Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Bersih activist Maria Chin summoned by cops
- ‘Dinesh was shot like in the Wild West’
- I believe, hence I am right
- Hudud: PAS akan laksana ikut saluran demokrasi
- Leaked minutes see fallout in PKR
- Don’t pass the buck on hudud, Mustapa tells PAS
- MCA-DAP hudud spat will lead to Islamophobia, warns Muslim group
- Crying wolf again?
- ‘Mahathir, you have not triumphed’
| Bersih activist Maria Chin summoned by cops Posted: 25 Aug 2012 07:31 PM PDT
Amin Iskandar, The Malaysian Insider Bersih 2.0 activist Maria Chin Abdullah has been summoned to police station tomorrow, possibly in response to a plan by supporters of the polls watchdog group to rally during next week's National Day events in the city. The Gabungan Janji group's programme involves some 47 non-governmental organisations, including the Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower), where Maria Chin is executive director. "Maria Chin has been asked by police to report to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters tomorrow at 2pm. "She will be escorted by a lawyer (Honey Tan) from Empower," said Hishamuddin Rais, spokesperson of Gabungan Janji, when contacted by The Malaysian Insider. Gabungan Janji will gather at Dataran Merdeka, clad in yellow, on the evening of August 30, which coincides with the eve of Malaysia's national day. In a press conference on Friday, Gabungan Janji said that simultaneous gatherings will be hosted in other states, including Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor. The gatherings aim to lobby the government to implement Bersih's eight demands, such as cleaning up the electoral roll, using indelible ink, a minimum period of 21 days for campaigning, free access to the media for all parties, strengthening public institutions, stopping corruption and bringing an end to dirty political campaigning. When contacted, Maria confirmed that she was contacted by police on Friday to discuss Gabungan Janji's programme. "The police contacted me last Friday evening. "They wanted to ask about the Gabungan Janji programme which we announced during the press conference that morning," she said. National literary laureate, Datuk A. Samad Said, who is also the joint chairman of Bersih, will read a special poem on the evening of August 30. On April 28, a gathering sponsored by Bersih to demand free and fair elections was peppered with incidents of violence. Razor wire barricades placed to stop participants from entering Dataran Merdeka were cut, resulting in police firing teargas into the crowd. A few journalists and photographers were also casualties of the violence that broke out during the rally.
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| ‘Dinesh was shot like in the Wild West’ Posted: 25 Aug 2012 07:24 PM PDT PKR duo maintains that businessman Dinesh's death was a cold blooded murder. K Pragalath, FMT Kapar MP S Manikavasagam today described the ruthless police killing of businessman, D Dinesh, as akin to the shooting in the Wild West. "Dinesh was shot ruthlessly by the police near Ampang Point traffic light," he said after attending the 26-year-old's funeral in Prima Damansara, Selangor. Dinesh, who was the youngest child in his family, was shot on Aug 21 while travelling with six of his friends and two relatives. According to Manikavasagam, the police shot Dinesh, engaged to be married next month, at a close range. "The post mortem report shows one shot went through his skull and another went through his shoulder. "The police are claiming gang clash but we have eyewitnesses to prove otherwise," said Manikavasagam. Dinesh was sent to Ampang Hospital and then to Kuala Lumpur Hospital for post-mortem. The funeral held today attracted a large crowd. Dinesh's body was taken from his home in Prima Damansara to his car-wash outlets in Damansara Damai and Sungai Buloh before the burial ceremony was held in Jalan Loke Yew. PKR vice president N Surendran, who also attended the funeral, meanwhile described Dinesh's death as a "cold blooded murder". "We want an explanation from the police on this cold blooded murder and we urge them not to cover up the case. "We will also prove that this is a cold blooded murder since we have eye witnesses," said Surendran. A press conference would be called tomorrow in PKR headquarters where eye-witnesses are expected to debunk police allegations of a gang clash.
