Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- A Whiff of His Father’s Leadership
- Forget ISA abolition, zero-in on electoral reform
- Time to reclaim our true history
- Anything But Umno (Part 2)
- ISA repeal: Our Mandela moment and thereafter
- Sabah not on the right track if sitting on a time bomb!
- Nazri Aziz – the defective law minister
| A Whiff of His Father’s Leadership Posted: 18 Sep 2011 11:13 PM PDT M. Bakri Musa As can be seen, a good policy is the best PR. Notice the favorable comments locally as well as in respected foreign media to Najib's latest initiative, and it did not cost the government a ringgit to get them! Focus on crafting enlightened policies, and the favorable publicity would ensue.
In announcing the repeal of the Internal Security Act and other repressive laws, Prime Minister Najib Razak secures for himself an enshrined spot in Malaysian history. Of the many thoughtful comments on Najib's historic announcement, the one that struck at the heart of the issue was that by former Mufti of Perlis, Dr. Asri Zainul Abidin. He declared, "The ISA is an un-Islamic law. It infringes [upon] individual rights and can be easily misused by leaders, so repealing it was a very Islamic move." Amen! "Najib's announcement," Asri continued, "is more valuable than any bonus payment or salary increase because repealing the ISA means the restoration of human rights … which is more valuable than money." That is putting things in their proper perspective. I disagree however, with the Mufti's characterization of Najib's move as a "gift" to the people. When someone robs you of something and then returns it, that is no gift, merely restoring what is rightly yours. The ISA and other restrictive laws rob us of our precious possession, our freedom. That is Allah's gift to us, as enshrined in the Koran. It is not for mere mortals, no matter how exalted their earthly positions, to tamper. Nonetheless I do hear the Mufti. Good Muslims ought to be grateful for their blessings, however small. I want to be a good Muslim, and Najib's announcement is a huge blessing, so I am very grateful. Alham dulillah! Praise be to Allah! Missing the Islamic Visuals Najib and his policymakers must have deliberated for some time. Perhaps it was not a coincidence that only a week earlier Najib's younger brother, the head of a GLC bank, intimated the need for Malaysia to change lest it risks a Middle East type of upheaval. Significantly, he made it at the Malaysia-China Trade Investment Conference, but more on China shortly. Pursuing the religious theme, I was surprised that Najib and his advisors did not choose an occasion with some Islamic symbolism to make his momentous announcement. Not that there was anything wrong with choosing Malaysia Day. However, we just completed Ramadan only a fortnight ago. Surely Najib had decided then. Imagine if he had announced it on Hari Raya, which also coincided (more or less) with Merdeka Day. What better way to demonstrate and acknowledge the special blessings of Ramadan and live its spirit, as well as fulfill the aspirations of merdeka – freedom! Ramadan is after all about remembrance and return – remembrance on the origin of Islam and return to its essence, in Eboo Patel's pithy phrase. When Islam was revealed, it emancipated the Arabs from their Age of Jahiliyiah (ignorance); likewise, getting rid of the ISA would emancipate Malaysians, lifting us from our Age of Fear. As for the essence of Islam, our faith commands us to do good and forbid evil. Getting rid of ISA is getting rid of evil; it cannot be more Islamic than that! Imagine the powerful symbolic impact globally had Najib made the announcement at the end of Ramadan, coming as it was only a few days before the tenth anniversary of the horrible 9-11, and with it the inevitable hysteria of Islamophobia. Imagine the good that would do to the cause as well as image of Islam! One Muslim country bravely discarding its antiquated repressive laws, and doing so not in response to mass demonstrations or civil disobediences but as a normal turn of events. The contrast with America's renewed commitment to its Patriot Act and the Guantanamo detention camp could not be starker. Speaking of image, had I been the administration's public relations consultant, I would have arranged with the announcement a simultaneous release of some ISA prisoners. I would have alerted the news media so they could station their journalists and cameras outside the gate of Kamunting prison. Imagine the stunning and symbolic visuals! While Najib was making his announcement, the prisoners would emerge one by one into the arms of their eagerly awaiting loved ones. If there were to be a mosque nearby, I would superimpose the call of Azzan to the visuals. I would also have the producer put on a split screen; on one side would be the Prime Minister making his solemn announcement; on the other, the prisoners with their families joyously celebrating their freedom, with the takbir (affirmation to the greatness of Allah) superimposed as the background soundtrack. I cannot imagine a more powerful symbolism. Those tapes would also be great campaign materials! The Najib Administration forks out tens of millions to foreign consultants in an effort to spruce up its image. Alas those "documentaries" that supposedly portrayed Malaysia in good light, as well as the many "interviews" Najib landed on the international media, all turned out to be unmitigated fiascos. Those "journalists" and "interviewers" were nothing more than hired hacks. Yet when a rare and splendid opportunity arose as with the recent announcement, those highly paid public relations pros missed it! Perhaps that should not be a surprise. After all they are all foreigners and non-Muslims to boot; they could not possibly pick up on the Islamic nuances I alluded to earlier. However, their fumbling on the international stage where they are supposedly the experts cannot be readily excused. There is no justification for their lack of professionalism, if not downright unethical behaviors there. As can be seen, a good policy is the best PR. Notice the favorable comments locally as well as in respected foreign media to Najib's latest initiative, and it did not cost the government a ringgit to get them! Focus on crafting enlightened policies, and the favorable publicity would ensue. Even if you do not get any, a good policy