Najib rues Bersih handling, says Kit Siang

by
Clara Chooi

The Malaysian Insider

Jul 11, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — Lim Kit Siang said today Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s unannounced visit yesterday to Bersih 2.0’s rally hotspots proved the prime minister was aware that his “mishandling” of the event had plunged him in “deep political trouble”.

The DAP advisor also chided Najib for claiming support from the “silent majority” who stayed home on Saturday, and told the prime minister they had broken their silence by calling for his resignation through Facebook.

A Facebook fan page set up after the rally, called “100,000 People Request Najib Tun Razak Resignation”, reached its 100,000 mark at 3.50am this morning and is still growing steadily.

“This is a most eloquent response to Najib’s call yesterday on the ‘silent majority’ of Malaysians to make their stand in cyberspace on the Bersih 2.0 rally.

“The ‘silent majority’ of Malaysians have indeed spoken out loud and clear, in the most viral phenomenon on Malaysian cyberspace, declaring their denunciation of the Najib crackdown on the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally,” Lim said in a statement today.

Najib yesterday praised Malaysians who chose to opt out of Bersih 2.0’s Saturday rally, saying they represented the “silent majority” who did not support the outlawed coalition and its demands.

But Lim sought the shred Najib’s confident front today, claiming the prime minister’s visit yesterday to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Masjid India was the act of a man well aware that that his credibility had plummeted to a new low.

“Najib and his strategists are aware that the prime minister is in deep political trouble because of gross mishandling of the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally — hence the instant counter of an Umno-organised briefing for Umno officials, Umno-linked NGOs and heads of government-linked companies yesterday and a walkabout by Najib at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Masjid India, two ‘hotspots’ of the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

Lim also likened Najib’s impromptu walkabout yesterday to that of former US president George W. Bush’s surprise visit to Baghdad following the US-led invasion into Iraq. Bush’s visit had resulted in the infamous incident when an Iraqi journalist flung both his shoes at the premier, calling him a dog and accusing him of killing Iraqis.

The veteran politician also said today that Saturday’s events had seen the death of Najib’s 1 Malaysia, which he claimed was replaced by a “Bersih 1 Malaysia” and demonstrated by thousands who took to the streets of the capital and resisted police threats to march for free and fair elections.

“Malaysians of all races, religions, gender and age walked tall despite police threats, teargas, water cannons and sustained media demonisation to re-affirm their faith in clean Malaysia where there are free and fair elections, a clean political system and incorrupt national governance,” he said.

Lim said the only way for Najib to reconnect with the newfound “Bersih 1 Malaysia” generation would be if he agreed to set up a royal commission of inquiry to review the events of the rally, take disciplinary action against errant police officers who purportedly abused civilians and fired tear gas into the Tung Shin Hospital, order the unconditional release of the six PSM members detained under the Emergency Ordinance, and lift the ban on Bersih 2.0.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 July 2011, 10:03 pm and is filed under
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Najib the biggest loser, says Kit Siang

By
FMT Staff

July 11, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: There are many casualties in the Bersih 2.0 rally – police, mainstream media and the Election Commission (EC) – but the biggest loser is Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, says DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang.

He said that the rally on Saturday saw the death of Najib’s 1Malaysia concept but the birth of a true Bersih 1Malaysia.

“(On that day), Malaysians of all races, religions, gender and age walked tall despite police threats, teargas, water cannons and sustained media demonisation to reaffirm their faith in a clean Malaysia…,” he said in his blog posting today.

He added that Najib and his strategists are aware that the prime minister is in deep political trouble because of the gross mishandling of the Bersih 2.0 rally.

He claimed that was the reason why Najib called for an instant Umno-organised special information briefing for Umno officials, Umno-linked NGOs and heads of government-linked companies yesterday.

Najib also took a walkabout at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Masjid India, the two “hotspots” of the Bersih 2.0 rally.

However, Lim said Najib’s credibility has plummeted to a new low as a result of the gross mishandling of the peaceful assembly.

He added that this is why more than 100,000 Facebook users want Najib to resign in the wake of the heavy-handed police against the Bersih supporters.

“This is the most eloquent response to Najib’s call yesterday on the ‘silent majority’ of Malaysians to make their stand in cyberspace on the Bersih 2.0 rally.

“The ‘silent majority’ has indeed spoken out loud and clear in the most viral phenomenon on Malaysian cyberspace, denouncing Najib’s crackdown.”

Nadir point

Lim said that Najib’s popularity has reached a nadir point since becoming prime minister 27 months ago – all because of flip-flop leadership reminiscent of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, which caused the former prime minister’s undoing.

“What is most shocking is the denial complex afflicting the national leadership,” he said, citing Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar who denied that police fired tear gas into Tung Shin Hospital and at Bersih and Pakatan Rakyat leaders at the enclosed KL Sentral tunnel.

He said that Ismail claimed that there were only 6,000 people supporting Bersih 2.0 rally when 50,000 had turned out.

“Yet the police mobilised a 7,000-strong force and arrested 1,667 men, women and children – the largest mass arrests in Malaysian history!”

“Can Najib save his premiership, make amends and reconnect with the Bersih 1Malaysia citizens… who want a clean Malaysia in elections, political system or national governance?” he asked.

Lim said that for Najib to reconnect with the newfound generation of Bersih 1Malaysia, he must take the following measures:

set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry for free, fair and clean elections and into the gross mishandling of the Bersih rally;

take disciplinary action against police officers who were guilty of wanton and unwarranted brutality and violence;

immediately and unconditionally release Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar and five other PSM officials detained under Emergency Ordinance; and,

lift the ban on Bersih 2.0

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 July 2011, 5:53 pm and is filed under
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Najib’s post-709 KL walkabout reminds you of what?

There are many casualties in the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally on Saturday especially the police, the mainstream media and the election commission but the biggest loser of all is undoubtedly the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

709 saw the death of Najib’s 1Malaysia but the birth of a true Bersih 1Malaysia where Malaysians of all races, religions, gender and age walked tall despite police threats, teargas, water cannons and sustained media demonisation to reaffirm their faith in a Clean Malaysia where there are free and fair elections, a clean political system and incorrupt national governance.

Najib and his strategists are aware that the Prime Minister is in deep political trouble because of gross mishandling of the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally – hence the instant counter of an UMNO-organised Special Information Briefing for Umno officials, UMNO-linked NGOs and heads of government-linked companies yesterday and a walkabout by Najib at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Masjid India, two “hotspots” of the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur.

However, the Prime Minister’s credibility has plummeted to a new low as a result of the gross mishandling of the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally so much so that his unannounced walkabout of Kuala Lumpur a day after 709 reminds one of Bush’s unannounced one-day visit to Baghdad after the United States bomb-out of Iraq!

This is why the “100,000-People Request Najib Tun Razak Resignation” facebook reached its target of getting 100,000 likes in some 36 hours, and has now exceeded 120,000 although not yet 48 hours since it was first started.

This is a most eloquent response to Najib’s call yesterday on the “silent majority” of Malaysians to make their stand in cyberspace on the Bersih 2.0 rally. The “silent majority” of Malaysians have indeed spoken out loud and clear, in the most viral phenomenon on Malaysian cyberspace, declaring their denunciation of the Najib crackdown on the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally.

Najib’s popularity has reached a nadir point since becoming Prime Minister 27 months ago – all because of flip-flop leadership reminiscent and which caused the undoing of his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

What is most shocking is the terminal denial complex afflicting the national leadership, with the classic case of the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Ismail Omar trying to deny the undeniable of unwarranted police brutality and violence as firing tear gas and water cannons into Tung Shin Hospital and at Bersih and Pakatan Rakyat leaders at the enclosed KL Sentral tunnel.

The IGP claimed that there were only 6,000 people in support of the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally when tens of thousands to the extent of 50,000 had turned out in support; yet the police mobilised 7,000-strong force and arrested 1,667 men, women and children – the largest mass arrests in Malaysian history!

The majority of Malaysians agree with Marina Mahathir, who together with her daughter took part in the Bersih 2.0 rally, when she blogged that the government’s poor handling of the Bersih 2.0 rally has given it a bad image internationally.

Can Najib save his premiership, make amends and reconnect with the Bersih 1Malaysia citizenry transcending race, religion, geography, gender and age who want a Clean Malaysia in elections, political system or national governance?

This is a tall order and the prerequisites for Najib to reconnect with the newfound generation of Bersih 1Malaysia must include the following measures:

Royal Commission of Inquiry for free, fair and clean elections and into the gross mishandling of the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally;

Disciplinary action against police officers who were guilty of wanton and unwarranted brutality and violence as causing the death of Baharuddin Ahmad, the firing of tear gas into Tung Shin Hospital and directly at Bersih and Pakatan Rakyat leaders in the KL Sentral tunnel;

Immediate and unconditional release of Sungai Siput MP Dr. Michael Jayakumar and five other PSM officials detained under Emergency Ordinance; and

Lifting of the ban on Bersih 2 and end of the twin BN phobias of Bersih-phobia and Xanthophobia (fear of yellow).

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 July 2011, 3:07 pm and is filed under
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PM, IGP still in denial state

By
Tarani Palani

July 11, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar are still in a state of denial. They still deny police brutality during Saturday’s rally despite extensive video evidence of police’s heavy-handed techniques.

Bersih said in a statement that it was “disappointed” by Najib and Ismail’s continuous denial, which “completely flies in the face of extensive video evidence” of the police’s heavy-handed techniques.

“We expect much higher standards of integrity from those entrusted with leading our nation and keeping it safe,” the statement said.

The authorities have maintained that there has been no police high-handedness throughout the rally. However, numerous eye-witness accounts beg to differ. One such incident was the firing of tear gas into the Tung Shin Maternity Hospital.

The police have denied that they fired canisters of tear gas into the hospital grounds, but numerous eyewitness accounts and photographic and video evidence showed that the police had fired tear gas and sprayed chemical-laced water into the hospital compound to lure out Bersih supporters.

Bersih has encouraged participants to submit such photographic and video evidence of police brutality to them.

Ironically, this request from Bersih comes just as Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the police themselves will release footages to counter allegations of brutality.

At a press conference in Bukit Aman police headquarters today, Hishammuddin also warned that action will be taken against those who make baseless allegations against the police.

“We have visual recordings in our operation room. Whatever has been alleged will be investigated , and action will be taken against those in the Internet and foreign media who have made baseless allegations,” he was quoted in a Malaysiakini report.

‘Police brutality shocking’

Bersih also said that acts of police brutality “against a peaceful gathering of unarmed citizens” were “unwarranted” and “shocking”.

“Such acts demonstrate beyond doubt the utter failure of the authorities to uphold and protect the most basic human rights enshrined in the Federal Constitution.”

Bersih expressed shock over the continued arrests of people associated with the electoral watchdog even after Saturday’s rally.

FMT learnt that eight in Sabah were arrested today for wearing yellow T-shirts.

“There is absolutely no need for such paranoid harassment and the authorities must stop these actions at once,” Bersih said.

Bersih also extended its deepest condolences to the family of Baharuddin Ahmad who lost his life while participating in the rally in the KLCC area.

Police said that Baharuddin, in his late 50s, died of heart complications. City acting police chief, Amar Singh, said that the post-mortem showed that he did not suffer any internal or external injuries.

However, Bersih claimed that it had received reports that the main cause of his death was the heavy-handed action of the police and their “complete failure” to provide timely medical aid. However, it did not elaborate further on these reports.

Massive turnout

Bersih also called for the immediate release of the six Parti Socialis Malaysia (PSM) members detained under the Emergency Ordinance 1969.

“They have done nothing wrong and we insists that they be released immediately without any conditions,” it said.

Bersih said that intimidation by the authorities will not prevent the electoral watchdog from continuing its struggle for free and fair elections.

It also added it was clear from the massive turnout that a huge number of Malaysians agree that things are not right with the electoral system.

Bersih organisers have said that about 50 000 supporters have turned up for Saturday’s rally. Police, however, have put the number at only 6,000.

Press reports estimate that there were 10,000 to 15,000 people who participated in the rally.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 July 2011, 5:55 pm and is filed under
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Resign, netizens tell Najib

Malaysiakini

Jul 11, 11

Even as thousands descended on Kuala Lumpur for the Bersih 2.0 rally on Saturday, netizens held their own protest via Facebook to demand the prime minister’s resignation.

The page, ‘100,000 People Request Najib Tun Razak Resignation’, quickly hit its six-figure target, garnering a staggering 109,484 ‘likes’ from Facebook users within 48 hours.

A large part of the virtual congregation is made up of Bersih 2.0 supporters, many of whom have used the official Bersih 2.0 profile badge.

One Terry Hong commented that the group was a form of support for the NGO coalition: “He (Najib) said that many of the rakyat did not attend Bersih 2.0 because they ignored Bersih 2.0. Here to let him know, not attending does not mean not supporting.” (The comment has been edited for grammar.)

Azmi Nama Ku wrote: “Inspector-general of police said only 6,000 people demonstrated and added that demonstrators were paid RM200 each to demonstrate. But now this page has achieved 106,471 likes, they (Bersih) must be rich to pay RM200 each to like this page.”

The page was set up on Saturday, the day of the Bersih 2.0 rally, to serve as a platform for netizens to voice their grouses against the government. However, no information is provided on who created the page.

Supporters who expressed surprise with the rapid rise in ‘likes’ are now calling for the target to be increased to a million.

The page has also inspired several other copycat pages on Facebook with similar titles.

This is not the first time real-life political action has inspired virtual groupings to pursue a cause.

Last year, the announcement of a plan to build a 100-storey mega-tower sparked outrage among taxpayers that spilled over onto the Internet.

It saw the creation of a page, ‘1M Malaysians Reject 100-storey Mega Tower’, which now has almost 300,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 July 2011, 12:49 pm and is filed under
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The best of Bersih

By
Art Harun

July 11, 2011

JULY 11 — In so far as Bersih is concerned, I am done lecturing on the concept of fundamental liberties and the rights of the people. I am done writing about the true concept of social contract and the duties of the State. Because, really, knock, knock, knock, and there’s nobody home.

So  today I am going to do what I have not done in the past, namely, I would post links to the websites which, I think, depict the best of Bersih. In fact, they depict the best of Malaysia, really (it proves that one does not have to engage a super high powered Jewish company and pay them millions to sell a concept such as 1 Malaysia. Bersih proves that when there is a unity of purpose, the people will unite).

Let me begin with part of the lyrics of Guns & Roses’ song, “Civil War”:

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.

Some men you just can’t reach…

So, you get what we had here last week,

which is the way he wants it!

Well, he gets it!…

Look at the shoes your filling

Look at the blood we’re spilling

Look at the world we’re killing

The way we’ve always done before

Look in the doubt we’ve wallowed

Look at the leaders we’ve followed

Look at the lies we’ve swallowed

And I don’t want to hear no more”

We have read so many accounts of the Bersih rally. The best among which, to me, are:

i)
My Bersih 2.0 Experience
, by Marina Mahathir (guess what, she was there. Eat your heart out Tun Dr M!);

ii)
Someone Did Win on July 9th
, by one Charis Ding (she had ice cream with the FRU!); and,

iii)
BERSIH 2.0 – Was it worth it?
, a note on Facebook by my facebook friend, one Abdul Haleem (telling us, among others, about  the true kindness of Malaysians, super cool policemen and FRUs who made fun of his disability).

The most endearing story is of course about Auntie Anne, the of
Lady Liberty
, a 65-year-old lady who took a bus alone, and walked all the way from the General Hospital to the rally centre. She took the prize for the best quote as well:

“Why do we have to feel so scared (and threatened) in our own home land… and by own countrymen?”

(At this point, Art posts three of his pick of the most enduring pictures of the Bersih rally, which he says would still adorn the Malaysian museum of liberty 100 years from now — Ed)

Pak Samad Said, our National Laureate, has been tireless in his efforts for Bersih. On the 9th, this 76-year-old walked and walked and walked, until he was stopped by the police near the Istana, where he had wanted to deliver the Bersih memorandum to His majesty the King. According to Pak Samad, His Royal Highness had said “can” when asked whether Bersih could deliver the memorandum on the 9th. Alas, it was not to be.

Pak Samad is, however, Malaysia’s new hero.

(Here, Art presents what to him is one of the best videos of the rally:
“709-This is Our Land”
 — Ed)

The saddest incident which took place during the rally was of course the death of Allahyarham Burhanudin Ahmad, who succumbed after the police fired tear gas at the crowd he was in. I will not fault neither Bersih nor the police for his death. However his brother alleged that the police actually refused to take him to the hospital while he was lying breathless on the ground. A van only came about one and a half hours later, by which time it was too late. If that was true, then it is tragic that the police had acted in such an inhumane way. I hope that’s not true.

Al-Fatihah to Allahyarham. May God bless his soul. But he died doing what he believed in. He died fulfilled.

Unfortunately, until the time of writing, there has been no utterance of condolence at all from any of our leaders in the government nor the people in the authorities, especially our police. All that was said is “do not blame the police for his death” and “the police was not responsible for his death” as well as “Bersih caused his death”.

Is it too difficult for us to put aside political differences for a while and be a normal human being? Can’t we in this hour of sadness for his family at least pay our respect to him and express our condolence to his family for their loss?

The strangest things about the Bersih rally are:

i) Ibrahim Ali, the war general without any war to go to, was nowhere to be seen. There was a report saying about 20 Perkasa members were seen having coffee at Taman Titiwangsa. The Bersih rally proves, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Perkasa is not what it is made out to be. It has no supporters. It has no specific agenda other than to vomit racist rhetoric and cause havoc for nothing.

ii) Despite being officially declared by the Right Honourable Prime Minister that the silat guys are the 3rd line of defence, no silat fellow was seen strutting his or her stuff during the rally. Someone with a wicked sense of humour twitted that the silat guys just arrived at Pasar Seni at 8pm after the rally. LOL!

iii) No communist, foreign provocateur or Christian with subversive intentions were arrested by the police. There was also no call to overthrow the government either by locals nor foreigners. And yes, the USA had not landed in the middle of Dataran Merdeka together with Nato in order to help the Malaysians to overthrow the government. Minister Rais is wrong, yet again (err…when has he ever been right? Hahah…)

iv) Who was it who said that traders and stall owners would lose a lot of money if the rally went on? Traders and stall owners were making roaring business.

Among the most ridiculous things which were said about and after the rally are:

i) most participants were Malays and these Malays were being used by DAP. Some newspaper said the Malays were being used by PAS. Make up your mind guys. Ibrahim Ali said the rally goers were paid. I have only one question to these guys. What are you smoking? Give me a quarter please.

ii) Ambiga had committed treason and her citizenship ought to be revoked. Ibrahim Ali said that. Need I say more?

iii) The Prime Minister said Umno could muster 6,000 people on short notice. Bersih could only gather 6,000 people in 3 months. Umno could flood KL with millions if it wanted to. Ho ho…try give a permit to Bersih Mr Prime Minister and let’s see how many will turn up. By the way, Patriot could only bring 500 people.

