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The flawless wasatiyah?
Suara Interview: The Future of Malays Part 3
Anwar Ibrahim is now Huguan Siou
Sabah, Sarawak at historical crossroads come the 13th GE
K-pop sensation Psy dances into Malaysia's political drama, Gangnam style (+video)
Spitting on the grave of a ‘great man’
General Election 2013 – BN, Shifting From Strategic Defence to Strategic Offense
BN’s Vishwaroopam is getting ugly
Stop playing with our sentiments, Hisham
Mahathir’s Tall Tales on Sabah!
Time for a new government
Psy’s Gangnam parody in Penang: Oops, joke is on BN elites

Posted: 11 Feb 2013 12:54 PM PST

The poison is being stirred in the minds of the grassroots, that if the DAP is allowed to hold power with Pakatan, the Malays will lose all. The most interesting part of this campaign is that the Malays have already lost to the 'Chinese businesses' and are struggling to survive.

Amir Ali, Free Malaysia Today

An unchallenged BN has resulted in the coalition to be complacent, allowing the creeping of all forms of extremism within its ranks.

A quick look at the ruling Barisan National's 'moderate' call shows how flawed it is, with a definite failure at home.

Moderation is the name, says the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak who has joined in the creation of an international alliance of the moderates, to prove his commitment.

Yet, with his flight to Gaza and his outright support for the Hamas, has it not exposed the flaws at the international level? By no means, is the Hamas a moderate movement.

It has been said, in the past, that the BN government has one major flaw. Complacency is the name.

The fact of being unchallenged for decades has led the BN to be complacent, allowing the creeping of all forms of extremism within its ranks.

Pressed by the rising opposition forces, BN has acquired yet another major weakness. The ruling coalition, pushed in a corner, does not know how to deal with this forceful and powerful opposition.

Hence, we saw the cats coming out of the bag of extremism. While the central powers within the BN claim they are in favor of moderation, their partners and supporters do not seem to agree with them.

Many among the supporters of the ruling coalition reject the '1Malaysia' concept, insisting on the pursuing the ethnic divide.

To them, Malay rule is sacred, but what is more important is the denial of others' rights.

Nevertheless, the BN is pushing a silent campaign against the opposition. Among the Malays, there are fears that the 'Chinese will rule' if the Pakatan Rakyat comes to power.

Many still believe, in the very heartlands of the Pakatan's power bases, that the Malays must go back to the Umno. When asked why? They would reply that the Malays owes a lot to the Umno, or that they cannot afford the Chinese to take over.

The fact that Malay political rule is a salient point in the Umno-BN campaign is indicative of the failure of the 'wasatiyah'. It also shows a lack of control of the PM on his troops, and of the Umno grassroots.

It simply does not make sense that a party leader promoting moderation, allows his grassroots to campaign solidly on 'Malay power'.

Suara Interview: The Future of Malays Part 3

Posted: 11 Feb 2013 11:55 AM PST

Japan after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 sent thousands of its teachers and senior civil servants to the West to study its systems of education and administration. They were gone not just for a few weeks of "study tour" but for years. We take in a handful of teachers from America under the Fulbright Program and we make a big deal of it and deem it revolutionary.

M. Bakri Musa

[The original, in Malay, appeared in suaris.wordpress.com on January 31, 2013]

Suaris: You advocate strategies that are generally deemed to be evolutionary in nature to change the collective Malay mindset. Should Malays be "shocked" with revolutionary changes as we saw with the Japanese and South Koreans that led to their quantum leap in achievement?

MBM: When Mohamed Bouazizi burned himself to death in Tunisia on January 4, 2011, it was not his intention to start a riot or revolution. He had simply given up hope; he just wanted to end his misery. His personal action however, triggered a revolution not only in Tunisia but also the entire Arab world.

Gamel Nasser was frothing at the mouth in wanting to revolutionize the Arabs; he was lucky that his Egypt was not totally whipped by Israel in the 1967 War. Senu Abdul Rahman and other Malay leaders like Abdullah Badawi, together with our intellectuals, were also intoxicated with their Revolusi Mental back then. Today, you could not even find the book of the same title that they wrote, and we Malays have remained the same.

Whether a change is evolutionary or revolutionary depends not on action or intention but on results and consequences. Bouazizi merely intended to end his suffering but his action reverberated throughout the Arab world, taking down hitherto strong men like Ghaddafi and Mubarak.

Evolutionary changes are small and incremental; revolutionary ones dramatic and disruptive. It is well to remember that we could bring down a mountain by aiming a jet of water at its base (as with the old hydraulic tin mining) as by planting explosives.

James C Scott, the Yale political scientist who studied the peasants in Kedah's rice bowl, in his book, Weapons of the Weak, uses a different metaphor. When the ship of state runs aground on a coral reef, attention is directed to the shipwreck (revolutionary) but not the aggregations of petty acts that made those treacherous reefs possible (evolutionary).

Your reading of the Japanese and South Koreans is not quite accurate. True, viewed today the changes in their societies are truly revolutionary. However, the steps their leaders took much earlier were all incremental and evolutionary in nature, stretching over decades.

Japan after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 sent thousands of its teachers and senior civil servants to the West to study its systems of education and administration. They were gone not just for a few weeks of "study tour" but for years. Even today, Japan takes in thousands of English teachers from America. Those were all evolutionary not revolutionary initiatives. We take in a handful of teachers from America under the Fulbright Program and we make a big deal of it and deem it revolutionary.

Likewise South Korea; during the 1970s it sent thousands of its students to the West for graduate work in the sciences and engineering. When President Pak visited America he met with many of them including those who opposed him, to cajole them to return. When they did, they were supported with loans to start their enterprises. Compare that to Prime Minister Najib; the only student he met was a Petronas University flunkie, one Saiful who was purportedly looking for a scholarship.

I dealt more deeply with Japan and South Korea, as well as Ireland and Argentina, in my earlier book, Malaysia In The Era of Globalization (2002).

To continue our "Look East," a closer example both in space and time is China. Mao Zedong was consumed with one revolution after another to, borrowing Najib's favorite word, "transform" his country. The result? Hundreds of millions of his countrymen suffered or were killed. Hundreds of millions! That would be the whole of Indonesia!

Then came Deng; his philosophy was simple. He could not care less what the color of the cat as long as it catches the mouse. With that he changed the nature and character of China and its society. Today China has eclipsed economically Japan and Germany, and threatening to do likewise to America.

Our neighbor Indonesia had one revolution after another under Sukarno, but its people remained destitute. Mahathir too aspired to revolutionize our culture and people. In the end it was he who cried.

Returning to my earlier garden metaphor, revolution is where you indiscriminately spray Roundup. Yes, that would kill the lalang but also wipe out the useful plants. With evolutionary strategies, you would meticulously pour the concentrated pesticide right at the root of the offending weed while sparing the useful plants. They can now grow unimpeded, the lalang now completely eradicated.

Liberate the Malay mind, one at a time, in a process that is evolutionary and incremental but cumulative and sure. The results would astound us and be deemed revolutionary. When a mind is liberated, it can no longer be imprisoned. We would then be no longer, to use the terminology of the Algerian philosopher Malek Bennabi, "colonizable."

Even more beautiful, a liberated mind will see clearly that the green, lush grass in our garden is after all the tenacious and highly destructive weed lalang and not, as our leaders are trying to convince us all along, alfalfa.

