The truth shall set us free

– May Chee

The Malaysian Insider

Nov 13, 2012

NOV 13 – This is 2012. We live in Malaysia, purportedly progressive, modern and the best democracy in the world. We want to trail the Guinness World Records in everything we do, even weddings. Yet, we are deemed unable to think for ourselves and when some of us can, we are threatened with legal action from the powers-that-be. We have been a people for almost half a century; we are not primitive nomads threatened with destruction in a pagan environment. How can anyone, living in today’s reality, think that by wiping out dissent or an alternative way of thinking can protect one’s faith or interests?

How can those of us who write, whether we are supporters or detractors of causes or personalities, commenting on current affairs or for that matter, anything at all, be threatened with such absurdity? How can we continue to flourish as the best democracy in the world if we have to live in a climate of fear? How do we progress as a people if we do not have freedom of thought and speech, among others?

Are the powers-that-be in touch with reality or not? I thought someone said that he would listen to his people. If he did, he would know that the responsibility of thinking and deciding for oneself cannot be entrusted to another, what’s more in progressive, modern and democratic Malaysia. As a liberated people, we cannot be fearful of taking initiatives, especially those that are for the larger good. As liberated people, we cannot expect everything from civic or religious authorities. That could cause us to sink as a people or suffer political tyranny for is it not a dictator who would uses propaganda to convince his people that he is indispensable?

If we criticize what must be criticized, does that make us any less patriotic? On the contrary, it is because we care and worry about our beloved motherland and the direction she’s heading that we say what must be said. It is because we care for our fellow Malaysians, that we cannot take it sitting down when they are not accorded their dignity, one made in the image of their Maker, that we say what must be said.

How can anyone rob another of his dignity, his every being? A human person is more sacred than anything, no?

Surely all these witch-hunts lately on Ahmad Abdul jalil, Nurul Izzah and Steve Oh on what they have said or written do not reflect well on those who would like to think the height of our skyscrapers go in tandem with the size of their IQs or perhaps, it’s their egos instead? The three of them spoke their hearts’ conviction and with a clear conscience. Is that even a crime? In today’s age and time, in the best democracy in the world, can we force any one to subscribe to another’s belief system? We are not in a primitive era – “to govern” is not synonymous with “to judge”!

All three articulated what must be said. We should applaud them, not give them a slap on their wrists or handcuff them! Even if we disagree with what they said, then let’s debate on those issues raised. Is there such a thing as some things cannot be uttered or discussed? Discourse is not the way to go in the best democracy in the world?

To alienate the likes of Ahmad Abdul Jalil, Nurul Izzah and Steve Oh is to alienate the truth. That, in my opinion, is most unwise. For we, Malaysians, that is the majority of Malaysians, are people of the light. We embrace the truth. We intend to do all we can to bring our beloved country out of the darkness. We do love our motherland and in doing so, we must say what has to be said. To do what has to be done.

My fellow Malaysians, I urge you to be brave for the sake of our beloved motherland. To know her is to love her and we cannot do that unless we embrace the truth that’s her. We are supposed to be a free people. If we are not yet one, then I say we can be a free people, for the Truth shall set us free.

God bless, especially Ahmad Abdul Jalil, Nurul Izzah, Steve Oh and all those who are persecuted for the sake of the Truth. Thank you.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 13 November 2012, 6:28 pm and is filed under
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What is wrong with Najib’s promise of “no Batu Caves condo if BN regains Selangor”?

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak today promised to scrap the  controversial condominium project located next to the Batu Caves temple complex if BN retakes Selangor.

The immediate reaction of fair-minded and reasonable Malaysians is not one of outright welcome but the feeling that  something is wrong or just not right with Najib’s promise.

Lets hear your response to Najib’s promise.

I have put up two tweets, viz:

1. What perfidy – after BN approving it in 2007! http://goo.gl/9v1Jg  PM: S’gor BN 2scrap Batu Caves condo if we win – Koh Jun Lin (Mkini)

2. No apology 4BN approving it 2007? http://goo.gl/qyt66  Najib promises Indians no Batu Caves condo if BN regains Selangor – by Ida Lim (TMI)

I will issue a statement tomorrow.

Below is The Malaysian Insider report:

Najib promises Indians no Batu Caves condo if BN regains Selangor

BATU CAVES, Nov 12 ― Datuk Seri Najib Razak promised today to cancel a controversial luxury condominium being built near Batu Caves that was approved by a Barisan Nasional (BN) administration in 2007, if the BN coalition wins back Selangor from Pakatan Rakyat (PR), stepping up the game in the battle for votes ahead of the coming general elections.

“I want to give an assurance that if BN is successful in taking over the Selangor state government, the 29-storey project will be cancelled by the new BN government,” Najib, who is also the BN chairman, told the crowd at the MIC’s Deepavali open house here.

Noting that the Batu Caves temple complex is “very close to the hearts of Indians who are Hindus”, Najib said that the complex must be defended from any threats to its position.

Selangor has ordered a temporary halt to the construction of the 29-storey condominium near Batu Caves pending the findings of an independent state-level task force to be set up soon, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said on Octber 30.

Khalid, however, offered the state’s assurance that the matter would be resolved as soon as possible, admitting that the stop-work order would cost the developers financial losses.

The 29-storey Dolomite Park Avenue condominium project has turned into a political crisis as Batu Caves is the religious focal point of Hindu Indians, who form the majority of the 1.7 million Indians and are a key voting group in many urban seats in Selangor.

About 300 Hindu and non-governmental activists joined a “Save Batu Caves” rally in the Batu Caves temple complex to protest against the condominium construction on October 26, saying it was an environmental risk that would jeopardise the temple grounds but did not furnish proof to substantiate their allegations.

The project was given the nod by state authorities in 2007, but MIC and Barisan Nasional (BN) have in recent weeks pressured the current Pakatan Rakyat (PR) administration into calling a halt to the project amid a battle for Indian votes.

Najib today said the BN government would apply to make Batu Caves a UNESCO World Heritage site, as a second step in defending the complex.

“We decided that through the Culture, Information and Communications Ministry, that this Batu Caves can be considered as a World Heritage site by UNESCO,” Najib said today.

But he said that an application could only be made after Malaysia’s term as a member of the World Heritage Commission ends in 2015, saying that this was to avoid a possible “conflict of interest”.

Najib also announced that Deepavali will now also be a public holiday in Labuan, the federal territory off the coast of Sabah.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 13 November 2012, 9:46 pm and is filed under
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A stirring of discontent

— Christine SK Lai

The Malaysian Insider

Nov 13, 2012

NEW DELHI, Nov 13 ― The blurb on Facebook was catchy. “Come experience the Ubah Dream Machine”.

There were some interesting names bandied about, though no big-time personalities apparently. That suited me fine actually, because I didn’t fancy stomaching political ra-ra-ra speeches. I wanted to hear from ordinary folks like myself.

So for the first time in my 52 years of being a Malaysian citizen, I attended a “ceramah umum”.

It was awful timing, actually. Saturday nights are for enjoying with family and frens, partying, R-n-R stuff. Who would want to come and hang out at  a car-park listening to more of the same-same things that have been said umpteen times already?

Add to that the unkind weather which literally washed out the whole idea of an open air gathering, and any smart event organiser will conclude it’s bound to be a PR disaster on your hands.

But I went anyway, more out of curiosity than anything else, since personally I am not a die-hard of any political party.

I didn’t expect any crowd as the rain was a real dampener, and indeed as I looked across to the car park grounds, it was miserably empty.

The lauded “dream machine” was actually the huge back end of a trailer emblazoned with a big caption “Ubah sekarang, bersihkan Malaysia” and picture of a hornbill bearing the Malaysian flag.

(Pardon my ignorance, but it’s only now I found out the bird named Ubah has been “adopted” as DAP mascot.)

Apart from a handful of people milling about the covered entrance to the civic centre hall, who were obviously party workers, there didn’t seem to be any action going on.

I was about to go home, when a man approached me with a smile and asking if I had come for the talk, pointed to one of the rooms inside. I walked in to behold the small place totally packed. People were already sitting on the side steps. I parked myself into an empty spot there.

More people kept trooping in till there was only standing room at the 2 doors. I ain’t too good with estimates, but I figure there must be some 100-150 pax in the gathering.

I hadn’t known what to expect really, since I have never attended this sorta thing before. Obviously some in the audience were there to support their party of choice.

But I am equally sure there were some like me who were just there to listen for themselves from the horses’ mouths, so to speak, what all the clamor call for change is all about.

For a moment I thought it was going to be a wasted effort when one of the speakers mentioned  that the session was actually the concluding part of a series of clarification about “Talam-gate”.

Man, my heart was saying, I am not interested in that. I came to hear the “heart-beat” of fellow Malaysians for Malaysia, to check if their dream of a better Malaysia for all Malaysians is the same as mine.

I was debating whether to walk out. But since I was wedged up in a tight spot high up on the stairs and the doorway was already blocked, I sat put. And I am glad I did.

