Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Anwar's Sabah Pandora Box
- Mahasiswa Pasca ‘Listen, Listen, Listen’
- Age of Gemini?
- Wife of YB Wong Ho Leng blasts own party for failure to provide financial support for brain ...
- KL112 and a new Malaysian identity?
- RCI proceedings: Facing up to the truth of where Malaysians come from
- Pakatan Rakyat Is Sending A Message That They Do Not Need The Indian Votes
- Budak diherdik dengan panggilan ‘keling bodoh’
- KJ John, You do Yourself an Injustice
- Anwar: Exorcising The Ghost of His Umno Past
- All In The Name of God
| Posted: 21 Jan 2013 06:04 PM PST When PKR, PAS and DAP made headway in the 2008 general election, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed it is peoples' uprising or kebangkitan rakyat.  Having made regular trips to Sabah since the 1990s, more had been learnt and appreciated of Sabah and Sabahans. They are nice, friendly and embracing people. It is their politics and politicians that is problematic. Since the 90s, their politicians have been spewing views that does not serve our nation building objective with their insular-themed slogan Sabah for Sabahans; us-against-them attitude behind the complains and accusation of oppression against the federal government; infringement of the "mythical" 20 point agreements; and call for cessation out of Malaysia. It also does not reflect the aspiration or the attitude of the Sabahans. Our friend, whose married to a Sabahan from Keningau and wish to retire in Sabah, refused to believe Sabahans wants to opt out of Malaysia to be either an independent state or part of Indonesia or Phillipines or Brunei. At the people-to-people level, Sabahan are more open and accept the presence of Semenanjung people in Sabah than perhaps a Kelantanis to non-Kelantanis Semenanjung. Without Semenanjungs, Sabahan could not fill-up basic positions like teachers, soldiers, police, fireman, and nurses to enable such public services available to the people. Even the Universities and colleges need Semenanjungs to fill the positions of lecturers. Sabahan could only fill up only one third of University Malaysia Sabah's annual enrollments. Some private colleges in Sabah cannot get sufficient enrollment despite the more relaxed entry requirement for Sabahans. More than the politicians realised, there had been marked increase in interactions and integration between Sabah and Semenanjung. There are quite a high number of inter marriage and migration between Sabahan and Semenanjung. Notice the packed LCCT and filled up flights to and from Sabah on weekend. Some of the more national outlook Sabahan realised they can rely on the Semananjung better than their Sabah politicians. The business community viewed the politicians as having raped the state dry. They understand Sabah need to maintain good relation with the federal government as they rebuild their economy away from forestry into other sectors like agriculture or tourism. Political Defection The RCI on illegal immigrants can be traced to the era of Sabah political turmoil of the trio-Chief Ministers of Tun Mustapha-Harris Sallah-Pairin Kitingan.  Harris formed UPKO and later turned it into multiracial BERJAYA. He was the party's first president in 1973. By collaborating with then Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Fuad Stephen who resigned to join BERJAYA, they managed to wrest from USNO. Tun Fuad became Sabah's Chief Minister again as it's fifth Chief Minister. However he died in a place crash in June 1976 and Harris replaced him as Sabah's sixth Chief Minister. Few years before the 1984 state election, Harris faced challenge to his leadership. However, he managed to win the 1984 state election winning 44 out of the 48 seats. His actions against his challengers prior to the 1984 state election resulted in few Kadazan assemblymen and supporters led by Dato Joseph Pairin Kitingan to leave BERJAYA and form Parti bersatu Sabah (PBS). left with only 4 of the 48 seats, he dissolved the state assembly and called for a state election in 1985. BERJAYA lost power to PBS and Pairin became 7th Chief Minister of Sabah. Read more in Wikipedia here. Many believed the problem of Harris was his temperament and leading to a dictatorial habit, the same accusation he made of the man he opposed before, Tun Mustapha.  He won the seat in the 1976 state election under the BERJAYA party ticket and was subsequently appointed as Minister in Harris cabinet. The extract from Wikipedia here, below: Over time, Joseph Pairin became disillusioned with the party's leadership, and opposed some of the party's policies. He felt that the party had deviated from its original struggle. He however, remained firm with the party and subsequently, he was forced to leave the ruling party coalition in 1984. Leadership In December 1984, he challenged as an Independent candidate against the ruling party to defend his seat in the Tambunan by-election. His leadership in a state within a federation which had the official religion of Islam, was also questioned because of his religion. The ruling party, which was a component of the Barisan Nasional, Malaysia's ruling coalition, had no qualms in using the sensitive race card issues which is something that is generally shunned in a multi-racial country (state). Joseph Pairin easily won and defended his seat with significant majority. In March 1985, Joseph Pairin Kitingan formed Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) or United Sabah Party. Despite overwhelming odds, he succeeded in registering PBS as a political party in the eleventh hour; thus paving the way for the party to contest against the incumbent state government in the Sabah state election, 1985 in April. Berjaya and the United Sabah National Organization (USNO) joined forces to win the 1985 election, but after riots by BN followers, the newly formed coalition between Berjaya and USNO was dissolved giving PBS the majority government.[2] Pairin was sworn in as the seventh Chief Minister of the state of Sabah. He held the post of Sabah Chief Minister from April 1985 to March 1994, during which he spearheaded his party's triumphant outings in four successive state elections (1985, 1986, 1990 and 1994). In the 1994 state election, PBS won the election, however shortly after being announced the winner, almost all PBS assemblymen defected to Barisan Nasional. Pairin was not allowed to be sworn in as Chief Minister. Tun Sakaran Dandai of UMNO was then sworn to be the eighth Chief Minister of Sabah.[3]An important point from the Wikipedia on PBS, here as extracted below: PBS formed the state government after winning the 1985 state elections and governed Sabah from 1985 to 1994. Following the 1986 Sabah riots, PBS joined the Barisan Nasional coalition after winning the May 1986 state election.[1] However, on the eve of the July 1990 state election, PBS pulled out of the coalition[1] and won the state election for a third time. It also won the 1994 state elections by a narrow margin. However, numerous defections occurred as many PBS representatives switched allegiance to the then opposition Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition before PBS were even able to form a new state government; these politicians were nicknamed katak, which means frogs in Malay. PBS subsequently rejoined the BN coalition in 2002, ending any form of opposition as BN fully occupied the state legislature and returning Sabah to the rule of the BN coalition that holds the federal parliament.From the historical brief, PBS was never robbed of power through the ballot box. But through the Sabah styled political manouvre of Sabah UMNO. Thus, there is no real basis to accuse the naturalisation of illegal immigrants exercise as the cause for denying PBS the much due power. PBS lost power in Sabah not because of any alleged electoral manipulation of the 1994 state election but due to defection. The exercise had no impact to the election outcome. Interestingly, the post election defection by Pairin in 1984 became the same manouvre replicated by Sabah UMNO to deny PBS power in 1994.
