries such as PAS president Hadi Awang, PKR religious head Dr Mohd Nor Manuty and former Perlis Mufti Dr Asri Zainal Abidin.

According to Umno-controlled media, Abdullah said participants had unanimously ‘surmised that the translation of Allah as God was factually wrong because it contradicted the concept of God as espoused by Islam in Malaysia’. Broken down, the doublespeak means it is wrong for non-Muslims to use the word Allah.

But in an immediate response, Hadi denied that the panel ever reached such a common stand and that the news report was wrong.

The PAS leader stressed that there were no such conclusions taken nor resolutions adopted at the discussion entitled ‘Translation of God as Allah: Identifying the Root of the Problem and Its Solution’. He was backed by Dr Manuty and Dr Asri, who also issued statements to clarify what had actually transpired.

They said, on the contrary, there was general agreement by the forum panelists that non-Muslims could use Allah provided that guidelines were issued to prevent its misuse. All three men also reiterated that the Quran allowed it, and that guidelines were the way out in preserving dignity and preventing sensitivities from being rubbed in our multiracial society.

In particular, Asri blasted Abdullah’s comments that the forum focused on whether Allah was an accurate translation for God. This was again untrue, the ex-Perlis mufti said. In fact, what dominated discussion was whether non-Muslims could use the word Allah and not whether the translation of God as Allah was accurate, he added.

Why? To further Umno’s cause?

Why then did Abdullah misinform the public?

To say he was being ‘sleepy as usual’ would be too facile and disrespectful of his decades as a top public servant. To say he did it deliberately to further the cause of his Umno party – which has been accused of instigating and prolonging the row to rally Malay support – would also be unfair to his record of having been the most democratic of Malaysia’s six prime ministers so far.

Those close to him say he was misquoted, which is not impossible. They say he is unhappy about the incident. But if so, why not issue a clarification. Otherwise, the perception will stick that Abdullah had manipulated information in order to give a false impression of unanimous agreement by experts that it is wrong for non-Muslims to use Allah.

And whether the ex-PM did this on his own volition for the sake of Umno, or was asked to do so by the party’s top leaders would certainly be the next ‘hot’ questions to follow.

The other four panelists who attended the Ikim forum were religious adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Abdullah Md Zain, associate professor at International Islamic University Dr Kamar Oniah Kamaruzzaman, Ikim director of economic and social studies Dr Mohd Sani Badron and Ikim fellow for Syariah Law and Politics Md Asham Ahmad.

Whose bidding should we follow
?

Despite organizing and participating in the dialogue, Ikim’s own stand is still ambiguous. It believes that non-Muslims are misusing the word Allah. But it has not clarified  whether the word can be used by non-Muslims. These are two different arguments – each loaded and packing a huge wallop of its own. Still, by keeping silent, the implication that follows is it does not believe that non-Muslims can.

Which is fine and fair enough as we cannot all be expected to have the same viewpoints. Malaysians – whether Muslims or not – should be matured enough to accept and understand divergent stands, but we cannot and must not tolerate dishonesty, which is what deliberate misinformation boils down to.

Especially in a matter where the greatest sincerity and the highest nobility of spirit should be our spontaneous and ultimate guiding factors. After all, God – by whichever name – is watching us all. And we should all be doing His bidding and not that of His adversaries – whether perceived or real.

If we all followed His teachings, then the Allah row would not be difficult to resolve, contrary to what Umno and its media would have us – Muslims and non-Muslims alike – believe.

The grace of God is mightier than all of us, and only the unbelievers and the irredeemably corrupt would dare to challenge Him.

(Wong Choon Mei is a Consultant Editor for Harakah)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 26 January 2010, 5:11 pm and is filed under
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Would Tsu Koon raise in Cabinet tomorrow setting up of unity desks in all ministries and government departments to foster national unity and inter-racial, inter-religious and inter-cultural understanding on the ground?

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon yesterday called on media organisations to set up a special desk to be known as the
Unity Desk
to assist the government in improving mutual understanding among the multi-racial people in the country.

He said at the opening of the Media and Unity Symposium that the special desk could serve just like any other desk in the organisation, but with greater focus on efforts to foster national unity as well as religious and cultural understanding.

He suggested that media organisations with various and multi-language mediums should give priority to improving national unity and harmony  by interacting frequently with one another to make the effort a success.

There is merit in Koh’s proposal and if there is any reservation, it is why Koh as the Minister responsible for KPI and national unity, should be tinkering at the edges of the problem of national unity when he should be grappling with the central issues as to why Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia slogan and concept have failed to live up to the early promise to inspire unity and solidarity among the diverse races, religions, cultures and regions in the country?

It is most unfortunate and shocking that Koh typified the Barisan Nasional Cabinet of being in deep denial in refusing to acknowledge that the recent arson attempts and acts of vandalism on houses of worship and the “Allah” controversy have gravely discredited the 1Malaysia slogan, caused great setbacks to nation building and undermined Malaysia’s attractions as magnet for foreign investments, tourists and students.

Is this why there is no sense of urgency among Cabinet Ministers that the discord arising from the “Allah” controversy should not be allowed to be dragged out and the Cabinet must find a speedy resolution not only to salvage the 1Malaysia slogan and concept, but to remove doubts and concerns inhibiting foreign direct investments, tourists and students from coming to Malaysia.

In fact, the government’s mishandling of the “Allah” controversy is making more Malaysians to think of emigrating overseas because they have lost confidence in Najib’s 1Malaysia.

Tsu Koon’s proposal that media organisations set up unity desks begs the question why the government is not setting an example so that all Malaysians will leave government offices with one strengthened conviction – that Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation which can be a model for the world?

For a start, would Tsu Koon raise in Cabinet tomorrow the setting up of unity desks in all ministries and government departments to foster national unity and inter-racial, inter-religious and inter-cultural understanding on the ground?

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 26 January 2010, 1:36 pm and is filed under
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More important for Najib to convene all-party all-religion RTC to demonstrate Malaysian unity and condemnation of religious intolerance giving real meaning to 1Malaysia than to officiate launching of hollow-sounding GTP

The desecration of two mosques in Petaling Jaya, the Masjid Jumhuriyah in Taman Dato Harun and the Al- Imam Tirmizi mosque at Taman Sri Sentosa this morning, must be condemned in no uncertain terms – no ifs and buts – by all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation.