The real victor is of course the people of Malaysia. Despite our well known rudeness on the road (well, let’s just wait till the balik kampung event starts next month), Malaysians of all races, faiths and walk of life walked in unison, side by side for one purpose. They chatted. They laughed together. They smiled at each other. They helped each other. They were civil even towards the police and FRUs who admittedly were just doing their job (but with considerable enthusiasm lah).

Speaking of being civil, whoever said that there would be a riot and destruction of property was proven, yet again, wrong. Not a single glass window broke. No car was smashed. No tong sampah was even overturned.

The one who were acting like hooligans were those people who were supposed to protect the civilians. Ambiga and gang were in the Brickfield underpass when they were stopped by a bunch of FRUs. Tian Chua went to them to negotiate. They responded by beating their shields. Tear gas were shot towards them. They retreated. Another bunch of FRUs came from behind and fired tear gas. They were trapped. Anwar and his bodyguard were injured (the bodyguard, badly). Khalid Samad was hit with a canister requiring 6 stitches.

What do you call that? No warning to disperse. No provocation by the group. And yet they were trapped between two groups of FRUs and fired with tear gas in an underpass. What do you call that? Sorry, in my book, that is criminal assault and battery. That is an attempt to injure. That is a crime.

Lastly, but surely not the least, the We-Have-Erection-Once-Every-5-Year award goes to…jeng jeng jeng… the IGP for saying that only 6,000 people joined the rally

I suggest the IGP changes his glasses and call a new tender for calculators soon.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 July 2011, 11:36 pm and is filed under
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The debacle of mishandling

By
 Hsu Dar Ren

July 11, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 11 — The dust has settled from the Bersih 2.0 march and life is now back to normal.

The much-anticipated rally took place and despite the heavy clampdown,  shutting KL-bound roads and diverting traffic, an estimated 20,000 people walked in many parts of the city to express their wish for a cleaner and more transparent election process.

With all due respect, the authorities could have handled this rally in a much more civil and humane way, since this was as an initiative by civil society ( a coalition of 62 NGOs) to ask for something which should by right should be provided without even having to ask.

While the old methods of repression and suppression were used, they have not been as effective as before. This is understandable, since the world today is a much different one from that of one or even two decades ago.

Perhaps the lessons from 308 that should have been learned and corrected by now were never really understood by the powers that be, and mistakes that were made prior to the run-up to the last election were again so glaringly repeated this time. Arrogance and double standards were some of the lessons that should have been learned well.

The perception of our law enforcement personnel was that they are still living in the 60s and 70s. In this 21st century, communist threats are still being used to justify some of the arrests just because  a Che Guevera T-shirt — which can be bought in many places — was worn.

There is a big difference between socialism and communism. This is no more the era of USSR or Mao Tse Tung’s China; the former has disintegrated into smaller states and the latter is now more capitalist than communist.

Who would want to revive communism, when these two giants communist states have tacitly admitted that their ideology is no longer workable, by opening their economies and adopting some capitalist practices.

Bersih’s walk  would and could  have been just like the lawyers’ walk some time back in Putrajaya, if the police as well as politicians adopted the same approach; let the walk proceed under watchful eyes.

Alas, an extremist NGO has to give advice to a certain ethnic group to stock up food or face the possibility of another May 13. The tension immediately rose 10 fold after this politician uttered his  advice, and when Umno Youth too announced that they would counter-march on that day, the collective temperature rose another few degrees.

It was not helped by the announcement by the Home Minister that the civil movemnt was illegal. With the announcement came the arrest of those  wearing yellow. This act was perhaps meant to put fear into the rakyat, but in reality, it had the opposite effect of angering many ordinary people who regard this as an infringement of basic human rights. And once again the same arrogance that drove many to voting the Opposition in 308 was on display.

Amidst the rise in temperature, one sane voice was heard. It was from  none other than the beloved King, who advised that both sides should find a solution amicably. The PM also made a sane decision by offering to allow the rally to be held in a stadium.

The King’s advice actually presented an opportunity for all sides to back down without losing face which is ever so important in Malaysian society.

Instead,  the famed arrogance and flip-flopping emerged again. Instead of   finding a solution, the authorities were seen  trying to create more problems.

The prime minister gave the impression he was reneging on his promise, and that was not good coming from the top leader. Understandably, there might be strong objections by his associates and advisors to use force but  having made the promise, the PM should have used exerted strong leadership to realise his promise, instead of passing the buck to the police to decide.

As a neutral observer, I see that the government’s action left the group no choice but lean towards the Opposition parties. If only BN parties too participated in the organisation of this rally, the whole exercise could have been turned round to BN’s favour.

But the archaic thinking and tactic of must-use-force-to-suppress did not have its intended intimidating effect. So an even “cleverer” idea of shutting down city access roads and causing inconvenience to thousands of motorists was adopted, hoping that by denying access, the rally would fail to take place.

The idea  of shutting down the city does have one effect. Shops around the city centre were closed, and even a day before the rally, some big firms and corporations let their staff home early.

But an estimated 20,000 people turned out despite shutting down bus services and roads, and closing some LRT stations. This is an estimate from foreign observers, and this is a big figure considering that all access roads to the city centre were shut down.

Contrary to what the authorities tried to portray, those who took part in the rally were multiracial; not just Christian groups as would have been the case if the allegation of Christian funding was true. In this modern era, every citizen would have noticed this fact by just following  international news channels.

In hindsight, Bersih would have been just another civil walk, had it been allowed to happen peacefully and under watch. It would not have grown so big that even my cleaning lady knows about it.

Not many, except perhaps the younger ones and the Internet savvy, would have known of its intention. But because of the mishandling, the arrogance and  the flip-flopping  displayed by the authorities, it has grown into a household name.

Datuk Ambiga, the courageous chairman of Bersih 2.0, is now a champion in the minds of many.

This debacle of mishandling, using the ideas and tactics of the last generation — mind you, this is no more the era of Mahathirism — will likely push many fence-sitters into the arms of the Opposition, and BN has only itself to blame.

Whatever advantage they have gained in the last few hard fought by-elections is now lost.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 July 2011, 10:40 am and is filed under
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The Proudest Day for Malaysians

By Thomas Lee Seng Hock

9th July 2011

Comment
MCA president Chua Soi Lek has again put himself and his party in a very awkward, embarrassing and contradicting poistion by endorsing the Umno Youth street demonstration while condemning the march by concerned citizens initiated and led by Bersih leaders.

According to a report in The Star, when asked about the Umno Youth demonstration, Chua said that its chief Khairy Jamaluddin had a reason to do it as the youth movement wanted to “defend the current institutions and make known that the electoral roll was not tainted”.

Chua and the other MCA leaders, including Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung, have been on record for saying that street demo is not part of the Malaysian culture, and that those protesting in the city are law-breakers, and are causing inconvenience and hardship to those doing business in the city, and damaging the image of the nation. The MCA Toursim Minister Ng Yen Yen has claimed that street protests will drive away tourists. And party vice-president Donald Lim wants to emulate Ibrahim Ali by forming a “Chinese Pekasa”.

Yet, the hypocrites in the MCA have unilaterally and unashamedly given their approval to Khairy and his Umno Youth street protest, becoming their apologists to defend their demonstration as legitimate and necessary.

What sort of leaders are these? They claim to be representatives of the Chinese community in the country, yet they are subsevient to their Umno master and obsequious to everything that Umno does. They have to kow-tow to even the Umno Youth leader.

Of course, I firmly believe that Khairy and the Umno Youth have every right, like the Bersih leaders and supporters, to hold peaceful protests on the street to press home their views and socio-political agenda, but the discrimating manner in which Chua and the MCA endorsed Khairy and the Umno Youth, and condemned the Bersih campaign surely exposes their questionable ethical and moral character.

Instead of condemning and frustrating the Bersih efforts to bring about a reformation and transformation of the electoral process in the nations, with free, fair, just, equal, clean, and transparent elections, Chua and the MCA should be using whatever influence and leverage they have within the Barisan Nasional federal government to actively press for people-friendly changes to be made in the governance of the country.

Instead, what we see and hear is their interests in positions, power, and prosperity. There is nary a care or concern for the well-being of the nation and its people. When Chua and the MCA leaders talk about the next general election, they are more interested in getting more elected positions, so that they could bargain for more powerful posts in the government. They want the Chinese community to give their a political blank cheque at the next general election to demand for more posts in the federal cabinet and other levels of government.

There is no real vision, and no affirmative political agenda, to work for a truly righteous, harmonious, united, equal, just, fair, accountable and transparent system of government, with the long-term permanent interests of the people as the gerundive priority.

The massive turnout of concerned citizens on Saturday 9th July 2011 for the Bersih march should serve as the “yellow warning light” to the Barisan Nasional leaders, including those from the MCA, that the people are simply fed up, disenchanted and disillusioned with the misgovernment, the corrupt culture festering within the administration at all levels, the increasing decline of moral leadership, and the unpredictable runaway and uncontrollably economic mess and chaos.

There is nothing racial or religious about the Bersih campaign for a better tomorrow for our children and grandchildren, although there are some racists and religious fanatics trying to desacralize and demonize the Bersih movement as such.

The turnout on Saturday 9th July 2011 has demonstrated how united and harmonious are the hearts and minds of the common citizens of various races. When I was assaulted and about to be grabbed by some policemen outside the Tong Shin Hospital in Pudu, scores of Malay and Indian youths surrounded me to protect me, and led me to safety. I also saw how people of various races helping each other climb over walls and fences to escape the police assault. We were all colour-blind that day and will be colour-blind always, except for the brilliant yellow ray of hope that we represent to our people, our children and their children.