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| Mahasiswa Pasca ‘Listen, Listen, Listen’ Posted: 21 Jan 2013 10:02 AM PST "Be curious. Read widely. Try new things. I think a lot of what people call intelligence just boils down to curiosity." - Aaron Swartz (1986-2013). Swartz, pengasas bersama Reddit.com, bertanggungjawab mencipta kod RSS ketika berumur 14 tahun. Dia kemudiannya memimpin Demand Progress, pertubuhan aktivis yang mencabar undang-undang anti cetak rompak SOPA/PIPA yang dirangka oleh US Congress. Pada 2008, beliau mencipta sebuah program yang membolehkan orang awam memuat turun sehingga 20 juta fail dari laman PACER dan sekitar 4.8 juta fail akademik dari laman Jstor secara percuma. Beberapa hari yang lalu, saya menulis sebuah surat terbuka kepada saudari Sharifah Zohra Jabeen Syed Shah Miskin. Saya menulis kerana rasa sedih terhadap perkembangan dunia akademik serta hak mahasiswa yang telah dilanggar dengan begitu angkuh sekali. Dan perkara yang membuatkan saya paling kecewa ialah kerana ribuan mahasiswa Melayu-Islam bertepuk tangan ketika hak seorang mahasiswa India untuk bertanya dan memberikan pendapat dinafikan dengan cara yang paling naif sekali.
We Are All Sharifah Zohra Untuk mereka yang membaca lapis makna diantara surat tersebut, mereka akan dapat memahami tujuan saya menulis surat tersebut. Saya menulis bukan dengan niat untuk menanti balasan dari saudari Sharifah atau mahukan surat tersebut dibaca oleh beliau. Saya menulis dengan harapan mahasiswa akan bangkit dan sedar dari penjara indoktrinasi ideologi yang selama ini memenjarakan mereka. Insiden 'Listen, Listen, Listen' ini sebenarnya bukan isu baharu. Semenjak Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad memperkenalkan AUKU pada 1971, sistem 'Listen, Listen, Listen' ini dipasangkan ke dalam minda kita tanpa sedar. Hasilnya setelah 40 tahun indoktrinasi, ciri-ciri seperti 'bongkak', 'tidak peduli' dan 'menurut arahan' memang telah menjadi sebahagian dari budaya dan DNA kita. Foucault di dalam makalahnya 'Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison' (1975) menyatakan tentang kesan utama 'Panoticism'ialah untuk memastikan banduan kekal dalam keadaan sedar tentang fungsi automatik kuasa ke atas mereka. Di dalam penjara berbentuk 'Panoptic' (mengambil konsep Jeremy Bentham), banduan sedar diri mereka diperhatikan melalui menara tanpa mengetahui siapa di dalam menara tersebut. Foucault menegaskan penjara sebagai mekanisme disiplin paling penting untuk meng-ilustrasikan disiplin sebagai alat kepada kuasa. Melalui operator menara yang dikenali sebagai 'anonymous power', mekanisme pemantauan kekal tidak dikenali seterusnya memastikan projek ini efisien. Realitinya di Malaysia, saya melihat menara sebagai Hal Ehwal Pelajar (HEP) universiti, operator menara sebagai Menteri dari Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi serta model penjara 'panopticon' sebagai AUKU dan mahasiswa kekal berada di dalam sel-sel penjara. Tidak sukar untuk membuktikan perkara ini. Buka Facebook dan selongkar akaun rasmi persatuan mahasiswa universiti tempatan. Perbincangan mereka seringkali berkisar soal parking, asrama, harga makanan di cafetaria ataupun kursus kahwin. Untuk aktivis peringkat lebih tinggi, mereka berpolitik partisan pula. Saya tidak katakan perkara ini tidak bagus, tetapi mahasiswa harus sedar bahawa masyarakat lebih memerlukan mereka ketika mereka sibuk berpersatuan untuk mengadakan kursus kahwin. Ironi bukan? Tidak gemar orang lain menyuarakan pendapat, tidak gemar perbahasan berat, sukakan perkara remeh temeh seperti 'kucing ada masalah, anjing boleh menggonggong' serta tidak suka mendengar pendapat orang lain; kita semua sebenarnya sama seperti Kak Listen. We Are All Sharifah Zohra.