Again, for the past four weeks since the beginning of the year, Malaysia is hogging the international limelight for all the wrong reasons – the 16th and 17th cases of desecration of places of worship involving arson attempts and acts of vandalism which now involve 11 churches, a Sikh gurdwara, three mosques and two surau.

This has aggravated Malaysia’s crisis of confidence to attract foreign investors, tourists and students, undermining Malaysia’s international competitiveness and tarnishing Malaysia as a safe and secure haven for FDIs and as an  ideal location for tourists and students.

Clearly there are irresponsible people out to cause mischief and create inter-religious strife arising from the Dec. 31 judgment of the Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan lifting the 2007 Home Ministry ban on the Catholic Church weekly Herald and allowing the use of  the word “Allah” in its Bahasa Malaysia version, and it is most unfortunate that the lack of firm commitment by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein to uphold the rule of law had sent out the wrong message to these mischief makers.

Although the Home Minister and the police claimed that the “situation is under control”, this is clearly not the case as illustrated by the two latest cases of desecration of the two PJ mosques, marking a new total of 17 such desecrations since the first case, the arson attack at Metro Tabernacle Church at Desa Melawati, Kuala Lumpur on January 8.

The Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the entire Cabinet is not taking the situation as seriously as it warrants – which is why I am very disappointed at the lack of leadership displayed by the Cabinet Ministers so far to deal decisively with the spate of desecration of places of worship by withdrawing from a protagonist’s role so as to be able to mediate a quick solution of the “Allah” controversy  based on inter-religious dialogue, understanding, goodwill and harmony stemming from the Lau Bee Lan judgment.

I understand that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is officially launching the government KPI and NKRA programme underpinning his 1Malaysia slogan tomorrow.

To the majority of Malaysians, it would be more important for Najib to convene all-party all-religion round-table conference to demonstrate Malaysian unity and condemnation of religious intolerance giving real meaning to 1Malaysia than to officiate the  launching of hollow-sounding Government Transformation Programme.

Tomorrow, Hishammuddin is giving a briefing to  Pakatan Rakyat leaders from DAP, PAS and PKR as well as representatives from some NGOs on the government’s proposals on amendments to the Internal Security Act (ISA) expected to tabled in the forthcoming session of Parliament beginning on March 15.

Malaysiakini has reported that 50 persons, including university students and a few foreigners, have been nabbed under the ISA, in “an apparent current-terrorism blitz” –  quoting Abolish ISA Movement (GMI) lawyer Edmund Bon that the 50 were detained last Thursday with 38 released the following morning while the rest are still in detention.

In an immediate reaction, the Home Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam has denied the arrests saying that the Home Ministry is not aware of them.

Home Minister Hishammuddin should clarify whether there is a new round of ISA arrests at the briefing on the proposed ISA amendments tomorrow.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 27 January 2010, 4:21 pm and is filed under
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Ripping to shreds Shamsul Akmar’s arguments

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

I would like to reply to Shamsul’s article that appeared in today’s New Straits Times. You can read the full text of the article below. The parts in brackets (Point number 1, 2, 3, etc.) are my own additions for easy reference — so that you know which part of the article I am replying to.

Point number 1
: Ex-Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been lamenting about the problem with the Malays his entire life. His letters to First Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman (which I have already published in the Internet back in 2001-2002) and his book,
The Malay Dilemma
, show that his opinion of the Malays go way back to the 1960s.

During one Umno general assembly, Mahathir cried because, according to him, he was disappointed about the attitude of the Malays. When asked by a journalist soon after he retired what he would consider his greatest regret in 22 years as Prime Minister, Mahathir replied that his greatest regret is that he could not change the attitude of the Malays.

And which part of the attitude of the Malays is Mahathir so upset about? He said it in his letters to Tunku Rahman, he said it in his book,
The Malay Dilemma
, and he said it many times more after that.

The Malays are too feudalistic, said Mahathir. “Why can’t the Malays be more like the Chinese, pragmatic?” asked Mahathir. And one of the reasons (I said ONE of the reasons) Mahathir engaged the Rulers in two Constitutional Crises back in the 1980s were to ‘break’ the feudalistic mentality of the Malays.

But he failed. The Malays rallied behind the Rulers, not behind Umno, and Mahathir was forced to back off.

So how does Shamsul come across whacking DAP for being feudalistic when the Grand Old Man of Malaysian politics said that this is what is the problem with the Malays? It is like a prostitute accusing Paris Hilton of being a woman of loose morals.

Point number 2
: Shamsul accuses DAP of being a Chinese chauvinist party. Does DAP stand for
Parti Cina Malaysia
 like the ‘M’ in Umno stands for
Malays
, the ‘C’ in MCA for
Chinese
 and the ‘I’ in MIC for
Indians
? The ‘D’ in DAP stands for
Democratic
, not
Chinese
.

Point number 3
: ‘Middle ground’ means meet in the middle. It does not mean ‘Middle Kingdom’ like in Old China. In English, when we say we search for the middle ground, it means we look for a compromise. We meet halfway. You take one step towards us and we take one step towards you. That is how we achieve the middle ground.

In short, it is not a winner takes all and loser loses all type of situation. It is you give in and I also give in. We both sacrifice something for the sake of compromise and for the sake of meeting in the middle, the middle ground.

Point number 4
: And of course DAP will never be able to do it alone, as Shamsul says. Malaysia is not about one race or one religion. Malaysia is a diversity of races and religions. But how do you achieve unity in diversity? Well, you create a ‘melting pot’ of ethnicities. So certainly DAP can’t do this alone without the support of the others.

Is this so wrong? In fact, it is the reverse of wrong, although Shamsul tries to portray this in a negative light.

Point number 5
: Sure, DAP’s slogan used to be
Malaysian Malaysia
. But DAP realises that Malaysians do not quite grasp what it means. So that has since been dropped. In fact, it was dropped a long time ago, not only now.

What about Umno’s slogans that have changed ever so often? Now it is
1Malaysia
. It used to be
Islam Hadhari
 not too long ago. And, before that, Umno had a string of slogans such as
Malaysia Inc.
,
Look East Policy
,
Buy British Last
, and God knows what else. There are so many I can’t even remember them all.

Point number 6
: Now this is an interesting point raised by Shamsul. Is DAP’s
Middle Malaysia
 meant to break Barisan Nasional’s domination? I certainly hope so. I would be very upset if DAP is embarking on the
Middle Malaysia
 strategy with no intentions to break Barisan Nasional’s domination. It must always be about demolishing Barisan Nasional. It must never be about anything but that.

