Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Ambiga: Bersih is not about me
- Ambiga: Bersih is the rakyat, ban has little impact
- 4 juta ahli silat jadi 'perisai negara'
- ‘Ambiga jangan fikir kuat’
- Veto the Bersih ban, Mr PM
- BN kept alive by defiled electoral roll
- Najib, is your AG anti-Islam? Does your administration condone the vilification of Islam?
- Hisham declares Bersih an outlaw organisation
- Bersih 2.0: Polis selak baju sebelum tangkap
- Syeditious Akbar Ali, Munafiq Extraordinaire!
- Police may make more arrests, says Karpal
- Six PSM activists re-arrested under EO
- Govt to media: Black out police violence during rally
- PKR may drop ‘sex video’ MPs
- Bersih Australia seeks right to postal ballot
- Sabah singer Atama to lead rally (UPDATED WITH VIDEO)
- ‘Tone down anti-Bersih rhetoric’
- BN indirectly promoting Bersih rally, says Nizar
- EC may allow foreign observers
- Crackdown on Bersih sets alarm bells ringing abroad
- No more rally talks
- Dirty Tricks Campaign Targets Anwar Too
- Is the EC and independent body?
- What Islam says about public demonstrations
- Young voters key to Pakatan victory in GE13, says Mat Sabu
- A highly improbable deal
- Ronnie Liu arrested for promoting Bersih rally
- 300 stage rowdy protest against Penang CM, Bersih
| Ambiga: Bersih is not about me Posted: 02 Jul 2011 09:00 AM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Bersih 2.0 chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan is unperturbed by the countless personal attacks against her since she announced a July 9 rally for free and fair elections. The latest salvo came from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who questioned her legal work for a case involving Islam while Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ali Rustam suggested that the government strip Ambiga of her citizenship. "I am not going to respond to personal attacks and people who are just attacking Bersih with no basis. I think I will leave it to the public to judge us. "We are a peaceful movement and we will leave it to the public to judge us by our action. Because Bersih is not about me, it is about the rakyat," she told The Malaysian Insider. Both Umno leaders are among several politicians who have castigated Ambiga for her role in Bersih 2.0 with Ali saying that a person who is hell-bent on "causing chaos in the country" does not deserve citizenship. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad also trashed Bersih 2.0's purpose for its July 9 rally yesterday, saying the coalition did not want electoral reform but was gunning for a repeat of the 2008 election tsunami. The country's longest-serving prime minister insisted that Malaysia's electoral process has always been clean and fair, pointing out that opposition candidates have always been able to win seats in every general election. Apart from the attacks, the former Bar Council president has also received a death threat. In a text message written in Malay and sent to Ambiga and the press on June 23, the unknown sender said, "If the rally takes place, my people and I will kill Ambiga and all those around her one by one including the idiot politicians who are in cahoots with this infidel. This is my warning. You watch out." Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia had also made countless attacks against Ambiga, with one report describing her as anti-Malay and anti-Islam. The Mingguan Malaysia lead last Sunday read "Siapa sebenarnya Ambiga? (Who is the real Ambiga?) and featured pro-Umno political analysts like Perkasa member Datuk Paduka Prof Dr Ramlah Adam and Prof Datuk Dr Zainal Kling.
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| Ambiga: Bersih is the rakyat, ban has little impact Posted: 02 Jul 2011 08:56 AM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - The Home Ministry ban on Bersih 2.0 will not have the impact it had aimed for as the electoral reform movement has captured the people's "hearts and minds", says its chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan. The former Bar Council president also disagreed with the Najib administration's rationale for outlawing the movement, saying Bersih 2.0 was a coalition of established groups and does not need to be registered. "More important, above and beyond that, Bersih now means more than just a group of organisations to Malaysians. Bersih is now a concept that has captured the hearts and minds of the rakyat. "Bersih is now the rakyat, therefore whatever anybody tries to do to Bersih will not make any difference to how people feel about what it stands for," the Bersih chairman told The Malaysian Insider. The Home Ministry declared Bersih 2.0 illegal effective July 1 for causing an "atmosphere of unrest", a week before its planned July 9 rally calling for free and fair elections. The ministry issued a four-paragraph statement yesterday outlining the reasons for the ban by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein. It gave three reasons for the banning of the movement, adding it was an unregistered group despite fulfilling all criteria to form an organisation under the Societies Act 1966. The reasons given for the ban are: i) Being active and sparking an atmosphere of unrest and worry among the multiracial community in the country; ii) Spreading propaganda to incite the people to topple the government by distributing certain leaflets; iii) Its activities have given a bad image to the country, which can threaten and undermine public order, security, economy and the country's sovereignty and affect the harmony of the multiracial community. Ambiga disagreed with the reasons outlined by the Registrar of Societies Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman and gave her justification. "From a legal standpoint, we believe that Bersih 2.0 is a coalition of established organisations, so it does not require registration under the Societies Act," said the senior lawyer.
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| 4 juta ahli silat jadi 'perisai negara' Posted: 02 Jul 2011 08:49 AM PDT
Sedia berdepan tindakan agresif BERSIH (Berita Harian) - Lebih empat juta ahli Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA) sedia menjadi 'perisai negara' pada perhimpunan haram anjuran BERSIH, Sabtu ini bagi berdepan tindakan agresif yang mungkin dicetuskan ahli gabungan itu. Ketua Menteri Melaka yang juga Presiden PESAKA, Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, berkata sebagai sebuah gerakan yang berpaksi dan mendaulatkan perlembagaan negara, PESAKA akan sentiasa memastikan Malaysia aman dan makmur. "Kami tidak akan berkompromi dengan mana-mana pihak yang cuba atau berniat menghina dan menafikan lima prinsip Rukun Negara yang terkandung dalam perlembagaan iaitu kepercayaan kepada Tuhan, Kesetiaan kepada Raja dan Negara, Keluhuran Perlembagaan, Kedaulatan Undang-Undang serta Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan. "Pada masa sama, kami makin tidak berpuas hati serta tercabar dengan kebiadapan Pengerusi BERSIH, Datuk S Ambiga yang sejak dulu berterusan menghina Melayu dan Islam sehingga berani merancang perhimpunan haram. Omardin pula berkata, jika Ambiga berdegil ingin meneruskan perhimpunan haram itu, PESAKA berjanji akan bertindak dan melakukan apa saja untuk memastikan kestabilan negara terpelihara.