'Slacktivist' & Budaya pop Apa yang berlaku sebenarnya hanyalah gambaran kecil kepada masalah besar isu kebebasan akademik dan mahasiswa. Masyarakat lebih gemar menuntut permohonan maaf dari saudari Sharifah daripada melihat kepada 2300 mahasiswa lain yang berada di dalam dewan dan bertepuk tangan. Kita bersikap reaktif lebih pantas daripada kita muhasabah sikap dan masalah kita sendiri. Dalam situasi ini, apa gunanya jika saudari Sharifah membuat permohonan maaf sekalipun? Apakah selepas itu aktivis Twitter, pejuang Facebook dan semua 'slacktivist' ini akan kembali melayari laman Zalora.com, berkongsi fakta kucing melalui butang 'share' atau sibuk ketawa dengan 9gag.com dan kembali tidak peduli kepada masalah asas ketidakpedulian di kalangan mahasiswa? Anak muda hanya mengambil kesempatan terhadap isu-isu sebegini untuk mensensasikan keadaan tanpa mengambil pengajaran darinya. Bermula dari insiden Adam Adli, demonstrasi mansuhkan PTPTN sehingga isu Kak Listen, hampir tiada satu gerakan terancang dijalankan oleh mahasiswa untuk mengubah norma dan cara berfikir di kalangan mahasiswa. Sampai bila mahasiswa akan terus-terusan mabuk dilambung ombak budaya pop sebegini?
Projek Dialog vs Projek Pembodohan Penting sekali agar isu Kak Listen vs Bawani ini diperhalusi oleh setiap pemimpin mahasiswa di peringkat universiti serta gerakan-gerakan mahasiswa bersifat partisan atau non partisan dari segi ideologi dan 'substance' lebih dari bentuk material yang mereka lihat. Penghinaan fizikal yang dialami oleh Bawani sebenarnya menggambarkan betapa rancu dan rosaknya sistem hak asasi yang selama ini dipegang oleh pihak berkuasa dan diperlakukan sesuka hati oleh mereka. Mahasiswa harus melihat isu ini dari sudut 'the oppressed and the oppressor' [yang tertindas dan yang menindas]. Paling penting indoktrinasi yang melibatkan penderaan mental ini akan menyebabkan mahasiswa tidak boleh berfikir sendiri sehingga sanggup menepuk tangan beramai-ramai ketika pendapat rakannya diperlekehkan. Paling serius, idea pendidikan percuma Bawani diperlekeh hanya menggunakan analogi haiwan 1 Malaysia, di dalam institusi pengajian tinggi dengan tepukan dan sorakan dari rakan-rakannya – 'the so called intellectual'! Read more at: http://www.projekdialog.com/featured/mahasiswa-pasca-listen-listen-listen/ | ||||
| Posted: 20 Jan 2013 03:41 PM PST
For a start, I have been flabbergasted by the new G-Ds of 'truth' where shadowy figures, after being rinsed, baptised and sanctified, become personalities of absolute credibility, ... ... where for example, as per the case of the second SD accusing Najib Razak of being involved sexually with the murdered Mongolian, Altantuyaa Shariibuu, we have Mr Americk Singh Sidhu pronouncing that lawyer Arunapalam (who accompanied Perumal Balasubramaniam in releasing the 2nd SD) was not responsible for drafting that follow-up SD. Now, Mr Americk Singh Sidhu is one of society's most leading, if not the most leading, civic-conscious lawyers. He is a member of, he assured us, a 'noble' profession - the profession of lawyers, that is. And just on that score alone - correction, on those scores by themselves (his eminence as a civic-conscious citizen and as a member of a 'noble' profession), we can without further investigation accept his words as virtually gospel truth ... ... apart from the fact we would have also accepted Mr Arunalparam's words from the noble lawyer himself ... ... but as would have it, Mr Americk Singh Sidhu gob-smacked me with the reason for his assertion (of Arunalpalam not being the drafter of the 2nd SD), by stating: "We now know Arunalpalam didn't draft or prepare that second SD. Deepak has said so." "Deepak said so!" Amazing! And there you have it, in clear unambiguous emphatic terms. The new G-D had thus spoken, and thus must be believed.
Indeed, as I had posted in B-D, the new G-D of 'Truth' ... Mr Deepak Jaikishan is now the very fount of truth, and if you don't disagree with me on this for whatever reasons, please have a bit of faith lah. Hey man, to reiterate, Mr Deepak is the very epitome of credibility, integrity and reliability and various other '-bilities' where he now possesses a fresh sweet smelling persona like a newly washed, rinsed, starched, blued and expertly ironed gleaming white shirt. Mr Deepak Jaikishan is one of the new G-D's of 'truth'. But even a G-D of 'truth' needs some form of immunity from a future Pakatan government for telling us his 'truth'. I hope PKR is and I heard PAS might well be looking into this. There have been all sorts of scurrilous rumours that Deepak and the ex IGP have been whistle blowing because (a) they want to twist arms for more whatever while the gravy train is still chugging along, (b) they are positioning themselves to look after their own skin in view of a new Pakatan government after GE-13, and (c) they might well be truly civic conscious citizens who want to bring down UMNO and help PKR. Surely we can't have these sort of scurrilous rumours corrupting our new G-D's of 'truth' other than the last, to wit, they are truly civic conscious citizens who want to bring down UMNO and help PKR. Incidentally, one man who might be able to help clarify or enlighten us on the 'truth' behind the Altantuyaa case has somehow slipped repetitively under the radar, mind you, through no fault of his but our negligence. He is none other than our dear Yang Berhormat Encik Sivarasa Rasiah (PKR).
