Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- WikiLeak: Ong Tee Keat admits Chinese marginalised
- Wikileak: Koh Tsu Koon humiliated by Pak Lah and Umno
- Timbalan Speaker gubah wang haram?
- TBH ‘suicide’ finding: The impossible does not happen
- Who’s scaring the ‘rakyat’?
- Race supremacists making a meal of the Star
- Senjata Makan Tuan
| WikiLeak: Ong Tee Keat admits Chinese marginalised Posted: 18 Aug 2011 05:01 PM PDT Ong Tee Keat was one of the few high-level Chinese politicians who agreed that Malaysian Chinese are marginalised by Umno, according to a secret US diplomatic cable in 2006 published today at Malaysia Today through WikiLeaks. The US Embassy's political officer, Mark Clark, noted that Ong, then MCA vice-president, was one of the few ministerial level Chinese politicians who refused to deny publicly or privately the fact that Chinese Malaysians are marginalised. Ong commented to Clark in a private meeting that although Chinese leaders from MCA and Gerakan were bound to support government (i.e. Umno) positions, their Chinese constituents were not satisfied with their responses. In cases such as this, "silence is sometimes our only valid response." But he acknowledged, "of course we are marginalised, big business to small stall owners know that — but MCA cannot admit it." So when pressed by reporters for a public response to Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew's accusation that year that Malaysia marginalises the Chinese community, Ong related an old Chinese proverb — "Whether the water in the tea cup is hot or cold, he who drinks it knows best," the cable said. Ong Tee Keat foresaw the difficulties facing the MCA in the general election (held two years later, in 2008). There was great dissatisfaction with the status quo in the Chinese community, only partially shown in the Sarawak elections of 2006 when the DAP won six seats.
|
| Wikileak: Koh Tsu Koon humiliated by Pak Lah and Umno Posted: 18 Aug 2011 04:59 PM PDT The cable said Abdullah, then prime minister, "echoed the earlier remarks of his son in law, Khairy Jamaluddin", and publicly charged Koh Tsu Koon "with systematically marginalising [Penang] Malays and demanded immediate action to address the needs of the marginalised Malay community", the cable said. Penang executive councillor Dr Toh Kin Woon, sometimes called the conscience of the Gerakan, later told Mark Clark privately that Abdullah thoroughly humiliated Koh, who was caught unprepared and unable to respond "although Malays in Penang have a higher per capita income than Malays in many other states". The irony noted by the cable stemmed from a political controversy sparked by Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew statement that Malaysian Chinese had been systematically marginalised by the ruling coalition, principally by Umno. Koh Tsu Koon faced further lambasting from Najib Tun Razak, then Abdullah's deputy, who called on Koh to more equally divide his executive powers with the deputy chief minister (an Umno man), and Hishamuddin Tun Hussein, the education minister then, demanded Koh take unconditional immediate action to address the needs of Penang Malays. "According to sources who attended the meeting, Koh was dumbfounded and unprepared to respond to the Prime Minister's accusations," the cable noted.
|
| Timbalan Speaker gubah wang haram? Posted: 18 Aug 2011 04:28 PM PDT Penglibatan Junaidi sebagai Pengerusi Prime Stock Sdn.Bhd, subsidiari Mercantile Point Sdn Bhd dikesan melalui blog 'Way Of Investment' yang memaparkan resume dan peranan Junaidi setelah laman web utama Merchantile Point Sdn.Bhd ditutup. Nama Ahli Parlimen Malaysia (Santubong) ini disebut-sebut oleh pelabur, namun sukar untuk mengesan penglibatannya; melainkan setelah Sabahkini.net menjalankan penyelidikan rapi dengan bantuan beberapa informer yang menjadi mangsa Merchantile Point Sdn.Bhd. Pada 17 Ogos lalu, dua pengarah syarikat Mercantile Point Sdn Bhd, masing-masing dihukum penjara dua tahun serta denda RM3 juta dan RM5 juta oleh Mahkamah Sesyen di sini selepas didapati bersalah mengikut Akta Bank dan Institusi-institusi Kewangan (BAFIA) 1989 dan Akta Pencegahan Pengubahan Wang Haram dan Pencegahan Pembiayaan Keganasan (AMLATFA) 2001.