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| Posted: 02 Jul 2011 08:40 AM PDT
(Utusan Online) - "Ambiga jangan fikir kuat sangat." Demikian peringatan keras Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak kepada Pengerusi Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih), Datuk S. Ambiga yang tetap berdegil untuk mengadakan perhimpunan haram di ibu negara pada Sabtu ini. Perdana Menteri berkata, majoriti rakyat, termasuk lebih 20,000 yang hadir pada Majlis Bersama Rakyat di padang Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Aman dekat sini, menentang sebarang tindakan pihak terbabit untuk mencetuskan kekecohan di ibu negara sehingga boleh menjejaskan keamanan dan ekonomi negara. Katanya, sebagai Pengerusi Barisan Nasional (BN) dan Presiden UMNO, beliau boleh mengarahkan ahli-ahli parti untuk berdepan dengan kumpulan tersebut tetapi tidak berbuat demikian kerana mengambil kira kesan buruk yang mungkin berlaku. Katanya, jika kacau-bilau berlaku, keadaan itu akan menjejaskan kestabilan ekonomi dan menjejaskan perjuangan pemimpin BN terdahulu dalam membangunkan negara sehingga maju ke tahap ini, tetapi hendak dirosakkan oleh Ambiga. "Jadi, Ambiga janganlah fikir kuat sangat, kita kenal siapa Ambiga. Kita tidak akan tunduk kepada Ambiga sama sekali, kita akan perjuangkan yang benar. Kita simpan kuku kita dulu, kita jangan hunus keris kita sebab kalau ambo (saya) bagi isyarat, semua boleh pakat-pakat turun. "Kita jangan (turun), sebab kita tidak mahu ada perbalahan terbuka dalam negara sebab bila ada demonstrasi jalanan, mungkin ada orang yang tidak boleh kawal perasaan, boleh timbul huru-hara dalam negara. "Kita sudah payah bina negara, pemimpin dulu kerja sampai mati nak bangunkan negara, nak jadi Malaysia negara contoh, pemimpin dulu banyak berjasa sebab itu kita hidup dalam negara aman damai. Tapi Ambiga nak rosakkan ini semua," katanya berucap pada Majlis Bersama Rakyat itu di sini, hari ini. Turut hadir, Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri yang juga Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan UMNO Kelantan, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed; Menteri Pertahanan, Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi; Menteri Pelancongan, Datuk Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen; Timbalan Menteri Kewangan, Datuk Dr. Awang Adek Hussin dan Ketua UMNO bahagian, Zawawi Othman. Menurut Perdana Menteri, matlamat perhimpunan haram itu bukan untuk membersihkan pilihan raya, kerana ternyata Pas boleh memerintah Kelantan lebih 21 tahun dan pembangkang menang di lima negeri pada pilihan raya umum lalu. Katanya, keadaan itu menunjukkan demokrasi di negara ini adalah lebih baik dan tidak sama seperti di negara Asia Barat seperti Mesir, di mana parti memerintah memenangi 95 peratus kerusi dalam pilihan raya dan memerintah selama 30 tahun. Justeru, beliau pelik dengan tindakan Timbalan Presiden Pas, Mohamad Sabu yang sanggup bersekongkol dengan Ambiga dalam gerakan itu bagi merosakkan keamanan negara. Ini kerana katanya, Ambiga merupakan orang yang cuba mengganggu-gugat Islam, dan UMNO serta BN mesti menegakkan kebenaran. "Apa sudah jadi dengan pemimpin Pas," soalnya sambil mengingatkan rakyat dalang paling besar di sebalik perhimpunan itu, Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Dalam pada itu, beliau yang melihat angin perubahan sedang bertiup di Kelantan, menyatakan janji BN untuk membawa pembangunan ke negeri ini sekiranya rakyat Kelantan memberi mandat kepada parti itu.
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| Posted: 02 Jul 2011 08:31 AM PDT The rights to freedom of expression and assembly are enshrined in our Federal Constitution, and embraced as essential fundamental divine rights of all peoples in all democratic nations of the world, and revered in the Charter of Human Rights of the United Nations, of which Malaysia has been a proud member since it gained its independence on 31 August 1957. By Thomas Lee Seng Hock The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) has been declared an illegal organization effective 1 July 2011. A statement issued by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) says that the declaration was made by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein under Section 5 of the Societies Act 1966. According to the ROS statement, Bersih is not a registered organization. The statement claims that Bersih has been actively creating confusion and causing anxiety among the people. It says that Bersih has been distributing handbills containing propaganda aimed at toppling the Barisan Nasional federal government. The ROS statement says that Bersih has undermined the nation's sovereignty and disrupted the harmonious environment among the country's multi-racial population, and also caused disrepute to the country's image, and is a threat to public order, security, and economic development and prosperity. Bersih had earlier announced plans to hold rallies in Kuala Lumpur, Sabah and Sarawak on 9 July to mobilize concerned citizens to demand for a clean, fair and transparent electoral process. The Home Minister's unilateral decision to ban Bersih is certainly something any right-thinking and fair-minded believer in democracy and the rule of law will not be able to accept as just and constitutionally valid. The rights to freedom of expression and assembly are enshrined in our Federal Constitution, and embraced as essential fundamental divine rights of all peoples in all democratic nations of the world, and revered in the Charter of Human Rights of the United Nations, of which Malaysia has been a proud member since it gained its independence on 31 August 1957. The Home Minister's action in declaring Bersih an illegal organization is a direct violation of the human, civil and constitutional rights of the country's citizens. Human rights are the fundamental foundation upon which the total life, life-style and well-being of a human person is built and developed upon. Human rights ensure that the spiritual, moral, intellectual, emotional, physical, social and cultural aspects of an individual's existence is treated appropriately with value, dignity, honour, respect, and affection, and any violation of the basic human, civil and constitutional rights of any citizen of the nation should be regarded with contempt and condemnation. Bersih, which means "clean" in Bahasa Malaysia, is not a subversive movement out to create a violent revolution to overthrow the government of the day. It is simply a coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and certain political parties to seek and promote a legal reformation and transformation of the current very unsatisfactory and unacceptable electoral process in the country. The allegations that Bersih is being funded by foreign sources, in particular by Christian interests, to destabilize the nation, and is a movement to bring about the resurgence of communism are uncalled for and unwarranted, and a real despicable attempt to create hatred and contempt among the various races. Those who made such allegations should be the one arrested and charged for sedition, not the Bersih advocates. Bersih has specifically demanded that several changes be instituted for the present election laws and practices to ensure that elections are conducted in a fair, just and transparent manner. Among the reforms Bersih proposed are (1) a complete and thorough cleaning of the electoral rolls to remove entries that are no longer valid such as names of dead persons, (2) all political parties and their candidates be allowed and provided with equal access to the print and broadcast media, (3) the campaign period be extended to allow all parties and their candidates more time to reach out to the people to promote and explain their views. (4) abolish postal voting in view of the high probability that it is easily abused and manipulated, and (5) using permanent ink to ensure that each voter may only vote once. Such proposals are not unreasonable or impractical, and any government professing to practise democracy and rule of the laws should surely has no genuine ground to reject them. And the promotion of a fair, just and transparent electoral process should not be considered a subversive plot to overthrow the government of the day. In fact, it is a joke to suggest that Bersih is out to grab political power by illegal means, especially the use of violence. The mobilization of concerned citizens in a peaceful assembly to exercise their rights to seek changes for the betterment of the nation is surely not a sin, not indivisible to the pursuit of a holistic, righteous, fair, just and dignified nation-building process. It is the inherit divine right of a citizen to express his views vocally, visibly, and vividly, the government has no moral right to deprive and curb such rights. The stated ultimate goal of Bersih is just the reformation of the nation's electoral process to ensure that the human, civil and constitutional rights of the legitimate citizens are protected and respected, and not any evil political agenda as insinuated by the mercenary spin writers of the main stream media (MSM), and certain former opposition politicians who had sold their souls, betrayed their constituents, and manoeuvred themselves into favoured and profitable positions in the establishment. Such despicable persons should be dismissed with scorn, and their views discharged with disbelief and disparagement. Meanwhile, the police force should consider the fact that all forms of peaceful expression and assembly by the people should be respected and allowed to take place without any enforced restraint and forceful intervention by them. Bersih should be allowed to hold its civil rights assembly so long as no violence or chaotic disorder are intended. The Bersih rally organizers have never attempted any incitement to riot and chaos, and the police should not take any unilateral action that may possibly cause confusion and provoke an unpredictable disorder with people scattering in various random direction. The police should not use canes, tear gas or water cannons on the crowd, but should provide proper crowd and traffic control to ensure that no untoward and adverse situation could develop. Any suspected trouble-maker should be stopped and detained, but no use of force should be made on the peaceful assembly. The Bersih ban is surely a dark plot on the image of the nation, and I appeal to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Najib Razak to use his wisdom and good office to stop further damage to the country by vetoing the foolish action of the Home Minister, and also allow the peaceful assembly to take place as scheduled. If he does that, I will salute him for his statesmanship.
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| BN kept alive by defiled electoral roll Posted: 02 Jul 2011 08:25 AM PDT For BN the stakes are too high, and the mere thought of Putrajaya going into the hands of the opposition is dreadfully unthinkable. The BN is, therefore, now on a psywar, using every trick in the book to demonise Bersih, including the ridiculous tactic of planting communist materials to try give the movement a negative image. DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN The BN has a strong reason to fear the coming Bersih rally. Never before has the BN been so frightened of a rally as this one, and for good reasons too.