To continue. Suaris Interview # 4: It is said that Malays are at a crossroad. This is particularly so with the upcoming General Election 13 where the choice is between feudalism and liberalism. To what extent do you agree with that viewpoint?

Anwar Ibrahim is now Huguan Siou

Posted: 11 Feb 2013 11:50 AM PST

Furor against bestowing of Huguan Siou title on Anwar Ibrahim

Matthias Hermes, Borneo Insider

KOTA KINABALU, February 11, 2013: As if the 'Allah' issue has not done enough damage to the racial unity-and-harmony of this unique nation that is proud of its racial harmony, now another race-and-culture-sensitive issue has ensued.

Not only that, this latest controversy involving opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has heightened the 'anti-Malaya' sentiment among the native people of Sabah.

This happened when the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Ranau decided to bestow PKR de facto chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim the coveted-and-sacred title of 'Huguan Siou of Malaysia', during his visit to Kg Paginatan in Ranau, to grace a political gathering there on Sunday. Huguan Siou means Paramount Leader for the Kadazan Dusun community.

This has sparked a furor and strong protest among the Kadazan Dusun community in Sabah, with many questioning its appropriateness and demanding for an explanation from the party involved in this matter.

Many have since expressed their anger through Facebook in response to a posting of the incident by Jonathan Yasin, Ranau PKR Chief which features a photo showing Anwar wearing the Kadazan Dusun headgear and a sash bearing the 'Huguan Siou' title around his shoulder with the caption: "DS Anwar Ibrahim telah dinobatkan sebagai Huguan Siou Malaysia di Kg Paginatan, Ranau-10/2/13" (DS Anwar has been coroneted the Huguan Siou of Malaysia in Kg Paginatan, Ranau 10/2/13).

The said posting received more than 350 comments and shared by more than 50 people, with most of them expressing their disapproval and disgust against such an act which they deemed a gross insult to the Kadazan Dusun community.

One top commentator, Amylia G Joannes stressed that the title of Huguan Siou is the highest honour of the Kadazan Dusun community and is only bestowed to a member of the community who is truly qualified and deserving of such a title.

"Everyone realizes that Huguan Siou is synonym to the Kadazan Dusun. Hence one must understand that when someone mentioned about Huguan Siou, automatically people will refer to the Kadazan Dusun community. So, it's better to use other name (on Anwar) so as not to create any confusion and uneasiness to others," she said.

Another commentator, Gaman Kodou expressed regret that such a coveted, sacred title that is exclusive to the Kadazan Dusun community has been given to someone who is not only an outsider, but also who has not contributed anything to the state.

"Now that even the supreme title has been bestowed to a non-KDM and an outsider, imagine what else will be given away to the Pakatan Rakyat government if they come to power in Sabah? And they got the cheek to talk boast about safeguarding Sabah rights? This is what make us doubtful of the true objective of Pakatan Rakyat," said another commentator, David Tiptop.

Sabah, Sarawak at historical crossroads come the 13th GE

Posted: 11 Feb 2013 11:38 AM PST

Borneo can seize the reins of power in Putrajaya if it secures a united block of 50 seats in Parliament to lay claim to the Prime Minister's post in partnership with whichever coalition in Malaya is willing to eat humble pie and settle for the Deputy Prime Minister's post despite having more seats than the Borneo block.

Joe Fernandez

The unprecedented political divide in Malaya with the emergence of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) taking half the 165 Malayan seats in Parliament and five states (now four) and Kuala Lumpur on Sat 8 Mar, 2008 opened up a historical window of opportunity for Sabah and Sarawak to free themselves from the 50-year-long vice-like grip of the Malaya-dominated Federal Government in Putrajaya.

In 2008, voters in Malaya voted against the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) -- and not so much for PR -- and hence, it's said, the Opposition Alliance won by default. PR turned in a miserable performance in 2004 at the 12th General Election.

It can be said that PR jumped on the makkal sakthi -- people power -- bandwagon effect created by Hindraf's 25 Nov, 2007 Uprising when 100,000 Indians took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur. This was followed by the mid-Feb 2008 Rose Rally in Putrajaya. A series of local authority demolishing of Hindu temples was the proverbial last straw that broke the camel's back.

Although the Indians don't have even one seat, parliamentary or state, in Malaya, this marginalised and disenfranchised Nation in Malaysia decides in 67 parliamentary seats.

This time the new BN-PR status quo of 2008 is expected to remain in Malaya.

Malaya has too many seats in Parliament

Indeed, it will even be surprising if BN does not lose Perak once again as in 2008. Public anger against the ruling party is at a boiling point in the state. BN, using a ruthless carrot-and-stick approach including kidnapping the Speaker, the police raiding the state assembly and the Sultan reportedly being arm-twisted, wrested back Perak through defections of three vulnerable PR state assemblymen which sparked a constitutional crisis.

The forthcoming 13th General Election -- expected between April 28 and Oct 28 -- in Sabah and Sarawak could be the unfinished, and long delayed, Borneo chapter of the 2008 political tsunami which was then confined to Malaya.

The consensus in Borneo is that it's an opportune moment now for all local parties across both sides of the political divide in Sabah and Sarawak to come together and adopt a common position as follows on the 13th GE:

(1) say no to the parti parti Malaya taking any seats, whether parliamentary or state, in Sabah and Sarawak;

(2) Malaya, as provided by the constitutional documents on Malaysia, should not have more than one seat less two-third in the Malaysian Parliament, at the very maximum.

This is not reflected in the 165 seats currently held by Malaya in Parliament i.e. 18 more than it should have given the present 222-seat Parliament.

Taib Mahmud has finally run out of luck

To add insult to injury, the parti parti Malaya hold both parliamentary and state seats in Sabah and Sarawak and have plans to seize even more seats as both the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) and PR try to outdo each other;

(3) Taib Mahmud, who has painted himself into a corner through gross abuse of power and conflict of interest, should step down for the sake of Sarawak. He can thereby avoid being blackmailed by either PR or BN and as well prevent the parti parti Malaya from striking further roots in this Nation.

In any case, Taib can no longer lead a charmed life as in the past three decades and more. He has run out of luck as Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak no longer trusts him, fearing the highly vulnerable leader's defection to PR, and will pick the parliamentary candidates in Sarawak, as in Sabah, himself. Najib is also picking the state candidates in Sabah. There will be no state election in Sarawak this year;

(4) Sabah and Sarawak should not continue to be hoodwinked by Putrajaya's big talk on so-called development in Borneo.

The fact that Sabah and Sarawak are the poorest Nations in Malaysia speaks volumes.

In addition, not only Sabah and Sarawak but Malaysia as well compares unfavourably with Singapore which left Malaysia in 1965 after two years in the Federation and Brunei which stayed out at the 11th hour; and

(5) the eradication of the grinding poverty of Sabah and Sarawak hinges on these Nations getting back control over their politics, resources and revenue from the racism, prejudice and opportunism-ridden Putrajaya.

Sabah, Sarawak must regain control over its resources

Last year, Putrajaya plundered Sabah alone to the tune of RM 50 billion by conservative estimates. This does not take into account losses incurred by Sabah under the National Cabotage Policy, rakings by Malayan companies sitting on native land and gambling monies flowing to the Peninsula.

