| Concentration and Dilution Posted: 20 Jul 2011 01:03 PM PDT By batsman This is not an article on chemistry, neither is it a diatribe against over-weight people. It is actually an attempt to extract something worthwhile out of the sickening mind numbing AAS episode. RPK has challenged NTR regarding his think tank before (Saya sokong Najib). Now that NTR has committed self-strangulation and is besieged as predicted by RPK, it is time to demonstrate the process of how such demises come about. Everything has an optimum size beyond which there will be negative growth or a fundamental transformation of essence (any bapa transformasi worth his salt should know this). Take Murdoch's empire for example. It has grown so large and unwieldy that a simple matter of trusting the wrong people caused his giant empire to wobble dangerously (or so he claims). NTR's boys in his think tank may dress smartly, act smartly and talk smartly but may not be smart after all. In fact UMNO's empire has grown so unwieldy that vile brain dead twits like AAS may be seeing some opportunity to make themselves famous and are trying to jump on the think tank band wagon and gain some brownie points. UMNO is so fat and overweight that it is coming apart at the seams. Concentration has its benefits. For example, if you try to take on an angry elephant without any leverage, you are likely to be squashed. However, if an elephant grows to the size of a whale, it will just be delicious blubber without the need for much effort to bring it down (whatever Hollywood tries to portray about monsters). That is why there are no land giants the size of whales anymore. Some businesses grow so big that it takes enormous effort and brains just to hold it together. This is why some executives of large businesses are paid so much money. Unfortunately, these people are also expected to grow the empire even bigger. Not all people can do this. Most create spectacularly negative results by their efforts – such as the people Murdoch claims to have trusted. Eventually things just get out of hand and collapse under the weight of oversized entities. UMNO's empire will suffer this fate. The concentration of power is so great that it cannot be held together by smart toy boys in any think tank anymore. For example, a simple order to control Bersih 2.0 has resulted in the now infamous over-reaction that has resounded across the whole world. One can expect more and more such usage of the sledge hammer to control irritating flies until the whole edifice is destroyed in an orgy of abuse of power. More and more AASs, MACC-type officers, policemen with vicious temperaments and AIs will turn crawl out from the rotting and festering dung heap. This is one of reasons the US has an anti-trust law, not just the obvious one that monopoly is unfair and inherently anti-competition. Bersih 2.0 is just calling for reforms i.e. dilution of absolute power. If it fails, Malaysia is doomed under UMNO – crushed and suffocated by its massive weight. |
| Bersih 2.0 rally – a basketful of faux pas by BN Government, before during after and still ... Posted: 20 Jul 2011 12:57 PM PDT 
By Lim Kit Siang
If someone had been assigned beforehand to a special task to script the worst-possible scenarios for the Najib administration in relation to the July 9 Bersih 2.0 peaceful rally for fair and free elections, nobody could be so creative as to pre-plan the basketful of faux pas committed by the Barisan Nasional government before, during and after "709" and still ongoing. Before The basketful of faux pax before 709 included: 1. Arbitrary declaration of Bersih 2.0 as unlawful. 2. Ban on Bersih T-shirts and paraphernalia, to include even yellow T-shirts, coupled with indiscriminate arrests. 3. Police and government disrespect to the Yang di Pertuan Agong who had met with Bersih 2.0 leaders and suggested a compromise of a stadium rally instead of a march – accepted by Bersih 2.0 but reneged by the authorities. 4. Police roadblocks causing infernal traffic congestions in and out of Kuala Lumpur and police lockdown of the federal capital on 709, alienating the general public. 5. Intemperate, extremist threats of counter-demonstrations and racial riots, even another May 13 by Umno Youth and Perkasa's Ibrahim Ali. 6. Abuse of court process in securing an ex parte injunction to ban 91 Bersih and Pakatan Rakyat leaders and activists from key areas in KL on 709. 7. Baseless invective and vicious campaign to demonise Bersih leaders, particularly Bersih Chairperson S. Ambiga, with wild and reckless charges to incite religious and racial hatred and tension. 8. Daily incitement of hate and campaign of lies by BN msm, both printed and electronic, particularly Utusan Malaysia. 9. Gross abuse of power in the arrest of PSM MP Dr. Michael Jeyakumar and other PSM activists first on the ridiculous charges of "waging war against the Agong" and "reviving communism" and later on EO detention-without-trial for being Bersih activists. 10. Refusal/failure of the Election Commission to respond to Bersih 2.0's eight demands for free, fair and clean elections. During 1. High-handed police action of mass arrests and individual cases of police violence and brutality. 2. Causing death of Baharuddin Ahmad. 3. Criminal police landrover ramming of PAS Deputy President Mat Sabu on motor-bike. 4. Reckless and indiscriminate firing of tear gas without notice and into KL sentral tunnel – an enclosed space – heedless of the safety of the Bersih and Pakatan Rakyat leaders and the public. 5. Wanton and criminal firing of tear gas and chemically-laced water cannon into Tung Shin Hospital grounds. After 1. Najib's fire-breathing speech to 6,000 UMNO leaders the morning after 709. 2. Further plunge in public credibility with police and Umno leaders disputing that 50,000 people had gathered in support of Bersih 2.0 rally, with IGP claiming that it was only 6,000, upped to 10,000 by Hishammuddin with Najib later topping it to 15,000 in London! READ MORE HERE. |
| French lawyer probing Altantuya-linked 'kickbacks' is in town Posted: 20 Jul 2011 12:53 PM PDT 
(Harakah Daily) - KUALA LUMPUR, Jul 20: French rights lawyer William Bourdon is in town, ready to push local political temperature even higher when he speaks at three events under rights group Suaram's latest project 'Ops Scorpene'. Bourdon's arrival is part of Suaram's efforts to seek a closure to the murder case of Altantuya Shariibuu, the Mongolian who had an affair with Abdul Razak Baginda, a close aide of Najib Razak, who was found brutally murdered in November 2006.
The trial concluded two years ago with the conviction of two close security personnel whose faces were carefully concealed by the police from media glare up to the last day when they were handed out the death sentence. Questions however remain on the motive of her murder, as well as several claims and counter claims on Najib's alleged personal involvement.
Central to these was the RM7.3 billion purchase of two French 'Scorpene' submarines. It was claimed that Altantuya's murder had to do with unpaid kickbacks owed to her. This, according to a private detective hired by Razak Baginda, was a reason why Altantuya had been hounding Razak at his office in the days leading to her brutal murder. Perimekar is said to be linked to Razak Baginda and his wife Mazlinda, who is one of its directors The purchase contract was signed by the Malaysian government in 2002 with French DCNS and Spanish Navantia, through direct negotiation undertaken by Perimekar, a company linked to Razak Baginda, who left for Britain soon after he was acquitted of the murder charge. This and the fact that Perimekar was only set up in 2001 fanned speculation that it was the middleman to receive kickbacks from Malaysia and France. On 23 December 2009, Suaram through its networks in France linked up with leading human rights lawyers there to file a complaint with the French judicial system, in the hope that a preliminary investigation could be launched on the submarines sale. The action was to enable revelation of facts behind the murder of Altantuya, as well as her role in the purchase deal leading to her murder, the motive of which the lengthy murder trial had failed to establish. READ MORE HERE. |
| How did I get a MyKad?, fumes cheated investor Posted: 20 Jul 2011 12:48 PM PDT  By Queville To, FMT KOTA KINABALU: A puzzled Taiwanese businessman, Lin Yun Chun, wants the police and the relevant authority to investigate how and when a MyKad was issued in his name. "I have never applied to the National Registration Department (NRD) for the MyKad. I do not read English and Bahasa Malaysia. "I do not know how the MyKad was issued in my name, with different birth dates from my passport. "I purchased all my properties in Sabah using my Taiwan passport. "I urge the police and the relevant authority to investigate how and when the MyKad was issued in my name," he said in a statement issued through his representative Chia Chiew Pui. Chia, who holds power of attorney for Lin, lodged a police report here yesterday. He is seeking police assistance to investigate how a MyKad was issued in his name. Lin said he had always travelled to Sabah with his Taiwanese passport. He said his visits to Sabah was always either on a tourist or business visa. "The last time I traveled to Sabah was in 2000. I was on a tourist visa and then (they) granted (me a) business visa. "When my visa expired sometime in July 2000, the relevant authorities such as the Industrial Development Department and the Chief Minister's Department recommended to the Sabah Immigration to extend a one year business visa to me as an investor," he explained. Falsified documents He said this latest twist of event was not isolated but was in fact an addition to the multiple falsifications of documents by unscrupulous persons leading to the wrong issuance of copies of his title deeds which saw the exchange of hands of his properties. Lin said that he had been away from Sabah from 2000 to 2009 because of illness and had only discovered the fraud on returning here in August 2009. "When I returned, I was shocked that my properties had changed to third parties by way of falsified documentations. "I am still holding all the original title deeds to these properties. "How could I be selling my properties without surrendering my original titles to the lawyer preparing the sales and purchase agreement?" he said. Lin also dismissed 'as baseless and wrongful' allegation that he received RM800,000 for the sale of his house in Tangung Aru and or other properties via Chia. "I have never appointed anyone to sell my house or properties using power of attorney," he stressed. READ MORE HERE. |
| Cops to attack Bersih with clips for brutality probe, claims Utusan Posted: 20 Jul 2011 12:44 PM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — Investigators tasked with looking into Bersih police brutality claims will instead use video evidence collected during the probe to attack the credibility of protesters, according to an Utusan Malaysia report today. Police sources told the Malay daily several videos found on pro-opposition blogs were found to have been tampered in an effort to damage public perception of the police and discredit the authorities. Investigators are also said to have a video showing a protester allegedly waiting for police to arrive to provoke them and can be heard saying: "If they (the police) don't come, we (protesters) failed." Police said on Tuesday that the internal probe into alleged police brutality will study videos and pictures taken at the rally, and take statements from protesters, police on duty that day and the general public. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar revealed the same day that the probe was nearly done and gave an assurance that the findings would be revealed to the public "very soon". Ismail also promised the media police will hold a special video screening at Bukit Aman police headquarters featuring relevant recordings of the rally once investigations have been completed. The Malaysian Insider reported yesterday, however, that Bersih organisers and independent observers have yet to be called by police for statements or evidence. The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition has been put on the defensive over the Bersih rally for the past week as the international community, from Singapore to the UK, criticised the government's handling of the public dissent. READ MORE HERE. |
| Malaysian Money – £3 Billion Yacht ! Posted: 20 Jul 2011 12:41 PM PDT  By Sarawak Report According to the UK's Mail newspaper an 'anonymous Malaysian businessman' has purchased a yacht priced at £3 BILLION pounds. This amounts to nearly $5 BILLION dollars and indeed RM14.5 BILLION ! The purchaser of this record-busting toy is clearly reluctant to answer questions such as: How much tax have you paid? How much have you contributed to helping alleviate poverty? Or, indeed, how did you earn so much money in the first place? So, they have remained anonymous. Platinum-lined walls! - but so what? But, we can deduce that they have an amazing level of wealth and that they think an appropriate way to spend it is towards their occasional gratification when enjoying a yacht trip. Given the poverty of so many people in Malaysia and also the questions over how Malaysia's natural wealth in terms of oil and timber have been requisitioned and distributed, it is a shocking judgement for a rich person to make. If you want to enjoy an occasional sea picnic does your boat really have to be a gold-plated, platinum-line yacht ? Might there not be another more worthy recipient for such money and might it not be more gratifying to use such wealth to benefit your community? READ MORE HERE. |
| Voter Registration in Kuching, Sarawak Posted: 20 Jul 2011 12:39 PM PDT 
DAP Socialist Youth will organise a voters registration this Friday 22/07/2011 at One Jaya Complex at Jalan Song from 7.30pm - 10.00p.m and on Sunday 24/07/2011 at Kenyalang Park Market from 7am till 10am. For those who have not registered as a voter yet, please hurry up! The deadline will fall on 13-Sept-2011. Meaning if you register after 13-Sept-2011, then you will NOT be qualified to vote in the coming election if GE is early of next year. Hurry up, please spread the news to your friends and family!
