Mammoth BERSIH gathering – People have spoken but will Abdullah listen or will he remain deaf, blind and mute?

Malaysians have spoken loud and clear in the peaceful mammoth  BERSIH gathering yesterday to support the petition to  the Yang di Pertuan Agong for electoral reforms for clean, free and fair elections  – but will  the Prime Minister, Datuk Abdullah Ahmad Badawi  listen and act or will he remain deaf, blind and mute?

When he became Prime Minister four years ago, one of Abdullah’s first public pledges was to listen to  the truth however unpleasant.

However, Abdullah had not been listening in the past four years.  Last month, the Information Minister, Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin assumed the new roles as Abdullah’s “Truth Gatekeeper” and  Press Censor, laying the law to the media that Abdullah’s pledge to hear the truth was limited to Barisan Nasional leaders and top government officials and not to the public or the press.

It is significant that in my parliamentary exchange with Zainuddin on press freedom which is accessible on
YouTube
, thanks to
RTM website
, Zainuddin did not specifically deny  that he had become the new “Gatekeeper” as to what is the truth to be conveyed to the Prime Minister.

This has resulted in all the printed media today playing down yesterday’s  biggest peaceful public gathering during the four-year premiership of Abdullah to petition the Yang di Pertuan Agong on electoral reforms for the simple reason that the Prime Minister had refused to listen to the voice of the people.

No newspaper dared to publish photographs of the mammoth peaceful gathering, which is a tribute to Malaysians for their love of  peace and commitment to democracy.  This is because of Zainuddin’s directive to the printed media that no such photographs were to be published.  All that the newspapers could print were pictures of massive traffic jams!

The mainstream media were not allowed free and independent reporting of yesterday’s gathering, which was completely peaceful except when marred by excessive force by police in firing tear gas and water cannons.

Newspapers dared not give an estimate of the mammoth peaceful gathering, and were forced to use the official figure by the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan putting the gathering at 4,000 people.

If the  Inspector-General of Police had not been misquoted, then the country’s top police officer suffer from the grave ailment of innumeracy or difficulty with numbers — as there is at least one zero missing when Musa said only  4,000 people responded  at the  mammoth Bersih peaceful gathering yesterday.

Like illiteracy, innumeracy will impede the country’s vision to “reach for the stars” and become a science and technology power, especially if this ailment is prevalent among the top leaders in government!

It is a shame that in the era of information technology, there should be such ham-fisted attempt to control the free flow of information where Malaysians can only find out the truth from independent electronic news portals, whether local or foreign, and the foreign press.

Abdullah should honour his pledge when he became Prime Minister four years ago to listen to the truth from the people, however unpleasant, and to introduce institutional reforms for justice and democracy.

He should ensure that the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday give a positive response to the BERSIH petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong on electoral reforms and support the immediate establishment of a mechanism to ensure that the next general election can be truly clean, free and fair.

One other  thing Abdullah  should do is to get rid of Zainuddin as the new Press Censor and his “Truth Gatekeeper” to  decide what reports and photographs the media should publish for him to see  — which will only ensure that Malaysia’s press freedom ranking, which plunged by 32 slots to the worst placing of No. 124 in the 2007 Freedom Without Borders (RSF) worldwide press freedom ranking, will plummet even lower next year!

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 11 November 2007, 12:28 pm and is filed under
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sharing my personal experience on the bersih gathering/march and what i have learned…

Letters

by TT

“people should not be afraid of their governments, the governemts should be afraid of their people”…

precisely!…

when i got up approx 1100 hours on 10th october 2007, i know i will be part of the history in malaysia!…

just want to briefly share what i experienced in the bersih gathering/march which i attended with much enthusiasm!…

as most of you already know there are 4 meeting points for meet-up before we marched to dataran merdeka before we proceed to the palace to submit the memorandum to the king on asking for a massive reformation to the electoral roll…. i went to the sogo meeting point…

expecting the massive traffic out there… i took the public transport… i boarded the ktm komuter in kl sentral at approx 1145 hours… waited for at least 30 mins before the train actually moved an inch… apparently they have some ‘technical problems’ at the station in front… but, there was about 3 trains opposite the coach am in passed us by from the station in front of us!… ‘technical problems’ eh?!?… want to delay/deny us, say so lah… we understand the fear and uncertainties of certain people… :) …

reached sogo approx 1245 hours, not before going though tens of police personnel staring at you as if you are a criminal, took my lunch and walked around and more and more people can be seen… i knew this is gonna be huge, really huge!… police personnel were all over the place inside and outside sogo then and helicopter right above us drowning the noise of the people… a real low way of doing things eh?!?…

joined my group opposite sogo, which was only about 10 of us… had a drink with them.. changed into my xxxl yellow bersih t-shirt and voila… we marched towards the main entrance of sogo and greeted by roars and claps by hundreds of others, which was mainly pas supporters… made way for the 10 of us to be placed right in the middle of the group…. right after we arrived, one guy took over the meet-up with a prayer… at that particular time, the muhibbah thing struck me really hard… needless to say, the irritating helicopter which was flying really low ‘drown’ the prayers…

after the prayers, we started our march at approx 1400 hours with very gloomy looking sky above us!… minutes into our march just before the dbkl building on our right, it started pouring… came well prepared with plastic bags and a backpack to keep my stuffs dry…. :) … fru set-up a barricade infront of us, they practically set up barricades surrounding the whole of dataran merdeka!… we then marched towards the main entrance of royal selangor club greeted by many others who was having their lunch there and the motorists opposite us and that basically kept us moving further in the heavy downpour!… we passed the masjid negara opposite us minutes later…. thousands of them came over to join us, if am not mistaken including some heavy weights too fm that meeting point, at that time the crowd grew to easily to at least 400 meters long…

basically the ‘chanting’ of “daulat tuanku”… “hidup rakyat”… “hancur kezaliman”… hancur rasuah”… the takbir… etc…. heard even louder then…

at that particular time, i knew very much we are not heading to dataran merdeka, instead we will be marching towards the palace directly!…

as we were passing the chinese assembly hall, another group join us… as this particular time, the crowd grew to at least 600 meters long!… a sea of yellow can be seen when i looked back… at that time, the rain start slowing down…

as we were passing by public bank on our right and nearing the palace… thousands more joined the line… it was at this time i spotted a guy in crutches with a leg amputated, all soaked up, marching his way to the palace… this stunned me for a while thinking how can a person with one leg do this!.. shame one me when the first i heard about this bersih gathering/march, i was actually thinking and contemplating whether to go for it or not!… shame on me!… i have the utmost respect for that guy!… God bless him, whoever he is!…

we reached at the main entrance of the palace at approx 1500 hours… some heavy weights gave some short speeches… at approx 1530 hours or so, the memorandum were submitted to the king’s special assistant or to someone along that line… still drizzling at that time… met my eldest brother there who were also drenched in the rain, am surprised he actually came for it tho!… :) … i thought it was a joke when he told me he is coming!… my second nephew could not make it, although my eldest brother and myself very much want him to come and be exposed to all these things and to all the crap we are going through!…. he came by lrt… walked all the way fm central market.. understand fm him that particular trip he took was the last trip that the lrt goona stop in central market station… talk about ‘manipulation’ eh?!?… :) … he was stunned when he was fm the lrt he is in, looking down and saw seas of yellow marching.. as he put it… “it was a very nice sight”!… i would get goosebumps when i see that!… btw, understand from my brother that my eldest nephew’s friend stopped by police twice, when he was on his way for some frisbee competition/training, because he wore a yellow shirt!.. wtf?!?…

the whole things finished by approx 1600 hours… it was another long walk for both of us to get a cab home…

understand that there was approx 80 people arrested (probably for ‘formalities’) in masjid jamek meeting point… mainly pas supporters/unit amal people… water cannon, tear gas and chemical were sprayed/released!… until now (2245 hours on 10th november 2007) no concrete confirmation on this… we shall wait for the official reports/news in the next couple of days…

things i learnt fm this bersih gathering/march… in no particular order…

1) if you have the same vision and mission for a particular… race and religion does not matter, both this 2 issues won’t play a part in it…

2) this bersih gathering/march is indeed a very loud voice to the current ruling bn/umno rotten to the core government!…

3) there are people who are actually very afraid when they read about the news saying no permit given, fear of certain things, etc… but, they want things to be changed!…

4) no matter whatever ways they may be using to stop us fm attending this bersih gathering/march.. NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING can stop us!…

5) it’s very nice and comforting to see malaysia still have hope!…

6) it’s very nice and comforting to see people march arms in arms regardless who you may be!…

7) unit amal is very professional in handling things!…

8) there are people who love malaysia to bits!…

9) my love for the country went a step deeper!…

10) it’s good to expose yr kids to all these things!…

11) my parents and my immediate family members are very supportive of all these things, as they believe in wat the current rulling bn/umno rotten to the core government is doing is very wrong and one sided!…

12) the police created the extremely massive traffic jams all over the klang valley, not the people!…

13) the irritating/annoying sound of helicopters can work better than police car siren!…

