2-Year power  transition – “headless government” in Malaysia?

A jumble of thoughts.  A mish-mash of questions.

These describe my feelings when I sat in the cavernous  plenary hall of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre for the official opening of the 54th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference this morning.

I made a special point to be punctual  as the official invitation card asked all guests to arrive by 9.40 am, with the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi scheduled  to arrive at 9.50 am to officiate the opening ceremony.

But Abdullah did not turn up. It was Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who appeared instead.

Najib did apologise on behalf of the Prime Minister for being unable to attend the function but he did not explain what was  the urgent business of state which had prevented Abdullah from fulfilling his long-standing engagement which would have been finalized well in advance with the Prime Minister’s Office.

One thought I could not push away at the KLCC this morning was whether we are witnessing a “headless” government in Malaysia – and whether this was the result of the two-year “power transition” plan  announced by Abdullah on July 10 that he would hand over the offices of Umno President and Prime Minister to Najib in June 2010.

This thought gains traction from the following observations at the opening:

•	The virtual absence of Cabinet Ministers in an international event which clearly deserves greater support.  Apart from Datuk Shafie Apdal and Datuk Dr. Ng Yen Yen on the stage because of their “host” capacities, there was only one other Minister at the opening – Datuk Shahrir Samad.  This does not speak well for the Cabinet’s commitment whether to the Commonwealth or parliamentary process.  I doubt that there had been  so many empty seats in the first few rows in other international conferences held in the country as compared to this morning.

•	According to the programme, the Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin delivers a 10-minute welcome speech in his capacity as “host” followed by a 30-minute  keynote address by the Prime Minister. In the event, the Speaker’s speech not only exceeded 10 minutes but was  even longer than Najib’s unusually short speech. It would appear that it was the Speaker rather than the Deputy Prime Minister who had delivered the “keynote address”.

•	The theme of the 54th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference is “Expanding the Role of Parliament in Global Society: Environment, Development and Security”.  Nothing wrong with the theme. But there is something very jarring when in the past five months since the March 8 “political tsunami” which saw the historic firsts in Malaysian elections ending the Barisan Nasional’s unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority and Umno political hegemony, nothing has been done on “Expanding the role of Parliament in Malaysian society” – whether on  parliamentary reforms in general or establishing parliamentary select committees in particular!

•	But there was a dark and most disturbing thought.   What were the 600 foreign delegates and their spouses, and some 150 local Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) members, thinking when Najib took the podium to stand in for the Prime Minister?  Were they honoured at being able to have a preview of the next Prime Minister of Malaysia or were their foremost thought wondering whether a person hounded by so many questions related to the murder of Mongolian Altantunya Shaariibu and  private detective Bala Subramaniam’s Statutory Declaration 1 and 2 scandal could legitimately become the next Prime Minister of Malaysia?

•	Equally troubling was the real reason for Abdullah’s last-minute non-attendance?  Was this because he was too embarrassed by the latest Merdeka Centre opinion survey that his popularity rating had plunged from 91% in late 2004 to 42% early last month, despite his putting up a bold public front dismissing it as “the fate of all politicians everywhere”?

Of late, Malaysians are being bombarded with one example after another of a “headless” administration, and the two latest examples are:

1. The public lament by the Home Minister, Datuk
Syed Hamid Albar
 about the
pervasiveness of money politics
 in UMNO –that “money politics within Umno had  become so cancerous that it had even affected the grassroots” –to the extent that he had denounced Umno branch meetings in his Kota Tinggi Umno divison as “tainted” with the terrible indictment: “I am not sure if we can heal this cancer, but the contest this time has reached an all-time low.”

2. The second closure with the reappearance of cracks on the Middle Ring Road 2 in Kepong, less than two years  after an atrociously exorbitant  RM70 million repair of the RM238 million project.  The MRR2 has become a quadruple  scandal for four reasons:

(i) Having to be closed down the first time  in August 2004 because of flyover cracks within two years of its original completion, when it should be able to meet international standards and last for 100 years;

(ii)  the four-fold cost overrun in its repair bill, from the originally estimated RM18 million to the final bill of RM70 million.

(iii) The personal and direct intervention of Abdullah to resolve the intense turf war between the then Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and the PWD, requiring the covening of a special  meeting on a Friday on  3rd February 2006, which was attended by  among others the second Finance Minister, Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakcob and the then Chief Secretary Tan Sri Samsudin Osman.

(iv) Another closure of the MRR2 after a RM70 million repair – when the amount approved by the 3rd February 2006 meeting chaired by the Prime Minister was for RM18 million!

Is the MRR2 Scandal 2, where Abdullah owes to Malaysians a direct responsibility to give full and proper accounting because of his personal involvement in the decision-making in the RM70 million repair, the cause for his inability to keep his appointment with the 54th Commonwealth Parliamentary  Conference?

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 5 August 2008, 3:25 pm and is filed under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
,
Najib Razak
,
Parliament
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Mr. Bean, Death, and Taxes

by G.  Krishnan

I can’t help it, but on more than one occasion, it’s been difficult not to have the image of the Rowan Atkinson character, Mr. Bean, come to mind while watching, listening or reading some of the comments of Abdullah Badawi. The most recent instance of this seemed to be during his address to the Malaysian Student Leaders Summit. Apparently, he wasn’t even in tune with the title of his speech! Beyond that, the hollowness of his comments in response to the students’ questions seemed to reflect contempt for the intelligence of the students. (see
Malaysiakini
)

I will admit, it’s difficult for me to decide if the Badawi I am watching or listening to is the real Badawi or if he’s simply putting on an act. Either way, it’s a rather disturbing and unsettling thought. Could our prime minister really be serious about some of the public pronouncements he makes? And does he really expect that the public is so gullible as to take it all in?

He comments – with seeming naivety – on an on-going police ‘investigation’ of an alleged sodomy case and prejudices the case with bizarre public pronouncements. And despite the nakedly transparent political motivation for this pursuit of Anwar, the prime minister, with a Mr. Bean like persona of artlessness and innocence, in a not so tacit fashion gives his blessings to this seemingly legitimate police investigation. How, in the name of justice can we expect such an investigation, where the political establishment doesn’t even attempt to disguise its prejudice about the matter, to have any ounce of credibility to it? But yet the prime minster, in a Mr. Bean like haze and stupor, seemingly finds noting problematic about the process.

So, in light of a politically motivated ploy to bring down Anwar, the prime minister in fact utters the words that:
No one will stop him [Anwar] ‘from contesting
[in the impending by-elections in Permatang Pauh].’ I suppose we’re also to believe that the postponement of the court hearing regarding the Kulim-Bandar Baru parliamentary seat really had nothing to do with the possibility that Anwar may have opted to run in that by-election if that constituency has to re-vote.

Let’s see, was it Badawi, who told us earlier this year that he had no plans to dissolve parliament in February? Was it also Badawi and his BN who told us that there would be no fuel price increases after the March 8 general elections or that the average person would not be adversely affected by it?

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 5 August 2008, 8:35 am and is filed under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
,
Letters
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Anwar to be charged tomorrow

Bad news.

Anwar Ibrahim to be charged in court tomorrow.

A sad and black day for Malaysia.

FLASH 2

Permatang Pauh by-election

Nomination Day – August 16  (Saturday)

Polling Day       – August 26  (Tuesday)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 6 August 2008, 11:43 am and is filed under
Anwar Ibrahim
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Anwar’s Sodomy II charge – morality/legitimacy of Abdullah’s premiership under question

I was not surprised when I received a call from
Anwar Ibrahim
 at 11.38 am informing me that he had been asked to appear to be charged  in court at 10 am tomorrow.

But the expectation did not diminish one whit  the shock and dismay at hearing its confirmation.

For while like most Malaysians, who are not really surprised that Anwar is being dragged to court for the second time on a sodomy charge, we also nurse the hope and wish that sanity will prevail in our land and the country spared another traumatic political trial where Malaysia’s yet-to-be launched judicial reform  to restore our international reputation two decades ago where there is just rule of law and a truly independent judiciary would not come to an abrupt end.

Just like Anwar’s Sodomy I trial, any Sodomy II trial is not going to be just about Anwar as the nation and our future will be on trial.

Are we a nation which deserves international trust and respect for our high and unquestioned regard for the rule of law and a judiciary of independence, impartiality, integrity and meritocracy?

Are we a nation where investors can safely place their investments because we are a nation of laws and not of men?

When news go out to the nation and the world tomorrow of Anwar’s Sodomy II charge, it will be a sad and black  day for Malaysia as it will be a clear and unmistakable signal that Malaysia has not dissociated  from its recent dark  past, where laws were used to  suppress dissent and legitimate political and democratic challenge rather than to build a united, just, progressive and prosperous Malaysia.

Investor sentiments, both foreign and domestic,  which  are already worried about the national drift and lack of direction in the five months since the March 8 “political tsunami” as reflected in the 227-point drop in the Kuala Lumpur Composite Index from 1,355 on March 7 to 1,128 yesterday (August 5), are going to be even more negative.

Will Anwar be allowed bail tomorrow so that he could campaign for the Permatang Pauh by-election – with the nomination and polling dates set by the Election Commission on August 16 and 26 respective?

Or will Anwar be denied bail and has to campaign from behind the bars of Sungei Buloh prison?

If Anwar is denied bail, the very morality and legitimacy of the Abdullah premiership will come under question, nationally and internationally  – which will be a very sad  end for a Prime Minister who had started his administration with such high hopes and great  mandate from ordinary Malaysians less than five years ago!

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 6 August 2008, 5:11 pm and is filed under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
,
Anwar Ibrahim
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Call for RCI on MRR2 Scandal – Samy Vellu’s final folly with Malaysians again made the suckers

In May last year, I said that the  old saying  “once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is enemy action” could appropriately be modified to “once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is systemic government collapse” in reference to the spate of government mishaps under the Abdullah premiership.

I was referring to the spate of embarrassing defects in new government offices in a matter of weeks, viz:

•	the  landslide in Putrajaya (Precinct 9) only inches away from three 15-storey government apartments, damaging 25 cars and evacuating more than 1,500 people from Blocks A, B and C in Phase 11 of the government housing complex on March 22, 2007;

•	the closure of the Immigration Department headquarters in Putrajaya after water flooded the seven-floor building following a failure in plumbing, turning away and evacuating more than  1,000 people on April 11, 2007;

•	the collapse of a ceiling due to a leaky sprinkler system at the Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Ministry in Putrajaya on April 28, 2007; and

•	the ceiling collapse in a secretary’s room at the world’s largest court complex at the  new Jalan Duta court complex in Kuala Lumpur on April 30, 2007.

This tag “once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is systemic government collapse” can again be invoked over the latest government scandal – the third closure with the reappearance of cracks on the Middle Ring Road (MRR) 2 in Kepong, less than two years  after an atrociously exorbitant  RM70 million repair of the RM238 million project.

When the MRR2 was partially closed on Sunday after two motorists cheated death when their cars were hit by debris when  carbon fibre straps on one of the pillars gave way, the Works Minister, Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamad made two statements:

•	“We will not compromise on the safety of motorists although my officers have reported that the structure is safe”; and

•	“The government will not bear any cost because the repair is still under warranty until the end of the year”.

Both statements are bunkum and have little credibility, which were the trademark of the former Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, whom Mohd Zinn should not be emulating.

The latest MRR2 Scandal is Samy Vellu’s latest folly with Malaysians again made the suckers.

The MRR2 has become a hydra-headed scandal for multiple reasons, including:

(1)	Closed down the first time  in August 2004 and second time in February 2006  because of flyover cracks within two years of its original completion, when it should be able to meet international standards and last for 100 years.

In February 2006, Samy Vellu boasted that the MRR2 viaduct in Kepong after repair “could be used for 95 more years because they were normally built to last 100 years”!

In August 2006, when  MRR2 was re-opened to light traffic, Samy Vellu further boasted that “Motorists are assured of their safety” as the standard of safety set for the road was higher than the 1.5 British Standard benchmark, i.e. 1.7.

All these boasts have been punctured by another MRR2 mishap and partial closure for three weeks on Sunday.

(2)	Samy Vellu had repeatedly declared as Works Minister  for 42 months from August 2004  to March 2008 that MRR2 contractor Bumi Highway would have to pay for the full  repair cost, which is another scandal of  good governance.

This is because of the  unexplained and unaccounted four-fold  cost overrun in the MRR2  repair bill, from the originally estimated RM18 million to the final bill of RM70 million.

Although theoretically Mohd Zin is right that the new repair bill will have to be borne by Bumi Highway, this is a meaningless statement as Bumi Highway has not spent a single sen for the earlier RM70 million repair which had been fully borne by the government and taxpayers as “advance payment” for the contractor!

This is where Malaysian taxpayers have been made suckers again and again by empty and meaningless Ministerial statements and assurances.

(3)	Revelation that the solution adopted by the Works Ministry to repair the  original MRR2 cracks went against the expert recommendation of Halcrow Consulting Ltd, advising against the use of pre-stressed carbon fibre to strengthen the pillar heads because of its limited ductility (capacity to deform before fracture).
(The Sun)

Halcrow was paid RM8 million for its consultancy report which went down the drain when it was rejected by the Public Works Department.

(4)	The personal and direct intervention of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi  to resolve the intense turf war between the then Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and the PWD, requiring the covening of a special  meeting on a Friday on  3rd February 2006, which was attended by  among others the second Finance Minister, Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakcob and the then Chief Secretary Tan Sri Samsudin Osman.

Samy Vellu won the battle against the PWD at the Feb. 3 meeting but eventually lost  the war. Although Samy Vellu announced after the meeting that the MRR2 repair work would be supervised by the British-based consultants Halcrow, maintaining that the costs would be RM18 million, the turf war was finally won by the PWD at a Cabinet meeting two weeks later which upheld the PWD’s recommendation in awarding the repair work to German consulting firm Leonhardt Andra and Partners (LAP) at a cost of RM40 million, which later mushroomed mysteriously to RM70 million!

(5)	Ministerial responsibility by the Prime Minister and  all Cabinet Ministers for the new  MRR2 cracks scandal, as the Cabinet must set an example of  accountability to the entire public service and the nation  for its decision on the repairs.

(6)	The failure by the government officials, whether from the  Finance Ministry or the Public Works Department to   give proper and truthful account for the MRR2 scandal to the Public Accounts Committee of the previous Parliament, to the extent that some officials had committed parliamentary contempt in misleading the Public Accounts Committee.

Samy Vellu said yesterday that he has no comment to make on the second MRR2 scandal and that he would only answer questions from a government-appointed panel of inquiry on the matter.

Samy Vellu owes the Malaysian taxpayers a full and truthful accounting for his stewardship of the Works Ministry, as he had presided over many follies and scandals which have ended up with the Malaysian taxpayers as the suckers in footing the final bills.

For this reason, I call for the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the MRR2 scandal, both the first and second, to let their  full sordid tale to be told and accounted to Malaysian taxpayers.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 6 August 2008, 2:03 pm and is filed under
Good Governance
,
Parliament
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Anwar’s Sodomy II – let professionals in AG’s chambers rethink and drop the medieval prosecution

There was not only relief but a sense of vindication all round that Parti Keadilan Rakyat  adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was released on RM20,000 personal bond without surety after he pleaded not guilty in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court this morning  to the Sodomy II charge under Section 377 B of the Penal Code.

The decision of the Sessions Court judge, S.M. Komathy and the stand of the Solicitor General Datuk Idrus Harun in not opposing bail gives hope that the system of justice is not totally condemned and irredeemable if  the professionals in the legal and judicial services are fully freed of political pressures and interferences to discharge their duties to uphold the rule of law and dispense justice.

The person who had come out worst from this morning’s proceedings was not in court at all – the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Only yesterday, Abdullah was again  justifying the Sodomy II prosecution of Anwar on the ground of according “justice” to the accuser, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, making many Malaysians ask  why the Prime Minister has suddenly become the leading spokesman for Anwar’s Sodomy II charge when under the Constitution, the sole prosecution discretionary power is vested in the Attorney-General and not with the Prime Minister or in the Cabinet!

Abdullah made a very pertinent remark yesterday when he was asked by the media whether Saiful would also be charged for sodomy if he was a willing partner,
saying
:

“You better read your law. If there is rape the accused will have to face action. This is a matter for the law. But I am not lawyer and I won’t get involved. We’ll see what happens in court.”

The import of the Prime Minister’s answer is unmistakable  – that Anwar would be charged with sodomy rape, i.e. an offence under Section 377C of the Penal Code which reads:

“377C. Whoever voluntarily commits carnal intercourse against the order of nature on another person without the consent, or against the will, of the other person, or by putting the other person in fear of death or hurt to the person or any other person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and not more than twenty years, and shall also be liable to whipping.”.

However, Anwar was not charged under Section 377C but 377B of the Penal Code which reads:

”377B. Whoever voluntarily commits carnal intercourse against the order of nature shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to twenty years, and shall also be liable to whipping.”

As Section 377B is on consensual sodomy as compared to Section 377C on sodomy rape, Anwar had rightly
responded
  after the charge in court this morning: “If it is consensual, why was I the only one being charged? This is a political persecution.”

Section 377B is a “medieval” charge especially when the sentence for it and Section 377C carries a common maximum of 20 years, making no distinction between  consensual sodomy or sodomy rape.

But the more important question is what made Abdullah talk about “sodomy rape” in connection with Anwar’s Sodomy II charge yesterday?

This morning’s court proceedings have reinforced perceptions that Anwar’s Sodomy II prosecution is purely political in nature, and that the professionals in the Attorney-General’s Chambers, who had been reluctant and unenthusiastic in pursuing the prosecution,  had been overruled by their political masters out on a political rampage against Anwar.

Anwar’s Sodomy II charge has become a new cause celebre but which is of no service to Malaysia, as on trial will not be just Anwar but the whole nation – with the  integrity of the system of justice and national institutions in the dock of international opinion.

I  call on Abdullah to stop political interferences and allow the professionals in the Attorney-General’s Chambers to rethink and drop the “medieval” prosecution of Anwar in the Sodomy II charge.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 7 August 2008, 3:22 pm and is filed under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
,
Anwar Ibrahim
,
Law & Order
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Permatang Pauh by-election – Anwar appointed new Parliamentary Opposition Leader

Anwar Ibrahim will be the new Parliamentary Opposition Leader after he wins  the Permatang Pauh by-election on August 26, 2008.

This is to take effect from August 27.

This was one of the decisions taken unanimously by Pakatan Rakyat leaders of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, PAS and DAP at a meeting last night.

A joint statement by Pakatan Rakyat leaders would be made at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex before Anwar’s court appearance this morning.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 7 August 2008, 8:28 am and is filed under
Anwar Ibrahim
,
Pakatan Rakyat
,
Parliament
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


PM Abdullah abdicating from good governance

By
Dr. Chen Man Hin

PM ABDULLAH SHOULD NOT ABDICATE FROM HIS DUTIES OF GOOD GOVERNANCE –   REVOKE THE SODOMY II CONSPIRACY IMMEDIATELY AND  INSTEAD   LEAD THE COUNTRY TO UNITY, PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY

MARCH 8TH – A DEFINING DAY FOR NEW MALAYSIA,  A DAY OF GRIEF  AND BLOW FOR BARISAN NASIONAL AND UMNO.

The latest Merdeka Center Research report found that only 28 percent of registered voters polled in July felt encouraged by the country’s direction, a severe fall from 68% in late February.

Briefly, the causes for this rapid loss of confidence in the present Barisan government, are outlined below.

UMNO SHOCK DEFEAT ON MARCH 8TH

The prime minister was deeply upset by the poor performance of Barisan Nasional at the elections, when Barisan lost its two-thirds majority in parliament and only obtained 52% of the popular vote.

It was a body blow for Umno, causing it to be embroiled in self recrimination and loss of morale.

The PM was so upset by the loss and the resulting turmoil in Umno that he forgot his duties as head of government, which was to govern and bring development for the country.

Mired by  factional splits, the Umno leadership could not decide on the reforms necessary to rejuvenate Umno – the key problem of whether to adopt a global policy of meritocracy, multiracialism or to revert back to old ways of ketuanan melayu and racial economics with its corruption, cronyism and medieval  politics.

Hence, the country is bogged down and unable to improve in political, economic and social development, causing much social tension and frustration.

THE RISE OF ANWAR IBRAHIM

The other factor causing Abdullah’s prevarication and abdication of national  responsibilities is the resurrection of ANWAR IBRAHIM, who led a loose coalition of opposition parties – PKR, DAP and PAS to an astounding victory on 08-03-08 by capturing control of five states  and 48% of the popular vote.

The three parties quickly formed PAKATAN RAKYAT with a platform based on the winning formula for the general election – democracy, justice, multiracial unity, freedom of religion and transparency.

With 82 seats in parliament, Anwar formulated a plan to take over the government by attracting  30 MPs from Barisan to  form a new government.

RATIONALE FOR QUICK TAKEOVER WAS TO CARRY FORWARD THE MOMENTUM FOR CHANGE MANDATED BY THE PEOPLE ON MARCH 8TH

It was necessary to push forward the clock for change, as a wait of four  to five years for the next election would mean more grief for the people due to incompetence, corruption and cronyism.

This provoked immediate panic within UMNO, and they reacted without thinking the problem through. instead of accepting Anwar’s challenge with democratic strategies, PM Abdullah took a lesson from former premier Tun Mahathir.

SODOMY 1 CONSPIRACY BY DR MAHATHIR.

In 1998, Tun Mahathir also faced a serious  leadership challenge  from Anwar and he trumped up a charge of sodomy against ANWAR, who was found guilty and jailed for six years.

SODOMY II CONSPIRACY BY PM ABDULLAH BADAWI

So a conspiracy was concocted – a conspiracy of an accusation of sodomy. the objective was to remove the Anwar threat of taking over the government with his plan to attract  at least 30 Barisan MPs to cross over to Pakatan  Rakyat.

Unfortunately, the copycat Sodomy II was seen by all to be a conspiracy, and evoked loud protests from the people and from international government leaders.

Famous leaders of the World Bank, IMF and the Canadian prime minister called for the charges against Anwar to be dropped immediately.

So did the Human Rights Watch who commented that the charges of sodomy were trumped up and not true.

So did Washington government leaders like Condoleeza Rice, US Secretary of State.

So did critics from home  who said that 90% of the people know that the sodomy charges were false.

So did the reputable Merdeka Research Centre which  found that a poll taken from registered voters showed that only 11% felt that the sodomy charges were true while 90% indicated that the accusations were trumped up – not genuine.

It would appear that the whole government machinery – cabinet, judiciary, attorney general chambers, the police, civil administration, medical hospital and the media were used to promote Sodomy II conspiracy in order to ‘fix’ Anwar and put him in jail.

The political wrangling within UMNO and the focus on neutralising Anwar have brought much negative effects.

Political unrest, economic downturn, inflation, slowdown of economy in all sectors and suffering of the common people have occurred because the prime minister and the Barisan have dithered and have no positive policies and strategies to bring about changes for the betterment of the people.

The DAP and PR want the Prime Minister to wake up and stop the wrangling and turmoil within UMNO and concentrate on new strategies and solutions for a sufferring people.

The DAP and PR also demand that the conspiracy to entrap Anwar on sodomy charges to cease immediately, as there is not a shred of evidence to support the charges. The Hospital Puswari medical report stated emphatically that there was no evidence of sodomy – no anal injury, no mention of semen stains.

We the people and PR urge the PM to fulfill his responsibilities to govern well, reform UMNO and cease the sodomy II conspiracy against Anwar immediately.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 7 August 2008, 8:15 am and is filed under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
,
Anwar Ibrahim
,
Dr. Chen Man Hin
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Rais should lead the charge in Cabinet to demand dropping of Anwar’s Sodomy II charge

The 2008 Olympics opens in Beijing today but for Malaysia, we are  obsessed with  scaling a  new Olympian  height of national trauma and international infamy – the strangulation of what is left of the rule of law in Malaysia after two decades of judicial darkness in the continued political persecution of Anwar Ibrahim in the Sodomy II prosecution.

Thanks to this special Malaysian official  obsession with sodomy, Malaysia was big news in seven  continents when Anwar Ibrahim was charged under Section 377B of the Penal Code for sodomising his 23-year-old male aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Furthermore, Anwar’s Sodomy II trial and tribulation will be kept  alive in the international stage because of the disgraceful,  dishonourable and ignoble  circumstances and motivation of  the prosecution to the extent that the
Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim
 has made a most unusual and extraordinary decision to organize a series of information sessions by the Foreign Ministry overseas on Anwar’s Sodomy II “to give a true picture so there will be no misconceptions that can hurt Malaysia’s image”.

What is this “true picture” that Rais is going to tell the world in a series of information sessions overseas?

Will this be  the same “true picture” that the Information Ministry will be telling Malaysians in the country, and particularly  during the Permatang  Pauh by-election from August 16-26?

Will this “true picture” include the following:

1.	That the Cabinet had usurped the constitutional powers of the Attorney-General’s Chambers on its sole prosecution discretionary powers?

When
Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar
 said yesterday that Saiful is not being charged because he is the complainant and the key witness in the sodomy case against Anwar, he has arrogated to himself the role and sole discretionary power  of Attorney-General under Article 145(3) “to institute, conduct or discontinue any proceedings for an offence”.

It was also an admission that the Home Minister had been involved if not usurped the Attorney-General  in the decision-making process resulting in the Sodomy II prosecution of Anwar – which is clearly an unlawful and unconstitutional usurpation of the  powers of the Attorney-General!

The question is who else in the Cabinet had been involved in the decision on Anwar’s Sodomy II prosecution?  The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak?

2.	That  Saiful had sought “justice” (to use the word used repeatedly by the Prime Minister) as a victim of sodomy rape by Anwar but in the charge yesterday, Anwar was accused of consensual sodomy under Section 377B instead of Section 377C (sodomy rape) under the Penal Code?

Only on  Wednesday,
Abdullah
 said:

“Another person looking for justice is the victim. You seem to forget Saiful. You think Anwar is more important.

“This is an issue of law. Somebody feels that he needs justice and he makes a report to the police. And the police, therefore, have a duty to conduct investigations, to question him, to invite others to assist in the investigations.

“If there is nothing, no evidence whatsoever, drop the charge. Drop the whole thing, the investigation. Don’t do it. If there is evidence to charge, they have to charge. You can’t stop them from doing that. They have to think of Saiful.”

 Clearly, the police have found that there is no evidence to support Saiful’s allegation that he  is the “victim” who is entitled to “justice” and “police protection”.

Was the police “thinking” of Saiful to accord him  “justice” when it decided to charge Anwar for consensual sodomy under Section 377B?

Would Saiful be charged with lodging a false report of sodomy rape?

Abdullah had said that he had been informed by Hamid
“about the police decision to charge Anwar”

(NST 7.8.08)
– an involuntary and unconscious admission that the decision to charge Anwar was that of the police rather than that of  the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

Another travesty of justice and the rule of law when the Constitution and the law are very clear – that the police has no business to decide on prosecutions as they merely conduct criminal  investigations while the Attorney-General decides on whether to prosecute!

3.	That Pusrawi Hospital doctor, Dr Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid, who examined Saiful just hours before he lodged a police report of sodomy against Anwar on June 28  stood by his findings in a
statutory declaration
that there was no evidence of sodomy?

And Malaysia’s system of justice has been reduced to a flurry of statutory declarations with those making them being forced to flee abroad for the safety of themselves and their family, including the case of private investigator Bala Subramaniam over his two Statutory Declarations within 24 hours completely contradicting each other with explosive  revelations involving the Deputy Prime Minister in the murder of Mongolian Altantunya Shaariibuu?

Instead of launching an international campaign to defend the indefensible, Rais should remember his trenchant, valid and legitimate criticisms of gross abuses of executive power in his book “Freedom under Executive Power”, pluck up courage at the next Cabinet meeting to demand the dropping of the Sodomy II charge and further persecution of Anwar for the sake of the good name and international reputation of the country.

If Rais dare to stand up and sound the alarm in the Cabinet, there may be other Ministers – from Umno, MCA, MIC and other BN component parties? – who might also find sufficient courage to speak up against the continued assaults of the integrity of the system of justice and national institutions in Malaysia after the March 8 “political tsunami”!

                This entry was posted on Friday, 8 August 2008, 2:35 pm and is filed under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
,
Anwar Ibrahim
,
Judiciary
,
Law & Order
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Anwar Sodomy II – challenge to MCA, Gerakan, MIC leaders to declare stand

Two days ago, the MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said that instead of development and prosperity,
the key issue
 during the Permatang Pauh by-election would be Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II charge.

He said:

“Permatang Pauh will be a battle of public confidence. The winner will be the side that most convincingly explains the situation surrounding Anwar’s charge.

“If the opposition succeeds in painting a picture that Anwar is a victim of some government conspiracy, then they win. But if the Barisan Nasional can convincingly explain to the grassroots that what’s happening to Anwar is just a criminal justice process, then we win.”

Ka Chuan should not be so fast to jump the gun.

Before MCA leaders, Ministers, Deputy Ministers and MPs go down to the hustings in Permatang Pauh to woo the support of the 14,846 Chinese voters (comprising 24.8% of the 58,459 voters), they should publicly declare whether they fully support the latest persecution of Anwar and the gross abuse of the legal process to further the petty interests of Umno leaders.

After the March 8 “political tsunami”, MCA leaders have been declaring that they have learnt the lesson and would no more be “dumb puppets” of UMNO  whether in the Cabinet or the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council.

The first question MCA leaders, Ministers, Deputy Ministers and MPs must answer  before they start their campaign in Permatang Pauh is whether they have kept their post-March 8 pledge to speak up for justice and fair play in the Cabinet and the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council, or whether  they are no different from the MCA of pre-March 8 “political tsunami” in being  mere subservient puppets of Umno “Big Brother”!

The same  political challenge applies to the Gerakan and MIC leaders, Ministers, Deputy Ministers and MPs – have they spoken up in Barisan Nasional government and Supreme Council against the Sodomy II persecution of Anwar or are they in full support of  the obsession of the top Umno leadership with one person regardless of  the national trauma and international infamy it is creating?

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 9 August 2008, 2:38 pm and is filed under
Anwar Ibrahim
,
MCA
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Blackout in Sarawak – Why?

Star Online

Blackout in Sarawak

By STEPHEN THEN

MIRI: A state-wide power cut in Sarawak on Saturday evening saw the blackout affect more than two million people over a distance of 1,000km from Kuching to Miri.

Cities and towns in the state were plunged into total darkness causing massive chaos as everybody was caught by surprise.

The power failure started in Kuching at about 6.30pm Saturday and rapidly spread northward to Sibu then to Miri by 7.30pm.

Deputy chief minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam when contacted by The Star confirmed that it was a blackout that seemed to have affected the main power grid.

“We (the state government) want to find out the source of the blackout. We need to know exactly what has triggered this massive state-wide blackout.

At 8.30pm Saturday the cause of the incident is still unknown.

Dr Chan, who is the state Industrial Development Minister, said that the Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation (Sesco) is in the midst of trying to re-connect the power supply as soon as possible.

The state authority hopes that the people remain calm.

Meanwhile, thousands of people who were caught up in the massive traffic jam and in commercial complexes were reportedly evacuated without any incidents so far.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 9 August 2008, 11:54 pm and is filed under
Sarawak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Disruption of Bar Council forum on conversion – adverse reflection on law and order/religious harmony

The police yielding to pressure to disrupt the half-day Bar Council forum on conversion to Islam at 10 am in Kuala Lumpur today  is a most adverse reflection on law and order as well as religious harmony in Malaysia on the eve of the 51st Merdeka anniversary.

Malaysia has failed a major test in nation-building to demonstrate that we are shaping up to be a more civil society where sensitive  issues of  inter-faith problems   can be discussed in a mature and responsible manner to promote national unity and religious harmony in the country.

As the  Bar Council has made it clear that the  forum on religious conversion is not  to question the provisions of Article 121(1A) of the Constitution which conferred syariah jurisdiction over Muslims but to address the conflicts of laws facing families caught between the separate jurisdictions of civil and syariah laws, greater  understanding, tolerance and sensitivity should have been shown by all Malaysians concerned.

Such understanding, tolerance and sensitivity would undoubtedly have been present in the first four decades of Malaysian nationhood and I have no doubt that if such a forum had been organised ten years ago, there would not have been the insensitive, intolerant and deplorable reaction evident today.

The Police failed in its duty when instead of upholding the law, they sided with the protestors in ensuring the abrupt end of the half-day forum at 10 am.

Are there any Cabinet Ministers who are prepared to raise this episode at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting to uphold the right to have such forums to be held?

This is unlikely considering the public stand that has been taken by Umno leaders, including the Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, Home Minister, Hamid Albar, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and  the Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein demanding that the Bar Council forum should be called off.

Hishammuddin even warned that the Bar Council should not “test the patience of the Malays and Muslims” while the Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam said the Internal Security Act should be used purportedly  for the continued questioning of Article 121 of the Federal Constitution “resulting in racial tension”.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 9 August 2008, 2:57 pm and is filed under
nation building
,
Police
,
Religion
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Police wants half-day Bar Council forum on conversion to end by 10 am because of protests

[News Flash 2 at 10.02 am:  A few minutes ago, a woman participant went up to the floor mike defending the forum, but was met by shouts by protestors  demanding the immediate end of the forum – forcing Bar Council President Ambiga Sreenevasan to announce its closure.]

[Flash – Just informed that police accompanied a few of the protestors into the forum to observe proceedings, five minutes before the forum is to have abrupt end at 10 am.]

The Bar Council half-day  forum on conversion to Islam  is going on now at its auditorium in Kuala Lumpur – in the face of a crowd of protestors outside bearing slogans and chanting Arabic verses and demanding the immediate cancellation of the  forum.

It is a test whether Malaysia is shaping up to be a more civil society where sensitive  issues of  inter-faith problems   can be discussed in a mature and responsible manner to promote national unity and religious harmony in the country.

The Police wants the forum to end by 10 am because of the protests.

As stated by the Bar Council Vice President Ragunath Kesavan, the Bar Council forum on religious conversion is to address the conflicts of laws facing families caught between the separate jurisdictions of civil and syariah laws.

It is  not  to question the provisions of Article 121(1a) of the Constitution, which conferred syariah jurisdiction over Muslims.

This is the
New Straits Times
 report today on Ragunathan explanation:

While recognising and respecting Article 121(1a), Ragunath said it was unjust to compel anyone to be subjected to laws and courts based on a religion that the person did not profess.

He said the council was “troubled” by the continuing calls from certain quarters that the forum be cancelled.

Claims that the forum would create misunderstanding, anger and tension were in stark contrast with the government’s assurances of more dialogue, Ragunath said.

“The forum is not about conversion per se as the council endorses the absolute right of individuals to embrace Islam.

“Instead, the forum will address the ancillary issues that arise from such situations and will emphasise the need for laws, and a judicial system, that protects everyone equally.

“It is the continued suppression of open and respectful discourse, not public forums, that will cause tension and jeopardise national unity.

“We are taking the necessary precautions to ensure that the dialogue takes place in a controlled and constructive manner, by holding the forum in a closed setting and requiring participants to register for the event.”

I have received the following SMSes from  CC Goh who is at the forum:

“The crowd came forward across again.  Demanding Ambiga to go down. Shouting louder.  Inside a testimony about conversion of a father by the daughter.”

“The crowd continues to chant slogan. Not trying to breach police line.”

“Ambiga just came up to say police ask to wrap up by 10 because of security reason.”

Hope the Bar Council forum will not end up as another APCET II 12 years ago in November 1996.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 9 August 2008, 9:39 am and is filed under
nation building
,
Religion
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Anwar’s Sodomy II – Is Malaysia banking on support of Myanmar/Zimbabwe/Sudan  in UN?

The  Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim is taking  his idea of
internationalizing
 the Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II charge by organizing  a series of information sessions by the Foreign Ministry overseas “to give a true picture so there will be no misconceptions that can hurt Malaysia’s image” one step further.

Yesterday, he announced raising the issue to the
United Nations
level through a letter to the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to explain Malaysia’s view on what it sees as American interference in the Anwar Sodomy II charge.

Is Rais banking on the support of rogue states like Myanmar, Zimbabwe and Sudan by taking the Anwar Sodomy II issue to the United Nations?

Instead of accusing the United States of violating international law and “meddling in Malaysia’s international affairs”, Rais should
lead the charge in the Cabinet
on Wednesday to demand the dropping of the Sodomy II charge against Anwar especially as a recent opinion  survey has shown that only
11%
 of the respondents believe in the Sodomy II allegation made against Anwar.

Rais  said Malaysian diplomats overseas had been instructed that they should defend the country against any negative perceptions arising from Anwar’s Sodomy II charge – starting with  a series of meetings with foreign governments to explain what is going on, the first will be in Washington at the end of next month,  to be followed by the   European countries.

Before Rais goes international to justify the government’s handling of the Anwar Sodomy II charge, the government should first convince Malaysians that the government had acted fairly, justly and honourably in accordance with the principles of the rule of law in the Anwar Sodomy II charge.

This should be done when Parliament reconvenes next Monday on August 18 when MPs reassemble for the first day of the budget meeting of Parliament, with the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi presenting a ministerial statement to justify the government’s handling of the Anwar Sodomy II charge as fully in accord with justice, fair play and the rule of law – devoid of any political persecution or selective prosecution.

This ministerial statement, which should  be the first official business of Parliament on August 18, should be followed by a full parliamentary debate.

If the Prime Minister is not prepared to present such a ministerial statement to Parliament to be followed by a debate, what is the use of the government referring the issue to the United Nations by writing to its Secretary-General and organizing a series of information sessions in the foreign capitals of the West?

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 10 August 2008, 3:07 pm and is filed under
Anwar Ibrahim
,
Judiciary
,
Law & Order
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Permatang Pauh by-election watch  – three intriguing snippets

Today is no different from the past 11 days – the media awash with news about the August 26 Permatang Pauh by-election battle royale since Datuk Seri  Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s resignation as Member of Parliament on July 31 to pave the way for Datuk Seri  Anwar Ibrahim’s return to Parliament after the lapse of a decade.

There were three intriguing snippets today.

1.	UMNO Youth leader Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s statement that it will be a moral victory for UMNO if the Umno   candidate in the Permatang Pauh by-election can keep the deposit!  He was commenting on a Parti Keadilan Rakyat boast to make the Umno candidate lose his deposit in the by-election,   when attending the Spell-It-Right National Challenge in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
(Sin Chew)

2.	Report that Hishammuddin and his Deputy UMNO Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin may be declared “persona non grata” and banned from campaigning in the Permatang Pauh by-election so as not to drive away  Chinese votes –  the former because  of his previous  three “keris-wielding” episodes and the latter for his previous allegation that “Malays in Penang have been marginalized”.
(Kwong Wah Yit Poh)

3.	Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir said in a forum on current challenges faced by the Malay community in Kuala Terengganu that he would rather migrate if Anwar  topples the Barisan Nasional and becomes Prime Minister.

Mahathir  was confident that Anwar will not become Prime Minister by September 16 although he was sure the Pakatan Rakyat leader and Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser  would be victorious in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election this Aug 26.

(Mingguan Malaysia)

These three snippets appear to bear out the validity of the forecast of a Yijing scholar, Dr. Chuah Chong Cheng that the  rare phenomenon of the solar and lunar eclipse occurring twice in the same month this year – the first time with a solar eclipse on the first day of Chinese New Year in February and the lunar one on Chap Goh Meh and the second one falling during the Hungry Ghost Festival with a solar eclipse on August 1 and lunar eclipse on August 15 – portend turbulent times for the Barisan Nasional.

(The Star 2.8.08)

Dr. Chuah said “This can be reflected in the general election in March when Barisan Nasional suffered great losses” and that “It would be a turbulent time leading up to National Day on August 31”.

The Election Commission  should have consulted the Yijing before fixing the August 26 polling date for the Permatang Pauh by-election!

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 10 August 2008, 6:18 pm and is filed under
Anwar Ibrahim
,
Pakatan Rakyat
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


No, this ‘Babi’ will Not ‘Balik Cina’

By
Farish A. Noor

I have just read the reports on the internet about the goings-on that led to the disruption and early closure of the public forum organised by the Bar Council on Conversion in Malaysia over the weekend. Apart from the other rather offensive remarks that were featured in the various reports that I read, I also chanced upon a rather curious revelation: Apparently during the commotion caused when some of the so-called ‘defenders of the faith’ had entered the room where the forum was being held, there were calls for a certain ‘Babi’ to ‘Balik Cina’.

Now I have checked and double-checked all the photos that are available on the internet and have seen no image that corresponds to the ‘Babi’ in question. Therefore for the sake of academic consistency and objectivity, I am compelled to ask the Bar Council this: Was there a pig in the auditorium where the forum was held? And if so, how could the Bar Council invite a pig to attend a forum that was open primarily for Malaysian citizens (who are overwhelmingly human, as identity papers and passports have not been issued to pigs or any other non-human species as far as I know)

Furthermore I need to ask how the demonstrators knew that the pig (if one was present) was of Chinese origin? Did it carry a Chinese passport, and if so, why was it in KL when the Olympic games were being held in Beijing and the world’s attention was focused there?

(*ed. I can only assume that this was a rather anti-social pig from China who had come to Malaysia to avoid the throngs of tourists who have overtaken Beijing, which would be a sensible thing that I would have done myself, so I confess to having sympathy with this mysterious invisible pig.)

Lest there be any offence to pigs from China, I would like to remind the demonstrators who made that remark that there are enough pigs in southeast asia and that pigs are, in fact, a native species in the region (including Malaysia). To ask this mysterious pig to ‘Balik Cina’ was therefore offensive to say the least, as it overlooks the fact that it could have been a local Malaysian pig and therefore has every right to be in Malaysia. Though what it was doing at the bar council’s forum is anyone’s guess.

Here are some categories of local pigs (genus: Sus, subfamily species: suinea (Latin)) that have shared our very same bumi for centuries:

In Malaysia we have the babi hutan, babirusa (genus: Babyrousa) and wild boar (genus: Sus Scrofa) that have been long-time residents of the peninsula.

In Indonesia, there are also many types of local pigs such as the Sulawesi Babirusa, the Warty pig of Sulawesi (genus: Sus Celebensis), the Timorese Warty Pig (Genus: Sus Timorensis) and the Javanese Warty hog (Genus: sus Verrocosus).

In Vietnam there is of course the Sus Bucculentus, otherwise known as the Indo-Chinese warty pig, while in the Philippines there is the local Sus Cebifrons that hails from the Visayas Islands.

So how dare some people go around making wild allegations about the alleged foreign citizenship and/or origins of a pig that may or may not have been present at the Bar Council forum? To assume the foreign identity and origin of an individual merely on the basis of appearance and behaviour would reek of the highest form of prejudice, and points only to the ignorance of those who simply do not know: PIGS are not foreign to Malaysia or Southeast Asia. They are as localised and normalised as Durians and Corruption in this country.

———————-

My Facebook supporters page.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 August 2008, 6:48 am and is filed under
Farish Noor
,
nation building
,
Religion
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


PAC Chairman Azmi should step down in MRR2 flyover cracks inquiry – conflict of interest

The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid should stand down in the PAC inquiry into the new Middle Ring Road (MRR)2 flyover cracks as the decision-making  on the repairs of the RM238 million MRR2 by the previous Cabinet in 2006, of which he was a member, should  also be the subject of current PAC investigations as well.

Azmi had announced after the PAC meeting this morning that the PAC will
visit
 the defective MRR2 flyover in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow morning, two weeks after clumps of concrete and carbon fibre panels fell from the highway pillar into the path of the oncoming cars below.

It is not only most invidious, improper but also a clear and flagrant  conflict-of-interest for Azmi to now preside over an investigation into the two-year  RM70 million repairs of the six-year RM238 MRR2, including an examination of the rationale and justification for the final Cabinet decision on its repairs when he was a member of that Cabinet – as the whole repair decision-making process at various stages of decision-making, including at the Cabinet level, raises many disturbing questions about their  propriety and wisdom.

I had raised in the previous Parliament the  intense turf war between the then Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and the Public Works Department director-general, about  how, the costs and who should be awarded the contract to carry out the MRR2 repairs, and how the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had to personally intervene  to resolve the matter by  convening a special meeting on a Friday on 3rd February 2006, which was attended by among others the second Finance Minister, Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakcob and the then Chief Secretary Tan Sri Samsudin Osman.

Samy Vellu won the battle against the PWD at the Feb. 3 meeting but eventually lost the war. Although Samy Vellu announced after the meeting that the MRR2 repair work would be supervised by the British-based consultants Halcrow, maintaining that the costs would be RM18 million, the turf war was finally won by the PWD at a Cabinet meeting two weeks later which upheld the PWD’s recommendation in awarding the repair work to German consulting firm Leonhardt Andra and Partners (LAP) at a cost of RM40 million, which later mushroomed mysteriously to RM70 million!

In its current investigations into the new MRR2 flyover cracks, Azmi should turn witness at the PAC meeting by giving a full account of how many Cabinet meetings had been held to discuss the MRR2 repairs from 2004-2006, why the contract for the repairs was finally awarded to LAP instead of Halcrow, and the more-than-triple the original repair costs from RM18 million to RM70 million.

The PAC of the previous Parliament met at least six times over the MRR2 cracks since 2004 but to very little purpose.

It raised many questions which to date have been ignored by the various departments. Furthermore, a study of the PAC records indicate that some public officials had also committed parliamentary contempt in concealing important information from and misleading  the PAC in its investigations into the MRR2 flyover cracks scandal.

Will another PAC meeting into the MRR2 flyover in Kepong make any difference this time?

The PAC  of the previous Parliament was repeatedly assured by the Works Ministry and the Public Works Department that the MRR2 contractor Bumi Highway would have to pay for the full repairs cost, i.e. RM70 million.

But this is an empty assurance, as up to now the bill had been foot in full by the Malaysian taxpayers and not a single sen had been paid by Bumi Highway.

This should  be one area which PAC should investigate to demand Cabinet accountability and responsibility – and why it is improper for Azmi to be involved in the current PAC investigations because he was a member of the previous Cabinet and should be in the dock!

For this reason, the current PAC investigations into the new MRR2 flyover cracks should be chaired by the Deputy PAC Chairman, Dr. Tan Seng Giaw (MP for Kepong).

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 August 2008, 5:57 pm and is filed under
Good Governance
,
Parliament
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Storming of Bar Council forum – Had Umno plotted for the extreme reaction?

Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday that the Bar Council’s persistence in going ahead with a forum on conversion to Islam has triggered extreme reaction from certain quarters, which in turn would threaten the country’s harmony.

He added that
he had expected the extreme reaction to occur
 as the council ignored advice to call off the forum.

Is this an admission that UMNO had plotted for the extreme reaction to the Bar Council forum on religious conversions in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday – including the deplorable and disgraceful police conduct in submitting to the ultimatum by demonstrators threatening to storm  into the Bar Council auditorium to disrupt the forum if the half-day forum was not ended by 10 am?

This must be the  first time in the history of the Malaysian  police force where it  had openly and publicly submitted to the threats of demonstrators to commit an offence, i.e. to storm into a private property to disrupt a lawful meeting!

Can the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan and the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar defend and justify the shocking  failure of the police to uphold law and order on Saturday?

It is an indictment on the failure of nation-building that  in a month the country is to celebrate the 51st Merdeka anniversary that Malaysians are reminded that there is increasingly less space for open, civil and rational discussion on the problems and challenges of creating a Bangsa Malaysia of diverse races, cultures and religions.

The Bar Council had made it very clear that the forum was not to challenge the position of Islam as provided in the Constitution but to deal with the problems of the conflict of laws in the application of civil and syariah laws arising from Article 121(1A) of the Constitution.

This can be fully borne out from the one-hour discussion at the Bar Council forum before it was so shamefully truncated.

Could any one produce any evidence that the position of Islam as provided in the Constitution was being challenged from the one-hour discussion of the Bar Council forum before its disruption?

It is indeed sad and tragic that the demonstration against the Bar Council forum saw some elements of  Umno, PKR and PAS united on a fictitious issue – the non-existent challenge of the position of Islam in Malaysia as provided in the constitution.

If all parties concerned can unite on the critical issues facing the nation, like wiping out  corruption,  fighting  injustice and  eradicating poverty, then Malaysia will be heading for national and international greatness and not like today, sliding down the slippery slope of mediocrity!

DAP has  raised strong objections  with  the PKR leadership on the role of the PKR MP for Kulim Bandar Baharu Zulkifli Noordin in storming the Bar Council forum and I have been informed that
disciplinary action
would be taken against him.

The Pakatan Rakyat leadership will have to address the Pakatan Rakyat  disarray over this issue.

Will the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meet to discuss the similar disarray of the BN component parties or will the other 13 BN component parties just have accept the UMNO line because of the continued UMNO political hegemony in the Barisan Nasional?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 August 2008, 1:24 pm and is filed under
nation building
,
Pakatan Rakyat
,
Politics
,
Religion
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


2nd Abdullah premiership – is it to be even worse than 22-year Mahathir administraiton?

To many concerned Malaysians,  the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has shown his
true colours
yesterday  – he is not that open, liberal and tolerant after all.

He laid down two edicts for his second administration:

•	No open forums or dialogues on religious or racial issues as they can undermine peace and stability –
no more discussion on matters of religion or race that had already been enshrined in the Federal Constitution
; and

•	No objection to the use of Internal Security Act and Sedition Act against those who organize such forums like the Bar Council –
up to the Home Ministry to act against the Bar Council
.

Is it any wonder that  Malaysians react to such edicts with the premonition that the second Abdullah premiership could be even worse than the previous 22-year Mahathir administration?

In one fell swoop, Abdullah has backed his deputy, Najib Razak and the Home Minister, Syed Hamid Albar in lining up against the Bar Council for organizing the forum on Conversion to Islam to discuss the conflict of laws arising from civil and shariah court jurisdictions and Article 121(1A)  of the Federal Constitution and freedom of expression in general, as well as gave  back-handed approval if not outright embracing of the demonstrators who had successfully stormed and disrupted the Bar Council forum by dragooning the police into their service.

How ironic that Abdullah could make such a statement in the same breadth as talking about the importance of making Malaysia more attractive to encourage more foreign direct investment by having good governance – after chairing the first meeting of the Economic Council.

Was  Abdullah unaware that he was in fact going against the fundamental principles and precepts of good governance in giving his blessing to the storming and disruption of the Bar Council forum by demonstrators on Saturday – which is not going to inspire confidence of investors, foreign or local, about  the rule of law, the system of justice or the integrity of national institutions?

The media have published some MCA,  Gerakan and MIC leaders speaking  up in support of the Bar Council forum. The acid test is whether the  leaders and Ministers of MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other Barisan Nasional component parties  from Sabah and Sarawak  are prepared to raise this issue in Cabinet tomorrow and the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council in an emergency meeting to demand that the fundamental right of the Bar Council and Malaysians  to hold such forums should not be abridged or  denied but must be respected and protected.

———————-

My Facebook supporters page.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 2:33 pm and is filed under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
,
Good Governance
,
Human Rights
,
MCA
,
Religion
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Hishammuddin should explain why Education Ministry condoning the racist and unprintable slurs of a history teacher

The
New Straits Times
today carried the following report:

Racial abuse teacher gets ‘a better deal’

By : V. Shankar Ganesh

BANTING: It obviously pays to hurl racial abuse at students, going by what happened to the teacher who did so at a school here.

The 35-year-old history teacher from SM Telok Panglima Garang was not only transferred to a smart school but to one located nearer her house.

To add insult to injury, no disciplinary action was taken against her.

It is understood that her letter of transfer stated that she was being transferred due to concerns for her security and not because she had committed an offence.

Several parents and non-governmental  rganizations gathered in front of the school yesterday demanding an explanation from the headmaster for letting her off with just a slap on the wrist.

However, the headmaster refused to meet them, saying the matter was no longer related to the school since the teacher had been transferred.

Coalition of Indian NGOs secretary G. Gunaraj said the transfer showed the teacher had got away scot-free.

”In fact, she even got a better deal. She is now in a better school and one that is nearer to her house.”

He said this set a dangerous precedent as others may think they too can get away scot-free uttering racial slurs.

He said the Education Ministry should be serious in tackling the issue as what the teacher had done could affect racial harmony.

This is the latest episode which is marring the 51st Merdeka Anniversary celebrations in less than three weeks time, highlighting the many  failures in nation-building despite the government budgeting tens of millions of ringgit for this occasion.

The Education Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein should explain to Parliament, the nation and the voters of Permatang Pauh why the Education Ministry is condoning the unforgivable misbehaviour  of a  history teacher who repeatedly made racist, derogatory and even unprintable slurs against Indian students and the Indian community in class.

By giving the delinquent teacher a “better deal” for her disgraceful misbehaviour, the Education Ministry is sending out a  wrong and completely  unacceptable message to all teachers as well as  making a total mockery of  the legitimate protests of the parents  and the Coalition of Malaysians Indian NGOs who had protested against the teacher’s misconduct.

Or is Hishammuddin just unfit to demand that teachers should be  exemplary model Malaysians to the new generation of students  rising above race and religion when he himself has failed so miserably on this score with his three “keris-wielding” episodes at the Umno Youth general assemblies, showing utter insensitivity to the sensitivities of a plural Malaysian society and which is acknowledged by UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders as a major cause for the Barisan Nasional defeats in the March general election and “political tsunami”?

———————-

My Facebook supporters page.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 12:36 pm and is filed under
Education
,
nation building
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


The future of our interfaith dialogue

by
Azly Rahman

Must engaging in dialogue on religion be painful? Must it be greeted with hostility? Or is it a moot question—that the answer lies in what we failed to have done through our education system, decades ago?

 I have faith that we will one day be ready to appreciate interfaith dialogue. On this note, I too believe that we will one day appreciate philosophical discussions and scientific debates. My experience conducting interfaith dialogue every semester in the American classroom setting gives me the assurance that we will be ready.  It would be good to one day know that our corridors of academia are filled with passionate discussions on the self, the universe, God, and fate of humanity.

The core of each religious foundation is there for us to explore and to learn from. We need to escape from being trapped in the particular and liberate ourselves into explorers of the universal. Of course this will take time given the nature of class and caste system we are in; developments that have impacted upon our consciousness. But evolve we must, if we are to see a progressive country emerging out of these ruins of communal politics, immorality of modern capitalism, and persistent religious misunderstandings. Ignorance is the greatest enemy of knowledge, as the sage Socrates once said.

What is interfaith dialogue?

 The incident of the aborted Bar Council forum was a good example how we will continue to approach inter-faith dialogue. There is vision in chaos, creation in destruction, and opportunities in threats. Educators of peace and social justice must not give up. In a country in which we have for example Center for Civilizational Dialogue in Universiti Malaya, and in a country wanting to be known as a “moderate country with a Muslim majority”, we are seeing contradictions. It will get uglier if we fail to reflect upon the means and methods of religious dialogue. We do not know much what each one of us believes in and what are the rituals and practices of our neighbours. We do not know what scripture they read, let alone the meaning of the prayers, the doa, zikir, the pujas, and the mantras. We lack the knowledge of the fundamentals. This is understandable – fear governs our consciousness and directs our actions and ultimately reproduces itself inter-generationally. Religion is a “sensitive” issue, they say—  which needs desensitization, I would contend.

Back to the protests on the Bar Council forum. It is a misrepresentation of what Muslims are and a reflection of how we have approached not only dialogue on religion but also on other “sensitive issues” as well. In this environment and in this regime where exploitation of issues are orchestrated by opportunists at the expense of peaceful dialogue, we will always be at the losing end of education for critical consciousness and for peace.

We must go back to the drawing board of our approach to teaching religion in terms of curricular design and how to juxtapose or even infuse it with core idea of humanism and rationalism.  This will take another few decades given the complexity of our society and how it has evolved in line with the “half-bakedness” of hypermodernity.

Here in the United States, I have just finished teaching two summer classes on “Religions of the World” and Introduction to Religion” in a college where I have also been asked, for the last three years, to teach “Islamic Scriptures”. I find it liberating to conduct classes after classes in which my students not only are American and foreign-born Muslims but also Jews, Christians, Catholic, Buddhists, Hindus, Atheists, Agnostics, and even Pagan. At the end of each semester, they have a different perception of each other  — more in-depth understanding of what could have remained antagonistic. We read the Quran and the Hadiths and look at the scriptures from a hermeneutic perspective, situate it in the present and projecting it into the future. Most often, our discussions on jihad evolved into a reflection on the struggles for the human self to explore suffering, violence, and liberation in all religious traditions. It includes passionate discussions on media representation of the concept.

Dialogue in Malaysia?

I often wonder if what I am doing is possible in Malaysia but I certainly have the confidence and hope that given the most peaceful way to approach it, a lot can be gained. Essentially religious dialogue need not be painful. It ought to help foster deep understanding and dispel misconception of ANY religion. It ought to make us become deeply religious and to learn to explore what others believe, to respect them, to learn from the universal themes of spirituality, and ultimately to contemplate our existence within the context of the struggle between Good and Evil and to evolve as more ethical and rational beings – so that we may participate better as political and social beings..

I believe we need to revamp undergraduate foundation courses in our public and private to include one that teaches the classics of the thoughts of the Eastern and Western tradition and the scriptures of the major religions. But then again, our university students are not even allowed to be involved in politics and to engage freely in public forum on political matters – how might this be possible with interfaith dialogue then?

We have a long walk to mental freedom and to a philosophical understanding of Islam and other religions. Unfortunately we are now known as people who are good at disrupting dialogues. I hope this perception will change.

But then again, education is about hope, peace, empathy, intelligence, and liberation — these we must use as a basis for a new design once we see major restructuring efforts under way, undertaken perhaps via a new political, social, and educational arrangement.

Let us look at possibilities in interfaith dialogue. Let education for peace and justice do that.

[NOTE: I have gathered some background materials on various major religions, on my website. Please scroll down to the very end
http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/
]

———————-

My Facebook supporters page.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 1:00 am and is filed under
Azly Rahman
,
Religion
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Abdullah proven ACA not an independent creature and why  top UMNO leaders need not fear

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri  Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has proven that he and top UMNO leaders have nothing to fear from the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) as it is not an independent creature but totally beholden to the wishes of the Prime Minister’s Department.

This is the conclusion to be drawn from the summary manner Abdullah dismissed the accusation that he and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak had abused their power to hold onto the top two posts in the coming Umno polls.

He claimed  that the Umno power-transition plan was decided by the party’s supreme council and announced to members.

He said:
“It was not as if Najib and I quietly conspired. It was an important decision by the supreme council, and announced to members so that they would understand.”

Abdullah has missed the point altogether.

Abdullah and Najib cannot be exonerated or exculpated from the ACA report lodged against them last week by Umno Selangor veteran leader Datuk Mazlan Harun for abuse of power just because the UMNO leadership-transition plan had been endorsed by the Umno Supreme Council, or that it had been announced publicly rather  than “quietly conspired”.

If the Umno leadership-transition plan constituted political corruption, unlawfully and unethically using   government machineries to garner support among Umno members in a bid to sustain their positions in the coming party elections, then an independent ACA is duty-bound to act as the explanations given by the Prime Minister – that it had been endorsed by Umno Supreme Council and announced publicly – are utterly immaterial and irrelevant to the ACA report  of abuse of power lodged by Mazlan.

But after the pronouncement by Abdullah  yesterday that he is innocent of any form of political corruption, would anyone believe that the ACA would dare to do more than going  through the perfunctory process of opening a file?

———————-

My Facebook supporters page.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 12:49 pm and is filed under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
,
Corruption
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Brand new era for Universiti Teknologi MARA?

BY
Azly Rahman

We must congratulate the present leadership of Selangor for suggesting that Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) be open to non-Bumiputeras; a good suggestion indeed and UiTM students and alumni should in fact be proud that such a statement of hope and reconciliation is made public.

More than merely ten percent should be allocated for Malaysians of other ethnic groups. This is indeed and excellent way to begin restructuring our public universities so that they can become truly global and embrace multiculturalism as a pillar of intellectual pride.

This will be in tune with the spirit of the The Beijing 2008 Olympics in which there will be competition amongst the races. Way too long the Malay students in UiTM have been unfairly denied the opportunity to collaborate and cooperate with their peers from other ethnic groups in the learning process. They have been shackled in a place wherein the only ideology they know is one of “Ketuanan Melayu”; a concept that is a contradiction to what a university must aspire to become. The 3-4 years of their wonderful college experience should provide them the skills to work in a multicultural environment.

Many “Bumiputra-centric” institutions have opened up to non-Bumputras in order for us see a reflection of Malaysian-ness in diversity. Universiti Perguruan Sultan Idris, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and Maktab Rendah Sains MARA are examples. There is no need for the administrators and students of UiTM to be upset over such a proposal.

Restructure leadership first

But a larger issue is we must first begin restructuring the leadership of all our universities to reflect our desire for Malaysians to be truly Malaysian, “truly Asian” as the slogan goes.We must begin by closely reading the philosophy and principles of affirmative action and translate these into practice and to monitor its successes.

Let us do a better job with our policies of diversity and affirmative action in order to find a peaceful solution to the dead-end issues of quota, meritocracy, dread, mundaneness, blind nationalism, cemented racism, closing of doors to the best and the brightest, and a spectrum of malaise in our public universities. Our vice-chancellors must enculturalise what is good, new, and true that they have learned from their alma mater in foreign lands, so that they can govern institutions with purity of thought. Most of them are US, UK, and Australian-trained and well-versed in the issue of diversity and affirmative action.

The problem is that many get afflicted by philosophical amnesia as soon as we are back in Malaysia after many years of studying abroad and learning about what worked in advanced countries. We let ‘this old house we inhabit’ define the culture that will intellectually disable us. The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in the US proclaimed its commitment to diversity in a statement issued on Sept 20, 1999:

“At UCLA, a public university located in one of the most heterogeneous regions in the world, diversity is an indispensable element of academic excellence. We are fundamentally committed to including and integrating within the campus community individuals from different groups as defined by such characteristics as race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic background, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, and intellectual outlook.

“This commitment requires efforts to attract to the campus members of historically under-represented racial and ethnic groups. However, to create a rich academic experience and intellectual and cultural environment for everyone, we extend our concern beyond representation to genuine participation. Our commitment to diversity entails devising strategies and programmes to realise its benefits fully in education, research and service. This commitment inevitably means an openness to change – indeed, to transformation.”

Einstein once said that we cannot solve problems from the same plane on which the problem was created. We would be going around in circles, looking for the door to equality, justice and wisdom in our collective hope of creating a nation of peace-loving Malaysians. The New Economic Policy and the problem of race in governance of our universities must be framed within the Einsteinian maxim.

Need for multi-cultural audit

Many would like to see a diverse team of top leadership in our public universities. Chinese, Indian, Iban or Kadazan Malaysian students would like to see a vice-chancellor or a deputy vice-chancellor of their ethnicity. Our foreign students are not lured here to learn more sophisticated political-economic forms of racism.

A multi-cultural mix of top leadership will ensure a good sense of student belonging to the university and will show the world that not Malaysia will not only has a ‘world-class’ image but also practises a ‘world-wise’ educational policy. Universiti Teknologi MARA, in this case, can be made less Malay and more multi-cultural, so that we may teach students to view success not solely in racial terms but through a transcultural lens. This university will benefit intellectually and culturally from a good composition of multi-cultural leadership. A multi-cultural university senate may help ease the migraine of the quota mentality and will educate the top leadership on the need to evolve wisely thorough good affirmative action policies that are also in line with the teachings of the great religious traditions and humanistic educational philosophies.

Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and even atheism teach us to look at human beings not through the eyes of race alone. A good system will look at class as a basis of creating a just system that brings out humanism in all of us. The concept of democracy in education demands us to integrate all the diverse cultures so that each may learn to better respect, and next, help each other build better a vision of an ethical society.

Create a new varsity order

Borrowing the words of the American social reconstructionist George Counts, who wrote of the need to reconstruct society through education, I propose that we seriously engage in a national dialogue on the beauty of diversity in our public universities. It will be a guarantee that whatever we have set up as a multi-cultural nation will be achieved if we begin with this vision from the top of the ivory tower.

If we let the higher education minister restructure the culture and nature of who should constitute the leaders in the ivory towers, we will see discrimination being properly addressed and resolved. This may be painful in the beginning and the healing process will not be pleasant, but heal we all must. An all-Malay, all-Chinese or all-Indian educational institution will not educate well but will indoctrinate excellently.

Education in the broadest sense of the word should train people to become transcultural citizens able to build a strong foundation of radical multi-culturalism so that society will continue to be critical of governments that lie to their own people through policies that give new meaning to the colonialist policy of divide, conquer and rule.

How much have our universities progressed in the area of cross-cultural understanding? To what extent will our graduates be colour-blind in their work for national development and ultimately, for human liberation? How much do the universities perpetuate ethnocentrism through their hidden curriculum of excluding each other based on race matters? The 22-year policy of the previous administration has reached its ideological shelf-life.

The universities, especially UiTM need to evolve beyond the paradigm of blind nationalism which has never been healthy for this nation. We need the ‘sensor-fused’ technology of eliminating the vestiges of hyper-addictive neo-feudalistic educational pill we have been made to swallow en masse. We need to radically reconstruct the composition of our university leaders to put a stop to this conveyor belt of disabling and paralysing strategy of social reproduction.

Truly diverse administration

Monthly university senate meetings would be more vibrant if we choose to create a culture that will celebrate the diverse perspective that addresses the issue of class, the marginalised, and the criminalisation of the best and the brightest students. We may even discuss how to apply cutting-edge strategies to meet the diverse needs and intelligence of students. We will learn to become less suspicious of our ill-derived and acquired ultra-nationalistic sentiment. Our senate room will be a beautiful forum and may also in decades to come evolve somewhat like the “Conference of the Birds”, as the great Sufi Master Sheikh Fariduddin Attar would call it. In it, we will see the faculty seeking wisdom and truth rather than arguing their biases using politically-correct academic jargon.

We will see a beautiful senatorial culture in all universities. The common goal would be to celebrate humanism, not to dehumanise students and faculty through discriminatory policies. We will gradually free ourselves from the shackles of shallow politicking that has plagued our universities ever since Independence.

All voices will be heard and the voices of social justice and intellectual freedom will be the most celebrated. We can become like America and its insistence on diversity in its universities. Walk into a good American university and you will see a diverse faculty – white, black, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander – all appointed on merit.

We can embrace such multi-culturalism and trumpet to the world how we truly value diversity. This will add more meaning to the idea of a truly world-class Malaysian university. Our university senators will spend more time discussing the philosophical and transcultural foundations of university education, rather than argue tediously over this or that quota and then go home scheming against one another and using their intelligence for less noble purposes.

UiTM will do even better

Let the rakyat insist on the diverse composition of our university leadership. Let us see which Malaysian university will embrace this idea of projecting a ‘world-class’ and ‘world-wise’ university. After all, aren’t we supposed to be a world model in racial harmony? Let us then quickly put an end to racial segregation in our ivory towers.

Let UiTM pave the way to not only prove that change is not only pleasurable, but also inevitable. As an educator who also had the excellent opportunity to be part of UiTM first as a student and part-time faculty albeit briefly in both instances ages ago, I truly believe that Malay students will be all the more enriched with all the races pursuing knowledge not necessarily to compete with one another, but to collaborate in the spirit of diversity and multiculturalism.

For too long UiTM has been dubbed a “universiti untuk Melayu sahaja” (a university for Malays only). It is time to create a new image. From an educational philosophy and psychology point of view, the current image is a misrepresentation. Ultimately it is the students themselves that will continue to be shortchanged. This is a form of oppression and structural violence on the Malay mind; especially when these same bright young minds are also subjected to mind-controlling programs such those created by The Biro Tata Negara and shoved into the brains of the participants. Who benefits from all these?http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2008/02/155-malay-view-of-ketuanan-melayu.html

To UiTM alumni and faculty of whom are my best of friends and colleagues, do enlighten the students with the fact that to succeed in this globalized world of opportunities, one must embrace positive change and be pragmatic about shifting circumstances. Our job is to suggest the best for the leaders of the future. We cannot settle for anything less for the bright, young minds called Malaysians. We must create a robust multicultural environment to affect positive changes for us and our students.

To UiTM students known to be creative, street-smart, and good problem-solvers, there is a bigger world outside of UiTM that awaits those who are world-wise. If education is a gentle profession that promises progress and prosperity, you will not be victimized in your never-ending journey for knowledge and wisdom. Demand your university to provide you with a multicultural environment in order to have a better and rewarding university experience. Challenge yourself to be highly proficient not only in English but in Bahasa Malaysia and other languages. You do not live in a cocoon. You are not to be blamed for the environment created for you; one created for political reasons that no longer have the appeal nor the educational logic.

Universities the world over are taking pride in how multicultural and global their campuses are, making sure that diversity and affirmative action becomes the culture. In the United States, parents want to send their sons and daughters to colleges that have a truly diverse population. The key word is “global education and international experience”.

Universiti Teknologi MARA will have a brighter future with this new vision of multiculturalism.

Good luck in your Olympics of the mind, body, and spirit. My best wishes goes to the students of UiTM who are missing a major component of their college experience.

To help the Malays, set them free. This is the first ray of light for the dawn of this new era.

———————-

My Facebook supporters page.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 2:56 pm and is filed under
Azly Rahman
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Detain Bar Council forum protestors under ISA – Gunasekaren denies

Today’s
Star

“PKR leaders want Zul to explain”
 carried the following report with regard to the continuing fallout from the storming and disruption of the Bar Council forum on “Conversion to Islam”  by demonstrators in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday:

In SEREMBAN, state DAP deputy chief and Senawang assemblyman P. Gunasekaren said he wants the police to charge the demonstrators.

He said the police should have arrested them rather than allow them to enter the Bar Council office, which was private property.

“It is sad that the police allowed them to dictate terms. The demonstrators should be arrested and detained under the Internal Security Act for stoking racial sentiments,” he said.

I have checked with Gunasekaren and he has denied that he had made the remark about the ISA detention attributed to him.

DAP stand for the repeal of  the nefarious detention-without-trial Internal Security Act is clear. All ISA detainees should be released immediately or be charged in court to avail them of an opportunity to defend themselves  in  an open trial.

We   disagree with  the  demonstrators though  we respect their right  to protest against  the Bar Council forum, which must be done peacefully and civilly.

However, what is unacceptable is the mob rule where demonstrators threatened to storm  and a few stormed the Bar Council auditorium and disrupted the forum under the protection of the police!

It is sad that for the past five days, not a single word had been said by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar to deplore the uncivil and irresponsible conduct of those who had taken the law into their  hands to storm (also those who threatened to storm) and disrupted  a lawful meeting in a private premise.

Have the lawless become the law in Abdullah’s Malaysia?

When is the Police and the Attorney-General going to uphold the law and  act against the lawless?

———————-

My Facebook supporters page.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 4:35 pm and is filed under
DAP
,
Human Rights
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Another case of misreporting?

Nasharuddin berkata dasar perjuangan PAS yang berpaksikan Islam menuntut dakwah diterapkan kepada semua yang masih belum memahami apa itu Islam yang sebenar.

“Kalau kita boleh bersekutu dengan DAP yang menentang Islam dari dulu sampai sekarang dan dengan PKR, mengapa kita tidak boleh dekati Umno?

This is from a
Bernama
 report on the speech by the Deputy PAS President Nasharudin Mat Isa at the opening of the PAS Youth annual assembly in Ipoh yesterday.

DAP opposed  to Islam from the past to the present? Not true.  Never.  We have Muslims in DAP and could not be anti-Islam.  We are for all religions for the good, virtuous and noble values  they teach human beings to cultivate and cherish.

What DAP is opposed to is for any breach of the Merdeka social contract  that Malaysia was founded be a multi-racial, multi-religious, democratic and secular nation with Islam as the official religion but not an Islamic state.

Another case of misreporting – misquoting Nasharudin as saying that DAP “yang menentang Islam dari dulu sampai sekarang…”?

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 14 August 2008, 2:08 pm and is filed under
DAP
,
Islam
,
PAS
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.


Permatang Pauh by-election – censure BN’s 6 months of zero legislative reform

I have received the initial notification of the  parliamentary business for the 41-day budget meeting beginning on Monday, August 18, which will break for six weeks after the 2009 budget presentation by the Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Friday, August 29 for the fasting month and Hari Raya holidays, resuming on Oct. 12 for 32 sittings till December 11, 2008.

It is a great disappointment, for it is evident that there will be no reformist bill for Parliament in August, whether for the establishment of

(i)	the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), the most important of the 125 recommendations of the Royal Police Commission more than three years ago in  May 2005 to create an efficient, incorruptible, professional world-class police service to keep crime low, fight corruption and uphold human rights;

(ii)	the Judicial Appointments Commission as the first step to restore national and international confidence in the independence, impartiality, integrity and quality of the judiciary after two decades of “judicial darkness” and being the laughing-stock of the world; and

(iii)	the Malaysian Commission on Anti-Corruption (MCAC) to eradicate  the rampant corruption in the country which has seen Malaysia’s ranking in the annual  Transparency International Corruption Perception Index sliding relentlessly from No. 23 in 1995 to No. 37 in 2003 and No. 43 in 2007 and to spearhead a “zero tolerance for corruption” campaign to place Malaysia among the world’s 20 least corrupt nations.

This means that despite the Prime Minister claiming after the March 8 “political tsunami” that he has heard the message of the people in the recent general election, resulting in the ending of UMNO political hegemony and Barisan Nasional two-thirds parliamentary majority in Parliament, and the establishment of five Pakatan Rakyat state governments, he has nothing  to show in terms of legislative reforms in the first six months of his second premiership!

When Parliament starts its budget meeting on 18th August, the legislative business after the question time will be debate on three bills which had been tabled for first reading in the previous meeting, viz:

(i)	National Kenaf and Tobacco Board Bill 2008;

(ii)	Education (Amendment) Bill 2008;

(iii)	Universities and University Colleges (Amendment) Bill 2008.

The failure to introduce any legislative reform in anyone of the three important institutions of police, judiciary and the fight against corruption  in the first six months after the March 8 “political tsunami” should be the subject of censure by the Permatang Pauh voters speaking on behalf of all Malaysian voters  in the August 26 by-election.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 14 August 2008, 12:29 pm and is filed under
Corruption
,
Judiciary
,
Parliament
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.                You can
leave a response
, or
trackback
 from your own site.