Why no raids on Perkasa and Umno Youth?

Malaysiakini Your Say
 | Jun 30, 11

‘Umno and Perkasa are showing unruly behaviour with their threats of violence, bloodshed, and arson. Yet the office that got raided is Bersih’s.’

Bersih HQ raided, 7 staff arrested

SMC77:
 Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and PM Najib Razak must take note. It is PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police) and BN which are inciting fear and chaos at this upcoming gathering. If there is any crime committed by any party, it can only be PDRM and BN.

If the BN and PDRM refuse to let the rakyat to voice out their concern and anger, they are forcing the rakyat to turn the peaceful gathering into a violent protest that could lead to the same outcome as we have seen in Egypt and other parts of the Muslim world in recent months.

Kee Thuan Chye:
 Why raid only the Bersih secretariat? Why not raid those of Perkasa and Umno Youth as well since they will also be holding rallies?

My fellow Malaysians, please take note of this practice of double standards and relate it to everyone you know so they may know the true situation in this country.

Joe Lee:
 This is becoming ridiculous. Umno is shitting in its own pants and is resorting to terrorising Malaysian citizens. It is seeing its own demise in the mirror, and like a dying man who doesn’t want to go, it is lashing out at everything.

These terrorist acts will be remembered by the people of Malaysia, and when it is judgement time, Malaysia will decide their fate.

Anonymous_3e86:
 So far the rally has not materialised yet. How can they arrest anyone under Section 27(5) when there hasn’t been any rally?

Yellow T-shirts, orange T-shirts, cream T-shirts – all have been confiscated. So what colours are allowed? What about yellow underwear? Is it illegal too?

It appears the police under the instructions of BN has created more chaos and fear than the Bersih organisers. I’m sure it is BN’s intention to create chaos in order to implement emergency rule. They are that desperate…

I will be wearing something yellow on July 9.

Chipmunk:
 These were not cops but thugs. Their behaviour is very unbecoming. They are an insult and disgrace to the king. They should remove the term ‘Di Raja’ from PDRM and instead use PDUM (Polis Di Umno Malaysia).

Let’s see how many more arrest they are going to do? The more they oppress the rakyat, the more the rakyat will retaliate. Shame on these police.

DannyLoHH:
 It’s funny to see how the police work in Malaysia. Time and again, Bersih had reiterated that their rally will be a peaceful rally. And time and again, Umno and Perkasa are showing unruly behaviour with their threats of violence, bloodshed and arson. Yet the office that got raided is Bersih’s.

Lakia:
 This lawless action should drive our determination to fight on much harder for democracy, justice and freedom for our beloved country and all its people. All of us now go back to our respective kampong in the rural areas and explain to all the voters there why we need to kick out the BN in the 13th general elections.

There is absolutely no basis to oppose the Bersih peaceful rally. Only those who want to cheat are afraid of a clean, fair and transparent electoral system.

Anonymous:
 Are we a police state or under emergency? Why can’t we have a peaceful democratic rally? Without provocation from Perkasa and Umno Youth, it would be a peaceful rally.

The police should instead threaten Perkasa and Umno Youth and prevent them from rallying on same day. They can do it another day. The troublemakers and threat to peace are these provocateurs and they should be prevented from disturbing the peace.

Swipenter:
 PDRM, how about raiding the secretariats of Perkasa and Umno Youth since they have declared openly to march “illegally” on July 9 and they too don’t have a police permit nor blessings from Hishammuddin.

Malaysian Down Under:
 With all these arrests, the gatherings in Australia might actually be bigger than the one in KL. So, to the Malaysian diaspora in Australia, let’s unite in a single voice.

To the corrupt authorities in Malaysia – you can fool some of the people all the time, all of the people some time, but you will never fool all of the people all of the time. Bersih 2.0 aims to drive home that point, and witnessed, I hope, by the world.

AnakBangsaMalaysia:
 In the past few days, it has been the Home Ministry and the police who have been committing a long list of crimes against the Malaysian people: slander, false arrest, assault and abuse of the PSM detainees, criminal intimidation and harassment of Bersih 2.0 organisers and members of the public, criminal negligence and dereliction of duty by standing by idly while the Umno Youth mob uttered explicit threats of arson and violence against the PKR HQ in Tropicana.

Anonymous_4135:
 No matter what you do, how you raid, how many people you arrest, doesn’t even matter if the Agong doesn’t show up to meet us on July 9, you can continue to provoke us, regardless of how you want to intimidate us rakyat, you will never be able to blot out the spirit of Bersih 2.0.

You can use water canons to stop us gathering, but the one most important thing the government cannot do is change our heart.

Anonymous_5fb:
 Enough said. With ‘dirty’ election, we need to vote ‘overwhelmingly’ so to neutralise the ‘dirty’ election processes this 13th GE for Pakatan Rakyat to take over Putrajaya.

Mohd:
 How can we call this is a democratic country when the 14th component of the ruling party is the police force?

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 30 June 2011, 12:27 pm and is filed under
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‘Yellow wave’ in Parliament by Pakatan reps

By
Hazlan Zakaria
 | Jun 30, 11

Malaysiakini

Pakatan Rakyat MPs turned up in Parliament decked out in various articles in the distinctive yellow of Bersih to protest the police clampdown on the electoral reform rally.

Most of the men sported ties in the ‘official’ Bersih 2.0 colour or others in shades of yellow, while the women were attired in yellow.

The rest wore various articles of clothing in the same colour, while those more daring like Bukit Gantang parliamentarian Nizar Jamaluddin and Bakri MP Er Teck Hwa (right) donned the official Bersih 2.0 T-shirt, which has caused the arrest of many since the crackdown began, in open defiance.

At a press conference in the parliament lobby today, the MPs stood in solidarity with Bersih and the rakyat’s wishes for free and fair elections, condemning the unilateral and as some argued, illegal and unconstitutional crackdown on the hugely popular rally.

“It is outrageous, we have a home minister who is making up the law on the run,” said DAP Ipoh Timor MP Lim Kit Siang (in dark glasses), commenting on the recent outlawing of the distinctive yellow Bersih 2.0 T-shirts and other supporting paraphernalia by police and the ministry.

PAS’ Hatta Ramli called the police crackdown on the Bersih rally as an act of intimidation.

While Tian Chua from PKR reiterated the claim that the actions taken by law enforcement officers against Bersih activists is outside the bounds of the law.

His view is supporterd by Subang MP R Sivarasa, who pointed out that even in the “draconian” law that is the Internal Security Act, collaterals and paraphernalia can only be “proscribed” by authorities if it is gazetted first.

Sivarasa contested that no such gazetting ever took place prior to the authorities sudden ban on Bersih 2.0 materials.

In a statement to the media afterwards, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok explained that the specific provisions in the ISA that allow for the government to proscribe paraphernalia is Section 7(2)(1) for the prohibitions of uniforms, emblems and others.

“Hishammuddin’s declaration is illegal, unreasonable, arbitrary and smacks of abuse of power,” she added.

Also at the press conference, DAP Jelutong MP Karpal Singh said that there is no doubt in his mind that legal action can be taken against the cops and the government for their errant behaviour and Pakatan will initiate legal proceedings in due course.

The Pakatan MPs’ reaction came in the footsteps of strident police action against Bersih 2.0 activists after the rally and all its supporting paraphernalia were declared illegal by the Home Ministry.

Police have since moved against any who were in possession of such paraphernalia or attending functions promoting Bersih.

Over a hundred have been arrested thus far for wearing the distinctive yellow T-shirts or taking part in roadshows which promote the rally pushing for electoral reforms.

Dozens of other, including opposition state assemblypersons and members of Parliament have been called in for questioning over the mammoth rally planned for July 9.

The opposition has expressed fears that the government will use what they believe are made-up concerns for public order and safety as a pretext to come down hard and arrest top opposition leaders.

Several foreign activists and observers were also arrested, with two to be deported by authorities for allegedly being involved in planning the Bersih rally.

Sungai Siput MP D Jeyakumar of PSM and 30 party activists, on an unrelated roadshow to discuss the rakyat’s concerns, have also been arrested in Penang, accused of “waging war against the king” for being in possession of T-shirts bearing the likeness of former communist figures.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 30 June 2011, 2:55 pm and is filed under
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Bersih rally a turning point for democracy

by
Kim Quek

The Malaysian Insider

Jun 30, 2011

JUNE 30 — Amidst the frenzy of draconian measures to prevent the July 9 Bersih rally from taking place, many Malaysians have begun to wonder: Has Malaysia descended into a state of lawlessness?

No sooner had the home minister declared that wearing the yellow Bersih T-shirt was illegal, the Inspector-General of Police up the ante by announcing that even “shoes, cars, buses or any medium that promote the Bersih rally are illegal, as this amounts to sedition”, and he said the people involved will be arrested.

To date, more than 100 people have been arrested all over the country in the past four days, mainly for wearing the yellow Bersih T-shirts.

To me, this sounds like someone speaking and acting as if he is the absolute monarch who can order the arrest of anyone at his whim, and whose word is law. For nowhere in the law can you find a provision that allows a minister or a police officer to declare an item such as the Bersih shirt illegal or to arrest someone before a crime is committed or suspected to have been committed. The Bersih rally has not even been held, so how can a crime be committed in connection with the rally?

BERSIH ABOVE BOARD

So, what has driven the minister and the IGP into such extreme conduct of resorting to brazenly unlawful exercise of power?

Is Bersih a terrorist organisation that plots to overthrow the government by violence? Is Bersih calling people to break laws and create chaos? What terrible deeds have Bersih done to cause such phobia in the authorities that they should strike at everything that moves, so to speak, that smells of Bersih?

None of that.