is reward in itself. Your people will be grateful for it. A Whiff Of His Father In committing to repeal the ISA, Najib did something no other prime ministers before him had dared even to contemplate. And Najib had some mighty impressive predecessors. In so doing, Najib also demonstrated a whiff of his late father's great leadership qualities. The late Tun Razak did not hesitate to suspend parliament following the May 1969 race riots. Despite the howling protests at home and abroad, Razak was undeterred for he had a crucial job to do; restore peace and stability to a nation shocked by the horrors of that tragedy. And may Allah bless his soul, he accomplished his mission in short order. To those who would belittle that achievement, let me remind them that the 1969 riot coincided with the flare ups of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. While Malaysians have been enjoying peace for the past four decades, those folks in Northern Ireland are still busy settling their deadly scores. To this day, Tun Razak remained unique in being the only leader in the world who grabbed power during a national emergency to pursue a much needed critical goal, and then willingly gave that power up once he completed his mission. No other leader could claim that. On the contrary, history is filled with leaders who had to be pushed or dragged out, or worse. Libya's Gaddafi and Syria's Assad are only the latest examples. I am not concerned with how Najib arrived at his decision; I am focused only on the decision. There is no shortage of skeptics out there, and they are not without their reasons. After all Najib's flip-flopping rivals that of his immediate predecessor. Even if those skeptics were to be proven right later, there would be no turning back. Najib has clearly declared his niat (intention) to repeal the ISA. In Islam, niat is what counts. We declare our niat before we pray, fast, give zakat or undertake the Hajj. If Najib fails to live up to his Nawaitu, then he has to answer not only to his Maker on the Day of Judgment but also more practically, to his political makers – the voters – right here on earth and now, as in the next election. Najib's Nixon-in-China Moment Najib's declaration last Wednesday reminded me of Nixon's pioneering 1972 trip to China. It took another seven years before America would send its first Ambassador to Beijing. Today, over 30 years later, we wondered why on earth it took America so long to recognize the obvious reality of this most populous nation. Regardless, America, China, and the world are now better for it. Nixon basked on the glory of his China trip and went on to win a landslide for his second term. Alas that triumph proved short-lived, for he was soon forced out of his presidency in shame on matters unrelated to his China initiative. Nonetheless his trailblazing China moment retained its luster in an otherwise blemished legacy. If Najib's Malaysia Day niat proves to be just that and nothing more, well, like Nixon, at least he will have that as his legacy, and only that. However, if it proves to be ikhlas (sincere) and only his first step, with many more courageous moves ahead, then greatness awaits him, as well as Malaysia.
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| Forget ISA abolition, zero-in on electoral reform Posted: 18 Sep 2011 03:36 PM PDT
Article 149, which is meant for national security, is the mother of repressive laws, as it enables parliament to brush aside fundamental human rights guaranteed under Part 2 of the Constitution to enact laws that grant the Executive sweeping power that includes detention without trial. The human rights so affected include those enshrined under Article 5 (life and liberty), Article 9 (freedom of movement), Article 10 (freedom of speech and assembly), etc. By Kim Quek Prime Minister Najib Razak's stunning announcement of his intention to repeal the abominable Internal Security Act (ISA) as well as the three archaic Proclamations of Emergency has brought much excitement to a country long struggling to rid itself of repressive rule. Najib said in a much anticipated speech delivered on the "historic night" of Sept 15 (as he himself described) that the lifting of these repressive legislations was meant to meet the "aspiration of the people for a more open and dynamic democracy, …..so as to be at par with other democratic systems in the world". The immediate emotional impact of such a momentous announcement must be one of exhilaration and euphoria for many – we are now finally on the path to regain our long lost democracy! But are we? OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLE? In the same breath as Najib announced the good news, he said new legislations will be enacted – an anti-terrorism act and a public order law - under the umbrella of Article 149 of the Federal Constitution to combat subversives and organized violence, so as to preserve public order and security. But isn't this the same umbrella Article 149 that gave birth to the detestable ISA? Article 149, which is meant for national security, is the mother of repressive laws, as it enables parliament to brush aside fundamental human rights guaranteed under Part 2 of the Constitution to enact laws that grant the Executive sweeping power that includes detention without trial. The human rights so affected include those enshrined under Article 5 (life and liberty), Article 9 (freedom of movement), Article 10 (freedom of speech and assembly), etc. Article 149 was written in such a way that it virtually gives the dominant party in parliament a blank cheque to write whatever autocratic law whenever it desires, as the grounds upon which such law can be enacted encompass a wide range of vague justifications – grounds such as any actual or threatened action that may cause citizens to fear organized violence, or to excite disaffection against government, or to promote ill-will among races, or prejudice the functioning of public service or supply, etc. With such licence to create autocratic legislations, can Umno resist the temptation to fashion the new anti-terrorist laws after its repressive impulse for self-preservation? Considering Umno's notorious record of contempt for the sanctity of law, as reflected in its cavalier attitude in amending the Constitution for political expediency – having made more than 600 amendments to the Constitution in the short period