The Najib government must take heed that each of us who went for the march for electoral reform represents at least dozens or more family members, relatives, friends, and collegues, and also the hundreds of thousands from outside the Klang Valley who were not able to come, or blocked from coming. It is not merely 50,000, but thousands and thousands more who want to see a transformation of our beloved nation into a better place to live.

I am proud I was there, to stand up and be counted, without fear or favour, with my beloved fellow patriots of all races and religions to register and demonstrate our love and concern for our beloved motherland. May God bless Malaysia real good. Amen and Amen.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 July 2011, 3:45 pm and is filed under
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Video: “This is our land”

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 July 2011, 11:39 pm and is filed under
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Video: Unity in Spirit, Strength in Number

[Bersih 2.0] Malaysian Lady of Liberty
 from
Bannai Roo
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Vimeo
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                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 July 2011, 4:07 pm and is filed under
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Was it worth it?

by
Abdul Haleem

Jul 11, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 11 — It has been 12 days since I have seen my wife, my son (who has just turned three) and my one-month-old daughter, sweet little Lana girl. If I don’t go down to see them this weekend, I will not see them for at least another week.

Three days ago my wife and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary, whilst we were apart. I had a choice to go back to Penang and be with them for the weekend, but instead, I chose to go down to Kuala Lumpur to support Bersih 2.0.

I arrived in KLIA at about 10.30am. The airport looked eerily deserted. As I travelled light, I literally ran to get an ERL ticket and jumped onto the train. As my excitement grew, I looked around to see KL as a ghost town. Even on Hari Raya holidays, you’ll see more cars on the Sungei Besi Highway compared to this particular Saturday.

Walking out from KL Sentral, I was shocked to see a huge presence of FRU units and police. I assumed this was to “manage possible demonstrators who might alight in KL Sentral and walk towards Masjid Negara.” I proceed to my hotel, which was just across from KL Sentral.

Coming out from the elevator I was greeted by two cops who were stationed there. I told them I was there to check in and they let me pass. I did notice more police in the lobby but I was still naïvely thinking that they were only there for general safety. I checked in, went to my room and changed into something more comfortable, (not the official T-shirt though) and walked back to KL Sentral.

I was surprised when I was still managed to get a ticket to Masjid Jamek. As soon as I was in Masjid Jamek LRT station, I could feel the atmosphere. The party was definitely ON. I remember thinking to myself that being alone may not help at all. Thus, I sought a group to join.

Within five minutes, I noticed a crowd of about 30 people gathering at the junction of Amanah Rakyat Building. As I joined them the leader started to give a speech. A journalist told me it was Dr Hatta Ramli from PAS who was giving the speech and he would lead this group to Stadium Merdeka.

We managed to walk to Menara Maybank without any trouble. By now the group size had grown to the hundreds, as we were now joined by other political figures such as Tony Pua from DAP. Suddenly, without any warning, teargas and chemical-laced water were shot and sprayed towards us. The effects were immediate and were more than I could bear.

As this was my first face-off with such hostility, like many hundreds around me, we ran to seek shelter. We climbed the stalled escalator towards the main entrance of Menara Maybank and worn out and almost defeated, we crumbled to the floor for a decent breath.

The teargas effects were agonizing and thanks to the expertise of FRU chemical unit, the chemicals were burning my skin. There were a number of mak ciks hand in hand with their teenage daughters. Although people were outraged, we remained civil and this was when I learned my first two lessons of the day.

Despite the anger, frustration and pain, all of us were civil. Very civil. I instinctively knew that it wasn’t a good time to break and thrash everything that was in front of us.

Although vandalism is part of mass rallies everywhere else, it wasn’t here. Not one person vandalised anything. True unity is in action. People genuinely cared for each other regardless of ethnic, religious or status differences. Everyone was ONE. Malaysians. With all due respect, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, this is 1 Malaysia with substance. Not the kind of crowd with free 1 Malaysia T-shirts waving the Malaysian flag whilst thinking of the free food which will be provided later.

Was it worth it to join the rally? Definitely, I have no doubt in my mind. I felt a sense of solidarity with all those around me, in a way which is almost unexplainable.

After 30 minutes of a break and recharging myself with a can of Red Bull, I rejoined the masses. I found a huge group just in front of our newly renovated Pudu Raya Bus Terminal.

By then, the marchers had already experienced rounds of tear gas and water cannons. I watched in shock, as water ran down the street like a flash flood. Somehow, I managed to sneak into the crowd. Someone told me how MP Sivarasa Rasiah was negotiating with the police, and whilst he was negotiating, I had the pleasure of experiencing something I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Despite the drizzling rain, the uncertainties and the risk of being hit by another round of tear gas, the crowd spontaneously started to sing Negaraku. It was such an awesome moment in my life, that I had goose bumps.

Later Sivarasa informed us that the police were allowing us to march on one side of the road towards Jalan Sultan. Deep down inside, I was like, “Yeah, right.” Less than 10 minutes later, he and a couple of other negotiators were whisked away by the police (they were later arrested) and all hell broke loose. Rounds of tear gas and sprays from the water cannon forced the majority of the group into the Tung Shin hospital compound.

I initially thought it was a safe bet to be in a hospital compound. Boy oh boy, it was a perfect trap for us. Yes, they did shoot tear gas inside the parking compound of the hospital. Being cornered with nowhere to run, no fewer than 30 guys and girls were arrested, including me. I was handcuffed with some sort of cable tie (which I use wildly in my job), but the only difference being, this one is much larger.

The cop who dragged me from Tung Shin Hospital compound all the way to Menara Maybank was very civil, but not the FRU personnel, who were standing along the street. At least five of them made nasty remarks about my disability, SAY WHAT IT IS. I was grouped with not less than 50 other detainees in Menara Maybank waiting for the famous Black Maria.

At this moment, I learned my next two lessons whilst waiting for the Black Maria. I first met the now most famous Bersih 2.0 figure, “Aunty Bersih”, whilst the crowd were singing Negaraku. She sang along. Despite her fragile state and clearly suffering from earlier tear gas attacks, she held on to the flowers. Determined and courageous, just like Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.

This auntie came around to the staging area where we were held and with full respect, she bowed in front us — the official detainees. It was so touching. I learned that this is a fight for everyone. This is a fight for the future of our kids. The fight to save this beautiful nation.

Not fewer than five Good Samaritans came around and passed us fresh bottled water. They bought it and brought it to us. For some of us whose hands had been tied behind our backs, they even held up the bottle whilst we took a sip. Who are they? Politicians? Nope. Suhakam? Nope. Just another MALAYSIAN. I learned that this is who we are. What we are. Utusan Malaysia, Datuk Ibrahim Ali and their fellows surely have no idea what it is like to be on the ground.

Was it worth it to join the rally? Hell, yeah!

After being held for almost an hour, we were taken to Pulaupol. Man, the place was set up for a carnival. A number of makeshift tents, mobile lavatories, temporary suraus and, being Malaysians, buffets included.

This is surely a good PR job by PDRM. My estimation is no fewer than 500 detainees were in there at this time. It was tough and as this was my first time being detained, I was calm, as I knew that being tense will not help anything at all.

Our Mykad were taken away. We were allowed to use the lavatory and suraus but not allowed to use the mobile phone. Despite this, I continued to text my brother and other friends. I was informed that the lawyers were not allowed into the Pulaupol compound. Within an hour, all the formalities were done. No statement was taken.

The chaos really began when the cops started a roll call to return our Mykad. Imagine a guy with loud speaker calling out name after name. Somehow, this was a blessing in disguise. During this roll call, every time a non-Malay name came up, the crowd cheered for him loudly, followed by a big round of applause. At about 8pm, my name was called and I hitched a ride on a PDRM bus which ferried the released “detainees” back to KL Sentral.

I got off just outside the main entrance of Pulapol and joined my brother and his colleagues. A few minutes later something unexpected happened. Haris Ibrahim was walking out calmly from the main entrance of Pulapol.

I couldn’t help myself and called out his name loudly. I went up to him and embraced him. I did see a kind of joy in his eyes knowing all his efforts had paid off and I am sure he could see in my eyes the kind of satisfaction I had, because I had joined this rally.

Was it worth it? Do you need to ask me again? What’s next, my fellow brothers and sisters?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 July 2011, 9:57 pm and is filed under
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Weighing the political cost of July 9

By
Ooi Kee Beng

July 11, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 11 — After the events of July 9 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak could be making a mistake if he calls snap elections any time soon.

A day after the police suppression of the Bersih 2.0 demonstration, he continued using a confrontational tone in public,and seemed to play more the role of United Malays National Organisation (Umno) party leader than of Malaysia’s national leader. This strongly suggests that he is psyching himself and his party into election mode.

However, no event since the last general election has generated as much outrage as the suppression of the Bersih 2.0 demonstration on Saturday did. After all, the list of demands that the group of non-government organisations (NGOs) wished to hand over to the Malaysian King was but a call for electoral reforms. These issues are racially and religiously neutral and most thinking people would find them at least worth discussing.

By letting the police shoot chemical-laced water cannons and aim tear gas canisters into the crowds and apparently at the heads of opposition leaders such as Anwar Ibrahim and Khalid Samad, the government may have angered many and left even more stunned.

It was outrage over how Anwar Ibrahim was treated in 1998 that ignited the Reformasi Movement and led to Umno losing control over Terengganu state to Parti Islam SeMalaysia the following year.

Outrage over police brutality on July 9 and the arrest of 1,677 demonstrators, provides opposition parties with a common experience on which to build a unifying narrative. The manner in which the government handled Bersih 2.0 will help consolidate Pakatan Rakyat in a way little else could have done.

Bersih 2.0 was given its name partly to secure its connection to the Bersih rally but it was reformed several months ago pointedly without official participation from opposition parties. This was to allow it to develop as a purely civil society initiative.

However, opposition activists are bound to support it because the electoral reforms demanded aim to create a more level playing field for democracy; and that is why the government saw red when faced with the prospect of a march by tens of thousands through the streets of Kuala Lumpur.

Bersih 2.0’s activities have been largely about raising Malaysian consciousness about democratic processes and rights, voter registration and political engagement. The government’s use of harsh laws, emergency regulations such as the banning of the organisation and yellow T-shirts, and the police muscle before and during the march on Saturday merely served to enhance the NGO’s agenda.

Looking back, it is hard not to see that the continuing challenge from Bersih activists could have easily been better managed. If permission had been given for the rally, then the police would have been able to decide the route and to exercise tight control over the event.

By announcing that no permit would be given even before it was applied for, the Home Ministry made a street confrontation inevitable. Intimidation through arrests and other means over the preceding two weeks did have some effect and caused Bersih leaders to quickly accept an unexpected offer made by the King.

When Bersih agreed to change the march to an assembly within a stadium, it looked as if Mr Najib had pulled off a clever manoeuvre and had forced his opponents to fight on his terms. However, this perception was soon proved incorrect when Home Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein immediately ignored the King’s feat by denying Bersih a stadium.

To be sure, in order not to compromise too heavily, Bersih had demanded to use the arena with the most emblematic value — Merdeka Stadium, where the declaration of independence was read out in 1957 by the first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman.

The minister’s strange move threw the point of confrontation back onto the streets, leaving the police with not much choice but to use riot weapons on peaceful demonstrators.

The symbolism embedded in Bersih’s wish to hand over the memorandum to the King and not the Prime Minister is quite obvious. It was meant to convey disappointment in the Najib administration and was a desperate appeal to the throne as the alternative national authority, and to past but respected leadership.

The question of what price the events of July 9 will extract now lies with the voters.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 July 2011, 10:55 am and is filed under
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Al-Fatihah – Top lawyer Raja Aziz Addruse dies at 74

By
Melissa Chi

July 12, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

Raja Aziz Addruse
KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — Raja Aziz Addruse, one of the country’s most distinguished and respected lawyers, died today after a long illness. He was 74.

He was elected a commissioner of the Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in 2006. Raja Aziz was the third Malaysian to be elected to this prestigious post after former Lord President Tun Mohd Suffian Hashim and senior lawyer Param Cumaraswamy.

Raja Aziz (picture) was elected Bar Council president three times, the first from the 1976-1978, then 1988-1989 and then for the 1992-1993 term.

He appeared before the courts in a variety of high-profile human rights and rule-of-law cases. He was the lead counsel for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy I case.

He was also a member of the Malaysian National Society of Human Rights.

He studied law at the University of Bristol.

“Fundamental liberties no longer exist; this is a harsh thing to say but the courts don’t seem to think that fundamental rights are important.

“To me, the constitution now means nothing because it can be changed at any time,”

Raja Aziz had said at a session themed “What the Constitution means to me” in 2007.

The senior constitutional lawyer said on the last day of the 14th Malaysian Law Conference that the checks and balances that were in the 1957 constitution did not exist anymore.

Tan Sri  L.C. Vohrah, a long-time friend of Raja Aziz, and a retired High Court judge, had described Raja Aziz as “a man of immense integrity and a self-effacing person” who deserved to be elected to the commissioner of the ICJ position.

Raja Aziz will be buried after Zohor tomorrow at 1 pm at the Kiara Muslim Cemetery.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 July 2011, 3:45 pm and is filed under
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Anti-Bersih group holds Najib to ransom

By
Clara Chooi

The Malaysian Insider

Jul 11, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — Anti-Bersih supporters have mounted a petition online, threatening to abandon its support for Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration if the prime minister fails to revoke the citizenships of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Datuk Ambiga Sreenavasan and punish Bersih marchers.

Pledging one million signatures, the petition started by one Rahmat Azim Abd Aziz, 39, warns Najib against ignoring its five demands, saying its signatories would not hesitate to rebel to defend Malaysia, “even without the help of Datuk Seri’s (Najib) government”.

As of 8pm today, the petition entitled, “Legal action and recommendations to His Royal Highness the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia to revoke medals and accolades” has attracted 173 signatures.

It was created on petitiononline.com, a site that hosts online public petitions for free, but Facebook users have since caught wind of it and are sharing links to the site on fan pages and their profile pages, urging others to sign it.

“If Datuk Seri does not take stern action and monitor subversive elements and efforts to tarnish the country’s image, Malaysians will lose direction and faith in your leadership.

“When this happens, traitors to the country will find it easier to take over our beloved Malaysia. Datuk Seri’s efforts will become pointless and the futures of our youths will become uncertain,” the petition said.

Claiming to represent the views of a majority of the government’s supporters, the petition urged that its demands be given “full and serious” consideration, saying that “peace, harmony, unity and Malaysia’s economic strength” are important elements for the present and coming generations.

“Racism and disunity have become more widespread due to incitement from opposition parties, NGOs and foreign agents. We want stability, economic strength and unity.

“All of Datuk Seri’s efforts in developing the economy will be destroyed in the blink of an eye simply because of those who are uncomfortable with seeing progress in Malaysia,” said the petition.

In its demands, the petition called on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin to revoke the titles of Ambiga, Anwar, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and national laureate Datuk A. Samad Said.

It also wants Anwar and Ambiga’s citizenships revoked, saying the duo had instigated the people to riot, rebel and defy the country’s rule of law.

It also demands that legal action be taken against any of the 91 individuals who violated a court order obtained by the police barring them from entering the city on July 9.

Among those who were locked out were Ambiga, Anwar, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, and Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali.

The petition also seeks legal action against Bersih 2.0 organisers for supposedly defying the King’s advice, and the over 1,000 protestors who were arrested for participating in an illegal rally.

Pro-Bersih supporters have also started a similar campaign on Facebook through a fan page calling for Najib’s resignation.

The page, which was set up shortly after Saturday’s rally, hit its 100,000 target at 3.50am this morning and has continued growing since then. As at 8pm today, a total of 136, 902 people have clicked “Like” on the page.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 July 2011, 9:22 am and is filed under
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Bersih 2.0 “bersih”ed me!

—
Lt Col (R) Aw Yong Tian Teck

The Malaysian Insider

Jul 12, 2011

JULY 12 — As I headed for the LRT station to enter the city on the morning of July 9, I was both fearful and determined — fearful that a “May 13” type violence would erupt, and afraid of being arrested. Yet, I was determined to break this shroud of fear that had gained intensity over the last two weeks from reading the newspapers, watching television and listening to coffeeshop talk.

I nervously joined a predominantly Malay group outside the KTM building. From those whom I glanced at a bit longer, I received courteous smiles. I soon started to join them in shouting “Hidup Rakyat” or “Hidup Bersih” and punching the air as we strolled along. When they shouted calling upon “Allah”, I suddenly became conscious of the present controversy concerning the use of the word by non-Muslims, reducing my voice to a murmur.

As we approached Dataran Merdeka, our path was blocked by the police. We were told to sit down on the road, women and children included. Someone started singing, “Negara ku…” then we all joined in.

Despite my 27 years’ service in the nation’s Armed Forces, I never felt so close to Malaysia, my country as at that moment… then the dreadful bell on the top of the FRU vehicle rang, followed by what sounded like gun shots. They were firing tear gas into the crowd!

Completely unprepared and shocked, I was overcome by the painful and nauseating gas. We scrambled and I managed to move to a corner. A Malay man handed me bits of salt and others shared their water with me. The group retreated towards Dayabumi, and as I joined them, visibly shaken, I was frequently asked, “Uncle OK?” by smiling young Malay lads.

Our march through the Chinatown area was another eye opener. As we passed a Chinese eating shop, the crowd which by then included a number of non-Malays, waved invitingly to the customers asking them to, “Mari sama-sama!” At an Indian stall by the roadside, they crowded to buy water; a far cry from the violent, rioting mob that we were told to expect!

The way to Merdeka Stadium was blocked. As the now enlarged crowd retreated through the Chinatown area, we were again attacked by the FRU with tear gas. We scrambled and finally ended up in front of Puduraya, joining a much larger crowd with more non-Malays present. Once again, the police fired tear gas and shot their water cannon at the crowd.

The crowd then regrouped and headed towards KLCC. It was nearly an hour before the police finally came and did their “thing” again. By then, the “order” to “bersurai” was passed around; the rakyat had done their job!

In all, I spent about five hours marching with a largely predominantly Malay crowd. I was soaked and tear-gassed, but in the end I felt liberated, happy and grateful to God! Never have I seen the Malays so passionate about their cause, yet so gentle and mild-mannered under such trying conditions.

They were nowhere like the racially-incited, hate-ridden, property destroying “kumpulan jahat” that we were told to expect — definitely not in the crowd that I had the privilege to walk with that day!

The non-Malays who were there must be commended equally for their belief and conviction, and for their faith in a mature Malaysian society. The policemen whom I spoke to were surprisingly good-natured in spite of the long hours they had been on duty, some expressing concern for my safety. The order to fire tear gas at fellow Malaysians came from the top.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 July 2011, 7:21 pm and is filed under
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Bersih 2 – no “Bodoh Melayu, Babi Cina or India Keling” feeling

by
KennyChang

Letter

11.7.11

Let me Introduce myself,I’m a normal Malaysian Citizen 32 years old.

Never Had i have any interest in politics or whatsoever is happening in politics.I never vote before or have any urge to register as a voter.