14) kyros kebab in sogo is yummilicious!… :) …

15) it was nice to walk around sogo after such a long time, sogo used to be one of my favourite places to hang out after school!…

16) always have the interest in politics since primary school… if not for monetary issues for now, i WILL take the plunge into politics full time, of course with my parents’s blessings, which i think they will give me tho!… :) …

17) every little tiny help fm everyone, do make a different!…

18) this bersih gathering/march is not a political gathering/march.. no party flags, t-shirts, logo, etc… should be seen… we see nothing political in this bersih gathering/march… people can be very well discipline if it make sense to them tho!…

19) if am aab, i better have the biggest headache now tho!…

20) the chinese and indians in particular must be pro-active in making the country a better, cleaner, fairer and colour blind to live in!… i respect the malays in being very pro-active in these kinda gathering/march… nope, am not talking about those people fm the rotten to the core umno!…

21) kj is really no one.. he is just some dude fm kuwait, some datuk and datin’s son… graduated fm a well-known university, hooked up with aab’s daughter and voila… he is ‘someone’ now… also, he can certainly get along very well with power and money now tho!…

22) nazri may say… “this is not the majority, we have 27 million rakyat, only 40,000 turned up”!…

23) it will be interesting to hear mm’s point of view on this bersih gathering/march!…

24) general election may not be so soon after all…

25) i still get goosebumps when watching this video, after countless of times… (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4ycaduE_D4
)!…

26) this is just the beginning to many more things to come, we must continue the struggle… pls do your part!…

reports fm al jazeera…

(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzqSddWkxGs
)

more videos in malaysiakini…

(
http://www.malaysiakini.tv
)…

pix galore!…

(
http://www.malaysia-today.net/nuc2006/report07.php?itemid=208
)

(
http://www.malaysia-today.net/nuc2006/report07.php?itemid=216
)

(
http://malaysianunplug.blogspot.com/2007/11/damn-this-umno-led-government-for-tear.html
 )…

(
http://picasaweb.google.com/pemudawp/BersihRally
)…

(
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19725396@N07/
)…

(
http://jahilgoblog.net/gambaq/main.php
)…

(
http://www.meshio.com/index.php/2007/11/photos-from-10th-november-bersih-rally/
)..

spot the difference…

between this…

(
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/11/11/nation/19443759&sec=nation
 )…

and this…

(
http://www.suaram.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=778&Itemid=1
)…

well, i dun blame the repoters fm the star tho… it’s perhaps another component party of barisan nasional…

34 instead of 245… bigger number to ‘create fear’ in the rakyat?!?… they must be thinking the rakyat are some stupid uneducated fellas eh!…

p/s ; any difference between detained and arrested?!?..

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 11 November 2007, 10:32 pm and is filed under
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A Wake-Up Call for the Government: Malaysians Want Their Country Back

By
Farish A. Noor

That elections should be free, fair and transparent is perhaps one of the most basic requirements of any working democracy, and to demand that elections should be free, fair and transparent is perhaps one of the most fundamental rights of any society. When citizens demand such things it can and should be seen as an act of civic responsibility and they should commended for it. Indeed, it ought to be seen as a test of civic participation and citizenship that all citizens should demand that their state works and functions properly and accountably, to serve the interest of the nation as a whole and not a select coterie of landed elites and entrenched class interests.

That was exactly what happened in the streets of Kuala Lumpur on 10th November and for that reason alone Malaysians should be proud to say that they are in the process of reclaiming the state and demanding their country back. As in the cases of Pakistan and Burma — as well as the pro-democracy movements that swept across Southeast Asia in the 1980s and 1990s which led to the fall of dictators like Ferdinand Marcos and General Suharto — what happened in Malaysia was, in many ways, a landmark moment in the country’s postcolonial history.

Yet ironically elements in the Malaysian government — the very same elements that ostensibly supported the recent pro-democracy campaign in Burma — were at the forefront of demonising their fellow citizens and doing their utmost to prevent the demonstration in Kuala Lumpur from taking place. Leaders of the ruling UMNO party issues a continuous stream of warnings to the general public, warning them not to take to the streets. UMNO leaders and members who were willing to join in the rallies calling for democratic reform in Burma were suddenly taking the opposite side when the very same demands were being articulated in Malaysia by their fellow Malaysians. Malaysians were told that they would be arrested if they attended the rally; that the demonstrators were a nuisance and a security threat; that the demonstration would deter foreign investment into Malaysia. Yet the mind boggles at the logic of such arguments, when it should be clear that what is deterring investment into the country is not public demonstrations but rather mismanagement of the economy, allegations of corruption and abuse of power by the elite instead.

For a nation that has always been cast in a passive light as docile and apathetic, Malaysians defied their own stereotype by coming out in huge numbers and braving the rain from above and the tear gas and batons on the ground. Contrary to the scare-mongering campaign of the government, the rally proved to be ordered and peaceful. What does this say about Malaysia today and where the country is heading?

According to prominent lawyer and human rights activist Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, Malaysia’s ‘civil society coalesced today, in a way that was unprecedented since the formation of Malaya in 1957. Today Malaysians began to learn not to fear’. The same sentiments were shared by Latheefa Koya of the People’s Justice Party (PKR) who opined that ‘despite threats of harsh action by the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and the police, the people who rallied clearly defied them and sent a strong message for the need for free and fair elections. Lawyers marched for a free judiciary and the people marched for justice. When is the state going to wake up?’. Haris Ibrahim, the lawyer who was one of the organisers of the rally summed up the event thus: ‘If the Prime Minister is unable to take any criticism of his government, now we see that the Malaysian people will no longer remain passive and accept things as they are.’ The tide, apparently, has changed at last.

That the Malaysian public has been kept docile and submissive for half a century is the result of a host of historically determined factors dating back to the colonial era; which in turn has been compounded by a postcolonial government that has used the very same tools of the former colonial masters — such as the Internal Security Act — to keep them passive for so long. For five decades the ruling elite of Malaysia — led and dominated by the right-wing ethno-nationalists of the UMNO party — have divided Malaysian society along the lines of race and religion; scared off any attempts at reform through the use of repressive laws like the ISA, Sedition Act and others; dominated the press and nearly eliminated all alternative sources of information and news; systematically used the national economy as a patronage machine to maintain its clientelist networks; eroded the country’s intellectual culture via its draconian control of the universities and campuses; while turning the UMNO party into a fiefdom for a increasingly small number of Malay leaders from selected elite families. A cursory look at the leadership of UMNO today will show that it has become like a club for ruling elite families, with at least two senior UMNO leaders — Najib Razak and Hishamuddin Onn — being the sons of former Prime Ministers and party Presidents.

In a typical case of arrested postcolonial development, Malaysian politics — and UMNO politics in particular — has been reduced to a feudal clannish cosy arrangement where the sons of leaders can mingle and wait for their turn to power. Is this what the founders of Malaysia dreamt of when the country was created? To create an authoritarian state where what passes as governance is little more than a dressed up version of a typical postcolonial guardkeeper state with power increasingly concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer (Malay, Muslim, Male) leaders?

Despite all the talk of reform and promises of openness and change since he came to power, the administration of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has hardly served up any of the promises he made. The numerous allegations and cases of high-level and high-profile corruption remain unresolved, while increasingly there are serious allegations of mismanagement, elite manipulation of the judiciary, abuse of power by the police. Is it a wonder then if the Malaysian public has had enough, and will now take to the

streets to make their voices heard? The leaders of the opposition parties in Malaysia were the first to tap into the anger and frustration of the public, and to echo the clamour for change. As Lim Kit Siang, leader of the Malaysian Democratic Action Party (DAP) noted: ‘Malaysians have spoken loud and clear for electoral reform and for free and fair elections. Now will Prime Minister Abdullah listen and act, or will he remain blind and deaf?’

There is no telling how the Malaysian government and the UMNO elites will react to this clear demonstration of public disquiet in the once-sleepy streets of Kuala Lumpur. But what is clear is that Malaysia at least is no longer the kingdom of the blind that it was once made out to be.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 12 November 2007, 9:16 am and is filed under
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BERSIH petition to King – acid test whether it marks the burial of Abdullah’s 4-yr pledge to hear the truth

The negative and irresponsible responses of  the  government and its  leaders to Saturday’s mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering petitioning the Yang di Pertuan Agong for electoral reforms to ensure clean, free and fair elections is most disappointing though not unexpected.

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the  BERSIH gathering and petition were
“tantamount to dragging the institution of the monarchy, and the king, into politics”
.

This is a baseless allegation completely unworthy of the Prime Minister as nothing could be further from the truth.

The Yang di Pertuan Agong symbolizes the fountain of justice in Malaysia, and it is completely within constitutional norms for Malaysians who are shut out from all avenues of redress to seek justice to appeal to the Yang di Pertuan Agong for intervention — and it will be beholden on the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to give such petitions to the Yang di Pertuan Agong serious consideration and not to dismiss them in a most arrogant, cavalier and undemocratic manner.

In this particular case, the mass petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong is all the more pertinent as the government has  turned a deaf ear to widespread and legitimate calls for electoral reforms to ensure that there is a level playing field for all contestants so that clean, free and fair elections could be held in Malaysia.

