I contributed to Zul’s victory & I’m sorry

By
Nomad Muslim
 | The Malaysian Insider

MARCH 2 — Dear Editor, I would appreciate if you publish this long but terribly important letter on Zulkifli Nordin, Umno, the Malays and the tragic state Malaysia finds itself in today. Thank you and may Allah (sw) bless you.

The letter:

I did contribute to Zulkifli’s victory and I’m sorry dear Malaysians

I’m a Muslim student in Malaysia from an African non-Muslim country. I have been here for a while to know much about this country.

Although I’m in the science stream, I follow the Malaysian political scene with fervour. In fact, foreign students particularly Muslims follow Malaysia’s sorry state with disgust and shock.

A nation we thought we could be proud of and sell to others including our countries, but unfortunately hell-bent on proving that God’s Grace can be a curse.

As Malaysia prepared for the now historic March 08 elections, we did whatever we could in our own simple ways of contributing to the Pakatan (later formed of course) groups particularly PAS and PKR.

Either we encouraged our Malay brethren whom we knew were registered to go and vote or at least help in disseminating the PAS and PKR political platforms and popularize their candidates. One such candidate was Nulkifli Nordin, a Reformasi stalwart.

Reading his blog then which was started in Feb 2008 was interesting. What a shameful metamorphosis indeed! In case he deletes it, we have captured it for posterity and Allah (sw) knows much more. Now here comes what I did.

On March 02, 6 days before the poll, as I went through Malaysian blogs, I came across damaging information against the UMNO candidate for KULIM Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir published in the blog of former DAP MP James Wong, who linked to a statement issued by The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH).

The statement was carried by The Merdeka Review and it was in Chinese. I immediately alerted Zulkifli through email and a comment left at his blog. I also sent him the link to Lim Kit Siang’s reaction to what Abdul Azizi has done by threatening to burn down the KLSCAH in 2000.

By then, the people who were visiting his blog were very small in number. He was desperately popularizing his blog through Malaysia-Today, Harris Ibrahim and Zorro blogs which are of course very popular. But my information will change a lot. As I left the comment in his blog, I requested that his not publish my comment but act on its message. He heeded my call. To him, I was just a concerned “Malaysian” who was fighting with him (or for him?) to secure him a victory against Umno.

Zulkifli Nordin thanked me and on the same date that I alerted him published the KLSCAH information plus Lim Kit Siang’s press statement on Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir’s antics. Using the photo provided by Merdeka Review, he added: Tolak budaya samseng and then wrote: (We thank you wanyama for alerting us on this news….).

Wanyama
 was the fake name I used to sign in. The reaction was swift. That particular entry was published in Malaysia today. I personally linked it to Harris Ibrahim’s blog and Zorro’s too through commenting in their blogs. 20 people including me commented on the entry and I wrote: “Well, I’m the one who rang the alarm bell. Mr Zulkifli, this is a big chance to awaken the Chineese. It should be printed today and made sure every Chinese voter gets it. It is politics of honesty, accountability, responsibility and good manners. UMNO samsengs have no such qualities no wonder they are threatening people with fire. How can such people be made MPs? Kulim voters, be they Chinese, Malays or Indian, reject samseng.”

Zulkifli who was struggling with the Chinese vote got a golden chance to awaken the Chinese in Kulim and distributed thousands of flyers over this “Extremist” UMNO man (to use his own words…how days change). This also proved fatal to UMNO. Desperate to defeat him, UMNO was distributing demonic CDs against Anwar Ibrahim in Kulim and Zulkifli was campaigning on the premise that he was a Reformasi man and that he was DSAI’s lawyer. Rather than continuing on its demonic spree against DSAI, UMNO in Kulim was put on the defensive and by March 06, it was clear that Zul was headed for an emphatic history.

UMNO tried to disqualify him 2 days to the polling date on the premise that he didn’t submit his Account Statement and he lodged a police report against the Returning Officer and also sent a scathing letter to The Star for publishing a report titled: “Question mark over Zulkifli” and demanded that it publishes his press statement. Later the EC clarified that he was eligible to contest. Note that UMNO wanted to act against him only after his chances of winning became clear and didn’t object to his candidacy on the nomination day as usual.

Then the DAY came and Zul went on to win the Kulim seat. His ranted against the evil, corrupt, extremist and disgraceful Umno (his words) and the people listened and voted for him. One day after the victory, a Mahathirist commentator who used the pen name:
arb_ok
 wrote: “Assalamualaikum YB, Congratulations on your recent election as the people’s representative. On behalf of my friends from KL who went back all the way to Kulim just to vote you, we sincerely hope that you shall carry your new responsibilities to the fullest.

Please remember not to take the voters for granted. The Kulim folks are no longer awed by the BN. I personally hope that despite you winning on Keadilan ticket, you shall not pursue the cause of DSAI as he is a gone case. Please remember to serve the Kulim folks well and you shall be rewarded handsomely.

And I must let you know that my vote went to the candidate and not the party. I despise Keadilan for their struggle on Anwar. Largely the Kulim folks are not fond of Anwar but we were simply sick of the PM and his advisers.

Selamat berkhidmat. Wassalam and syabas YB.”

I responded to this rabid Mahathirist and defended Anwar, Zul and PKR as a “Malaysian” and I wrote:

“Dear
arb_ok

Ass.wr.wb

Your understanding is warped and your intellectual poverty is immense and heartrending that it needs attention. Let me address the issues that you have raised one by one.

1. You congratulated the new YB on his victory which is right. Then you went on to claim credit on behalf of your friends in KL. Well, you need to show the evidence that there were friends of yours who authorized you to speak on their behalf. I myself is from KL and went to vote in Kulim for Noordin. You said the new YB should carry his duties well since Kulim voters are no longer awed by BN. Agreed! But it is Malaysia which also is not awed by BN and its pussyfooters.

2. Then you addressed the new YB saying that he shouldn’t pursue the cause of DSAI since he is a gone case. It is here that I’m very interested in. first of all, what’s DSAI’s cause and who determines that cause? Secondly, how did you know that he was gone? Using which barometer? By what law, by what justice? Your calculation that you voted for the candidate but hates his party unearths your buffoonery since at the end of the day a candidate is voted on the basis of the ideals and manifestos of his/her party. Moreover, if Noordin is good, then it means the party that fielded him must have been good in the sense that it looked for the good people.

3. You wrote: “I despise Keadilan for their struggle on Anwar.” I must say that your hatred to Anwar the person has rendered you a buffoon beyond salvation point. This is because KeADILan is a party made of diverse people with diverse background driven by one goal: a better Malaysia. The fact that Anwar is part of that mass movement or party shouldn’t confuse you my dear. Yes, I can see you hate Anwar but Anwar even is not aware of your existence, so it will be civil and informed not to nag others about him as you are desperately doing here. Furthermore, the fact that KeADILan was formed after Anwar was jailed doesn’t make it an Anwar party. In any way, a party is borne at a given moment due to a certain political, economical or national cause at a given moment too, and therefore KeADILan’s birth at the height of the political assassination of DSAI doesn’t make the party bereft of any idea or its multifarious supporters and winners a hapless bunch of people wallowing in intellectual penury.

4. You said Kulim people are not fond of Anwar. Hehehe Which Kulim people are you talking about? It is just like how you said on behalf of KL friends. Mah! You are so cheap and condescending my dear. Your view and atavistic rage against Anwar can’t be said to be that of Kulim or its people. I’m sorry to inform you that Kulim is not you. Kulim has thousands of people with different ideas, perceptions, beliefs and orientations, therefore, your childish rants that the people of Kulim are anti-Anwar as if you are the Kulim itself makes your argument utterly naïve and ludicrous. Just say, as far as I’m concerned, ok? Thanks, wassalam.”

One may ask why all this trouble, well, we did all this to support the change and Malaysia’s prospect for a better tomorrow. We support the Islam of Tok Guru Nik Aziz (note I say Nik Aziz and not Ustadh Hadi) and the leadership of DSAI and now Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. We did this in order to support the people we thought were conscientious enough to understand that there is a crying need for a new paradigm in this nation and the salvation of this outwardly glamorous nation but deeply rotten inside. We did this because we have seen how rotten the system is, how failed Malaysia is becoming and how defeatist culture and inherent opportunism is becoming the accepted norm.

In 2006, a friend from another country was arrested in Kedah while he was going to Thailand. He was informed that his visa had expired the previous day by the Kedah Immigration and then he was detained. A relative of his requested me to accompany him to Alor Star to visit the man. I did. What I saw was shocking. Rather than putting the man through due process, the Immigration men demanded RM10,000. And when we informed them that his case has already being taken to court, a lawyer from UiTM who was working with the Immigration men said this to me: “all this will be solved. Both the prosecutor and the judge are known to me and he will be released immediately provided you pay the amount”, and then he gave me his account number.

He was a treacherous man selling his motherland. He is a product of a corrupt system that’s hailed as a success. We wanted the likes of Zulkifli to do something for Kedah, Malaysia and all those who love this nation. And those petty Umnoputras who rant against the world for demanding a fair tribal for DSAI, it is because even poor foreign students know how corrupt Malaysia’s judiciary is. We are witness to it and the world knows much than you can imagine.

Like would a Malay(sian) student in the US would in all probability support Obama, or the same student in India would do a dig for the Congress, the overwhelming majority of foreign Muslim students in Malaysia unequivocally support Anwar Ibrahim. Make no mistake about it and we aren’t stupid about it. We also salute beloved Tok Guru Nik Aziz whose courage and fatigue represent the spirit of the nation. And we also salute the always urbane and truly patriotic Ku li. For me and many others, these three men (plus many others in the trenches) are the real patriots. A patriot is the one who demands the best of his/her nation, not a vile, tribal posturing, knife (keris) waving buffoon who can’t express himself in an intelligent way. These three men also have been victims of the system and they are ones who can only correct it.

For us, Zul was part of the true patriots. The man who accused his UMNO rival of extremism became its ugly and unacceptable face. There was no intellectual input from him on any issue, a typical Ibrahim Ali, only younger. The fact that Ibrahim Ali is a vile character who can bad mouth others isn’t a sign of patriotism and neither would his empty tribal rhetoric take the Malays to a new frontier. I have been observing Zul, and I must say I feel sorry that I did little to help him win an argument against a rival whom he embraces today betraying the men and women who struggled with him all along. May be the Arab saying that revolution eats its children is true.

In fact, the Malays are very strange people if not the strangest on earth. Say, if you work together and you disagree, they will become your enemies and even do unimaginable things to you simply because you parted ways. Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.

They will also go to your “original” enemies simply to spite you but it is they who spiting their own souls and dignity. You can say they are a people who cut off their noses to spite their faces. Ya Allah! Take former PKR Secretary General Dato Salehuddin Hashim for example. The fact that he has had few disagreements with (may be) some PKR leaders, today, he wants to destroy the party! That’s his way of his struggle and reformasi. Reading his statements in the Malaysian Insider and The Edge yesterday reminded me of the Quranic verse:
“And do not be like she who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong [by] taking your oaths as [means of] deceit between you because one community is more plentiful [in number or wealth] than another community. Allah only tries you thereby. And He will surely make clear to you on the Day of Resurrection that over which you used to differ.” (16: 92)

When Malaysian MPs were going to Korea two weeks ago, I was at KLIA leaving for my country-South Africa. As I waited for my flight and roamed the airport, I saw PKR MPs Zuraidah Kamaruddin and Kapar MP M. Manickavasagam, PAS MPs like Dr Hatta Ramli and Dr. Lo’lo Ghazali and some UMNO MPs. Zul was the loudest and the most uncouth. Wearing a tight jeans and a T-Shirt (infidel clothes I guess), he never even greeted the Pakatan MPs. He stuck with UMNO MPs and you could see him haughtily laughing from around the corner. Loudly speaking on the phone, you could think he was excited for flying. I almost wanted to talk to him, but some UMNO MPs guarded him and I was fearful knowing that I’m a foreigner even if a Muslim.

Definitely he was a trapped man, and a perfidious character devoid of God’s fear. I want to say this to Zul, dishonesty and betrayal of ideals and friends is not part of serving Islam. And Islam is not served by attacking private premises, bad mouthing others, tribalising its universal message and turning it into a base political tool. Islam is more than that my dear! One way of serving Islam is respecting your friends and comrades even if they are non-Muslims let alone Muslims and disagreements in ideas and ideologies in Islam is a mercy. If certain PKR leaders take a position and you take another, that’s a mercy unto you all. Don’t force others to take your position and don’t humiliate others and be conscious of God in Whose Court you shall answer alone. Your intentions should be for Him and remember God wants us to prove that we love Him by loving humanity.

Zul today wants PAS and PKR to severe ties with DAP but he thought it fit that he should use DAP support to win. He saw it fit to use Lim Kit Siang’s statement against his UMNO rival to get the overwhelming Chinese vote and today he talks as if UMNO gave him the seat. Any person with an iota of intelligence will tell you that Lim Kit Siang is more pro-Islam and Malay today than he was on March 07, 2008. Rather than capitalizing on that; and bringing the nation together and giving the Malays dignity and bringing to an end this heartrending mentality of: “we are sensitive people, (you mean others aren’t?), we will ran amok. We are weak, we need eternal crutches”, Zul is going back, back on anything good.

If he was a visionary leader, he would have understood that neither UMNO nor the current mentality will sustain the Malays. He would have taken his people to a new frontier much as they may hate it because a great leader takes his people where they DON’T want but aught to be while a leader (UMNO type) takes his people where they WANT. (Responding to base reactions, empty rhetoric and visionless politics devoid of God’s fear and based on brutal tactics).

Allah (sw) has been good to you Malays in many ways. He made you Muslims, He brought the Chinese and Indians to this country, if you doubt their benefit and contributions, ask others. Ask us! After Islam, the presence of the Chinese and Indians in this country is the greatest grace Allah (sw) has bestowed upon you Malays. He gave you a beautiful, an abundant nation. He gave you meek people who accept second class status and never demand much-the Sabah and the Sarawak Bumis. He gave you resources and a strategic place to call home. Rather than glorifying God and taking care of this nation, you cry daily, whine daily, threaten others daily, refuse to ask yourselves critical questions. Blame others, shame yourselves by repeatedly saying ‘we are weak, we are sensitive’ and defame Islam by using it as a tribal bomoh culture rather than a universal message.

You cry our “Allah”, since when did Allah become your tribal god? Please explains to us Muslims from the four corners of the earth why “Allah” is yours for example? You are not more Muslims than us. Are you? So tell us why? You won’t respond and if you do, it will be along the usual lines: “Our people will be confused.” All that you know is to say: our people are weak, our people are sensitive, our people are easily confused, and our people can easily run amok”. Is that’s how you prove your intelligence? Is that’s how you want others to respect you? Is that’s how you want Muslims in other countries to take your case and explain it to others? Is this is how you want to be viewed globally? My dear brethren, my dear Malays…till when? For us Muslims in other parts of the world, we know why! Unfortunately the people who are responsible for this tragic state are the same people who are leading you today and you never even stop for a moment to ask: where are we heading. May be you will wake up when you have already fallen to the pit!

Islam is not for Muslims alone. Non-Muslims can use Islam against us if they feel we aren’t being true to what we purport to believe in. If the Chinese and Indians say NEP is un-Islamic, that’s true. The Prophet (pbuh) would have decreed the same today. The Prophet (pbuh) would have issued a decree saying the poor Chinese and Indians should be given aid too. But a typical UMNO-Zulikifli type would respond: “We are sensitive, hak kita, ini bumi kita…we will use the keris… we will run amok…May 13” There won’t be a single intelligent response. An Islamic input, a humanist input, an economical input. It will be the same Ibrahim Ali and May 13 rhetoric. Not only you shame yourselves, you do that to those who love you because of Islam.

There is a crying need for the Malays to wake up and realize that business can’t be as usual. That protests don’t build a powerful community. They need to realize that Islam is for all and that UMNO’s tribal posturing will harm them more others and that the world isn’t waiting for them. You are being overtaken by all and sundry while you rant and rave, stuck in your own created quagmire. The Ibrahim Alis, demonic Utusan-undoubtedly Malaysia’s face of evil-, the Puad Zarkashis, The Alhabshees, BTN, and opportunist, inherently dishonest turncoats who can be bought for few Ringgits won’t help you in becoming a better people and a nation.

A man who can’t show your capability, but rather trades in your anguish, a man who sacrifices your future for political expediency, a man who doesn’t share with you the latest economic figures, research out, etc but sings a tribal song to you in order to inflame you and arouse your base emotions is not the one who will make you prosper and succeed in the Two World. You need intelligent leadership, a God fearing leadership, an honest leadership, true Malay leadership. You need Ku Li, Nik Aziz and DSAI. Allahuma Fashhad (O God be the witness).

“And that ears (that should hear the tale and) retain its memory should bear its (lessons) in remembrance.” Holy Qur’an 69: 13)

Wassalam!

Your brother from South Africa

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 2 March 2010, 1:01 pm and is filed under
Letters
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


An open letter to defecting PKR MPs

Open Letter By Shamsuddin Kamal

Assalamu Alaykum and peace to all,

Three PKR MPs have so far quit the party and turned independent, meaning turned BN MPs anyway, you have that right, but also the people who elected you have some rights. All of you left the party upon which you were elected and singled out one reason: no faith in leadership. Some even said they want to go back to Umno (either directly or indirectly) because of bangsa dan agama. Well, dear MPs, most Malaysians know why you are leaving and these are the reasons:

UMNO is behind the spate of defections to hurt Anwar Ibrahim and whoever it finds that has a weak heart, it snatches him/her away to play along.

UMNO wants to humiliate Anwar Ibrahim and whoever it finds has a wicked heart, it beckons him so that he/she will play along.

UMNO wants to salvage whatever that’s remaining of its credibility and does so by playing the racial card and it brings alone anyone who can’t see beyond its devilish tactics and so far it has gotten few.

UMNO wants to incessantly attack Anwar Ibrahim and his family and it will spend any amount of money on whoever it finds is susceptible to corruption and so far it has gotten few.

UMNO controls the state apparatus and scares anyone who is involved in shady deals forcing him/her to join UMNO or turn independent-read supporting UMNO/BN unconditionally and so far it has gotten few.

UMNO is collecting whoever it finds has a case and uses that case against him/her to switch sides and so far it has gotten few.

UMNO knows it can’t get elected PAS leaders because PAS leaders swear to their Creator Allah the Almighty to remain faithful to their ideals whatever may come and therefore it looks for those who swear by God but can only be described by the Qur’anic verse: “They swear by Allah that they are indeed (part) of you; but they are not of you: yet they are afraid (to appear in their true colours).” (Yusf Ali 9: 56)

UMNO knows it can’t get DAP MPs because they are committed to a cause and therefore it instigates the ones who aren’t committed to anything and therefore who behave like the hypocrites. “La ila ha ula, wa la ila ha ula” (neither here nor there) as Allah describes the hypocrites.

UMNO knows who has a weak mind and heart, which can be bought and therefore it sets traps for those and when they fall, the choice is one: go and insult Anwar Ibrahim and PKR and say I’m an independent MP-read UMNO/BN MP and so far it has gotten few.

UMNO is doing this to get a case against its rivals, particularly the man it spends sleepless nights on devising ways and means to cripple him, and so far it has gotten few wicked souls who have breached their trust in God and in the people.

UMNO gave everyone an Utusan Malaysia typical statement, say PKR and PR are not fighting for Islam/Malays and that Anwar failed to act on my/our message. The disdain you have for my people the Malays, the belief that we can’t see through you shenanigans is interesting indeed. I will remind you what Abu Jahl told the men who plotted at night to relieve the Holy Prophet’s clan from the crippling sanctions but posed as innocently concerned: Hadha amrun qad dudhiya bilalyl (This is a secret plan hatched by the previous night). We can see through your Allah, Islam and the Malay jokes.

None who say his complaints have not being acted upon gave an input earlier or commented on the above issues in any way that’s responsible, honest or inclusive. Former PKR Sec. General Salehuddin Hashim told a Western newspaper and a news agent two months ago that Malaysia will fail if UMNO continues to use racial and religious issues to divide the nation and he gave Malaysia only one decade to collapse. This was after UMNO members burnt some churches. Today, he was supporting the defecting MP on why UMNO is right in instigating evil in the nation on the same issue. Sometimes you cry why God gives time to some people when they can be so wicked and hypocritical but He knows much. “And do not think Allah to be heedless of what the unjust do; He but giveth them respite against a Day when the eyes will fixedly stare in horror.” (14: 42)

It should be noted that none of the MPs who have gone to BN by claiming that they are independent has offered leadership and ideas. None has come out with a political platform to share with the nation. None has gone back to his/her voters to tell one million reasons why suddenly working with UMNO and betraying the PR flag was the moral choice and none has sought an answer from his voters. None has given an intelligent answer as to why they didn’t provide the leadership they aspire for. None has being true to what he has said. None has not been mentioned as a potential frog by the people and the blogs months before he/she has left the people and joined the evil ones. None has been brave enough to tell the people the true nature of their actions. And none has been true to One, the Almighty Allah SW.

The turncoats should be remind that they are being used by UMNO to do one thing: to hurt Anwar Ibrahim, but you forget that you are hurting the people who have left their working stations in far away places to campaign for you, work for you, donate to you and eventually vote for you to win. In fact, Anwar is getting sympathy today than he was yesterday. You might not have hearts but the people have and the people will show it to you. They won’t forget what you have done, in fact, while the UMNO machinery that coerce you may be happy, neither Allah SW who demands honesty nor your voters are happy.  And God will give us the opportunity to exact revenge against you when you expect the least.

For UMNO that’s doing this in the belief that it will break the back of Anwar, I say this to you, Anwar is a mortal, he can drop dead any moment- so you are betraying the people you aspire to lead; but the people who have been hurt will live in multitudes to compare the notes with you and the turncoats at the right time and I sum up all this with an ancient proverb: The one whose death is being planned has a God too who will save him. God will save this nation, Anwar Ibrahim, PAS, DAP, PKR and all the moral forces in this nation. You shall live long enough to witness it. For now, continue with your evil mechanizations but the Great Master-Allah SW- shall work for those who desire good.

 “And those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths: For verily Allah is with those who do right.” (29: 69)

 P.S.
 To PR supporters, the struggle continues and awakening the nation continues and preparing for tomorrow continues and as RPK said yesterday, selecting the candidates starts today and PKR should subject them to Bay’ah like PAS. Like Chinua Achebe said, for every noble cause, few heads must roll and along the way the men and women who are fighting evil must meet evil and feel pain but we shall overcome. We trust in Allah and in our people. We shall overcome.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 3 March 2010, 2:31 pm and is filed under
Letters
,
Pakatan Rakyat
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Now, even Marina M is censored

The Column That Wasn’t

By Marina Mahathir

Folks, I’m posting here what should have been my Musings column tomorrow. The Star has refused to publish it because, after what happened to P. Gunasegaram’s article which was pulled out after the Home Ministry gave them a show-cause letter, they don’t want any ‘sensitive’ articles that may jeopardise their KDN permit.

Now I’ve been writing for the Star for about 20 years now, believe it or not, and although it would be much easier and freer to just blog, I maintain my column because of the discipline and because of my many loyal readers who don’t necessarily read anything online. There have been other times when my column has been in danger of being censored (and very occasionally edited to sound gentler and nicer..) but still they came out when they were supposed to.

But this time they were adamant. As it happened, this evening I attended a dinner held by the MCA for NGOs. The MCA, as you may know, owns The Star. It was high irony for me to have so many people, including top MCA officials, tell me that they faithfully read my column when their own paper won’t publish it tomorrow. I was seated next to Dato Sri Ong Tee Keat himself and complained about it but he wasn’t keen to rock the boat, even though every time someone like me is censored, it’s one point gained by the conservatives who, rather than argue things out with proper facts, would simply prefer to shut everyone up.

Of course the problem is the Publishing and Printing Presses Act itself which requires every single publication to apply for a permit every year. And no media which wants to survive can afford to get shut down.

But still there is room for courage, to stand up for freedom of speech. If we capitulate every time, then why bother publishing at all?

Indeed the space for any form of public discussion is narrowing every day, with not only the PPA being used but also police reports against anyone who puts forward the slightest alternative or opposing view. This is what keeps the cops busy these days, instead of catching snatch thieves, robbers, rapists and other real social ills.

Yet online there is room for all points of view and is it really so bad? In this blog, I allow all points of view and what I’ve found is that when you allow it, apart from a few stubborn ones, eventually the humanity of everybody comes through. There is a yearning to understand one another but that can’t be done if there is no space for learning. Nor would you gain that insight into people if you didn’t allow everyone to express themselves.

And as many have pointed out, what is the point of censoring the mainstream media when there is the freewheeling internet? The other point we should make to people like The Star is, what is the point of constantly sucking up to the Government when they can still turn around and bite you? Not everyone has to be Utusan. Self-respect is important too, no?

So anyway, here’s the Column That Wasn’t:

When we want to compete with anyone in any field we seek those who are better than us. And we keep going until finally we are recognized as the best. For example, a tennis player starts at the unranked bottom and tries to play and win against better players until finally there is nobody to beat.

We do not however insist that everybody comes down to our level or to play badly in order for us to win.

This is what puzzles me about the syariah courts in our country. In 1988 a clause was inserted into our Constitution that has been interpreted as having erected a Berlin Wall between the syariah and the civil courts. Basically Article 121(1A) said “the courts referred to in Clause (1) shall have no jurisdiction in respect of any matter within the jurisdiction of the syariah courts.” This has caused untold problems because real life sometimes dictates that some issues cross over both jurisdictions. But leave that aside for a moment.

Although the new clause did not say that the two separate courts were equal to one another, there are some people who are of the view that the syariah court is superior to the civil courts simply because syariah law is deemed of a higher order than civil laws. This is because apparently God made syariah laws while mere human beings made the civil laws. Never mind the fact that human beings have been changing syariah laws over the years, for instance, by loosening laws that protected women from losing all their property to their divorced husbands. Like other laws in this country, syariah laws have to be drafted, tabled and passed through our various lawmaking bodies whether at the State or Federal levels. This process leaves a lot of human fingerprints all over them.

Civil laws are drafted, tabled and passed through Parliament. The difference is that at the tabling stage , they have to be debated before they are passed. The quality of the debate may be sometimes wanting but debated they are. This process provides some sort of ‘quality control’ over the laws so that they are hopefully current, reflect realities and are just.

The same does not hold true of syariah laws. When they get tabled at State Excos, non-Muslims do not participate because there is the notion that they cannot partake in any such debate. That leaves only the Muslim Excos, few of whom are women. This means that if a bill affects women, the opinions of the female minority in the Exco can be ignored. Furthermore, most people are ignorant about their religion and tend to leave these matters to those they believe know best. Thus if the State Mufti or religious adviser says it’s a good law, they are unlikely to challenge him. Thus are religious laws passed unscrutinised.

Until, that is, something happens such as when someone gets convicted of a syariah crime and punishment is meted out. Who knew until recently that people could get caned for drinking, or for having a baby out of wedlock until the recent cases of Kartika and the three women?

Not only are these laws not debated when they are being made but they can’t be debated afterwards either, unlike civil laws. To do so, according to some people, is akin to arguing with God it seems. (There are however some who think that God welcomes such arguments just so that He can prove He is right).

If one believes that syariah laws are superior to civil laws, should they not be held to higher standards? Should they not be subjected to more rigorous debate than civil laws out of fear that they may be unjust? If syariah courts are deemed superior to civil courts, should not their processes be more transparent and efficient? How is it that there are innumerable women having to undergo tremendous suffering because syariah court orders to their divorced husbands to pay child maintenance cannot be enforced?

How is it also that we suddenly hear about women being caned without any information about the processes they went through? Did they have the benefit of legal representation and heard in an open court? If they did, who were their lawyers and what defense did they mount?

Surely the best court of law is one that strives for justice, which shows it is fair to all parties. In this case, on whose behalf was justice served?

I have no problems with syariah laws if their foundation is justice, equality and non-discrimination for all, even non-Muslims. But when their intent, processes and enforcement are unfair, they only give the impression that Islam is unjust and discriminatory. Surely to give such an image of Islam is a sin.

[
The column is not in today’s Star
]

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 3 March 2010, 9:51 am and is filed under
Media
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Online petition to lift ban on Peter Mojuntin biography – “The Golden Son of the Kadazan”

@dredwinbosi
 how abt launch online petition 2lift ban of Golden Son of Kadazan “Family wants ban on book lifted” http://bit.ly/d0vzmi #SSSM

2 March 2010 09:06 PM

 RT @dredwinbosi:
@limkitsiang
 YB I agree and will work on it.