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| Posted: 25 Aug 2012 06:51 PM PDT Not even a priest or an imam will 'serve God' if they are not being paid a salary. It's all about money, even those who claim to be serving God. So get off your high horse and stop all this self-righteous bullshit. Every single one of you does things for money. So stop slandering this person and that person as doing things for money. You too are as much money-motivated as the other person you are accusing. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
I can't understand why Malaysia Today's readers are foaming at the mouth and whacking Hudud. Some have even gone beyond just attacking Hudud and have even whacked Muslims and Islam. A police report has already been made against Malaysiakini. Do you also want a police report to be made against Malaysia Today? Most of you may think that Malaysia allows freedom of expression. Well, Malaysia may allow freedom of expression up to a certain extent but that freedom is not absolute. There are limits. And that is why Malaysia has many laws that are aimed at 'ensuring the peace and stability' of the nation, the Sedition Act being one of them. This means you cannot simply say what you like, not even in America or Britain. For example, if you start talking about Muslim terrorists, Jihad and bombs while in a plane you can get into trouble anywhere in the world. You might argue that it is your fundamental right to talk about whatever it is you want to talk about. The police, however, will not agree with you as they drag you away in handcuffs. Try it if you don't believe me. So perish the thought regarding absolute freedom of expression. It does not exist. There are boundaries and you must navigate within these boundaries. I, for one, can tell you that this is absolutely true. I, too, have learned that you cannot say everything that is on your mind. There are some things you can say and there are many things you cannot say. And if you violate this rule you will get vilified like hell. I am speaking from experience here. Look at what happened to Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim. His party expressed support for the Bersih 3.0 rally while he said that although he is for clean elections he does not feel that breaking the law is the way to send the message to the government. And for saying that he was whacked kaw-kaw until he felt so hurt he left the party. I suppose anyone who is called foul names would feel the way he felt. I mean people do have feelings, even Pakatan Rakyat leaders. In the first place, Tunku Aziz should not have joined a political party. He is not a politician, period. And he should have realised that once you join a political party you must toe the party line. You cannot do what the people would view as breaking ranks. They will kill you, figure of speech, of course. And once you join a political party and then resign, you will be accused of being bought off, of selling out, and all sort of foul things. It is better you had not joined in the first place. Then you can say what you like. Once you join a political party you need to sacrifice certain freedoms for the sake of party unity. Even when you talk in closed-door meetings or unofficial meetings you need to watch what you say. In politics everyone is an enemy, even the person sitting next to you in the meeting. And what you say will be leaked to embarrass you. And the Penang PKR chief, Datuk Dr Mansor Othman, has found out the hard way what damage these leaks can do. Of course, Dr Mansor has denied saying what he is alleged to have said. The minutes, though, appear to prove otherwise. But minutes can be forged. After all, only those who attended the meeting would know. No doubt, none of the others who attended that meeting have come forward to reveal that they had attended the meeting and that the minutes had been forged and that no such thing was ever said in the meeting. Nevertheless, whether the people believe that denial is another thing. After all, politicians deny allegations all the time. Clinton denied. Nixon denied. And in the end it was proven that these denials were all lies. In fact, Najib Tun Razak has also denied the allegations against him but we all don't believe his denials -- am I not correct? The golden rule in politics is when cornered deny or say 'no comment'. Of course, most people are of the opinion that when politicians deny it then it must be true and when they say 'no comment' that means they are admitting the allegation. But the most important thing is no one can prove it. And this is what matters in the end. Can you prove the allegation? What you need to do, before they even deny it or say 'no comment', is to challenge them to prove that the allegation is false. Under normal circumstances one is assumed innocent until proven guilty. But if you want to corner a politician you twist it the other way. You ask them to prove that the allegation is false. That is actually quite impossible to do. Anwar was convicted and sentenced to a total of 15 years jail because he could not prove his innocence. The Federal Court later overturned that conviction on grounds that the Prosecution failed to prove his guilt. Nevertheless, Anwar had already served six years of the 15 years before he saw freedom. Thus, sometimes, the guilty until proven innocent rule does work in certain cases. New laws are being introduced in Malaysia where you will need to prove you are innocent or else you are presumed guilty. We had 52 years of the Internal Security Act where an estimated 10,000 people had been detained without trial on that same assumption -- guilty until proven innocent. They detain you first and then later you need to convince them that you deserve to be released. It is impossible to prove you deserve to be released when your detention is on the basis that one man, the Minister, believes you are a threat to national security. I mean how do you prove a belief wrong? You have a belief, and that belief is I am a threat to national security. How do I prove this belief wrong? How do I prove any of your beliefs wrong? You believe that Hudud is God's law and is mandatory. You believe that the Qur'an came directly from God and is God's word. You believe the Bible is the Holy Book of God (in fact, you swear an oath on the Bible although it may have been printed by a printer in Jalan Chan Sow Lin). You believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and was crucified and died for our sins. How do