This is why I said during question time that the government should uphold the important symbol of the King as the fountain of justice by giving serious and positive consideration to the petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong supported by the mammoth and peaceful BERSIH gathering on Saturday or the government  will be doing an injustice to the system of monarchy.

The Cabinet meeting on Wednesday should give top priority to the  BERSIH petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong on electoral reforms and take the initiative to establish  a mechanism to ensure that the next general election can be truly clean, free and fair.

In fact, much more is at stake.  Abdullah’s response to  the mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering on Nov. 10 petitioning Yang di Pertuan Agong for electoral reforms has also become the acid test whether it marks the burial  of his four-year pledge  to hear the truth or  we have a  Prime Minister showing his true colours of refusing to hear and heed the voice of the rakyat.

This, unfortunately, appears to be the case, with the truculent reply by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz during question time this morning when I posed the supplementary question whether the government would give a  positive response to the BERSIH petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong for electoral reforms.  Instead of a rational reply, Nazri went into a political rampage!

It is most regrettable that the Barisan Nasional government is suffering from a very serious case of denial syndrome, as evidenced by its refusal to concede that Saturday’s mammoth peaceful gathering was the biggest in the four-year premiership of Abdullah and evidence of  the people’s love for peace and commitment to democracy.

It is pathetic to see the official figure for the mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering  grudgingly increase from 4,000, according to the Inspector-General of Police on Saturday, to
10,000
according to Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday, when from all eye-witness, photographic and video accounts, the gathering could be numbered without exaggeration as between 40,000 to 50,000.

If Abdullah can speak in the United Nations to commend the “saffron revolution” of the Burmese monks in Myanmar in September, and Burmese workers in the country could assemble publicly to organize public protests in support of the “saffron revolution”, the least  a responsible Prime Minister of Malaysia   should do is to acknowledge the legitimacy of the grievances of the mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering and the exemplary conduct of the 40,000 — 50,000 people who conducted themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner despite unnecessary provocations and excessive force by the police in certain  instances — including the uncalled-for firing of tear gas and water cannons — and give serious consideration to the calls for electoral reforms.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 12 November 2007, 2:01 pm and is filed under
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RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal — why is the government on-the-run?

This is the question I posed in Parliament today — “Why is the government-on-the-run on the RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal?”

During the 2008 Budget committee stage debate on the Finance Ministry, I started my speech protesting against government ministers kicking the issue of the RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal from one Ministry to another, evading accountability by refusing to give a direct answer to many pertinent questions which I had posed — with the ball being kicked among  the Prime Minister’s Department, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport with no one wanting to give a proper answer.

I simplified the  questions on the PKFZ scandal which cry out for answer, viz:

1.	Was it true that when the Port Klang Authority and the Transport Ministry insisted on buying the 1,000 acres of Pulau Indah land for PKFZ at RM25 psf on a “willing buyer, willing seller” basis,  in the face of strong objection by the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Treasury which had recommended that the land be acquired at RM10 psf, the Cabinet had given its approval subject to two conditions: (i) categorical assurance by the  Transport Minister that the PKFZ proposal was feasible and self-financing and would not require any public funding; and (ii) that every RM100 million variation in the development costs of PKFZ would  require prior Cabinet approval.

2.	In the event, the first condition was breached when the PKFZ project ballooned from RM1.1 billion to RM4.6 billion requiring government intervention and bailout while the second condition was breached with the original PKFZ development costs of RM400 million ballooning to RM2.8 billion without any prior Cabinet approval ever sought for every RM100 million increase in development costs.

3.	The Transport Minister had unlawfully issued four Letters of Support to Kuala Dimensi Sdn. Bhd (KDSB), the PKFZ turnkey contractor — to raise RM4 billion bonds, which were regarded as government guarantees by  the market.  The Transport Minister had no such powers to issue financial guarantees committing the government, as it could only be issued by the Finance Minister and only after Cabinet approval. The first Letter of Support was issued by the former Transport Minister, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik on  May 28, 2003, which was Liong Sik’s last day as Transport Minister while the other three were issued by Kong Choy.

4.	Whether it wasn’t true that in recognition that the four unlawful “Letters of Support” of the Transport Minister had nonetheless given implicit government guarantee to the market that the Cabinet had in mid-year to give retrospective approval for the unlawful and unauthorized four Letters of Support by the Transport Ministers in the past four years creating RM4.6 billion liability for the government in the bailout of PKFZ.

5.	Why no action had been taken against the Transport Minister, both Liong Sik and Kong Choy, as well as the government officials responsible for the unlawful issue of the four “Letters of Support”.  Kong Choy had said that he did not know that he had no power as Transport Minister to issue such Letters of Support,  Was this an acceptable explanation for getting the government embroiled in the RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal?

When hard-pressed, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Finance Ministry, Datuk Seri Dr. Hilmi Yahya asked that he be allowed to answer by way of written reply.  When asked when the written would be given, he declined to give any firm date on the ground that a proper study had to be done.  When I persisted in asking whether an answer could be forthcoming in a week’s time, as this was not a new issue and had been raised for over two months, Hilmi said he would try.

I gave notice that I would be “chasing” him for the reply and would not relent in my pursuit for a satisfactory answer and accountability for the RM4.6 billion PKFZ bailout scandal.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 12 November 2007, 11:55 pm and is filed under
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You Have Been Challenged, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi!

by
M. Bakri Musa

“Saya pantang dicabar!”
 (lit:  “I am allergic to challenges;” fig. “Don’t challenge me!”) declared Prime Minister Abdullah in an uncharacteristically bold assertion to the media on the eve of BERSIH’s massive street demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday, November 10, 2007.

            You have now been challenged, Mr. Prime Minister, openly and publicly by your own citizens, and you have emerged impotent!  That huge street rally may be illegal to you, but the King had consented to receiving its leaders and their petition.  In effect, the King too has challenged you, Abdullah!  In case you did not get the message, you had just been served a very public royal rebuff.

I too, challenge you, Abdullah!  Instead of arresting those ordinary citizen demonstrators, I dare you to arrest their leaders, Anwar Ibrahim, Hadi Awang, Lim Kit Siang, and Raja Petra Kamarudin.  Those ordinary folks were merely exercising their basic rights as citizens of a democracy:  the right to free assembly and to petition the authorities.

            As per the refrain of the
Ghostbusters
theme song, “Who are you gonna call now!” Mr. Prime Minister?  Your fabulous Fourth Floor boys?  Your son-in-law who is using you as his “protection?”  Imagine being considered as such by your son-in-law!

            Khairy Jamaluddin obviously had not heard of your “demonstrations are not part of our Malay culture” bit.  Either that or Khairy had blissfully ignored it as when he led that pathetic street demonstration against your official guest, US State Secretary Rice.

            In a speech earlier in the week, Khairy demanded that the authorities “come down hard” on the BERSIH demonstrators.  While there were some water cannons and tear gas canisters unloaded, the demonstrations went ahead smoothly and successfully to the palace.  The police even released most of those arrested.  Your son-in-law challenged you to be tough on the demonstrators, and you came out
lembik
 (limp).

Dim Wit Understanding of Democracy

In denying the BERSIH demonstrators their police permit, Abdullah demonstrated only a dim wit understanding of democracy, akin to that held by Saddam Hussein and Pervez Musharraf.  Both were voted in with over 98 percent of the votes, and they took that to mean they could ride roughshod over their country and citizens.  Never mind that their elections were anything but fair and free.

            Democracy means rule of the people, but it does not mean mob rule legitimized through the ballot box.  Electoral victory is not a license for tyranny of the majority.  As Fareed Zakaria wrote so eloquently in his book,
The Future of Freedom
, democracy is more than just elections.  Even if elections were fair and free (far from the reality in Malaysia, hence the demonstrations!), obsession with or sole reliance on them would threaten the other far more important aspects like the rule of law, private property rights, separation of powers, and the right to free speech and to assemble freely.

            Elections regular or otherwise, honest or rigged, do not guarantee these; only independent and impartial judges could.  An independent judiciary is thus the hallmark as well as the guarantor of democracy and freedom, certainly much more than universal adult suffrage.

            As for the state of the Malaysian judiciary, the Lingam tapes painfully showed what a sorry mess it is in.  Even if BERSIH were completely successful with its petition and the Elections Commission completely overhauled, there is still the monumental task of cleaning up the judiciary and restoring its long lost integrity.

            These points are elementary and obvious to all, save the dim witted.

Time to Deliver The Next Lesson

There is another feature of the dim witted; they are slow learners.  It is unlikely for them to have learned a lesson from Bersih’s successful rally, or if they did it may not have stuck.

            Since the only lesson that would register on their thick skulls is election returns, my friend Din Merican had started a campaign to register voters.  The next step would be to ensure that they will vote against the Barisan coalition.

            It would encourage voters to do that if there were to be substantial and effective co-ordination among the opposition parties to ensure that there would only be a one-on-one battle with the Barisan in every constituency.  The objective here is rather modest, to inflict enough damage to the Barisan coalition such that it would precipitate internal squabbling especially within UMNO to trigger its implosion.