The objective of regaining control over politics, resources and revenue, in furtherance of its manifest destiny, will not be achieved if the parti parti Malaya continue to steal seats, parliamentary and state, in these Nations.

It would be tragic if Sabahans and Sarawakians don't capitalise on the political divide in Malaya since 2008 to secure their rightful place in the sun.

Borneons may quarrel among themselves but they need to unite in the face of a common external threat and enemy.

Unity is strength.

Putrajaya capitalising on disunity in Sabah, Sarawak

Malaya has indeed emerged over the last half century as the arch enemy of Borneo, the real crocodile in the region, as warned by President Sukarno in 1964 at the height of his Ganyang Malaysia (Hang Malaysia) movement driven by Indonesia's policy of konfrontasi (confrontation) towards the neo-colonialist Malaysia created by the British disingenuously after both Sabah and Sarawak became free nations.

Sabah obtained its independence on 31 Aug, 1963 and Sarawak the same year on 22 July.

Malaysia only came into being on 16 Sept, 1963, dragging in Sabah and Sarawak without referendum, to facilitate Chinese-majority Singapore's independence through merger with almost Chinese-majority Malaya. The Orang Asal population of Sabah and Sarawak were ostensibly needed by the Malay-speaking communities in Malaya, and the tiny Orang Asal (Orang Asli) population there, to provide greater balance against the Chinese population.

If Borneons don't unite, Malaya will take advantage of their disunity to continue creating proxies, stooges and rogue elements from among them to continuing serving their nefarious ends, for want of a better term.

Once Borneons have disposed of Malaya from their politics, they can "go back to quarrelling among themselves".

Sabah and Sarawak should not worry about which coalition in Malaya grabs Putrajaya.

They need to foster in themselves a sense of professional detachment when dealing with Malaya. The abuses there, if any, are none of their concern.

United Sabah, Sarawak can lay claim to PM's post

Instead, they should be willing to work in pragmatic partnership, within or outside Government, with whichever coalition in Malaya can lay claim to Putrajaya.

This ideal is being actively promoted by the State Reform Party (Star) led by Jeffrey Kitingan. The Star chairman, the de facto Orang Asal chief, prefers Borneo to throw its backing for strategic reasons behind whichever Malayan coalition emerges as the weaker one in Parliament.

Sabah and Sarawak will indeed be in a spot if BN stakes claim to Putrajaya and PR refuses to concede defeat and instead takes to the streets. Conversely, PR could win a bigger share of parliamentary seats vis-a-vis BN, but the latter may claim having the single biggest block of seats since the former isn't a registered coalition but three parties contesting under their respective symbols. Again, it's unlikely that PR will cave in that easily into semantics.

Agenda Borneo vs Agenda parti parti Malaya in Borneo

A Malaysian Prime Minister from Borneo will be able to set aside the written Constitution of Malaya which is being passed off as the written Constitution of Malaysia and give the unwritten Constitution of Malaysia -- part of the Agenda Borneo -- its rightful place. That would underline Sabah and Sarawak as Nations in Malaysia and not the 12th and 13th states in a Federation of Malaya masquerading as the Federation of Malaysia.

The local parties who refuse to co-operate on Agenda Borneo -- everything against the Agenda parti parti Malaya in Borneo -- are no doubt traitors, indeed treasonous elements, who are willing to betray their own people.

No doubt they want to continue being proxies, stooges and rogue elements of Malaya, like Judas Iscariot in return for the proverbial 30 pieces of silver, in order to facilitate Putrajaya's internal colonisation policies in Sabah and Sarawak. It's only a matter of time before they realise the folly of their ways and hang themselves in shame and disgrace.

It's a tragedy that there are people among the people of Borneo who take no pride in themselves and their people, and who have no guts to stand on their own two feet but prefer to shamelessly latch on to outsiders, willing to be sycophants for self-serving reasons. Their children and grandchildren will urinate on their graves. The outsiders, as evident from the grinding poverty of Sabah and Sarawak, are the worst form of parasites, leeches and bloodsuckers to ever walk the Earth.

People of Borneo deserve better after 50 years of Malaysia

There's the traditional falling out among thieves taking place in Malaya as they eye Borneo.

PR has pledged that it will "steal less oil and gas" -- that's what it means -- from Sabah and Sarawak, i.e. only 80 per cent, compared with BN's 95 per cent in the inner waters and 100 per cent in the outer waters where most of the wells are situated.

Already, BN apologists in Sabah and Sarawak are claiming that national oil corporation Petronas would go bust if PR makes good its pledge.

The last thing on the minds of Sabahans and Sarawakians is any fate that may be in store for Petronas.

Their only concern is to take the right path as they stand at a historical crossroads come the 13th GE.

Indeed the window of opportunity opened up for Borneo by 2008 may never be repeated for another half century if Sabah and Sarawak were to root for either BN or PR or both.

The people of Sabah and Sarawak deserve better after 50 years of suffering under a bad British idea called Malaysia.

Joe Fernandez is a mature law student, among others, who loves to write. He feels compelled, as a semi-retired journalist, to put pen to paper -- or rather the fingers to the computer keyboard -- whenever something doesn't quite jell with his weltanschauung (worldview). He shuttles between points in the Golden Heart of Borneo formed by the Sabah west coast, Labuan, Brunei, northern Sarawak and the watershed region in Borneo where three nations meet.

K-pop sensation Psy dances into Malaysia's political drama, Gangnam style (+video)

Posted: 11 Feb 2013 11:11 AM PST

In an effort to jazz the youth vote in Malaysia ahead of elections in which it faces a very strong opposition, the government called in K-pop sensation Psy.

Simon Roughneen, CS Monitor

Korean pop sensation Psy danced right into the middle of Malaysia's increasingly fractious politics today, following the prime minister on to the stage at a government-held Chinese New Yearcelebration in opposition stronghold Penang.

Psy's two renditions of his hit "Gangnam Style" were the highlight of a scorching morning in the west coast city, where Malaysia's governing coalition, known as the National Front, made a local and youth vote pitch ahead of elections expected to be the closest-fought in Malaysia's history.

"If you read most of the surveys, they show almost a neck and neck race, but most analysts think that the BN will win narrowly," says James Chin, a professor of political science at Monash University.

The National Front, known by its Malay acronym BN, has run Malaysia since independence in 1957. But the stakes are high with 30 percent of Malaysia's 13 million voters due to cast their ballots for the first time in this election, slated to be announced by the end of April.

The opposition, another coalition led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, is hoping to better its best-ever showing in the 2008 election, when it took 1/3 of the seats. Tensions have been heightened by two mass opposition-linked rallies in capital Kuala Lumpur, when tens of thousands of demonstrators were doused with water-cannons and tear-gas in July 2011 and April 2012.

But Psy's appearance at today's event seems unlikely to sway these younger voters one way or another. "It will be seen as publicity stunt," says Professor Chin.

Indeed, Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak pledged 20,000 new houses and a new monorail system for Penang just before Psy came out on stage. He ended his address by asking "Are you ready for Psy?" And was met with a sea of enthusiastic cheers. When he then asked "Are you ready for BN?" it was met by a less enthusiastic response from the crowd.

"Everyone was here for Psy, not for politics," says Chang Myn-Kit, who works in Singapore, but made his way back to Penang to be with family for the Chinese New Year.

Some government supporters in the crowd made their voices heard, however. "I'm here for Psy and for Najib," says Eddie Lau, waving an "I Love BN" banner.