Point number 7
: Now Shamsul laments that PAS is compromising with its other partners in Pakatan Rakyat. Well, good for PAS. I remember when Umno used to lament that PAS is so extreme and uncompromising. Now Umno complains about the reverse?

Point number 8
: Maybe there are some in PAS who share the top leadership’s views about the Allah word issue while there are some who don’t, as Shamsul alleges. So what? Have you not heard of democracy? Have you not heard that everyone is entitled to his or her opinion? Have you not heard about the right to express your opinion? And you say this is bad? I say it is good. It shows that democracy exists in PAS and that members are allowed the freedom to disagree, even with the top leadership.

Point number 9
: Ah, Shamsul has to be very careful here. Khalid Samad is not ‘justifying’ his support for and solidarity with DAP and PKR by quoting verses of the Quran. If the Quran says so then the Quran says so. You are not ‘justifying’ anything by following the Quran. You are just being a good Muslim. And this is a crime?

Point number 10
: Okay, let us talk about the Member of Parliament for Kulim. I know him personally of course. And so does my wife, a Chinese who converted to Islam. And one day my wife whacked Zul Nordin in public.

“What kind of Muslim are you?” asked my wife. “You are a hypocrite. You are a disgrace to Islam. You should remove that white skullcap on your head.”

Zul Nordin walked away speechless. He could not reply to even a Chinese who was never born a Muslim but became a Muslim later in life. You should have seen the smile on Datuk Kamarul Bahrin’s face to see a Chinese convert take to task a so-called
mujahid
 of Islam.

So, Shamsul, I would not use Zul Nordin as a ‘good’ example if you want to argue your case. He is court jester at best. His white skullcap is probably too tight it restricts the flow of blood to his brain.

Point number 11
: There are two points here. One is about the ‘outdated’ or ‘expired’ leaders in Pakatan Rakyat. I agree with Shamsul on this one and have said the same thing many times myself. Pakatan Rakyat needs to do some spring-cleaning. But then even Umno and Barisan Nasional suffer from this same problem, not only the opposition.

And on the second point that maybe PAS, DAP and PKR should dissolve and everyone join one party, that is certainly a good idea and I have no criticism against Shamsul on this suggestion. But let us see Barisan Nasional do this first in the spirit of
1Malaysia
. I am sure Pakatan Rakyat will not be too far behind once Barisan Nasional takes the lead. Would Barisan Nasional dare do what it is challenging Pakatan Rakyat to do?

Point number 12
: And on the final part of Shamsul’s piece, I want to correct him on only one point. Pakatan Rakyat is NOT a multi-racial party like Barisan Nasional. It is a non-race-based coalition. Multi-racial is still racial. Pakatan Rakyat is non-race-based, which means race, even multi-racial, does not exist.

And this is what Shamsul and his Umno masters do not understand. And since they do not understand they therefore do not know how to ‘spin’ their anti-Pakatan Rakyat propaganda.

Enough said already!

*************************************************

Middling value in ‘Middle Malaysia’

SHAMSUL AKMAR, New Straits Times

DAP’S new remedy for the nation — Middle Malaysia, sounds quite ancient and feudal — very much like the Zhou Dynasty’s Middle Kingdom.

Even if the Middle Kingdom is attached to that which is Egyptian, it is still very feudal, a period when rulers were divine and a law unto themselves. But for most Malaysians, surely Middle Malaysia will echo that of the Chinese Middle Kingdom and not that of the Egyptian. (Point number 1)

As it is, it has already been pointed out in the blogosphere that DAP’s departure from Malaysian Malaysia to Middle Malaysia is an attempt to beguile the Malays who had rejected the former as a subtle chauvinist agenda. (Point number 2)

Whether such arguments will gain currency is anybody’s guess but the coining of the new slogan by DAP has attracted debate.

It is ironic because DAP stalwarts, its national publicity secretary, Tony Pua, for example, in promoting the Middle Malaysia idea in his blog, described it as “apt in times like this, as we swim in various parochial and fringe controversies like Allah and ketuanan Melayu”, are now themselves accused of promoting “a chauvinistic fringe concept”.

Pua, when explaining Middle Malaysia, said: “It is time to position DAP and our partners Pas and PKR as taking the middle ground where the overwhelming majority of Malaysians stand, while leaving our political enemies to take the extremist position.” (Point number 3)

It sounds very reasonable albeit rhetorical.

But the more interesting aspect about Middle Malaysia is that DAP concedes that it will not be able to achieve it on its own and that it needs the all-round support of Pas and PKR. (Point number 4)

This is unlike its Malaysian Malaysia concept which was promoted as a DAP exclusive. With the promotion of Middle Malaysia, Malaysian Malaysia may soon be a slogan of the past. (Point number 5)

The first question now is whether this Middle Malaysia will be embraced wholeheartedly by DAP’s partners.

The next is whether Middle Malaysia is the formula to break Barisan Nasional’s domination. (Point number 6)

While PKR may just adopt anything, which can undermine or diminish Umno and BN, the same cannot be said about Pas.

Pas has, since the taste of the 2008 general election bounty, shown its preparedness to compromise on issues, which used to be its raison d’etre such as the Islamic state and hudud, but on several occasions struggled to keep abreast of its secular and liberal partners. (Point number 7)

Even in the Herald issue, Pas leaders have been unable to commit themselves to whether they agree on the use of the word “Allah” by those of other faiths. (Point number 8)

There are those within their midst like MP for Shah Alam Khalid Samad who has shown his eagerness to be aligned with DAP and PKR in much of their political stance, justifying his action with Quranic verses and Prophetic traditions. (Point number 9)

For that matter, even in PKR, the MP for Kulim Bandar Baru has on several occasions shown that he was opposed to the pursuits of DAP and his party. (Point number 10)

Before the DAP can “sell” its Middle Malaysia to the rest of Malaysians, their partners would have to get their act together and remove their leaders who are still stuck in various parochial and fringe political principles.

Another question begging for an answer is if DAP can convince PKR in embracing Middle Malaysia — would not the separate entities become redundant, if not overlapping?

As it is, most of DAP’s pronouncements are either echoed by PKR or similarly trumpeted. If Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) could see this and decide to embrace PKR, surely, sooner or later, either PKR or DAP must come to such a conclusion.

The only difference between the two parties now is that DAP has more non-Malays while PKR has more Malays and if they both decide to blur the racial identities, they should be able to exist as one and helm the Middle Malaysia together and not separately. (Point number 11)

But it is doubtful that Pas can ever be with the others unless DAP and PKR accept its leadership and subscribe to some of its ideological principles.