The first reason is the fact that the electoral roll is actually very dirty, soiled and polluted with a lot of creative handiworks of the BN. And everybody knows this. Even the Election Commission admits it, or else why would it want to open its doors for talks with Bersih? The proofs of the election system being manipulated are many, and election fraud and irregularities are general knowledge in Malaysia.
Secondly, the 8-point list of demands by Bersih is causing the BN leaders to tremble because the prospect of having a clean electoral roll, a reformed postal ballot system, use of indelible ink, a minimum of 21 days campaign period, a free and fair access to media, a strengthened public institutions, a stoppage of corruption and dirty politics would cause the BN to spin out of control. BN knows it survives only through fraud and corruption. How ironic that the BN is now caught in its own trap; all these years it had been talking about clean administration, honesty, noble qualities, transparent governance and so forth, and out of the blue the masses are demanding exactly that, and it gets frightening because they have been lying and it is now caught with its pants down. BN knows it should be supporting Bersih, joining the rally in order to live up to its own claims. But no! The Bersih campaign is frightful because a clean and honest election system would spell the end of the BN rule. It would sound the death knell of half a century of license to bleed the people.
For BN the stakes are too high, and the mere thought of Putrajaya going into the hands of the opposition is dreadfully unthinkable. The BN is, therefore, now on a psywar, using every trick in the book to demonise Bersih, including the ridiculous tactic of planting communist materials to try give the movement a negative image. But how many people are buying the lie? The BN is doing it because it knows it is running the high risk of losing support if it uses force because which leader can forget how much BN lost because of the way the government handled the peaceful Hindraf rally prior to the 2008 general election? And yet let us not discount the possibility of an Ops Lalang type of crackdown before July 9.
In the meantime, some ridiculous rationales are being shoved down our throats at the moment. Datuk Herbert Timbun Lagadan is asking the opposition assemblymen and parliamentarians to resign if the election in which they won were dirty. Herbert's logic is inverted, it should be the other way round! It is the BN reps who should resign because they won through cheating and manipulations! The Deputy Prime Minister is saying if the elections were dirty how come the opposition managed to win so many more seats and PAS had managed to retain power in Kelantan for 21 years? This is another nonsense which seems logical, but is actually a mental manipulation! The fact is, dear Tan Sri, the opposition won all those states IN SPITE OF THE CHEATING by the BN. The fact is, the support for the opposition were so great in those areas that even excessive cheating and manipulations by BN couldn't overcome the opposition votes! Without the cheating, the opposition would have taken over Putrajaya since a long time ago! And this is what the BN is really frightened of.
Bags of postal votes found in Tebobon river just after the 2008 elections.
How can the BN say that the country's election process is clean and still keep a straight face, when we have so many instances of clear, daylight frauds even in the recent past? Have they forgotten about ballots boxes going astray? How about the ballot box for Bukit Bintang that turned out to be filled up with nothing but dry leaves? Wikipedia reports that the allegedly subservient Election Commission had been involved in "gerrymandering, vote fraud, compliant media, misuse of government resources and massive vote buying [which] gave the National Front or Barisan Nasional an unfair advantage…. its electoral roll has been suspect, because of the discovery that it contains nearly 9,000 people aged more than 100. This raised suspicions that the books are contaminated with dead voters which leaves the election vulnerable to fraud. Further discoveries of people who have been born in the same year possessing different identity cards (IC) and living in many different localities, were uncovered by Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel). These people are registered to vote in various places throughout the country. These issues led to questions regarding the fairness of the elections. It was also highlighted by the Opposition that certain postal voters were issued with two ballot sheets…. Activists from BERSIH say each ballot was also attached to a letter identifying the voter along with the voting slip serial number, so it would be easy to trace who voted for the opposition. Electoral reform activists said that a number of seats that the opposition could win could be decided by postal votes and that those casting postal votes do not have the freedom to choose the candidate they want. Human Rights Watch, which had been monitoring the election process, stated that government restraints on expression, assembly and access to state media would deny Malaysians a fair vote. Calling the electoral process "grossly unfair", Human Rights Watch called on the government to address concerns with fraud in the electoral rolls, and to provide opposition parties access to state media." They have been cases of votes counted not tallying with the available votes. The case for the polling centre of Siong Tengah in Tamin is a perfect example. The polling centre had 236 registered voters, and on counting, the BN candidate garnered 251 voters while the PKR candidate received 53, giving a total vote of 304, which was 68 more than the registered voters. If it was true that there was a turnout of 73% of voters, as the Election Commissions announced, there should have only been 172 voters that day! This was a clear case in which phantom voters played a part and this is not an isolated case.
And note that the recent Sarawak state general election was considered the toughest ever for the BN because of only one thing – the sentiments against the BN was so strong that they BN was forced to spend a reported RM1.5 billion and during the election campaign the whole of Sarawak ran out of beer and stout! The longhouse residents had merrymakings the likes of which they had never seen before, with free food and drinks – and cash. The sad thing about the whole affair was that the RM10,000 cheques issued as enticement to the Penghulus bounced at the banks after the elections and were recollected!
During election campaigns we see a sudden rise in government project allocations and announcements, a slew of handouts in the forms of water tanks, zinc sheets, scholarships for students, hampers for the poor and senior citizens, etc. which are clear cases of political corruption. There would be loads of buses of phantom voters from outside the district. There is also that famous trick of someone turning the electricity off during vote counting, and in the darkness, the vote-count trays are switched and the voting slips 'automatically' multiply like runaway virus. Or at the last minute another sack of 'forgotten' postal votes, which cannot be verified, are brought in!
It is unfortunate that many people have forgotten that in July 2008, a high-security bag containing a sizable number of voting slips was discovered near the Tobobon river in the constituency of Sepangar. A similar case also happened in Tawau in 2004. These were highlighted in the newspapers, and reported to the police, but until now nothing has been heard about them again. It's no use resorting to the courts for remedy in cases of electoral injustices and abuse of electoral process because all know what the courts' decisions will be.
And who doesn't know about the intimidation and fear used in the campaigns, such as threatening parents about losing their children's scholarships and jobs? And what clean elections are we talking about when the government has absolute monopoly of the people's community halls (which should be for free use by every Malaysian), and the abuse of government machineries and vehicles? There has also been cases of armies arriving by the truckloads, or unnecessary roadblocks before or on polling day as ways to alarm the people into voting for the BN. Fraud, manipulation, intimidation, vote buying, and all other sorts of criminal ways to win elections have been used by the BN. It is high time for such a rally planned by Bersih to be held to express our frustration, especially for Sabah which has become a breeding ground for phantom voters in the form of illegal immigrants who were purposefully given the ICs to vote. So clean electoral rolls, clean election process? My foot!
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| Najib, is your AG anti-Islam? Does your administration condone the vilification of Islam? Posted: 02 Jul 2011 08:21 AM PDT
The People's Parliament Malaysianinsider reported yesterday that, whilst speaking to a large crowd in Pasir Putih, Kelantan, Najib said that BERSIH 2.0 chairperson Ambiga was 'the one who threatened Islam'. No elaboration on when and how she is supposed to have made the threat. A vile and unsubstantiated allegation. I've known Ambiga for over a decade now and have known her to always be most respectful of all faiths and beliefs, without exception. I'm not alone. Many members of the Bar will bear testimony to this. Perhaps Najib should desist in unsubstantiated attacks against Ambiga and explain why charges of sedition for a most vile and filthy attack on the faith of the Malays in this country by Syeditious Akbar ali were dropped by the Attorney General's chambers. The charge sheet, in PDF, is linked below again for your ease of reference. Charge Sheet against Seditious Akbar Ali You will note that it is dated 6th May, 2008 and signed by DPP Mohamed Hanafiah bin Zakaria, the same day, according to Syeditious post dated 18th October, 2010, that he was charged in court. It is fair to assume that someone in the AG's chambers had, before Syeditious was charged, scrutinized the investigation papers submitted by the police authorities and had formed the view that Syeditious comments were indeed seditious and warranted the preferring of charges. Hence the charges in court on 6th May, 2008 upon the terms as appear in the charge sheet. And I cannot imagine that anyone who has since read the full tenor of Syeditious comments, however much they disliked the sedition laws, would argue that he did not deserve to be charged for such an insensitive and hateful attack. In my related post yesterday, I had shared how, after Syeditious had received advise of legal counsel, he had asked that no moves be made to raise techncal objections until he gave further instructions, and when those instructions finally came, it was that no such technical objections were to be taken as the case against him would be dropped. As Syeditious had predicted, the charges were subsequently dropped.
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| Hisham declares Bersih an outlaw organisation Posted: 01 Jul 2011 07:31 PM PDT
(Malaysiakini) - The Coalition for Clean & Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) has been declared an unlawful organisation effective yesterday, the Registrar of Societies (ROS) said today. In a statement, ROS director-general Abdul Rahman Othman said the declaration was made by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein under Section 5 of the Societies Act 1966.
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| Bersih 2.0: Polis selak baju sebelum tangkap Posted: 01 Jul 2011 06:09 PM PDT
(Harakah Daily) - Tiga anggota Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) ditangkap pihak polis ketika sedang minum di Pasar Awam Batu Gajah di sini pagi tadi. Mereka adalah Timbalan Ketua Cabang Batu Gajah, Adnan Talib, Naib Ketua Anthony Vijaya dan Timbalan AMK, Tamiselvam. Difahamkan mereka tidak pun memakai baju kuning Bersih 2.0 ketika itu dan baru sahaja tiba di sebuah kedai minum di sini sebelum didatangi beberapa orang pihak polis. Tiba-tiba salah seorang anggota polis itu bertindak menyelak baju yang dipakai salah seorang daripada mereka dan menampakkan baju kuning bertulis Bersih 2.0 yang dipakai di bahagian dalam terus ditangkap. Ekoran itu, dua rakannya yang lain turut menyarung baju serupa agar mereka juag ditangkap bersama. Kesemua mereka kemudiannya dibawa ke IPD Batu Gajah kira-kira jam 10 pagi untuk dirakam keterangan. Turut serta ke IPD bersama ketiga-tiga mereka adalah Adun Tronoh S.Sivakumar dan peguam Ng Mun Yin. Sivakumar ketika diminta mengulas perkara itu menyifatkan, polis bertindak keterlaluan dan tidak menghormati rakyat. "Mereka pakai T-shirt Bersih di dalam, di luar baju lain, polis pergi buka baju mereka, apa kuasa polis buka baju orang cek dalam pakai baju apa?" soalnya tidak berpuas hati. Beliau juga dimaklumkan ketiga-tiga yang ditangkap tersebut hadir ke pasar pagi tadi adalah untuk memastikan maklumat berkumpul yang diterima mereka melalui khidmat pesanan ringkas SMS betul atau 'perangkap'. Ia kerana, tiada sebarang arahan pun dari kepimpinan parti untuk berkumpul di sini hari ini. Sementara itu, Ng Mun Yin pula memaklumkan mereka ditahan di bawah Seksyen 112 Kanun Keseksaan. Polis juga ujarnya memberi jaminan kesemua yang ditahan akan dibebaskan hari ini.
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| Syeditious Akbar Ali, Munafiq Extraordinaire! Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:32 PM PDT
The People's Parliament Dr M's chief spin doctor, Syeditious Akbar Ali, who holds that semen is discharged by women, in his post on 15th June, urges the police to arrest Ambiga if she 'steps out into the street'. 'If they break the law, throw the book at them. Throw them in the lockup to cool their heels, along with the druggies and the other riff raff ' , Syed continues, in obvious reference to anyone participating in the Bersih rally now scheduled to happen on 9th July. Syed, of course, has had his own run in with the men in blue. Syed actually alludes to this in an interview with The Star on 6th March, this year. This is what he says of that episode. '…I was charged but the case was nothing. I was charged for an anonymous comment on his blog. My comment was on Arabs misbehaving in Bukit Bintang, so I don't know how seditious that is…The case dragged on for two years and finally they said they had no case and it was dropped'. Case was nothing, eh, Syed? Syed was charged under section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act, 1948. Syed says that he was charged for posting a comment on Malaysia Today about Arabs misbehaving in Bukit Bintang, but the charges were dropped two years later because the prosecutors opined that they had no case against him. No case against him? When I and some of the other lawyers told him that after closely assessing his case, we thought he was right royally screwed, he started to squeal like the proverbial pig being led to the slaughterhouse. Cold sweat on the forehead! Damn nearly pissed in his pants! Let me reproduce here for you his comment in full, which he says was nothing. Hehe, nothing, eh Syed? IS EASY TO IMPRESS THE MALAYS EXACTLY BTN. The Arab camel shaggers are here in town. Also please note the The Arabs are kafirs or disbelievers. They founded the religion of the Batu Gang. The charge sheet, in PDF, is linked below. Charge Sheet against Seditious Akbar Ali Now for those of you unfamiliar with Syed who, by the way, has not only written several books, but is also the individual who authored, published and printed a booklet entitled Biblical Sunnism ( credit is indeed due to him for coining this phrase ), let me share with you what Syed means or is referring to by the words and phrases he used in his comment that appear in red. Batu Gang Malays : The Malays who follow the sunni tradition of Islam which includes, turning to the Ka'aba in Mecca in performing the ritual of prayer They founded the religion of the Batu Gang : The Arabs founded the religion of the Malay Sunni Muslims a stupid stone structure … the centre of focus of people's worship : the Ka'aba in Mecca the sick Arabs have conned millions of people into raising their arse above their heads five times a day : Err, do I really need to explain this one? Actually, its not that there was no case against Syeditious. Can you imagine a Malay judge hearing this case? You think he or she would say, 'Oh, there's nothing here'?
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| Police may make more arrests, says Karpal Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:26 PM PDT
DAP chairman Karpal Singh thinks that more major players in the planned Bersih rally will be hauled up in the next few days. (Free Malaysia Today) - DAP chairman Karpal Singh expects the police to make more arrests in the coming days to thwart the planned Bersih 2.0 rally next Saturday. He believes more major players behind the planned march will be targeted. He said the current tough police crackdown on Bersih activists had led him to believe that anyone associated with Bersih would be hauled up soon. He pointed out that the detention of 30 leaders and activists from Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) since last was a clear sign that the police dragnet will widen. Karpal said the authorities have even criminalise any attempt by anyone to encourage people to take part in the mammoth rally on July 9. "Police are going all out to foil the rally. "I expect more arrests, especially on the Bersih main leaders," he told a press conference in Air Itam here during his visit to the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary constituency. Karpal also slammed the violent protest by some 300 youths against Pakatan Rakyat state government and Bersih in the city centre yesterday. He said the provocative protest was an attempt to incite racial hatred and violence. Karpal criticised Umno Youth and Perkasa for adopting intimidating political tactics to instill fear in the people over the Bersih rally. He chided both movements for trying to organise respective rallies on the same day and venue to disrupt the Bersih rally.
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| Six PSM activists re-arrested under EO Posted: 01 Jul 2011 04:47 PM PDT
Six PSM leaders will be taken to Bukit Aman to face charges under the Emergency Ordinance. (Free Malaysia Today) - Six of the 30 Parti Socialis Malaysia (PSM) activists whose seven-day remand period ended today have been re-arrested under the Emergency Ordinance (EO). The six are Sungai Siput MP Michael Jeyakumar, deputy chairman M Saraswathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M Sugumaran, Sungai Siput branch secretary A Letchumanan and national Youth chief R Sarathbabu. According to PSM national treasurer, A Sivarajan, the six were seen exiting the northern Seberang Perai police district headquarters when they were handcuffed and led back inside. "It has been confirmed that they are being held under the EO 3(1) which constitutes detention without trial for 60 days," Sivarajan told FMT. "But we are still in the dark about what exactly the six are being charged with." "The lawyers were told that the orders came from Bukit Aman and that they will only be told of the charge once the six are brought there. I don't know when they will be leaving for Kuala Lumpur. We are still waiting." The 30 were detained at the Sungai Dua toll plaza in the North-South Expressway while travelling in a chartered tour bus from Kedah to Penang last Saturday. They were remanded for seven days to assist police investigation under Section 122 of the Penal Code for allegedly waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
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| Govt to media: Black out police violence during rally Posted: 01 Jul 2011 04:29 PM PDT
(Harakah Daily) - Online news portal Merdeka Review revealed that the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission instructed radio and television stations to focus on 'damage' by participants on the July 9 Bersih rally while omitting police violence in the reporting. The portal said an official told this to some 22 electronic media representatives at a seminar themed Contents Management 2011 held at MCMC yesterday. 'Thank you'
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| Posted: 01 Jul 2011 03:33 PM PDT
Sungai Petani's Johari Abdul and the other five who watched the sex video implicating their boss may be axed in the next general election, says a party source. (Free Malaysia Today) - The PKR MPs who watched the sex video implicating Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim may be among those who are likely to be axed during the next general election, said a party source. The source was responding to PKR deputy president Azmin Ali's recent statement that candidates who failed to perform and were unpopular with the people would be dropped. Azmin also said that PKR was gunning for 97 parliamentary seats and its Pakatan Rakyat coalition partners, PAS and DAP, had agreed to this. The source said Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul, who was the first to watch the video, could find himself on the chopping block despite vehemently defending Anwar over the scandal. "He is facing an acute internal problem," said the source, adding that the top leadership was not pleased with him being "friendly" with the "Datuk Trio" who exposed the video. Until now, he said, Johari had been unable to clear the mystery surrounding the matter. The main point of contention, he explained, was why the PKR MP had only issued a statement defending Anwar two days after he had watched the video. "Why didn't he do it immediately?" the source asked. "This is a question that needs to be answered. Party members are confused with certain things. Firstly, why did the 'Datuk Trio' target Johari (inviting him to watch the video)? "Why didn't Johari inform the party leadership of the attempt? Why did he bring five other MPs for the second screening?" he added. The others taken by Johari to view the video were Kamarul Baharin Abbas (Teluk Kemang), Rashid Din (Merbok), Azan Ismail (Indera Mahkota), Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid (Kuala Langat) and Amran Abdul Ghani (Tanah Merah). Former Malacca chief minister Rahim Tamby Chik, one of the three who released the video, claimed that several PKR MPs had asked for RM1 million each to jump ship after watching the video. He also alleged that after watching the video, Johari had admitted that the person in the video was Anwar. Rahim also claimed that Johari had requested for RM100,000 as "wang pelincir" (lubricant money) to facilitate the exodus of PKR MPs. Sivarasa may also be dropped A pro-Umno blogger recently claimed that Johari had asked "Datuk Trio" for RM1 million to quit his party and posted a two-minute video clip showing Johari watching the sex video. In the clip, Johari was seen as being on close terms with the three men, joking and laughing with them during the screening. The PKR MP denied the allegation and challenged the blogger to release the full recording.
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| Bersih Australia seeks right to postal ballot Posted: 01 Jul 2011 03:19 PM PDT
(Malaysiakini) - While Bersih 2.0 in Malaysia is facing the brunt of police harassment in the lead-up to the July 9 rally in Kuala Lumpur, similar protests planned in Australia should proceed without a hitch. Youth of Malaysia in Australia (YMA), the group coordinating the rallies in seven cities Down Under, expects the Australian police to be "very accommodating" to their protests.
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| Sabah singer Atama to lead rally (UPDATED WITH VIDEO) Posted: 01 Jul 2011 03:17 PM PDT
An outspoken singer has come forward to organise the Bersih 2.0 rally in Kota Kinabalu. (Free Malaysia Today) - An outspoken local singer, Atama, is leading the Bersih campaign in Kota Kinabalu, come July 9. u4I422UqXtA SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4I422UqXtA Atama or Andrew Ambrose Mudi, who had earned the wrath of Barisan Nasional leaders before for his outspokenness, told a press conference here today that he and his friends Michael Liew and Chester Pang, had yesterday applied for a police permit for the peaceful assembly at the city's Padang Merdeka here. "We decided to apply for the permit, with complete documents such as the programme for that day and a list of the organising committee members," he said. Asked what would happen if the police deny them the permit, Atama, 36, said they would re-apply and "will cross the bridge when we come to it". Atama, who is a member of MCLM (Malaysian Civil Liberty Movement), said that he was leading the Bersih campaign as a civil movement. "We are exercising our rights in accordance with the Federal Constitution," he said. "We have formed an ad hoc committee to get the various civil movements to come under one umbrella to support the Bersih rally in a disciplined and peaceful manner," Atama said. The Kadazandusun singer, speaking in fluent English, expects 500 to turn up for the march.
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| ‘Tone down anti-Bersih rhetoric’ Posted: 01 Jul 2011 01:38 PM PDT
By Casey Lee, FMT KOTA KINABALU: The heat over the Bersih 2.0 rally has been rising over the past few days, but the DAP wants the people to reduce the temperature and strive for cooperation. However, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang urged the people to moderate their response to the crackdown on the rally but not to back down from demanding a clean-up of the electoral system. He urged the organisers and supporters of the rally and the police to lower their combative stance on July 9 and to strive for cooperation to turn the event into a successful and peaceful assembly for clean and fair elections. "All parties concerned should try to reduce the temperature which has been raised in the past weeks with all these overreactions by the Barisan Nasional, the police and the Election Commission (EC). "All parties should cooperate to make the Bersih rally peaceful and successful because this would be good for the reputation of Malaysia," he told reporters here yesterday. He said the recent arrests of Bersih supporters who were wearing the yellow T-shirts were unjust, adding that police were trying to suppress the march instead of ensuring a peaceful protest through crowd and traffic control. "I'm shocked that the prime minister is talking about the possibility of Emergency. Why should there be talks of ISA and Emergency proclamation where this is a peaceful and orderly protest, which is very common in developed democracies? "Bersih has become a dirty word. It is supposed to mean clean, but it has become a dirty word and this has made Malaysia a laughing stock in the eyes of world," Lim said. He added that it should be acknowledged that there were many failures in the current electoral process such as the management of postal votes, faulty electoral rolls as well as malpractices and corruption. "In the recent Sarawak election, the Barisan Nasional (BN) spent RM500 million, which is totally an abuse of the election expense limit under the law. "It is estimated that for the 13th general election, BN will need RM4 billion to RM5 billion… this is money politics at its most monstrous form because firstly, victories based on such gargantuan financial outlays are definitely not clean. "Secondly, those who have contributed to the BN election war chest would expect returns and that is the root of corruption in Malaysia, which is now so deep and entrenched that it has become notorious worldwide," he said. Manipulating press freedom Lim also condemned the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for issuing instructions to private and public radio and television stations to "demonise" the Bersih rally. Based on a report in news portal, Malaysiakini, an editor said he was "implicitly advised by the MCMC to refer to the Bersih rally as an illegal gathering" in order to discourage public participation in the rally.
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| BN indirectly promoting Bersih rally, says Nizar Posted: 01 Jul 2011 01:36 PM PDT
By Humayun Kabir, FMT IPOH: Perak Pakatan Rakyat claims that Barisan Nasional (BN) is indirectly promoting the Bersih 2.0 rally with its suppressive moves to stop the peaceful rally on July 9. "BN is conducting an adverse publicity campaign on the Bersih 2 rally through the mainstream media. But it is adding more fuel to the call for clean and free elections and encouraging more Malaysians to participate in this peaceful march," Perak Pakatan's chief Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said. "The high-handed police action against the Bersih organisers and supporters who wore yellow T-shirts is driving more angry Malaysians to lend support to this peaceful assembly," Nizar said . He said the BN government and police should allow the Bersih rally to proceed without hindrance, but they made the mistake of trying to suppress a people's movement. "The right of every Malaysian to participate in a peaceful assembly is enshrined in the Federal Constitution and no one can take this away. There is no need for a police permit," Nizar, the former Pakatan Perak menteri besar, told FMT today. He pointed out that the first Bersih rally in 2007 was peaceful but turned ugly when the police violently cracked down on the march. He said the aggressive response eventually backfired on the BN when it lost its two-thirds majority in the 2008 historic general election. Nizar hopes that the police will not make the same mistake again in the Bersih 2.0 rally, saying that if they do, it will cause greater negative consequences for the BN in the coming 13th general election. He said that public disorder will only be caused by the Umno and Perkasa rallies, and not from the peaceful Bersih 2.0 march.