I prove all these beliefs wrong? So, I can't prove any of your beliefs wrong, even the belief that I am a threat to national security. And that means I will remain under detention without trial until your beliefs change and you now believe that I have reformed and have turned over a new leaf and am no longer a threat to national security. Such are beliefs. And beliefs are impossible to prove wrong. If you had to prove your belief right, that would be another thing altogether. To prove your belief right you will need evidence, which you may or may not have. But for me to prove your belief wrong is a non-starter never mind what that belief may be. Beliefs do not require evidence. Hence you can believe something even if there is no evidence. And for me to prove your belief wrong when your belief is void of evidence would mean I would not have the evidence to prove your belief wrong. Can you see how it works? Many friends have been in touch with me to ask me to clear the air on what people are saying about me. These friends tell me that people believe I am this or I am that or I have done this or I have done that. But that is just it. This is what people believe. How do I prove this belief to be false? Most of those people who believe these things about me also believe in God and believe in a religion. Is there any basis for these beliefs? Is there any evidence to support these beliefs? Can they prove that their beliefs are facts and not myths? Of course they can't. They just believe it, that's all. There is no basis for these beliefs. They heard stories and they believe these stories. These are all stories without evidence. Then they support these stories and justify their beliefs by showing us a Holy Book, which they said came from God but was printed by a printer in Jalan Chan Sow Lin who himself does not believe in God and is printing this 'Holy Book' just to make money from the printing contract Thus this is the mindset of these types of people. They are susceptible to believing things that cannot be proven. And these same people also believe certain things about me. So how do we talk to such people when they are already prone to believing things that they imagine to be true even when it cannot be proven true? Can you see the futility in trying to turn these people? It is as difficult as trying to convince a Catholic that Prophet Muhammad is a Prophet of God or trying to convince Muslims that Jesus is the Son of God -- or trying to convince readers of Malaysia Today that Hudud is God's command and is mandatory for all Malaysians. The best would be to just let people believe what they want to believe. Most of these people believe that they are sincere and noble while all the rest are scumbags anyway. Only they are true. All others are false. Look at the party hopping issue as one example. Most believe that it is wrong for people to leave their party to join the other side. But it is not wrong for those from the other side to leave the other side to join their party. If they leave the other side to join their side then it is a sincere and noble gesture. But if they leave their side to join the other side it cannot also be because of a sincere and noble gesture. It can only be because of money and for no other reason. This is the belief. You do things out of sincerity and for noble reasons. Others are not noble or sincere and do things merely for money. You do not do things for money. As I said, this is the belief and they believe that their belief is right. But is it? Their parents sent them to school to receive an education. I have Chinese friends who tell me that education is at the top of the Chinese priority list. Education comes first and everything else comes after. This is what my Chinese friends tell me and since so many seem to tell me the same thing I am inclined to believe it. Then I ask them, why? To the Malays, religion comes first. That is way at the top of the priority list of the Malays. Go ask the Malays and see what they say. But why do Chinese put education and not religion at the top of their priority list? And they tell me it is because you need a good education to be ensured a good future. Only a good education can ensure a good future. And many Malaysians, after they have received that good education, choose to stay overseas to work. They have spent so much money on their education that they need to work overseas because the salary they will earn back in Malaysia would be too low and they will never be able to recover the cost of their education. So people get an education. But they go and get an education not because they seek knowledge. They go and get an education so that they can get a good job that pays good money. Everybody works. And they all work because they want money. Only with money can they buy things and live a good life. They want a house. They want a car. They want to get married. They want power, position, prestige, recognition, and whatnot. And all this requires money. Why do they want all these? Are these not all for selfish reasons? You can go live in a jungle and not starve. There is food everywhere. You can live off the land. You can build a roof over your head from what you find in the jungle. You can use the streams and rivers to wash and bathe. You do not need money. You do not need a job. You do not need to spend so much money getting educated. So, yes, everyone does things for money, even those of you who believe you are sincere and noble. Do you need money? Actually you do not. You don't need money. You just want money. And you want money because you want the good things in life. Are you prepared to resign from your job and go work in one of the African countries for no salary? They will provide you a tent to sleep in and three meals a day. They will also provide you with khaki uniforms. But other than that you will receive no money. Is that not a noble and sincere thing to do? You work for no money but only to serve humankind. You get to eat and sleep in a tent, that's all. Not even a priest or an imam will 'serve God' if they are not being paid a salary. It's all about money, even those who claim to be serving God. So get off your high horse and stop all this self-righteous bullshit. Every single one of you does things for money. So stop slandering this person and that person as doing things for money. You too are as much money-motivated as the other person you are accusing. At least a prostitute is honest about what he or she is. That is more than I can say for you.
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| Hudud: PAS akan laksana ikut saluran demokrasi Posted: 25 Aug 2012 04:34 PM PDT
(Harakah) - Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang berkata PAS akan melaksanakan hukum hudud melalui proses demokrasi yang sedia ada. Malah ujarnya, usaha itu telah dimulakan sejak tahun 90-an lagi apabila Enakmen Jenayah Syariah II Kelantan 1993 dan Enakmen Jenayah Syariah Terengganu 2003 diperkenalkan dikedua-dua negeri itu. Sebelum itu lagi katanya, mereka telah memperkenalkan draf undang-undang itu kepada NGO Islam dan bukan Islam dan pernah mengemukakan usul agar isu perlaksanaan hudud dibincangkan di parlimen.
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| Leaked minutes see fallout in PKR Posted: 25 Aug 2012 04:24 PM PDT
(NST) - A STORM is brewing in Parti Keadilan Rakyat, with Machang Bubuk assemblyman Datuk Tan Hock Leong demanding answers from the party leadership over leaked information that he would be dropped as a candidate in the next general election. Tan, who is Penang deputy speaker, said he was shocked on learning that his name had been raised as the only Chinese PKR elected representative in Penang who would be replaced. The matter was apparently discussed at an informal PKR meeting, which has sparked controversy after the minutes were leaked. "I have come to understand that they plan to give my seat to a younger candidate, who will be parachuted in from Selangor. "My so-called replacement is not even active in Penang," he said when contacted yesterday. Tan said he was sad to learn that state PKR chief Datuk Mansor Othman had allegedly said all other Chinese PKR elected representatives in Penang would be retained. "They say I need to go because of my age. I was dumbfounded on learning about this ridiculous decision. But no one, including Mansor, has contacted me and I have yet to get any official confirmation from the central leadership." Tan dismissed fears that he could not deliver because of his age or health. "They better come up with a far more convincing reason. "I am only 57 and there are others who are much older than me. If age is the factor, then the criterion should apply to all others, too." On his health, Tan said he suffered a mild stroke about a year ago but it had not affected his work. "I still carry out my work. I attend and chair state sittings, and I have fulfilled all my responsibilities to the people in the last 10 months. The only thing I cannot do is run." The controversy has put Mansor and the state PKR in an embarrassing position. It was reported that the minutes of the meeting involving Mansor and other state PKR leaders had been posted on the "Gelagat Anwar" website. The meeting, it appears, was centred around seat allocations and problems faced by Penang PKR. During the meeting, Mansor, who is Penang Deputy Chief Minister 1, was quoted as saying that except for Tan, others would defend their seats. He then urged other party leaders to convince Tan to make way for a younger candidate. "It is not that we don't like him as he has done a good job. You, as a group, have to think... must prepare names and leave it to the central (leadership) to decide," he was quoted as telling those present. |
| Don’t pass the buck on hudud, Mustapa tells PAS Posted: 25 Aug 2012 03:49 PM PDT
(The Star) - PAS should explain why they are unable to implement hudud laws in Kelantan and not "pass the buck" to Umno at their convenience, said Kelantan Umno chief Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamad. He said although the laws had been passed by the Kelantan state assembly in 1993, they were still in the "implementation" stages and were not enforced. "Kelantan government even set up a hudud technical committee in October last year but until now it has yet to convene the first meeting. This proves that the state government is insincere in implementing such laws. "Their flip-flop policies to set up an Islamic state and then switching to a welfare state shows inconsistency in their decisions which reflect the stand of their coalition partners on this thorny issue," he told reporters after attending a Hari Raya open house organised by Kelantan Umno here yesterday. Mustapa, who is also International Trade and Industry Minister, was asked to comment a front page report by a Malay daily quoting Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat as blaming Umno for being a stumbling block to implementing hudud laws in Kelantan. Mustapa said it was not easy to implement such laws without any planning. "It is also evident that those interested in implementing such laws did not focus on explaining to the masses the mechanics of the hudud laws," he said.
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| MCA-DAP hudud spat will lead to Islamophobia, warns Muslim group Posted: 25 Aug 2012 03:43 PM PDT
Lisa J. Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider One of the country's most influential Muslim group came out today to publicly castigate both MCA and DAP for their protracted dispute over hudud, accusing the Chinese-based rival parties of propagating the spread of Islamophobia in Malaysia. Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (ABIM) president Amidi Abdul Manan said statements made recently by both MCA and DAP leaders were in complete disregard for the sensitivities of Islam and the hudud law, the religious criminal code that prescribes, among others, the amputation of hands as punishment for theft. He accused both parties of using the hudud issue to garner political support from the country's non-Muslims ahead of the coming general election. "If the situation persists and is not looked upon, the phenomena of Islamophobia which mirrors the unsteady relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims around the world will spread to the country," Amidi warned today in a press statement. He strongly emphasised that Islam would not deny the rights and freedom of non-Muslims and this assertion was clearly outlined in Islamic jurisprudence. "Hence, any attempt to polemicize Islamic law (hudud) to create prejudice among non-Muslims should be stopped," he urged. "Instead, all parties should be prepared to understand this (law) to prevent misunderstanding among society," he added. Amidi said his organisation is extending offers to clarify the issue in the forms of discussion, as well as academic and scholarly discourse. "ABIM is also set to hold a series of explanatory discourse with the public, especially the non-Muslim communities," he said. Yesterday, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim described the incessant focus on hudud and Islamic state issues in the mainstream media as Barisan Nasional's "last desperate attempt" to deflect from its own corruption and abuses. The opposition leader said BN was attempting to sow racial and religious strife as well as "intimidate" voters with reminders of racial unrest, via the media outlets its parties own in the run-up to the general election. The BN-friendly media has also been highlighting the disparate stances of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners DAP and PAS on the emotive issues: The former opposes the Islamic state and penal code that the latter aspires to realise. Last week, influential former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that PAS could realise its goal to set up an Islamic state and enforce hudud if it joined Umno, in a bid to woo the Islamist party to BN's side. His remarks came in the wake of a recent controversy after religious conservatives, including the state muftis of Pahang and Perak, dubbed the DAP "kafir harbi" or belligerent infidels for its consistent opposition to hudud, dragging PAS and PKR into a heated debate. The controversy prompted PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang to rise to its ally's defence, pointing out that while the DAP opposed hudud, Umno had already rejected its implementation. Hudud and the Islamic state were two issues that tore asunder the fledgling Barisan Alternatif — the precursor to the present day PR — following Election 1999, when DAP and PAS went their separate ways after failing to reach a compromise. But the focus on the two issues has also put the spotlight on the mixed messages sent by BN. Umno has often courted PAS by offering to help it realise its Islamic state aim, while MCA openly rejects hudud and any form of Islamic rule.
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| Posted: 25 Aug 2012 02:51 PM PDT
Low-income earners have been suffocated by car loans. The Insolvency Department recorded 116,379 bankruptcy cases in the country between 2005 and April 2012. Some 25 per cent of them were due to debts over vehicle loans, with 2,000 below the age of 25. Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew I returned to my hometown during the Hari Raya holiday and the highway was filled with cars on my way back. It is a common traffic landscape in Malaysia during festive holidays. If there is a high-speed rail in Peninsula, I believe that many would not choose to drive. Underdeveloped transportation causes crowded highways during long public holidays and the people would have to pay the of fuel consumption, environment pollution and accelerating the process of turning the country into a net oil importer. The surge in the number of road vehicles and the underdeveloped public transport are due to the unsound National Automotive Policy (NAP). The government has exerted great efforts to develop and protect national cars and thus, not keen in upgrading the public transport system, particularly in developing high-speed rail. Moreover, in addition to protecting national cars, the government also earns a great amount of income from car excise duty. Each imported car contributes at least RM10,000 to the Treasury and the government earns RM7 billion each year. The government does not impose restriction to limit car purchase. There are more and more tolled highways but the traffic is increasingly crowded. If the number of vehicles in Kuala Lumpur is not limited, even the Mass Rapid Transit Corp (MRT) project would not be able to solve traffic problems in the capital. It was reported recently that one of the main focuses of the upcoming NAP might include car price reduction in the next three or four years. However, the credibility of the report is not high if we calculate based on the benefits the government gets from car duties. In fact, car price reduction has long been speculated but it always ended up as the wolf crying story due to the protection of national cars and other factors. The previous NAP only increased the automotive industry incentives but did not touch the status of national cars. The car price reduction rumour this time might be related to the Pakatan Rakyat's commitment of relaxing car excise duty after taking over the office. Low-income earners have been suffocated by car loans. The Insolvency Department recorded 116,379 bankruptcy cases in the country between 2005 and April 2012. Some 25 per cent of them were due to debts over vehicle loans, with 2,000 below the age of 25. The BN government might adopt other strategies to compete with the car price reduction commitment of the Pakatan Rakyat and it is unlikely to narrow the price gap between national and imported cars, to avoid setting a blow to national car sales, which has already been falling, and related industries. Moreover, reducing car prices will affect the situation as a whole. Car loan borrowers might end up overpaying the bank after the fall of car marker values. Comprehensive consideration is necessary for the adjustment of the NAP. It must not only protect national cars and duty revenues, but at the same time, also solve the people's problem, including developing the public transport system to lighten the people's heavy burden of car loans. Deviation in the NAP would also lead to the waste of resources. For example, bus services in Putrajaya gained less than RM2 million of annual income, causing them to suffer a loss of RM18 million each year. Ultimately, the government would be the one who pays the bill. In addition, the government also approved a RM400 million fund to help stage bus operators which are finding it difficult to continue with their services in various states. For ordinary citizens, food, clothing, housing and transportation are the basic necessities of life and thus, it is the government's responsibility to solve the people's traffic problems.