2 March 2010 10:35 PM

@dredwinbosi Bravo Assured my full support Am prepared 2make sp trip 2Penampang See statue of Peter Mojuntin GSoK http://bit.ly/bzjaX1 #SSSM

2 March 2010 10:53 PM

Bernard Sta Maria kept me informed w writing “The Golden Son of the Kadazan” in 1978 w full support of Mojuntin family Fitting tribute #SSSM

2 March 2010 10:59 PM

PeterMojuntin(1939-76) SG UNKO at 23 MP n 1st Sabahan 2address UN Gen Assembly at 24 Chmn Penampang DC at 30 Asst State Minister at 33 #SSSM

2 March 2010 11:34 PM

PeterMojuntin 1 of 11 died in Triple 6Tragedy planecrash in KK June 6 1976 – CM Fuad/3 StateMinisters Peter SallehSulong ChongThienVun #SSSM

2 March 2010 11:35 PM

Triple 6 Tragedy changed course Kadazan/Sabah politics/history Fitting occasion 2lift ban Peter’s biography n 2honour his memory/work #SSSM

2 March 2010 11:37 PM

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 3 March 2010, 10:48 am and is filed under
Sabah
,
Twitter
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Open letter to Pakatan members

Letter by Emmanuel Joseph

Dear friends,

We cannot let them win. We cannot let hopelessness and despair triumph over justice and truth. We cannot succumb to helplessness and self-pity. And most importantly, we cannot self-destruct.

It is convenient and most tempting to raise a finger and point out PKR as the weak link in the PR chain, to blame all that is happening today on Anwar Ibrahim. After all they clung on stubbornly to their allocated seats and placed postmen and washouts to contest instead of giving way to PAS’ or DAP’s more qualified, loyal candidates.

But in more ways than one, it was also PKR and its leader Anwar Ibrahim that has raised Pakatan to the level it is now. PKR helped smooth things out between conservative DAP and hardline PAS in the shaky first few weeks, and subsequently PKR played the role as a stabilising force in Pakatan, grounding the ideals of both its partners, and allowing PAS and DAP to cement their ties to the current warm levels.

It was the world’s interest in Anwar Ibrahim’s brand of moderate Islam that pressured the government into attempting to out-Islamise Pakatan’s PAS, and in the process, alienate itself from half the Malaysian electorate. Anwar’s profile in the international community, and his wide coverage in WSJ, CNN and IHT often has Wisma Putra scrambling to etch some cover story and often they are forced to ‘summon’ diplomats to ‘explain’ issues to them.

When Anwar spoke, the world paid attention. And so did Malaysians. This newfound stability, mutual respect and trust, turned Pakatan from an uneasy alliance to a serious political force to be reckoned with. And eventually, Barisan noticed.

Dear friends,

Attempt after attempt was made to destabilise the alliance, starting with attacking individual  Selangor’s Excos and MB, the coup d’etat  in Perak,the crossover of a Kedah assemblyman, the anti-Islamic allegations against Penang’s state leadership, the oil royalty fiasco in Kelantan.

Every trick in the book was used, lies, damned lies and statistics were thrown around, misleadingly named NGOs and ‘NGO Alliances’ were used, and the mainstream media was manipulated, all to break up this one credible threat that existed against Barisan.

When they realised going after the states did not work, individuals were lured, to defect, and for the first time in Malaysian political history, we heard the term ‘BN-friendly Independent’. And this last few weeks, the BN-controlled media screamed headlines and painted a bleak, hopeless picture of Pakatan, depicting it as a fragile alliance falling apart, culminating in the multiple defections from PKR.

In doing this, they hope to break the only thing that keeps Pakatan together, its spirit. It was this spirit that had PAS, PKR and DAP back each other at the risk of each losing support from their traditional bases.

It was this spirit that captured the imagination of the rakyat, brought back hope to a seemingly hopeless nation, renewed the strength of worn out social activists, and put the fight back in a generation that forgot how to struggle. And that is the spirit they want to kill. But this spirit must not die. It must live, spread and burn brighter.

Dear friends,

In their arrogance, the defectors spoke as if their voice echoed the views of their constituents. In their haughtiness, they spoke as though the party won because of them, and not the other way around. They spoke of betrayal, when in truth; it was the people that were betrayed. They spoke of loyalties, when it was peddled cheaply to the highest bidder.

Eventually, the people will judge them. Eventually, their Creator will judge them. I am sure they have plenty to talk about, especially over their liberal use of His name.

Pakatan is not the only one beset with problems. Barisan has a party with two people claiming to be president. They have a party where two people wanting to be deputy president. They have a party where the party does not know what to do with the president. They have a party where a disputed president of another party has to step in to solve a dispute involving another two disputing presidents!

And most of the parties don’t know what to do with themselves. And you thought DAP and PAS had problems?

As for the rest of us, we would do well and remember and remind each other all the things that happened in the last two years. Rolling cow heads, racially charged demonstrations, burning churches and suraus, deaths in custody, our dead ancestors being labelled as prostitutes and beggars, nonchalant crossing of political divides like it’s a paddy field, fighter jets that don’t fly and submarines that cannot dive, mysterious disappearances of individuals worthy of the X Files, rising taxes and cost of living and lower income and spending ability.

We would do well to remember all this. We would do well to never forget. And we would do well; to never let them win again. Dust off the flags and banners my friends. It’s not over yet.

Emmanuel Joseph

DAPSY Klang

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 3 March 2010, 7:41 pm and is filed under
Anwar Ibrahim
,
Pakatan Rakyat
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Why have the sons of the second and third Prime Ministers turned their backs on their father’s joint legacy on 5% oil royalty to the states?

End-game to the silencing of Umno veteran leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah or his expulsion from Umno.

This is the import and intent of the gag order announced by Umno vice president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein on Umno members on the Kelantan oil royalty issue which could affect the party’s image.

It is no more a question of who and what is historically right or wrong but who has the present power to impose his views on the country at the moment, right or wrong.

What the second and third Prime Ministers, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn, intended some 35 years ago, as ordering Razaleigh as the first Petronas Chairman “to design  the Petroleum Development Act in such a way that the Malay heartland states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Johor and especially his beloved Pahang, would benefit directly from offshore oil beyond 3 nautical miles through the mechanism of 5 per cent cash payments made directly to the state consolidated fund” (Razaleigh’s statement) do not matter today.

Even Razak’s  categorical and unequivocal commitment  in Parliament on Nov. 12, 1975 in reply to my parliamentary question that “Under the agreement, each state will receive 5 per cent of the value of petroleum found and extracted from each of the states, whether onshore or offshore, that is sold by Petronas or agencies or contractors” is now regarded as utterly of no consequence or value.

Can the sons of the second and third Prime Ministers of Malaysia explain why they have turned their backs on their father’s joint legacy of 5% oil royalty to the states and instead embraced the fourth Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir’s distortion and violation of the petroleum agreements with the various states?

Najib and Hishammuddin should not allow political expediency and considerations, even Umno’s survival, to dishonour their father’s joint legacy to give 5% oil royalty to the states, particularly Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johore.

Those who are baying for Razaleigh’s blood, like Umno Supreme Council member Dr. Mohd Puad Zarkashi demanding for action to be taken against the Gua Musang Member of Parliament for speaking out on the Kelantan oil royalty issue, have personal political axes to grind.

They are neither interested in historic rights and wrongs nor the legacies of the first three Prime Ministers of Malaysia.

Puad, for example, is hoping that in the impending Cabinet reshuffle which Najib had long been mulling over, he would make the lightning elevation to become full Cabinet Minister although he is not yet a full year as a Deputy Minister – allowing him to make a record-quick ascent up the Cabinet ladder.

There should be no gag order on the legacy of Razak and Hussein on the oil royalty issue for the states.

What Najib should do is to present a White Paper on the oil royalty issue on the first day of the forthcoming meeting of Parliament on 16th March 2010 and to schedule a special parliamentary debate on the issue.

In the White Paper, Najib should declassify all documents and papers to fully explain why for 35 years the Federal Government honoured the states’ rights to 5% oil royalty with regular payments to Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak and the legal history of the change of stand of the Federal Government in 2000 to withdraw such recognition and to pay instead “wang ehsan” (compassionate payments) to the Terengganu state government – all because of PAS capture of the state in the 1999 general elections.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 3 March 2010, 12:34 pm and is filed under
Mahathir
,
Najib Razak
,
Oil
,
Razaleigh Hamzah
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Are the Kadazan natives the big losers in Sabah?

My visit to Sabah last week has stirred a hornet’s nest.

Today, a Sabah daily  – Daily Express – carried a report with the headline “IDS boss dismisses Kit Siang’s claim as nonsense  – Many KDMs hold key posts” to respond to me, which is reproduced below:

Bernama also has a report, as follows:

March 03, 2010 16:16 PM

Kit Siang’s Claims That Kadazandusun Were Big Losers In Sabah Baseless – Malakun

KOTA KINABALU, March 3 (Bernama) — Sabah Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) deputy president Datuk Clarence Bongkos Malakun described a recent statement by DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang that Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) community were the biggest losers under Barisan Nasional (BN) in Sabah, as nonsense, baseless and malicious.

He said it was rather amusing for someone who had only stayed for a short duration in Sabah to claim knowledge of the local scenario and thus qualifying himself to comment on local issues which were far from the truth.

Malakun said the BN government in Sabah, under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, had been performing excellently, not only on matters concerning physical development but also on matters related to social development, particularly maintaining racial harmony among various ethnics here.

“Indeed the level of tolerance among the various races residing in Sabah has been acknowledged at large, as unique, if not the best,” he said here today.

He said a high level of tolerance was brought about by the fact that everyone knew discrimination based on racial background was not an issue in Sabah.

As a matter of fact, the Chief Minister himself is half KDM. His mother is a Dusun from the Gunsanad family originating from the Sundang and Sodomon family tree.

“As such, this provides more reasons for the Chief Minister to be extra concerned with the well-being of KDM,” he added.

Malakun said a large number of Kadazandusun in Sabah were holding important positions in the government sector.

“In fact, two KDM are holding very important ministerial posts in the Federal Government. KDM are also well represented in the state cabinet.

“Out of the 10 ministries under the state government, four permanent secretary posts are held by the KDM community. In terms of scholarship, ever since under USNO, KDM have been among major recipients of state scholarships,” he said.

Malakun said both the state and Federal governments were continuously taking steps to improve the livelihood of the people in Sabah “no matter who they are”.

“The Sabah Development Corridor (SDC), is one good example of the government’s seriousness in trying to eradicate poverty in Sabah.

“Various programmes are being outlined under the SDC by the government to uplift the living standards of the poor and to bring them out from the poverty cycle,” he said.

Citing agropolitan as a good example of poverty eradication program under the SDC, he said the program was focusing on areas in Tongod, Pitas, Nabawan, Keningau, Kemabong and Beluran.

“These are areas with KDM majority. Looking at these facts, does Kit Siang really has an issue to raise on the KDM in Sabah?,” he asked.

Malakun said it was clear that Kit Siang’s statement was made on purpose to divert attention on major political woes currently faced by the opposition.

— BERNAMA

I offer this blog to the people of Sabah and Malaysia to give their views on this issue – which should be widened to whether the Kadazan natives are the biggest losers in Sabah.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 4 March 2010, 4:09 pm and is filed under
Sabah
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #4

By
M Bakri Musa

Introduction and Overview

A Discussion on Causation

The numerous theories to explain why some societies develop and prosper while others languish and stagnate revolve around three broad themes: biology, geography, and culture. The first two factors are immutable; there is nothing that can be done to change a nation’s biological heritage or its geographical attributes. Culture on the other hand can and does change.

The popularity of the various theories varies with time. The prevailing view often coincides with the beliefs held by members of the dominant societies of the day. During the heyday of imperialism, biology took center stage. The Europeans, being the most advanced nations, easily believed that they were favored by nature and endowed with the most desirable characteristics: God’s perfection personified. The “White Man’s burden” mentality (they considered themselves divinely chosen to lead others) was a reflection of this belief in their inherent superiority.

Later, with the discovery of the importance of natural resources and trade, geographical attributes and strategic locations became popular explanations. The current favorite revolves around culture. That is, there is something in the cultures of the various societies that either predispose (or cause) them to develop; or conversely, impede their progress. In effect, culture is destiny. Economists emphasize the crucial role of institutions (an aspect of culture) in development; the backwardness of many Third World countries is caused largely by to their lack of effective and honest institutions.

Before proceeding, I will elaborate on the meaning of causation. When A causes B, it means that altering A will effect changes in B, or that without A, B will not happen. An opaque object blocking a ray of light causes a shadow, meaning, without that opaque object there will be no shadow. Substitute a transparent glass for example, and there will be no shadow. Further, by altering the shape, size, or position of the opaque object, we likewise directly alter the characteristics of the shadow.

Going further, by studying the physics of light, one can manipulate or eliminate shadows even if there is an opaque object blocking the ray of light. Experienced photographers manipulating the different angles of lights to neutralize and eliminate annoying shadows.

In life however, events are not always quite so clear. I illustrate this by using the example on the “cause” of malaria. In ancient times malaria was known as “black water fever,” an apt description as the disease was associated with brackish waters and swamps. This was a valuable observation, for by draining swamps we reduced the incidence of the disease. Fewer swamps, fewer cases of malaria! Thus the ancients rightly concluded that swamps caused the disease, hence the name. It did not matter what was the actual intermediary, for at the practical and operational level, the draining or eliminating of swamps effectively reduced the incidence of the disease.

Village Malays may attribute malaria to the hantu or spirits of the swamp, but it matters not. It is the swamp that ultimately caused the disease, the hantu being merely an intermediary, a vector in modern epidemiological parlance. Stay away from the swamps and their hantu, and you are spared the malady.

Later we discovered that mosquitoes “caused” malaria. Operationally that was a more valid and useful explanation. Get rid of the mosquitoes and we eliminate the disease. In terms of efficacy, this was a better and more specific explanation as it explained the household transmission of the disease and why it could occur in non swampy areas. It also provided a more efficient and cheaper way to control the disease. Instead of using expensive earth-moving equipment to drain swamps and upsetting the ecological balance, we could invest in cheap mosquito nets or insecticides. Thus this discovery was an improvement over the earlier model.

Now biologists know that mosquitoes do not “cause” malaria, rather it is the single-cell parasite, the protozoon Plasmodium that is the real culprit. The mosquito is merely a carrier. Again this is a far more accurate explanation. It explains how the disease can be transmitted in the absence of mosquitoes as in rare cases through blood transfusions; and why some Africans with a particular trait (sickle cell anemia) are more resistant to malaria.

Is Plasmodium then the ultimate truth or cause? Perhaps in the future scientists will discover something else. Maybe it is a virus within the parasite, or perhaps a protein component in the coating of the parasite that is responsible for the fever and disease.

For now however, the knowledge that Plasmodium causes malaria is very useful as drugs could be developed targeting the parasite. But this explanation also raises hosts of other interesting questions. For example, why does the body not reject this foreign organism as it would a transplanted kidney? So the enquiry goes on. And if it is a virus within the protozoa or the protein coat of the parasite that causes malaria, then one could conceivably develop vaccines to prevent the disease. Indeed modern research in malaria is aimed towards this very goal of prevention by vaccination.

Meanwhile whatever the ultimate or true ‘cause’ of malaria is, each level of explanation, from the swamp spirit to the protozoal parasite, provides its own utility.

Many of the studies I will cite in this book are culled from the social sciences, especially economics. Unlike in the natural sciences where the findings and observations can be tested in a controlled environment of the laboratory, few such opportunities are afforded in the social sciences. Whereas in the “hard” science we can confidently proclaim that A causes B because by experimentally altering A effects changes in B, in the social sciences the statement is stated differently: A is correlated with B, with no mention of causation. This means that when A changes, so does B. It does not mean that A causes B; correlation is not causation. It may well be that whatever conditions that caused A to change also affect B.

This caution is necessary lest we fall into the ridiculous trap of trying to curb ice cream sales to prevent drowning, based on the study that increased ice cream sales (as in summer) correlate with rates of drowning. In truth of course the warm summer days cause many to consume ice cream as well as go swimming, hence the correlation.

Such spurious correlations may not always be so readily apparent. Studies show that students who graduated from elite universities consistently earn more than graduates of lesser-known institutions, leading many to credit those august universities. This seems to make sense too. But later studies comparing students who went to elite universities to those who were accepted but instead chose to attend a local lesser-known school, revealed no difference in their later earnings.

Thus it is those same qualities (diligence and intelligence) that enable the students to get accepted at the top universities that are important and valued in the marketplace, regardless of where the students study. In short, it is not the university that matters, rather the individual.

Unfortunately many social science findings are not so readily validated. For example, a recent study by the World Bank reveals that developing countries that embrace free trade and globalization grew nearly five times faster than those countries that do not. The Bank concludes that developing countries should embrace globalization in order to grow. Although I agree with that sentiment, there are other possible interpretations. It could be that whatever qualities those developing countries have that made them adopt globalization also promote growth, for example, ready acceptance of new ideas.

Likewise, many studies indicate economic development to be correlated with investments in education, leading many to emphasize spending on our schools and colleges. Again I agree with this, but for a different reason – it is the right thing to do regardless of the economic cost-benefit analysis. Nonetheless we should still be cautious and not be confusing cause with effect. It could be that because they are economically developed these countries have the resources to expend on education. This is certainly true with individuals. When you are poor and the immediate concern is where your next meal would come, the last thing on your mind is your child’s education.

In discussing the various factors in human social and economic development, I am using the term causation in the manner of Plasmodium causing of malaria. That is, I am seeking those aspects that we can modify in order to promote development. I am more concerned with those elements that have utilitarian values, that is, those that we can do something about. This caveat is necessary because although I will be quoting various theological and religious arguments, it is my conviction that the present state of affairs of the various societies is the consequence of the activities of man, and not the will of Allah. The important corollary is that those very same factors can be modified. If I believe that everything is predestined—the will of Allah—then we might as well close the book. No further enquiry is warranted.

Next:  The Outline

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 4 March 2010, 8:58 am and is filed under
Bakri Musa
,
globalisation
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Najib cannot find real comfort in PKR’s agonizing self-cleansing process when his 1Malaysia concept and Barisan Nasional are in such tatters

UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders are fully exploiting the present turmoil in Pakatan Rakyat caused by the PKR’s agonizing self-cleansing process but the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak cannot find real comfort when his 1Malaysia slogan and concept – in less than a year – and the Barisan Nasional are in such tatters.

Only in today’s Sin Chew Daily, the Gerakan youth leader Lim Si Ping said that this is the best time for Gerakan to pull out of Barisan Nasional and that it is only by leaving Barisan that Gerakan can restore its dignity.

If Pakatan Rakyat is tottering on its last legs as pictured by the mainstream media (msm) in the past few days, such a thought would not have occurred to the Gerakan youth leader!

Nanyang Siang Pau today reported that the Prime Minister has issued an ultimatum to the three MCA warring factions to “ceasefire” within this month because of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle in April, leading to the latest speculation that the newest permutation in the “Three Kingdom” MCA battle will see a Chua-Liow vs Ong realignment.

It is not only the lesser Barisan Nasional parties who are chronically afflicted with fatal schisms like MIC and PPP, even the UMNO “Big Brother” is seriously fractured, with Najib’s authority weakening, instead of strengthening, by the day.

This is obvious by the way that Najib’s 1Malaysia concept was rubbished by forces in Umno.

Yesterday, Berita Harian openly joined Utusan Malaysia in the divisive , provocative and incendiary campaign to falsely paint Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and the Pakatan Rakyat Penang State Government as anti-Malay and anti-Islam, when such incitement  goes against the very grain of Najib’s 1Malaysia campaign.

It highlights the impotence and irrelevance of the Minister in charge of the 1Malaysia programme Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon and the entire 1Malaysia campaign.