of the country's independence – the answer must be an emphatic no. NO CHANCE OF FAIR IMPLEMENTATION Even in the unlikely event of Umno managing exceptionally to enact the replacement security laws in accord with the democratic spirit of our Constitution on this occasion, there is still the huge question of whether Umno is capable of implementing these laws with fairness and equity. In this respect, we recall that when the ISA was enacted in 1960, our first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman gave the solemn pledge in parliament that the vast power of ISA would only be used to curb the communist insurgency, and would never be used to suppress political opposition. But we all know that the ISA detention center at Kamunting has played host to such distinguished "guests" (detainees) as Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Mat Sabu, Karpal Singh, Lim Guan Eng (among thousands of others). Does anyone in his right mind believe that any of them could have been a communist or a subversive? It is an undeniable fact that the history of ISA is a mirror of the relentless abuse of draconian power by the Umno led regime to oppress opponents and silence critics. Instead of using the ISA as a weapon to combat the communists as pledged, ISA has been turned into Umno's potent instrument to keep its hegemony intact all these decades. Umno is now facing unprecedented challenge to its political survival. Are we to believe that it will give up this potent weapon at this most vulnerable moment of its existence? What Najib is effectively tellings us is that the anti-communist law (ISA) will now be replaced by anti-terrorist law. Since both laws derive from the same root (Article 149), have the same power of preventive detention, exercised by the same political masters, and implemented by the same institutions (police, attorney general and judiciary), which now enjoy even less public confidence than in the past, why should one believe that history will not repeat itself? If an anti-communist law has been persistently and unhesitatingly abused to blunt opposition challenges in the past, why should we believe that the new anti-terrorist law will not be similarly abused now that Umno is struggling desperately for its political survival? GENUINE REFORM UNLIKELY Even if Najib is serious about these changes this time, as he may have been persuaded to adopt this course as the best way to recoup the middle ground support he lost in the recent Bersih rally debacle, obstacles ahead abound. For a start, Najib appears to have acted in isolation, as two key players seem to have been left out of the loop. Neither his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin nor Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein – and by extension, the cabinet – seem to have participated in the decision-making process. The hardliner Home Minister, who is responsible for implementing the security laws, expressed ignorance, when reporters asked him about rumours of a pending repeal of ISA only two days before Najib's speech. While Muhyiddin, speaking at a Merdeka-Raya event in Nibong Tebal, Penang on Sept 17, said that Najib's announcement was "unexpected and radical", but he quickly added that Najib's speech was "bold and courageous". He went on to praise Najib for moving with the time and assured the people that the changes were meant for the good of the people. Such expressions of "surprise" and "praise", coming after keeping mum for two days, give a lot of food for thought. A reasonable interpretation is that the staunchly conservative and increasingly more powerful deputy leader of Umno cum deputy prime minister was not happy with such a "radical" move, but pragmatism dictates that he must not show it. Instead, he must have decided over the two days of contemplation to turn an apparently unhappy event into advantage by riding on this new wave of "democratic reform" to reap maximum support at home and abroad, without the slightest intention to let go of Umno's repressive grip. After all, there is still ample opportunity to keep Umno's draconian power intact during the legislative as well as the implementation stage. Indeed that seems to be the case, as unmistakably signaled by Muhyiddin when he pointed out that the new security laws will prioritize security over human rights, when answering query whether there would be true reforms with the introduction of two new security laws. Without the prior consultation and support of Umno's top guns for genuine reforms, and with Najib's miserable record of flip-flops whenever opposed by conservatives, it is almost a foregone conclusion that there will not be true reforms whether there is or isn't repeal of current repressive legislation. ELECTORAL REFORM TOP PRIORITY The real danger to true reformists lies in the false propaganda that can be generated from this new development, considering the immense power of BN's propaganda machinery, which encompasses all newspapers and all TV channels. Among the casualties of such false propaganda would be the Bersih 2.0 movement for electoral reform, as euphoria so created may deflate the immense momentum generated by the recent Bersih rally. It may even cripple Bersih's capacity to rally another mass demonstration, if substantial section of the middle ground is doped into cherishing such false hope of democratization. And Bersih rally 3 looks inevitable, in the light of alarming increase of discovery of frauds in the electoral roll, against the back drop of a reluctant BN to institute real reform. This new menace of apparently systemic infestation of phantom voters in the electoral roll, unless effectively checked now, can snowball into something like 'Project M' (M stands for Mahathir) which had singularly propelled Umno to political dominance in Sabah in the Nineties. We are therefore landed in the dire state of having to face new trouble spots while resolution of old issues is not in sight yet. It is therefore imperative that we redouble our effort to press for swift and effective measures to rectify the current electoral flaws, and not allow ourselves to be unnecessarily distracted by Najib's new initiative over democratization. Top priority must always be electoral reform, as it holds the key to a fair chance of winning the right to administer the country. Without the mandate to rule, all talks of reforms will be in vain.
