The politics of division – a Malaysian rhetoric

Philip George

Malaysiakini

Aug 28th, 2015

COMMENT
 Being a politician is like playing a game. This is especially so in developing countries, where politicians have the ability to shape the history of a nation and determine how it may progress in the future.

Therefore, the use of rhetoric by leaders trying to persuade and garner support of the public, so that they may be able to implement their vision, is part of the game. But as the times have changed, so much the rhetoric used to convince the populace who have entrusted their futures and the future generations into the hands of an elected few.

Rhetoric can no longer be used in the same way it has been in the past. This lesson is noticeably being learnt in Malaysia.

With a growing urban population strengthened by the extension of 21st Century media, Malaysia is showing gradual signs of an evolving participatory democracy, vaguely resembling the evolution of the British democracy in the 19th Century.

Tomorrow and on Sunday, Aug 29 and 30, the federal government of Malaysia – a government encumbered with scandals and which is rapidly becoming infamous for its autocratic leadership, will face the fourth Bersih (Clean) demonstration, Bersih 4, where predictably 30,000 Malaysians in attendance will be calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Najib, much like his predecessors, has ruled Malaysia with an iron fist, using archaic, draconian and unconstitutional laws such as, but not limited to, the recently repealed 1960 Internal Security Act replaced by the 2012 Peaceful Assembly Act, the 1948 Sedition Act and the 1998 Communications and Multimedia Act to stifle, silence, censure and limit the rights and privileges of Malaysians and its media as granted by the Federal Constitution.

The ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN), of which its main party, Umno, continues to use similar strategies and rhetoric as previously used by the colonial Britain in 1948 when they were being challenged by the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) and Chin Peng, or as Umno in 1969 under Abdul Razak Hussein’s premiership when BN first loss its two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives).

The loss of support had forced the leaders of the time to use exaggerated notions of what may happen to the country if they had accepted change.

These strategies seem to have remained despite the changing of times. The current prime minister and his band of newly-reshuffled cabinet ministers continue to bombard the public with propaganda that promotes a rule by divide to those who are obtuse enough to listen.

Accelerating rate of domestic discontent

Yet, even with an accelerating rate of domestic and international discontent and disapproval in its methods, Umno continues to cascade the rhetoric of fear and divide in hopes of attracting enough of the masses to vote for them in the next election.

The use of threats and draconian laws by government officials against political opposition leaders, public servants, public dissenters and disappointed citizens has become a common practice in Malaysia.

Moreover, the abuse of power by the police in facilitating corrupt practices by the government is becoming alarmingly frustrating for a heavily burdened public. No one is safe from persecution for speaking out against a seemingly totalitarian government.

Picture George Orwell’s 1984. Now picture Malaysia. A vastly similar characteristic of the two is the importance of the party: Umno would have Malays believe that what is good for Umno is good for the Malays. Malay citizens are being led to believe, albeit with little success, that it is ‘us’ against ‘them’; and that without Umno, they would be treated as outcasts or second-rate citizens.

The fear of what if’s and the false prediction of the state of the Malays in a world post-Umno is the embodiment of BN’s political strategy. So much so, the brave and mighty Bugis warrior Najib and his loyal, yet seemingly unintelligible army of supreme ministers who lead a self-proclaimed mature and vibrant democracy still use colonialistic claims like the Malays becoming ‘bangsat’, meaning destitute or bastardised, if Umno loses power. Power politics has become the new religion in Malaysia.

Therefore, the implication of their messages is, bluntly speaking, what is good for the party is good for the country. But yet, the same government that articulates these messages is audacious enough to say that it is not promoting racism, divisive politics, or stirring conflict, but rather, in addition to asking for the people’s trust to fix the mistake it created, it argues that it is only protecting their interest – the interests of the Malays and in broader strokes, the interests of the people of Malaysia.

Ironic to its democratic claims, the government has issued trumped up and unsubstantiated claims and charges for “activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy” against dissenting Malaysians to protect the government by inciting fear and to cause divide between the Malays and the Chinese and Indians.

Malaysians shocked, stunned and amused

Malaysians all over the world are shocked, stunned, but more than anything, amused at the level at which Prime Minister Najib will stoop just to stay in power. Although successful in the past – especially within rural Malaysia – the tactic of using divisive rhetoric is becoming more and more futile as the people of the country are starting to feel the burdens of the economy in their daily lives.

The globalised effects of an ill-perceived national leader has led to the decreased petroleum subsidy, the badly timed and unorganised implementation of the goods and services tax (GST), and the depleting international purchasing power of ringgit.

Furthermore, contrary to the preachings of the cabinet ministers, the lowered ringgit, coupled with political instability and the GST, has not increased, but as Bloomberg has suggested, greatly decreased foreign direct investments and export levels in Malaysia.

With 1MDB, a five-year old sovereign fund, RM42 billion in debt and the issue of US$700 million being deposited into personal bank accounts of Najib – who is also finance minister and chairperson of the 1MDB advisory board – under the guise of a ‘non-partisan’ political donation from a mysterious source in the Middle East to be used in the 2003 general election to help Umno win against the opposition, the damage is done.

The confidence and public trust of international, but more importantly domestic, investors is based on the perception of what is truthful – but nothing the prime minister or his ministers have said sounds truthful. For which even Umno insiders, such as former Wanita Umno chief Rafidah Aziz, questioned how it was possible “to accept such a large donation from foreign sources without compromising the security, welfare and future of the nations.”

Asia’s worst performing currency is now at its lowest level in 17 years. But what is the Malaysian government doing about it, other than playing with mere rhetoric?

The government will blame the uncontrollable oil crisis, the looming global financial crisis or even a former prime minister who has managed to stir up a great deal of trouble for Umno by simply raising questions about the nation, questions that the government has worked so hard to suppress, censure and silence the public from asking. But it refuses to put the blame where the blame is due – on itself.

Malaysia headed towards Dark Ages?

The truth is, Malaysia is headed towards the Dark Ages under the façade of national interest. It is burdened by the GST, laden with a rising cost of living with nominal annual increases in wages or strategically selective government handouts and afflicted by corruption at all levels.

The dollar today is valued at RM4.26, when not more than a year ago, it was at RM3.15, making the ringgit the lowest it has been in 17 years. It is predictably going to decrease if there is no actionable plan to stop its decay, other than intangible hearsays based on trust.

The Central Bank of Malaysia, Bank Negara, does not have enough reserves and has ruled out currency control against the slithering ringgit. En route a global crisis, Malaysia’s plummeting stock market linked to bearish investor expectations combined with all-time low crude oil prices, high national debt levels and systematic scandals has left Malaysia almost barren.

What used to be a model economy and country for the Southeast Asian nations to follow amidst the success of our neighbouring state, Singapore, Malaysia may soon become the Asian version of Greece.

Although the government is trying to do everything in its power to reduce the deficit, it is doing more damage than good at the expense of the people. What used to be an economic, social and political pillar in Southeast Asia is now increasingly becoming an international example of a failed state, with its leaders disgraced, but not embarrassed.

The resignation of Najib would not be an immediate fix to the real problems Malaysia has, but it will be the beginning of a new era, where politicians will have to be on their toes. The perceived change will drastically improve the nation’s fortunes, even if Umno under a new leadership remains in power.

Malaysia is an impending time-bomb, the loss of confidence in Malaysia ranging from the international financial community to domestic public trust needs a catalytic change backed with a paradigmatic shift in thinking, leadership, rhetoric and policies. An already factioned Umno is getting weaker day by day because of a failed leader and a lack of internal and external trust.

It is time for change, which is why the peaceful, yet illegal Bersih demonstration – which was deemed illegal for failure to issue a complete notice to the police, even after trying to comply with the police and the Peaceful Assembly Act countless times, is necessary for Malaysia because it would increase the international condemnation and awareness of the abuse of powers and biases of authority in Malaysia. But more notably, it will be another hard-hitting realisation for a government that is deliberately ignorant of the continuous dissatisfaction within Malaysia.

With Bersih, Malaysians are entering the crux of the battle against the status quo that has led to its demise with the hope of achieving a real democracy through non-violent means. As DAP leader Lim Kit Siang put it, “Bersih 4, and Global Bersih all over the world, will be Malaysia’s “coming-of age” as a parliamentary democracy and a message to the world that a self-confident Malaysian democracy has arrived to join the ranks of world democracies – turning away from the path to a rogue state, where there are only the trappings but not the substance of democracy.”

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 29 August 2015, 1:18 pm and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


At least five Tuns think Najib should step down as Prime Minister – how many Tan Sris are of such thinking?

Yesterday, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said Umno needs more leaders and prospective leaders who are likeable and adaptable so that they can suit themselves to the environment and the people to ensure the party’s victory in the next general election.

As a result, I specially went through the 19 UMNO leaders in the 37-strong Najib Cabinet, and it is difficult to find more than one person who might qualify to be “likeable and adaptable” who can save UMNO from doom in the 14GE – the Minister for International Trade and Industry Datuk Mustapha Mohamad, but who is so sidelined from the centre of UMNO power politics that he cannot even save UMNO from PAS in Kelantan state general elections.

Until three months ago, second Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah might have qualified to be a “likeable and adaptable” UMNO leader to  win back UMNO support, but he has proved to be so malleable as Cabinet spokeman for the RM50 billion 1MDB scandal (according to Tan Sri Muhyiddin in his last speech as Deputy Prime Minister to the UMNO Cheras Division on July 26, 2015) that he blotted his copybook and his credibility as a honest and trustworthy politician is in tatters.

It is indeed ironic that Najib is now talking about the need to have “likeable and adaptable” UMNO leaders to win back popular support for UMNO in 14GE when in his recent Cabinet reshuffle after sacking Muhyiddin as DPM and Shafie Apdal as Rural and Regional Development Minister, he promoted into the Cabinet or increased their public profile and importance in the Najib government people who are the very antithesis of his definition of “likeable and adaptable” leaders who can win back lost popular support for UMNO.

Just yesterday, the new Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Ahmad Shaery Cheek said the Bersih 4 rally in Kuala Lumpur these two days is “aimed at not only toppling the government but also destroying the country”?

It will be impossible to find a comment which is  more dense and dumb than the  one made by Shabery – which may be why the CIMB Group chairperson Datuk Nazir Razak, the brother of the Prime Minister, had advised  “people in power” to stop saying “stupid things” to help the economy recover from its doldrums and crisis as “capital is supersentitive; bad news & bad signs amplified”.