            Selecting the best candidate, meaning one who would most likely defeat the Barisan’s nominee, involves studying the demographics of the constituency as well as the Barisan’s candidate.  Since race is never far from voters’ considerations, the best avenue to neutralize this crucial factor would be to field candidates of the same race as the Barisan’s nominees.  This was the clear lesson from the recent Ijok by-elections.  Thus the opposition must be ready to change candidates on nomination day depending on who would represent Barisan.

            For example, if Barisan were to re-nominate the current MCA candidate but at the last minute the seat were to go to UMNO, then the opposition must be ready to substitute a Malay candidate.  If that party (like DAP for instance) cannot come up with a Malay nominee, then it should be willing to give the slot to a Malay from one of the other parties.

            BERSIH’s victory should embolden the citizens to impart to the Barisan government the other equally important lesson:  cleaning out the rot in the judiciary.  No less than a full Royal Commission with full powers to subpoena witnesses and grant them immunity should be the objective.  As Fareed Zakaria noted, an impartial and independent judiciary is the best guarantor of our freedoms and democracy.  We must keep drumming these lessons lest they forget easily.

            We must keep
mencabar
 (challenging) Abdullah until he comes to his senses and realizes the obvious:  the job of being a Prime Minister of our great nation is way above his head.  If he does not, others either within or outside his party should be emboldened enough to tell him so.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 12 November 2007, 2:25 pm and is filed under
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ASEAN must not allow Myanmar military junta to again indulge in “One step forward, two three steps backward” tactics

The United Nations Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar Sergio Pinheiro is now in Burma surveying the human rights situation in the country, and according to reports, visited  the infamous Insein jail outside Yangon.

Last week, the United Nations Secretary-General’s special advisor on Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari made his second visit to the country after the crackdown of the “saffron revolution” in September.

What is shocking and outrageous is up to now, neither ASEAN nor the international community know what was the death toll and how many people were detained in the junta’s bloody suppression of the pro-democracy “saffron revolution”.

The Myanmar military junta claims 10 people died and only 91 of the 3,000 originally detained were being held.

Nobody believes these figures — as the death toll from the “saffron revolution” is believed to be in scores if not in hundreds. Monks have reported that at least five of their brethren were killed. Amnesty International has estimated that 700 people arrested over the September protests are still in detention.

Although the Myanmar military junta has recently shown a more accommodating face, as in permitting Aung San Suu Kyi, who had spent 12 of the past 18 years under house arrest, to meet key members of her National League for Democracy (NLD), the question is whether the Myanmar military junta is indulging in its favourite tactics of “one step forward, two three steps backwards” as part of its long-standing diversionary tactics to deflect international criticism and maintain its grip on power.

The Myanmese military junta resorted to such tactics of “one step forward, two three steps backwards” in 2005 when Tan Sri Razali Ismail was the UN envoy for Burma, when he seemed to making progress in brokering talks between Suu Kyi and the generals.

Razali  was very optimistic that Burma was finally  embarking on the process of democratization and national reconciliation. When I asked him at the time  the timeline he was looking at, Razali  said he expected the process of democratization and national reconciliation to reach a climax in 2006, with   general election to be held in Myanmar.

These hopes have all proved to be  completely illusory.

Gambari’s recent return to Myanmar has evoked mixed feelings, as in this commentary from an expert Burma analyst and observer,
Larry Jagan
:

Privately, however, UN officials admit his visit was anything but a success. Gambari remained a virtual prisoner in the new Myanmar capital Naypyitaw, situated 400 kilometers north of the previous capital Yangon. He spent only a few hours in Yangon, from where he entered and exited the country. “The regime kept him there because they feared his presence in [Yangon] might spark fresh protests,” a Bangkok-based diplomat who covers Myanmar said.

To add insult to injury, Gambari met very few members of the government – and notably none of its top leaders. “Than Shwe did not want to see Gambari and used his usual delaying tactic – using low-ranking ministers as shields to avoid meeting him,” said Win Min, the academic.

Members of the Malaysian Parliamentary Caucus and the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) have met with Gambri and Pinheiro to discuss the Myanmar situation, and we do not want to see a replay of the Myanmar military junta’s diversionary tactics of “One step forward, two three steps backwards”.

The 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore next week where the ASEAN Charter is to be signed must provide a mechanism to ensure that there is no backsliding of the democratization and national reconciliation process by the Myanmar military junta.

ASEAN nations, together with  international community must not  allow  Myanmar military junta to again indulge in  “one step forwards, two three steps backwards” tactics to deflect international pressures for democratization in Burma, or the option of targeted sanctions of the Myanmar generals must be considered.

I call on the Singapore ASEAN Summit next week to give “teeth” to the ASEAN Charter by  appointing  a Human Rights Rapporteur or Monitor to ensure that ASEAN member nations and in particular Myanmar respect the human rights commitments enunciated in the ASEAN Charter.

The ASEAN nations, working with China, India, the European Union and other important players of the international community, should put pressure on the Myanmar military junta to immediately release the over 1,000 political prisoners in Burma, especially Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Aung San Suu Kyi should be officially invited to the next major ASEAN meeting to discuss the important issue of democratization and national reconciliation in Burma.

(Speech  in Parliament on the Foreign Ministry during the 2008 Budget committee stage debate on Tuesday, 13th November 2007:

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 13 November 2007, 1:24 pm and is filed under
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BERSIH mammoth peaceful petition – video of Nazri berserk in Parliament

See on
YouTube
 Minister in Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz “berserk” in Parliament during question time yesterday over BERSIH’s mammoth peaceful rally and petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong on Nov. 10, 2007 for electoral reforms for clean, free and fair elections in Malaysia.

Malaysiakini
 had reported as follows:

Opposition are ‘pondans’ – Nazri’s tirade

Nov 12, 07 6:23pm

Insults were rained on the opposition in the Dewan Rakyat today over the massive rally held in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend.

Without mincing his words, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz lashed out at the opposition, calling them among others, “pondan” (wimps).

It started when Che Azmi A Rahman (BN-Kuala Nerus) told Nazri that he failed to grasp the logic behind the rally which called for electoral reforms.

The rally, organised by the opposition-backed Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), saw some 40,000 people taking to the streets and the submission of a memorandum to the King.

“The opposition has won seats in the previous elections, especially in Kelantan. Why are they calling for the Election Commission (EC) to be freer and fairer?” asked Che Azmi.

“Are they implying that their respective victories were a result of the EC’s failure to be free and fair?” he added.

Responding to this, Nazri (BN-Padang Renggas) said it would be pointless to try and understand the reason behind the rally as the “brains of opposition members do not function well.”

“If I were to describe this in the language of today’s youths, I would have to say that the wires in their heads are severed. I don’t understand why they claim that the EC is unfair,” he added.

Fails to understand Anwar

Nazri also said that he was puzzled by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

“I would understand if he (Anwar) says that the EC is unfair after losing an election, but he hasn’t even contested to say that the EC is unfair and that’s why I say that his head does not function well.”

According to the minister, the opposition icon realises that he will lose in the coming elections should he contest for a seat.

“Not just lose, but lose terribly,” he added. “That’s the reason why Anwar is trying to create a smoke screen so that he can say the EC is not fair when he loses.”

The minister then dismissed the episode as a “pondan matter” which required no further attention.

By the end of Nazri’s tirade, opposition leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) was already fuming and described the minister’s response as being “very irresponsible”.

“We are serious in this matter, and we are not playing politics. The real question here is whether the electoral roll has many defects. We saw thousands of people in the gathering. Is the government ready to give a positive response instead of making baseless and wild accusations?” he said.

Lim also refuted the government’s stand that the opposition had dragged the royalty into politics.

“The King is the fountain of justice. Is it not the government’s responsibility to uphold the dignity of the monarchy and not insult it in this issue?” he asked.

“Don’t politicise the gathering by saying that it’s a racial gathering. There was nothing racial about it. People from all parties and races were present so it is a national issue and not a political issue that can be played up by the ruling government,” he said.

Lim noted that the government sympathised with the pro-democracy demonstrations in Burma but react differently when it happens in Malaysia.

‘King is behind us’

An irate Nazri retorted by shouting that the rally was illegal as no police permit was granted.

“Yang Di Pertua (Speaker), this is a man (Lim) whose ‘wires in the head have severed’. We support the demonstrations in Myanmar (Burma) as there’s no democracy there. But we have democracy here, which is through the elections, not through street demonstrations,” he said.

“Don’t try to drag the King into this. The King and the people are behind us. They (the opposition) are afraid to face the next elections. If you’ve no courage, don’t become a ‘pondan’,” he said.

Earlier, Nazri, in replying to a query from Che Azmi, said the government has no intention to drawing up a law to allow citizens to be automatically registered as voters upon reaching 21 years of age.

He said the law would not be formulated as the system is not appropriate to be implemented as yet.

“Many Malaysians who shift to another state or district do not inform the National Registration Department of their new address.

“In this case, they have to return to their previous constituency to cast their votes and it creates the possibility for a very poor voter turnout as many will be reluctant to travel to their previous constituencies to vote,” he said.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 13 November 2007, 8:59 am and is filed under
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Whether Cabinet is “half-past six” will depend on its handling of two major current issues tomorrow

Will the Cabinet meeting tomorrow prove that it is a “half-past six” one with no constructive responses on two major current issues  – the BERSIH petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong for electoral reforms for clean, free and fair elections in Malaysia and the Lingam Tape scandal on the perversion of the course of justice, dealing another lethal blow to the skyrocketing crisis of confidence in the independence, integrity and quality of the judiciary in Malaysia?

The mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering and petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong on Saturday for transparency and integrity of the electoral process had also highlighted the deplorable state of press freedom in Malaysia.

I said in Parliament during question time that  Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin’s ministerial portfolio was a misnomer as he should be properly described as Minister for Mis-Information.

This was why when the Deputy Information Minister, Datuk Zahid Hamidi, who was representing his Minister during question time,  demanded that I retract the statement that his boss was “Mis-Information Minister”, I refused, pointing out that Zahid is no better as “Deputy Mis-Information Minister”.

I made this remark during my supplementary question deriding Zainuddin’s criticism of Al Jazeera of “unfair reporting and conspiring with the Opposition to paint an untrue picture of the situation in Malaysia” on its coverage of Saturday’s BERSIH gathering when it was Zainuddin who is most guilty of the allegation, as he presided over RTM’s “unfair reporting” and “conspiracy with the Barisan Nasional to paint an untrue picture of the actual situation in Malaysia”.

The disgraceful reporting of the official and mainstream media of Saturday’s peaceful and mammoth BERSIH gathering to submit the petition for electoral reforms to the Yang di Pertuan Agong was the best example of such biased reporting under the directive of Zainuddin — where no official or mainstream media dared to independently report on the size of the gathering, which was easily between 40,000 to 50,000 or to use any of the photographs of the massive crowds.

At least the Minister for International Trade and Industry, Datuk Paduka Rafidah Aziz was speaking the truth when she said that the massive peaceful BERSIH gathering had not affected foreign investors — as foreign investors would only be turned off by rank corruption, massive power abuses, utter disregard for accountability and transparency, contempt for the rule of law, endemic crime  and most important of all, whether the country has a Prime Minister who “walks the talk” and not by the people peacefully standing up for their democratic and human rights!

Will Abdullah “walk the talk” at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow to hear the truth from Malaysians to respond positively and constructively to the two major current issues — the BERSIH petition on electoral reforms to the King and the Lingam Tape scandal?

This one issue will have more influence that any other issues in the calculations of intending investors when deciding whether to invest in Malaysia or not!

In Parliament last Wednesday, during the 2008 Budget committee stage debate on the Prime Minister’s Department, I had called on the Cabinet on Wednesday to heed the call of Malaysians as expressed through the Malaysian Bar in their “Walk for Justice” and the civil society  for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam Tape revelations and the whole issue of the independence and  integrity of the judiciary.

I had specifically asked the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Nazri Aziz during his winding-up whether the Haidar Panel report (Nazri said there are no three separate reports but one report incorporating three separate submissions by the three panel members) would be made public.

Nazri had promised to lobby for the Haidar Panel Report to be made public at the Cabinet.

Will Nazri honour his parliamentary undertaking to advocate  for the Haidar Panel report to be made public at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow, and will Cabinet agree to it?

We will know tomorrow.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 13 November 2007, 2:44 pm and is filed under
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Zam – Minister for Misinformation and Disinformation (YouTube on parliamentary exchange)

See on
YouTube
the
parliamentary exchange
 during question-time this morning where  I said it is a misnomer to call   Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin Minister for Information when he is really Minister for Misinformation and Disinformation.  I observed that Zainuddin  had “made a fool of himself” in his interview with Al Jazeera over the mammoth peaceful  10-Eleven BERSIH rally and petition on electoral reforms to the King, and whether this was why Zainuddin dared not appear in Parliament during question time, leaving it to his Deputy “Misinformation” Minister, Datuk Zahid Hamidi to hold the floor.

Malaysiakini
 had reported this episode as follows:

Kit Siang: Zam ‘minister of misinformation’

Yoges Palaniappan

Nov 13, 07 3:09pm

Minister of Misinformation – this was the new title conferred upon Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin by Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang in the Dewan Rakyat today.

The issue started when Deputy Information Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (photo) answered a supplementary question posed by Raime Unggi (BN-Tenom).

Raime had asked Ahmad Zahid what action would be taken against the international media for their wide coverage on the mammoth rally held over the weekend.

The rally, organised by the opposition-backed Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), saw some 40,000 people taking to the streets and the submission of a memorandum to the King.

“The media gave a very biased coverage of the illegal gathering until it indicated that our country is in a big mess.

“How would (state-owned television station) RTM straighten this out? And what kind of action would be taken against the media that reported inaccurate facts?” asked Raime.

Responding, Ahmad Zahid (BN-Bagan Datok) said RTM, in its coverage of the rally, showed that demonstrations must not be used as a medium to gain people’s support.

“Even though RTM used the gathering as its lead story, we used the story to send across the message that demonstrations are not the right way to gain support from the public. This is because demonstrations are very undemocratic and could ruin our country’s image and drive away foreign investors,” he said.

‘Zam was wrong’

At this point, Lim (DAP-Ipoh Timur) stood up and said that Zainuddin had been wrong in accusing Al Jazeera, the international media mentioned by Raime, of alleged lopsided coverage.

Newspapers reported that Zainuddin, who is popularly known as Zam, had described the satellite television station’s coverage as unfair and confusing to people living overseas.

Lim said instead of pointing the finger at others, the ministry should look at its own coverage of the gathering.

“RTM is guilty of not reporting the facts. In fact, it did not even dare to give the exact number of people who had gathered on that day,” he said.

“It is unfair to say that Al Jazeera had conspired with the opposition. The truth is, RTM had conspired with Barisan Nasional to report negatively. And the order was given by the information minister (Zainuddin), who is the minister of misinformation,” he added.

Ahmad Zahid then urged Lim to retract his remark and this led to a shouting match between opposition and BN MPs.

However, Lim not only refused to withdraw his statement, but also called Ahmad Zahid the ‘deputy minister of misinformation’.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 13 November 2007, 11:22 pm and is filed under
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Check annual 4-figure brain drain of STPM and Chinese Independent Secondary School students

The national shame of Malaysia falling completely out of the list of the world’s Top 200 Universities this year in the 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement (THES)-Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings had been equaled by the scandal that this Malaysian ignominy had been totally ignored by last week’s Umno General Assembly, whether by Umno delegates or leaders.

This shows the superficiality of the commitment of Umno leaders to the slogan of “Cemerlang, Gemilang and Terbilang” and to transform Malaysia into a knowledge-based innovative economy marked by a world-class university system.

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had after the Umno General Assembly expressed his concern about the fall of  Malaysian universities from the international league of best universities, but why wasn’t there a single reference to this shocking result in the Umno General Assembly, touted as the most important national political assembly of the country?

Further details have shown that Malaysian universities have suffered a very serious drop in the international league of the world’s best universities.

For the first time, there is not only not a single university in the Top 200 Universities list, there is also not a single university in the
separate ranking of Top 100 Universities for five subject areas
 — Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities; Life Sciences and Biomedicine; and Engineering and Information Technology.

For the Top 200 Universities List, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Malaya (UM) had fallen out of the ranking, with UKM plunging from 185th slot last year to 309th while University fo Malaya plunged from 192nd last year to 246th spot.  Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), which was ranked as the only “outstanding” five-star university in a recent government survey, has fallen to 307th spot from 277 last year. In 2005, USM was in the 326th spot.

The performance of Malaysian universities in the Top 100 lists for the five subject areas are even more dismal, with not a single university making into the five  lists although  last year University of Malaya was ranked 49 in Social Sciences and 95 in Natural Sciences,  UKM was placed No. 62 in Natural Sciences and University Sains Malaysia placed No. 96 for Life Sciences and Biomedicine.

The National University of Singapore (NUS)  (No. 33)  is ranked among the Top 100 Universities for all the five categories while  Nanyang Technological University (NTU)  (No. 69) is  ranked among the Top 100 universities for three  categories, viz: Engineering & IT; Natural Sciences and    Social Sciences.

NUS is ranked No. 10 for Engineering & IT; No. 12 for Life Sciences and Biomedicine, No. 25 for Natural Sciences; No. 20 for Social Sciences and and No. 21 for Arts & Humanities.

NTU is ranked  No. 25 for Engineering & IT; No. 99 for Natural Sciences and No. 88 for Social Sciences.

Even Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University is rated among the Top 100 Universities for two categories —  Engineering & IT (No. 100) and Social Sciences (No. 83)

Malaysians have not be told the real and true  reasons for the shocking performance of Malaysian universities in the THES-QS Top 200 Universities ranking. Malaysian universities have been consistent in increasingly deplorable results  in world rankings, whether the THES-QS, Shanghai Jiao Tong University World’s Best 500 Universities or the Newsweek’s Top 100 Global Universities.

If the government is serious about its slogan of “Cemerlang, Gemilang, Terbilang” to create a world-class university system to transform Malaysia into a knowledge-based innovative economy, it must end the NEP-mentality in the universities and fully restore the policy of meritocracy and academic excellence coupled with social need to provide university education opportunities to economically-backward Malaysians regardless of race.

All universities should be allowed to enroll the most qualified students, employ the most competent professors and researchers with competitive remunerations and restore a culture of academic excellence and freedom.

One simple test of whether the government is seriously committed to abandon the baggages of past NEP policies to create a world-class university system is whether it has the political will to end the brain drain depriving Malaysia of the best and brightest for the development of the country.

For a start, I call on the Prime Minister and the Cabinet to check the  annual four-figure brain-drain of the best and brightest STPM students and Chinese Independent Secondary school students by providing them equitable higher education opportunities at home to demonstrate that the government is serious in wanting to build a world-class university system.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 14 November 2007, 11:37 am and is filed under
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Haider Report on Lingam Tape – who is boss in Cabinet,  Najib or Abdullah?

I commend the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for
countermanding
 the
decision
 of his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to bypass the Cabinet and  defer consideration of the Lingam Tape scandal, in particular the findings of the three-man Haidar Panel.

Yesterday morning, Najib indicated that the Cabinet would be by-passed  when he told reporters after opening the 35th Asean Chemical Industries Council Conference (ACIC) that the Government will assess in a matter of days the Haidar Panel report on  the authenticity of the Lingam Tape.

Najib  said: “Yes (we have received it). I don’t have time to look at the report yet (but) I would assess the report in a matter of days and I would discuss with the PM (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) on what to do.”

Najib’s announcement had come as a shock for it meant at least two  things:

	That the top Barisan Nasional leadership in government are living in a world of their own, without any sense of urgency and completely cut off from the primary concerns of thinking Malaysians, in this case over the worsening crisis of confidence in the independence and integrity of the judiciary which had been rocking the country  for nearly two months with the explosive allegations of the perversion of  the course of justice contained in the Lingam Tape;

	That the Cabinet is not only “half-past six” but completely expendable.  It was not consulted when the decision to establish the so-called  Haider Independent Panel to probe into the authenticity of the Lingam Tape was made — when what should be set up should be a Royal Commission of Inquiry — and the Cabinet is again  utterly irrelevant in the decision-making as to the next step to be taken after the submission of the Haider Report.

If the Cabinet is by-passed on the Haider Panel Report today, because Najib was too busy to read the report (it must be the thinnest and briefest inquiry report in Malaysian history), then the entire Cabinet should be censured for its irresponsibility and irrelevance.

This is why the announcement by the Prime Minister in Kuching last night that the Cabinet today will discuss the findings of the Haider Panel on the Lingam Tape and countermanding Najib’s earlier statement is most welcome — as the Haider Panel Report cannot wait a single day if the Cabinet is serious about Malaysia’s reputation and international competitiveness which is inextricably linked to the independence and integrity of judiciary and a just rule of law.

It has been reported that Najib will not be present for today’s Cabinet meeting but the more important question is who is the boss in the Cabinet –  Najib or Abdullah.

The Cabinet will be seriously remiss in its national responsibilities if it evades or procrastinates in making a decision — and the least it could do is to immediately make public the Haider Report as well as  set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam Tape allegations and the whole issue of the independence, integrity and quality of the judiciary.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 14 November 2007, 8:33 am and is filed under
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Khairy, Dont forget also to remove the Housing subsidy for Bumis

Letters

by Richard Teo

Mahathir was right when he said that we have a indecisive PM with half past six cabinet ministers. Even his accusation that his son-in law Khairy was calling the shots from the 4th floor of the PM’s office was proven correct.

During the recent UMNO General Assembly Khairy gave a long winded exposition why there should be a two tier subsidy system for petrol and diesel subsidy. He questioned the wisdom of giving subsidy to rich towkays who owned luxury cars. This racist insinuation of course implied that most rich owners were mostly Chinese while most Malays were driving around in Kapchais (Honda cub).

However, Khairy’s proposition would have been more creditable had he also said that subsidy for Bumis to buy houses should also be removed since it was also benefitting the rich Malay class. Why should non-Malays have to subsidise rich Malays to buy luxurious houses and condominium costing a few million? Shouldn’t we implement a housing policy that would subsidise those who are poor and irrespective of race.

To prove what Mahathir said about PM taking instructions from the fourth floor boys, namely Khairy, the mainstream media next day published the PM parrotting what Khairy had said earlier at the UMNO General Assembly. Subsidy cannot be sustained and will have to be gradually abolished, he said authoritatively. Any fool could see that it was no coincidence. .Yes someone was whispering to the PM’s ear and no prize for guessing who.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 14 November 2007, 6:45 am and is filed under
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Lingam Tape – all three members  of Haidar Panel unanimous in separately recommending Royal Commission of Inquiry?

Sin Chew Daily
today reported from its sources  that all the three members of the Haidar Panel established to determine the authenticity of the Lingam Tape had one common recommendation — to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

If this is true, then the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would have no option but to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry or he would be facing his greatest crisis of confidence in his four years as Prime Minister.

Then the questions are the terms of reference and composition of the Royal Commission of Inquiry.

In such circumstances, the Prime Minister should undertake a proper and meaningful consultation with representative personalities and groups to ensure that the Royal Commission of Inquiry when established would not become another divisive issue, either because of its restricted terms of reference,  controversial composition or procrastination.

Such a Royal Commission must have full and untrammeled powers to inquire into the deep-seated causes for the series of crisis of confidence in the independence, integrity and quality of the judiciary which have tainted Malaysia’s system of justice to one held in high international esteem and regard two decades ago to one looked askance  nationally and internationally  by all respectable jurists, legal and civic organizations.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 14 November 2007, 2:29 pm and is filed under
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Of Public Protests, Pondans and a Pea-Brained Minister

by Martin Jalleh

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz has trouble in understanding why 40,000 people took to the streets recently to submit a memorandum calling for electoral reforms, to the King.

The Minister is actually quite consistent in his lack of understanding especially when it comes to the right of assembly.  Well, he had found it difficult to comprehend why 2,000 lawyers walked to Putrajaya to submit a memorandum on judicial reform to the PM.

Nazri displayed his sterling ignorance when he asked in parliament recently: “The opposition has won seats in the previous elections, especially in Kelantan, why are they calling for the Election Commission (EC) to be freer and fairer?”

The answer is rather simple — if they do not press for an electoral reform, they may even lose all their seats in the next coming general elections due to the farce, flaws and fraud that has been and still is increasingly evident in the electoral system.

Nazri told parliament: “… it would be pointless to try and understand the reason behind the rally as the brains of opposition members do not function well… the wires in their heads are severed. I don’t understand why they claim that the EC is unfair.”

Nazri was over-confident of the “wiring” in his own brains, for it was only recently that he had in fact quite loudly told opposition MPs “not to get over-excited about the ‘independence’ of the EC, when it does not exist”
(Malaysiakini, 23.10.07)
!

Nazri had added: “We all know that we have the EC Act. If you take that into account, the EC is bound to the legislature and it is also tied to what we would approve… So, don’t get too excited when discussing the EC’s independence because it cannot act freely — it is tied to the legislature.”

Contrary to what Nazri had claimed, the EC is established and given a specific mandate by the Constitution. It is not answerable to the Executive nor to the Legislature. In other words,
Nazri’s
 brains are not functioning as well as he would like us to believe.

Nazri should not confine himself in the comfort of his air-conditioned office in Putrajaya. He should join the rakyat in the next walk for justice or electoral reform — get a feel of reality. It would enhance his short memory and prevent his thinking faculties from short-circuiting.

Dull brains

Nazri showed his ignorance further by taking a shot at PKR
de facto
leader Anwar Ibrahim: “I would understand if he (Anwar) says that the EC is unfair after losing an election, but he hasn’t even contested to say that the EC is unfair and that’s why I say that his head does not function well.”

Does one have to contest in an election to make a critique of the EC?  What about his (Nazri’s) very own admission that the EC is not independent. Talk about the head of others not functioning well?

Nazri added that Anwar realises that he will lose in the coming elections should he contest for a seat — not just lose, “but lose terribly… That’s the reason why Anwar is trying to create a smoke screen so that he can say the EC is not fair when he loses.”

Nazri should prove his point by speaking to his boss to ensure that Anwar gets a chance to contest in the next general elections. Nazri should stand against Anwar and make him “lose terribly” so that Anwar’s political future will go up in smoke amidst his “smoke screen”!

Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang told Nazri that he was being “very irresponsible” with his tirade. Nazri retorted and added “Don’t try to drag the King into this. The King and the people are behind us. They (the opposition) are afraid to face the next elections. If you’ve no courage, don’t become a
pondan
 (wimp).”

If there is anyone who has made use of the King — it is Nazri himself! In April 2005, Nazri told parliament that the Cabinet’s plan to form a select committee on water privatisation was dropped because ‘the King wanted water privatisation to be in place by the end of the year’.

Kit Siang had then rebuked Nazri: “It is most irresponsible for a cabinet minister to try and drag the King into a public controversy, as the Royal address is the policy pronouncement of the government of the day.”

Alas, Nazri should not worry too much about Lim Kit Siang, whose, according to Nazri, “wires in the head have severed”. He should worry about his own head being all wired up and ready to explode at any time into diatribes which require little or no brains.

Courage to Change

If only Nazri were to use his head a bit more, he would be aware of the fact that what the opposition-backed Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) has been calling for  is very similar to what EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman had advocated early this year!

Abdul Rashid had called for an independent commission to be set up to oversee changes in the election laws and regulations —  changes should be made in the electoral system to bring it up to date and relevant to the present social order
(Star, 9.01.07)
.

He had also said that the laws had been almost unaltered for the past 50 years despite the country having undergone tremendous changes in its social order and development — the EC requires a review of the electoral laws.

“It should also be given the powers to allow the media to report freely and fairly, as well as prevent corruption and vote-buying…  the EC should be able to make decisions on party funding and penalise those who misused public facilities during campaigning.”

Nazri, responded in parliament very predictably and pathetically: “As I’ve said, there is no need to revamp the EC. In the past 50 years we have not revamped any ministry. So why must the EC be singled out (to be revamped)?”

It takes courage to change — the kind of courage displayed by the 2,000 lawyers and 40,000 people who risked marching to send home a message. In contrast, the chant of change by Pak Lah has become a mere charade. The promise of transformation has been turned into taunts, threats and theatrics by ministers like Nazri.

The Government hides behind a gamut of harsh executive powers to contain, cripple and crush legitimate dissent by the citizens of this country. It resorts to selective prosecution of political opponents for its self-preservation. It has no guts. Yet it has the gall to call others “pondan”.

The country has turned 50. Please grow up, Nazri.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 14 November 2007, 1:06 pm and is filed under
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PM AAB insulted the King

Letters

by Loh Meng Kow

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the BERSIH gathering and petition were “tantamount to dragging the institution of the monarchy, and the king, into politics”.

PM AAB is underrating the wisdom of the King. When he makes his routine audience with the King before Cabinet meetings, what has PM AAB taken it to be? Does he consider it a chore having to brief the King on the affairs of the state, and the government plans of action? Does PM consider it a formality only, and that the King’s role was to spend time listening to what the PM had to say as though the PM was talking to a tape recorder, with no playback. The government was elected by only the majority of the population, but government actions affect all nationals who are equal subjects of the King. While the PM may be a PM for his family, or a sector of the population, the King has the welfare of the people of Malaysia at heart. Though the King does not directly implement policies, the King could offer his wisdom which the PM might not follow. We certainly have a thinking King.

The population is certain that the prime minister have not informed the King on the ways UMNO and his subordinate parties in BN rigged general elections. The people wanted to inform His Majesty the ways BN manipulated general election processes, and made suggestions on how the country could be saved from ruins. It is certainly the decision of the King to consider the course of action. To prejudge that the King would be dragged into politics is to belittle the position of His Majesty. The King is above party politics, and he is the symbol of the nation to whom all citizens pledge loyalty. The King could choose to advise the PM on the proper course of actions for the benefits of the nation. He could also invoke the constitutional authority invested in him as King. All such actions do not amount to involving in party politics.

The memorandum could be submitted in many channels. BERSIH informed the public that a memorandum would be submitted to the King with the advance information about the salient points to be included in the memorandum. BERSIH further informed the public that at the appointed hour, representatives of BERSH would proceed to the Palace to submit the memorandum, and the public could take the opportunity to indicate their agreement by their presence. Since there was no curfew declared in Kuala Lumpur on 10 November 2007, people are free to move around, wearing attire of any colour of their choice. FRU has obstructed traffics and misused its power to manhandle the public who moved peacefully, forcing them to divert from their destination.

The warning by PM AAB against the people coming to town on Saturday, and arbitrarily declaring the movement of people as illegal had indirectly given directive to the Police Force to use force illegally on the people. That action alone shows that the IGP was incapable to acting independently or utilizing his authorities appropriately.

DPM Najib said that the small number of people that turned up to support the memorandum paled in comparison to what the government, or was it UMNO, could organize. We know UMNO has the funds to organize gigantic picnic, or even government funds to advance party interest. The people who were in KL on Saturday came on their own, despite obstruction placed by the police. They did not go for free meals, like the open house organized by BN parties. They pay to tell BN enough is enough!

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 14 November 2007, 6:51 am and is filed under
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“Pondan” – An open letter to Nazri

Letters

by TT

13th November 2007

Dear Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz,

Prime Minister’s Department,

Bangunan Parliament,

Jalan Parliament,

Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia.

Subject –   :  Parliament on 12th November 2007 And Bersih Rally.

Dear Datuk Seri,

With reference to the above subject, I, as a concerned rakyat of our beloved and peaceful country, Malaysia, if allowed and with much due respect, would like to comment on the words you used in the august hall.

Be it for opposition parties/people and/or to any other people who are gifts fm The Man above, words like ‘pondans’, ‘wimps’, ‘wires in their heads are severed’, ‘bodoh’, ‘racist’, ‘perkauman’, etc., to my honest opinions, should not be used in the august hall where people all over the world are watching us, especially with what is happening in our country lately. Also, especially coming from someone who is serving the country and her citizens under the prime minister’s department. Those kind of words like ‘pondans’, ‘wimps’, ‘wires in their heads are severed’, ‘bodoh’, ‘racist’, ‘perkauman’, etc., are, to my honest opinion, definitely uncalled for.

Yes, I, as a concerned rakyat of our beloved and peaceful country, Malaysia, know those may be one of the spur-of-the-moment kind of thing, but those kind of spur-of-the-moment thing has been happening very frequently lately and has been repeated time after time. Perhaps Malaysiakini and Youtube have tons of the articles and video recordings to prove it.

Datuk Seri, for your information, the 100,000 Bersih Rally was not a political gathering and there was nothing political with that gathering. It was meant for the concerned rakyat from various backgrounds to gather and march to the Istana Negara to submit a memorandum to the King and to ask His Majesty for a massive reformation of  the electoral roll which is tainted with smears of negativities.

With much due respect, I, as a concerned rakyat of our beloved and peaceful country, Malaysia, would also want to know why are there no action/s being taken by the election commission in hearing what the rakyat want which the rakyat have been longing for?. Is this democratic or is this democracy? The rakyat have definitely spoke in one loud voice.

On the same subject, you may ask us, the rakyat to dissent our anger via the ballot boxes, speak our mind via the ballot boxes, let our feelings be known via the ballot boxes, etc., but, if the whole electoral roll is  tainted with smear of negativities, how can the rakyat put their trust in believing their votes will not be tainted with smear of negativities?

Malaysia is a democratic country as many leaders in this country would put it, but what is happening currently definitely proves

otherwise.

I, as a concerned rakyat of our beloved and peaceful country, Malaysia, would appreciate if you, as the minister in the prime minister’s department, could personally look into the interests of the rakyat, as the rakyat are the greatest assets of this lovely and peaceful country, definitely not any natural resources which will ‘dry up’ in due course of time!

Pls assist and let the voices of the rakyat be heard and together we shall bring Malaysia back to her feet competing with the best in the world, where the countries were once behind us in everything went ahead of us in everything.

Have a good and productive day ahead!.

Thanking you in advance.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 14 November 2007, 7:11 am and is filed under
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Brickendonbury Sports Complex – British local authority says “No”

Breaking News

Malaysia’s Application To Set Up HPTC In Brickendonbury Rejected

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 (Bernama) — The East Herts Council Development Control Committee has rejected the Malaysian government’s application to set up a High Performance Training Centre (HPTC) at the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC) in Brickendonbury, Britain.

The National Sports Institute director-general, Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz, said the decision was made at the council meeting in Bishops Startford, Herts, on Wednesday night (Thursday morning in Malaysia).

“With the decision, we now have to prepare a report to be submitted to the Cabinet Committee on Sports headed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for their guidance on the next course of action,” he said in a statement.

Dr Ramlan, who attended the hearing, said: “We can either appeal, submit a fresh application, which will be a faster process, or not to pursue the matter at all. All of which depends on the pending decision by the Cabinet Committee.”

He said the council committee, chaired by R. Gilbert, saw 13 of the 19 councillors rejecting the application.

The only councillor, K.A. Barners, who spoke in support of the application, had abstained.

Dr Ramlan said NSC’s consultant, John Whittaker of White Young Green Planning, was allowed to speak for three minutes to convince the council to either approve or defer their early decision.

However, the nine objections by case officer, Tim Hagyard, in his report for the application to be rejected “clearly influenced the councillors,” he said.

“Among recommendations for the rejection came from reports from the Historical Society, Biological Centre, Development Planning Unit and Brickendon Liberty Parish,” Dr Ramlan said.

In their rejection, he said, the councillors were concerned over the absence of future plans to develop the HPTC, and the limited facilities built in the first phase of the plan.

“Although the committee was drawn to the positive feedback and support from Sport England’s senior planning manager, Roy Warren, on the application, they (the committee) felt they have to reject the application at that stage,” he said. The 16ha TARRC, owned by the Malaysian Rubber Board, is in Hertfordshire, East London, just 24km from the London 2012 Olympics Games Village.

Among facilities available at TARRC are a football field, swimming pool, cricket pitch, canteen, hostel, laboratory, meeting rooms and office.

Dr Ramlan said recently the proposal to develop the TARRC into a HPTC was submitted to the East Herts Council in June and a series of meetings were held by ministry officials with the councillors.

He had expected the HPTC to be operational by early next year after the 10 million pounds (RM67.22 million) renovation project, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Sports, was completed.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had said the HPTC would serve as a transit centre for Malaysian athletes before competing in Europe.

Malaysian Under-16 football squad are among sportsmen who had a chance to stay at the TARRC in May during their friendly stint with Arsenal U-16 team.

— BERNAMA

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 15 November 2007, 7:13 pm and is filed under
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LingamGate – Give Rais’ book “Freedom under Executive Power in Malaysia” to all Cabinet Ministers

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz announced yesterday that
three senior ministers
have been appointed to study the three-man Haidar Panel report on the Lingam Tape on the perversion of the course of justice on fixing of judicial appointments and court judgments.

Nazri said that the three Ministers, i.e. Home Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, Culture and Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim and he himself, were given the task by the Cabinet due to their legal background and because all three had been in charge of law affairs in their ministerial portfolios and to make recommendations on the appropriate action to be taken at the next Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

The Cabinet had also decided that each minister be given a copy of the report.

Two questions immediately come to mind.

Firstly, why wasn’t the Haider Report made public immediately?  Why must Cabinet Ministers read the Haider Report first, to find out whether it is good or bad for the government, before deciding whether it should be made public?

We should follow the best international practices of countries which fully practice accountability, transparency and integrity where such inquiry reports, whether by Royal Commission or inquiry committees, are made public at the same time they are submitted to the appointing authorities — to show that the government has nothing to hide, regardless of the findings.

Secondly, why should there be another three-man Ministerial Committee to study the Report of the three-man Haider Panel on the Lingam Tape?  One does not need to have any legal background or experience in Cabinet in charge of law affairs to decide what is right and proper to be done on a question of accountability, transparency and integrity, not only about the Lingam Tape revelations about the perversion of the course of justice on fixing of judicial appointments and judicial decisions but the urgent need for judicial reforms.

The
New Straits Times
today reported that the three-man Haider Panel into “Lingamgate” have all agreed that a Royal Commission of Inquiry should be established to investigate although they have submitted separate reports.

This follows the “scoop” by Sin Chew Daily yesterday that the three panel members have separately recommended a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

Why then is the Prime Minister and the Cabinet dragging their feet in immediately announcing agreement in principle to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry, unless they have things to hide?

I suggest that the  three ministers of the Nazri Committee to study the Report of the three-man Haider Panel as well as all Cabinet Ministers should be given a copy of Rais Yatim’s 1995 book
“Freedom under Executive Power in Malaysia — A Study of Executive Supremacy”
to understand why the foot-dragging for judicial reforms must end with a Royal Commission of Inquiry to restore independence and integrity of judiciary.

Let me quote three passages from Rais Yatim’s book:

“Since merdeka the judiciary had by and large enjoyed its share of independence and none of the previous three Prime Ministers, who had incidentally received their legal training in England, as much as nudged the judiciary let alone ‘assaulted’ it in Parliament as did Dr. Mahathir.”  (page 302 – 7.2)

“The period 1986-1989 could perhaps be summarised to be the finest hour of the Malaysian Judiciary for it was during this short period that it handed down those few judgements that gave freedom a boost.  These judgements did not go down well with the Prime Minister. His dissatisfaction with the judiciary came into sharp focus when he was clearly stung by the various decisions of the court.” (p. 313 – 7.2)

“Since the dismissals of the three Supreme Court judges in 1988, the government has not taken steps to restore confidence in the Malaysian judiciary. Instead, key judicial posts have been filled by judges who participated in the government’s administrative actions against the judges. Recent legislation has eliminated judicial review of important national security legislation. The government has been openly critical of the Malaysian Bar Council, which has sought to defend judicial independence in Malaysia. This criticism, in conjunction with a recent action for contempt of court against the Secretary of the Bar Council, indicates a continued willingness to maintain pressure against the judiciary and those who seek to defend it.”

National and international confidence in the independence, integrity and quality of the judiciary have suffered from one crisis to another since Rais’ book, culminating in the latest LingamGate.

This should be the finest hour of the Cabinet Ministers to prove that they are not “half-past six” and are capable of doing  the greatest service to the nation by establishing a Royal Commission of Inquiry with full and untrammeled powers to delve into the deep-seated causes for the decline and fall of the independence, integrity and quality of the judiciary in the past two decades and to make recommendations to re-establish a world-class judiciary as an important element of Malaysia’s international competitiveness to face the challenges of globalization.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 15 November 2007, 12:19 pm and is filed under
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Malaysia “implosion” very different from Las Vegas “implosion”

On Tuesday, Malaysians saw on CNN the spectacle of the implosion of the 16-storey 1,000-room New Frontier casino-hotel, collapsing the  second resort that opened on the Las Vegas Strip half-a-century ago with 1,000 pounds of explosives.

It was a spectacular engineering  feat to behold, the precisely-planned and delicately-balanced demolition operation — to give way to a US$2 billion, 3,000-room megaresort Las Vegas Plaza, featuring a 500-ft tall Ferris Wheel similar in size to the famous London Eye, set to open in 2011.

Malaysia has also our own implosion on the same day, but it was a most shameful and ignominous one  –  the collapse of the RM4.5 million Perak State Park Corporation’s two-storey administration building on a hillslope on the edge of Tasik Banding in Gerik.

Star
 said the structure  “collapsed like a house of cards” while

New Straits Tim
es
said the complex “collapsed into a heap of rubble”.

Malaysia’s very own implosion was no spectacular engineering feat but spectacular building failure and government negligence.

After the Perak “implosion”, three different probes have been set up to investigate it causes  –an “independent” committee by the state government, another investigation by the Perak Public Works Department on the directive of Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and by the Anti-Corruption Agency.

Heads must roll, and roll immediately, for the shameful “implosion” of the Tasik Banding complex — or are there no one to be held responsible?

Malaysia’s implosion — which is so different from the Las Vegas implosion — is evidence that Malaysia is even more entrenched as a Third World country instead of joining the ranks of the First World nations.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 15 November 2007, 3:16 pm and is filed under
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Raja Nazrain very good choice as Chairman of RCI to restore confidence in judiciary

From the statement by the Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim that the government was open to the
possibility
 of setting up a royal commission on the “Lingam” videoclip, it is evident that  there is a significant momentum which will make any failure to establish such a Royal Commission of Inquiry a direct, personal and major crisis of confidence for  the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Early this month,  when I told Parliament that I had seen and vouched for the existence of  the second part of the 14-minute Lingam Tape, before Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim released another 10 seconds of the six-minute portion which had been withheld from the public so far, there was no surprise, astonishment or demand from the government or Haidar Panel that I reveal the details or the source.

This could only mean that by that time, all those involved  in authority knew that the Lingam Tape was genuine and that any attempt to deny or ignore it would be at their grave  personal peril in terms of public credibility and integrity.

There should be no more further delay in the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam Tape specifically  and generally the independence and integrity of the judiciary, and the three issues which the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should be mindful are:

	Full and proper consultation with relevant personalities  and organizations on the Royal Commission of Inquiry;

	Full and untrammeled powers for the Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate into every aspect of the Lingam Tape revelations and the restoration of confidence in the independence and integrity of the judiciary; and

	The appointment of suitable and qualified Commissioners.

Abdullah will defeat the whole purpose of a Royal Commission of Inquiry if its establishment is the subject of another debilitating and divisive public controversy, either because of its restricted terms of reference or composition.

On its composition, there are clearly certain controversial personalities who should not  be appointed as Commissioners or the whole process will become a farce.

In this category I will include three former Chief Justices — Tun Ahmad Fairuz, Tun Eusuffe Chin and Tun Hamid Omar because of their controversial past which should be  among the subjects of the inquiry.

Another former Chief Justice, however, Tun Dzaiddin will be eminently suitable to be a member of the Commission.

Special thought must be given for the Chairman of the Royal Commission to restore confidence in the judiciary.

The Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr. Nazrain Shah will be a very good choice as Chairman of the Royal Commission of Inquiry to restore confidence in the independence and integrity of the judiciary, although the ideal candidate would be Sultan Azlan Shah especially as he was Lord President during the golden era of the Malaysian judiciary a quarter of a century ago.

The Commissioners should come from a representative cross-section including former members of the judiciary, like  former Court of Appeal judges Datuk Shaikh Daud and Datuk N. H. Chan and former High Court judge and leading Malaysian jurist Datuk Seri Visu Sinadurai.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 16 November 2007, 4:51 pm and is filed under
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