For more information, please contact Andrew Sim at 0168799606 or Awang Saifeluddin at 0168899149. |
| Shafee: Raja Petra’s Sarbaini claims nonsense Posted: 20 Jul 2011 12:29 PM PDT By Syed Mu'az Syed Putra, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) lawyer has dismissed as nonsense the claims of Raja Petra Kamarudin regarding the death of Customs officer Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed. Datuk Seri Shafee Abdullah told The Malaysian Insider that most of the witnesses and forensic experts in the ongoing coroner's inquest into how the Selangor Customs assistant director fell to his death at the Kuala Lumpur MACC office on April 6 have so far ruled out both suicide and homicide. "Raja Petra is talking nonsense. I believe this allegation will not affect the inquest. He is history," Shafee (picture) said of the Malaysia Today news portal editor. Raja Petra had alleged on his website yesterday that Ahmad Sarbaini fell accidentally from the third-floor pantry window of the Kuala Lumpur MACC office after being forced onto the ledge by a senior MACC investigator. The popular blogger claimed the investigator was incensed that the Customs man wanted to retract his earlier confession, allegedly obtained under duress, and punished Ahmad Sarbaini by making him stand on the ledge. He further claimed that the MACC investigator convened a "conference" with his colleagues to "brainstorm and concoct the most plausible story" to protect their careers. "Raja Petra has nothing left to talk about, no credibility and not even accepted by the opposition," Shafee said. The high-profile lawyer said it was impossible for Ahmad Sarbaini to stand on the window itself as claimed by Raja Petra. READ MORE HERE. |
| My Bersih 2.0 Story : Trapped, Ambushed and Gassed Posted: 20 Jul 2011 12:25 PM PDT By Fadiah Nadwa Binti Fikri On 7 July 2011, while I was lazing around at home after work, I got a call from my friend, N Surendran saying that my name was on the list of 91 individuals who were restricted from entering Kuala Lumpur on 9 July 2011. Nothing surprising. It was just that I couldn't wrap my mind around the paranoia displayed by the government over a planned peaceful assembly to demand for clean and fair elections. This whole scare tactic definitely was funnier than any comedy show I'd ever watched on TV.
It was 9 July 2011, the day plethora of right thinking Malaysians and I had been waiting for. It felt like waking up to Aidilfitri morning. Serenity filled the air. Peaceful. I packed my bag. Salt, checked. A bottle of water, checked. My friends, Latheefa Koya, Eric Paulsen and Renuka Balasubramaniam and I went to KL Hilton to meet with the rest of the group.
When I got into the room, I saw Bersih leaders, Ambiga Sreenevasan, Maria Chin Abdullah, Wong Chin Huat, Haris Ibrahim and Zaid Kamarudin, all getting ready to lead the march. I also saw Pakatan Rakyat leaders, Anwar Ibrahim, Wan Azizah, Lim Kit Siang, Hadi Awang, Tian Chua, William Leong, Nurul Izzah and our respected national laureate, Pak Samad Said, standing firm next to Bersih leaders, to give their undivided support to the cause.
I looked at my watch, it was 1.30pm. After finishing our Zohor prayers, we put our yellow Bersih t shirts on. The room was filled with laughter, the worrying thoughts on the highhandedness of the police in dealing with this planned peaceful assembly seemed to fade away for a little while. I could feel the strong conviction to freedom, freedom to march on, to assemble peaceably to demand for free and fair elections. We couldn't wait to meet with the rest of right thinking Malaysians so that we could walk together to Merdeka Stadium on this historic, most awaited day.
We started marching on, we held each other's arms so tightly. We chanted "Bersih!Bersih!Bersih!".A strange feeling suddenly embraced me. A pleasant strange feeling. I believed this was what solidarity, strength and conviction felt like.
I was holding Wan Azizah'z right arm. Nurul Nuha was holding my left arm. As we were walking, I could feel more hands were holding my arms, the hands of amazing people I hardly knew. When I looked around, all I could see was police. My heart was beating so fast, in between the chanting and the thought that all of us would not make it to Merdeka Stadium as it was almost certain that we would be arrested, judging from the heavy police presence around us. From KL Hilton we proceeded to KL Sentral train station. At this juncture I kept asking myself why we weren't arrested yet. The police were there, surrounding us, waiting and watching our single move. I just ignored the question that was lingering on my mind. From KL Sentral train station, we had to go down the escalator to the underpass to reach the main road.
After going down the escalator, we then walked through the dark and confined underpass. Suddenly I heard the wail of police siren behind us, there was a police truck that was trying to pass. We stopped and gave way to the police truck. We then continued walking.
As we were still walking in the underpass, people in the forefront abruptly stopped. It was puzzling as to what was happening. I saw Anwar Ibrahim turning around and asking the people who were standing in the back to step back. I was still puzzled as to what was happening at that particular moment. In a split second, I saw the dark and confined underpass filled with tear gas. I couldn't breathe. My eyes were all teary. Everyone was coughing. Panic struck. I kept asking myself these questions. "Why did they fire the tear gas directly at us while we were still in the confined underpass? Why didn't they arrest us right before we headed for the underpass? Could this be a trap?". |
| Applying Prospect Theory to Ending Affirmative Action Posted: 20 Jul 2011 12:16 PM PDT 
By making affirmative action part of our culture and character, we have made it difficult to critically examine it. No matter how noble in intention and beneficial the results, any scrutiny would be viewed as an attack on our values, character and heritage. M. Bakri Musa www.bakrimusa.com bakrimusa@juno.comAn insight of cognitive psychology (that sub-discipline dealing with mental processes like thinking and decision making) is that humans are far removed from the ideal of a rational self-interested Homo economicus (Economic man) when making decisions, contrary to the core assumption of traditional economics. Two factors weigh heavily when we make decisions, given a set of alternatives. One, we are loss averse; that is, we magnify the value of a potential loss and minimize the potential gain even if the two are quantitatively the same. The other is that how those alternatives are framed very much influences our decision. Although these insights refer to individual decision-making processes, nonetheless they can be extrapolated to the societal level, on how we collectively make decisions. This has relevance to the central wrenching issue dividing our Malay community today, on whether to continue or do away with affirmative action. The example (minus the intricate mathematics and fancy graphs) used to illustrate the Prospect Theory (as this new insight is called) is the potential epidemic of an Asian disease hitting America that is expected to kill 600 people. When asked to choose between an intervention that would save 200 people and another that would have a 1/3 probability that 600 people would be saved with 2/3 probability that no one would, most would approve the first. Both propositions state exactly the same thing. The first however, framed it more positively with the element of undue certainty thrown in. There are other variations on the same theme. Thus we willingly drive across town to save $5 on a $15 calculator but not on a $125 suit. The savings are the same – $5 in both cases – but what decides is the framing. Never mind that you spend $10 on gas to drive across town! Marketers make full use of these insights of cognitive psychology when advertising their products. Thus the grabbing banners: "Fifty percent savings!" Returning to the difficult issue of affirmative action, we have made it unduly contentious as we have framed it unwisely. One, we have stated it as taking away special privileges, and being risk averse, we rightly reject that. Two, we have framed special privileges as being part of our character, our right by virtue of being the indigenous people. We forget that affirmative action was instituted for the explicit purpose of overcoming disadvantages we suffered under colonialism. Those privileges were meant to jumpstart our development so we could be on par with the rest of the community. New Frame of Reference We can deal with the issue of special privileges more effectively and less acrimoniously by tapping the wisdom of modern cognitive psychology. First, we must reframe the discussion differently, away from privileges and the taking away of them, to the more general but pertinent issue of enhancing Malay competitiveness; and second, we must amplify the benefits and minimize or lessen the loss of doing away with these crutches. By making affirmative action part of our culture and character, we have made it difficult to critically examine it. No matter how noble in intention and beneficial the results, any scrutiny would be viewed as an attack on our values, character and heritage. Those are formidable obstacles. Instead we should focus not on special privileges per se but on how to prepare our people for this new highly competitive economy. Indeed I would specifically eschew any talk of doing away with special privileges; all that does is to inflame passions and further polarize us. Once we are competitive, then the need for special privileges would simply melt away. Then we can talk of about ending them more rationally as they would have become irrelevant in the lives of most Malays. What made affirmative action so highly effective at its inception was its emphasis on education and rural development. Under Tun Razak, schools were literally mushrooming in the villages, bringing both development and education. I vividly recall that in the seven-mile bus ride from home to my high school in town, there were no fewer than seven primary schools being built! In the afternoon when the children were finished, those schools would still be full, this time with adults attending literacy classes. The emphasis on rural development made great sense; the overwhelming majority of Malays then were rural dwellers. Under FELDA, massive land development schemes were initiated, with mass relocations of landless kampong folks, an internal migration of sorts, so they could begin a new life away from the stifling atmosphere of their old villages. Its sterling success in mass relocating poor people remains the only shining example in the world up to this day. Today the noble mission of FELDA has been hijacked, the entity itself being "corporatized," another government-linked company (GLC). Tell me, how does the building of a RM 670 million headquarters in the glittering part of KL make those FELDA settlers in Ulu Pahang more competitive? Headquarters are nothing but expensive overhead. Likewise, I fail to see how FELDA's plantations abroad would help the poor people back in my kampong. The same query could be posed on the billions spent on GLCs. Najib, like his predecessor Abdullah, cannot find a GLC he does not love. He and we accept that because those expenditures are being framed as furthering NEP and not on the more pertinent issue of making Malays competitive. Had we done that, then obviously those funds would be better off diverted to making schools in FELDA settlements have the best facilities and teachers, as well as making sure that those settlers have electricity and potable water. Maximize The Gain, Minimize The Loss The other insight is of risk aversion. For us to favor a decision, we have to be convinced that the promised gains would vastly outweigh the potential loss, and that the majority would benefit and the loss suffered by the minority, preferably a minority we (the majority) are not enamored with. If we dispense with inflated contracts to UMNO cronies and instead get the best price through competitive bidding, then we could build two schools for the price of one. Even if that contract were to be won by a non-Malay or even a foreigner, the benefits would fall on the hundreds more Malay families whose children would now have safer and better schools. The losers would be the handful of UMNO-connected "contractors" and Ali Baba "entrepreneurs." Again, many more gainers with far fewer losers! Besides, those losers are the types we have difficulty identifying or sympathizing with. Similarly with the billions spent on GLCs; again if we divert those resources to improving our schools and universities by recruiting superior teachers and professors from abroad, thousands would benefit. The losers would be few, those has-been politicians and near-retirement civil servants seeking cushy corporate jobs. Again, those are the people we do not readily sympathize or identify with. I advocate this in my forthcoming book, Liberating the Malay Mind. Sell all those GLCs including and especially such jewels as Petronas and MAS, and put the proceeds in a professionally-managed trust fund with the returns to be used exclusively for education and improving the lives of our urban and rural poor. To me, it is far more important to train young Malays to be pilots, airline mechanics, geologists and petroleum engineers than to own an airline or oil company. One big benefit to selling those GLCs would be the elimination of a major source of undue lobbying and influence peddling by politicians and senior civil servants. Currently they, especially the near-retirement civil servants, are preoccupied with ingratiating themselves to their political superiors in the hope securing a coveted chairmanship of a GLC on retirement from government service. With that no longer an option, these civil servants would then be emboldened to challenge their political superiors should they embark on some silly policies. Were that to happen, we would have a far superior civil service, and the whole country would benefit. Another benefit to ridding these GLCs is that those highly accomplished Malays presently in Petronas and Khazanah would be free to sell their talents to the highest bidder and then be appropriately compensated. Right now they are being unfairly taken advantage of, in fact seduced by such silly sentiments as national service and misguided notions of patriotism. As for those less talented who infest the many money-losing GLCs, well, those companies were not created to be public work projects for them. The other reality to the discussions on special privileges is this. If today we were to embark on a policy to enhance Malay competitiveness, assuming that it is highly effective, it would take a while for its results to be apparent. Further, we do not know or can predict specific potential winners except for the amorphous "Malay masses" and the aggregate results. Hence there will be no one to lobby or vigorously advocate for the changes. On the other hand, if we were to terminate affirmative action today, the losers would feel the loss right away. Not being saints, they will fight it; they will immediately be on the streets protesting, as those in Perkasa are doing. That is predictable. This dilemma is the greatest challenge facing policymakers everywhere, especially in a democratic society. China does not have that problem. Thus it would take an extraordinarily enlightened and farsighted leader to achieve this, someone focused on the long term and not on the next election. Such leaders are also the ones most likely to tap the wisdom of others, including that of behavioral economists and cognitive psychologists. Unfortunately for Malaysians, Malays specifically, our current leaders are content parroting the latest buzzwords of those disciplines, while their long-term strategy never extends beyond the next party elections. Self-interested they very much are, rational they are not. |
| Makna dan Tanda 9 Julai Posted: 20 Jul 2011 12:07 PM PDT 
DARI JELEBU Hishamuddin Rais Untuk saya bukan 6 ribu, bukan 60 ribu atau bukan 600 ribu warga yang turun ke jalan pada 9 Julai untuk dijadikan ukuran. Untuk saya angka ini bukan persoalan. Kalau pun hanya 6 orang yang turun pada 9 Julai yang lalu – saya anggap ini adalah satu kemenangan. Kenapa saya berkata seemikian? Dalam pensejarahan, setiap negara bangsa akan wujud satu tarikh untuk diingati dan dikongsi bersama. Warga Palestin mengingati Nakba atau Malapetaka pada 15 Mei setiap tahun. Pada tarikh ini Israel telah diwujudkan. Pada tarikh ini juga tanah-tanah warga Palestin mula di rampas oleh kaum Zionis.
Semenanjung Tanah Melayu menyambut Hari Malapetaka ialah pada 31 Ogos setiap tahun. Malapetaka menimpa Tanah Melayu ditarikh ini apabila British mengaggihkan kuasa pentabiran tanah Melayu kepada United Malay National Organisation. Malapetaka ini sedang sama-sama kita rasakan.
Tetapi apa sangkut pautnya Malapetaka ini dengan tarikh 9 Julai? Bukankah pada 9 Julai yang baru lepas hanyalah hari Perhimpunan Bersih? Untuk memahami 9 Julai ini saya akan bawa kembali kepada surah surah sejarah agar para pembaca yang budiman akan dapat memahami makna dan tanda tarikh dan haribulan ini.
Saya bawa kembali para pembaca ke zaman Julius Ceaser dan kerjaaan Rom. Di Utara Itali ada sebatang sungai bernama Rubicon yang airnya berlumpur merah. Sungai ini telah dijadikan garis sempadan. Kerajaan Rom telah membuat perundangan bahawa tidak ada sesiapa pun boleh melintasi Sungai Rubicon ini dengan membawa bala tentera.
Pada tahun 49 Sebelum Masehi, Julius Ceaser telah melintasi Sungai Rubicon dengan membawa satu ketumbukan bala tentera menuju ke arah kota Rom. Menyeberangi Sungai Rubicon memberi makna bahawa tidak ada lagi jalan pulang melainkan mengambil kota Rom. Tetapi 9 Julai kita dahulu lebih dari ini.
Kini biar saya bawa pula ke zaman sesudah Perang Dunia Pertama. Pada tahun-tahun 30'an kerajaan Peranchis telah mendirikan tembok-tembok pertahanan di sempadan Perachis/German. Tembok dan kubu-kubu pertahanan ini di panggil Garis Maginot – ini nama menteri pertahanan Peranchis sebelum Perang Dunia Kedua. Garis ini cukup kukuh - dengan kubu-kubu batu, tembok yang lengkap dipersenjatai dan pengkalan askar yang stratejik – di atur disepanjang Garis Maginot.
Apabila Perang Dunia Kedua pecah, Hitler telah mula menyerang Peranchis. Kubu-kubu di Garis Maginot pada awalnya kelihatan kukuh dan mustahil untuk soldadu German menerbus masuk ke Peranchis. Tetapi pada 10 Mei 1940 Garis Maginot ini ditembusi oleh soldadu Hitler. Pada 14 Jun 1940 Peranchis jatuh ke tangan Nazi. Tetapi 9 Julai kita dahulu lebih dari ini.
Biar saya bawa pula para pembaca yang budiman ke tahun 711 – di zaman kegemilangan tamadun Arab. Pada 29 April 711 Tariq ibni Ziyad panglima perang dari Moroko telah berjaya menyeberang Laut Tengah dan memasuki Semenanjung Ibera. Sesampai di pantai selatan Laut Tengah, Tariq telah membakar semua kapal-kapal yang membawa bala tenteranya.
Tariq ibni Ziyad telah menerangkan pada bala tenteranya bahawa di hadapan mereka terbentang luas negara Sepanyol yang subur dan menjanjikan untuk diambil. Di belakang mereka ialah Moroko. Tetapi mereka tidak memiliki pilihan kerana semua kapal untuk pulang telah dibakar. Hanya satu pilihan - untuk terus mara dan menawan Sepanyol. Tetapi 9 Julai dahulu lebih dari ini.
Sekarang mari kita sesama melihat kembali pensejarahan 9 Julai. Apabila Bersih mengumumkan 9 Julai sebagai Hari Perhimpunan dengan 8 Tuntutan – saya rasa tidak bagitu ramai yang ambil pot. Ada komen yang mengatakan kempen Bersih 2007 dahulu lebih baik kerana masa berkempen agak panjang. Kali ini masanya singkat. Pasti tidak ada sokongan. Ada yang mengatakan bahawa Rosmah dan Najib ini amat popular dan susah untuk digelincirkan. Ada pula yang memberi komen bahawa tunjuk perasaan ini bukan budaya kita.
Semua hujah-hujah ini menjadi hampeh apabila Mat Sabu dipilih untuk menjadi Timbalan Presiden Pas. Semua suasana politik berubah. Perubahan mendadak berlaku apabila Mat Sabu membuat kenyataan terbuka bahawa sebagai Timbalan Presiden Pas , dia akan memastikan 300,000 ahli Parti Pas turun ke jalan raya pada 9 Julai. Kenyataan Mat Sabu ini terus menaikkan berat badan Rosmah Mansor sebanyak tiga kilo.
Biar saya terangkan sejelas mungkin disini. Semua daulah yang zalim - untuk meneruskan kuasa - akan menakut-nakutkan warganya. Ini adalah teknik dan stratiji yang diguna pakai oleh semua pemerintah - raja, emperor, ratu, presiden atau perdana menteri – semua menggunakan 'takut' sebagai alat. Warga negara yang takut akan menjadi bodoh. Warga yang bodoh tidak berani bersuara. Warga yang takut dan bodoh amat senang untuk ditambat dan dijadikan kuli batak.
Apa yang telah dilakukan oleh Rosmah dan Najib ialah mengarahkan sepupunya Hishammuddin Hussein untuk menakut-nakutkan rakyat. Yang menjadi barua untuk menakut-nakutkan orang ramai ini ialah Timbalan Ketua Polis. Lihat bagaimana pada satu ketika warna kuning untuk – kasut, payung, baju – telah diistiharkan sebagai warna haram untuk dipakai. Ini contoh terbaik gerak kerja saekor barua.
Tidak cukup dengan tangkapan Polis, rakyat juga cuba ditakut-takutkan dengan kehadiran para pesilat yang memiliki ilmu kebal dan ilmu ghaib. Untuk terus menakut-nakutkan orang ramai tetiba kita melihat kemunculan berita dimana polis dan tentera telah mengadakan latihan bersama. Tidak cukup dengan berita ini ada sepanduk yang tertera dengan tulisan besar dalam empat bahasa termasuk tulisan jawi : Jika Tidak Berundur Kami Akan Tembak.
Taktik untuk menakutkan orang ramai ini dinaikkan lagi suhunya dengan kemunculan Perkasa dengan juruhebohnya Ibrahim Ali. Setiap hari tanpa henti-henti Ibrahim Ali telah berleter dan berheboh dengan segala macam berita yang bertujuan untuk mengancam dan menakut-nakutkan orang ramai dari turun ke jalan raya.
Dalam masa yang sama saban hari media milik United Malay National Organisation telah mengeluarkan dua bentuk berita. Satu berita-berita yang berniat untuk mengancam warga agar jangan berani turun ke jalan raya. Satu lagi berita untuk memburuk-burukan dan memperlekeh Bersih.
Tidak cukup dengan semua ini , 6 ahli Parti Sosialis Malaysia telah ditahan. Kali ini dengan menggunakan Akta Darurat. Entah macam mana – putar dan belit – Rosmah, Najib and sepupunya telah memintal lidah untuk menipu orang ramai. Sepupu Najib telah berkata bahawa 6 anggota PSM ini ingin melawan Agong.
Ya Ampon. Lawak ini menjadi seram apabila kita diberitahu bahawa hanya Dr Jeya seorang sahaja yang tahu dimana rumah Agong dan pernah melihat rupa muka Agong. Ini kerana Dr Jeya seorang ahli Parlimen dan Agong telah beberapa kali datang ke Parlimen. Yang lima lagi ini, saya difahamlan hanyalah aktivis PSM yang rata-rata tidak tahu sangat tentang jalan-jalan di Kuala Lumpur. Malah mereka berlima ini mungkin tidak dapat membezakan muka Agong dengan muka Dugong. Jauh sekali nak melawan Agong.
Dibelakang semua huh hah huha hah ini ada pula perang saraf yang disebarkan oleh 'desas bin desus'. Ada cerita tetang tangkapan ISA, tentang askar akan ambil alih negara dan kesah penangkapan beramai-ramai ala Operasi Lalang. Cerita peglipur lara dari Desas bin Desus ini sebenarnya adalah sebahagian dari pernah saraf yang tersusun untuk menakut-nakutkan orang ramai.
Apa yang terjadi pada 9 Julai?
Untuk saya bukan 6 ribu, bukan 60 ribu atau bukan 600 ribu warga yang turun ke jalan pada 9 Julai untuk dijadikan ukuran. Untuk saya angka ini bukan persoalan. Kalau pun hanya 6 orang yang turun pada 9 Julai yang lalu – saya anggap ini adalah satu kemenangan. Kenapa saya berkata seemikian?
Mungkin ramai yang tidak sedar. Mungkin ramai yang belum faham lagi. Apa yang terjadi pada 9 Julai dahulu ialah kita warga negara Malaysia telah melintasi Garis Takut. Garis Takut ini adalah sebahagian dari garis saikoloji yang telah dipasang apabila Malapetaka 31 Ogos dihimpapkan kepada kita semua. Read more at: http://tukartiub.blogspot.com/2011/07/anak-muda-segala-bangsa-melakar-sejarah.html?zx=7830bc5a91740552 |
| Voter Registration at Rumah Anak Bangsa Malaysia this weekend Posted: 20 Jul 2011 12:05 PM PDT
Come register as a voter this weekend and next weekend at Rumah Anak Bangsa Malaysia (RABM) from 2-4pm. Details below:
Date:
23-24 July (Saturday & Sunday)
Time: 2-4pm Venue: Rumah Anak Bangsa Malaysia,
66 Lorong Setiabistari 1,
Bukit Damansara (GoogleMap link here)
If you're already a registered voter, you can drive all your friends and family who are not yet a voter to RABM this weekend! |
| GLOBAL BERSIH 2.0 - Awakening of the Malaysian Diaspora Posted: 20 Jul 2011 11:58 AM PDT In every location, the local authorities were most helpful, some even suggesting more impactful vantage points to gather at. Sadly, at almost every location, representatives of Malaysian authorities took photos and videos and tried to record the names of participants. By Global BERSIH 2.0 Starting from spontaneous expressions of patriotism at a few international locations where Malaysians were residents in fairly significant numbers, the desire to show support for the Bersih 2.0 'Walk for Electoral Reform' in Kuala Lumpur sprouted into a worldwide event that spanned most of the major time zones. New Zealand started the day rolling followed by rallies happening in several Australian, Asian and European cities. The ripple then spread across the Atlantic Ocean, to cities in North America, ending the historical day at the West Coast cities of Los Angeles, Portland and San Francisco. Indeed the sun did not quite set on Bersih 2.0. The sun decidedly shone down it's warm yellow rays on Bersih 2.0 participants everywhere, especially in places with chilly winds. But quite the contrary, if not ironic, back in in Kuala Lumpur, as rally participants were doused with stinging tear-gas and chemical-laced water, the skies opened up, washing everything clean! This occasion proved to be a new paradigm for Malaysians, especially the youth. They were experiencing Unity in Diversity, a concept few imagined was possible. Optimists estimate that some 50,000 Malaysians had gathered together without regard to ethnic origin or religious leaning. This was a Malaysia dreams were made of. Elsewhere in the world, the outpouring of patriotism was just as impressive. Malaysians were united as one, in foreign lands. In places where Malaysians had existing committees and who met up regularly, organising a rally was pretty straightforward. But in some cities, rookies who had never even attended a rally before stepped up and asked how they could organise one. The results were most gratifying, as the numbers below show... City (attendance): Wellington (10), Auckland (35), Christchurch (15), Brisbane (100), Sydney (500), Canberra (40), Hobart (30), Melbourne (1000), Adelaide (150), Osaka (14), Seoul (35), Suzhou (20), Taipei (300), Shenzen (20), Hong Kong (80), Perth (120), Singapore Online(63), Singapore Picnic (200), Dubai (40), Cairo (100), Istanbul (2),Stockholm (10), Graz, Austria (2), Zurich (42), Geneva (12), Paris (30), London (450), Glasgow (30), Belfast (25), Dublin (60), Cork (14), Limerick (11), New York City (130), Ottawa (11), Washington DC (50), Chicago (35), Los Angeles (85), Portland, OR (14), San Francisco (120) Total attendance for all 38 locations = 4003 participants. Cities are sequenced according to longitude. Apart from these heart-warming numbers of participants in these locations, there were unconfirmed reports in the social network site, Facebook, of people in other locations such as Cambodia, Jerusalem, Frankfurt... also standing up to be counted. But in the absence of verifiable sources, we have to leave those claims open. The organisers in Singapore, aware of the restrictions on public gatherings posed by the Singapore authorities, quite cleverly decided to do an online show of their love for Malaysia and their support for the Bersih 2.0 campaign. However, there were some folks who decided to gather informally for a picnic at a popular park. We have reported the numbers of both these gatherings. Sympathy rallies were also held in Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta but we have not included those attendance numbers. The Steering Committee of GLOBAL BERSIH 2.0 would like to thank all participants for the tremendous support extended towards the call for Free and Fair Elections and Real Democracy in Malaysia. Through your actions, that some may deem indirect or small, you have provided irrefutable proof that Diaspora Malaysians still hold Malaysia dearly in your hearts and would return if you could. You have staked your claim to having a part to play in what happens at home. Despite the excessive use of force encountered by the Bersih 2.0 Walkers in Kuala Lumpur, all the locations elsewhere proved that peaceful demonstrations are a part and parcel of the democratic process and can be managed effectively with minimal impact on non-participants. This is testimony to the maturity of Malaysians in their ability to participate fully in a vibrant democracy. Authorities should take cognizance of this and allow the political evolution of Malaysia to proceed naturally. The myriad of global locations displayed banners and posters, with participants wearing YELLOW - t-shirts, scarves, ribbons... In some locations loud hailers were used to address the crowd while in other more cosy locations, participants took turns to read and discuss the 8 demands. A Samad Said's almost-banned poem was read, memoranda and posters were signed, catchy phrases were chanted and the Negaraku was sung with fervour. Many locations also called for the immediate release of the 6 detained under Emergency Ordinance without legal recourse. In every location, the local authorities were most helpful, some even suggesting more impactful vantage points to gather at. Sadly, at almost every location, representatives of Malaysian authorities took photos and videos and tried to record the names of participants. Carnival atmosphere aside, the most significant impact of Global Bersih 2.0 is the realisation that has dawned upon many Diaspora Malaysians that you are not alone in your love of and concern for your mother country. You met and interacted, many for the first time, with others like yourselves living relatively near to where you live. This has sparked the desire on the part of many to remain in contact with each other and continue to come together for activities that can help improve your nation. The Steering Committee of GLOBAL BERSIH 2.0 proposes to extend the ongoing domestic activities of Bersih 2.0 by promoting the following activities internationally. The first three of these will be carried out by those interested participating locations while the next three will be coordinated by the Steering Committee. - Yellow Saturday movements - gathering in any public places, dressed in yellow or carrying out any activities involving the colour yellow;
- Public events to explain the 8 points and broaden understanding of what Bersih 2.0 seeks to accomplish;
- Photo exhibitions and video shows, again to broaden general understanding of the realities at home;
- Lobbying with sympathetic NGOs and friendly governments to seek the release of the 6 persons still detained under the Emergency Ordinance;
- An international petition pushing for the first 4 demands of Bersih 2.0 to be implemented within 3 months and for full disclosure on any amendments made to the electoral process; and
- Promotion of the MyOverseasVote campaign to enable Malaysians to register and vote from wherever they happen to be resident.
Global Bersih 2.0 is a turning point in the relationship of Diaspora Malaysians with your mother country. Many of you showed that you were willing to cast aside your fears and contribute towards making our land the better country it can be. Those committed, let us bring our skills and resources to bear to help rebuild our nation and fulfil the promise of potential it showed when it was first born 54 years ago. Let us work together to make Malaysia the great model nation it was meant to be. Steering Committee Global BERSIH 2.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bertitik tolak dari semangat patriotisme, rakyat Malaysia di seluruh dunia telah bangkit dan menyokong perhimpunan Bersih 2.0 di Kuala Lumpur pada 9 Julai 2011. Mereka berhimpun beramai-ramai menganjurkan perhimpunan solidariti Bersih 2.0 di lokasi masing-masing. Gelombang Bersih 2.0 telah bermula di New Zealand dan seterusnya diikuti bandar-bandar utama di Australia, Asia dan Eropah, akhirnya merentasi Lautan Atlantik tiba di bandar-bandar utama di Amerika Utara termasuk Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, Portland dan San Francisco. Sinaran matahari terpancar terang di atas peserta-peserta Bersih 2.0 di pelbagai lokasi terutamanya tempat yang bermusim panas. Di Kuala Lumpur pula peserta perhimpunan ditembak gas pemedih mata dan meriam air kimia, hanya diselamatkan bila hujan turun dan membersihkan segalanya! Saat ini merupakan paradigma baru bagi rakyat Malaysia, terutamanya golongan anak muda. Mereka telah mengenali 'Perpaduan dalam Kepelbagaian', suatu konsep yang tidak terbayang sebelum Bersih 2.0. Ada pihak menganggarkan bahawa kira-kira 50,000 rakyat Malaysia telah berkumpul bersama tanpa mengira asal-usul etnik atau agama dan ini merupakan suatu impian yang diidam-idamkan sebelum ini. Sementara itu, rakyat Malaysia di beberapa lokasi seluruh dunia berkumpul dan menunjukkan semangat patriotisme yang amat mengkagumkan. Bagi lokasi di mana rakyat Malaysia telahpun menubuhkan jawatankuasa dan bertemu berkali-kali, perhimpunan Bersih 2.0 telah dianjurkan tanpa banyak rintangan. Namun di sesetengah lokasi, mereka yang tidak pernah menyertai perhimpunan sebelum ini telah mengambil langkah pertama untuk menganjurkan perhimpunan. Hasil segala usaha ini amat memberangsangkan. Jumlah kehadiran adalah seperti berikut: Kotaraya (kehadiran): Wellington (10), Auckland (35), Christchurch (15), Brisbane (100), Sydney (500), Canberra (40), Hobart (30), Melbourne (1000), Adelaide (150), Osaka (14), Seoul (35), Suzhou (20), Taipei (300), Shenzen (20), Hong Kong (80), Perth (120), Singapura Online (63), Singapura Picnic (200), Dubai (40), Kaherah (100), Istanbul (2), Stockholm (10), Graz, Austria (2), Zurich (42), Geneva (12), Paris (30), London (450), Glasgow (30), Belfast (25), Dublin (60), Cork (14), Limerick (11), New York City (130), Ottawa (11), Washington DC (50), Chicago (35), Los Angeles (85), Portland, OR (14), San Francisco (120) Jumlah kehadiran untuk semua 38 lokasi = 4003 peserta. Urutan bandar-bandar mengikut longitud. Selain daripada bilangan kehadiran di lokasi di atas, beberapa laporan rangkaian sosial seperti Facebook, melapurkan ada juga perhimpunan di lokasi-lokasi lain seperti Kemboja, Jerusalem, Frankfurt dll. Tetapi tanpa sumber yang dapat disahkan, perhimpunan2 tersebut tidak diambil kira. Penganjur di Singapura, berhadapan dengan sekatan ke atas perhimpunan awam yang ditimbulkan oleh pihak berkuasa Singapura, mengambil keputusan menunjukkan rasa cinta mereka kepada Ibu Pertiwi dan sokongan mereka terhadap kempen 2.0 Bersih dengan cara online. Walau bagaimanapun, terdapat beberapa orang yang memutuskan untuk berkumpul sambil berkelah di taman popular. Kami telah melaporkan kedua-dua jumlah hadiran. Perhimpunan simpati juga telah diadakan di Manila, Bangkok dan Jakarta tetapi kita tidak juga mengambil kira kehadiran ini. Jawatankuasa Pemandu GLOBAL BERSIH 2.0 mengucapkan ribuan terima kasih kepada semua peserta atas sokongan anda kepada sahutan untuk Pilihanraya Bebas dan Adil dan Demokrasi tulen di Malaysia. Melalui tindakan anda dalam beberapa cara, anda telah menunjukkan bukti yang tidak dapat disangkal bahawa Rakyat Diaspora Malaysia masih memegang Malaysia dengan kesayangan dalam hati anda dan akan kembali jika anda boleh. Anda telah mempertaruhkan tuntutan anda untuk memainkan peranan dalam apa yang berlaku di negeri asal. Walaupun perkasaran yang berlebihan dihadapi oleh Pejalan Bersih 2.0 di Kuala Lumpur, semua lokasi di tempat lain membuktikan bahawa demonstrasi aman adalah sebahagian daripada proses demokrasi dan boleh diuruskan dengan berkesan tanpa kesulitan kepada pihak lain. Ini adalah bukti kematangan rakyat Malaysia dalam kebolehan mereka untuk menyertai sepenuhnya dalam demokrasi yang aktif. Pihak atasan harus memahami tentang ini dan membenarkan evolusi politik Malaysia tanpa halangan. Pelbagai lokasi global mempamerkan kain rentang dan poster, dengan peserta yang memakai KUNING - kemeja-t, tudung, reben dll. Di sesetengah lokasi pembesar suara digunakan untuk menangani orang ramai manakala di lokasi lain yang berkurang hadirin, para peserta membaca dan membincangkan 8 tuntutan. Puisi A Samad Said yang hampir diharamkan dibaca, memorandum dan poster ditandatangani, frasa menarik melaungkan dan Negaraku dinyanyikan dengan semangat. Banyak lokasi juga memanggil untuk pembebasan serta-merta 6 orang tahanan di bawah Ordinan Darurat walaupun mereka tidak melanggarkan undang-undang. Dalam setiap lokasi, pihak berkuasa tempatan membantu para peserta, malah ada yang mencadangkan lokasi yang lebih berkesan untuk berkumpul.. Malangnya, di hampir setiap lokasi, wakil-wakil pihak berkuasa Malaysia telah mengambil gambar dan video dan cuba merekodkan nama-nama peserta. Lebih daripada suasana gembira di perhimpunan tersebut, kesan yang paling ketara dengan Bersih 2.0 Sedunia ialah kesedaran bahawa banyaknya Rakyat Diaspora Malaysia dan anda tidak keseorangan dalam percintaan dan kebimbangan atas Ibu Pertiwi. Anda telah bertemu dan berinteraksi, kebanyakannya buat kali pertama, dengan orang lain seperti anda sendiri yang hidup agak berhampiran tempat tinggal anda. Ini telah mencetuskan keinginan untuk kekal dalam hubungan supaya menjalankan aktiviti-aktiviti yang membantu memperbaiki keadaan negara kita. Jawatankuasa Pemandu BERSIH 2.0 Sedunia bercadang untuk meluaskan aktiviti-aktiviti Bersih 2.0 berterusan dalam negeri dengan menggalakkan aktiviti-aktiviti berikut di peringkat antarabangsa. Aktiviti pertama hingga ketiga ini akan dijalankan oleh lokasi yang berminat mengambil bahagian manakala keempat hingga keenam akan diselaraskan oleh Jawatankuasa Pemandu. Pergerakan Sabtu Kuning - berkumpul di mana-mana tempat awam, berpakaian kuning atau menjalankan apa-apa aktiviti yang melibatkan warna kuning; Acara awam untuk menjelaskan 8 tuntutan dan meluaskan pemahaman tujuan Bersih 2.0 Pameran foto dan tayangan video, sekali lagi untuk meluaskan pemahaman umum realiti di Malaysia; Melobi dengan badan-badan NGO dan juga kerajaan yang bersimpati untuk mendapatkan pembebasan 6 orang yang masih ditahan di bawah Ordinan Darurat; Sesuatu petisyen antarabangsa yang mendesak untuk 4 tuntutan pertama Bersih 2.0 untuk dilaksanakan dalam tempoh 3 bulan dan untuk pendedahan penuh mengenai apa-apa pindaan yang dibuat kepada proses pilihan raya; Promosi kempen MyOverseasVote bagi membolehkan rakyat Malaysia untuk mendaftar dan mengundi dari mana-mana jua mereka bermastautin.
Bersih 2.0 Sedunia adalah titik perubahan di dalam hubungan Rakyat Diaspora Malaysia dengan negeri anda. Ramai daripada anda menunjukkan bahawa anda bersedia untuk membuang kebimbangan anda dan menyumbang ke arah menjadikan tanah air kita negara yang lebih baik sejauhmana yang boleh. Mereka yang berkomitmen, marilah kita membawa kemahiran dan sumber-sumber kita tanggung untuk membantu membina semula negara kita dan memenuhi janji potensi yang ia menunjukkan apabila ia dilahirkan 54 tahun yang lalu. Mari kita bekerja bersama-sama untuk menjadikan Malaysia negara contoh yang hebat. Jawatankuasa Pemandu BERSIH 2.0 Sedunia |
| “The last of the Mohicans.” Posted: 20 Jul 2011 11:55 AM PDT By Being Vernon This morning a group of us visited the residence of the late Datuk Amar James Wong Kim Min to pay our last respects to a great statesman. I was touched to see Datuk Amar's favourite hat placed atop his casket.