Although the Prime Minister is lamenting the paucity of  “likeable and adaptable” UMNO leaders who could save UMNO from doom in the 14GE,  has Najib realized that he is the most unpopular Prime Minister not only among Malaysians but also among UMNO grassroots leaders and members  in the nation’s history?

There are now at least five Tuns  who think Najib should step down as Prime Minister and how many Tan Sris are of such thinking?

I do not think there has ever been a time  in Malaysia where there was a single Tun who thought that the incumbent Prime Minister  would do the country a world of good if  resigns from the highest office of the land like the minimum of five Tuns who think Najib should step down as Prime Minister.

This is a measure of the gravity of the  crisis of confidence in the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

There are many reasons for this sorry of affairs, whether the twin scandals of 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” in Najib personal accounts, the multiple crisis of the economy, democracy, good governance and nation-building; or Malaysia hurtling headlong in the direction of a rogue state where rule of law, human rights and democratic practices are further undermined; and a failed state because of rampant corruption, socio-economic injustices and collapse of good governance.

One fundamental reason for the deep-seated crisis of confidence faced by the Najib government is its advanced stage of “denial syndrome”.

This is illustrated by his Friday statement that the organizers and participants of the Bersih 4 overnight rally are “shallow and poor” in their patriotism.

Najib cannot be more wrong.

Some quarter of a million Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, age, gender or politics, converged  in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu not because they are disloyal or anti-national, but because of their supreme patriotism and love of the country.

They overcame the uncertainty, helplessness and fear in the face of threats of violence, riots and even another May 13, mass arrests, indiscriminate police firing of teargas and water cannons  if  Bersih 4 rally is held, to stream  into Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu to express their supreme love and patriotism for the country and to save Malaysia from policies and directions which will doom Malaysia as a rogue and failed state.

In fact, the gathering by a quarter of million people in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu yesterday will go down into history as the biggest Merdeka Anniversary celebration in the country’s history, bigger than any Merdeka celebration ever attended by a Prime Minister.

Najib should salute the quarter of a million of Malaysians who converged in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu for their supreme love and patriotism for the country, instead of making slurs by accusing them of being “shallow and poor” in their patriotism.

Are  Najib and the UMNO leaders  as patriotic as the quarter of million Malaysians who converged into Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu yesterday for the Bersih 4 rally, prepared even  to brave tear-gas and water-cannon brutalities to express their love and patriotism for Malaysia?

The short stop-over of former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir at the Bersih 4 at Dataran Merdeka yesterday was a pleasant and significant surprise.

I renew my  Open Invitation to Najib to make a joint appearance at Bersih 4 rally where he can hold face-to-face dialogue with Bersih 4 organisers and principal supporters on the crisis of the economy and the state of democracy, good governance and nation-building  in Malaysia to demonstrate that he is Prime Minister of all Malaysians and not just PM for  UMNO cronies.

Najib has over 12 hours ponder whether to appear at Bersih 4 rally,  whether he dared to do  what Mahathir has done, to attend Bersih 4 rally and acknowledge the patriotism of Malaysians who attended the Bersih 4 rally – that in a democracy, differences are respected but not “criminalized”!

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 30 August 2015, 11:26 am and is filed under
Bersih
,
Mahathir
,
Najib Razak
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Five things different in Day One of Bersih 4

COMMENTARY BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

30 August 2015

Thousands gathered at five points in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to converge around Dataran Merdeka, the iconic field that first witnessed Malaya’s new flag in 1957 and now home to the National Day parade.

It was Day One of Bersih 4, or the fourth rally organised by the coalition for free and fair elections Bersih 2.0. Most turned up in the familiar yellow T-shirt with the words Bersih on it, some with the numbers 3 from the previous rally in 2012, but most with 4 for the current one.

They bravely wore it, although the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) had banned the combination of yellow clothing with the words Bersih 4.

After all, the government had done the same in 2011 for Bersih 2.

Unlike previous rallies, Bersih 4 has been quite different. It was planned for 34 hours and held in at least three Malaysian cities – capital city Kuala Lumpur and state capitals Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and Kuching in Sarawak.

Here are five things that are different in Day One of Bersih 4 from previous rallies.

1. It is peaceful if the police allow those gathering for the rally to just go about their business of rallying. There were no untoward incidents, no violence, no one broke the law and everyone appeared to have a good time.

Fact is, it was a carnival from the official start time of 2pm right up to this morning. People walked, cycled, some on Segways. There was a marching band. There were performances.

And everyone cleaned up. Jalan Tun Perak and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman that lead to Dataran Merdeka were almost spotless.

2. Business booms during rallies.

Hotels around the vicinity were full, and were charging premium rates.

Some of the memorable names in the food industry, the A&W restaurant, Coliseum Cafe, Ibramsha Nasi Kandar and Jai Hind Restaurant, were packed from noon right up to closing time.

Some even had to close early because they ran out of food and drinks.

No one complained that the rallies were bad for business. Some taxi drivers even gave free rides to those turning up for Bersih 4.

 Even the blind musicians around the Masjid Jamek station knew that their talents were required and it would be peaceful. They sang through the evening as those gathered there camped for the rally.

3. Malaysians, and even tourists, turned up for Bersih 4.

There were initial laments that Bersih 4 would be dominated by a few races, and not the majority Bumiputeras. Wrong, everyone turned up – from Orang Asal to Sabah and Sarawak natives and of course the Malays, Chinese and Indians.

It was a Malaysian affair. Even former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Ali came by for a visit.

But the stars were the ordinary Malaysians who came ready with salt, gas masks, goggles and running shoes ready for a rally.

Even some tourists came to have a look at the rally, gamely posing for pictures with those gathered around Dataran Merdeka.

4. Numbers are encouraging in Sabah and Sarawak, and outside Malaysia.

While the Bersih 4 focal point was Dataran Merdeka, the numbers that turned up in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu have been encouraging for the organisers and proof that the issues that appear to just concern those in the peninsula are also a concern for those across the pond.

The numbers who turned up in cities across the world were also encouraging. If anything, it is something for BN to ponder. Why are people turning up for Bersih 4 and can the government respond to their demands and answers on issues of the day?

It would be better than just belittling them or labelling them as not loving their country ahead of the National Day. It is precisely their love for the country that they demand a government that can run the country better.

5. The authorities appear to have matured.

That only traffic policemen and City Hall wardens were around Dataran Merdeka and even in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu speaks volumes for the government’s new-found maturity in handling matters.

These are early days of course. There were Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) troops and trucks on standby but none were used yesterday and hopefully today.

The lack of threat yesterday also seemed to dampen the spirits of those going for the rally. Their salt, Alucid and water compound to take away the sting of tear gas was unused.

But it just means that the civil service, and perhaps some ruling party politicians, know it is better to allow people to let off steam rather than clear them away as was done in the past.

Or maybe it is the National Day weekend and everyone is behaving Malaysian – laid-back, relaxed and courteous to a fault.

After all, the biggest difference yesterday was that the Bersih 4 rally lacked focus and appeared to drift towards another PKR protest until even the jaded party supporters started cheering the one man who used to crack down on them – Dr Mahathir – because he actually turned up to see them.

There is still hours to go for Bersih 4 to end and the National Day celebrations to start. One can only wish that both events are celebrated by all Malaysians – and not just exclusive to different political groupings.

Because both events are about democracy, good governance and freedom. – August 30, 2015.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 30 August 2015, 12:24 pm and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysia in second day of protests against PM Najib Razak

BBC

30th August 2015

Tens of thousands of Malaysians are expected to protest for a second day in Kuala Lumpur, calling for PM Najib Razak to quit over a financial scandal.

On Saturday, crowds were undeterred by a heavy presence of police who had called the protests illegal.

Protesters are angered by a $700m (£455m) payment made to Mr Razak’s bank account from unnamed foreign donors.

He has denied any wrongdoing. He said protesters were tarnishing Malaysia’s image.

Police estimated 25,000 people participated in Saturday’s demonstration, while Bersih – the pro-democracy group behind the rally – said 200,000 took part at the peak.

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad made a surprise appearance late on Saturday, telling the cheering protesters to “carry on”. He has backed the calls for Mr Najib to quit.

The crowd thinned in the evening, but many slept out on the street in readiness for the second day.

The rally was scheduled to last until midnight on Sunday.

“Those who wear this yellow attire… they want to discredit our good name, scribble black coal on Malaysia’s face to the outside world,” national news agency Bernama quoted Mr Najib as saying.

The main accusation against the prime minister is that he took $700m from the indebted 1MDB, which he established in 2009 to try to turn Kuala Lumpur into a financial hub.

Cabinet ministers have said the money transfers were “political donations” from unidentified Middle Eastern sources, and that there was nothing improper. No further details have been given.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 30 August 2015, 1:10 pm and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Huge Anti-Government Protests in Malaysia Continue For a Second Day

Nash Jenkins / Kuala Lumpur

Time

30th August 2015

Large Crowds Are Gathering to Demand the Ouster of Malaysia’s Prime Minister

Malaysia’s Anti-Graft Agency Says the Millions in Prime Minister Najib’s Accounts Are ‘Donations’

Saturday’s massive but harmonious anti-government demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur continued overnight and into Sunday morning as historical numbers of Malaysians gathered in the streets of the capital to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

“It’s what we need to do for the prime minister to hear our voices and realize we don’t need him anymore,” Abdul Muiz, a 26-year-old businessman in a plastic Guy Fawkes mask, told TIME early Sunday. “I think it’ll stay peaceful — the object is peaceful revolt, since we’re a peaceful nation.”

The marathon rally is expected to last until midnight on Sunday, which will mark the beginning of Merdeka Day, the anniversary of Malaysia’s independence from Britain in 1957.

By noon on Sunday, the crowd had swelled to rival Saturday’s, which drew 200,000 by organizer’s estimates and 20,000 by police’s. A number of protesters stayed in the streets near Merdeka Square overnight, sleeping on the pavement when tired.

The ongoing demonstration is the largest popular vote of no confidence to date against beleaguered Prime Minister Najib Razak, who currently sits at the center of an unprecedented corruption scandal. In early July, the Wall Street Journal published a report stating that Najib’s personal bank accounts held around $700 million in cash that may have been siphoned off a struggling state investment fund called 1Malaysia Development Berhad.

Najib’s administration has denied the allegations — and penalized those who have corroborated them, including his deputy prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, whom he sacked last month — claiming that the money was in fact a campaign donation from a benefactor in the Middle East. (A protester at Saturday’s demonstration could be seen dressed up as the elusive donor, donning an Arab-style tunic and holding a sign asking for his money back).

Nevertheless, the incident has provided disgruntled Malaysians with a reason to galvanize in opposition to the government. Many feel that the country is in rough shape economically and socially. The value of the ringgit, its currency, has tumbled; meanwhile, some sense that Najib is attempting to cling to power by emphasizing the ethnic divide between Malays and the country’s Chinese and Indian populations.

This confluence of tensions has driven tens if not hundreds of thousands of middle-class Malaysians into the streets for this weekend’s protests, which in the past have been the preserve of workers and student activists.

“This is my first Bersih rally. I’m politically conscious but apolitical — but these are national issues that impact all of us,” Syed Kabir, a 42-year-old engineer, tells TIME, sitting in a South Indian restaurant off Jalan Tun Perak, a major thoroughfare congested with yellow-shirted demonstrators. He identified as an ethnic Malay; his neighbors, Dr. Shanil Kumar and Michael Cheng, who sat with him at the table, were Indian and Chinese, respectively.

“This is how it was, and this is why we’re angry,” Kumar, a general practitioner in Kuala Lumpur, said. “Malaysia is literally the perfect country — we have resources; we have a good ethnic balance — and it’s been completely spoiled by corruption and money politics. And we’re finally tired of it.”

The men said they expected to stay at the demonstration through midnight, and that they did not expect any violence or altercations with authorities. Though past public protests have ended when law enforcement brought out tear gas and water cannons, the police presence this weekend has been subdued.

“The police have learned that using force won’t fix the situation, but rather aggravate the issue at hand,” Syed said. “Violence would make the government seem worse than they already do.”

Others speculated that the police could in fact be sympathetic to the cause.

“I picked up one of the police [officers],” a Kuala Lumpur cab driver, who requested anonymity, told TIME. “He said, ‘we all know [Najib] is in the wrong, but what can we do? We’re only following instructions and waiting until we can retire.’”

                This entry was posted on Monday, 31 August 2015, 10:07 am and is filed under
Bersih
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysians Gather Peacefully to Demand a New Politics

Nash Jenkins / Kuala Lumpur

Time

Aug. 29, 2015

The historic rally in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday drew tens of thousands, but saw no violence

Tens of thousands of Malaysians assembled near Kuala Lumpur’s Merdeka Square on Saturday to demand that Prime Minister Najib Razak step down from office.

The rally, one of the largest demonstrations against Malaysia’s government in recent memory, was the culmination of escalating public hostility toward Najib, especially after The Wall Street Journal reported that his private bank accounts held over $700 million in funds purportedly siphoned off a struggling state investment fund called 1Malaysia Development Berhad. Officials say the money came from private donors to be spent on the last general elections in 2013.

But, on Saturday, the call of the day — and the name of the anti-corruption movement that organized it — was “bersih,” which means “clean” in Malay.

“Today, this matter is uniting the voice of the people of Malaysia, regardless of race, religion, age, or even politics,” Lim Kit Siang, head of Malaysia’s opposition coalition, told TIME. He stood next to Mohamad Sabu, who leads the country’s largest moderate Islamic party. “We all want to save Malaysia — to promote good governance, to reaffirm the promise of democracy.”

Though the government declared the demonstration unlawful, going so far as to criminalize the anti-government’s yellow t-shirts, a historically large crowd gathered in the streets of Kuala Lumpur City Centre by early afternoon on Saturday, appearing from afar as a sea of neon.

“We’ve curbed our fear of the state, it seems,” K. Arumugam, a human-rights lawyer in the capital, said about the public’s dismissal of state warnings. “People are aware that they need to stand up.”

Unlike past demonstrations against Najib’s leadership, which have typically been the domain of student activists, laborers, and the politicians who support them, Saturday’s rally was in many respects a sociopolitical cross-section of Malaysia at large. Families came out in droves. White-collar executives were said to have booked rooms at five-star hotels near Merdeka Square as to be close to the political action, which organizers intended to continue through Sunday night.

The turnout spoke to the endemic national frustration with what is seen as equally endemic political corruption. The recent accusations of malfeasance first levied in The Wall Street Journal last month — which Najib has denied, even sacking his deputy prime minister for encouraging transparency in the matter — are only the latest development in a sociopolitical system marked by ethnic tension and economic languor.

“It’s supposed to be that the government works for us, not that we work for the government,” Jasmine Sim, a 30-year-old interior designer, told TIME. “People are feeling the pinch of living in Malaysia. Our standard of living is worse and more expensive. Our society is built on old racial lines.”

Though the historical underpinnings of the current situation are complex, many Malaysians equate contemporary struggles with the leadership of Najib, who took office in 2009 and was returned in 2013 despite losing the popular vote in that election. (Malaysia’s parliament operates under a “first past the post” voting system.)

“He promised transparency, he said he’d take away draconian laws … and people bought into that, until 2010, 2011, when people realized what he was saying and what he was doing were completely different,” Wong Chen, a member of parliament representing the opposition coalition, told TIME as he traveled to the demonstration.

The amplification of popular dissent in recent months had led some to anticipate violence at this weekend’s demonstration. But unlike past rallies, which have ended when the police used tear gas and water cannons, the atmosphere near Merdeka Square on Saturday was urgent but largely festive. Protesters tooted loudly on air horns. A group of students sang Dylanesque protest songs in Malay, interspersed with a few chords of Tracy Chapman’s “Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution.”

One protester, standing near a stage where opposition leaders led the crowd in anti-Najib chants, raised a sign that said “Najib: Today is my birthday. Please resign as a gift to me.”

                This entry was posted on Monday, 31 August 2015, 9:37 am and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysia’s masses protest against corruption

Economist

Aug 30th 2015 | KUALA LUMPUR | Asia

A grand day out – Large but orderly marches keep the pressure on an embattled prime minister

TO LISTEN to the dire pronouncements from Malaysia’s authorities, you might have expected a riot. But the big rally which took place in Kuala Lumpur this weekend, organised by Bersih—an electoral reform group angered by allegations of corruption in government—was a calm and joyful affair. Bersih (which means “clean” in Malay) reckoned that 200,000 marched to the capital’s central square on Saturday afternoon to demand the resignation of the prime minister, Najib Razak; the police pegged the crowd at 30,000. Almost everyone wore Bersih’s signature yellow T-shirts—despite the government’s claim, at the eleventh hour, that they were illegal. One yellow-swathed campaigner waved a sunshine-yellow placard: “You can ban a T-shirt”, it read, “but you can’t ban an idea”.

The rally began at 2pm on Saturday and continued overnight. Parents came with teenage and grown-up children (infants were discouraged). Supporters on Twitter quoted lines from “Les Miserables”, and at least one rally chief tried to lead crowds in some of its tunes. A few campaigners sported bags that read “My prime minister embarrasses me”; one handy protestor had carved a pint-sized model of Mr Najib from polystyrene, which perched on a swing inside a cage.

Beset by scandal, Malaysia’s prime minister cracks down on dissent

Mr Najib has been on the back foot since early July, when a report in the Wall Street Journal alleged that payments of nearly $700m had entered his bank accounts in 2013 (he denies wrongdoing, and says he has never used public money for personal gain). The government said the rally was illegal, and blocked the organisers’ website. The state news agency quoted Mr Najib as saying that the protestors appeared “shallow and poor” in their patriotism for holding the rally so close to Malaysia’s independence day, which falls on Monday. Students were warned that joining the protests might endanger their scholarships; the foreign ministry said it would identify Malaysians participating in assemblies held in solidarity abroad. One big worry was the promise made by a pro-government group to hold a counter rally. Its leader had claimed to be planning training sessions for participants which would involve swords and long knives.

As it turned out, police presence was low key, and its leadership pragmatic. The careful organisation of the protest doubtless helped. Having accepted that they would not be allowed to enter the capital’s main square, organisers erected their own barriers at its entrance to keep protestors away from police lines. Where roads remained open to traffic—and initially only those closest to the square were closed—stewards parted the crowds for public buses, which chugged on incongruously. Law students with gas masks, who stood ready to advise any detained protestors, had little to do but observe.

Malaysia’s economic and political malaise, in graphics

Assuming the protest concludes peacefully on Sunday night, Bersih’s rally will mark a big step forward for civil society in Malaysia, where the culture of protest is still nascent. In the past similar demonstrations have been dispersed with water cannon, tear gas and arrests. This time the government’s panicky and ultimately unenforced ban on Bersih T-shirts has served only to convince protestors that such edicts can in future be ignored. One shadow was the relative paucity of ethnic-Malays in a rally dominated by Malaysian Chinese. To some observers that confirmed worries—vigorously denied by the protest’s organisers—that the country’s politics is dividing more firmly along ethnic lines.

Few attendees expect the demonstration to bring immediate change. But the prime minister’s opponents got a big boost on Sunday afternoon, when Mahathir Mohamad—an elder statesman who has for many months called for Mr Najib to step down, and who stopped briefly at the rally on Saturday—returned to make a supportive statement. Attention now shifts to a big international conference on corruption, which—quite by chance—is being held near Kuala Lumpur from September 2nd. It is still not clear whether the prime minister will attend.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 31 August 2015, 9:57 am and is filed under
Bersih
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Post-Bersih 4: The Morning After

The 58th Merdeka Celebrations had been on the grandest scale ever in the nation’s history – with some 400,000 Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, age, gender or even party politics in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu coming out freely and voluntarily, without any monetary inducements, in the past two days to  give real and true meaning to “Merdeka”!

With today’s official Merdeka Day celebrations in the various states, let us ensure that Merdeka Celebations, like Malaysian nation-building, shall  be inclusive to embrace diverse themes which make plural Malaysia full of such promise to be a great nation  – whether “Sehati, Sejiwa”, “Bersih 4” or “Bersih, Cekap, Amanah”.

What lessons in Post Bersih 4 – “The Morning After”?

It is how to harness the patriotism, love and energies of the 400,000 Malaysians, particularly from the new generation of Malaysians, who had converged into Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu in the past two days to show their love, passion and commitment for the country in wanting a clean, transparent and good government to save Malaysia from the horrors of a rogue and failed state, instead of continuing policies which alienate them by treatinhg them as disloyal and anti-national elements out to destroy the country.

When can the leaders of the country have such a paradigm shift in their thinking and outlook?

Even the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has started in such a process, although it is still not advanced enough.

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Merdeka Day Message yesterday was of no help nor was the lingo of intimidation by the new Deputy Prime Minster-cum-Home Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi muttering threats of action that may be taken against Bersih 4 rally participants.

The Police are to be commended for their new-found role as keepers of peace and not pawns to keep the present regime in power, and Zahid can only stain and destroy the public’s new respect for the police for their non-partisan role to uphold law and order, protect  human rights and promote democracy if he carries out his threats of petty and punitive actions against Bersih 4 participants and supporters.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak has no intention to step down as Prime Minister of Malaysia as a result of the Bersih 4 overnight rally  but if he cannot demonstrate greater respect for transparency, accountability and good governance principles, and continue to live in a world of make-believe which made him say that there were only 20,000 people at the Bersih 4 rally, there is nothing  to save the Najib premiership or even the  UMNO/BN government coalition.

Let Najib make a good start after the 58th Merdeka celebrations by keeping his earlier promise to open and give the key-note address at the 16th International Anti-Corruption Convention in Putrajaya from Sept 2 – 4, 2015, with the conference theme of “Ending Impunity: People, Integrity, Action”.

Najib could not have made any greater contribution not only to Malaysia but the global battle against corruption if he could come clean and break his silence on the two scandals which have haunted Malaysia and become the talking point of the 2,000 participants at the IACC in Putrajaya – the RM50 billion 1MDB (according to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in his last speech as Deputy Prime Minister to Cheras UMNO division on July 26, 2015) and the RM2.6 billion “donation”  in his personal bank accounts.

If not, the IACC should not have been held in Malaysia at all, and instead of being a pride and honour for hosting the 16th IACC in Malaysia, it has become a badge of dishonour and disgrace.

This will be the worst possible way for Malaysia to mark the 58th Merdeka Anniversary celebrations.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 31 August 2015, 1:08 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Malaysian Dream
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Three things we learnt from: Bersih 4

by Mayuri Mei Lin, Aizyl Azlee and Kamles Kumar

Malay Mail Online

August 31, 2015

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 — Despite the rumours and threats of a police crackdown after Putrajaya persisted in banning its signature yellow T-shirts and branding it illegal, the two-day rally by electoral reform group Bersih 2.0 ended at the stroke of midnight last night with little incident.

The 34-hour rally that kicked off at 2pm Saturday which drew tens of thousands of government dissenters into the capital city’s streets demanding the prime minister’s resignation, was a mammoth demonstration of civil disobedience, possibly the biggest of all the assemblies in the Bersih series.

Bersih 4 was allowed to run its course—in Kuala Lumpur at least, though those held simultaneously in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu ended prematurely—but was still laced with missteps and will continue to fuel debates that the rally will not change Malaysia’s electoral system nor its parliamentary practices.

However, here are the three takeaways from the Bersih 4 rally:

1.            The people’s anger burns slow and deep

The rally went in with five goals: clean elections; clean government; right to dissent; strengthening parliamentary democracy and saving the economy.

However it was evident that those sentiments were overshadowed by their desire for a new national leadership.

Many Malaysians on the street whom Malay Mail Online spoke with all shared a common thread in their stories: of their daily struggle to earn enough to feed their family.

It didn’t matter what social class they were boxed under, they felt boxed in with the ever increasing costs of living that sharpened with the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in April and the slide of the ringgit into a 17-year-low that has thrown the country’s currency past the RM3.80 peg to the US dollar in 1998.

Juxtaposed against this was the recent news of the RM2.6 billion donation received personally by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak from a Middle Eastern nation in the lead-up to Election 2013, which had many asking why it had not trickled down to the rakyat.

The people’s discontent was also fuelled by their perception of the government’s missteps in handling 1 Malaysia Development Berhad, proclaimed to be a state-owned investment company that would be the engine to drive the country’s economy forward, but which is seen to be saddled with a growing pile of debts amounting to billions.

As such, they said that their dissatisfaction will linger on well beyond the demonstration so long as the economy is weak and clear signs of democratic changes are not seen.

The rally provided them an avenue to vent that rage. Many protesters believed the time has come for Najib to step down, but did not say how they planned to make it happen, despite opposition MPs mooting the idea of initiating a vote of no-confidence in Parliament.

2.            History is an effective teacher for both demonstrator and police

Following Bersih 3 in 2012, a Bersih demonstration became synonymous with tear gas and water cannons.

So much so that preparation for a police crackdown became the top concern for most potential demonstrators for Bersih 4, with many in attendance equipping themselves with N95 grade respirators.

But the stand the police had taken this time around was much less intimidating, which barricades restricting access into Dataran Merdeka and the preparation areas where today’s National Day parade will be carried out as opposed to the previous rally which had riot police teams and water cannons at the ready and visible before the demonstration had even begun.

Organisers of the rally had this time around even set up their own limits for demonstrators with banners thanking participants for not crossing the self-imposed line.

With the reportedly 2,000 volunteers mobilised by Bersih 2.0, PKR’s Youth wing and PAS splinter group Harapan Baru’s (HB) newly formed volunteer unit, Arif, this makeshift crowd control measure still managed to be efficient in keeping the peace.

A constant line of communication between representatives of the organisers and the police going back and forth between their own barriers, resulted in the rally ending with no major scuffles breaking out, with only a handful of provocateurs throwing firecrackers being hauled up.

And even that was managed by the organiser’s own volunteers.

While rebel rousers were disappointed that they did not get the chance to fight the proverbial “man”, pharmacies had the last laugh with the spike in sales of face masks.

3.            RM 2.4 million helps make a rally

The support that the Bersih 4 rally received was tremendous. In a matter of couple of weeks, the organisers managed to raise RM2.4 million in total from donations and the selling of merchandise.

However, the organisers of the rally were smart to put the money to good use. Apart from setting up a makeshift stage on a 3-tonne lorry complete with sound system and lighting, Bersih 2.0 also planned an array of events which helped fill up the 34-hour period of the rally.

There were various mini-stages set up around the heart of Kuala Lumpur as well as the mobilisation of security detail to help keep the rally in check, which definitely cost a good amount of money.

The security personnel were furnished with walkie-talkies and bibs. The politicians and civil society leaders including Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah had professional bodyguards trailing them everywhere.

The crowd that came for the two day rally was also provided with free water and food by the truckloads for all three meals.

More than that, overall Bersih proved that in this day and age with enough funds even an “illegal” street rally can be made into a well-oiled machinery that works.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 31 August 2015, 11:41 am and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Bersih 4 and 1MDB: Cleansing Malaysia and cleaning out Malaysia

— Koon Yew Yin

Malay Mail Online

August 31, 2015

AUGUST 31 — Two big issues have taken up the national attention during the past few weeks. One is the Bersih rally or what can be called the cleaning of Malaysia organised by civil society activists. The second is the 1MDB scandal which can be called the cleaning up of Malaysia organised by Putrajaya.

The first one cost taxpayers — or rather donors —several millions of ringgit. Though the full accounts are not in yet, we know that thousands of ordinary Malaysian dipped into their own pockets to pay for this activity. Much of the money is in small change – tens to hundreds of ringgit. The funds will be used to defray the costs of organising rallies held throughout the country to demand the cleaning up of our political system as well as to save our economy. The objectives of Bersih 4 in summary are as follows:

Clean Elections (#PilihanrayaBersih);

Clean Government (#KerajaanBersih);

Save Our Economy (#SelamatkanEkonomi); and

Right to Dissent (#HakMembantah).

That so many members of the public — in the country and wherever there are large Malaysian emigre communities including in 10 cities across the world — are willing to contribute to the Bersih cause in a transparent and accountable way as well as join in the struggle to bring about a clean Malaysia has resulted in panic in Putrajaya and completely freaked out various government leaders .

Thus we have seen the police refusing to approve the rally permit because of the alleged failure of the organisers to submit details of the rally route etc. This desperate act by the authorities was followed by the gangster-like and threatening but totally unenforceable statement by the Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Merican that his Ministry was gathering information on Malaysians participating in the Bersih 4 demonstrations abroad for eventual legal action against them. Finally, and this should qualify in the Guinness Book of Records as the most ludicrous, surreal and pathetic act of official repression was the gazette notice banning yellow clothing and “Bersih 4” words.

1MDB swindle cleaning out Malaysia

The second big issue relates to 1MDB, a strategic development company, wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia. 1MDB was established to drive strategic initiatives for long-term economic development for the country by forging global partnerships and promoting foreign direct investment. This activity will cost tax payers not tens or hundreds of million ringgit. At last count, 1MDB had accumulated debts to the extent of RM42 billion. This has caused bonds issued by 1MDB to be reduced to junk status by rating agencies such as Standard and Poor and Fitch .

Unlike Bersih 4 which really did not cost the ordinary Malaysian citizen a single cent and in which no money is being paid to any hidden hands or commission agents so far as known, the 1MDB money has been used to pay off various commission agents. These commission agents include the following:

*Jho Low USUS$700 million

*Goldman Sachs USUS$600 million

*Other intermediaries appear to have cashed in on 1MDB work including auditing companies such as KPMG and Ernst & Young.

When the final official accounting of 1MDB funds is in we may see other names being listed as helping to siphon off funds and commissions from 1MDB. One name that is high on the suspect list is Prime Minister Najib Razak. According to the former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir in an interview with Financial Times, the RM2.6 billion in deposits in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s personal bank accounts is linked to troubled state fund 1MDB. This is despite the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) declaring that the money was a donation and was not linked to 1MDB.

To give a better idea of what 1MDB RM42 billion can do, here is some comparison:

A. It is nine to ten times more than the entire allocation provided to Sabah and Sarawak in the 2015 budget to upgrade facilities in rural areas.

B. It is almost enough to cover the entire development expenditure allocation for the entire country for one year.

C. It is also almost enough to cover the entire salary bill for all the civil servants in the country for one year.

D. It is clear from what has emerged that the 1MDB affair is costing taxpayers a bomb and is cleaning out our treasury.

No wonder it is turning out to be the mother of all financial scandals for this decade and is rivalling the mega-financial scandals of Mahathir’s time!

No wonder this Merdeka day, all Malaysians are feeling so much poorer. No wonder Putrajaya is so desperate to use Bersih as another tool to divide the Malays and the Chinese.

No wonder this Merdeka day, we need to support Bersih and other efforts aimed at cleansing Malaysia and getting rid of a Government that is taking us the quick route to national financial bankruptcy and disaster.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2015, 10:54 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Financial Scandals
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Bersih 4 was not a feel-good picnic

Kee Thuan Chye

Malaysiakini

1st Sept 2015

COMMENT
 When Bersih 4 ended at the midnight of Aug 30, it ended on a high note. The rally defied expectations. Those who had thought it would not be able to sustain 34 hours of street protest without experiencing police harassment and violence sparked by agitators were proven wrong.

