Anwar expecting the worst

SMS and phone calls have been flying around of imminent police action against Anwar Ibrahim.

I have spoken to Anwar over the phone and he is expecting the worst.

Malaysiakini had filed the following report two hours ago:

Aide alleges sodomy: Report lodged

Jun 28, 08 11:03pm

Updated June 29, 08 01.30 am

A police report has been lodged against PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim for allegedly sodomosing one of his aides – the second time  that such an accusation had been made in over 10 years.

The report was lodged by the 23-year-old victim at the Jalan Travers police station at 6pm.

KL police chief DCP Muhammad Sabtu Osman has confirmed that the report had been made.

It is learnt that Anwar met with a number of party leaders at an emergency meeting late tonight.

At 11.15pm, PKR sent out an SMS message stating that the police had detained Anwar’s special aide Saiful Bahari this afternoon and forced him to lodge a police report about being sodomised by his boss.

It added that the police are expected to arrest Anwar soon.

Meanwhile, Anwar is expected to comment on this latest crisis at a pre-arranged press conference tomorrow.

The press conference is scheduled to be held after a meeting between Anwar and all PKR members of parliament and state assemblypersons.

Accused of sodomy in 1997

Anwar, a former deputy prime minister and finance minister of Malaysia, was sacked from the government in 1997 for allegedly being involved in sodomy and abuse of power.

In 1999, he was sentenced in a highly controversial trial to six years in prison for corruption, and in 2000, to another nine years for alleged homosexual acts.

However in 2004, the Federal Court – the country’s highest court – reversed the second conviction and he was released.

Anwar has always maintained that the charges were a government hatched political conspiracy against him, a move denied by the government.

‘A very serious situation’

Party sources said that Anwar was chairing a party supreme council meeting at a hotel in Shah Alam when he received an SMS at about 9pm on Saturday night about the police report lodged against him.

He apparently then told the party leaders that his aide Saiful had been missing for two days.

“He then received another SMS at about 9.30pm and his faced changed dramatically after reading that SMS,” said a party insider.

“He did not reveal the details of the SMS but merely said that the situation was very serious,” added the insider.

Anwar is said to have left the supreme council meeting to meet his lawyers until about 11pm.

The council however continued their meeting without Anwar.

Party leaders are saying that they have to be prepared for any eventuality.

Meanwhile at about 1am about 400 people hade gathered outside the hotel in Shah Alam to ensure that nothing happens to Anwar.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 June 2008, 1:17 am and is filed under
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Anwar seeks sanctuary in Turkish Embassy

Anwar Ibrahim is at the Turkish Embassy in Malaysia for his
personal safety
.  He told me over the phone from the embassy that he had been advised by his friends to seek a safe haven in the country from those who want to do him
physical harm
.

Whether Anwar’s seeking sanctuary at the Turkish embassy in Kuala Lumpur will lead to  a diplomatic row between Malaysia and Turkey is secondary to the primary question as to how to assure and ensure the former Deputy Prime Minister’s personal safety and security in Malaysia.

This is a responsibility the Prime Minister and the Home Minister cannot shirk.

Over to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Syed Hamid Albar.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 June 2008, 10:41 pm and is filed under
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80 Pakatan Rakyat MPs’ walkout in Parliament today (video)

This is the 30-minute video clip of the parliamentary proceeding today resulting in the first major
walkout
 by almost one-third of the MPs in Parliament – the 80 MPs from PKR, PAS and DAP of Pakatan Rakyat.

A second substantive motion to review the Speaker’s  decision to allow the unprecedented abuse of parliamentary standing orders  by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, will be submitted to Parliament to allow for a full debate  next week of parliamentary practices, procedures and rules – provided time is allocated for such a substantive motion which requires only two days’ notice.

For video click –>

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

                This entry was posted on Monday, 30 June 2008, 10:56 pm and is filed under
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Gobind Singh Deo – two day suspension from Parliament (video)

This is the video clip of the parliamentary proceeding on the
two-day suspension
of DAP MP for Puchong, Gobind Singh Deo.  Gobind was suspended in an altercation with the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin during question time today.

I had said subsequently in Parliament that Gobind’s suspension is unfair and wrong and that I would be moving a substantive motion to review the Speaker’s decision.

As only two days’ notice is required for such a substantive motion, I hope there could be a debate and vote  on it in Parliament on Monday.

Part 1

Part 2

                This entry was posted on Monday, 30 June 2008, 8:18 pm and is filed under
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Walkout by some 80 PR MPs

Some 80 Pakatan Rakyat Members of PKR, PAS and DAP staged a “walk out” of the Dewan Rakyat this morning in protest against the reckless disregard of parliamentary practices, procedures and rules when despite strong opposition protests, Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak was allowed to misuse Standing Order 14 (1)(i) to make a “ministerial statement” on his support of the Report of the Mid-Term Review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

The “ministerial statement” by Najib should be made by the Deputy Prime Minister when he seconded the motion of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the  Ninth Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review in the Dewan Rakyat last Thursday.

For reasons best known to Najib, the Deputy Prime Minister did not say anything when he stood up to second the Prime Minister’s speech.

Having missed the opportunity to present his views on the Ninth Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review when seconding the Prime Minister’s motion, Najib is trying to have a second bite of the  cherry by giving a Ministerial statement on the Mid-Term Review, through  a gross abuse of the parliamentary standing orders.

It sets a most dangerous precedent that the government front-benchers can abuse the standing orders at their whim and fancy.

The purpose of a “ministerial statement” is not to allow a Minister to have a second bite of the cherry when he missed the opportunity to give a speech when seconding the Prime Minister’s motion last Thursday but to state the government position on various policies, proposals or developments.

A proper subject for ministerial statement today would be the government’s position on Anwar Ibrahim’s plight, where a former Deputy Prime Minister had to seek sanctuary in the Turkish Embassy in Malaysia for fear of his personal safety.

Earlier, during question time, the DAP MP for Puchong, Gobind Singh Deo was suspended from Parliament for two days by the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin over his supplementary question to his own question on “build-and-sell” housing proposal.

Substantive motions will be submitted to Parliament to review the Speaker’s decision on the Chair’s allowing Najib to misuse Standing Orders to make a ministerial statement on the Ninth Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review when he should have given the speech when seconding the motion and the two-day suspension from Parliament of Gobind.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 30 June 2008, 12:55 pm and is filed under
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Indian and the snake…

Where are the evidence that the Barisan Nasional government  has learnt the lessons of the March 8 political tsunami and has begun  to be more an unifier than divider of Malaysians,  more Malaysian-centric and less communalistic, more democratic, fair and just to be a government of all Malaysians than just half the population in the country?

 In other words, a government that inspires unity rather than foments disunity among Malaysians of diverse races, languages, cultures and religions.

The Ninth Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review is a good illustration.  The 120-page 9MP MTR is the slimmest of all Five-Year Plan mid-term review documents, with some previous Mid-Term Reviews  like that of the Eighth Malaysia Plan review running into four times the length of the 9MP MTR of  over 500 pages.   Is it because there is very little to say and inspire Malaysians in the 9MP MTR?

When the Ninth Malaysia Plan was launched in Parliament in March 2006, it was  hailed as a historic document finally delivering the Prime Minister’s reform pledge and programme which at the time  had been stalled for 30 months – or to quote the words of an MP in the present Parliament,  “a blueprint not merely for the next five years, but for the next few decades”, and that  the Prime Minister “has set in motion reforms that will reverberate for generations to come”.

In the event, the Ninth Malaysia Plan had not “reverberated” for a single day! This person had even written in the article “From short-term lucre to long-term wealth” that the Ninth Malaysia Plan would not see “the return of the gravy train” but I do not think there would be much disagreement if he is described as the “driver” of the RM220 billion (now increased to RM250 billion under the MTR) “gravy train” as to become the world’s richest unemployed – creating a new class of the bumiputra wealthy at the expense of both the bumiputra and non-bumiputra poor.

I am on record as saying during the debate on the Ninth Malaysia Plan  on 3rd April 2006 that this was not the case, as apart from a lot of hype, most Malaysians could not see how the Ninth Malaysia Plan could make any difference in their lives from previous five-year plans as to become a national agenda or national mission for all Malaysians!

The March 2008 general election has not only proved me right, but it went further – as it was a decisive vote by Malaysians against the Ninth Malaysia Plan as failing to come to grips with the dreams and aspirations of Malaysians to have an united, just, democratic,  prosperous and  progressive Malaysia.

In these circumstances, one would have thought that the 9MP MTR would be the most important document of the second Abdullah administration to demonstrate that it has heard loud and clear the message of the voters in the March general election as well as  its political will and commitment to carry out comprehensive reforms to usher in good and effective governance.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Instead, Parliament and the  country was treated to an afterthought by the Cabinet requiring the Deputy Prime Minister yesterday to take the extraordinary step to supplement the speech of the Prime Minister when tabling the 9MP MTR in Parliament last Thursday – publicly demonstrating that the Prime Minister’s speech was not as adequate and comprehensive as it should have been.