As the evening wore on, as different speakers took the mic, it went beyond Talam. And it got even better when the rain abated and we could all adjourn into the open air car park where the speakers finally got to use the big stage on the trailer.

Yes, there were the usual references to cows, condos, submarines, Hummers and AES… All old fodder for the mill, already readily available for everyone and anyone who can read and has access to the world wide web.

But behind the re-hash of scandals and exposes, I heard passion in their voices, I saw fire in their eyes.

These were young (well, compared to aunties like me, they are young) men and women, coming from different backgrounds, different races, speaking different mother-tongues, but they displayed the same commitment.

One over-riding sentiment resonated from all the speeches made over the 3 hours ― it isn’t about PKR or UMNO; it isn’t about winning or losing power. It’s about Malaysia.

It doesn’t matter which party gets to sit in Putrajaya, what matters is good governance translated visibly into transparency, responsibility and accountability to the people, by the people and for the people. Who will not agree these are the correct  ideals of society-living to be upheld in this nation, which calls itself a democracy?

The problem isn’t with the rhetoric or the theory, the problem is with the implementation, or lack thereof. And that’s what’s bugging me. I have voted dutifully in every election as a concerned citizen.

For years, I have not questioned the status quo, because being a stereotype Chinese, (which i hasten to add, isn’t to say all Chinese conform to the stereotype), I was content for myself and my family since I live a pretty decent life. Isn’t that enough? It is, if it’s all about me. But the truth is it isn’t all about me.

It’s about writing down Malaysian next to the race column on a form, its about hearing the kids in the kindy where I work singing Negara-Ku every Monday morning. Don’t the words mean anything anymore?

Perhaps I am getting more sentimental as the years roll by. Whatever, something is stirring in my heart these days, for I have begun to “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”.

These words were part of the inspiring inaugural speech spoken by President John F Kennedy in 1961, I was just a 1 year old baby then. Now, I am already past the half-century milestone…

I may not be able to do great things or many things, but I can make the right choice as a Malaysian who cares about this beloved land we call our own. I can with others in the same boat pull together to steer it in the right direction, so that ultimately all generations of this rainbow nation can rest well and enjoy its abundant blessings.

Surely, the fruits of this land are not reserved for just some of the people some of the time. After 55 years of independence, where are the fruits gone? It’s patently obvious some baskets are disproportionately fuller than others, and that through rather questionable harvesting. That is very simply not fair to all Malaysians.

So that’s how i found myself amongst this small group of people. We stood for some 2½ hours on a wet Saturday night listening attentively to ordinary folks voice a common dream for this land.

A dream that stirs the heart to a restless discontent. Some say discontent is bad; because it raises needless questions and foments rebellion. I will be the first to agree we should be thankful grateful people, but I would think discontent over things that are not what they should or can be is the first step to change for the better.

If people can retire from active employment at 55, why can’t governments ‘retire’ also and take a backseat to allow other ‘drivers’ to rise up…who knows that they may prove more competent?

American jazz musician and Pulitzer Prize winner Wynton Marsalis said, “ I have absolutely no idea what my generation did to enrich our democracy. We dropped the ball. We entered a period of complacency and closed our eyes to the public corruption of our democracy”

I don’t want to stand indicted as a Malaysian with closed eyes. I’ll take my chances with a little discontent.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 14 November 2012, 10:59 am and is filed under
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Najib’s announcement of scrapping of Batu Caves condo project if BN wins Selangor desecrates Deepavali as it is not a “triumph of light over darkness” but continued spreading of darkness to prevent the triumph of light

Despite the screaming headlines,
“S’gor BN to scrap Batu Caves condo if we win”

(Malaysiakini)
,
“Najib promises Indians no Batu Caves condo if BN regains Selangor”

(The Malaysian Insider)
,
“PM: We’ll scrap Batu Caves project if we win Selangor”
 (New Straits Times)
;
 “Najib: Return Selangor to Barisan and Batu Caves ground will be safe”

(Star)
 and
“PM: Bt Caves development will stop if BN regains S’gor”
 (Sun)
, the first reaction of fair-minded, reasonable and patriotic Malaysians is one of distinct unease and discomfort, even feeling of being  repelled by an inchoate sense that something is wrong or just not right in what the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had done.

Why is this so?  Why are these people,  who want the 29-storey Dolomite Park Avenue condominium project to be scrapped, not welcoming Najib’s announcement with open arms and unqualified support?

This is also my immediate response.  In 1980, I had announced a “DAP Save Batu Caves Campaign” to join forces with all conservationist and environmental groups to save the 500 million-year-old Malaysian natural heritage and the religious shrine of 800,000 Hindus in Malaysia by stopping all quarrying activities at Batu Caves.

Having saved Batu Caves once, DAP and Pakatan Rakyat would have no hesitation  to spearhead another “Save Batu Caves Campaign” as a result of the MIC/BN approval of the 29-storey condo project in Batu Caves in 2007.

However, DAP and Pakatan Rakyat have not launched a second “Save Batu Caves Campaign” as the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor State Government has immediately issued a “stop work” order as the condominium project should not have been approved by the Barisan Nasional authorities in 2007 as for example, objections of the state Department of Environment (DOE) had been ignored.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has announced an independent task force  to examine the issues surrounding the 29-storey Dolomite Avenue Park  condo project in Batu Caves and to make recommendations to the Selangor State Government how best to safeguard the sacred site while allowing development in the surrounding areas.

Why then should Najib’s announcement that the Dolomite Avenue Park condo project would be scrapped if BN retakes Selangor create a sense of unease, discomfort and even a  repelling feeling, when it is an end  everybody wanted?

This is because Najib’s announcement of scrapping of Batu Caves condo project if BN wins Selangor is not a  “triumph of light over darkness”, of truth over deceit, or good over evil,  but the continued spreading of darkness to prevent the triumph of light.

It causes unease, discomfort and a repelling feeling because it desecrates  the essence and spirit of Deepevali.

Yesterday, I had sought public views on my blog on their responses to Najib’s announcement.  The following is a sample of these views:

1.	“If Selangor did not fall into Pakatan’s hands in 2008, there would have been a condominium now… Remember TBH (Teoh Beng Hock). He also promised to leave NO STONES UNTURNED. TBH is still turning in his grave.”

2. “This has to be a wake-up call to all Indians. Najib is trying to take you for a ride. First, BN steals the rakyat’s money, and when exposed, they promise to pay back the money provided they win Selangor. We all know that Najib has zero leadership qualities, but to make a pledge like that during Diwali?”

3. “FIRST, umno whacked you black and blue.

NEXT, umno promised to let you have some medication.

AND FOR THAT, you are supposed to feel mighty grateful; and give umno all your nambekei and more importantly, your vote too.”

4. “Right now whatever he promises – whether to proceed or reverse- apart from whether or not subsequent deed will honour the promise – is not dictated by right or wrong having regard to balancing all competing considerations but by whether or not the promises will secure more votes that they alienate. Electoral victory and preservation of his position that he cannot afford to lose are the imperatives in his mind, and hence this purely populist approach to issues. Nothing else.”

5. “BN is now becoming a comedy. They have lost their marbles / senses. Create the problem, then scraps it, ignoring the cost to the people who bought. This is totally irresponsible. They want to win so badly, by hook or by crook.”

There is no doubt that Najib’s announcement has left a bad taste in the mouth of all right-thinking and decent Malaysians, desecrating the sacred day of Deepavali!

Najib would have come over with greater honesty and rectitude if he had publicly apologised for MIC/BN approval of the 29-storey condominium project in Batu Caves in 2007, identified and punished all the MIC/BN councillors and leaders responsible for the project (nobody would believe that top MIC/BN leaders were not involved in giving the green light for such a project), as well as declare what would be  the  MIC/BN contributions to undo the 2007 MIC/BN approval for the condo project, as for instance how much MIC/BN would contribute if there is any element of  financial compensation involved.

Let all MIC/BN leaders, whether national or state,  who had given their approval to the 29-storey condo project in Batu Caves in 2007  step forward to confess their roles.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 14 November 2012, 2:41 pm and is filed under
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Will Najib announce “fighting corruption in UMNO” as as a new NKRA in the GTP “war against corruption”?

Why is there no public response from the Prime Minister and UMNO President, Datuk Seri Najib Razak when the UMNO Information Chief, Datuk Ahmad Maslan had publicly admitted that corruption is a grave problem in UMNO?

Ahmad Maslan made such an admission when commenting on UMNO Secretary-General Datuk Tengku Adnan Mansor’s statement in an  earlier interview that UMNO faces the challenge of being perceived as corrupt, although Ahmad Maslan struck the ridiculous posture that no political party should take an “holier-than-thou” attitude on the issue of corruption.

Ahmad Maslan’s reason?  That bribery happens across the board and allegations of corruption should not be made only against Umno.

He said: “Bribery does not differentiate between party, does not differentiate between gender, does not differentiate between races…

“Don’t just accuse bribery only (by) Umno’s people. This bribery transcends all…”

Ahmad Maslan, who is the deputy minister in the prime minister’s department,  said the important thing is that the government is serious about tackling corruption.