Bersih is a civil society movement participated by 62 non-governmental organisations to campaign for electoral reform. And the July 9 rally is specifically called to address the problem of the authorities’ recalcitrance to institute any form of reform. Despite persistent requests over many years, the Election Commission and the incumbent ruling coalition Barisan Nasional have not moved even one inch towards reforming an electoral system that has been reduced to a complete farce through ever escalating vote-buying, abuse of power and massive rigging.

With such noble intention, how could Bersih be branded as anything other than a respectable body that works towards restoration of democracy and return of political power to the people? It should be obvious by now that without free and fair elections, political power is vested in a few incumbent leaders, not with the people.

And when such a respectable body calls for a rally to highlight its cause to the nation, how can such a rally be taboo, and everything connected with it be decreed illegal?

Up to now, the incumbent hegemon Umno and the police have not come up with an iota of credible evidence that the Bersih rally is anything but a peaceful and honourable gathering, called in accordance with the right endowed by the Constitution to every citizen. Regrettably, the police have so far conducted themselves as a force serving Umno’s parochial political interests, in direct confrontation with the interests of the masses.

AUTHORITIES’ EXCUSES INCREDULOUS

The excuses given so far to justify arrest and to label the rally illegal are laughable and carry no credibility — accusations such as a communist plot to wage war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, a movement aided by foreign Christian bodies to subvert the country, an event that will jeopardise public order and national security, and cause economic damage.

These tales of impending threats and calamities are so far-fetched that they are not only disbelieved by decent Malaysians, but also reflect the paucity of rationale of the incumbent power to justify their condemnation and clampdown on the movement.

That their excuses to crucify the Bersih rally are rubbish is amply manifested in the admirable political and economic well-being of those democratic countries where such peaceful rallies are part and parcel of their democratic way of life. Look at our regional neighbour Hong Kong. Rallies of a few hundred thousand people to demonstrate against the Hong Kong or Chinese government are routinely staged there, and yet there was not the slightest indication that public order was affected or businesses harmed. On the contrary, Hong Kong continues to enjoy ever increasing prosperity and stability.

So, what is Umno afraid of?

The honest truth and the bottom line is: Umno has no confidence to politically survive a free and fair election.

That is why it has not yielded an inch in the direction of moving Malaysian election to a more level-playing field, and it has no intention to do so in the future.

Umno also realises that it has committed too many wrongs that betray the people’s interest, and more people have come to know of these through the fast-growing alternative media. Combined with the growing influence of the opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat, the coming rally could be a powerful demonstration of the people’s will to reclaim sovereignty from the long-reigning kleptocracy through electoral reform.

That is something that Umno does not want to see happening.

NO WIN FOR UMNO

We can hence expect that Umno will continue to step up pressure against Bersih by manipulating compliant institutions such as the police and judiciary, at the expense of the Constitution and law, to stifle the Bersih move.

But Umno is in a no-win situation. To be faithful to the Constitution, which means that the peaceful rally must be allowed to proceed, Umno dreads to see a mammoth assembly that could be demoralising to its dwindling supporters. On the hand, a brutal repression that breaks all laws may kindle public fury to an explosive state with unpredictable consequences. Even if it succeeds in suppressing the rally, it can only bring temporary relief to Umno, as the ugly scenes of unjustified cruelty and transgression of law and fundamental human rights will be mercilessly bared for all to see, thanks to modern IT technology, reminiscent of the Tahrir Square uprising and the subsequent revolutionary fire that has spread across the entire Arab world. By that time, Umno and BN’s popular support may have so dwindled that even the status quo of skewed election and stooge institutions cannot save it from an electoral defeat.

I am confident that the majority of Malaysians have already reached such a level of political consciousness that the will of the people will prevail to make July 9 rally an important turning point in our struggle to reclaim democracy and sovereignty for the people.

* Kim Quek is the author of “The March to Putrajaya”.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 1 July 2011, 3:29 am and is filed under
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Deputy IGP: No more discussions over rallies

By
Teoh El Sen

July 1, 2011  | Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: The police will no longer seek to negotiate or discuss with the organisers of the July 9 rallies, be it from Bersih, Perkasa, or Umno Youth.

Their stand is clear: The rallies will not be allowed.

The nation’s number two police officer, deputy inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar said: “We have given them explanations and warnings and reminders, but they do not heed. We will make sure this rally does not take place.”

“We will not discuss anymore. Be ready to face the laws of this country,” he said.

Khalid, speaking at a hastily called press conference at Bukit Aman today, said he does not discount the possibility of using the Internal Security Act (ISA) in efforts to stop the rallies from happening.

“I won’t discount it,” he said, when asked.

Yesterday Bersih chairperson S Ambiga, after a meeting with IGP Ismail Omar, said she will be meeting the top cop again next week following her request for the police to chart the routes for the Bersih rally.

“I told the IGP that we are willing to accept routes that the police outline for us… from KL to PJ,” she told FMT yesterday.

She said that while Ismail did not give his green light to the suggestion, she would be meeting the police chief again next week to get the police force’s opinion on Bersih’s suggestion. She described the meeting as cordial.

Khalid’s remarks today however indicated that the police are no longer willing to engage with Ambiga over the Bersih rally. Ismail also had similar meetings with representatives of Perkasa and Umno Youth.

‘More may be arrested’

Khalid also said the IGP, in his meetings with the rallies’ organisers, had expressed his concerns and the implications of the events.

“We explained to them the worry of traders, tourists, taxi and hotel businesses. The lives of a lot of people will be disrupted. And many are against it,” he said.

“But they insist on going ahead with the rallies, so we will use the relevant laws we have in this country,” he said.

Khalid said that as of last night, there were 2,136 reports lodged against the organisers, mostly against Bersih, the highest the nation has recorded on a public rally.

“Its not just yellow but anything from red, green or grey. Any group that shows support for the illegal rally, we’ll act.”

Thus far, 115 people have been arrested and 30 are under remand in Penang, he said.

When asked if the police had any credible evidence of the revival of communism, as claimed by the police for the arrest and detention of the 30 PSM members in Penang last weekend, Khalid said he could not reveal further on this.

However, he warned that more people would be arrested when the need arises.

“As the enforcement authority of the country, we definitely know more than other people,” he said.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 1 July 2011, 2:42 pm and is filed under
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I’ll wear yellow baju raya

by
Mohd Syahir Sulaiman

The Malaysian Insider

Jun 30, 2011

JUNE 30 — Semakin lara kita didera bara, kita laungkan juga pesan merdeka, demokrasi sebenderang mentari, sehasrat hajat semurni harga diri — A. Samad Said.

Yellow symbolises wisdom.

July 9th is just around the corner, and talks get heated up in every corner, from Facebook urbanites to long house foyers. Thanks to RTM and Utusan for the free publicity.

People may differ. However, one thing in certain, all eyes are set on the upcoming saga.

Suhakam, as a custodian of human rights in Malaysia, calls on the authorities to allow the planned peaceful  assemblies to be held, and on the parties intending to hold these assemblies to exercise their rights in a peaceful  and responsible manner. Yet, we hear the “threat to national security” excuse to cordon the march.

“The gathering would not only disturb the peace but also cause traffic chaos”, a senior police officer was quoted.

Yet, you have KL folks stranded in traffic jams following days of rehearsal and actual parade at Dataran Merdeka. I am one of them, stranded at Jalan Loke Yew while listening to the radio morning show. As a responsible citizen, we do not complain. And please, no road-block rehearsal prior to July 9th.

“Democracy attracts FDIs. Freedom attracts tourists.” Then one says, “Investors will shy away because of the domestic chaos”. Well, investors are smart enough in assessing the investment viability, political transparency being the key.

“Organisers of the Bersih 2.0 rally should consider the effects such an event will have on traders and consumers  along the route of its march”, a minister said.

A Bersih spokesperson then assured, “At least RM30 million of cashflow will be generated within the 3 hours march, counting on possible 300,000 participants with cash in pocket of RM100 each.” Adding-up the ticketing revenue accrued by PLUS, MAS, AirAsia, KTMB and bus operators over the weekend, let’s get PEMANDU to bring their spreadsheet.

Demonstration is un-Islamic? Not part of Malay culture? Yet, Muslim scholars noted, “It is obligatory upon every Muslim to support whatever actions, words or stand  taken in defence of truth”, plus “It is forbidden for the demonstrators or police to provoke anyone, resulting in riots. The police should realise that the demands are good for the country and not only for the betterment of the people but also the police”, as well “Many were imprisoned  as a result of their criticisms against authorities of their time. We are the inheritors of this tradition, which provides  today’s Muslims with a storehouse of democratic ideas”.

William E. Simon famously quoted, “Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don’t vote”.

I then find no excuse for me not to support BERSIH 2.0 Walk For Democracy. It calls for 8 immediate demands, namely

1) Clean the electoral roll

2) Reform postal ballots

3) Use of indelible ink

4) Minimum 21 days campaign period

5) Free and fair access to media

6) Strengthen public institutions

7) Stop corruption

8) Stop dirty politics.

SUHAKAM, in its statement reiterates that “it is the right of members of the public to assemble and to express  their views in a peaceful manner, as provided under Article 10(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution, as well as Article  20(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).”

Still, wearing a yellow shirt is an offence in this country, at least until July 9th.

Nevertheless, yellow is the colour of preference for my baju raya this year. Hopefully, I won’t be arrested while carrying my kids, wearing yellow baju melayu complete with sampin and songkok, in queue for duit raya and ketupat, at the raya open house organised by our Pak Menteri. My intention is sincere, only to shake hands with my democratic leader.

A courtesy visit, that is.

* Mohd Syahir Sulaiman, and his two kids, perceive yellow symbolises wisdom. He advocates Negara Berkebajikan
.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 1 July 2011, 3:10 am and is filed under
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Malaysia’s season of fear

by
Praba Ganesan

The Malaysian Insider

Jun 30, 2011

JUNE 30 — “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”

Joseph Welch, the attorney representing the US Army, asked this of Senator Joseph McCarthy at the height of the series of “witch-hunts” under the guise of various congressional committees to uncover unAmerican activities in America between 1953-54.

America was in the early years of the Cold War when tales of communists, spies and those bent on destroying the American way of life were rife.

McCarthy felt his populism, electability and political future could benefit from playing up the “bogeyman.”

Proof or even truth was irrelevant in the dark period referred to as “McCarthyism”.

Eventually the US government, Congress and people disowned that period, and vowed never to repeat it. However, by then, lives had been destroyed.

People who had attended certain meetings, or joined a university club or just spent time with someone “dubious” were under suspicion. No one was spared and all conversations had consequences.

Fear ruled the McCarthy era, friends betraying friends to escape persecution, lives destroyed based on hearsay and the belief truth comes before judgment became a myth. Trust in government was irrevocably shattered.

Which brings us to Malaysia, 2011. In this season of fear, arrests, intimidation, threats and encouragement to right-wing groups mount to cloud the days leading to Bersih 2.0.

[Bersih is an NGO initiative to champion freer and fairer elections in Malaysia with its centrepiece mammoth rally planned for July 9. This has resulted in the Barisan Nasional government using all arms of the state to jettison it. (Yes, the democratically elected government of Malaysia feels that there is enough democracy in Malaysia already and therefore objects to any efforts to increase the levels of democracy because this might lead to the end of democratic Malaysia. Hey, welcome to Malaysia!) The police feel it is better to use all their personnel to stop the rally than to work with the organisers to ensure a smooth and trouble-free event.]

Malaysians with certain banners, books and pamphlets have been arrested. Some have been accused of sowing the seeds of open rebellion against King and country. Opposition politicians have been summoned left, right and centre to police interviews. Citizens are to be arrested if they wear the wrong attire.

This is an old Umno tactic.

Apply immense and widespread pressure on all the “usual suspects” so that the following may occur. One, the organisers are so distracted they are unable to mobilise adequately for the event. Two, apprehension to attend the rally will grow in the hearts of citizens (I’ll support change from a distant, watch it on the Net). Three, the various Bersih leaders might differ on a response (to go on with the rally, tone it down, cancel it, postpone it or prefer a stadium) and in-fighting will result.

The police will maintain the same level of responsiveness as during the first Bersih rally in 2007. A win for the government and police is if the numbers for the rally drop from what is expected. Anything below expectation is proof that there is little support for electoral reform in Malaysia and only those hardcore supporters really want it.

It is about keeping dissent as a minority sport. No nation is altered by the majority of its people agreeing on one thing, it is led to an inevitable change when a substantial number of its people desire it. A sort of tipping point. Umno does not want Malaysians to sense a tipping point is at hand.

I have to ask the government of the day, so that I have some clarity of the issue at hand, “How afraid do you want me to be?” As a living person I already have my own set of fears. And so do all who wake up in the morning.

We fear losing our jobs, or our businesses. And even when we stay above water level in either there are a myriad of fears in those daily working hours.

We fear that our loved ones are not secure or in need. We fear that our personal relationships with our loved ones are in jeopardy, that the wrong thing was said or, worst, done.

We fear about our own existence as a source of meaning. But above all we fear our mortality.

So with my daily routine of fears, perhaps my government is convinced I have space for one more, the fear of them. To live and not know when my “pound of flesh” is to be exacted.

Of course there is the argument that I do not have to live with that fear. The fear apparently rescinds when I accept my government in its present shape and not question its powers.

Which is not too bad since no good serf ever has grounds to fear his benevolent master, so I am told.

I’ll kindly reject that offer and postulate an alternate view.

How about this?

Life already has enough fear to tip each of us from our tiny boat into the depths of a spiralling universe; in that chaos and uncertainty, the government becomes our lighthouse, our lifeboat.

For it is natural to look to government for assurance, belief and compassion.

Why doesn’t my government fill that void rather than chuck me into the void?

Government can choose its legacy.

There are two classics about men on islands, HG Well’s “The island of Dr Moreau” and Daniel Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe”.

The title characters had different views about how to govern their islands. Moreau constructed a society of beasts to serve him through the manipulation of science and knowledge. The power consumes him.

Shipwrecked Crusoe finds a native “Friday” by accident. He decides to engage the man from a difference culture; teach him and to have him as a friend. In a combination of personal needs and moral obligation, uses his relationship with “Friday” to express his humanity and live his life.

They are stories, and I will not overextend interpretation other than to take their broad and basic lessons: To seek power as an end or a meaningful kinship with those whom you live with, without fear.

The present path of this government does not augur well for democracy. It does not augur well just on the count of decency. I have to ask, even before reading about the next arrest in these coming days, have these people no sense of decency?

                This entry was posted on Friday, 1 July 2011, 2:48 am and is filed under
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Of songkoks, uniforms and managing expectations

by
Zairil Khir Johari

July 01, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 1 — I must admit to feeling a tad slighted when I read the recent reports of my friends and fellow comrades turning up on the first day of the Sarawak State Assembly in lounge suits instead of the ceremonial “number one” dress with songkok that was worn by everyone else.

Now, it must first and foremost be stated that no wrong was committed. The ceremonial uniform is not compulsory, and at no time did any breach of protocol occur. Neither is this issue a new one, having become a recurrent, though not persistent, occurrence at some of the legislative assemblies nationwide.

What is new, however, is the political reality today and with it greater expectations that are now imposed upon the DAP as we venture pointedly into the mainstream of our nation’s political consciousness. No longer are we a fringe party representing largely parochial interests, though awareness of this fact has not yet fully seeped into the minds of the party faithful.

Thus, it is a toxic combination of good intentions, ignorance and misdirected rigour that has resulted in actions that are perhaps quite unnecessary given the context of the DAP’s place in the Malaysian polity today.

Firstly, and most prevalently, is the somewhat anti-establishment tendency that has ingrained itself into the DAP psyche. This is both the culmination of four decades of sitting incessantly in opposition benches, as well as the limited democratic space available. Hence, what has resulted is a natural disposition towards opposing for the sake of opposing and a general lack of prudence in contextualising issues from a wider and more inclusive aspect.

In short, we have chaps causing controversy for the sake of it, and while this was fine when we were a party with only a handful of seats nationally, there is a discerning need for a more mature worldview in the current political climate.

Another factor is the lingering siege mentality amongst leaders and cadres schooled in an era now bygone. The DAP has traditionally seen its foes as the MCA and Gerakan, and thus political reproach between both sides are usually confined to Chinese-based issues. As such, the spectre of institutionalised Islamisation and perceived cultural hegemony, both hot issues in the Eighties and Nineties, are still alive and occupying the minds of certain sections of the party, and this is perhaps more so apparent across the South China Sea.

Again, the impetus is on us to move on with the times and out of our comfort zone towards a more centrist position. As a party with far more representation than both traditional rivals combined, we need to be cognisant of the fact that we have made the big leap into national relevance, while MCA and Gerakan no longer occupy the nation’s imagination.

Lastly, perception is the be all and end all in politics. I know for a fact that no cultural disrespect was meant by my Sarawakian colleagues, and that their rationale about saving the state some money (a full uniform apparently costs around RM2,000 to RM4,000) is not without its merits, but I think this incident also reveals an inherent lack of understanding of Malay, and by extension Malaysian, culture and sensitivities.

It may seem like a straightforward toss-up between an unnecessary triviality and an opportunity to make a statement against establishment excess, but for Malays and certainly for those in Peninsular Malaysia, there is a deeper cultural connotation at play.

To fully comprehend the complexities of Malay cultural psychology, one has to be appreciative of the very revealing testament that is encapsulated, in typical Malay fashion, in the old adage: “biar mati anak, jangan mati adat”, which roughly translates to “better for children to perish than to lose tradition.”

Crude, to be sure, but a telling insight that is evident when one considers that while Chinese racial discourse usually revolves around the loss of business and education opportunities, its Malay counterpart is often centred on the primordial sentiments of culture and religion. In other words, the priorities are clearly different. Therefore, if Malays are proverbially willing to sacrifice kin to save culture, one can be assured that the argument of saving a few thousand ringgit will not hold strong.

Still, I maintain that non-conformity can be a virtue, as I am certainly one to speak. Yet I also see the need to be more responsive towards the socio-cultural mores of our multi-cultural heritage, especially within the framework of a semi-feudalistic society in a constitutional monarchy. What may seem banal and costly to a few may be perceived as symbolically important and priceless to many others. We must realise this.

Perhaps it was the Malay in me who felt vexed, but I do believe that like me, many other Malays and indeed Malaysians now place greater expectations on the DAP, especially in our capacity to bridge the gap between an insular past and an inclusive future.

This is a crucial juncture in our party’s history, and whether we emerge truly Malaysianised depends very much on how we choose to view the world inasmuch as how the world chooses to view us.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 1 July 2011, 2:18 pm and is filed under
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Open Letter – Cabinet should end the “madness” unleashed in past week

The Prime Minister,

Deputy Prime Minister,

Cabinet Ministers.

Cabinet should end the “madness” unleashed in past week with  police required to arrest those wearing the Bersih 2.0 T-shirt,  yellow virtually  becoming a colour of crime and “Bersih” a dirty word

I am writing this short Open Letter to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and all Ministers to ask the Cabinet at its meeting this morning to end the “madness” unleashed in the past week with the police required to act unlawfully to arrest those wearing the Bersih 2.0 T-shirt, yellow virtually becoming a colour of crime and “Bersih” a dirty word.