In fact, it could be asked whether Najib is actually the real  target of such an irresponsible and inflammatory campaign as the projects cited to attack Guan Eng and the Penang State Government were or are Federal projects – like the Penang Global City Centre, the second Penang bridge and the UDA project in Tanjong Tokong.

The 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP) RoadMap launched by Najib in January, focusing on the need to promote an “all-inclusive 1Malaysia media”, admitted:

“However, when some of the reporting and writing becomes too ethnic-centric or even takes on a more race-centred angle, it raises, rather than breaks down, barriers. Further, instead of providing constructive and valid criticism, some writers abuse the greater freedom of expression now available to use terms and express feelings that are racist or inflammatory in nature and tone.” (p 16)

The 1Malaysia GTP Roadmap is describing the genre of Malaysian journalism which is anti-1Malaysia – presently spearheaded by Utusan Malaysia and now joined by Berita Harian, both UMNO-owned vehicles.

Would it be wrong to infer that the irresponsible, racist and inflammatory attack by Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian against Guan Eng are directed ultimately at Najib by the Prime Minister’s enemies in Umno  – unless Najib is himself the mastermind  behind the Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian attacks against Guan Eng?

On Sunday, former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah made a very significant speech when he publicly revealed that all is not well with Najib’s 1Malaysia in Umno itself, and asked UMNO leaders to bravely speak up on their reservations and objections to the 1Malaysia concept.

Abdullah should know better. When he was Prime Minister, there was sky-high praises for his “Islam Hadhari” concept but which disappeared from public consciousness in the first day of the Najib premiershjp!

PKR and Pakatan Rakyat can only emerge from the current  long-overdue shake-ups and shake-outs stronger and healthier, unaffected and unswerving  in the historic mission to bring about far-reaching political change in the next general elections.

Who can say that Najib can prove the famous RAHMAN prophecy wrong that he will be the last and final UMNO Prime Minister of Malaysia?

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 4 March 2010, 11:55 am and is filed under
Najib Razak
,
Pakatan Rakyat
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Of crossing overs and cultural cancer

By
Azly Rahman

Should I cross over for those millions of ringgits?

That is a two million ringgit question.

How much does one get for ‘crossing over’ these days? I do not know. But if there are millions of ringgit involved, this nation will continue to rot as corrupt politicians continue switching allegiances, getting appointments to good positions, and making horrifying decisions for you and your children.

We must destroy this culture and heal anew.

We were convinced things will be better after the elections. We were sure that the revolution was going to benefit the masses and no party hopping would occur.

We are wrong. Things are getting more complex, in a complex time of rising prices.

This is my template letter to anyone on the verge of party hopping for money, based on an advise I gave to a politician who wrote to me — his/her dilemma over switching party allegiance:

Dear sir/madam,

Don’t make this mistake.

Don’t do it if it’s for two million ringgit. Or for any amount of money you do not earn ethically. Stay to be free, and speak up against internal party corruption.

You will die satisfied that you have not sold your soul to any other party in whose ideology you actually do not subscribe to. These ‘party jumpers’ have no clear intention, just clear benefits for themselves.

Principles not resource

If resource is the issue, think of how you can take your party to newer heights without more money. Make your party appeal to the younger generation. Know your party’s roots and make it dynamic.

You may not have the money, machinery, and the media at your disposal as means to influence the masses, however you have the will. Focus on helping people and problem solving at the grassroots level. ‘Small is beautiful’

Think about the ‘class’ struggle we are in. Prevent a generation of our children from the dehumanisation of a new class system. Worker rights need championing in this globalised economy and you can win them their minimum wage for starters.

Figure out how to deliver what you promised and will promise, and find your place in the party’s equation. Phenomenological questions can help you understand your existence and purpose. Without it you are just part of a game of hypocrisy.

Don’t flatter yourself with state honours presented to you in fine and archaic language meant to elevate you beyond what you are. You are not meant to be a ‘yes man/woman’ for powerful people and make others beg for your favour. Politics is about doing societal good not Machiavellian scheming.

A simple life is a virtuous life. Love others and commit yourself to good. Corruption of the soul is the beginning of all corruption.Sages such as Socrates spoke against this. Those sacred scriptures warned us against entertaining our greed more than meeting our needs. How much more do should we become agents of social destruction with the power we have as leaders?

On the question of limited financial resources in pushing our political agenda, here are some thoughts.

Leverage the Internet as a cheap and powerful tool of your campaign, while leaning on traditional methods of appeasing your constituency. Also the SMS system to mirror ‘multilevel marketing’ for effective campaigning.

Brainstorm with the young. Be creative. The greatest tool of human progress is the two pound universe one carries around – the human brain. The greatest enemy of knowledge is of course, ignorance, said Socrates.Tell the young that it is wrong to be engaged in corrupt practices and to take more than you need. The things we take from society belongs to the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed, the orphans or all races. Everything that we do is interconnected in this cycle of life. We live a life of complexity, or chaos, and constant change. We must understand too that we are makers of our own history and masters of our own destiny. If we do not live an unexamined life, it will not be a life worth living.

Past wisdom

The great soul MK Gandhi did not have much at his disposal yet he brought down the British empire. He was armed with a deep sense of spirituality and the principle of satyagraha.

Ahmad Boestaman, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Dr Ismail, Onn Jaafar, Nik Aziz, Lim Kit Siang, V Rajaratnam, and many others have shown us what dignity and ethics mean. Learn from them but enrich these concepts of ethics to meet the needs of changing times without losing sight and vision of political realism. Learn from the many around you who are not servants of money.

However if you are logically convinced that your party is on the road to destruction due to massive corruption amongst its leaders, then by all means leave! You have one life to live – make it the best life, for yourself and for others. At a time when we have entered the world of multiculturalism, do not revert to blind ideology of racism.

Ultimately if you take those millions offered, sit in Parliament making decisions for our children, you will be a major crook who continues to rationalise his or her crookedness. You too will sink with the Bahtera Merdeka. The rakyat will help you sink with your two million, bahtera and all.

Like a saying goes, taken from an American Indian tribe: we do not inherit the Earth, we borrow it from our children. To add to this. we do not want to leave a dirty and corrupted world behind — from the Creator we come, unto the Creator we return.

May the Universal God bless Malaysia. And save her from total destruction.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 4 March 2010, 9:00 am and is filed under
Azly Rahman
,
Pakatan Rakyat
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


@ “The Smiling Warrior – Kit Siang” comedy

limkitsiang
: At Actors Studio Lot 10 4latest “Kit Siang” Fair game

about 2 hours ago

NoorAzam
: RT @limkitsiang: At Actors Studio Lot 10 4latest “Kit Siang” Fair game @sultanmuzaffar

about 2 hours ago

erichph
: Hehe, even LKS has a sense of humor RT @limkitsiang: At Actors Studio Lot 10 4latest “Kit Siang” Fair game

about 2 hours ago

carboncopy
: Ppl start laughing bfr show starts. RT @limkitsiang: At Actors Studio Lot 10 4latest “Kit Siang” Fair game

about 2 hours ago

orangasle
: RT @limkitsiang At Actors Studio Lot 10 4latest “Kit Siang” Fair game (22 tweets 2 #8888)

about 2 hours ago

limkitsiang
: @carboncopy enjoyable 90min comedy Monti n Logi at my expense Also impersonation Karpal in “KS n KS” glad 2meet old friend SAlwi n audience

41 minutes ago

limkitsiang
: Comedy runs till sat shld ask them 2b my stand-in in future Had impersonated Sami Chua Dr M n KengYaik good clean fun let hair down

32 minutes ago

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 4 March 2010, 11:07 pm and is filed under
Lifestyle
,
Twitter
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Abdul Gani’s decision not to press charges against Al-Islam reporters without extracting public apology indefensible and dangerous precedent inimical to 1Malaysia concept

The decision of the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail not to press charges against the two Al-Islam journalists who desecrated a sacred Catholic ritual without extracting a public apology is indefensible and a dangerous precedent inimical to the 1Malaysia concept of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

I can understand the disappointment of Kuala Lumpur Archbishop Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam over Gani’s decision to drop the case against Al-Islam reporters without any public apology.

Gani said the desecration of the communion wafer by the two Al-Islam reporters at the St. Anthony’s Church in Jalan Robertson near Puduraya, Kuala Lumpur last May was “an act of ignorance, not malice” and that they might have hurt people’s feelings but he was satisfied that they did not intend to offend anyone.

The Attorney-General would not be able to convince the community hurt by the act of desecration with such a lame excuse – what more, without any apology from the perpetrators to show remorse for the religious desecration which must be regarded as an act of heinous insensitivity completely unacceptable in Najib’s 1Malaysia.

Gani said: “In view of the circumstances at that particular time, and in the interests of justice, peace and harmony, I decided not to press charges against them.

He said he had made similar decisions in previous cases involving other religions.

The Attorney-General should realise that he is invoking the name of justice without serving justice or Najib’s 1Malaysia concept at all. Gani is in fact desecrating justice itself.

Malaysians are charitable people and are prepared to forget and even forgive wrongs and offences committed – but there must be proper apology and contrition for a heinous insensitivity like the religious desecration perpetrated by Al-Islam reporters in our plural society.

Or has ignorance become a proper defence for certain categories of heinous criminal offences in Malaysia under Gani?

The Attorney-General should review the case of the two Al-Islam reporters and Al-Islam publication and demand an apology from them for not pressing charges.

If Gani cannot get the two Al-Islam reporters and Al-Islam to tender appropriate public apologies and still refuse to press charges to uphold the law and justice, he should be censured by the Cabinet and Parliament.