As proof that the government is serious about eradicating bribery, Ahmad Maslan said fighting corruption is one of the government’s National Key Results Areas (NKRAs).

Ahmad Maslan’s remarks are most revealing, for corruption has become so prevalent in UMNO that he has stopped denying it, but is instead trying to justify it on the ground that corruption happens across the board affecting all political parties, and therefore UMNO should not be singled out for castigation.

Ahmad Maslan had in fact gone beyond admitting that corruption is prevalent in UMNO as he had as good as admitted the prevalence of corruption in the other Barisan Nasional component parties – which is fortified by the lack of any denial or repudiation of his admission by the other BN component parties in the past three days.

Ahmad Maslan can talk on behalf of UMNO and even the other BN component parties, but he has no authority or locus standi whatsoever to talk on behalf of  the Pakatan Rakyat parties.

Malaysians know that if there is a whiff of corruption in the Pakatan Rakyat parties, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) would have pounced on it and leave no stone unturned to persecute and prosecute Pakatan Rakyat leaders – as happened in the scandal of the MACC’s “Car and Cows”  investigation of  Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim in early 2009 or the “mysterious” and unresolved death of DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock at MACC Headquarters in Shah Alam on July 16, 2009.

In contrast, the MACC would go out of its way to help “cover up” corruption or any financial malpractices involving UMNO/BN leaders, as exemplified by the  MACC’s inaction whether on the scandal of Sabah timber trader Michael Chia’s RM40 million laundered/trafficked currency-turned- “political donation to Sabah UMNO”, the Bruno Manser Foundation’s revelations of extraordinary wealth of the Sarawak Chief Minister or a whole list of high-profile cases involving UMNO/BN leaders.

Ahmad Maslan’s response to Tengku Adnan is a powerful admission of prevalent corruption in UMNO as well as in the other BN component parties.

The question is what is Najib going to do about it if he is serious and sincere about fighting corruption in his  GTP and NKRAs.

Would be highlight it in his UMNO Presidential Speech at the end of the month?

Would he announce “fighting corruption in UMNO” as one of his new NKRAs in the war against corruption?

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 15 November 2012, 2:45 pm and is filed under
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Two pre-conditions for Pakatan Rakyat to beat Umno/Barisan Nasional in the battle for Putrajaya in the 13GE

PAS President, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said in his speech at the opening of the 58th PAS Muktamar this morning that PAS is prepared to take federal power with its Pakatan Rakyat allies.

Malaysians are at the crossroads in the 13th General Elections, to decide whether the country should have a new beginning by electing a new Pakatan Rakyat federal government in Putrajaya or whether the corruption, abuses of power, injustices and inequalities of the Umno/Barisan Nasional Government should continue to blight the future, hopes and aspirations of the people.

There are two pre-conditions if Pakatan Rakyat is to beat UMNO/Barisan Nasional in the battle for Putrajaya in the 13 General Elections.

The Pakatan Rakyat coalition of PAS, PKR and DAP must be able to show and convince Malaysians of two important differences with the Umno/Barisan Nasional coalition.

Firstly, that the Pakatan Rakyat coalition practices the politics of “Unite and Rule” as distinct from the traditional but divisive and destructive politics of “Divide and Rule” of UMNO/BN, polarizing instead of uniting Malaysians along racial and religious lines.

Through the politics of lies, falsehoods and fear, UMNO/Barisan Nasional spread different and conflicting messages among different racial and religious groups, sowing the seeds of suspicion, distrust and even hatred, which is totally against the task of  Malaysian nation-building.

Among the Malays, UMNO spread the lies and falsehoods that if Pakatan Rakyat wins in the 13GE, the DAP will be the real “power” in Putrajaya, that  Malay rights would be sacrificed with Malays becoming “beggars in the own land”, Islam marginalized and the country become a Christian Malaysia, the system of Malay Rulers abolished and Malaysia will become a republic. In other words, that the DAP would renege and betray  the pledges made in the Pakatan Rakyat Common Policy Programme and Buku Jingga.

Among the Chinese, MCA is allowed to spread fear with the lies and falsehoods that PAS will be the real “power” if Pakatan Rakyat wins resulting in the sacrifice of the political, economic, educational, social, cultural and religious rights of the non-Malays and non-Muslims. Underlying these lies and falsehoods is the message that PAS would renege and betray the pledges made in the Pakatan Rakyat Common Policy Programme and Buku Jingga.

This is a most irresponsible and reckless politicking, completely heedless of the harm of such “divide and rule” tactics to the Malaysian nation-building process.

In contrast, the Pakatan Rakyat parties of PAS, PKR and DAP seek to unite Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region, with the common vision and objective – to restore justice, freedom, democracy and good governance in the country.

Also unlike Barisan Nasional under UMNO hegemony, Pakatan Rakyat is a coalition of equals which operates on the basis of consensus. There is no hegemony by any single party in Pakatan Rakyat.

Secondly, we must convince Malaysians that another great difference with UMNO/BN is that the Pakatan Rakyat coalition practises the politics of sincerity, honesty and trust, where our word is our bond,  and that none of the three parties in Pakatan Rakyat, whether PAS, PKR or DAP, would renege or betray the pledges and commitments we have made in the PR, whether in the  Common Policy Programme or Buku Jingga.

I call on all leaders, members and supporters of Pakatan Rakyat, whether PAS, PKR or DAP, to commit themselves to give full support to the cause of effecting change in the 13GE as this is the only way to end the corruption, abuses of power, injustices and inequalities rampant under UMNO/BN rule.

(Speech at the Pakatan Rakyat Himpunan Kebangkitan Rally at Stadium Mohammad IV Stadium, Kota Baru on Friday, 16th November 2012 at 10 pm)

Artikel ini juga boleh didapati dalam Bahasa Malaysia di:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2012/11/22/dua-prasyarat-untuk-pr-menewaskan-umnobn-dalam-pertembungan-merebut-putrajaya-pada-pru13/

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 17 November 2012, 11:18 am and is filed under
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In the final lap to 13GE, PR leaders should focus single-mindedly to win support of majority of Malaysians for PR Common Policy Programmme and not fall into Umno/BN “Divide and Rule” trap

In the final lap to the 13th General Elections, Pakatan Rakyat leaders should focus single-mindedly to win support of the majority of Malaysian voters for the Pakatan Rakyat Common Policy Programme and not fall into the Umno/barisan Nasional “Divide-and-Rule” trap.

Let us be guided by the Joint Statement of Pakatan Rakyat leaders when Pakatan Rakyat was formed in 2008 which reaffirmed the solidarity, commitment and consensus basis of PR to implement an  agenda to develop the nation and create a prosperous society based on justice, freedom, democracy and good governance, irrespective of ethnicity, religion and culture.

The Joint Statement of PR leaders dated 12th April 2008, bearing the signatures of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Datin Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Ismail, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang and myself, states:

“The policies of Pakatan Rakyat are centred on objectives that have been agreed upon and accepted by the leaders of the three parties that are keADILan, DAP and PAS.  Among these are to develop this country on the basiss of justice, create opportunities for all citizens to enjoy national prosperity and to accord priority to those who are poor and marginalized.

“Pakatan Rakyat is not the forum nor is it the place for any group or individual to champion personal ideologies or that of its component parties.  Although there have been individuals who express  personal views that differ from the agreed agenda of Pakatan Rakyat, those views are clearly personal.  They do not represent that of any of the Parties in Pakatan Rakyat. As such, all leaders and members of Pakatan Rakyat have been directed to desist from expressing views that contradict those that have been mutually agreed upon by Pakatxan Rakyat.

“There is no one party that is the backbone of Pakatan Rakyat. In fact, the strength of Pakatan Rakyat is based on principles of equality and spirit of co-operation among leaders of Pakatan Rakyat in keeping with the mandate that has been given to us by the people during the 12th General Elections.”

For more than two years, the country has been waiting for the holding of the 13th GE but the  Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s indecisiveness and vacillations because of his lack of confidence in the outcome of the polls have seriously sapped economic confidence in the immediate future for the country.

Time is running out for Najib for the window for him to choose the best timing for dissolution of Parliament has been reduced to a pitiable five months as come April 27, 2013, the current 12th Parliament stands automatically dissolved even if Najib out-Hamlets everyone and still cannot decide when to call for polls.

However, I do not believe Najib wants to make world history as belonging to the rare breed of government leaders who could not even decide when to hold general elections and have to hang on until there is an automatic dissolutuin of Parliament under the Constitution.

I would expect the 13th General Election to be held in February or March next year.  With the final three or four months to the 13GE, this is the time for all Pakatan Rakyat leaders, members and supporters to make the supreme effort to mobilise voters throughout the country to rally behind the PR Common Policy Programme and not to allow Umno/BN and their media, whether printed or electronic, to drive a wedge of division and dissension among and between Pakatan Rakyat parties.

In this connection, it must be pointed out that recant reports that the DAP had agreed that hudud would be implemented if Pakatan Rakyat captures Putrajaya in the 13 GE is completely untrue and baseless.

The DAP stand that hudud is not suitable nor appropriate for Malaysa because it is against the Constitution and the plural characteristics of Malaysia is an open, constant and consistent DAP position for the past 46 years of the party history.

DAP has made our stand clear and this is why it is not part of the PR Common Policy Programme, which can only be amended if there is consensus by all the three PR parties.

Artikel ini juga boleh didapati dalam Bahasa Malaysia di:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2012/11/22/pemimpin-pemimpin-pr-sepatutnya-memberikan-sepenuh-fokus-kepada-memenangi-sokongan-majoriti-rakyat-malaysia-terhadap-dasar-bersama-pr/

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 18 November 2012, 11:15 am and is filed under
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Longing For Enlightened Leaders

by M.Bakri Musa

Before Malaysians grant Prime Minister Najib’s request for a mandate in the coming election, we should examine his performance during the past four years. It has been mediocre, satiated with slogans, and drifting amidst an abundance of acronyms. If Malaysians are satisfied with KPI and PEMANDU, or One Malaysia This and Two Malaysia That, then expect more of the same, this time with ever incredulous inanity and flatulent fatuousness.

            Najib has not demonstrated any ability or inclination to clean up his administrative house. An early indication of his second term performance is this. Thus far no cabinet minister has voluntarily withdrawn from being an electoral candidate. As Najib will not drop them, if they win they will end up in his cabinet again. Nothing would have changed.

            A wisecrack definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. That is true only if you let the same cast of incompetent characters carry out the task after they have clearly and repeatedly demonstrated their inability to do so. Pick others more competent and diligent, and the result may well surprise you. It would be far from insanity.

            The best advice a science teacher could give a student who repeatedly fails to perform an experiment is to suggest that he pursues music instead, where “practice, practice, practice!” (doing the same thing over and over) may take him to Carnegie Hall. Likewise, the kindest gesture to Najib after he has clearly demonstrated his inability to lead would be for Malaysians to force him into another line of work, by not voting him and his party in.

            After over half of century in power, what has UMNO, a party that claims to champion Malays, achieved? Malays today are even more morally corrupt, deeply polarized, and economically disadvantaged than ever before. Those are not my observations. I am merely summarizing what Mahathir, a man who led the country and UMNO for over two decades, said.

            Take any social indicator – rate of incarceration, drug abuse, families headed by single mothers – and our community is over represented. Our educational and economic achievements are nothing to be proud of; they are an embarrassment. Yet UMNO Supreme Council members parade their ‘doctorates’ from degree mills as genuine intellectual achievements. The sorry part is that their colleagues believe them! Spouses and families of ministers brag that their luxurious condominiums are the fruits of their entrepreneurial flair where others see those as reflecting the corruption and cronyism of the system.

            Current UMNO leaders are like that inept science student; it is time to force them to pursue other lines of work, anything other than leading us. Voters must be like the strict teacher; flunk the student who repeatedly fails to perform his assigned task. Letting him continue would not do that individual any service; it would only be detrimental to the rest of the class. Voters must flunk these corrupt and incompetent UMNO leaders by voting them out.

Not A Lost Cause

This does not mean that UMNO is a lost cause; nothing is. Even the most unseaworthy sloop could through imaginative and skilful craftsmanship be brought up to Bristol condition. The operative phrase or caveat is “imaginative and skilful craftsmanship.” Is Najib imaginative and skilful?

            I never underestimate the ability of an individual to learn or change. The diminutive, uninspiring and uncharismatic Deng Xiaoping was well in his 70s when he assumed power. He then took his giant nation in a radically different and far better direction.

            Unlike Deng, Najib is far from being diminutive physically, but he exceeds Deng in being uninspiring and uncharismatic. Again unlike Deng whose path to power was littered with the carcasses of personal and political tragedies (his son was paralyzed by Red Guard goons and Deng was once paraded in a dunce cap on the streets of Beijing), Najib’s ascend to the top was well paved – by others.

             Deng was tempered by life’s bitter lessons; Najib’s the beneficiary of its many blessings. If Najib considers that a handicap and an excuse for his underperformance, then he should look up to another transformative leader of modern times, Franklin D Roosevelt, for inspiration. Roosevelt, whose name means a field of roses in Dutch, was born into privilege. Yet he uplifted the lives of Americans especially the poor through his New Deal initiatives. His progressive redistributionist policies earned him the sobriquet, “traitor to his class.”

            Najib’s name is equally rosy; it means wise, intelligent, or high birth in Arabic. Like Roosevelt, Najib was also born into privilege though not on the same scale as FDR or today. Corruption and cronyism were not yet the norms when Tun Razak was Prime Minister.

            Going back to Deng, Najib too spent his formative years as a young man abroad, in Britain, to Deng’s Europe. When Deng left, his father asked him what he hoped to learn. Deng replied, “To learn knowledge and the truth from the West in order to save China.”

            I do not know whether Najib had a similar conversation with his father, but one thing I do know. Tun Razak sent all his children abroad to escape the very Malaysian system of education he was championing! Hypocrisy is a good word to describe such a stance. That is one trait Najib inherits from his father.

            I risk flattering Najib by mentioning him in the same sentence with Deng and FDR. My doing so merely reflects a longing on my part for a leader who could inspire us.

            Najib could initiate change now to give us a hint that he is indeed capable of being a “transformative leader” as he so frequently bragged, and not be content with merely mouthing slogans. He could announce his “shadow” cabinet should Barisan be returned to power. Better yet, revamp his cabinet now and pick his new team to go into the election so citizens could have a reason to vote
for
 Barisan and not merely
against
 Pakatan.

            Malaysians do not expect miracles or demand a super team, merely capable and honest ministers. It is not a tall order. Begin by getting rid of those stale politicians in his cabinet. If they haven’t yet made their mark, they are unlikely to do so in the next few years.

            Characters like Nazri, Rais and Hishamuddin are like durians that have remained unsold for far too long. They are
tak laku
(unsellable), not even good for making
tompoyak
. All they do is stink the place up and lower the value of what few remaining good durians Najib has. Nor are his junior ministers, the next tier of leaders, any better, as exemplified by the recent idiotic utterances of one Dr. Mashitah. She is supposedly better educated, sporting a doctorate of some sort.

            I could add a few more names including that of Muhyyiddin, but that would only be divisive. After all he has as much claim and legitimacy to the top post as Najib. Instead why not join forces and together pick the new dream team.

            While he is at it, Najib should also pick a new Attorney General and anti-corruption chief. If Najib were to name individuals with impeccable credentials and professionalism to those two offices, then those old tak laku durians he dropped from his cabinet would not dare create trouble for him.

            Najib’s address to the UMNO General Assembly later this month will reveal whether he is content with another session of sloganeering or serious about transforming his party and country. The greater significance is this. By indulging in the former and naming the same old nincompoops to his cabinet and top positions, Najib soils the reputation of our community. It gives the impression that the Nazris, Raises, Mashitahs and Hishamuddins represent the best our race is capable of producing or that we are bereft of talents. The shame reflects on all of us.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 19 November 2012, 5:42 pm and is filed under
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The inexorable pursuit of an Islamic State

— Ahmad Farouk Musa

The Malaysian Insider

Nov 18, 2012

NOV 18 — If there is anything unmistakably clear from the recent muktamar or general assembly of the Islamic Party of Malaysia — PAS — is that despite the acceptance of the concept of tahalluf siyasi or political consensus among the three major components of the opposition front — Pakatan Rakyat — PAS’ ambition in establishing an Islamic State and implementing hudud laws is unwavering, if not more resolute.

It appears rather incongruous that despite the acceptance of Buku Jingga or Orange Book as a comprehensive framework of the opposition front on how to govern the country when they come to power, PAS seems to have a higher agenda — to transform the multiracial and multi-religious country into a full-fledged Islamic state with Islamic laws.

Islamic laws and hudud were never mentioned in Buku Jingga and neither was the establishment of Islamic State. PAS even came out with its own manifesto “Nation of Care and Opportunity”. However this concept of a benevolent state is not well received by many PAS members themselves. Reason being, the so-called Erdoganists in PAS mainly mooted it. Recent spate of debate about the concept of Islamist Democrat — a term popularised by the Erdoganists — between the ulama faction and the young Turks clearly proved that they are considered contaminants in the “pure and pristine” PAS struggle.

The changing trend

While PAS has been in existent since 1951, it has remarkably shown to be very consistent in its struggle ever since, no matter how insensible it could have been to many. PAS has tried to restore Islam’s place as a central reference point for all social, cultural, economic and political life in Muslim society. In the words of Bobby Said in his book “A Fundamental Fear: Eurocentrism and the Emergence of Islamism”, he said: Islamism is a project that attempts to transform Islam from a nodal point in the discourse of Muslim communities to a master signifier. In particular, the Islamist project is an attempt to make Islam the master signifier of the political order.

However this project of political Islam has taken a new turn after what is known as the Arab Spring or the Arab Awakening. The discourse now is not about establishing an Islamic State or implementing hudud laws. The aspiration now is to nurture pious Muslims within a democratic polity. Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of en-Nahdha in Tunisia has categorically rejected Islamic State in favour of parliamentary democracy. His party en-Nahdhah is committed to social justice, multiparty democracy and religious pluralism.

A Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois, Asef Bayat termed this shift as post-Islamism. There was a clear shift from the age-old slogan of al-Islam huwa al-hal — Islam is the solution to all problems — to a more practical approach and solution.

As put forward by Rachid Ghannouchi in interpreting the saying of the Prophet: “You are the best people to know what is beneficial for you in your worldly affairs” meaning to say that it is not the duty of religion to teach us agriculture, industrial or even governing techniques. Reason is qualified to teach this truth through the accumulation of experiences. The role of religion, however, is to answer the big question for us, those relating to our existence, origins, destiny and the purpose for which we were created. It is to provide us with a system of values and principles that would guide our thinking, behavior and the regulation of the state to which we aspire.

Same old rhetoric

For those who followed closely the recent Muktamar, it is evident that PAS is still trapped in the age-old agenda. Implementing hudud laws still remain a priority in its struggle. Obviously this is a clear contradiction to the mutually agreed Buku Jingga. Whether they are aware of the repercussion or not, it definitely provides ammunition to the ruling party that PAS has an ulterior motive to change this country into an Islamic State.

The patronising speech by Head of Dewan Ulama or the Religious Council in saying in a jest that hudud will create more job opportunities since training is needed in order to chop off hands and that training is also needed for caning of alcohol drinkers only showed that they are not serious about the current economic problems faced by the nation. It is as though by simply implementing hudud, all the economic woes and social ills of the society will be solved.

Nothing serious was discussed about the idea of nation of care and opportunity. PAS seems to have lost interest in pursuing the welfare state agenda. The main tone that vibrates especially among the Islamic scholars was nothing more than hudud and their unyielding push for this agenda and not in the least worried about going public about it.

Little Napoleons

One of the most worrying trends during the Muktamar is the voices of little Napoleons who tried to silence Harakah and the online Harakahdaily who had been accused to give more space to progressive figures in PAS and sidelining conservative forces.

Harakah is accused to have strayed away from its original intent and aspiration of PAS. Such an act would have been seen by many who understand freedom of the press as stifling with the most fundamental foundation of freedom of speech.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression: this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.

Now this act by the little Napoleons only showed how much they understand and respect human rights and what the future may hold if they come to power. There will not be any room left for dissension and differing opinions than what is being held by them.

The political reality

Perhaps the most important thing that PAS should appreciate and understand is that the appeal for hudud and Islamic State is not there anymore in the post-Islamism period. PAS should not misunderstand the votes they received as amounting to the support for their Islamic agenda.

More than a hundred thousand went to the street for demonstration during Bersih 3.0 recently. The demand was not to implement hudud or establishing an Islamic state. People of various races and religions from all walks of life marched together for a better democracy. They wanted a clean and fair election and a government free of corruption. It was an act of defiance to the draconian and unconstitutional Act that prevented people from any peaceful assembly.

It must be heard loud and clear that the people want a truly democratic state. Not a state ruled by a group of Mullahs who considered themselves to be above the law. The precedent was already set when one state under PAS passed an enactment that a fatwa or religious verdict from a Mufti cannot be challenged in the court of law.

It has to be understood that the state is not something from God but from the people. The state has to serve the benefit of the people and not just a certain group based on their faith. The state has to be neutral in all aspects. It must also be made clear that a state is a human product and managing a state requires human endeavor and not divine inspiration. The governance of a state falls under the realm of political and is not in the realm of revelation.

Any observance of religious values must never be through coercion. A state should respect personal beliefs and moral values and not imposed itself on its citizens. Unfortunately, the current situation in states under PAS rule failed to prevent this obtrusion of the state into private sphere. A state should not dictate how we should wear in public as this falls under personal affairs. However to regulate how women should dress seemed to be the first agenda under many Islamic governments; PAS not excluded.

Matters of the heart such as faith should be left to individuals. It is not the state to meddle in matters of the heart. There is no value in observing a faith that was made through coercion. Coercing people to believe in a faith they have no believe anymore through state’s coercive tools only turn them into hypocrites. People are created free and any effort of the state to coerce people from embracing or leaving a faith is worthless and futile.

The road forward

As a concluding remark, it must be re-emphasised that Islam in one way or another has always influenced a state under Muslim rule throughout history. Islam has not known a separation between state and religion in the sense of excluding religion altogether from public life. However a clear demarcation must be made between what belongs to the realm of ad-deeni or religious and those that fall under as-siyasi or political.

Great Islamic jurists like ash-Shatibi and Ibnu Ashur have agreed that the highest objective of all divine messages is to establish justice and attaining maslahah by realizing people’s interest. The pursuit of justice and public interest is done merely through the exercise of reason. And religion only provides values and guidelines in this pursuit.

Hence it is wrong to envisage that governing a state must follow a fixed manual and that manual is none other than the Qur’an. The domain of state governance falls under as-siyasi — the political — that will require human intellect to establish justice and equality.

Thus justice cannot be achieved unless human rights are secured for every individual and group in this country. And primary among human rights are rights to belief and to express one’s belief.

In a country that has achieved independence since 1957, the sovereign nation was founded upon the principles of justice and freedom as stated in the Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately, the principles of justice and freedom were forgotten and the provisions of fundamental liberties enshrined in the constitution were progressively compromised and eroded by the ruling elite.

Our aim now is to recover the lost hope, of justice and freedom, and not to turn this country into another repressive state that claims to rule with a mandate from God. — New Mandala

* Dr. Ahmad Farouk Musa is a director at Islamic Renaissance Front.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 19 November 2012, 5:26 pm and is filed under
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Asean Human Rights Declaration

— Proham

The Malaysian Insider

Nov 20, 2012

NOV 20 — Persatuan Promosi Hak Asasi Manusia (Proham) congratulates PM for his support on Human Rights at the Asean Meeting and calls him to lead in human rights

Proham recognises that an Asean Human Rights Declaration is an important document and a major step forward in fostering a human rights culture within the region. We recognise the role Malaysia has played and emphasis the necessity for Malaysia to enhance our role and position as a promoter and defender of human rights within Asean and the globe. Indeed we call on the PM and Malaysia to take on a strong leadership role in Asean  .

However Proham also acknowledges that this the Asean Human Rights Declaration is not a satisfactory document as it does not reach the status of the UDHR and other international human rights instruments. Nonetheless we note that this Asean HR Declaration is welcome as a step forward, in anticipation of the Asean community to be set up by January 1, 2015.

In this context Proham urges the Asean partners such as Singapore, Brunei, Myanmar and Malaysia to take urgent action to ratify the core human rights conventions such as the convention on civil and political rights (ICCPR), economic, social and cultural (ICESCR), elimination on racial discrimination (ICERD) and against torture.

In the track record of ratification some of the Asean partners have already done much better than us — like Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand.

Countries like Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have a better track record compared to Singapore, Brunei, Myanmar and Malaysia.

This is unacceptable as Malaysians are in a better socio-economic and even political position to do better in our human rights.

This comparative analysis must be a wake-up call for Malaysia. We must be among the core Asean partners like Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

It is therefore urgent for the prime minister and the Cabinet to seriously review our commitment to human rights by improving our ratification and compliance to international instrument and standards.

Malaysia should not be known and seen to be lagging behind  in our human rights legislation and performance. This will not be consistent with our approach to our Vision 2020 Developed status in just seven years’ time!

We urge our government to  accept the challenge to take the lead in human rights in Asean.

* Issued on behalf of Proham by Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam (Proham member) and Datuk Dr Denison (Proham secretary-general).

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 20 November 2012, 7:47 pm and is filed under
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Gaza crisis has more to come

By Victor Kotsev

Asia Times

Nov 20, 2012

On Sunday night, an Egyptian effort to establish a ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza militant factions reportedly collapsed. An Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip loomed, after missiles landed near Tel Aviv for four days in a row – once near Jerusalem, even farther away.

Though nobody was hurt in these specific attacks, they came as a slap in the face of the stated goals of the ongoing Israeli operation: stopping the missile fire and restoring deterrence. Rockets had not been aimed at the heart of Israel for over 20 years, since the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein fired Scud missiles during the First Gulf War. Therefore, as tanks and artillery units rolled toward Gaza and reserve soldiers were reporting for duty (75,000 initially, an increase of more than 40% of the army’s active personnel), a long and bloody operation appeared to be in store, and only an effective miracle of diplomacy could prevent that.

Pinning down the beginning of the crisis is almost as difficult as forecasting its end. The Atlantic published an elaborate timeline of its gradual escalation, which involved the targeted assassination of a top Gaza militant, Ahmed al-Jabari, as well as the firing of some 150 rockets into southern Israel during the previous weekend.

Other analysts have their own versions: in a report dated November 16, 2012, for example, the influential intelligence-analysis firm Stratfor traced the beginnings of the conflict to the bombing of the Yarmouk weapons factory in Sudan on October 23. According to Stratfor, the Israeli operation, whose English codename is “Pillar of Defense”, is first and foremost directed against longer-range missiles supplied by Iran to the Gaza militants; in this account, both Yarmouk and Jabari were key links in that supply chain.

Yet there are even deeper causes of the violence, which involve internal Palestinian and Israeli rivalries as well as foreign interests, and which may hamper the efforts to end it. Some analysts ask, for example, if the timing of the escalation right after the US presidential elections was coincidental and whether spoilers might try to ruin any of several major diplomatic initiatives that were expected after Obama’s re-election.

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood president and government are hard-pressed to establish a truce. No less than the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty is at stake – Cairo already pulled its ambassador in Tel Aviv “for consultations” – and the Brotherhood is reportedly split between its loyalty for its daughter organization Hamas and its need for external stability in order to focus urgently on its domestic program.

Rivalry between the main Palestinian factions – Hamas and Fatah – plays an important, if under-reported, role in what is happening. In the past months, the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, suffered a series of setbacks, including the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the recent visit of the Emir of Qatar to the Strip. Other important Middle Eastern leaders, such as the Turkish prime minister, announced plans for similar visits that would boost further the international legitimacy and prestige of the Hamas regime.

Abbas planned a grand comeback with his bid for implicit recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, which was expected to play out later this month. In international legal discourse, for example in the eyes of the International Criminal Court, a vote by the General Assembly would be a sufficient and rather official criterion for statehood. Abbas would achieve the status of a state leader and also win over the Arab masses as a man whose vision for a non-violent resistance produces results. He would acquire new diplomatic levers to use against Israel and would cement his relevance in Middle Eastern politics.

All of a sudden, however, it seems that Hamas and Israel took matters in their own hands. Technically, they both took issue with the part of the statehood declaration that specifies the borders of the new Palestinian state. Neither of them was happy with the pre-1967 war lines cited by Abbas, each for its own reasons: Hamas insists on liberating “all of occupied Palestine” while Israel hopes to annex East Jerusalem and its major settlements in the West Bank.

In addition, both had an interest in shifting the international focus on themselves. As the left-wing Israeli journalist Amira Hass reported in Ha’aretz, “opponents of Hamas in the Strip say that the escalation suits the political aims of both Hamas and Israel: It dwarfs the importance of the PLO initiative to bring to a vote the Palestinian bid for observer status in the United Nations.”

Even less known – and still an important contributing factor – is the political battle raging inside Hamas. Internal elections were reportedly scheduled for later this month, and its present chief, Khaled Meshaal, had announced that he would not run.

Meshaal, a political rival of the Gaza leadership of Hamas, had embarked on a reconciliation initiative with Abbas last year and had also voiced cautious support for the UN bid (importantly, this put him on the moderate side of Jabari). Now that some of his main opponents are dead and the Strip is in distress, Meshaal may choose to reconsider his retirement.

Much more public is the election campaign in Israel, but allegations that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu provoked the clash intentionally in order to gain popularity must be taken with a grain of salt. It is true that in the first few days of the operation, most of the media attention shifted to the prime minister, while his rivals from the opposition rallied behind him. However, he was leading in polls even before the violence, and a prolonged campaign without a clear outcome could destroy this advantage. Most analysts seem to agree that a calm would have been more beneficial to Netanyahu in the run-up to the election.

The Israeli leaders’ dilemma can best be summarized as a need to find a response to the continued rocket fire – particularly to the fire on central Israel – that is simultaneously harsh enough to satisfy their primarily right-wing constituency and soft enough not to cause a diplomatic disaster with Egypt and the international community. Netanyahu and his coalition partners would certainly not like to go down in history as the people who let the peace treaty with Egypt collapse – even less so right before the election.

Military experts caution that an air war usually becomes less effective after a few days because the air force exhausts most of its target bank. We may be seeing a reflection of that in the increased number of civilian casualties in the last day – 24 died on Sunday, at least 13 of whom were civilians. But while ground war usually increases rather than decreases what the military terms “collateral damage”, if the rocket fire from Gaza does not stop and a ceasefire is not established soon, an invasion may become a tactical necessity for the Israeli army.

Amid a decisive push by Cairo to establish a ceasefire and no signs of a let-up in the violence, time may be running dangerously short.

Victor Kotsev is a journalist and political analyst.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 20 November 2012, 7:29 pm and is filed under
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Hamas and Israel have opened the ‘gates of hell’ in Gaza yet again. And the number of journalistic cliches in hell is growing by the day

Robert Fisk

The Independent

18 November 2012

‘Surgical air strikes’, ‘rooting out terror’, and ‘cyber-terrorism’ cannot conceal reality

Terror, terror, terror, terror, terror. Here we go again. Israel is going to “root out Palestinian terror” – which it has been claiming to do, unsuccessfully, for 64 years – while Hamas, the latest in “Palestine’s” morbid militias, announces that Israel has “opened the gates of hell” by murdering its military leader, Ahmed al-Jabari.

Hezbollah several times announced that Israel had “opened the gates of hell” for attacking Lebanon. Yasser Arafat, who was a super-terrorist, then a super-statesman – after capitulating on the White House lawn – and then became a super-terrorist again when he realised he’d been conned by Camp David; he, too waffled on about the “gates of hell” in 1982.

And we journos are writing like performing bears, repeating all the clichés we’ve used for the past 40 years. The killing of Mr Jabari was a “targeted attack”, it was a “surgical air strike” – like the Israeli “surgical air strikes” which killed almost 17,000 civilians in Lebanon in 1982, the 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians, in 2006, or the 1,300 Palestinians, most of them civilians, in Gaza in 2008-9, or the pregnant woman and the baby who were killed by the “surgical air strikes” in Gaza last week – and the 11 civilians killed in one Gaza house yesterday. At least Hamas, with their Godzilla rockets, don’t claim anything “surgical” about them. They are meant to murder Israelis – any Israelis, man woman or child.

As, in truth, are the Israeli attacks on Gaza. But don’t say that or you’ll be an anti-Semitic Nazi; almost as evil, wicked, unspeakable, devilish and murderous as the Hamas movement with which – again, please don’t mention this – Israel happily negotiated in the Eighties when they encouraged this bunch of mobsters to take power in Gaza and thus decapitate the exiled super-terrorist Arafat. The new exchange rate in Gaza for Palestinian and Israeli deaths has reached 16:1. It will rise, of course. The exchange rate in 2008-9 was 100:1.

And we are myth-making too. The last Israeli war in Gaza was such a stunning success – “rooting out terror”, of course – that their supposedly élite units couldn’t even find their own captured soldier Gilad Shalit, eventually produced last year by Mr Jabari in person.

Mr Jabari was the “No 1 shadowy leader” of Hamas, according to the Associated Press. But how on earth can he be shadowy when we know his date of birth, family details, his years of imprisonment by Israel during which he changed allegiance from Fatah to Hamas? So while I’m on it, those years of Israeli imprisonment didn’t exactly convert Mr Jabari to pacifism, did they? Well, no tears then; he was a man who lived by the sword and died by the sword, a fate which, of course, will not afflict Israel’s warriors of the air as they kill civilians in Gaza.

Washington supports Israel’s “right to defend itself” then claims a spurious neutrality – as if Israel’s bombs on Gaza didn’t come from the United States as assuredly as the Fajr-5 rockets come from Iran.

Meanwhile, the pitiful William Hague holds Hamas “principally responsible” for the latest war. But there is no such evidence that this is true. According to The Atlantic Monthly, the Israeli killing of a “mentally unfit” Palestinian who strayed towards the border may have been the start of the latest war. Others suspect the killing of a small Palestinian boy may have been the provocation. But he was shot dead by the Israelis when an armed Palestinian group tried to cross the frontier and was confronted by Israeli tanks. In which case Palestinian gunmen – albeit not Hamas – may have kicked-off the whole shooting-match.

But is there nothing to stop this nonsense, this garbage war? Hundreds of rockets fall on Israel. True. Thousands of acres of land are stolen from Arabs by Israel –for Jews and Jews only – on the West Bank. There isn’t even enough land left there now for a Palestinian state.

Delete the last two sentences, please. There are only good guys and bad guys in this outrageous conflict in which the Israelis claim to be the good guys to the applause of Western countries (who then wonder why a lot of Muslims don’t like Westerners very much).

The problem, oddly, is that Israel’s actions in the West Bank and its siege of Gaza are bringing closer the very event which Israeli trumpets it fears every day: that Israel faces destruction.

In the battle of rockets – not least Iran’s Fajr-5s and Hezbollah’s drones – a new warpath is being trodden by both sides. It’s no longer about Israeli tanks crossing the Lebanese border or the Gaza border. It’s about rockets and hi-tech drones and computer attacks – or “cyber-terrorism”, of course, if committed by Muslims – and the human dross ripped apart by the wayside will be even less relevant than it has been over the past three days.

