| Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI Posted: 17 Jul 2011 01:47 PM PDT  By Martin Jalleh
Dear Holy Father,
I am a Catholic, writing from my blessed and beloved country, Malaysia, a land of poignant diversity, pitiful contradictions, pathetic leadership and plentiful opportunity. It is a nation which I am proud of, one where anything and everything is possible – from the most virtuous to the most vile and venal. Very soon our Prime Minister (PM) Najib Tun Razak will be paying you an official visit at your summer residence Castel Gandolfo. He will no doubt put on a "grand show" in Ganddolfo, in spite of having suffered from "heat stroke" after a recent summer of discontent in Malaysia. The Star, an established (i.e., one dictated by the establishment) newspaper has described the scheduled visit as one "making waves among Roman Catholics" in Malaysia. Strangely the only "wave" still etched in the minds of many Catholics is a "political tsunami" that took place in 2008. The visit which The Star claims is "bound to make an impression especially on Catholics" was not even mentioned at Sunday Mass in Catholic churches. Further many Catholics currently wave off the PM as one who is leading the nation into abysmal political backwaters. Catholics who are against the visit, fail to understand that as a spiritual leader, your doors are open to any leader – be he honourable or hypocritical, saint or sinner, righteous or rogue and towering statesman or tyrant, though they know for sure which category their PM belongs in! It seems this 'watershed' event will lead to the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Malaysia. Still, many Catholics fail to see the difference such diplomatic ties would make on their daily lives. Will closer ties mean better times to exercise their religious rights, or will there be bolder lies? The Star also sensationally exclaims: "There cannot be a better opportunity, and at a more appropriate juncture, for the Malaysian leader to highlight the country as one that embodies the principles of inter-religious harmony and respectful co-existence." Ask anyone who does not read the mainstream press and they will tell you, Holy Father, that since Najib became the PM, Malaysia has been slowly but surely imploding as a result of unprecedented racial and religious insensitivities and intolerance brought about by Muslim zealots and bigots. In the past, Malaysia had so often been touted as a melting pot of all races and religions in Asia. It has now become a boiling pot! We were once a model, a showcase of a multi-racial-religious society. Now the Government has to put on a big show though the reality that we are so divided is showing! The truth be told, inter-religious harmony is a myth in this country. Sincere attempts at inter-religious dialogue with Muslims and earnest intellectual discussions and discourses have often been derailed by a mob adept only at displaying their ignorance and irrational arguments to justify their intimidating behavior. Myth & Mockery of Moderation The Star also quotes a senior Malaysian diplomatic official involved in the behind-the-scenes work with the Vatican as saying: "The Vatican has also been wanting to engage with Malaysia which it recognises as a moderate Muslim nation made up of various ethnic groups.'' Joceline Tan, a senior journalist of The Star at her jocular best even "canonises" the PM as such: "There is no doubt the Western world has begun to take note of Najib as a Muslim leader of reason and moderation and the visit will certainly reinforce that." If Najib was indeed "moderate" we would not have had to contend with controversial race and religious issues which are too many to list down here. Najib's heavy-handed response to the recently held Walk for Democarcy (to institutionalize clean and fair elections) made Malaysia look like a moderate Police State! Such is the "moderation" of Najib that Christians to date cannot use the word "Allah" though a High Court in 2009 had affirmed it as a constitutional right. Surely the shocked and speechless Preacher to thePapal Household, Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, who visited East Malaysia in 2010 can fill you in on the details! The PM's political party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has been politicising religion for its survival by creating unfounded fears and insecurities, sowing seeds of suspicion (and definitely not of "reason") amongst Muslims, and deepening their distrust for the adherents of other religions. Malays/Muslims are made to feel that they are always under siege and non-Muslims are their enemies!Yet, as the Muslims are constantly reminded, Malay/Muslim rights have been carved into and guaranteed clearly by the Federal Constitution. The only party that they have to fear most is the Umno elite and warlords! Imaginary threats and bogeymen have been created by Umno and its cohorts, such as the Christians being hell-bent on confusing and converting every Muslim and the latest being an unsubstantiated allegation of a Christian conspiracy to replace Islam as the official religion, and to pave the way for a Christian PM! At times the paranoia created has reached such a ridiculous level that the enlightened Muslim community have expressed their embarrassment and even disgus. Marina Mahathir, a truly moderate Muslim lady once highlighted the existence of a group of defenders of the Islamic faith whom she called the SS (the shallow and superficial). They are people "who have nothing better to do with their lives than look for monsters under their beds, enemies in their blankets or crosses in their buns (and) ice-cream biscuits". She also wrote about "the Simple-Minded and Stupid (SMS)…who believe every little message that comes into their hot little phones, no matter how unlikely". There are also the "Korrupt Kombative Knuckleheads (KKK) who "will do things like throw firecrackers into churchyards, destroy temples and raid married people's bedrooms". She pointed at "the supreme irony of trumpeting our religious superiority while at the same time claiming that it only takes biscuits to destroy us". Meanwhile Najib's Government through its religious departments and the Home Ministry in particular, dominates, dictates, decides, determines and even defines what non-Muslims can and cannot discuss, deliberate on, display in print, and do. Talk about moderation! In 2008, the then Home Minister, when issuing a show-cause letter and several warning letters to The Herald (the Catholic newspaper in Peninsula Malaysia) made it his implicit prerogative and position to preach to and pontificate on what Catholics should and should not believe in! Umno-owned papers, especially the Utusan Malaysia are allowed to go on a spree of spinning falsehood, spouting lies, spewing seditious articles and spreading what the Minister in the PM Department called "outdated racist propaganda" with impunity and immunity provided by the Home Minister. In June this year, the Utusan Malaysia claimed that millions of ringgit were being funneled from some 11 foreign Christian organisations to fund the Walk for Democracy . The organisers denied any links to Christian funding, saying instead that funds for the march came from local sources. Bishop Paul Tan of the Melacca-Johor diocese who is concurrently president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Malaysia, said the Malay daily "appears to have a licence to publish unsubstantiated and wild allegations aimed at fomenting discord between Christians and Muslims in Malaysia." "It appears the authorities are more interested in checking and monitoring people engaged in legitimate expression of their rights than in stopping people who spread all sorts of calumnies against individuals and groups in this country," he added. Honour or Hypocrisy? The religious freedom of Christians and other faiths tragically rests on the PM's political expediency and circumstantial goodwill conveyed during crisis moments in cordial, congenial and courteous close-door meetings together with a chosen few – and not on the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom! Muslim extremists or fanatics who have been found guilty of sedition, criminal intimidation and sacrilegious acts either go scot-free or are given light and ludicrous court sentences which make the Attorney-General's Chambers, the judiciary and the government laughable, and reduce Najib's "moderate" resolve to check extremism to mere lip service. Fanatics, extremists, or what the Minister in the PM Department calls "clowns" are given a free hand in taunting and threatening Christians and other faiths with a bloodbath and a holy war (jihad) whilst the landscape is littered with an increasing number of "Little Mullah Napoleons" running riot with their own brand of religion. What gives extremist Malay/Muslim groups the audacity to display their insolence with impunity? The moderate PM is their inspiration! During the 61st Umno Annual General Assembly, Najib moderatelyvowed to defend Umno's five-decade stranglehold on the federal government even if it meant "crushed bodies", "lost lives" and "ethnic cleansing"! After being PM for almost three years, Najib has failed to fight the fires of racial and religious fanaticism, aggressively fanned by his own party. He takes flight and hides behind his 1Malaysia slogan - a faltering façade, farce and flop which makes him look so utterly foolish! Now we have another slogan – "moderation"! According to Najib's Umno, the Malay/Muslim majority in this country must stamp their superiority over the rest, made all the more easier by Executive Supremacy! Yet this very party that harps on supremacy (be it race or religion), claims that Muslims here can be very easily confused, convinced, controlled and converted! Perhaps the saddest outcome of today's "moderate Malaysia" is that we have accepted the distinction between "Muslim and non-Muslim dominated areas". Yet, there was a time when the citizens of diverse races and religions so successfully lived together side by side in mutual respect and admiration! Tengku Razaleigh a veteran in Umno once with dead honesty declared that ours is a "sham democracy…one which existed only in name but grievously compromised in substance, reality and fact"! According to the politician and prince, Malaysia has "a domineering style of leadership with the cult of the great leader". How can there be moderation? I hope that you will remind our PM of your wise warning in 2009 when speaking at the King Hussein bin Talal mosque in Amman, that the "manipulation of religion sometimes for political ends…is the real catalyst for tension and division and at times even violence in society…" I pray, Holy Father, that you will not allow our Prime Minister to politicize the papacy and use the visit as a political ploy and a public relations exercise with his predictable "moderate" proclamations, pious pronouncements and pretentious promises. In spite of the depressing scenario that I have so described, we are not discouraged nor do we despair. You had once declared that "interreligious and intercultural dialogue between Christians and Muslims … is a vital necessity, on which in large measure our future depends". It is this path and one towards a "more authentic mutual understanding" with our Muslim friends which many Catholics in Malaysia continue to strive towards. The divine always triumphs over evil human designs. May the heavens intervene when His Holiness meets His Hollowness! May hype give way to true hope! May honour prevail over hypocrisy! May humility be the spirit that will grace the hallowed halls ofGandolfo! |
| PAS is Trying Hard Posted: 17 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT By batsman The recent storm in a tea cup in Kedah shows that things will not always go smoothly for the PR coalition. The last thing needed is for shallow politicians to threaten a breakup whenever small problems arise. New forms of cooperation and new devices to ensure the PR coalition remains strong have not been developed yet. Some patience and imagination is needed for things to work themselves out. Some experiments and some new forms will also need to be tried out and adopted if successful. PAS may look like it is stumbling and making mistakes even as the Bersih 2.0 wave motivates and gives fresh hope to hundreds of thousands of Malaysians if not millions looking for a way out of prejudice, corruption, abuse and sin. However, I believe that such stumbling may be necessary in order to find new mechanisms to strengthen the PR coalition. Wisdom, understanding and patience is needed. PAS's approach shows that they are trying hard and yet attentive to complaints and suggestions. The final decision of allowing legal non-Muslim non-halal establishments to operate freely but with the condition that they are not allowed to serve Muslims makes sense as a compromise. Even then, it may be that the problem may still face initial friction. These have to be ironed out whenever they appear. I am no prophet, but I foresee situations whereby non-Muslim non-halal establishments may need to hire bouncers and install CCTV to show that they have employed due diligence in keeping Muslims out of their establishments. Such practices are already common in the west where poor patrons are kept out of high class popular night clubs and other such establishments by bouncers and CCTV. Some places even install biometrics and in the very most expensive ones, regular wealthy patrons willingly inject identity chips under their skin to facilitate entry. This is to ensure that non-halal establishments are high class ones – not the type which break the law by illegally hiring GROs from China, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. Hopefully non-Muslims who regularly patronize non-halal establishments will willingly inject identity chips under their skin as well if they are so obsessed with patronizing such outlets. This is for their own convenience but UMNO will be more than happy with such hi-tech modern biometric cooperation since UMNO is also obsessed about biometrics. I am not sure about PAS. Although I make such predictions cavalierly, I hope people can see that complex problems exist in out society and shallow politicians are not equipped to solve these things. What we need are wise men and women with wisdom, good judgment and integrity. Hopefully Bapa Transformasi can succeed in transforming our politicians into such men and women. He has my gratitude and admiration if he can succeed. It is even possible that if such compromise mechanisms work well, legal non-halal establishments may never need to serve Muslims again throughout the year and not just apply the ban during the holy month of Ramadan. After all to Muslims, they must not give in to sin at all, not just ban it from their lives during the holy month of Ramadan. Giving sin a holiday 11 months of the year and banning it for only 1 month also does not make sense. |
| Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #73 Posted: 17 Jul 2011 09:39 AM PDT 
M. Bakri Musa Islam is fortunate in that right from the very beginning it has a tradition of revival and reform. Chapter 9: Islam in Malay Life
Reform in Islam
Islam is fortunate in that right from the very beginning it has a tradition of revival and reform. A tradition of the prophet has it that Allah will send every so often unto each ummah those who will renew the faith. Implicit in this hadith is the recognition of a community's dynamism. The great Muslim reformists of the 19th and early 20th Centuries were handicapped because their native lands were under Western colonization. Many were necessarily consumed with the battle to free themselves from colonialism and by association, Western influences. They understandably regarded the West as an enemy of Islam. Nonetheless despite such burdens, reformists like Muhammad Abduh of Egypt and Pakistan's Muhammad Iqbal were able to forge a new understanding and insight into Islam. While many reformists of his time were consumed with the futile effort of trying to bring Islam back to its glorious past, Iqbal was forward looking. He rightly distinguished between the eternal and immutable principles of the Quran on the one hand, and those laws, regulations, and practices that were the products of human interpretation. While he rightly acknowledged the great contributions of earlier scholars and ulama, Iqbal reemphasized the necessity for present-day Muslims to use their God-given akal (intellect) to forge new meanings and interpretations to serve modern society. He was rightly contemptuous of the fiction of the "closing of the gate of ijtihad" (rational discourse)" of the 11th Century, and with it the arrogant presumption that everything had been decided and that no fresh insight or thinking was warranted. All that was needed was for the faithful to follow what had been established. That particular hubris resulted in the subsequent stagnation of Islam. Like many contemporary reformists, Iqbal believed that Muslims must once again emulate our earlier brethrens and reassert our right to ijtihad, that is, to reinterpret and reapply Islam to changing social conditions. More significantly, this right belongs to all Muslims and not just the ulama. He felt strongly that the views of individual members of the ummah must be heard and that the mechanism for this can be achieved through a variety of mechanisms. To him, modern participatory democracy is indeed an idealized form of the Muslim concept of mesyuarah (consultation). This is his take on the Westminster model of democracy: "It is…the spirit of the British Empire that makes it the greatest Muhamadan Empire of the World." Iqbal was the product of the great universities of the West (Cambridge and Munich) and the beneficiary of the finest tradition of liberal education. Having seen the best of the West – its dynamism, unrivalled intellectual fervors, and powerful technology – he was not nearly so dismissive of Western achievements. Iqbal was very unlike those ulama who had never ventured beyond their villages and whose intellectual horizons rarely extended beyond the worn-out pages of ancient religious texts. Although Iqbal was very much aware of the excesses and weaknesses of the Western tradition as exemplified by its legacy of colonialism, exploitative capitalism, and rampant secularism, nonetheless he viewed such central Western values as the equality of man, and the rights and dignity of the individual as very much the ideals of Islam also. While traditional ulama may contemptuously dismiss Iqbal because of his Western training, they cannot easily reject Muhammad Abduh. He was after all, one of them, having served as the Grand Mufti of Egypt. He rejected the orthodox notion that constrained Muslims to a literal reading of the Qur'an and sunnah. Clearly he felt that Muslims were mistaken in rejecting the ideas of the West simply because they originated with non-Muslims. Later 20th Century reformists carry on the Iqbalian tradition. Unlike Iqbal, they were not burdened by having to live under colonial rule or foreign domination. Indeed many benefited from the West in terms of their education and freedom. I will mention two in particular. One is Sudanese Mahmoud Taha. He excelled under the British as an engineering student at the rigorous Gordon College (the precursor of the University of Khartoum) and had a thriving private practice before turning to politics, occasioned by the turn to extreme fundamentalism of the Sudanese military government. He feared that the government's headlong rush to implement Shari'a would severely disadvantage and disenfranchise the significant Christian population. Unchecked this would only lead to a destructive civil war. His observation was particularly prescient. He was not against Shari'a, rather the form in which it was to be implemented. There were too many provisions that were simply inconsistent with modern and widely accepted concepts of justice and simple fairness. He founded the Republican Brotherhood, a movement whose objective was to reform the Shari'a to meet the demands of a modern pluralistic populace. Sadly the military rulers interpreted that to be apostasy, a capital crime under Shari'a. Taha was executed in January 1985. In a turn of events that could only be interpreted as divine intervention (or perhaps simple justice), those same military leaders were later killed in yet another military coup. The Sudanese Supreme Court in reviewing the appeal brought by Taha's daughter, reversed the earlier decision and excoriated those who participated in the sham trial. It was of course too late for Taha. Mahmoud Taha's enlightened views are now widely accepted by the Sudanese and others. Equally significant, his many disciples, in particular Abdullahi An-Na'im, are carrying forward his torch. Na'im is uniquely positioned to spread that message from his vantage point as a professor at a leading American university. With the vast resources afforded by Emory University, An-Naim is able to effectively propagate Taha's ideas to the wider world. An-Naim's translation of Taha's seminal work, The Second Message of Islam, and An-Naim's own tome, Toward an Islamic Reformation, represent some of the most original and enlightened interpretations of Islam and the Shari'a. Taha's basic thesis is that we should, like earlier Muslims, go back to the Qur'an and divine its immutable and eternal theme, and then reformulate a new set of laws to meet the needs of contemporary societies. Just as the ancient Muslims were able to reconcile the apparent inconsistencies and contradictions in the interpretations of the various passages of the Qur'an and successfully formulated a remarkable set of laws, so too should modern Muslims do likewise. While ancient Muslims out of necessity emphasized the later passages of the Qur'an that was revealed to the prophet while he was attempting to build the first viable Muslim community at Medinah, present-day Muslims having successfully established our community, must now go back to the Qur'an and ponder its earlier messages, the Meccan verses, that address the idealistic and universal values of Islam.
Early Muslims introduced the concept of naskh (abrogation), to justify their emphasizing certain Qur'anic passages over others. Volumes have been written on this topic, with some denying entirely the very concept. Nonetheless the reality remains; that is, the Shari'a relies on certain passages of the Qur'an while de-emphasizing or simply ignoring others. Thus it justifies capital punishment for apostasy by referring to the Medina verses while ignoring the Meccan passages that encourage Muslims to lead a life of peaceful coexistence with non-believers, and that there be no compulsion in religion.
As Muslims accept the Quran to be infallible and consistent, perceived differences must therefore be just that – a matter of perception. Thus instead of analyzing to death particular Quranic verses to support one's viewpoints – the atomistic approach – present-day Muslims should instead emphasize the totality of the message. In the words of the late Fazlur Rahman of the University of Chicago, we should deduce from the particularities of the Qur'an its underlying unifying principles, and then apply those same principles to specific present-day situations. Obviously modern society differs from those of the prophet's time, but the moral principles and imperatives remain the same.
Next: Confusing Examples For Principles |
| Let me tell you why the Queen wearing yellow when granting an audience to Najib was not a ... Posted: 17 Jul 2011 09:35 AM PDT 
By Being Vernon Let me tell you why Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wearing yellow when granting an audience to our Prime Minister and his wife was not a coincidence or a faux pas. As much as UMNO would prefer to think otherwise. Fact 1. The Queen, contrary to popular belief, is very much well-informed. She is constantly kept abreast of the latest developments and news pertaining to her realm and her government by her team of palace advisers, secretaries and civil servants. They, in turn, gather their information from various sources, including ministries, government departments, Scotland Yard, 10 Downing Street, and members of the press corp in the UK. (Scotland Yard, knowing that the Queen would be granting an audience to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, would have certainly informed the Palace of the many demonstrations in London by Bersih 2.0 supporters.)
When a visiting dignitary is scheduled to meet the Queen, she is always fully briefed on the background of her visitor, the current situation of her visitor's home country, and the DO's and DON'T's to observe. Particularly, she would be informed of developments in her own realm regarding the visitor. Scenes in London like the one in the photo below would not have escaped Her Majesty's team of advisers, who in turn would have briefed the Queen. So, to assume that she was not aware of Bersih 2.0 is untenable.
Fact 2. Royal wardrobe and fashion is strictly regulated, and the Queen and members of the Royal Family are always careful not to make any fashion faux pas or distress their guests. Her advisers would have advised her to stay away from wearing yellow, and explained the significance of the colour in present circumstances. As Sarawak Report suggests, "she MUST have been informed of the sensitivity of the colour yellow".
My friend (and fashion writer) Sasha Bashir commented at my facebook, "I have read in several write ups about Princess Diana's wardrobe that English royals are always briefed on current issues and what colours should and should not be worn. One I can remember is that she visited some country where they had just lost an important football match and the whole country was upset about it. The baju she was going to wear at state formal dinner was same colour as flag of the other country, so she had to change her wardrobe plans. Kate Middleton is also following this kind of thing. On her trip to Canada recently, she wore white dress, red shoes and red maple leaf hat. Canada flag is red, white with maple leaf. The royals are not supposed to be fashion icons (even though people like Princess Di and Kate are), they are to be fashion diplomats. :)"
Fact 3. Besides attending public events, state dinners, receiving dignitaries and horse races, the Queen actually does paper work! Yes, Her Majesty, like many of us, has her daily duty of working at one of her many desks reading and signing state papers and official documents (often classified as secret). British fastidiousness with information and intelligence gathering is well-known. Her cache of papers would most definitely have included confidential dossiers on Najib Razak and Malaysia. And Bersih 2.0.
Copyright Press Association Images
Fact 4. Besides official papers, she also reads the newspapers. Knowing that she would be meeting the Prime Minister of Malaysia, an article in The Guardian, a respected British newspaper, with the headline "Malaysia's Najib must abandon the Mubarak model", would surely have caught her eye.
Fact 5. The Queen meets her Prime Minister once a week, every week. It would have been incumbent upon David Cameron to apprise the Queen of Najib Razak and Malaysia, in view that he would be visiting the UK on an official trip. News of the Bersih 2.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur, being reported globally the same week the Queen had her weekly meeting with David Cameron, would most definitely have been a topic of conversation. It is also a practice for the British Prime Minister to advise the Monarch on how to appropriately respond to political situations of the day, since she is constitutionally apolitical.
Did Cameron therefore gently suggest that the Queen wear yellow as a message to our Prime Minister and also to the people of Malaysia? Where Cameron could not publicly chastise Najib, the Queen could, with regal aplomb, send a strong message?
Fact 6. The Queen is a politically astute woman who has seen twelve British prime ministers serve under her reign, the list starting with Winston Churchill, no less! Her vast experience in international relations and diplomacy is unchallenged and she would thoroughly understand the subtleties and symbolism attached to what one says and what one wears. To assume that Her Majesty has no political acumen is completely ludicrous.
Fact 7. Everything the Queen does is planned in advance and takes into consideration all factors. Everything has a reason, even right down to the colour of the flowers in her audience chamber! Nothing is coincidental, random or arbitrary where the Queen of the United Kingdom is concerned.
 Read more at: Let me tell you why the Queen wearing yellow when granting an audience to Najib was not a coincidence or a faux pas. |
| Najib or Anwar? Posted: 17 Jul 2011 09:31 AM PDT 
The dramatic unfolding of events on 9 July 2011, as broadcast to the world through social media, YouTube and international media, may lead one to conclude that clearly the PR is the better choice for the next elections. However, there is one major obstacle, to my mind: Anwar. Chan Kheng Hoe, The Nut Graph IN light of the recent Bersih 2.0 demonstrations, and the unjustified crackdown by the authorities, one may be forgiven if one were to be carried away in denouncing the current administration. They handled the demonstrations in an appalling manner, both in the run-up to the actual day and on the day itself. The conduct of the administration is shameful, arrogant, and senseless. The lies that are spewed to cover up the very public acts of violence add insult to injury. In contrast, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has cleverly stepped in to support Bersih 2.0. It cannot be denied that Bersih 2.0's demands, which promote fair play and a level playing field during elections, would end up favouring the federal opposition. And except for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's gaffe in claiming that he could call off the demonstrations, the PR has generally allowed civil society to take the lead in this movement. The dramatic unfolding of events on 9 July 2011, as broadcast to the world through social media, YouTube and international media, may lead one to conclude that clearly the PR is the better choice for the next elections. However, there is one major obstacle, to my mind: Anwar. For all intents and purposes, and subject to the court's verdict in Anwar's sodomy trial, Anwar is the person put forward by the PR as Prime Minister designate. But is Anwar in reality a better candidate than Datuk Seri Najib Razak to be PM of Malaysia? With respect, I cannot at this juncture respond with a resounding "yes". Points for Najib Grudgingly, I must admit that Najib has made some good moves as PM. The 1Malaysia campaign stands out as an extremely clever move. Yes, 1Malaysia means different things to different groups, but isn't that part and parcel of the art of politics? And while many may belittle this campaign as nothing but empty talk, I beg to differ. As a practising lawyer, I have observed in the past couple of years an increase in the recruitment of non-Malay Malaysian personnel in the courts. Of course, this is anecdotal evidence, but the observation must be recorded.  Idris Jala (Pic by Joe Faizal @ Flickr) The appointment of Datuk Sri Idris Jala to the cabinet is another outstanding feather in Najib's cap. Idris comes with excellent credentials, and an enviable track record. I feel safe for Malaysia that someone like Idris is taking a hard look at the state of the Malaysian economy. I am comforted when Idris announces that Malaysia may potentially go bankrupt, because it tells me that at the very least, the authorities know the dire straits we are in. I would be much more alarmed if the authorities keep on insisting that Malaysia is on a fine growth track, and we are poised to be the next Asian economic powerhouse. Najib has also eased much of the tension between Malaysia and Singapore, and that too is a good thing. Really, we have got to stop the rivalry between our two countries. Singapore can be very beneficial for Malaysia, and Singapore can gain much from cooperating with Malaysia as well. We have got avenues to strike win-win collaborations. Twenty years of demonising Singapore under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's rule is enough. It's time to move on. Here's another reason why I like Najib. He appears to be a man of the world. He does not pretend to be overly religious, or cite the scriptures wantonly. I don't know him personally, but I suspect that he may have a quiet sip of Chardonnay on some nights. In Malaysia, there are so many politicians who want to claim the moral high ground, either by asserting religious or racial rights. That makes me exhausted. Sure, there would be occasions when Najib, too, would have to play to the gallery. But I imagine our PM is not reading books on political philosophy during his free time. One could imagine him sitting down on a quiet Sunday afternoon with his family watching The Simpsons, and actually appreciating the show. READ MORE HERE |
| Armed for cyberwar, Umno Youth wants ammo from Putrajaya Posted: 17 Jul 2011 09:21 AM PDT 
BN had its nose bloodied at the 12th General Election in urban centres such as the Klang Valley and Penang, ceding its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament as the opposition took a record 82 seats and, at the same time, five state governments. By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider
In mid-2009, Umno Youth held a course in online media for its grassroots leaders in Kuantan. The names of a few prominent bloggers drew blank stares. "Only 10 per cent (of those present) were familiar with those names," the youth wing's new media chief, Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz, told The Malaysian Insider. "Some didn't even have email." The media unit that Tun Faisal heads, formed after accepting that "80 to 90 per cent" of those online were anti-Barisan Nasional (BN) in the landmark Election 2008, now claims that despite having to catch up to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the "cyberwar" for the hearts and minds of young and urban voters, it is now ready for a general election expected within the year. However, Tun Faisal, a member of the Umno Youth executive committee, believes that despite having guns primed, the unit needs the government to provide it with bullets. "Most young and urban voters perceive the mainstream media as pro-government, so they are automatically prejudiced against it," said Faisal. "So we have to bring the debate online. "But the problem is getting info from the government to counter the lies from the opposition. How can we fight claims from them and journalists when we don't have more info than them?" he said. BN had its nose bloodied at the 12th General Election in urban centres such as the Klang Valley and Penang, ceding its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament as the opposition took a record 82 seats and, at the same time, five state governments. But the Manek Urai by-election in Kelantan, where BN surprisingly came within 65 votes of wresting the state seat, is considered a turning point for Umno Youth in the online battle. Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin had said that BN gained in all young voter streams, signalling a shift in young voters that was said to have backed PR heavily in 2008. "The opposition started in 1999 after Reformasi," Tun Faisal said. "We only started in 2009. It's like putting university students against primary schoolkids. "But if you look at the results since Manek Urai, you can see that BN has definitely caught up especially with young voters." BN has since reversed a losing streak in by-elections, and even though PR was confident of making extensive gains in the recent Sarawak state election, BN retained its two-thirds majority in the assembly. Tun Faisal says that one of the main factors is that his new media unit was given the mandate to strategise and coordinate online communications during these local polls. READ MORE HERE |
| Ahmad Sarbani’s death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 5) Posted: 17 Jul 2011 08:44 AM PDT 
Malaysia Today has been left with little choice but to now proceed with parts 5 to 8 on the lies and deceptions by the MACC. The truth will now have to be revealed and those slime-balls and scumbags who walk in the corridors of power will have to be stripped naked for all and sundry to see. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin THE TIME HAS COME TO EXPOSE THE KILLERS OF AHMAD SARBAINI MOHAMED
Do you remember last month Malaysia Today ran a four-part series on the lies and deceptions behind the death of Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed, the Customs Deputy Director who was killed on 6th April 2011 while under the custody of the MACC?
We stopped at Part 4 because we wanted to give the MACC, the Police and AG Gani Patail a chance to redeem themselves and, for once, to come clean and tell the truth.
Police removing evidence of the cause of death of Ahmad Sarbaini from the MACC Office
Malaysia Today promised that Part 5 would only be published if they try to whitewash the Inquest and sweep everything under the carpet. It looks like the MACC and those in collaboration with them remain unrepentant after the fiasco of Teoh Beng Hock's death.
Police forensic fixing up Teoh Beng Hock's cause of death
Malaysia Today has been left with little choice but to now proceed with parts 5 to 8 on the lies and deceptions by the MACC. The truth will now have to be revealed and those slime-balls and scumbags who walk in the corridors of power will have to be stripped naked for all and sundry to see.
The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) is trying to pull the wool over the eyes of Malaysians by getting DSP Sharul Othman Mansor of PDRM's Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) to say in the Inquest that Ahmad Sarbaini did not commit suicide and neither was his death a homicide.
To placate Ahmad Sarbaini's family and the powerful Customs Union, AG Gani Patail has used that Mr Fixit Lawyer Extraordinaire, Dato Seri Shafee Abdullah, to cook up a story that Ahmad Sarbaini was attempting to escape by jumping out of the window to a nearby concrete roof and ended up falling to his death instead.
In others words, Ahmad Sarbaini died while attempting to escape by flying out of the window like a little bird.
Well, this is not what our Little Bird tells us, our Deep Throats in the top echelons of the Royal Malaysian Police or PDRM. What they have told us is a very different story indeed.
Malaysia Today does not wish to be contemptuous of Coroner Aizatul Akmal Maharani. However, since the Coroner has already made a site visit to the MACC building at Jalan Cochrane, he can himself see how preposterous that theory of 'accidental death' will sound to the family, the Customs Union, and to all Malaysians who wish to see the name of an innocent dead man cleared and his murderers identified and brought to justice.
Coroner Aizatul Akmal making a site inspection of the MACC building in Jalan Cochrane
Now, first of all, allow Malaysia Today to help you recap and understand the facts and the evidence to this whole tragedy. Then we will reveal the identities of the killers. Hopefully, Coroner Aizatul Akmal will also arrive at the same finding or else he is going to look like one very silly dude.
Ops 3 B
On 28th March 2011, the MACC HQ launched a sensational Ops 3B. On 1st April (probably it was meant as an April Fool's joke), the MACC arrested 62 officers in Penang, Johor, Selangor and Pahang. The arrested Customs officers were supposed to have been part of a nationwide syndicate that had cheated the government of tax revenues in excess of RM108 billion.
How the MACC came up with that figure is a mystery and a candidate for an entry into Ripley's Believe it or Not. In any event, the MACC no longer cited that figure of RM108 billion in their official statements. They probably realised that this was just a figment of their imagination, a fantasy they created and ended up with them having to fix people to make it believable.
The task and objective given by the MACC HQ to the respective state offices, including MACC KL, was to detect and detain (kenal dan tahan). Thus, these raids and arrests were made without any prior investigations. After all, the MACC's modus operandi is to arrest first and conduct an investigation later.
The mainstream media was fed with leaked stories of Customs officers owning extraordinary wealth in their bank accounts and seizures of gold bars and bags of cash (like you see in the 'Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves' movie). This created a public frenzy.
However, until now, not a single one of these officers has been charged for any crime.
Ahmad Sarbaini's Arrest
On 1st April at 12 noon, Customs IO Sheikh Niza Khairy Bin Sheikh Mohamad went to Ahmad Sarbaini's office with several other MACC officers to arrest him. Although Ahmad Sarbaini was embarrassed, as a God-fearing man he remained calm and collected.
These MACC officers admitted in court that from the very beginning they noted that Ahmad Sarbaini was very co-operative and calm. When asked about his assets, without any hesitation Ahmad Sarbaini brought them to a house that he co-owned with his wife and which they had rented out, and to the house that he was staying in at that time (medium and low cost).
At his own house, he told his daughter to tell his wife that he would not be coming back that evening.
Ahmad Sarbaini also managed to compile and provide Sheikh Niza's team with all his and his wife's available bank statements. All this information was provided by Ahmad Sarbaini at the time he was arrested.
Because the MACC did not conduct any prior investigation on him, they did not know what questions to ask him after they had arrested him. So they kept him overnight at the police lockup in Bukit Jalil.
That is also part of the MACC's modus operandi to strike fear into the hearts of those arrested.
Ahmad Sarbaini's First Cautioned Statement
Although he was arrested at noon of 1st April, Ahmad Sarbaini spent much of that April Fool's Day in the lockup. By the next day, on 2nd April, as the permitted 24-hours detention period was up, the MACC realised they would have to release him or apply to remand him.
Since the MACC did not have any evidence of corruption against him, the MACC could not seek to remand him. So the Ketua Unit Siasatan (KUS) Mohd Fauzi Bin Hussin @ Che Mamat directed MACC IO Mohd Rosly Bin Mohd Saupy to record Ahmad Sarbaini's statement as an arrested/accused person. By doing so, Fauzi wanted to cover up for the MACC's false arrest against Ahmad Sarbaini.
That Cautioned Statement recorded under section 53(3) of the MACC Act was the first statement given by Ahmad Sarbaini and covered six pages where he gave a detailed description of all his and his family's assets. It was recorded in 45 minutes and Ahmad Sarbaini specifically denied having ever received any "wang imbuhan" while discharging his Customs duties.
Malaysia Today will publish a copy of that Cautioned Statement in Part 8 of this report and you will be able to see at the beginning of page 4 where he made that categorical denial.
TO BE CONTINUED
ADDENDUM
Ahmad Sarbani's death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 1)
http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/no-holds-barred/40947-ahmad-sarbanis-death-the-lies-and-deceptions-by-the-macc-part-1
Ahmad Sarbani's death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 2)
http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/no-holds-barred/40949-ahmad-sarbanis-death-the-lies-and-deceptions-by-the-macc-part-2
Ahmad Sarbani's death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 3)
http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/no-holds-barred/40951-ahmad-sarbanis-death-the-lies-and-deceptions-by-the-macc-part-3
Ahmad Sarbani's death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 4)
http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/no-holds-barred/40952-ahmad-sarbanis-death-the-lies-and-deceptions-by-the-macc-part-4
|
| WIKILEAKS: BLOGGER ALLEGES DPM'S WIFE AT MURDER SCENE Posted: 17 Jul 2011 01:00 AM PDT 
Controversial internet journalist Raja Petra voluntarily completed a sworn statement ("statutory declaration") at a Malaysian court on June 18, in which he affirmed that he was "reliably informed" Deputy Prime Minister Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor, together with her aide Norhayati and acting Colonel Aziz Buyong (Norhayati's husband), were present at the scene of the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibbu in October 2006. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000529 SIPDIS FOR EAP/MTS AND INR E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2028 TAGS: PGOV, PINR, KJUS, KDEM, MY SUBJECT: BLOGGER ALLEGES DPM'S WIFE AT MURDER SCENE REF: KUALA LUMPUR 335 - SEDITION CHARGES AGAINST BLOGGER Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark, reason 1.4 (b and d). Summary 1. (C) Controversial internet journalist Raja Petra executed a sworn statement on June 18 to the effect that Deputy Prime Minister Najib's wife, Rosmah Mansor, was at the scene of the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibbu in October 2006, and that PM Abdullah and a Royal received information to that effect. While the mainstream press has shied away from printing Rosmah's name, Kuala Lumpur is abuzz with this latest explosive allegation. PM Abdullah has thus far remained silent, while the national police chief and Attorney General said they would investigate. Raja Petra, who faces sedition charges for earlier claims, informed us that the Attorney General's Office filed a police report on the matter, and he expected to be called in for questioning soon. While the latest allegations of Rosmah's presence at the murder seem implausible, they nevertheless will have resonance with a Malaysian public that does not have confidence in the integrity of the Altantuya murder investigation. Continued public attention to such reports also could damage Najib's front-runner status as PM Abdullah's successor. End Summary. Rosmah at Murder Scene, PM Has Report 2. (U) Controversial internet journalist Raja Petra voluntarily completed a sworn statement ("statutory declaration") at a Malaysian court on June 18, in which he affirmed that he was "reliably informed" Deputy Prime Minister Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor, together with her aide Norhayati and acting Colonel Aziz Buyong (Norhayati's husband), were present at the scene of the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibbu in October 2006. Raja Petra also stated that military intelligence provided a report with this information to Prime Minister Abdullah, which was subsequently given to Abdullah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin "for safe-keeping," and that one of Malaysia's traditional rulers also was briefed on the matter. Raja Petra did not reveal the source of this information. Raja Petra remains indicted for sedition for his earlier internet reports that implied DPM Najib and wife Rosmah were connected to the on-going Altantuya murder case (ref A). 3. (SBU) Internet reports of Raja Petra's declaration emerged on June 20, and the full text became available on his Malaysia Today website. Some of Malaysia's mainstream media briefly reported Raja Petra's new allegations, but carefully avoided identifying Rosmah Mansor as the "prominent VIP" named in his statement. An aide to Najib reportedly described the statement as "mind-boggling." Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan told reporters the police would look into the "highly inflammatory" allegations, and could take action against Raja Petra if they were found to be untrue, while Attorney General Abdul Gani Patil stated his office would look "seriously" into the matter. Heavy Buzz in Parliament 4. (C) As members of Parliament gathered June 23 for the opening of the second parliamentary session, Raja Petra's story competed with speculation of a no-confidence vote against PM Abdullah for the attention of lawmakers. Opposition MPs, parliamentary watchers, and journalists who spoke with us at Parliament all remarked that Raja Petra had put himself at great risk, and therefore they speculated that he must have some evidence in hand. If this is a bluff, "it will cost him and his family," one MP remarked. Prominent opposition MP Lim Kit Siang said he was troubled that the PM had kept quiet about the allegations. Later on June 23, Kit Siang introduced an emergency parliamentary motion to discuss Raja Petra's statement. The Parliament Speaker is required to accept or reject on an emergency motion within 24 hours. Raja Petra Ready for Police 5. (C) We spoke briefly with Raja Petra and his wife Marina on June 23. They related that the AGO had filed a police report regarding the affidavit. A seemingly confident Raja Petra said, "I am ready and eagerly waiting for the police to question me," and took exception to the threatening tone of IGP Musa's remarks. He also implied he had further evidence to implicate DPM Najib and his wife, and asked rhetorically what action the police would take "if the allegations are true." Comment 6. (C) Putting aside the question of Najib's links to the case, the allegation that Najib's wife would be present at the Altantuya murder scene strikes us as very implausible, though fully in keeping with Raja Petra's sometimes wild and highly emotional reporting. The Malaysian public and political elite, however, have no confidence in the integrity of the government's investigation into the 2006 murder of Altantuya. The government's inept and gruelingly slow prosecution of the case against DPM Najib's former advisor Razak Baginda and two soldiers from Najib's security detail, and the authorities' decision early on to limit the scope of the investigation to exclude any further links with DPM Najib, have sent clear signals of political interference. Against this backdrop, most Malaysians will believe there is at least some truth in Raja Petra's affidavit. Amidst the leadership struggle within the ruling UMNO party, emerging fractures in the National Front coalition, and maneuvering for a no-confidence vote against PM Abdullah, the latest allegations add to the nation's sense of political turmoil. Continued public focus on such allegations also could harm Najib's front-runner status as PM Abdullah's successor. KEITH |
| Najib’s UK visit met with indignant protests at Downing Street, the Lord Mayor’s Office and ... Posted: 16 Jul 2011 10:51 PM PDT  By Sydney Sassoon As Prime Minister Najib set out on a 3-day official visit of London, concerned Malaysian citizens in the UK turned out in full force to show their disapproval at the Malaysian government's shameful crackdown on civil liberties in Kuala Lumpur last weekend, staging a series of protests at Downing Street, the Lord Mayor's Office and Park Lane. On Friday, over 50 concerned Malaysians living in the UK set up a solidarity watch calling for the release of the six activists detained under the Emergency Ordinance Act over two weeks ago, outside the Intercontinental Hotel where Prime Minister Najib was due to host a dinner. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman came over to engage in a short discussion. However when asked when the EO6 would be released or when detention without trial would be abolished in Malaysia he declined to comment and said, 'Why don't you ask Hisham', referring to Home Minister Hishammudin Hussein Onn. Najib and Hishammudin however refused to come over and meet with the protestors, preferring instead to duck into the hotel as soon as they alighted from their MPVs. On Thursday over 50 citizen activists lined the pavement at the Lord Mayor's office at Mansion House, where Najib was due to address London business leaders. Although chanting was kept to a minimum so as not to disrupt the proceedings of the court next door, the message sent to Mr Najib, his government and the London business community was clear. Pictures of the 6 activists detained under the Emergency Ordinance Act greeted Najib as he hastily alighted from his official car and gave the protestors a quick wave. He did not however go as far as to come over and engage with the protestors. One business leader who declined to be named said, ' I've been following the recent events in Malaysia quite closely and of course it is worrying and affects investor confidence, but then this situation is not new. We'll have to wait and see if things improve. ' On Wednesday Najib's luncheon meeting with Mr Cameron was met with angry protest at Downing Street instead. Whilst Mr Cameron was delayed with the media hacking scandal at Prime Minister's question time, indignant demonstrators had questions of their own for Mr Najib. Over a dozen citizen activists were seen outside Downing Street holding colourful yellow banners and placards calling on Najib and his administration to stop abusing human rights, end detention without trial and release all detainees held under the Emergency Ordinance and Internal Security Act with immediate effect. One protestor playfully chanted 'Yellow t-shirts are NOT illegal' and another rapped 'Malaysian Government stop abusing human rights!' whilst another chanted 'Mr Cameron hear our plea, tell Najib to set them free!' In a symbolic depiction of the way the Malaysian government has stripped citizens of their right to free speech and peaceful assembly through the use of arbitrary detention without trial, one protestor tied himself to the pavement railings blindfolded and gagged, drawing curious onlookers. Protestors distributed hundreds of leaflets highlighting the spiralling human rights violations in Malaysia to passing politicians and the British public on their lunch break, many of whom were shocked at the behaviour of a country that tries hard to project itself as a modern cultural melting pot and paradise holiday destination. One passerby Brian Smith, 32 said, 'What has happened in Malaysia in the last week- the clampdown on peaceful demonstration, the gagging of free speech and the mass arrests for simple acts such as wearing yellow t-shirts make Malaysia look ridiculous. This is the sort of behaviour you expect of a dictatorial regime, and is totally at odds with the image we are often sold of Malaysia's beautiful rainforests and idyllic beaches.' Clare Robertson, 35 said, 'I've got some Malaysian friends who have been keeping me updated on the situation and it's absolutely horrific. I've seen pictures of how the peaceful demonstrators were treated with water cannons and tear gas and menacing police in riot gear. This is totally at odds with the liberal image that the Malaysian government is always trying to project. I sincerely hope that Mr Cameron and his cabinet remind Mr Najib that Malaysia needs to clean up its act. There can be no engagement on a business and diplomatic level if the Malaysian government continues to flout international human rights norms with such impunity and behave in such a disgraceful manner.' UK campaigners have alerted the UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Home Secretary Theresa May, the UK Parliamentary Working Group on Malaysia and the UK Parliamentary Working Group on Human Rights to the events of recent weeks in the hope that the UK Government will make an urgent representation to the Malaysian government during this visit. They have urged Mr Cameron and the UK government to remind Mr Najib and his delegation that no government can act with impunity against its citizens and still expect to be taken seriously on the international stage. In a speech on 1 July 2011, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague stated that "Our foreign policy should always have consistent support for human rights and poverty reduction at its irreducible core and we should always strive to act with moral authority, recognising that once that is damaged it is hard to restore." UN human rights experts on Monday (11 July 2011) expressed their dismay at the use of tear gas and water cannons by security authorities against peaceful protestors in Malaysia on Saturday, reportedly leading to injuries and one death, and the arrest of more than 1,600 people at the Bersih 2.0 rally. They remain deeply concerned about the detention of six individuals since 25 June under the Emergency Ordinance, which allows for detention without trial for up to 60 days. In a press release on Monday (11 July 2011) Amnesty International called on the UK government to press Malaysia's Prime Minister on freedom of assembly during his visit this week. "The British government shouldn't reward this brutality by rolling out a red carpet for Malaysia's prime minister," said Donna Guest. |
| More Solidarity For Sarawak Posted: 16 Jul 2011 07:42 PM PDT  By Sarawak Report
This morning, in distant Tasmania, an intrepid group of young protesters defied Taib's family company Ta Ann. They boarded a boat laden with wood that Ta Ann had taken from their own primary jungle, climbed right to the top of a crane tower and chained themselves to it. And they wanted to make their message clear. They were not only fighting to protect their own rare jungle from the short-sighted and greedy plunder of the already fabulously wealthy Taib Mahmud, they were standing in solidarity with the people of Sarawak. This was the statement by the Huon Valley Environment Centre's Jenny Webber: "Today's protests on Hobart's waterfront was taken by Huon Valley Environment Centre to highlight Ta Ann's continual disregard for not only Tasmania's wild forests but the indigenous people of Sarawak"
Taib's global reach is making him internationally notorious The campaign in Tasmania against Ta Ann is a sign of the developing international international awareness of Taib Mahmud. The people of Sarawak were the first to suffer from his greedy pact with the timber tycoons to strip the forests bare. However with most of Sarawak's own forests now logged out, he and his cronies have spread their tentacles abroad, engaging in plunder across the world's few remaining areas of virgin jungle. Tasmania is developing a strong movement to prevent that happening. Ta Ann is run by Taib's cousin and well-known proxy, Hamid Sepawi, who also owns over a third of the shares in what is billed as a public company. Onlookers were astonished when the multi-million dollar concern managed to get a grant from the Australian government to invest in a wood veneering factory in Tasmania, which it was hoped would breath life into a struggling industry. Questions are still being asked over why the Australian government would PAY Taib's company to strip their forest? The Green Party says no satisfactory answer has been provided so far. However, the promise Ta Ann made when it opened the project was that the factory would rely on plantation forests and not extract wood from Tasmania's remaining high conservation value forests – its primary jungle. However, environmentalists say that the factory managers are now saying that the quality of the plantation wood is not sufficient for their factory and they are demanding hardwood from the jungle. According to Jenny Weber: "The Tasmanian Government and Ta Ann are locking in the logging of native forests to meet a wood supply contract till 2027. High Conservation value forests are being lost to feed Ta Ann's mill, when they should be in a moratorium now".
Worse, the environmentalists say Ta Ann are now putting the Tasmanian authorities under pressure to provide them with access to primary jungle hardwood until 2042! |
| The Influence of US Funds for NGOs on Malaysian Politics. Posted: 16 Jul 2011 07:37 PM PDT 
By batsman Apparently UMNO controlled TV stations are suggesting that US funding for Bersih 2.0 is proof that Bersih is a threat to national security because it is in league with foreign interests. Thus they are now threatening to abuse their power to freeze the assets of those involved in activities against national security. This is a Catch 22 situation for Bersih 2.0. Bersih 2.0 is saying that one of the reasons elections in Malaysia are not free and fair is that UMNO controlled civil service, police, judiciary, and EC, etc., calls all the shots. UMNO is now suggesting that those involved in activities deemed a threat to national security can have their assets frozen and that those institutions which it controls can decide whether Bersih 2.0 is engaged in activities deemed a threat to national security or not. This means that electoral reforms are or can be put in abeyance by: - Declaring Bersih 2.0 as a illegal organization
- Freezing the assets of Bersih 2.0 and others for engaging in activities deemed to be a threat to national security.
First it is up to those who are controlled by UMNO (according to Bersih 2.0) to decide that Bersih is an illegal organization and it is also up to those controlled by UMNO to decide that Bersih 2.0 is deemed to be engaged in activities detrimental to national security. Bersih is therefore tied, gagged and thrown into a frozen pond to freeze to death or drown – does not matter which. In fact just about anybody deemed to be engaged in activities by those institutions controlled by UMNO can be processed in a similar manner. This power is of such great consequence and so unlimited that it can also be applied to foreign investors if they are deemed to be engaged in activities detrimental to national security by those institutions controlled by UMNO. There is absolutely no checks and balances at all (sort of). Resorting to the Malaysian judicial system is expensive, time consuming and subject to control and interference by UMNO. The only difference between a foreign investor and a citizen of Malaysia is that the foreign investor is protected by his government and his wealth while the Malaysian citizen is protected by the UMNO government and the subsidies given by UMNO. I guess this is how UMNO sees the situation, but how does the US see the situation? I am no expert on this matter. I guess those experts in the US can tell better. However since they choose not to reveal their thoughts in an open and transparent way, we can only make guesses. 2 significant things come to mind. -
- The US congress and other organizations are funding Malaysian NGOs
- The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is of the opinion that Malaysia is a role model for moderate Islamic democracy.
Obviously – one supports the other to make sure that US interests are served. The US Congress wants to make sure that good democratic principles are practiced according to how the US sees good democratic principles should be practiced while Hillary Clinton reminds the UMNO government to practice good moderate Islamic democracy. Whether the recent crackdown on peaceful protestors is seen by both the US Congress and Hillary Clinton as a good practice of Islamic democracy is anybody's guess. Sometimes US interests can be observed to compromise a little on what good democratic practices should be especially if it is practiced by what they deem to be a good moderate Islamic country. Still, what they say is that they are a bit concerned but will continue to observe and monitor. At the same time, US funding for NGOs in Malaysia seem to be a bit embarrassed by the peaceful rally and kept a low profile. The US does not seem to have come out strongly to condemn the UMNO government's handling of peaceful demonstrators. So if you ask me what the influence on Malaysian politics of US funding of Malaysian NGOs is, I would have to say – zilch, nada, zero – if anything actually anti-democratic because now they are compromising Bersih 2.0 as a tool of foreign imperialism and a threat to Malaysian national security as defined by UMNO controlled institutions. As for foreign investors, especially those from the US, I guess as long as they are protected by US power and the UMNO government is seen as a coolie sucking up to US power and wealth, their interests are not shaken in the least. Malaysian citizens, as is true and correct, should be protected by their own government, by their own policemen, their own judiciary and their own central bank. |
| Déjà vu Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:57 PM PDT Now you know why we need a Third Force. Sometimes politicians, even those from the opposition, forget what they promise us and go back on their word. And we, the voters who put them into office, have to suffer and pay the price for their forgetfulness. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin "Kedah entertainment ban resurrects Barisan Alternatif ghost," said Debra Chong in her article in The Malaysian Insider today. You can read the full text of the article below. Anyway, the matter has since been resolved. The PAS-led Kedah state government will not be banning entertainment in the state during the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan after all. Instead, only Muslims would be banned from patronising these establishments. The rest can continue to enjoy themselves the whole year around instead of just 11 months in a year. But I am sure the matter will not end here. The government-owned mainstream media will continue to talk about this to 'poke fire' in an attempt to create a rift between DAP and PAS. And PKR, who is caught in between, will continue to maintain a deafening silence. What caught my attention was Debra's (or The Malaysian Insider's) choice of heading: "Kedah entertainment ban resurrects Barisan Alternatif ghost". She did not fully explain what she means by this other than state: "in what could be a repeat of the momentous split between the secular party and Islamist PAS in 2001". Maybe some of you do not understand what this means or are not too clear about what happened ten years ago in 2001. Well, allow me to enlighten you. Soon after the 1999 general election, the then Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, declared that Malaysia is already an Islamic country so we do not need PAS. Dr Mahathir also said that Umno is the largest Islamic party in the world, much larger than PAS, which is only a quarter or less the size of Umno in terms of membership. This started the 'I am more Islamic than you' one-upmanship game between PAS and Umno. Then Dr Mahathir goaded PAS by saying that the Islamic party promises all sorts of things before the elections, but now that they are running two states, Kelantan and Terengganu, they do not deliver on their promises. "Where is the promise of Islamic laws?" screams Dr Mahathir. PAS sudah tak tahan. Dr Mahathir has been goading them and laughing at them and is calling the party a liar and a hypocrite. PAS had to demonstrate otherwise. So it unilaterally announced -- without the consensus of its other three coalition partners in Barisan Alternatif (PKN, DAP and PRM) -- that the Terengganu state government is going to introduce Islamic laws in the state. And with that the Menteri Besar announced that they are going to introduce the ISD (Islamic State Document). This more or less replied to Dr Mahathir's allegations and proved that PAS is sincere about Islam and it is not mere lip service and political talk. But what is the ISD? How is it going to work? The ISD was only an aspiration (hasrat). There was no clear plan yet on how it was going to work. In other words, they had no blueprint on its implementation but were merely stating an intention. What PAS was doing was merely to reply to Dr Mahathir in an attempt to silence him and win the 'I am more Islamic than you' argument. And this got DAP upset. So it left the opposition coalition in a huff and became an independent opposition party. DAP felt that the move by PAS was going to hurt them big time. Certainly Chinese support would erode and DAP would lose votes. So DAP had to leave Barisan Alternatif to protect itself. Ten years on and Kedah is doing what Terengganu once did -- make a unilateral decision without consultation with the other coalition members and without consensus. If you can remember, Barisan Alternatif before this, and Pakatan Rakyat now, had announced that everything within the opposition coalition is done based on consensus. A simple majority is not enough, they said. It must be all or nothing. Now, PAS Kedah accuses DAP of 'interfering' in the state administration. Back in 1999, the Menteri Besar of Terengganu said that the Terengganu state government is not a PAS government but a BA government (in spite of PAS dominating the State Assembly and DAP not having even one seat). Whenever Hadi Awang announced anything he would say, "Kerajaan Barisan Alternatif Terengganu….." He would never say, "Kerajaan PAS Terengganu….." But when they announced the ISD it was PAS and not BA that did so. That was the bone of contention and which upset many people -- DAP in particular. But then, should DAP keep making threats that they are going to leave Pakatan Rakyat every time things do not go their way? And should PAS keep saying that "we rule Kedah" or "we rule Kelantan" just because they have a majority in those two states? Would we be happy if Lim Guan Eng announces that DAP rules Penang so PKR and PAS just shut the fuck up and don't interfere in Penang? I just want to know one thing. Is DAP running Penang, PKR running Selangor, and PAS running Kedah and Kelantan, or are these four states being run by Pakatan Rakyat? And do they run these states based on consensus and unanimous decisions (and not based on a simple majority) or can one party in the coalition do things with total disregard for the other coalition members? Now you know why we need a Third Force. Sometimes politicians, even those from the opposition, forget what they promise us and go back on their word. And we, the voters who put them into office, have to suffer and pay the price for their forgetfulness. ************************************ Kedah entertainment ban resurrects Barisan Alternatif ghost Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider Despite warm and strong ties, DAP publicity chief Tony Pua has suggested his party pull out from the three-year-old Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact, ostensibly over a spat with ally PAS' state-enforced entertainment ban in Kedah during the Muslim fasting month. DAP leaders discussed the issue at a national leadership retreat yesterday, in what could be a repeat of the momentous split between the secular party and Islamist PAS in 2001 when both first joined forces under the short-lived Barisan Alternatif (BA) to counter the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. Pua aired the matter in a Twitter post yesterday, saying he "is of the view that we shouldn't be part of a coalition if our concerns are not heard or heeded. Don't want to become like MCA or Gerakan in BN." Contacted by The Malaysian Insider, Pua declined at first to elaborate on his tweet except to say it was his personal opinion and not the party's official position. But he admitted that the subject of cutting off ties with its political allies had been raised at the party's retreat in Seremban and will be discussed further when the PR leadership meets on Tuesday for its strategy session. He also played coy when asked to elaborate if he was upset over the Kedah ban or if it was a build-up of frustration of working with PAS, posting a smiley icon of an angel with its eyes closed in the Blackberry messenger chat. Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, political secretary to Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak, issued a strongly-worded statement yesterday that the state government will not withdraw the ruling despite opposition, saying the government was just enforcing a 1997 law. "Ustaz Azizan will not back down! That is his stand on this issue," said Sanusi in the statement carried by PAS website Harakahdaily. However, the national PAS leadership has asked the Kedah leader to explain the ban in a meeting to be held later today. Several other social media users, however, appeared to have formed their own conclusions about DAP-PAS ties as seen in their response to Pua on both Twitter and Facebook, where the debate carried on. Replying to Pua on Facebook, Richard Yong remarked: "YB, i know which issue u referring to.. shld stress more on team work and get the respective top leaders to deliberate on it." Another Facebooker, Simon Poon posted the following"but YB , how do u see the current problems surfaced at Kedah? Is the coalition going to have a joint conference as to provide a clearer guideline and picture so that the public understand well instead of just asking us to send u all to putrajaya". On Twitter, a user going by the name "xyplyx xyplyx" challenged: "then how DAP wan 2 rule M'sia?" prompting Pua to shoot back "whts d point? If so desperate to rule, might as well join BN. Must win w/principles. Not win at all costs juz 2 become Minister". The Petaling Jaya Utara MP later said to The Malaysian Insider that it would not be the first time DAP has broken off ties with its political allies, in a nod to the Chinese-majority party's withdrawal from the BA in 2001, after a similar falling out with PAS over the latter's insistence on setting up an Islamic state in then PAS-ruled Terengganu The DAP last locked horns with PAS in January this year over Selangor's proposed ban on Muslims from working in premises that sell alcohol. The Selangor government later claimed the ban was merely a guideline before withdrawing the ruling pending further study. Following that debacle, PR leaders have promised to consult each other on issues that could affect their pact which has survived three years. DAP and PAS are in the PR pact together with PKR that was formed after the three parties won four more states and more than one-third of the federal parliament. The three parties have applied to form a coalition but the Registrar of Societies (RoS) has yet to give his nod. PR parties received a boost in the past week after the BN government clamped down hard on the Bersih 2.0 rally calling for free and fair elections. Analysts and diplomats agreed the harsh security move cut some of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's popularity especially in the urban areas and among the middle-class, a key voting demographic in the country. But the pact could suffer if DAP and PAS continue to bicker over the Kedah ban, several PR leaders conceded to The Malaysian Insider. |
| Talk less, listen harder Posted: 16 Jul 2011 04:38 PM PDT 
The rakyat is the boss and, political affiliations aside, politicians had better start listening to the boss. Young Malaysians want to see their leaders with rolled-up sleeves on stage taking on questions relating to issues affecting their daily lives. They want to tell our leaders how they are coping with the increase in cost of living and how they have to sacrifice their sleep and leave their homes early to beat the increasingly bad traffic jams. ON THE BEAT WITH WONG CHUN WAI, The Star THE country needs more people like Mohd Nur Ismail Mohamed Kamal, the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chief, and Datuk Seri Idris Jala, head of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu). The two are not afraid to face angry crowds at meetings where people have heaped criticisms, made unreasonable demands and often vented their anger at the Government. The participants are often the urban middle class who are outspoken. From MRT stations to transformation plans to key performance indicators, they have spoken about the grand plans for development that are being rolled out. Generally, their explanations made sense to their listeners, but at times people became lost when they delved into the details. But there is one common feature at such town house meetings – the two are ready to listen to the public. The people want to be heard and not be talked down to. This is what many of our politicians do not seem to realise. If non-politicians like Mohd Nur Ismail and Idris are able to take the heat, there is no reason why some of our politicians should prefer the safer way by delivering speeches, often mundane and unimaginative ones, at the rostrums. Both have set the standards by putting their views and also the input of the people on websites, and setting up toll-free lines for ideas and suggestions, in the case of SPAD. They also hold exhibitions to show the rakyat what they have. Young Malaysians want to see their leaders with rolled-up sleeves on stage taking on questions relating to issues affecting their daily lives. They want to tell our leaders how they are coping with the increase in cost of living and how they have to sacrifice their sleep and leave their homes early to beat the increasingly bad traffic jams. They want to talk about the need to provide more trains to take them home after work, how to make their neighbourhoods safe and about their children's education. How many of our leaders know the price of onions, chicken or chilli at the markets despite professing to represent the common people? The rakyat will be sufficiently satisfied if our leaders can listen, respond with decent answers, come back to see them again and, if they screw up, to just have the decency to apologise and stop being defensive. We are not interested in 100-storey buildings, stupid political quarrels, whether wives should be obedient to their husbands in bed or racist tirades from political dinosaurs like Datuk Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa. The bread and butter issues matter most to Malaysians – nothing more, nothing less. The trouble with most politicians is that once they hold the microphones, they cannot let go. But they had better learn to pass the microphones to their listeners more. Young people have seen a dressed-down US President Barack Obama at meetings with the people. Never mind if the occasions are part of some clever public relations exercise, these are powerful visual messages. Even the straight-laced Chinese leaders who don't have to worry about elections also realise the need to be seen conducting such intimate meetings, where even the bodyguards know how to move away from the cameras. In both instances, new standards have been set. Such images give these leaders a more caring and down-to-earth persona and project them as keen to listen, instead of being aloof or in a hurry and are only interested in a photo opportunity with aimless handshakes. Young Malaysians, especially those whose jobs require them to make presentations to their clients to clinch business deals, have reasons to be critical when they listen to their leaders. Many of our leaders, to these young professionals, fall way short of their expectations and the result is that they do not have respect for the leaders. The young have become more outspoken, more articulate, and they demand greater democratic space. Their world view is certainly very much in contrast to the older leaders. And if the latter equates the demand for greater democratic space with chaos and disloyalty to the country, then it would be a costly political error. Again, it would be another case of politicians not listening hard enough or even bothering to listen. The country can also do away with certain pompous ministers who demand that their subordinates greet them at the airport. One or two are known to throw tantrums when they are not accorded such respect, and they insist that their staff spend an entire day moving around with them when they are making state visits. Moving around in an entourage seems to give them a sense of self importance. Worse is to call for press conferences when they really have nothing new or anything sensible to say. Often, it is a case of talking for the sake of talking. Malaysian taxpayers would also be very thankful if they could see an end to the elaborate dances and greetings for politicians at every function, and the 15-minute salutation to address the never ending list of Tan Sris, Datuk Seris, Datuks and Datins. What's wrong with just "tuan-tuan dan puan-puan"? Can we just get to the point so we can all get back to our work, please? Neither should we be paying for those huge billboards showing the faces of our leaders. There is no difference between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat leaders when it comes to such ego trips. The bottom line is the rakyat is the boss – it's that simple. So, regardless of their political affiliations, our politicians had better start listening hard instead of just talking too hard. |
| Pusat hiburan: Pemimpin DAP syor keluar Pakatan jika Kedah ‘berkeras’ Posted: 16 Jul 2011 04:33 PM PDT 
(The Malaysian Insider) - Meskipun wujud hubungan mesra dan kukuh, Setiausaha Publisiti DAP kebangsaan Tony Pua mencadangkan partinya keluar perikatan tiga tahun Pakatan Rakyat ekoran isu penguatkuasaan penuh enakmen melarang operasi pusat-pusat hiburan di Kedah ketika bulan Ramadan. Pemimpin-pemimpin DAP membincangkan idea itu pada pemukiman mereka semalam, yang dilihat kemungkinan akan membawa kepada berulangnya perpecahan dalam kerjasama dengan PAS-DAP dalam perikatan Barisan Alternatif pada 2001. Pua (gambar) melahirkan rasa tidak puas hati menerusi Twitter semalam dengan berkata, beliau berpandangan DAP tidak wajar berada dalam Pakatan Rakyat jika keprihatinan dan kebimbangan pihaknya tidak diambil kira oleh kerajaan negeri dalam isu semasa ini. "(Kami) tidak mahu jadi macam MCA atau Gerakan dalam BN," kata wakil rakyat ini. Bagaimanapun ketika dihubungi The Malaysian Insider, Pua enggan mengulas lanjut mengenai perkara tersebut dengan berkata ia hanya pandangan peribadi, bukannya pendirian rasmi parti. Pun begitu katanya, perkara tersebut ada dibincangkan pada sesi pemukiman DAP di Seremban semalam dan akan dibincang secara mendalam pada mesyuarat kepimpinan Pakatan Rakyat Selasa ini. Pandangan itu dikeluarkan di sebalik laporan media bahawa Menteri Besar Kedah Datuk Seri Azizan Abu Bakar tetap kekal dengan keputusan kerajaan negeri yang mahu melaksanakan secara sepenuhnya Enakmen Hiburan dan Tempat-tempat Hiburan 1997, yang melarang pusat-pusat hiburan beroperasi sepanjang bulan Ramadan. "Ustaz (Menteri Besar) Azizan tidak akan berundur! Itulah pendirian beliau dalam isu ini dalam nada yang sangat tegas. "Saya yakin seluruh umat Islam akan berdiri teguh di belakang beliau dalam menangani isu ini. Jika takut dilambung ombak, jangan berumah di tepi pantai," kata Setiausaha Politik kepada Azizan, Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor. Kenyataan ini dikeluarkan sehari sebelum Azizan diminta PAS pusat memberi penjelasan kepada jawatankuasa kerja parti itu. Laporan The Malaysian Insider semalam memetik Naib Presiden PAS Salahuddin Ayub berkata, PAS mahu Azizan memberi penjelasan kepada jawatankuasa kerja pusat parti itu hari ini rasional larangan penuh ke atas operasi pusat-pusat hiburan semasa Ramadan yang bermula bulan depan. Bagaimanapun menurut Setiausaha Agung PAS Datuk Mustafa Ali, Azizan tidak dapat hadir sebaliknya akan menghantar wakil ke mesyuarat pagi ini. READ MORE HERE |
| Malaysian state drops Ramadan bar closure plan Posted: 16 Jul 2011 04:26 PM PDT 
(AFP) - A MALAYSIAN state controlled by an Islamic opposition party has dropped a plan to force bars, discos and karaoke clubs to close during the Muslim fasting month, an official said Sunday. Northern Kedah state, which includes the popular resort island of Langkawi, decided in May to ban all entertainment during Ramadan next month, said an official from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), which runs the state. However the plan drew criticism from entertainment outlet operators, as well as the party's opposition allies, who feared a blanket ban would alienate their non-Muslim voters. The Kedah official said the controversy had been resolved after the state's chief minister met entertainment representatives on Saturday and agreed to allow them to operate as long as they make sure no Muslims enter their premises. 'For Muslims, we have to make special treatment because nowadays too many youngsters are involved in hedonism... The state doesn't want that,' he told AFP. 'Entertainment in Ramadan is only for non-Muslims.' The official said Islamic officials would enforce the rule across the state, monitoring its more than 300 bars, discos, karaoke lounges and other clubs. PAS draws its main support from Muslim Malays, who account for 60 per cent of the country's 28 million people, but it is allied with the secular ethnic Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Anwar Ibrahim's People's Justice Party. Spats between PAS and DAP over pig rearing and alcohol bans - sensitive issues in Islam - have surfaced in the past, threatening to derail the partnership and its chances to unseat the Barisan Nasional, which has ruled the country for more than 50 years. |
| Sabah gov’t housing policy more for aliens? Posted: 16 Jul 2011 03:00 PM PDT 
It is well known that the little Napoleons at the Tuaran District Council, possibly under instruction, almost never gave application forms to those who were KDMs, by saying "Borang habis!" Could the Tuaran District Council, the assemblyman of Sulaman Datuk Hajiji Mohd. Noor, the Member of Parliament of Tuaran Datuk Wilfred M. Bumburing, give a racial breakdown of the occupants of Telipok Ria, and Seri Rugading? DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN The recent announcement by Datuk Madius Tangau that the state government was forming three committees to look into three important problems in Sabah, namely citizenship and immigrants, land affairs, and political appointment/power sharing, clearly showed it was a belated plan by a neglectful or a failed government. After being in power since 1994, the BN state government is indirectly admitting it had failed in these three areas. By saying the formation of the committees was agreed to in a recent state BN meeting, Tangau raised the question of why the announcement was made by Upko and not by the BN. Was BN or Umno reluctant with the formation of these committees to look into sensitive matters and was reluctant to announce it? And was Upko announcing it as a means to force the BN to admit to the formation of these committees? Why was there no response or confirmation about it from the BN and other BN components? The three committees are long overdue, formed at a time when the issue of housing and real property ownership in Sabah had become very serious. Only recently the very embarrassing case of a single mother and her children living in a dilapidated house without any basic amenities and without a proper kitchen was exposed with the intervention of the wife of the Prime Minister. To address the housing woes, the Prime Minister, in the last national budget, promised assistances to newly employed Malaysians to own their first houses. But that promise may be just hot air because with the high and accelerating inflation in the nation today, the problem of house ownership is impossible for most young people. And mre so for the KDMs, but more on that later. Last March, the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) published a statement pointing to the fact that because of "typically low starting salary, young adults, professionals and semi-professionals alike are experiencing an unfair disadvantage compared to their counterparts in other, if not most states in Malaysia, especially that of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. This is so, even when Sabah has one of the highest costs of living of any states in Malaysia." SAPP gave a calculation of living expenditures for a single person earning RM2,000 per month which included EPF deduction and Socso deduction, car loan (for a Myvi at RM430 per month for nine years), mobile phone, petrol, water and electricity, foods and drinks, personal and car insurance, and room rental, all of which leave the wage earner a paltry balance of RM150 per month. SAPP calculated that these expenses "does not even include costs of vehicle maintenance, Astro and Streamyx subscriptions, cooking gas, shampoos and soaps, house maintenance and miscellaneous" and that the wage earner would need 25 years to save "just to have enough to make a 10 percent deposit to buy a house costing RM 400,000." Madius had admitted that the government has been treating local squatters and favouring immigrants, saying that "instead of evicting them (squatters who are Sabahans), they (the government) should be more proactive like providing all these local squatters a place in the people's housing programme (Program Perumahan Rakyat), instead of giving these home units to non-locals of whom many are foreigners based on their looks and so on." Citing the cases in Tuaran, he said that many PPR units were built but at the end of the day "we see more non-locals, believed to be foreigners, than locals living in the PPR. And now it is very clear, as the police are having problems in Tuaran in controlling the crime rate, especially in the Telipok Ria and Seri Rugading areas which are now considered crime hotspots in the district." It's been reported that in Seri Rugading fights between locals and immigrants are common and the Tuaran police have become tired of it. In November last year, Assistant Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad Ayid announced the shifting of fire victims from Lembaga Padi squatter area to the Telipok Ria apartments, saying, the deposit for moving into the apartments were waived, and "My officers had been very thorough in identifying eligible recipients for the housing scheme. We make sure only Malaysians will get the assistance." But a simple visit to Telipok Ria would confirm that she was LYING with these assurance because the percentage of the immigrant population of the housing area is really alarming. In fact the immigrants are the majority in these housing areas. How did this happen? It is well known that the little Napoleons at the Tuaran District Council, possibly under instruction, almost never gave application forms to those who were KDMs, by saying "Borang habis!" Could the Tuaran District Council, the assemblyman of Sulaman Datuk Hajiji Mohd. Noor, the Member of Parliament of Tuaran Datuk Wilfred M. Bumburing, give a racial breakdown of the occupants of Telipok Ria, and Seri Rugading? I have also been informed that those few locals who have received their apartments in these areas can no longer tolerate the noise, rubbish, human wastes and thefts they have to face there, and are seriously planning to leave. While I believe that Upko is sincere in trying to help the locals in the matter of housing and land ownership, I strongly doubt if the state BN (or Umno) will listen to Upko. I also believe that the three committees will not achieve anything meaningful. Somehow some people from somewhere will stall meetings or delay implementation of meeting decisions. And even if the committees become active, how much can it do before the next election comes, and the whole thing will be conveniently forgotten? The best that Upko can do is to form its own task force and aggressively carry out its own investigations and reveal the statistics and the hard political realities that corrupt the housing policy of the state government, including the way the PPRT and the e-Kasih programme are implemented. These programmes have been heavily criticised as very biased towards certain political supporters, and even aliens. After all, Upko has been very aggressive, to the point of playing brinkmanship, in its fight for justice in other areas so far, so why should it compromise on the matter of housing and land matters? Also, we all know that the arrangement in the state BN puts the Upko at a disadvantaged where decision making is concerned because all the top posts in the state BN committee are held by Umno leaders. |
| Khalid: Yellow attire without Bersih logo allowed Posted: 16 Jul 2011 02:22 PM PDT 
(Bernama) - NILAI: There is no harm in wearing yellow attire but it should not have the logo of the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) printed on it, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said. He said the Home Ministry had declared Bersih an illegal organisation and that police were obliged to carry out their responsibility in enforcing the law. "In fact you can wear anything yellow, even yellow socks or hat, but without the logo in support of an illegal organisation," he told a media conference after launching the Community Policing Scheme and Crime Awareness Team (CAT) at Nilai Square here last night. Also present were Negeri Sembilan police chief Osman Salleh and his deputy Abd Manan Mohd Hassan. Khalid said if any party was not happy with the restriction they could bring up the matter to the court. "Whatever the court decides police will abide," he said. On the establishment of CAT, he said, it was a programme to enlist the help of young people in the police's crime prevention agenda and to enhance the people's confidence about their safety. The cooperation and involvement of the young people in CAT, which is under the Youth and Sports Department's Rakan Muda programme, would enable various crime prevention activities to be organised from time to time, he added.
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| Political parties bring in the most but 40% are ineligible Posted: 16 Jul 2011 02:09 PM PDT  By Shahanaaz Habib and Rashvinjeet S Bedi, The Star PUTRAJAYA: Voter registration numbers have gone up significantly, thanks to efforts by political parties. But some 40% of the new voters they have registered turned out to be ineligible. "Some are dead, underage or already registered voters," said Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof. "We verify with the National Registration Department (NRD) those who are genuine and get rid of the names of those who are not. This makes it tiring because we have to keep checking," he told The Star. Despite this, he said, political parties still registered the highest number, bringing in more half of the new eligible voters. "Compared to universities and NGOs, the voters we get from political parties are a lot more," he said. For May alone, 52% of new eligible voters were registered by political parties. Twenty per cent were registered through post offices and 13% by government departments. The EC, meanwhile, roped in 10% of the new voters through its counters and outreach programme. Universities and NGOs helped to register 3% and 2% new voters respectively. Abdul Aziz added that the EC had appointed political parties, NGOs and universities as assistant registrars to help register new voters, paying RM1 for every clean and confirmed new voter these organisations bring in. "If they register 1,000 new voters and only 600 are genuine, we pay them RM600," he said. Between 2008 and 2009, there were 10 million registered voters in the country and another 4.3 million eligible voters who were not registered. This year, the total number of registered voters increased to 12 million and eligible unregistered voters dropped to 3.7 million. "We have made registration easy and simple. You can go to the post office, youth bodies, universities, colleges, government departments, NGOs and political parties to register," he added. Abdul Aziz said the Malaysian EC was the only one in the world that appointed political parties to assist in registering new voters. He pointed out that it made sense to rope in political parties. "We appoint an average of two assistant registrars for each state seat. And because they have an interest, they work very hard to register new voters. "When we do the voter registration ourselves, the response is not very good. We go to events like TV3's Jom Heboh to register new voters but it is difficult for people to come forward. "This has to do with attitude. People ask what benefit they get by registering as voters. Some people do not have the spirit. They ask what happens if they don't register and when they find out no action is taken, they leave it as it is. Only those who really love the country and would like to choose their own leaders would voluntarily go and register as voters." Abdul Aziz also advised the people to vote in their current place of residence as this was stipulated in the law. This would also resolve the issue of phantom voters, where voters allegedly stay in a different place from where they cast their vote. He said people should not feel attachment to their hometown and balik kampung to cast their votes. "If I stay in Shah Alam, I shouldn't go back to Penang or my hometown to vote," he said. He estimated that about 30% to 40% of Malaysians voted in a different place or state than where they lived. "I have no power to force them to vote where they live. I can only explain and persuade them," he added. |
| Revamp? Why Bother? Posted: 16 Jul 2011 01:47 PM PDT 
By Masterwordsmith Unceasingly, we are being regaled with criticisms about the appalling Malaysian educational standards. Education is THE catalyst and all-encompassing tool for the development of a nation failing which we can return to the caves. With each new Education Minister, we hear about reforms. However, there is still no improvement. The fact that many children attend private schools or make a pilgrimage across the Causeway or overseas speaks volumes. Does our Education Minister's latest statement excite us? According to this article?
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today said his ministry was readying a study on a complete revamp of the existing education system, which should be complete by year's end.
The deputy prime minister and education minister said the study will go beyond the scope of the 1956 Razak Report and encompass Malaysian education in its entirety.
"We will table it to the Cabinet and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. If he agrees that it is high time for us to make a total review, then we'll do it," Muhyiddin was quoted as saying by Bernama Online.
Why did the Education Minister refer to the 1956 Razak Report*? Post half a century of this Report, many other policies have been executed. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Is he admitting that the education system is in troubled waters? Please call a spade a spade. One must walk before they can run. So, please IDENTIFY PROBLEMS in the current education system, instead of trying to encompass mumbo-jumbo crap? Such statements are meaningless - all din and no substance. "Muhyiddin said there were now growing calls to evaluate the system for efficacy and to modernise its objectives to meet the government's aim of achieving developed nation status." "He added that while great investments have been made towards improving education in Malaysia, this was often done without taking a holistic approach." After spending billions to churn out thousands of unemployable graduates, what in the world is he talking about? Is he admitting all that money spent that have not added any economic value and progress to our nation? Where is the cream in all the statements? There is no REAL urgency to change. Is this mere rhetoric and hot air? What did he mean 'done without taking a holistic approach'? Holistic? Please define!!! This three-year Education Minister should provide facts and figures on HOW he bettered the education system: - number of graduates being churned out
- number of employed graduates versus those who are still hunting for jobs
- ranking of our public and private universities
- improvements to research and development in our universities
- progress/achievements of post-doctoral works, especially by faculty members of public universities
- a comparison of career prospects of graduates from public and private universities
- comments from companies with regards to our local graduates etc. etc.
What Malaysia REALLY needs would be educational reforms made without pomp or fanfare and free of any hidden agenda independent of political interference. Meritocracy has to rule. There is ABSOLUTELY no other way. All students must compete on an even playing field. They must excel in the WORLD, not just the backyard of our kampung. Why settle for any half-past six policies that are tainted or mired in political cronyism? Why stunt and calcify young brains when they should be conquering the world? We cannot let them die in the backwaters of under-development.
READ MORE HERE. |
| A Letter to Heaven Posted: 16 Jul 2011 01:42 PM PDT 
By Nie Ching Dear Beng Hock, Time flies! We have not seen each other for 2 years. How have you been during these 700 +days and counting? Er Jia is already 17 months old. He is just like his peers — vivacious, cheerful, active and adorable. Xin Xin, the daughter of my eldest brother, is just 3 days older than him so I always like to compare them. Xin Xin is chubby just like me when I was her age, while Er Jia is thinner. I sometimes can't resist asking Cher Wei if she feeds him enough! Come to think of it, perhaps I should have kept quiet. Both of you are on the "lean" side so I suppose Er Jia would take after the both of you. After spending time with Cher Wei, I can see that you really "fell" for a good woman! She has tremendous inner strength. She is taciturn in front of countless well-wishers, always responding in a calm dignified manner that she is well. However, I did notice her message on Facebook the other day: "I was taking a ride in my male colleague's car to work the other day. Midway into the journey, he called home and asked, 'Have you brought our precious baby home? Is precious asleep now?' … his child is 18 months old. At that moment, I felt a surge of mixed feelings but the deep pain was unmistakable and unbearable…" I felt her pain... How could such a great loss and void in her life be erased and forgotten easily? Your mother-in-law is not doing so well health-wise. She has to go to the hospital almost on a weekly basis. Lee Lan is very worried, always telling me how she wishes you were here so Cher Wei could lean on you in trying times. She is not alone in her thoughts and Cher Wei's mum probably feels the same way. As for your sister Lee Lan, she has been running around for the past 2 years on matters pertaining to your case. She keeps taking time off work and finally decided to quit her job. Her boss values her though and has advised her to think of her own future. I also asked her what would be her ideal occupation and she replied me with an air of innocence - a homemaker! Her reply stunned me! The many years of education provided by your parents might have been flushed down the drain! If not for the fateful event of July 16 from 2 years ago, Lee Lan today might just be another carefree lass who doesn't read the news or care about what happens in this country. But of course, we can't keep harping on the "if"s in real life and she grew up overnight 2 years ago. Your eldest brother is married and he has also become a father. Your parents are so delighted! On the day of marriage, Mandy, Huan Guan and I went to Melaka for the occasion. But our happiness was tainted with a sense of sorrow, seeing as how you cannot be with us on such a momentous day... Here's a piece of good news for you! Elections for village heads are finally kicking off in Selangor on July 31, 2011! We used to talk about how to return the Third Vote to the rakyat. Now, although we are still way off target, this is a small breakthrough. If you were still Ean Yong's secretary, you would be very busy with this election now. Huan Guan recently moved house but is still unsuccessful in the "marriage department". You've got to help him out! Yoke Kong is still the idealist in DAPSY but his beloved Arsenal is anything but ideal. Dickson proposed successfully in Fandao's Mr. Fat Café and his wedding is slated for year-end. Victor is now a photographer with a newspaper. There are lots of changes in our lives but the one thing that never changes is that come Chinese New Year, no matter how busy they are, they will visit your parents in Melaka together with me. Beng Hock, they truly are your buddies. As for myself, what has changed? Upon reflection, I think I have gone "soft". A few days ago, DAP organised an experience-sharing session for participants of the Bersih rally. Many "previously-virginal" protestors came and shared their thoughts with great enthusiasm - how they overcome their own fear and the police barricades, dodging teargas, avoiding the water cannons and playing hide-and-seek with the cops. They were very courageous but I was not. I am a timid person now. Two years ago, I lost my courage to invite friends to participate in rallies. I am scared. But Beng Hock, if you were still with us, you would definitely be one of the 50,000 who turned up, wouldn't you? You would be with us together, overcoming our inner fear. I wished so badly that you could be with us that night because like me, you would be exemplified by the heroes and heroines of Bersih such as Auntie Annie, the undergraduates, the ordinary Malaysians, and see a bright future for all Malaysians. Beng Hock, you would have watched us from afar in the last 2 years. Do you think our beloved country is getting better or more chaotic? Are the people more united or more divided? How much more of this challenging journey will we as a nation have to travel? I do not know, Beng Hock, just as I do not know if I will ever find out the truth about what happened to you on that fateful 19 July, just as I do not know if justice will eventually prevail. But, what I do know and what the participants of the Bersih rally know, is that we belong to this nation, and this nation belongs to us. Dear Beng Hock, I hope you can bless and watch over Cher Wei, Er Jia, your parents, Lee Lan, and this country, from where you are now. From a friend who misses you, Nie Ching |
| Stop It, BN! Posted: 16 Jul 2011 01:35 PM PDT  By Lim Guan Eng BN should stop destroying Malaysia's financial reputation with irresponsible statements like freezing the assets of those deemed risky to the nation's security because they participate in Bersih rallies calling for clean and fair elections as well as receive funding from non-profit foreign NGOs. Bersih had clarified that money the group received from two US organisations - the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Open Society Institute (OSI) - were for other projects unrelated to the July 9 march. DAP strongly condemns Deputy Finance Minister Awang Adek Hussin's irresponsible statement that Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) can freeze the assets of those believed to be participating in activities if the police recommend so. Such actions are detrimental to Malaysia's efforts to establish itself as a safe haven for capital and investments. Awang is the same person who announced that the Federal government had approved sports betting licenses in time for the 2010 World Cup. BN was embarrassed and forced to withdraw the sports betting licenses after the Penang state government announced the ban on sports betting, thereby destroying UMNO's arguments that of gambling is part of Chinese culture. If assets can be frozen just for participating in a peaceful assembly or for receiving funds from non-profit foreign NGOs, then many innocent Malaysians and organisations will be unfairly victimised. Using this as a political weapon against opponents of BN would be a gross abuse of the provisions within the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act allowed for the central bank to not only bar access to such funds but also trace both deposits and withdrawals of the offending accounts. Would others involved in "illegal assemblies" like UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin have their assets frozen? Why then were these provisions not applied against those suspected of corruption of accumulating extraordinary wealth beyond their means? For instance no such action was taken against those suspected of secretly taking out RM 888 billion in illicit money over a 9 year period. BN government only has itself to blame for the negative image overseas, portrayed by the international news media for its harsh crackdown on the peaceful protest Bersih. So ridiculous was the crackdown that wearing yellow was sufficient cause for arrest. And yet Queen Elizabeth received the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in a bright yellow dress two days ago in London. The Bersih protest calling for clean and fair elections descended into chaos when the police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse protestors. The documented beatings and recorded brutal treatment on video tape was completely unprovoked and put Malaysia on the same international platform as the repressive Arab regimes in the Middle-East. The BN government should clean up Malaysia's image by owning up its mistakes such as firing tear gas into Tung Shin Hospital, insulting the Hindus and the Indian community by calling the revocation of Bersih S. Ambiga's citizenship, detaining A. Samad Said because his poems is considered a weapon and apologising for the brutal crackdown. It is good that Najib has admitted that the rally attracted 15,000 demonstrators and not the 5-6,000 demonstrators claimed by police. However this is not enough as more needs to be done such as withdrawing charges and releasing immediately all those arrested such as the PSM 6 including MP of Sungai Siput Dr Jeyakumar, for Bersih related activities. The Bersih rally was a paradigm shift or a transformational event that attracted all Malaysians. In many of the Bersih stories told by ordinary Malaysians marching on 9 July, many amongst the 30,000 crowd was so outraged by the repression of the police as well as moved by the solidarity and support shown by other Malaysians that they felt part of the nation called Malaysia. Finally every one felt 1Malaysia regardless of race or religion or even political affiliation, whether one is rich or poor, male or female, old or young. Even Marina Mahathir defiantly marched. Everyone marched because they wanted to be "Bersih!". LIM GUAN ENG |
| MoCS rally: Taib’s outburst telling Posted: 16 Jul 2011 01:30 PM PDT 
(FMT) - KUCHING: Is 'safely enthroned' Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, whose Barisan Nasional coalition swept 55 seats in the April 16 state elections, ruffled by the possibility of a Bersih-styled march in Kuching? It would appear so going by his sudden outburst here on Friday. The usually unaffected Taib pounced on Movement for Change Sarawak's (MoCS) call for a 'Walk For Democracy and Reform' on Aug 13 when asked to comment by reporters. "MoCS rally!…You find out who MoCS represents, whose voice they are carrying and by what authority is Francis Siah claiming to be the leader. "People can see why I am a leader and who I represent … and you can ask him (Siah) the same question..who does he represent," lashed out Taib. Inspired by the success of Bersih 2.0′s 'Walk For Democracy' march on July 9 and the fact that some 100 Sarawakians had taken part, Siah had on Wednesday anounced that MoCS would hold its own 'rally for democracy and reforms' here on Aug 13. He said the movement's leaders had decided to organise the peaceful walk instead of an anti-Taib Mahmud rally (their original idea) which had also been planned for Aug 13. Siah said the rally would be a citizen's initiative with no political affiliation or involvement and urged Sarawakians to join the walk or hold their own activity wherever they are. He also said that the rally would be a compromised version of the original street protests planned by MoCs to force Taib to step down. Following the April 16 state elections which alleged widespread money politics aiding BN's victory, MoCS had called for Taib to step down by Aug 13, failing which the movement would mobilise a mass protest. On Wednesday Siah was reported to have said: "For too long, the state has been trapped in a quagmire of widespread corruption and the politics of fear and intimidation. "We wish to educate all Sarawakians that politicians whom they elected to public office should be there to serve them and not vice-versa. "The people are the masters, not those who govern." MoCS as legit as Freemasons Following this, Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president Awang Tengah Ali Hassan hit out at Siah's plans. "MoCS should be conscious of its own position. What mandate do they have? "MoCS is a movement which is not registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS). As such illegal," he had told reporters in an immediate reaction to Siah's announcement of the 'Walk for Reform' rally. Veteran politician and ex-PBB leader Salleh Jafaruddin then jumped in to slam Awang Tengah, saying that MoCS was as legit as the Freemason secret society which Taib was a member of. "Does Awang Tengah realise that not all unregistered societies are considered illegal?" READ MORE HERE. |
| EC chief dubs Bersih leaders dishonest Posted: 16 Jul 2011 01:27 PM PDT 
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — The Election Commission (EC) accused Bersih 2.0 leaders today of being deceitful over its impartiality as it has the support of the opposition, a week after the electoral reforms group held a rally that drew tens of thousands. EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof pointed out that they had gone to the streets of the capital city on July 9 to protest along with opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang and other Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders. "So (Bersih chief Datuk) Ambiga (Sreenevasan)'s statement to me that Bersih does not side political parties is not true at all," Abdul Aziz wrote in an essay published by the Umno-owned Mingguan Malaysian today. "In addition, PAS president (Datuk Seri) Hadi Awang threatened SPR to take action on the eight demands, or else they will organise another demonstration," he added, using the EC's Malay acronym. Abdul Aziz pointed out that Hadi's remarks revealed Bersih 2.0's association with political parties, saying: "Bersih is no longer the impartial body that first came to see me. It is as if it has become a political party." Bersih 2.0 - a coalition of 62 NGOs - has made eight demands in their call for free and fair elections, which are to clean the electoral roll, reform the postal ballot system, indelible ink, a minimum 21-day campaign period, free and fair access to the media, strengthen public institutions, stop corruption and dirty politics. Abdul Aziz pointed out that only the first four of the eight demands were relevant to the EC. "SPR cleans the electoral roll every day," he stressed. "But what is said to be phantom voters are actually voters who do not live at the place where they vote. On polling day, they go back to vote (but) do not inform the JPN (National Registration Department) or SPR. They are valid voters," added the EC chief. Abdul Aziz noted that the postal ballot system could not be removed because many members of the army, police and Malaysian citizens were overseas, whom he said had a right to vote. READ MORE HERE. |
| Bersih threat shows authorities clueless on public anger, says Ambiga Posted: 16 Jul 2011 01:24 PM PDT  By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — The Najib administration's threat to freeze the assets of those involved with Bersih 2.0 has revealed the government's ignorance of public anger over its handling of last weekend's rally, says Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan. The Bersih 2.0 chief pointed out that despite bad global publicity, Putrajaya was keeping up its harassment after the demonstration by arresting those wearing its signature yellow T-shirts, as well as continuing the detention of six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members under the Emergency Ordinance 1969. "It is more than just Bersih 2.0," Ambiga told The Malaysian Insider, referring to the July 9 rally that drew tens of thousands. "They don't realise how unhappy people are at their high-handed actions and also the use of sledgehammer tactics. They've missed that point completely," added the former Bar Council president. Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Awang Adek Hussin said on Friday that central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), can freeze the assets of those believed to be participating in activities deemed risky to the nation's security. The DAP said such remarks will destroy Malaysia's financial reputation, after foreign media excoriated the Najib administration over its crackdown on the electoral reform rally. The authorities had fired teargas and water cannons at Bersih protestors after locking down the city, besides launching over 100 arrests in the weeks leading up to the rally and arresting nearly 1,700 demonstrators at the protest itself. More than 197,000 people to date have also backed a Facebook campaign calling Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to resign, just a week after the Bersih march in the city. "The authorities will be wise to understand that, more so than before, Bersih 2.0 represents an ideal, a feeling, and a yearning by the rakyat for all that is best in a democracy for our beloved country," said Ambiga. The first Bersih rally in 2007 was partly credited for the opposition's historic gains in Election 2008, where the loose pact of PKR, DAP and PAS denied Barisan Nasional (BN) its customary two-thirds majority and swept to power in five states. "The question is, since when has asking for free and fair elections been an unlawful purpose?" asked Ambiga. The Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia reported on July 3 that Ambiga received funds from foreign non-profit organisations through a local bank, saying the bank was chosen to help the prominent lawyer in her plan to "cause chaos in Malaysia". READ MORE HERE.
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| Don’t look at me Posted: 16 Jul 2011 12:33 AM PDT What would be even better would be to hear what Umno and Najib have to say. Umno claims it is the largest Islamic party in the world. That was what Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamd once said. So, since this is a matter involving Islam, and since Umno is the archenemy of PAS, it is only fair that they say something about it. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin I have been receiving messages from quite a number of people who want me to comment on the decision by the PAS-led Kedah state government to ban entertainment in the state during the month of Ramadhan.