Gani should also make public all the other cases where he had also made similar decisions not to prosecute in previous cases involving other religions – to prove that his previous decisions can stand scrutiny and accountability.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 5 March 2010, 12:39 pm and is filed under
Law & Order
,
Religion
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


AG’s Acumen for Asinine Answers

By
Martin Jalleh

Attorney-General (AG) Abdul Gani Patail want us to believe that he is committed to ensuring that the rule of law is upheld in Bolehland. In his address to members of the Judiciary and the Bar entitled “Opening of the Legal Year 2010”, on 16 Jan., he declared:

“(I)t cannot be over emphasized that the concept of justice is grounded on the basic principles of equality, fairness, and rule of law. The AGC (AG’s Chambers) is committed to promoting the rule of law and ensuring justice be given to all people whatever their race, religion or class.

“AGC in carrying out its duties is well aware of the maxim ‘justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done’, and hence the explanations issued by AGC from time to time on cases handled by it so that the public would not have misconceptions of biasness.”

Such purported profound and passionate zeal for the rule of law by the AG turns into mere political BN propaganda when one applies it to his pathetic excuses for not pressing charges against the two reporters of the Al-Islam magazine who had committed a most sacrilegious act against the Catholic community.

Gani’s Gall

Under guise of being Catholics they participated in a Mass (church service) at the Church of St. Anthony in Puduraya to “investigate” what was going on in Catholic Churches and to verify reports that “Muslim teenagers were being converted to Christianity in Kuala Lumpur’s churches every Sunday”.

They even partook of the Holy Communion strictly meant only for Catholics, which adherents of the faith treat with utmost reverence. They spat out the remnants, photographed it and published the picture in an article entitled “Tinjaun Al Islam Dalam Gereja: Mencari Kesahihan Remaja Murtad” in the May 2009 issue of the magazine.

Their act shocked not only Christians but also Muslims in the country. Even Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin found their action “appalling” and “offensive”. He added that the “Islamic virtues of empathy, respect and tolerance were obviously absent in both the journalists and the magazine’s editorial team”.

Catholics K Sudhagaran Stanley and Joachim Xavier had lodged a police report in July last year against the two reporters. On 27 Aug. the Catholic Lawyers Society handed a memorandum to the Home Ministry urging it to take action. There was no response. They must have hoped it would eventually be forgotten.

Finally on 24 Feb. this year, about six months after the police report was made, and due to what the Dang Wangi police district headquarters called “overwhelming pressure from the general public”, the police revealed that charges against the two have been dropped.

They were investigated under Section 298A (1) of the Penal Code for causing disharmony, disunity or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill will, or prejudicing the maintenance of harmony or unity, on grounds of religion.

Senior investigating officer ASP Ananthan Rajoo in a letter to the complainants stated that the police had received orders from the deputy public prosecutor (DPP) to whom the case was referred to, to take no further action (NFA).

Gani’s Hype and Hypocrisy

The overwhelming public reaction not only from Catholics but from countless of other Malaysians and even Muslims is that the AG has failed to uphold the rule of law and that what he had pronounced, proclaimed and preached so piously about was mere pretense!

The AG is at fault for the public perception that there are two sets of laws in this country. Reputed lawyer/blogger Art Harun articulated well his disgust over the decision and called it what it really was: “The blatant double standard. The plain hypocrisy of it all. The stupidity.”

Alas, it would be very easy to imagine the speed with which the police and the AG would have sprung into action if two non-Muslim reporters were to enter a mosque disguised as Muslims, partook of the rituals and desecrated something which the congregation considered very sacred.

Surely Gani would apply the full force of the law without any doubt, delay or deliberation. The penalty would be severe. The all-too-familiar mob would be braying for their blood. Lock them up, lash them or even lynch them?  Non-Muslims would be threatened with a looming May 13 or Feb.13!

The Malaysian Insider
 (TMI) captured well the contempt for the AG’s decision: “In the eyes of the Catholic church, the desecration of the communion is an act even worse than the recent firebombing of places of worship.”

“Never before has the exhibition of double standards been so obvious…The irony is this message of hypocrisy comes at a time when the Najib administration is asking for support from non-Muslims.”

In a press conference yesterday Kuala Lumpur Archbishop Murphy Pakiam asked the AG for the rationale behind his decision: “I appeal to the attorney-general to explain the decision not to take further action on the Al-Islam journalists’ case.”

Pakiam pointed out his fear that “the decision not to prosecute appears to legitimise the actions of the Al-Islam journalists”. He added he believed that the Catholic community will be “satisfied” if the journalists and publisher apologise.

Gani’s Gobbledegook

In a faxed response to the press Gani had the gall to say: “The actions of the two reporters may have hurt the feelings of the people but I was satisfied that they did not intend to offend anyone. It was an act of sheer ignorance… the two journalists did not cause any disturbance when they went undercover…”

The Attorney General of Malaysia who turned psychologist and mind-reader has offered all future potential violators of religious harmony and unity the excuses needed to escape from and evade the rule of law. Just appear real stupid and do all the harm you want undercover so that it won’t disturb anybody, and leave the rest to me!

(Whatever their intentions, they had violated Section 298A (1) of the Penal Code for causing disharmony, disunity or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill will, or prejudicing the maintenance of harmony or unity, on grounds of religion.)

Gani went on probably hoping that the public would be as gullible as he expects of them: “Therefore, in view of the circumstances at that particular time and in the interest of justice, peace and harmony, I decided not to press any charges against them.”

Whose “interest”? Whose “justice”? Umno’s brand of justice? How would peace and harmony be disturbed if charges were pressed against the reporters? It appears there is really no rule of law in this country but the mob rules – even in the discerning and decision making process of the Attorney General!

Gani tried very hard to convince himself: “I have previously decided similarly in other cases where the circumstances were quite similar involving other religions, under those circumstances taking serious action would not be in the interest of justice at that particular time.”

TMI again “hit the nail on the AG’s head” when it commented: “Simply put, this man by his statement has shown himself to be incapable of protecting the interest of Christians and non-Muslims in the country.”

“One can only wonder what justice is for the AG, for his actions in the
Al-Islam
 case show he is ‘not in the interest of justice’ in any time or situation.”

TMI also described Gani’s statement as “outrageous at the very least as he was offering protection to a group of people who have not had the decency to apologise for their actions” and that the AG was “condoning vigilantism”.

God is watching, Gani!

Khairy accepted and defended the AG’s decision, for “the decision may have been reached to ‘balance out’ the tensions caused by the issue revolving the use of the word ‘Allah’”.  Six months ago he had called the act “unacceptable”! The poor Umno Youth leader must be suffering from an unbalanced mind.

Only politicians feel they have to resort to playing the balancing act. The AG is not a politician and he should not play politics. All he should be concerned about is that the scales of justice are balanced and that there should be fairness to all.

The sheer ignorance “plea” concocted by the AG on behalf of the two reporters is really an insult to the intelligence of the public. This is reinforced by the fact that the magazine which they are working for,
Al-Islam
, is a monthly magazine published by Utusan Karya Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Utusan Group (which is owned by Umno) and which publishes the Utusan Malaysia (UM).

In recent years, the UM has been allowed to go on a spree of spinning falsehood, spouting lies, spewing seditious articles and spreading Umno’s unprecedented racist and religious propaganda with impunity – and immunity granted by the Umno Home Minister. It is very obvious where the reporters of
Al-Islam
 got their audacity from in committing their sacrilegious act!

Khairy was wrong when he said last year that the two journalists failed to consider “the gravity of their own actions”. Gani was wrong when he said they were “sheer “ignorant”. The reporters were right when they knew full well what they were doing and that they could do what they liked, for there would be no consequences – and the AG has confirmed it!

In his maiden speech
1Malaysia, People First Performance Now
, the Prime Minister said: “We must reach out to the many who may have been disaffected and left confused by political games, deceit and showmanship”. It is time you stop your games, Gani!  God is watching, Gani!

It is wishful thinking (and I hope I will be proven wrong) to expect Al-Islam to apologise, after all, the people behind it come from a superior race, have a religion they believe is superior to all else and are protected by Executive Supremacy! May Allah (oops, I can’t use this word), may God have mercy on our beloved country!

                This entry was posted on Friday, 5 March 2010, 6:38 pm and is filed under
Martin Jalleh
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


First time in 56-year MCA history – fresh party leadership elections decided by external remote control

Who was the mastermind of the decision yesterday to halt the 56th MCA Annual General Meeting to be held in less than 72 hours on Sunday, 7th March 2010?

Not MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat though he subsequently claimed that he was the first to call for fresh party polls.

His first comment that his supporters had “expected this long-anticipated development” is the most eloquent admission that he was completely taken by surprise by Chua’s announcement – which was why the Bernama report of Chua’s shock announcement was preceded less than two hours earlier by Ong’s special interview as MCA President on the occasion of Sunday’s 56th MCA AGM, which is as good as spiked!

Not the second MCA Three-Kingdom challenger, MCA Vice Chairman Liow Tiong Lai – though the Liow faction must be very relieved that finally MCA party leadership elections are being held.

If not Ong and Liow, was Chua the mastermind of the move?

Nobody believes that Chua would dare, or to use the Chinese description “have the leopard’s bile”, to abort the 56th MCA AGM to be officially opened by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak in less than 72 hours without any “green light” from above.

Malaysians are seeing history-in-the-making though not the most elevating one – as for the first time in the 56-year MCA history, fresh party leadership elections had been decided by external remote control!

But what does the new MCA leadership elections really mean to the Malaysian people, in particular the six million Malaysian Chinese?

There is minimal interest or concern among the Malaysian public, whether Chinese or other communities, for the MCA (or for that matter, the other Barisan Nasional component parties including Gerakan and  MIC) has never  been more irrelevant and inconsequential  in Malaysian political history in the corridors of power to the extent that MCA leadership elections could be triggered by the pressing of an external remote-control button!