The statements firstly by the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Ismail Omar warning that lives might be lost despite firm assurances and commitment by  Bersih 2.0 organisers and supporters of a peaceful and orderly rally  while ignoring the inflammatory incitements and provocations of  UMNO Youth and Perkasa  and secondly by  the Deputy Election Commission Chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar castigating Berish as stooges and “catspaw” of Pakatan Rakyat have raised serious questions in Malaysia and internationally that  the two national institutions of the police and the Election Commission could be independent, impartial and professional in dealing with Bersih 2.0 call for free, fair and clean elections in Malaysia.

This is the last opportunity for the Cabinet to end the “madness” where the police are required to act unlawfully to arrest those wearing the Berish 2.0 T-shirt as well as other related Bersih 2.0 paraphernalia,virtually criminalising yellow as a colour as well as rendering “Bersih” as a dirty word.

The slogan used at the beginning of the Mahathir premiership, which went on for 22 long years, was “Berish, Cekap, Amanah”. How low Malaysia has sunk that exactly 30 years later, the word “Bersih” is justification to trigger police repressions!

Malaysians and the world are watching. Let not July 9 come to symbolise the degeneration of the Prime Minister’s Government Transformation Programme into a repressive regime even worse than the worst of the Mahathir administration with Operation Lalang as its notorious trademark.

Bersih Chairman Datuk S. Ambiga has undertaken “to do everything we can to make sure it is peaceful”, inviting the police to suggest the route for Bersih 2.0 and “we will follow their directions”.

The police should extract similar pledges of peaceful and orderly rallies from the Umno Youth and Perkasa counter-protests firmly holding their organisers to their commitments.

Let us show the world that Malaysia is capable of holding peaceful and orderly assemblies and rallies without creating any law-and-order problem to demonstrate that under the Prime Minister’s GTP, Malaysian democracy has come of age as other developed democracies.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 1 July 2011, 9:00 am and is filed under
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Police to make sure July 9 rallies do ‘not take place’

By
Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

July 01, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 — The police have shut out all forms of negotiations with organisers of the upcoming July 9 rallies, with Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar warning today that the police will make sure the rallies do not take place.

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police said that there would be no more room for discussions, and warned the organisers — Bersih, Perkasa and Umno Youth — to be prepared to be arrested if they did not abort the rally.

“We have given them explanations and warnings and reminders, but they do not heed. We will make sure the rallies do not take place.”

“We will not discuss anymore. Be ready to face the laws of this country,” he said.

Khalid, speaking at a hastily called press conference at Bukit Aman, did not discount the possibility of using the Internal Security Act (ISA) against those involved in the upcoming rallies.

“I won’t discount it,” he said.

Bersih had yesterday asked the police to suggest a route for its July 9 march to ensure that its rally goes off without a hitch.

Bersih chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said the election watchdog presented the suggestion to the Inspector-General of Police in the hope that he would be open-minded and work with Bersih.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 1 July 2011, 2:32 pm and is filed under
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Religious council throws its weight behind all three rallies

By
Tarani Palani

July 1, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) has thrown its weight behind all three planned rallies on July 9.

The organisation which propagates religious harmony said that the “supreme law” of the court, the Federal Constitution guarantees the freedom of assembly.

“Article 10 (1)(b) (states) all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms… it is one of the pillars of our Rukun Negara,” read the statement.

“Even the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has stated that the people have the constitutional right to assembly peaceably… and the government should allow it,” it added.

Any pre-emptive banning of the said rallies would only make this fundamental guarantee an “illusion”. The police have a duty and the capacity to control such assemblies.

“They can designate routes and separate the different groups as was done in recent by elections. The should call the groups and make arrangements on the route each may take.”

The MCCBCHST also ridiculed reasons made against the rallies such as that it will cause traffic jams and  inconvenience the people.

It said Malaysians have accepted these inconvenience as many national and religious functions and processions are held on a regular basis.

Bersih announced that it will rally for free and fair election on July 9. Malay right-wing group Perkasa jumped in and said that it will organised a counter protest on the same day.  Soon after, Umno Youth announced that it too, will hold rally on the same day in support of the current electoral system.

Let’s engage

Bersih also found support in the form of community-based NGO,  Permas (Persatuan Masyarakat Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan).

The NGO which protects urban  poor communities in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, expressed its approval of Bersih’s demands for a clean electoral roll, use of indelible ink, the halt of corruption and dirty politics, and the strengthening of public institutions.

Permas also condemned the government for its strong-arm tactics against Bersih.

“We are disgusted by the actions of the police who seem to be protecting only certain parties but continue to threaten, intimidate and arrest ordinary citizens who only want to exercise their rights,” said Permas’ Tan Jo Hann in a statement.

“Let us engage in open debate and discussions about these issues, and also take seriously the principles of free and fair elections which has not been taken seriously enough by the Election Commission,” he said.

HSS to let members decide

Meanwhile Indian-based assosiation, Hindu Sevai Sangam, said it supported Bersih’s call for the Election Commission for free and fair elections through electoral reforms.

However the movement said it was not encouraging its supporters to join the Bersih rally on July 9.

“That decision is left to our members to make, (but) the laws of the country must be obeyed.

“When it is declared as an illegal rally, the people must understand there are consequences to go against that order,” said HSS’ secretary general KK Supramaniam in a statement.

He added that the electoral reforms urged by Bersih was genuine and was not an attempt to make the EC a scapegoat.

Supramaniam also urged the authorities to take stern action against Perkasa chairman Ibrahim Ali for his alleged seditious statements.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 1 July 2011, 2:26 pm and is filed under
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TV, radio told to demonise Bersih rally

By
Lee Way Loon

Jul 1, 11 | MalaysiaKini

With the Bersih 2.0 rally just around the corner, the authorities have launched a media campaign to label the rally as an illegal gathering to the extent that TV stations are required to submit daily reports detailing their news coverage on the rally.

Malaysiakini learnt that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), which oversees all private TV and radio stations, has directed the broadcasters to state the number and content of news related to Bersih in their reports.

Yesterday, the commission also invited representatives from 22 electronic media and telecommunications operators to attend a one-day seminar titled ‘Content Monitoring Seminar 2011’ at its auditorium in Cyberjaya.

According to the MCMC letter issued to the electronic media, a copy of which was obtained by Malaysiakini, the aim of the seminar is to “discuss compliance with licensing criteria and other relevant provisions”.

Editors who attended the seminar told Malaysiakini that they were implicitly advised by the MCMC not to refer to the rally as “Bersih rally” but as “illegal gathering” in their news coverage and to discourage members of the public from taking part in it.

On July 9, the day of the rally, footage showing police using violence on protesters is considered taboo, the editors said.

Instead the news should highlight the difficulties and inconvenience caused by the rally to the people, as well as scenes of protesters heckling, public property being vandalised and massive traffic congestions.

RTM already playing the role

State-owned RTM TV stations have been airing street polls against the rally on an almost daily basis in the past week.

Messages telling people to stay away from the rally are also being aired daily over both RTM and MCA-owned Mandarin radio station 988, which has highlighted the rally’s status as illegal.

Most of the mainstream local dailies, meanwhile, have already been referrring to the Bersih 2.0 rally as an “illegal gathering”.

Even the Chinese dailies, which exercise comparatively greater editorial independence, are leaning toward a conservative stand on this issue.

Both China Press and Nanyang Siang Pau have in their editorials recently dissuaded the people from taking part in the rally in order to “protect the national security”.

Among others, they recalled the May 13 racial clashes of 1969 in order to convince their readers about the potential harm the illegal assembly could bring about.

Websites warned

Meanwhile, MCMC has warned it would shut down websites deemed a threat to national security, including those promoting the July 9 rally.

MCMC chief strategy officer Mohamed Sharil Mohamed Tarmizi told the Star that the commission would not hesitate to take action against any website for breaching the Communication and Multimedia Act.

Anything deemed illegal or wrong in the real world also applied to the cyber world, said Sharil.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 1 July 2011, 2:38 pm and is filed under
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Hisham outlaws Bersih 2.0

The Malaysian Insider

July 02, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Electoral reforms movement Bersih 2.0 has been declared illegal by the Home Ministry effective July 1 for causing “an atmosphere of unrest,” a week before its planned July 9 rally.

The ministry issued a four-paragraph statement outlining the reasons for the ban by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

It gave three reasons for the banning of the movement, adding it was an unregistered group despite fulfilling all criteria to form an organisation under the Societies Act 1966.

The reasons given for the ban are:

i) Being active and sparking an atmosphere of unrest and worry among the multiracial community in the country;

ii)  Spreading propaganda to incite the people to topple the government by distributing certain leaflets;

iii)  Its activities have given a bad image to the country, which can threaten and undermine public order, security, economy and country’s sovereignty and affect the harmony of the multiracial community.

“Because of this, the home minister has declared the Bersih 2.0 organisation as going against the law under Section 5 of the Societies Act 1966 effective July 1, 2011,” read the statement signed by Registrar of Societies Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman.

Shortly after the declaration, PKR vice-president N. Surendran came out to condemn Hishammuddin’s action as unlawful, and added that it was also unconstitutional as the Federal Constitution allowed the freedom of association.

“How can a movement for fair elections be a threat to security? How can a peaceful assembly with a noble, democratic purpose be a threat to public order?” he asked in a statement tonight.

The human rights lawyer then said PKR wants the government to revoke the order and free all those held for involvement in Bersih.

Bersih 2.0 is a coalition of 62 groups seeking electoral reforms to provide for free and fair elections.

It has planned a rally on July 9 in the capital city to press for its eight demands, but police have said it will not allow any demonstrations on the day.