YB Baru Bian, N70 Ba' Kelalan, signing the register. Until Sunday, Datuk Amar was the last man living who was a signatory to the formation of our nation Malaysia. He was a founding father of our nation. Let us NEVER forget that. He was, as Datuk Michael Bong (Datuk Amar's brother-in-law) put it, "the last of the Mohicans."
I was also touched when Datuk Michael Bong mentioned that my late grandfather, Ivory Kedit Ipa, was one of the founders of SNAP. He is correct. SNAP was founded and constituted in granddad's home in Lintang Park all those years ago. It was my father, Albert Rumpang Kedit, who carried the newly written constitution of SNAP from Seria (Brunei) to Kuching for the protem committee to endorse. So yes, my family has a long history in SNAP.
But my grandfather would not have approved of how the current leadership of SNAP has allowed a once glorious party to become the sham that it is today. Such pity. Perhaps I should join SNAP and resurrect the ideals that granddad and his fellow founders subscribed to?
And then at lunch I read in the Borneo Post a comment (click HERE to read) by that fellow Mr. Mawan, who never ceases to amaze me with his churning out of insensitive statements. He said, "There is a possibility that the state's first deputy chief minister would be given a posthumous award. He may no longer be around but recognition may possibly be granted." Twice, Mr. Mawan qualifies himself. Twice!
Firstly, why wait until the man is gone to honour him? Honours are best bestowed when the person being honoured can receive and enjoy the honour himself, not posthumously when he is gone. All this while, was the government blind to his achievements? Did it take for him to pass away before the government finally recognises that within their midst was a mountain of a man? Read more at: http://beingvernon.blogspot.com/2011/07/last-of-mohicans.html |
| And the prince makes his move… Posted: 20 Jul 2011 05:46 AM PDT 
Tengku Razaleigh's Amanah has sent the speculation mills into overdrive. Has the prince given up on Umno? Or will he now lead the third force? (Free Malaysia Today) - The new organisation set up by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah may signal the Kelantan prince's disenchantment with Umno, suggested a prominent blogger. He also believes that the veteran politician will not defend his Gua Musang parliamentary seat under the Barisan Nasional ticket. In his blog MSOMalaysia, Mohd Sayuti Omar said Razaleigh's Amanah (Angkatan Amanah Merdeka) reflected his frustration towards Umno and that the latter no longer believes he can reform the party from within. "The question is what is the purpose of Amanah? "Will it move to support Umno or go against Umno? Will Amanah that is said to be based on the legacy of Tunku Abdul Rahman forge cooperation with the opposition in the coming election? "The logic is Razaleigh will not be enthusiastic about leading the NGO if it is not to repair Umno… (but) he has given thought about his future and has lost confidence in Umno. I can see from this that he will not contest under the BN ticket anymore," he added. Amanah to lead third force? Amanah, to be launched this Friday, aims to rekindle the spirit of unity, justice and good governance as espoused by the country's founding fathers which Razaleigh said is the duty of Umno to preserve. The Gua Musang MP, however, has been critical towards the ruling party and made statements that Umno has deviated from its original struggle and is now corrupt. The setting up of Amanah is seen as a platform to pursue this objective while some observers claim that the NGO may potentially be the leading platform for a third force given Razaleigh's calibre as a respected politician. A news report quoted Amanah central committee and PAS member Wan Saiful Wan Jan as saying that the NGO will have "prominent leaders" on its committee. It is understood that the 15-20 member committee will also include leaders from BN as well as Pakatan Rakyat. "You might be surprised when you see who is in the committee," Wan Saiful said. 'Those who lost faith in Najib' Commenting on the composition of the committee, Sayuti said while there are no details, he is however confident that it will include Umno politicians who have lost faith in the party's struggle. "It will also comprise ex-top civil servants who no longer believe in Umno's struggle and the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. "Who are they (members of the committee)? There are a few Umno veterans with Razaleigh and his loyal supporters. It also includes the children of Umno leaders who no longer believe in Umno, which has gone astray from its original struggle," added the blogger. Razaleigh was touted as the best candidate to lead the country next to his former Umno comrade, current Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, and was said to be in talks with Pakatan over such a prospect, but he denied the speculation. READ MORE HERE |
| MB S’gor: Konsert MTV tetap diteruskan Posted: 20 Jul 2011 05:42 AM PDT 
Namun pihak penganjur perlu mematuhi garis panduan yang ketat termasuklah tidak membenarkan sebarang penjualan dan penggunaan alkohol dan rokok. (Free Malaysia Today) - Menteri Besar Selangor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim berkata penganjuran konsert MTV World Stage Live di I-City pada 24 Julai ini tetap diteruskan walaupun menerima bantahan daripada penduduk dan PAS. Namun Abdul Khalid menegaskan pihak penganjur perlu mematuhi garis panduan yang ketat termasuklah tidak membenarkan sebarang penjualan dan penggunaan alkohol dan rokok sepanjang konsert berlangsung. "Kita merasakan aktiviti yang menarik di negeri ini kita akan galakkan, tetapi mesti dengan tertib serta sesuai dengan imej Shah Alam. "Dengan penganjuran konsert MTV ini menunjukkan Shah Alam mula dikenali diperingkat antarabangsa," katanya. Pada Jun lalu, Ahli Parlimen Shah Alam Khalid Samad yang mewakili persatuan penduduk Seksyen 7 Shah Alam menyerahkan satu memorandum yang membantah penganjuran konsert itu kepada Menteri Besar dan menggesa beliau membatalkan penganjuran konsert tersebut. Kenyataan Khalid Samad turut disokong oleh Ketua Dewan Pemuda PAS Pusat, Nasruddin Hassan Tantawi yang mendakwa pengajuran konsert tersebut memberi kesan negatif kepada penyerapan budaya kuning daripada luar dan ia tidak sesuai bagi golongan belia kerana Shah alam merupakan tempat tinggal ramai pelajar universiti. Bersikap terbuka Mengulas lanjut mengenai bantahan itu, Abdul Khalid berkata kerajaan negeri bersikap terbuka dan menyambut baik memorandum tersebut. Namun kerajaan negeri katanya akan memastikan penganjuran konsert itu tidak mengganggu aktiviti pelancongan dan golongan belia di negeri ini. "Kita menerima dan menghayati memorandum tersebut. Kita merasakan mereka (PAS) khuatir tentang kesan pengaruh budaya Barat dalam kehidupan belia di sini, tetapi kita perlu menerima perbezaan dan keadaan dengan terbuka," katanya. Beliau berjanji kerajaan negeri akan memastikan konsert tersebut berjalan dengan penuh tertib tanpa mencemarkan cara hidup masyarakat Islam di negeri itu. READ MORE HERE |
| Ahmad Sarbani’s death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 8) Posted: 20 Jul 2011 01:00 AM PDT |
| RPK Sarbaini expose prompts new police report Posted: 19 Jul 2011 07:15 PM PDT  By Yow Hong Chieh and Syed Mu'az Syed Putra, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed's family will lodge a new police report on his death following claims that the Customs officer fell after being forced onto a window ledge by anti-graft investigators. Sarbaini family lawyer Awtar Singh said police must reinvestigate the case as it was "impossible" for Sarbaini to fall from the third-floor window of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office on Jalan Cochrane here on his own accord. "I am not saying he was killed but there might have been negligence," he told The Malaysian Insider today. "We suspected from early on that two suspects were involved." He added that the family might ask the inquest to return to the scene of Sarbaini's death to re-enact a likely scenario of what might have happened. Raja Petra Kamaruddin alleged on his website today that Sarbaini fell accidentally from the third-floor pantry window of the Kuala Lumpur MACC office after being forced onto the ledge by a senior MACC investigator. The popular blogger claimed the investigator was incensed that Sarbaini wanted to retract his earlier confession, allegedly obtained under duress, and wished to punish the assistant Customs director by making him stand on the ledge. "(The investigator) wanted Ahmad Sarbaini to ponder and reflect on his actions while standing on the edge as 'orang macam kau ni lebih baik mati dari hidup menyusahkan orang lain' (people like you are better off dead than alive and troubling others)," Raja Petra said. "Nervously, Ahmad Sarbaini climbed onto the windowsill as ordered (by the investigator) who continued taunting and abusing him with insults. (Another MACC assistant superintendent) merely looked on. In that split second, Ahmad Sarbaini's belt got stuck on the outer part of the window and he lost his balance and his life." READ MORE HERE. |
| Dear Ahmad Azman Saaiya Posted: 19 Jul 2011 06:46 PM PDT 
My dear brother Ahmad Azman Saaiya, I can only surmise that MCKK has failed you terribly and what the founding fathers hoped MCKK would achieve has been lost on you. How MCKK failed you so miserably is beyond me and if this is what MCKK has produced, demonstrated by your comments, then I can only conclude that an MCKK education has been wasted on you at a great loss to the taxpayers. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Dear Ahmad Azman Saaiya,
I am addressing you as a fellow Budak Kolej, the only way I should. I trust, therefore, you will take what I write in the spirit it was written, a letter from one brother to another.
It has always been our college tradition that we are all brothers and nothing should come between us, whether differences in politics or religion. There are some Budak Kolej who are very pious to a fault and others who live their lives that would make even Satan blush.
Nevertheless, we always live and let live and to each his own. We do not pass judgment or moralise. And we certainly do not demonstrate self-righteousness and adopt a holier than thou attitude.
And in that spirit Tan Sri Sanusi Junid, one of the more illustrious of Budak Kolej, visited me three times in Manchester over the last two years. Tan Sri regards me as a Budak Kolej first and an enemy of Umno second.
That is the spirit of Budak Kolej as demonstrated by your Umno brethren, Tan Sri Sanusi Junid.
Ahmad Azman, let me take you on a trip down memory lane and talk about Sir Richard James Wilkinson, the son of a British Consul in Greece who was born in 1867 at Salonika, Greece.
Wilkinson was educated at Trinity College in Cambridge. He was multilingual and commanded a few languages, which include French, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish, and later, Bahasa Melayu and Hokkien.
Wilkinson's career started in 1889 as a cadet after joining the Straits Settlements Civil Service. His other posts while serving in the Straits Settlements were:
* 1896 – 1898 Acting Director of Education, Penang
* 1898 – 1900 Acting Inspector General of Schools in the Straits Settlements, Singapore
* 1902 – 1903 Transferred to Dindings, Perak
* 1903 – 1906 Acting Inspector of Schools for the Federated Malay States
* 1906 – 1910 Secretary General to the British Resident (EW) Birch in Perak
* 1910 – 1911 British Resident, Negeri Sembilan
* 1911 – 1916 Colonial Secretary, Straits Settlements, Singapore
Now, why am I talking about Wilkinson? Well, first of all, because his legacy includes the establishment of the Malay Training College in Malacca in 1900, which was eventually succeeded in 1922 by the Sultan Idris Training College (SITC) at Tanjung Malim. However, more importantly, at least to you and me, would be in 1905 he founded the Malay Residential School, later to be called the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK), the school that you and I received our education.
One very important point to note, Ahmad Azman, and which all Budak Kolej are very proud to remind everyone, is that Wilkinson described the type of education we would need as follows:
"…..one that would produce a vigorous and intelligent race of young men who will be in touch with modern progress but not out of touch with old traditions; who will be liberally educated but not educated out of sympathy with their own families and people; who will be manly and not effeminate, strong-minded but not strong willed, acknowledging a duty to others instead of being a law unto themselves and who will be fit to do something in the world instead of settling down into fops, spendthrifts or drones".
E.W. Birch, the British Resident of Perak from 1904-1910 and a member of the MCKK Board of Governors, being public school educated himself, moulded MCKK along the lines of British public schools such as Eton and Harrow -- where leaders such as Churchill and Nehru passed through.
Birch wanted to ensure that MCKK would adapt the public school ethos of character development and noblesse oblige where people of high social position should behave nobly towards others.
My dear brother Ahmad Azman Saaiya, I can only surmise that MCKK has failed you terribly and what the founding fathers hoped MCKK would achieve has been lost on you. How MCKK failed you so miserably is beyond me and if this is what MCKK has produced, demonstrated by your comments (read here: (http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/letterssurat/42207-letter-from-an-old-boy-mckk-and-umno-member), then I can only conclude that an MCKK education has been wasted on you at a great loss to the taxpayers. |
| Bersih warns of rally for EO6 Posted: 19 Jul 2011 05:26 PM PDT 
By K Pragalath, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: Bersih 2.0 today denied that the six detained Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members were prime movers of its July 9 rally and raised the possibility of another rally to demand their release. "The allegation has no factual foundation," Haris Ibrahim of the Bersih steering committee said in reference to a police response to affidavits submitted by families of the detained. He called for their immediate release. The six, held without trial under the 1969 Emergency Ordinance, are Sungai Siput MP Dr D Michael Jeyakumar, PSM deputy president M Sarasvathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M Sugumaran, Youth chief R Saratbabu and Sungai Siput branch secretary A Letchumanan. "They were never part of the steering committee," Haris said. "Neither were they involved in planning or mobilising the crowd" for the rally. "Don't force us to rally for the release of the six," he added. In attempting to justify the arrest and detention of the activists, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kamarul Zaman Mamat said police had to prevent the July 9 rally because a similar rally in 2007 had caused public disorder. The police are confused, according to Dr Subramaniam Pillay, another member of the Bersih 2.0 steering committee. He pointed out that the Bersih 2.0 steering committee had no members coming from any political party, unlike the committee for the 2007 rally. READ MORE HERE. |
| PKR: Police tried to kill Anwar Posted: 19 Jul 2011 05:20 PM PDT  By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — PKR has accused the police of attempting to murder Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the July 9 Bersih rally. Party leaders said today that light strike force personnel had fired tear gas canisters into the tunnel the opposition leader and other Bersih supporters were marching through. They claimed policemen had aimed to kill Anwar who was pulled back and protected by his bodyguard who took a canister directly to his face, shattering his cheekbone. "They aimed directly at Anwar's head and a direct hit from one of these canisters can kill. We want this case classified as attempted murder," said vice president N. Surendran who accompanied the opposition leader's bodyguard Fayyadh Afiq Albakqry to lodge a police report at the Dang Wangi headquarters today. Fayyadh, accompanied by Surendran, Subang MP R. Sivarasa and other PKR lawyers had lodged the report today as he was only discharged from hospital yesterday. He said he had five titanium plates inserted into his cheek after the incident where PKR says almost a dozen canisters were fired into the tunnel and three, including Fayyadh and PAS's Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad were hit directly in the head. "The amount of tear gas fired could also have caused the air in the tunnel to become lethal if those gathered were not able to get out," Surendran added. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have also accused the police of "waging war" on those who gathered to call for free and fair elections, citing a Bar Council report claiming that police "had "arbitrarily, indiscriminately and excessively" fired from water cannons and launched tear gas canisters at close range and at eye-level at demonstrators. READ MORE HERE. |
| Is Bersih the death knell of tyranny? Posted: 19 Jul 2011 05:09 PM PDT  By N H Chan The picture on the front page of the Sunday Star, 10 July 2011 spoke louder than words. It showed the huge crowd of peaceful but bold Bersih supporters flying in the face of the cowardly might of the police who were decked out in full riot paraphernalia. They must be daunted by the sea of placid, mostly young, people facing them. Those in the front rows were seated on the road and those at the back were standing. All were unarmed and none were menacing the police. They were all peaceful demonstrators who were trying to put across to the imbeciles in power the people's right to peaceful assembly and to show that they were united in their call for a clean and incorrupt general election. The BN regime may say anything they like but the fact that the common people could come out in large numbers in silent protest only goes to show that the regime has lost its credibility. The regime and its underlings the police behaved as expected of tyrants – typical of all bullies they were afraid of their own shadow – they saw the ghosts of the insurgency of Chin Peng and the CPM (Communist Party of Malaya) being revived; see the Sun of Friday, July 8, 2011 where the former Perak chief police officer and Special Branch commander Yuen Yet Leng gave his thoughts to Maria J. Das in an interview. He said: If you are going to sport a picture of Chin Peng on your t-shirt, you are only asking for trouble. How do you expect the police not to take action? I agree with what the Special Branch had done. This problem has been thrown in the police's lap and involves national security and public order. The CPM has the same ideology as … Mao Zedong who believed that the highest form of struggle is an armed struggle, and not a political struggle. He must be joking! I am astounded by the man's naivety. I think he is still living in the past which is a pity for one of our country's heroes (but then I also have the same problem, I could remember the past vividly but I could not remember what I said or promised yesterday). He was the CPO Perak when I was a Judicial Commissioner in Ipoh back then in 1970. He was one policeman I have admired for his dedication to make Ipoh safe from criminals. He brought down the crime rate in Ipoh. I remember the occasion when he told me that at a police road block at Simpang Pulai which is on the outskirts of Ipoh, the police had arrested the occupants of a car when they found weapons for committing armed robbery hidden in its boot. On interrogation they admitted they were en route to Penang because it was perilous for them to commit the crime in Ipoh as there was a fierce Chinese judge there. To be fair I must also point out that Mr Yuen was supportive of the reason for the people's negative perception of the police. For example: Das: … many people question why the police seem to act against only certain parties, while others who make seditious comments and threats get away. Won't the public equate this with police persecution? Yes and no. The police usually back the effort of the incumbent government of the day so long as it acts by the rule of law, but they need to be more courageous to act when supporters of the government go too far. When they are hesitant, they are bound to be accused of being unfair. Being balanced will earn the police some respect. He also said: … there is nothing wrong with Bersih 2's demands and the incumbent government must hear the genuine worries of the people. They need to pry things apart and deal with people who are sincere with their concerns. Then legitimate complaints can be looked into. … the timing is such that there appears to be a united front against the government, and this frightens them. Returning to the hullabaloo of the police on the involvement of national security and public order, don't they know, as all of us already know, that communism as an ideology had collapsed with the fall of the Berlin wall and the disintegration of the Soviet Union? There is no more threat from any idea of communist expansionism from Chinese communists as China has turn to capitalism and has prospered as the world's second largest economy next to America. It is true that China is still being governed by an oligarchic regime. One must be a member of the communist party to form the government because it is the ruling party as China is a one party totalitarian state, just as Malaysia has also become an oligarchy with the Umno led Barisan Nasional remaining in power for some 54 years. To say that this country is a democracy is laughable. Democracy has become an anachronism in Malaysia. As in China the ruling BN coalition will not tolerate dissent in any form as the Bersih episode on 9 July 2011 had graphically exposed to us common folk that the police have used excessive physical force to quell the rally of peaceful protestors who were only asking for the reformation of the electoral system to a fairer and incorrupt one – so that when the crowd was heard to have shouted "reformasi" it did not mean that they were for the opposition party PKR. We have read about police brutality against peaceful demonstrators from eyewitnesses account in loyarburok and in Malaysiakini and we also see them in graphic detail as the incidents of the use of excessive force by the police on the hapless protestors were recorded live on mobile phones by those who were there for all the world to see on Youtube. Yet in the Star, Monday 18 July 2011, the deputy prime minister Muhyiddin said that what had emerged through the alternative media and YouTube were scenes that seem to show the police had acted in a cruel manner. "What was not shown were prior scenes where the police were provoked and taunted", he said. Obviously the deputy prime minister has never heard of the well known proverb, 'sticks and stones will break my bones but words can never hurt me'. In any case, a policeman should be patient and tolerant when conducting crowd control. They should try to defuse the anger instead of being short tempered and responding with unequal force. However, I think the negative public perception of the police in this respect will be difficult to erase. In any case, one notices the glaring difference in the integrity of the government in the UK and ours. In the hacking scandal involving the News of the World and the London police we do not see the prime minister or the home minister or any minister coming out to defend the police. Instead they were embarrassed and concerned so much so that an emergency session of parliament was called. Even Britain's police chief had to resign. On the other hand, in Malaysia, we have the deputy prime minister Muhyiddin coming out in defence of the police when in fact he should be concerned and should suggest an investigation into the heavy handed conduct of the police in handling the crowd. In this country we throw integrity to the wind! Even our police chief did not resign – the fact that in some areas the police had responded and reacted with unequal force should have made him responsible as a commander. The police have justified their hash crackdown on the peaceful demonstrators of Bersih for the reason of national security and public order. But as I have explained above any prospect of a revival of a communist insurgency in this country is a myth. To say that the CPM has the same ideology as Mao Zedong (whose idealogy should have died with him) who believed that the highest form of struggle is an armed struggle and, therefore, there is every danger of an armed insurrection being revived in this country is an unjustifiable assumption in this day and age. Only imbeciles could have imagined that! That is why I say these people are afraid of their own shadow. If you are afraid of your own shadow then you must be a coward. You are also a coward, if not a madman, if you donned your suit of armour like Don Quixote who battled imaginary dragons in the form of windmills or riot gear ready to do battle with unarmed and peaceful street protestors to quell a whimsical or imaginary insurrection in the farcical interest of national security and public order. To be fair, it is reported in the Star, Wednesday 13 July 2011 under the headline No plans to hold another Bersih that the Bar Council has said something nice about some policemen: The Bar Council thanked Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar for allowing the council's monitoring teams to observe the rally and for acknowledging the council's impartiality in conducting the observation exercise. "Many of our monitors noted a significant number of police officers were polite towards the leaders of the public rallies, participants and the monitoring team," council president Lim Chee Wee said … However, the council said unnecessary physical force was used in some instances. I suppose not all policemen are the bad guys. There are some decent ones still around. Just as there are some decent Umno guys around like the chief of Umno Youth Khairy Jamaluddin who has shown magnanimity to Ambiga. When we leave matters to the younger generation we do not find animosity and recrimination. They are prepared to talk and discuss on how the country's electoral system could be reformed. Bravo and I salute them. Next, there is this pithy assessment from the Star, Thursday 14 July 2011 by Baradan Kuppusamy: Awakening the young voters The Bersih 2.0 rally was a success by some measure because Pakatan Rakyat supporters braved police restrictions, roadblocks and barbed wire to gather in the city centre calling on the Government to institute electoral reform. There eight-point demand included issues that the opposition had been campaigning on for many years, like a clean electoral roll, reforming postal voting and a minimum of 21 days campaigning. These are fundamentals of a basic election system in a democratic society and few citizens would find these objectionable. Saturday's rally, therefore, had an unprecedented impact on society at large and on the election system While Saturday's rally was smaller in size compared to Bersih's first rally in November 2007, the effects were the same – the awakening of young people to political action to rally for a basic right in defiance of the police. The rally proved its point that a large number of Malaysians can gather, despite police action, and march peacefully. The message of Bersih is unequivocal, the people, especially the young people, of this country have been awakened and are no longer afraid of being intimidated by a bullying police force and they will take political action to rally for their basic rights in defiance of the police who they know are the minions of the avaricious people who are greedy for power. For after all, the awakened young people are only exercising their universal right of assembly that has been endorsed by the United Nations as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which says that "Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association". For after all the Bersih demands are not outrageous nor are they extravagant or unusual – most are matters that the opposition has been canvassing in Parliament perennially. As