Spitting on the grave of a ‘great man’

Posted: 10 Feb 2013 03:11 PM PST

Building a civil society is less about monumental buildings, grandiose projects, stealing from the poor in the name of governance.

By Howl Pillay, FMT

We were brought up not to speak ill of the dead. At home and in school, we were taught that we must have the courage to say our peace; not excoriate the dead long after they are gone. It is a sign of cowardice.

Restraint and respect for the departed is a sign of civilised behaviour. At times we fail the test. Our conscience pricks us and it hurts but we learn. The next time around we desist from such behaviour. We then are on the road towards building a civil society.

Surely building a civil society is not about monumental buildings or grand projects. Or of grabbing the wealth of the rich and stealing from the poor in the name of governance.

Building a civil society is about a scrupulous adherence to the rule of law. It is about men and women behaving in a civil manner in the simple things they do everyday in their everyday lives.

It is about politeness; about grace; about fairness. We hold our tongue and our horses, especially when we hold the reigns of great political power.

Truly great men are humbled by that experience. They are transformed by it. And after retirement they retreat to within themselves to better understand themselves and the people they governed; to acknowledge their mistakes and their weaknesses.

The exemplariness of their lives carry a message for future generations; a message that acts as a light and a lamp to guide us in our journey to the better place we seek.

These, readers, are the Lincolns, the Rizals, the Ho Chi-minhs, the Tunku Abdul Rahmans, the Kartinis, the Gandhis, the Mandelas of history.

Lincoln's emancipation speech will serve as an inspiration for as long as there are enslaved people. Rizal's incredibly courageous farewell message to his people – Mi Ultimo Adios – written on the night before facing a Spanish firing squad and smuggled out in an old lamp is the proud patrimony of every Filipino.

And Ho Chi-minh's words, deeds and steely courage inspired the Vietnamese to defeat two Western powers and unite a country after thirty years of war and sacrifice and yet he died as poor as a Vietnamese church mouse.

And Kartini's educational endeavours on behalf of girls and women in her country is still honoured and her birthday is celebrated by two hundred and fifty million Indonesians as Kartini Day and school children solemnly pledge to continue her legacy every year.

Pissing and puking on graves

What more need we say of Tunku Abdul Rahman who forged a nation and a people out of lands divided by race, religion, creed and colour and that were ruled as a colony for hundreds of years, without shedding a drop of blood.

But the minds of the unscrupulous leaders, the incorrigible ones, the recalcitrant ones are different. They turn up the volume of politics and fill it with racial hatred and tension.

They invoke ancient animosities and stoke the flames of religious intolerance to achieve their own ends. They hit out at all and sundry; they trash their rivals.

They conveniently forget; they selectively remember and they humiliate those who have the courage to stand up to them.

They piss and puke on the graves of others who had come before them. They rave and they rant; they twist and turn until all meaning is rendered meaningless.

And they enrich themselves at every opportunity for their greed is insatiable. It is they, who through their speech and deed come closest to making the dead turn in their graves.

They are not content doing the dirty work of dirty politics when in office. They continue with the same even after leaving it. And they do it with even more vehemence and venom.

Old habits indeed die hard. But still we who are civilised know that it is wrong to wish the death of another. It's a no-no-no!

And so we take our unconscious thoughts with us to bed. And in sleep they become our dreams and nightmares; often forgotten on waking and if remembered, often nightmarish.

'You will be judged'

But at rare times they wake us up, imbued with the rare persistence of a dream memory that is as clear as day, like the one below:

A long line of men and women are streaming past a bier. The line stretches back miles to some unknown place like ants streaming out of an undetectable hole in the ground. And yet more people are waiting patiently in groups and clusters both large and small in the streets of the capital.

They speak in quiet, dignified whispers. And soldiers guard the dead man, the 'great man', heads bowed.

I walk, unhurried, looking for the end of the line. I must not jump the queue; I am part of building a civil society. And then out of the blue I spot an old friend. We exchange greetings politely.

All his life he spoke of his disgust for the man now lying in state. I am puzzled. I ask him, in a whisper: "Why are you here?" And he whispers back: "To make sure he is really dead".

A nod of my head, and I continue. I have walked hardly a hundred meters when yet again I see an old friend from my university days. Once a journalist, he gave up writing on anything at all after the newspaper he worked for was closed down by this 'great man'.

Again we exchange greetings. He shakes my hand vigorously, like he is energised and happy. I say to him that he was the last person I expected to patiently wait his turn to pay his respects to this man.

He suppressed his laughter before whispering: "I will bow low before him so that I can see from close quarters how a mouth can fall silent forever".

Posted: 09 Feb 2013 06:19 PM PST

The Opposition has also run out of ammunitions and their rank and file is woefully battle-fatigued. Self-doubts have emerged and major policy disagreements between DAP and PAS have divided the rank and file as well. Karpal Singh has done an invaluable service to the BN government. Whatever surprises that were touted as game-changers, such as the so-called political realignments in Sabah, could not be sustained and have not been transformed into any major groundswell.

By Matthias Chang – Future Fast-forward

In my previous articles, I suggested several reasons for having a General Election in 2013, one of which was that as long as the Opposition controlled four State Governments, it would be a strategic disadvantage to the BN Government to have an early election. The four State Governments controlled by the Opposition parties would not be dissolved in the event of an early election so that they could harness their limited resources and concentrate on the Parliamentary Election in an attempt to seize Federal power. The four State Governments would be the "impregnable forts" offering shelter and resources to opposition forces and afford them opportunities to conduct strategic forays in BN controlled areas.

Since 2010, the strategists in the Opposition camp have been baiting the BN Government to hold early elections and each time, I had warned of such a danger. The four "impregnable fortresses" have now been encircled and whatever forays outside the fortresses had limited battlefield success.

If I were Anwar Ibrahim, I would sack those strategists who were conducting continuous and relentless battles against the BN government since 2010. If Tommy Thomas was one of them, he should be the first to be "decapitated", figuratively speaking. How can any strategist be so stupid to adopt the blunders of Brutus (especially riding on the wrong tide) in the famous final Battle of Philippi as the winning strategy for the Opposition? Brutus, casting aside the advice of the more cautious Cassius, misread the tide and plunged into a disastrous defeat. To salvage what little honour remaining, Brutus committed suicide, as did other conspirators who murdered the great Caesar on the false pretext that the assassination was necessary to save Rome. And as they say, the rest is history!

History will repeat itself in the "Second Battle of Philippi", which will commence soon enough.

One must not ride on the crest of every tide for there are tides that will assuredly lack the force and momentum to guarantee victory. Low tide comes to mind.

In July 2012, the strategic balance changed for BN – from Strategic Defence to Strategic Parity. Since December 2012, we are witnessing a new phase – Strategic Offense – the gathering momentum for an irreversible High Tide!

A good analogy of what has happened would be the great victory by the greatest boxer in history, Muhammad Ali over the big puncher, George Foreman in Africa. Employing the "rope-a-dope" tactic, Ali baited George Foreman to punch relentlessly for eight critical rounds until exhaustion took over. Ali took every punishing blow to the head and the body, absorbing the pain and the relentless pace. When Foreman was all spent and worn out, Muhammad Ali unleashed a devastating blow that floored Foreman for good.