At least two other groups — Perkasa and Umno Youth — have said they will mount counter-protests against the Bersih rally.

The Najib administration has used state-run media and special sermons during Friday prayers at mosques yesterday to criticise the Bersih rally, which is the second such demonstration asking for electoral reforms.

The first in 2007 saw an estimated 50,000 people take to the streets in the capital city before they were dispersed by riot police armed with water cannons and tear gas.

Bersih 2.0 expects a higher turnout this year due to more widespread publicity courtesy of social media.

Pakatan Rakyat parties have ordered their members to support the rally, with PAS asking its one-million members to turn up on July 9.

Several rallies in support of Bersih are also being planned in major cities across the world on that day.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 2 July 2011, 10:47 pm and is filed under
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Najib blasts Ambiga, PAS over Bersih rally

The Malaysian Insider

July 02, 2011

PASIR PUTIH, July 2 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak lambasted Bersih chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and PAS for the planned July 9 rally, telling people here the Islamist party will do anything to capture Putrajaya.

The electoral reform movement has called for a rally to press for free and fair elections but the Najib administration is taking all measures to stop the demonstration which is a repeat of a 2007 rally that drew some 50,000 people in Kuala Lumpur.

“Who doesn’t know Ambiga. She’s the one who threatened Islam. And below her is Mat Sabu,” Najib (picture) told a 20,000-strong crowd, referring to the Bersih chief who once took up a case involving the faith and the new PAS deputy president Mohamed Sabu. The prime minister is in Kelantan for a day-long visit.

Najib’s remarks were carried by Radio Malaysia news at 1pm. The station also played public service clips against the rally and praising the prime minister as leader of all Malaysians.

Najib said Mohamed was willing to be deputy to Ambiga as a means to get power for PAS, which has ruled Kelantan since 1991.

The PAS No. 2 is no longer in Bersih although the party supports the movement.

Bersih, comprising 62 groups, has vowed to continue with the rally although police has said it will not issue permits.

The government has also issued a special sermon for Friday prayers yesterday to criticise the rally apart from state-run media castigating the protest without specific reference to Bersih or the rally date.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said yesterday there would be no more room for discussions, and warned the organisers — Bersih, Perkasa and Umno Youth — to be prepared to be arrested if they did not abort their respective rallies.

Bersih has asked the police to suggest different routes and directions for the three groups on July 9 to ensure that its rally goes off without a hitch.

Among others, the group is demanding that the government ensure a clean and fair general election, reforms in the postal voting system and an extended campaign period of at least 21 days.

The first rally, also organised by Bersih, was held in 2007 and saw some 50,000 people take to the capital’s streets. The gathering eventually descended into chaos when the police deployed tear gas and water cannons on demonstrators.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 2 July 2011, 10:38 pm and is filed under
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Pakatan condemns Bersih 2.0 ban

By
Clara Chooi

July 02, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders expressed outrage tonight at the Home Ministry’s decision to outlaw Bersih 2.0 ahead of its rally next week, but declared that the clampdown has not spooked them into withdrawing their support.

Electoral reforms coalition Bersih 2.0 has invited all political parties to join its march for free and fair elections but the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) have snubbed them, saying PR’s victories in Election 2008 is proof there is no fault with the current system.

“We are more determined now to demand for more democratic space in society. I do not see any reason whatsoever for the minister or Umno to crack down on the people just because they are demanding free and fair elections,” PKR deputy president Azmin Ali told The Malaysian Insider.

He pointed out that Bersih 2.0 was a loose coalition of “legal and registered” civil society groups exercising their rights to call for electoral reform and, as such, there was no reason for the movement to call an end to its July 9 rally.

The Gombak MP also told Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who issued the order to outlaw Bersih 2.0 effective July 1, to stop turning the administration into a Middle Eastern-style dictatorship.

“We have made clear our position that this rally must be a peaceful one. But Perkasa and Umno Youth, their reasons are just to provoke and create chaos,” he said, agreeing that the government was practising double standards by failing to outlaw the latter two groups.

Malay rights group Perkasa and Umno Youth, led by its chief Khairy Jamaluddin, plan to take to the streets on July 9 in two separate protest marches.

The home ministry issued a four-paragraph statement today outlining the reasons for its banning of Bersih 2.0, including that the coalition had sparked an atmosphere of unrest in the country, that it was spreading propaganda to incite the people to topple the government and that its activities was tarnishing the country’s image.

PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub today denied all three allegations and challenged Putrajaya to prove its claims.

“Where does it say that Bersih is unlawful? This so-called propaganda are merely lies, we have even raised this (Bersih’s requests) in Parliament before. This is merely an act of desperation by Umno-BN,” he said.

In an SMS tonight, PAS central working committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said “definitely no” when asked if the ban would deter party members from participating in the rally, adding that Hishammuddin should instead order the police to direct traffic and ensure public safety on July 9.

DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang described the ministry’s decision tonight as politically motivated and questioned why an identical clampdown was not imposed to thwart Perkasa and Umno Youth’s rally plans.

“Why no similar declaration on Umno Youth and Perkasa who were even more irresponsible in provoking a situation of tension and hatred? I do not think any right-minded person can accept this declaration,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

He added that by banning Bersih 2.0, the government was declaring to Malaysians that fighting for free and fair elections is an unlawful act.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar said it was no surprise that Hishammuddin had decided to ban Bersih 2.0 since the latter had already declared the coalition’s signature yellow T-shirts as illegal earlier this week.

“The T-shirt ban was using Section 7 of the ISA (Internal Security Act) and needs gazetting before it can be enforced. Clearly, the ministry has no regard for the laws in this country.

“[Hishammuddin] and (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib (Razak) might as well declare Malaysia a police state since they are allowing mindless zealots — Perkasa and various other Umno-sponsored silat groups — to run amok all over the country while blatantly clamping down against any related Bersih individuals using all state apparatus and agencies at their behest,” she said in an SMS to The Malaysian Insider.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 2 July 2011, 10:52 pm and is filed under
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Sungai Siput MP, five PSM members held under emergency law

By
Shannon Teoh and Melissa Chi

July 02, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Police have re-arrested Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar and five other Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members for 60 days under the Emergency Ordinance, which allows for detention without trial.

The six were due in the Butterworth courts this morning as a seven-day remand order had expired after their arrest for promoting the Bersih rally last week.

It is understood that the six have been sent to the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters.

Twenty-four others held with them were brought to the courts today. They are being represented by senior lawyer Sulaiman Abdullah, a former Bar Council president.

Police have arrested more than 100 people this past week in connection with the Bersih rally, declaring its yellow T-shirt illegal.

The latest to be arrested was Selangor exco member Ronnie Liu last night.

PSM secretary-general S. Arutchelvan told The Malaysian Insider that the six individuals were immediately re-arrested following their release from the Kepala Batas police station earlier today, and claimed they are being held on “fabricated charges”.

“This is a Bersih clampdown. I think the arrest of the six shows that this is the consequences for people doing a normal campaign. This is how the government uses this draconian law,” he said.

He said several lawyers have volunteered to file habeas corpus writs on behalf of the detainees, with some already waiting at the Bukit Aman police headquarters.

On its website, PSM also listed the litany of allegations arrayed against its member, holding these as evidence the police were being used as a political tool by the government. These ranged from minor infractions such illegal assembly to allegations as grave as “waging war against the King”.

“These highly inconsistent charges only go out to show mala-fide behind the arrests and subsequent detention of the PSM political activists,” it said.

The party then demanded the unconditional release of all its arrested members

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 2 July 2011, 10:44 pm and is filed under
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Where’s the 1 Malaysia, Datuk Seri?

The Malaysian Insider

July 02, 2011

JULY 2 — Of course, any visit to Kelantan makes a politician a bit more religious in his outlook. Datuk Seri Najib Razak is no exception.

But Kelantan doesn’t make anyone less Malaysian or less inclusive.

Yet the prime minister chose to use his visit to Kelantan today to lash out at Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan in a very base way. The kind of attack one expects from others but not the political aristocracy that has given us two Umno presidents and two prime ministers.

“Who doesn’t know Ambiga. She’s the one who threatened Islam. And below her is Mat Sabu,”
Najib told
a 20,000-strong crowd here, referring to the Bersih chief who once took up a case involving the faith and the new PAS deputy president Mohamed Sabu.

The prime minister’s remarks were carried by Radio Malaysia news at 1pm. The station also played public service clips against the rally and praising the prime minister as leader of all Malaysians.

What happened to duelling over policy and issues that matter rather than dwelling on personalities?

Why go down this low road of talking about people rather than confront the issue?

Such methods are more suited for the likes of Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali. The only difference today is that the Umno president is a lot more eloquent.

His attack betrays the ideals he has espoused in 1 Malaysia, of a united country where economic and social reforms will make us a developed nation by 2020.

What use is all these potential wealth and unity when we talk about people in such a derisory tone? It might be a crowd of Muslims in Kelantan but that doesn’t mean one should put down a person as an enemy of the faith.

This country is secular. This country tells the world it’s polite, that Malaysia is truly Asia.

But our prime minister today showed an unpleasant side of stooping so low to make a personal attack. A side that betrays his own ideals and casts a shadow on our international image.

What a pity. He was doing so well to charm Malaysians to support his government and its policies.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 2 July 2011, 11:00 pm and is filed under
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Ambiga: Bersih is the rakyat, ban has little impact

By
Melissa Chi

July 03, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 — The Home Ministry ban on Bersih 2.0 will not have the impact it had aimed for as the electoral reform movement has captured the people’s “hearts and minds”, says its chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.

The former Bar Council president also disagreed with the Najib administration’s rationale for outlawing the movement, saying Bersih 2.0 was a coalition of established groups and does not need to be registered.