What evidence are there in the past four months, the message of the March 8 “political tsunami” has been fully heard and understood by the Barisan Nasional government?

What we have are rhetoric but precious little action and results.

First,  nation-building. What proactive actions have the government taken to forge greater unity among Malaysians from diverse races, languages, cultures, religions and territories?

It is most shocking that after half-a-century of nationhood and the great government’s expenditures at nation-building, including the billions of ringgit recently spent on National Service,  a Barisan Nasional state legislator in Perak could utter the highly racist, insensitive and offensive statement that when you meet an Indian and a snake, you hit the Indian first!

If the Umno elected representatives could be so racist and insensitive, what is the future for Malaysian nation-building?

What have the MIC Ministers and leaders been doing in the past 50 years in the Barisan Nasional and previously Alliance?  No wonder there is the phenomenon of Makkal Sakti  from last year, the expression of sheer outrage and despair  by the Malaysian Indian community at their  long-standing discrimination and marginalisation in the Malaysian political, economic, educational, social and cultural scheme of things – resulting in Parliament not having a single MIC backbencher!

The second illustration that the past four months were lost months in national healing were some of the speeches in Parliament yesterday, attacking the Bar Council for its forum on social contract.

What has happened to Malaysia where advocacy of Article 11 of the Constitution on freedom of religion is regarded as  an attack on Islam as the official religion while a forum on social contract is regarded as an attack on ketuanan Malayu and therefore anti-national?

Even more shocking is the agreement by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that there is no need for any debate on the “social contract” as it will create animosity!

Has Malaysia become a more open society or heading in the opposite direction when more and more issues are being regarded as “sensitive issue4s” which should not be discussed and swept under the carpet?

On the one hand, there are strident calls for ketuanan Melayu, even kedaulatan Melayu, when this is clearly against the Merdeka social contract, a quid pro quo bargain reached by the major communities that Malaysia is a democratic, secular, plural society with Islam as the official religion where racial differences are recognised and diversity encouraged, with affirmative policies to help the socio-economically backward groups; on the other hand, there are increasing demands for the issue of the “social contract” to be removed from the domain of public discussion.

Hasn’t the proper lesson been drawn over the wielding of the Malay keris by the Umno Youth leader, Hishammuddin at previous Umno Youth general assemblies, which even Umno national leaders have attributed as an major factor for Barisan Nasional’s electoral debacle in the March general election?

Are  the leaders of MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other BN component parties  prepared to take a strong stand that the Merdeka social contract is the basis for the Vision 2020 for a Bangsa Malaysia leading to “ketuanan rakyat” for all Malaysians – which is the very antithesis of ketuanan Melayu or kedaulatan Melayu?

Or have the MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other BN component parties to  acquiesce with such communalistic  utterances and approaches, both inside and outside Parliament,  proving the truth of the confession by former Gerakan President and Minister, Dr. Lim Keng Yaik that Umno does not accord equal status to the other BN component parties reducing  MCA, Gerakan, MIC and others to what he described as “beggar politics” with Umno in Barisan Nasional?

Is this the reason why the MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, has stayed out of the Cabinet after the March general election and announced that he would not seek re-election as MCA President – because he sees no hope in changing the “beggar politics” position of MCA in Barisan Nasional – which is also the opinion of MCA leaders as expressed in the media?

(Speech 2 on Ninth Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review debate in Parliament)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 July 2008, 4:04 pm and is filed under
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Malaysia – an abnormal country

The heading of one  blog today,
“BN’s Credibility to Rule Disappearing by the day!”
, reflects the feelings of increasing number of Malaysians that although the Barisan Nasional had survived the political tsunami in the March general election, it has not learnt any lesson at all.

The post-general election claim by the Prime Minister that he has finally heard the voice of the people is not true at all.

This is best reflected by the first 100 days after the March 8 general election, where at the state level, the five state governments under the Pakatan Rakyat becomes more stronger and more consolidated while in contrast, at the national level,   the  second Abdullah premiership seems to be tottering from Day One, under siege in Umno and Barisan Nasional internally as well as externally.

Although the March 8 general election suffered a historic defeat in losing its hitherto unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority, it still enjoys a strong 58-seat majority with its 140 MPs against 82 from Pakatan Rakyat.

In other democracies, a ruling coalition with a 58-seat majority in Parliament would be as safe and fit as a fiddle.  Why is this  not the case in Malaysia?

This highlights the abnormality of the Malaysian democratic process, the importance of the political tsunami of March 8 general election to start the long and hard process to make Malaysia a normal democratic country with the end of  two-thirds parliamentary majority for the ruling coalition and the dismantling of the arsenal  of draconian and undemocratic laws, unaccountable and corrupt governance and the creation of a united and forward-looking Bangsa Malaysia by returning to  Malaysians  their  fundamental  democratic rights and freedoms as enshrined in the Merdeka Constitution of 1957.

(Opening speech in the Ninth Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review debate five minutes before lunch-break in Parliament)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 July 2008, 3:21 pm and is filed under
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Rationalizing The Role of Government

by
M. Bakri Musa

Prime Minister Abdullah and his civil servant accountants delude themselves into believing that the government could actually “save” RM2 billion merely by reducing ministerial allowances.  The only way to effectively and substantially reduce the cost of government is to first rationalize its function.

            As for any savings, Abdullah would achieve considerably more by getting rid of his luxurious Airbus corporate jet.  If he were to do so, the jet would become a revenue producer instead of at present, a costly expense item.  He would effectively move it from the liability to the asset column.

            The British Prime Minister does not have a private jet, despite leading an economy and nation considerably larger.  To think that this Imam of Islam Hadhari, only a generation away from the poverty of the kampong, having such an obscenely extravagant taste, at public expense!

            In the wisdom of the kampong, Abdullah, his ministers and senior officials are tak sedar ekor (lit: not aware of their tails; fig: oblivious of their greed).

Proper Role of Government

The government should focus on doing only those things that are properly within its purview, and do away with extraneous activities.  This would streamline its machinery, reduce its size, and trim its costs.  We would also have a more efficient government that could serve the citizens more effectively.

            In this Age of the Internet, the government has no business owning a television station or news agency.  Dispense with the Ministry of Information.  Likewise we do not need a ministry trying to produce athletes or encourage sports.  About the only champions that ministry could produce were profligate spenders of public funds, as evidenced by the ministry’s recent debacle over its training facility in London.  That now-abandoned project cost the government hundreds of million of ringgit.

            Then there is the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development.  The pretensions of these civil servants to think that they have the competence to select or train future entrepreneurs!  Get rid of that ministry and we would see a blossoming of entrepreneurial activities.

            In the same vein, do Tourism Ministry officials really think that they are responsible for tourists visiting our country?  The operators of Club Med and Hilton hotels do a far more credible job.  They have to as the success of their businesses depends on these tourists.  As for those civil servants in the Tourism Ministry, all they can think of is their next posting abroad, or when they would undertake a “promotional” trip overseas.

            I have taken many vacations in Malaysia and have never found the Tourism Ministry or its many agencies useful.  Canvass foreign visitors, or better yet, stay at one of Tourism Malaysia’s facilities, and you would reach the same conclusion.  Abolishing the ministry would have no negative impact on the industry.  On the contrary, freed from bureaucratic hassles, the industry would grow even faster.

            Those impressive statistics the ministry puts out are uninformative.  Millions of the “tourists” coming through Johore Baru or Padang Besar are nothing more than aunts and uncles visiting their relatives across the border.Eliminating these ministries and combining others would reduce by half the number of ministers, together with their accompanying Secretaries-General, Directors-General, and hordes of Deputies and Assistants.  These savings would be instantaneous as well as cumulative.  Think of the future savings in salaries, medical costs, and pension liabilities.

Bloated Public Sector

By any measure – relative to the economy, population, or labor force – the public sector in Malaysia is bloated.  Being primarily a Malay institution, the impact of the civil service on the psyche, labor dynamics, and cultural values of Malays is disproportionately huge.

            Young Malays are conditioned not to look beyond the civil service for employment.  Our universities and colleges too are unresponsive to the demands of the private sector as most of its graduates are Malays whose career horizons rarely extend beyond government service.  Perversely, the obsession with Ketuanan Melayu makes the civil service’s hold on Malays even more tenacious.

            Civil servants enjoy considerable subsidies, from subsidized car loans and home mortgages to below-market rents on government quarters and paid pre-retirement vacation packages.  Children of civil servants are also over represented among those admitted into our residential schools (again highly subsidized) and recipients of government scholarships.  This makes ridding of the subsidy mentality among Malays that much more difficult.

            To these civil servants, gyrations in interest or foreign exchange rates will not impact them.  Insulated from the realities of the marketplace, it is no surprise that the policies they design and implement are similarly far detached from reality.

            If we reduce the public sector, Malays would be forced to look into the marketplace.  They would then have to prepare themselves adequately.  That could just be the needed incentives for them to pursue relevant subject matters in schools and universities.  Instead of looking forward to being a kerani (clerk) at the land office, they could instead take up auto mechanics for example, and in the process contribute more to the economy.

            The public sector is nothing more than overhead, and a very expensive one at that.  It does not add to the economy; on the contrary it is a burden.  It is people, individually or through their enterprises, that produce the goods and services. Reducing the size of government would also discourage corruption and influence peddling.  Plot the size of government (adjusted for population and economy) and incidence of corruption, and the correlation would be startling.

            A large public sector inhibits the development of a vibrant private sector.  The many government-linked companies (GLCs), far from stimulating new independent contractors and entrepreneurs, actively compete with and stunt their development.  These GLCs have not nurtured their share of entrepreneurs.  How many employees of GLCs leave to start their own enterprises?

            More important is what the government does with its size and power.  The Scandinavian countries all have large governments, but they use their power and resources to emancipate their citizens through providing superior education and healthcare.  Mothers, for example, enjoy subsidized affordable government-run childcare centers.

            In Malaysia, the government uses it size and power to snoop on citizens, making sure that they do not hold hands in public.  Significant government personnel and resources are diverted to controlling what citizens read and view, all non-productive activities.

            There is however, one good thing about Abdullah’s reducing his ministers’ holiday allowances.  They will now know how much those fancy vacations cost.  If Abdullah goes further and dispenses with his Airbus jet and uses Malaysia Airlines instead, he would experience firsthand the type of service it provides.  Apart from saving the government a considerable sum of money, it would also help disabuse him of the “sultan syndrome.”  Anything that would bring him closer to the real world is a good thing.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 July 2008, 2:24 pm and is filed under
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Altantuya Murder  – Najib should go on leave from his DPM duties until cleared of allegations in Balasubramaniam SD

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should go on leave from his duties  as Deputy Prime Minister until all questions implicating his credibility, especially arising from the statutory declaration by private investigator
P. Balasubramaniam
, are investigated and cleared.

Balasubramaniam’s statutory declaration dated 1st July and  made public  today in effect challenged  the truth and veracity of various statements and denials by Najib in connection with the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu in October 2006 – that Najib had not known or ever met Altantunya.

Najib, as well as the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, cannot allow Balasubramaniam’s shocking statutory declaration to go unchallenged as it raises grave fundamental issues as to their fitness to hold high political offices in the land.

Balasubramaniam’s shocking statutory declaration has brought back to Malaysians the emotional  scene at the Kuala Lumpur magistrate’s court on 16th November 2006 when Razak was charged for abetting the murder of Altantuya, when his wife Mazlinda Makhzan lost her cool and  shouted at journalists:  “My husband is innocent. My husband is a good man. He supported me and protected me. Why are you writing all these stories about him. He is not out to become the Prime Minister. Why are they doing this to him?”

Mazlinda’s emotional outburst in November 2006 have now been resurrected to the very fore of public consciousness by Balasubramaniam’s statutory declaration, crying out for full clarification.

Balasubramaniam said the purpose of his statutory declaration, among other things, was to

1)	State his  disappointment at the standard of investigations conducted by the authorities into the circumstances surrounding the murder of Altantuya Shaaribuu.

2) Bring to the notice of the relevant authorities the strong possibility that there are individuals other than the three accused who must have played a role in the murder of Altantuya Shaaribuu.

3) Persuade the relevant authorities to reopen their investigations into this case immediately so that any fresh evidence may be presented to the court prior to submissions at the end of the prosecutions case.

4) Emphasise the fact that having been a member of the Royal Malaysian Police Force for 17 years, he is  absolutely certain no police officer would shoot someone in the head and blow up their body without receiving specific instructions from their superiors first.

5) Express his  concern that should the defence not be called in the Altantuya  murder trial, the accused, Azilah and Sirul will not have to swear on oath and testify as to the instructions they received and from whom they were given.

These are issues of urgent definite public importance for which Parliament should take instant cognisance by having an immediate debate, unless and until the Prime Minister can  act promptly to assure the Malaysian public that the government is prepared and capable of  responding swiftly, credibly and responsibly to the crisis of confidence in the government precipitated by the Balasubramaniam statutory declaration.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 July 2008, 4:07 pm and is filed under
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Altantuya/Najib link – PI Balasubramaniam SD1 vs SD2

Private investigator
P. Balasubramaniam
 created shock waves yesterday when he made public his statutory declaration (SD) linking Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak with the murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, with several astounding assertions about the relationship conveyed to him by both Altantuya and Abdul  Razak Baginda.

Today, Balasubramaniam created a second round of shock waves when within 24 hours he
retracted
 his statutory declaration with a second statutory declaration, claiming that he was forced to make his earlier declaration under duress.

The initial public reaction to Balasubramaniam’s second SD is one of shock and disgust, with some dismissing  and condemning the episode as a  “Plague on both houses”!

Serious-minded Malaysians however cannot have the luxury of ignoring the SD acrobatics of Balasubramaniam as at stake are very grave issues about the integrity of the system of justice and good governance, the reputation of powerful office-holders and ordinary people(both dead and living).

As the initial feelings of shock and disgust settle down, it emerges that Subramaniam has done the impossible – making more Malaysians believe in his first SD by his second SD of retraction.

When Subramaniam made his first SD yesterday linking the Deputy Prime Minister with Altantuya, Malaysians were divided between those who believed his SD and those who did not.

With his second SD of retraction, without explaining what was the “duress” which coerced him to make shocking disclosures linking Najib with  Altantunya, Subramaniam has succeeded in making even those who had doubted his first SD to come around to believe it – while achieving  very little effect in creating doubt among those who had believed his first SD.

Balasubramaniam’s lawyer for his first SD,
Americk Singh Sidhu
, told Malaysiakini that Balasubramaniam received a phone call from the police soon after his press conference yesterday to report to the Brickfields police station.

“I advised him that as a law-abiding citizen, he should go and see them. So I fetched him to the Brickfields police station at 4.45pm yesterday and I haven’t heard from him since,” he said stressing that he has failed to contact Balasubramaniam since this news broke out.

The Police owes to the Malaysian public a full explanation as to what transpired in the meeting between the police and Balasubramaniam at the Brickfields police station yesterday evening and after, resulting in his bizarre second SD.

The whole Balasubramaniam SD1 and SD2 episode does no credit not only to the private investigator but also to the system of justice and law and order in Malaysia and can only plunge national and international confidence in the integrity, credibility and legitimacy of the Abdullah administration to a new nadir.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 4 July 2008, 4:37 pm and is filed under
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Another Ops Lalang in the works?

(Speech at the 2,000-People DAP Batu Pahat dinner in Batu Pahat, Johore on Friday, 4th July 2008 at 10 pm)

In Parliament last evening (Thursday), the Prime Minister  Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters that the  people should  not to listen to rumours of an
impending emergency rule
.

He said:

“The  government was stable. The security is under control. Everything is under control. Don’t believe anything you hear.

“I don’t think anybody should be worry. There are too many rumours.”

Rumours have indeed become  very rife in recent times, with Abdullah as Prime Minister under siege since the March general election 125 days ago – from both inside Umno, Barisan Nasional and outside.

In practice, rumours should not be given much credibility. However, in Malaysia’s political culture and tight mainstream media control,  rumours have greater credibility than other countries as many rumours had subsequently proven true than the many official denials issued by purported authoritative sources.

The latest rumour is that there is mounting pressure in the corridors of power for strong-armed measures to  invoke draconian and undemocratic laws to deal with dissent, raising questions whether the country is on the threshold of a major  clampdown  against dissent – with the Abdullah government facing deepening public crisis of confidence, whether from the failure to deliver belated reforms in the past four months, inability to deal with a worsening economic scenario, public protests at the unconscionable increase in oil prices sparking all-round inflation or  the mishandling of the political crisis like the high-profile C4  murder  of the Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.

I call on the Prime Minister to give categorical assurance that he will stay true to his pledges of democratic and human rights reforms and  not launch another Ops Lalang with mass Internal Security Act (ISA) arrests of Opposition leaders to seek an ”easy” but short-sighted  way out of his political siege  to  consolidate his power position.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 5 July 2008, 1:33 pm and is filed under
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Balasubramaniam’s 2 contradictory SDs – the immediate concern

(Speech at the DAP Kuching Solidarity Dinner in Kuching on Saturday, 5th July 2008 at 9 pm)

In the past 36 hours, the country has been convulsed by the two contradictory statutory declarations by private investigator P. Balasubramiam over the linking of Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak with the murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.

A great debate has been  going on since Balasubramaniam’s second SD yesterday contradicting his first SD made public on Thursday with such devastating effect as to whether the private investigator had committed the crime of perjury, liable under the Penal Code to an offence which carries a maximum of seven years’ jail.

I think this question is secondary.  My immediate concern of the two contradictory SDs by Balasubramiam is not whether he had committed a criminal offence, but his personal safety and a new low in public confidence in the police and justice systems.

After the March 8 “political tsunami”, resulting in the unprecedented Barisan Nasional loss of two-thirds parliamentary majority, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi assured Malaysians that he had finally heard their voices in the general election verdict and would seriously carry out long-delayed reforms in the institutions of government, especially in the three areas of judicial, police and anti-corruption reforms.

Apart from a lot of “hot air” however  little has been achieved in the past four months, apart from ex-gratia payment to six judges who were victims of the 1988 judicial crisis and scandal – when the victims of the judicial darkness of the past two decades were not just the six judges but an entire generation of Malaysians who were denied their fundamental and constitutional right to independent and impartial justice.

This is why I had asked in Parliament what is the actual amount of the ex gratia payment paid to the six judges as Malaysians have the right to know as the money come from the public coffers.  Somebody said the ex gratia payment is RM1.5 million each. I hope to get the answer during the Ministerial winding-up in the debate on the Ninth Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review in Parliament next week.

With little to show in judicial, police and anti-corruption reforms, Balasubramaniam’s  two contradictory SDs have served to highlight the institutional rot in our country plunging public confidence in the justice and police systems to a new nadir.

Balasubramaniam had said in his SD2 that he had made his SD1 under duress.  In his SD1, he had  alleged that he had signed his police statement in November 2006 under duress although the police had omitted all his information linking Najib to Altantuya because he had been in the police lock-up for seven days and just wanted to  go home.

This was what Balasubramaniam  said in his press conference on Thursday when releasing his SD1:

“If you have experienced being in a lock-up, definitely you will sign the statement. I have three children (to think about).

”I was arrested under (Section) 302 (for murder). What’s the reason? In the first place there was no reason for the police to put me in the lock-up. They can call me anytime to take a statement. I was the private investigator for Razak.”

Balasubramaniam was the very picture of being very relaxed and comfortable in his Thursday media conference when releasing his SD1, while he looked very strained and under great pressure in his SD2 press conference, where he did not say a single word.

It is not only Balasubramaniam who is under great test with his two contradictory SDs, but public confidence in the police and justice systems.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 6 July 2008, 7:53 am and is filed under
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Kelana Jaya Stadium anti-fuel price protest

Kelana Jaya Stadium anti-fuel price protest

Date: 6.7.08 (Sunday)

Time: 10am – 12am

Venue: Kelana Jaya Stadium, Selangor

From
Malaysiakini

Kelana Jaya rally: 10,000 people at noon

Malaysiakini Team | Jul 6, 08 10:08am

There is a carnival sort of atmosphere at the Kelana Jaya stadium this morning at the day-long anti-fuel hike rally.

People started trickling into the 50,000 capacity stadium since early morning, to be greeted by vendors selling Pakatan Rakyat party mementos, T-shirts, cassettes and posters.

About 17 stalls had set up business since yesterday with traders reporting brisk business.

The rally is organised by the Coalition Against Inflation (Protes).

Protes coordinator Dr Hatta Ramli told Malaysiakini yesterday that the programme, which would see musical and artistic performances in between political speeches, would start at 10am until midnight.

When the rally kicked off at 10am, about 5,000 people have arrived at the stadium with more on their way. Most of them are in red T-shirts, turning the grandstand into a sea of red.

By noon, the organisers said that the crowd had risen to about 10,000.

About 2,500 volunteers from both PAS and PKR Youth wing have been placed to handle the crowd.

Hatta, who is PAS Kuala Krai parliamentarian, was the first speaker, followed by Hindraf coordinator S Jayathas, DAP Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu and PKR’s Irene Fernandez.

According to programme schedule released by Hatta this morning, representatives from rights movements Jerit and Hindraf are scheduled to give speeches at 12 noon.

At 2pm, representative of NGOs and Pakatan parties would have their say.

Pakatan members of parliament and state representatives would be making their appearance at 3pm, and at 5pm a number of Pakatan mentri besar and chief minister are expected to be at the stadium.

The Pakatan bigwigs are scheduled to appear before the crowd at 9pm with PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim being the star of the show.

Police and military ‘intimidation’

Meanwhile, the nearby Kelana Jaya LRT station is busy with many protestors using the public transport to get to the stadium.

At the station, a small band of uniformed police personnel have been stationed to monitor the crowd.

So far, there is no police presence outside the stadium, although policemen have been put on standby in case of any untoward incident.

There are also two mobile police stations at the stadium.

It is learnt that Selangor police chief Khalid Abu Bakar is at the district police headquarters, keeping abreast of developments.

Vendors at the stadium told Malaysiakini that late last night they saw several police patrol cars and about seven military trucks in the area, but the convoy did not stop at the stadium.

In addition to the palpable police and military intimidation, organisers have to fight off persistent rumours that event would be cancelled.

“Any contrary information that is being disseminated whether by SMS or email are patently false and misleading and are meant to confuse the public.” said a statement from Protes.

“The planned programme will not be cancelled under any circumstances to ensure that the people are able to express their dissatisfaction at the government’s decision to drastically increase the price of petrol and other fuels without strong and reasonable justification.”

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 6 July 2008, 3:59 pm and is filed under
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North-south highway 3rd lanes

Letters

by J.Y.

I am a frequent user of our North-South Expressway and I have this

IMPORTANT experience to highlight and share:-

I was driving back to Penang yesterday afternoon (24 June 08) when I saw

the unfortunate accident in the opposite direction involving the passenger

bus that skidded and overturned at Tanjung Malim. I didn’t know that the

skidded bus was from hometown Penang untill I watched TV3 news later in the

evening and was shocked to learn that the accident took two lives.

Now, this is what I need to share:-

I am a building contractor with over twenty years of experience and I have

been driving my 5 series BMW (latest generation and a dammed solid road

holding car) each time I travelled to KL. Lately, the new extended 3 lanes

highway had been opened up for use and since then, I have also been using

it quite oftenly.

HOWEVER, when I used it each time it is WET, I can really ‘feel’ that the new road surface is extremely SLIPPERY! To share with some of you, my car comes with a built-in traction control mechanism (skidding prevention mechanism) and you can feel it each time it is activated. Previously, I don’t come across this kind of slippery feel except when I drive over a

paddle of water at certain speed.

From my observation as a building contractor, the ‘wearing course’ of the new road surface could be TOO FINE OR TOO SMOOTH and TOTALLY UNSUITABLE for highway use!

The wearing course (top premix layer) mix design for highways should be of minimum 20mm coarse aggregate mix that will give us the required bond between the surface and our tyres. Fine wearing course (14mm coarse aggregate size and below) is only suitable for normal road. (A proper test need to be carried out to determine the mix design of the wearing course).

Since the opening of the three lanes highway, I had seen cars skidding in front me or in the opposite direction and approximately 2 weeks ago, one of my friends who is also a frequent user of our NSE, came to share with me about his slippery feeling as well as the many skidded cars he had seen lately.

I am highlighting this to TV3 and The Star with the hope that a thorough investigation could be carried out immediately to find out how or what causes the bus to skid. A proper and independent test need to be carried out urgently to determine the design mix of the wearing course. THIS CAN SAVE LIVES.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 7 July 2008, 4:16 pm and is filed under
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My Personal Experience On The Protes Rally

Letters

by
TT

There’s a reason we separate military and the police: one fights the enemy of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people.

(William Adama – Battlestar Galactica)

Was a little skeptical after knowing the government would be sending in the army to ‘look after’ us for and during the protes rally.

Got up very early on 6th July 2008, not for church, but headed towards the Stadium Kelana Jaya with much enthusiasm knowing I will be part of another history again.

Undecided should I drive or take the ever ‘reliable’ public transport after knowing there will be police blocks on those main roads. One can wonder why they spend so much of resources which is causing nothing, but pure nuisance to the public, instead combatting the up and rising crime rates!. Anway, decided to take a Sunday drive from Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur through SS2, Petaling Jaya eventhough I can go straight via the federal highway.

Traffic was suprisingly smooth flowing.

Park my car and walked quite a distance to the stadium, by then, approx 1015 hours hundreds of cars can be seen parked along the stadium. Tens of stalls with many vendors can be seen doing brisk business, food, drinks, souveniers, books, posters, shirts, caps, etc., I think that’s a brilliant idea to encourage traders to make some extra money for their living, especially with the tougher times lately. What a festive/carnival type of atmosphere!. A handful of men in blue can also be seen wandering around aka ‘on duty’. Yes, when they are on duty for this kind of event/s, they don’t do much, but to wander around. Surprisingly no Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel can be seen. Probably they got the real meaning of peaceful assembly/rally, finally!.

One party I must acknowledge is the ever reliable and responsible Unit Amal, they did a brilliant job again in controlling the traffic and te crowd! Think the Anggota Muda Keadilan (AMK) still have a pretty long way to go to be on par with the Unit Amal. Kudos Unit Amal!.

Made a few phones calls, went in and look for a couple of my friends/bloggers. Quite an impossible task when 90% of the crowd were in red and the phone lines just went berserk. With so many reds around, perhaps we just also celebrated an early Chinese New Year!

Part of the stadium was filling up fast, the opposite side was quite empty due the sunrise and understand it was burning hot over there. One after another group walked in to the stadium, the most obvious was perhaps the Hindraf group. You can see dissapointment, anger and sadness, over the marginalisation of Indians and the Internal Security Act (ISA) issue, via their eyes and at the same time they are certainly enthusiastic about the event!.

Not long after that, Badrul Hisham, Ginie Lim and Kohila welcomed the crowd which was estimated to be approx 10,000 with loud shouts of Reformasi, Hidup Rakyat, Jahanam BN, Turun Harga, Turun Pak Lah, etc., not forgetting the takbir. That could have probably woke the neighbours up, heck, we would want to wake the entire nation up if possible, especially those irresponsible ‘leaders’ sitting in Putrajaya!.

Hatta Ramli was up next for his speech, he certainly delievered a powerful speech and he stayed focused on the purposes of the event, which is to protest the price hike. Irene Fernandez gave an emotional and stinging speech, before that it was Ronnie Liu’s turn, he presented a very blunt speech hitting the present federal government. Tian Chua followed up next with another powerful speech.

More programmes after that were lined up for the whole day affair. By then, approx 1200 hours, the crowd grew to an estimation of 20,000.

Left the place then to run some errands and back in the evening with some members of the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Got there approx 1900 hours, realised the crowd were not as big as the morning/noon crowd. Understand 700 of the Unit Amal personnel pulled out of the rally due to some ‘indecent-act’ by some punk/rock group and some chaos happened. Did not want to judge anything until I get a clear picture what exactly happened. The showing of behind by the Carburetor Dung lead singer was pretty unnecessary. I thought to myself the press going to have a whale of a time reporting this and not the main objective of the entire event, true enough!. Syed Hamid Albar condemned almost immediately on the act, but think he have forgotten what kind of indecent acts and evil deeds he/they are doing. The saying, holier than thou, ring a bell?!?.

Still have loads of time until the speeches by the key leaders, got something to bite and ended up in the stadium which was again filling up fast. This time not the seats, but nearly the entire field is filled with a sea of reds.

Proclamation of Reformasi-Reformasi-Reformasi-Reformasi can be heard again, one can actually sense the people wants a real reformasi desperately due to the fact the federal government is screwing up big time, from the almost irrepairable judiciary to the highly corrupted police to the mismanaging of the economy to the up-rising crime rates to so many other issues. The people are being sodomised by the federal government, big time!

Hatta Ramli again took the stage to welcome the crowd once again. The ‘main attraction’ for the night, Anwar Ibrahim, arrived. Before that the arrival of Lim Kit Siang shook the stadium. The crowd estimated to be approx 25,000 by then. Speeches after speeches and finally Anwar Ibrahim get to speak and got the crowd all hyped up again with louder proclamation of Reformasi!. Goose bumps in many of us, one will need to be in the thick of the action to know what I am saying. The people don’t proclaim Reformasi for nothing, the people really wants a change desperately!

From my personal point of view, this rally will have better and greater effects if the organiser could have held it in a public place/open space and just for a certain period of time. I kind of echoed what Badrul Hisham said, it went something like, “Ini adalah kali terakhir kita akan ada perhimpunan aman di stadium yang tertutup”. That statement received a thunderous support from the people.

People power can be felt through out the day. Young and old and from all walks of life went there for a purpose, to protest the price hike that is.

The crowd of approx 25,000 certainly represented the voice of 25 million people in Malaysia!

Bersih walked, Hindraf rocked and let’s send the same kind of reminders if needed again!

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 8 July 2008, 3:20 pm and is filed under
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Authoritarian solution?

( From
Australian Broadcasting Corporation transcript
of the Protes  rally at the Kelana Jaya Stadium on Sunday. Clive Kessler is professor sociology at the University of New South Wales and one of Australia’s foremost Malaysia watchers.)

Clive Kessler:
The situation in Malaysia at the moment is remarkable and that the brave hopes of independence have turned into an unbelievably sordid soap opera and the popular feeling among many people on the streets is precisely that. That in the sense they find the politics unbelievable, damaging and destructive and they see that more clearly than many of the political principles themselves.

Edmond Roy:
He’s got a point. Consider this: the Opposition leader of the country is accused of sodomy.

The country’s Deputy Prime Minister is accused of conspiring to quash a murder investigation involving his private secretary and two of his bodyguards.

And last week, the Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak was accused of having sex with the murder victim, Mongolian translator Altantuya Sharribuu, whose body was blown up with weapons-grade explosives in a forest outside the capital.

Clive Kessler argues this political quagmire has its roots in the past.

Clive Kessler:
 In a sense, that Dr Mahathir’s legacy was to create a very strong personalistic corporate state that was held together by his strength. Now that he’s gone, there isn’t his strength to hold it together. And the longer-term cost of the… creating that kind of state has to be paid, the bills are falling due and it’s a question whether, whether that is sustainable.

Edmond Roy:
 If recent events are any guide, it is clearly not sustainable.

Since independence from Britain in 1957, Umno, the ruling party has been steadily losing support.

This despite such innovations as the Bumiputera or “sons of the soil” policy that enabled the majority Malays to take a strangle hold on the political and economic life of the country.

Today minority groups have successfully challenged the status quo and in March this year, three main opposition parties won a record number of seats and control of five states in the union.

But all of this doesn’t necessarily mean that Malaysia’s democratic institutions are safe from attack.

Clive Kessler:
The likelihood of a coalition misunderstanding becoming a political understanding and political crisis becoming a public, public order crisis seems to be fairly high. And it’s in that context that the police and army came out last week publicly to say well they’ve already got the contingency plans in place and they’re doing the dry run, more or less, to have a polite authoritarian solution to the politicians and the chaos they’ve created. I think that is the prospect that seems to me to be in the offing, rather than continuing democratisation.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 9 July 2008, 9:09 am and is filed under
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Sultanate of Sulu & North Borneo/Sabah issuing birth certificates for children born in Sabah

In Parliament yesterday, I gave the Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Chor Chee Heung a copy of a birth certificate issued by the Sultanate of Sulu & North Borneo/Sabah  for children born in Sabah, challenging Malaysian sovereignty in Sabah,  as he said he was unaware of the existence of such birth certificates.

DAP MP for Kota Kinabalu Hiew King Cheu had earlier given me a copy of the birth certificate issued by the Sultan of Sulu & North Borneo/Sabah  for his “subjects” in Sabah, raising disturbing questions about the future of Sabah – especially with the unchecked influx of illegal immigrants in the past four decades with many native Sabahans feeling that they have become foreigners in their own homeland!

According to one estimate, the number of  illegally-legalised  illegal immigrants through one Project I/C after another in the past four decades have already exceeded the number of genuine Sabahans.

I had asked the Deputy Home Minister to cause a full investigation into the issue of birth certificates by the Sultanate of Sulu & North Borneo/Sabah for children born in Sabah and to make a ministerial statement in Parliament, hopefully before the adjournment of the present meeting on July 17.

This morning, Hiew made available  copies of the birth certificate issued by the Sultanate of Sulu & North Borneo/Sabah  for those born in Sabah to the parliamentary reporters at a media conference.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 9 July 2008, 11:08 am and is filed under
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“Standing ovation” for Abdullah’s retirement announcement

The announcement today by the Prime Minister  Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that he would hand over the Umno leadership and premiership to Najib Razak in June 2010 was given a standing ovation at  the meeting of Umno division and branch leaders.

What was the “standing ovation” for?

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 10 July 2008, 10:10 pm and is filed under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
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Can Abdullah deliver reforms in 24 months which he failed to do in five years?

The
announcement
 by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday of a 24-month transition plan for him to  step down as Umno President and Prime Minister in June 2010 and hand over power to his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is clearly the product of an intense multi-faceted power struggle involving various factions  inside  Umno as well as players outside Umno.

It was only two weeks ago that Najib made the startling public statement after a back-to-back Umno and Barisan Nasional supreme council meetings on the same day that the Prime Minister presented the Ninth Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review in Parliament that he did not dismiss the possibility that he might contest the Umno presidency in the coming Umno party polls.

Such a statement did not really square with Najib’s  declaration yesterday after Abdullah’s announcement that he had never won positions in the party through challenges against incumbents, adding: “Why then should I start now? I will not do something (challenge my boss), something I do not want to be done to me.”