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| Time to reclaim our true history Posted: 16 Sep 2011 10:23 PM PDT But supposing what Zainal has said is true - that we were never colonised - why did he wait till now to point this out? Why did he keep it secret from the whole country and allow the government to continue to celebrate Independence Day every year when there was really no liberation from colonialism to begin with? We've never been colonised by the British! I've never heard anything so ludicrous. And it's coming from history professors. Not just one, but at least two. Yeah, professors touting hogwash.  Prof Zainal Kling (right) first dropped the bombshell when he said several days ago that Malaya was never colonised. He said it was wrong to say that we were under colonial rule for 400 years, which would mean since 1511 when the Portuguese invaded Malacca. This would also mean that we were never colonised by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. No kidding? He said under the British, the Malay states were merely protectorates because the Malay rulers retained their sovereignty. Only Singapore, Malacca and Penang, known as the Straits Settlements, were colonies. He said Malaya was colonised by the British for only two years, during the Malayan Union period from early 1946 to the end of 1947, and by the Japanese during the Second World War. Wow! And here's his punch line - it is therefore wrong to say that the police, political leaders and Malay officers before 1957 were subservient to the British.  Ah! That's the main point, isn't it? He brought all that up to discredit what PAS deputy president Mohamad (Mat) Sabu (left) had recently said about the attack on Bukit Kepong, didn't he?Mat Sabu had said that the real heroes of that incident were not the police who defended the Bukit Kepong police station because they were serving the British, but that the credit should go to Mat Indera, the communist who led the attack, because he was fighting against the colonialists. Mat Sabu's remarks have created a storm since, and both sides of the political divide have been drawn into it. Their supporters have also entered the fray, either voluntarily or through being instigated to do so. Even ex-servicemen have joined in. But supposing what Zainal has said is true - that we were never colonised - why did he wait till now to point this out? Why did he keep it secret from the whole country and allow the government to continue to celebrate Independence Day every year when there was really no liberation from colonialism to begin with? Why did he let Malaysians put up with this masquerade? Something doesn't add up. By withholding this crucial piece of information from the nation, is Zainal Kling being a true Malaysian? Why has he waited till this politically opportune time to drop the bomb? Semantic quibble The other professor who has come out to say the same is Prof Emeritus Khoo Kay Kim. He corroborated Zainal's viewpoint by saying that "the British never ruled the country". They had "merely taken over the administration of our country", he added. Excuse me! Is there a difference between "ruling" and "administering"? This whole thing sounds like a semantic quibble - the British merely administered, they did not rule; we were not colonised, we retained our sovereignty; we were a protectorate, not a colony.  Khoo (right) said that from a legal point of view, Malaya was never colonised because the British made treaties with the Malay rulers before taking over the administration. That may be the form, but let's not forget the substance. In being a part of this 'conspiracy' of silence together with Zainal until this politically opportune time, Khoo's status as a true Malaysian must also be viewed with suspicion, mustn't it? Are there other professors involved in this 'conspiracy'? Suaram president Kua Kia Soong hints that the professors' response to Mat Sabu's remarks is "sickeningly deferential". This seems to imply that they have been put up to it. And if so, their academic integrity would have to be questioned too, because aren't academics supposed to be above politics? The great sin for professors, especially History professors, would be revisioning history to serve political purposes. Or to be deferential to the government of the day. As it is, Malaysian history as presented to Malaysians has been little more than a construct designed to aggrandise the ruling party, especially Umno. The real history has not been fully told. And the reason for this is that the ruling party has been adept at manipulating historical facts, including omitting important ones, to present a story that glorifies the party itself and promotes Ketuanan Melayu. To be sure, Umno was not the only party that engaged in the movement for independence. It was not even the first on the scene. Others came before it. Baling Talks meant to fail Watch the documentary '10 Tahun Sebelum Merdeka' by the film-maker Fahmi Reza and learn about the struggles of the multi-racial Putera-AMCJA for independence 10 years before 1957. Learn about the People's Constitution they drafted, the successful country-wide 'hartal' they staged on Oct 20, 1947, to protest against the Federation of Malaya Constitutional Proposals made by the British. Guess who staged a counter-protest to the 'hartal' in some rural areas like Senggaram and Bagan Datoh? Umno! (Doesn't it remind you of Umno Youth counter-protesting againt Bersih 2.0?)  