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| EC may allow foreign observers Posted: 01 Jul 2011 01:34 PM PDT
(Bernama) - BANGKOK: The Election Commission is looking into inviting international observers for the coming election, EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said. Saying that allowing international observers was a good practice, he said the EC would, however, look into various aspects, including costs, before deciding on the matter.Speaking in an interview with TV3 and Bernama here, Aziz said the move would allow the observers to see for themselves the way Malaysia conducts its elections. Aziz is here on the invitation of Thailand's election commission to monitor the country's election on Sunday. Malaysia is among 13 countries invited to observe the election -- a move which Thailand hopes will enhance the confidence of the international community in the country's election. Aziz described the invitation as an honour for the EC, saying it reflects confidence in the commission's ability and in Malaysia's election system. "If they didn't recognise our election system, they would not have called us to become international observers," he said. When asked what the criteria of a free and fair election in the eyes of the international observers were, Aziz said, voters should be free to vote and not being influenced or forced to vote only for certain parties. The candidates, on the other hand, should be free to campaign, he said. Voters should be allowed to listen to or follow the campaign and there should be no fraud or corruption. Asked on the eight demands by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), Aziz said, there was always room for improvement. He stressed that the EC did not view itself as a perfect entity. He also explained the EC's positions with respect to some of the demands, including: - Cleaning up the electoral roll -- He said this was being done on a daily basis but the public should also play their part by informing the EC about their status. There was no proof of voters being able to cast their votes more than once and that there had been no such cases being brought to court. - Minimum of 21 days campaign period -- The EC is looking into this, as well as the request for the campaign period to be shortened. The EC will also look into the matter from the security aspect. - Use of indelible ink -- The EC is looking into the use of the biometric system. - Free and fair access to media -- The EC cannot order the media to provide coverage for any party. The EC, however, can discuss with the media to give space to all parties. - Stop corruption -- The EC agrees with this but has no expertise in the matter. The EC, he said, would get the help of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. - Strengthen public institutions --- He said this was not within the EC's purview. - Reform the postal ballot system -- The EC is looking into this, including the possibility for an advance voting system similar to the one implemented by Thailand, with voters allowed to vote earlier, or on polling day. The system, however, had its own inherent problems, he said. He stressed that some of the demands were not under the EC's jurisdictions. Bersih had submitted 17 demands but reduced them to eight following discussions with the EC, he added. "Had Bersih continued with the discussion, we would have been able to reduce them to about three issues," he said, adding that Bersih's illegal rally planned for July 9 would not solve anything. "Demonstrations won't solve anything. It doesn't mean that the EC will agree to their demand if they demonstrate," he said.
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| Crackdown on Bersih sets alarm bells ringing abroad Posted: 01 Jul 2011 01:31 PM PDT
By Stephanie Sta Maria, FMT PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian government's vehement opposition to the Bersih 2.0 rally has the international community reeling in alarm and bewilderment over the "uncharacteristic behaviour" of a "moderate, progressive country". The Human Rights Watch (HRW) noted that Malaysia has always been perceived as a reasonable country that welcomes dialogue and negotiation. But the government's severe crackdown on rally organisers and supporters have now run contrary to this sentiment and is likely to tarnish Malaysia's reputation within the United Nations Human Rights Council. HRW's deputy director for Asia, Phil Robertson, said that none of Bersih's demands has warranted the spate of arrests, threats of Internal Security Act (ISA) or bringing out the army on July 9. "For some reason the Malaysian government has decided to make this rally a test of its power," Robertson told FMT. "It almost seems like it has a screw loose. It's very clear that this is a campaign of intimidation." "I have heard that a number of foreign diplomats have attempted to pacify the Malaysian government, but the exact details of those talks have been kept confidential." "Malaysia is in fact bound by Article 21 of the United Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) to allow this rally. Bersih is asserting its right under Article 21 and that right should be respected." Article 21 states that "the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of the government: this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures". Robertson also dismissed accusations that Bersih is politically motivated due to the support by opposition parties. He stressed that even a member of a political party still has the rights of a citizen. "The issue here is freedom of peaceful assembly," he said. "If a NGO and a political party decide to walk hand-in-hand, that is their right. The government is just churning out excuse after excuse to stop the rally in the hope that the people will believe at least one of them." Thailand is not the bogeyman The Bangkok-based Robertson also defended Thailand against the Election Commission's (EC) portrayal of the country as one that is mired in chaos because "people are campaigning for one rejected leader". EC deputy chairman, Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, had made this earlier remark to draw parallels between Thai support for ousted prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, and Bersih's alleged support for opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim. Thailand goes to the polls tomorrow in its 26th general election but Robertson assured that no chaos or violence is expected. "Malaysia is fond of painting Thailand as the bogeyman which isn't credible at all," he said. "The reality is that Thais broadly believe that the country's electoral procedures are actually good."
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| Posted: 01 Jul 2011 01:26 PM PDT
By Lee Shi-Ian, Roy See Wei Zhi and Nadirah H. Rodzi, NST KUALA LUMPUR: Police yesterday slammed the door shut on any further negotiations with parties intending to hold rallies on July 9. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar said the time for talking was over and did not rule out the possibility of rally organisers being arrested in the days leading up to July 9. He also did not discount the possibility that they would be arrested under the Internal Security Act.In a hastily called press conference yesterday, Khalid said despite advising the rally organisers through amicable meetings, they did not show signs of backing down.
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| Dirty Tricks Campaign Targets Anwar Too Posted: 01 Jul 2011 01:22 PM PDT
By Sarawak Report Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is being targeted by the same malicious on-line bloggers who have sought to defame former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former US Ambassador John Malott. Research by Sarawak Report has identified clear evidence that the same team of paid writers have been working on a sustained campaign of deliberate vilification of Anwar, in an attempt to destroy his image in the United States and to give the impression in Malaysia that he is heavily criticised in America. This dirty tricks campaign began shortly after Tsunami election result in 2008 that nearly swept Anwar and the PR coalition into office and it is clearly financed by BN. The US-based blog New Ledger was launched in 2009 as the main vehicle for these commissioned attacks and throughout 2010 and 2011 this supposedly American website has focused more on Anwar Ibrahim than on any other subject! Sarawak Report, therefore, challenges UMNO/BN to deny our inside information that its party leadership are paying New Ledger and a web of associated on-line attack blogs to defame its main political opponent. Over the top! The shrill, malicious and one-sided articles produced by New Ledger's team of American writers can, on the one hand, be dismissed as laughably ridiculous. Rachel Motte, Christopher Badeaux, Leon Wolf and Brad Jackson are people with no profile in the United States or recognised expertise on Malaysia, however they vie almost daily to produce ever more vicious and obscene attacks. |
| Is the EC and independent body? Posted: 01 Jul 2011 01:19 PM PDT
By Teresa Kok The Election Commission's Deputy Chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar's vilification of Bersih 2.0 as a stooge for Pakatan Rakyat makes it clear to all Malaysians that the EC itself is not an independent body and cannot be counted on to uphold the rakyat's civil right to clean and fair elections. Wan Ahmad's call for Bersih to distance itself from Pakatan Rakyat is mischievous, misleading and unfair because Bersih made a conscious and public decision to drop all political parties from its membership to avoid such undue accusations after the first Bersih rally in 2007. Bersih is now a coalition consisting of 60+ civil society organizations and no political parties. Furthermore, Bersih has consistently tried to engage with all political parties in Malaysia, including Barisan Nasional (BN), to gather support for its eight demands for electoral reform, only to be consistently ignored, rebuffed or dismissed by BN leaders. Bersih's eight demands for electoral reform are fair, reasonable and essential in healthy democracies around the world. The eight demands are: 1. Clean the electoral roll 2. Reform postal ballot 3. Use of indelible ink 4. Minimum 21 days campaign period 5. Free and fair access to media 6. Strengthen public institutions 7. Stop corruption 8. Stop dirty politics If the EC and the government would only adopt these eight demands, the elected government of the day would have even greater legitimacy in its right to rule. Only an already corrupt and sullied government which robs power through dirty elections, with the support of a partisan EC that enables and turns a blind eye to dirty elections, would oppose these eight demands and demonise the civil society movement that advocates them. I remind Wan Ahmad that at the Public Forum with the EC organized by the Majlis Perbandaran Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) and held at MBPJ on 22 February 2011, and attended by about 200 members of the public, Wan Ahmad himself went on record saying that the EC does not have the power to execute any of the electoral reforms proposed by Bersih due to the EC's legal limitations and that according to the law, the EC is only empowered "to conduct and administer elections". Wan Ahmad even said, "I wish you would go to the Prime Minister and the Attorney General with your reform proposals because the EC can't do anything." Thus, Wan Ahmad should be grateful that Bersih has the courage and integrity to push for the electoral reforms that the EC is powerless to provide, and lend his full support to the Bersih public rally on July 9. As Deputy Chairman of the EC, Wan Ahmad should recognise that the adoption of Bersih's eight demands for electoral reform will only help the EC be truly independent of the executive, more powerful and become a world-class institution worthy of respect. Moreover, it is his intense opposition towards Bersih that makes him and the EC look like the enemy of clean and fair elections and puppets of BN, more than ever before.
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| What Islam says about public demonstrations Posted: 01 Jul 2011 01:14 PM PDT
Demonstration motivates the Muslims and it makes them aware about their Muslim brothers. The demonstration is a form of rejecting the evil, a form of commanding good and forbidding evil. We need to understand the term Mudhaharah (demonstrations). Imam Al-Khattabi defined the term demonstration and he understood from it that the support in demonstrations must be in relation to the jihad and battlefield, Allah says: On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) say: We have to understand the foundation of the din (Religion of God). People usually ask for a particular solution to a problem, but in any topic concerning ibadah (Worship), you have to study the pillars of it, the wajibat (necessities) of it, the foundations, prohibitions, the recommendations etc. Similarly if we want to study about Al Mudhaharah (demonstration) we have to know about its objective, its means, because it is not just a matter of saying it is 'allowed' or 'not allowed'. If we study this topic, we find that the Shari'ah terms are very important. Nobody will dispute or disagree that to help Muslims is fard and to cooperate with Muslims is fard, that it is fard to support our Muslim Ummah. Meaning if they ask you to fight, you must fight and the demonstration is boosting the morale of the Muslims in a time of weakness, it is a form of creating a high profile for Islam; it is a form of support. It is a noble thing not something evil. Demonstration motivates the Muslims and it makes them aware about their Muslim brothers. The demonstration is a form of rejecting the evil, a form of commanding good and forbidding evil.
We find it in Kitab Al Hulya Al Awliya (vol 1), Ibn Abbas narrated, he asked: And they went out in two lines, Hamzah in one and Umar al-Khattab with the other. They came out until they went to the Ka'bah and the Quraysh looked to Hamzah and Umar and they were so depressed. The Prophet called Umar that day 'Al Farouq'. It is mentioned in Al Isabah that Muhammad ibn Uthman ibn Abi Shybah narrated from Ibn Abbas the story about how Umar came to Islam and that, "He went out with Hamzah in two lines with the Muslims". So the Prophet gave consent and went out with them in a demonstration, so is that haram? That is the danger of the one who speaks without ilm (knowledge) about the evidences. We find further evidence in the incident when the verses on treatment of women were revealed, some men started to beat their wives and the women came out in a huge demonstration and complained that some men took advantage and beat their wives.
Some people may complain "What is the benefit?" They should realise that the demonstration is not dispraised. So if there are people who do not like it, they should remain silent and should not attack those who do it. These people only want to cover up the fact that they are cowards. They never command good or forbid evil at all, but are afraid that they will be arrested or will be called 'terrorists'. All Muslim scholars encourage demonstrations against evil
If we go to all the ulama, even those who we disagree with, they say that it is permitted. It is only some scholars of the Saudi dynasty, whom it suits them to shout "haram!" if there is a demonstration against the Saudi dynasty, and to say that it is "halal" or even fard if it is in favour of their dynasty. Those who say it is permissible, they are all found in prison like Shaykh Sulayman Al-Alwan, who said publicly: "It is permissible by the evidence that our Imam, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, was put in prison, and the ulama and their disciples came outside and that was the biggest demonstration, it was the uprising of the Hanabilah (followers of Imam Ahmad Hanbal) to release him."
UNISLAMIC ... Demonstrations using swear words are prohibited in Islam The benefit in demonstrations is a lot; the ulama on the street is different than seeing them on satellite, it will send signals to those oppressed that there is an Ummah that will not leave them, an Ummah that supports them. * This article is an adaptation from a reply given by the author to the question "Is demonstration/protest allowed in Islam" on the forum Ummah.com
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| Young voters key to Pakatan victory in GE13, says Mat Sabu Posted: 01 Jul 2011 01:07 PM PDT
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is confident young voters will deliver the pact at least seven states in the next general election, says PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu. The popular leader, better known as Mat Sabu, said the federal opposition plans on retaining Kelantan, Penang, Selangor, Kedah and winning back Perak. He added that PR intended to take over Negri Sembilan, Terengganu and will deliver a "shock" in Johor, although he declined to elaborate if the "shock" meant seizing the Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold or increasing PR's seats. "Young people are our friends; young voters are more inclined towards change. All races love us now," said Mohamad with a smile in a recent interview with The Malaysian Insider. The popular ceramah speaker noted a "very strong" presence among the youths at PR programmes in Negri Sembilan, Terengganu and Johor. "We only need four seats to control Negri Sembilan...we can take nine seats to get Terengganu," said the former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee. According to the Election Commission, 70 per cent of the 4.2 million unregistered voters are between the ages of 21 and 40, and about 450,000 Malaysians turn 21 each year, the eligible age to vote in the country. The number of voters being registered is also picking up pace, with some 12 million on the electoral rolls ahead of a snap election widely speculated to be held early next year. Young people were a key voter segment that swung in favour of the opposition in Election 2008, carrying it to record gains. The loose pact swept to power in five states and denied BN its customary two-thirds majority of Parliament when it won 82 parliamentary seats.