It has been reported that Abdullah and Najib had discussed the power transition plan over five meetings in the past month, and if so, the public ultimatum by Najib two weeks ago that he could go for the Umno President’s post would have factored prominently in yesterday’s event.

It will continue to be an intriguing question as to who has got the upper hand, Abdullah or Najib, but whether Abdullah’s announcement yesterday will end the Umno turmoil is most problematic, especially with the rise of the chorus of dissent both inside and outside UMNO, viz:

•
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
 –  “Some have expressed concern that if the duration is that long, the situation will not become more convincing.”

•
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
 – “This handover thing is unconstitutional and it is not something that should be passed down from one leader to another.  The matter of Umno’s presidency and in turn, Malaysia’s prime ministership, should be endorsed by the grassroots.”

•
Tun Dr. Mahathir
–  “Najib akan dijanji peralihan kuasa akan dibuat pada 2010. Sebelum sampai tarikh keramat ini tuduhan akan dilempar terhadapnya supaya dia ternampak tidak lagi layak untuk menjadi Timbalan Perdana Menteri.

”Seorang yang dianggap lebih setia kepada Dato Seri Abdullah akan menggantinya. Pengganti tidak akan ambil alih jawatan Perdana Menteri pada 2010 kerana kurang pengalaman. Dato Seri Abdullah akan bermurah hati untuk mengisi jawatan itu hingga Pilihanraya Umum ke-13.”

But what really raised eyebrows of Malaysians is Abdullah’s statement yesterday that the 24-month power transition will give him time to carry out reforms as promised.

Abdullah should come to Parliament on Monday during the winding-up of the Ninth Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review debate to list out the reforms he would accomplish in his last 24 months in office which he had failed so dismally to deliver in the past five years.

It was Abdullah’s very failure to deliver his reform pledges in the 2004 general election for which he was given the unprecedented mandate of 91 per cent of parliamentary seats which produced the  March 8 “political tsunami” in the 12th general election, ending Umno and Barisan Nasional’s unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority and causing their electoral debacle   in five states.

In the past four months, despite Abdullah’s assurances that he had finally heard the voices of the people and repeat of his reform pledges, nothing has been delivered in the critical areas of restoring national and international confidence in the police (there has been no word on the  establishment of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission), the judiciary and in an all-out war against corruption.

Can Abdullah achieve anything in carrying out national reforms before the end of the Ninth Malaysia Plan in the next two years when he had failed so dismally in the past five years?

This is the question he must answer in the final government winding-up of the parliamentary debate on the Ninth Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review on Monday.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 11 July 2008, 1:54 pm and is filed under
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UMNO’s Latest Psy-War Materials Exposed

by Azly Rahman

[Azly has clarified that the piece below appeared in Malaysia Today, linked to the
Malaysia  Waves
blog and that he had not received the email personally. – Admin]

(NOTE: This is an email I received from a reader exposing the latest brain washing tricks deployed by UMNO’s apparatus called Biro Tatanegara(BTN). Mind you BTN is 100% funded by tax payer’s money)

Biro Tatanegara. Does it ring a bell? Government propaganda or honest student development programme? For those who aren’t aware of it, Biro Tatanegara or BTN for short is under the Jabatan Perdana Menteri and it has several modules which all public university students have to attend in the name of “Student Development”.

On the 6th of July 2008 in UiTM Shah Alam, there were three separate talks being held under BTN with the first one being titled “Pendidikan”, second one titled “Ancaman Keselamatan Negara” and the third one titled, “Patriotisma”. Smell anything funny yet? No? Read on. You won’t even have to smell it after you are done reading this. It’ll be stuffed down your throat.

I would like to only focus on the first speaker, Dr. Idris bin Md. Noor. He was supposed to talk about education as that was the title of his speech, but the content was far different. He first went on with the usual introductions but in less than a few minutes, he suddenly touched on the forum on the discussion of social contract in Malaysia that the BAR council organized.

He criticized it with all his heart, saying no one should discuss about it as it is unquestionable. Fair enough, I thought at first. Freedom of speech right? But what if he suddenly accuses the “Malay” speaker in the forum, which I’m guessing is Farish A. Noor, as a traitor to the Malay race as a whole?

And while he was browsing through his files on the laptop which was projected on the big screen, it was no surprise for me that I saw files entitled “Ketuanan Melayu”. He also then went on about the Malay’s obsession with magic and ghosts, he said that it is all wrong beliefs through the perspective of Islam because if they really could use magic and other dark arts for fighting, then they should kill Karpal Singh with it.

There are so many quotable sentences, if only I could remember it all. He even said, “Kalau ular dengan India depan mata, ketuk India dulu.” He then started to become more impassioned in his speech towards the end, like someone campaigning for a political seat yet failed, and resorted to a multi-purpose hall with bumiputra students. He said so many atrocious things that I will list them down in point form.

-Explained how the Malays aren’t racist but others are racist towards us.

-Bangsa Malaysia does not exist, neither does Malaysian Chinese and Indians, only in the strict Malay, Chinese and Indians. (Interestingly, behind a booklet provided to us, one of the objectives of the programme is to produce a -“Bangsa Malaysia”. Obviously, he was ignorant).

-Bahasa Malaysia does not exist, it is Bahasa Melayu.

-Nothing wrong with waving the Keris.

-Bumiputra hanya 55% di Malaysia, give birth more people!

-The University and Colleges Act was partly made to ensure a Malay Vice-Chancellor in Universities which should be the way.

-Blogs are “berdosa” or sinful.

-Christians will not like Muslims.

But that isn’t even the best part. The best part is, he showed a short film on the dangers of Zionism and the illegal occupation of Palestine which was probably the only part of the speech I agreed with and I thought to myself this could be the only fact of the speech but surprise, surprise, at the end of the film, there was a montage of so-called Zionist supporters with the pictures of Anwar Ibrahim, Tian Chua, Teresa Kok, Hishamuddin Rais and Ezam Md. Nor.

Then a question popped up in my head. Is Ezam still a Zionist supporter since he is in UMNO now? Does that mean the government has a Zionist supporter as well as the opposition? And expectedly, the speaker was being more anti-semitic than anti-zionist.

He even explained how the Pakatan Rakyat ruled states are all going down the drain and he says, “this is what you get if you vote for the opposition!” He criticized Anwar Ibrahim and his colleagues so much along with Pakatan Rakyat while being completely oblivious towards Barisan Nasional’s mistakes. As if they have perfect policies.

This was supposed to be a speech touching on education and look how it ended up. It did not even smell anything of education. It was a speech that was not meant for national unity at all. How could it be when you spread hate?

I could only sit and ponder quietly while all this was happening. But the speech was not the saddest part. The saddest part was that the majority of students in the hall were cheering him on. I will type out part of the lyrics that were supplied to us, entitled, “Warisan”.

Anak Kecil main api

Terbakar hatinya yang sepi

Air mata darah bercampur keringat

Bumi dipijak milik orang

Nenek moyang kaya raya

Tergadai seluruh harta benda

Akibat engketa sesamalah kita

Cinta lenyap di arus zaman ini

Indahnya bumi kita ini

Warisan berkurun lamanya

Hasil mengalir ke tangan yang lain

Pribumi merintih sendiri

Melayukan gagah di nusantara.

Who were those words referring to? Foreign powers or non-malays?

Perfect welcome to the new intake of University Students. Please spread this to others. People need to know.

I know you should.

written by A Worried Student,

06.07.2008

                This entry was posted on Friday, 11 July 2008, 10:46 am and is filed under
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Congrats  Datuk Seri Azizah – well-deserved!

Just came from the investiture ceremony at Dewan Sri Pinang by the Penang Governor Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas on his 70th birthday celebrations.

This was the first investiture ceremony that I had attended.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) President Datin Seri Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail has become a  “Datuk Seri” – as she has been conferred Darjah Panglima Pangkuan Negeri (DPPN), the second highest honour in Penang.

It was ten years ago that Azizah  started on the journey that catapulted her to become a political leader in her own right.

The  six years that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim  was in prison saw Azizah transformed from a self-effacing housewife giving quiet support to her husband and taking care of her kids into a political fighter through a tumultuous decade of Malaysian politics.

Azizah, who is now the Parliamentary Opposition Leader, deserves all the accolades  and the honours conferred on her today, making her the new “Datuk Seri”.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 12 July 2008, 3:20 pm and is filed under
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Penang Government
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Public banned from Parliament on Monday – ridiculous & outrageous!

Ridiculous! Outrageous!

This is my immediate reaction to
news report
of a  directive by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz banning members of the public from Parliament on Monday purportedly to thwart a  demonstration to be organised by the Opposition over the Standing Order 18 motion by Parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Wan Azizah on no confidence in the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

How can the public be banned from Parliament when the public gallery is an integral part of parliamentary process to ensure that it  remains  open, accountable, transparent and democratic?

If Parliament is to conduct its proceedings in “closed session”, there must be strong security justification – and not just on the pretext of a  rumour of an Opposition demonstration in Parliament building on Monday.

For the record, this is the first time that I have heard of such a rumour!

Even if Parliament is to take extraordinary security measures in the parliamentary precints, it must be decided by Parliament itself and not by the Executive – unless Parliament is nothing more than a mini government department.

A House Committee of MPs from both sides of the House has been set up tasked with responsibility over parliamentary facilities and questions like whether extraordinary security measures should be taken as to deny the public free and easy access to Parliament should  come directly under its purview and jurisdiction.

I understand that police has issued a national alert cancelling all leave as if expecting grave national security threat stemming from Parliament on Monday.

Is somebody trying to create a situation to justify extraordinary and even emergency  measures?

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 12 July 2008, 10:53 pm and is filed under
Parliament
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A totally synthetic crisis

The Police is creating a totally synthetic crisis out of nothing, as no gathering or demonstration is being planned by Pakatan Rakyat in or near Parliament tomorrow.

Police roadblocks, causing massive traffic jams in Kuala Lumpur today and which will be even worse tomorrow, are not only pointless but completely unwarranted and unjustifiable.

As no gathering or demonstration in or around Parliament  is being organised by Pakatan Rakyat tomorrow, the news report below paints a very surreal situation in the Federal capital:

July 13, 2008 21:01 PM

Police Tell Public Not To Join Tomorrow’s Assembly

KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 (Bernama) — Police today obtained a court order prohibiting the public from participating in the assembly in front of Parliament House, here tomorrow morning.

Sentul District Police Chief, ACP Ahmad Sofian Md Yassin said the gathering tomorrow was illegal and reminded the public that those participating in the assembly, which did not have a permit, would be charged under the Police Act 1967.

“We did not receive any application from the individuals who planned to hold the gathering,” he said at a media conference at his office, here Sunday.

He said anyone participating in the gathering would be investigated under Section 27(5) of the Police Act 1967 and could be fined not less than RM2,000 and not more than RM10,000 or a jail term of at least one year or both upon conviction.

Ahmad Sofian said several roadblocks around Kuala Lumpur had been set up beginning this afternoon until midnight tomorrow.

Several police personnel had also been deployed at strategic points and public places.

It is learnt that the gathering tomorrow was being organised by certain parties to protest against the fuel price hike.

In another development, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said in a statement tonight that he and Pakatan Rakyat were not involved in organising the assembly at Parliament House tomorrow.

“I regret that the police had linked my name and Pakatan Rakyat in obtaining an exparte Magistrate’s Court order by the Sentul District Police Chief dated July 13, 2008,” he said.

He said the court order was slanderous and was an abuse of the legal process.

Anwar said he would instruct the Pakatan Rakyat lawyers to initiate legal action to set aside the order.

— BERNAMA

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 13 July 2008, 11:48 pm and is filed under
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JPA scholarships – why, why, why?

Letters

by
A student

Dear YB,

I have some question to ask on JPA Scholarship which I don’t understand.

1. Perkongsian kuasa dengan kaum-kaum lain di dalam pilihan raya 1955 membuktikan bahawa

i.   orang melayu berupaya menwujudkan perpaduan antara kaum

ii.   tindakan pemimpin pada masa itu adalah keterlaluan

iii.   orang melayu sanggup berkorban demi mencapai kemerdekaan

iv.   orang bukan melayu terhutang budi kepada orang melayu

– This is the sample question of “mock examination” for JPA Scholar students who are to be sent to Canada sponsored by JPA. The choice number iv. is most racist and offensive, as without Orang Bukan Melayu, i.e.  Chinese and Indians, Malaysia won’t get independence.

2.Why government spends (sponsored) almost RM 500,000 for a student to study at Canada?

– For so many years, we keep increasing the number of students who get JPA scholarships to study overseas. Is  Malaysia getting better day by day with so many “scholars” being sent overseas?

3. Before students get JPA scholarship to Canada University, they have to study a year of Canadian Pre-University at Taylor’s University College. They need to get an average of 6 subjects with at least 80% to qualify them to study in Canada for the following years.

a. After completing Canadian Pre-University, some scholars do not get 80% and above and are blocked from studying overseas.

b. Is  a private student (not JPA sponsored student) who  might  not  have done well in SPM but can get 80% and above in Canadian Pre-University qualified to apply for JPA Scholarship to study overseas?

4. Why can’t our government (JPA) stop sending student overseas but use the money to hire good lecturers from overseas to teach at local University?

a. Government had sent so many students overseas for so many years but Malaysia didn’t look better than yesterday which means this system FAILED.

b. Hiring good lecturers to teach at local university, more students will have opportunity to get  better knowledge because the costs are much cheaper.

5. What can the students  sponsored using taxpayers’ money do for Malaysian after they graduate?

a. I being told that they had to sign contract that they will work with JPA for few year if there are jobs suitable for them.

b. Under the racist system for so many years, lots of JPA sponsored students already think of working overseas next time or even getting PR from other country! (especially Chinese because they feel that they being discriminated by some policy)

c. Is it worth to invest so much money on the students?

6. If students who  get JPA scholarships are categorised as “smart” students, why can’t government send them to Local University to improve the rating of our own University?  Is it worth sending  our “experts” to make other’s university much better than Malaysia?

7. JPA scholars to Canada sent to study a year of Canadian Pre-University at Taylor’s University College which cost  about RM 16k per student. This means that our government knows that Canadian Pre-University is better than Malaysia Pre-University.

a. Why can’t government implement the Canadian system (70% Course Works and 30% exam) into our STPM which is also Malaysian Pre-University? Because government know that their system is better than Malaysia so that government send scholar for this pre-university.  If the system is  implemented for STPM, more Malaysians can  afford to get the better education. Why can’t government change our STPM system which is 100% exam?

8. Some parents always work hard to make sure their children will get the best education in the future. But there are parents who still cannot afford to send their children  overseas for education because they have to use  their money  to pay Income Tax.

a. I am very sad because part of their money being spent to sponsor others people’s children to study overseas while we have to study locally because our dad’s money being used to pay income tax.

b. What are so special about them? Because they score many ‘A’ in SPM? Students who didn’t score many A didn’t mean they didn’t work hard, it might be because of the system  not suitable for them.

c. We are willing to pay income tax if the money are used to help us or all Malaysians to get best education, not some only (which is JPA scholar in this case. )

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 13 July 2008, 12:56 pm and is filed under
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Long Goodbyes Are Only For Lovers!

by
M. Bakri Musa

Despite the apparent standing ovation Prime Minister Abdullah received upon announcing his retirement in front of UMNO members on July 10, 2008, there was no love lost between them.  Likewise, despite the effusive tribute heaped upon Abdullah by his chosen successor Najib Razak on that same occasion, there is also no love lost between the two.

            In announcing his resignation so far ahead, and thus ensuring a long drawn-out transition, Abdullah ignored a fundamental element in human (and also political) relationship.  That is, long goodbyes are only for lovers!  Abdullah should ponder the lyrics of the chorus line in Ronan Keating’s song,
“
The Long Goodbye.”

Come on baby, its over, let’s face it!

            All that’s happening here is a long goodbye!

            [For an accompanying music video, please click this link:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5_k2pdvNTU
]

            While it may be sentimental (and hence tolerable) for lovers breaking up to have long goodbyes, such a protracted political transition would be disastrous for a nation.  Far from clarifying the leadership crisis, it only compounds the uncertainty.

            Let’s face it.  This belated ‘love’ between Abdullah and Najib will not last; neither will they, politically.  The world of politics is like the animal world.  When you are seen as weak, your predators will quickly pounce in for the kill.  While it would be obscene to celebrate such an outcome, nonetheless it would be therapeutic for UMNO, Malays, and Malaysia.

            I am uncertain of what a standing ovation after Abdullah’s announcement means.  Perhaps they wanted to hear yet another statement reaffirming the same, only this time for him to make the date much earlier.  They would then continue giving him ever more enthusiastic ovations – thus calling for even more announcements – until he declared his withdrawal right away!  At which point he would bring the house down!

The Limp and the Crippled

As perverse as it may seem, Abdullah’s announcement was meant to reassure UMNO members as well as the public.  The result was anything but; the speculations continue, only more intense and interesting!

            In truth, the party and country would be better off without these two top leaders.  This pact, conveniently arranged by the pair and purportedly “endorsed” by the party’s Supreme Council, was meant to strengthen the top leadership by portraying a public picture of seeming unity.

            The limp and the crippled clutching each other would not result in a steady ambulating couple.  Far from giving strength to each other, the pair would succeed only in bringing each other down.  No marks for guessing who is who here!

            That Abdullah is a limp leader is now obvious; made more so by his coalition’s recent electoral thumping.  Yet there are still otherwise perceptive pundits who feel that if only those UMNO warlords and ministers would let him lead, Abdullah would do wonders!

            If Abdullah had not shown his leadership talent by now, especially after he received the massive mandate in 2004, rest assured there is no talent, hidden or otherwise.  Abdullah just does not have it; two more years would not miraculously produce one.  The sooner he, UMNO, and the pundits accept this reality, the better it is for Malaysia.

            Previously the pair was consumed with neutralizing each other.  This desperate last minute union of convenience is brought on by fears that both would be wiped out by a third element.

            Before that, Najib Razak, egged on by unconcealed endorsements from former Prime Minister Mahathir, had been making some uppity remarks on challenging Abdullah.  Mahathir however now seems to be changing his tune; he has openly chided Najib for not standing up to Abdullah.

            Najib’s trajectory was also rudely interrupted by sordid revelations relating to the murder of the Mongolian model.  One has it that Najib allegedly had an illicit sexual relationship with the victim; another, Najib’s wife Rosmah was somehow involved in the murder itself.  She has denied the allegation, but curiously has not seen fit to sue Raja Petra who made that serious allegation.

            Najib denied “knowing” the model, a proclamation of innocence reminiscent of and equally unconvincing as President Clinton’s “I did not have sexual relations with that woman!” statement.

            Perhaps Najib, a consequence of his early British education, was using the word “know” in its narrow biblical sense as, “Joseph knew his wife, and she conceived.”  There was earlier false speculation that the murdered model was pregnant, with the fetus’s paternal origin the subject of intense gossip.

            Anwar Ibrahim has as usual read the political situation well.  He has shrewdly aimed his guns not towards Abdullah but at Najib.  He knows that Abdullah will implode sooner or later.  Besides, Anwar’s nemesis Mahathir is doing a pretty good job demolishing Abdullah.  It is not that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” rather if my enemies are bent on destroying each other, sit back and relish the scene!

            Abdullah also faces a more formidable challenge from Tengku Razaleigh.  The Tengku has been getting some traction in his attempt to secure nominations to challenge Abdullah.

Malaysian Politics Hit New Bottom!

With the series of sordid sexual allegations involving senior political figures, Malaysian politics seem determined to hit new bottom (pun intended).  The authorities and the public have been distracted by the salacious details, real and fantasized.  Indeed, the police are now consumed with this useless investigation, at the expense of fighting crime and corruption.

            Malaysia’s political problem is clear:  it’s UMNO, specifically its leadership, or lack of one.  It is a problem because UMNO is the biggest party, in Parliament as well as in the ruling coalition.  UMNO is now rotten to the core.

            It is instructive that the only fresh young talent attracted to UMNO these days are such characters as that college dropout Saiful Bukhari Azlan and the lost soul (politically) Ezam Noor.  Saiful received an endorsement from no less than Najib Razak, while Ezam was feted by Abdullah himself!  Such low standards!

            Saiful was the pretty boy who hitherto successfully passed himself off (at least to the gullible) as a “personal assistant” to Anwar Ibrahim.  This young man is determined to bring Malaysian politics down to new bottoms, literally and figuratively!

            Ezam Noor meanwhile successfully (he thinks) passed himself off as a pretentious warrior against official corruption.  He also fancies himself as possessing an oratorical gift matching that of Barack Obama, but minus the intellect.  Ezam’s brain, judging by his utterances, could only be slightly bigger than that of a grasshopper, which may explain his frequent political hopping.  Nonetheless that was enough to impress UMNO’s top echelon.

            Like Saiful, Ezam is threatening to reveal other presumably equally sordid details involving Anwar Ibrahim.  Rest assured that when Ezam does that, his standing in UMNO would be significantly enhanced.  Such is the rot in UMNO.

            Some sympathetic commentators (or perhaps they are just eager to ingratiate themselves to Abdullah) lay the blame for UMNO’s problems on the party’s “warlords” and its essential conservatism.  If only the party would accept Abdullah’s “reforms” and the warlords get out of his way, these pundits insist, why there would be a renaissance of the party and wondrous things would magically happen!

            These pundits missed the point.  Those warlords flourished precisely because of Abdullah’s ineffectiveness.  Far from embracing reform, Abdullah is the greatest obstacle towards it.

            One badly needed reform is for the party to open up its election process by doing away with the current onerous nominating process.  Do away with nomination quotas and you would invite more candidates.  That would be the only way to discover new talent.

            Abdullah however, is determined to keep this barrier, in fact anything that would help keep him in power.  He is a Malaysian Mugabe in the making, if we let him be.

UMNO’s Absc
ess

There is a malignant abscess in UMNO; it needs to be lanced soon lest it metastasizes and kills the party corpus.  The nidus of this putrefaction is the limp Abdullah and the crippled Najib.  Both have to be lanced and the associated pus around them flushed out.  The sooner this is done, the less complicated the surgery would be and the earlier the healing could begin.  The more swiftly the process is accomplished, the less pain (and mess) there would be.

            The scalpel is now in the hands of UMNO Supreme Council.  If it fails to exercise its solemn responsibility, then the tool would be quickly taken out of its hands and then given to the membership.  If they too fail to use it, as by giving candidates like Tengku Razaleigh and others the necessary nominations to contest the party’s elections or doing away completely with the quotas, then they would also lose the privilege of using that knife.

            The dye would be cast long before the party’s elections in December.  During July and August the party divisions will be selecting their delegates and choosing the party’s nominees.  If the members too become limp and crippled by the directive from above, and if they fail to exercise their independent judgment, that would seal the party’s fate.  This month and next will be their last chance to redeem the party they love.

            Keadilan’s Wan Azizah’s “no confidence” vote against Abdullah scheduled for tomorrow [July 14] has little chance of success.  Nonetheless it would serve as a warning thunderbolt, signaling the coming of a severe storm.

            The sound of a lightening bolt is a much more reliable predictor of upcoming events than that of a standing ovation.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 14 July 2008, 6:51 am and is filed under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
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Bakri Musa
,
Najib Razak
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UMNO
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Police Paralysis of KL and Klang Valley – preview of a Police State

Never before in the nation’s history has there been such a massive police mobilisation, paralysing the Federal Capital and the Klang Valley as today creating a massive traffic chaos, when there is totally no cause. It is a preview of what a Police State could be like.

In the past two days, the police had created infernal traffic congestions with roadblocks  in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding areas locking up the Klang Valley, purportedly to forestall a Pakatan Rakyat public gathering or demonstration in or near Parliament because of the Standing Order 18 no-confidence motion  today which is to be presented by the Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Ismail after question time at 11.30 am.

The Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia not only rejected Azizah’s no-confidence motion, he also rejected my motion under Standing Order 26(1)(p) to refer the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee for  failing to comply with the parliamentary motion dated 28th April 2008 directing the IGP to ensure that MPs are not obstructed in their passage to and from parliamentary meetings.

Many MPs from both sides of the House met with police obstruction today and did not have free passage to Parliament, which is against the specific parliamentary directive to the IGP contained in the parliamentary motion of April 28, 2008.

 No good or convincing reasons were given for the rejection of both motions by the Speaker.   In the protracted arguments in the Dewan Rakyat over my proposed privilege motion, I had occasion to remark that a Speaker should not  speak too much – and that the best Speaker is one who does not speak.

Today is indeed a black day for Parliament.  Under the doctrine of separation of powers, Parliament is co-equal to the Executive and should be fully informed  by the police of any developments justifying the adoption of extraordinary measures hampering not only the free movement of MPs, but also free public access to Parliament.

In this particular case, the police had no cause whatsoever to launch a massive mobilisation causing great inconvenience and even hardships to members of the public for three days, as Pakatan Rakyat had not organised or issued any call for any gathering or demonstration in or near Parliament today.

This was why there was pandemonium in Parliament this morning for some 45 minutes – the first episode over my motion to refer the IGP to Privileges Committee and the second episode over the rejection of Azizah’s Standing Order 18 motion of no-confidence in the Prime Minister.

The Pakatan Rakyat MPs staged a walkout in protest against the rejection of the no-confidence motion as well as the synthetic security crisis created by the police in the past three days causing great inconveniences to the public when there was no cause or justification – and will boycott the rest of the parliamentary sitting today.

Video clips of the two episodes  are available as follows:

Motion under Standing Order 26(1)(p) [Part 1 of 4]

Motion under Standing Order 26(1)(p) [Part 2 of 4]

Motion under Standing Order 26(1)(p) [Part 3 of 4]

Motion under Standing Order 26(1)(p) [Part 4 of 4]

No Confidence under Standing Order 18(1) [Part 1 of 2]

No Confidence under Standing Order 18(1) [Part 2 of 2]

                This entry was posted on Monday, 14 July 2008, 3:35 pm and is filed under
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