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| ‘Mahathir, you have not triumphed’ Posted: 25 Aug 2012 02:38 PM PDT Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad may have been aiming 'a tad too high' when he likened himself with 'dictators' such as Mubarak, Hitler, Marcos and Gaddafi. CT Ali, FMT "Saya ingin tahu daripada pelawat ke blog saya tentang apakah yang saya telah lakukan semasa saya menjadi Perdana Menteri Malaysia yang menjadi bukti bahawa saya adalah seorang Diktator." – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Mahathir in his posting 'Diktator' recently asked readers of his blog Che Det, (of which this writer is one) for reasons why he has been unceremoniously dubbed a dictator. He mentions Mubarak, Hitler, Marcos, Ceausescu, Mussolini, Gaddaffi and Saddam Hussein – all dictators of ill repute, notorious and certainly of dubious prominence but may I humbly suggest to Tun Mahathir that maybe he might be aiming a tad too high when linking himself to these dictators. Any one of them would easily rate a mention in the top 20 dictators in our lifetime. Unfortunately Mahathir may, at most, be mentioned as a dictator by the DAP Rocket and few other bloggers. He flatters himself by thinking that he is in their company. These days he does seem bothered about what people write about him…visions of mortality perhaps. Let's start from the beginning – from the time when he was a doctor and had to have the biggest car around and a Chinese driver! Right from that time in his life Mahathir was already into making it known that he could afford a big car and a Chinese driver! But then as now, who really cares? His next memorable work was the writing of his book the Malay Dilemma – and we know what that was all about. Insecure Mahathir My first memory of Mahathir's time as Prime Minister was his insistence that all government servants use a name tag. Who can forget that Lat cartoon about that civil servant with a name tag right across his chest! I mention all this because it gives us an idea of what kind of person this Mahathir is. A very insecure little man who seeks attention and recognition from others with grand empty supercilious gesture that falls short of any real substance. There are always a few of these 'Walter Mitty' types in our midst. A Walter Mitty is "an ordinary, often ineffectual person who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs" Our tragedy is that this ordinary, ineffectual person who indulges in fantastic daydreams of personal triumphs became our Prime Minister! He had grand designs. This 'almost a Malay' used the most fundamental tools – education and all government machinery under his control – to try and establish 'his' Malay race as the first amongst equals in our nation. Ustaz Reduan Tee said even as a Chinese, he stills champions the Malay! Mahathir, an 'almost Malay' This daydream of his never became a reality as evident in the situation the Malays find themselves in today – never an equal among the other races and always the 'Johnny-come-lately' behind the Chinese. But it did okay for Mahathir, his family and his cronies. They are rich beyond their dreams – at our expense. For Mahathir, his family and his cronies are the proof that his grand design for Ketuanan Melayu has been achieved! Yes it has Tun Mahathir but at whose expense? This 13th GE will be a defining moment in our nation but it has a historical before and after. Umno is now facing the real possibility of defeat at the polls and this is because of the historical before! The 'historical before' of what 22 years of Mahathir rule has turned Umno and Barisan Nasional into – a corrupt, arrogant and isolated political entity that is unable to understand the aspiration of its own people. The 'historical after' is what we are trying to achieve with Pakatan Rakyat – change for the better.
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