Then, it can be wondered aloud if Pas will be accused of subscribing to parochial and fringe interests.

On the part of the BN, it will never be able to be one as it was formed as a coalition of separate entities intending to pursue separate interests.

That has been its strength and its bane depending on the ebb and flow of domestic politics.

If the respective races they represent are comfortable, even if not necessarily pleased, with the distribution and equation, then the coalition is in good stead.

That has been the formula since the days of the Alliance and the succeeding BN.

The acceptance of BN over the years is actually quite a feat given the fact that it is not ideology-driven unless its pragmatism is considered one.

Otherwise, it is a political bargaining by party elites and adjustments are made where and when necessary.

While detractors are accusing BN of being too immersed in race politics, the BN components have existed because each race wanted them to represent its interests.

BN is actually a reflection of what the Malaysian races are all about — the want for race-based privileges be they in economy, or in education.

If the Malay/Bumiputeras want their privileges in scholarships and other economic ventures, the non-Bumiputeras want their race-based education to be protected and defended.

For as long as the different races in the country feel that their needs and interests are best pursued by the politicians and political parties representing their race, the BN concept remains the most viable though not necessarily ideal.

Their detractors, though styling themselves as multiracial are never far away from pursuing these racial interests in their political quests.

The only difference is that the BN admits it is a congregation of race-based parties while their opponents proclaim themselves to be the epitome of multiracial virtues.

And how dare anyone equate Middle Malaysia with the Middle Kingdom. (Point number 12)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 27 January 2010, 11:00 am and is filed under
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Which were the top 20 schools in the early years of the nation?

(How many of the 20 high-performance schools picked by  Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin would have been your choice?

May be, lets open a debate as to which were the top 20 “high-performance” schools when the country achieved Merdeka in 1957 and became Malaysia in 1963, how many of them are in Muhyiddin’s Top 20 schools and why the rest have lost out in the placings?

Reproduced below is one view by Lee Wei Lian in Malaysian Insider)

The tragic tale of Malaysian education

by
Lee Wei Lian

Malaysian Insider

January 27 2010

What do Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Malaysia’s founding father Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s second richest man T. Ananda Krishnan and YTL chairman Tan Sri Francis Yeoh have in common?

The answer: all four studied at once famous schools that are now glaringly absent from the list of 20 high performance schools recently announced by the government.

Victoria Institution (Ananda, Yeoh), St John’s Institution (Najib), Penang Free School (Tunku Abdul Rahman) and others like Malacca High School and St Michael’s Institution are all storied schools that have been allowed to fall behind until they are no longer counted as among the elite educational institutions in the country.

Just imagine if Eton College in the UK or Raffles Institution in Singapore was not recognised as one of the top schools in their respective countries.

That is the equivalent of what has befallen what were once the most respected schools in Malaysia. Today, they do not even rate a mention on a list of the top 20 high performance schools.

It is a crying shame as these schools produced many leaders that were influential in the development of Malaysia and to a lesser extent even in Singapore.

But what happened to these academic icons? Was it merely a case of these venerable institutions being surpassed by more ambitious upstarts? Was it merely oversight that they were left off the list? Or was it a result of deliberate attempts over the years to sideline these institutions because they were founded by the British and/or missionaries?

Or was it sheer mismanagement on the part of the government that these once most prestigious names in Malayan/Malaysian education were allowed to fade along with the general perception of the quality of education in the country? Did, like so much else that is wrong with Malaysia, politics get in the way of academic stewardship?

Just consider the contributions these schools have made to society and business. Besides Tunku, the Penang Free School also nurtured the likes of Tan Sri P. Ramlee, actor and director extraordinaire,

Danny Quah, a prominent economist and head of the department of economics at the London School of Economics who also sits on the National Economic Advisory Council which is formulating Malaysia’s new economic model, and Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Apart from the prime minister, St John’s groomed one of Asia’s top bankers, CIMB CEO Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, one of the world’s top central bankers Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz and the former vice-chancellor of the National University of Singapore, B.R. Sreenivasan.

Methodist Boy’s School produced the chairman of the Genting group, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, the chairman of the OCBC Bank and former CEO of Singapore Airlines, Dr Cheong Choong Kong, the vice chancellor of UKM, Professor Tan Sri Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin, Tan Sri Tay Ah Lek, managing director of Public Bank, and Singapore’s former Minister of Education Ong Bang Poon.

Besides Ananda and Yeoh, Victoria Institution also educated the one of the world’s richest men, the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, former Singapore Deputy Prime Minister S. Rajaratnam, as well as some of Malaysia’s most legendary sportsmen, footballer Mokhtar Dahari and all four Sidek brothers.

Even if there was no list of top 20 “high performance schools” there would be little disagreement that these schools are now just a shadow of their former selves and can no longer command the respect they once did.

What does it then say about a government that allowed such historic and educational gems, some that date back nearly 200 years, to slip down the ranks in less than 50?

A closer look at the list also reveals something of the government’s apparently negligent attitude towards heritage conservation. Seri Bintang Utara made it to the list as a high performance school despite having to survive the demolition of its premises in Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur where the “ginormous” Pavilion mall now stands and what appears to be attempts to wipe out its identity as it was formerly known as the Bukit Bintang Girls School, or more popularly BBGS.

To this day, while I like and enjoy the high quality of the Pavilion mall, I still feel a wave of disgust every time I set foot in it that seemingly nothing of BBGS, Kuala Lumpur’s oldest and one of its most prestigious schools, was preserved in the construction of the mall and that the government did not see fit to mandate any preservation either.

And all this is more than an academic shame as these schools are reminders of a time when students of all races grew up in school together and were taught to discard their racial lenses and be Johannians and Victorians, a truly depressing contrast to the current situation where Malays grow up in national schools, Chinese in Chinese schools and Indians in Tamil schools.

Can the Najib administration reverse the decline of these once prestigious schools? Anything can be achieved if there is sufficient will so the bigger question is, do they even want to?

* Lee Wei Lian attended the Bukit Bintang Boys School in Petaling Jaya. Nisi Dominus Frustra.

Addendum: The list of Malaysia’s 20 high performance schools are: Sekolah Tun Fatimah (Johor Baru), Sekolah Dato’ Abdul Razak (Seremban), Malay College Kuala Kangsar, Sekolah Seri Puteri (Cyberjaya), Sekolah Menengah Sultan Abdul Halim (Jitra), Kolej Tunku Kurshiah (Seremban), Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah (Klang), Sekolah Menengah Sains (SMS) Tuanku Syed Putra (Perlis), Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah (Putrajaya) and SMS Muzaffar Syah (Malacca), Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) (P) Sri Aman(Petaling Jaya), SMK Aminuddin Baki (Kuala Lumpur), SMK Sultanah Asma (Alor Star) and SMK (P) St George (Penang), Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Seri Bintang Utara (KL), SK Taman Tun Dr Ismail 1 (KL), SK Bukit Damansara (KL), SK Zainab (2) (Kota Baru), SK Convent Kota (Taiping), SK Bandar Baru Uda 2 (Johor Baru).

* This article is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 27 January 2010, 9:08 pm and is filed under
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Middle Malaysia

By
Dr Chen Man Hin
, DAP life adviser

THE EVOLUTION AND SIGNIFICANCE OF MIDDLE MALAYSIA.

Actually, the evolution of Middle Malaysia was spontaneous when about 50% of the electoral votes of 2008 general election supported a minimum common programme of the PKR-DAP-PAS coalition.

March 8th 2008 was a turning point for the country when the coaltion achieved a resounding victory by capturing five States and denied the Barisan of a two thirds majority. It signified that half the electorate wanted a Malaysia that was democratic, just, transparent, with religious freedom and rule of law – all the prnciples of the common programme of the Coalition of PKR-DAP-PAS.

The momentous victory for the coalition marked the spontaneous birth of a MIDDLE MALAYSIA.

THE 8/03 VICTORY SPURRED THE FORMATION OF PAKATAN RAKYAT.

The leaders recognising that the coaltion movement had secured massive electoral support, wisely proceeded to formalise the coaltion. After months of negotiation and patience, on December 19th 2009, the coaltion having adopted the name of PAKATAN RAKYAT summoned a national convention and formally adopted a PAKATAN COMMON PLATFORM, defining the objectives for a united, progressive and prosperous Malaysia.

The common platform outlined a minimum program which reflected the wishes and aspirations of the rakyat.

DAP MIDDLE MALAYSIA STRATEGY

On September 17th 2010, Secretary General of DAP Lim Guan Eng, presented his tactical strategy of MIDDLE MALAYSIA, which he fervently felt would help Pakatan Rakyat to win the hearts and minds of most of the people of Malaysia.

He is focusing on Middle Malaysia to win more support from the people and it will also guide Pakatan Rakyat to move in the right direction.

SIGNS THAT MIDDLE MALAYSIA WILL RALLY BEHIND PAKATAN RAKYAT.

Firstly, the 8/03 victory was a sign that the people of middle malaysia want a change and will support pakatan rakyat because of its policy of a democratic open society that is just and provide equal opportunities for all, irrrespective of race or religion.

Secondly the people who constitute Middle Malaysia, come from different sections of the population. They come from a wide spectrum irrespective of race, religion, gender, the poor, workers, professionals, business men, petty traders, housewives, sports people, the unemployed and even the rich. They are different, but they have a common purpose – they want CHANGE.

Middle Malaysia comprised of people whose state of mind is common – the desire for national unity, justice, progress, religious freedom,  quality education, job opportunities, crime free society, healthcare, rule of law, good governance that is transparent, corruption free police force and an independent judiciary.

PAKATAN RAKYAT WILL ADOPT THE MIDDLE WAY TO ACHIEVE CHANGE FOR A BETTER LIFE FOR THE PEOPLE.

Pakatan Rakyat has been championing the rights of Middle Malaysia and will continue to do so the right way, which is the Middle Way – via democracy, consultation, dialogue and   interaction with the people irrespective of race, class or religion.

As asians, we will follow the age old wisdom of Budda and Confucious to take the middle way in life.

‘Islam is the Middle Path’ according to Masumah A Farchici, who says ‘Islam teaches balance in thought and action’ and he quotes:-

 “Thus We have appointed you a middle nation.”

(Qur’an, Surah Baqarah, 2:143)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 28 January 2010, 8:21 pm and is filed under
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Call on Najib to immediately abolish the practice of support letters for contracts to demonstrate his commitment to zero tolerance for corruption

When I visited the Lab Open Day of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) in Sunway on 18th December last year, I raised the question about the government’s seriousness and commitment to declare an all-out war against corruption and asked why nobody in government, starting from the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had ever talked about “zero tolerance for corruption”, and this question remains as valid today as seven weeks ago.

It is no use the GTP lab on “fighting corruption” referring to “zero tolerance for corruption” when nobody in government, from the Prime Minister downwards is prepared to embrace it.

The GTP Roadmap makes grandiloquent statements and proposals about fighting corruption but the political will to implement them are sorely lacking.

It proposes the gradual reduction of the “practice of support letters, which are used to exert undue influence on civil servants to circumvent standard policies and processes in obtaining contracts”.

It said:

“Often, these interventions do not necessarily originate from politicians themselves, but from vested individuals who use the support letters as leverage to negotiate with the Government.

We cannot accept its rationale that “it is difficult to change this practice overnight”, which is a question of whether there is the political will to make and implement  the decision as  not in line with the commitment to a “zero tolerance for corruption”.

I call on Najib to immediately abolish the practice of support letters for contracts to demonstrate his commitment to a policy of “zero tolerance for corruption” and to announce that all contracts would be awarded by open tender which would obviate the need for any support letters – a major cause for corruption.

The GTP Roadmap makes grandiloquent statements about tackling the scourge of “grand corruption” by politicians and senior civil servants, but its abysmal record of prosecution and conviction of  political “sharks” as compared to “ikan bilis” for corruption does not inspire any confidence.

What credibility is there about GTP Roadmap proposal to address the problem of political funding, when there is thunderous silence about the serious allegation in Barry Wain’s “Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times” about the
mysterious funding of the Umno headquarters, the Putra World Trade Centre
?

Wain had alleged that the PWTC was partly financed by the taxpayers, as the government “persuaded” state-owned banks to forgive a large chunk of the loans to finance the project.

Wain quoted former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin as saying that the banks had written off at least RM140 million in accumulated interests.

He referred to a confidential accountants’ report commissioned by Umno in 1985, which tagged PWTC at RM360 million, and stated that the sum was financed by loans of RM199.5 million from state-owned Bank Bumiputera Malaysia Bhd and RM64.9 million from Malayan Banking Bhd as they were then known.