Well, the Opposition has thrown every conceivable punch at the BN for the last three years but there was no knockout punch. Like the abovementioned boxing match, the pace was relentless, and the blows punishing but BN took it all and is still standing.

Initially, the Opposition held the high ground, having the tactical advantage and when they over-estimated their strength, they launched a blitzkrieg offensive on several fronts, all at once and gained massive ground. But, the offensive sputtered in the second half of 2012 and by December stalled. It is clear that the Opposition "Generals" are at a lost as to which front-lines are to be abandoned, the troops pulled back to a more defensible perimeter and how to prepare for the inevitable counter-attack.

Napoleon made the same strategic mistake and so did Hitler when they attacked Russia. The critical blunder was to launch a broad frontal attack in the hope of a rapid collapse of enemy's forces thereby exposing the weakness of the supply lines, stretched thin by the wide frontlines. When the great Marshal Zhukov counter-attacked, the entire Eastern Front collapsed leading to the defeat of Nazi Germany!

The Opposition has now consolidated and reduced their frontlines to the battle for Penang and Selangor with expeditionary forces in Sabah and Sarawak as diversions. But, it is too late. Exhausted troops are manning the frontlines, not sure of fresh supplies or reserves. If truth be told, the Opposition has no reserves at all.

The Barisan Nasional has already launched its counter-attack with a full Division of fresh troops kept in the rear as reserves for two years for this one objective. And they have abundant supplies.

Additionally, the Opposition's propaganda campaign is losing momentum and has no longer any bite. It was a huge strategic mistake for the Opposition to latch on to the coattails of Deepak, a blackmailer whose agenda was hijacked by an opportunist legal goon to project himself as the "Knight in Shining Armour", who has opened himself to future prosecution for being complicit in drawing up the so-called first statutory declaration for private-eye P. Balasubramaniam.

My reasons are as follows. The clue is in the followings words of the press release dated December 20, 2012 by the solicitor of P. Balasubramaniam:

"As far as I am concerned, the 1st SD was transcribed, produced and eventually affirmed by my client over a period of two months during which time every detail was painstakingly checked and cross-checked to ensure the highest accuracy…" (and as reported by Malaysiakini)

Based on the above statement, the rakyat is told to accept as Gospel truth what is stated in the Statutory Declaration (SD). Who did the checking and crosschecking? The lawyer? The private eye? Some other third party? If it is the lawyer, what are the implications? Let me just say, he is on shaky grounds to assert so boldly that "every detail was checked and cross-checked". But, there are no statements as to how the checking and crosschecking were conducted and with whom did the lawyer and or the private eye checked and crosschecked the so-called details!

By the way, there is no such hotel as the "Prince Court Hotel" where it was alleged that the 2nd SD was executed. There is however a "Prince Hotel & Residence" in Kuala Lumpur and a "Prince Court Medical Centre" also in Kuala Lumpur. Was this fact checked and crosschecked by the solicitor when he released his press statement, I wonder? If not, why not? The location of an alleged crime scene is most important. But, this is now open to doubt notwithstanding that the crime scene was identified as the non-existent "Prince Court Hotel" by a member of the profession that prides itself as being honourable! If every detail relating to the 2nd SD was not meticulously checked and cross-checked as it should be, then one has to question the accuracy of the 1st SD and no one should take the word of the solicitor as the absolute truth.

Even the contrived "Deepak Scandal" did not have the desired effect. The goons behind this pantomime who postured as "knights in shining armour" were in fact muckrakers, peddling trash. The orchestrated press conference consists of innuendos and subtle speculations but devoid of hard evidence. The conductor of this third rate pantomime, if truth be told, is an opportunist and a coward.

Let's call a spade a spade – the conductor of this sordid pantomime was orchestrating an insidious blackmail and his co-conspirators who pride themselves as honourable were up to their eyeballs in this cesspool.

The entire political campaign of the Opposition (save that of PAS) was grounded on emotions and hate. In essence, the political campaign of the Opposition is a "Hate Campaign" – to demonise and politically assassinate the leaders of the Barisan Nasional (past and present).

More important issues are at stake and Malaysians should take time to analyse some critical facts with regard to the leading members of the Opposition parties. Take Lim Kit Siang. Politically as a member of parliament, he can be likened to a "rolling stone", one who has no loyalties to his constituency. How else can one explain his track record as an MP:-

• Bandar Melaka (1969–1974)

• Kota Melaka (1974–1978)

• Petaling Jaya (1978–1982)

• Kota Melaka (1982–1986)

• Tanjong (1986–1999)

When his Tanjong campaign to take over Penang failed in 1995 and 1999 (he was rejected and defeated in Tanjong together with Karpal Singh in Jelutong in 1999), he gave up totally the campaign to capture Penang. What happened in 2008 was unexpected, for if DAP was so sure of taking over Penang he would have waged battle in Penang. The DAP Chief in Penang, Chow Kon Yeow publicly declared in 2003 that there would be no more Tanjong 3! So, Kit Siang ran to Perak to seek greener pastures.

• Ipoh Timur (since 2004)

Karpal Singh is a lesser rolling stone.

Karpal's political career began in 1970 when he joined the DAP. He won the Alor Setar Bandar state seat in Kedah in 1974. He was first elected to parliament in 1978 when he won in the Jelutong constituency, Penang, as well as the Bukit Gelugor state seat. Karpal held the Jelutong seat for more than 20 years until losing it in 1999. He held the Bukit Gelugor state seat until 1990, moving on to contest the Sungai Pinang and Padang Kota seats in subsequent elections but was defeated. In the 2004 general election, Karpal returned to parliament with a 1,261-majority win in the new Bukit Gelugor seat and retained his seat in the 2008 election.

Lim Guan Eng has a similar pattern.

Lim was first elected as a Member of Parliament for Kota Melaka in 1986, after defeating Soh Chin Aun and was re-elected in the subsequent 1990 and 1995 general elections, albeit with reduced majority votes. He was ineligible to contest in the 2005 election on account of his conviction for sedition. He suffered a personal setback when he and his wife came in last and second-last respectively in the election for the DAP Malacca Committee. It came as no surprise therefore, that in the 2008 General Election he switched to Penang as it is clear he did not enjoy much support in Malacca even within his own party. The unexpected DAP victory in Penang in the 2008 general election allowed Lim Guan Eng to become the Chief Minister of Penang replacing the former Chief Minister, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon even though Lim Guan Eng is not from Penang. Senior DAP leaders of Penang such as Lim Hock Seng, Phee Boon Poh, and Chow Kon Yeow were bypassed and were instead appointed as excos.

The above, by any measure, is a reflection of the political opportunism practiced by the three top leaders of DAP and I would urge the Malaysian voters to be very cautious in entrusting the fate of our country to such leaders.

I must give credit where credit is due. It can be said without any fear of contradiction that of the three Opposition parties, PAS is the most consistent in its political aim of setting up an "Islamic Welfare State" whether one agrees with that agenda or not. PKR has similar political origins as the former Semangat 46, both came into existence as a result of differences within UMNO. But, DAP is a totally different political entity. Throughout its history, it could not forge any lasting cooperation with other opposition entities and or project a leadership role. It was only when Semangat 46 and PKR came into the ranks of the Opposition that DAP gained a wider acceptance. However, this was and is purely tactical so as to garner more electoral victories. DAP never aspired to be the ruling party and therefore had no long-term vision for the country. Being part of the "ruling coalition" that captured Penang and having the coveted Chief Minister post was a political bonus beyond its wildest dreams, as they had in 2003 given up all hope in capturing Penang when it abandoned the Tanjong 3 campaign!

Given the inherent political contradictions between DAP and PAS with regard to the establishment of an Islamic Welfare State, there is just no way that DAP will give support (other than lip-service) to PAS in those constituencies where DAP may have some influence over the Chinese voters.

The stand taken by Lim Guan Eng on the "Allah Issue" will be the straw that will break PAS' camel's back. Given that this issue is so close to the hearts of all PAS members and the blatant and very public refusal of DAP's leadership (especially Karpal Singh and Lim Guan Eng) to make a tactical compromise is an indication that when the crunch comes, the retention of Penang as a DAP stronghold is a bigger prize for DAP than the prospect of securing Federal power.

The cold calculation is simple. If the Opposition loses out in the General Election, for DAP it is better to have "a bird in hand (i.e. Penang) than two in the bush" for it can survive such a defeat. And to buttress its long-term survival, it is not beyond DAP's calculation to offer an olive branch to the BN on a similar understanding as what Gerakan accomplished in 1973.

Given this final equation, it is utterly stupid for the Chinese voters to give any support to DAP. DAP in Chinese parlance is a "Fun Kuat Jhai" i.e. a traitor, for DAP will assuredly betray PAS!

The soothsayer has spoken, "Beware the Ides of March" but this time, there will be no assassination of a Caesar, but instead we will witness the burial of Malaysia's Brutus, Cassius and the other conspirators after the Second Battle of Philippi!

BN’s Vishwaroopam is getting ugly

Posted: 09 Feb 2013 03:26 PM PST

Stop just looking at the bigger agenda. BN and Najib must also know how to sort out the smaller issues if they want to win over voters.

K Kabilan, FMT

(Vishwaroopam in Tamil means the true face. It is also the title of a Tamil blockbuster which is still awaiting release in Malaysia due to its supposedly controversial theme.)

Sometimes one does wonder if the government is really concerned about the peoples' wishes. Is it even listening to what the people are saying?

It appears as though the government is more interested in doing things which it thinks will be good for the rakyat.

Najib Tun Razak's earlier clarion call that his government was not one which subscribed to "government knows it all" seems like a half-baked lie right now.

Take, for example, the decision to fly down South Korean megastar Psy for the Barisan Nasional Chinese New Year open house in Penang. A cool RM3 million was reportedly spent for this.

Of course, it was not the rakyat's money as the Gangnam ride was reportedly sponsored by private parties. Still, that much for a singer who has only one known mega hit? And at a time when people are complaining of not getting real value for their money?

What about the Ponggal festival at Dataran Merdeka on Feb 2? Of course, it was deemed to be a mega success, by MIC standards. It would surely be if RM5 million was reportedly set aside to get the crowd.

Word has it that almost 1,400 buses were chartered to bring in Indians to the capital city to show that they all love our prime minister. In return, they did get a full meal of nasi briyani, courtesy of the BN government.

Is this how Najib wants to get the people to back him and BN again? This method seems so archaic, but it must be working for them to be doing it repeatedly!

But it goes back to the main question once again. Isn't Najib interested in what the people really want? Does the rakyat still want the government to dictate what's good for them?

The death of a security guard

Two ongoing issues reveal how ignorant the government can be in misreading the pulse of the voters, especially the Indian voters that Najib wants so much.

The first is the death of security guard C Sugumaran who died after allegedly being beaten by policemen and members of the public on Jan 24.

The first post-mortem stated that he had succumbed to a heart failure. The family wants a second post-mortem and that's where things have started to break down.

Sugumaran's body still lies in a mortuary while his family wants the know the true cause of his death. Very simple request. Any caring government, or a home minister, or prime minister, would have made the all-important call so that truth and justice are served.

But what we have here is the prime minister asking for a forensic report to be passed to him, and then even 10 days later, making no decision on the matter. In the meantime, the home minister sits quietly, letting the police handle the matter.

The police, on their part, want to follow rules and regulations to the letter while not doing anything conclusive at all.

It's a merry-go-round with a family still waiting for answers, and closure as a result of the death.

Is there an easier way to solve this problem? Yes, there is. It is actually as easy as Najib going to the local radio stations and trying to impress the Chinese voters with his Mandarin. But will he take the easy way to solve this problem? I doubt it!

Posted: 09 Feb 2013 03:20 PM PST

So Dato Hisham, please stop beating around the bush and tell us frankly: is the movie Vishwaroopam going to be released at all?

By S Vell Paari, FMT

In regards to Tamil movie "Vishwaroopam" which is showing successfully everywhere else in the world, I have been informed that there are four other local Indian Muslim NGO's who want the movie banned here in Malaysia.

It is as a result of these four NGO's, the Malaysian government has yet to approve for the spy thriller to be released in local cinemas even though the Censor Board has approved the second edited version.

The decision to release or not to release this movie is Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein's call.

My questions to Hishammuddin are these:

1. In what way is the Muslim sentiment of the Tamil speaking Indian Muslims of Tamil Nadu, Singapore and rest of the world, together with the local 60 Indian Muslim NGOs, different to the four NGOs currently objecting to the movie?

I can understand if it's the case all over the world. Malaysia has the highest edits, 16 in total as opposed to seven in Tamil Nadu. Are you saying these four NGOs' ideology to Islam is different to the rest of the world?

This decision is no different to PAS ruling on the Chinese attire issue in Kedah.

2. The Home Ministry (KDN) speaks of sensitivity but where was this sensitivity in regards to the controversial book Interlok which was deemed to be insensitive to the Indian community? It took such a long time for a decision to be made to remove the book from school syallabus. Are you punishing us for objecting to Interlok?

3. This movie was cleared for general viewing in local cinemas by the Malaysian Censor Board. It was then banned by the ministry after a single show following complaints from the local Indian Muslim NGOs (the first group). So are you saying that the Malaysian Censor Board was ignorant of the feelings of Muslims in our country?

4. Where was this sensitivity when the cow-head incident happened in Selangor in 2009? And weren't you the one who said we must understand the feelings of the protesters? Why is it that when we (the Indian community) were subjected to abuse, we must understand the feelings of those abusing us? Why is it that our sensitivity is never taken into consideration? Why? Is it because we don't have feelings or are we not entitled to have feelings.

5. Pirated versions of the movie are flooding the local market. Your Home Ministry has helped to boost the income for the SME piracy market. These pirated DVDs and VCDs are uncut versions of the movie. So what did the four NGOs (the second group) and you achieve with the continued ban of Vishwaroopam?

Will the police force be now instructed to arrest the families of average Malaysians of Indian origin who decide to buy the pirated version of the movie due to KDN's double standard?

Will we be seeing kids handcuffed and dragged with their parents into police vehicles? What a disaster! With such stunts from KDN, who needs a tsunami?

Working against Najib

Dear Minister, you are in clear violation of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's 1Malaysia ideology.

It's a clear case of insubordination by you against the direction and vision of the prime minister. You are clearly becoming a millstone around Barisan Nasional's neck.

So Dato Hisham, please stop beating around the bush and tell us frankly: is the movie going to be released at all?

What is so sensitive about the feelings of these four NGOs as against to the wishes of the other 60 Indian Muslim NGOs (with whom MIC had come to an agreement to allow for the release of the movie with mimimum edits) and the balance of the Indian community?

READ MORE HERE

Mahathir’s Tall Tales on Sabah!

Posted: 09 Feb 2013 08:22 AM PST

Putrajaya has no business whatsoever, under the constitutional documents on Malaysia, to block recommendations from the Sabah or Sarawak Governments on permanent residence in their respective territories. Yet we are told by Mahathir that he liberally gave out citizenships in Sabah during his 22 years in office as Prime Minister.

Joe Fernandez

We have heard it all now on Sabah from former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

In his latest take on the on-going Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) in the state, Mahathir claims that he instructed that only those eligible in Sabah should be granted citizenship.

This is rich!

He's degenerating before our very eyes even as a poor liar.

There's an old Malayalee saying with which Mahathir should be familiar: "Once you tell a lie, you must tell a thousand other lies to cover up the first lie."

No wonder there's an old Jaffna joke going around about the tragic fate of a cobra that was unfortunate enough to bite a Malayalee.

The cobra died!

The Jaffna people claim that they were chased out of Kerala and into northern Sri Lanka by the Malayalees who first welcomed the migrants from Tamil Nadu by draping them in yellow cloth, literally speaking, but later allegedly tried to slit their throats.

Citizenships are not based on any so-called directive from the Prime Minister, the Home Minister or the Federal Cabinet.

Mahathir's directive on citizenships a fairy tale

Citizenship is based on the Federal Constitution, the only Social Contract between the State and the people.

So, Mahathir could not have issued such a directive on the grant of citizenships. There was no need for one since there was no basis.

His so-called directive on citizenships is another red herring meant to divert attention from the tainted electoral rolls in Sabah and whether his family from Kerala, southwest India, ever determined their citizenship status in the wake of the British departure from Malaya in 1957. But more on that story in a little while.

The issue (child) of a citizen by operation of law – i.e. the latter holding no citizenship papers – or an issue of a citizen by registration – i.e. the latter with citizenship papers – is eligible to be citizen by operation of law whether born in the country or abroad.

Those born abroad must have had their births registered at the nearest Malaysian High Commission or Embassy, or at the British or a Commonwealth mission, where's there's no such representation.

Federal Cabinet failed to resolve stateless issue

The Federal Constitution is clear on this point.

The Government of Malaysia has no prerogative and discretionary powers on citizenship under the Federal Constitution except the Federal Cabinet when it comes to resolving the citizenship woes of Malaysians.

The Federal Cabinet can act in this case.

Many of those eligible to be citizens by operation of law in Malaysia are stateless because they carry no birth certificates like their parents, grandparents and ancestors.

These include Indians and the Orang Asal (Orang Asli) in Peninsular Malaysia and the Orang Asal – Dusuns, Muruts, and Dayaks -- in Sabah and Sarawak. The sea gypsies or Bajau Laut -- Pala'u – in Sabah are also stateless.

The issue of a citizen by naturalization – i.e. the latter a foreigner who obtained citizenship in Malaysia – is eligible for citizenship by registration. If born overseas, there are the other requirements to be met.

Failure to register as a citizen or failure to register the birth if born overseas would mean that the issue would be considered a citizen of the naturalized citizen's old country.

There are many in Malaysia in this category as a result of being born in Brunei, Indonesia (Kalimantan) and India, among other places. They are permanently doomed to carry red (permanent residence) and green cards (temporary residence) or even Special Passes (white) from the Immigration Department.

No basis to issue citizenship to 200,000 foreigners in Sabah

Citizenship by naturalization is a long process which begins with entry permit and work permits. However, foreign spouses of Malaysians need only to get a social visit pass in lieu of entry permit. The catch is one cannot apply for a work permit on a social visit pass.

The next step for the foreigner would be to acquire temporary residence – green card – followed by permanent residence i.e. red card.

Given the required numbers of years in residence in Malaysia, police clearance from the old country and the Malaysian Police, a foreigner can apply for citizenship by naturalization.

By right it should be a hassle-free process but the truth here is stranger than the fiction. Anything can happen at this juncture from long delays to an ominous silence from the authorities concerned.

It would be interesting to know on what basis and by what authority citizenships were issued to foreigners in Sabah. Mahathir had previously acknowledged that he gave out 200,000 citizenships in Sabah to those "who had stayed there for a very long time, spoke Malay unlike the Chinese etc".

Mahathir denied permanent residence to deserving professionals in Sabah

This is the same man who denied even permanent residence in Sabah to some 300 deserving foreign professionals serving in the state, many for even up to 30 years. The Sabah Government recommended them for permanent residence in Sabah and Malaysia.

The matter was only resolved when Chong Kah Kiat, as Chief Minister, personally called upon Mahathir at his office in Putrajaya and brought up the matter. It transpired that the little Napoleons in Putrajaya had been routinely consigning such applications from Sabah to the wastepaper basket. The fact that the professionals concerned were non-Muslims may have had something to do with their long wait.

It's back to square one today in Sabah and perhaps in Sarawak too.

Yet we are told by Mahathir that he liberally gave out citizenships in Sabah during his 22 years in office as Prime Minister.

Being in Malaysia a very long time and speaking Malay are not by themselves sufficient qualifications to be granted citizenship in the country. One must go through the proper procedures and process as set down in the Federal Constitution.

In Sabah and Sarawak, there are added criteria under the Malaysia Agreement. The Governments of these two Borneo Nations in Malaysia must be the initiating and recommending body for foreigners in their territory who apply for citizenship.

RCI should determine extent of tainted electoral rolls

The Federal Government cannot take it upon itself to issue citizenships to foreigners in Sabah and Sarawak.

Anyone who holds citizenship in Malaysia in violation of the Federal Constitution holds no citizenship at all. It's a nullity in law from the very beginning.

The same fate applies to those who obtained citizenship by furnishing false and misleading information with or without the knowledge of the authorities concerned.

The revelations at the RCI tell of foreign-born applicants obtaining Malaysian personal documents merely on the strength of Statutory Declarations wherein they claimed birth in Sabah.

The crux of the story in Sabah, and one for the RCI to determine, is the extent to which the electoral rolls in the state has been tainted by those ineligible to be there.

That's not the end of the story.

Mahathir is one lie after another on Sabah

We have also heard at the RCI that duplicate MyKads of Malaysians had been issued by the National Registration Department (NRD) to foreigners for the purposes of voting.

These foreigners apparently voted on behalf of Malaysians who had registered as voters but seldom turned up on polling day.

Other Malaysians who were eligible to register as voters didn't bother to do so. This provided another great loophole to nefarious elements who did not hesitate to issue duplicate MyKads to foreigners to enable them to register as voters on behalf of Malaysians.

Mahathir has been silent on these allegations which emerged during revelations at the RCI.

Instead, he keeps harping on what his directives were on the issuance of citizenships in Sabah and claimed that "other people including Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim may have gone off at a tangent in Sabah" and obviously "unknown to him".

Mahathir is one lie after another on Sabah.

He has yet to come clean even on his own family from Kerala, southwest India, being in Malaysia.

Again, we are reminded of the old Malayalee saying on lies.

______________________________________________________________________

Joe Fernandez is a mature law student, among others, who feels compelled as a semi-retired journalist to put pen to paper – or rather the fingers to the computer keyboard -- whenever something doesn't quite jell with his weltanschauung (worldview). He shuttles between points in the Golden Heart of Borneo formed by the Sabah west coast, Labuan, Brunei, northern Sarawak and the watershed region in Borneo where three nations meet.

Time for a new government

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 01:12 PM PST

The cover of Aliran Monthly back in 1993: It's been a long journey for Malaysians longing for change

Even a cursory consideration of the Pakatan performance as administrators of five states will establish that they are fair, reasonable and, most importantly, not corrupt, observes Tommy Thomas.

Imagine Britain being governed by the same political party, say, Labour, for 55 successive years from 1957. Or the United States by the Republican party for the same continuous, unbroken period. That has been Malaysia's fate since Merdeka.

The 13th General Elections, which must be held before 28 June 2013, gives Malaysians an opportunity to break free from the monopoly of political power exercised by Umno, first, in the guise of the Alliance and subsequently as Barisan Nasional.

Umno dominance

The five years between the 12th General Elections in March 2008 and the 13th have been a watershed period in post-independent Malaysia because of the establishment of a truly functioning two-party system, with a strong opposition capable of forming the next government.

But it took half a century for our nation to accomplish this stage of democratic development. Like many peoples of nations emerging from colonial rule in the Third World, Malaysians were very grateful to the Alliance party, led by Prime Minister Tengku Abdul Rahman, for gaining independence from the British. The reservoir of goodwill for nationalist independence fighters greatly assisted Umno in the early decades.

Race, which the colonial power had exploited in its divide-and-rule policy, became the singular fundamental feature of Malaysian politics since Merdeka, reflected at the centre by the Alliance coalition comprising Umno, MCA and MIC, each representing a specific race, and expected to pursue the interests of its ethnic constituency. In the early days, Umno acted as the elder brother, with a semblance of contribution from its junior siblings, MCA and MIC. But there was never a question of parity.

After the National Operations Council (NOC) through its Director, Tun Razak, assumed actual power in the wake of the 13 May 1969 riots (which itself was a coup de' etat against the continued leadership of Tengku), Umno's ascendency and dominance were never questioned. Hence the practical reality since the early 1970s is that Barisan is actually Umno, and major decisions affecting the nation are more often than not taken in the inner recesses of Umno, rather than the Cabinet.

Ayatollah Khomeini's rise to power in the Iranian Revolution of 1979 resulted in an Islamic resurgence across the globe. It had its influence in Malaysia by the mid-1980s, when Prime Minister Dr Mahathir decided to outflank Pas by taking up Islam as a political ideology and weapon.

Thus, Umno added religion to race, a powerful emotive cocktail in a plural society. Race or religion infects nearly every decision made by Umno, and the state apparatus controlled by it. It will therefore not be an understatement to describe race and religion as the fundamental elements of modern Malaysian politics.

Perhaps the most unacceptable consequence of a lengthy rule by Umno is its control over all the nation's public institutions, like the media, the universities, the civil service and the police. Length of governance creates rulers who believe they have a divine right to rule, that,there is no longer any difference between the nation state and the ruling party – they become inseparable. Thus, Umno has behaved as if its interests are identical with those of Malaysia's.

When genuine support for Umno ebbed over time, a climate of fear was developed, with the spectre of May 13 repeated time and time again to intimidate and frighten the electorate, especially the older generation and non-Malays.

The success of Pakatan in depriving Barisan of the much vaunted two thirds majority in Parliament, winning 10 out of 11 Parliamentary seats in Kuala Lumpur, and capturing power in five states in March 2008 forever demolished the myth of Umno's invincibility.

Even if ethnic-based politics played a role in securing Merdeka and governing an infant nation, they have long outlived their use, and should be jettisoned. The next stage in Malaysia's evolving democracy is a change of national government. As night follows day, it will inevitably happen.

Deepak

The Deepak saga currently hogging the internet media, which has for all practical purposes became the mainstream media for millions of Malaysians disgusted with the putrid reporting of newspapers, epitomises the depths to which our public life has descended: only a basket nation like Zimbabwe can provide an adequate parallel.

Here is an absolutely unknown businessman of a minority ethnic group without any known institutional support mocking the Prime Minister and his wife for over one month without anyone from Umno defending them.

One would have thought that such repeated public criticism of Umno's president constitutes a direct challenge to the entire party, which in the past was always met with a stinging rebuttal from Umno, and thereafter by the full might of the state. One only needs to recall strident calls just months ago to revoke the citizenship of Ambiga Sreenevasan, also a member of the same minority ethnic group, when she bravely led Bersih's legitimate struggle for electoral return.

What must be kept in mind about Deepak's allegations is their gravity: after all it concerns the barbarous murder of a Mongolian mother visiting her alleged lover in Kuala Lumpur, and its cover-up. The critical issue in her murder – who gave the instructions to the two patsies to C4 her – has never been investigated, and the perpetrators have never been charged.

Read more at: http://aliran.com/11506.html

Psy’s Gangnam parody in Penang: Oops, joke is on BN elites

Posted: 08 Feb 2013 01:10 PM PST

Gangnam District in Seoul: The epitome of the materialistic, consumerist life-style - Photograph: Wikipedia

Psy is actually making fun of people who are so materialistic and obsessed with a worldy life-style while being cut off from the rest of society. Doesn't that remind us of our ruling elite, asks Anil Netto.

On Monday, 11 February Psy is due to perform his signature Gangnam song-and-dance routine at a BN-organised event in the Han Chiang School in Penang before a crowd of 60000 people. BN leaders are obviously hoping this large crowd – and the spillover effect – will translate into votes for the BN in Penang and beyond. But little do they realise the joke is on the BN!

For many of us, Gangnam is just a fun and catchy song-and-dance, which makes little sense. But scratch below the surface and you will find a biting social critique. Few realise that Gangnam is actually a parody of the affluent, materialistic life-style which the BN elites are known for.

Gangnam is actually the name of an affluent relatively new district of Seoul, south of the Han River. It is the location of the headquarters for some of the leading global brands and some 7 per cent of South Korea's wealth can be found in this 40 square kilometre area. This 'Johnny-come-lately' part of Seoul is thus where many of the country's richest 'one per cent' of the population congregate- including those who have wholeheartedly embraced the materialistic, consumerist life-style. Many others aspire to this same high-flying life-stye – even if it means racking up their credit card debt (South Korea's credit card debt has soared).

The closest Malaysian equivalent I can think of is Bangsar. Like Gangnam, Bangsar sprouted with earnest from the 1980s and is today the place where people hang out to see and be seen. It is the epitome of the kind of materialistic life-style which many Malaysian yuppies and others aspire to.

Bangsar by night: Op-Op-Oppa Bangsar-style – Photograph: asiawebdirect.com

If we were to translate "Gangnam-style" into "Bangsar-style" (nothing personal against you Bangsar residents out there!), we might get a better understanding of what Psy is singing and prancing around about. The local translation for "Oppa Gangnam-style" would be something like "He (is living) the Bangsar life-style" i.e. materialistic, consumerist, trendy (you know, the life-style of the BN and other elites) but in hindsight somewhat empty and often just a mirage. (For examples of this mirage in the Gangnam music video clip, please do read this blog on Korea that details the real meaning and illusion behind Psy's rendition of Gangnam.)

Read more at: http://aliran.com/11517.html

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Selasa, 12 Februari 2013

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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