Read about the struggles of Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM), which came into being seven months before Umno was formed. Its main goal was to attain full independence for Malaya. Read about Ahmad Boestamam, Shamsiah Fakeh (left), Ishak Muhammad, Mokhtaruddin Lasso, Burhanuddin Helmi. Read about the fight against colonialism by the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), founded in 1930. Yes, the communists were freedom fighters. Anyone who says "those who regard the communists as freedom fighters are traitors" (like retired lieutenant-general Ja'afar Onn) is talking rubbish. Who fought the Japanese when they invaded Malaya? And after the war, when the communists went about killing people, whom were they targeting? Those who had collaborated with the Japanese. In 1945, the CPM opted to work for national independence using legal means. But in time, the British began cracking down on what they considered radical factions opposing its rule. The CPM was declared illegal in 1948. Then the Emergency was declared as the CPM mounted an armed struggle against the British colonialists.  In 1955, the CPM made overtures to Tunku Abdul Rahman's government to negotiate peace. That led to the Baling talks (right). If you were to read the transcripts of that negotiation carefully, you would realise that Chin Peng, representing the communists, was sincere in wanting to lay down arms and be part of the legitimate political movement towards independence because he acknowledged that the government was now an elected one and as such he was no longer fighting the British. It was the Tunku who made things difficult for the communists by demanding total surrender and subjection to a period of detention for them to be investigated. This scuttled the talks. When journalist Said Zahari asked the Tunku right afterwards if he was disappointed that the talks were not successful, the Tunku gave an astoundingly revealing reply. "No, no, not at all," he said. "I never wanted it to be a success." Twisted history These are not what have been taught in our schools. And so for generations, millions of Malaysian students have graduated not knowing the full story. Only the story that Umno wants them to know. And Umno has been revisioning history too, downplaying the contributions of the leftists and the non-Malay communities. Just visit the Independence Memorial in Malacca and see for yourself. This is not unexpected. Our leaders have been twisting things to suit their political agenda for decades. And historical facts are not spared. But the spin against Mat Sabu has gone out of whack. His opposers have even extrapolated the meaning of his remarks to imply that he does not appreciate the sacrifices of the police and the armed forces. This is certainly not true. There is no such implication. By saying that the Bukit Kepong police were serving the British, he did not say that the whole armed forces of this country from that era till now are worthless. No logical person would see such an implication in what he said - unless their agenda is to shoot him down regardless of logic.  All told, there has been a lot of vitriol thrown at Mat Sabu, and consternation expressed at the 'revelations' of Zainal Kling and Khoo Kay Kim, but there is also an upside to the whole episode.It is opening up a new public debate that is much needed. And the theme of that debate is the reclaiming of our true history. Forums are being held, including one discussing the role of the leftists in the struggle for independence, featuring eyewitness Said Zahari (left) himself. More history experts should be joining in. As well as more chroniclers of those times. The Malaysian mental revolution starts now. And the reclaiming of our true history is its catalyst. |
| Posted: 16 Sep 2011 05:54 PM PDT Ali Kadir, The Malaysian Insider Humility is a virtue which everyone of us should aspire to but many of us prefer pride. So we should not be surprised that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Barisan Nasional are claiming credit for announcing the removal of some laws which the BN government has used for decades to stifle dissent, lock up critics and control the press. Strange isn't it that they are silent about being the architects of the ISA and other laws but quite happy to claim credit for proposing their demise. This is like a factory owner or dare I say rare earth plant, which pollutes the neighbourhood for 20 years, and then congratulates itself for shutting down the factory, not saying sorry for the increase in the number of deaths from cancer. But it's OK, by claiming credit Najib and BN are behaving just like humans or like desperate governments anywhere in the world. I just have a few points to make. One, this is a proposal, a whole bunch of nice words but only words. Two, the test of sincerity of any policy or initiative is timing. If Najib proposed these changes and implemented it within his few weeks in office, then he could make the argument that his DNA is that of a reformer. But he and BN are only doing this now because it is his last gambit, not because he believes that Malaysia is a mature democracy. The real mature people are the Malaysians who have fought with blood, sweat and tears for a better country. Remember the Hindraf men who were detained for speaking up for their community, the Sin Chew journalist who was jailed for alerting Malaysians to the racism of Ahmad Ismail, politicians who were deprived of sleep and tortured for no other reason that they didn't agree with the government, Raja Petra Kamarudin who was detained because he was too troublesome.
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| ISA repeal: Our Mandela moment and thereafter Posted: 16 Sep 2011 04:31 PM PDT For national reconciliation to have a chance, we need to give truth a fair hearing. One vile accusation is that Uthaya is racist. It's an allegation easily rubbished by Uthaya's track record as counsel to Malay and Chinese victims of police brutality. He took up their cases pro bono years before any of his present armchair cyber critics even acquired a pinch of political consciousness. Helen Ang, Free Malaysia Today The release of Nelson Mandela after a 27-year detention ushered in South Africa's post-apartheid era where the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established during his presidency. It is hoped that Thursday's watershed announcement on repealing the Internal Security Act will yield a similar milestone in our political landscape. And hopefully the same two keys words – 'truth' and 'reconciliation' – will be as significant for us. Can this momentous move to sheath the ISA sword go some way in making Malaysians braver and more clear-headed in confronting self-evident truths? Ex-ISA detainee P Uthayakumar is one of the foremost and forthright speakers of the truth today. I'll share why I hold a deep respect for this man but first a few words on another political figure that played a recent role in carving out public space for the exploration of truth. The Malay far right has been calling for Mohamad Sabu, better known as Mat Sabu, to be ISA-ed over his remarks on the Bukit Kepong episode. "Well over 900 police reports" were lodged against Mat Sabu for what is in essence a challenge to the Umno version of our Merdeka narrative. Threat of police investigation is a same sort of weapon that the ISA is. And the ISA has been a blunt and brutal instrument to put the fear of government into the people. The almost one-party state is feared for its power to lock you up and throw away the key. Umno controlling the Home Ministry not only has ISA at its disposal but the police and their lock-up facilities too. PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali suggested that the large number of police reports against Mat Sabu were mobilised by Umno through the many NGOs connected to the party. Punishing the truthseekers We must take our hat off to Mat Sabu for sticking to his guns on the Mat Indera contentious comment and remaining unfazed by the almost a thousand police reports. It is through Mat Sabu standing his ground despite 'dikepong' (being besieged) from all sides that paved the way enabling last evening's forum in Petaling Jaya on the contributions of the left to the decolonialisation process. If Mat Sabu had succumbed to pressure exerted by adversaries and allies alike, the topic would have been closed prematurely. Members of the public could not then have heard Dr Rohana Arifin's forum presentation telling how the Bukit Kepong hagiography – the eponymous film directed by Jins Shamsuddin – goes to serve the Umno propaganda. A retraction by Mat Sabu as Karpal Singh had demanded would have shut the window of opportunity created and later kept ajar by PAS agreeing to back up their deputy president. Umno is the devil we know that fails to mask its coercive nature in trying to silence Mat Sabu. Turning the complaints over to police opens the door to another facet of state intimidation, especially when sedition is invoked. DAP is an equally treacherous devil. Coming on the heels of Karpal's insistence that Mat Sabu should apologise was the hatchet job by Tunku Abdul Aziz. The party vice chairman had piled insult upon derision upon malice in tearing into Mat Sabu. Karpal did not bother to hide the motivation for his attack. He declared upfront that the resulting backlash from Mat Sabu offending Malay 'sensitivities' would be "very damaging" to Pakatan's prospects in the general election. A parallel motive propels the attack by Aziz, i.e. DAP's courting of the Malay vote. In fact, DAP stabbing Mat Sabu in the back indicates that the party is preparing itself to go direct to the Malay electorate and bypassing electoral pact partners PAS and PKR as intermediaries. The DAP plan to stand its own Malay candidates is no secret. Note that on Sept 2, when Umno firepower in the form of pliant press and party proxies was trained on Mat Sabu, DAP international secretary Liew Chin Tong signed his party's name to a Pakatan joint statement that condemned the Utusan Malaysia reports as "irresponsible spin-mongering being perpetrated by Umno leaders and the media". Yet a mere five days after the opposition's purported defence of Mat Sabu, the New Straits Times on Sept 7 published Aziz's vicious denunciation of the populist speaker's historical reinterpretation. Tunku Aziz, Karpal and the party they chair don't give a toss for any intellectual truth of the matter. Granted, Mat Sabu's off-the-cuff observation has an adverse impact on the potential votebank and Pakatan pursuit of the Putrajaya crown. However DAP pulling the rug from under Mat Sabu's feet signifies how for them, truth is better off denounced if it gets in the way of fishing in Malay waters.