the writer of the above article has said, "These are fundamentals of a basic election system in a democratic society and few citizens would find these objectionable". Yet the Bersih movement and those who support them are being suppressed by those people who are clinging on to power and their minions the police force. Decent and normally law abiding citizens are suppressed just for voicing out their grouses for electoral reforms. The answer is plain for all to see. When we, the people, see our elected representatives failed us in Parliament; when our grouses or grievances have fallen on deaf ears in Parliament where the majority is the errant BN coalition which has been clinging on to power for more than half a century; when all else failed in the legislative process, the common people of this country have no other choice but to resort to political action of their own and the only avenue that is available which can carry their massage across most effectively is to rally for their cause even to the extent of open defiance of police action against them. Strange as it may seem, the powers that be seemed to have missed the point. The point is that the Bersih movement does not belong to or support the opposition or any political party. It is an apolitical movement. But it supports democracy which is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. When a government does not listen to the people's grouses and does not take action on them then it is not a government for the people. And a government which is not for the people is not a democratic government, it is a dictatorship. The message of Bersih, which is in fact the people's message, is loud and clear – we, the people of this country, do not want a dictatorship! Since we do not want a dictatorship, at the next general election we will vote the dictators out of office and replace them with a new coalition even to the extent of voting in the opposition. And if the new order were to fail the people too, then we will replace them at another election. And finally if any of our political parties were still to fail us again then, as a last resort, we may have to vote only for individuals who are for the people and who are incorruptible. There must be plenty of suitable candidates to choose from for our representation in Parliament from the Bersih movement itself. Like Ambiga I do not have the stomach for politics in this country. There are much braver souls around. Having said all that, one may still ask, what is the point then for a street demonstration albeit a peaceful one? The point is to bring out the people's dissatisfaction and their grouse for a clean and incorrupt government. The multitude's belief is that the only way to attain their goal is for a clean and incorrupt forthcoming general election. And when that had fallen on deaf ears the only avenue left for the people to voice their discontent is to rally in an orderly and peaceful demonstration like the Bersih walk to Stadium Merdeka although they never made it there as they were blocked by the police. Now that you know what is at stake, my dear readers, you can go straight to Loyarburok.com to read about how the police have used excessive force on the peaceful demonstrators. In particular, do read this article "Ambushed like Animals, I Had to Walk-Crawl". Here is an excerpt: There was no sense of danger because the police had so far let us go ahead. Sure, we all knew that eventually they would arrest the BERSIH and political leaders but we had no clue of how inhumane it was going to be. When we found ourselves manoeuvred into the tunnel, we started running as fast as we could. Even if we had never imagined that we would be tear-gassed in the tunnel, there was that imminent danger. I was in the middle of the crowd when I reached the end of the tunnel, relieved to be out of the ominous place. But by then, there was screaming because the FRU had started shooting tear gas straight towards at us. I saw it with my own eyes, the FRU was aiming directly at the people, and not over our heads. The message was clear to me: to hurt and maim as many as possible, even though these were peaceful demonstrators, many of whom are respected political leaders of our country. It was only after that I had heard that Anwar Ibrahim and his bodyguard were badly hurt for being shot at, along with another PAS politician who was in front of the crowd. After reading this you should also read the other articles about the Bersih rally in loyarburok. After you have read all those articles in loyarburok, do you want to support Bersih? We should not be afraid of threats and coercion anymore. Bersih is not a society or association or club. There is no subscription or membership. You don't have to join it. It is a movement and whenever there is an outcry by the people we can show our support for the movement by voting out the incumbent government of the day at the next election. We have the power of the people. You don't have to be loyal to any political party. Always be ready to tell those in government that they are our servants who should serve the people. We, the people, have put them there and we the people can remove them in the next election. Any government must be for the people. It is not to be a government for those in authority or in power. That kind of attitude among those who governed us will no longer be tolerated by the people who had put them there in the first place. Shortly stated, we do not want a dictatorship at all. It is democracy that the people want and that means the government must always be for the people. A government for the people does not incarcerate its citizens without a trial or on trump up charges or use draconian laws to terrorize and overawe its citizens or to stifle dissent. A government for the people are not intolerant of the people's grouses. A government for the people does not shoot tear gas cylinders directly at peaceful demonstrators nor would it use physical force on them — they should not copy the violent methods used by the dictators of the Middle East on their own people. I could go on and on. But I think you have got the picture. |
| Malaysian 'teapot cult' woman loses Islam legal bid Posted: 19 Jul 2011 04:35 PM PDT 
Kamariah Ali has already been tried for apostasy in the Islamic courts (BBC) - Malaysia's civil court has refused a woman permission to leave Islam to avoid being jailed for apostasy. Kamariah Ali, 60, says she should not be tried under Islamic law because she is no longer a Muslim. She follows the Sky Kingdom sect, known as the teapot cult because it built a giant teapot to symbolise its belief in the healing purity of water. But judges ruled that only Malaysia's Islamic courts could decide on the case because Ms Kamariah was born a Muslim. Malaysia's Islamic courts have authority over only Muslims - the rest of the population are not bound by their rules. The BBC's Jennifer Pak in Kuala Lumpur says Ms Kamariah's case is one of a growing number of legal challenges brought by those caught between the Islamic authorities and the civil courts. Ms Kamariah had asked the civil courts to declare her freedom to worship, as guaranteed by the constitution. But the judging panel said she had to go through the Islamic courts system in order to renounce her faith - something that is rarely granted, our correspondent says. The group's buildings were attacked in 2005, but the teapot survived The dual-track system has created problems for people who want to convert to another religion from Islam, or in child-custody battles involving Muslims and non-Muslims. The most high-profile case involved a Muslim father who secretly converted his children to Islam. He gained custody through the Islamic courts while the mother, a Hindu, was granted guardianship under civil law. The Sky Kingdom sect, based in the strongly Muslim state of Terengganu, is regarded as heretical by the Islamic authorities. It claims to promote harmony between religious groups, and its leader Ayah Pin believes he is the saviour of the world. In 2005 many of its members - including Ms Kamariah - were prosecuted by the Islamic authorities. Ayah Pin is believed to have fled to Thailand. |
| Letter from an Old Boy MCKK and Umno Member Posted: 19 Jul 2011 04:17 PM PDT 
Siapa nak kahwin dengan anak Raja Petra dipersilakan. Kahwin sebelum nikah pun okay. Bapak mentua tak marah. Kalau tak nak pakai anak Petra, pakai bapak dia pun ok. 
Ahmad Azman Saaiya (Old Boy MCKK and Umno Member) Anak Petra dah graduate. Baju nampak lurah dendam lagi. Takpe bapak dia memang mereng nak buat macamana. Siapa nak kahwin dengan anak Raja Petra dipersilakan. Kahwin sebelum nikah pun okay. Bapak mentua tak marah. Cuma syarat nak jadi menantu Petra kena pandai fitnah, pusing fakta semaksima mungkin dan perasan nak jadi kuasa ketiga dalam politik Malaysia. Oh lupa...pastikan anda takde telur macam Petra. Lepas fitnah cabut lari lintang pukang. Damn right Pete, membujur lalu melintang pukang. Kalau tak nak pakai anak Petra, pakai bapak dia pun okay. |
| VC: Ibrahim Ali award not approved yet Posted: 19 Jul 2011 04:03 PM PDT 
The university's vice-chancellor has clarified that the award is still at its proposal stage. (Free Malaysia Today) - Two days ago UiTM announced that nominations were open for its newly introduced Ibrahim Ali award. Today its vice-chancellor, Professor Sahol Abdul Hamid, clarified that the award is only in the proposal stage. UiTM's Institut Pemikiran dan Kepimpinan Melayu (Impak) had put up detailed information on the award which was mooted by Ibrahim during a unity forum with Impak last October. According to Impak, the award would be granted to students who have displayed "clear and consistent" principles in upholding their race. They will receive a cash prize of RM5,000 sponsored by Ibrahim himself. The independent Pasir Mas MP had studied in UiTM from 1971 to 1974 during which he was involved in anti-government protests and detained for two years under the Internal Security Act (ISA). But Sahol explained via Facebook this morning that the award was solely Ibrahim's initiative and that the university had no hand in making the recommendation. He also said that the award proposal had to be brought to the senate for approval before being presented to the board of directors for endorsement. "This isn't an easy process and it will take time as every debate in the senate is an in-depth one," Sahol stated. "The senate comprises 60 professors, two deans and campus rectors. Each will make an individual decision." "There will be no lobbying or coercion. The senate is the strongest and highest body in UiTM. It knows what is best and will make appropriate suggestions as to the award's title. But before this could take place, a department's website had already begun promoting the award." A check on Impak's website this morning, however, revealed that the announcement of the award has since been removed. READ MORE HERE |
| Utusan: Anwar working with Indons to topple Putrajaya Posted: 19 Jul 2011 03:59 PM PDT 
Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia claims that Anwar is strengthening links with his Indonesian counterparts to put pressure on the Malaysian government. (Free Malaysia Today) - Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia is at it again. After the tirade against the Christians and Bersih, it was quiet for awhile. Now, the newspaper is back to its stirring best by claiming that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is working hand in glove with Indonesia. The paper claims that Anwar is strengthening links with Indonesia to put international pressure on Putrajaya. The article is among the many published by the Malay daily in an apparent attempt to paint the PKR de facto leader and the Pakatan Rakyat bloc as "foreign agents". In an article titled, "Anwar bina rangkaian di Indonesia? (Anwar establishing links in Indonesia?)", Utusan quoted an unnamed source who said that the former deputy prime minister had embarked on a series of dialogues with civil society groups there. "Anwar is believed to be active in strengthening his ties with the Indonesian Republic to put pressure on the Malaysian government," said the article which carried no byline. The source in the report said Anwar had targeted the lower income group, students, NGOs, the Indonesian media, ministers and former politicians for his dialogue sessions. "Anwar is active in spreading 'Anwarism' especially the political target group that is the 70% of the people who are from the middle to lower income group. "These groups are badly in need of attention by the Indonesian government but are made into targets for political exploitation and manipulation," the source was quoted as saying. READ MORE HERE |
| Bersih in sync with Saf Anti Fitnah to clear Anwar of his sexual trysts Posted: 19 Jul 2011 03:51 PM PDT Another Brick in the Wall One of Bersih's 8 demand was to stop dirty politics. This demand was one of those new demand inserted into Bersih 2.0 for Election Commission to work on. Before that, Bersih had a list of 17 demands when they held discussion with Election Commission's Chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof on November 9th, 2011. There was supposed to be another meeting after the streak of by-elections and Sarawak state election ended but they suddenly said no go.
The interesting part was that the list of 17 demands had been pared down to 4 demands. Bersih included 4 new demands which include to seek stop dirty politics.
Before going any further, let's ask: Who is empowered to stop dirty politics? Actually certain act can be addressed by police, EC, court lawsuit, etc, but the honest answer is: No one. It is thus ridiculous on Bersih to seek on the Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di Pertuan Agong or EC or any other authorities to stop Barisan Nasional, or Pakatan Rakyat or Independent and Konsensus Bebas from playing dirty politics except the politicians themselves.
Ah .. we forgot. Bersih is not partisan politics. Hehehe ...Why did Bersih drag the people to take it to the street on that last-minute-included demand? Reason is known but forgotten by many, thus allowing them to mislead and divert the mass attention.
Before going any further, let's not try to bullshit about Bersih being bipartisan or independent, just like Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) is not pro-Pakatan Rakyat. It is a vehicle of Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat working in concert with funders and enablers from the west. There is no argument to say otherwise. Let's recall that on March 21st, 2011, the local media was alerted to invitation by the trio Dato T - led by Dato Eskay Shazaly Abdullah, with Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Chik and Dato Shuib Lazim - to a private screening at Carcosa Seri Negara of a video of Anwar Ibrahim allegedy in a sexual romp with a China Doll prostitue.
That brought Anwar into a frantic denial. He was seen in a rage when asked by reporters on two occasion when asked about an Omega watch believed to be a specially custom made gift from a Middle East ruler.
It was followed by a political drama of denial, police reports, allegations and diversion. The diversions were an attempt to kill him or his wife by mending with his car brakes and death threat on daughter Nurul Izzah. Apart from the usual ceramah circuit around the country, to include the Sarawak state election, Anwar seeked help from PAS to hold a massive solat hajat event at Melawati Stadium. READ MORE HERE |
| No contact made by cops in brutality probe, say Bersih activists Posted: 19 Jul 2011 02:58 PM PDT 
By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — Bersih 2.0 rally organisers and observers today confirmed that their accounts of police brutality have not been recorded by investigators, raising doubts if their complaints will be fairly assessed in the ongoing police probe on what transpired during the rally. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar had announced yesterday that the probe, conducted by six newly-formed committees, was nearly complete and that findings would be revealed in public "very soon". "As far as I know, I do not think that anyone has been called. If anyone is called up to speak to the cops, the steering committee members are usually kept informed on an email thread," said Dr Subramaniam Pillay, one of Bersih 2.0's steering committee members. "But on this matter... so far, nothing. We have not been asked to surrender videos or pictures, not that I know of." The Inspector-General of Police had told a press conference at the Bukit Aman headquarters yesterday that the probe would include a careful study of all videos and pictures of the rally and interviews with police officers on duty that day, the general public and rally participants or eyewitnesses. Bar Council vice-president Christopher Leong confirmed with The Malaysian Insider that none of the council's over 100 rally monitors had been called up to aid investigations although the probe commenced last week. "I have spoken to our CEO Rajen Devaraj and as far as we know, the police have not contacted the council or our monitoring team to get any input. We have not been asked to surrender videos or pictures," he said when contacted. The council's monitors have compiled their own observations in a special report released after the rally, concluding that the police had "arbitrarily, indiscriminately and excessively" used unnecessary force on Bersih 2.0 protestors. Apart from the Bar Council, human rights group Suhakam had two commissioners and more than 30 staff members on the ground during the protest, while PAS had deployed more than 5,000 unit amal members. "I am very sure that none of our people were called to offer our views. As far as I know, no one has told us anything about this," Suhakam commissioner James Nayagam told The Malaysian Insider when contacted. PAS MP Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli, who was in the thick of the chaos on July 9, also confirmed with The Malaysian Insider that the police have yet to seek input from any party member. READ MORE HERE. |
| The political impact of Bersih 2.0 Posted: 19 Jul 2011 02:50 PM PDT By Johan Saravanamuttu, Aliran
The repercussions of Bersih 2.0 will no doubt be profound. It has already been dubbed as Malaysia's "Hibiscus Revolution". The question that is now uppermost in the public imagination is whether the current government will also suffer a severe blow for its inept handling of the event. Bersih started out in 2006 as a movement of civil society forces and political parties calling for clean and fair elections. Its demands for cleaning up the electoral rolls, reviewing postal votes, including allowing for voting from abroad, fair access to the media, the elimination of corrupt practices are nothing radical or revolutionary and yet the government's resistance to it has allowed the opposition parties and those not in support of the present government to easily latch on to a ready-made platform for galvanising support. Bersih's first political rally on Nov 10, 2007 saw some 40,000 Malaysian streaming into the heart of Kuala Lumpur, setting a benchmark for peaceful political protest in Malaysia. On July 9, 2011 almost the same number of demonstrators were out in the streets of Kuala Lumpur, as estimated by the independent "politweet", despite a ban on the rally and police roadblocks at every point of entry into KL. If the political impact of Bersih 1.0 on the general election of March 2008 is now axiomatic, would Bersih 2.0 have a similar impact on the next general election? It is important to first understand the character of the rally itself. The outpouring of material on the social media and through social networking websites reached proportions which, in my view, have been unprecedented and have not stopped. At the point of writing, over 200,000 facebookers have called on premier Najib Tun Razak to resign. The webpage has picked up 20,000 votes or more in one day. The people who showed up at Bersih 2.0 came from a cross-section of Malaysia's multicultural society, with Malays and youth as the dominant groups. This spoke well for the continuation of the trajectory of Malaysia's non-racialised "new politics". The involvement of national literary laureate A Samad Said who wrote a touching poem about Malaysia's "wounded democracy" was highly inspiring to the would-be Bersih rallyers. Various attempts made to delegitimise Bersih by Umno-related groups had a counter-productive effect. Thus it was alleged that it would be "unIslamic" for Muslims to participate in an illegal rally. The bogey of May 13 was also invoked and the Chinese were asked to stock up on food and stay at home. Such racialisation of the event by Perkasa and the Malay paper Utusan Malaysia helped to further augment multiracial supporters on the other side. The lame counter march of a couple of hundreds of Umno Youth "patriots" proved to be the proverbial drop in the bucket in terms of its impact. The event received a crucial boost when Suhakam chairman Hasmy Agam weighed in to opine that it was legitimate. Najib had called for the rally to be held at a stadium and the organisers obliged after meeting with the King but the police were adamant about not giving a permit for use of the Merdeka Stadium. The heavy-handed action on the part of the police – some 1,700 arrests, heavy use of tear gas, water cannons, and some argue, responsibility for one death – has put the government in a no-win situation vis-Ã -vis the common Malaysian citizen. BN in damage control mode In public imagination, Bersih 2.0 would stand out even more than Bersih 1. Already folklore about Bersih has gone "viral" on the Internet. A few examples should suffice. "The Lady of Liberty", an elderly woman well into her 60s, who braved the water cannons, holding a branch with two daisies has been reproduced ad infinitum in multiple incarnations and web designs. READ MORE HERE. |
| Prove you’re not a lame-duck minister, Pua tells Liow Posted: 19 Jul 2011 02:39 PM PDT 
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — DAP's Tony Pua challenged Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai today to divulge details of his ministry's probe into alleged police attacks on Tung Shin Hospital during the Bersih rally. Despite public pressure, the health minister has refused to specify a disclosure time-line, in fact he has not even confirmed if the said committee had been formed and its terms of reference. "It appears that Liow has been forced to rescind the set up of the investigation committee by the Ministry of Health under instructions from his political masters to cover up the incident, prevent an admission of guilt and to stop further embarrassment to the Barisan Nasional (BN) government for its clumsy, oppressive and incompetent handling of the Bersih rally, where the sanctity of hospital grounds was desecrated," said Pua in a statement today. "If true, then Liow is once again abdicating from his responsibility as the Health Minister by not proactively protecting the hospital and its patients under his care," added the Petaling Jaya Utara MP. Liow had ordered an investigation on July 14 after 11 medical specialists wrote to the media, refuting the hospital board and police's claims that no gas canisters or water cannon were fired directly into the hospital compound. He had initially agreed with the city hospital, but then ordered the probe stating that patient security and hospital safety was paramount. READ MORE HERE. |
| PSM: Police not probing EO6 for Red ties Posted: 19 Jul 2011 02:37 PM PDT  By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — The Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) has challenged de facto Law Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz's claims that six party members are being detained for links to communism. PSM lawyer Edmund Bon said it was "very clear" from the 37 affidavits served to the party yesterday in reply to a habeas corpus application that the police were only investigating them for their role in the Bersih rally. They are being held under the Emergency Ordinance (EO). "Don't talk about socialism, communism, all that kind of nonsense," he told reporters at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) here. "All these are lies because the police themselves have not mentioned a single word about socialism, have not mentioned a single word about communism, have not mentioned a single word about Chin Peng." Bon accused the government of trying to use the six detainees — which include Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar — as "scapegoats" to instil fear in the public so they would not join the Bersih rally, which went ahead without police permission. He also argued that, from a legal standpoint, the PSM six had no part in planning, organising or promoting the Bersih rally, as attested to by Bersih 2.0 steering committee members Haris Ibrahim and Dr Subramaniam Pillay, who were also present at the press conference. Bon urged the Najib administration to "have the good sense" to release the six before the habeas corpus hearing this Friday and not let the matter drag on. "If it goes to court, the government will be... dragging in another institution to be part of this whole fiasco that the government has created," he said. Dr Jeyakumar was among 30 PSM members arrested on June 25 for allegedly planning to "wage war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong" and revive communism in part of a dragnet leading up to the July 9 Bersih rally. Police found in their possession T-shirts bearing the likeness of former Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) leaders Chin Peng and Rashid Maidin. Police later dropped all charges but immediately rearrested Dr Jeyakumar and five others under the EO on July 2 and charged the remaining 24 for possession of Bersih material and involvement in an illegal organisation. READ MORE HERE. |
| Najib, the Queen and the Pope Posted: 19 Jul 2011 02:09 PM PDT (The Diplomat) Marrying the demands of international diplomacy with the political realities of home is a tough ask for most countries and their foreign ministries. The two can be a difficult fit, as Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has found out all too well. Some back home seem determined to provide an unwanted backdrop for his whistle-stop European tour designed to shore-up his country's vastly improving relations with the West and bring in some much needed foreign investment. However, echoes of the Bersih movement and their demands for electoral reform have dogged Najib and his entourage from London to Rome, while the prime minister's own supporters have provided the nastiest thorn in his political side with wild and unsubstantiated claims of unwanted foreign meddling in domestic affairs. Much of the initial fault lies with Najib. He declared the July 9 Bersih rallies in Kuala Lumpur and across the country illegal and failed to muzzle his own party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), and fringe elements threatening what should have been a simple and peaceful march. The police moved in with a heavy hand. Protesters were baton charged, tear gassed and beaten. People wearing yellow, the colour synonymous with the Bersih movement were arrested. Najib defended the police action, deeming it necessary to keep the peace while attempting to demonize what was as much a mums and dads rally calling for clean elections as an opposition attempt to topple the government. Playing to a home audience, his government quickly blamed prejudices in the international media for the negative portrayal that made headlines around the world, and Najib was probably hoping the mess would be quietly forgotten as he packed his bags for England. No such luck. Supporters of Bersih, which means clean in Malay, in London booed Najib as he went to Downing Street for lunch with his British counterpart David Cameron. He and First Lady Rosmah Mansor later met with the Queen, who surprised all by wearing yellow against a backdrop of yellow flowers. The choice of outfit from such an astute and experienced head of state was widely interpreted as a sympathetic sign of support for Bersih, although the Queen's dress sense seemed to escape the attention of fashionistas on state-linked newspapers in Malaysia. Read more at: http://the-diplomat.com/asean-beat/2011/07/19/najib-the-queen-and-the-pope/ |
| Candlelight vigil to call for the release of PSM6 Posted: 19 Jul 2011 02:06 PM PDT By SUARAM Dear All, Lets get together to demand for the release of the 6 PSM leaders who have been detained under the EO. Schedule for this week: 1. Monday (18 July): Bukit Aman, 8pm
2. Tuesday (19 July): Bukit Aman, 8pm
3. Wednesday (20 July): Carpark next to the Bar Council, Jln Leboh Pasar, 7.45pm till 8.30pm (After the Vigil, Please Join us at Forum: EO Another ISA: Political Tool of Government)
4. Thursday (21 July): Bukit Aman, 8pm
5. Friday (22 July): Will keep inform as there is many events is being held on Friday night Please bring your own candles to support the cause. a0hESBfiUDM
Or watch video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0hESBfiUDM Please call Nalini at 019 3758912 for further information. Please spread the words around.. Organised by: Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) |
| Bumiputra Scheme to Help Bright Students Sabotaged? Posted: 19 Jul 2011 01:57 PM PDT University Malaya is connivingly working hand in hand with MOHE officials to create a back door entry to Universities for candidates with poorer SPM results but get a CGPA 4.0 in the easier matriculation programs. By JR Four students, 3 with 10As in their SPM and 1 with 12 As. All were rejected for a JPA scholarship to do medicine and were given one of two choices. Matriculation in a government matriculation center or Asasi Sains (Foundation in Science), University Malaya. All chose UM. One year later, after going through a completely disorganized Asasi Sains UM program run by part-time, poorly committed lecturers who had trouble conversing in English, rushed syllabuses and a "tidak-apa" attitude taken by both the Asasi management and the VC, the students literally struggled through cramped daytime and nighttime classes to complete the course in lecture halls numbering sometimes 200 a class. But they struggled because they all wanted to do Medicine. One year later the results are announced. Three of the 10 As students get 3.75, 3.7 and 3.45 while the 12 As student scores 3.85. All had applied to do Medicine. None get Medicine either at the UM or any other IPTA that offers Medicine! In fact some are offered Nursing, Perhutanan, Biomedical Sciences, and Pharmacy. Counselors at the Ministry of Education, Putrajaya were very clinical about their argument saying for Medicine the score must be a CGPA of 4.0, Dentistry 3.9 and Pharmacy 3.8 respectively. But the story does not end there. Their colleagues from various schools who did not do so well and scored between 4As and 6As in their SPM were offered and took up places at the government run matriculation programs and were offered courses at various locations in Penang, Jasin, Banting etc. And, believe it or not, all scored 4.0 flat in their final exams. And this is what takes the cake - all are offered Medicine! One of them at the University of Malaya! This is not subtle dishonesty but overt, bordering on fraud. The University system has clearly been manipulated by a non-standardized "Foundation Studies" scheme. The perpetrators are the Ministry of Education and the Universities themselves. The government and cabinet or its various Ministers in the Education Ministry may not know what's going on but this is what the Little Napoleans at the Ministry of Education are quietly getting away with. The system is hopelessly flawed and I can't wait for Bersih 3.0. I want to really get this government out. It appears that among the so called Bumi fraternity, the cheating is even more horrendous with sabotage taking a new form and a new level. On repeated questioning at the MOHE's new block, now located at the edge of Dengkil in Putrajaya, the counter girls say that all foundation examinations, be it the Matriculation or Asasi are all the same. They further claim that their system is transparent and the Foundation Programs in both Universities and Government Institutions are standardized. And places offered are purely on merit. I have news for the MOHE. They are not! On questioning the head of program at the Asasi Sains Program at University Malaya, her answer is – there are too many 10A students in Asasi and she has been instructed to make the exams as difficult as possible and raise the bar so that as many as possible don't get the 4.0 CGPA! Conversely, this would mean, the University Malaya is connivingly working hand in hand with MOHE officials to create a back door entry to Universities for candidates with poorer SPM results but get a CGPA 4.0 in the easier matriculation programs. Is this a tactic by the little Napoleans in the Ministry of Education to keep brighter Bumiputras out of choice programs? For Bumi parents like us, especially for lower middle income groups, we now realize that it was a horrendous mistake to have sent our children to Asasi Sains UM. Clearly the UM authorities were less then professional. The kid with a CGPA of 3.45 has a tough time now applying to even IMU, AIMST etc, as 3.45 is seen to be a low score. One year of their life have been destroyed by the crooked system UM employs to run their Asasi program. I would like to suggest that all these lop-sided foundation programs run by the government be immediately scrapped and either the STPM or A levels be instituted as the standard foundation program for University entries to prevent all this deceit by both University and Ministry of Education authorities. On second thought, it would be better to make the A-levels as the standard entry requirement, knowing that our infamous Ministry officials may even try to manipulate the STPM results. Enough is enough! They say everyday problems others face and you choose to ignore because you think it will never affect you will never come to your doorstep. Our family today is facing the brunt of a dim prospect for our kid. We will probably need to mortgage our house to put him through medical school. But it would be worth it. Meanwhile, I wait anxiously for the announcement of the date for BERSIH 3.0. With a clean and fair electoral system, our immediate objective is to remove this corrupt and irresponsible government out of office for good and clean up the civil service. |
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