There is an article in the  Chinese press today by a former Chinese journalist entitled “Talents and Serfs”, which captures powerfully the failures of MCA and other BN component parties in Malaysian politics – driving away Malaysian talents overseas to create a two-million strong Malaysian diaspora while leaving behind those in government positions whose first qualifications are to be  servile and subservient to the powers-that-be.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 5 March 2010, 3:56 pm and is filed under
MCA
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Bumburing Calls On Health Ministry To Expedite Upgrading Work On Tuaran Hospital

TUARAN, March 5 (Bernama)
 — Former Sabah deputy chief minister Datuk Wilfred Bumburing has called on the Health Ministry to expedite the upgrading of the Tuaran hospital to cater for the health care needs of about 120,000 people living in the area.

He said the hospital was in dire need of upgrading and it was sad that a hospital for a large district like Tuaran, with a population of 120,000, had no bed at all.

“I was also told that the hospital had been downgraded to a clinic in the past. In my speech in Parliment last year to debate the 2010 budget I have outlined all the reasons and rationale as to why the construction of the hospital is most urgently needed,” he told reporters here on Friday.

However the member of Parliment for Tuaran denied DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang’s recent allegation that the BN government had not done anything to develop Tuaran.

Bumburing said the Health Ministry had assured him that the second phase construction of the hospital would start this year.

“While appreciating Kit Siang’s concern, I have to mention that we in the Barisan Nasional have carried our duty and responsibility in bringing up to the relevant authorities matters that are of urgent public interest,” he said.

On the construction of the Sungai Damit bridge, he said he had already submitted an application and had discussed the matter with the Minister of Rural Development, who had assured him that it would be looked at positively this year.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 6 March 2010, 2:54 pm and is filed under
Health
,
Sabah
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


MCA dignity and humiliation plumbing new historic lows

Most pitiable and tragic to see MCA dignity and humiliation plumbing new historic lows in its 61-year history in the past 24 hours.

Whether the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will attend the 56th MCA Annual General Meeting scheduled for Sunday became the most strategic gambit  in the MCA “Three Kingdom” power tussle when the Ong remnants in the  rump MCA Central Committee after the resignation of two-thirds of its membership from the Chua and Liow factions insisted on proceeding with Sunday’s MCA AGM.

The spokesman for the “Ong” MCA faction announced after the rump MCA Central Committee meeting last evening  that Najib would attend which was contradicted soon after by spokesmen from the “Liow” and “Chua” MCA factions that Najib would not attend!

As if it is not shameful and humiliating enough that Sunday’s 56th MCA AGM is being aborted in less than 72 hours of its scheduled meeting by directive and pressure from outside the MCA!

It would be understandable if the MCA “Three Kingdom” power tussle is over which faction could better champion the proclaimed objectives of the party or the proper implementation of announced government programmes like Najib’s 1Malaysia concept.

But this is not so. There has not been a murmur of criticism or protest at the most irresponsible and sustained anti-1Malaysia campaign launched by extremist forces in UMNO to play the “race and religion” card in Penang by falsely portraying Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and the Pakatan Rakyat Penang State Government as anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

Whether from the Ong, Chua or Liow MCA factions, nobody has dared to step forward to condemn the extremist, insensitive and seditious exploitation of  the “race and religion” card in Penang by irresponsible Umno quarters  trying to create racial and religious tensions in plural Malaysia – which is against everything that Najib’s 1Malaysia could mean or represent.

I am not interested in the protracted MCA “Three Kingdom” feud but Malaysians are entitled to ask what their power plays have to do with restoring Malaysia’s international competitiveness, economic welfare or  even with Najib’s slogan of 1Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 6 March 2010, 11:17 am and is filed under
MCA
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Cabinet on Wednesday should give “green light” for legislative action to allow state governments like Penang to restore local government elections

The Penang State Executive Council has made a historic decision to restore local government elections for Penang which was suspended 45 years on 1st March 1965 because of Indonesian Confrontation which ended in the latter part of 1966.

If elections to the two Municipal Councils of Penang, the Municipal Council of Penang Island (MPPP) and the Municipal Council of Seberang Prai (MPSP) are held at this time, it would be doubly meaningful because the last local council elections in Malaysia was held half a century ago in 1961.

In fact, there would be a triple significance as the first-ever elections held in the country was for the Municipal Council of George Town on Dec. 1, 1951 – marking the 60th anniversary commemoration of the start of the nation’s electoral history.

Following the historic decision of the Penang State Government to restore the third vote, with the Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng writing to the Election Commission to conduct local government elections for the two municipalities in Penang, the Cabinet on Wednesday should give the “green light” for legislative action to be taken to allow state governments like Penang to restore local government elections.

The restoration of local government elections would be honouring the pledge given by Bapa Malaysia and first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman  to Parliament on March 1, 1965 that “as soon as” the Indonesian Confrontation had ended, local council elections would held.

The restoration of local government elections was however delayed when a Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Workings of Local Authorities was established.

What is significant is that the Athi Nahappan Royal Commission Report on Local Authorities recommended the restoration of local government elections and I have no doubt that this would have been one of the top priority unaccomplished missions which Tunku Abdul Rahman would like the country to complete for him.

The Najib administration is talking about a 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP) Roadmap.

Are the Prime Minister, the KPI Minister, Tan Sr. Dr. Koh Tsu Koon and the Najib Cabinet prepared to make the restoration of local government elections in states where the State Government is ready for it a distinct feature of the 1Malaysia GTP Roadmap?

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 7 March 2010, 1:07 pm and is filed under
Local Goverment
,
Penang Government
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Cops crash DAP party

Sentul OCPD ACP Zakaria Pagan up on stage to declare the party over. – Picture by Choo Choy May

By
Clara Chooi | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — Police put a stop to a dinner and ceramah organised by the Kepong DAP here tonight.

The function, which features star speakers from Pakatan Rakyat like Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang and Datuk Husam Musa, was called to an abrupt halt at 10pm when the police raided the premises.

About 1,500 people in attendance booed loudly when Sentul OCPD ACP Zakaria Pagan took to the stage and announced that the ceramah was cancelled.

He justified the action by pointing out that the function’s permit was only to organise a dinner and not a ceramah with political speeches.

After negotiating with Lim and Kepong MP Dr Tan Seng Giaw, however, ACP Zakaria relented and allowed each speaker 10 minutes to deliver their speeches.

The decision, despite receiving cheers from the audience, drew flak from the Pakatan leaders.

Husam, who was at first stopped when he approached the rostrum for his turn, said that as a human being, every individual had mouths that allowed them not only to eat but also to speak.

Anwar stopped himself at every juncture as he approached sensitive topics like the missing jet engines and the Teoh Beng Hock.

“Teoh Beng Hock apparently killed himself, they claim. He went to the window, played with it and then accidentally fell and accidentally died. But hang on, we cannot speak about this,” he said, looking around at the team of about 20 policemen who were surrounding the stage.

Later, Dr Tan told The Malaysian Insider that he had obtained the right permit to hold the dinner.

“When they give permits to political parties, of course they are aware that we are going to give speeches,” he said.

—————-

Tweets
@limkitsiang
 :

Sad day 4democracy n human rights 53 yrs after Merdeka Malaysians reduced 2having animal rights of eating but not human rights of speech

03/06/2010 11:03 PM

This black episode symbolises 1st anniversary of Najib’s 1Malaysia Will ask Najib n Hishamuddin in Parliament – what r both of u afraid of?

03/06/2010 11:06 PM

Police earlier stopped speeches at DAP Kepong dinner after senggiaw anthonyloke korming spoken saying political speeches not allwd – 1Msia?

03/06/2010 11:18 PM

Finally negotiated with OCPD 2allow Anwar n I 2speak 10 mins each on ‘non-sensitive’ issues Big blackmark 4Najib’s democracy index

03/06/2010 11:22 PM

@wathyna Police permit applied n issued w anwar n my name listed but police objected 2’political’ speeches when politics touches everything

03/07/2010 12:32 AM

More photos at DAP Malaysia Facebook

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 7 March 2010, 11:02 am and is filed under
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Kit Siang: Pakatan to win big if Anwar is jailed

By
Neville Spykerman | The Malaysian Insider

SHAH ALAM, March 7 — Veteran opposition leader Lim Kit Siang today predicted the Pakatan Rakyat will have an easier time at the next general election if the government jails Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy.

“If he is jailed, our motto will be free Anwar, vote PR!” said the DAP stalwart during the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Convention.

Anwar, the de factor PKR and PR leader, is facing his second sodomy charge in more than a decade after he was sacked as deputy prime minister and later jailed for sodomy and corruption offences.

The next election is not due until 2013 but pundits expect Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to call for snap polls after the Sarawak state elections, which are due by July 2011.

The Ipoh Timor MP said the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government was courting trouble by continuing their persecution of the Opposition Leader, who has denied the sodomy charge and called it a political conspiracy.

Lim lashed out at the government for what he claims was a move to subvert democracy and cited the example of the police crackdown on a DAP dinner at Kepong last night.

Lim reiterated PR support for Anwar to continue to remain as Opposition Leader.

“He will continue to be Opposition Leader until he becomes prime minister.”

But Anwar’s PKR has been hobbled with crisis after three MPs, Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim (Bayan Baru), Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal) and Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri (Bagan Serai), quit the party over the past month while Zulkifli Noordin (Kulim-Bandar Baru) was sacked, reducing the party to 27 Parliament seats.

DAP currently has 28 seats while PAS had 23 seats. By convention, the Opposition Leader comes from the party with the most number of seats in that bench but PR has maintained its support for Anwar.

Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin pointed out recently that Lim should assume the helm as he is the DAP Parliament leader.

“I thank Khairy for his concern but he should be more concerned over why he has not been made a deputy minister,” said Lim sarcastically.

By convention, the BN government appoints the Umno Youth chief to a ministerial position but Khairy is the second in recent history not to get a Cabinet post.

The other was Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who was not appointed in the 1990s when Umno and BN was chaired by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Zahid is now the Defence Minister.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 7 March 2010, 8:49 pm and is filed under
Anwar Ibrahim
,
Pakatan Rakyat
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.