An incredibly huge crowd celebrated Bersih 4’s success at the grand finale with an impassioned rendering of the national anthem when the clock struck 12.

Mingguan Malaysia accused the rally of having been controlled and dominated by the DAP. That’s utter bullshit. The DAP could not possibly command this kind of turnout on any given day.

In saying so, the pro-Umno newspaper also insulted the rally’s organisers, Bersih 2.0. It denied them the credit of having done a marvellous and exceptional job of putting together the event and making sure it remained peaceful.

Indeed, if credit is to be given to anyone for having drawn the rally participants to Dataran Merdeka in hordes, it must go to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak. The alleged corruption inherent in his receipt of RM2.6 billion from an Arab donor (or so his Umno lackeys say) roused Malaysians to stand up as one against him.

Even people who would otherwise not take part in such demonstrations came. They were joined by many others who were getting involved in a Bersih rally for the first time. Many of them were young people. They felt they had to come. Why? Because of Najib.

They couldn’t tolerate him and his alleged wrongdoings any more. And for that, they were willing to risk being tear-gassed and even being arrested by coming out.

They even defied the government’s last-minute ban against the wearing of yellow T-shirts with ‘Bersih 4’ printed on them. Many came openly and unfearingly wearing the T-shirts. And with pride.

On the first day, there were at least 100,000 on the streets adjacent to Dataran Merdeka in the day. At night, there were still 20,000 left. Of these, 5,000 remained to spend the night sleeping on pavements and streets.

At the very least, those who stayed overnight have to be commended for their commitment.

The next day, many came back to continue the rally. They were joined by those who couldn’t attend the first day.

Numbers grew to at least 200,000

When night came, the numbers grew and grew to at least an awesome 200,000. And most remained till midnight to mark the end of the rally with the singing of ‘Negaraku’ and the ushering in of Merdeka Day. That made for a poignant closing.

Add the 200,000 present at the end to the countless others who had come the first day but did not return for the second and the total number of rally participants would surely total more than 200,000, perhaps amount to even 300,000.

Bersih 4’s organisers put the overall turnout at 500,000, but I think that’s probably an overestimation. Nonetheless, the message is clear. A lot of Malaysians showed up at the rally, and they spoke volumes with their massive presence.

It is true that an overwhelming proportion of the participants consisted of Chinese Malaysians, and that the rally would have been all the more meaningful and effective if more Malays had taken part, but as political scientist and Bersih 2.0 committee member Wong Chin Huat points out, “the Bersih 4 rally is dominated, not by ethnic Chinese, but by patriotic Malaysians”.

And even if critics are quick to spin that it is mainly the Chinese who are disgruntled with Najib, even if pro-Najib supporters are trying to denounce them as being troublemakers who are unpatriotic for being part of an illegal rally, it is worthwhile to note what socio-political observer Denison Jayasooria has to say about that:

“It is a patriotic call from the Chinese. They are not saying they are packing up their bags and leaving the country. They are doing this because they are concerned with the way the country is being run.”

I say that everyone who joined the Bersih 4 rally because they believed in its cause was, regardless of their race, a patriot.

Irresponsible elements will continue their spin

To be sure, Bersih 4 will not have any immediate effect. It will not cause Najib to be unseated as prime minister. The next phase now kicks off with the hard work of Bersih 2.0 trying to convince parliamentians to take a no-confidence vote against Najib and to push for a general election sooner than scheduled.

Meanwhile, irresponsible elements will spin that the rally and its apparent domination by the Chinese can pose a political threat to the Malays (albeit such a spin holds no water and should therefore be more correctly categorised as a lie).

And cynics will say that most of those who went to the rally got little out of it except to stand and look at other rallygoers because the numbers were so big that movement was impeded, so that it was almost impossible to get to the main stage and listen to the speakers or to even do anything much except periodically yell when prompted, “Hidup, hidup! Hidup Bersih!”. So, what was the point of it all?

And while these cynics will even say that the whole affair was just a feel-good carnival or, worse, a picnic for urban, middle-class Malaysians to converge at and feel proud of themselves for having done something for the country and the future generations but not realising that they achieved nothing, I think the cynics would be off the mark.

All these things didn’t matter. What mattered was being there and standing up to be counted.

After all, citizens have no other recourse to collectively express their feelings. All the frustrations they feel about what is happening to the country because of the machinations of one man cannot be channelled as effectively as in a street demonstration.

Bersih 4 was all they had to speak up as one.

No one can take that away from them.

And for them, just being there, to be with a massive crowd of others who shared the same cause, to directly feel that they were not alone in feeling frustrated about corruption and other ills and wanting these ills to be dealt with, that was enough.

Many came away from Bersih 4 with an unforgettable experience, a feeling of solidarity and sharing, a feeling of affection for fellow Malaysians. Many were moved to tears, many found joy, many more felt what it really meant to be Malaysian.

It was therapeutic, it was exhilarating, it was cathartic, it was unifying. If doomsayers want to take anything away from the rallygoers, or toll the death-knell of Bersih as a people’s movement, they themselves can go to blazes.

How can you spoil a party that means so much to its participants? How can you spoil a party that brings people together for a common good? And how can Bersih not live on when it is and will remain the people’s only platform for speaking up and showing how much they feel for their country?

I cannot say this often enough. Everyone who joined the Bersih 4 rally is a patriot. When they sang ‘Negaraku’ at the closing, they sang it with pride and gusto. What more could the country want from such citizens?

KEE THUAN CHYE is the author of two soon-to-be-released books, Unbelievably Stupid! and Unbelievably Stupid Too!

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2015, 8:48 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Has the Najib government learnt nothing from the two-day 500,000-people Bersih 4 overnight rally in KL, Kuching and KK demanding for good governance and free, fair elections?

History was made in the last two days when 500,000 Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, gender, age or even politics converged into Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu demanding for good governance and free, fair elections to prevent Malaysia from becoming a rogue and failed state.

Has the Najib government learnt nothing from the two-day 500,000-people Bersih 4 overnight rally in KL, Kuching and KK demanding for good governance and free, fair elections?

Do the Prime Minister and his Cabinet Ministers really regard the 500,000 literate and idealistic Malaysians who came from all over the country to support Bersih 4  as bad-hats, trouble-makers and anti-national elements out to destroy the country and therefore should be ignored and marginalised?

If so, then the country is in deeper trouble than anyone realized and underlines the urgency and relevance  of a change of government, which has not lost touch with the ground, and to really understand the truism of what Najib had said when he first became Prime Minister six years ago  in April 2009 – that the era where the government knows best is over!

Even if they are reluctant to listen to the people, I urge Najib and his Ministers to listen to their former colleagues and predecessors, for example:

1.	Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, who was Minister for International Trade and Industry for over two decades, who felt a “deep sadness” as she celebrated Merdeka Day today because of all that had happened in the country, including the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and RM2.6 billion “donation”  financial scandals.  She said on her Facebook account late last night that the many things which had taken place had “cast a dark shadow over what should have been a joyous Merdeka celebration; and

2.	Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who was Deputy Prime Minister until sacked by Najib on 28th July 2015, who in his Merdeka Day message, warned of a serious trust deficit faced by the government. Muhyiddin said the people are growing concerned as the principles of integrity and accountability appear to be on the slide with the services of dedicated government officers “terminated,  transferred, threatened and subjected to action”.

If the Najib and his Ministers have  nothing to learn from the Berish 4 overnight rally by half-a-million Malaysians in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, this will be a surest sign that Malaysia heading in the direction of a rogue and failed state.

A responsible Prime Minister will place  as top of the agenda of the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday  the lessons to be learnt from the Bersih 4 overnight rally, how to  harness the patriotism, love and energies of the 500,000 Malaysians, particularly from the new generation of Malaysians, who had converged in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu in support of Bersih 4 to show their love, passion and commitment for the country in wanting a clean, transparent and good government to save Malaysia from the horrors of a rogue and failed state.

Or will Najib and the Cabinet just ignore that Bersih 4 was ever held, ignore that 500,000 Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region, age, gender or politics, had streamed into KL, Kuching and KK to demand for good governance and clean, free elections and ignore that Malaysia today is faced with the worst multiple crisis of confidence concerning politics, economy, good governance and nation-building in the history of the country?

Can Malaysians expect a constructive and positive Cabinet response to the Bersih 4 overnight rally at its meeting on Wednesday?

We shall see.

(Speech at prize-giving ceremony for the Merdeka Day Piala Impian Gelang Patah DAP football competition at Sri Orkid, Gelang Patah on Monday, 31st August 2015 at 5 pm)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2015, 12:43 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysians reclaimed the spirit of Merdeka

– Anura Bird

The Malaysian Insider

31 August 2015

There is a legend surrounding the significance of the mooncake in Chinese history. Apparently, during the Yuan Dynasty (a Mongol dynasty founded by Kublai Khan), resistance was growing in pocket across the vast lands.

A rebel leader trying to send messages to his followers cleverly hid them in pieces of paper concealed in mooncakes usually distributed among the local Chinese during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

These messages eventually reached the intended masses and the story goes that it led to the uprising that eventually forced out the Mongol invaders and heralded the coming of the celebrated Ming Dynasty.

I cannot help but draw parallels between the mooncake of those times, and the social media of today. The advent of the Internet… and the more recent social media has connected Malaysians in ways that was unimaginable just a decade ago.

Despite the vilifying of Bersih, despite the thinly veiled threats against the public, they still turned out by the tens of thousands over the weekend to participate in the 34-hour Bersih 4 rally.

It could be that the many protest rallies over the years have emboldened a significant number of Malaysians. It could be the troubled economy, the plunging ringgit, the can of worms that is 1MDB, or the brazen lack of accountability among Malaysia’s leaders.

What is obvious now is that the official narrative no longer holds water in the eyes of the public. Fifty-eight years after Merdeka, a sizeable number of Malaysians from all walks of life decided that the official celebration of Malaya’s independence matters less to them than a people’s party.

Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and the areas around Dataran Merdeka were turned into a curious spectacle that is part-protest, part-party.

Acid humour was all around as frustrated Malaysians expressed themselves with creative placards.

Ambang Merdeka, the pre-Merdeka Day concert, had to be shifted to Bukit Jalil because whatever it is that it was intended for, the rally goers had other ideas.

Disruption? Indeed.  Here’s a chapter in civil disobedience.

The Malaysians who turned out in yellow decided that hey, we’re going to gather for what we feel is a legitimate cause and you, the government, do not have the sole say in how Merdeka should be celebrated. There is much empowerment in that thought.

It is true that rally after rally will not be enough to make this government more accountable, more transparent or more honest. There is much more to be done.

But then it should be noted that for the largely docile, “mind-my-own business”, peaceful populace to turn up for a protest in huge numbers itself is a significant step. It augurs well for Malaysia’s future, I’d like to think.

The police had also done a great job by taking a more restrained approach, so there were no untoward incidents marring the weekend Bersih 4 rally, except the isolated firecracker thrown at the crowd after Merdeka countdown.

However, the most important paradigm shift this writer observed was the volunteer rubbish and recycle brigade that combed the grounds and picked up the rubbish.

It was remarked repeatedly on Facebook and elsewhere that the rally grounds were surprisingly devoid of rubbish, since it has been a ubiquitous part of any large Malaysian gathering.

Here’s heartfelt thanks to all those who dirtied their hands to clean up Kuala Lumpur. May those hands be blessed.

Selamat Hari Merdeka to all! – August 31, 2015.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2015, 12:08 am and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysia’s anti-government protests: What’s next?

Ansuya Harjani

CNBC.com

August 31, 2015

Malaysia’s mammoth civil disobedience campaign has heightened pressure on scandal-ridden Prime Minister Najib Razak but is an imminent departure on the cards? Unlikely, analysts say.

The 61-year-old leader, who is no stranger to controversy, has most recently been accused of pocketing almost $700 million from troubled government fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Najib says the allegations are part of a malicious campaign to force him from office, while his cabinet ministers claim the funds were campaign donations from unnamed sources in the Middle East.

“[The] protests will pile on public pressure on Najib to resign. But unfortunately he’s in quite a strong position,” said James Chin, director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania.

“When you look at the number of Malay participants that were a lot less this time and it’s the Malay community that will decide the outcome of Najib’s prime ministership.”

Malaysia, a nation of 30 million, is predominantly Malay Muslim. However, the majority of participants in the weekend’s rally – estimated by police to number roughly 25,000 – came from the country’s minority ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.

More than the protests, Chin said Najib’s handling of the economy was what might see him pushed out the door.

“The ringgit is the key to the prime ministership,” said Chin. “If the economy does well and the ringgit recovers, then Najib will be in a much stronger position. If the ringgit keeps falling to 4.6, 4.7– the Prime Minister doesn’t have a choice but to resign,” he said.

The ringgit has lost one third of its value against the U.S. dollar over the past 12 months and is Asia’s worst performing currency this year, driven by global headwinds – such as lower energy prices and a broader selloff in emerging market assets – as well as domestic political turmoil.

A weaker ringgit hurts consumers’ pockets as it pushes up the price of imported goods. The currency traded at 4.19 against the greenback on Monday.

According to Terence Gomez, a professor in the department of administrative studies and politics at the University of Malaya, Najib’s resignation would not, in any case, solve Malaysia’s broader corruption woes.

Najib has previously been linked to corruption around a French submarine contract, as well as the murder of a Mongolian model connected to the sub deal, but has always strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

“The [corruption] situation is getting worse and worse even though we’re into our 4th Bersih campaign,” he said. Berish, which means “clean” in Malay, is the name of the pro-democracy organization behind the weekend’s rallies.

“Is getting rid of Najib the solution? No. We need major institutional reforms in the country.”

Krystal Tan, Asia economist at Capital Economics shared a similar view.

“If Mr Najib were to be ousted, another leader would likely be chosen from the UMNO [United Malays National Organisation] ranks, and any changes in policy or governance would probably be minor,” she said. Najib’s UMNO party is the biggest in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

“If Malaysia is to achieve its potential, its institutions need a shaking up and cleaning out.”

While political reform remains distant, Bersih rally protesters said they were happy to be part of the process.

“We Malaysians want to try to change something. Maybe there will be nothing happening after this (but) this is progress [and] I want to be part of the process,” 29-year-old Pauline Chow told CNBC.

Khor Chun Wai, 34, meanwhile, highlighted the need for racial unity in the movement.

“Malaysia needs to change, but we can’t do this with just one race, we need the support of all races, we need them all to stand forward, and change the present situation,” he said. “The fall of the ringgit, and our foreign reserves, and the withdrawal of foreign investors, we can’t stand aside any longer.”

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2015, 7:35 am and is filed under
Bersih
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysia’s political crisis in 5 numbers

Michael Peel

Financial Times

August 31, 2015

A marathon 34-hour rally in Malaysia at the weekend drew tens — perhaps even hundreds — of thousands to the streets of Kuala Lumpur to call for the resignation of Najib Razak, the scandal-hit prime minister. Mr Najib on Sunday vowed not to quit and accused the protesters of showing “poor national spirit” by demonstrating on the eve of the country’s National Day. The protest, known as Bersih — meaning “clean” in Malay — highlighted growing faultlines in the Southeast Asian country, as allegations of official corruption and abuses of power swirl. Here is the crisis in five numbers:

$675m : total of March 2013 transfers to accounts in Mr Najib’s name

The mysterious transactions, which were revealed in early July, set the campaign to oust the prime minister alight. The national anti-corruption commission has accepted his denial of wrongdoing and his explanation that the money came from an unnamed Middle Eastern source, rather than Malaysian state revenues. But critics allege the cash is linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a national investment fund that has run up more than $11bn in debt and is dogged by corruption allegations. Mr Najib’s opponents say the premier should start by giving a full account of where the money came from and why — particularly since the source is claimed to be foreign.

58: years of uninterrupted political dominance by the United Malays National Organisation

Critics say the hegemony, which dates all the way back to the country’s independence from the British on August 31 1957, has led to arrogance and an intolerance of scrutiny that has caused increasing damage to the country’s institutions. Since news of the bank account payments surfaced in July, Mr Najib’s government has fired the deputy prime minister, removed the attorney-general on grounds of ill-health and reassigned members of a committee overseeing investigations into the affair.

47%: share of vote won by Umno-led coalition in 2013 election

In spite of losing the popular vote to the opposition, the Barisan Nasional grouping still ended up with a majority in parliament. But the result left some Umno insiders worried that the party’s grip on power — and the loyalty of the country’s Malay majority — might be slipping. The opposition alleged ballot fraud but got nowhere.

Politics has always been fragmented in this multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, which has significant minorities of people of both Chinese and south Asian descent. The opposition coalition itself imploded earlier this year, as a campaign to introduce a hardline version of Islamic sharia law in Kelantan state led to a split between Islamist and non-Islamist parties. The relatively modest turnout of Malays at the Bersih rally also suggests the government has not lost support across the board. But with Mr Najib’s supporters now calling for a counter-rally in October to show their strength, the conflict is becoming more intense — and, some fear, nastier.

22 years: length of the 1981-2003 premiership of Mahathir Mohamad, who has turned with increasing ferocity on his former protégé

Mr Mahathir’s criticisms — including a call on Sunday for a “people’s power” movement to oust Mr Najib — are a particular problem for the prime minister, since they show cracks in Umno unity. The 90-year-old elder statesman says he is acting in the national interest — and thus, by implication, also trying to protect his legacy of establishing Malaysia as a high-profile, if flawed, fast-growing “tiger” economy. But sceptics say the former premier is an unlikely spokesman for a popular movement against state corruption, as his governments were noted for authoritarianism and cronyism. It was also under his rule that Anwar Ibrahim, his former deputy prime minister and now the opposition leader, was first convicted of sodomy, in a case Mr Anwar’s supporters say was politically orchestrated. In February an appeal court upheld another conviction of Mr Anwar for the same offence.

4.25: level to which the ringgit slid last week against the dollar, the lowest since the aftermath of the global crisis

Malaysia’s economy was under pressure before the 1MDB affair and the screw is tightening. Malaysia is unusual in Southeast Asia because, as a net oil and gas exporter, it has suffered rather than benefited from plunging international energy prices. It is also saddled with one of the region’s highest levels of household debt, at almost 88 per cent of gross domestic product last year. The cost of living has been growing, particularly through this year’s introduction of a goods and services tax of 6 per cent. The Chinese stock market turmoil is not helping nerves or shares in Kuala Lumpur, either.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2015, 7:20 am and is filed under
Bersih
,
Mahathir
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Merdeka negara tapi tidak di jiwa

– Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi

The Malaysian Insider

31 August 2015

Dalam coretan ringkas ini saya ingin menanam satu persoalan dalam benak pemikiran orang-orang Melayu yang tinggal di sebuah negara bernama Malaysia.

Soalannya mudah sahaja. Negara yang kita kenali sebagai Malaysia dan pada suatu ketika dahulu dinamakan Tanah Melayu pun merdeka lebih separuh kurun, persoalannya sudahkah jiwa orang Melayu itu merdeka?

Dalam coretan sejarah dan tulisan dokumen tercatat negara ini merdeka daripada orang Inggeris, dalam julangan bangunan yang bercakar-cakar melonjak dari bumi dapat kita lihat kemerdekaan ekonomi dari aspek usaha keringat kita sekalian.

Dalam berpuluh-puluh universitas dan berjuta-juta graduan yang menghambakan diri pada industri dapat kita terpegun erti kemerdekaan kita daripada telunjuk orang lain dan bergembira kita atas fikiran dan usaha anak bumi terpijak sebagai pendorong dan perancang bakal-bakal profesional negara ini.

Namun, saya amat hairan kenapa orang-orang Melayu masih celaru otak pemikirannya, terlalu gelisah hati sanubarinya dan tetap tidak selesa di mana-mana kedudukannya dalam dunia ini.

Keanggotaan polis dan tentera hampir 100% Melayu dan banyaknya sultan bersemayam di takhta masing-masing serta hampir 80% ahli Kabinet adalah…seperti kata arwah ayah saya, depa orang kita jugak! Maknanya Melayu, rata-rata Melayu.

Bahkan di universiti awam di Johor tempat saya menumpang khidmat, 90% ahli akademik dengan pangkat profesor, profesor madya dan pensyarah kanan adalah…orang kita juga!

Melayu sudah ada “Masters” malahan dah ramai yang ada PhD tetapi bila isu kenegaraan muncul yang menjadi buah mulut, isu apa? Tidak lain dan tidak bukan isu Cina, isu Kristian, isu Yahudi dan yang dianggap musuh utama, orang-orang DAP itu lah!

Kalau orang-orang kampung terperangkap dengan jiwa yang resah gelisah dan berada dalam keadaan ketidakyakinan tentang 4 isu-isu ini saya tidak lah ambil pusing sangat sebab mereka kurang pendedahan pada dunia akademia dan sebagainya.

Tetapi pak profesor termakan juga lontaran-lontaran fitnah, pembohongan dan tafsiran cetek daripada sesebuah parti. Saya tahu kerana kebanyakan mereka kenalan saya selama 27 tahun di beberapa buah universiti awam.

Kenapa begitu? Kenapa ada banyak rasa sangsi, banyak rasa gelisah dan banyak lagi yang berperasaan benci dan jijik kepada orang-orang yang bergelar “Cina”, “Yahudi”, “Kristian” dan yang paling teruk dalam teruk, yang bergelar “DAP”.

Lebih menjijikkan bagi orang Melayu bukan lagi “Cina DAP” tetapi bangsa Melayu yang masuk DAP!

Ya, Melayu yang mak bapak dia Melayu. Bukan kahwin campur macam YB Zairil tu. ‘Dia tu Cina’ sindir rakan saya seorang profesor dari universiti awam di sebelah utara dan “seberang laut”.

Ya. Melayu yang terbongkok-bongkok sembahyang 5 waktu dan yang kahwinkan anaknya pakai khidmat ustaz sebagai jurunikah.

Melayu “pure”. Melayu jenis ini boleh terima DAP. Melayu ini bakal menjatuhkan maruah Melayu. Melayu ini juga “murtad Islam” dan menjadi musuh dalam selimut sama seperti Melayu-Melayu liberal seperti Marina Mahathir atau Melayu progresif macam Dr Farouk Musa.

Persoalan besarnya adalah kenapa rata-rata Melayu yang saya ajak bersembang dan ajak berdiskusi daripada orang-orang warung atau orang-orang kedai mamak sehinggalah pengetua sekolah serta profesor universiti tidak merdeka jiwa mereka?

Kenapa tidak lapang dada mereka? Kenapa tidak tenteram hati masing-masing? Saban Jumaat saya mendengar khutbah yang “menghentam orang asing” yang mencaci orang Yahudi dan Kristian dan yang mencemuh konsep hak asasi manusia sebagai musuh Islam nombor wahid.

Sudah jauh kemajuan pendidikan, ekonomi dan kedudukan politik tetapi Melayu jalanan dan Melayu “cendekiawan” tak dapat menenteramkan hati, tak dapat tahu erti kemerdekaan jiwa. Bak kata Ismail Kamus, kesian orang Melayu!

Kesemua rakan-rakan saya yang bukan Melayu mengatakan yang orang-orang Melayu berpendirian demikian kerana fitnah dan pembohongan pimpinan politik seperti Umno dan PAS.

Umno menakut-nakutkan Melayu melalui semangat bangsa Melayu “terbangsat” jika orang-orang bukan Melayu terlalu diberi muka.

Orang-orang PAS pula menakutkan orang Islam Melayu yang orang-orang bukan Islam ini semuanya “orang kafir harbi”, maknanya automatik musuh Islam.

Saya berkata, walaupun saya pernah dengar ucapan, khutbah atau perbualan yang menjurus kepada kesimpulan sedemikian tetapi persoalan yang lebih utamanya adalah kenapa kebanyakan orang Melayu daripada yang tidak berpelajaran tinggi sehingga berpangkat PhD dan bergelar profesor termakan dakyah-dakyah pemimpin yang kurang bermoral serta berkepentingan sendiri ini?

Apa mahasiswa Melayu tak boleh fikir kah? Apa pensyarah-pensyarah dan ahli akademik Melayu dapat sijil “second hand” kah sampai mempercayai bulat-bulat fitnah dan pandangan serba cetek sedemikian?

Saya fikir, di akhirat nanti apabila Allah bertanya kepada profesor dan graduan-graduan Melayu luar negara kenapa kamu percaya fitnah-fitnah terhadap yang bukan Melayu ini? Apa nak dijawab nanti?

Bolehkah mereka menuding jari kepada pemimpin Umno dan PAS serta naib canselor atau sebagainya dan menjawab, mereka yang fitnah Ya Rabb!

Saya pasti pemimpin-pemimpin ini akan menuding kembali jari mereka dan berkata, bukankah kamu semua boleh berfikir sendiri? Bukankah kamu semua ada PhD dan Master? Kamu percaya cakap kami buat apa?

Bagi saya, umat Melayu tidak menggunakan 2 senjata kefahaman yang diberi Allah kepada semua manusia iaitu ketajaman fikiran secara ilmiah dan keterbukaan hati menerima kebenaran.

Bagi saya, kebanyakan orang-orang Melayu tertutup keterbukaan hati dan membatukan diri membenci secara lumrah orang-orang yang dianggap Cina, Yahudi, Kristian dan orang-orang DAP itu lah. Apabila hati tertutup maka fikiran ikut sekali dan tidak menimbang secara ilmiah tetapi secara menghukum tanpa bicara.

Adilkah seseorang manusia yang dituduh membuat jenayah dihukum tanpa bicara? Sudah tentu semua berkata tidak adil! Tetapi hati kita menghukum orang-orang Cina, Yahudi, Kristian dan orang-orang DAP tanpa membicarakan yang mana fakta dan yang mana fitnah serta menimbangkan dengan nilai kemanusiaan sejagat.

Apakah mungkin jiwa orang Melayu kotor dan tidak bersih? Maka fikiran mentalnya tersumbat dan tidak terbuka langsung, agaknya.

Maka itu saya ingin mencadangkan pada orang Melayu bagaimana memerdekakan jiwa supaya dapat kita rasa tenteram dan hidup harmoni dalam pelbagai kaum dan ugama.

Saya banyak menelaah buku-buku dan ceramah-ceramah dari sumber orang-orang Islam, daripada sumber penulis Kristian, penulis beragama Buddha, penulis dan pemikir beragama Hindu dan orang-orang New Age seperti Eckhart Tolle dan Wayne Dyer.

Kenapa saya harus menolak ilmu-ilmu yang datangnya daripada bukan  orang Islam? Sebabnya, saya ahli akademik sejati. Saya membuat kajian literature yang luas dan bukannya sempit.

Saya tahu orang-orang Islam bukan semua pandai-pandai dan ilmu yang mereka sampaikan tentang Islam adalah tafsiran mereka sendiri dari madrasah-madrasah dan pusat pengajian Islam yang sempit kurikulum ketamadunan manusianya.

Apa yang keluar dari mulut ustaz-ustaz sama ada ustaz berpendidikan rendah atau yang paling tinggi masih “tafsiran” mereka sendiri. Mereka tidak boleh mendabik dada dan memberi kata putus ini atau itu lah apa yang dimaksudkan oleh Allah dalam al-Quran atau itu dan inilah yang dimaksudkan oleh hadis.

Kesemuanya tidak lain dan tidak bukan adalah tafsiran. Dalam dunia akademia tiada seseorang yang boleh mengakui sesuatu ilmu itu sebagai “tertutup”.

Lihat saja perkembangan sains. Ahli sains kurun ke-19 menganggap sains Newton paling sahih dan diskusi lain tertutup. Namun Einstein mencabar rangka pemikiran itu dengan ilmu kuantum fizik.

Sekarang ada saintis yang mencabar kuantum fizik pula dengan String Theory and apalagi seterusnya.

Selagi kita manusia dan bukan Tuhan kita semua tidak mempunyai ilmu yang tertutup perbincangannya. Ini termasuk ilmu ugama dan konsep ketuhanan.

Tiada seorang yang boleh mendabik dada mengatakan dia seorang yang benar-benar faham akan sifat Tuhan kerana apa sekalipun pandangan kita ia tidak akan dekat dengan pandangan sebenar bak setitis air di lautan Pasifik yang luas. Itulah analogi kita manusia dengan ilmu Tuhan.

Tetapi umat Melayu Islam sibuk mengatakan yang mereka “tahu” akan siapa sebenar orang Cina, siapa sebenar orang Yahudi dan siapa sebenar orang Kristian dan siapa sebenar orang-orang DAP.

Saya berjumpa dengan rakan-rakan profesor saya dan bertanya beberapa soalan mudah saja. Ramaikah kamu mempunyai kawan Cina? Kawan Yahudi? Kawan Kristian? Kawan orang-orang DAP?

Pastikah kamu yang dibaca tentang budaya, kepercayaan, prinsip politik serta nilai-nilai mereka yang kamu suka menghukum ini? Sudah tentu rakan-rakan saya menjawab tidak. Mereka tidak tahu. Mereka tidak membaca. Mereka tidak duduk atau tinggal di kalangan orang Cina, Kristian Yahudi atau orang DAP.

Habis tu, saya tanya, kenapa mereka benci dan berdendam terhadap orang-orang ini? Bagi rakan dan kenalan saya yang berpangkat pengetua sekolah, profesor atau orang kebanyakan, cukup sudah berita daripada TV, kenyataan Utusan Malaysia atau kenyataan pemimpin Umno atau PAS.

Maklumlah ustaz kan wakil Nabi, jadi apa mereka cakap semua mesti betul. Susah hati saya dengar profesor cakap begitu. Kalau orang kampung tak mengapalah.

Eckhart Tolle mengatakan banyak ketidaktenteraman dalam hidup kita harian timbul daripada konflik hubungan keluarga, persahabatan, sosial dan politik yang lahir daripada data yang dianggap cukup untuk menghukum seseorang tetapi sebenarnya data yang pincang penuh lubang dan kelemahan yang ketara.

Eckhart Tolle juga mengatakan yang apabila juru-ugama membuat definisi “Tuhan” masing-masing maka timbul perbalahan besar tentang mana satu “tuhan” yang betul.

Ilmu sebesar itu dianggap boleh dikecapi manusia kerdil yang memikirkan dirinya berhak membuat definisi dan skop yang boleh merangkumi segala ilmu dan perasaan dalam kehidupan ini.

Sifat ini terdapat pada golongan pendeta, rahib serta ustaz kesemua ugama. Kita perlu mengetahui limitasi keupayaan manusia supaya kita boleh merendah diri mendengar dan menimbang segala sumber ilmu tentang sains, kehidupan atau agama.