I only know Dr Mahathir and Samy Vellu [Of course which Malaysian does not know this 2 person?]. My late father and relative did told me Dr Mahathir is a great man this and that and would vote for him anytime he call elections.

I never did really study or learn about him in depth, so i just follow my late fathers,friends and relatives to consider him my idol.So after my all this introduction that i wrote i might just now realised i’m maybe a Pro Umno/Bn unexpectedly.

Until recently the 9/7/2011 Bersih rally 2.0 or events that happened or occur before it, I started to get curious, i started to read the book that i bought 1 or 2 month ago,A Doctor in the House by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Never actually want to read it,BUT since its tun memoirs,Why not? Idol Mah.Then he mention about you so i do a google and wiki about whatever did happen that i miss all these years. I mean everything briefly.

I’m sorry for the years u have to suffer along with your son to built DAP.If fighting for Chinese rights and Malaysian Malaysia getting u jailed,Those who are in UMNO/BN,MIC,MCA should be jailed also right?

That Day 9.7.2011 really fired me up and enlighten me. But still i was curious so i decided to drive to KL myself alone,So i can see for myself what is all the fuss about instead of checking it on the web,or u all polictician call Grassroot level.

I would never forgot what i saw even though it was just a mere 15 to 30 minutes i was there,U don’t feel any moment that are intimidating around the crowd,I was at the area near the public bank tower there.U can see and felt a sense of unity around them,And for a moment i felt wanted to just break down and cry.

There are certainly no Bodoh Melayu, Babi Cina or India Keling feeling there anymore. Race issues are never there,they have forgotten we are multiracial,Multilingual country.We are just a simple word “Malaysian”,and Tun are wrong about Malay wealth sharing and NEP for all these years he boast about and created.Tun still keeping quiet about the 9.7.2011 incident i wonder why? Not even a statement.

I dont want to comment and flame about the police acts that day,Those who have eyes and human conscience should know better.Or may i say “Sembayanglah kamu,sebelum Kamu DiSembayangkan”

I just register myself as a voter at post office recently,and for the 1st time i’m proud of it and eager to vote in the coming general election.Thank you.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 July 2011, 7:05 am and is filed under
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BN’s reaction to Bersih is to insult all races, says DAP

By
Shannon Teoh

July 12, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — DAP has flayed Barisan Nasional (BN) for resorting to disrespecting all races in the aftermath of Saturday’s Bersih rally which the opposition insists was multiracial in nature.

Secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said that threatened by mounting public pressure, “BN has once again stopped to its racial games,” referring to attempts by Umno-owned media to portray the gathering for free and fair elections as a ruse by non-Malays who are making use of Malays for their own political gain.

He added that this was compounded by Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam’s remarks that “Chinese love to gamble.”

“First BN leaders insult the Malays, then the Indians and now the Chinese. Is this what they mean by 1 Malaysia?” the Bagan MP asked.

Umno’s Utusan Malaysia has repeatedly blamed PAS for encouraging Malays to be used by Bersih chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and the Chinese-dominated DAP and pitting Malays against each other.

The Penang chief minister said that BN then targeted the Indian community by attacking Ambiga, with both Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali and Mohd Ali calling for her citizenship to be revoked, a demand Lim said was unconstitutional and seditious.

“Now, Ali Rustam is once again displaying his shallow and racist mindset by insulting the Chinese community. The fact is that gambling was never part of the Chinese culture.

“However, because he and the rest of his party are unable to explain why they have to issue gambling licences, they attempt to apportion blame on the Chinese,” Lim added.

Mohd Ali was reported to have made the remark when speaking to reporters after yesterday’s state assembly sitting.

All five DAP assemblymen were suspended from the assembly today after demanding the chief minister retract his statement.

The rally by the electoral reforms movement on Saturday saw tens of thousands pouring into the capital city, plunging it into chaos as police arrested nearly 1,700 in clashes which saw scores injured and one dead.

The last Bersih rally in November 2007 also saw police disperse crowds with tear gas and water cannons.

It was credited with playing a major role in a general election four months later where BN lost its customary two-thirds majority of Parliament, ceding 82 seats and five state governments in its worst ever showing at the polls.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 July 2011, 11:59 pm and is filed under
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Deliver votes, not crowds, MCA

By
The Malaysian Insider

July 12, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 12 — MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek boasted today his party could match Bersih 2.0’s crowd in last weekend’s rally calling for clean and fair elections.

“To gather ten or twenty thousand to demonstrate is nothing great. MCA can organised 50,000 if you want me to do it, anytime,” he told reporters at Wisma MCA here today.

But the veteran politician dismissed their cause, saying “We should not demonstrate for very flimsy reasons, that the electoral roll is tainted and not clean.”

Oh, really?, to paraphrase Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir’s stinger on a radio show last week.

When is rallying for clean electoral rolls a flimsy issue? Or is MCA saying that tainted electoral roll isn’t a big deal?

Is the focus now about flexing muscles and flooding the street to show who has more support?

While the party wasn’t under Dr Chua’s leadership in Election 2008, he has to remember that MCA did badly and has been derided by its main ally Umno for the inability to draw support or votes.

Of course, anyone can bring people to the streets. Bersih did it despite all the road blocks, the lack of public transport and the fear that the riot police will send them packing home.

But if that is Umno and MCA’s cause, then they are unclear on the concept of what they are all about. Instead of boasting that they can bring people to the streets, both should look at getting support to win the next general elections.

Because Bersih has cost them some support. Denigrating that cause will cost them the solid middle class vote that has always supported them in past elections.

One question. What would MCA rally for if it moves 50,000 people to take to the streets? Its time to go past rhetoric and help Barisan Nasional get back its two-thirds parliamentary majority.

Not time to make noise after the fact.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 July 2011, 11:56 pm and is filed under
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Dismantling the tyranny of democracy

By
Edwin Yapp

July 12, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 12 — A government elected by the people, for the people — that is the bedrock principle of any fully-functioning democracy.

As we recover from the aftermath of the events on July 9, 2011, I find myself having to explain this very crucial principle to some of the people who are most important to me — my children.

I feel compelled to do so simply because there is so much misinformation out there that the young will inevitably be misled and confused.

Like, for example, my son said to me a day after the Bersih 2.0 rally: “Pa, can we wear yellow again?” Admittedly, I should have explained to him earlier what was going on and why the government of the day has outlawed people wearing yellow T-shirts, which carry the word Bersih 2.0.

Then there is the bunkum that permeated the media in the days after the rally. Led by many government-friendly news organisations — who time and again try to paint the idea that the Bersih 2.0 movement is on the wrong side of the law, as well as one-sided opinions on blogs — I needed to undo the misinformation that is circling around my kids’ heads.

As a responsible Malaysian citizen and a parent to Malaysian kids, explaining the truth and going back to the basic principles of democracy are a must.

There are many reasons why what happened last Saturday was wrong. From the show of unnecessary force by the police to the insincerity of the government and its officials in making bad-faith offers to Bersih 2.0, to how one-sided and deep-slanted the spin against the movement was after the event. These are the things that need to be explained to young minds.

But I believe that all this misinformation pales in comparison to the one argument government officials always cite: That if the rakyat are not happy with this sitting government, go to the polls and change the government.

While in itself that statement seems logical and correct democratically speaking, the plain truth is that in Malaysia this advice is pointless and ineffectual.

Why?

The democratic principle of “a government elected by the people, for the people,” necessitates and demands that a sitting government listens to its people.

In other thriving and fully functioning democracies around the world, this is expressed through the polls when their citizens make their voices heard and has the power to kick out an incumbent government, just like what happened in Britain recently. In short, governments come and go as a result of the people’s wishes through elections.

But such mechanisms only work if there are free and fair election processes and practices.

For us in Malaysia, how can the people change the government of the day through the polls when the current electoral processes and procedures are unfair, one-sided and not effective in the first place?

Thus, I find this argument that our sitting government often preaches is oxymoronic because as long as there are ineffective electoral systems and corrupt practices within the electoral process, there can’t be a level playing field for people wanting to change the government.

Such advice therefore only belies what the government tries to preach, and the irony of it all is that this sitting government is never going to change as long as there is this one-sided playing field and the powers-that-be are in full control.

This is why I believe government officials always resort to the argument that “people should change the government of the day by means of the polls,” as the powers-that-be always know that this will never happen as long as they are in control of the electoral institutions and the policies that govern these institutions.

And the proof is in the pudding, as for 54 years we’ve ever only known a federal government that has been led by Barisan Nasional.

Malaysia can never be a true and fully functioning democracy when there is no level playing field, nor a chance to change its elected officials and the government of the day through a fair electoral process.

It’s akin to saying: “Heads the government wins, tails we, the rakyat, lose.”

This, at least for me, is why the struggle of Bersih 2.0 is important — to bring about clean and fair electoral reform to the country for ALL its people.

To me, it’s not about opposition parties being in control or trying to ram through their own political agenda. Nor is it about the incumbent government trying to vilify Bersih 2.0 as an illegal trouble-making, rebel-rousing group of people.

It’s simply about demanding for clean, fair and free elections in the country.

That said, I’m mindful that the struggle of Bersih 2.0 will continue and pundits will continue to weigh in as to whether it can make an impact in areas of the country where it really matters — deep in the Malay heartland — and not in the suburban and urban areas.

But what of us? What can we do now in the present?

One place I think we can certainly begin making an impact in — to borrow the words of management guru Stephen R. Covey — is to expound, educate, defend and persuade the people who are in our “circle of influence” about the need for electoral reform in order to break the rule of those who are corrupt and tyrannical in their ways.

This is certainly what I’m going to do, beginning with my household, my children, and the people who are in my influence, including many young people, business leaders and the general public, that I as a journalist have a chance to interact with.