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| Posted: 01 Jul 2011 01:02 PM PDT
By P Gunasegaram, The Star IT'S all about price really. If indeed there is a proposal to buy CIMB Group Holdings Bhd by RHB Capital Bhd – RHB Cap has just about denied that it has any such intentions – then it has to pay the right price to get enough acceptances. But at that kind of right price, it may take a while before additional value can be created over and above RHB Cap and CIMB on a standalone basis, if it is likely that can be done in the first place at all. Also, give a thought to what will happen to RHB Cap's share price if it undertakes gobbling up a banking group three times its size at a much higher relative valuation compared to its own valuation, both in terms of price-to-book value and price to net earnings. Without a doubt, RHB Cap's earnings on a per share basis will take a tumble for the worse while its price-to-book value will rise making it less attractive to potential investors. Add in a price discount for uncertainty over whether the acquisition will work, and you have a recipe for disaster, at least as far as short-term price is concerned. That throws a massive spanner into the works because shareholders won't be very interested in subscribing for new shares when the price outlook is poor. The Employees Provident Fund or EPF, the largest single shareholder of RHB Cap with a 45% stake will not be able to explain to its millions of members why it chose to subscribe to a rights issue or agreed to take up the rights shares that other shareholders did not want. At this stage, it is most probable that there is a merger proposal out there which calls for RHB Cap to make a bid for all of CIMB via a cash offer or a combination of cash and shares at 2.65 times its book value. Strangely RHB Cap itself appears unaware of the deal. Nevertheless it is speculated that such a proposal has been floated to effect a merger between RHB Cap and CIMB. CIMB and Malayan Banking had earlier announced that they are not proceeding with a takeover of RHB Cap because the benchmark price had got too expensive. As the two banks were contemplating a possible takeover, RHB Cap's other major shareholder Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) announced last month that it was selling its stake to sister company Aabar Investments PJS for RM10.80 per share or RM5.9bil. That works out to 2.25 times book value, a figure neither CIMB nor Malayan Banking were willing to pay for RHB Cap. RHB Cap's share price fell below RM9 after the two banks walked away from any potential takeover of the banking group when they considered the reference price of RM10.80 per share, which valued the whole of RHB Cap at RM23.6bil, too rich. Now the latest proposal, intentionally or otherwise, has created another merger buzz but try as you might, it is difficult to see how the deal can be done. CIMB's market value now is around RM66bil. A deal to have a good chance for CIMB's demanding shareholders to accept will have to give a good premium over market value. Put that premium at 20%, and you will have a takeover value of almost RM80bil for CIMB and an acquisition price-to-book value of three times. With that kind of figures, the new RHB Cap's earnings per share is likely to be significantly diluted. RHB Cap, under that elusive proposal, is likely to depend on its major shareholders EPF and Aabar to raise the cash in exchange for additional shares in RHB Cap but for both of them, it is unlikely that such a situation is tenable when the market is likely to downgrade RHB Cap and for the share price to fall. EPF will be hard put to explain to its nearly 13 million members, who include most of Malaysia's workforce, why there is a need to spend so much money and incur extra risk to enable RHB Cap to buy CIMB. If EPF wanted CIMB that badly, all it has to do is to simply buy more shares on the market. Indeed EPF is the second largest shareholder of CIMB with an 11.6% stake while Khazanah Nasional Bhd is the largest with 28.6%. The best thing for RHB Cap to do under the circumstances is to improve its operations further and make itself even more attractive as a merger and takeover target. Taking on too much can cause severe indigestion or worse – pythons have been known to die when they swallowed a prey that was too big for them. For EPF, an accident of fate and the need to protect their investment value, brought them a majority stake of 82% in RHB Capital which they whittled down by a sale of a 25% stake to the Abu Dhabi investors and other disposals. They have made good profits on their RHB Cap stake but it is best not to tempt fate. It is time for them to cut their stakes in RHB Cap, and for that matter any other major stakes they have in other companies, even further. That will stop their involvement in the management of these companies altogether, leaving this to professional managers instead. That ensures that EPF is singularly focused on managing the money of its nearly 13 million investors prudently and with a proper balance between risk and return considering that these are retirement funds that are being invested. As it is, market players accuse EPF of channelling unfairly to RHB Cap a huge chunk of its own business such as trading in shares and bonds, fund management and corporate banking. Divesting its stake in RHB Cap further and withdrawing from any kind of management participation will enable EPF to keep all choices open when deciding on services. What then does this proposal mean? Is it trial balloon to float an idea? Or is it bait on a hook to see if someone will bite? But for now it looks like in its current form it has little chance of success.
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| Ronnie Liu arrested for promoting Bersih rally Posted: 01 Jul 2011 01:00 PM PDT
By Teoh El Sen, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: The police have detained Selangor state exco member Ronnie Liu at about midnight on Friday for allegedly urging people to join the July 9 Bersih rally. Liu, the Pandamaran state assemblyman, was stopped and arrested while returning to Petaling Jaya from a community programme in Serendah. He was traveling with Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim in the latter's car. The DAP man is currently being held at the Kuala Kubu Baru police station for questioning. Fellow state exco member Elizabeth Wong, who was in another car, said she saw a police patrol car stop Khalid's car along a trunk road in Rawang. "The policemen just opened the door and pulled him (Liu) out. A few seconds later they whisked him away," she said. Liu's lawyer told FMT that the police wanted to take his (Liu's) statement. "They said that he was asking people to join the Bersih rally, but we don't think they have any case against him," said the lawyer, who requested anonymity. Meanwhile, Liu said in an SMS message: "Arrested after a ceramah in Serendah because (in my speeches) I touched on Bersih. Now at IPD KKB waiting to give statement".
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| 300 stage rowdy protest against Penang CM, Bersih Posted: 01 Jul 2011 12:57 PM PDT
By Athi Shankar, FMT A journalist from Sin Chew Daily was hit on the back while the protesters warned him that they would throw him into the sea if he continued to snap their photos at close range. The protest caused massive traffic jam on the bridge but policemen failed to take any action. The demonstrators chanted "Guan Eng is a Communist" and claimed that he was the "most racist leader in the history of the country". GEORGE TOWN: Some 300 supporters from Umno, Perkasa and an unregistered NGO Suara Anak Anak Mamak Pulau Pinang held a nearly three-hour noisy march and violent protest in the city centre, condemning both the Pakatan Rakyat state government and the Bersih 2.0 rally. The crowd first gathered at the historic Masjid Kapitan Keling after Friday prayers at 2.30pm. Chanting anti-state government and anti-Bersih slogans, they then marched for about 1.5km from the mosque to Komtar via Lebuh Chulia and Jalan Penang. Their march against the traffic flow caused a standstill and tension in the city. Eyewitnesses said the rowdy protesters hit windshields of cars, and violently shoved aside two meida men – a photographer from the Chinese newspaper Guan Ming Daily and a videographer from a TV station. At Komtar, the protesters chanted anti-state government and anti-Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng slogans. They demanded Lim's resignation as chief minister on grounds that he had openly thrown his support behind the Bersih 2.0 rally planned for July 9. Scuffles broke out when police finally took action to disperse the crowd. Police detained eight people, including Senator Ezam Mohd Nor and Mamak Association chief Mohamed Ghani Abdul Jiman, for allegedly taking part in an illegal assembly. Police deployed some 100 officers and men to thwart the gathering. After the arrests and after police sounded the siren for the protesters to disperse, they gathered along Jalan Penang, where several Umno leaders, including Ezam, gave anti-state government and anti-Lim speeches. Ezam, who was former PKR Youth chief, warned Lim that there would be more such protests in the future to force him out of office before the next general election. Another group of demonstrators marched from Jalan Penang to the Komtar area, carrying two ducks. They called out Penang state executive councillor and Batu Maung assemblyman Abdul Malik Abul Kassim. The police just stood by and allowed the protesters to perform their antics. After the protest, the demonstrators marched back to the mosque via Lebuh Carnavon. Another group proceeded to Penang Bridge. They held a separate rally, carrying banners, waving the Malaysian flag and handing out flags to passers-by. A journalist from Sin Chew Daily was hit on the back while the protesters warned him that they would throw him into the sea if he continued to snap their photos at close range. The protest caused massive traffic jam on the bridge but policemen failed to take any action. The demonstrators chanted "Guan Eng is a Communist" and claimed that he was the "most racist leader in the history of the country". They carried banners carrying messages such as "Bumiputeras are in the government and Chinese in opposition, is there any hope for the Penang Chinese?"
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Earlier, PAS central committee member Hanipa Maidin 'thanked' the government and the tightly-controlled media for promoting the Bersih rally through their warnings and reports.
The Bersih rally calling for widescale electoral reforms has come under attack from UMNO and its right wing leaders, with the party's offshoot Perkasa raising the spectre of a racial riot should organisers refuse to heed warnings from the police to cancel the rally. 
Demonstrations in early Muslim history
'Not haram just because non-Muslims do it'
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