To be fair, I have not spoken to any of the Pakatan Rakyat people yet. However, from what I have read on the news thus far, it appears like it is a PAS decision, or probably the Menteri Besar's decision, rather than a Pakatan Rakyat decision.
Whatever it may be though, why do so many people want me to comment on the matter? Who am I to comment? I am not a member of any of the component parties within Pakatan Rakyat. Furthermore, if I do comment, I would be whacked for criticising the opposition. I would be accused of giving ammunition to Barisan Nasional to undermine Pakatan Rakyat. Is it wise for me to comment?
Time and time again I have been asked to not criticise the opposition. When I do criticise the opposition they allege that I am a turncoat or Trojan horse. They say that I have been bought off and am now on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's payroll, and whatnot. Is it not better that I just remain silent and not comment? Why send me so many messages asking me to comment?
Anyway, Anwar Ibrahim is the leader of the opposition. He heads Pakatan Rakyat. Would it not be better, as leader of the opposition or Pakatan Rakyat, that he comment on the matter?
I have not yet read what he said about the matter. Maybe I missed it. Or maybe he is drafting his comment and will issue it in a day or two. So let us wait and see what Anwar says about the matter first.
What would be even better would be to hear what Umno and Najib have to say. Umno claims it is the largest Islamic party in the world. That was what Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamd once said. So, since this is a matter involving Islam, and since Umno is the archenemy of PAS, it is only fair that they say something about it.
In fact, I would be most interested in hearing what Anwar and Najib have to say about this; or at latest their parties, PKR and Umno. Then we will know whether the Kedah Menteri Besar and PAS stand alone on this issue or whether this move is supported (or opposed) by both PKR and Umno (or Anwar and Najib).
What PKR-UMNO and/or Anwar-Najib have to say is more important than what I have to say.
So there will be no comment from me. I am not going to say whether I support or oppose this move by the Kedah state government to ban entertainment in the state during the month of Ramadhan. I will leave it to the politicians to state their stand.
But then maybe PKR and Umno (or Anwar and Najib) are going to remain silent. Maybe they find this issue too sensitive to comment seeing that they are also Muslims and would not want to be seen as going against Islam. So maybe it will be DAP and MCA who would be asked to comment instead.
DAP and MCA are not Malay-based parties. So it is not sensitive for them to comment on the matter or speak out against the move by Kedah to ban entertainment in the state during the month of Ramadhan.
Then PKR and Umno (or Anwar and Najib) can play safe and say nothing. Then no one can accuse them of being bad Muslims by supporting vice during what Muslims consider the holy month of Ramdhan. This would be the politically correct thing to do.
And I would not be accused of hurting the opposition by offering negative comments. If I say I support the move then the Chinese would get angry with me and the Malays would love me. If I say I oppose the move then the Malays would get angry with me and the Chinese would love me.
So I say nothing. So neither the Chinese nor the Malays would get angry with me. And no one can say I am sabotaging the opposition by giving ammunition to Barisan Nasional.
However, if I remain silent will that help the opposition? Will that serve the opposition cause?
Should I be concerned about that? Should I not be more concerned that by remaining silent no one can now say that I have been bought off by Najib and that I am on his payroll?
No, as I have been time and time again advised, the opposition knows what it is doing. I do not need to teach the opposition how it should run the state governments under its control. Who am I to tell them how they should run the states? It is not that they are going to listen to me anyway. So, as so many have told me in very loud and clear terms, just shut the fuck up and leave Pakatan Rakyat alone to run the states the way they see fit.
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| Malaysian Prime Minister to Meet With Pope in Gesture to Christians Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:36 PM PDT 
Forming ties with the Vatican would help the government demonstrate to Malaysian Christians that it respects different religions on an international level, Mr. Shamsul said. It would also contribute to Mr. Najib's "1Malaysia" policy, which promotes national unity and inclusiveness, he added. By LIZ GOOCH. The New York Times A decision by Prime Minister Najib Razak to meet with Pope Benedict XVI on Monday signals a wish to mend ties with Malaysia's Christians following a series of incidents, including the firebombing of churches, that have strained interfaith relations in this Muslim-majority nation, analysts say. Mr. Najib is scheduled to visit Benedict at Castel Gandolfo, the pope's summer residence near Rome, for talks that are expected to touch on the possibility of Malaysia establishing diplomatic relations with the Vatican. Malaysia, where Christians make up 9 percent of the population, is one of the few countries without diplomatic ties with the Vatican. Many other predominantly Muslim countries, including Indonesia, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan, already have such ties. While Islam is the official religion in Malaysia, the right to freedom of religion is enshrined in its Constitution. There are about 850,000 Catholics in Malaysia, which has a population of 28 million. In recent years, Christians and other religious minorities have expressed concern over what they view as the increasing "Islamization" of Malaysia. Churches have been firebombed, and Malay-language Bibles have been seized by the authorities in a dispute over whether Christians should be allowed to use the word "Allah" for God. Analysts say that Mr. Najib's meeting with the pope is intended to demonstrate to Malaysian Christians that the government considers their religion important enough to warrant a state-level visit. "Muslim-Christian relations in Malaysia have taken a hammering since the Badawi period," said Farish Ahmad Noor, a political scientist at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, referring to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was prime minister from 2003 to 2009. "And many Christian groups now feel that they have been neglected by an uncaring government." "This trip has therefore been rendered all the more important, thanks to both international and local factors," Mr. Farish said. "But the Najib administration has to show once and for all that it will not allow the harassment of Christians to continue in the country." Since Mr. Najib became prime minister in 2009, he has sought to project Malaysia as a moderate Muslim-majority nation. Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, head of the Institute of Ethnic Studies at the National University of Malaysia, said the federal government had made many attempts at interfaith dialogue in recent years. But these attempts have not been very successful, he said, in part because many aspects of religious practice are controlled by the state, such as regulations regarding Muslims who renounce the faith. Forming ties with the Vatican would help the government demonstrate to Malaysian Christians that it respects different religions on an international level, Mr. Shamsul said. It would also contribute to Mr. Najib's "1Malaysia" policy, which promotes national unity and inclusiveness, he added. "He is trying to use external activities to impress upon the domestic constituencies that his government is recognizing the contribution of Christians in the country," Mr. Shamsul said. A swing by Christian voters to the opposition in the 2008 election was partly attributed to dissatisfaction with the government's handling of religious issues. While Mr. Najib's meeting with the pope is likely to be received well by Christians, analysts say it may not necessarily increase their support for the governing coalition, dominated by the United Malays National Organization, ahead of elections that must be held by mid-2013. "Symbolically it's meant to have that effect," said Mr. Farish. "Whether that translates into a significant shift in votes, I still think that depends on a lot of other domestic concerns. There's no point in Najib going to the Vatican if we were to have another spate of church bombings." Mr. Shamsul said while some Muslims in Malaysia may express "doubt about the wisdom" of ties with the Vatican, it was unlikely that there would be major political repercussions because the country's main opposition Islamic party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, has been striving to present a more moderate image. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Mr. Najib and the pope would meet on Monday but said that details would not be released until Saturday. The archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Murphy Pakiam, will attend the meeting with Mr. Najib and the pope, his office said, but it referred further inquiries to the apostolic nuncio's office in Singapore, which it said had arranged the meeting. Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the apostolic nuncio in Singapore who also serves as apostolic delegate for Malaysia, did not return calls seeking comment. The Rev. Lawrence Andrew, editor of The Herald, the Roman Catholic Church's weekly newspaper in Kuala Lumpur, said that Archbishop Girelli visited Mr. Najib in May as part of the "ongoing process" to establish diplomatic relations with Malaysia. "The Vatican has been at it for a very long time, for decades," he said. He said he believed that Malaysia had not previously pursued diplomatic relations with the Vatican out of a fear among many Malaysian authorities that Christians would try to convert Muslims. But he said that fear appears to have diminished in recent years. "They have seen that the Catholics are not the type who go and proselytize and convert the Muslims," he said. In Malaysia, ethnic Malays are automatically considered Muslim. Muslims who wish to convert to Christianity must obtain permission from the Shariah, or Islamic courts, but permission is rarely granted. Religious tensions were reignited in May when a Malay-language newspaper published a report alleging that Christians wanted to make Christianity the country's official religion, a claim vehemently denied by Christian leaders. Father Andrew said while there may still be a "pocket of people" who champion the rights of Malays, and therefore Muslims, over other groups, he sensed that Malaysia as a whole was becoming more accepting of other religions. "There's an opening up and therefore I see this" — the meeting with the pope — "as a positive thing," he said. |
| An Evening with Nurul Izzah Anwar Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:31 PM PDT 
Catch up on recent events with Nurul Izzah Anwar at a dinner this Tuesday, 19th July 2011, at Melur Restaurant in London. Please register as places are limited. Nurul will make a short after-dinner speech before we open the floor up for questions and opinions. Order and pay for your food when you get to the restaurant. |
| Kedah entertainment ban stays, says MB’s aide Posted: 15 Jul 2011 06:10 PM PDT 
Azizan felt the interference by DAP was "extreme," said his political aide. (The Malaysian Insider) - The PAS-led Kedah government will not revoke its controversial ban on entertainment outlets during Ramadan despite pleas from its Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partner DAP to do so, a state official said today. Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, political secretary to Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak, issued a strongly-worded statement today that the state government will not withdraw the ruling despite opposition, saying the government was just enforcing a 1997 law. "Ustaz Azizan will not back down! That is his stand on this issue," said Sanusi in the statement carried by PAS website Harakahdaily. "I am sure that all Muslims will stand firm behind him in handling this issue," he added. The MCA has accused PAS of violating human rights with the ban on 13 types of entertainment outlets from operating in the state during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. The PAS national leadership has asked its Kedah chapter to explain the ban at a meeting tomorrow. DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang recently urged the state government to withdraw the ban, which covers businesses such as karaoke centres and discos as well as live performances in readily accessible locations such as bars, hotels and restaurants. Only cybercafés, bowling alleys and snooker centres are exempted from the ruling. He pointed out that his party's Kedah chapter never agreed to the ban as the matter was not raised at the Kedah Pakatan Rakyat (PR) council level. Umno-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia highlighted the parties' differences today, saying it "pitied" PAS for being "bullied endlessly" by the DAP. Today, Sanusi said Kedah has never allowed any form of entertainment since 1997, including on Friday nights all year round. According to Sanusi, Azizan also thought it was "extreme" for a DAP representative from another state to urge the PAS leader to revoke the ban. "It is not in line with the Pakatan Rakyat spirit," Sanusi quoted Azizan as saying. The political aide also asked if PAS's entry into PR meant that Muslim leaders must always yield to non-Muslims. "Controlling activities that will destroy religious living among the Muslims is the essence of the teachings of Islam, which is the official religion. It is also an Islamic obligation, especially upon rulers, that should be understood by all parties in PR and even BN (Barisan Nasional)," said Sanusi. |
| Malaysia’s Bersih & the Facade of “Clean Elections” Posted: 15 Jul 2011 05:34 PM PDT 
A foreign-funded movement for a foreign-serving agenda. That Anwar Ibrahim himself was Chairman of the Development Committee of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1998, held lecturing positions at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, was a consultant to the World Bank, and a panelist at the Neo-Con lined National Endowment for Democracy's "Democracy Award" and a panelist at a NED donation ceremony – the very same US organization funding and supporting Bersih – casts irrefutable doubt on their official agenda for "clean and fair elections." by Tony Cartalucci, INFOWARS IRELAND Bangkok, Thailand July 16, 2011 – No one would honestly suggest that cleaning up politics and holding any given government accountable for their actions is not an honorable, noble cause. It is honorable indeed, however, when such a movement takes to the streets but is funded by a foreign government and led by a servants of foreign interests it becomes obvious it has been hijacked in order to exploit the aspirations of a frustrated public for a self-serving agenda. Such a movement will ultimately fail to achieve the goals it proclaims to support and will give rise to corruption and tyranny the likes of which its followers could not imagine. A recent example of this phenomenon is unfolding in the streets and within the political scene of Malaysia where a movement calling themselves "Bersih," or the "Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections" has captured the minds and imaginations of Malaysia's youth and progressive enclaves, both in Malaysia and around the world. While Bersih's leader Ambiga Sreenevasan claims ad nauseum "we are fighting for free and fair elections," what she fails to share quite as often with her impressionable, well-intentioned followers is the fact that her movement is also funded and has received training from the United States government and a host of foreign corporate-funded foundations. The Malaysian Insider reported on June 27, 2011 that Bersih leader Ambiga Sreenevassan "admitted to Bersih receiving some money from two US organisations — the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Open Society Institute (OSI) — for other projects, which she stressed were unrelated to the July 9 march." A visit to the NDI website revealed indeed that funding and training had been provided by the US organization – before NDI took down the information and replaced it with a more benign version purged entirely of any mention of Bersih. For funding Ambiga claims is innocuous, the NDI's rushed obfuscation of any ties to her organization suggests something more sinister at play. READ MORE HERE |
| Brother’s death: Ex-army major joins Pakatan Posted: 15 Jul 2011 05:06 PM PDT 
The 72-year-old retired army officer says that Baharuddin Ahmad's death during the Bersih 2.0 rally has prompted him to make a political stand. (Free Malaysia Today) - A 72-year-old retired army major has decided to pledge his loyalty to Pakatan Rakyat following his brother's death. Speaking to reporters after handing over a memorandum to the Bukit Aman police headquarters, Kassim Ahmad said he was deeply saddened by the incident. His brother, Baharuddin, 58, had died during last Saturday's Bersih 2.0 rally. Kassim said he was disappointed that nobody from the government or the police had attended his brother's funeral. "They had not even passed condolences for his death… I have decided to join Pakatan after this. I do not belong to any political party but after this incident, (it is clear) that Pakatan knows how to take care of the rakyat," said the distraught former army man. He also lauded the "brave people" who took to the streets on July 9 and urged the government not to treat the opposition like the enemy. Baharuddin, a father of three and the husband of PKR Setiawangsa women's wing chief, was said to have died due to heart complications when he fled from the tear gas fired by the police. This morning, Kassim and his nephew Azahar Kassim were accompanied by more than 20 people, including activists and PKR leaders, dresed in different shades of yellow, gold and orange, to submit the memorandum. Among others, the family called for a thorough investigation and that all the policemen involved in the incident be suspended pending the outcome of the probe. Apart from this, the memorandum also called for the findings to be made public and for Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar to apologise to the family and all Malaysians. 'His injuries must be explained' Speaking to a police officer who received the memorandum, PKR vice-president N Surendran expressed disappointment that the police denied any wrongdoing even before an investigation was concluded. He also said that the injuries sustained by Baharuddin such as broken ribs, a missing tooth and bruised lip needed more explanation. 
"There were footages which showed that police had kicked the protesters. We want to know if this also happened with him (Baharuddin)," he told the press later. READ MORE HERE |
| Post Bersih 2.0: Beyond Political Rhetorics Posted: 15 Jul 2011 04:50 PM PDT 
Khoo Kay Peng Parties with vested interest were quick to name winners and losers in the aftermath of Bersih 2.0. Are there any real clear winners or losers? Ironically, a friend lamented to me that Barisan will still win the next general election through rigging. This is a hard accusation. But it draws us back to the point that the electoral process in Malaysia is far from being democratically functional.
To pass the stress test of democracy, it has to meet a few criteria. The weightage of an urban vote has to be the same with rural vote. Otherwise, the balance of power tilts towards less than 40% of rural voters who can determine who rules the country.
Second, it points us to the trust and credibility deficit of the Election Commission which is supposed to be entrusted to run and manage fair and transparent elections.
The serious lack of trust in the electoral process is a serious impediment to a fair and transparent electoral system and puts the entire democratic system in jeopardy.
Aftermath of Bersih 2.0, are there any clear winners?
Arguably NO, because the ruling government and the Election Commission have not responded positively to a movement which they had declared as illegal, hence its demands too! There is not going to be any reform. Period.
Can the Opposition ride on the Bersih 2.0 to create another tsunami in the coming general elections? I hardly doubt so because of an inequitable delineation process which had tilted power base to the 40% rural/non-urban voters. It will probably take another 100 years, if we are optimistic enough, to hope for proportionate representation to be even considered.
Who are the losers? Many. Malaysia's reputation and image internationally has been badly affected. The ruling government's inconsistency and lack of tolerance for dissent is being tested and exposed. Many Malaysians are going to feel more dispirited despite words of encouragement. Reality will set in that it is not easy to change a government, much worse a mindset, after all.
Malaysia is facing a stark reality of what lies ahead. Hard sell abroad to lure investors into Malaysia is going to face futility. Not because of Bersih 2.0 but largely due to a lethargic and sloppy governance.
Vision 2020 is soon becoming a pipe dream. It has lost its magic and sense of purpose. It is best for the ruling politicians to start thinking of what is the next viable and appealing story for Malaysia before they can hope to attract billions needed to help Malaysia achieve its desired developed nation status.
An international report has put Malaysia as one of the least attractive emerging economies, only ahead of Columbia. Graduates unemployment has doubled since 2008. Companies are moving away and foreign companies are withdrawing from the country. I have spoken to quite a number local businessmen who are busy looking elsewhere due to the economic realities in the country. A headline screams, Kuala Lumpur is now more expensive for expats than San Francisco. Malaysia's demand power is only 32% of New York etc. etc.
What about a plate of economy rice costing around RM7? READ MORE HERE |
| Hall of Achievements - Selangor State Government Posted: 15 Jul 2011 04:16 PM PDT 
By Masterwordsmith Selangor has been regarded as the crown jewel of all the states controlled by Pakatan Rakyat. In fact, the state is the gold mine of the Federal Government since it has the highest GDP in the country. As the most populous and most developed state, Selangor enjoys the highest growth rate of all states in Malaysia. In May, Najib told Selangor Umno to win back the country's wealthiest state with whatever "weapon was at their disposal", hinting elections was "just around the corner". Will it be that easy to regain its hold on Selangor? The Penang State government published its 30 people-centric policies measures that have benefited the rakyat. This report, which highlights the differences between PR people-centric government and BN's crony government, has shown Penangites the sterling performance of the Pakatan-led team. (Read more here and also HERE.)
The Pakatan-led Selangor State government has been doing very well (as reported HERE). The only difference is, their achievements have not been highlighted as much. With more publicity, they can march confidently into the next GE and give BN a run for their money.
The 4 PR states of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan have beat the other 10 BN states by attracting RM25 billion in investments comprising 53% of Malaysia's total investments of RM47.2 billion in 2010. For the first time in history, Penang is now the new champion of investments in Malaysia, coming out top in 2010.
What we have heard/read about dirty linen being washed in public, especially with regards to the many negative issues that plagued PKR Selangor. However, few are aware that the Selangor State Government has achieved so much in the last three years. Here are some examples of their achievements.
Harakah Daily reported that Selangor state assembly was told that the state government's revenue increased by RM200 million during the first six months of this year.
To a question by Sekinchan state assemblyman Ng Swee Lim, Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said that the state's cash reserve stood at RM918 million at the end of 2010, RM1,100 million at June 30, 2001.
"The investment has increased by RM557 million as at June 30, 2011 compared to RM668 million at December 31, 2010. With the two sources combined it will be RM1,760 million compared to RM1,580 million for the same period in 2010.
"In six months, the state government has managed to increase the state revenue by RM200 million and this is the best financial record over the last 28 years," he said.
Khalid stressed that the state not only achieved revenue increase but also good financial management which has been Pakatan Rakyat's battlecry before it wrested the state from Barisan Nasional in March 2008.
In reality, the state Micro Credit programme had distributed RM50 million to the people with sources generated from debt collection and the amount could be grouped under the Menteri Besar Consolidated Account. The state civil service has been diligently documenting digital details of 2 million the cost came from the debt collection. READ MORE HERE |
| PKR: Isu Anwar tidak jejaskan pembangkang Posted: 15 Jul 2011 04:11 PM PDT 
"Mereka tahu isu itu hanya mainan BN dan Umno menjelang pilihan raya umum," katanya. (Free Malaysia Today) - Pembahagian kerusi di kalangan parti Pakatan Rakyat di Pahang untuk pilihan raya umum ke 13 akan selesai bulan depan. PKR, PAS dan DAP, katanya setuju mengekalkan status 2008, kata Ketua Penerangan PKR negeri, Razali Alias. "Rundingan masih berjalan dan dijangka selesai sepenuhnya sebelum raya puasa ini," katanya ketika dihubungi hari ini. Pada pilihan raya umum lepas, PKR bertanding lapan kerusi Parlimen dan menang dua iaitu Bandar Kuantan dan Indera Mahkota. Razali menjelaskan, PKR belum memilih senarai calon tetapi mempunyai calon untuk semua kerusi yang ditandingi parti itu. "Beberapa calon hang bertanding dalam pilihan raya umum lalu akan digugurkan dan diganti dengan muka baru yang lebih berwibawa. READ MORE HERE |
| Cyberbattle to own the ‘truth' Posted: 15 Jul 2011 03:46 PM PDT 
The truth' is still out there in cyberspace where the Bersih 2.0 rally is concerned. Pakatan had always enjoyed a well-oiled social media network. It was first seen in action during Anwar's black eye incident and later in the first sodomy trial and subsequently the purported arsenic poisoning. BARADAN KUPPUSAMY, The Star THE Bersih 2.0 rally might be over but the battle to own its truth is still being fought over social media which had become a fierce battleground. People from both sides of the political divide have weighed in with their experiences of July 9 on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and so forth. Some of the things uploaded now include a video clip of a man who had supposedly died, a hospital that was blasted with water cannons and a PKR activist who died of a heart problem during the rally but his death was blamed on the police. The person who faked his death on video has been traced and identified as an Al-Arqam member from Selangor. He is said to have run off when the police sent him to hospital. Then a supposedly "Chinese man" was seen holding a loud hailer for the man (said to fake his death) as he prayed. Eventually, the "Chinese man" had been exposed as a Selangor PKR man who is a Malay. A blogger posted his picture for viewers to judge for themselves. Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, meanwhile, was seen grimacing in hospital after the rally but his detractors scoffed at the images. 
Umno Youth's Patriot group appears to have been 'outsourced' to Bangladeshis to make up the 500-strong crowd 
It's a war zone out there in cyberspace. The Pakatan Rakyat appears to be winning at times; at other times, the Barisan Nasional. Pakatan had always enjoyed a well-oiled social media network. It was first seen in action during Anwar's black eye incident and later in the first sodomy trial and subsequently the purported arsenic poisoning. One of the prominent websites at that time was the Free Anwar website managed by Raja Petra Kamaruddin. It did Anwar a great favour and is also credited with helping to free him in 2004. Pakatan was always a step ahead of Barisan in exploiting the developments in social media. During the years since the Free Anwar website, Anwar himself led in the fight to exploit social media for its powerful ability to connect disparate people. Today, social media is working overtime for Pakatan as it seeks to manufacture consent for his political themes. Tech-savvy youths were checking iPads and smartphones during the days leading to the Bersih 2.0 rally and on the day itself. They sent out tweets, posted comments and images and wrote about their experiences at the rally. The truth can sometimes be lost in the maze that is social media but some images do not lie, such as the incident which took place at Tung Shin Hospital. There is overwhelming evidence that tear gas and water cannon were fired into the hospital area after rally participants ran helter skelter into the hospital area. Images and video clips of the incident were recorded and uploaded online by many people. It is well known that some ministers lack social media skills or have not found time to watch videos online but still make statements that later put them in a spot. Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms have thus become a contested arena with many pro-Barisan Nasional and pro-Pakatan Rakyat supporters arguing over their version of what the "truth" is. For Anwar, the important thing is to keep up the political momentum achieved by Bersih 2.0. Their hope is that the next general election is held soon to capitalise on the political momentum created by the rally. He needs the Bersih 2.0 rally to be talked about everywhere, besides calling on his friends in the Western media to write about it. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, on the other hand, has been spending time explaining things. While on a visit to London, he was interviewed on CNN where he took questions on the rally, on police brutality and on his economic transformation plans for the country. Najib has to put a distance between himself and the effects of the rally on the people, especially the youths who are upwardly mobile. The social media is Anwar's strong suit. The same cannot be said about many government leaders. But not everybody is connected and those who are connected deeply disagree on what really happened on July 9. The silent majority is out there and when they speak, it will be a roar. |
| They also had their Bersih day Posted: 15 Jul 2011 02:09 PM PDT Israeli and Palestinians take part in a rally to voice support for U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state, in Jerusalem, Friday, July 15, 2011. The U.S. and Israel say a Mideast peace deal and Palestinian independence should come about only through talks. Both Israel and the Palestinians have launched international lobbying campaigns to drum up support for their respective positions. The banners read in Hebrew and Arabic "Together we march for liberation". I hope it may open some eyes, defreeze some minds and close many mouths .... The whole world is moving and we are all part of it as human beings. By Jeff |
| Yes Mr PM, it’s ‘all about politics’ Posted: 15 Jul 2011 01:50 PM PDT  By Jeswant Kaur, FMT Detaining activists and Parti Sosialis Malaysia members like Dr Michael D Jeyakumar under the Emergency Ordinance, that is "all about politics". Not allowing relatives to visit the ailing doctor at the National Heart Institute is nothing but cruelty at its best. The dust on the crackdown by the Barisan Nasional government against a rally seeking to reform the electoral system will never settle. In exactly a week since election watchdog Bersih 2.0 held its "Walk for Democracy" last Saturday, much dirt has surfaced, all pointing in the direction of the BN leadership under Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. Not only did Najib try his very best to play out Bersih 2.0 or the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections comprising 62 non-governmental organisations, he unwittingly ended up making the biggest mistake in his mere two-years of premiership, when he pitted the police force against the rakyat. Whilst the rally succeeded in bringing together 50,000 concerned and worried Malaysians, it also made history when 1,600 participants were arrested, the largest haul in a day in the history of this country. As far as the premier goes, he is the least interested in what the July 9, 2011, rally has to teach. Instead, Najib has worsened matters by spewing lies after lies, ending up only to make a fool of himself. He is doing all he can to wipe off the July 9 rude awakening. In an interview with the CNN in London a few days back, Najib foolishly lied to the station anchor John Defteriors, saying that no undue force was used on the rally participants. As far as Najib is capable of deducing, the July 9 rally was "all about politics". "Because there is democracy in Malaysia. And we are committed towards electoral reform," he unashamedly lied during the interview. Democracy? Commitment and electoral reforms? One doubts whether Najib even understands the meaning of these words. If there is democracy in Malaysia, then the 1,600 participants would not have been arrested. If democracy is alive here, Bersih 2.0 would not have been bullied and threatened. Yes, if democracy exists in Malaysia, the rakyat would have been able to engage in the "Walk for Democracy" peacefully, without any fear. But none of the above happened. To Najib, democracy is a carrot he thinks he can dangle to the rakyat anytime he wants, all to fulfill his own hidden agendas. Najib's bag of lies To further lie that no force was used on the participants has only confirmed Najib's status as a leader who will go to any length to manipulate and mislead. There is ample evidence of the police brutality and yet the premier could in a poker face manner claim no undue force was exerted on the participants. No wonder Malaysians seem to be suffering from the third class mentality, having long ago caught the "virus" from the so-called leaders whom they had entrusted with power. Najib knows the truth behind July 9, 2011. But his conviction is simply to weak stand up for the truth. His claim that the rally which Najib labelled as a street protest was "all about politics" is one big dangerous lie. The truth which begs defence is that it is Najib who turned the Bersih 2.0 walk into a political charade, deploying cops in thousands. The Najib administration's threats to detain the Bersih 2.0 leaders under the draconian Internal Security Act, that was "all about politics". READ MORE HERE. |
| Utusan plays up DAP, PAS differences on Kedah entertainment ban Posted: 15 Jul 2011 01:06 PM PDT  By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider Sensing a potential split in the opposition ranks, Utusan Malaysia said today it "pitied" PAS for being "bullied endlessly" by the DAP after the majority-Chinese party urged Kedah to revoke a ban on entertainment outlets during Ramadan. The Malaysian Insider reported today that the PAS national leadership has also asked the party-led Kedah government to brief the Islamist party's central committee tomorrow on the rationale behind the proposed ban. "Although Kedah is ruled by PAS, DAP still wants to interfere with the state's administration," Awang Selamat, the pseudonym for the Umno-owned newspaper's editors, said today. "Awang can see that although Lim Kit Siang has not yet even taken over the federal government, he has already shown his fangs to Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak," added the Malay daily. The DAP adviser recently urged the state government to withdraw the ban on 13 types of entertainment outlets from operating in the state during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Lim pointed out that his party's Kedah chapter never agreed to the ban as the matter was not raised at the Kedah Pakatan Rakyat (PR) council level. The MCA has also been quick to accuse Kedah PAS of violating human rights with the ban, which covers businesses such as karaoke centres and discos as well as live performances in readily accessible locations such as bars, hotels and restaurants. Only cybercafés, bowling alleys and snooker centres are exempt as they have been excluded from the regulation. The DAP last locked horns with PAS in January over Selangor's proposed ban on Muslims from working in premises that sell alcohol. READ MORE HERE. |
| Police welcome Suhakam probe Posted: 15 Jul 2011 12:26 PM PDT  By Teoh El Sen, FMT SUBANG: The police have welcomed Suhakam's decision to hold an open inquiry into allegations of excessive force used during last Saturday's Bersih 2.0 rally. "We will cooperate fully with Suhakam wherever the law requires us to," Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told FMT in an text message yesterday. Yesterday, Suhakam vice-chairman Prof Dr Khaw Lake Tee said the commission decided to hold an inquiry based on complaints of police brutality during the July 9 rally following two memorandums urging for an independent probe sent by PAS Youth, Suaram and Bersih 2.0. "At the moment, the commission is in the midst of setting up the panel of inquiry and its terms of reference. Further details will be announced in two weeks," read a statement by Suhakam yesterday. The public has also been called to come forward as witnesses or to provide information or evidence to Suhakam. READ MORE HERE. |
| Taib’s got the rally jitters? Posted: 15 Jul 2011 12:24 PM PDT  (FMT) - KUCHING: Is Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, whose Barisan Nasional coalition swept 55 seats in the April 16 state election, ruffled by the possibility of a Bersih 2.0-styled march in Kuching? It would appear so going by his sudden outburst here. The usually unaffected Taib pounced on Movement for Change Sarawak's (MoCS) call for a "Walk For Democracy and Reform" on Aug 13 when asked to comment by reporters. "MoCS rally!…You find out who MoCS represents, whose voice they are carrying and by what authority is Francis Siah claiming to be the leader. "People can see why I am a leader and who I represent… and you can ask him (Siah) the same question…who does he represent," he lashed out. Inspired by the success of Bersih 2.0′s "Walk For Democracy" on July 9 and the fact that some 100 Sarawakians had taken part, Siah on Wednesday announced that MoCS would hold its own rally. He said the movement's leaders decided to organise the peaceful walk instead of an anti-Taib Mahmud rally (their original idea) which had also been planned for Aug 13. Siah said the rally would be a citizens' initiative with no political affiliation or involvement and urged Sarawakians to join the walk or hold their own activity wherever they were. He also said that the rally would be a compromised version of the original street protest planned by MoCs to force Taib to step down. Following the state election, rife with allegations of money politics having aided BN's victory, MoCS called for Taib to step down by Aug 13, failing which the movement would mobilise a mass protest. On Wednesday, Siah was reported to have said: "For too long, the state has been trapped in a quagmire of widespread corruption and the politics of fear and intimidation. READ MORE HERE. |
| Moderate path Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:57 AM PDT 
By Sharif Haron, NST MALAYSIA is taking the path of moderation not just because it is right, but because it works, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday.
"We are moderate not because it is right. We are moderate because it works — and I make no apology for that. "Our economy has grown because we are moderate. The markets — never a fan of financial extremes — trust us because we are moderate. Investors deposit their money with us because we are moderate," he told business leaders at a forum here yesterday. He said Malaysia's own progress has been built on the bedrock of political, social and economic moderation and zero tolerance for extremists. "And today, as people and governments everywhere struggle to navigate the global economic storm and to come to terms with our new interconnectedness, it is precisely this moderation that provides a clear path back to economic growth." The Global Investment Forum, organised by the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority, was to give key insights into Malaysia's position as a business and investment destination.
Earlier in his speech, the prime minister declared he would not be making a sales pitch as such, leaving this job to International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed instead.
He went on to present his case on why those who were still thinking along the terms of East versus West are stuck in the past.
He said it was naive to suggest that the global marketplace operated according to some kind of "see-saw economics" where if one side went up the other automatically went down.
"Unemployment is low in Kuala Lumpur but not because it is high in Detroit. Maybank is expanding but not because of the collapse of Northern Rock. And Malaysia's economy gets stronger by the day, but not because the economy in Portugal is on its knees." While it was true that Asian economies have grown by more than six per cent in each of the past five years and Europe had only achieved around one per cent, the West and East were not sitting at opposite ends of the see-saw.
Instead, as national economies become global and their interests more intertwined, they find themselves increasingly coming together in the middle.
A rise in the living standards in the East does not cause the West to falter, rather helps it rise yet higher as people's demand for goods will stretch increasingly beyond nations' borders.
"If you walk into any mall in Kuala Lumpur, you will see British brands like Topshop, Burberry, and Marks and Spencer alongside Malaysian ones like Maxis, Parkson and Metrojaya.
"And it is not only retail firms who have made the move — our financial sector is also host to firms, like RBS, Barclays, HSBC and Standard Chartered, which are working to develop a new generation of financial products that can meet the ever-growing expectations of Malaysians.
"Increasing prosperity for all: that is the goal of our new global age — and as wealth creators, you are the people who will ensure that we achieve it." Najib pointed out though that Malaysia's economic success, including an economic growth rate of 7.2 per cent last year and probably five to six per cent this year, had not been through some kind of global inevitability, but through sound policy, shrewd governance and deft economic stewardship.
He also said at the heart of Malaysia's success has been its international outlook and new way of doing business in an environment where economies are interdependent, to the extent that "a car assembled in Dagenham is designed in Detroit, powered by an engine from Tokyo and fitted with tyres from Kuala Lumpur".
He said national economic interest was becoming more about collective interest, which was why Malaysia rejected the outdated notion of taking sides in international trade and relations, opting instead for a new multilateralism that worked both for the nation and its partners.
"We live in an age where Portugal looks to Brazil, its former colony, for help in dealing with its economic problems... a world where the Olympics is coming to London but the World Cup is going to Qatar.
"It's less a question of whether East or West will come out on top and more one of whether and for low long these labels will continue to apply.
"I have no doubt those investors who are truly global in their outlook will reap the biggest rewards — because as the saying goes, the sun may set in the west and rise in the east but it's always daylight somewhere in the world!"
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| Accept specialists’ Tung Shin version, says private doctors group Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:15 AM PDT 
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — The federal private doctors body has backed medical consultants who insist that the police fired tear gas and water cannons into the Tung Shin Hospital during the Bersih rally a week ago. The Health Ministry had initially defended the authorities before it yielded to public pressure and announced an investigation on Thursday into the incident. The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations Malaysia (FPMPAM) pointed out today that doctors had a moral duty to highlight violations of the sanctity of hospitals caused by "frayed tempers" during unrest. "Such action by concerned doctors must be accepted in good faith as it is their duty to ensure that innocent patients under treatment must not be exposed to unnecessary harm or danger," said FPMPAM president Dr Steven Chow in a statement today. "Not to do otherwise will be a dereliction of their professional duty," he added. The FPMPAM groups seven state bodies that together have 5,000 members nationwide. The Tung Shin Hospital board had on Monday informed Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai that no tear gas canisters and water cannons were fired directly into the hospital compound, which is located on Jalan Pudu, during the electoral reform rally. The police have also denied shooting directly into the hospital compound after protesters had sought refuge there. But a group of medical consultants had written to the media saying the police and hospital versions of the incident were wrong. In the days following the alleged incursion, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, a former health minister himself, said the police had to fire tear gas near Tung Shin Hospital to protect its patients from Bersih 2.0 protesters who had sought refuge there. Dr Chua said the situation should be viewed "in totality", pointing out that the police would be accused of not doing their job had they decided against dispersing the crowd of protesters that had run into the hospital. Liow has also said that shots from the water cannons had only brushed the edges of the hospital walls and blamed the wind for any tear gas felt. "The federation certainly supports the action of these 11 senior doctors as they are voicing out their outrage and concern when patients' lives are put in danger," said Dr Chow. READ MORE HERE. |
| Up, Close and Personal With Bourdon Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:47 AM PDT  Next Thursday, French lawyer William Bourdon will be in Penang to give an exclusive presentation to disclose how even "bigger" commissions were paid to "extremely high level" government officials in Malaysia related to the purchase of two submarines in 2002. Many have been shocked by the potentially explosive scandal in Malaysia over the billion-dollar purchase of French submarines, a deal engineered by then Defense Minister Najib Tun Razak. The Scorpene submarines are at the very heart of the continuing controversy over the death of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a 28-year old Mongolian translator who was cruelly and brutally C4-ed to her tragic death. However, many may not know that French lawyers William Bourdon, Renaud Semerdjian and Joseph Breham filed two requests with Parisian prosecutors on Dec. 4, 2009 and Feb. 23 2010 on behalf of the Malaysian human rights organization Suaram to investigate bribery and kickbacks from the deal.
For over two years, Parisian prosecutors, led by investigating judges Francoise Besset Francoise Besset and Jean-Christophe Hullin, have been gingerly investigating allegations involving senior French political figures and the sales of submarines and other weaponry to governments all over the world. French news reports have said the prosecutors have backed away from some of the most serious charges out of concern for the political fallout.
On the Malaysian front, Ops Scorpene has been launched to raise funds and awareness for these concerned parties to further pursue the case in the French courts. It hopes to question arms spending and transparency in arms procurement in the country.
However, funds are needed to finance the legal costs in French courts. As such, Ops Scorpene aims to raise RM100,000 via events planned during the visit of the French lawyers to Malaysia.
This is where YOU can play a very important role to see that justice and truth prevails. Far above all the coffee shop discussions or online rants, this is YOUR CHANCE to play an active role in unravelling truth. Organized by KL-based human rights NGO Suaram, a fund-raising dinner will be held in Penang during the French lawyer's visit to Malaysia to better inform ordinary citizens and Civil Society Organisations on the facts of the scandal that shook the nation.
Other speakers include Cynthia Gabriel (SUARAM), Lim Kiat Siang (DAP), Tian Chua (PKR), and Mat Sabu (PAS).
Date: 21 July 2011 (Thursday) Time: 8.00p.m. Venue: Banquet Hall Function Room 2, Level 4, Sunshine Square complex, Penang
Vegetarian Dinner
A table for 10 persons is priced at : Table class A -- RM 5000 Table class B -- RM 3000 Table class C -- RM 2000 Table class D -- RM 1000 Table class E -- RM 500
Individual tickets at RM50 each are also available for sale. Tickets are also available at the door.
HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS - Bank in your payment at: SUARAM ACCOUNT at SUARA INISIATIF SDN BHD, A/C No: 0300 0065 200, Hong Leong Bank
For international donor: (swift code) HLBBMYKL
Please notify us after made your payment!!! PLS SEND YOUR BANK TRANSACTION TO US.
Call to - 0163211934
Email to - refugee.suaram@gmail.com
If you cannot be there for one reason or another, please feel free to contribute your donations. Your presence, support and/or kind and generous response is deeply appreciated.
PLEASE JOIN US. See you there at the dinner!
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| Make Up Your Mind, Electoral Commission Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:26 AM PDT  By Mariam Mokhtar In the first Bersih rally, in 2007, in which Malaysians marched for free and fair elections, the event drew around 30,000 people. The rally was marred when the police provoked the crowds and used water cannons firing chemical laced water, baton charges and tear gas canisters against them. As a result of Bersih and the Hindraf march which happened 10 days later, BN lost its grip on power in Malaysia and the Prime Minister then, Abdullah Badawi was reported to have said that the Election Commission (EC) had acceded to several of Bersih's requests and that the opposition was continually blaming the EC for irregularities. He said, "They wanted a transparent ballot box and the use of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting. The EC has agreed to that. Other than that, they can negotiate with the commission". He suggested that the electoral gains made by the Opposition after the GE were because the EC was not tainted. Fast forward to 2011 and BN is under pressure again. Apart from the usual grievances regarding electoral fraud, the EC is accused of condoning double-voting and vote-buying. Perhaps, the scrutiny into their lack of performance has forced the EC to say that BN does not have undue influence on any of their decisions. Perhaps, the intense public disapproval means the EC and BN have forgotten their election pledges for reform which they made last 2007. The most damaging of these reforms, for the EC, would be the use of indelible ink which is simple, cheap and foolproof. In 2011, the EC suggested that finger printing was necessary to avoid electoral fraud. In a climbdown from the statement issued by Badawi in 2007, it then announced that using indelible ink was a backward practice. According to Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, the EC deputy chairman, Bersih's demand for indelible ink to be used in an attempt to prevent electoral fraud would create chaos and make a mockery of Malaysia's image as a progressive and developing country. He said, "Countries that use indelible ink are countries like Indonesia, India, Zambia and Zimbabwe….. These are countries with more than double the population of Malaysia and where not all its citizens own identification cards. "These countries are not up to our level so why should we adopt their system? This is a choice between progression and regression." Perhaps, Wan Ahmad is not aware that as a nation, we have already regressed. Our leaders lack morals and have no desire to give up their hold on power. Malaysia does not have the rule of law. It says one thing about corruption, but does very little to eradicate it. There are many recorded abuses of electoral law, which are brushed aside by the EC. The EC is already compromised and is not an effective organisation to uphold the electoral rights of its people. Wan Ahmad then raised fears that voters would not agree with having their fingers painted with ink and asked if these people would not be eligible to vote. He said, "Disqualifying them would go against their rights." In a further attempt to prevent the use of indelible ink, he expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the method. "I also heard that indelible ink can be easily obtained from Thailand. What if voters ink their fingers themselves before casting their vote? Can you imagine the chaos that will erupt when they are barred from voting?" This reminds us of the MACC lawyer Abdul Razak Musa who tried to strangle himself in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest. However, Wan Ahmad is not alone in advocating the use of fingerprinting. According to Bernama, the EC chairman Abdul Aziz Mohamad Yusof was reported to have said that plans were underway to 'record voters' fingerprints to verify their identities before allowing them to cast their ballots'. He said, "Then (a voter) will be considered to have voted, and the individual concerned cannot go to another polling station with the identity card to again cast his or her vote". The EC appears to have lost all credibility and powers of reasoning. Every decision or statement it makes seem to suggest that it has no desire to clean up the electoral process in Malaysia. Just like Umno/BN, it does not care or even want to be seen to champion the right of everyone to have free, clean and fair election. If only the EC had the imagination and perspicacity to realise that if it had agreed to engage with Bersih, it's reputation and those of its office-bearers, would be much improved. The bottom line is money. Ink is relatively cheap compared with fancy gadgets like biometric readers. Naturally, Umno/BN are afraid that the use of the simple and relatively cheap way of addressing voter fraud with indelible ink will oust Umno/BN from power. They are only concerned with the economics of the system. Which method will net them more money especially as the award to purchase expensive equipment will not be transparent and will be given to one of their cronies? What is a few hundred thousand ringgits in indelible ink, when Umno/BN cronies can charge several hundred millions and dupe us into handing over more money to those who already benefit from the public purse? Reducing electoral fraud is perhaps the least of the EC's problems. Making Umno/BN stay in power is more important. |
| And he agrees with me again Posted: 14 Jul 2011 04:59 PM PDT Bekas mufti Perlis Prof Madya Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin menyelar apa yang dikatakannya sebagai "unsur feudal" melalui tindakan membodek pemimpin dalam Umno. Dalam sesi dialog di Kuala Lumpur malam tadi, Asri juga mengkritik kurangnya toleransi dalam menangani pelbagai pandangan dalam parti Melayu itu. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Bekas mufti selar budaya bodek dalam Umno (Malaysiakini, 15 July 2011) - Bekas mufti Perlis Prof Madya Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin menyelar apa yang dikatakannya sebagai "unsur feudal" melalui tindakan membodek pemimpin dalam Umno.
Dalam sesi dialog di Kuala Lumpur malam tadi, Asri juga mengkritik kurangnya toleransi dalam menangani pelbagai pandangan dalam parti Melayu itu.
 "Dalam pemerintah sekarang semua orang nak tunjuk kononnya dia setia (kepada pemerintah) walaupun kenyataan yang dikeluarkan adalah bodoh tapi dia rasa tidak mengapa yang penting perdana menteri tahu.
"Dalam Umno bila ada pemimpin bagi kritikan dia ini dianggap musuh walaupun idea yang diberikan adalah baik namun ia dianggap bahaya kerana unsur feudal tidak ditinggalkan.
"Ramai yang nak masuk politik supaya dapat bodek pemimpin dan dapat hasil namun kesannya nanti ia akan merobohkan institusi yang ada, sebagai contoh khutbah Jumaat... institusi agama digunakan apa dalil agama yang mengharamkan perhimpunan, dalil agama digunakan untuk memburukkan orang lain. Program itu yang banyak menyentuh mengenai Himpunan BERSIH 2.0, menyaksikan Asri membidas pemikiran feudal yang diamalkan Umno-BN dalam sistem pentadbiran negara pada hari ini yang katanya perlu dikikis jika masih mahu mengekalkan kuasa. READ MORE HERE: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/169987 *************************************************** The master-servant relationship (Malaysia Today, 12 July 2011) - I remember Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad lamenting about this same matter more than once. In a way he also touched on this issue in his book 'The Malay Dilemma', which was banned by the government in 1969 or 1970. In fact, later, when he became Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir went even further than that: he lamented that the Malays are so emotional and he wished that they were more like the Chinese -- pragmatic.
The issue that I am talking about here, and which is the brunt of Dr Mahathir's lament, is that the Malays are too feudalistic. And Dr Mahahthir found this out the hard way when he engaged the Rulers in a Constitutional Crisis back in the 1980s and the rakyat sided with the Rulers. Dr Mahathir had no choice but to back off and rethink his strategy before coming back for a second round of attacking the Rulers.
Yes, even the great Dr Mahathir who could challenge Britain, America and Australia and tell them to go screw themselves could not break the feudalistic mind of Malaysians, in particular the Malays.
We all know the stories about the Sultans of old who would ask you to divorce your wife if he took a liking to her, or the son of the Sultan who would stab and kill you if you accidentally knocked into him, and whatnot. What about the legend of Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat where Hang Tuah is portrayed as a saint for allowing the Sultan to order his death based just on rumours while Hang Jebat is considered a villain for opposing tyranny and for standing up for justice?
Yes, that is how the mind of the Malaysian works, in particular the mind of the Malay. We are feudalistic through and through and don't ever suggest that Malaysia abolishes the Monarchy and turn the country into a Republic. That would be like wearing a Liverpool T-shirt and walking into a Manchester pub. You would not need to jump out of a window of a MACC building to commit suicide.
And that has not changed much. Maybe the Sultans are no longer the powers-that-be and are only Constitutional Monarchs. Nevertheless, while we now have elected representatives instead of Monarchs in charge or running the country, these elected representatives and politicians have become the new feudal lords and masters.
And that is why we must become anti-politicians. Malaysians politicians have become the new feudal lords of Malaysia. Never mind whether it is Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat. They are all the same. After all, many of the Pakatan Rakyat politicians are ex-Barisan Nasional anyway. And this is the reason why we must redefine the master-servant relationship. In the past, before Merdeka of 1957, we the rakyat were the servants while the Sultans, who were the rulers, were the masters. But that has now changed. Today, we the rakyat are the masters and those we elect to run the country are the servants. READ MORE HERE: http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/no-holds-barred/41960-the-master-servant-relationship |
| WIKILEAKS: UNPRECEDENTED SEDITION CHARGES AGAINST BLOGGER Posted: 14 Jul 2011 01:00 AM PDT Raja Petra was charged after posting an article on his website on April 25 entitled 'Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell' that implied that DPM Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor were connected to the 2006 murder of a young Mongolian interpreter, Altantuya Shaaribuu. He also accused PM Abdullah of holding on to evidence that implicates his deputy in order to keep Najib in line. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000355 SIPDIS FOR EAP/MTS AND DRL - JANE KIM E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2018 TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PINR, KDEM, KPAO, MY SUBJECT: UNPRECEDENTED SEDITION CHARGES AGAINST BLOGGER REF: A. A) KL 130 - PRESS STIFLED IN ALTANTUYA TRIAL B. B) KL 73 - PROSECUTOR DOWNBEAT ON ALTANTUYA CASE C. C) 2007 KL 291 )RAZAK BAGINDA CASE Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b and d). 1. (C) Summary. For the first time, Malaysian authorities have resorted to a colonial-era law to bring sedition charges against a blogger and the author of a comment on an internet web site. Blogger and veteran anti-government activist Raja Petra Kamarudin touched a sensitive nerve in implying that DPM Najib Tun Razak and his wife were connected to 2006 murder of a young Mongolian interpreter, Altantuya Shaaribuu (reftels). He also accused PM Abdullah of holding on to evidence that implicates his deputy to keep Najib in line. Visiting EAP DAS Marciel raised the issue with Deputy Home Minister Wan Farid on May 6, and Wan Farid indicated the proceedings against Raja Petra should be a warning to other bloggers. The Raja Petra case will continue to keep public focus on the Altantuya case and allegations of Najib's involvement. Prosecuting a blogger for sedition also complicates Prime Minister Abdullah's efforts to be seen as a reformer. End summary. Colonial-era Sedition Act utilized 2. (SBU) On May 6 Malaysian Police charged blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin and Syed Ali Akhbar, who posted a comment on Raja Petra's website, with sedition. This is the first time Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act (enacted by British colonial authorities in 1948) has been used in response to material appearing on the internet. The Section reads, 'Any person who prints, publishes, sells, offers for sale, distributes or reproduces any seditious publication' can be charged with sedition. If found guilty, Raja Petra and Syed Ali could be jailed for a maximum of three years and/or face a fine of up to USD1,600. Syed Ali was released on bail after pleading not guilty and the court fixed June 10 to hear submissions by the defense and prosecution on a preliminary objection raised by the defense, which claimed that the charge was groundless. Raja Petra initially refused to post bail and was remanded at the Sungai Buloh prison, but on May 8 he changed his stance and he was scheduled to be released on bail May 9. His trial is fixed for October 6-10. 3. (SBU) Another prominent blogger described Raja Petra's action to poloffs as a gambit to not only generate publicity for himself but also for his news portal Malaysia Today (www.malaysia-today.net). The local blogger community as a whole has reacted with outrage to what is seen as a threat to the free exchange of ideas on the internet. The Malaysian Bar Council called on the authorities to withdraw the charges against Raja Petra and Syed Ali, describing the relevant section of the Sedition Act as a draconian, archaic and repressive legislation that has long outlived any perceived utility it might ever have had. A number of prominent civil society groups issued a statement characterizing Raja Petra's arrest as politically motivated and aimed at silencing principled and uncompromising voice speaking against the abuse of power, including those stemming from the highest level of government and authority. 4. (C) DPM Najib publicly denied that the arrests were politically motivated or an indication of government intentions to crack down on internet sites. Visiting EAP DAS Scot Marciel raised the case with Deputy Home Minister Wan Farid on May 6 and questioned why the government was using sedition charges in such a case. Wan Farid said bloggers could not be allowed to accuse people of murder and not back up such claims. "You can't just (post) anything on the internet," and not expect consequences, indicating this was a warning to other bloggers. The government would proceed with the case in court, Wan Farid said. Raja Petra a thorn in UMNO's side 5. (SBU) Raja Petra was charged after posting an article on his website on April 25 entitled 'Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell' that implied that DPM Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor were connected to the 2006 murder of a young Mongolian interpreter, Altantuya Shaaribuu. He also accused PM Abdullah of holding on to evidence that implicates his deputy in order to keep Najib in line. Two police officers from the security detail of DPM Najib have been charged for killing Altantuya, while Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of DPM Najib, was charged with abetting the murder. The murder trial that began in June 2007 has been dragging along for nearly a year, giving rise to suggestions of deliberate delays for political reasons (Ref A ). 6. (SBU) This is not the first time Raja Petra, a cousin of the current Sultan of Selangor, has challenged the ruling establishment. He was one of the key leaders of the reformasi movement launched in September 1998 by former DPM Anwar. In 2000 he became the Director of the Free Anwar Campaign (FAC) and founded the FAC website that regularly posted articles criticizing the government. In 2001 he was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and held for 52 days before being released unconditionally, reportedly due to pressure from his uncle the then King, the late Sultan of Selangor. In July 2007 he was detained, questioned and released after UMNO Information Chief Muhammad Muhammad Taib filed a police report against him for allegedly insulting the King and Islam. 7. (SBU) Raja Petra launched Malaysia Today in August 2004 "to test how far Malaysia under its new Prime Minister (PM Abdullah) can honor, respect and tolerate free speech." The blog grew to an average of 1.5 million hits a day and was voted one of the top ten websites by local internet users in 2007. One reporter describes it as Malaysia's answer to the U.S. Drudge Report, a news aggregation site, dedicated to entertaining tales of political intrigue. In meetings with poloffs, Raja Petra has nevertheless insisted that all of his reports are backed by hard evidence. 8. (SBU) UMNO leaders have blamed internet media and bloggers, in particular Raja Petra, as contributing to the BN's setback in the March election. Raja Petra agreed, telling reporters on May 6, they lost in the election because of the internet war. Malaysia Today was one of the culprits. He added that his defense team would prove there was no case against him and that it was a matter of political persecution. One sympathetic academic described the action against Raja Petra as the return to sledgehammer rule by UMNO, but added recalcitrant bloggers like Raja Petra threaten UMNO's survival, because the ruling party has failed to find a formula for countering its internet critics. Syed Akhbar Ali: Easy to Impress the Malays 9. (SBU) In Syed Akhbar Ali's case, the author was belatedly charged for posting a comment in June 2007 on a Raja Petra authored Malaysia Today piece alleging strong links between Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan and a major organized crime syndicate. Raja Petra had written that the syndicate protected by the IGP was involved in prostitution, drugs, and illegal gambling. In his comment, titled Easy to Impress the Malays, Akhbar used crude language in maintaining that massage centers are mushrooming in the city due to the sudden increase in Arab visitors, and in a similar vein went on to make some scurrilous comments about the Arabs and Islam, and the naivety of Malays in accepting Arab ideas. Comment 10. (C) In another indication of the growing influence of internet media, both DPM Najib and his wife have been compelled to go public in responding to Raja Petra's report, maintaining that the allegations are unfounded and unfair. The Raja Petra case will continue to keep public attention on the Altantuya murder and on allegations of Najib's involvement in the crime at a time when Prime Minister Abdullah has announced Najib as his eventual successor. Prosecuting a blogger for sedition complicates Prime Minister Abdullah's efforts to be seen as a reformer and will further boost the profile of Malaysia's anti-government internet activists. KEITH |
| Now do you understand the meaning of The Third Force? Posted: 13 Jul 2011 05:31 PM PDT We hope, now, the meaning of The Third Force becomes clearer. And the newly crowned leader of this Third Force is Ambiga Sreenevasan. She may be a reluctant leader. Maybe she did not plan to emerge as its leader. However, like it or not, she is now the leader of Malaysia's Third Force. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Reject Anwar's 'revolution', says Utusan Malaysia (The Malaysian Insider) - Continuing its anti-Bersih tirade today, Utusan Malaysia told Malaysians to reject Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's "revolution" and ignore a spin-off campaign from last weekend's rally which calls on supporters to wear yellow every Saturday. The Umno-owned daily front-paged an article titled "Reject Anwar's revolution" where it solicited the views of four retired top cops, including two former Inspectors-General of Police, to condemn Anwar's "revolution" comment on Malaysia to the Indonesian media. Calling Anwar "pengkhianat negara (traitor to the country)", the paper wrote that many have rejected the opposition leader's purported attempt to instigate the people by claiming that Malaysia was on the verge of revolution. "Anwar Ibrahim has been deemed a traitor to the country and stern action should be taken against him immediately," the paper wrote. According to the article, former IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan said that Anwar's statement clearly showed that the opposition leader wants to see his country in chaos. "The police and the government should not hesitate to take stern action against him," he was quoted as saying. Other top cops, including former IGP Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Noor, former deputy IGP Tan Sri Samsuri Arshad and former Special Branch director Datuk Zulkifli Abdul Rahman were also quoted as condemning Anwar in the article. In its editorial section, Utusan Malaysia praised the police as the "true heroes" of Saturday, despite widespread criticisms from the opposition, civil society groups and the foreign media that the police had used excessive force on protestors. Thousands took to the capital's streets on Saturday to march for free and fair elections but chaos broke out close to midday when police in full riot gear moved to disperse the crowd by firing tear gas canisters and spraying jets of chemical-laced water on protestors. "As sane-minded individuals, surely we can acknowledge that the true heroes were the police. Their persistence, hard work and patience in carrying out their duties saved the country from chaos on July 9," said Zulkiflee Bakar, the paper's editor. In another editorial, Utusan Malaysia predicted that Bersih's spin-off "wear yellow every Saturday" campaign could hamper public safety. "First it starts with one or two groups but if it is allowed to prolong for weeks, it may build a strength that could affect public safety. "The authorities should move quickly to overcome Bersih's agendas, which are reaching a point where they should no longer be given face," the paper said. *********************************** They can reject Anwar's 'revolution' if they so wish. This is really no skin of our nose. First of all, we really don't know what 'revolution' it is that they are talking about. Maybe they think that Anwar is attempting to start a Tahrir Square in Malaysia. Secondly, this has nothing to do with Anwar. Why focus just on Anwar as if he is the only one that matters and the rest don't? Thirdly, one man -- Anwar or whoever it may be -- really can't start revolutions unless it is the will of the rakyat. Then again, if it is the will of the rakyat then we don't need Anwar to tell us to start a revolution. Finally, and most important of all, the revolution has already started. The only thing is the government/Barisan Nasional were sleeping while it happened. And when they were told about it back in 2004, after the GE of that year, they pooh-poohed the whole thing. In 2007-2008 they actually said that the Internet is not a threat and not significant. Then, after the 2008 GE, when they got hit bad, the government sheepishly admitted that they underestimated the power of the Internet. Yes, the revolution I am talking about is the mental revolution triggered by yet another revolution, the communications revolution, triggered by yet another revolution, the Internet, which made access to information so easy. It was a sort of chain reaction. We need to study history and understand how the ruling elite in collaboration with the church kept the rakyat in ignorance. Only by keeping the rakyat in ignorance can the people be enslaved -- mental slavery. But once the people started educating themselves and dragged themselves out of ignorance, changes started to happen. It was a long and winding road to freedom but finally, after generations of fighting against ignorance, the rakyat won. And Europe is what it is today because of that. But it took a very long time indeed. Nevertheless, the rakyat finally won. Ignorance was cast side and the people took control of their destiny. We must remember that Europe remained in ignorance for a very long time. And it remained in ignorance as the Middle East moved ahead and progressed. And the Middle East moved ahead because they welcomed education and innovation. But once the ruling elite of the Middle East banned innovation, the Middle East went backwards while the very backward Europe, which learned everything it could from the Middle East and improved upon it, overtook the Middle East. Today we can see the glaring difference between Europe and the Middle East. The once enlightened are now locked in ignorance while the once ignorant are now masters of the world. That, in a small way, is happening in Malaysia, just like it is happening all over the world. The world is seeing a second wind of sorts. Changes have been happening all over the western world. And because of the now borderless world and the world being reduced to a global 'village', Malaysia is being dragged along screaming and kicking and resistance is futile. The government has to understand that this is not about Anwar. This is a natural phenomenon. The only way for Malaysia to isolate itself from this mental revolution brought on by the communications revolution, which has in turn been brought on by the Internet, is to embark upon a closed-door policy. Malaysia has to do what China once did. It has to shut itself from the rest of the world. Then the global revolution would not hit Malaysia's shores. But it may be too late for that now. The next point I want to make is about what Bersih represents. Over the last year or so we have been trying to make people understand what we mean by The Third Force. When we first mooted the idea of The Third Force through the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM), most people interpreted this to mean 'three-corner fights' in the elections. As much as we tried to explain the concept, many refused to accept our explanation and insisted that The Third Force, which to them means 'three-corner contests', is destructive to the ideals of a two-party system and counter-productive to Pakatan Rakyat's effort at ousting Barisan Nasional. On 9th July 2011, what we saw was The Third Force in action. This was not about 'three-corner fights'. This was about taking back power from the politicians and transferring it into the hands of the rakyat. Never mind whether 6,000 people came out that day (as what the police says), or 20,000 people (as what the mainstream media says), or 50,000 people (as what some say), or 200,000 people (as what others say), or whatever. The numbers are not as important as the fact that the rakyat demonstrated their will to come out to show their unhappiness and to send a strong message to the powers-that-be that changes must happen and resistance is futile. The rakyat has 'tasted blood', that day on 9th July 2011. And there is no turning back the clock. Bersih has taught the rakyat the meaning of The Third Force. The rakyat now understands that united they can force changes. And the rakyat is going to continue to force changes and anyone who stands in the way of the rakyat is going to be swept aside. We hope, now, the meaning of The Third Force becomes clearer. And the newly crowned leader of this Third Force is Ambiga Sreenevasan. She may be a reluctant leader. Maybe she did not plan to emerge as its leader. However, like it or not, she is now the leader of Malaysia's Third Force. Now I hope you understand what we mean when we talk about The Third Force. |
| My challenge to The Unspinners and the Umno Bloggers Posted: 12 Jul 2011 06:15 PM PDT I was actually waiting for the Umno Bloggers to raise this matter, yet again, so that I can reply to it. Now that they have I have replied to it. And now I would like to reveal that the police have recorded my statement, something that I know you were not aware of before this. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin First read what the pro-Umno blog, The Unspinners, wrote: Pembohongan cincin Rosmah oleh RPK Raja Petra Kamarudin telah pun mengakui dia telah memfitnah Dato Rosmah Mansor serta Perdana Menteri Dato Sri Najib Tun Razak melalui pengisytiharan berkanun (statutory declaration) yang menuduh Rosmah membunuh si Altantuya. Ini bukan kali pertama RPK telah membohong dan memfitnah orang. Dalam episode terkini RPK ulangi fitnah kononnya Rosmah Mansor telah membeli sebiji cincin berlian (diamond) yang berharga US$24 Juta (RM73 Juta). Menurut penulisan RPK di laman Malaysia Today cincin itu telah dibeli di "New York-based fine jewellers, Jacob & Co." Gambar cincin itu turut dimuatkan. Inilah gambar cincin berlian yang kononnya berharga RM73 juta itu. Soalan pertama ialah bagaimanakah RPK boleh mendapat gambar cincin kepunyaan peribadi sesiapa pun? Gambar ini seolah di 'cut paste' daripada majalah atau gambar hiasan daripada Internet. *************************************** Now read what Free Malaysia Today wrote: RM73 mil diamond ring for Rosmah? As Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak still reels from the Bersih 2.0 rally's political aftershocks, a glittering new allegation has surfaced about his wife, Rosmah Mansor. The self-styled First Lady had allegedly come into possession of a diamond ring, worth a whopping US$24 million (RM73.48 million) sometime in April this year. A pro-Pakatan Rakyat blog called "Milo Suam" claimed that the ring was sent to Rosmah by the New York-based fine jewellers, Jacob & Co. The blog claimed that the ring, identified as a "Natural Fancy Blue Gray Cushion Cut Diamond Ring" passed through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport customs and was cleared by a customs operations manager known as A Krishnan. Screenshots of the alleged customs computer displays also revealed that the ring did not have import duties imposed on it. The same display also indicated the value of the ring to be US$24.4 million. The story of the ring had also spread to many other pro-Pakatan blogs. According to a Forbes website, the ring is a "VVS2 clarity diamond mounted on a platinum ring surrounded by 414 diamonds in a micro-pave setting (3.48 cts.)." Meanwhile, "Milo Suam" questioned Najib's rationale in allegedly purchasing such an expensive item for his wife. READ MORE HERE: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/07/12/rm24-mil-diamond-ring-for-rosmah/ READ MORE HERE: http://milosuam.blogspot.com/2011/07/cincin-rosmah-mansor-berharga-245-juta.html **************************************** The Unspinners said, "Menurut penulisan RPK di laman Malaysia Today……" Actually, I never tulis (wrote) anything, as alleged by The Unspinners (see here: http://www.malaysia-today.net/archives/archives-2011/41931-rm244-mil-rosmah-mansor-ring-bn-cybertrooper-come). I just provided a link to Forum Lowyat, one of the sites that carried the story, which also provided all the graphics in their posting (see here: http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1951314). The Unspinners is actually spinning. And they even raised the issue of my first 'lie', my June 2008 Statutory Declaration, to prove that I am a consistent liar. Okay, I need not defend myself on my second 'lie' about Rosmah's ring because I never wrote anything other than provide a link to another site. I never even made a comment on the matter. But let us talk about my first 'lie', my Statutory Declaration. For the information of The Unspinners and the other pro-Umno Blogs, the police have already taken my statement on the matter. And both my lawyers are aware of this because the police also recorded the statement of one of my lawyers. Yes, I bet you did not know this. I wanted to keep this a secret until the Umno buggers come out from their lubang and start whacking me, again, on my Statutory Declaration of June 2008 and my TV3 interview of April 2011. Then I would grab them by their balls (or by their tits if they are female Umno Bloggers). So there you have it. The police already recorded my statement in Bangkok, Thailand, in late April 2011. And my statement was recorded based on my TV3 interview of early April 2011. And the fact that my April 2011 TV3 interview refers to my Statutory Declaration of June 2008 means that the two matters are now linked as one investigation. Hah…I bet you thought I was stupid to have walked into TV3's 'trap'. Well, not so stupid as you may have thought. Now that the issue was aired on primetime TV and received national coverage, the police were forced to spring into action. And since my TV3 interview was about my Statutory Declaration, this matter has had to be resurrected as well. So, how now, The Unspinners? This matter is now in the hands of the police. The police already recorded my statement and an investigation has been launched. And the investigation is based on whether I did or did not sign a false declaration and whether what I said on TV3 is true or false. In short, the investigation is about whether I lied or told the truth in BOTH my Statutory Declaration and TV3 interview. The ball is now at the feet of the police. I have cooperated with the police as requested. I allowed them to record my statement. My statement to the police is the same as my TV3 interview and is also the same as my Statutory Declaration. In short, what I said in my Statutory Declaration, my TV3 interview, and my statement to the police, are CONSISTENT. There is no discrepancy in ALL THREE. Maybe The Unspinners and the other Umno Bloggers can now hassle the police and demand that they reveal the result of their investigation. Better still, maybe these Umno Bloggers can demand that action be taken so that the truth can be revealed. I am sure The Unspinners and all those pro-Umno and pro-Najib Bloggers want to know whether the police investigation has revealed the truth or untruth behind what I said in my Statutory Declaration and TV3 interview. I was actually waiting for the Umno Bloggers to raise this matter, yet again, so that I can reply to it. Now that they have I have replied to it. And now I would like to reveal that the police have recorded my statement, something that I know you were not aware of before this. So, over to you The Unspinners and the other Umno Bloggers. Where do you want to take it from here? Do you want to whack the police for dragging their feet on the matter? Why have the police not acted? Maybe The Unspinners and the other Umno Bloggers can enlighten us on this. Over to you guys. Your comments please! |
| WIKILEAKS: MALAYSIA ATTEMPTS TO REIN IN BLOGGERS Posted: 12 Jul 2011 01:00 AM PDT Raja Petra, not known for his subtlety, responded immediately to the UMNO Information Chief with a flaming article entitled, "See you in hell Muhammad son of Muhammad," which also recalled prior corruption charges against his detractor and highlighted Raja Petra's family ties to royalty. On July 25, police called in Raja Petra for 8 hours of questioning before releasing him. Raja Petra claimed that UMNO's police report and his questioning was part of "an agenda to clamp down on blogs before the coming general election in a move to black out news." THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 KUALA LUMPUR 001218 SIPDIS
STATE FOR EAP/MTS AND DRL -- SARAH BUCKLEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/30/2017 TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, SOCI, KPAO, MY SUBJECT: VIRTUAL LIMITS: MALAYSIA ATTEMPTS TO REIN IN BLOGGERS REF: KUALA LUMPUR 1155 - POLICE DETAIN ANWAR AIDE Classified By: Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b and d). Summary 1. (C) Bloggers fear the recent police actions against two prominent online political commentators, Nathaniel Tan and Raja Petra Kamarudin, presage a Government of Malaysia (GOM) crackdown on the freedoms of speech and the press in cyberspace. GOM leaders and officials from the dominant United Malays National Organization (UMNO) justified the moves as necessary to check irresponsible bloggers who incite racial and religious hatred. The GOM has announced its readiness to use the Internal Security Act, the Sedition Act, and Section 121b of the Penal Code against bloggers, and there is some discussion of introducing new legislation to plug legal loopholes. Prominent political leaders including the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister are warning bloggers and cyber-activists they are not immune from the law, and will face prosecution for transgressions such as insulting Islam and the King, and inciting the population through "lies" on websites. Opposition leaders and human rights NGOs are condemning the police actions and public threats, stating these are politically motivated and meant to instill "a news blackout" and squelch dissent prior to the anticipated general elections. The Internet is Malaysia's last bastion of press freedom and the arena for incessant rumor-mongering among the country's elites. Opposition parties and government critics rely heavily on the Internet because the GOM controls access to traditional media outlets to favor UMNO and the ruling National Front (Barisan Nasional, BN). The GOM clearly has fired a warning shot into cyberspace in an effort to rein in outspoken critics. End Summary. First salvo fired against cyber-activists 2. (SBU) The GOM fired its opening salvo on Internet bloggers on July 13 when it arrested Nathaniel Tan, a People's Justice Party (PKR) webmaster and blogger, after corruption allegations against Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharom were posted by a third party on Tan's website (reftel). When police detained Tan, they reportedly denied him access to his lawyer, the chance to inform his family of his arrest, and concealed his whereabouts while processing his arrest. P. Uthayakumar, a coordinator for the NGO Police Watch, spotted Mr. Tan when police took him before a magistrate and notified Mr. Tan's lawyer of his whereabouts. Tan, released on bail after four days, was held for suspicion of "wrongful communication of an official secret." While police reportedly questioned Tan regarding information on the Johari corruption story, Tan's lawyer, R. Sivarasa, stated, "I want to go on record (to say) this detention is politically motivated." 3. (U) Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader and member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), condemned the "secretive circumstances in the first seven hours of Tan's arrest". He also called it "a scandal which speaks of a police which has yet to fully accept that the first principle of policing in a democratic system must be policing for the people and not policing to serve the government leaders of the day." Former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the human rights NGO Suaram, the Malaysian Bar Council, the Center for Independent Journalism, and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) all condemned Mr. Tan's arrest while The Sun newspaper described his arrest as "politically motivated." UMNO Takes On Cyber Gadfly 4. (U) UMNO Information Chief Muhammad Muhammad Taib filed a police report on July 23 (11 days after Mr. Tan's arrest) against the political website Malaysia Today and its outspoken webmaster Raja Petra. A cousin to the current Sultan of Selangor, Raja Petra set up his website in 2004 and it is now one of the most popular news websites in the country. About 30 UMNO leaders accompanied the Information Chief when he filed the police report. He claimed the postings and articles were disrespectful to the King and Islam, and had the potential to "create unrest in the country and strike fear in the people." The UMNO Information Chief urged the police to take swift action, and stated the portal's contents could undermine unity and corrupt young minds "to think that there are no rules and sensitivities governing articles and that anyone can write on any matter in the name of individual freedom." 5. (U) Several senators and defacto Law Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz joined the chorus in the subsequent days. Nazri stated the government would take legal action against bloggers who flagrantly belittle Islam or the King using three laws: the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Sedition Act, and Section 121b of the Penal Code (which relates to offenses against the King, Sultans, or Governors that entails life imprisonment if convicted). He cited as an example a blog entry belittling Islam in which the writer described the religion as, "a big lie fabricated by Arabs who had put a huge rock (the Kaabah) in the middle of the desert." The Minister claimed the comment was not only ill mannered but could provoke anger among Muslims. Nazri also stated the government was considering formulating new laws allowing it to monitor and act against offending bloggers, and closing any legal loopholes. He stressed that the proposed legislation's intent is not to strangle the freedom of the Internet but to put a stop to the "freedom to lie in the blogosphere." The Minister explained, "We want blogs to be clean, a place to obtain accurate information, a reference point for honest opinion, not a platform to abuse and slander people." 6. (SBU) Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has been savaged in Malaysia's blogs for corruption and alleged tie-ins to the Altantuya murder scandal, explained to the public June 23 that UMNO Information Chief's filing of the police report against Raja Petra did not signal the GOM made a "special decision" to clamp down on bloggers. He added, "everyone must be aware that there are laws in this country." However, the DPM's comments regarding bloggers were harsher later that night while speaking at the Malaysian Press Institute Press Awards. There, he noted the government was deeply troubled by the growth of "irresponsible" alternative media. He explained, "In the name of freedom, these websites allow the broadcast of slander, lies, and swearing, the use of harsh, degrading language and racial slurs without regard for the reader or those concerned." He stressed the government's tolerance of antigovernment positions and criticisms on the Internet, but "we are very concerned about statements that insult religion and reek of racism." He warned that webmasters and web journalists are not exempt from laws and the GOM "will not permit any party to disturb the nation's harmony and cause unease among the community." Police Summon Raja Petra 7. (U) Raja Petra, not known for his subtlety, responded immediately to the UMNO Information Chief with a flaming article entitled, "See you in hell Muhammad son of Muhammad," which also recalled prior corruption charges against his detractor and highlighted Raja Petra's family ties to royalty. On July 25, police called in Raja Petra for 8 hours of questioning before releasing him. Raja Petra claimed that UMNO's police report and his questioning was part of "an agenda to clamp down on blogs before the coming general election in a move to black out news." 8. (U) Many of the same opposition politicians and activists who rallied behind Nathanial Tan raised further alarm over Raja Petra's predicament. Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang stated the police report against Raja Petra was an attempt to clampdown on "criticism, dissent, and expose (sic) of abuses of power and corrupt practices in the run-up to the coming general election." He added that the government should not use criminal laws "to arrest, intimidate, and silence any one." Understandably, the blogging community immediately came out in support of Raja Petra. They claim the police report against Malaysia Today and Nathaniel Tan's earlier arrest represent a GOM attempt to intimidate other bloggers and clampdown on "press freedom in cyberspace." Dr. Toh Kim Win, a Penang Gerakan state cabinet minister, was the only prominent government leader to voice support for the blogging community. He said UMNO's police report (against Raja Petra) represents a "growing trend towards stifling dissent in our country." He added, "These trends, if not stopped, will further erode the democratic space, which is already limited, in our country." He urged the government to promote not only economic development, but also human rights. With no apparent sense of irony, former Prime Minister Mahathir, himself once a champion of muzzling the press, described the government's attempt to clampdown on bloggers as an exercise in futility, one that wouldn't stop information flowing over the Internet. PM Weighs In, Finds Himself Subject of Police Complaint 9. (SBU) Upon returning from his honeymoon travel, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi weighed in, warning on July 29 that Malaysia's laws would not spare those who spread "lies" on the Internet. Abdullah added bloggers and Internet posters "do not have the freedom to do whatever they like." Responding to Raja Petra's claim police cannot charge him under Malaysian law because his site is registered overseas, the Prime Minister said, "It is not for them (bloggers) to claim that they are immune from the law simply because their websites are hosted overseas where they have the right to say anything." 10. (U) In an ironic tit-for-tat act, opposition DAP member Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew filed a police report regarding a "seditious posting" on the Prime Minister's official website, originally posted on November 14, 2005. The posting conveyed anti-Chinese sentiments. Raja Petra reported the filing on his website, adding he expected the police to respond to the filing and question the Prime Minister within two days, as they had done with him. The postings were removed on July 30 after they were made public and a police report filed. 11. (SBU) Until recently, the GOM generally has refrained from actively policing political content the Internet, in part out of a pledge made to foster development of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and the Internet market in Malaysia. Beginning in 2004, the GOM began making statements on the need to introduce "cyber laws to control the Internet," but it made little use of the regulatory authority over on-line speech vested in the Communications and Multimedia Commission. In December 2006, Kong Cho Ha, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, stated Malaysia may introduce tough Internet laws to control bloggers and prevent them from spreading "disharmony, chaos, seditious material and lies" on their websites. Early in 2007, some senior Embassy contacts alluded to internal GOM discussions on ways to rein in Internet news reporting and bloggers in particular. In January 2007, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said although government policy is not to censor the Internet, "bloggers are bound by laws on defamation, sedition, and other limits of speech." The Prime Minister's comment referred to the defamation lawsuit filed by the News Straits Times (NST), an English language newspaper owned by UMNO, against Jeff Ooi and Ahirudin Atan (aka Rocky), another prominent blogger, for their blogs and their readers' comments regarding the newspaper's editors' roles in misrepresenting facts, publishing a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad, and alleged plagiarism by its journalists. Given UMNO's control over the NST, the paper's lawsuit is seen by many as the GOM's first move against cyber-activists and bloggers. Comment 12. (C) With the mainstream media -- television, print and radio -- largely under the thumb of UMNO and the ruling National Front, and a number of important national topics ruled out of bounds, including most recently the "Islamic state" controversy, the Internet is the remaining bastion for wide ranging criticism of the government and discussion of otherwise taboo political subjects. The Internet is also the focus of incessant rumor-mongering among the country's elites, honed to a fine art by the likes of Raja Petra who kept the milling turning, often without any solid information to back up his sensational reports. Opposition figures, largely unable to access the mainstream press, rely heavily on the Internet to reach Malaysia's computer-savvy upper class, while realizing that this information does not readily penetrate down to the grassroots. The Internet has helped government critics fan corruption stories, aided Mahathir in his ill-fated challenge against PM Abdullah last year, and kept alive allegations of DPM Najib's links to the Altantuya murder case. 13. (C) The GOM clearly has fired a warning shot into cyberspace in an effort to rein in outspoken critics ahead of the impending elections; government pressure on the blogging community through complaints and police actions seems very much tied to the preparation of the election ground. Senior government officials and UMNO leaders have made clear that the sniping from cyberspace rankles deeply, and UMNO has a strong interest in weakening the opposition's electronic platform at this particular time. Even if this does not evolve into a real crackdown, the government warnings and criminal investigations of Tan and Raja Petra could send a chill through Malaysia's boisterous Internet community that will temper some voices. We doubt, however, that others will allow themselves to be silenced and the GOM, like other governments, will find the Internet difficult to constrain. The Embassy supports freedom of speech on the Internet through active and carefully calibrated public affairs programming, including through expert U.S. speakers and support to seminars, and we seek to engage government and opinion leaders behind the scenes to preserve Internet space for the broad range of Malaysian viewpoints. LAFLEUR |
| WIKILEAKS: 9th Malaysia Plan: ambitious agenda and challenging implementation Posted: 10 Jul 2011 01:00 AM PDT Non-government economists support these goals publicly but deplore them in private. Some challenge the reliability of the government's data. For example, a significant amount of publicly listed shares are held under nominee accounts, many of which are bumiputera-owned, but the government considers all of them non-bumiputera. Others decry the added cost of business the NEP policies place on private investors and the disincentive they pose to FDI. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
SUBJECT: 9TH MALAYSIA PLAN: AMBITIOUS AGENDA AND CHALLENGING IMPLEMENTATION REF: 2005 KUALA LUMPUR 03692 Classified By: Economic Counselor Colin Helmer. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY 1. (C) Prime Minister Abdullah recently unveiled the Ninth Malaysia plan (9MP) which envisages spending RM 220 ($60 billion) of government and private development funds during 2006-2010 and targets an average economic growth rate of 6.0%. 9MP identifies five key areas, such as improving Malaysia's human capital, becoming a knowledge-based economy, and investing in key infrastructure, in which Malaysia must improve to achieve its goal of becoming a developed industrialized nation by 2020. Analysts are confident that the infrastructure projects, projected rate of economic growth, and some technology projects will unfold as planned, but deem projects in other areas, such as education and agriculture, to be unrealistic. While laudatory in their public comments, Malaysian economists we have spoken to in private are disappointed with the plan. They also question the GOM's ability to implement the reforms needed to attract a higher level of foreign direct investment. 9MP calls for Malaysia's private sector to take the lead in further developing the country, but our sources doubt Malaysian leaders will give private industry the freedom to transform the economy. Prime Minister Abdullah views 9MP as his top economic initiative, is aware of the challenge of implementation and is taking steps aimed at improving follow up. End Summary. Five Key Thrusts 2. (U) The 9MP lays out five broad goals that Malaysia is to meet by 2010 to keep on schedule for the "Vision 2020" goal of becoming an industrialized, developed nation by the end of the next decade. The economists with whom we met agree that these goals are well laid out, pragmatic, and correctly describe the path Malaysia needs to travel. They are: to move the economy up the value chain; to raise the capacity for knowledge and innovation and nurture a "First Class Mentality;" to address persistent socio-economic inequalities constructively and productively; to improve the standard and sustainability of quality of life; and to strengthen institutional and implementation capacity. Show Me the Money 3. (U) The 9MP will provide about RM 220 billion (US$60 billion at RM 3.65=$1) of government and private development spending during 2006-2010. Approximately 40% of this is allocated to what the GOM defines as economic programs, 40% to social programs, 12% to security and 8% to general administration. Funding for the subsectors that follow will come from either the social or economic segments of 9MP. Although the 9MP budget is 17.6% higher than the previous plan, 35% of 9MP's budget is earmarked for finishing up 8MP projects that were not completed during the last five year plan. 4. (SBU) About 23% of 9MP funding will be devoted to infrastructure and utilities development projects, an increase of 21.2% over the 8MP. As compared to Mahathir-era plans with their large infrastructure projects, PM Abdullah chose to cut the pie into many small projects so that more construction contractors might participate. According to Dr. Yeah Kim Leng, Managing Director and Chief Economist at RAM Consultants Group, the GOM conducted cost/benefit analyses to identify projects that would produce a higher return on investment. This apparently was not done in the past. 5. (U) Although human capital development has been one of Abdullah's stated priorities, and despite media reports suggesting education was one of the big winners in the plan, education and training will receive only about 20% of the total budget. This is about the same as in the preceding 5-year plan (8MP) developed by Abdullah's predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad. New initiatives include strengthening the national (public) schools so that they become the "School of Choice" for all races in Malaysia. 6. (U) Agriculture, one of Abdullah's favored sectors, will receive about 6% of the funding -- a 70% boost over 8MP. However, 9MP sets a goal of transforming Malaysia into a net food exporter by 2010, which outside analysts believe is impossible given control over land use by the individual states and the higher returns from land uses other than food and livestock production. Biotechnology will get 1%, 2.5 times more than it received in 8MP. Ambitious Growth Targets 7. (U) In its last five-year plan, the GOM projected an average economic growth rate of 8%, but the actual rate during 2000-2005 was about 4.5%. In the background to the 9MP, government analysts place partial blame for the shortfall on the U.S.: "Global growth slowed due to a decelerating United States of America economy, and dampened electronics demand, exacerbated by the attacks of September 11, 2001. Overall economic performance remained sluggish until the second half of 2003, weighed down by the invasion of Iraq and the regional outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome." 8. (C) The government is targeting a more modest average annual growth rate of 6% during 9MP. The economists that we interviewed (a mixture of academics, investment advisors, consultants, and think tank researchers) voiced a variety of opinions about that target, with Yeah of RAM asserting, "this is eminently achievable." Dr. Mohamed Ariff of the Malaysia Institute of Economic Research presented a study to the GOM where he argued for a 5-6% growth rate as opposed to the 7-8% that many ministers supported. He maintains that it is better to aim lower than to fail to meet the target. The chief economist at CIMB agrees that 6% is within Malaysia's grasp. Wong Chee Seng, chief economist at ECM Libra Securities, is much more negative, saying "The government will not meet its targets. It moves too slow." University Malaya professor Andrew Sheng (formerly chairman of the Hong Kong Securities Commission and Bank Negara Assistant Governor) disagrees. Looking at regional growth estimates from the International Monetary Fund, he wonders why the GOM did not set the growth bar higher. He believes that Malaysia should link its growth to China and India by exploiting complementary business opportunities. Seeking Private Help 9. (C) The 9MP calls for the private sector to lead growth, aided by the public sector in its role as facilitator and regulator. Our economic contacts agree with this idea, but observe that it will require a significant increase in private investment, both domestic and FDI. Under 9MP, the GOM projects private investment to grow at an annual rate of 11.2% and public sector investment at 5% -- rates that are inconsistent with recent trends. Under the 8MP, private investment actually contracted about 1% each year. Changing this situation would require the GOM to give the private sector more freedom from regulation and control than its socioeconomic objectives for the bumiputera (ethnic Malay) community currently allow. For example, the current requirement that 30% of equity and employment be reserved for bumiputeras is a significant investment disincentive. As Yeah put it, "Why would you want to do all the work of setting up a business in Malaysia only to have to turn 30% of it over to someone else?" 10. (SBU) One of PM Abdullah's signal economic achievements has been to shrink the government's budget deficit, now down to 3.8% of GDP. 9MP appears likely to slow further progress on deficit reduction. According to Wong, Abdullah concluded that too many people depend on government contracts to keep applying the screws to expenditures. At the end of the 9MP, the overall federal government fiscal deficit is forecast to be RM 107.6 billion, or 3.4% of GDP, assuming the government can meet its growth targets. The majority of our contacts are not overly concerned with this change in fiscal stance. Sheng argues that it is reasonable for a developing country such as Malaysia to pursue deficit spending on infrastructure projects that will generate growth. The difficulty in the past, he says, has been large public projects that do not offer a good return on investment. Ambitious Development Goals 11. (U) Some examples of the sort of investment that University Malaya's Sheng sees as positive are biotechnology research, ICT infrastructure (such as high-speed internet and more training in schools), and development spending on tourism. Sheng sees these as high-growth projects with the potential to leverage more investment and business for Malaysia in the future. Pointing to India and its back-office outsourcing, Sheng asks, "Why shouldn't Malaysia be able to offer similar services at a competitive price? We have the education, English language, and with this type of incremental investment, we can do business with New York via the internet." He is similarly enthusiastic about the plan to promote the tourism sector, which in 2005 drew 16.4 million tourists and generated RM 32.4 billion (US$ 8.8 billion) -- 80% more than export earnings from palm oil, six times more than rubber, and only 30% less than the oil and gas industry. 12. (C) Some of 9MP's ambitious goals are so lofty as to appear unachievable in five years. For example, the plan calls for Malaysia to increase the percentage of university professors with PhDs to 60% from the current level of 20%. Time and resource constraints, coupled with the fact that highly educated workers can do better elsewhere, make achieving this goal unlikely. As Wong of ECM Libra noted bluntly, "I tell my children to stay in New Zealand. What opportunity does a Malaysian educated abroad have here?" 13. (C) Some of the agriculture goals seem equally unrealistic. For example, the government proposes to increase rice production by approximately 50% by 2010. According to Ministry of Agriculture Deputy Secretary General Zulkifli Idris, the prime minister pushed for sharp production increases to benefit Malay farmers in the politically sensitive northern states. Traditionally, Malaysia has grown about two-thirds of the rice it consumes domestically, importing the remainder from low-cost producers like Thailand and Vietnam. Although the cheap imports allow the GOM to maintain low fixed retail prices for urban and rural consumers, the government loses money on every ton of rice produced domestically: it pays direct subsidies to farmers while Bernas (the government-linked monopoly rice importer and the main marketer of domestically produced rice) buys locally produced rice at a higher price and sells it at low, government-fixed retail price. Working-level contacts indicate that the sharp rice production increase in 9MP is unrealistic, and Zulkifli admitted as much in his statements. Nonetheless, the planned investment in such areas as improved irrigation, mechanization, and farmer organizations in the northern states will likely have a political payoff for Abdullah. NEP Rides Again 14. (U) With the publication of the 9MP, Prime Minister Abdullah also went firmly on record in support of maintaining the National Economic Policy (NEP). The NEP was introduced in 1970 with the goal of transferring at least 30% of Malaysia's equity and wealth to bumiputeras through affirmative action policies favoring the Malay majority's participation in the economy. The NEP was initially intended to have been completed in 1990, but when the target was not met the government replaced the NEP with the National Development Policy (NDP). With 9MP, Abdullah has pledged to continue these policies through 2020 with the hope of finally achieving the 30% goal. 15. (U) The 9MP will try to raise the bumiputera equity stake to 20-25% in 2010 from 18.9% in 2005. The plan also seeks to narrow the income gap between bumiputeras and ethnic Chinese from a ratio of 1:1.64 in 2004 to 1:1.50 in 2010, and between bumiputeras and ethnic Indians from 1:1.27 in 2004 to 1:1.15 in 2010. It also sets a target of halving the country's overall poverty rate from 5.7% in 2004 to 2.8% in 2010, and completely eliminating "hardcore poverty" in 2010. 16. (C) Non-government economists support these goals publicly but deplore them in private. Some challenge the reliability of the government's data. For example, a significant amount of publicly listed shares are held under nominee accounts, many of which are bumiputera-owned, but the government considers all of them non-bumiputera. Others decry the added cost of business the NEP policies place on private investors and the disincentive they pose to FDI. Implementation - GOM versus Private Industry 17. (U) Since the 9MP roll-out, the government has generated a steady media buzz about the importance of effective implementation of the plan. Abdullah has publicly promised to fire any civil servants who get in the way. But the GOM and industry have different ideas of what constitutes good implementation. The GOM has announced that 9MP will feature better governance, world class project management, increased due diligence, less corruption, and speedy disbursement of funds. In a recent speech, Effendi Norwawi, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Economic Planning and Abdullah's point man for the 9MP, explained that the GOM wants to work in partnership with the private sector. He emphasized Abdullah's personal commitment and noted the creation of a new agency, the National Implementation Action Body (NIAB) to monitor the performance of agencies implementing major projects under the 9MP. Abdullah will head the organization, with Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak as deputy chairman and ministers with specific 9MP authority sitting on the council. It will meet every two weeks and, according to Effendi, Abdullah will be demanding progress reports. 18. (C) The prime minister's own office is set to receive a large allocation under the 9MP. Although there is no detail as to how the funding will be spent, 9MP sets aside RM 26.5 billion (13.2% of the total) for Abdullah's department - a threefold increase over 8MP (RM 7.3 billion and 4.3%). The public spin on these figures is that the resources will enable the prime minister to focus on his key goals and move the process along. In private, however, economists voice concern over the potential for abuse of funds. 19. (C) When the private sector talks about good implementation, they hope the GOM will remove the mass of government red tape and regulation that increases costs and scares away investment, both local and foreign. Minister Effendi himself related a story about a hotel venture that required 73 different licenses before it could open. Some took so long to obtain that the operator needed to repeat the application process because they only lasted for a year. Yeah detailed a similar process in Penang, saying "at least at the international level, there is MIDA to be one-stop shopping for the licenses. A Malaysian investor must deal with both state and local regulations and the government needs to move to change this quickly." But few economists believe that the GOM will move decisively to cut red tape and reduce its economic meddling. Sheng compared Malaysia to China: "In Shanghai, they were trying to take some business from Hong Kong and the manufacturer asked if they could move his product from China to the distribution point, including customs, in 24 hours. Shanghai's mayor was able to make this happen. Would that be the case in Malaysia?" Economists Not Overly Optimistic 20. (C) Comment: Successful implementation of the 9MP is Abdullah's top economic priority, but the economists we surveyed are not optimistic that he will be able to achieveall his goals for the plan. While they see some good initiatives, they do not see bold steps that would lift Malaysia back up to the growth rates of the late 1980s. There is a sense of urgency in both the senior levels of the government and among senior economists that Malaysia is at a crossroads. Wong suggested that, "there are two camps in the government, the ones who see that if we do not make changes that we will settle into second class and the others who are happy with the way things are." Sheng, in a presentation to senior business leaders, government managers and economists, argued that Malaysia was in a similar situation as the U.K. and Japan in the early 1980s. The U.K. was not doing well and opted to open its financial sector to bring in FDI and investment. Japan, in contrast, tried to hold onto its manufacturing lead and did not open to foreign investment. He suggested that Malaysia might want to examine how the two nations are faring today and consider its options. End Comment. LAFLEUR |
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