Additionally, the accountants’ report states that as of March 1986, the Umno appointed company to construct the building, Khidmat Bersatu Sdn. Bhd, had only paid RM51,570 in interest.

If the funding of UMNO headquarters remains a mysterious, with no government having the political will to get to the truth to the serious allegation that Malaysian taxpayers had partly financed it, who will believe that the GTP Roadmap can clean up the problem of political funding to curb “grand corruption” in Malaysia?

                This entry was posted on Friday, 29 January 2010, 5:07 pm and is filed under
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Establish opposition-headed Parliamentary Select Committee on 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme Roadmap to exercise parliamentary oversight if Najib, Tsu Koon and Idris are serious about major government reforms

I embarrassed Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, the KPI Minister and Chairman of Pemudah and Datuk Idris Jala, the Second KPI Minister and CEO of Pemudah when together with DAP MP for PJ Utara Tony Pua and MP for Bukit Bintang Fong Kui Lun, I visited the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP) Roadmap exhibition just after noon.

Apart from Idris, the GTP Roadmap exhibition staff and the media, there was hardly a soul from the public. Reporters said that the venue was as empty yesterday except for the official launching ceremony of the GTP Roadmap by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

It is almost ten months since Najib became Prime Minister, and apart from his dazzling “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” slogan and concept, Malaysians have not felt and could not perceive that there is any meaningful change in their daily lives.

The 261-page “1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme” would make an impressive thesis on nation-building and government transformation but the national challenge today is not who can produce the best-sounding thesis but have the political will to implement meaningful changes in all aspects of national life.

In fact, there could not be a worse time for the launching of the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme when for the past month,  the Malaysian  image of a united, harmonious and progressive nation had suffered prolonged battering in the international media because of the failure of find a quick solution to the “Allah” controversy.

What a united, harmonious and progressive 1Malaysia are we projecting when it is reported by Malaysian Insider yesterday that a forum for some 800 civil servants was the occasion for the spouting of intolerant, incendiary and inflammatory speeches, even to the extent of resurrecting the threat and spectre of another “May 13 Incident”?

This is the Malaysian Insider report yesterday:

Muslim overseers blame Christians for ‘Allah’ row

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 28 — Islamic academics and administrators have blamed Christians for provoking Muslim anger by challenging the ban on their use of the word “Allah”.

Politicians, particularly those from Umno/Barisan Nasional (BN) were also blamed for failing to defend Islam against perceived threats.

Panellists at a forum organised for civil servants here by the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) suggested that the Barisan Nasional (BN) government was lax in defending Islam, after the High Court ruling allowing a Catholic weekly to use “Allah” in its Bahasa Malaysia section.

Zamihan Mat Zin from the Institut Latihan Islam Malaysia blasted politicians for being vocal only on Malay rights but doing little for Islam.

“Some politicians are ever so vocal when it comes to defending Malay rights but when it comes to their religion, they are quiet. What is the use of defending Malay rights if our religion is not protected?” he told about 800 civil servants at a special forum here today.

The pertinent question is why was there a special forum for civil servants to make them the target of such divisive, intolerant, incendiary and inflammatory speeches where one of the speakers, Zamihan even raised the spectre of another “May 13 Incident” as in the following Malaysian Insider report:

But Zamihan went as far as suggesting that a repeat of the May 13 racial riots was possible if the Christians, which to him practised extremism in the matter, did not back down. “Who knows, there might be a Feb 13?” said Zamihan.

Other speakers at the incendiary forum for civil servants included Mohd Aizam Masod, an officer from Jakim’s research department and Mahammad Nasir Disa, deputy chief of Syariah Research Department of the Attorney-General’s office.

Najib should explain firstly, whether it is right and proper, and has become government policy, for civil servants to be involved in such intolerant and incendiary forums; and secondly, what action the Prime Minister would take against those who are so irresponsible as to openly threaten “another May 13” like Zamihan at the forum for civil servants.

If 1Malaysia is to be meaningful, then all must agree that those who undermined inter-racial and inter-religious peace and harmony by threatening “another May 13”, regardless of their race, religion or  political affiliation, must be treated as enemies of 1Malaysia and the sternest action must be taken against them.

Will there be such a consensus in the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme? Will this be discussed and decided at the next Cabinet meeting?

I have grave doubts whether the many beautiful-sounding proposals in the GTP Roadmap would be implemented or whether the GTP Roadmap would end up like the National Integrity Plan 2004-2008 which has become a worthless piece of document after raising such high hopes among Malaysians six years ago!

If the government is serious about the GTP Roadmap, let Najib, Tsu Koon and Idris seek the consent of the Cabinet on Wednesday for the establishment of a parliamentary select committee on 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme to exercise parliamentary oversight to ensure that the beautiful-sounding proposals for government transformation do not remain on paper.

Such a Parliamentary Select Committee on GTP Roadmap should be headed by an Opposition MP and I would love to head such a parliamentary select committee if Najib, Tsu Koon and Idris are really serious about the GTP Programme.

However, I am not insisting that I should be the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on GTP Roadmap, as it will come as a great surprise if Najib, Tsu Koon and Idris are prepared to raise the proposal at the Cabinet next Wedneday – and even greater surprise if the Cabinet is brave and bold enough to endorse such a proposal.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 29 January 2010, 4:13 pm and is filed under
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PM Najib must institute good governance before the country can achieve high income economy

by
Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life adviser

PM NAJIB MUST INSTITUTE GOOD GOVERNANCE BEFORE THE COUNTRY CAN ACHIEVE HIGH ECONOMY FOR THE PEOPLE.

Dr. Zakaria, executive director of MIER at an economic conference on 26th January, stated that for Malaysia to become a high income country, it must liberalise the economy to attract both foreign direct investments as well as domestic investments. This is a hopeful statement, from a dedicated public servant, who wants to see his country prosper.

Unfortunately, he is going to be disappointed, not for lack of trying, but because the political and economic realities do not encourage both foreign and domestic investors to put money in this country.

Widespread corruption, racial prejudices and over regulation of the economy are unfriendly and deter investors to invest. Under an unstable cloud, the investors will not deem the climate here favourable to investors. In fact, this has led to a huge outflow of capital from the country.

DISASTROUS CAPITAL FLIGHT

UBS investment bank reported that in 2009 there was a disastrous capital flight from the country amounting to 50% of the GDP, and the nation’s foreign reserves fell close to 25%

The capital flight was due to ‘political instability, massive official corruption and discrimination against non-Malays.’ There is also a massive flight of human capital. The government admitted that over 300,000 citizens emigrated last year, and these are people with talent and skills.