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| Sabah not on the right track if sitting on a time bomb! Posted: 16 Sep 2011 04:08 PM PDT Who owns lands in Sabah several times the size of Singapore and got it without state cabinet approval? Answer: Felda. Who takes our income taxes, service taxes, parking offence compounds and penalties? Answer: The Federal government, to the tune of around RM19 billion per year (for taxes only), and that calculates to about RM95 in five years. And how much were we allocated for development fund under the five-year 10th Malaysia Plan? RM9 billion with Sarawak and Sabah combined! DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN Former chief Minister and Sabah State Assembly Speaker, Datuk Salleh Said Keruak, had said recently that he believes Sabah and Malaysia are on the right track to achieving state and national targets, and that to him Sabah has already seen tremendous developments "by leaps and bounds since independence," and that "the federal allocations for Sabah and Sarawak... they are getting a bigger chunk of the federal fund. No one can deny this," that the per capita income in the state has also increased and increasing and lifestyles have improved and that "we enjoy a peaceful and harmonious state that continues to progress at rapid pace," he said. Of course there have been a lot of changes after independence, but we must not look at what we have achieved only but what great developments we have missed because of mistakes we had committed and are still committing! If I were to elaborate on this point alone I could go on to fill up a few pages of this paper, even many books. When I wrote my paper, "Shattered Hopes and Broken Dreams," I listed a host of problems which had become cancerous for Sabah. Anyone wishing to have a copy of this paper can email me at danieljjambun@gmail.com. The issues are many, but let me just mention a few. By joining Malaysia in a hurry we have lost the right over a lot of things like revenue collection, which most of it now goes to Kuala Lumpur, and this is a violation of Point 11 of the 20 Points which says: "North Borneo should retain control of its own finance, development and tariff, and should have the right to work up its own taxation and to raise loans on its own credit." By looking at our potential oil revenue, Salleh cannot deny that we should now be richer than Brunei! Now there has been a discovery of a field with a stock of US500 billion worth of gas in Sabah waters, and the frustration is that it is even this will not be under our control. And what untold wealth have we lost because of the surrender of Block L and M – a surrender made without reference to the state cabinet and the federal cabinet? If we complain about Tan Sri Harris surrendering Labuan to KL without the people's consent, imagine how much more we have lost with the loss of Block L and M! Tremendous development, my foot! Salleh tries to downplay the seriousness of the illegals problem by saying there are needed in the plantation and construction sectors, as if we Sabahans are blind idiots who have never learned the truth about the whole rotten things about PTIs. The illegals are a massive problem which is threatening Sabah with the possibility of a reverse takeover and a drastic change in the demography of Sabah. Hundreds of thousands of them have become legal, are now already full-fledged new Bumiputeras of Malaysia because some leaders saw to it that they get Mykads. Many are still coming through our porous boundaries with ease. To come in and out of Sabah is so easy, without any fear of being caught. Just take a fishing boat out to sea and join a bigger boat to go to the Philippines waters which is a short distance away! And to come back, just do it vice versa, and the border police won't even care! The refusal by UMNO to form a Royal Commission of Inquiry to solve it despite the many requests by BN local component parties can only be interpreted as caused by a hidden agenda to sabotage Sabah for the sake of political expedience. The problem of the PTIs has become legendary and thanks to the works of Mutalib M. D. and Dr. Chong Eng Leong, we know this is not just a fourth-stage cancer. Sabah is sitting on this time bomb which is waiting to explode! And the federal government's suspicious method of solving the problem with the 5P Registration method is not working. How many illegals have been sent home although we have registered hundreds of thousands of them? What is going on behind it all? Why haven't we heard anymore about it? Salleh cannot deny that the PTIs are still the mother of all problems in Sabah! Sabah on the right track? After 48 years with BN, Sabah has become the poorest in Malaysia although it was endowed with rich natural resources. What happened? Where have all the forests gone? Answer: To the casinos of Genting, Macau, Hong Kong and Manila. Who got all the wealth of gold and other metals from the infamous Mamut Copper Mine? Answer: The Japanese! Who is reaping the majority share of the huge Sabah Forest Industries in Sipitang? The Indians, with Ballarpur Industries holding a superlion share of 97.8 percent since March 2007. (BPH is wholly owned by Ballarpur International Holdings NV, which in turn is owned by BILT (80%) and JP Morgan (20%). We are surviving by importing 70% of our food supplies! So, I beg Salleh to explain what he means by "lifestyles have improved." Who owns lands in Sabah several times the size of Singapore and got it without state cabinet approval? Answer: Felda. Who takes our income taxes, service taxes, parking offence compounds and penalties? Answer: The Federal government, to the tune of around RM19 billion per year (for taxes only), and that calculates to about RM95 in five years. And how much were we allocated for development fund under the five-year 10th Malaysia Plan? RM9 billion with Sarawak and Sabah combined! Datuk, are we on the right track? Over the last few years, especially after Umno took over Sabah in 1994, tens of thousands of Sabahan youths have gone to Singapore and the Peninsular to try to make decent livelihoods. We have a very high unemployment rate! A recent job fair organized by the government caused an embarrassment to the BN because tens of thousands came like hungry wolves trying to get only a few jobs. All those news about job creations and job offers, and blaming youths for being choosy are just propaganda and people are tired of it. A hotel doorman in Kota Kinabalu makes about RM600, but if he did the same work in Kuala Lumpur he can make RM2,000 plus, even more in Singapore. Why? Because the economy of Sabah had long gone to the dogs! We have a runaway inflation, which the BN keeps justifying as "tidak membebankan pengguna (not burdening the consumers)." People are suffering even with a salary of RM2,500, let alone those with less, and the worst affected are the kampung people who never get any salary raises because they have no salaries! And yet they still have to pay for the higher petrol and cost of transport. Sabah's GDP at 5% per annum is the lowest in the nation and we have been running on deficit budgets for the last 13 years! We are debt ridden! And with all these happening we don't see any clear light at the end of the long dark tunnel. We have been promised that poverty would be ended in Sabah by the end of last year. Instead the government found out there were even more poor people than they thought! We have been promised Sabah will achieve a developed status by 2015 but at the way things are going this is not going to happen, not even by 2020. Salleh wants was to see Sabah become stronger economically, politically and culturally and staying within the federation. But with the strong economic colonialism of the Peninsular over Sabah, especially with the repressive cabotage policy in place and lack of Borneonization, how are we going to be economically stronger? How do we become politically stronger with Umno controlling everything here? Does political strength mean Umno strength of control and dominance? If even the local BN components are just stooges, what political strength for Sabah do we have? And about becoming culturally strong, what does that mean? Even the Pesta Kaamatan is being controlled by Umno, even by leaders who have no KDM blood, to the point of excluding the Huguan Siou in the ceremonies! This talk about cultural development is all lies. What is real is that the Malay supremacy is being applied in Sabah, with employments in the public sector is biased to certain groups, so is that what Salleh means by Sabah becoming culturally strong? We don't need all these sweet talks which are made just for the sake of propaganda. What we need is solid results which can be backed up by real figures, and outputs and growths which we can feel in our stomachs.