Ini tidak, kita cukup puas hati dengan ilmu yang lahir dari bangsa kita, daripada orang yang kita label ustaz, profesor dan sebagainya. Bukan salah mendengar atau membaca pandangan ustaz tetapi kita harus tahu ia adalah pandangan dan tafsiran peribadi atau segelintir individu yang mempunyai penghujung had kefahaman.

Dalam banyak perbincangan saya dengan orang Melayu kebanyakan, kesemuanya tidak sedar Nabi Musa adalah keturunan orang Yahudi. Begitu juga Nabi Daud, Nabi Isa, Nabi Yusof dan banyak lagi.

Mereka ini semua baka Nabi Ishak, anak Nabi Ibrahim. Hanya Nabi Muhammad seorang sahaja daripada baka Nabi Ismail yang bapanya juga Nabi Ibrahim.

Bagaimana kita asyik mengutuk orang Yahudi dan menyifatkan kesemuanya jahat dan dilaknat Allah jika para anbia ramai daripada keturunan yang sama. Bagaimana pula kita harus sifatkan ahli cendekiawan dan pentafsir Quran, Muhammad Assad, seorang Yahudi? Itulah, kita cetek ilmu tetapi terlalu cepat menghukum dan membenci.

Ada juga yang memberi alasan Allah murka terhadap orang Yahudi yang berdolak-dalik dalam memilih anak lembu yang hendak dikorbankan sebagai sifat Yahudi yang kekal hingga akhir zaman.

Saya mentafsirkan ayat-ayat tersebut merujuk kepada perangai semua manusia yang berdolak-dalik membuat kebajikan atas dasar keperluan individu yang mengatasi kebaikan bersama. Bukan Yahudi saja, ada umat Islam yang lebih teruk perangai dari orang Yahudi dalam Quran. Itu tafsiran saya.

Saya juga ingin mengingatkan umat Islam dan orang Melayu tentang 2 perkara yang Rasulullah cakapkan yang perlu menjadi pedoman kehidupan. Pertama, Rasulullah menyatakan yang tiada siapa yang tahu akan nasibnya di hujung hayat.

Mungkin kita seorang ustaz yang membuat banyak perkara yang nampak seperti kebaikan tetapi di hujung hayat ustaz itu mungkin membuat perkara keji dan tergolong ia dalam ahli neraka.

Mungkin juga seseorang itu nampak seperti melakukan perbuatan tidak baik tetapi di hujung hayatnya ia membuat kebaikan tulen dan ikhlas dan tergolong ia sebagai ahli syurga.

Rasulullah pernah membisikkan pada Fatimah anaknya, baginda pun tidak tahu nasib anaknya sendiri di akhirat nanti. Maka itu umat Melayu perlu merenung.

Baik sangatkah kita Melayu ini sampai boleh menghukum orang Cina, Yahudi, Kristian dan orang DAP? Semak sikit hati dan data base kita tentang pengetahuan kita sebelum kita menghadap Allah.

Cukupkah ilmu itu sampai nak menghukum dan membenci? Kalau tak cukup buka lah hati dan jangan menghukum melulu serta lapangkanlah dada kepada mereka-mereka ini.

Saya ingin mengingatkan umat Islam tentang hadis Rasulullah yang mengatakan kemanisan iman itu hanya dapat dikecapi jika kita mencintai keseluruhan umat manusia. Ada ramai umat Islam yang beranggapan hadis ini hanya merujuk semua umat Muslim tetapi yang disebut Rasul adalah manusia.

Ramai umat Islam fikir yang mereka boleh mendekati Tuhan dengan mencintaiNya tanpa terlebih dahulu membuka hati mencintai keseluruhan umat manusia.

Lihat tindakan Rasulullah di Taif. Pihah yang menyeksa baginda adalah golongan manusia bukan Islam tetapi baginda maafkan mereka. Lihat tindakan Rasulullah dalam peristiwa pembukaan Mekah. Tiada seorang pun penyeksa baginda yang diseksa baginda.

Bukankah ini tauladan pencinta keseluruhan manusia? Apakah orang Melayu boleh bersifat seperti Rasulullah? Kalau boleh barulah kena dengan slogan Hidup Melayu, dulu, kini dan selamanya.

Profesor Dr. Taher ul-Qadri, seorang cendekiawan dan ahli sufi Pakistan, dalam syarahan beliau tentang “Loving God” yang saya ikuti dalam Youtube mengatakan seseorang Muslim hanya boleh mendampingi sisi Allah jika Allah membenarkannya dan jika Allah membenarkannya, Allah akan mengubah sifat kasih sayang ala-manusia kepada sifat kasih sayang ala-Tuhan.

Allah kasihkan semua manusia, Muslim dan bukan Muslim, yang membuat dosa dan yang tidak dan sebagainya. Jadi orang yang disayangi Allah adalah mereka yang mempunyai sifat Allah ini dan mereka akan berlapang dada dengan semua manusia dari segenap budaya, ugama dan kepercayaan.

Pembukaan hati adalah langkah pertama untuk kenal mengenal dan merapat hubungan sosial dan spiritual. Kebanyakan penceramah Islam yang saya kesan dalam Youtube asyik menggalakkan permusuhan.

Acap kali penceramah-penceramah ini memperlekehkan bukan Islam dan menggunakan kekejian mereka terhadap orang-orang ini bagi membandingkan dengan kehebatan umat Islam yang tidak sedemikian. Saya kira ini kaedah khutbah, ceramah yang cukup tidak baik kerana ia memecahbelahkan kita antara manusia.

Maka itu, dalam bulan kemerdekaan negara kita ini eloklah umat Melayu membuat muhasabah diri dan fikir betul-betul tindakan membenci orang Cina, Yahudi, Kristian dan orang-orang DAP sebagai sesuatu benda adil atau tidak.

Adakah kita mempunyai semua data yang tepat atau kita tidak kritis menilai ucapan ustaz yang berpelajaran rendah atau ahli politik yang bermoral teruk serta berkepentingan peribadi.

Ingat, di Akhirat kita tidak boleh menyalahkan sesiapa terhadap tindak tanduk kita. We are solely responsible for all our actions. No one else. Akhir sekali, kita harus ingat tentang sifat Rasul sebagai pemaaf dan sebagai pencinta umat manusia sebagi 2 nilai terpenting seseorang Muslim sejati.

Jangan ingat yang Allah akan menyayangi kita kerana kita membenci individu daripada bangsanya, kaumnya atau pendirian politiknya.

Kita boleh tidak bersetuju dengan pandangan atau pegangan mereka tetapi biarlah maklumat itu daripada sumber sahih orang-orang itu sendiri dan bukan daripada mulut celupar ahli politik atau ustaz yang tidak berpengalaman.

Tanggungjawab menilai maklumat hanya ke atas diri kita sahaja. Pada Hari Merdeka ini, wahai umat Melayu merdekakanlah jiwa supaya kita boleh hidup dengan aman dan harmoni atas dasar hormat menghormati antara satu sama lain dan semangat kasih sayang terhadap umat Malaysia keseluruhannya sebagai ikutan sunnah Rasul dan bukan ikutan tradisi atau momokan pendengki.

Janganlah jiwa kita dijajah dengan emosi kedengkian yang tidak berasas dan dijajah juga dengan kejahilan ketara tentang budaya manusia lain. Merdeka jiwa, baru merdeka negara! – 31 Ogos, 2015.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2015, 12:23 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Malays
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Najib should not set a negative tone for the 16th IACC on “Ending Impunity: People. Integrity. Action” by last-minute pull-out which is tantamount to defiant declaration that Impunity is Order of the Day in Malaysia

Just checked the official website of the three-day 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) on “Ending Impunity: People. Integrity. Action” in Putrajaya from tomorrow till Friday.

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is still in the distinguished guest-list for the Opening Ceremony, which includes Datuk Paul Low, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Kassim Mohamed, MACC Chief Commissioner, Akere Muna, IACC Chair, Datuk Akbar Satar and  President of Transparency International Malaysia, Jose Ugaz Chair of Transparency International.

Despite Najib’s last-minute pull-out from the opening ceremony  and delivery of  a key-note address for  the 16th IACC, will Najib have a last-minute change of plan to honour his earlier promise to open the 16th IACC together with a key-note address?

Ironically, Najib’s absence because of the last-minute pull-out will be the most momentous event at the 16th IACC, overshadowing all the speeches to be delivered, for it would in fact set the negative tone for the international anti-corruption conference on “Ending Impunity: People. Integrity. Action” – as his pull-out and absence will be tantamount to a defiant declaration to IACC and the international community that Impunity is the Order of the Day in Malaysia!

Najib’s absence will be as good as  throwing down the gauntlet to the IACC and the international community that they could congregate for impotent global conferences of ending impunity among top leaders in the battle against corruption, but what could they do when a head of government like him defies them and act with utter impunity despite the swirling rumours and allegations about “grand corruption”, or specifically in his case, the RM50 billion 1MDB (according to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin his last speech as Deputy Prime Minister to the Cheras UMNO Division on July 26) and the RM2.6 billion “donation” twin  finance scandals.

This would be most unfortunate unintended consequence of the hosting of the 16th IACC in Malaysia, for all that the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Paul Low, could say in place of Najib’s Opening Programme  is meaningless apologia to distract attention to the gauntlet thrown at the IAAC by the Malaysian Prime Minister.

There are still more than 22 hours to the Opening Programme of the 16th IAAC in Putrajaya tomorrow, and I still hope that Najib can reconsider his last-minute pull-out to honour his earlier commitment to open the IAAC with the theme this year on “Ending Impunity: People. Integrity. Action” – telling the world what the Najib premiership can contribute to this IACC theme.

Even if Najib is not ready to deliver a keynote address on the IAAC theme, he should be a gracious host and have a dialogue with the IAAC participants from all over the globe where he could answer questions about the two mega financial scandals hounding him particularly in the past two months, the 1MDB and RM2.6 billion donation scandals.

Najib should be prepared to make a clean breast not only about the RM2.6 billion “donation” – where they came from and where and to whom they have gone go, and what remained of the “donation”  and where they are now – but also the spate of suspicious and deplorable events surrounding efforts to get to the bottom of the RM50 billion 1MDB scandal, such as  the mysterious sackings and arrests of officers from various agencies investigating 1MDB as well as the disbanding of the 1MDB Special Task Force.

If Najib is not prepared to honour his commitment to appear before the IACC as a global warrior against corruption, is the IACC prepared to institute an international commission of inquiry into both the 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” scandals especially in view of the international dimensions of both scandals?

The ball is in the feet of both Najib and the IACC.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2015, 4:21 pm and is filed under
Corruption
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.