THIS IS AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION. Here you have a diligent, conscientious government official, earnestly making a plea to liberalise the economy, but he is thwarted and obstructed in doing his duty because of bad governance, injustices and lack of transparency.

PM Najib must first put his house/government in order, and get rid of corruption before he can expect his government and civil servants to perform their duties and serve the people.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 29 January 2010, 4:11 pm and is filed under
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Disappointed Doctor

 Letter

I am a medical doctor who was educated overseas and worked in Australia for several years and recently decided to return to Malaysia to serve the country.

As a professional working overseas I heard about the ‘Program bagi mengalakkan warganegara Malaysia yang berpakaran yang bekerja di luar negara pulang ke Malaysia’ and therefore applied for it. I was very disappointed when they rejected my application on the grounds that it was sent after I returned to Malaysia. Apparently it was meant to be sent whilst I was still in Australia.

I find this a very poor excuse given the fact that Malaysia is trying to lure back its citizens to work for them. It discourages professionals such as me from having to bear the burden to return but not have any perks or encouraging incentives. Furthermore, my parents bore my exorbitant medical tuition fees and I did not receive any governmental loans whatsoever. The “least” is something anyone would expect.

Besides that, it took me a great deal of an effort to locate the abovementioned application form which was hidden in the catacombic archives of one of the governmental websites. Talk about purposeful inconvenience or perhaps voluntary neglect.

I can see why many of my colleagues are hesitant to return and serve the government given the unimpressive, unattractive attitude and to top it off the obvious suboptimal remuneration and working conditions. Now, thankfully I still have the option to return to Australia and am reconsidering my intentions to continue here thanks to the above. Job well done in luring professionals back.

Disappointed DR.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 30 January 2010, 10:04 pm and is filed under
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Instant rejection of proposal for Parliamentary Select Committee on 1Malaysia GTP  – cannot withstand public and parliamentary scrutiny?

I am very disappointed that my proposal yesterday for the establishment of an opposition-headed Parliamentary Select Committee on 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme was given the immediate short shrift by the second KPI Minister, Datuk Idris Jala who rejected the proposal out of hand.(Sin Chew)

I find this very revealing but ominous as the instant rejection of the proposal for a Parliamentary Select Committee on 1Malaysia GTP  shows that  the two KPI Ministers Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon  and Idris have no confidence that the GTP Roadmap can go  very far out of the laboratory stage to  withstand public and parliamentary scrutiny.

They are probably right and it will be most tragic if all the interests of GTP is focused at the laboratory stage more as “academic exercises” than in  translating them into actual policies and programmes subject to public and parliamentary scrutiny.

The virtually total absence of public interest in the 1Malaysia GTP Roadmap Launch exhibition at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre yesterday, to the extent that I felt very embarrassed both for myself and for the KPI Ministers when I paid it a visit   with DAP MPs Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang) and Tony Pua (PJ Utara), is proof that despite 10 months and tens of millions of ringgit of publicity about the “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” concept, Najib’s Government Transformation Programme has failed to catch fire and is in danger of failing like a damp squib.

I would have thought that the two KPI Ministers would have welcomed the proposal for a Parliamentary Select Committee on GTP Roadmap with open arms if they are serious about the GTP Roadmap and have confidence that  there is the political will to ensure that the various GTP proposals would get out of the laboratory level to be translated into meaningful programmes transforming the government and public policies.

In fact, the two KPI Ministers should on their own be canvassing the support of the other Ministers and MPs for the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee on the GTP to ensure that the GTP Road is taken seriously by the Cabinet, Parliament, Government and the civil society.

Why then are the two KPI Ministers in the forefront rejecting the proposal for Parliamentary Select Committee on GTP Roadmap unless they themselves have no confidence that the GTP Roadmap would go beyond  the academic stage at the laboratory levels to become real-life government policies, programs and benchmarks?

In opposing the proposal for the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee on GTP Roadmap, Idris is trampling  on the National Integrity Plan 2004-2008 which in the chapter on “Political Institutions” set down the strategy to “uphold the sovereignty and enhance the integrity and effectiveness of Parliament”.

If a KPI Minister can be so contemptuous of the strategies and targets of the National Integrity Plan 2004-2008, how can the Malaysian public have confidence in the GTP Roadmap?

It is a real shame that KPI Ministers should be so negative about a parliamentary select committee on GTP Roadmap.

I will raise the subject of a Parliamentary Select Committee on GTP Roadmap at the forthcoming meeting of Parliament March 15 – April 15, 2010 but before it, will there be any Minister who is committed enough about GTP to raise the subject say at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday?

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 30 January 2010, 12:32 pm and is filed under
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Khaled – Hands off! Respect and uphold University of Malaya Vice Chancellor Ghauth Jasmon’s decision on moratorium and suspension of campus polls

Hands off! Respect and uphold the University of Malaya Vice Chancellor Ghauth Jasmon’s decision on the moratorium and suspension of University of Malaya campus polls.

This is the message all Malaysians hoping to see the restoration of academic freedom and excellence in our public universities, particularly University of Malaya, want to send to the Higher Education Minister Datuk Khaled Nordin.

Khaled has already jumped into the campus fray by questioning the judgment of the University of Malaya Vice Chancellor in suspending the campus elections and his decision to resolve the campus poll controversy, viz:

appointment of an IT consultant by the pro-students group to test the e-voting system – a re-election to be held if it is proven that elements of fraud or abuse exist.

investigate allegations that deputy vice-chancellor of student affairs (HEP) Azarae Idris misused university funds to quarantine HEP sponsored candidates at a hotel, the night before nomination.

I call on Khaled to endorse the decision and judgment of Gauth Jasmon, taking into account legitimate complaints about the campus electoral process.

The campus e-voting system is most unsatisfactory and even undemocratic as the students are not given the chance to observe the whole voting process and the e-counting of votes cannot be done. In one of the faculties, the candidates only lost 3 votes to be elected but there was no avenue for a re-counting  in this electronic system.

In addition, students need to log in into the voting system using their matrix number and this will cause the worried amongst the students to vote some particular candidates.

Apart from UM, there are also disturbing  news about the integrity and legitimacy of the results in other university campus elections like UPM and UKM.

I condemn

the entering of FRU into UKM and the arrest of two students who  took part in the student demonstration; and

the disqualification by the UPM administration of the  winning status of 7 student representatives which is ridiculous and unacceptable, just because they had made some campaign statements in Facebook.

The controversies and intervention of the administration of various universities in the  Campus Elections once again prove that they are not mature or professional in the management of the public universities to restore academic freedom and excellence so that they can become top-ranking universities recognized worldwide as leading institutions of  higher learning.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 30 January 2010, 4:34 pm and is filed under
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Pakatan Rakyat – what next

Pakatan Rakyat won a renewal of  public confidence and trust with the successful holding of the Pakatan Rakyat national convention in Shah Alam on Dec. 19 last year and the demonstration of greater responsibility and maturity as compared to Umno and Barisan Nasional in the response to the “Allah” controversy which had further marred the image and reputation of Malaysia, both locally and internationally, since the new year.

But in a matter of days, these hard-won gains for the Pakatan Rakyat were largely undone  not by the acts of our political adversaries but by  the deeds of Pakatan Rakyat standard-bearers.

As a result, there is now a new round of public questioning as to whether Pakatan Rakyat can be trusted with the great responsibility of federal power in the next general elections.

This internal haemorrhaging, at a time when the Umno-led Barisan Nasional is intensifying its political offensive with a new round of abuses of  the national  institutions and instruments, must end.

This will be the challenge of the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council when it meets  tomorrow.

Since the last quarter of the year, the subject of a Pakatan Rakyat disciplinary committee had been on the agenda of the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council.

The PR disciplinary committee, with two members from each party, must meet to restore public confidence in the discipline, commitment, cohesion and unity of Pakatan Rakyat.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 30 January 2010, 3:02 pm and is filed under
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For Karpal, the personal is political

29 Jan 10 : 8.00AM

By
Deborah Loh; The Nut Graph

FIVE years ago, in the blink of an eye, life changed for the Lion of Jelutong. A car accident close to midnight on 28 Jan 2005 now keeps Karpal Singh confined to a wheelchair and under constant supervision and assistance in order to perform the simplest of tasks.

That incident has not dampened the Bukit Gelugor Member of Parliament’s drive to serve in law and politics. Even so, Karpal, 70, considers his disability worse than detention without trial under the Internal Security Act, which he experienced for two years from 1987 under Operasi Lalang.

At an age and under circumstances where many others would have retreated to live quietly, the DAP national chairperson is still fighting — as an opposition leader, a crusader for justice, and against physical pain, which he tries to ignore by working. The Nut Graph spoke to Karpal at his law firm in Kuala Lumpur on 20 Jan 2010 while he was preparing for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s second sodomy trial which starts on 2 Feb.

TNG:
What keeps you going in politics?

Karpal Singh: Making sure that government is held accountable. Once in a while we get into trouble, but that’s the risk we take. For example, I’ve been charged with sedition for saying that the sultan of Perak can be sued. Of course he can be sued. And even if I were wrong, it’s just my opinion. Does that amount to a crime?

During Anwar’s first sodomy trial, I was charged for what I said while discharging my duties in court. It was when urine tests on Anwar found that he had an excessive amount of arsenic in his blood. I made a statement in court that he had been poisoned, and that people in high places were responsible.

(Then prime minister Tun) Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) probably thought I was pointing my finger at him, and so I was charged. There was a lot of protest from other Commonwealth countries because you can’t charge a lawyer for what he says in court. That doesn’t mean the lawyer can get away with saying anything, but there are other measures, like bringing lawyers before the legal disciplinary board. As a result of pressure, the charge was withdrawn.

You are 70 this year. Do you see yourself retiring from active politics by a certain age?

I don’t know how many years left I have in me, but I wish to go on for as long as I can. It’s challenging, but I will continue for as long as my mind is active. Body-wise, I have this handicap, but it hasn’t deterred me in any way.

Have you fully come to terms with the accident that has left you paralysed?

It is not easy. It is a terrible thing. You are a prisoner within yourself, unlike being locked behind bars. At least you can walk around in the cell. Here I can’t. I’m stuck. And I have to be minded by someone 24 hours a day. I can’t be left alone, and it’s a terrible thing. Immobility is one of the worst things that can happen to a person. You’re grounded.

How do you deal with it?

I just tell myself that whether I like it or not, I have to take it. To get on with life. I work a lot to keep my mind away from this. But anyway, I’m going to be over 70, and if life is a like a 10-mile relay, I’ve done seven and just have another three more to go before I reach the end. The major part of it is done. It’s okay if I look at it that way. I’m lucky it didn’t happen to me when I was 16. God has been kind to me, that for a major part of my life, I was on my feet.

In an interview in 2006, you spoke about your determination to walk again with the help of physiotherapy. How is that going?

I’m trying my best, but it may not be that easy. If I can walk the last lap, that’d be nice. I do daily physiotherapy. And I’ve got this wheelchair at home with a button that lets me stand up when I press it. That’s very important for blood circulation after sitting the whole day. Every night for at least for two hours, I stand up as I used to and watch TV while standing.

Actor Christopher Reeve in 2003 (Public domain / Wiki commons) Without physiotherapy, you’re dead. Whenever I go to hospital for physiotherapy, I feel so sad seeing younger people in my condition or worse. If my injury had been higher up my spine, I would be like Superman (actor Christopher Reeve, who was paralysed from the neck down).

With spinal injuries, you are in pain all the time, and I avoid taking painkillers because I don’t want the side-effects. Secondly, I don’t want to become dependent on them. The pain is in my arms, legs and my back. It’s constant. The only way is to somehow get used to it, but it’s not easy. You can get used to other things but not this.

(Sighs) The 29th of January. Had I not been there, even by 30 seconds. On the other hand, had I been sitting in front, I could have been thrown into the windscreen and probably gone on to the road. I was sitting at the back in this old Japanese-made taxi. Some people said, if only you had been in your Mercedes. But I didn’t want to trouble my driver that night. I had been on the last flight that night and I thought if the poor fellow came to get me, he would only go home by 1am. So I thought, why not take a taxi?

What have you learnt from seeing things through a disabled person’s perspective?

It’s terrible, the way you get taunted in Parliament and even in the courts. But I am still lucky. I’m still active in the courts and Parliament. But there are so many others out there who feel hopeless. For them, it’s the end.

It’s different if you are born disabled. You were never able, and therefore you won’t know what it is like to be able. But to become disabled makes you realise, my God, how these people have suffered. You don’t realise what their suffering is until you get into their position.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 31 January 2010, 1:17 pm and is filed under
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