|
| TBH ‘suicide’ finding: The impossible does not happen Posted: 18 Aug 2011 03:45 PM PDT - Forensic psychiatric aspects [233] Tormented by this predicament, TBH experienced a change in his state of mind. And in a matter of hours, this change transformed him from being in the low-risk group for suicide into the high-risk group. The doubts, extreme emotional conflict and the immense feeling of guilt were all intolerable. Finally, precipitating the irreversible crisis that happened to him between 3.30am and 7.00am on the 16th, was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Finding no viable strategies to surmount the hurdle of accusations levelled, he found himself unable to escape from the suffocating quagmire in which he was trapped. TBH would have felt trapped and have succumbed to despair. Since the window on the 14th floor was either open or could be easily opened and it was conspicuous and easily accessible near where he was on the sofa outside Nasdzri's room, TBH would have found that the only way for escape from the torment he was undergoing was by jumping out of the window, even though it meant taking his own life...." ********************************************* Introduction Self-inflicted death must have meaning and a reason. In Teoh Beng Hock's death, we find neither meaning nor a reason for taking his own life, if we accept the findings of the TBH royal commission of inquiry. Suicide is rare. It is even rarer for a normal person without abnormal psychology to commit suicide. It is hard to believe suicide can happen within few hours of experiencing trauma. Hopelessness as an acute warning sign of suicide most often takes time to develop, days or weeks if not months. RCI has confirmed that TBH was "driven to commit suicide" within hours. The impossible does not happen and the improbable only happens very rarely. This suicide verdict goes very much against common sense and the intuition of many Malaysians. A closer look is hence necessary to critically examine how the RCI arrived at such conclusion and whether the RCI has proved TBH's intention to suicide. The focus of study here is essentially of the psychological aspects of the section on 'Forensic psychiatric aspects', pages 64 to 72 of the Report of the Royal Commission of Enquiry into the death of Teoh Beng Hock (hereafter called RCI). Serious flaws in RCI conjecture RCI evaluated the evidence from forensic pathology and concluded that TBH fell to his death; and from forensic psychiatry that TBH would have jumped to his death. These conclusions are used as reasons to support the suicide verdict that TBH was driven to commit suicide. However, there are serious flaws observed in RCI's argument. The authenticity of the evidence of intention to suicide used to support the claim is doubtful. Also, the inference from evidence to the conclusion of suicide is invalid and unsound. The commissioners' method of reconstructing TBH's psychological state prior to death is questionable. The suicide verdict is examined here from the perspective of suicide. Making attributions without proof One of the two main terms of reference as spelt out in the RCI is "...to enquire into the death of Teoh Beng Hock and the circumstances surrounding and contributing to his death. It does not state clearly whether 'death' means the cause of death (e.g. major injuries, heart attack etc.) or the manner of death (natural causes, accident, homicide or suicide)." By RCI's verdict of the enquiry, it had taken to itself the responsibility to determine the manner or mode of death. As for the requirement of the level of proof, RCI stated that their finding would be based on "a balance of probabilities sliding to proof beyond reasonable doubt" (RCI pp.5). This means RCI claims its standard of proof is very high. Also, it says that in order to "understand the probability that TBH took his own life", it is crucial to know TBH's traits of character and his changing states of mind (RCI, pp.64). It is clear from the above that RCI intended to use the language of probability in the reasoning in the argument. However, the RCI commissioners used the language of certainty when giving the verdict of "driven to commit suicide"; it does not say something like "TBH probably or most probably was driven to commit suicide", but asserted that TBH was "driven to commit suicide". The commissioners should not use categorical terms of suicide in absolute certainty as the precise mental state of the deceased could not be known. Purported intention to suicide unconvincing When read closely, the RCI para.[233] on "conclusion on forensic psychiatric aspects" does not confirm that TBH intended to commit suicide but speculated that TBH must have committed suicide: "...TBH would have found that the only way for escape from the torment he was undergoing was by jumping out of the window, even though it meant taking his own life." (RCI, pp.72). However, such speculation is used as the reason to come to the suicide verdict: "...Having considered all the evidence in its entirety, we found that TBH was driven to commit by the aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation to which he was subjected by certain officers of the MACC.." (RCI, pp.37). Para. [233] is of utmost importance in determining whether TBH had the intention to suicide. RCI was unable to confirm the intention to suicide and yet it confirmed suicide had occurred. This is a deep contradiction and the inference is seriously flawed. RCI is using a strange logic which is only intelligible to itself. It runs something like this: Teoh Beng Hock would have found suicide as the only way out. Therefore, TBH committed suicide. Speculation has then become hard fact. There is little wonder that the public refuses to accept the verdict. But, why must RCI deliver a suicide verdict? Why not an open verdict? We do not know for what reasons the commissioners felt compelled or were compelled to make a verdict that contradicts its own reasoning. With an unconvincing verdict, the reasoning itself in the RCI needs to be examined critically.