The Arab awakening now takes its own path: its leaders are going to have to follow their public’s mood. So, I suspect, is poor old King Abdullah of Jordan. America’s clowning for “peace” on Israel’s side is no longer worth the candle among Arabs. And if Benjamin Netanyahu believes that the arrival of the first Iranian Fajr rockets necessitates the Israeli big bang on Iran, and then Iran fires back – and perhaps at the Americans, too– and brings in Hezbollah – and Obama gets swallowed up in another Western-Muslim war, what happens then?

Well, Israel will ask for a ceasefire, as it routinely does in wars against Hezbollah. It will plead yet again for the undying support of the West in its struggle against world evil, Iran included.

And why not praise the killing of Mr Jabari? Please forget that the Israelis negotiated via the German secret service with Mr Jabari himself, less than 12 months ago. You can’t negotiate with “terrorists”, right? Israel calls this latest bloodbath Operation Pillar of Defence. Pillar of Hypocrisy, more like.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 20 November 2012, 6:56 pm and is filed under
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Netanyahu’s high-stakes game in Gaza

By Ramzy Baroud

Asia Times

Nov 20, 2012

Many key phrases have been presented to explain Israel’s latest military onslaught against Gaza, which left scores dead and wounded. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is flexing his muscles in preparation for the Israeli general elections in January, suggested some. It is Israel’s way of testing the administration of Egyptian President Mahmoud Morsi, commented others. It was a stern message to Iran, instructed a few. Or that Israel is simply assessing its “deterrence” capabilities. And so on.

But there is more than those ready-to-serve analyses. It has been four years since Israel mixed up the cards through an unhindered show of force. Last time it did so was in 2008-09, in a 22-day war it termed “Operation Cast Lead”. Then, it killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and wounded over 5,000 others. Excluding Israel’s diehard supporters, the general consensus was, including that of many UN and international rights organizations: Israel committed war crimes and crimes against humanity deserving of international tribunals and due retribution.

Of course, none took place. The US government and media stood as an impenetrable shield between Israel’s accused war criminals and those daring to level accusations. Four years later little has changed. Then as it is now, Israel was embarking on national elections, and since “security” is Israel’s enduring strategy whether in national or international politics, it was suddenly realized that Gaza posed a “security threat”, thus had to be suppressed or at least taught a lesson.

Never mind that a truce was in affect and was mostly holding up, that it was Israel that provoked Palestinian factions to retaliate – before the retaliation was itself considered the original act of aggression as willfully validated by mainstream Western media.

In 2008, Barack Obama was elected president, and the outgoing George W Bush administration remained largely “uninvolved”, save for the reiteration of Israel’s right to defend itself against hordes of Palestinian terrorists and such. Some then, suggested that Cast Lead was an Israeli trial balloon to test Obama, whom Israel viewed with much suspicion despite all the groveling he has done at Israeli lobby meetings to assure Israel that a president with a middle name such as “Hussein” will not dare demand accountability from Israel.

Obama eventually lived up to Israel’s expectations, and despite few hiccups in their relations, the new administration was hardly different from its predecessors. Under Obama, Israel remained a top priority for American diplomacy, politics, military and financial aid and more. However, Israel was still dissatisfied.

Political analysts cite a few incidents that made Netanyahu look unfavorably at Obama from the onset. The latter ushered in his foreign policy with the appointment of a Middle East peace envoy and expected Israel to work towards the resumption of the so-called peace process. More dangerously however, Obama spoke bluntly for the need to freeze settlement construction, as a necessary first step before the return to the “negotiations table”. Even Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, who understands well the importance of Israeli support for any ambitious US politician, was clear regarding the settlements: President Obama, she said, “wants to see a stop to settlements – not some settlements, not outposts, not natural-growth exceptions”.

Gradually that position weakened, if not entirely reversed. Over the following months and years, the Obama administration retreated to the US’ foreign policy comfort zone regarding Israel: give generously (even in times of economic recession), expect nothing in return, and in the meantime ask no questions. But it takes more to placate an ever-demanding government as that of Netanyahu.

The Israeli prime minister is himself troubled by fears that his palpable support of the Republican candidate Mitt Romney, his trademark arrogance and lecturing of Obama regarding Iran could prove costly during Obama’s new term. Not that Obama is likely to be any less enthusiastic about supporting Israel, but the Israeli government is concerned that the US administration might not adopt Israeli foreign policy priorities as if it’s an American doctrine, which has been the case for years.

Hours after the election results declared Obama a winner, the Israeli media began censuring the injudiciousness of their prime minister. Articles with such titles as “So Sorry, President Obama, Please Forgive Netanyahu” (Haaretz) and “Bibi Gambled, We’ll Pay” (Yedioth Ahronoth) became commonplace. Romney’s defeat was particularly sobering for Israel since it’s the first time that the power of the Zionist lobby and the endless millions of their patrons, such as multibillionaire gambling magnate Sheldon Adelson were rarely as useful in determining election results of this scale.

Truth to be told, Obama is not only unpopular among Israeli political elites, but among the Israeli public as well. “In global polls, Israel is the only country in the world that would have elected Romney over Obama,” said ABC, and with a huge margin too.

It was early morning on Wednesday November 7 in Israel and the occupied territories when the US election results were declared. The Israeli cabinet swung into action, and the Israel army was quickly deployed to seek provocations at the Gaza border.

An earlier incident on November 5, where an apparently mentally unfit man, Ahmad al-Nabaheen was shot dead by Israeli troops, heightened tension, although a truce remained in effect. On November 8, however, Israel sought its casus belli as it moved in on Gaza with tanks and attack helicopters. An early victim was a 12-year-old boy gunned down while playing soccer. Palestinians retaliated, although projectiles inside Israel caused no damage. One Israeli soldier was injured near the border with Gaza and more firing was reported by Palestinian fighters aimed at an Israeli military jeep, injuring four. Two more children were killed in an open soccer field on November 10, prompting more, although still guarded, Palestinian retaliation. Another civilian in Gaza was killed the following day when Israel bombed the funeral tent set up to mourn the victims of past days.

On November 12, Egypt was concluding yet another truce between Israel and resistance factions. But that turned out to be a diplomatic embarrassment for Egypt, as the man who agreed to the text of the truce on the Palestinian side, the leader of the Hamas armed resistance in Gaza, Ahmed Jabari, was himself assassinated by an Israeli missile on November 14.

No other meaning can be extracted from Jabari’s murder but the fact that Israel had decided to pull the Palestinians into an all-out war. Scores of Palestinians, many of whom civilians, were killed in the subsequent days. Palestinians extended the range of their projectiles into areas near Tel Aviv and as far as Jerusalem. Three Israelis were reportedly killed.

Israel’s obsession with security often, if not always, leads it to create the very conditions that compromise on its own security, so that its leaders may demonstrate the authenticity of their original claim. It is a strange logic that is as old as the state of Israel itself. But the timing of the latest war on Gaza, as in the previous one, partly meant to push the subject of Israel’s security on the top of the new administration’s agenda, rife with crises and challenges. No US administration risks initiating its term in office with an open confrontation with Israel. The conventional wisdom in Washington is that in times of war, Israel is right even if it’s wrong, as it often is. Not even Barack Hussein Obama is strong enough to change that reasoning.

“We strongly condemn the barrage of rocket fire from Gaza into Israel,” said Jay Carney, the White House spokesman. “There is no justification for the violence that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are employing against the people of Israel.”

Now that Israel is once more pushing its agenda as an American priority, the time is ripe for further escalation and for more saber-rattling against Iran, Hezbollah and whomever else Israel perceives as an enemy. Israeli causalities will be used to demonstrate Israel’s supposed vulnerability, and Palestinian deaths will buttress Netanyahu’s rightwing government as Israel’s unbending guardian against those who continue to pose “an existential threat” to the Jewish state. The truth, of course, remains the least relevant.

Ramzy Baroud (ramzybaroud.net) is an internationally syndicated columnist and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 20 November 2012, 7:13 pm and is filed under
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DAP/PR menyokong penuh usul Parlimen mengutuk keganasan Israel di Gaza

Saya berdiri memberikan sokongan penuh bagi pihak DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat terhadap usul di hadapan Dewan yang mulia ini dan mengecam sekeras-kerasnya serangan ketenteraan Israel ke atas Wilayah Palestin di Gaza serta menggesa Majlis Keselamatan Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu membuat ketetapan supaya Israel menghentikan dengan serta-merta serangan ketenteraannya ke atas Wilayah Palestin di Gaza melalui gencatan senjata dan memutuskan untuk menempatkan pasukan pengaman Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu bagi menguatkuasakan gencatan senjata tersebut.

Satu kemungkaran yang amat kejam dan tidak berperikemanusiaan sedang berlaku di Gaza, Palestin. Sejak hari Rabu yang lepas, rejim Israel telah melancarkan serangan udara secara bertubi-tubi ke atas rakyat Palestin di Gaza.

Yang lebih jahatnya, serangan-serangan terbaru bertumpu kepada kawasan-kawasan padat penduduk. Antara mangsa-mangsa yang terkorban termasuk kanak-kanak dan orang awam yang tidak bersalah.

Angka kematian kian meningkat, dengan kematian 109 nyawa termasuk pemimpin Hamas Ahmed Al-Jabari, sementara 840 orang lain mengalami kecederaan (termasuk 225 kanak-kanak). Separuh daripada jumlah yang terkorban merupakan orang awam.

Keadaan ini sungguh mendukacitakan. Rakyat Palestin selama ini ditindas oleh rejim Israel di tanah sendiri dan lagi teruknya dianaktirikan oleh kuasa-kuasa besar yang sampai hari ini masih tidak menghormati kedaulatan wilayah tersebut. Kini, mereka sekali lagi menjadi mangsa dasar luar negeri Israel serta tindakan zalim Pasukan Pertahanan Israel (Israeli Defense Force) atau IDF yang tidak teragak-agak untuk menyasarkan serangan ke atas orang awam.

Sikap rakus kepimpinan rejim Israel yang suka menggunakan taktik kekerasan dan keganasan ke atas rakyat Palestin harus dikutuk dengan sekeras-kerasnya. Lagi-lagilah apabila Israel mempunyai kelebihan ketenteraan yang jauh lebih dasyat. Oleh itu, sebarang tindakan keganasan oleh Israel secara lazimnya akan mengakibatkan kematian dan kerosakan yang keterlaluan, seperti yang jelas kelihatan dalam serangan-serangan yang sedang berlaku.

Adakah dunia sanggup melihat lagi pengorbanan insan yang tidak bersalah dan pencetusan perang secara besar-besaran di Timur Tengah? Sekiranya keganasan rejim Israel tidak dibendung, perang akan menjadi satu kepastian. Malah, mengikut laporan-laporan berita, tentera Israel sudah pun bersedia dan telah dihantar kepada sempadan Gaza.

DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat menyuarakan sokongan kami dalam semangat kesetiakawanan bersama rakyat Palestin. Kami juga menyokong jalan penyelesaian multilateral malalui Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu.

Sungguhpun begitu, kami amat kecewa dengan tindakan Presiden Amerika Syarikat Barack Obama yang lekas membela rejim Israel dengan mengatakan bahawa Israel mempunyai hak untuk mempertahankan diri daripada serangan roket daripada militan Palestin. Bagaimana pula dengan hak rakyat Palestin untuk mempertahankan diri daripada penindasan sistematik dan keganasan tajaan rejim Israel yang membawa kematian dan kerosakan skala besar?

Pada masa yang sama, Presiden Obama berkata bahawa “violence is not the answer”, ataupun “keganasan itu bukan penyelesaian”. Apakah serangan udara oleh rejim Israel itu bukan keganasan? Pendirian lidah bercabang dua ini tidak akan membantu dalam menyelesaikan masalah rakyat Palestin.

Justeru, kami menggesa Wisma Putra agar membuat bantahan diplomatik dan menyampaikan pesanan yang tegas kepada pihak-pihak berkuasa seperti Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu dan Amerika Syarikat.

Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu hendaklah mengeluarkan ketetapan melalui Majlis Keselamatan untuk mengutuk keganasan yang sedang berlaku serta segera menghentikan keganasan oleh rejim Israel. Pada masa yang sama, Amerika Syarikat harus lebih bertanggungjawab dan memberi tekanan yang kuat kepada rejim Israel dan bukan hanya beromong kosong.

Sekiranya komuniti antarabangsa hanya membiarkan sahaja keganasan dan pencabulan hak asasi yang sedang berlaku ke atas rakyat Palestin, maka kita semua akan berkongsi dosa. Kekejaman rejim Israel adalah amat terkutuk dan wajib dihentikan dengan serta merta.

[
Ucapan semasa menyertai perbahasan usul mengutuk keganasan Israel di Gaza di Dewan Rakyat pada 20/11/2012
]

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 20 November 2012, 12:39 pm and is filed under
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Do Your Job Right, PTPTN

By Kee Thuan Chye

Malaysian Digest

21 November 2012

It’s unbelievable how lackadaisical the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) is in collecting loan payments. These, after all, constitute the rakyat’s money, and it is the responsibility of the corporation to be accountable for it. And yet its chief executive officer, Agos Cholan, can say, in an interview with Malaysiakini, that it tells its debtors to pay whatever they can.

Whatever they can! What kind of an attitude is that? Isn’t it encouraging defaulters?

Is PTPTN not concerned about getting back the money because the money belongs to others? Is it plainly incompetent? Is it poorly run? If so, it reflects badly on the government we have.

In fact, the least the Government could do now is crack the whip on the people heading PTPTN to ensure that they do their job well, and if they don’t, it should have them replaced.

After all, we are talking about huge sums of money being loaned out. As it is, the total amount stands at RM45.41 billion, and by the end of the year, it will reach RM50 billion.

That’s not small pickings. It’s money that could be used for the good of the rakyat – a lot of good. If some of it is not recovered when the loans are due, more money will have to be pumped into the fund. Where will that money come from?

Of course, we can say that PTPTN money is for the good cause of higher education so it might be all right if the recipients don’t pay back or take their time to do so, but a loan is a loan. Its terms and conditions have to be respected. If you tak berani tanggung, you shouldn’t take a loan. You can’t say afterwards that paying back will cause you to be in debt. You should know what you’ll be in for.

Of course, if the Government decides to scrap PTPTN and write off the loans, that’s a totally different matter. But until that happens, the loan agreement is sacrosanct.

Even for a scholarship, there is usually the condition of the recipient being bonded by employment to the Government after graduation, which he or she must respect. If they renege, they must pay back in cash.

But more than the issue of money, what is important to consider here is that this is not the way to run a government agency. By not doing its job the way it should, PTPTN is showing a bad example of government operations.

As for Agos Cholan, the things he said in the interview reflect an unseemly attitude. If he brings that to bear in his job, he should seriously reconsider his position.

He said PTPTN wants to do things “the nice way”, i.e. it refuses to come down hard on debtors. How could he say that? It’s not the role of PTPTN to be “nice”.

How could he also say, “So far, we have been quite nice and moderate. We advertise in newspapers, on billboards and hold awareness campaigns to tell the people, ‘Pay back lah’”.

That sounds utterly unprofessional. And of course if PTPTN puts it that way, nobody’s going to pay lah. So perhaps we could say, “Agos Cholan should step down lah.”

He said 130,000 or so debtors have been blacklisted, and of these, only 20 per cent have started paying back. “The rest have not come forward yet. We are still waiting,” he added.

Still waiting? If creditors were to just wait for their debtors to come to them, they’d be out of business in a flash! Sure, PTPTN is not a commercial enterprise or a profit-making organisation, but it is a trustee of the rakyat’s resources.

PTPTN should be proactive instead and go after the debtors. But wait! There is a problem. According to sources quoted by Malaysiakini, many of the students to whom PTPTN gave out loans cannot be traced.

This is incredulous. It reeks of incompetency of the highest order. Keeping track of one’s debtors is the most basic of functions. Otherwise, how can you ensure getting back your money? So how could PTPTN be so lax about keeping proper records and updating them continually?

Agos Cholan is a former banker; he should know better than most people that you can’t lend money and later lose contact with the people you lent it to. What’s his excuse?

Apparently, PTPTN’s database suffered a disaster when it was converted into electronic data under a system that didn’t work well and was then tinkered with under a different system that made it worse. It is now being rebuilt based on the first system, “running on an old engine”. The process has of course cost a lot of money – and a lot of misplacement of data. And “running on an old engine” doesn’t sound like a good prospect.

Agos admits that there was a time when PTPTN couldn’t justify RM5 billion worth of loans – “we didn’t know who took out loans or who has paid; the numbers weren’t there”. This sounds harrowing when so much money is at stake. But he assures us that “it has all been rectified”.

Rectifying it is one thing; using it to spring to action to recover the money is another. Agos eschews using debt collection agencies because he’s worried they might “not be professional enough”.

How about using the legal recourse? After all, there is no excuse for the debtors not to pay. When they signed the loan agreement, they knew what they were in for and they agreed to the terms. So those who have not been paying need to be jolted into honouring those terms. Indeed, if a few debtors were to be hauled to court on this account, it might spook other defaulters into paying up.

But one suspects that PTPTN’s reluctance to enforce legal compliance stems from a fear of offending its loan recipients. These are the youths who will be voting at the upcoming general election. The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) would be worried about losing their votes. Especially with Pakatan Rakyat pledging, if it captures Putrajaya, to write off PTPTN loans and provide free tertiary education.

Furthermore, the ‘Occupy Dataran’ campout staged by university students in April to call for the loans to be scrapped has added pressure on BN.

Be that as it may, the BN government will not endear itself to the rakyat if it is seen to be incompetent, inefficient and cavalier about the people’s resources. It might end up being rejected instead.

In any case, nothing beats doing a job right. If PTPTN cannot do its job right, the Government will be held accountable. Then no amount of appeasing the young voters will be of help to the BN cause.

The point of reckoning may ironically be the ballot box.

* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the bestselling book No More Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians, available in bookstores together with its Malay translation, Jangan Kelentong Lagi, Kita Semua Orang Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 November 2012, 11:05 pm and is filed under
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