Bersih 2.0 represents the aspirations of the rakyat for a clean and fair electoral process so that Malaysia can go back to the roots and fundamentals of democracy — a government elected by the people, for the people.

And don’t forget, it’s only when we have a government elected by the people, for the people, will we be able to put upright people in Parliament and derive a just government to rule over the rakyat.

So join me in the fight for a better Malaysia and influence as many people around us with the correct democratic thinking and get them to vote in the next polls according to what they believe is right.

After all, this is your right as a democratic citizen of Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 July 2011, 12:40 pm and is filed under
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Government in “time warp”

One explanation for the hamfisted and gross mishandling of the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally for free and fair elections in Merdeka Stadium is that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, DPM Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and all the Cabinet Ministers are trapped in a “time warp” causing their total disconnect with ordinary Malaysians and the fact that they are living in 2011 in the era of social media and the Internet.

This is why there is considerable merit in the advice by the University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) social anthropologist Professor Datuk Shamsul Amri Baharuddin that the Najib administration should discard its “Cold War” mindset and to modernize its concepts to address internal security and national issues.

Shamsul reminded the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition that the “enemy” was no longer armed communists battling a jungle war but a civilian movement consisting of politically awakened middle class that is wired to the global community and moved by fully  legitimate issu
es based on the Malaysian Constitution such as free and fair elections; human rights of freedom of assembly and association; integrity, good, clean and incorruptible governance!

If Najib and Hishammuddin had acted on Shamsul’s advice, the country would have been spared the farce, idiocy and agony of a “Cold War” response to the Bersih 2.0 call  for free and fair elections – with the police and the national security apparatus fully mobilized nationally against the citizenry to fight ghosts and imaginary non-existing enemies of “revived communism”, “war against the Agong”, “Christian Malaysia”, “foreign-power interference” and “another May 13”

It is truly  sad and pathetic that despite the gross mishandling of the 709 Bersih 2 rally which has plunged the Najib administration into a new nadir point of public trust and confidence, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet do not seem to be ready at any time to get out of the “time warp” and reconnect with Berseh 1Malaysia generation who came of age last Saturday on July 9 despite massive police threats, mass arrests,  tear gas and water cannons, and these negative signs are aplenty.

Former Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah today admitted that Najib administration’s image could be affected by the Bersih rally, but said he was confident the government would be able to repair it in no time.

Abdullay is no authority on governments regaining lost public confidence and I do not think Najib would be asking for any advice for general election strategy from Abdullah, who slumped from biggest electoral mandate to worst election debacle for the ruling coalition in a matter one term of five years, putting paid to his premiership as well.

If the Najib administration is seeking to come out of the “time warp” to re-connect with the Bersih 1Malaysia generation, it would not have exhibited very advanced stages of denial syndrome after July 9 – with the Home Minister and Inspector-General of Police competing as to who could win the competition to hide their head in the sand!

What is worse, the craziness of the double phobia of xanthophobia (fear of yellow) and Bersih-phobia are still in full swing – with first arrest in Sabah for wearing yellow Bersih T-shirt yesterday.

There is in fact no sign of awareness or remorse whatsoever that the Barisan Nasional had grossly miscalculated and mishandled the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally, creating the worst crisis of confidence for the Najib premiership in 27 months!

How else could one explain the obstinate refusal to admit responsibility for the instances of police excesses, violence and brutality during the Bersih 2.0 rally, as in causing the death of Baharuddin Ahmad, the criminal police landrover ramming of PAS Deputy President Mat Sabu on motor-bike or the wanton and reckless firing of tear gas and water cannons into Tung Shin Hospital and directly at Bersih and Pakatan Rakyat leaders at KL Sentral tunnel?

If the Barisan Nasional Government does not get out of the “time warp” it has locked itself into and reconnect with the new Bersih 1Malaysia generation operating in a vibrant social media, then the days of both the Najib premiership and Barisan Nasional ruling coalition are numbered.

They will be left behind by the Bersih 1Malaysia generation as utterly irrelevant belonging to the outdated “Cold War” past that is not prepared to keep abreast of changing times.

Malaysians had been threatened with another May 13 if the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally for free and fair elections was held. But there was not only no May 13, Malaysians of all races, religions, regions, gender and ages found a new spirit of Malaysian oneness best described by a young Malaysian Kenny Chang who had earlier hesitated whether to join in the 709 Bersih rally or not:

“There are certainly no Bodoh Melayu, Babi Cina or India Keling feeling there anymore. Race issues are never there, they have forgotten we are multiracial multilingual country. We are just a simple word ‘Malaysian’”.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 July 2011, 2:19 pm and is filed under
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How Bersih cleansed my Malaysian soul

By
Andrew Chee

July 12, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 12 — I’m a 28 moving on to 29-year-old man in Kuala Lumpur, the place where in 2008 I decided to get a fresh start. I am originally from Malacca and had been in Singapore for about 4½ years prior to moving to KL.

For the purposes of this story, let’s just say the sum of my life experiences has made me grouchy, surly, disgruntled and yes… RACIST. But I was a funny type of racist; I’m Chinese but have part-Baba heritage with very Westernised conditioning and cannot, for the life of me, speak any sort of Chinese dialect (save to order food).

I disliked the Malays and Indians for the usual stereotypical reasons, and I disliked the Chinese even more for being too “Cina” and I disliked the “lain-lains” for just being “lain-lain.” Sure, I have friends from other races; my very best friends are Malay Singaporeans, and my childhood friend, who is in KL as well, is a Chindian.

My project band which wrote a song for the MyConstitution album consisted of me, two Chinese girls, an Indian guy, a Sindhi, and two Malay guys. We were quite 1 Malaysia. Yet I could not discard my racial prejudices.

I disliked everyone, especially if they didn’t think like me. In a sense, I was a racial nihilist. I believed everyone was just as racist and using the tools of logic and reason, which I am so proud of, I often sought to make people around me admit their prejudices.

Having done so, I would conclude, as I have convinced myself, that we could never be 1 Malaysia or be just “Malaysian” and neither would meritocracy ever prevail in what I perceived in a society that was only a cultural pot of prejudices.

Diverse, yes… in its prejudices and preconceptions. There was a glimmer of hope when Hannah Yeoh tried to register her daughter as “Anak Malaysia” but then a small section of society, as portrayed by the mainstream media, vehemently opposed the temporary registration of her daughter as Chinese whilst she fought this battle. All I thought was: “There you go.” I smiled smugly to myself; I loved being proved right.

When Bersih came about I merely thought, “OK-lah, it’s a good thing-lah I suppose.” I decided not to go as I have exams soon and working while studying here has made me even grouchier, more pessimistic and somewhat depressed.

I felt like a small cog in the giant machine of society, plus I hadn’t quite had the time to prepare for this exam. So going for Bersih was definitely out. Besides, what would it change? This was the one time I was glad to be proven wrong.

My mum had called me in the afternoon that day to ask me where I was and, being concerned about the volatile situation, asked me not to go and focus on my exams. My mum is quite the socio-politically-aware woman but I knew she only had a mother’s concern for her child’s safety in telling me to stay at home.

I told her yes, I’m not going. But the very moment I said that, something urged me to go. My curiosity grew like a calling to fulfil some sort of purpose. In some ways, God, whom I’ve neglected for so long, decided that day to crush my arrogant notions and my supposedly infallible sense of logic and reason.

In a state of mild euphoria, I drove through some lesser-known roads and parked at Brickfields. Absolutely lost, directionless and intimidated by the police presence, I called my friend David, who called his wife, human rights lawyer Renuka.

They had just been tear-gassed in KL Sentral and Ambiga had been arrested. She nonetheless guided me on how to join the march and that she would come get me if she could. But the aftermath of the KL Sentral incident was too thick with tear gas and I instead joined another group which walked to the Chinese temple just outside Stadium Merdeka, which was blocked by a heavy police presence and a few fire engines, and ultimately to Pasar Seni LRT.

I was surrounded by the very people whom I had held so much prejudice against; the Indian uncle, the Chinese Ah Beng, the Malay pakciks and makciks. But this was different, I noticed that most of them were from out-of-town whilst I, who up to the last minute, had decided it was too bothersome to go what with the roadblocks and such.

I also noticed that most of them did not know each other, but had extended a warmth so tangible that I almost shed a tear in regret of all my stupid preconceptions about these people. I had up to this point concluded that most people were simply, out of the burden of city life, selfish and cold.

No, I was the one who was cold and selfish. Throughout the whole thing there were people who attempted to talk to me, seeing that I was rather quiet, perhaps guessing that I may be feeling a little scared. But I kept quiet, still trying to come to grips with what I was observing that day; the true Malaysian spirit.

No one saw me as Chinese or a city dweller or anything but a brother. I always thought people are inherently evil, but in spite of so many opportunities to steal, bully, rob, loot and plunder, I promise you no one even so much as committed a misdemeanour.

I saw my Malay brothers (I now call them brothers in the hope that they and others take me as their brother too) demonstrating their frustration at the injustice suffered, I suspect, not so much by themselves, but for their non-Malay brothers and sisters.

I could tell that many were not out there for themselves. And it was not so much during the chaotic moments that the Malaysian soul manifested, but in the moments in between. In between the chaos, many chattered to strangers and, surprisingly, to a stranger from a different race from themselves.

In the 7-Eleven, a Chinese man from Penang expressed his concern to a Malay stranger from Pahang about the Lynas situation while he in return expressed his admiration for the Chinese man’s effort to come all the way from Penang.