|
| Posted: 18 Aug 2011 03:24 PM PDT There have also been reports that citizens are making police reports against the Bersih 2.0 rally on 9 July. In the run up to the event and a looming general election (the date has not yet been disclosed by the government), loud rumblings could be heard from the authorities, police, and civil society. The nation, seemingly, was on the brink of erupting into public disorder. Arrests and raids Most of this rumbling, however, grew louder with the sudden arrests of groups of political and social activists from 25 June. Despite this, many more apparently joined the ranks of Bersih 2.0 supporters declaring their stand by wearing and buying more of these 'effective' yellow T-shirts. Seeing that the arrests only served to attract more support, the authorities and police decided to out-law these yellow T-shirts ( or any yellow-coloured outfit). Not only is this laughable but certainly absurd, but what can we expect of authorities who like producing 'sandiwaras' to deflect public attention from the real fundamental issue of electoral reform. When this still did not stop the Bersih rumblings, the police resorted to heavier handed methods like threatening to break into the Bersih 2.0 secretariat if they didn't allow the police to ransack and confiscate (without a warrant) office equipment and rally paraphernalia. Prior to that 30 members of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) were arrested and detained on a serious but spurious charge of reviving the now defunct Malayan Communist Party (MCP) and waging war against the King, simply by having T-shirts bearing images of famous historical communist leaders, Bersih 2.0 pamphlets, "Udahlah…saralah" campaign leaflets, flags and banners in their possession. So, these were also considered illegal, apart from the act of being passengers on a bus involved in a roadshow. The bus driver and his seven-year-old son were also arrested for reasons unknown. Finding that support for those arrested and detained had not ebbed, the authorities and police went on to wield the threat of using the ISA, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, ultimately 'hitting' the PSM with the Emergency Ordinance. It looks like the BN fears the colour yellow, a few pamphlets, banners, flags and T-shirts. Earlier, in the year, they were threatened by a cartoonist who coined the word 'cartoonophobia'; he was also arrested for publishing a new book of political cartoons for public amusement.
|
| Race supremacists making a meal of the Star Posted: 18 Aug 2011 11:52 AM PDT Ketuanan Melayu and its partner Ketuanan Islam are trying to make a meal of The Star's Dining Out supplement having featured pork dishes while running a cover story on Ramadan Delights. Typically, it is being viewed as un-Islamic and the Star labelled as an un-Islamic paper. Calling it "un-Islamic" makes it sound like the Star is against Islam, a convenient way of putting pressure on the paper, its staff, its publisher and its chief editor. But which paper is not un-Islamic? The Star is un-Islamic? So are the New Straits Times, the Utusan Malaysia, Sinar Harapan and every other mass circulation newspaper in the country. None of them are Islamic publications. Memo to Home Ministry: Have you labelled all newspapers as being un-Islamic? Why single out the Star? Because it is a convenient target:
The recent attacks have been coordinated by Perkasa, the rabid Malays First movement that was spawned by Mahathir (I Am Not A Racist) Mohamad, and led by that political buffoon Ibrahim (mass comm grad) Ali. It is no surprise, looking back on Mahathir Mohamad's long antagonism towards the Star from the early days of his ascendancy to Umno power, his urging the New Straits Times to kill the Star and his urging tycoon Vincent Tan to start the Sun and knock down the Star. Read more at: http://uppercaise.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/race-supremacists-making-a-meal-of-the-star/
|
| Posted: 17 Aug 2011 12:34 AM PDT In Just Another Political Fantasty, Himanshu Bhatt of The Sun discussed the implications of the alleged invitation by Nazri for DAP to join BN. Nazri, who was quoted making the invitation by Sin Chew Daily on Aug 14, later denied he had extended such an invitation. Naturally, the DAP quarter expressed surprise at the purported invitation by an Umno leader to join the BN. In response, Penang CM Lim Guan Eng said that the offer had come "out of the blue" as no one had mentioned it before. He then reaffirmed DAP's allegiance to Pakatan Rakyat. READ MORE HERE.
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan