oldfart50

Najib- The Inconvenient Guest

2011-07-15T07:07:00.004+08:00

Just imagine you are throwing a party. A daughter is getting married. You have invited everyone. Relatives and friends. You have gone to the village or kampung that you were born in and raised, maybe 40 years ago, and invited neighbours and friends who you played with as a little kid. Your guest of honour is your boss. A famous Datuk Seri. You have even printed his name on the invitation card as the patron of the wedding and you know that his presence and gracing of your child's wedding will be the talk of the town and you will be roundly congratulated for having him grace the wedding you are hosting.

Then two days before the wedding, the newspapers and television news scream with pictures of your boss's wife, all bloodied with face all puffed up from the beating and punches she got. She accuses her husband, your boss, for having done the honours. Police reports have been made and he has been picked up for questioning and subsequently released. The report also suggests that the fight took place over the objections of the wife of him wanting to take on a second very much younger wife.

A day before the wedding, you are reading this. Your whole family is at the breakfast table. Your daughter, who is to be married, is crying. She was so looking forward for the Datuk Seri gracing her wedding. But here now she sees a monster that every last cell in her body detests. Your wife is sitting silent. She understands the dilemma you are in.

He is your boss and you still need the job. You would prefer that you had not profiled him so highly for the wedding, but you have. Its going to be so uncomfortable. You cannot be bringing up the subject matter with him at the wedding, you don't feel you have the right of place. After all you are just a minion in his organisation and not his golfing partner.

But you have the common sense. You know what needs to be done. You are prepared to accept that he may just not come. Or he may call you to excuse him from the wedding and you would be only too pleased if he did that. So you wait. Hoping that you will receive the call. You have a hundred things to do. But you never had a mobile phone and so if a call has to come it has to be at your home. So you wait. You assign errands to your wife, sons and daughter. You call your friends and relatives and assign them jobs to do as well. The call does not come. Past noon, you are getting desperate. You have a flash. You call your immediate boss. Tell him, and ask him in the most diplomatic way if the Datuk Seri would still be coming the next day for the wedding. The boss does not know. And he declines bringing up the subject with the Datuk Seri. You plead, and he says it is none of his business.

The Datuk Seri is also not in the office. You have his mobile number. You stare at the number. Pick up the phone and key in the first 3 numbers. Stop. You put down the phone. You do that a couple of more times. Then finally you make the call.

"Hello, Datuk Seri, good afternoon tuan. This is Thangavellu"

"Hello" Thanga! How is everything going? Your daughter's wedding preparations all going alright? Hey, I am looking forward to the mutton curry from your caterer. He makes the best mutton curry you know. That is why I recommended him to you. Hey, you don't mind if I throw in some political message in my speech eh? I have already prepared a good speech. And oh, by the way, my wife won't be coming la, so you make the necessary arrangements at the main table la. "

"O.k tuan. O.k."

"So, why did you call me? " "Is there anything?"

"Err, just checking to confirm the time of your arrival tuan! Its 7.30 sharp you said"

"Yes. that is right"

"O.k. tuan. Thank You, tuan. Bye. See you tomorrow tuan."

"O.k. See you tomorrow."

You're stuffed. Your daughter has just told you bloggers and social network via Face Book and Twitter are all extremely critical of the Datuk Seri and it is all rather embarrassing because he is the butt of everyone's joke. She would rather not have him at the wedding.

You too would rather not have him attend your daughter's wedding. But he is. You have to play the perfect but hypocritical host. So you start the process of conditioning yourself to play just that. And you plan to ensure no uncomfortable statements are made by anyone, knowing some of your boisterous friends and relatives as well as some old aunties who can be inconveniently vocal.

The day comes. You've already had so many calls from friends and relatives to see if the Datuk Seri is coming. Some have even made such sarcastic remarks that you almost told them not to come. Your wife too is not exactly being very kind in her remarks, promising to snub the Datuk Seri.

The moment comes. Its 7.30pm. You are at the driveway. The chauffeur driven Mercedes arrives. Stops in front of you. You open the door. The Datuk Seri steps out in his most elegant suit!! Your wife, in her yellow sari, looks on frowningly but with a sinister smile on her face, like as if she has made a point!!

Well, just consider this. That is Najib, our Prime Minister, playing guest at our friends and allies, expecting to be hosted in the fashion that heads of states are accustomed to be hosted. Wouldn't it be better for him to not have made this visit at this most inappropriate of times for him? Like your wife, the Queen wears yellow!! And you wonder why?

Trust women to know how to snub in the most quintessential of ways! But then you got to also have the brains to know what's happening!! Now I wonder if the Pope is also going to be wearing something yellow!

Anas Zubedy, You' Still haven't Got IT!

2011-06-30T07:55:00.002+08:00

I started writing this comment in Anas Zubedy's blog. But it started getting a little too long and thought it would be disrespectful hogging someone else's space. So its become a posting here. Anyway, this is a response to Anas' response to Commander (Rtd) S. Thayaparan's reponse to Anas' first open letter to Lim Guan Eng.

A number of points on your response, Anas:

The justification for going too much into history to find the pre-eminent role or rights for Malays in Malaysia! How far really do you want to go back? This is why the Middle East muddle will never get sorted. After all the Jews can keep going back to Moses to whom was promised the Land of Israel!!

The Malaysian experience is unique. You are a Malay and yet you are not the same as your brothers from Indonesia. Just as I might be Indian by race and yet I am not the same as my brethren in India, Singapore, Fiji or anywhere else. The same can be said of our Chinese Malaysians. Unfortunately, you can only get to experience this when you are abroad and your Malaysianess is recognised.

You know, I have always found pleasure watching Malay kids greet their elders. As you say, there is a graciousness. Even among friends and relatives when a host at a wedding starts his speech, it commences with apologies for all the shortcomings and he seeks our forgiveness, and there I go wondering what he is talking about because I thought everything was fantastic.

On the other hand when I was being urged to apologise to a brute who was threatening mayhem on me, I got more angry with the so called "friend" who was urging me to apologise. I did not see sense in it. But that is me. Not my ethnic or Malaysian mentality talking. You might call me biadab. So maybe, I should be apologising for writing this piece and making known my thoughts, if that is what would appease you. But you see, that is not how and what I do and who I am. And I know that I can ingratiate myself to any Malay without having to go through this ritual. It is my honesty and integrity that the Malay will have his antenna focused on. Not this ritual. But of course UMNO uses this as another excuse for distancing the Malays from the rest of us. And now you are doing the same.

You see, your Indonesian brethren's expectations, assumptions, aspirations and hopes will all be different from yours only because your experience in Malaysia is different from his. That is what makes you different from him despite you sharing the same language, dress, religion and food. The dilemma faced by one like Khir Toyo must surely be understandable considering his experiences might have still come under substantial influence by his parent's Indonesian experience. Hence he grabs whatever he can when he can. Your fears are not the same as those of your Indonesian brethren although you say you are of the same stock. It has nothing to do with your DNA. Life itself is not about DNA. It has more to do with experience. Your lifetime experience.

All this identification and "ownership" of a country by the ethnicity of its peoples or the ethnicity of the majority of its people is unfortunately a fact we live with. However, in contemporary times, and because we can, there are very few countries left in the modern world where it is inhabited by its original indigenous population. Sweden is no more made up of Swedish people alone. Their new experience is something that would be alien to their ancestors of just a hundred years ago. What countries need to build is a nation. A nation is about the living experience of the people within a political territory, which sometimes transcends into other geographical territories as well. There was a time when one could not tell a Singaporean from a Malaysian. But today, there is indeed a stark difference and you can tell. Its in our respective experience and how our aspirations, expectations, assumptions, hopes and fears are cultivated.

So really, who thanks who? Who should be grateful to whom? Isn't that really a fruitless exercise? Its just like a wonderful pot of chicken curry. Which of the ingredients do you owe your gratitude to most for bringing out this most wonderful aromatic curry? Mind you, when it goes into your mouth, its not just the aroma, there is also flavour, texture, mouth feel and after taste. Do you know which ingredient promotes what? Do you even care? But I can be sure that you appreciate the way they all come together.

The way I see it, all the race based parties whose very existence is dependent on each of the races maintaining that there is a unique heritage to preserve have buggered up everyone's lives. The Malays are told their language, customs or adat, religion, mannerisms, demeanor, behavior, dressing is unique. UMNO's Ketuanan Melayu mentality makes them believe that there is something superior about all of this. MCA does the same for the Chinese and MIC the Indians. But obviously there is this large urban population that ignores their call.

I cannot see me hesitating to make the necessary connections before proceeding on my way. I will do the usual courtesies that have previously got me through to anyone. But I am not going to have to satisfy each and everyone of a community in order to get ahead with whoever from that community wants to walk with me.

Unfortunately for Lim Guan Eng, there is nothing that he can do to ensure each and everyone of you finds him acceptable. He made the ultimate sacrifice, going to jail in defending a Malay girl. So, can you now place a full page advertisement to thank him on behalf of what seems to be an ungrateful community? Now, LGE is not talking about it. I am!!

As to the methods adopted by DAP to gain themselves some level of appeal, wouldn't it smack of hypocrisy or even deception if they were to do what you ask of them? Indeed it would even be dangerous. How and when have DAP or LGE been against the Malays? Asking for any kind of apology even when none is called for can only be turned around by UMNO and its bloggers to then point to it as evidence of DAP's previous "anti-Malay stance." You have to admit that for the ordinary Malay, they continue to see DAP through UMNO's looking glass.

As to who has displayed open disrespect to the rulers, Anas, you have conveniently avoided it lest you are seen to be critical of UMNO. Does not matter, but that is how I choose to see it. But at the very least you could rubbish this claim, allegation, accusation, whatever you want to call it, that DAP has disrespected the rulers. If anything the DAP has done tantamounts to disrespecting the rulers, than what is it that can be said of what UMNO has previously said and done to the rulers? Unfortunately the way UMNO has in the last few years used the rulers, its a wonder how long the rulers themselves will last as an institution that is understood as being part and parcel of the Malay race!

I agree with you that every time DAP or anyone else refuses to wear the songkok or any other attire, it is so rather silly. However, if it is required of me only so that I am seen to be submitting to someone's else's pride or superiority, then maybe I will reconsider submitting to the request. Where I am unsure, I'd just be plain indifferent, just as I would be with my attire on a beach. I actually enjoy skinny dipping!! When taking an indifferent attitude towards something that is called for it irritates even me when DAP makes an issue out of it.

So what is it that is important to the Malays? What makes you think by my reciting peribahasas and pantuns I will ingratiate myself to Malays? I know that despite my rude and sometimes uncouth approach my Malay friends have been been close, trusting and appreciative of me. What you say is almost a repeat of what UMNO tells Malays that this is what they are and this is how they must behave and evaluate and so on. That others should go into their den before they can welcome them with open arms. Well, yes, for political correctness, Ibrahim Ali and his lot will demand that. But why don't you ask Rocky? If I must, I must be an inconvenient acquaintance to him. But I think there is respect and regard, and I think we do look out for each other. I don't have to get into Rocky's den to have a discourse with him. Honesty and integrity are two things people, even those unschooled, easily pick up and respond to. But UMNO has been very successful, I must say, in laying out all the criteria, that Malays must demand of their fellow citizens before they can get into their den. This suspicion that UMNO requires Malays must have of their fellow non-Malay and non-Muslim citizens is what is breaking up this country. I already suggested earlier, we don't have a nation!

Obviously your observations of Lim Kit Siang are prejudiced by images of him, both video and still. And of course you are staying close to UMNO's description of Lim. That he is chauvinistic and so on. But you see, that is your view. I am not smitten by UMNO's descriptions of Lim and certainly completely uninfluenced by how they would wish for all of us to view LKS as. So really, when I read what you have written suggesting Lim resign, in order that DAP will look more appealing to the Malays, I defer. I think the more important task now for everyone, is to help Malays to see people and things for themselves rather than rehashing UMNO's take on everything. You will do well, helping the Malays to not allow Berita Harian or Utusan Malaysia to interpret for them what they see and what they hear.

The problem with Malaysia, including a lot of us who are supposed to be learned and well informed is that we go back to our own race based political leaders when we need to be heard. An Indian might approach an Indian DAP leader rather than a Chinese or a Malay political leader. If your MP was a BN Malay, and you were an Indian, he might refer you to to the local MIC branch leader. He then has to go to the MIC HQ, who then have to approach UMNO HQ, who then probably prompt that Malay MP to attend to the matter. Everyone is made important within the BN circuit.

With the Christian bashing, because none of the political leaders would step up to talk on behalf of Christians, because they know they lack the credentials, the Christian clergy was forced to step up. Personally I am not comfortable with this that the Christian clergy is forced to front up to speak on behalf of their flock. And sometimes they do tread on across political lines that the church, for several hundred years, has kept away from. But there is no one else to speak for them. Is there?

Have you been outed, Anas? I don't know. Your response seems to suggest otherwise. But you still appear to be looking at things through UMNO's looking glass. Maybe another approach should be adopted. History may not help us. Its today's experiences that matter. Unfortunately these get very little airing.

I No Longer Believe!! What are you saying RPK?

2011-04-14T10:11:00.002+08:00

RPK, you are a wordsmith par excellence. You dabble with words in a way lawyers envy you. And yet here you go contradicting yourself in a way that is disappointing.

Yes, you created, cultivated and nourished a perception. A perception that you believed in that Statutory Declaration of yours. No doubt it may have only narrated what one or more people you had reason to believe in had, according to you, narrated to you a story. You are a big boy RPK, you don't now come and tell us that this or that is what you stated in the SD. So you probably signed off the SD as "I believe this to be a true narration of what was said to me," but you did not add then your own reservations, did you?

RPK is quoted, “I no longer accept the story. I think it's quite impossible...." That suggests that there was a period of time when you did accept the story. So when did that period stop? Just before you signed that SD? Or shortly after it? Maybe you can point out to us when ever it was that you had reservations over this story? I am reminded that not too long ago also you were making references to this story, like as if you believed in it to prop up what ever else it was that you were trying to state. Raja, you have to remember that you are stopped from making excuses or to suggest that for a long time you had held reservations because, being the prolific writer that you are, and one who does not hold back on anything, it is a reservation that would have stopped you exploiting the story a long time ago. And you would have mentioned your reservations too somewhere, anywhere.

Raja, you are reported to have "had made the allegations on the belief that the order came from PKR adviser and Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim." You being ordered by anyone to do something that you did not believe in? I am expected to believe that? I'd believe that if you had inadvertently put yourself in a position where you could be kicked around. Have I been fooled or have you been fooling us about your independence and freedom from any encumbrance?

Your timing sucks. And from what has been reported so far, it would seem like as if Anwar is the one who is taking the short end of the stick where he now has to respond to. You have put "confidantes" or should I say, informers or Anwar's henchmen at risk. And surely from such a tale no one would go all out to sign a SD as you have, and as it would seem, recklessly so too. It begs further thought.

BN Leaders Admit to Their Crooked Ways!!

2010-08-23T12:31:00.002+08:00

"Gerakan secretary-general Teng Chang Yeow chided DAP......

He is further quoted, “We are glad to know DAP has mastered the art of sweeping dirt under the carpet. We welcome them to the world of cover-up,”

Maybe I read it wrong. Maybe my understanding is all wrong. But I thought you welcome someone to where ever it is you are. Like you welcome someone to your house. You don't go to your neighbour's house and welcome a friend there do you?

So, there is such a thing as a world of cover up. firstly you got to know that such a world exists to even quote it. Obviously this Teng fellow knows of such a world. And he knows what it is. Maybe because he is already there. And to take the onus of welcoming someone who he obviously knows not to have been there, then he obviously does so from the door ways of this world.

He says " we are glad to know that DAP has mastered the art of sweeping dirt under the carpet." Well, Teng, I don't know what that means. I don't know what that is. So obviously I don't know what it takes to master it. Obviously you know. You know what it takes to master this art. And having, as you seem to suggest, met the standards as you and your lot have required, now bestow the welcome to DAP.

Glad to see that BN has the capacity to be honest sometimes. At least you admit to your sweeping things under the carpet. But then before you call DAP hypocrites, you should know that, DAP are new at it. And if this is what has finally qualified them to be admitted to your domain, then surely accusing them of hypocrisy would be wrong. However, now that they are in your domain, then from here on if they were to make those suggestions you deem hypocritical, you can then call them that.

Discount or Subsidy?

2010-08-03T13:19:00.003+08:00

Don't play with bumi discount fire, warns UMNO Information Chief Ahmad Maslan. Tony Pua is not supposed to talk about it anymore as he can next be accused of sedition or incitement.

Well, if that is how much Ahmad Maslan wants that discount, honestly as far as I am concerned he can have it.

But let us call a spade a spade and nothing else.

Is that discount? Wikipedia says "Discounts and allowances are reductions to a basic price of goods or services." It further adds:

"They can occur anywhere in the distribution channel, modifying either the manufacturer's list price (determined by the manufacturer and often printed on the package), the retail price (set by the retailer and often attached to the product with a sticker), or the list price (which is quoted to a potential buyer, usually in written form).

There are many purposes for discounting, including; to increase short-term sales, to move out-of-date stock, to reward valuable customers, to encourage distribution channel members to perform a function, or to otherwise reward behaviors that benefit the discount issuer. Some discounts and allowances are forms of sales promotion."

Wikipedia goes on to explain in greater detail the various kinds of discounts offered or one might encounter and i have reproduced its content's page here:

[hide]

It would seem that only the category "1.4 Discounts and allowances dealing with customer characteristics" would apply to the Bumi discount that Maslan refers to. Even then it would seem like none of the sub sections here would refer to the Malaysian version of Bumi discount. Really no one in the whole world, as it would seem, think there should be such a discount as Maslan imagines.

There is something about the characteristics of a discount that maybe ought to be explained. If we were to take the definitions given above, the discount ought to be the difference between the list or approved price the manufacturer offers and the price actually paid by the buyer.

In the case of a developer of properties his calculations of price of individual units don't matter as much as what he hopes to receive from the sale of the entire development. As long as that global figure is achieved the developer cares little about who buys at what price.

So the developer is now forced to sell to the bumis at a discount 30% of the units. Now let us say that the development is made up of 10 units of identical bungalows. Now, it is not only the individual units that the developer has to build, but he has to also provide common amenities like roads, swimming pool, guard house etc. He may have worked out the entire cost of the project, including land to be, say, RM10 million. He may want to make RM10 million in profit. In which case he would need sell the entire project of 10 bungalows for RM20 million. Therefore, he would need to price each unit at RM2 million.

Now, if 30% or 3 units are to be sold to bumis at a discount of 5% it would seem like the developer will have to sell these at RMRM1,900,000 each. If that were to be all, the developer suffers a loss of RM300,000. Now, if this is what has been happening, we should have a long time ago heard from the developers complaints about their sacrifices. But no. They have been silent. In fact they have acquiesced the implementation of this discount policy quite happily just so that they will be able to get all their necessary approvals. But this is not what happens, is it?

The RM300,000 loss is now added on to the price of the remaining 7 units so that they bear that "loss". The non-bumis have to cough up at least RM42,850 using simple calculations. Sure all you mathematicians out there can work out the more precise figures so that the bumi price is actually 5% less than the non-bumi price. I never claimed to be good at maths anyway.

Unlike the discounts that we see in stores where the seller is making a sacrifice for whatever reason. Here the seller, the developer is NOT making any sacrifice. the seller makes his RM10 million. The non-bumi buyers are asked to pay for and on behalf of the bumis their so called "discount"!! Basically this is a direct subsidy by the non-bumi buyers for the bumis who buy.

As I said earlier, I am quite agreeable about paying on behalf of my bumi countrymen. Just don't call it discount. Call it subsistence. Call it subsidy. Just don't call it discount for heaven's sake.

Kampung Baru land will not be sold to non-Malays

2010-06-05T07:13:00.003+08:00

UMNO's Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Raja Datuk Nong Chick Raja Zainal Abidin is quoted saying, "not a single square inch of land in the redevelopment of the Kampung Baru Settlement in Kuala Lumpur will be sold to non-Malays."

The Malay Mail had earlier quoted a 72 year old resident of Kampung Baru swore that they will fight for their land and would not accept any apportioning of the land to non-Malays to buy or invest in.

Holistically looking at it, this affront to the Prime Minister's attempt at redeveloping Kampung Baru would appear enviable to many. The patriotism shown and the willingness to sacrifice is the kind of character that a nation being confronted by outside enemies requires to defend itself.

These posturings are obviously headline grabbing. Who ever heard of one 72 year old Baki Hussin? And until I read the Malaysian Insider article I did not even realise that we had an Urban Wellbeing Ministry. See, the usefulness of brouhaha in Malaysia? If you are an UMNO politician intent on impressing your latest girlfriend, say just about anything and get quoted in the next day's press!! She'd be impressed!! I cannot deny that our Ministers are men of substance, knowledgeable and are indeed smart. How else do they become a Minister? They cannot possibly be making idiotic statements. So, why else do they make it if not for getting media exposure? And of course the media are well trained to make them appear to be fools for the statements they make. But really, beyond impressing local bimbos who don't necessarily have the brains to analyse the essence of such statements, what other value can you put to it?

This redevelopment of Kampung Baru has been on the agenda of just about every administration, I suppose, since Tunku Abdul Rahman. The wealth or the value that is suspended in that piece of real estate is so enormous that, if the entire land is made available to the world to exploit to its fullest extent, the wealth created can potentially amount to a significant proportion of our GDP.

At the same time, it also stands as an icon, or a snub, which ever way you want to look at it. Iconic, because it stands as a reminder of a value system of a race that is proud of its heritage. It stands as an inheritance bestowed by their forefathers. And if, there has not been much change since the time when I drove through it some 30 years ago or so, it provides just about the only insight into an era that has been captured in several of the P Ramlee and 1950s and early 1960s Malay movies. Nostalgic. Earlier this year I went with friends to one of the Nasi Beriani stores. Yes, I felt like I was the only Indian around. And my friend the only Chinese. But we were there with a few Malay friends. There was no fear. I indeed felt welcome.

Reading the Malay Mail and our Minister Raja Nong Chick, however, suddenly Kampung Baru seems a little unwelcoming. The "spite" that you read between the lines when they claim the entire territory, and rightfully too, for the Malay race. The barring of any greed that might drive non-Malays into buying property there would be a snub for the likes of Vincent Tan, Francis Yeoh or the Tongs and other property barons. Unfortunately as a customer, I also view this as telling me that I really have no business there as well. They don't consider me as a potential customer who might want to buy property, produce or services that might be rendered there in the new Kampung Baru. Come to think of it, when I was there for lunch earlier this year, I noticed there were a number of traders and business activities going on that I never realised one could get right there at your door step if you were operating a business in the city centre.

This has got me thinking.

Is this how the UMNO led government ensures the Malay will forever remain undervalued? The Malay, according to UMNO should never realise the full potential of his assets and resources! That is why, what could be worth RM1,500 per sq ft is destined to not gain for the Malay anything more than RM350 per sq ft. And it is ingrained in the Malays' mind that this RM350 is such a windfall that he should be satisfied with it? That he should be proud of the fact that he has just sacrificed RM1,150 per sq ft for the pride of the Malay race, a value that UMNO keeps promoting as one they should die for!

Maintaining the mentality that is there about Kampung Baru and other Malay reserve assets, rights and resources ensures that the market to which these assets and resources are exposed to is confined to only the Malay market. When nasi lemak can be sold for RM10 a packet, confining its access to only the Malays means that same nasi lemak can only be sold for RM4.00 a packet. This is how the Malay is kept poor and reliant on the largesse of the UMNO led government.

Simple economics really. The larger market is not stifling the values and the prices the Malay can potentially obtain for his property and produce. Indeed I don't see any kind of prejudice against Malay assets or Malay produce or services. But because the Malay land, produce and service itself is substantially influenced by the access it usually gives to these, and, therefore, guided by the value the Malay market is prepared to give, and this includes salaries paid in employment, these become naturally undervalued when it reaches the open market. As far as I am concerned, I am fine by that. I do like my nasi lemak. And instead of RM10, if I only need to pay RM4 for it, it tastes all the more better.

In IRAN They Let Apostates Go!

2010-05-27T07:05:00.002+08:00

Iran drops apostasy charges against women converts

by Michelle A Vu, Christian Post

Posted: Tuesday, May 25, 2010, 8:34 (BST)

Two female converts in Iran were acquitted of all charges and arrived safely in another country on Saturday.

Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh were cleared of apostasy, anti-state activities, and participating in illegal gatherings, according to Elam Ministries, an Iran-focused ministry that has followed the case since the beginning.
Iranian authorities warned the women that they faced serious consequences if they continue their Christian activities in Iran.The founders of Elam Ministries, Sam and Lin Yeghnazar, received the two young women at an airport in an undisclosed country on Saturday. The name of the country was withheld for security reasons.
“It was very emotional when we first saw them,” said Lin Yeghnazar. “Now, we want to see them rest and recover.”

Rostampour and Amirizadeh were arrested in March 2009 on charges of anti-state activity and for “taking part in illegal gatherings”, in other words, involvement with house churches. They were detained in the notorious Evin prison, a facility known for its human rights violations, while their trial took place in Tehran.
The young converts suffered psychological abuse during their detainment, including sleep deprivation and intense interrogation lasting hours. They also suffered from health problems but were denied medical attention.

In prison, they were pressured to renounce their new Christian faith and to return to Islam but they repeatedly refused. During an August 9 court hearing, they reportedly told the judge, “We love Jesus,” “Yes, we are Christians,” and, “We will not deny our faith.” In October they learned that a third charge of apostasy had been added.
They were conditionally released on November 18, but updates on their condition in April revealed that the two women were still in frail physical condition.
“We are most grateful to everyone who prayed for us,” said Amirizadeh in a statement Saturday. “I have no doubt that God heard the prayers of His people.”

Rostampour also thanked Christians worldwide for their prayers, which she credits for sustaining them throughout the ordeal. She said eventually they would like to share what occurred during their detainment, but for now they wanted to pray and “seek the Lord for His will”.
In Iran it is illegal for Muslims to convert to Christianity, although Christians are allowed to convert to Islam.

Over the past year, authorities have shut down at least three churches and accused them of converting Muslims. None of the three churches have been given permission to re-open yet.

>>>>>>>>>>......................................................................................................>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Have we, in Malaysia, supposedly a more emancipated country, found a solution to apostates?...Ah I hate that word. Would not a Christian converting to Islam also be considered an Apostate? If such persons don't like to be called apostates then maybe, another term or statement should be applied to those converting out of Islam too. Somehow, Apostate carries with it an ignominy that drives one to anger, hate, ridicule and such. ...Oh yes, we do after all have a solution don't we? We have laws prohibiting converting out of Islam and even more, proselytising to Muslims too. Ah, I don't like that word too. It has a negative connotation about it. what would you call Muslims preaching to non-Muslims? Proselytising! No?

Language, linguistics, how these are used to evoke emotions! I guess it is possible to use any language in ways to evoke the desired emotional response. However, being only English literate, I can only say, the English language is just great. It has all the tools and bits, nuts and bolts to express just the right note and tone to prompt the desired result. Knowing how to use it can be such a great asset I'd reckon.

Ignorant Muslim Reporters. Even More Ignorant Muslim Attorney General!

2010-03-06T14:59:00.002+08:00

By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 3/5/2010

Malaysia defends inaction over Catholic 'desecration'

Malaysia has defended a decision not to prosecute two Muslim journalists accused of desecrating a communion wafer in a Catholic church, saying they acted out of "sheer ignorance".

The archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Murphy Pakiam has criticised the government's "failure to act" over the incident, in which the pair joined a Catholic service to investigate claims Muslims were illegally converting.

"The journalists have displayed utmost disrespect for the Catholic community when they admit receiving and spitting out the Holy Communion," he told a press conference Thursday.

However, the government's top lawyer, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, said the pair did not understand the significance of the wafer, which Catholics believe represents the body of Jesus Christ.

"The actions of the two reporters may have hurt the feelings of the people but I was satisfied that they did not intend to offend anyone. It was an act of sheer ignorance," he said in a statement late Thursday.

"Therefore in view of the circumstances at that particular time and in the interest of justice, peace and harmony, I decided not to press any charges against them," he said.

Murphy Pakiam has called for an apology over the incident, which he said "does not augur well on inter-religious harmony and peace" in Muslim-majority Malaysia, which has been beset by religious disputes in recent months.

The multi-ethnic country was hit with a spate of firebombings against churches and mosques in January, triggered by a dispute over the use of the word "Allah" as a translation for "God" by non-Muslims.

The rows have strained relations between majority Muslim Malays and minorities including ethnic Chinese and Indian communities who fear the country is being "Islamised."

About nine percent of Malaysia's 28 million population are Christians, including 850,000 Catholics.

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Well, Gani Patail, the two reporters may not have understood the significance of the holy communion, not only to the Catholic Community, but also the entire Christian community, but you Gani Patail, presumably a learned, but obviously a useless idiot to boot, had all the time in the world to understand for yourself the significance of their actions. You had access to Catholics and other Christians who work for you in your chambers who could have educated you, and yet your recklessly idiotic statement and conclusions show that your ignorance and your lack of understanding of the significance of your decision is far more threatening to the security of the nation, if there is one to call, than cowing to the threats of the likes of Perkasa and UMNO rightists.

Anyway, the Christians owe you their gratefulness for opening their eyes as to what they might expect from this UMNO led government from here on. The masters you serve only see the voters either as Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Muruts, Ibans, etc. And the BN is configured to have leaders of those communities looked at by their races. It would seem like what you have suggested and prompted for us to look at from here on is to see ourselves not according to our races. Maybe our religions. Now, let me see, dare I say, the Christians would constitute no less than 18% of the population? Maybe more? and they transcend all races too..including the closet Christians amongst the Malays that we read about now and then. You think the MCA leader or the MIC leader or for that matter any of the Indian party leaders or Kadazan or Iban leaders might be able to guide these voters to your masters?

Gani Patail, thank you!!

The Allah Issue, Theocratic Incumbance or Political Opportunism?

2010-02-12T11:45:00.004+08:00

If any confusion has come up it is the UMNO's desperate attempt at trying to position itself above PAS as the "protector of Islam". They did so this way back in the 1980s when they first allowed the State religious councils to enact fatwas that had greater value as a measure of protection of the religion that prior to this was not even considered a measure, an issue or a problem. It was really not even an opportunity for opportunists to put a dent into Islam.

That there was confusion was no more than a lie as there is absolutely no way to prove confusion as, to the credit of the Malay from centuries past, the Malay has not abandoned his religion even though they may have migrated to Christian dominated countries like South Africa or Buddhist/Hindu dominated countries like Sri Lanka.

But it was a useful measure that was created out of nothing. Being able to stop Christians using Allah in their worship would be evidence of their dominance over non-Muslims. Would show superiority. Would show the non-Muslims to be subordinate to the Muslims and so on. In that sense, UMNO would have done more to elevate the Muslims' sense of superiority. If not pointed out like the way it has been done, it would not have been a bone of contention. Just like the snot that sticks out of one's nostril, it is not a bother, nor something to feel embarrassed about unless and until someone points it out to you. But in this case, it is in fact and would be in fact a nuisance and one having a diminishing influence over you. However, with Allah, Indonesians have always known the use of that name by Christians. After all its printed in bold and huge letters and banners on church walls for show to the public. The Indonesian, who some here think, are only good for labourious work and being illiterate maids, certainly are not confused.

Then how come the Peninsula based Malaysian Malays are uniquely alone in being confused? How come, as it would seem, even our Council of Rulers appear confused?

No sirree. Its not about confusion. No one is confused. But it is a useful yardstick. It is a useful measure. It is a yardstick that did not exist. It is not even a yardstick with any other racial sector or national sector of the Islamic Ummah. So they created this as a yardstick to be pointed out as measure of their will and their ability to show superiority. To show Ketuanan. To show that this is also a yardstick and a measure of a Muslim's duty to defend Islam. To defend the Prophet. To defend the Ummah. And only UMNO can do it. After all the Malays have not really been part of the development of Islam nor the spread of Islam. They have only been consumers. Within the Muslim Ummah they needed to upgrade. To be seen as real defenders of Islam. Like to be part of the Crusades of a thousand years ago. And by doing this they can feel that they have upgraded from just being consumers to becoming producers. And UMNO did it. UMNO has done this for Islam and for the Malay race. They are the real defenders of Islam and not PAS. And they are the ones who took the Malay race on this upward spiral.

What is sad is Allah has been misused here. He has been used more for political rather than a real theocratic reason. A non-issue has been cast as a trophy to be fought over. If Allah was the name of or the word for God, it has become a trophy. A trophy that many Malays have been led to believe that belongs to only them to hold on to. A trophy that only they can use, see, and worship. It was never a trophy before. He was real. And they knew the difference. So what if non-Muslims too used Allah in their worship?

Only UMNO has something to gain from this issue. I see the Rulers as being forced to see this like the way UMNO wants them to see it as well. At the end of the day, yes they get overall approval for what they did. Creating snow out of cotton and making everyone believe that it is snow. Congratulations UMNO!! You have just pissed off the cotton pickers!

Allah Mak!! Need Another Expression!!

2010-01-20T12:29:00.003+08:00

The only time I ever invoke Allah quite unconsciously is when I say "Allah mak", in expressing regret, like when I miss the turn while driving! Come to think of it, I think most Malaysians would have used "Allah Mak" at some time in their lives despite "lawfully" not being allowed to. Indeed we say those words even in the presence of pious Malays without them starring down at us in dismay.

But really, when looking at this entire debacle one has to ask, who benefits!! ?

Is it the confused Malay/Muslim? I don't think so. No confused Malay or Muslim has given up his religion in any of the countries where Allah is used by Christians. I cannot imagine those who claim confusion can actually point out to any Malay/Muslim who has veered from his faith just because Christians use Allah.

Then why use this argument? Well, it is a claim that no one will bother to test. And when you make such a claim it is always possible to point out made up cases. But really! I cannot imagine even the most stupid or disinterested Peninsula Malay/Muslim getting confused when a Christian uses "Allah" to reference the "Christian God"! Why? Simple really! The Islamic teachings and indoctrinations on their subjects have been so effective that there is usually hardly any space left in them for conjecture or doubts about what and who Allah is to Muslims almost the world over. The fear of Allah that has been conditioned into them has been most effective and that to a large extent is the greatest motivator that has lasted for so many centuries. The use of Allah in far greater Muslim populated areas as well as in more "less educated" Muslim populations than one might find in Malaysia, like Indonesia, Jordan, Syria or Egypt where everyone knows and are used to Christians also referring to Allah, really nullifies this argument about confusion. Unless of course the Malays want to hold themselves out as a tribe that is basically stupid! Other than UMNO wanting to present Malays as such, I really don't think anyone else holds the Malay race to be such.

The allegation that Missionaries purposely insisted that Munshi Abdullah use Allah in his translation so as to more easily reach the Malay/Muslims? Well, maybe some element of mischief might have been intended then. After all they already knew Allah albeit it being an Arabic word and not a Malay word. Tuhan already existed as a word and that should have sufficed. But then this argument would have been valid at that time. At that time when whoever appropriated the Allah word for the use of referencing the Christian God in Malay as a word in the Malay language!

Ah, but then the Allah word was already a word that would have been applied to the Christian God long before Islam came along, one might say. But, hey fine, but that was in the Arabic language as used by the Arabs. There presumably would have already existed the Tuhan word in the Malay language after all which is as generic as God is today in the English language.

Today I say "google it". But "google it" would not have meant a thing only 10 years ago. Google is the company that has come up with the most popular search engine and most widely used. One would have thought, 10 years ago, "yahoo it" might have just as well been understood. A pronoun used as a verb!! Do Google have a say over how I use "google it"?

So, "Allah" which was originally used as a noun, either was appropriated as a pronoun by the Prophet or it was appropriated by the Quran. Or is "Allah" being appropriated as a "pronoun" by the Malaysian Muslims? I guess for me deeper down, I see, that in its present use in this country, Allah is used as a pronoun, rightly or wrongly, to refer to the God that Muslims worship.

Rightly or wrongly, "Allah" has been appropriated as a pronoun amongst Muslims in Malaysia. However, in seeing no demons in its use by Christians in territories where Arabic comes from, the people of that language can be seen using "Allah" more as a noun. Or at least they see when used by Christians, it is used as a noun. That would also appear to be the case in the case of Indonesia, where the language is almost the same as the Malay language that is in contention here.

For most Muslims in Malaysia all this posturings of mine and many others would really make no sense at all. Had well been left alone there would not have been any problems whatsoever. Christians would have happily put up, like in Indonesia, stuff like "Allah ku Cinta" and what not and I cannot imagine any Muslim getting confused over it. They would have had to be a special species subordinate to the least educated Indonesian to even been miffed.

Peninsula Christians

Unlike the East Malaysian Christians the Peninsula Christians would largely be non-Malay speaking. Thus the primary source of Christian worship and learning would be English, Tamil or Chinese. But with the wisdom of our past UMNO leaders, especially Tun Mahathir Mohammad, our children are now far more fluent in Bahasa Malaysia than they are in any other language. But the Government does not want us to worship using the language of the Malays. They have not encouraged, in fact I read somewhere, even banned the publication of the Bible in the Malay language. So what do we do? Well, we import as we have done in the past and as our East Malaysian Christians have been doing all along, from Indonesia, the Indonesian language Bible, which coincidentally is the same, well almost, as the Malay language. There they use Allah!! And no problems so far in Indonesia. Of course we very much would like to export this debacle to Indonesia as well where we want to see discord and where once this was not an issue, we want to make an issue so that our Malays in Malaysia don't stand alone in this matter.

So, even if we do not use "Allah" in publications and writings originating in Malaysia, and even if we stop using Allah in our worship and confined ourselves to Tuhan, we will need to continue to import Indonesian Bibles from Indonesia as we are not allowed to publish Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia. So, this is just not going away.

Credibility of the Muslim's Position

If Allah had been the only word that was "protected", it may be argued that there was some credibility in their position. However, when you ban such words as Amin as well!! Well, the spelling may be different with it being spelt Amen in English. But the pronunciation is the same whether in English, Tamil or Chinese. And Christian prayers in any language end with Amen. Hymns sung on Sundays in most established churches end with Amen. Prayers are said as well as sung where Amen forms the main theme.

I always thought Masjid was a Malay word until my recent visit to India. In Kerala the mosques' names end with Masjid on them. I always thought "Haji" was a reverent title. But now it would seem like I may not be able to go to Jalan Haji Taib or Jalan Masjid India in case I might be in violation of someone's idiotic notion of piety! Hey, going by this idiot's reckoning I think the goings on in Lorong Haji Taib in Kuala Lumpur do more harm to the sanctity of such names than Christians worshiping employing these words.

Who Benefits?

There are so many more arguments put forward for and against the use of Allah. A lot of these arguments don't really make sense. Some are well argued and arguments based on research are to be commended for what they elucidate.

However, I do too have the right to an opinion. In addition to accepting the facts that have been put forward by both sides of this debate, I would say that it is not necessary that all the facts are necessarily relevant to this debate. Squaring up the facts from both sides and arriving at a balance of possibilities that both sides can be equally right or equally wrong, I then am left to see from an angle that does not draw from the theological, linguistic or historic perspectives.

Who benefits? Who benefits when this was a non-issue to begin with? It was a non-issue 30 years ago. It remains a non-issue today everywhere else. But it is an issue today just only in Malaysia. What made it an issue? Who made it an issue? Why did they make it an issue? How different would it be when those who made it an issue become victorious as a result?

It all began in the mid 1980s when some states in their attempt at protecting Muslims from being subject to proselytising started by invoking prohibition laws. With that in mind, words became protected. Allah was not allowed to be said and used by non-Muslims. It did not seem to matter that in so doing, a Muslim convert would have to tread through an illegal path of having to say or read "Allah" while still not yet a Muslim! The excuses they come up for that would be quite amusing really. But at this time, it would seem like those pursuing this push to protection were the religious and the Ulama. Obviously the politicians obliged.

Was it really necessary then? I am of the opinion that it was just unnecessary. The Muslim Malay should be commended for retaining their faith despite migration to Christian or Hindu dominated territories. Surely there should be no fear of them straying in Muslim dominated Malaysia.

Then what really were they saying? I think it served more as a reminder to Muslims as well as Muslim politicians alike that there was the Ulama who Muslim politicians had to submit to. And submit they did. After all it was the mid-eighties when the first fissures within the Malay community appeared with the crossing of swords with the royalty as well as amongst the politicians in UMNO. The Islamic thread happened to be the strongest thread that could bind the different parts of the Malay community together. It was not espoused as such. It was clearly used like as if it was a protective layer. Yet it had the effect of acting as a reminder that the Malay community was united. And maybe that is why, today, despite whatever PAS might say, there is this suspicion about their true intentions.

The demonising of other religions, the sectarian ideas put to kids attending Ugama classes, the hate invoked and perpetuated for anything seen to be as enemies of Islam and the cultivation of hate as a good emotion to have for anything and anyone who might be considered under the classification of "enemies of Islam" have to a certain extent developed the Muslim/Malay psyche. If hate as an emotion can be measured you might just find that for the average Malay it would in all probability be greater than that for others. The hate is in fact cultivated and nourished unlike, for instance, the Christian where he is expected to "love his enemies"!! Thus, what in other Muslim territories is a non-issue, by putting this "Allah by Christians" into that classification the perpetrators have quite successfully staged a rise in temperature amongst the Muslims in Malaysia. Any hope that this will follow on in Indonesia or the Arabic nations has sadly failed to materialise. Maybe the demonising that happens here did not happen in their countries. Even the Taliban have not made any comment on this. Maybe they are just as confused or maybe they are a little pre-occupied with other things.

UMNO would be seen as leading this thrust right now. Of course they are denying it. Well, at least the church burnings. But certainly they want to be seen as being the ones championing what they would like to classify as a violation of Islamic icons of images. Or would it be more right of me to say "impressions"? After a life time of indoctrination, what constitutes Islamic has now been reduced to what UMNO says at their whims and fancies really. Both Allah and Amin are Islamic words and therefore protected and they are the ones standing up to protect them. That is what they want the Malay people to see. It does not matter that 220 million odd Indonesians are laughing about this. It does not matter that the Arabic world is rather amused and confused. It does not matter that the entire Turkish Muslim population and the rest of the new Muslims are finding it hard to explain this quirk. So long as the disingenuous hands in UMNO see that they have a play here to turn the tide of support from PAS and the indifferent amongst the Malays to them, what does it matter? After all they know that their corrupt ways and practices don't also sit along with Islamic teachings. So why not use Islam for their benefit?

I am of the opinion that UMNO leaders actually believe that this episode will play in their favour. After all if the Malay vote is divided 35:35:30 between UMNO, PAS & Keadilan, and undecided respectively, what UMNO needs is maybe a shift of only 5% of the undecided to make it 40:35:25 and they would have their sanctimonious two-thirds majority in parliament.

Yes. As much as they might be pleading otherwise, UMNO sees itself standing to benefit from this entire episode. The Church burnings are just self-fulfilling prophesies of theirs when they claimed that Allah being used by the Christians will incite the Muslims. It has not in 1400 years in the Arabic nations and it has not for several hundred years in Indonesia. What is is that is so unique about Malaysia?

The Chrisitian Position Now?

Before the court case I was of the opinion that it wasn't essential for Christians to use the term Allah. We could use Tuhan and that would be fine. I even wrote about it. But now, with the UMNO led BN without pause after the verdict was announced very quickly submitted the appeal, where it is expected the verdict to be reversed, UMNO's hand in this entire manufactured shenanigans cannot be hidden anymore. Including the violence. The mere fact that this UMNO led government is unable to see what has so far been the greater sacrilege committed against Malaysian Christians by those motivated by the pursuit of their self-claimed Islamic interests, is sufficient evidence that they really don't care. Yes, the sacrilege committed by the two reporters on the holiest sacrament in the life of a Christian is much worse than the burning of churches. All that they do here is the burning of buildings. And that, as all Christians will tell you, is not exactly the Church!

But now? I say let us hold on to our rights!! Why? Quite simple. If we go down on this, they will then say we are confusing them when we end our hymns with Amen or end our prayers with Amen. It is only a matter of time when they will say that we are confusing the Muslims with the lie that Jesus is the Son of God. Indeed every time UMNO feels vulnerable we shall become their useful punching bag. We will be required to say that the son that Abraham was about to sacrifice when God stopped him was Ishmael instead of Isaac. And because the English, Tamil and Chinese Bibles have this "lie" written in them, these Bibles too have to be banned. Is this scenario an impossibility? Fact is, only losers dominate the leadership of UMNO. Losers use any and every means not to sink.

Coke reveals ambitious 2020 growth targets

2009-11-18T08:47:00.002+08:00

Came across this headlines, and my mind took me to another 2020 milestone. A milestone spoken and worked upon for over 10 years now I suppose. Malaysia has far greater resources compared to Coca Cola. Sure Coke has far less politics if not no politics to contend to. And maybe Coke also has far less crooks committed to achieving stated goals. Whereas in the Malaysian instance we have crooks from top to bottom for whom a goal such as Vision 2020 provides the excuse for the policies that will enable them to plunder maybe!!

Anyway, rather than dwelling on that, why not we take Coke's ambitions as a challenge? Let us, Malaysians take that challenge to see who gets to that goal better than the next.

Pakatan Rakyat!! the Ideal!!

2009-11-11T11:13:00.003+08:00

Finally, after all the talk Pakatan Rakyat has submitted its application to be registered as a coalition with members of PKR, PAS and DAP. Supposedly it is a statement of their commitment towards a common cause, a common purpose and a common goal. But is it really?