It was the quiet Indian uncles who came to demonstrate their love for the country, not the men who blare so loudly in the coffeeshops about the unfairness they suffer. The 60-year -old Chinese aunties, whom I suspect can barely speak English or Malay, came out with a look of joy and hope in their faces as if they saw a dream fulfilled.

It is with great shame that I confess that the Chinese-speaking youths with their blond hair and their Malaysian kindred had much more empathy and an understanding of unity than I gave them credit for or that I ever had. The love they had in their hearts for the fate of their nation and their brothers and sisters therein for a life and a promise of the idea of “Malaysia”.

I, with a formal education in jurisprudence and an intense penchant for philosophy, was the least among these greats. I had ideas of a socio-democrat Malaysia or of a modified contemporary Marxist/Socialist utopia but I was wrong. I forgot about the true patriots of this country. I was the fascist among these great socialists. They understood society better than I ever will. They understand sacrifice whereas I only understand theory.

I am equally guilty as the current administration for not understanding, and worse, for not even attempting to understand what Malaysia means. For this I am sorry.

Bersih and the tear gas have cleansed my Malaysian soul. I will never forget the moment when the tear gas canister flew over my head, the moment I was happy in this dreary existence. I am most likely to fail my upcoming exams but now I would rather fail it than not have gone for Bersih 2.0.

My Malaysian soul is wiped clean and I will try to rebuild slowly the spirit which my brothers and sisters displayed so strongly on July 9, 2011. And to Annie Ooi, you will always be my most foremost Lady of Liberty. I will think of you if ever my prejudices arise again.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 July 2011, 1:01 pm and is filed under
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Is Liow Tiong Lai afraid of the truth?

Malaysiakini Your Say
 | Jul 12, 11

‘Liow, were you there? Definitely no. Were the Tong Shin Hospital board members there? No. Why don’t you ask the people who rallied on that day?’

Tung Shin Hospital ‘not hit’ in rally crackdown

Anti-Fascist:
 Again the administration of PM Najib Razak wants to change a truth to a lie. No ethics, no morals, no principles. Unbelievable.

So the photos and videos were lying? And the many eyewitness accounts were wrong? Were any of the board of directors at the hospital at that time?

CH Kiew:
 How typical of the arrogant powers-that-be. There is no need to investigate the video and photographic proof just because you have “got” the hospital to confirm what you “asked” them to confirmed?

Dear Minister, as an ordinary rakyat, I beg you to lead by example – investigate all complaints thoroughly and fairly before jumping to conclusions. We can never improve unless we recognise our mistakes and shortcomings.

Josephine:
 There are videos aplenty to show that the hospital compound was gassed, but reporters were told not to bring up the issue of the videos.

If using the same logic, why was BN bugging Anwar Ibrahim about the sex video? Hasn’t he already said he was not the actor? In any case, would anyone believe that the hospital management is speaking the truth?

Go4change:
 Another lying minister talking rubbish. We ask Liow Tiong Lai: were you there? Definitely no – you were in your comfortable house. Were the Tong Shin Hospital board members there? No.

Why don’t you ask the people who rallied on that day?

Flabbergasted:
 Liow Tiong Lai said maybe the tear gas smoke was blown by the wind in the direction of the hospital. If he had been to a proper school, he would have known that wind never blows from ground upwards. The picture clearly shows the concentration of smoke was on the ground.

Confused:
 The video footage speaks for itself. Why can’t the reporters show the photos or videos to counter the claim by the health minister? Are the rakyat so stupid that they cannot judge for themselves by watching the photos or videos and have to listen to the minister?

Sabahan:
 Liow Tiong Lai lied and hospital board chairperson Ng Beh Tong obediently agreed. It is leaders like these two that have allowed Malaysia to degenerate into a near dictatorship by Umno.

For once, Liow and Ng, think of those courageous Malaysians who had to face police intimidation, tear gas and chemical-laced water canons for the sake of their children and the future of Malaysia.

Anonymous_3de1:
 ‘Maybe’ and ‘we don’t know’ do not make much of certainty and assertiveness, Mr Health Minister. It is damage control time to salvage whether shred of credibility left of your political master, isn’t it?

Try as you may until the cows come home, it will not convince those who were eyewitnesses. As for the hospital administrator Ng, was he offered a carrot or a big stick? To quote you, “We don’t know. Maybe.”

One Hand Cover The Sky:
 Dear Health Minster, do not try to hoodwink the rakyat. Why are you so scared to talk about the videos recordings? So many thousands of eyes saw them, but you still want to deny it. Even the staff working there admit that the hospital was hit by tear gas and chemical-laced water.

Douglas Tan 25b2:
 Goodbye, MCA. If you are still there to defend the indefensible, and refute thousands of videos, eyewitness accounts and photographs, you are at the end of your political rope, just like PM Najib and Umno.

Anak Pinang:
 So we have finally become a failed nation where, instead of conducting an investigation into wrongful abuse, the government refuses to be accountable for its decisions, even when there is a mountain of evidence.

Let’s just sweep everything under the carpet and pretend that nothing happened, shall we? Denial, obfuscation, deception and more lies.

DannyLoHH:
 Liow Tiong Lai still has a long way to go before he could successfully counter the video and photographic evidence, that the police did, in fact, shoot water and tear-gas canisters into the compound of Tung Shin Hospital.

He could have used/abused the authority and power as health minister to browbeat the board of Tung Shin Hospital to toe the official line. But he needs to speak many thousands more words before he could even come close to convince some that “it never happened”.

Moontime:
 There are clear evidence via pictures, photos and videos to support the claim, and yet the minister denies that the hospital was hit by tear gas and chemically-laced water. Just look at the picture accompanying the Malaysiakini report.

Dear minister, are you blind? Or is this the damage control attempt by the government? So go ahead, lie some more, your days are clearly numbered, BN. The more you deny, the more support Bersih will get from the fence sitters, thus signalling your humiliating defeat in the polls.

Bert:
 Liow told reporters not to show photos or videos to counter his claims. You are scared of the truth, are you? Don’t you have a conscience?

Tuah PJ:
 Good God, you have no shame, Mr Minister. The pictures tell a thousand words, and my colleague was at Tung Shin Hospital when he was nearly hit by the gas canister. I believe my friend more than you.

Phra Ong Chao:
 There photographs of gas canisters landing well inside the hospital compound. Or did the wind blow the canisters into the compound, too?

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 July 2011, 11:55 am and is filed under
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Mat Sabu: Police Land Rover rammed me

Joseph Sipalan

Malaysiakini

Jul 11, 11

PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu today claimed police rammed a truck into the motorbike he was riding en-route to join Bersih 2.0 protesters last Saturday.

Visiting the Selangor state assembly building in a wheelchair, the usually jovial leader took a more sombre tone as he recounted his harrowing experience.

“I was on a motorbike on the way to Masjid Negara, when suddenly a Land Rover rammed into us. I didn’t know it was a police Land Rover at the time,” he told journalists at a press conference.

“The impact threw me off and I was rolling on the ground. They then brought me into the Land Rover and took me to a clinic in Jinjang, which referred me to the hospital.”

Mat Sabu, as he is popularly known, said he was eventually released for outpatient treatment, but decided to seek further checks at the Selangor Medical Centre, which confirmed a far worse injury than initially thought.

“I was suffering from constant pain in my leg, so I went for a check and the doctor confirmed I am suffering from a torn ligament and now I will have to go for an operation this Friday to put in plates,” he said, indicating to his right knee.

Also present at the press conference was PAS’ Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, who was also allegedly injured on the back of his head by a tear gas canister fired directly at the crowd at KL Sentral.

Khalid, who got six stitches on his head, claimed riot police at the station’s airport bus route sandwiched him, along with Pakatan and Bersih 2.0 top leaders and protesters, as they attempted to march to Stadium Merdeka.

‘My spectacles flew’

“We stopped when we saw FRU blocking the way, and we also noticed FRU moving in behind us. Without warning, they started shooting tear gas and they were aiming at the demonstrators.

“I turned around to look at the FRU (members) behind us, and suddenly my spectacles flew and there was blood everywhere,” he said.

Khalid said he was then brought in for treatment, claiming that even the doctor who treated his wound was shocked to see the extent of his injuries.

“The doctor who checked me was surprised that the wound was very clean cut, just like (getting sliced by) a knife. This would only happen if tear gas was aimed directly at people,” he claimed.

Khalid was incredulous over the police’s behaviour in allegedly brutalising Bersih 2.0 protesters, particularly for the alleged assault on Mat Sabu.

“What is this? It is as if he (Mat Sabu) is a big time drug smuggler. He’s lucky only his leg was injured.”

Khalid also slammed the police for allegedly firing tear gas and a water cannons into the compound of the Tung Shin hospital along Jalan Pudu, accusing the men in blue of acting like the “protectors of BN”.

“Don’t take sides. Stop behaving as defenders of the BN government… Your job is to take care of the rakyat,” he said.

‘Najib a liar’

Mat Sabu also had little good to say of the police’s actions on Saturday, calling them a bunch of “gangsters”.

But his harshest criticism was reserved for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, whom he called a “liar” for back-tracking on his promise to allow the rally to be held at a stadium of Bersih’s choosing.

“First he says we can use any stadium, and when we ask to meet him, he denies our request. Najib is a liar, and he is not qualified to lead Malaysia.”

Mat Sabu declined to comment when asked if he would urge Pakatan to demand for Najib’s resignation, though he had no qualms launching more barbs at the premier.

“(Resigning) is up to him (Najib). But he is a liar. At least say you will investigate (claims of police brutality)… He is only qualified to be Rosmah (Mansor)’s husband,” he said in a snide reference the self-declared First Lady of Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 12 July 2011, 10:26 am and is filed under
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