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| Nazri Aziz – the defective law minister Posted: 16 Sep 2011 10:44 AM PDT By Mariam Mokhtar, FMT Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohamed Nazri Aziz said that the government was serious in fighting corruption and announced the latest Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) initiative whereby taxi drivers would become mini-ambassadors and informers on behalf of the MACC. He added that if the information the cabbies supplied was successful in securing arrests and convictions, they could also be rewarded for their efforts. Nazri said: "The government is committed to battling corruption through its transformation plan by establishing a National Key Results Area for corruption and reducing corruption via increased enforcement and prevention, while improving the people's perception of the government's and public services' integrity." The campaign was launched by Nazri at the MACC's Hari Raya Aidil Fitri open house on Sept 13. He said that over 30,000 taxi drivers would be the MACC's informers and that around 200 taxi drivers operating in the Klang Valley would start the campaign. Why does Nazri participate in another thoughtless measure rather than confront the problem of corruption head-on? Nazri, who is also the de facto Law Minister, should perhaps be reassigned the title "Defective Law Minister". It is possible he is taking his cue from Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and also the former PMs who only pay lip service, when it comes to tackling corruption. It appears that this latest measure to raise the public's awareness, increase their responsibility, and hence engage the community in fighting corruption was the brainchild of the MACC. According to Nazri, cab drivers made ideal informers because they would pick up information as they talked with their passengers. Perhaps Nazri could tell us how many high-ranking politicians ever use cabs? These representatives of the people are some of those who are allegedly most corrupt. The big fish allegedly involved in corruption are driven around in chauffeur-driven cars. He said: "They (the taxi drivers) are at the frontline of the tourism industry as they are the first group to interact with overseas tourists. "They can be considered the country's duta kecil (mini ambassadors) in disseminating information (about the country). Therefore, programmes like this are needed. "They can be our whistleblower and can play the rôle as deliverer of information to MACC. We expect them to play a crucial rôle. I believe that after this, MACC will brief NGOs and government agencies and may even train them because we are serious in enlisting their help to fight graft." The MACC chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed also said: "Taxi drivers will be MACC's eyes and ears in reporting corruption. They pick up a lot of information from passengers' conversations, or might even witness corrupt transactions in their taxis." When did Nazri and Abu Kassim last take a taxi? The last time I did, I was ripped off going from Medan Gopeng to my home which is just around the corner. The journey of 2.3km took less than five minutes but cost me RM30. The bus fare from KL to Ipoh was less than this last step of the journey. Do these men not realise that the public is constantly being ripped off by errant taxi drivers and that passengers, especially tourists, are at their mercy? Taxi drivers, their companies and the government agency under which taxis come, should be among the people to be investigated for corrupt practices. The drivers fleece the public with expensive fares, they refuse to use the meter and many of the vehicles they operate are unsafe. The latest taxi I travelled in was not working, the boot would not shut and my suitcase balanced precariously on top of the taxi driver's effects, which took up most of the space in the boot. The taxi was filthy and the driver refused to use the meter. He told me I could be dropped by the roadside if "kamu tidak suka". The belligerent attitude of some of our taxi drivers is similar to that of our politicians. If Nazri were to read the newspapers, especially the mainstream media, he might realise the number of complaints which passengers, especially tourists, make against taxi drivers. The ambassadorial rôle played by the taxi drivers would drive tourists away. As it is, locals have given up complaining as they do not see any action forthcoming from the authorities. Taxi drivers, just like politicians, are a law unto themselves. There are also allegations that the taxi companies are controlled by corrupt politicians. Why should Nazri and the MACC waste more taxpayers' money on idiotic schemes? Why should we waste more of the public purse paying for the salaries of these dim-witted ministers and heads of public institutions?
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