Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Looking for the Good in RPK
- What is RPK to you?
- Why the outcome of Anwar's trial matters to every Malaysian
- Dr Nedu to stand as candidate in GE13
| Posted: 02 Jan 2012 02:05 PM PST
It is unlikely that Malaysians in this country will be swayed by RPK's latest tirade against Anwar in the UMNO press. We should not lose our focus on the political agenda at hand which is to sweep the BN into the dustbin of history and to build a just, equal, democratic society. By Kua Kia Soong, Director of SUARAM
My feelings of disappointment and rage upon seeing the latest RPK collusion with the UMNO press to denigrate Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat were quickly tempered by my wife's daily email supplement to me: Today's Contemplation: "For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." (Audrey Hepburn) I will therefore do well by honouring my wife's wise counsel and the immortal wisdom of one of my favourite actors… RPK's Expose of the BN Government On 5 Jan 2010, I wrote an article for the online press entitled: "RPK's Expose of the Malaysian State". RPK had been the victim of the same UMNO press he has just colluded with after his expose of the Altantuya murder and all the other shenanigans of the BN administration, including those of the previous Badawi government. I lauded his efforts to expose the illegitimate institutions of the Malaysian state: "RPK has gone beyond the sociological theses about the shared interests of the ruling elite – he has literally stripped bare the integuments of the Malaysian state; exposed the machinations of the police and the shameful harassment of whistleblowers. He has posed questions surrounding the unsolved murder of Altantuya that all justice-loving Malaysians want answered." That is the good I found in RPK and all his contributions to the Malaysian peoples' cause in Malaysia Today. I have no interest in his feud with Anwar Ibrahim but exile, ego and eagerness for attention can affect a person's psyche and perspective on things.
Then there was his advocacy of the "Third Force" in the Malaysian political arena. While the ideological colour of this MCLM was less clear, at least it was seen as part of the broad front against the Barisan Nasional. This was a concept I subscribed to up to a point. I was one of the proponents of the "Two Front System" in the Eighties and I joined the Opposition Front in the Nineties. Since the political tsunami of 2008, I believe we have a 2-front system in the country although we have not yet ended the 54-year dominance of the BN at the federal level. Political events have since pointed to the need for a Third Force represented by PSM and others who are focused on the political agenda beyond the neo-liberal system in which BN and PR operate and beyond the careerism that characterises mainstream Malaysian politics. Keeping our eyes on the ball Haris Ibrahim's stand against RPK's collusion with the UMNO press at least restores our faith in this Third Force position vis-à-vis the BN. It is unlikely that Malaysians in this country will be swayed by RPK's latest tirade against Anwar in the UMNO press. We should not lose our focus on the political agenda at hand which is to sweep the BN into the dustbin of history and to build a just, equal, democratic society including, - protecting our public services such as oil and gas, utilities such as water, energy, health, education and social services from privatization and to nationalize the already privatized essential services; - defending the social right to employment, health, welfare provision, education; - initiating popular participation and control, especially unionization; - initiating forms of democratic self-management in Malaysian work places to be run for the common good; - implementing a progressive tax system. This resistance to unrestrained neo-liberalism must try to empower our oppressed people in the process of participatory democracy. Popular democratic participation is not just in economic but also political institutions. Unfettered capital transfers by speculators and finance capitalists must also be checked. Real democracy will never be attained merely through periodic general elections and relying on parliament alone but through direct action and true grassroots democracy. So even as I yearn for beautiful eyes, beautiful lips and poise RPK, the struggle goes on … "I have dreamed on this mountain Since first I was my mother's baby And you just can't take my dreams away Not with me watching No you just can't take my dreams away Without me fighting No you just can't take my dreams away." (Mountain Song by Holly Near) |
| Posted: 02 Jan 2012 02:02 PM PST Why is RPK's latest offering a big hoo-hah? I mean, seriously? In fact I am rather equivocal of RPK's latest interview. I find that there is nothing to get upset about. I am not here to defend RPK as I think he feels he is a big enough person. By AsamLaksa I, AsamLaksa, am an infrequent commentator and contributor on Malaysia Today. I check MT regularly mainly for laughs mainly arising from the BN jokers and religious nuts. I am nobody in Malaysian politics and use a pseudonym. I do not reside in Malaysia. I am an atheist. I am occasionally moved to share my opinions with fellow MT readers as I have strong ties with Malaysia. I like Malaysia and have high hopes for Malaysia. If there is one thing I want from Malaysians is for Malaysians to think for themselves. Now that I have got all that out of the way let me get back on topic. Why is RPK's latest offering a big hoo-hah? I mean, seriously? In fact I am rather equivocal of RPK's latest interview. I find that there is nothing to get upset about. I am not here to defend RPK as I think he feels he is a big enough person. 