Sivarasa has been one of the common denominators in both SD's, the second case only indirectly by virtue of him acting as Mr Deepak's lawyer (a most noble profession). By leaving dear YB Sivarasa out of our occasional querying-postings, we have been grossly remiss, missing golden opportunities to probe deeper and more substantially into the circumstances surrounding the SD's by not having him enlighten us, right from the case's very genesis in a Bangsar pub (was it The Backyard?). Anyway, moving on with strange and stranger stuff happening as we approach GE-13.
We now have a MIC man virtually prancing in front of us a la MGR wakakaka, a regular Puratchi Thalaivar sprouting criticisms against Mahathir and other questionable BN stuff, acting as if he was the reincarnation of a once-PKR Gobalakrishnan, wakakaka - see The Malaysia Insider's Dr M's racist rants 'destroying' BN's image, says MIC man and Free Malaysia Today's Stop Perkasa or lose votes, warns MIC I guess when your party has nothing left to lose, being already at rock bottom wakakaka, you can be braver than those mute MCA and Gerakan parties, wakakaka.
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| Wife of YB Wong Ho Leng blasts own party for failure to provide financial support for brain ... Posted: 20 Jan 2013 12:22 PM PST Irene is upset because she related that the family spent over AUD 40,000 (equivalent to RM124,000) in the initial treatment and diagnosis for Wong last month. The current treatment regime of radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment in Singapore for the next six weeks is expected to cost at least SGD 60,000 (equivalent to RM150,000) and if brain surgery by way of the latest cyber knife surgery is performed to remove the brain tumour, then the cost per surgery session will be an additional SGD30,000 (equivalent to RM70,000). This does not include the costs of lodging, subsistence and transport for the family, especially Irene who will be with her husband throughout the entire treatment period in Singapore. The first phase of treatment is for a period of six weeks and thereafter after an intermission period of 3 weeks for review and evaluation, Wong may be required to undergo second phase treatment for another six weeks. The total cost of related to the medical treatment for Wong may easily hit SGD 200,000 (equivalent to RM500,000) over the next three months. "Wong is only 53 years old and we have 5 children – 4 of them are still in school and college and universities and hence our financial resources are already very strained. His legal practice suffered after he was elected as the MP for Sibu because he is unable to concentrate full-time on his legal practice which is our main source of income for the family. As a DAP MP, he is expected to contribute a portion of his allowance to the party and more of often than not, the allowance itself is not sufficient to pay for all the related expenses of serving the people as an MP. Every month we have to top up another RM10,000 as additional expenses for serving the people and maintaining our Service Centres," Irene said. She further said, "During the Sibu by-election and the Sarawak State election last year, we used up almost all of our personal savings of RM700,000 for campaign expenses as there was very little support from DAP HQ. Then we begged the Foo Chow clansmen and businessmen for donations and financial aid and we managed to raise over RM10 million from friends, relatives and well-wishers…I think we probably spent about RM4 million from that amount but the rest seemed to have been transferred from DAP Sarawak and disappeared into the party coffers in DAP HQ and we have no access to the funds…And now Wong is sick and we need money for his medical treatment and all that Guan Eng can say or do is that the party will support us morally and help service the constituency…Where is the humanitarian support to us in this time of difficulty? Not a single sen coming out from the party after all that we have done and achieved for the party. Shame on you Guan Eng."
Read more at: http://dapinsider.com/?p=552
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| KL112 and a new Malaysian identity? Posted: 19 Jan 2013 03:49 PM PST Myths – stories, memories and symbols – provide the basis for the narratives that create, forge or reaffirm identities. These are especially crucial in periods of critical transformation and/or when societies are undergoing a crisis of identity. Jose Luis Borges noted that the past and the future inhibit the present. In the context of the KL112, PR is representing the present by connecting to a more glorious Malaysian past and the promise of a more glorious future. But why is PR now the purveyor of hope, a realm that was firmly in the hands of UMNO with visions of grandeur and Malaysians, Malays and Muslims being world beaters. The reasons are multifaceted and many are known with incompetence, mismanagement and corruption by the ruling regime being often touted as the main reasons. It could also be that Malaysia and Malaysians are undergoing an identity crisis. This crisis of identity came to surface with the twin economic and political crisis: the East Asian Financial Crisis (EAFC) of 1997/98 and the political and social fall-out as a consequence of the sacking and the subsequent brutal and humiliating treatment of then Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. While the May 13, 1969 pogrom scarred Malaysians in the way the different races – especially between the [older] Malays and Chinese – related to each other, many Malaysians, especially Malay-Muslims saw UMNO and the government in a different light after these twin crises. The popular Deputy Prime Minister who was to many Malay-Muslims, an icon of how Islam (and Muslims) can co-exist, even thrive in and with modernity felt terribly bitter in the manner he was treated. To the Malays, it was argued that a sacred feudalistic social contract had been breached. More importantly and pragmatically, the EAFC brought down to earth UMNO and Malay-Muslim pride that were then running on a can-do attitude captured through slogans such as 'Malaysia Boleh', 'Melayu Baru','Melayu Korporat' and rising bank balances (let alone the sole right to lead Malaysia). A cataclysmic crisis to an artificially created race that was always insecure and unsure of themselves. Difference between opposition public demonstrations and BN's and the creation of identities Several simple but important observations can be made of the public demonstrations by PR in contrast to the ruling regime. A united message – While the BN is in disarray with its 1Malaysia slogan that has lead to a series of debacles, ridicules and outright rejection at the highest levels of administration, PR through a series of broad based public demonstrations either in supportive or leading roles, have been instrumental in forging a new identity focusing on what is wrong in Malaysia. What this identity is precisely remains unclear and subject to different interpretations, but nevertheless it is bringing Malaysians genuinely together, united in opposing the regime. People and issue focused – Another important difference is that the mass gatherings manufactured by the BN are always about support of or for its leader/s and its leadership. The public demonstrations organised by PR and civil society are about issues that matter to Malaysians. Personalities do matter, but primary importance is to the issues. Malaysians are not spending their money, braving retribution from the government, risk limbs and jobs just to hear leaders of PR and/or civil society talk – they are there to make a point about issues that matter to them. And these issues are serious enough for Malaysians often characterised as docile and lackadaisical to come out of their comfort zones. A sense of purpose – this is possibly the most important point in the creation of identities. While BN organises events which do not have any meaningful sense of purpose for its participants, the public demonstrations are driven by a sense of purpose. This is critical in validating the myth. Broad sections of Malaysians – whole families, young and the old, workers and students, blue and white collar, Peninsular and East Malaysians, conservatives and progressives, leaders and followers – all have a sense of purpose. And when they're sprayed with chemically-treated water, tear-gassed or baton-charged, there is now a badge of courage, a shared myth, ridiculed by the mainstream media and elected leaders, a story is to be told. The story becomes a myth and a shared identity. It does not matter if they are a Keadilan, a PAS, a DAP, a PSM supporter or the various civil society and grass-roots movements, or the different races, or Malaysians making a stand on a myriad of issues. There is a story – a same story to be told. No BN member has anything that comes close. The last time was in 1946, when UMNO marched against the Malayan Union. A nation of equals – And remarkably, there is an air of egalitarianism. Among the speakers at the KL112 other than the political party leaders, were two women from minority races, representative from East Malaysia and grassroots leaders. The time given for each speaker were almost equally distributed. PR leadership did not have exclusive rights to the speeches but was shared with civil society and grassroots leaders. There was no emphasis on any particular party – PAS, DAP, PKR or PSM had almost equal time, with Anwar Ibrahim of PKR, designate Prime Minister, having the last word. BN's events in turn are always focused on the leaders and on one particular individual (and often on his wife). Whether it's a walk-about, or a teh-tarik session, or a mass rally – it is and always is – about the leader. Myths created, question and shattered Operasi Lalang catalysed civil societies in Malaysia but it was Reformasi that provided Malaysians opposed to the ruling regime with a shared myth that was different from the existing grand narrative. While many Malaysians lost their innocence (or belief) in UMNO, BN and their government, many Malaysians were also given the opportunity to work together to form a new 'identity' against the existing narrative. This grand narrative is two-fold: that Malaysians due to their racial and religious differences are incapable of managing themselves; and that only UMNO through BN can managed these differences. Since the time of Alliance, even the much loved Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's Father of Independence, had used this narrative. Many Malaysians believe in this myth, and to a large extent, the BN had delivered on this myth – not only managing competing racial and religious demands, but delivering growth, peace and stability.
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| RCI proceedings: Facing up to the truth of where Malaysians come from Posted: 19 Jan 2013 03:44 PM PST The pro-Umno author and blogger Syed Akbar Ali, in a post critiquing the Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah, has argued that it would not be out of place to have a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate why one million immigrants who were mostly Chinese and Indians were given citizenship in Malaya in the 1950s (see his post of 17 Jan 2013). According to him, "surely there must be at least five million Malays on the Peninsula today who may be wondering why or how that particular incident happened? Were they consulted? Was there a public referendum?" He also asserted that "Let's not argue about the fairness. Let's have a RCI first on the issue – how and why 1.0 million Chinese and Indians (including my mamak gang of course) were given citizenship." He may have made his proposal provocatively or tongue-in-cheek but a variant of it has appeared as one of the lines of defence used by the former prime minister in justifying the distribution of identity cards to foreigners and their registration as voters in Sabah. According to Dr Mahathir Mohamed , "One should also look back and remember that Tunku Abdul Rahman was worse than me, he gave one million to citizenships to people who are not qualified and not even tested". "Why is it when he does it, it is not wrong, and when I do it, it's wrong?" he asked. Dr Mahathir's response has drawn widespread derision since his remarks have appeared in the Internet media. His was not only a shallow attempt to divert attention away from his role in this unconstitutional operation by playing up to the chauvinistic feelings of the Malay audience. He also chose to malign a deceased prime minister in his attempt to get off the hook for masterminding the massive influx of illegal immigrants into Sabah. There is no comparison between the widely-publicized citizenship deal for non-Malay residents who became citizens of the country based on the principle of jus soli and the surreptitious citizenship-gifting racket that Mahathir and his gang ran. One was open, transparent and agreed to by all the major political stakeholders in the country, including the Rulers. The other was underhand, opaque, known to only a small group of conspirators and objectionable to the citizens of Sabah and the country as a whole. For anyone to suggest that this recent (and other similar) political gifting of citizenship is equivalent to that which was carefully negotiated to secure our independence is to scale new heights of political expediency, if not idiocy. It is necessary amidst the scorn poured on Dr Mahathir to note that he is correct in pointing out that the inflow of people from the southern Philippines into Sabah is not a recent phenomenon. The free movement of people in that region is indeed part of a long historical trend. But this free movement was ended by the establishment of the two new nation states –Malaysia and the Philippines. As a key figure in protecting our national interest – a responsibility which he swore to uphold when he accepted the position of prime minister – Mahathir should be the first to recognize the difference between the unrestricted movement of people during the pre-colonial and pre-Independence period and the illegal influx that he authorized. The RCI hearing may yet bring out new discouraging disclosures on the way the former prime minister abused his power to ensure a decisive electoral advantage for the Barisan Nasional and how he sought to prolong his rule over the country by unfair means. While we may not be able to do anything to revoke the illegal citizenship papers provided to non-Malaysians by the Mahathir regime, amidst all the gloom however, there is perhaps one positive development that we might console ourselves with. This is that we are indeed a nation of migrants with the latest large scale influx of Indonesians, Filipinos and other non-Malaysia migrants – illegal or otherwise – adding to the diversity of the country. Nearly 80 years ago, R. Emerson, in his classic work, Malaysia: A Study in Direct and Indirect Rule, noted the large size of alien communities as "an admirable index of the extent to which the Malayan way of life has been superseded by the new economy" (Pustaka Ilmu edition, University of Malaya Press, 1964, p.195)
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| Pakatan Rakyat Is Sending A Message That They Do Not Need The Indian Votes Posted: 19 Jan 2013 12:02 PM PST
1. Pakatan Rakyat Banggi district council impose a ruling that after 6 pm the Hindu Temple in Banggi cannot ring the bell ! 2. Why must Pakatan Rakyat fail to understand the significance of ringing the bell in the Hindu Temple ?The Bell, known in Sanskrit as the Ghanta/Ghanti is used in all poojas for invoking the Gods. The ringing of the bell produces what is regarded as an auspicious sound. It produces the sound Om, the universal name of the Lord. There should be auspiciousness within and without, to gain the vision of the Lord who is all-auspiciousness.Another significance of ringing the bell is that they help drown any inauspicious or irrelevant noises and comments that might disturb or distract the worshippers in their devotional ardor (dedication), concentration and inner peace. 3. It is the Hindu culture and ritual that is practise all around the world. Why must Pakatan Rakyat be so rude and be disrespectful to the Indian community? 4. Just about some time ago Pakatan Rakyat in Kedah is trying to be funny with our Malaysian Chinese Chinese New Year Celebration and now in Selangor they are trying to do the same to the Indian/Hindu community? We must not forget that earlier Pakatan Rakyat in Sepang also had went into a private property and snatch people Hindu shrine and now with this latest rude and disrespectful ruling are they actually sending a message that they do not need our votes ? Read more at: http://1sya.com/?p=4497
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| Budak diherdik dengan panggilan ‘keling bodoh’ Posted: 18 Jan 2013 03:27 PM PST Beberapa minggu yang lalu, saya telah membawa anak-anak ke taman permainan berhampiran tempat tinggal kami. Taman permainan itu agak luas. Di satu sudut, terdapat alatan permainan kanak-kanak – gelungsur, buaian, jongkang-jongket dan sebagainya – manakala di satu sudut lain terdapat tanah lapang yang walaupun tidak begitu luas, cukup untuk kanak-kanak lelaki bermain bolasepak. Saya memang minat bolasepak dan suka melihat telatah kanak-kanak cuba mempamerkan skil masing-masing. Tatkala asyik memerhatikan mereka, saya baru sedar dalam kumpulan budak-budak lelaki sekitar 20 orang itu, terdapat seorang budak lelaki berbangsa India. Yang lain semuanya budak-budak Melayu. Situasi sebegitu bukanlah ganjil sebenarnya. Memang kawasan perumahan itu majoriti penduduknya orang-orang Melayu. Yang ganjil dan amat memeranjatkan saya adalah sikap budak-budak Melayu terhadap budak India tunggal itu. Hampir kesemua mereka memanggilnya "budak keling". Bila dia tersilap tendang, diherdik pula dengan panggilan "keling bodoh". Budak India itu walau bagaimanapun, tetap bersemangat mahu terus bermain. Malangnya dia dipinggirkan. Tidak ada yang mahu menghantar bola kepadanya. Dia cuba juga mengejar sedaya-upaya namun terus dibuli budak-budak yang lain. Tidak cukup dengan itu, tidak putus-putus dia diherdik dengan kata-kata kesat dan menghina. Budak-budak lelaki yang saya perhatikan hari itu semuanya masih kecil. Pada amatan saya, semuanya berumur bawah 15 tahun. Kerana itulah saya terperanjat dengan sikap mereka terutamanya kata-kata kesat yang keluar daripada mulut mereka. Persoalannya, bagaimana mereka mampu bersikap sedemikian? Dalam bidang sosiologi, setiap kelakuan manusia dikaji berdasarkan rangkaian interaksi antara agensi-agensi masyarakat daripada yang paling kecil hingga yang paling besar. Individu itu sendiri adalah agensi yang paling kecil, diikuti dengan ibubapanya, adik-beradik, sanak-saudara, jiran-jiran, guru-guru, tokoh-tokoh dan idola masyarakat, dan akhirnya sesebuah masyarakat itu sendiri secara am. Sukar untuk kita tentukan adakah budak-budak Melayu yang saya ceritakan di atas, sikap dan kelakuan menghina yang mereka tunjukkan itu adalah hasil pengaruh ibubapa atau ahli-ahli keluarga terdekat. Itu hanya boleh ditentukan melalui kajian mikro psikologi personaliti dan psikologi sosial. Namun kita boleh melihat kepada beberapa contoh kelakuan dan sikap di kalangan tokoh-tokoh masyarakat yang jikapun tidak banyak, pasti ada memberi pengaruh dan kesan. Tingkah laku pemimpin masyarakat Pada tahun 2007, ketika menghadiri sebuah program bersama pelajar-pelajar Malaysia di California, Amerika Syarikat, seorang menteri kabinet berbangsa Melayu telah dilaporkan mengeluarkan beberapa ungkapan yang dianggap menghina seorang pelajar berbangsa India. Dalam ucapannya, beliau menerangkan bagaimana pihak penjajah British membawa buruh India ke Tanah Melayu. Seraya berkata demikian, beliau memandang tepat ke arah seorang pelajar India di dalam dewan tersebut lalu berkata "that's how we got Indians in Malaysia" ("kerana sebab itulah di Malaysia ada orang-orang India"). Kemudian, pada tahun 2010, timbul pula laporan bagaimana seorang pengetua sekolah menengah kebangsaan di Johor, ketika berucap dalam perhimpunan khas sempena perayaan Hari Kemerdekaan, dengan lantang berkata pelajar-pelajar Cina tidak diperlukan di sekolah itu. Dicanang beliau agar pelajar-pelajar Cina berpindah ke sekolah Cina atau pulang sahaja ke negara Cina. Kepada pelajar-pelajar India beragama Hindu pula beliau berkata, tali sembahyang yang dipakai di lengan dan di leher umpama tali yang dipakai seekor anjing! Dua contoh di atas adalah contoh kelakuan dan manifesti sikap yang ditonjolkan secara terbuka di khalayak ramai. Bayangkan apakah kata-kata yang mereka hemburkan dalam percakapan harian bersama ahli-ahli keluarga dan rakan-rakan? Pengetua sekolah menengah itu misalnya, kalau begitulah sikap beliau ketika berucap dalam perhimpunan, bayangkan sikap beliau ketika berbual bersama guru-guru (yang majoritinya berbangsa Melayu) atau ketika memarahi pelajar-pelajar berbangsa Cina dan India di pejabatnya? Bayangkan juga bagaimana sikap beliau ini boleh mempengaruhi guru-guru lain yang masih muda dan pelajar-pelajar Melayu di sekolah berkenaan? Read more at: http://english.cpiasia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2470&catid=230&Itemid=193
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| KJ John, You do Yourself an Injustice Posted: 18 Jan 2013 01:41 PM PST This is not surprising to those who are familiar with his writings in Malaysiakini and elsewhere. His political leanings and his anti-government stance are common knowledge. So, this article was written as an attempt to influence others also to follow suit. I don't think anybody would deny KJ John's right to do that. But when he bends the truth to support his arguments, somebody must correct him so that others are not misled. KJ John must stop passing off prejudices as Gospel truth. He must know it is unChristian not to tell the whole truth. It is unChristian not to be grateful for the many blessings he has received as a citizen of Malaysia. I submit the following facts and observations for KJ John to consider. First, KJ John says that if the government had listened to him in 2007, it would have fared better in the 2008 general election. This statement is highly presumptuous. By what stretch of the imagination does he think he is an expert on the complex mix of Malaysian politics? His father was a MIC party leader but KJ John has never been a member of any political party. Second, he says his reason for wanting to vote Pakatan was because BN handled the 'Allah issue' badly. KJ John must have been sleeping these past few months if he has not witnessed the flip-flop stand by Pas (in the PR coalition) over the issue. Get your facts right, KJ John, it was not BN that handled the 'Allah' issue badly, but Pas and DAP. Why is KJ John so obsessed with this issue anyway? What is the real issue here? KJ John, does God not answer you if you do not call him Allah? You know you can call him Elohim, Yahweh, Adonal, Theos, or Kurios, and he listens. Indeed, would God be offended if you just called him Father? God will not be confined to just a few names that have been included in the lexicons of the world's languages. Is there only one word in every language to which God will answer ? The written language is a human construct, not a divine revelation. Would God eventually judge you by your words rather than my your deeds? KJ John, why are you allowing the 'Allah issue' to blind you to all the blessings you have received? You have all the fundamental freedoms to worship as you please, where you please–in your home or in your Church. Indeed you can worship him without restriction. You can worship him, not confined by place, language, sentiment, mood, understanding, vocation, affiliation, inclination, education level, sentiment, clothing, mood, or physical attributes. God listens to everyone who prays to him. Pray tell, KJ John, how have you been deprived, living as you have been in a Malay-majority, Muslim-majority nation all your life? The non-Malays are assured of their rights and privileges as enshrined in the Federal constitution which is a very carefully and cleverly crafted document. The rights and privileges accorded to one race or adherents of one faith are balanced by the rights of other races and religions. Since independence in 1957, the Constitution has been amended about 40 times, but not a single amendment was made to these core provisions. That must prove how the ruling government staunchly protects and upholds the freedoms of the people which they have enjoyed uninterrupted these past 57 years. Third, KJ John, you said in your article, and I quote: "The federal government is still heavily dominated by Malays …(and the government has) been abusing the Malaysians of Sabah and Sarawak, much worse than the White Rajah has ever abused them!" Come on, come on KJ John, a little learning is a dangerous thing, as they say. You don't even know the White Rajahs never ruled Sabah. Also, you have no idea how the White Rajahs treated the people of Sarawak. You were not born then, and were not even a glint in your father's eye. Again, you say, and I quote: "Why is it that after almost 50 years of this willing and voluntary merger (with Malaysia), their position and placement (with rights and privileges) as the bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak, is not better or equal to even the middle 60 percent of the Malay bumiputeras or even in the same category of non-Malays?" KJ John, you are woefully ignorant of the nation's history, of how the Federal Constitution was framed, nor do you have any in-depth knowledge of the events that led to the formation of Malaysia. Please get off your blinkered horse and mix with the people in Sabah and Sarawak. They will enlighten you and fill the gaps in your knowledge.
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| Anwar: Exorcising The Ghost of His Umno Past Posted: 18 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST After all, the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) had just started its work. Or is there something intimate that he knows about Anwar's alleged involvement in the Sabah's immigrant issue that many young Malaysians are not aware of? Older Malaysians who know Anwar from his student days may be less surprised about his many political and social involvements and the evolution that he went through before, during and after his Umno days. Azmin had alleged that the PKR had received information about a plot to implicate Anwar in the on-going inquiry. The Malaysiakini news portal quoted him as saying: "[And] I also received information (the) ultimate goal will relate to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also. "All the problems in this country is burdened on the de-facto leader and we also expect (this)." I would not dare advise Anwar and Azmin, although I knew both of them well during the years that they were the power duo in the Barisan Nasional administration, to acknowledge that they were responsible for some of the key decisions that took place during that period or, at the very least, admit that they were fait accompli. I Know They know What I Know
I was there for all of the 16 years that Anwar was the crown prince of Umno and Azmin, as his principle private secretary, was the envy of many ambitious civil servants and political operators. The braver ones called him names and the gung-ho ones mishandled him. I salute him for his undying loyalty to his boss. In the case of Sabah politics, in which the immigrants play a major socio-economic and political role, Anwar was for many years its key handler. Because he was one of the most trusted and ambitious allies of then Prime Minister, (Tun) Dr Mahathir 'the Wizard' Mohamad , he got to handle not only Sabah politics but also money that went with it – government as well as party money. Being the young leader most closely identified with Dr Mahathir, Anwar was in the thick of all things important and strategic – things that earned him juicy political dividends. Let us not pretend. Since Anwar continues the dream of becoming Malaysia's Prime Minister and has the best shot at it in the coming general election, and Azmin surely would not want to be left far behind, perhaps it is time for them to face the ghost of their Umno and BN past. What is so terribly wrong about it? Anwar would not be where he is today had he remained an Abim leader or opted to join Pas as some of his Abim's contemporaries did. For good or evil, the 16 years that he was in Umno, he gained premium political branding so much so he is today able to sell it to Pas and the DAP. Immigrant Issue Is As Old As the Country Let us be brave and frank. In a way or another, we are all implicated in all issues pertaining to immigration and citizenship. So we should not politicise the work of the RCI for short-term political gains, more so if we are interested to solve the issue once and for all. I remember discussing the issue of Filipino immigrants in Sabah back in 1981 with then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, (Tun) Musa Hitam, while flying with him in a government jet from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu and back.
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| Posted: 17 Jan 2013 12:36 PM PST
Many people do many things all in the name of God. The irony is the very things which they do in the name of God are abhorred by God. Or even prohibited by Him. History will show us that human beings have tortured, maimed and killed each other, all in the name of God. Untold misery and cruelty have been inflicted all in the name of God. Yet, when they speak of God and their religion, they insist that God is most merciful, most compassionate and most forgiving. And their religion is a religion of peace, justice and fairness. In Islam for example, history would show us all that right after the passing of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w., Muslims started arguing on who would be the right candidate to be the Caliph. Then they started killing each other. Until now that is. The Traditionalist was a loose grouping of mainstream conservative schools who called themselves ahli-sunnah-wal-jamaah (the proponents of the Prophet's traditions and consensus). They posit that the Caliph should be elected by the influential members of the community. This was also generally accepted by another group, the Khawarij. The only difference between these two groups was that while the former narrowed the qualification to be a Caliph to just the Quraysh tribe (Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. was from the Quraysh tribe), the Khawarij did not have such qualification. The Khawarij in fact believed that a Caliph may even be removed if he breached his mandate. This general agreement between the two groups however ended at the end of the reign of the 3rd Caliph, Uthman. His successor, Caliph Ali was met with opposition from the Khawarij as they did not agree with Caliph Ali's compromise with the Shi'a. The Shi'a further narrowed the qualification for the Caliphate to the family members of the Prophet in particular, the Prophet's son-in-law, Ali and his descendants. The Shi'a argued that the head of Islam, politically and religiously, being the most important position, must not be left to human consensus and determination and thus must be so restricted. The irony of all these is that God has never ordained that only the Quraysh or the members of the Prophet's family could be a leader in Islam. Soon, of course, they started killing each other. After the 4th Caliphs, namely, Caliph Ali (the first 4 Caliphs in Islam are known as the "Rightly Guided Caliphs"), what originated as a deep political schism, imbued by misplaced tribal ego, resulted in vicious hatred when theological justification was used as political validation. Soon after Caliph Ali, the so-called Islamic leadership or state was reduced into a dynasty, starting with the Ummayad. Caliph Mu'awiya started the Ummayad dynasty which lasted nearly a hundred years. The Abbasid dynasty replaced the Ummayad in Damascus. The slaughter of the Ummayad family in their palace during the "dinner of reconciliation" is well documented. An Ummayad prince was saved from the slaughter when he was smuggled out from the palace. He ended in the Andalus and became Caliph in present-day Spain. Islam thus had two ruling dynasty, namely, the Abbasid ruling from Damascus and later, Baghdad and the Ummayad, ruling from Spain. At this time, Islamic theology flourished, seemingly because of the Caliph's thirst for knowledge and enlightenment. It was during this period – the so-called "Golden Age of Islam" that we saw the rise of "Ilm-al-kalam" (the science of debate). What started as a political schism between the Khawarij, the traditionalist and the Shi'a groups over the right to become Caliph and to rule soon degenerated into a theological teasers that later further degenerated into an inquisition. It was at about this time that a the Mu'tazila or the Rationalists appeared.
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"I heard from Wong complaining to me that the party gave Tony Pua RM1.3 million to produce the stupid Gangnam video for the recent National Convention…my God, they can spend RM1.3 million on videos but they cannot find it in their hearts to give a single sen to us for Wong's medical treatment. The party leadership is truly heartless…"
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