“More important, above and beyond that, Bersih now means more than just a group of organisations to Malaysians. Bersih is now a concept that has captured the hearts and minds of the rakyat.

“Bersih is now the rakyat, therefore whatever anybody tries to do to Bersih will not make any difference to how people feel about what it stands for,” the Bersih chairman told The Malaysian Insider.

The Home Ministry declared Bersih 2.0 illegal effective July 1 for causing an “atmosphere of unrest”, a week before its planned July 9 rally calling for free and fair elections.

The ministry issued a four-paragraph statement yesterday outlining the reasons for the ban by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

It gave three reasons for the banning of the movement, adding it was an unregistered group despite fulfilling all criteria to form an organisation under the Societies Act 1966.

The reasons given for the ban are:

i) Being active and sparking an atmosphere of unrest and worry among the multiracial community in the country;

ii) Spreading propaganda to incite the people to topple the government by distributing certain leaflets;

iii) Its activities have given a bad image to the country, which can threaten and undermine public order, security, economy and the country’s sovereignty and affect the harmony of the multiracial community.

Ambiga disagreed with the reasons outlined by the Registrar of Societies Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman and gave her justification.

“From a legal standpoint, we believe that Bersih 2.0 is a coalition of established organisations, so it does not require registration under the Societies Act,” said the senior lawyer.

Police have arrested more than 100 people this past week in connection with the Bersih rally, declaring its iconic yellow T-shirt illegal.

They released and re-arrested Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar and five other Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members yesterday for 60 days under the Emergency Ordinance, which allows for detention without trial.

The PSM members were campaigning for the electoral reform movement, which comprises some 62 groups and has received support from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition and few other political parties. The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) has snubbed an offer to support the movement and has instead demonised it through state-run media and mosque sermons.

Bersih 2.0 has planned a rally for July 9 in the capital city to press for its eight demands, but police have said it will not allow any demonstrations on that day.

At least two other groups — Perkasa and Umno Youth — have said they will mount counter-protests against the Bersih rally.

The first Bersih rally in 2007 saw an estimated 50,000 people take to the streets in the capital city before they were dispersed by riot police armed with water cannons and tear gas.

Bersih 2.0 expects a higher turnout this year due to more widespread publicity courtesy of social media.

PR parties have ordered their members to support the rally, with PAS asking its million-strong members to turn up on July 9.

Several rallies in support of Bersih are also being planned in major cities across the world on that day.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 July 2011, 10:55 am and is filed under
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Bakri MP, 5 others held over yellow gotong-royong T-shirts

By
 Clara Chooi

July 03, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JOHOR BARU, July 3 — Six DAP members, including Bakri MP Er Teck Hwa, were hauled up by the police this morning during a gotong-royong exercise, on suspicion that it was part of the now-outlawed Bersih 2.0’s activities.

The six, wearing yellow T-shirts bearing designs different from that of the Bersih 2.0 logo, were picked up at the Taman Pelangi market as they were distributing leaflets to the public.

Despite trying to explain to the cops that their walkabout this morning was part of a community cleanliness campaign themed “Negara Bersih, Rakyat Bertuah”, they were still hauled up to the Taman Pelangi police station.

Er managed to post an update on his Facebook profile page, writing, “BN (Barisan Nasional) government should make new announcement — cleaning street campaign is prohibited in Malaysia.”

He claimed the cops had told them that if they had not invited the media to cover their arrests, they would have been freed immediately.

The six were later led to the Sentral police station for questioning. They are being represented by PKR lawyer Hassan Karim.

“PKR lawyer Hassan Karim is now dealing with police. Lawyer said they might be charged under sedition act but dont not know yet,” Er wrote on Facebook at about 1.30pm.

The six include Er, Johor DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) chief Tan Hong Pin, Johor DAPSY vice chief Jason Josob, Johor DAP committee member Chen Kah Eng, Taman Bukit Indah DAP branch secretary Yan Boon Meng and Johor DAP assistant political education director Tang Chee Kia.

Police have arrested more than 100 people over the Bersih rally and have detained six under the Emergency Ordinance for 60 days.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein has outlawed both Bersih 2.0 and the movement’s yellow T-shirts, saying it is related to illegal activities.

But Bersih has vowed to go ahead with its planned July 9 rally asking for free and fair elections.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 July 2011, 5:09 pm and is filed under
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Lift ban on Bersih, urges Kit Siang

Jul 3, 11 |
MalaysiaKini

The PM, Najib Abdul Razak, should overrule Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and lift the ban on Bersih said DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang.

He said in a statement today the three grounds given for the ban under the Societies Act do not stand scrutiny and will only expose the government and country to public disdain and international scorn.

Bersih is not guilty of the first ground, “Being active and sparking an atmosphere of unrest and worry among the multiracial community in the country,” he added.

“Those guilty are Perkasa and Umno Youth, with the former even threatening another May 13 what with the warning to the Chinese to stay indoors and to stock up food, and Umno Youth in front of PKR headquarters threatening violence and chaos.”

He asked why had Hishammuddin  acted against Bersih, the innocent party, while the culprits, Perkasa and Umno Youth, seem to enjoy immunity and impunity.

He also argued against Reason 2: “Spreading propaganda to incite the people to topple the government by distributing certain leaflets,” saying that in the first place, how could a government be toppled by the distribution of leaflets.

“This is a baseless and groundless charge as could be established in any challenge to the authorities to produce evidence to back up this ridiculous allegation.”

As for Reason 3: “Its activities have given a bad image to the country, which can threaten and undermine public order, security, economy and the country’s sovereignty and affect the harmony of the multiracial community,” he said it was Perkasa and Umno Youth which must plead guilty to this charge not Bersih.

“Now, with the outrageous ban on Bersih, the Home Minister is himself guilty of giving Malaysia a bad image which will cause great loss of public and investor confidence in Malaysia detrimental to Malaysia’s economic interest and national unity.

“Will Hishammuddin ban himself from committing such disservices to Malaysia?” concluded the MP for Ipoh Timor.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 July 2011, 5:21 pm and is filed under
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Lim Guan Eng zalim!

Komentar
Roketkini

2 July 2011

2 JULAI – Sekumpulan penyokong UMNO, Perkasa dan segolongan India Muslim telah mengadakan demonstrasi haram di ibu negeriPulau Pinang pada petangJumaat laludi mana mereka turut menyerang dua jurugambar.

Tujuan mereka mengadakan perhimpunan haram berkenaandengan membawa sepanduk “Pulau Pinang Hak Kami”, “Guan Eng Dalang Perpecahan Melayu” dan “Jangan Berani Bangkitkan Komunis”, adalah membantah dan mengecam pentadbiran Ketua Menteri Lim Guan Eng.

Selain mengadakan perarakan dalam bandar ke pejabat KetuaMenteri di Komtar, Georgetown, mereka juga berarak hingga ke Jambatan Pulau Pinang yang mengakibatkan kesesakan lalulintas serta kedai-kedai di bandar ditutup.

Sepanjang demonstrasi haram itu, pihak polis hanya membiarkan sahaja mereka yang terlibat bermaharajalela di jalanan.

Hanya selepasia berakhir, barulah polis menahan lapan orang termasuk Senator EzamMohd Nor, bekas KetuaPemuda PKR yang sudah kembali menyertai UMNO, atas tuduhan mengadakan perhimpunan tanpa permit.

Perhimpunan haram itu adalah bertujuan mengecam “kezaliman” Guan Eng serta “mempertahankan Malaysia daripada kumpulan yang ingin merosakkan keharmonian negara”.

Mungkin mereka yang berdemonstrasi itu menganggap Guan Eng telah menzalimi rakyat kerana:

Kerajaan negeri Pakatan Rakyat Pulau Pinang Berjaya mencatat rekod lebihan bajet untuk tiga tahun berturut-turutsejak 2008 atas amalan bebas rasuah dan urustadbir yang berasaskan amalan cekap, akauntabel dan telus (CAT);

Kejayaan ini disahkan oleh Laporan Ketua Audit Negara di mana Pulau Pinang merupakan negeri yang mempunyai pengurusan kewangan yang baik selama dua tahun berturut-turut. Pulau Pinang merupakan satu-satunya kerajaan negeri atau negara yang telah dipuji oleh Tranparency International di Malaysia kerana Berjaya memerangi rasuah;

Melalui pengurusan kewangan yang baik membolehkan kerajaan negeri Pakatan mengagihkan RM12 juta setahun kepada Sekolah Agama Rakyat, SekolahMubaligh, Sekolah Cina, Sekolah Tamil dan Sekolah Sikh;

Prestasi kewangan kerajaan Pakatan Pulau Pinang tetapi juga telah menyelamatkan Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang daripada menjadi muflis, malah mencatatkan sedikit lebihan pada 2008 dan seterusnya untuk tiga tahun berturut-turut, iaitu lebihan RM3 juta pada 2008, RM15 juta (2009) dan RM23 juta (2010);

Pulau Pinang mencatat jumlah pelaburan yang tertinggi dalam sejarah dengan menduduki tempat pertama di Malaysia sebanyak RM12.2 bilion;

Penurunan indeks jenayah yang tertinggi di Malaysia adalah di Pulau Pinang dengan penngurangan sebanyak 27 peratus;

Pulau Pinang menduduki tempat pertama dalam sector pelancongan kesihatan dan pertumbuhan penumpang udara sebanyak 25 peratus di Negara ini;

Kerajaan negeri Pakatan Rakyat Pulau Pinang membelanjakanRM20 juta untuk pemberian RM100 setiap seorang untuk program penghargaan warga emas, ibu tunggal dan orang kelainan upaya (OKU);

Waris si mati pula diberikan RM1,000 untuk jenazah. Program ini yang mendapat sambutan yang begitu popular di kalangan 115,000 daripada 130,000 warga emas atau 88 peratus di Pulau Pinang akan diperluaskan kepada OKU dan ibu tunggal;

Kerajaan Pakatan dengan tajaan percuma syarikat swasta telah menyediakan 750 lokasi hot spot internet WiFi percuma di tempat awam. Kemudahan ini akan diperluaskan ke 750 lokasi lagi dengan bayaran kerajaan negeri yang menjadikan jumlah keseluruhan sebanyak 1,500 lokasi demi mencapai hasratPulau Pinang sebagai negeriWiFi yang pertama di Malaysia;

Dasar-dasarseperti No Free Plastic Bag Day dan mempergiatkan kempen kitar semula menunjukkan komitmen kearah menjadikan Pulau Pinang negeri hijau yang pertama di Malaysia. Pengurangan sisa pepejal sebanyak 175 tan metric sehari di kawasan MPSP adalah satu tanda kejayaan;

Demi mengatasi masalah kesesakan trafik, satu Pelan Induk Pengangkutan Pulau Pinang sedang disediakan oleh perunding pakar trafik dengan kos RM3.2 juta. Ia akan merangkumi system jalanraya terowong; antara cadangannya telah pun dicatat dalam Memorandum Of Understanding yang ditandatangani oleh BUCG dari Beijing dan Guan Eng pada 28 April 2011 dan disaksikan oleh Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak dan Perdana Menteri China Wen Jia Bao;

Projek jalan dan terowong itu adalah:

a) Gurney Drive menghubungkan Lebuhraya Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu sepanjang 4.2 km.

b) Bandar Baru Air Itam menghubungkan Lebuhraya TunDr. Lim Chong Eu sepanjang 4.6 km.

c) Terowong Pulau Pinang – Butterworth sepanjang 6.5 km.

Pembinaan ini bukan sahaja dapat mengurangkan kesesakan trafik di kawasan pulau tetapi juga akan memacu pembangunan ekonomi di kawasan Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) seperti Kepala Batas, Tasek Gelugor dan Butterworth.

Kesemua 1,500 guru Kafa tahun akan diberikan RM100 sempena Majlis Sambutan Maulidur Rasul Pulau Pinang. Bayaran RM 100 one-off ini memakan perbelanjaan RM150,000;

Pada 2010, kerajaan negeri telah memberikan RM100 one-off kepada guru-guru Kafa sempena perayaan Awal Muharaam. Buat kali pertama juga dalam tahun 2010, semua guru Kafa telah diberikan RM250 duit raya untuk menyambut Hari Raya Puasa.

Sebagai tanda simpati, kerajaan Pakatan Pulau Pinang juga memberi RM25,000 kepada semua 25 orang mangsa malapetaka tanah runtuh Rumah Anak-anak Yatim dan Anak-anak Hidayah Madrasah Al-Taqwa di Batu 14, Hulu Langat, Selangor.

Inilah antara “kezaliman” Guan Eng yang menjadi punca demonstrasi ganas kumpulan-kumpulan UMNO, Perkasa dan segelintir India Muslim yang mahu “menyelamatkan” Malaysia. – Roketkini.com

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 July 2011, 11:14 am and is filed under
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LKS backs Sabah Speaker on education autonomy

Jul 3, 11 |
MalaysiaKini

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang voiced support for Sabah Speaker Salleh Said’s call for the state education department to be given more power and autonomy.

Salleh had said reportedly said that many school buildings in Sabah are in a state of disrepair and educational projects are carried out only haphazardly due to the need to refer even simple matters to the education ministry headquarters in Putrajaya.

This, said the speaker, was jeopardising the government’s efforts in developing education in Sabah.

Sabah education director Muhiddin Yusin had also backed Salleh’s call for the state authorities to be given greater decision-making autonomy and powers in the implementation of development projects, especially maintenance, training and recruitment of teachers.

In a statement, Lim (above) said Education Minister Muhyiddin should fully devolve powers to the Sabah education department in the interests of autonomy and efficiency, and for Sabahans’ general educational interests.

Litany of education woes

Lim listed as some of “weaknesses, anomalies and downright abuses” by the education authorities in Sabah as being:

– the lack of safety in some 90 schools against floods, such as the SMK St Peters in Telipok;

– ‘Cabin’ classes in rural areas where lessons are being conducted in sub-standard and poorly-constructed classrooms where gaps not properly sealed and zinc roofs are not properly placed, posing dangers to students and teachers;

– ‘Computer labs’ that are without computers, or computers that cannot be turned on due to absence of electricty: Most of the 300 computer labs for secondary and primary schools in Sabah are ‘white-elephants’ and are not being used for their intended purpose.

– The abandonment, after three years, of a RM7 million project to elevate SMK Peter Mojuntin in Penambang into a sports school;

– The payment of school contract works by Putrajaya, not by the state education department; and

– Inordinate delay – ranging from six months to two years – in the promotion of teachers in Sabah as these are decided by Putrajaya, resulting in some 22 schools in Sabah that are without principals.

Describing the state of Sabah education as “topsy-turvy”, he urged Muhyiddin to “reduce politicking inside and outside the country” and tackle the problems faced by Sabahan children seeking an education.

“Who must bear responsibility (for the problems) – the Education Minister in Putrajaya or the state education director in Kota Kinabalu?” asked the veteran opposition politician.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 July 2011, 5:06 pm and is filed under
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Media organisation condemns rally and police

By
 Athi Shankar

July 3, 2011  | Free Malaysia Today

GEORGE TOWN: The assault on newsmen during Friday’s violent rally and the police inaction to stop it had irked the Penang Chinese Journalists and Photographers Association (Pewaju).

In a strongly worded statement here, Pewaju condemned the unprovoked attacks on a journalist, a photographer and a videographer by the protestors during violent and illegal rallies in George Town downtown and on Penang Bridge.

The rallies were against the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s Pakatan Rakyat state government and next Saturday’s Bersih 2.0 rally.

The protesters were pre-dominantly local leaders and members of Umno, Perkasa and Suara Anak-Anak Mamak Pulau Pinang. Observers believed, among the protesters were also hired local thugs.

The rally ring leaders included the Anak Mamak group leader Mohamed Ghani Abd Jiman and Senator Ezam Mohd Nor.

“We condemn strongly the attack on journalist and cameramen during the rally.

“We are appalled and upset with the failure of police to protect the media men and the ordinary citizens,” said Pewaju.

The statement questioned the standard and status of security and safety for ordinary people given by the police.

The statement claimed the attacks on the journalist took place right before the police eyes, but the law enforcers were hapless, helpless and hopeless to stop the assault.

The statement claimed that the demonstrators simply did not bother about the presence of the police and were volatile throughout the illegal assembly.

“The ineptness of the police raised a question on their integrity, competency and credibility to protect ordinary Malaysians,” slammed Pewaju.

Pewaju explained reporters and cameramen risk their lives to be at any spots of happenings to report the truth to the public.

Hence, it insisted that media men needed absolute protection and cooperation from all quarters, especially the police, to do their job with minimum disruption and risk.

To throw into the sea

In Friday’s illegal assembly on the Penang Bridge, a youth wearing an Umno Youth shirt threatened to throw the assaulted journalist into the sea.

The protester allegedly asked the journalist whether or not he wanted to swim under the bridge.

“That is a threat to throw the journalist to the sea,” insisted Pewaju.

Pewaju questioned on why the police were lame duck in enforcing the law and failed to take preventive measures to stop the demonstration before hand when they already knew about it a day earlier.

Question also arises on why the police have been so tough to clampdown on the Bersih 2.0 rally which is yet to take place, while being incompetent in halting an illegal rally by Umno and company that actually took place.

“Are police practicing double standards here?” asked Pewaju.

Two of the assaulted journalists have already lodged police reports on the unsavoury incidents.

Pewaju calls on the police to carry out immediate probe into the reports and nab the culprits to face charges sooner than later.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 July 2011, 10:45 am and is filed under
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Muhyiddin should fully devolve Education Ministry powers to Sabah State Department

The Sabah Speaker, Datuk Seri Salleh Tun Said has called for the Sabah State Education Department to be given more power and autonomy.

Salleh said many school buildings in the State are in need of repair and educational projects are not carried out systematically due to having to refer simple matters to Putrajaya jeopardising the Government’s efforts in developing education in Sabah.

The Sabah State Assembly Speaker has received the support of the Sabah State Education Director Datuk Dr. Muhiddin Yusin who has joined in the call for the state education department to be given greater empowerment on decision-making and the implementation of development projects, especially maintenance, training and recruitment of teachers.

In the Daily Express today, Muhiddin said:

“Allow us to manage our own allocations based on the concept: ‘Let managers manage’ and so on.

“Currently the department is not empowered to manage any allocation for development even if it is for projects costing below RM500,000.”

This despite Treasury regulations for more than 10 years which state that the department can decide on projects worth below RM500,000.

I call on the Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to reduce politicking inside and outside the country, as he is heading to become the  worst Education Minister in the nation’s history.

Muhyiddin should fully devolve Education Ministry powers to Sabah State Education Department in the interests of autonomy and efficiency to better promote educational interests of Sabahans.

At present, the Sabah education scene is very topsy-turvy. Who must bear responsibility – the Education Minister in Putrajaya or the State Education Director in Kota Kinabalu?

Some of weaknesses, anomalies and downright abuses of authority in the present topsy-turvy scenario of the Sabah education scene include:

1. Unsafe schools in Sabah – some 90 schools are prone to flooding in any heavy rain, eg. SMK St Peters in Telipok;

2. “Cabin” classes in rural areas – where classes are built like “cabins”:  sub-standard, poor construction, gaps not properly sealed, zinc roofs not properly placed, creating hazards and danger to school children.