1. Pre-2008 GE, I posted that I suspected PKR is the weak link in PR. 2. Pre-2008 GE, I posted that I do not trust Anwar Ibrahim and that I decided later to give him a chance to prove himself as I recognised the uniting role he plays in PR. After that I again stated my reservations on Anwar as he did not live up to expectations in leading PKR. 3. A few months after PR ruled Selangor I posted my reservations on some of their policies which are populist in nature and their lack of long term planning. I also posted my lack of faith in Khalid Ibrahim. 4. I have nothing against leaders who have extra-marital affairs or being homosexual. Thus I am against the call for Chua Soi Lek to resign as a minister and I am against the persecution of Anwar Ibrahim with Sodomy 2 and the sex video. I also have no qualms of Najib having any extra-marital affairs though I can't speak for his wife. I am more concerned about how the leaders perform their roles. 5. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. This has proved to be a big source for laughs. 6. I personally think Anwar and many of those that surround him do not have good morals or principles from their deeds and speech. You will get my meaning when you read the reactions from PKR spokespersons on many issues where they have displayed inconsistencies. In fact most of them are overly defensive without facts to back them up. Simply not impressed. 7. I think leaders are replaceable but not the good cause. 8. I personally could not care less who is the PM as long as the government brings positive changes. 9. I do not really care what sort of government Malaysia has be it an Islamic, communist, republic or pariah state as long as it promotes and protects fundamental human rights. Labels have little meaning for me. 10. I like Zaid Ibrahim. I think he does what he says. He got PR registered which I think is a task which many in PR would not give priority to. Zaid appears not to depend on handouts from BN or PR. He is his own man. 11. I think MCLM is a good idea but unlikely to succeed because Malaysians are not ready to accept a new political culture mainly due to lack of imagination. What's not to like about Pop MP Idol? |
| Why the outcome of Anwar's trial matters to every Malaysian Posted: 02 Jan 2012 01:59 PM PST But what is at stake here is more than the opposition leader's personal freedom. 54 years ago, the people of this nation were promised that their newly independent land would be free and democratic; and the hopes of the people were given expression in the highest law of the land, the Federal Constitution. This promise was wilfully broken by the political coalition that has ruled this country from that day onwards. On January 9th 2012, the Kuala Lumpur High Court will deliver its verdict in the sodomy trial of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. The entire proceedings have been widely condemned as a show trial of a type frequently resorted to by authoritarian regimes to crush political opponents. But Anwar has a long track record of never giving in. He has already declared that whatever the outcome on January 9th, he will never surrender. He will be as good as his word - prison did not break or silence Anwar before, it will not do so now. But what is at stake here is more than the opposition leader's personal freedom. 54 years ago, the people of this nation were promised that their newly independent land would be free and democratic; and the hopes of the people were given expression in the highest law of the land, the Federal Constitution. This promise was wilfully broken by the political coalition that has ruled this country from that day onwards. The same judiciary that will pass judgement upon Anwar Ibrahim on January 9, utterly failed to uphold the fundamental freedoms contained in the Constitution and allowed the Executive to trample over the basic rights of the Rakyat. Thus for more than half a century, the people have suffered under harsh laws, widespread corruption and the abuse of public office for profit and self-enrichment. The people, to whom this nation rightfully belongs, have been reduced to poor petitioners at the door of Putrajaya, where Umno/BN leaders and their hangers-on lord over the people. The antithesis of the Umno regime is the Anwar-led opposition coalition whose central purpose is to repeal all oppressive and anti-democratic laws and to restore to the people their constitutional freedoms; to end the country's massive losses from corruption; and to ensure a just and equitable distribution of the nation's wealth. Umno is now trying to halt this great Malaysian walk to freedom by attempting to politically annihilate Anwar Ibrahim through a justice system which is partial and compliant. This is why January 9 matters to every Malaysian. Anwar's defiant stand against an unjust system gives the rakyat renewed strength and hope in the face of the oppressor's brute force, and fortifies the rakyat's determination to push for change and reform.This then is the climactic moment in the battle for the kind of nation we want to live in, and the type of values we want to bequeath to a future generation of Malaysians. Whichever way the verdict goes on January 9th, we can take heart that soon enough it will be the Rakyat's turn to deliver verdict upon an unrighteous and persecuting government. |
| Dr Nedu to stand as candidate in GE13 Posted: 02 Jan 2012 01:20 PM PST Press statement A year ago, the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement officially endorsed me, under their Barisan Rakyat Independent Candidate Initiative, as a parliamentary candidate for the Kapar constituency. However, in a recent report in the New Straits Times under the heading "Rights group not a third force – RPK", MCLM Chairman Raja Petra Kamarudin said that MCLM had decided not to field any candidate for the coming general election.
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan