| Government Action Against Human Trafficking Must Be Grounded In Rule Of Law Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:46 PM PDT By Lim Chee Wee, Malaysian Bar President The Malaysian Government has responded to the decision of the High Court of Australia to declare invalid the so-called "refugee swap deal" by insisting that the arrangement was, "the best way to tackle the menace of people traffickers in a way that protects the interests of Australia, Malaysia and, above all, the immigrants involved". If protecting the interests of the immigrants involved is indeed the goal, the Malaysian Bar then questions the decision of the Malaysian Government to deport 11 Chinese nationals of Uighur ethnicity back to China on 18 August 2011. According to Minister of Home Affairs Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, these 11 Uighurs were involved in human trafficking and were wanted by the Chinese Government. This action is questionable, given that we have an Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 that is capable of dealing with foreign nationals allegedly involved in people trafficking or migrant smuggling. There was no pressing need for the Malaysian Government to deport the 11 Uighurs back to China if it genuinely wanted to address the issue of people trafficking or migrant smuggling. They should have been prosecuted here instead, and their victims of human trafficking safeguarded in Malaysia. However, they have been deported to China, and nothing has been heard about protecting their human trafficking victims. There is also no information about the whereabouts of the 11 Uighurs, what has happened to them, or indeed whether or not they are still alive. One of the 11 is married to a Malaysian. In the Australian situation, the Malaysian Government wanted to have an arrangement with the Australian Government even though Malaysia did not have the requisite legal regime. In the Chinese situation, even though the necessary legislation is in place, the Malaysian Government chose instead to relinquish legal jurisdiction over the 11 Uighurs and hand them back to China. The inconsistent actions raise questions about the purpose and motive of the act of deportation.
The Uighurs, who are predominantly Muslim, rebelled against Chinese Government rule in their native Xinjiang Province in July 2009. From that perspective, the deportation of the 11 Uighurs back to China raises grave concerns whether the Malaysian Government refouled potential refugees or asylum seekers in violation of international law. We are given to understand that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Kuala Lumpur was denied access to these 11 Uighurs and was therefore unable to ascertain whether they were in a position to make an asylum claim. This follows the decision by the Malaysian Government to release eight immigration officials who were said to have been involved in a human trafficking ring. These officers were arrested under the Internal Security Act 1960 in October 2010 and then subsequently released in August 2011 without charge. Again, nothing has been mentioned about protecting their human trafficking victims. By its very failure to take further legal action, the Malaysian Government is placing in jeopardy its integrity in respect of human trafficking. The public is left with little choice than to view the Malaysian Government's dithering action in respect of human trafficking as being dictated more by foreign and domestic political considerations rather than a sincere desire to do what is right. |
| Communist Malaya? Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:37 PM PDT By John Doe
".. An abundance of material wealth, allowing for distribution based on need and social relations based on freely associated individuals." -Karl Marx " production for use and the direct allocation of economic inputs to satisfy economic demands and human needs (use value); accounting is based on physical quantities of resources, some physical magnitude, or a direct measure of labour-time.[4][5] Goods and services for consumption are distributed through markets, and distribution of income is based on the principle ofindividual merit/individual contribution..." - Socialism
Simply put, it means: "Those who have more should help those who have less..." The NEP is directly based on the above two core concepts of Communism, and Socialism. I'd like to see UMNO scream, and shout, and rant now. In fact, Socialists inspired by the Soviet model of economic development, such as Marxist-Leninists, have advocated the creation of centrally planned economies directed by a single-party state that owns the means of production.
Read all the key words above again. They are nouns. Perfect Nouns. Socialism, Communism, Marxist-Leninists, distribution based on need and social relations, Centrally-planned economies and single-party state. And the verb is "own the means of production". Now for brain-exercise time. Who issues the licenses? Who controls the licenses of what people listen to? Who issues the license of what people watch on TV? Who says the richer shall help the poorer? Who says that the very concept of NEP is not Communal in nature?
Let's look at other terms in use: 'The proletariat', who collectively constitute the main producer of wealth in society, and who are perpetually exploited and marginalized. Surely even one with a feeble mind does not need to think very hard to guess who that refers to.
"No matter what specific form the communist revolution takes, its aim is for the working class to replace the exploiter class as the ruling class to establish a society without class divisions, called socialism..."
It has become very obvious that UMNO read and memorized Karl Marx's book, Communist Manifesto. For in it, he laid out a 10-point plan advising the redistribution of land and production to begin the transition to communism, but he ensured that even this was very general and all-encompassing. It has always been presumed that Marx intended these theories to read this way specifically so that later theorists in specific situations could adapt communism to their own localities and conditions.
On the History issue again, let us start to rewrite Malayan History, by starting out with:
Malaya was conquered by a Hindu Indonesian from Palembang. Malaya was then known as Tanah Siam. Sejarah Melayu confirms this, when it demonstrates how the King of Temasik was murdered by this incoming Hindu Prince from Indonesia. This murdering Hindu Indonesian did not respect the Sovereignty of Thailand. He just came in and took whatever he wanted. None of his descendants have been punished for those crimes yet. Yes, Sin can be passed down Genealogically. Just ask any Christian, Muslim or Jew. So, if your Grandaddy did something wrong, and if he was not punished yet, then you, the grandchild needs to pay for it. Illogical? Tell that to all those who say "I believe, and therefore, its true".
Back on the History of Malaya, subsequent conquerers came and went. Anyone who fought the conquerers are heroes, any who did not are deemed traitors to the land. Simple as that. Check the year, and if it was a year where locals fought the "Foreign Party", then, they should be called heroes. Amazingly, Malaysia decided to award Bumiputraship to the Portuguese, adopt 15% of the Portuguese Language into their own, and work with the Japanese Forces during WW 2 instead. Look East is a clear demonstration of how Malaya sucks up to their non-Muslim former invaders. Stupid? who knows... Ironically, UMNO is also actively shooting those who contribute the most to the Income-Tax Coffers of Malaya.
Perhaps Ghaddafi should be the next UMNO leader. He has plenty of money, is currently in dire need of a new home, and looks rather Malay-like anyway. Just pop a non-Islamic songkok and samping on him, and he'll blend right in. But hey, according to the Constitution, even an Eskimo, or Osama bin Laden can be a Malay.
I'll end with "Stupid is as stupid does". In the meantime, let's all get rid of UMNO. |
| PAS veep questions Rosmah’s Raya TV slot Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:13 PM PDT 
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar has questioned Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor's television slot for her Hari Raya message, pointing out that this was a first for a prime minister's wife. The Pokok Sena MP said Rosmah may have taken this unusual step to boost her husband Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's flagging popularity. "Rosmah is the first person in history to get her own special slot to give a Hari Raya speech besides the prime minister," Mahfuz was quoted as saying by party organ Harakah Daily. "Before this, no prime minister's wife has ever received her own slot to give a Hari Raya speech. Before this, only the prime minister had his own slot," he added. The PAS lawmaker said it was possible that Rosmah herself had demanded for the special television slot. "After all, she has huge powers as the prime minister's wife," he said, referring to allegations that Rosmah was more powerful than Najib. Mahfuz added that if Rosmah had indeed asked for the special slot, she could have done so to satisfy her aspirations, or to improve Najib's approval rating that recently fell to 59 per cent. "Maybe when Najib's and Rosmah's Hari Raya speeches are forced over and over again upon television viewers throughout Hari Raya, Najib's approval rating may jump to 95 per cent," said Mahfuz sarcastically. A survey by independent pollster Merdeka Center released last Monday found that 59 per cent of Malaysians approved of Najib's leadership, down six points in the past three months, and 13 points lower than his high of 72 per cent in May last year. Respondents said they were most troubled by the surge in inflation — which hit a two-year high of 3.5 per cent in June — and the government's heavily criticised handling of the July 9 Bersih rally for free and fair elections. READ MORE HERE. |
| Merdeka Center says Najib approval rating still at ‘comfortable’ level Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:05 PM PDT 
By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — Independent pollster Merdeke Center today defended its latest survey on Datuk Seri Najib Razak's approval rating, saying 59 per cent is a "comfortable" figure considering the country's present economic condition. Its director Ibrahim Suffian said it would be "unreasonable" to expect a higher rating amid the surging inflation rate and incessant influx of socio-economic issues currently plaguing Malaysians. "In general, the survey results showing satisfaction towards the PM at 59 per cent is a position that is still considered positive and comfortable. "This is because voter sentiment changes the most when a big incident occurs, one that earns wide media coverage," he said in an email statement here, likely referring to the tumultuous July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally. Merdeka Center's latest survey saw the prime minister's approval rating slide to its lowest point since last May's high of 79 per cent, fuelled by rising concerns over the surge in living costs and his government's handling of the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers basked in the aftermath of the results, claiming it indicated a clear voter swing towards the federal opposition, while Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders chose to stay indignant, saying the poll may not have been an accurate reflection of voter sentiment. Ibrahim disputed criticisms of Merdeka Center's sampling methods and survey accuracy, pointing out that the same system had been employed last year when Najib's rating hit a high of 72 per cent in May. "We understand the political need in the statements made. But the survey results do not mirror anything else apart from the people's sentiment towards the subject matter while the survey is being carried out. "What should be taken away from this is what measures should be taken to ensure the situation changes ... such as, improving the quality of public service," he said. The survey, released last week, involved respondents aged 21 and above across the peninsula who were selected through a random stratified sampling method along the lines of ethnicity, gender, age and state of residency. Of the 1,027 polled, 59 per cent were Malays, 32 per cent Chinese and nine per cent Indians. READ MORE HERE. |
| You can’t be serious, Tsu Koon! Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:02 PM PDT 
By Tota, Aliran Under your KPI rating, you have placed the Ministry of Home Affairs under Hishammuddin as the top ministry. See 'Home Ministry scores full marks with KPIs' (Star). I do not know what criteria you used to evaluate this ministry. You are either daft or blind to the sins committed by the police against the citizens. If you had bothered to conduct a survey of public perception of the police force, you would have obtained the truth – that is if you wanted the truth. The inefficiency and corruption in the police force is legendary. Do you think much has changed since the report by the Royal Commision was made public? The refusal of the police to establish a Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission, in defiance of the Royal Commission's recommendation, speaks volumes about the way the police operate. Hundreds have died in police custody under strange circumstances and, in most cases, without proper coroner's inquests. The police are totally ignorant of basic freedoms, civil rights and liberties and constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful assembly. The very partisan police force uses repressive laws like the ISA, the Sedition Act and the Emergency Ordinance selectively on the Opposition. Have the police ever acted against Umno thugs and lawbreakers? The police can smell candles weeks before candlelight vigils for ISA detainees are held but they conveniently plead ignorance of the many Umno-organised demonstrations. For example, the recent demonstration against the Penang Government and the blocking of two lanes of the Penang Bridge by Umno goons went without action by the police. Look at the police inaction against Umno bigots and extremists and Perkasa. The Home Ministry uses the police to deny the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful assembly under the pretext of preserving national security. The brutality of the police against the Reformasi movement, Hindraf and Bersih has rightfully earned the wrath of Malaysians. The periodic cases of torture allegations made by those arrested on suspicion of crime and the nude ear squats fiasco appear to be their standard operation procedure (SOP). The crime rate is indeed scary. All this talk of declining crime rate is hogwash. Anyway, who believes government statistics? Aren't gated communities and people policing their own housing estates and neighbourhoods a severe indictment on the police? The public perception of the police mostly is that of a bunch of low-calibre men with high-calibre weapons. Their specialty is tear gas and water cannons. Tsu Koon, you know which side of your bread is buttered. Hishammuddin is Najib's cousin and so has to be placed above all other Ministers, right? Tsu Koon, has the Home Ministry done anything efficiently and correctly? Headless A young Indian in Uttar Pradesh, India, was saved in the nick of time while trying to saw off his head so that he could get a job! (Article by Nuri Vittachi) It makes one wonder what sort of jobs a headless person can do! Obviously, such jobs would be those which people do not need to use their brains or are not required to do so. In most Third World countries, including Bolehland, there is much evidence that in both the public and political sectors when people open their mouths they often reveal that they have nothing between their ears! All of them appear to be suffering from the "foot-in-the-mouth" disease. READ MORE HERE. |
| Malaysians unhappy with the government, politicians using religion for electoral purposes Posted: 02 Sep 2011 02:36 AM PDT The discontent arises principally from the perceived "corruption at all levels, from top to the lowest levels" and that is why "people in general are not satisfied." For Fr Andrew Lawrence, SJ, there are no religious tensions in the country, but a feeling of "dissatisfaction" with the ruling class. The danger of an instrumental use of faith, to gain consensus in the electorate radical Muslim. (AsiaNews)-There is a widespread "dissatisfaction" among citizens the with regard to how ruling class has governed the nation in recent years, this discontent "is not directly related to religion", but is the result of "daily issues that affect everyone", says Fr Andrew Lawrence SJ., Priest and former director of the Catholic Herald newspaper, speaking to AsiaNews from Malaysia. He says "there are no particular tensions" between Christians and Muslims in the country. However, some observers argue that religion could be exploited "for political purposes" in the coming general elections, to gain momentum among the Malaysian wing extremist.
Originally Malaysia's 13th General Election was scheduled for 2013, but the election could be brought forward - there is still no official confirmation – to October or November this year. The political contest, analysts warn, could give way to anti-Christian rhetoric and the misuse of religion in political campaigning. Some pro-Islamic movements want proselytizing Christians to be punished, while extremist groups carry out raids on places of worship belonging to minorities. The last case occurred in early August, when Muslim fundamentalists attacked an evangelical house church because "conversions from Islam to Christianity were taking place."
Fr. Lawrence explains that at the moment, no particular tensions, but the developments in the coming weeks remain to be seen. "There is a widespread feeling of discontent - said the priest and journalist - the ways in which the nation was governed. But this is not directly related to the religious sphere, but rather the everyday problems that people face. " The decision to favour the ethnic Malay, majority in the country, has created resentment among other minority groups, a discontent that has invested in particular the National Front and the ruling coalition.
The discontent arises principally from the perceived "corruption at all levels, from top to the lowest levels" and that is why "people in general are not satisfied." The clashes and small conflicts are the result of this general situation, although there are still some aspects that bear witness to violations of religious freedom. The cases of conversion from Islam to Christianity are limited, but may lead to the persecution of apostates "as was the case with Lina Joy, who had to flee the country" to live their faith in total freedom. Also Muslims do not distinguish between Christians and there are no differences between Catholics and Protestants.
However, as reported in other nations, including Pakistan, the Protestants assume an attitude that is sometimes "challenging" in the eyes of Muslims. Therefore full religious freedom is needed –Fr. Lawrence has fought long and hard for Christians to be allowed to use the Malay word "Allah" - as well as a behaviour that will not trigger violent reactions from Muslims. (DS) |
| Pakatan defends Mat Sabu, claims Umno rewriting history Posted: 01 Sep 2011 08:46 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has accused Umno of erasing the contributions of others to Malaysia's independence movement in its efforts to demonise PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu as a communist sympathiser. The federal opposition said in a statement today that the maverick politician was highlighting "the need to appreciate historical plurality" which "Umno leaders will have no part of" as the senior partner in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) "offers no room for dissenting views." "It is in Umno's interest to maintain their version of history not only because it upholds their leaders and hence their claim to power, but also because it conceals their chicanery and Machiavellian machinations in their bid to suppress adversaries and legitimate dissent over five decades of authoritarian rule. "Mat Sabu was not wrong in attempting to contest existing perceptions of history. What is wrong is the fact that Malaysians have been manipulated for years by the propaganda machinery of the BN government," the coalition's joint secretariat said. Umno has gone on the offensive since its Utusan Malaysia reported last Saturday that Mohamad had described as heroes those who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station during the pre-independence communist insurgency. PR lawmakers also told The Malaysian Insider yesterday that Mohamad's comments had allowed Umno to go on the offensive after spending months trying to contain the fallout from rising inflation and the July 9 Bersih rally for electoral reform. Utusan Malaysia had accused him of disparaging the country's armed forces and expressing support for communists but Mohamad, popularly known as Mat Sabu, has denied the report or mentioning communists and has threatened to sue the newspaper. But Umno leaders such as vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and even former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad have continued to accuse the PAS man of trying to revise history and glorify communists. PR also criticised today Umno's "systematic and decades-long effort to 'sanitise' Malaysian history so that only the contributions of those from Umno and its cohorts are recognised, while the legitimate contributions of other Malaysian nationalists and freedom fighters are conveniently erased." It cited individuals and organisations such as Dr Burhanuddin al-Helmy, Ahmad Boestamam, Ishak Haji Mohamed, Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) and Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM) as others who also contributed to the independence movement. READ MORE HERE |
| The sad saga of Chin refugees in Malaysia Posted: 01 Sep 2011 08:17 PM PDT 
A leaked 2006 US diplomatic cable tells about how the police extorted money from Burmese Chin refugees in exchange for their freedom. (Free Malaysia Today) - A leaked US diplomatic cable from 2006 has revealed the plight of the Burmese Chin refugees stranded in Malaysia and the urgency sought by the US diplomats for Washington to "settle large numbers of these refugees as quickly and smoothly as possible". The KL-based US diplomats also urged their government, in particular the Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration (PRM), to grant additional funding to help out the Chin refugees. "Institutional funding is needed to provide basic medical treatment and English language training for both children and working adults. "Given our pending resettlement of thousands of Chin refugees from Malaysia, modest investments in immunizations, medical care and English language training in Malaysia's relatively low cost environment would yield substantial benefits for both the Chin refugees and the United States," said the US embassy cable dated Nov 20, 2006, to the State Department in Washington DC. The cable was leaked by whistleblower site WikiLeaks and handed over to Raja Petra Kamarudin's Malaysia Today website which published it today. The US diplomats also stated that they would work with the relevant US government agencies and the UN's refugee agency – the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – to resettle the Chin refugees away from Malaysia quickly. The additional funding sought by the US diplomats were also to be used for basic medical and education needs of the Chins and other refugee communities in Malaysia, stated the cable. Camps close to Putrajaya
The cable was a result of a visit by the US embassy's political officer to two jungle camps housing about 200 Chin refugees near the Malaysian administrative capital in Putrajaya on Nov 15, 2006. The cable noted the physical characteristics of the camps, which were made out of shelters using wooden poles, plywood for elevated sleeping platforms, and fluttering sheets of plastic for roofing and walls. The cable also pointed out that "a sense of devotion to Christianity pervaded each camp". "Each camp contained a church structure (the largest and most well-maintained structure in each camp) and all of the approximately 100 square foot dwellings viewed by political officer prominently displayed crosses or pictures of Jesus." The refugees at the two camps have not been visited by UNHCR representatives during at least the past two years, said the cable quoting the refugees, and as many as seven camps containing up to 1,000 Chin refugees were erected within five miles of the Prime Minister's office in Putrajaya in 2006. The interests of the Chin refugees in Malaysia were taken care by the Alliance of Chin Refugees (ACR) and the Chin Refugee Committee (CRC). The cable stated that CRC claimed to have about 17,400 members in Malaysia. Police extortion
The Chin refugees had also informed the visiting US diplomat of their fear of police extortions and raids. The diplomat stated that the police were aware of the presence of the camps. READ MORE HERE |
| Easier to talk than to do Posted: 01 Sep 2011 07:26 PM PDT 
As far as you are concerned, Mat Sabu can have an opinion and he is allowed to state what his opinion is. But he has to make sure that his opinion does not differ from yours. If he says the same thing as what you say, then well and fine. But if he states the opposite of what you believe, then this is not acceptable. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin It is easy to talk. Walking the talk is another thing altogether. Malaysian politicians can talk. They can talk till the cows come home. But they don't mean what they say. Bikin tak serupa cakap, cakap tak serupa bikin. On Merdeka Day, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was trying to impress Malaysians by saying that the country is very democratic. What is the basis of this hypothesis? Is it just because we hold elections? As I said in an earlier article, even Adolf Hitler held elections in Germany. This does not mean Germany was a democracy. Elections are no yardstick for classifying a country as a democracy. Many other dictators hold elections as well. But whether they are fair, free and clean elections (like what we have in Malaysia…sic) or whether they are rigged elections is another thing. But they do hold elections. Does this mean they are democracies? The opposition too claims it is fighting for democracy. Is that so? Or is this bullshit? Okay, let us give the opposition the benefit of the doubt and assume that it is truly fighting for democracy. Let us also assume, as Najib said, that Malaysia is a true democracy. Now, let us put this to a test. If the PAS Deputy President, Mat Sabu, makes a statement on the Bukit Kepong incident based on his belief and his understanding of the events, can both the opposition as well as the government allow this and accept it? Currently, it appears like some in the opposition -- and many in the government -- will not allow Mat Sabu to have an opinion and to state his opinion. Why not? Why must his opinion and his statement be the same as yours? Why can't it be different from yours? Both the opposition as well as the government are the same. Both don't allow and don't tolerate different views. If you express a different view from them, then you are a pariah bastard. Okay, forget about Bukit Kepong. Let's instead go to the murder of JWW Birch on 2 November 1875 as he was having a berak (shit) along the Berak River…sorry, I meant Perak River. Now, was his murderer, Dato' Maharajalela, a criminal or a patriot? Incidentally, just to digress a bit, when a person acts above the law and pushes his weight around with absolute disregard for everyone else, the Malays would say: dia bermaharajalela. So the name Maharajalela is synonymous with acting like the Mafia or like a gangster. Anyway, back to the subject of the murder of JWW Birch. First of all, was he justly executed or was he martyred? Did you know that they exiled Dato' Maharajalela and his gang of conspirators to the Seychelles? So JWW Birch's murderers must have been criminals. And they named many roads in Kuala Lumpur, Taping, Seremban, Penang, Ipoh, and Singapore after JWW Birch. So JWW Birch must have been a hero to have so many roads named after him. But hold on, later they changed the name Jalan Birch in Taiping and Kuala Lumpur to Jalan Maharajalela. The excuse they gave was the Jalan Birch in Taiping and Kuala Lumpur were named after a different Birch, not the JWW Birch. Whatever it is, there are a couple of roads named Jalan Maharajalela. So Dato' Maharajalela must have been a hero then, not a criminal. Would they name roads after criminals like Botak Chin, Bentong Kali or Mona Fendi? Would Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman be renamed Jalan Chin Peng? But JWW Birch was also a hero and there are many roads also named after him. That means both JWW Birch and Dato' Maharajalela were heroes. But how can that be? They can't have BOTH been heroes. Only one can be the hero. The other must be the criminal. Now this is most interesting indeed. Was Dato' Maharajalela a criminal or a hero? And was JWW Birch a martyr or someone biadap (insolent) towards the Sultan of Perak (as his murderers alleged) who deserved what happened to him? Can I say that JWW Birch was a hero and that he was murdered because he was opposed to slavery and he tried to wipe out slavery in Perak? Will they allow me to have that opinion and to express this opinion? But many would argue that the hero in this whole incident was Dato' Maharajalela, not JWW Birch. But then, if you support what Dato' Maharajalela did to JWW Birch, would that not make you a terrorist? If you support the murder of JWW Birch because he was biadap towards the Sultan of Perak, then can I not also support the murder of many other people because they are also biadap towards the Sultan of Perak? Nizar Jamaluddin, the ex-Menteri Besar of Perak, is also said to be biadap towards the Sultan of Perak (according to Umno, at least). Should we not also do to Nizar what they did to JWW Birch? Is it right for me to suggest the murder of Nizar (like what Umno would like to see)? Hey, it is within my democratic right to have my own opinion and to openly state what my opinion is. If you can say that the murder of JWW Birch was right and that Dato' Maharajalela was a hero, then I can also say that the murder of Nizar is right because he is just like JWW Birch -- as far as Umno's opinion goes. So you see, you don't really care what my opinion is. You only want to make sure that my opinion is the same as yours. As far as you are concerned, Mat Sabu can have an opinion and he is allowed to state what his opinion is. But he has to make sure that his opinion does not differ from yours. If he says the same thing as what you say, then well and fine. But if he states the opposite of what you believe, then this is not acceptable. And the Bukit Kepong issue is a good example. Even Karpal Singh said that Mat Sabu should retract his statement and apologise. Why should Mat Sabu apologise? If I say that Dato' Maharajalela was a murderer and that JWW Birch was a hero who opposed slavery and was murdered for his righteousness, and if the Malays start foaming at the mouth and go berserk (like they always do), is Karpal going to ask me to retract my statement and apologise? Are they going to make a police report against me and are the police going to call me up for my statement to be recorded? Democracy podah! I am allowed the freedom to believe what I want to believe and the freedom to express my opinion only as long as this does not run contra to your own beliefs and opinion. And both the opposition and the government are the same. They both do not respect these freedoms although they shout and scream about democracy. In fact, the opposition is worse. If I were to say that Najib should resign because he is not qualified to remain as the Prime Minister, the opposition supporters would clap, cheer, applaud and would call me a true son of Malaysia and a patriot. But if I were to say that Anwar Ibrahim should resign because he is not qualified to remain as the Opposition Leader, the opposition supporters would curse me and call me a turncoat who has been bought off by the government. But then Khir Toyo also resigned as the Opposition Leader for Selangor after he was charged in court. That, you would say, is the correct thing to do. But if I say that Anwar should follow Khir Toyo's example, you cannot agree to this. Ah, that is because Anwar was unjustly charged, you will argue. Was Khir Toyo justly charged? If Khir Toyo was charged because he committed an act of corruption, then why only charge him? Thousands of others should also be charged -- the Prime Minister, IGP, AG, etc., included. Khir Toyo was charged because his enemies within Umno wanted to get rid of him, not because he is corrupt (although I do admit he is corrupt). If it is because he is corrupt, then he should not be the only one facing trial. That is the reality of the situation. The opposition does not understand the meaning of democracy, freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, freedom of association, etc., just like the government. The opposition does not respect democracy, freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, freedom of association, etc., just like the government. Same same lah! |
| Mohamad Sabu tak sebut komunis Posted: 01 Sep 2011 05:18 PM PDT Kenyataan Media Pakatan Rakyat Winston Churchill pernah berkata bahawa "sejarah ditulis oleh pihak yang menang". Di Malaysia, bukan sahaja sejarah malah berita semasa juga ditulis mengikut skrip mereka yang berkuasa. Beberapa hari kebelakangan ini, media milik BN telah menyerang Timbalan Presiden PAS, Mohamad Sabu secara berterusan sebagai seorang simpatisan komunis. Mereka telah memfitnahnya sebagai mengagung-agungkan pengganas komunis yang menyerang polis di dalam tragedi Bukit Kepong. Kedua-dua dakwaan ini adalah tidak benar sama sekali. Kami percaya Saudara Mohamad Sabu tidak berkata demikian dan secara tegas mengutuk putar-belit yang tidak bertanggungjawab oleh pimpinan dan media UMNO. Pertama sekali, Mohamad Sabu tidak sekali-kali menyebut tentang komunis ataupun PKM. Kedua, usahanya untuk menarik perhatian terhadap sejarah sebenar yang luas telah diputarbelitkan. Justeru kami menegaskan bahawa kami tidak mempersoalkan sebab mengapa Mohamad Sabu cuba menimbulkan persoalan terhadap naratif sejarah negara. Tetapi kami secara serius mempersoalkan laporan cuai dan berniat jahat Utusan Malaysia, yang sekali lagi menggunakan hujah palsu dan tipu helah dengan niat yang jahat. Kami juga mempersoalkan naratif sejarah yang ditulis oleh 'pihak yang menang', yang dalam kes ini ditulis oleh Kerajaan UMNO-BN dan perkakas propaganda mereka. Dalam hal ini, kami ingin memberikan kritikan tegas terhadap usaha sistematik berdekad-dekad lamanya untuk 'memalsukan' sejarah Malaysia, agar hanya sumbangan UMNO dan sekutu mereka yang diiktiraf sementara sumbangan jelas dari nasionalis Malaysia dan pejuang kemerdekaan yang lain dipadamkan. Apa sudah jadi kepada tokoh-tokoh seperti Dr Burhanuddin al-Helmy, Ahmad Boestamam, Ishak Haji Mohamed (Pak Sako) dan ramai lagi? Bagaimana dengan pertubuhan dan gerakan seperti Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) dan Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM)? Mereka merupakan peneraju sebenar aktivisme politik Melayu. Kita juga mempunyai Perlembagaan Rakyat yang terhasil 10 tahun sebelum Merdeka oleh Pusat Tenaga Rakyat (PUTERA) dan All-Malaya Council of Joint Action (AMCJA). Usaha PUTERA-AMCJA ini bukan sahaja bersejarah dari segi usaha mereka, malah merekalah pakatan politik pelbagai kaum pertama negara. Harus diingat perjuangan kemerdekaan bukanlah usaha Perikatan semata-mata. Perjuangan murni ini berlangsung di pelbagai medan dan lapangan, dipimpin pelbagai tokoh dan menerusi pelbagai cara. Bukankah pengorbanan tokoh-tokoh menentang penjajah seperti Tok Janggut, Abdul Rahman Limbong, Tok Ku Paloh dan ramai lagi juga mesti disertakan? Tetapi pemimpin UMNO tidak mampu menerima kepelbagaian ini. Sejarah yang ditulis UMNO ialah hanyalah satu versi yang tiada ruang untuk berbeza pandangan. Hakikatnya, jika kita membaca sejarah Malaysia menerusi tokoh-tokoh seperti Dr Burhanuddin, Boestamam, Pak Sako dan lain-lain lagi, kita akan mendapati kisah aktivisme sosial, pejuangan kebangsaan, anti-kolonialisme dan kemudian ketakutan institusi dan penindasan yang menyaksikan mereka dan ramai lagi ditangkap dan ditahan di bawah ISA oleh Kerajaan Perikatan / BN setelah difitnah, antara lain, menjadi talibarut komunis. Buku-buku sejarah kita bukan sahaja kehilangan satu atau dua bab, tetapi satu sejarah yang selari tetapi telah berjaya dipadamkan daripada rekod rasmi negara. Jelas sekali lagi bahawa UMNO mempunyai kepentingan untuk mengekalkan versi sejarah mereka memandangkan ini menjadi asas kepada pemimpin serta kekuasaan mereka, malah menutup tipuhelah mereka untuk menindas pihak lawan dan penentangan sah setelah lima dekad berkuasa. Sekali lagi kami menegaskan bahawa Mohamad Sabu tidak salah dalam usaha mempersoalkan persepsi yang wujud tentang sejarah negara. Yang menjadi kesalahan ialah hakikat bahawa rakyat Malaysia telah dimanipulasi sekian lama oleh perkakas propaganda Kerajaan UMNO-BN. Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, PAS Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, KEADILAN Liew Chin Tong, DAP |
| PSM wants Jelapang state seat Posted: 01 Sep 2011 04:49 PM PDT PSM is asking DAP to hand over the seat where its candidate quit the party after the 2008 polls. (Free Malaysia Today) - Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) central committee member Dr D Michael Jeyakumar said the Jelapang state seat in Perak should be allocated to PSM in the upcoming 13th general election. "We should get the seat. DAP got the seat and lost the (state) government," he told FMT today. The Sungai Siput MP said PSM deputy president M Sarasvathy had been working in the Jelapang constituency even before the 2008 general election. "We only want one state and one parliament seat in Perak," he added. In the 2008 general election, Sarasvathy was defeated in a three-cornered fight which also involved DAP and Barisan Nasional. DAP rep Hee Yit Foong subsequently quit the party leading to the fall of the Pakatan Rakyat state government in 2009. Meanwhile, Jeyakumar confirmed that he would defend his seat regardless of who the MIC would field. There is speculation within MIC that secretary-general S Murugesan would be contesting in Sungai Siput, a seat long held by MIC strongman S Samy Vellu until his defeat in the hands of Jeyakumar in 2008. PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan also echoed calls for the Jelapang seat to be given to PSM. READ MORE HERE |
| The NEP and the downfall of Malays Posted: 01 Sep 2011 04:40 PM PDT The NEP may have caused an increase in the wealth of the Malay urban middle class but on the whole, many Malays remain poor. It was not just his work that was a sham. His private life was just the same. There was no personal responsibility and those Malays who entered into polygamous marriages with two or three families to support, invariably ended up with dysfunctional families. The kids would be feral, without a father figure and no role model in their lives. Mariam Mokhtar, Free Malaysia Today Dr Mahathir Mohamad came to the defence of the New Economic Policy (NEP) when economist Ramon Navaratnam and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim condemned the NEP for discouraging foreign investment and for promoting corruption. However, Mahathir failed to note that the NEP, like many of the government's other programs with catchy, meaningless acronyms are only publicity stunts which fail to address the underlying problems that face many Malaysians, principally the Malays. He said: "There may be corruption involved in some cases but the charge is not warranted because in most cases, the benefits of NEP have been enjoyed by almost every Malay and bumiputera. In fact, indirectly and, in some cases, directly it has benefited the non-bumiputera as well." The former prime minister's selective amnesia serves him well. The NEP's short-term benefits may have impressed his Cabinet colleagues but in the long term, the NEP has disadvantaged all other Malaysians. The warped policies have destroyed racial harmony and in East Malaysia, the bumiputeas are more desperate than ever. There is increasing resentment against the Malays who many believe, have squandered the benefits they have been given. The NEP may have caused an increase in the wealth of the Malay urban middle class but on the whole, many Malays remain poor. Despite the housing privileges and discounts, how many Malays can afford to buy houses? How many possess the business acumen to sustain a business without going bust in the first year? Undeniably, those who benefit the most are Umno cronies, whilst the majority of Malays remain marginalised, hoping that things will get better, only because Umno says so. Thus, many live in hope and some shun jobs because one day, they hope to become rich without putting in any effort. The business incentives may have given the Malays a kick-start in life but many did not use them wisely. They did not reinvest the money in the company but instead spent it on the teak desk, the gold watch and the Mercedes car. It was not just his work that was a sham. His private life was just the same. There was no personal responsibility and those Malays who entered into polygamous marriages with two or three families to support, invariably ended up with dysfunctional families. The kids would be feral, without a father figure and no role model in their lives. Many of the children do not have a family life to speak of and education is not an important factor in their lives. Many grow up lacking aspiration and become adults who are just as irresponsible. There are some decent people amongst this lot, but they are trapped in the system, with no way out. Moving forward together
Mahathir claimed that under the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) scheme, the settlers were much better off with higher incomes and children who were better educated. He failed to note that there were serious issues that have cropped up. Few of the children of the original Felda settlers want to make a living off the land like their grandparents or parents did. READ MORE HERE |
| PAS leaders play down new Kedah MB talk Posted: 01 Sep 2011 04:35 PM PDT Embattled MB Azizan attended a few government activities earlier today just as speculation emerges that he will be replaced. (Free Malaysia Today) - PAS has played down speculation that the party intends to remove its Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak due to poor health. Speculation has emerged that Azizan will be replaced soon or an acting MB will be appointed from among the state executive councillors to oversee his duties while he takes time to fully recover from his heart ailment. This is in view that the PAS-led state government needs to be reinforced ahead of the impending general election since there is also a strategic need to match the perceived inroads made by Barisan Nasional in their growing campaign to unseat Pakatan Rakyat in Kedah. PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar said he was unaware of any moves to remove Azizan but he did acknowledge that there exist concerns among the party leaders about Azizan's frail health after he underwent an angioplasty procedure at Institut Jantung Negara. "We saw Azizan during his open-house for Hari Raya and there was nothing to illustrate that he is of poor health. He was joking and socialising well with those who visited him." Mahfuz claimed that Azizan looked better than when he was warded earlier last month. Vice-president Sallehuddin Ayub said he was not aware of any discussions or meetings among the party leaders about the move to remove Azizan. "News reports about such matters are just cheap shots levelled against PAS. I have no idea about whether Azizan needs to be removed due to his poor health. He is executing his duties now." However, Sallehudin said it remains to be seen in the future if there is a need for changes in Kedah PAS. "PAS is a matured political party. We have been around for the last 60 years and we know how to conduct ourselves." Even if there is an internal dispute over how Kedah is managed, PAS would know how to resolve the issue within our confines, he claimed. Despite what the two PAS leaders may be openly uttering about the issue, speculation continues to persist over Azizan's political future, namely from within Kedah PAS. READ MORE HERE |
| PSM members to be questioned again Posted: 01 Sep 2011 04:33 PM PDT Nine PSM members have been summoned to Arau for further investigations on Sept 5. (Free Malaysia Today) - Nine members of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) have been summoned by the police for yet another round of questioning. This time they've been summoned under the Sedition Act 1948. A summons notice was issued under Section 111 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CDC) on Aug 11 for the nine to be present at the Arau district police headquarters in Perlis on Sept 5. Four of the nine summoned were among the 24 who were arrested on June 25 for their involvement in PSM's "Udahlah tu…Bersaralah!" campaign. They were released after a week-long remand period. The remaining five are Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar, PSM's national youth chief R Saratbabu, Sungai Siput division secretary A Letchumanan and central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M Sukumaran. The five together with deputy chairman M Saraswathy were held for three weeks under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) 1969. They came to be known as the EO6. But the summons to turn up at the Arau police on Sept 5 did not include Saraswathy. She was not among among those who were picked up in Arau on June 25. Archaic law
At a media conference today, Jeyakumar slammed the upcoming investigation as "totally unnecessary" given the numerous rounds of investigations and recording of statements previously. "We have given so many statements already and summoning us for yet another investigation is harrassment in our view," he said. "The Sedition Act is a colonial, archaic law that the police are using to drag us to Arau." Jeyakumar believed this latest move by the police stemmed from their refusal to admit that they had made a mistake in arresting and detaining the PSM members. "This is unprofessional and a disappointment.. " When the police enter the political arena it lowers their credibility and weakens their capacity to safeguard the nation." "We will go to Arau because if we don't they could issue arrests warrants against us but I hope they come to their senses soon. "We are prepared to co-operate but not to be bullied," he said. When asked if there was a possibility of a re-arrest following next Monday's investigations, Jeyakumar said it was possible but he hoped that the police wouldn't be "so stupid" as to do so. Illegal summon
When asked what the line of questioning would be, Jeyakumar said they were not sure but it was likely to be related to the pamphlets that they were distributing during the campaign. One of the pamphlets called for political reform while another was an introduction to PSM. Lawyer, N Surendran, who is representing the nine in this case said that the very act of summoning them under Section 111 is illegal as no crime has been committed. He pointed out that if a notice is issued without a crime taking place first, then the crime is committed by the police themselves and tantamount to abuse of power. "All they have done is distribute pamphlets which is not a crime under our laws," he said. "Also no police report has been provided as to why the nine are being investigated again and we don't even know who the complainant is." "This is a deliberate political persecution for an ulterior motive. The government is behaving like the dictatorship in North Korea, there is very little difference between the two now." READ MORE HERE |
| Refugee relief at Malaysian ruling Posted: 01 Sep 2011 01:36 PM PDT By Nathan Partenza, The Border Mail A BORDER refugee advocate has described the High Court's scuttling of the Malaysian refugee swap deal as "excellent", saying the risk of persecution in the country was "high". Murray Valley Sanctuary Refugee Group president Penny Egan-Vine said yesterday's ruling, which means 800 asylum seekers will not be sent to Malaysia, was a relief.
"I think it's a very reasonable decision and I'm very pleased that they managed to find the funds to challenge it because Australia is obliged not to put people back into situations of danger," she said.
"Refugees are a worldwide problem and putting it in the hands of a political football is not in the interest of the people involved or the interest of Australia.
"It would have been buck-passing by giving someone else our problem to deal with, which is not fair."
Dr Egan-Vine said the High Court ruling was not a surprise and refugees would have been in danger if they had have been sent to Malaysia and would have missed out on welfare and integration assistance.
"To move refugees to a place like Malaysia which is crowded and is a developing country rather than a developed country, would have been unwise.
"I believe Australia now needs to come up with solutions that recognise we have a duty in helping manage refugees.
"The politics of fear just means they cannot get on with the job of helping people."
Dr Egan-Vine said the decision may force Malaysia to review its treatment of refugees, but she did not believe it would have an impact on boat arrivals to Australia.
"I don't think the people overseas are at all interested in what's happening here, they just think Australia is the place to come," she said.
Wodonga refugee Bahati Masudi, who spent nine years in a Kenyan refugee camp also welcomed the decision.
"If there was no trouble, no problems in Malaysia, we could send them no problem but if they persecute them that is a big problem," Mr Masudi said.
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| Malaysia focuses on a hi-tech economic future Posted: 01 Sep 2011 01:33 PM PDT 
By Jennifer Pak, BBC News Malaysia's central bank is forecasting economic growth of between 5% and 6% this year, which in the current global climate is better than other economies in South East Asia. But the government wants the economy to pick up speed or risk missing its target of becoming a developed nation by 2020. Malaysia's economic performance has been "relatively sluggish" over the last decade, a government report stated. It blames this poor performance on low labour productivity. The problem was identified more than a decade ago when the country began to face stiff competition in exports from low wage countries like China. At that time, Malaysian leaders said they had to move towards a knowledge-based economy. This led to the construction of a hi-tech city near Kuala Lumpur called Cyberjaya. Billed as the "Silicon Valley of the East", this was the first city to be fully connected with high-speed internet using fibre-optic cables. Officials also hoped that tax incentives and an English-speaking workforce would lure foreign companies to help turn Malaysia from a low-cost to a hi-tech producer. 'Cheap land' US computer maker Dell was one of the companies that took up the offer. Dell's Pang Yee Beng said the company was attracted by Cyberjaya's IT infrastructure Pang Yee Beng, managing director of Dell Cyberjaya, says it makes sense to be based there. "Ultimately we are looking for a place where we can get consistent service in terms of IT infrastructure," he says. "We needed a place where politically or security-wise it was stable, and then when you set up a complex facility like this you really need government support to make it happen." Today, Dell's operations in Cyberjaya include a customer call centre and a technical support team for its global operations. The four-storey complex sits in the same cluster as other multinational companies like IBM, Hewlett-Packard and AMD. But critics say Cyberjaya hasn't become the success that Malaysian leaders had in mind. An advisor to the Cyberjaya project, TJ Singh, says the government originally wanted to attract innovative global giants who could in turn mentor Malaysian companies, especially in the area of software. "What they wanted were local companies that were world class," says Mr Singh. But that didn't happen. Mr Singh says more and more multinational companies took advantage of Cyberjaya's cheap land and set up back offices for their global operations. It has succeeded in creating a big service industry, says Mr Singh, but not exactly the type of innovation that government leaders wanted to take place in Cyberjaya. Large-scale emigration Analysts say many companies end up doing their research and development overseas, partly because they cannot find the right talent. The government wants to see less Malaysians leave the country in search of higher paid jobs In 2010, a World Bank report estimated that about one million Malaysians were living abroad. A third of them are well educated and mainly ethnic Chinese and Indians. Economists with the World Bank say ethnic minorities feel discriminated against by the government's preferential policies for the Malays. Malaysia practices affirmative action for the Malay-majority, granting them priority in university scholarships and government jobs. These are efforts to redistribute wealth to the Malays, who are historically poorer than other ethnic groups. But in a bid to help Malays catch up, Malaysian politicians have also flip flopped on the language of instruction for sciences and maths, switching from Malay to English and then back again. Opposition lawmakers say the education system has been politicised and makes it hard for its graduates to compete globally. But there are also other reasons that Malaysian students want to leave. "When I graduate I want to work overseas because I can earn much more with the exchange rate," says Lew Pei Yen at the Multimedia University. The campus is built in Cyberjaya and designed to train and feed its graduates directly into the companies based in the hi-tech city. But most students I spoke to are eager to gain international experience. Talent agency It's certainly a challenge that the Rashid Mat says it is not easy to overcome. He is with Cyberview, the government company overseeing Cyberjaya's development. Cyberjaya is a new city, with numerous shops among the office buildings But he maintains that Cyberjaya is a success. "Research and development is not the core activity done here at the moment but we have not reached our full potential yet," says Mr Rashid. He adds that Malaysia still has a lot to offer multinational investors. "Our advantage is that our multilingual skills, and the talent we have here, is more globally accepted because of our multicultural mix," he says. Prime Minister Najib Razak has ambitious plans to more than double the gross national income per capita to $15,000 (£9,300) over the next decade by creating 3.3 million higher-paying jobs. As part of that, the government has continued to invest in more building projects in Cyberjaya. It hopes to build more cybercities across the country to attract the type of companies that will stem the exodus of workers. At the same time the government has set up a talent agency to recruit Malaysians back. But some analysts say fundamental changes are needed, like abolishing race-based policies and practising meritocracy in the economy. Otherwise, they warn that there may not be enough talent left to help Malaysia realise its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2020. |
| Malaysia Is Merdeka In Name Only Posted: 01 Sep 2011 01:29 PM PDT By Mariam Mokhtar A country that has won Merdeka, in name only, cannot be considered free or independent if its people are afraid to speak up to determine their future. Isn't it time we thought in terms of liberating our minds from the shackles of Umno? We need to be free from thinking that only Umno is our saviour. We need the liberty to appreciate freely that Malaysia is a product of all its peoples and not a success just because of the one race. When the country was a colony, the vanguard of freedom fighters had a common objective – independence. Today, we seem to have lost our sense of direction. We are like a rudderless ship and with no skipper to steer us, we are aimlessly drifting with the tide. On 31 August 1957, Malaya achieved its independence from its colonial masters. However, it appears that we have swopped one set of rulers, the British, for another, Umno. Others will rubbish this claim and say that the real problem is because the current Umno has evolved into a hybrid monster of the old Umno. Maybe the truth lies somewhere in between. Umno duped everyone, including their partners in the BN-coalition, the MCA and the MIC. These two component parties believed that they were representing the interests of the Chinese and the Indians of Malaysia. They took their cue from Umno, to create more fear and instability. Between them, they engineered ways and means to control the people. First, the government used scare tactics on the people. Then, they started to demoralise those whom they had just frightened. We have seen a steady increase in threats including death threats, unlawful arrests, detentions, fire-bombings and protests against law-abiding citizens. To spread the fear, so that the hidden threat reaches as many people as possible, the mainstream media helps Umno. One shopkeeper said, "I dare not open my mouth to criticise because the police would catch me. That would be it for me and my family would never see me again." How can a country be considered independent if its own people are afraid to say and speak their mind, because they know their freedom will be curtailed? Second is the silent majority, who is aware of what is going on but for one reason or another, refuses to voice its disapproval. What is it that motivates them? Is it fear, apathy or their indebtedness to Umno? Why do they remain silent and give the rabble-rousers the courage to continue and destroy the harmony, previously enjoyed by Malaysians? Those who do not benefit from Umno's largesse are full of resentment. It is not just non-Malays against Malays, for within the Malay ranks, there is also great animosity. Umno is aware that the ability to choose, depends on the freedom to make choices. However, when people are indebted to Umno, in one way or another, then the freedom to choose is no longer there. Politicians who have no concept of governance and who are devoid of policies, have no qualms about using religion to divide and rule. For these people, their only hope for an increased following, is by instilling fear. We have observed several downtrends in our educational policies and seen the nation become divided because of our educational system and the preferential treatment being given to the majority race. Again, Umno is aware that with an educated and confident nation, it would be more difficult to rule. Without the ability to free our minds of Umno's brainwashing, many of us become impressed with the show of wealth and the line-up of mega-projects, that Umno displays. If we liberated our minds and thought rationally, we would wonder why it is possible to find billions to build these monuments to Umno and its leaders, but very little money in comparison can be found to help the ordinary people? For decades, Umno conned us with cheap slogans and we went along with them. Originally, the rakyat was complacent, but no more. The turning point was reached in 2008, when it was shown that Umno was slacking. That is why any initiative on our part to strive for change has been challenged forcefully, by Umno. That is why we saw the EO-6 or PSM-6 being detained. That is why Umno have discovered so many perceived threats to Islam. That is why Bersih was seen as a danger to Umno's leaders. Many of us may have lost hope and may refuse to vote because we may feel it will not make a difference. That would spell an even greater disaster for Malaysia. If the poor utilised their power to vote and went out to vote for people who would represent their interests, only then would there be, a true democratic revolution. The rakyat may find that finally, their needs and that of their community, will be met. Now that would be liberating. |
| Media lynching and academic collaborators Posted: 01 Sep 2011 12:49 PM PDT By Dr Lim Teck Ghee Every once in a while the government-controlled or government-associated media engages in a public lynching of individuals that dare to challenge the Umno-scripted truth about the political system, religion, the monarchy or just about any subject which may be seen as threatening to Umno's political and ideological dominance. The latest case involves Mohamad Sabu and the reason for his lynching relates to a speech he made in Tasek Gelugor on Aug 21 in which the PAS deputy president touched on the Bukit Kepong incident of Feb 23, 1950. In that incident, armed members of the Malayan Communist Party attacked and killed 25 police personnel and some of their family members. In his speech reported by Utusan Malaysia, Mat Sabu allegedly glorified the MCP by claiming that they were the real heroes for fighting against the British and for leading the country's struggle for independence. Following the Utusan report, the New Straits Times had four articles including an entire page by its group managing editor Zainul Arifin attacking Mohamad Sabu for allegedly "rewriting history for political gain" (NST, Aug 28). This has since been followed by Utusan's Sunday edition Mingguan Malaysia devoting extraordinary coverage (spreading over six pages) to the excoriation of Mat Sabu. Mat Sabu even featured in the Prime Minister's Aidilfitri-cum-Merdeka anniversary speech where Najib Abdul Razak sanctimoniously lambasted anyone that dared to discredit the sacrifices of the country's forefathers and security forces in the path to independence. Missing from the historical narrative At the end of his article, the NST's chief Zainul – who surely must be aware that most people in our country know fully that not only history but also media editorials and pieces such as his have been written for political gain – makes the plea for history "to be debated by historians, and not politicians". Whilst he makes the valid point that "a relooking at history is important …. [and that] some say it is biased and a tool of political dominance", Zainul will know too that those looking for a debate or relook will not find it in the pages of his newspaper.
So what is the verdict of professional historians on the communist insurgency and its contribution to the movement for independence from which a real debate and the historical truth can have its starting point? There is not enough space in this piece to reproduce the various analysis but readers interested in the MCP and its role in the struggle for independence may want to consult the following: C.C. Chin and Karl Hack, Dialogues with Chin Peng: New Light on the Malayan Communist Party Anthony Short, The Communist Insurrection in Malaya, 1948-1960 Richard Clutterbuck, The long long war: the emergency in Malaya 1948-1960 Richard Stubbs, Hearts and minds in guerrilla warfare: the Malayan emergency, 1948-1960 Especially useful is the latest scholarly assessment of the MCP's role and place in Malayan history which is found in the journal 'Kajian Malaysia' (Journal of Malaysian Studies), Vol. 27, No. 1 & 2, 2009. It is available online at http://web.usm.my/km/vol27(1&2)2009.html In the volume, Richard Mason has an article 'Revisiting 1948 Insurgencies and the Cold War in Southeast Asia' that provides an overview on the almost simultaneous revolt against colonial regimes in Malaya, Indonesia and Indochina. Also three writers, C.C. Chin, Leon Comber and Abdul Rahman Hj. Ismail, provide new insights into the MCP and the tumultuous events and nationalist stirrings of the period. What is noticeable about the NST media coverage is not only the way the paper has ignored the real scholars that have undertaken the studies of the MCP but also its reliance on the preferred modus operandi to trot out what appear to be court academicians in the guise of Malaysian academic firepower to provide intellectual justification for their public lynching exercise. One such academician, Prof. Emeritus Khoo Kay Kim – who is prominently featured in the NST and other government controlled media – should know better. Mat Sabu's intellectual honesty Prof. Khoo's field of specialization is not the Malayan Communist Party or Chin Peng or recent Malayan political history. Although his PhD was on the topic 'The Beginnings of Political Extremism in Malaya 1915-1935', it does not cover the period of the 1940s and 1950s when the struggle for independence took place in earnest and during which time the MCP underwent various metamorphosis and change in ideological direction in its objective to free Malaya from the colonial yoke of the British. Prof. Khoo could have waited for clarification or explanation from Mat Sabu, and for any justification the latter may have provided for his views. That would have been the correct academic etiquette. Or if Prof. Khoo was in haste, he could at least have relied on scholars that have done more authoritative work on the MCP and through their studies provided an academic and more truthful historical context and explanation for the Bukit Kepong incident and the communist fighters. Instead he was reported to have stated that "Mohamad should not lie to the people when the rakyat today was easily led astray and misinformed" (NST, p.10). Not only has he dismissed Mat Sabu's account without checking with the victim of the public lynching but he has diverted the issue away from Mat Sabu's focus on who were Malaya's freedom fighters to the international origins and orientation of the Malayan Communist Party in the 1920s and 30s! Readers can view Mat Sabu's talk at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ItcuiUCw4qY http://www.ukm.my/knam/data/Peristiwa_Bukit_Kepong.pdf Prof. Khoo is no academic innocent or virgin when it comes to press coverage. He must know that the NST has its knives out for Mat Sabu and other opposition or civil society leaders that stand in the way of UMNO's agenda. He must know or at least he should know that there would be no fair trial and that the pursuit of academic facts and intellectual truth is the furthest away from being a concern or priority of the NST. Mat Sabu is feared by Umno and its mouthpieces, the NST and Utusan for good reason. He is PAS's thinking, progressive and committed face – not simply a face but someone who possesses not only the intellectual honesty to raise uncomfortable questions about how our history is being written but also is prepared to take a contrary position to defend his take on historical truth. In doing so, Mat Sabu puts to shame the academic hangers-on that are quick to bray when called upon by the government. |
| Taib “Highly Corrupt” – Secret US Documents Put Pressure on FBI! Posted: 01 Sep 2011 12:31 PM PDT  By Sarawak Report Secret US Government documents have stood up Sarawak Report's allegations about corruption in Sarawak. A dossier of US Embassy dispatches to Washington, compiled by the Bruno Manser Foundation from the Wikileaks site, has now revealed that the United States Government has been well-informed about the extent of Taib Mahmud's abuse of power in the state. The revelations raise fresh questions about the judgement of America's top law enforcement agency, the FBI, in choosing to house one of its key facilities in a building owned by the Chief Minister in the United States. For example, one confidential cable from the US embassy in Malaysia to the State Department in Washington, dated 13 October 2006, noted that: "Taib and his relatives are widely thought to extract a percentage from most major commercial contracts - including those for logging – awarded in the state. … Embassy sources outside the government uniformly characterize him as highly corrupt." [Bruno Manser Foundation report]
In a further passage that will embarrass some of Taib's key political cronies, including Alfred Jabu and James Masing, the report also says that a source had told the US embassy that Taib appointed "compliant local leaders" from various tribes into "financially rewarding" government positions as a means of stifling potential opposition. The US embassy's Political Section Chief, Mark D.Clark, concluded: READ MORE HERE. |
| Let’s celebrate Sept 16 for its significance Posted: 01 Sep 2011 12:28 PM PDT By Wong Sai Wan, The Star It's time to recognise the date our country was actually formed so that we can truly be a single nation. THIS Aug 31 must have been the quietest ever in our 54-year history since independence from the British – no grand parades, no multi-million ringgit fireworks display and no days of closed roads to cater for all sorts of rehearsals. Instead, the streets of Kuala Lumpur were empty as city folks deserted the Klang Valley for their hometowns over the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays. The Government realised that it would have been practically impossible – and very unpopular – to stage the Merdeka Day celebrations as usual because it would fall on the second day of the Raya celebrations. Even if they could have forced the civil servants, soldiers, police and other uniformed units to participate in a parade, there would not have been anyone to witness any of the festivities. Instead, the celebrations will now be held on Sept 16 to coincide with Malaysia Day – that is the exact day 48 years ago Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore joined Malaya to form the Federation of Malaysia. Decades ago, the whole nation used to observe Malaysia Day but later, in the 1970s, it was only left to Sabah and Sarawak to do so. It would not be far wrong to say the separation of Singapore from the Federation in 1965 left a bitter taste in many in the ruling Government, thus making it difficult to continue to commemorate that date. However, things have changed recently. The rising political importance of Sabah and Sarawak has made it necessary for the Government to celebrate the formation of Malaysia. For years, the people in the two states have been grumbling as to why they should celebrate Aug 31 when it was not the date they gained independence; they would rather celebrate the day they joined the Federation. After being independent from the British for over 54 years, it is time that we as a nation focus on celebrating the formation of the whole country. Our leaders – past and present and from both sides of the political divide – have often paid lip service that we have to practise integration between the Peninsula and the two states on Kalimantan island. The time for lip service is over and it is time for action, and we can start by making Sept 16 the permanent celebration of our nationhood. We should celebrate how far we have come along, we should celebrate our achievements as a country, and we should celebrate how we are more united now than we were 48 years ago. We should not forget about Aug 31; after all it is the day Malaya became a country. It is an important day in history and maybe it should be a day of remembrance while Sept 16 be the day of celebration. Over the past few years, Aug 31 has become the day of flying the flag and show of patriotism, and somehow this Wednesday felt really different without all the jingoism about the need to show we are Malaysians. In many ways, what we had been doing for Aug 31 was a bit contrived. We now need to bring back the true meaning of what it is to be Malaysian, and to allow that expression of patriotism to be real and from the heart. After all, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had used 1Malaysia as his rallying call to unite the people. Making Sept 16 a permanent celebration date will surely be a step in the right direction for him. Last year, he announced that Sept 16 would henceforth be a Federal holiday. Historically, Malaysia was to have been formed on June 1, 1963, but the date was later postponed to Aug 31, 1963, to coincide with the sixth Merdeka Day. As we all know, that did not happen because Indonesia and the Philippines objected to the formation of Malaysia. The formation date was then postponed again – to Sept 16 – to give the United Nations team time to conduct referendums in Sabah and Sarawak regarding the two states' participation in a new federation. Recognising Sept 16 would also mean re-opening certain issues the two states have with the Federal Government over certain points of agreement when joining the Federation. It is time to take a relook at the issues. For one thing, I could never understand the need for Immigration procedure for travel between the Peninsula and the two states. Yes, at one time there was a need to control the number of people from the peninsular from grabbing all the job opportunities in Sabah and Sarawak. Today, the education disparity has narrowed, and in some cases have become even non-existent. I have met so many capable Sarawakians and Sabahans in my 27-year career in The Star, some of them as colleagues and some people I had interviewed. In my frequent trips to the two states, I have found that the people there can more than stand up to any Orang Malaya (as Sarawakians call those from the peninsular) or Orang Semenanjung (the Sabahan equivalent) in terms of capabilities and qualification. There are a reported 50,000 Sarawakians working in the shipyards of Johor, and they have proven to be essential workers for the industry. They have integrated well into Johor society. This is among the many reasons we have for reinstating Malaysia Day. The following is a ditty I wrote to greet all my friends on Facebook and Twitter: We have had KongsiRaya. We have had DeepaRaya. We have had XmasRaya. In a few hours MerdekaRaya. Selamat Hari Raya. Selamat Hari Merdeka!! To that I want to add Selamat Hari Malaysia come Sept 16. |
| Mat Sabu hits back, claims Umno near collapse Posted: 01 Sep 2011 12:19 PM PDT  By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider PAS is close to declaring itself victors in its contest with Umno for the Malay rural vote during Hari Raya, with its deputy president Mohamad Sabu confidently saying that "Umno is going to collapse very soon". The vocal leader, who has been battling criticisms for his Bukit Kepong tragedy remarks, insisted to The Malaysian Insider yesterday that the party's Hari Raya campaign blitz had been successful in garnering more Malay support for the federal opposition. "Our ceramahs in the suraus and the mosques have been great. Very good response from the people," he said. Both Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Barisan Nasional (BN) embarked on separate pre-polls Hari Raya campaigns during the month of Ramadan, with each trumpeting their respective agendas and messages to the Malay electorate, particularly in the Malay heartlands outside the capital. But PAS came under fire on Saturday when Utusan Malaysia quoted Mohamad as saying that the communists who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station in 1950 during the pre-Independence insurgency were heroes. The Umno-owned newspaper accused him of disparaging the country's armed forces and expressing support for communists but Mohamad, popularly known as Mat Sabu, has since denied the report and accused the Malay-language daily of fabricating the quote. The incident resulted in BN lawmakers going on the offensive after months of scrambling to control the fallout from rising inflation and the July 9 Bersih rally, hoping that Mohamad's remarks would help Umno plant seeds of doubt among the Malay electorate, for whom communism remains a bogeyman especially in the rural heartland. Despite this, Mohamad has remained confident, choosing instead to scoff at Umno's attacks against him and saying it was clear that the Malay party was feeling pressured and "desperate". "You see, I am just a very, very small person. Not a big person... but yet, they attack me... five days and five nights. They are clearly desperate," he said. He said during PAS's Hari Raya campaign, party leaders have been explaining to voters Bersih 2.0's key demands for electoral reforms, the controversies surrounding postal ballots and discrepancies found in the present electoral roll. "Other issues include corruption, the RM24 million diamond ring scandal by the prime minister's wife... they have not properly explained that yet," he said. READ MORE HERE. |
| PR for nuclear power window dressing, says Pakatan Posted: 01 Sep 2011 12:16 PM PDT 
By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider
The opposition has derided Putrajaya's plan to hire a public relations firm to boost popular support for nuclear power as more spin from an administration that they claimed was becoming known for more talk than action. PKR communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the revelation that the government will pick one of three shortlisted public relations agencies to help get greater buy-in for its planned nuclear power plants showed that the Najib administration was still more concerned with form over function. "That speaks volumes about what the Najib administration is about. It's about PR," he told The Malaysian Insider. The Seri Setia assemblyman pointed out that despite the barrage of feel-good news arising from the prime minister's transformation programmes, few of the latter's much-touted economic reforms have been translated into policy. He said this was testament to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's failed leadership as "any Tom, Dick and Harry" could hire public relations firms to put across an appearance of change while real transformation had to be driven by political will. "You look at substance, reforms, nothing much. There's a lot of talk... It's easy to say the right things but it's tricky to do the right thing," Nik Nazmi said. DAP international secretary Liew Chin Tong similarly said politicians must take responsibility to communicate their ideas to the public directly as there was "no point" in hiring agencies without doing that first. "Political leaders must take charge to communicate political vision... instead of trying to hard-sell something that is not palatable," he said. Malaysia must also recognise it is not feasible to constantly increase power supply to meet the ever-growing demand for electricity and must adopt the global practice of demand management to cut down on usage, Liew added. "You have to deal with demand... so that we can have a sustainable supply," the Bukit Bendera MP said. "If the government is looking at demand management and also alternative sources of electricity, there may not be a need for a nuclear plant," PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub said the government should be aware of the public's unhappiness over the proposed nuclear power plant, which he also felt was unsuitable for the time being given Malaysia's high potential for alternative energy. "There are other energy alternatives to petrol and coal so, for the time being, it is not very important for us to initiate this kind of industry," he said. He added that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) intends to highlight the nuclear power plant issue — which has attracted strong criticism from opposition parties and the public — at the next Parliament sitting in October. The Holmes Report, a New York-based publication that serves the public relations community, reported this week that the Malaysia Nuclear Power Corporation (MNPC), a government body formed in January to spearhead the deployment of nuclear energy, has shortlisted three firms for the sensitive project. The invitation for an international public relations effort to boost support for nuclear energy could spark controversy after the recent row over reports that Putrajaya paid RM58 million to FBC Media to burnish its international image on various international broadcast channels. It is understood Putrajaya has now ended its contract with FBC Media after an exposé revealed Malaysian leaders routinely appeared in paid-for interviews on global television programmes on CNBC. READ MORE HERE.
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| UMNO turning right leads BN downhill Posted: 01 Sep 2011 07:46 AM PDT 
What we see today - the impudence of right-wing Perkasa, the use of draconian legislation instead of criminal laws. the steady subsuming of government institutions under the ruling coalition and the conjuring of a Christian threat to Islam - are the results of this imprudent swing to the right that began six years ago. by Ooi Kee Beng, Today Online On July 9, the streets of Kuala Lumpur played host to animated engagements between demonstrators and the police. Bersih 2.0, which started out as a simple and hesitant attempt to revive public interest in electoral reforms, became a huge demonstration that captured the imagination of many young Malaysians.
It seized their imagination more strongly than anyone expected, leaving little doubt that Malaysia is in transition.
But what needs studying is what it is transiting away from, and what it is transiting to. The two are, of course, strongly related but what is this widespread eagerness for change a part of, which now pervades the country?
The situation is complicated no doubt but we do not need to go very far back in time to find an answer.
Let us remind ourselves that the long-lived Barisan Nasional (BN) ruling coalition enjoyed its best electoral results as late as in 2004, under then Mr Abdullah Badawi. As many as 91 per cent of voters supported him and the honeymoon period that the public gave him as Prime Minister was a long and gracious one. It was only in 2007 that signs appeared to say that a lot was not well under Mr Abdullah.
So what was it that happened? And why is it that the BN has not been able to turn things around since then? It still has a lot of power; why can't it correct itself?
Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's recent comment that the problem was not with the BN model as such but with the lack of good leadership, was but the latest and rather desperate attempt to limit the credibility crisis that the ruling coalition suffers from.
After the General Election of March 8, 2008, the country went through an uncertain though exciting period. This was to be expected after the shock results that saw five states coming under the rule of opposition parties and the long-lived BN losing its power to amend the Constitution at will.
The opposition parties immediately had their share of problems - ranging from a serious lack of experience in governing, to sabotage by civil servants unable to distinguish party from government, and the economic and political measures by the federal government to punish and undermine them.
The federal government naturally tried its best to control the damage it had suffered. This included putting on trial - again - opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy; regaining the state of Perak through dubious means in February 2009; and manoeuvring PM Abdullah Badawi from power in April 2009 and replacing him with a more dynamic and debonair Najib Abdul Razak.
Mr Najib's main task was to generate public confidence in the BN's ability to respond to changes for the national good, to regain the trust of the Malay middle class and to rejuvenate the coalition.
The Sarawak state election on April 11 this year, when the opposition made impressive gains, showed that he was not doing enough and that he was not succeeding. Bersih 2.0 showed that the government was more alienated from public sentiment than ever before.
Things began to go seriously wrong when UMNO began turning right after its historic victory in April 2004.
In mid-2005, UMNO Youth brought the Malays-first New Economic Policy back into the national consciousness and the swing towards the right was most noticeable in how the movement's leader, the present-day Home Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, unsheathed and brandished his keris at the party's general assembly. He would continue to do that for two more years despite extensive criticism.
The arrogance stemming from the 2004 victory spread quickly and with the absence of a national vision following Dr Mahathir's retirement, divisions in Malaysian society became worse and deeper while UMNO thinking was vulgarised into simple racialism. Religious tensions began rising when Muslim authorities and individual leaders recognised the new freedom being allowed them to win political points through creating friction with other religions.
What we see today - the impudence of right-wing Perkasa, the use of draconian legislation instead of criminal laws. the steady subsuming of government institutions under the ruling coalition and the conjuring of a Christian threat to Islam - are the results of this imprudent swing to the right that began six years ago.
In short, the strong longing for change now evident in Malaysia is largely a public reaction to the inability of the BN model to create a society that is open-minded and diverse enough to be the harmonious and liberal Malaysia that the founding generation had imagined possible.
The writer is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. His recent book is The Right to Differ: A Biographical Sketch of Lim Kit Siang. |
| The Tripoli Uprising Posted: 01 Sep 2011 06:04 AM PDT 
The inside story of Libya's underground revolutionaries as they organized, hid out, waited, and finally liberated the capital city. At first, the security forces outnumbered the protesters almost three to one. But the protests were spreading from one block to the next, and soon they reached the streets behind the security forces. Within moments after the shooting began, the government forces were surrounded. The few protesters with weapons began firing back. Some started throwing stones. "I'm a bit scared of guns, so I threw Molotov cocktails," says El Burai. BY ANAND GOPAL, FOREIGN POLICY TRIPOLI, Libya – One night late last month, in a sweltering apartment deep in the heart of Tripoli, a group of men gathered around the television to watch the evening news. The program was carried on Libya al-Ahrar, a Doha-based news channel beaming into Libya in support of the revolution. At precisely 8:30 p.m., after the breaking of the Ramadan fast and as locals were streaming to the mosques, the message these men were waiting for came: "Truly, we have granted you a clear victory," the newscaster said, before signing off for the night. It was a verse from the Quran, but to the men in this room, in the tightly packed neighborhood of Souq al-Juma, it was so much more -- a code that signaled that their uprising was to begin. Over the next 48 hours, the people of Tripoli pushed Libya's six-month revolution to its staggering denouement, ensuring their country would never again be the same and reinvigorating the Arab awakening -- and it all began in this neighborhood. The men watching the television were part of a group of 62 underground revolutionaries who had been preparing for this day for weeks. Malik Jamal Abargo, a 20-something port worker, was one of them. He grabbed his Kalashnikov and rushed into the streets with his comrades. "My heart was pounding," he says. "I thought that I might become a martyr." The sight of the small crowd chanting slogans against Muammar al-Qaddafi in the street prompted shouts from the mosque. Soon its speakers issued forth a thunderous chant: Allahu akbar! Out came Khalid Abu Humeida, a customs worker. "I was standing in line for vegetables when I heard it," he says. "It had more force to me than any bomb or jet. I knew what to do." He was joined by Salem El Burai, a restaurant owner who came rushing out with a bag of rocks. Abdul, who would not give his last name and has no job at all, emerged with a Molotov cocktail. The crowd grew to hundreds -- the first large open protests against the government in any part of Tripoli since February, when demonstrations were drowned in blood. Almost immediately, truckloads of state security forces began to arrive. They pointed their weapons at the demonstrators. "We inched forward, step by step, trying not to waver," says Abdul. Soon, less than 100 meters separated the two sides. They were facing off under a large overpass, and speeding cars roared above. Snipers were arrayed on a nearby high-rise. One group of protesters then doused vehicles parked on the roadside in gasoline and set them ablaze. "We wanted to create a sense of chaos, to confuse the government forces," El Burai explains. This provocation was enough: The security forces opened fire. Bullets whizzed and popped, the protesters recall, and they jumped behind concrete pillars and behind trash cans. At first, the security forces outnumbered the protesters almost three to one. But the protests were spreading from one block to the next, and soon they reached the streets behind the security forces. Within moments after the shooting began, the government forces were surrounded. The few protesters with weapons began firing back. Some started throwing stones. "I'm a bit scared of guns, so I threw Molotov cocktails," says El Burai. Things turned into a stunning rout in the protesters' favor: Thirteen police lay dead and almost 30 were captured. The rest fled. In that moment, on that street corner, 42 years of despair began to dissolve. "We've lost a whole generation to fear," says El Burai. "This was like a rebirth." Women and younger children gingerly stepped out onto the streets, for the first time in their lives free of the state's presence. Strangers embraced, men praised God, and rebels fired their weapons in the air. READ MORE HERE |
| WIKILEAKS: CHIN REFUGEES STRUGGLE WHILE AWAITING UNHCR REGISTRATION AND RESETTLEMENT Posted: 01 Sep 2011 01:00 AM PDT 
In exchange for the refugee's freedom, the police take all money possessed by such individuals. According to the refugees, the police have not alerted immigration officials to the presence of the camp, as they do not want immigration officers to destroy the camp and thereby impede the police's extortion activities. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin 
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUALA LUMPUR 002137 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM, PREF, SMIG, PREL, PGOV, UNHCR, MY SUBJECT: CHIN REFUGEES STRUGGLE WHILE AWAITING UNHCR REGISTRATION AND RESETTLEMENT REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 1660 B. KUALA LUMPUR 246 Summary 1. (SBU) In their primitive jungle camps and at a medical clinic they established in Kuala Lumpur, Burmese Chin refugees recently described to us their harassment by police and their perceptions of UNHCR indifference regarding their plight. Up to 1,000 Chins live in jungle camps abutting palm oil plantations within five miles of Malaysia's seat of government in Putrajaya. Approximately 60 percent of these and other Chin refugees remain unregistered by the UNHCR, largely due to the UNHCR's decision last year to cease new registrations of non-emergency refugee cases. Working on the plantations for little money and uncertain payment of wages, receiving access to medical care only in some emergency situations, and facing arrest and deportation if captured by Malaysian authorities, unregistered Chin refugees living in the jungle remain among the most vulnerable and exploited refugees in Malaysia. During our recent meetings with over 100 of these refugees, they conveyed their impatience to get UNHCR documentation, their desire for basic medical care and English language training, and their hope for resettlement to a third country as soon as possible. End Summary. Chin Refugees Struggling in Jungle Camps 2. (SBU) Together with two Burmese Chin refugees acting as guides and interpreters on November 15, poloff visited two jungle camps housing about 200 Chin refugees near the Malaysian administrative capital in Putrajaya. The camps are located on the edges of palm oil plantations where some of the refugees find work as day laborers. The camps shared common physical characteristics. In small clearings hacked out of the jungle, the Chins erected temporary shelters using wooden poles, plywood for elevated sleeping platforms, and fluttering sheets of plastic for roofing and walls. A sense of devotion to Christianity pervaded each camp. Each camp contained a church structure (the largest and most well-maintained structure in each camp) and all of the approximately 100 square foot dwellings viewed by poloff prominently displayed crosses or pictures of Jesus. Neither camp had been visited by UNHCR representatives during at least the past two years, according to the Chins. Poloff's guides said the Chins have established as many as five other jungle camps in the vicinity of the Putrajaya palm oil plantations. Collectively, the camps may contain up to 1,000 Chin refugees within five miles of the Prime Minister's office. Living in Fear of Extortion, Raids and Deportation 3. (SBU) The first camp we visited was only 500 meters from a paved road. It iswell-known to local police. During discussions with four men living in the camp, they said local police visited the camp regularly in search of refugees who have not yet been registered with the UNHCR. In exchange for the refugee's freedom, the police take all money possessed by such individuals. According to the refugees, the police have not alerted immigration officials to the presence of the camp, as they do not want immigration officers to destroy the camp and thereby impede the police's extortion activities. Refugees in this camp told us police recently asked them to dismantle their church structure. The police said the church's presence could force government officials to burn and raze the camp, as local Muslim villagers have complained about the "unregistered" church's existence in the jungle near their homes. This is not an empty threat. A similar camp was destroyed earlier this year, following complaints about the camp's church by local residents. The camp and church have been recently rebuilt, with the church disguised as a meeting hall during the week. Hard Work for Uncertain Payment 4. (SBU) The refugees said they are paid about RM25 ($6.75) for a full day's work on the plantations, but that the work is sporadic and their wage payments are often delayed and sometimes completely withheld. One of the men said he had not been paid in over a month. He continued working, despite the probability of receiving less than full payment, as he needed to feed his three children, aged 4-10, who lived with his sister in another nearby camp. He said his 33 year-old wife recently died suddenly of heat exhaustion while working at one of the plantations. Non-payment of wages and other forms of labor exploitation at plantations, construction sites and restaurants continue to plague the approximately 20,000 Chin refugees currently living in Malaysia, according to our sources. Frustration With the UNHCR 5. (SBU) Following a 30 minute hike, we arrived at a second, much more remote camp. This camp was situated in a ravine and accessible only through a winding, narrow path. Camp residents claimed its existence is unknown to police and immigration officials, and the camp has never been raided. Approximately 100 camp residents, including 20 women and children, greeted poloff outside the camp's church and answered questions about their living conditions and relationship with the UNHCR. Most of the refugees have lived in the camp for 1-2 years, although one man claimed to have lived there four years. All were Zomi Chin refugees. About 20% were registered with the UNHCR, prior to the UNHCR's temporary suspension of most new refugee registrations last year. The refugees complained about the UNHCR's perceived unwillingness to register "non-emergency" refugee cases such as theirs, as UNHCR documentation is their only form of protection from deportation. (Note: As of July 1, 2006 the UNHCR had provided its formal recognition to 7,805 Chin "persons of concern" in Malaysia, up moderately from 6,566 at year-end 2005.) 6. (U) They all hoped for resettlement into a third country as soon as possible. They wished to leave the jungle, and they described conditions in the camp as "dangerous and unhealthy." Of the camp's total population of about 125 persons, two were killed and 18 injured by lightning during 2006. One resident told poloff's translator, "We would rather die here than go back to Burma." They remained unaware that the United States planned to resettle thousands of Chin refugees from Malaysia. Poloff informed them that the USG and UNHCR are gearing up to "significantly increase" resettlement of Chin refugees into the United States starting next year. They were pleased to hear this, although they remained skeptical of how the UNHCR registration process will proceed. The prospect of resettlement didn't terribly excite them, probably because the concept seemed much closer to theory than reality, and their day-to-day survival currently demands their full attention. Chin Medical Care on Ad Hoc Basis 7. (U) On November 9, poloff visited a refugee medical clinic organized by the Alliance of Chin Refugees (ACR), one of the two largest entities representing the interests of Chins in Malaysia. (Note: the other large organization is the Chin Refugee Committee (CRC), which claims to have about 17,400 members here.). Located in Kuala Lumpur in a non-descript two-storey walkup, the clinic is staffed by two French doctors, one French nurse and a Burmese doctor (all volunteers). The clinic treats 30-40 persons during its once weekly operating hours for a charge of RM10 (about $2.75) per patient. The clinic is funded solely by donations from Chin and other refugees and has only limited medical instruments and medicine supplies. One of the French doctors commented that tuberculosis is common among the refugees and that few of the approximately 800 Chin children in Malaysia have received basic immunizations. She was aware of the Chin's jungle camps near Kuala Lumpur and expressed frustration that no one had yet funded a medical outreach program to treat sick individuals in those camps. She said the Chin community also needed money for treatment of psychological trauma, as well as pre-natal care and medical facilities to ensure proper delivery of the increasing number of Chin babies born in Malaysia. Comment 8. (SBU) The ARC and CRC have performed admirably in their attempts to organize and care for their own people, but institutional funding is needed to provide basic medical treatment and English language training for both children and working adults. Given our pending resettlement of thousands of Chin refugees from Malaysia, modest investments in immunizations, medical care and English language training in Malaysia's relatively low cost environment would yield substantial benefits for both the Chin refugees and the United States. Post looks forward to working with PRM, UNHCR, IOM, DHS, the Overseas Processing Entity and the Department's regional refugee affairs office in Bangkok to resettle large numbers of these refugees as quickly and smoothly as possible. We will remain actively engaged in that process, while also coordinating with PRM and the UNHCR to ensure timely provision of additional PRM funding this fiscal year for basic medical and education needs of the Chins and other refugee communities. LAFLEUR |
| Worse than murtad is political apostasy Posted: 31 Aug 2011 08:45 PM PDT THE MICAH MANDATE Political apostasy is the reason for the country's 'moral crisis' in governance as reports of electoral roll anomalies and threats of violence take centre stage. Meanwhile many letter-writers and others have said allegations of religious apostasy are a ploy to detract from the more serious problem of potential electoral fraud. Political backsliding from the original Merdeka plan began in 1969 when Tunku Abdul Rahman was deposed in a coup, as described in Kua Kia Soong's enlightening book, 'May 13'. Political victimisation is the unmistakable sign of an apostate political culture and Anwar Ibrahim among others is the country's longest political victim and symbolise the alleged abuse of power through selective persecution and prosecution of politicians and citizens. Former American ambassador John Mallot explains why: "a senior officer in the Special Branch told an Embassy officer, 'We are going to keep filing charge after charge after Anwar so he will be in jail for the next hundred years'" as reported in Malaysia Chronicle. Merdeka ushered in an era of national pride and development. The British had not envisaged Malaysia would desert its legacy of a constitutional democracy. The country promoted the motto 'unity is strength' and the Tunku was an icon of racial harmony and religious tolerance having married four wives, at different times, that represented the different races. 'Bapa Kermedekaan' was an apt title for a man who proved slogans are not only for show and political window-dressing but carrying and living out. As the one who facilitated the dakwah movement and established Perkim, he did more than any other Malay leader for his race and his religion and he was never a threat to non-Malays while promoting religion, unlike those who use Islam as a political weapon today. He never stooped to scapegoat any group, be they of a different religion or race, to elevate himself. The sense of propriety in politics though not perfect was then an honoured tradition. Merdeka saw an era and aura of sincerity and earnestness in politicians and citizens working together to serve the nation, not like today when politics has become the refuge of scoundrels who find it a route to riches. The Tunku was a gentleman and never expected to be betrayed but lived long enough to die disappointed and disillusioned when he saw his Merdeka dream dashed and the country become a 'failed politically apostate state' though unilaterally declared 'an Islamic state' by those who actions were anything but Islamic or even decent. Hail Malaysia's Caesar The political apostasy is the result of abandoning the Merdeka principles of democracy, among others, that were meant to develop the fledgling nation. The new Merdeka nation was supposed to function like the British democracy fashioned after the Westminster parliamentary system that was strong on political accountability, as we saw their dishonest politicians exposed, charged and convicted for allowances rorts. Politics after Merdeka was not flawless—no system is—but took a different direction when the Tunku was politically waylaid. After May 13, 1969 it suffered a heavy blow that has left the Merdeka nation in a political coma and apostates and heretics of sorts continue to lead it astray. In 1988 the judiciary was assaulted and the Lord President became a victim of political bastardry. A major constitutional check on the executive was hijacked and the moral slide got worse. To his credit the eminent judge stood his moral ground and his reputation was vindicated much later under a more benign country leader. Political apostasy saw a modern-day Caesar control everything: the various arms of the government that were meant to check one another—the executive, the judiciary, parliament—and anything else that has a voice such as the media and passionate citizens. He even had a centurion who acted like a lap dog to do his bidding when the police were supposed to be professional and impartial law enforcers, not a private security firm at the beck and call of the politicians. The courts could not be depended to deliver justice when it involved powerful politicians and their cronies because judge-fixing resulted in a skewed justice. The 'Lingam video' scandal examined by a royal commission proved the reality of justice tampering. On the economic front while Dr Mahathir Mohammed defends the system including the NEP and admits "there may be corruption involved in some cases" he blithely dismisses his role in the 'rotten administration' that he left for his successor and did nothing about the cases of corruption despite the overwhelming reports made to the police. While he did stimulate the economy with bold projects the flip side under his leadership was that the country lost billions, 100 billion ringgit according to author Barry Wain in his book Malaysian Maverick, and till today the bailouts continue. Some facts stand insurmountable in the face of unconvincing rhetoric, spin and more lies. When your country owns a petroleum company and there is plenty of money around anyone can perform an economic miracle or even a disappearing act. But political apostasy can only accelerate during Mahathir's tenure and the dysfunctional democracy today is the legacy for which he can take full credit. In the end Mahathir short-changed himself and succumbed to the dark side. The country had lost its constitutional checks and balances not in theory but in practice. It is truth when perception is supported by the facts. It remains the tragedy and huge regret in Malaysian history because those crucial years could have been the golden opportunity to transform the nation according to the Merdeka ideals if there had been 'clean, efficient and trustworthy' governance because Mahathir as many Malaysians believe, had the ability to lead but instead his legacy is a nation of lost rainforests, lost freedoms and lost opportunities. It does seem incredible that anyone can justify the NEP when those it was supposed to help still suffer in poverty and those entrusted to help them have prospered beyond imagination. Whether it is the system or those who implement it, the government is still responsible and accountable. There can be no excuse when there is brazen corruption and natives lose their traditional lands when the British gave us back ours. The trouble with political apostates is their ruthlessness and hypocrisy. They care not for the plight of the poor, only themselves. They must think Malaysians are daft like the policeman who made a police report because his colleagues cheated him out of his share of the loot. READ MORE HERE |
| The art of wayang kulit Posted: 31 Aug 2011 08:13 PM PDT Berikutan isu orang Melayu terus terpinggir di Pulau Pinang, Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO Malaysia mencadangkan Perbadanan Pembangunan Pulau Pinang (PDC) diletakkan di bawah kuasa Timbalan Ketua Menteri, Datuk Abdul Rashid Abdullah. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Wayang kulit is a popular Malay shadow play, especially in the East Coast of West Malaysia. The Malays are very good at this. Well, actually, the Malaysian Chinese too are very good at this. I suppose, as they say, the dog understands its master, especially when it licks its master's ass every day. So, with so much ass-licking going on, the Chinese running dogs of the Malay lembus ape their masters very well indeed. Hmm…dog, ape, lembu, ass -- quite an animal kingdom we have out there. Anyway, the wayang kuilit that the Chinese dogs and the Malay lembus are playing is with regards to the DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat state government of Penang. MCA, the Chinese running dog, is alleging that since the DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat government took over Penang in March 2008, the Chinese have been sidelined. The Umno lembu, in turn, alleges that since the DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat government took over Penang in March 2008, the Malays have been sidelined. Hmm…come to think of it, this is the same allegation by the Indians. Hindraf alleges that since the DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat government took over Penang in March 2008, the Indians have been sidelined. Hold on, if ALL the Malays, Chinese and Indians have been sidelined since the DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat government took over Penang in March 2008, then who the fuck is benefiting? Okay, now I see it. Since the DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat government took over Penang in March 2008, the Malays, Chinese and Indians have ALL been sidelined. The ones benefiting are the Mamaks. Okay, guys and gals, time to boycott the Mamak shops and nasi kandar. They are already getting too rich since the DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat government took over Penang in March 2008. They don't need your money. The Penang state government is already making them super-rich. This is a demonstration of what I mean by wayang kulit. The Chinese politicians will tell the Chinese that they are being sidelined since the DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat government took over Penang in March 2008. The Malay politicians will tell the Malays that they are being sidelined since the DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat government took over Penang in March 2008. And the Indians, not wanting to be left out, will jump onto the bandwagon -- or, as the Malays would say, tumpang semangkuk (May I Come or MIC) -- and also allege that the Indians are being sidelined. I suppose wayang kulit can work and people can be easily fooled by it when 90% of Malaysians and 50% of Malaysia Today's readers are stupid. Or are 50% of Malaysia Today's readers stupid enough to believe this? Well, let's see come the next election. Anyway, the statistics below can shed some light as to whether the Malays in Penang are really being sidelined. Even Umno Malays are getting contracts in Penang. 
*************************************** Isu Melayu Terpinggir (Pemuda Umno Malaysia) -- Berikutan isu orang Melayu terus terpinggir di Pulau Pinang, Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO Malaysia mencadangkan Perbadanan Pembangunan Pulau Pinang (PDC) diletakkan di bawah kuasa Timbalan Ketua Menteri, Datuk Abdul Rashid Abdullah. Pengerusi Biro Ekonominya, Reezal Marican Naina Marican berkata, langkah itu akan dapat memastikan misi nasional iaitu usaha merapatkan jurang antara orang Melayu dan bukan Melayu khususnya di bandar tercapai. Jelas beliau lagi cadangan tersebut juga bagi memastikan tumpuan dapat diberikan bagi membela nasib orang Melayu di negeri itu. "Ketua Menteri, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon mempunyai banyak tanggungjawab besar terhadap pembangunan Pulau Pinang seperti agenda perindustrian dan pelaburan dan tidak dapat memberi tumpuan sepenuhnya kepada isu mikro. "Oleh itu, adalah wajar jika tugas itu diserahkan kepada Timbalan Ketua Menteri yang juga wakil UMNO di Kerajaan Negeri," katanya dalam satu kenyataan di sini, hari ini. Beliau menambah tindakan itu juga selaras dengan konsep perkongsian kuasa yang diamalkan Barisan Nasional (BN). “Keresahan orang Melayu yang melihat diri mereka terpinggir di Pulau Pinang dan dibangkitkan Pemuda UMNO negeri baru-baru ini sebenarnya tertumpu kepada masalah penempatan di bandar selain isu kemiskinan. "Keresahan orang Melayu sememangnya berasas dan diakui sendiri Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dan Koh Tsu Koon," ujarnya. Justeru, beliau berkata, PDC sebagai anak syarikat Perbadanan Kemajuan Ekonomi Negeri yang bertanggungjawab dalam pembangunan hartanah di negeri itu, adalah jentera yang sesuai untuk menangani keresahan itu. Sebelum ini hampir semua Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO bahagian di Pulau Pinang membangkitkan cadangan penggiliran itu pada mesyuarat mereka yang sedang berlangsung ketika ini, sebagai tidak puas hati berhubung kegagalan kerajaan negeri membantu menjaga kepentingan orang Melayu. *************************************** MCA Mengutuk Kerajaan Negeri Tiada Kontrak untuk Kontraktor Cina bagi Projek Pengairan & Saliran Di Pulau Pinang (Bernama) -- Ketua Wanita MCA Tan Cheng Liang mengutuk bahawa selepas Pakatan Rakyat mengambil alih kerajaan negeri,tiada satu pun kontraktor Cina mendapat kontrak di kelima-lima daerah di negeri ini. Tan berkata, Lim Guan Eng tidak boleh menafikan peranannya sebagai Ketua Menteri. Tindakannya ini telah membuktikan parti DAP telah menggunakan taktik" cina bertentang cina (Chinese against Chinese)" sekali gus mengugatkan hak kaum Cina selepas menjadi mereka dipilih memerintah kerajaan. "Saya tahu DAP tidak boleh menerima hakikat bahawa mereka tidak boleh bergantung kepada orang Cina untuk mengukuhkan kuasa politik. Saya berharap hak orang bukan Melayu tidak akan terkorban semata- mata untuk mengambil hati orang Melayu menjelang pilihanraya umum." Tan juga berkata, DAP yang menggunakan slogan "Ubah" telah berjaya menewaskan kebanyakan wakil SUPP di Sarawak, tetapi ini tidak membawa sebarang perubahan tetapi sebaliknya telah melemahkan perwakilan Cina dalam kerajaan. Semalam, Lim Guan Eng mengumumkan bahawa kontraktor yang terlibat dalam projek pengairan dan saliran semuanya orang Melayu, Bumiputera dan India Muslim. Daripada keseluruhan, 20 peratus terdiri daripada kontraktor wanita. Tan bertanya "Saya tidak faham kenapa negeri Pulau Pinang yang kebanyakan penduduknya kaum Cina, kontraktor Cina satu kontrak pun tidak dapat, jangan kata semua kontraktor Cina tidak tahu maklumat tender terbuka untuk projek pengairan dan saliran yang sedang dijalankan? Ataupun permohonan mereka tidak pernah dipedulikan? " Dia berkata, Lim Guan Eng selaku Ketua Menteri dan ADUN, haruslah memberi maklumat terperinci mengenai projek tersebut kepada semua rakyat. Ini bukan sahaja sahaja untuk memastikan persaingan adil antara kontraktor pelbagai kaum, tetapi juga untuk memastikan projek dapat dijalankan dengan lancarnya supaya kualiti projek terjamin dan membawa manfaat kepada semua. 
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| Of Patriots and Pretenders: The Unofficial History of our Struggle for Independence Posted: 31 Aug 2011 05:58 PM PDT DIN MERICAN (Dr Kua Kia Soong) -- More than 50 years after Independence, Malaysians are still frequently reminded by UMNO leaders of the so-called 'Social Contract' that was supposed to have been agreed upon by "the three races" whenever the non-bumiputeras demand civil liberties and the end to discrimination.  My new book 'Patriots & Pretenders' aims to put the historical facts in perspective so that the new generation of Malaysians understands the class forces that were arraigned during the anti-colonial struggle and gets to know who the real anti-colonial fighters were.
The publication of this book coincides with the recent announcement by the Education Ministry that history is to be a compulsory subject in the SPM. It led to vocal protest from several sectors who find the 'official' history in Malaysia rather suspect. Ever since the 'May 13 Incident' and the promulgation of the National Cultural Policy, Malaysian history has been written from the point of view of the ruling party Umno in line with its Malay-centric populist ideology. It is an official history that is used to bolster one ethnic group at the expense of the other communities in an attempt to divide and rule. Consequently, whole categories of people have been denied their rightful place in Malaysian history. 'Patriots & Pretenders' tries to set the record straight by providing a class analysis of the anti-colonial struggle and acknowledging the contributions of the patriotic forces in all the ethnic communities to Independence and nation building. This 'Peoples' History' which is based on academic research by respected scholars, has been hidden from official Malaysian history and by studying it we can uncover the roots of racial polarisation in Malaysia and lay the basis for a non-racial solution to our nation's challenges. The Neo-Colonial Solution From the Colonial Office and Foreign Office documents of the period uncovered from the Public Records Office in London, it has been possible to provide evidence of the thinking and calculation of Western interests with regard to Southeast Asia, but especially the importance laid on securing Malaya for economic, political and military-strategic interests. They show the priority accorded to defeating the anti-colonial forces spearheaded by the workers. The post-war period was also one of re-dividing the world by the Western powers, which under the hegemony of the US, began to move toward an integration rather than division of interests. These records reveal the articulation of the whole Western, rather than solely British, interest in Malaya.  The atmosphere of repression during the 'Emergency' provided the British colonial power with an opportunity to deflect the forces of revolt and effect the neo-colonial accommodation. The entire colonial strategy – especially the aftermath of the Malayan Union crisis – had convinced the British that the custodians of an Independent Malaya would be the traditional Malay elite.
This was in keeping with the communalist strategy of British rule throughout their colonisation of Malaya. At the same time, the neo-colonial arrangement had to accommodate the upper strata of the non-Malay capitalist class who were a necessary link in the foreign domination of the Malayan economy. The repression during the 'Emergency' enabled the colonial government to exploit sectional interests and thereby isolate the working class and the peasantry. Thus, the 'Alliance Formula' with all its contradictions was devised in Independent Malaya. The reform measures conceded by the colonial power and grudgingly agreed to by the Malay rulers were in many ways necessitated by the ferocity of the revolt. Another myth that is purveyed during 'Merdeka Day' every year is that it was UMNO who won Independence for the country. The evidence presented in 'Patriots & Pretenders' will show who the main opponents of the British colonial power were and who put up a protracted struggle to end the exploitation of the country's natural and human resources while forging a truly multi-ethnic peoples' united front. The Independence struggle and the Merdeka Agreement have to be understood in class terms – the ruling class in the making represented by UMNO, MCA and MIC on the one side, and the truly anti-colonial forces in the PMCJA-Putera coalition representing the workers, peasantry and disenchanted middle class on the other. The Struggle for Independence The UMNO leadership after the Second World War represented the interests of the Malay aristocracy. They were by no means anti-colonial and did not challenge British interests. Malaya was still very much dependent on export commodities, largely rubber and tin. The industrial base was narrow and based on these two commodities, while the problem of the peasantry since colonial times was still unresolved. The mass-based anti-colonial movement, on the other hand, had very clear policies based on self-determination, civil liberties and equality. The workers' movement was the main threat to colonial interests and the Federation of Malaya proposals culminating in the Merdeka Agreement were intended to deflect the working class revolt by introducing communalism in the Independence package. READ MORE HERE |
| Ong Tee Keat dares MCA to admit it Posted: 31 Aug 2011 05:50 PM PDT UPPERCAISE "…of course we are marginalised, big business to small stall owners know that — but MCA cannot admit it … silence is sometimes our only valid response"
Ong Tee Keat, then MCA vice-president, quoted in 2006 US diplomatic cable A week after his remarks on marginalisation of Malaysia Chinese were revealed in a US diplomatic cable, former MCA president Ong Tee Keat has challenged the current party leadership to state their views on whether the Malaysian Chinese community feel left out, as he had said in 2006. In a statement last night, Ong stood by the remarks attributed to him in a leaked US diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks. He explained the context in which his remarks were made: private comments in "casual conversation with academics and friends" during which he was asked about Singapore statesman Lee Kuan Yew's comments that the Chinese communities in Malaysia and Indonesia were marginalised. He said his remarks merely put forward the prevailing views held in the Chinese community at the time. And Ong said that it was up to MCA to decide if they share the sentiment of the Chinese community — a statement likely to be viewed as a clear challenge for the MCA to speak up and admit it. READ MORE HERE |
| Opinion polls — Lim Sue Goan Posted: 31 Aug 2011 05:42 PM PDT 
Ibrahim Suffian, Merdeka Center (The Malaysian Insider) - Opinion polls have not been standardised in Malaysia and thus, the interpretation of their results depend on your stand and point of view. The approval rating of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak rose to 72 per cent in May 2010 and Barisan Nasional leaders interpreted it as the people's support to the Government Transformation Plan (GTP) and the New Economic Model (NEM), while the Pakatan Rakyat said that the poll was not credible. However, a recent Merdeka Center poll reported that the prime minister's approval rating has dipped to 59 per cent in August. This time, BN leaders said that it did not reflect the fact while the Pakatan Rakyat said that the people have shifted to support the alternative coalition. Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim also said that an Information Department survey of 50,000 respondents showed that most people accepted Najib's leadership and the BN government. When the prime minister received 72 per cent of approval rating, some scholars predicted that the general election would be held in the end of last year. Would today's situation delay the general election to next year? BN questioned the sampling of the Merdeka Center that interviewed only 1,027 voters. In my opinion, I think the scope of investigation was not comprehensive enough. For example, they should ask about the people's support for the Pakatan Rakyat and its leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to study the inadequacies of the ruling and alternative coalitions over the past three years. The August poll showed that two issues had affected the prime minister's approval rating, namely the Bersih 2.0 rally and the rising cost of living. The improper handling of the July 9 rally has been expected to cause a rebound and now, they could only take remedial actions, particularly to accelerate the reform of the electoral system to dilute the impact. As for the rising cost of living, even though it is a global issue, the government can still implement some measures to alleviate the people's burden. The 2012 Budget is the key and in addition to proposing positive strategies, they must also ensure a strict and successful execution. In fact, BN has been devoted to improving the economy over the past three years. Unfortunately, its stand is not firm enough. For example, the NEM requires a performance-based system to enhance competitiveness. But they have actually got back to the old quota system recently. It is one of the factors affecting the confidence of voters. READ MORE HERE |
| Key political risks to watch in Malaysia Posted: 31 Aug 2011 05:33 PM PDT 
Annual inflation accelerated to a 27-month high of 3.5 percent in June, and interest rates are likely to rise in September. U.S. and European debt troubles could slow the pace of growth in Malaysia's export-dependent economy. Growth hit a decade high of 7.2 percent in 2010 but a marked slowdown could force Najib to hasten polls to prevent voter sentiment from souring. Razak Ahmad, Reuters Rising prices and discontent over the slow pace of reforms are the key challenges confronting Prime Minister Najib Razak as he considers the possibility of a snap election in early 2012. Annual inflation accelerated to a 27-month high of 3.5 percent in June, and interest rates are likely to rise in September. In July, police fired tear gas at protestors who were part of a rare anti-government demonstration in Kuala Lumpur that drew more than 10,000 people demanding electoral reforms. If he comes under greater popular pressure, Najib may scrap the idea of a snap election, and hold back on reforms foreign investors would like to see, including cutting fuel subsidies and unwinding an affirmative action programme for the country's Malay majority. Following is a summary of key Malaysia risks to watch: POLITICAL TENSION The opposition People's Alliance was defeated in five recent by-elections but it is regaining momentum with gains in a Sarawak state poll in April and a strong show of support in the July 9 rally in Kuala Lumpur. Najib needs to regain the ruling coalition's two-thirds control of parliament in order to consolidate his grip on power in the next national polls which are not due until 2013. Political uncertainty has weighed on foreign investment since 2008 but speculative inflows in search of higher-yielding markets have boosted the ringgit currency . What to watch: -- The risk of more protests, and government response to them, as well as racial and religious relations. Najib is trying to reach out to non-Muslim minorities who make up about 40 percent of the population, and in July set up diplomatic ties with the Vatican in a bid to win Christian support. -- Refugee-swap deal with Australia. Under the deal, Australia would send to Malaysia 800 asylum seekers who arrive by boat, and they would have their refugee claims processed there. In return, Australia would accept 4,800 people from Malaysia who have already been granted refugee status, but in August Australia's highest court ruled the government could not deport the asylum seekers. -- Annual meeting of Najib's party, early November. A clearer indication of the possible timing of the next polls is likely to come when the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) meets. The party leads the ruling coalition. ECONOMIC REFORM Najib has pledged to reform a decades-old affirmative action policy favouring ethnic Malays and replacing it with a "New Economic Model" to promote greater competition, though conservative Malay groups including many in UMNO oppose reform. Investors complain that the race-based policy was abused, resulting in an economy run on patronage which deters some investors from Malaysia. Najib cut Malaysia's fiscal deficit from a 20-year high of 7 percent of gross domestic product in 2009 to 5.6 percent in 2010 and has promised to lower it to 5.4 percent in 2011. What to watch: -- Monetary policy committee meeting on Sept. 8, at which the interest rate is expected to be raised by 25 basis points. -- Fuel subsidy rollback. High oil prices are straining the government's subsidy bill but Najib has said Malaysia will look for avenues to keep fuel prices at current levels for as long as possible. -- Continuing roll-out of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), an ambitious plan to attract $444 billion worth of investment over 10 years in order to double the country's national income. -- The annual budget, to be tabled in parliament on Oct. 7. Key will be whether the government sticks to its fiscal deficit target in a budget which many expect to be a pre-election spending plan. -- U.S. and European debt troubles could slow the pace of growth in Malaysia's export-dependent economy. Growth hit a decade high of 7.2 percent in 2010 but a marked slowdown could force Najib to hasten polls to prevent voter sentiment from souring. (Editing by Daniel Magnowski) |
| Rosmah at Altantuya murder 'implausible' Posted: 31 Aug 2011 05:24 PM PDT 
(Malaysiakini) - The presence of Rosmah Mansor, wife of premier Najib Razak, at the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder appeared "implausible", according to a United States diplomat in a secret cable sent to Washington three years ago. The diplomatic cable was dispatched by the United States embassy in Kuala Lumpur two weeks after controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin pledged in a statutory declaration that Rosmah was at the scene of the October 2006 murder of the Mongolian woman.
However, while the allegations against Rosmah "seem implausible", the cable said that it would "nevertheless will have resonance with a Malaysian public that does not have confidence in the integrity of the Altantuya murder investigation."
 It also said that the continued public attention to such allegations also could damage Najib's chances, who was then deputy prime minister, of replacing Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as the country's new leader.
On June 18, Raja Petra has sworn that he was "reliably informed" that Rosmah, together with her aide Norhayati Hassan and acting Colonel Aziz Buyong - who is Norhayati's husband - were present at the scene of the sensational murder.
The sworn statement came at a time of heightened political tensions in Malaysia where talk was rife over a possible change in government on Sept 16, 2008, through a mass defection of government MPs.
Two weeks after Raja Petra's revelations, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, an aide to Anwar Ibrahim, lodged a police report claiming that he had been sodomised by the opposition politician.
Soon after, on Aug 26, Anwar returned to active politics after winning a by-election in Permatang Puah, a parliamentary seat which was vacated by his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
However, Anwar's vow to take over Putrajaya fell flat when not a single BN parliamentarian changed sides.
RPK put himself at great risk
According to the leaked cable, political observers had 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," added the confidential cable.
 Raja Petra was eventually charged with defaming Rosmah, Norhayati and Abdul Aziz on July 17, 2008.
The blogger subsequently fled the country along with his wife, Marina, and both are living in United Kingdom (left).
In 2009, the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court granted Raja Petra a discharge not amounting to an acquittal because the police could not trace him to serve the warrant of arrest.
In a TV3 interview in April this year, Raja Petra said that the accusations were based on information given by former deputy army special branch chief Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin.
The US cable said that most Malaysians would believe there was at least some truth in Raja Petra's allegations as they have no confidence in the integrity of the government's investigation into the Altantuya murder. |
| AirAsia-MAS share swap: The barbarians have entered the gates Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:44 PM PDT 
Unlike the RJR Nabisco takeover where there was a fierce battle for control of the company, in the fight for control of Malaysia's skies, AirAsia were allowed to enter the MAS gates without hindrance. The gates protecting MAS's control of Malaysian skies were opened wider and wider for AirAsia over the past 10 years due to inconsistent government policies. William Leong, The Malaysian Insider SEPT 1 — In the 10-year war for control of the Malaysian skies, while a besieged MAS was desperately fighting for survival, someone opened the gates for the barbarians to enter. Barbarians at the gates The AirAsia-MAS share swap reminds me of the takeover saga of RJR Nabisco. The company was a merger of RJ Reynolds, the tobacco company selling "Camel", "Winston" and "Salem" cigarettes and Nabisco, the biscuit company selling "Oreos", "Ritz Crackers" and snacks. The financial firm of Kohberg Kravis Roberts & Co (commonly referred to as "KKR") made a hostile takeover bid for the company. There was a fierce battle for control of the company. The board, in protecting the company's and shareholders' interest, drove KKR and the other bidders to increase their bids several times until KKR won with a bid of US$31.1 billion (RM93.3 billion). It was the largest leverage buyout in history and the record stood for 17 years. RJ Reynolds was subsequently spun out of RJR Nabisco due to tobacco legislation. Nabisco is now owned by Kraft Foods. The RJR Nabisco leverage buyout was considered to be the pre-eminent example of corporate and executive greed. The events were chronicled in a book called "Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco". The fight for control of the Malaysian skies has been an uneven battle from the beginning. In the end those responsible for MAS's defence not only did not put up a fight but opened the gates to allow AirAsia into MAS's management. The share swap has given rise to concerns on the pricing and whether it will benefit the public-funded MAS. Pricing issues One of the favourite sayings of corporate raiders and businessmen is "OPM", that is to operate using "Other People's Money". In the case of the AirAsia-MAS share swap, it is the people's money because MAS is funded by taxpayers. The pricing of the share swap has raised eyebrows. The parties, in using the August 5 closing market price of both airlines as the basis for the share swap, have raised several concerns. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in his August 10 article "MAS-AirAsia share swap deal raises serious concerns over effective control and governance", referred, among others, to issues of insider trading and asset stripping. A look at the price charts of the two companies for the past six months supports Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's concerns. The MAS share price fell sharply on May 30, 2011 to RM1.34. It continued to be in the doldrums until August 5, the date of the share swap announcement. AirAsia's share price was on a steep and sharp climb from May. It surged to a height of RM4.20 on August 4, 2011. This is on the eve of the announcement. There may be good reasons for the share prices of the two counters moving the way they did. However, it seems improbable for this to be coincidental. AirAsia's price was trading around its highest and MAS among its lowest when the share swap took place. AirAsia's price fell immediately after the announcement. It could be that those who held AirAsia shares did not like the deal. It could be whoever was playing up the AirAsia shares stopped doing so. There is therefore cause for investigations to be made. Others have raised concerns with the price. Khazanah exchanged 20 per cent of MAS at RM1.60 per share for 10 per cent of Air Asia at RM3.95 per share. They believe the price should not have been based only on the closing market price of the two counters on August 5. They point out that MAS in fact is worth more than the price traded because it is an asset-backed corporation. It has a paid-up capital of RM3.34 billion represented by fixed asset value at RM8.4 billion, net asset at RM6.92 billion. AirAsia, on the other hand, is a debt-laden company. It has borrowings of RM7.7 billion. MAS's cash position is RM2.086 billion while AirAsia's is RM1.7 billion. Those who approved the deal will need to justify the pricing. One other issue on pricing is the timing of the deal. The share swap was announced on August 9. This was within 30 days before both AirAsia and MAS announced their respective 2nd quarter financial results on August 23. Under the Bursa Malaysia Listing Requirements, this is known as the "closed period". Those in possession of the financial results during the closed period are not allowed to deal with the shares until the results are announced. This is to prevent insider trading by those with possession of price-sensitive information. Those who trade in the shares with such information will be taking unfair advantage of the public who are unaware of the situation. Paragraph 14.08 of the listing requirements allows principal officers who do not possess the information to deal during the close period by giving the requisite notification. Although the listing requirements allow such dealings, it would have been more prudent not to enter into the share swap during the closed period. If the share swap was made after the financial results of both airlines were announced, the market price may have given a better reflection of the share price of both airlines. This may be seen from the share price of AirAsia after the results were announced on August 23. Although AirAsia announced it made a profit, it was 48 per cent less than the previous year. The AirAsia share price fell to RM3.57 at 9.04am on August 24, the day after the results were announced. Those involved will have to explain why the share swap was done before the 2nd quarter results were announced. Opening the gates for the barbarians Unlike the RJR Nabisco takeover where there was a fierce battle for control of the company, in the fight for control of Malaysia's skies, AirAsia were allowed to enter the MAS gates without hindrance. The gates protecting MAS's control of Malaysian skies were opened wider and wider for AirAsia over the past 10 years due to inconsistent government policies. Regulation determines airlines' fortunes International air transport operates within the framework of the 1944 Chicago Convention for International Air Transport. Governments enter into bilateral agreements setting out the landing rights, restrictions on capacity and pricing. Sectors within a single country are normally denied to foreign airlines. This restriction is called cabotage. It is recognised that cabotage is the prerogative of the domestic carrier. The system of bilateral agreements between two governments has led to the aviation industry to be highly regulated. There has since been a change towards deregulation and liberalisation. Nevertheless, the industry remains one where regulation plays an important role. Regulation is thus a critical determinant of an airline's performance. It can determine how competitive the market is as well as constrain an airline in its choice of fares, capacity and frequency. Most governments impose entry controls which are usually applied to particular routes. Most governments usually permit one airline to operate a route. The government therefore plays a critical role in determining the fortunes of an airline by deciding on the routes to be given to the airlines. Golden service takes a beating MAS's finance and operation problems to a significant extent are due to the government's inconsistent and contradictory air transport policy. Such decisions gave the MAS Golden Service a beating while AirAsia became the Golden Child. The main asset of any airline is its route networks. The government first allowed AirAsia to compete with MAS and then gave MAS's domestic routes to AirAsia and had its route networks reduced while AirAsia increased theirs. READ MORE HERE |
| Mustapha Hussain: Malay Nationalism Before UMNO Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:36 PM PDT "I cried along with them as memories of my bitter and gruelling experiences came flooding back," he recalls. "Involved in World War II as a Malay Fifth Columnist leader; detained in several Police lock-ups and prisons; taunted and jeered by Malays who saw me hawking food on the roadside; humiliated by people who slammed their doors in my face; asked to leave my rented cubicle in the middle of the night and even labelled as the Malay who 'brought' the Japanese into Malaya." NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin THE MEMOIRS OF MUSTAPHA HUSSAIN, 1910-1957 This abridged and edited translation of Mustapha Hussain's memoirs will appear two decades after his passing. This would not have been possible if not for the initial translation effort by his devoted daughter, Insun Sony.
I have edited this translation very heavily, partly to reduce redundancies, and also to make clearer some historical and cultural references that may not be immediately obvious to many English language readers. Clarissa Koh kindly checked this edited translation. If not for Insun's initiative and Clarissa's voluntary efforts, this translation would not have been prepared for publication.
Jomo K. S.
University of Malaya
Kuala Lumpur
October 2003
Foreword
Mustapha Hussain's memoirs present an interesting insight into a sharp, sensitive mind who turned to ethno-nationalism and later struggled for moral integrity, justice and recognition.
Perak-born Mustapha, a cousin of the first President of Singapore, Yusof Ishak, was an armchair, pipe-smoking, leftwing intellectual who taught at the Serdang Agricultural College before the war, but who fell on hard times after the war.
He loved to ride a fast motorcycle. He was an avid reader and a member of the (British) Left Book Club. He might have gone through life as a happy-go-lucky fellow if he had not been discriminated against in the colonial civil service by white Europeans.
Life for him would have remained idyllic, being almost the equal of an Englishman, teaching, reading and doing research, and 'dressing and behaving like a white man' on pay-days. But racial discrimination made him a bitter diehard Malay nationalist. Nationalist anger consumed his soul.
He owed his English education to his father, a land surveyor. His socialism he attributed to a few European teachers and to books by Gandhi, Nehru, Edgar Snow and other leftwing writers.
He married Mariah binti Haji Abdul Hamid (formerly Dorothy Aida Fenner) in 1934. She was only 14, he 25. Once the children came, he was anxious to further his (academic) career, but the lack of job promotions unsettled him.
He joined other young disillusioned Malay College graduates like Ishak Haji Muhammad and Ibrahim Yaacob, all angry young men like him imbued with nationalist ideals, to form the Young Malay Union (Kesatuan Melayu Muda) in 1938. He became its vice-president.
"KMM was founded by a group of radical left nationalists in their twenties. Influenced by world history in general, and political events in Turkey in particular, they desired a political body similar to the Young Turks," he recalls. "One bone of contention was (the) British policy of allowing tens of thousands of 'others' into Malaya."
But he little realized what trouble the KMM would get him into. For, without consulting him or the other KMM leaders, its president Ibrahim Yaacob had contacted the Japanese through their Consul-General in Singapore, Ken Tsurumi. For large sums of money, Ibrahim committed KMM members to serve as espionage agents and guides to assist an invading Japanese army in Malaya.
The Japanese Army attacked Kota Bharu in December 1941. British military intelligence belatedly intercepted a Japanese radio broadcast which announced that a Malay fifth column organization KAME (meaning 'tortoise' in Japanese) would assist the invading Japanese Army.
The name sounded too similar to the KMM. Without wasting any time, the British police rounded up over 100 KMM leaders and members in all parts of the country, including Ibrahim Yaacob and Ishak Haji Muhammad, who were detained and sent to Changi Jail in Singapore.
Mustapha, however, was in the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for treatment of a nervous disorder. Unaware that there was a warrant of arrest for him, he had discharged himself, gone back to the Agricultural College to collect his belongings, and left with his family for his father's village in Matang, Perak, to recuperate. Three days later, the war began.
After the fall of Taiping, Japanese troops, accompanied by KMM members, entered his village looking for him. They asked him to come with them. "I was 'invited' to attend a crucial meeting in Taiping, after which I would be sent back to Matang (but this turned out to be false)," says Mustapha.
"How could I say no. I remember a Malay adage: jika tiada senapang, lebih baik beri jalan lapang, or 'if one has no guns, it is best to give way.' I tried to explain my legs were weak from a nervous disorder but a Japanese officer snapped, 'Never mind! Four Japanese soldiers can carry you on a chair!'"
Thus, Mustapha's forced collaboration with the Japanese began. Once he realized that he had no alternative, he began to cooperate. He used his influence with the Japanese to help family, friends, and any Malay in trouble, including captured Malay soldiers who had fought on the British side. This was what he did all along the way down to Singapore where the Japanese troops took him.
Mustapha's candid memoirs confirm why memory of the war in multi-racial Malaya is so ethnically divisive and sensitive. Recalling Malay wartime roles and experiences tries to play down what he calls 'collaboration', conscious of the Japanese atrocities and massacres of the Chinese community or the role of anti-Japanese Chinese guerrillas.
Even before his death in 1987, his memories had been badly scarred by his deep sense of anguish, disillusionment, shame and betrayal brought on by the nightmare of 'collaboration'.
With no reconciliation between him and Ibrahim Yaacob when the latter returned to Malaysia for a brief visit before his death in Jakarta in 1979, Mustapha did not forget or forgive the 'wrongs' done to him and others.
Mustapha, Ishak Haji Muhammad and others accused Ibrahim of not only abdicating his leadership and abandoning his supporters, but also of betraying their struggle in Indonesia for his own self-interest. In Mustapha's memoirs, he appears as a Machiavellian manipulator, a grasping, corrupt, self-seeking, egocentric personality.
In exile in Indonesia, he became a supporter of President Sukarno, got involved in Indonesian politics, and later amassed a great fortune as a banker. When he died in 1979, he was honoured by Indonesia with burial in the Heroes' Cemetery in Kalibata.
During the period of Indonesia's konfrontasi against Malaysia, the UMNO newspaper Malaya Merdeka, of March 1963, described him as a "Malay coward and traitor who managed to fool many Indonesian leaders."
Unlike Ibrahim who escaped to Indonesia, Mustapha was arrested and detained twice by the British authorities on charges of collaboration with the Japanese. He was only released after petitions were made to the British authorities by former members of the Malay Regiment, whose lives he had saved from the Japanese.
Because of the trauma he went through at the end of the war, Mustapha suffered a nervous breakdown. He endured poverty and ostracism. He was not re-employed into the civil service. To fend for himself and his family, he worked as a farmer, a fruit seller, a noodles hawker, a printer and an insurance agent.
His struggles to defend himself and clear his name engaged much of the rest of his life. Before his death, he was conferred a state award by the Sultan of Perak and received some monetary compensation in lieu of his pension from the Government, due to the intervention of a former Federal Minister.
A heavy tinge of bitterness, therefore, colours much of his memoirs.
Politically isolated as leftwing, Mustapha and his KMM compatriots were initially opposed to UMNO, but when all political channels were closed with the outbreak of the communist insurgency in 1948, many of them joined UMNO.
In what seems like a remarkable political comeback in 1951, his name resurfaced in the crisis-ridden UMNO General Assembly after Datuk Onn Jaafar had resigned as president on the grounds of the party's refusal to open its doors to non-Malays.
Mustapha's standing was so strong that he was nominated to stand against Tunku Abdul Rahman and Datuk (later Tun) Abdul Razak for the posts of UMNO president and deputy president respectively. But he lost to both these rivals by one vote each time.
These were contests he entered to please his old leftwing compatriots who were keen to capture UMNO. His energies were almost spent. Even had he won, Mustapha would not have lasted long in his post, given his state of health.
These memoirs make enthralling reading and were dutifully compiled and completed by his daughter Insun after his death on 15 January 1987. Throughout the memoirs, Mustapha's voice cries out incessantly for justice and for recognition as a Malay nationalist.
In 1974, he had narrated his political struggles to a predominantly student audience at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, then in Kuala Lumpur. The encounter was an emotional experience for both Mustapha and the audience.
"I cried along with them as memories of my bitter and gruelling experiences came flooding back," he recalls. "Involved in World War II as a Malay Fifth Columnist leader; detained in several Police lock-ups and prisons; taunted and jeered by Malays who saw me hawking food on the roadside; humiliated by people who slammed their doors in my face; asked to leave my rented cubicle in the middle of the night and even labelled as the Malay who 'brought' the Japanese into Malaya."
"I left them with a tremendous sense of mental and emotional fulfilment. I had sown in these educated young souls the urge to struggle for justice."
In writing these memoirs, Mustapha was clearly able to release and assuage the cries of his own tormented soul for justice and recognition.
Cheah Boon Kheng
Translated by Insun Mustapha
Edited by Jomo K. S.
Publisher: Utusan Publications & Distributors Sdn Bhd
No. 1 & 3, Jalan 3/91A, Taman Shamelin Perkasa, Cheras, 56100 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-9285 6577
Foreign Distributor: Singapore University Press Pte Ltd |
| Bukit Kepong: Serangan terhadap British Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:21 PM PDT 
(Harakah Daily) - Isu serangan ke atas balai polis Bukit Kepong pada tahun 1950 iaitu tujuh tahun sebelum Merdeka merupakan serangan ke atas sarang penjajah British dan bukannya kepada anak bangsa sendiri. Menurut Ahli Jawatankuasa PAS Pusat, Dr Mujahid Yusof, serangan kira-kira jam 5.00 pagi pada tanggal 23 Februari 1950 itu manifestasi kemarahan rakyat terhadap penjajah British ketika itu namun sejarah itu telah diseleweng oleh Umno BN.
Ianya termasuklah kemarahan terhadap anggota polis yang pada waktu itu menjadi talibarut British.
"Isu Bukit Kepong tahun 1950 adalah serangan ke atas sasaran penjajah bukan kepada anak bangsa sendiri.
"Polis waktu itu adalah apparatus penjajah, penyerang pula adalah mereka yang menentang penjajah, apakah kerana ini mereka menjadi komunis," soalnya.
Bercakap kepada Harakahdaily beliau yang juga ahli parlimen Parit Buntar berkata, pada zaman dijajah British itu sesiapa sahaja yang menentang mereka akan dicop golongan berhaluan kiri atau komunis.
Manakala golongan kanan atau konservatif pula adalah mereka yang mengikut telunjuk British.
"Golongan konservatif akan mengekalkan penguasaan British.
"Penentang yang keras dan mahu negara ini merdeka mengikut acuan sebenar dicop kiri atau komunis." jelasnya lagi.
Beliau berkata demikian sebagai mengulas isu kenyataan Timbalan Presiden PAS, Mohamad Sabu dalam satu ceramahnya di Tasek Gelugor, Pulau Pinang pada 21 Ogos lalu yang diputarbelitkan oleh media perdana khususnya akhbar Umno, Utusan Malaysia sehingga menjadi kontroversi.
Utusan dalam laporan muka depannya baru-baru ini menyiarkan Mohamad Sabu sebagai mendakwa Muhammad Indera, lelaki yang bersekongkol dengan Goh Pen Tun dan 200 anggota komunis yang menyerang Bukit Kepong adalah hero sebenar, bukannya 25 anggota polis dan keluarga mereka yang mempertahankan diri dalam serangan di balai tersebut.
Turut mengecam Mohamad termasuk Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak, timbalannya Muhyiddin Yassin dan terbaru mantan Perdana Menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Mohamad dalam satu sidang akhbarnya di Perlis kemudiannya menafikan perkara itu dan mendakwa kenyataannya telah diputarbelitkan dan mendapati apa yang dilaporkan oleh akhbar Umno, Utusan Malaysia berkaitan dengan tragedi Bukit Kepong adalah fitnah terhadap beliau dan PAS.
Sehubungan itu, beliau telah mengarahkan peguamnya untuk menghantar notis saman kepada akhbar itu dan memintanya meminta maaf dan menarik balik laporan palsu itu.
Mengulas lanjut kecaman Umno terhadap Mohamad itu, Mujahid berkata Umno adalah anak didik British yang diiktiraf sebagai golongan konservatif sebab itulah sehingga sekarang walaupun sudah 54 tahun merdeka, mereka masih bermati-matian mempertahankan British.
"Umno adalah golongan konservatif yang menjadi anak didik British, malangnya setelah 54 tahun merdeka Umno masih mempertahankan British.
"Cuma Umno tidak sedar mereka adalah "radio buruk" hari ini di mata rakyat yang sudah merdeka," katanya. |
| PRU-13: PAS sasar 60 kerusi Parlimen Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:18 PM PDT 
(Harakah Daily) - PAS mensasarkan untuk menang di 60 kerusi Parlimen dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang, kata Presidennya, Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang. "Strategi 2008, kita nak menang negeri dan kita telah berjaya tadbir tiga negeri. Kali ini disamping nak menang negeri, kita nak tambah kerusi Parlimen," kata beliau di hadapan kira-kira 500 anak perantauan Terengganu.
Majlis perjumpaan Hari Raya ini diadakan di Dewan Datuk Wan Mutalib, Komplek PAS Kuala Terengganu. |
| ‘Strong potential for DAP in Dayak areas’ Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:10 PM PDT 
Fractured Sarawak Barisan Nasional lacks focus to aid poor Dayak community. (Free Malaysia Today) - Sarawak's geopolitical landscape has much to offer DAP if it is prepared to genuinely embrace Dayaks into its fold, said a branch-level party leader. Expressing his view at a recent Dayak Reawakening seminar held here, Leon Jimat Donald said if handled correctly, DAP, which gave the Pakatan Rakyat coalition 12 seats in the April 16 state elections, could win many more constituencies in the polls to come. He said this was considering the fact that there are 28 state and 15 parliamentary seats which are predominantly Dayaks. "If we analyze the current geopolitical landscape of Sarawak, there is a lot of room for the DAP to grow. "But we see the need for DAP to embrace the Dayaks into its fold," said Donald who is Simanggang branch chairman. He was presenting a paper entitled 'DAP as a Dayak political platform' at the seminar which was organised by the Dayak Consultative Council. Said Donald: "There are currently 28 state and 15 parliamentary seats with Dayak majorities. "These include six state Bidayuh seats, 18 Iban,and four Orang Ulu state seats. For parliamentary seats Bidayuh have three, Iban's have 10 and two Orang Ulu seats. "There are 14 state and six parliamentary seats which are Chinese majority, and there are four mixed seats in which no particular race constitutes a majority. "But unfortunately there are no mixed parliamentary seats. In total, there are 47 state and 21 parliamentary seats which the Pakatan Rakyat has every chance of winning," he said. Dayak support for DAP Donald pointed out that the opposition coalition needed to win 36 seats in the state assembly to form the state government. He noted in his paper that in the recent state election, the opposition had made giant strides in the political landscape. DAP had nearly wiped out Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) in the urban areas. They had also won some seats in mixed areas much to their surprise. Together with PKR, the Pakatan coalition now have 15 seats in the Sarawak state assembly. READ MORE HERE |
| Karpal: Mat Sabu must retract remarks Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:07 PM PDT 
To arrest a worsening situation, Mat Sabu must apologise for his remark on Bukit Kepong incident. DAP national chairman Karpal Singh today called on PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who is better known as Mat Sabu, to retract his ill-adviced remarks on the Bukit Kepong incident that happened on Feb 23, 1950. Karpal said if Mat Sabu retracts his remark immediately, then he can arrest the negative political implications on Pakatan Rakyat from getting worse. Speaking at a press conference in Air Itam, Karpal said Mat Sabu's remarks, in which the PAS leader allegedly hailed the communist attackers as 'independent heroes', can be "very damaging" to Pakatan political prospects, especially with the general election around the corner. He said Mat Sabu's alleged remarks were also insensitive to the families of the victims. "Mat Sabu should retract immediately and maybe explain his remarks. "He should do it to assuage the feelings of families of those who perished in the attack. "On whether he wants to apologise or not, I will leave it to his good senses," said Karpal, the Bukit Gelugor MP during his constituency visit. Mat Sabu erred
During a political rally in Tasek Gelugor on Aug 21, Mat Sabu allegedly said in his speech that "nearing Merdeka, the Bukit Kepong clip will be aired". "In Bukit Kepong, the police were British policemen. Those who attacked Bukit Kepong were the true freedom fighters. Their leader was Muhammad Indera." 
Karpal also noted that the historical attack on the police station happened some seven years before Malaya gained independence from the colonial British administration. In the attack, the station was razed to the ground and 13 policemen, six Home Guards, three women and a child were killed. After the emergency was declared in 1948, he said the communist was involved in an armed conflict with the British administration. As a result, he said the Emergency Regulations 1948 was enacted at the height of communist insurgency and, the security forces all came under the British. He said the police personnel and Home Guards manning the police station had every right to repel the attack. "Therefore the attack on the police station must be viewed in its proper context," said Karpal. READ MORE HERE |
| WikiLeaks says passkeys to unredacted cables leaked Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:04 PM PDT (AFP) - The anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks on Thursday accused a journalist with the Guardian of leaking the passwords to a trove of unredacted US diplomatic cables, charges denied by the British newspaper. "A Guardian journalist has, in a previously undetected act of gross negligence or malice, and in violation of a signed security agreement with the Guardian's editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger, disclosed top secret decryption passwords to the entire, unredacted, WikiLeaks Cablegate archive," it said. "We have already spoken to the (US) State Department and commenced pre-litigation action. We will issue a formal statement in due course," WikiLeaks added, in a statement posted on Twitter. The Guardian, one of a handful of newspapers that began publishing redacted cables last year, said WikiLeaks shared the documents through a secure server for a period of hours before taking the server offline and removing the files. "But unknown to anyone at the Guardian, the same file with the same password was republished later on BitTorrent, a network typically used to distribute films and music," the newspaper reported. The Guardian went on to deny, in an official statement, allegations that the password had been released through its book, "WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy," published in February. "It's nonsense to suggest the Guardian's WikiLeaks book has compromised security in any way," the Guardian said. "Our book about WikiLeaks was published last February. It contained a password, but no details of the location of the files, and we were told it was a temporary password which would expire and be deleted in a matter of hours. "It was a meaningless piece of information to anyone except the person(s) who created the database." The Guardian instead reported that a link to the full, unredacted database was published by an unnamed Twitter user who found it after acting on hints published in several media outlets and on WikiLeaks's Twitter feed. The security breach has led to the publication of the WikiLeaks archive of 251,000 diplomatic cables online, without redaction to protect sources who spoke to US diplomats on condition of anonymity, the Guardian said. Redacted cables released over the past nine months through agreements with the major newspapers and by WikiLeaks itself have revealed confidential diplomatic assessments and potentially embarrassing comments by world leaders. WikiLeaks has defended the release of the embassy cables -- as well as the previous release of leaked Iraq and Afghanistan war reports -- as the journalistic exposure of official deception. The United States, while refusing to confirm the authenticity of any of the documents, has accused WikiLeaks of putting individual lives and US national security at risk. |
| Yes, Najib, let’s not forget my family’s contribution to Merdeka Posted: 30 Aug 2011 07:38 PM PDT I have a legitimate right to say my piece and comment on what is wrong with Malaysia. After all, my grandfather was one of the founding fathers of an independent Malaya. Malaysia would not be what it is today if not for my family as well. And if Malaysia has deviated from what the founding fathers had planned for the country, then it is my duty to speak up and oppose this deviation. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin PM: Don't forget sacrifices of past leaders Their sacrifices in freeing Malaysia from the colonialists must be remembered, says Najib. (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak today reminded the people not to forget the sacrifices of past leaders in freeing Malaysia from the colonialists. He said that while Muslims were celebrating Aidilfitri, which entered its second day today, they should never forget the achievements of leaders who won the nation its independence. "In the joy of Aidilfitri, I hope we do not forget the struggles of our forefathers in fighting for the country's independence. Happy 54th Merdeka Day," he said in a Twitter feed. This year's National Day, carrying the slogan "1Malaysia: Successful Transformation, Prosperous People", is slightly different in that it will be celebrated simultaneously with Malaysia Day on Sept 16. Yesterday, at the Aidilfitri open house of the prime minister and cabinet ministers at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya, Najib cut a cake in a symbolic gesture to mark National Day. *************************************** Najib Tun Razak and the Umno leaders always talk about how Umno 'struggled' and 'sacrificed' to gain independence for Malaysia. On this day, Merdeka Day, they want us to remember those people who sacrificed and struggled for their country. Actually, the Umno people were not the only ones who made Malaysia into what it is today. Many non-Umno people also contributed. In fact, they led the struggle for Merdeka. They were at the frontline of the fight for Merdeka. My grandfather, Raja Sir Tun Uda, was one such man of many. I have a legitimate right to say my piece and comment on what is wrong with Malaysia. After all, my grandfather was one of the founding fathers of an independent Malaya. Malaysia would not be what it is today if not for my family as well. And if Malaysia has deviated from what the founding fathers had planned for the country, then it is my duty to speak up and oppose this deviation. I am not a treasonous Malaysian, as what Umno accuses me to be. I am a loyal Malaysian, maybe even a patriot. I am just continuing the tradition established by my family in ensuring that Malaysia remains a just country that respects the equality and freedom of its citizens. *************************************** This is what Wikipedia said about Raja Sir Tun Uda: Raja Uda was a member of the Selangor royal family, being a distant cousin of Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah and a direct descendant of the first Sultan of Selangor. He married Sultan Hisamuddin's sister, Tengku Badariah binti Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah. Raja Uda joined the colonial government service in 1910 at age 16. In 1939, he was appointed the Secretary to the British Resident of Selangor. He was Menteri Besar of Selangor twice, from 1949 to 1953, and again from 1954 to 1955. In between, Raja Uda served as Malayan High Commissioner in the United Kingdom. Raja Uda was involved in negotiations with the British to establish the Member System (see note 1 below) in the 1950s. In 1951, Raja Uda was appointed a CMG and appointed a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1953, entitling him to the style "Sir," since the Federation of Malaya was then a realm of the British Empire. Following the first ever general election in 1955, Raja Uda was appointed Speaker of the Federal Legislative Council (see note 2 below). On August 31, 1957, the day of independence, Raja Uda was appointed the first Governor of the state of Penang and served for ten years. The Federal Legislative Council (also known simply as the Legislative Council) was the legislative body of the Federation of Malaya and the predecessor of the Malaysian Parliament. It was formed in 1948 after the abolition of the Malayan Union and the formation of the Federation, as part of the United Kingdom's promise to grant self-rule to the Malayans. The council convened in Kuala Lumpur. The council was composed of representatives from the Malay, the Chinese and the Indian communities. Initially, all representatives were appointed by the British High Commissioner for Malaya. In 1955, a general election was held for the first time. 52 seats were contested, with the majority party earning the right to appoint seven more. In the election, the Alliance Party contested all 52 seats and won 51, while the Pan-Malayan Islamic Party won the remaining seat. NOTES: (1) The Member System, modeled on the cabinet system, was created by British authorities in Malaysia to provide self-governance. Like the Communities Liaison Committee, it drew on members of different communities, and was later described as setting a precedent for the power-sharing multiracial Malayan and Malaysian cabinets post-independence. (2) The Federal Legislative Council passed the Malayan Constitution (later, the Malaysian Constitution) on August 15, 1957. Malaya gained independence on August 31, 1957. 
Raja Sir Tun Uda was the Menteri Besar of Selangor from 1949 to 1953 and again from 1954 to 1955. In between that he was the Malayan High Commissioner to the UK. He was never an Umno member (or even a politician) and his appointment as MB was not a political appointment.  Raja Sir Tun Uda, the First Governor of Penang, and his family (my uncles and aunty). |
| Rule of law or rule by law? Posted: 30 Aug 2011 06:01 PM PDT Whether these people can or cannot leave Islam is a matter for the Muslims to resolve. This has nothing to do with the church and the church cannot be subjected to Islamic laws. As far as the church is concerned, these people are no longer Muslims. But if there is no such thing as 'ex-Muslims', then a law needs to be passed stating so. Then the confusion will be cleared up. Then the church would be barred from preaching to anyone born a Muslim since the word 'murtad' would no longer be in the Muslim vocabulary. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Malaysia has tens of thousands of lawyers. But how many lawyers actually 'practise law' or are most in this only for the money? Seldom do we hear lawyers speak out on what is right and what is wrong. It should be the job of lawyers to educate Malaysians as to what the law is all about. Only then can it be said that they are true to their profession. Laws are man-made. Sometimes we say that these are God's laws or this is what God ordained. Invariably, all laws are made by man but blamed on God. Why are the lawyers not telling us this? Just because it is law does not make it right. Are we talking about rule of law or rule by law? "What's the difference?" you may ask. A lot of difference! And it is the duty of lawyers to educate us on the difference between the rule of law and rule by law. Queen Elizabeth I ordered Parliament to appoint her as Governor of the Church. Since she was a woman, she could not be appointed as a proper head of the church like her father and brother before her -- which would tantamount to the position of the English Pope. So they made her the governor instead. Then Elizabeth banned the practise and belief of the wafer as the body of Christ and wine as the blood of Christ. All the Catholic Bishops opposed this and they instigated the citizens to defy this new 'heretic' law. The Bishops were all rounded up and imprisoned and replaced with Protestant Bishops. The Catholics were forced to go underground and to practise their faith in secret and behind closed doors. There were pockets of rebellion all over the Kingdom, even as far as Scotland where they deposed their Catholic Queen (later they chopped off her head as well). Of course, this conflict between the Church and the Throne was not new. Even back in the days of Henry II, 400 years earlier, there was already a conflict and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, was assassinated because of his conflict with the King over the rights and privileges of the Church. So, was Elizabeth right? Of course, she had the power. But just because she had power and just because a law had been passed does this make it right? Who was Elizabeth to decide that this is what God ordained? Did God speak to her? Or was this merely a political move? You see: England, then, was only South England. From York onwards, this was Catholic country. So, by getting rid of the Catholic faith, this meant England could unite and Scotland, if it turned Protestant, would become part of English territory. Scotland was also aligned to France. And France was Catholic and the age-old enemy of England. So, by 'occupying' Protestant Scotland, this meant that the danger of a French invasion (through Scotland) would be eliminated. So there you have it. It was not about what God wanted. It was about what Elizabeth wanted. And Elizabeth wanted Scotland under her control. And she wanted the French Catholic Queen kicked out of Scotland. And she wanted the French army kicked out of Scotland. If not, her throne would be in jeopardy of a 'Catholic' invasion with a new Catholic Queen from Scotland installed onto the throne. In short, Elizabeth had to control and dictate what is and is not acceptable religious beliefs and practises to be able to control England and get rid of the Scottish-French threat to her throne. Elizabeth used religion to hold on to power. Today, we celebrate Merdeka. But how are we celebrating Merdeka? By raising the flag? By sleeping at home? Merdeka should be celebrated by respecting the 'Merdeka Agreement', which is basically the Federal Constitution. How can we say we are remembering or honouring Merdeka when we do not respect the Constitution? The Constitution was the foundation of Merdeka. Without the Constitution there is no foundation and therefore no Merdeka. This, the lawyers should tell the people far and wide, the length and breadth of Malaysia. The basis of our laws is the Constitution. However, many of our laws violate the Constitution. Many things ail Malaysia. But I want to talk about only one ailment today. And this ailment, the latest in a series of ailments, is the conflict between Church and State brought on by the DUMC raid and the allegations made against the Church. The DUMC raid was not the only conflict between Church and State. Earlier, we had the Allah issue, the Bahasa Malaysia Bible issue, and so on. It appears that all along the way the Church is in conflict with the State. But has this not been so for more than 1,000 years? The Church has always had its differences with the State (or more like the State resented the power the Church had over the people and thus started the 'turf war' between the State and the Church). Anyway, Article 3 and Article 11 of the Constitution are very clear (by right, lawyers ought to be talking to you about this, not me). Let us consider what it says. Islam is the religion of the Federation. No dispute. Other religions may be practised in peace and harmony. No dispute. The Ruler is the Head of the religion of Islam in his State. No dispute. Every religious group has the right to manage its own religious affairs. No dispute. Every person has the right to profess and practise his religion and, subject to Clause (4), to propagate it. No Dispute. There should be no propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam. No dispute. So, where is the dispute then? Let's look at "Every religious group has the right to manage its own religious affairs". What does this mean? If the Christians want to publish a Bahasa Malaysia Bible, would this be under the clause of "manage its own religious affairs"? Can the government then dictate what language the Bible can and cannot be published? Let's look at "Christianity cannot be propagated to persons professing the religion of Islam". But what if that person has announced that he or she has left Islam? Now, you may say that once a person is born to Muslim parents then he or she is automatically a Muslim and a Muslim is a Muslim for life and cannot leave Islam. But that is between the Muslim and his 'Church'. Once a Muslim renounces Islam (murtad), he or she is an apostate. Technically, he or she is no longer a Muslim. The State may say that he or she is still a Muslim. That's according to the government. But in the 'eyes' of God, he or she is no longer a Muslim. He or she has become a murtad. So, where is the crime here? Actually, the issue is not that complicated. It is just that the lawyers would rather not get involved in this issue because it is very sensitive and Malays are a very emotional people who would run amok if they think that they cannot win by words and need to resort to violence to win an argument. A true lawyer would educate us. Most lawyers, however, would remain silent and allow the ignorance to continue. And this ignorance has caused a lot of confusion. In short: Christians cannot preach to Muslims. That is the law. But if that person has left Islam, technically, he or she is no longer a Muslim but an ex-Muslim. So, it is not against the law to preach Christianity to these people (who are technically not Muslims any more). Whether these people can or cannot leave Islam is a matter for the Muslims to resolve. This has nothing to do with the church and the church cannot be subjected to Islamic laws. As far as the church is concerned, these people are no longer Muslims. But if there is no such thing as 'ex-Muslims', then a law needs to be passed stating so. Then the confusion will be cleared up. Then the church would be barred from preaching to anyone born a Muslim since the word 'murtad' would no longer exist in the Muslim vocabulary. However, as it stands now, the word 'murtad' does exist. And this means Islam recognises the existence of 'ex-Muslims'. So, where do we go from here? And why are the lawyers not speaking up? *************************************** Article 3 1. Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation. 2. In every State other than States not having a Ruler the position of the Ruler as the Head of the religion of Islam in his State in the manner and to the extent acknowledged and declared by the Constitution, all rights, privileges, prerogatives and powers enjoyed by him as Head of that religion, are unaffected and unimpaired; but in any acts, observance or ceremonies with respect to which the Conference of Rulers has agreed that they should extend to the Federation as a whole each of the other Rulers shall in his capacity of Head of the religion of Islam authorize the Yang di-pertuan Agong to represent him. 3. The Constitution of the States of Malacca, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak shall each make provision for conferring on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall be Head of the religion of Islam in that State. 4. Nothing in this Article derogates from any other provision of this Constitution. 5. Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall be the Head of the religion of Islam in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan; and for this purpose Parliament may by law make provisions for regulating Islamic religious affairs and for constituting a Council to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in matters relating to the religion of Islam. Article 11 1. Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion and, subject to Clause (4), to propagate it. 2. No person shall be compelled to pay any tax the proceeds of which are specially allocated in whole or in part for the purposes of a religion other than his own. 3. Every religious group has the right - (a) to manage its own religious affairs; (b) to establish and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes; and (c) to acquire and own property and hold and administer it in accordance with law. 4. State law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam. 5. This Article does not authorize any act contrary to any general law relating to public order, public health or morality. |
| Dr Wan Azizah: Nation still politically, economically oppressed Posted: 30 Aug 2011 04:15 PM PDT 
(The Malaysian Insider) - KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 — PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today urged Malaysians to give meaning to what she called "total" independence by seeking freedom from political, economic, moral and social oppression. In her National Day message, the opposition leader said that the country may have been freed from colonial British rule in 1957, but its people remained oppressed economically while its top leaders spent the nation's money on personal interests. "Independence does not necessarily translate as just freedom from colonial oppression. In fact, it covers all aspects of life, politics, economy, moral and society," she said. "Every day, we seem fated to 'sacrifice' and change our lifestyles to survive. But millions of ringgit are being spent without thinking of the impact on the rakyat," she added. The former Permatang Pauh MP called for the country to prepare an economic infrastructure that would allow the nation's wealth to be shared without racial and religious limits, adding that such a plan would form the basis for "openness" that will pave the way forward, especially for the younger generation who stand to govern the country one day. As a reminder, Dr Wan Azizah said her party sought to free the rakyat from economic pressures, to gain freedom in understanding and beliefs, to give the younger generation room to develop character and morals, and to ensure the burdens of education loans to undergraduates are managed well so that academic excellence can go on to restore the nation's pride and dignity. "Let us give true meaning to independence by freeing ourselves from the grip of oppression to build a peaceful and harmonious nation among all races," she said. |
| Baram Dam: Lying govt and big companies Posted: 30 Aug 2011 04:09 PM PDT  By Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: The deceitful and insidious manner by which the state government is going about with the construction of the Baram Dam has angered the Orang Ulu communities in the dam project vicinity. Orang Ulu National Association Miri (OUNA) chairman Pete Kallang said: "As one of those affected I just can't understand this injustice and this outrageous and abusive exploitation. "Why, it could be seen as an act in complete disregard for our well-being and opinion. "This could be proven by the priority given to the preparatory construction activities done even before the proper Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are completed or perhaps not even started and made accessible to affected and interested parties. "In doing this, it seems the construction of the dam is to be implemented whatever the findings or recommendations that would eventually be available if and when the EIA or SIA is done," he said. Kallang added that during a recent meeting with the affected locals, he was shocked to hear the headman saying that the government would not build the dam. "The reaction by this particular headman reflects the effectiveness of the discreet process practised in building the dam. "The dam construction is one dark secret kept away from those living in Baram. "If it is occasionally mentioned by the proponents, the subject would be down-played, and watered-down with downright euphemism. Civilization under threat
The reality, he said, was different as reported in the media. "We learned from newspaper reports and information dripping from the project supporters speaks of an affected area covering 38,900 hectares (389 sq km) or half of the size of Singapore island. "It will be constructed of around 180 meters above sea level and will generate 1,200 MW of electrical power. "At least 90% of the land mass which will be flooded by the dam reservoir will be the Native Customary Rights (NCR) land. "Relocation of the 20,000 people to make way for the Baram Dam will definitely result in a permanent social damage. He said the Kenyah and Kayan people traditionally live in longhouses and mass relocation of the people will no doubt spell the end of the traditional social structure. According to Kallang the construction of the dam is a 'senseless' exploitation of resources "which is primarily driven by avarice coupled with immorality'. "But for us who are directly and adversely affected parties, no one can blame us in thinking that this is a calculated, intentional and purposeful manoeuvre to wipe out our races. "The dam will not only cause the colossal environmental devastation and severe consequences on the ecosystem, but it will also rage a permanent degeneration of the ethnic identity and heritage of the natives who live in the region. Only big companies benefit
Kallang, who is also the chairman of the Kenyah Association in Miri, said whilst the bulk of those affected were from the Kenyah community, the other groups affected included the Kayans and Penans. "These are also the same majority groups of people who are most affected by the Bakun Dam which has just been commissioned. READ MORE HERE. |
| A wish list of freedoms Posted: 30 Aug 2011 04:05 PM PDT 
By Marina Mahathir, The Star We still need the fundamental freedoms that every human being desires, especially freedom of speech and expression. Our foreparents understood 54 years ago that we had a fundamental right to freedom and self-determination. FIRST of all, let me wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Also, as the days happen to almost coincide this year, Selamat Hari Merdeka. In many ways, this is very significant. Raya is the day we free ourselves from a month of abstinence and restraint. Ramadan is a time for reflection on what good we have, or have not, done over the past year. It is a time to ask for forgiveness for our past sins and mistakes, and hurt we may have caused others. Sadly, this Ramadan has hardly been an exemplary one. With insults galore, shouting and screaming, burning and threats, it has hardly been one of restraint and reflection, at least on the part of public figures. Nor was there any sense of shame at these violations of the good and holy month. Since Raya coincides with Merdeka this year, I thought I would write a list of freedoms we should give ourselves in these coming months, besides the freedom to now eat. First, let us have Freedom from Imagined Slights. I am sick and tired of the people who have nothing better to do than scour the media for all sorts of insults, while at the same time feeling entitled to slight others. Some people's skin is stretched so thinly over their rounded bulks it's a wonder it hasn't ripped. Every little imagined offence calls for protests and demos, almost always outside mosques after Friday prayers. One wonders if God feels slighted at this trespassing on His property, which should be oases of calm and tranquility. As a corollary to that, let us also have Freedom from One-Sided Prosecutions. For example, some people seem to insist on having the monopoly on being sensitive. Everyone else is assumed to have thick skin, so much so that it is now apparently OK to insult people to their faces. Thus, action is taken only when they have been offended, but never when they offend others. One has to wonder what is so great about displaying such thin skin? Won't you wither under the sun? Let us also demand Freedom from the Forgetful Politician, that is, those who forgot who voted them in. First off are those who insist that we should be grateful that they are there to lead us. Talk about a circular argument! Then there are those who, although usually insisting that Malaysians are a unique species of people, totally different from everyone else in the world, are then quick to equate those same Malaysians with the worst of foreigners, those who riot, loot and destroy property. Makes you wonder how that gels with our tourism campaigns. Are we supposed to be nice hospitable people or rioters? One great freedom that I really wish we would give ourselves is Freedom from Snoopers, especially those intent on sticking their noses into our private lives. If one wants to create a moral society, then let's widen that definition to include ethics instead of just keeping it totally focused on our sex lives. A moral society is not just one where everyone behaves well sexually, if such a thing even exists, but also where people feel a strong civic duty to uphold the law, not be corrupt, treat the poorest and most vulnerable well, and protect and preserve the environment. Instead, we have increasing official "busybodiness" coupled with the encouragement of society to be busybodies. Thus our young feel that they are constantly under suspicion of doing something bad, even when they are not. Does this stop all sorts of social ills? Of course not. Indeed we should also demand Freedom from the Ostrich, the stick-their-heads-in-the-sand attitude that insists that some things just don't exist in our country. On the one hand there are people who see a conspiracy under every pebble and on the other there are those who just refuse to connect the dots. For example, young people don't have to become pregnant outside marriage if we educate them and provide the services they need to make the best choices. Instead, we refuse to educate them and then blame them for having babies out of wedlock. Some even insist that the solution is to marry them off early. That's where we need Freedom from the Short-sighted, those who only think in terms of short-term solutions and not the harm that will come many years down the line. At heart, however, we still need the fundamental freedoms that every human being desires, especially freedom of speech and expression. Without these, the Snoopers, Ostriches, Short-sighted and all these others will continue to thrive and make our lives miserable. Our foreparents understood that we had a fundamental right to freedom and self-determination 54 years ago. Let's not forget that the next time we vote. Merdeka! |
| Australian High Court rules against refugee swap deal with M'sia Posted: 30 Aug 2011 03:21 PM PDT (AP/Bernama) - Australia's highest court has ruled that Australia cannot send asylum seekers to Malaysia as part of a new refugee swap deal. The High Court reached a 5-2 majority decision on Wednesday to make permanent an injunction that has stood since Aug 8 and prevented Australia transferring 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia in return for Malaysia sending 4,000 registered refugees for resettlement. The decision is a blow to Prime Minister Julia Gillard's government, which struck the deal with Malaysia to deter thousands of asylum seekers from Middle Eastern and Asian countries from attempting to reach Australia by boat. The court said in a statement that Malaysia has not signed the U.N. Refugee Convention and the deal with Australia did not legally bind Malaysia to recognise the status of refugees under its domestic law. It also said Immigration Minister Chris Bowen had no legal power to remove from Australia asylum seekers whose refugee claims have not yet been determined. The case was brought to the court by 41 asylum-seekers who had appealed against their forced transfer to Kuala Lumpur from Christmas Island, "The Australian" newspaper said. They were to be the first group of asylum-seekers to be moved to Malaysia after the government's formal signing in July of the deal to send 800 boat people to Malaysia, in return for 4,000 confirmed refugees. If the Australian government now abandons the refugee swap deal, it will still be bound under the deal to accept the 4,000 refugees from Malaysia, while being unable to send 800 asylum-seekers there for processing. |
| Malay liberty, its trust and faith in Umno Posted: 30 Aug 2011 03:02 PM PDT 
After more than 50 years of independence, wealth distribution among the races and within the Malays themselves is not improving. How does the Malay understand the concept of a Malay nation? Looking from a Malay perspective, the following are the traits of a Malay nation. They understand it as being the homeland of the Malays, where the religion is Islam, its culture as that practised by Malays, Bahasa Melayu is the official language. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia Today What does Umno mean to the Malays and to me? Like the American declaration of independence, Malays hold some inalienable rights, among these are the right to protect the religion of Islam, the rights on the Malay language, culture and ethnic identity and finally the right over this country. And to secure these rights, Umno was formed. Umno is relevant for as long as it remains loyal to these rights. Or if it can reinterpret these rights better. These fundamentals on which Umno was constructed can be said to be the ABC of Umno's mission. 'A' stands for agama or religion, 'B' is for bangsa, bahasa and budaya (race, language and culture) and C is the country. Some of the readers may find the comparison between the fundamentals of Umno's creation with the American declaration of independence disrespectful. America, after all, is the most powerful nation on earth. It is the only superpower. My response is why should we be ashamed of declaring what we stand for? This is the basic fault of the current Umno leadership – it no longer gives effect and substance to these fundamentals. Right to self-determination
How does the Malay understand the concept of a Malay nation? Looking from a Malay perspective, the following are the traits of a Malay nation. They understand it as being the homeland of the Malays, where the religion is Islam, its culture as that practised by Malays, Bahasa Melayu is the official language. They understand it to be a land where the monarchy system remains an integral part of their cultural and political heritage. They understand it to mean that Malays will control some degree of the economy. They understand it further as an embodiment of the inalienable right of self determination. Having understood this, in the end, the unpopular idea of a Malayan Union was rejected way back in history. Umno was the driving force behind this rejection. The Malay race is indebted to Umno. 
After the first general election in 1955, Umno led the other non Malay political parties to form the government. In 1957, Umno gained independence for us. Since then, this country has developed in leaps and bounds. Yes yes, the Umno Rottweilers and Dobermans can repeat ad nauseum the achievements of the government – Felda land schemes, modern amenities, schooling etc etc. Yes, we are indebted to Umno but never, never were we enslaved by, nor were we hostage to Umno. Trust must be protected
What are the foundations of Umno's relevance? To my mind it is Malay nationalism. This is the overriding thread that binds all other Malay interests. All other interests are subsumed under the force of nationalism. Malay nationalism is about primacy of Malay interests. They must be protected, expanded and defended. This was the basis of trust given by the Malays to Umno. I fear these interests are perceived as being watered down by the Malay public. It is watered down by weak implementation, failure by Umno to provide leadership, by rhetoric more than substance, by mere words more than action. These sentiments and emotions emanate from the breasts of ordinary man, not those in the halls of Putra World Trade Centre. These powerful forces can only be sustained on the backs of economic and educational strength, areas in which the Malays are weaker by the day. READ MORE HERE |
| Merdeka! Are we truly free? Posted: 30 Aug 2011 02:57 PM PDT 
Corruption, nepotism, cronyism and the abuse of the judiciary and legislation have marred the significance of Aug 31. Had the country's Merdeka been given due respect, the rights and sentiments of its people of all races would have been equally respected. We would not have had the incident where former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad cautioned the non-Malays to "behave" themselves if they were to continue living in this country. For Malaysia, he said, belongs to the Malays, simply because at one time this nation was called Tanah Melayu (the Malay land). Jeswan Kaur, Free Malaysia Today Aug 31 is a day of reflection, of taking cognisance of the fact that the country's independence or Merdeka can no longer be taken for granted, that too by the "keepers" of this nation. Regrettably, it is the "powers that be" that have marred the meaning of Merdeka. Corruption, nepotism, cronyism and the abuse of the judiciary and legislation have marred the significance of Merdeka, especially for the younger generation. Instead of imparting profound meaning to Malaysians, Aug 31 had been reduced from the sublime to the ridiculous by the power-hungry and "self-first" politicians-leaders of this country. The fact is Malaysia is "independent" but only in name, not in act. The existence of draconian laws that are continuously abused by the "powers that be" to safeguard its position have turned the understanding of Merdeka into a laughing stock. To worsen matters, politicians never tire of playing the racial card, not the least bothered that they have relegated the nation's Merdeka, the respect all but diminished. As for patriotism, it had become very much a case of "to each their own". Had the country's Merdeka been given due respect, the rights and sentiments of its people of all races would have been equally respected. We would not have had the incident where former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad cautioned the non-Malays to "behave" themselves if they were to continue living in this country. For Malaysia, he said, belongs to the Malays, simply because at one time this nation was called Tanah Melayu (the Malay land). If Merdeka held any meaning to the country's leadership, there would have been no such case where the present deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin unabashedly proclaimed that he is a "Malay first and Malaysian second". Misusing the keris Had the meaning of Merdeka been understood by Umno, the country's dominant party championing Malay rights, its key players would not have misused the keris or Malay dagger by swaying it at the party's general assemblies to remind the non-Malays to back off from questioning Malay rights. Under Article 153 of the country's Federal Constitution, the Malay rights are guaranteed, thereby creating a deadlock as far as debating these privileges is concerned. Indeed, if Merdeka truly holds meaning, the Aug 28, 2009 episode would not have happened – where a cow head that had been severed was stepped on by a group of angry Malays who could not tolerate and accept the fact that a Hindu temple would soon be built in their neighbourhood of Section 23 in Shah Alam. Merdeka, really? What was unbelievable was that such an act of desecration went on to receive the support of the Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. Did he not know that the cow is considered a sacred animal to Hindus? Merdeka, are we? Yes, the painful truth is that Merdeka is no longer synonymous with freedom or liberty, more recently depicted by the July 9, 2011 "Walk for Democracy" rally calling for free and fair elections. The police brutality vis-à-vis tear gas and water canons and beatings would always serve to remind Malaysians that they, albeit living in an independent and democratic nation, have no avenue to voice out their unhappiness with the government. The Barisan Nasional-government which had been ruling the country since 1957 is no longer taking any chances, not after the political debacle it faced three years ago, when it lost five states to the opposition in the 12th general election. The BN-agenda now is to, by hook or crook, silent all dissenting voices and impress a rosy picture of the country, the aim being to give BN the chance to enjoy the two-third majority that was denied in 2008. Merdeka –but from whom?
The federal government's refusal to do away with draconian laws such as the Internal Security Act 1960, the Emergency Ordinance (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) 1969 and the prohibitive Official Secrets Act 1972 and Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 all confirm that Merdeka had long been manipulated by the BN-government and Umno, both of whom are led by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. 
The June 26, 2011 arrest of 30 activists from Parti Sosialis Malaysia under trumped up claims of waging war against the country's monarch and spreading subversive beliefs is another proof that truth has no place in the heart of the country's leadership. To summon the police to "finish off" certain people because of the "danger" they pose had put the police force in a shameful position. Deaths in police cells have become the norm more than an exception. The Najib-led government's refusal to acknowledge the importance of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) in helping reform the police force signals that all is definitely not well where Malaysia's democracy and Merdeka are concerned. Tampering with the country's judiciary to stifle the truth, as seen from the "suicide verdict" announced in the case of the DAP-aide Teoh Beng Hock and detainee A Kugan who ended up dead while in police custody give the rakyat much reason to question the validity of Aug 31. When long-serving estate workers as in the case of the Bukit Jalil estate residents are made homeless by City Hall under the pretext of development, can they be blamed for questioning if Merdeka truly exists for Malaysians? Unity vital for Merdeka Does unity i.e. camaraderie between the rakyat exist? If the non-Malays are incessantly chastised and threatened, as done by the extremist Malay-rights group Perkasa and the Umno-owned Malay daily, Utusan Malaysia and coupled with the poor example shown by the country's leaders, the answer at best is ambiguous. Name-calling and threats are not going to sustain the Merdeka spirit for long. For a nation as young as Malaysia, there is much to learn in preserving the independence it had achieved from its British masters. But it seems that the country's politicians, this includes Najib, the ever-racist Hishammuddin, Perkasa founder Ibrahim Ali and the Umno honchos are far too foolishly arrogant to want to learn from the annals of history on what it takes to promote unity and sustain the independence gained. Malaysians like Perkasa's Ibrahim through his racial discrepancies has tainted the whole struggle towards Aug 31, when the nation finally achieved independence back in 1957. The likes of Ibrahim believe their onslaught of threats would blench the non-Malays into subservience towards the dominant race, often times promising bloodshed should the non-Malays dare question Article 153 of the Constitution. The damage, however, had long been done. In 2009, churches were attacked with petrol bombs after a court lifted a government ban on the use of "Allah" as a translation for "God" in Malay-language bibles. The ban had been in place for years but enforcement only began in 2008 out of fear the word could encourage Muslims to convert. READ MORE HERE |
| Smuggled ivory tusks worth 1.6 million dollars found in Hong Kong Posted: 30 Aug 2011 02:14 PM PDT  By MonstersandCritics.com Hong Kong - Customs officers in Hong Kong said Tuesday they had seized 794 African elephant tusks worth an estimated 1.6 million US dollars smuggled in a ship container from Malaysia. The tusks weighing 1,898 kilograms were found hidden beneath stones in a consignment declared as non-ferrous products for factory use, the city's customs department said in a statement. The illegal shipment was seized Monday by customs officers acting on intelligence and a 66-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the find, according to the statement. Trading in endangered species carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a fine of 640,000 US dollars under Hong Kong law. Smuggling undeclared goods carried a jail term of up to seven years. |
| Cable: Hisham blamed MCA for not containing Umno fallout Posted: 30 Aug 2011 01:00 PM PDT  By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 — Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had suggested in 2007 that MCA was at fault for being too weak to manage the reaction of non-Malays to the racially-charged rhetoric of the 2006 Umno general assembly. Hishammuddin — who was the Umno Youth chief then — had told diplomats from the United States that Umno's race rhetoric was necessary to vent the frustrations of the Malays, according to a leaked US cable released on Malaysia Today. According to the diplomatic note sent to Washington, Hishammuddin had also told the US ambassador here that Washington should expect similar anti-US rhetoric occasionally, but that those on the receiving end of these attacks should not fear as the government would not allow it to get out of hand. "The country's 'racial splits are now more pronounced,' and Malays still do not feel on par with other races. The Malay youth became overly emotional regarding matters of race and religion, and needed to 'release pressure,' as they did during the November 2006 Umno General Assembly (which featured heated racial rhetoric that was broadcast on national television). "Naturally, there would be a reaction to such venting. In the case of the Umno general assembly, it was a shame, Hishammuddin added, that the MCA had not been strong enough to manage the reaction," said the cable leaked by whistleblower site WikiLeaks and published today on the Malaysia Today news portal. According to the wire that appears to have been written by then ambassador Christopher Lafleur in early 2007, Hishammuddin argued that other parties in Barisan Nasional (BN) needed to understand the emotional background behind Malay frustration and look beyond the heated words. "The Malay relationship with the US featured 'the same dynamic,' and from time to time the US would be the object of emotional public criticism. "'This will never get out of hand, the government will not allow it,' Hishammuddin assured the ambassador, but the US would need to adopt a long-term view similar to that of Umno's national coalition partners," Lafleur wrote. READ MORE HERE |
| Stop papering over cracks Posted: 30 Aug 2011 12:57 PM PDT 
By Charles Santiago, FMT As the nation marches towards its 54th Merdeka celebrations, the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition government continues to lead the nation with no accountability. Not even a semblance of it lurking in the shadows. Umno's leadership has failed the people making it unlikely that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's bruises would disappear anytime soon. Najib's self-styled unity slogan, 1Malaysia, and public claims of a united nation only go to show the premier's disconnect from ground reality. What is worse is that the simmering racial and religious tension in the country is carefully engineered by Najib & Co. In Malaysia, stirring racial and religious sentiments have become fashionable ways of ensuring the ruling elite's continued hold on power. Playing up issues of apostasy, indulging in smear campaigns against opposition politicians, openly playing double standards, using the police to instil a climate of fear among the people, engaging in backdoor deals to win the next election are some of the crucial issues gripping the nation. But just like over the years, we see the government preparing an ambiance of pomp and glamour to usher in the country's 54th year of independence from British rule. Najib has even thought out a costume and colour theme for the celebrations. It is delusions to believe that a fusion of dances and colourful parade would make brewing discontent on the ground go away. Najib must know, by now, that this is no child's play. Getting out of control
Come Merdeka Day, we would watch the Malays, Chinese and Indians taking part in the parade, as a sign of unity and mutual respect for each other. And yet this neat juxtaposition is misleading. In reality, we have seen some leaders promising bloodshed over unverified allegations of proselytisation by some churches. These vile-mouthed villains have no qualms reading out statements which stoke racial sentiments outside police stations. While the government acts with lightning speed to nab opposition politicians and human rights activists for alleged illegal gathering, they ignore the ramblings of these political leaders. Government-owned print and electronic media are given a free hand to further fan racial flames in the country. Opposition newspapers and alternative media have to resort to self-censorship or have their publishing licenses revoked. The online media are constantly harassed for writing the truth. Government channel, RTM1, has falsely linked myself and my colleagues Ean Yong Hin, Boo Cheng Hau, Tan Kok Wai, and Parti Sosialis Malaysia's Dr Nasir Hashim to a Facebook group called the "Murtads in Malaysia and Singapore". Checks with my Facebook friends have shown that many were added to the group as the administrator of these groups do not need permission before doing so. But the irresponsible reporting by the television station caricatures the extent of dirty politics in the country. Government leaders certainly know stirring racial sentiments could get out of control. The nation had borne witness to the riots of 1969 and 2001. But potentially damning issues are fashioned by Umno leaders to frighten the Malays and bring them back to the party fold. Blatant cover-ups
After all, Umno and BN leaders are adamant about winning the next general election at all cost. The government's only concern is about winning the four states ruled by the opposition and ensuring two-thirds majority in Parliament. In order to see that materialize, government's leaders are injecting venom into our political veins without caring two hoots about the consequences of their actions. Playing up racial sensitivities is not their only devious plan. It is also registering permanent residence (PR) holders and illegal immigrants to shore up its voter bank. The Election Commission is nonchalant about revamping the electoral system and is aligned with the government, raising questions about the integrity of the electoral body. Although the EC and government are waltzing together, locked in each others' arms, the people are getting fed-up with decades of abuses which are ingrained in the electoral system. Their dissatisfaction was candidly marked when tens of thousands of people defied police orders and rallied on the streets, despite the presence of stern-looking cops and baton-wielding anti-riot policemen, to call for free and fair elections on July 9. READ MORE HERE. |
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