3. Sabah has “computer labs” without computers or they have computers without power. Most of the 300 computer labs for secondary and primary schools in Sabah are “white-elephants” and not used for their intended purpose.

4. The RM7 million project to elevate SMK Peter Mojuntin in Penambang into a Sports School has been abandoned after three years.

5. Payments of school contract works have to be made by Putrajaya and not by the state education department.

6. Inordinate delay in the promotion of teachers in Sabah which have to be decided by Putrajaya, resulting in some 22 schoos in Sabah without principal ranging from six months to two years- highly detrimental to the educational interests of the students.

* Media Conference Statement in Sandakan on Sunday, 3rd July 2011 at 9 am

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 July 2011, 11:41 am and is filed under
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Najib should overrule Hishammudin and lift the ban on Bersih as the three grounds given for the ban do not stand scrutiny

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should overrule the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and lift  the ban on Bersih as the three grounds given for the ban under the Societies Act do not stand scrutiny and will only expose the government and country to public disdain and international scorn.

For instance, the
first ground
– “Being active and sparking an atmosphere of unrest and worry among the multiracial community in the country”.

Bersih is not guilty of this charge. Those guilty are Perkasa and Umno Youth, with the former even threatening another May 13 with warning to the Chinese to stay indoors and to stock up food and UMNO Youth in front of PKR headquarters threatening violence and chaos.  Why have Hishammuddin acted against Bersih the innocent  party while done nothing to the culprits, Perkasa and UMNO Youth as if they enjoy immunity and impunity for committing crimes.

Reason 2
: “Spreading propaganda to incite the people to topple the government by distributing certain leaflets”.

In the first place, could a government be toppled by “distributing certain leaflets”? This is a baseless and groundless charge as could be established in any  challenge to the authorities to produce evidence to back up this ridiculous allegation.

Reason 3
: “ Its activities have given a bad image to the country, which can threaten and undermine public order, security, economy and the country’s sovereignty and affect the harmony of the multiracial community.”

Again it is Perkasa and Umno Youth which must plead guilty to this charge not Bersih.  Now, with the outrageous ban on Bersih, the Home Minister is himself guilty of giving Malaysia a bad image which will cause great loss of  public and investor confidence in Malaysia detrimental to Malaysia’s economic interest and national unity.

Will Hishammuddin ban himself from committing such disservices to Malaysia?

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 July 2011, 1:10 pm and is filed under
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Patriot and Bersih: A tale of two rallies

By
Hazlan Zakaria

Jul 3, 11 | MalaysiaKini

COMMENT
Growing up, Charles Dickens was my favourite author.

He still is.

His stories are exciting, insightful, witty and rich of sobering social commentary.

His tales tell of the wealthy and poor alike, of the arrogant all-powerful and the disenfranchised powerless.

But for all his seriousness, he had a great sense of humour, if a little moribund. Nothing perhaps illustrates his dry tongue-in-cheekiness than the first paragraph of one of his most revered classic,
 ‘A Tale of Two Cities’
:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on it being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

Splendidly done, spectacularly written, the passage is a clever way to place his tale into any time, any place. They speak of truths evident still, such is the timelessness of his work.

Sadly, its echo is heard loudly in our age, in our beloved land. Not as a lesson nor precautionary tale, but a reality that we now face first hand, if we but observe the twin dualities of the rallies; Patriot and Bersih.

Perhaps never in Malaysian history, have the lines been drawn so clear, between the dual truths of unselfish nobility and crass ignoble behaviour.

There exist two rallies hence, one of Bersih’s, a mass movement of Malaysians made up of many ilks and colours, and the other Patriot – made up of Malay rights group Perkasa and their colleagues in Umno Youth.

One seeks clean, free, fair elections. While the other sought to preserve that which authorities hold absolute; Their grip on power. I think I need not explain which is which.

‘A Marquis of our own’

Bersih has promised peace, while the other warned of violence. The Patriot group spoke of chaos, seething members they can’t control, whilst those marching for electoral reforms, have made good conduct their motto.

But the government’s spiel and response, is at inappropriate if not strange – punishing the meek with out-of-date powers and letting the belligerent walk free.

“Foreign agents” and “Communists”, such bogeymen they resurrect, but the truth is self evident, it is they who initiated misconduct.

A movement for reforms they outlawed, while the champions of divisiveness they greet.

It seems like pre-revolution France, we too have a Marquis of our own, whose actions this past few weeks demonstrate more than just mere disregard, to the plight and voice of the rakyat. What we oft see is the image its likeness paints in our hearts of hearts; A tyranny.

“Repression is the only lasting philosophy. The dark deference of fear and slavery, my friend,” observed the Marquis to his nephew Charles Darnay, “will keep the dogs obedient to the whip, as long as this roof, shuts out the sky.”

How true and how apt, an intractable authority that refuses to give up the reins nor change. Like the Bastille, our future’s safekeeping, may perhaps require the storming of our own castle of arrogance. Figuratively, if not literally. Is it time to bring down the house of cards?

As I pen these words, I cannot but feel a twinge of regret, at the life choices I made. My decision to take on the mantle of observer and join the cadre of journalists. To man the watchtowers of an alternative press, one that is as free and objective, as we can make it.

‘Rakyat’s hopes and sacrifice’

For as my duties hold, I cannot take to the streets with my brothers and sisters. Such is the curse of my profession, for the privilege of commenting, I must enact boundaries and recuse myself from those that I observe.

But I do have opinions and a clear realisation of what is wrong and right. For that and in this commentary, is my balm to setting things right.

In so far as words have power, as breath of spells can kindle magic, I give my spirit to their cause and bend my mind to their noble deed, for that freedom that well nigh fifty years, have the tentacles of oppression denied us.

For those of us in the free press, we shall do our best to record this momentous time, the hopes and sacrifice of the rakyat. Turning our objective glare unto a government desperate to stop the inevitable. May we be the bulwark against their agenda of untruths.

But be all forewarned, we shall record the misbehavior or appropriateness of each. As Dicken’s also warned us, the oppressed can also oppress. This is why we are the fourth estate, for ours is to watch and tell.

I shall end my tale with another quote from Dickens. Quite appropriately from the ending of
A Tale of Two Cities
. May it be for the activists on the streets and the honest journalists on the ground, that our deeds on that day measure up with the best that we can.

These are the last thoughts of the lawyer Sydney Carton whilst alive, before the greatest act of his sacrifice. As Carton’s did, may our deeds birth a better brighter future. For our nation, our brethren and our children, if not ourselves.

“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.”

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 July 2011, 5:00 pm and is filed under
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Technology and protest

By
Kapil Sethi

July 03, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 3 — To an observer of the increasingly charged political rhetoric in the country, the lack of political acumen on display by the ruling coalition vis- à-vis the Bersih 2.0 rally is truly astonishing.

If there is one thing to be learned from the Arab Spring, it is that draconian measures against protesters give more impetus and motivation to their cause. It is a different paradigm from the past where in the absence of alternative media, divide and rule was a very successful strategy.

The larger question, of course, is what the powers that be are so afraid of? The answer to a great extent has to do with the current power of technology. Yes, technology.  For instance, consider the differences between, say, the online Curi Curi Wang Malaysia protest and the Bersih 2.0 rally.

Firstly, it seems odd that a street protest (Bersih 2.0) sounds like an online protest while an online protest (Curi Curi Wang Malaysia) sounds like a street demonstration. In the Malaysian contest, both forms of protest used to pressure authority structures to change current policy are somewhat new.

The former is a purely online protest leveraging social networking technology to register protest which goes viral very quickly and after achieving its immediate objective in terms of followers and then tends to lose steam equally quickly.

The latter though leverages the power of visual technology (cameras, news coverage, video clips for online dissemination) to create memorable imagery in order to garner longer lasting support.

While technology has played a crucial part in allowing both forms of protest to become viable, intuitively we understand that Bersih 2.0 poses a greater danger to the status quo than Curi Curi Wang Malaysia.

Online protests are by and large due to their nature less threatening as they offer a safe way to register protest without any of the risks of arrest or physical harm. The lack of effort required (clicking on a like button) creates the perception that it can be ignored.

But when people are willing to take much greater effort and risk to register their protest, as in the case of the Bersih 2.0 rally, we know that their courage and belief in their cause is also much greater.

Also, technology allows street rallies to make for compelling viewing instantaneously, whether on television or online. The power of street protests comes from the visual evidence of the protester’s commitment to a cause, Tahrir Square being a prime example.

Which is why the wholesale banning of anything associated with Bersih 2.0 comes as a surprise. (Ed’s note: Bersih 2.0 as a movement was banned yesterday.) While raising the costs and risks associated with participation will hardly deter the committed, it will surely enhance the watchability of the event, and subsequently create a level of admiration and sympathy among bystanders and fence sitters.

Add to this the ostensibly non-partisan nature of the cause (free and fair elections) and the government’s heavy-handed approach runs the risk of actually worsening its popular standing.

A smarter strategy would be to use this understanding to minimise the impact on the voting population by turning the rally into as much of a non-event as possible. We all know that news cycles are limited and there is a preponderance of causes around the world.

An unopposed peaceful rally for a couple of hours has potentially much less play as a news story than one full of arrests, roadblocks, confiscated T-shirts and dire warnings of violence.

As it stands now though, Bersih 2.0 has the potential to actually become what the ruling coalition fears the most; a powerful show of anger by seemingly ordinary Malaysians which becomes a catalyst to convert the fence-sitting voter to an opposition supporter.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 July 2011, 11:04 am and is filed under
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