Barisan Nasional leaders point out the differences and the frequent squabbles between members of coalition partners. The current Zulkifli Nordin challenge to Sivarsa shows the diversity in cause, purpose and goals of MPs from even within the same party. Some Indian members of PKR have chided PR for ignoring Indian interests and see themselves as representing Indian interests as their main cause and achieving benefits for Indians as their ultimate goals. Obviously each of them have an audience out there that cheers them on and from which they receive their "accredition" to soldier on.

You also have the intransigent positions taken by some leaders like Karpal Singh who insists that the Islamic State will happen over his dead body. That surely must irk even the most hip of clubbing Muslims. Of course it is most often in response to PAS continued commitment to their Islamic State ideal.

To Karpal Singh, all that I want to say is that hey, its only at best an aspiration. You cannot deny anyone their aspirations. That would be like denying a citizen of hope. Actualising that aspiration would be like my aspiration to ascend to the top of Mt Everest!! Rather than you laughing at my aspiration I would appreciate that you respect it. I have not asked for support and even if I did, it would be perfectly alright to deny me that support. Similarly, respect PAS' Islamic State objectives. Understand it and tell them politely that you cannot support it. But it is not necessary to get yourself worked up over it because if PAS pushed it any further they know that what ever advances they have made will just wither off very quickly.

So what is it that is needed for this coalition to work?

I would like to suggest that politicians as well as citizens understand and separate the different roles played by the different interests that come to play here. In this, PAS and its members would have to confront the greatest of obstacles. So will those in PKR like Zulkifli Nordin.

I have to accept the fact that there is the Muslim believe, some might even say obligation and others a compelling indictment that politics is part and parcel of practicing the religion or the faith. There are many who are motivated and moved to action by their submission to this edict, as they see it, on them. Yet, there are others amongst the Muslims who, possibly having been influenced by "non-Islamic" or secular ideas who would rather not be swept away by the impositions of their faith.

Nevertheless, those wishing to pursue this agenda have to confront the fact that the dynamics and the demographics of the country are such that that objective cannot be pursued without the acquiescence of those who might be diametrically opposed to it. You could wait for the acquiescence to happen, or like the Moguls did, you could do it by the sword. But we are living in the 21st century and the motivators that moved the Moguls are all but dead today. It is life in Malaysia as we know of it today that needs to be governed. In its governance is where politics plays its part.

So What Is It That We Want Governed?

How much of our lives do we want dictated by someone else? In Centralised Economies of the past in communist Soviet Union and China personal choice was not something that was allowed beyond your own home. Even the number of children you could have was dictated to you. I know I have not extended any politician any invitation to invade my life and extract from it my hopes, my choices, my dreams, my opportunities and my miseries. Neither have I given permission to any religious leader of any religion, including my own, to invade my life and that of my children. My freewill is for me to to exercise and not surrender!

That being the case, what do I expect of my elected leaders? Lets put it another way. Am I an asset or am I a liability to the nation? As a taxpayer, as an employer or as an employee I am contributing to the development of the nation. As a parent I am also contributing in ensuring valuable human assets are developed for the country. As a taxpayer, I contribute towards the the roads, the drains, the street lights, the security, and all the other services rendered to the people where the benefit is enjoyed, well, almost equally, without reference to our proportionate contribution to the nation's coffers. Sure I am an asset. And sure I can and I have the right to decide the type of government I want. And I can decide what it is that I want governed, administered and regulated.

Yes, there is the public space that needs governing, administering and regulating. And there is the private space I expect to be given the due respect for and from which I want the regulators well away from. If the regulators want to make themselves really useful beyond governing, administering and regulating the public space, they could, if they want, make it more conducive for me to go about taking advantage of all that this country has to offer. In a legal way of course.

The Government's Task

If in the last paragraph I have been able to impress what is expected and there is a political movement that can dedicate itself to giving me that, than that is what I really would support. The question to Pakatan Rakyat, the coalition, is, can they commit to that? In fact, I should say, in the light of what might appear to be very valid objectives the founding coalition partners are confronted with objectives of their own parties that might just be opposed to one another. One wants to have an Islamic State and do everything Islamic. Another wants a purely secular state and does not attribute any good to any claimant.

To PAS, I would like to ask, what is it about a secular state that it finds offensive? Has not Islam thrived in secular states? What is it about good human values that it finds offensive until it can be adopted or determined or claimed as something stemming from Islam? To DAP, and to some extent myself, what is it about a Muslim claiming a good to have come from Islam so unacceptable?

But really, in what is called for in governing, administering, regulating and leading a country's public space, are these concerns, fears, bias or prejudices going to dictate how the coalition parties are going to work together? I hope not!

And it is this premise that I have to take if I am to be asked to list practical and inspirational organisational solutions to make Pakatan Rakyat stronger. Even before I begin the list, I have to assume that the parties in the coalition and their respective members are not on the same page in so far as their expectations, hopes, aspirations are concerned. They also are not on the same page on such things as what they can do or cannot do. Also, I don't know really what should come first. A practical and inspirational list of solutions or should it be a list of things that we have to agree upon. One thing that surely will unravel this coalition will be to leave to chance the assumptions that they all, representing different sets of interests, bring to the table. If today, after over 52 years we are debating the so called "social contract" it surely has to do with the unspoken and unwritten assumptions that were brought to the table when the three leaders of UMNO, MCA and MIC met. Their assumptions about each of their communities they saw themselves representing would have been valid at the time. But are they valid today? If not, than is the "social contract" spoken of valid today? Indeed Pakatan Rakyat should not even look at the social contract for answers as, if they do, than might as well we not have this Pakatan and we all go back and support the BN.

If it is at all possible, if we imagined ourselves to be on a ship that has hit troubled waters, I know and I am confident that our humanity will take over where we would be able to work together and support one another to get out of the troubled spot. Provided of course we do not give in to our bias, selfishness, prejudices and preferences.

For a Cohesive Pakatan Rakyat we need to:

1. Spell out the Goals and Objectives for the nation and the rakyat that will be for Pakatan Rakyat to achieve. This does not have to be the same as those of the component parties.

2. Define public space and private space so that we all will and can know from there all that is common and that binds us and we can also tell off the politicians to stay off from what is our private space.

3. Insist that as it is geographical constituencies to which leaders are voted in for that they represent all within that constituency and that they will not do or say anything that any one sector or more within that constituency will find offensive or objectionable.

4. Adopt the policy that if we were in business, our market would be the entire citizenry rather than just one sector of the market. Best exemplified by the Nasi Lemak sellers. Usually Malay, but their market is all of us without bias or prejudice!! Why can't our leaders be like our Nasi Lemak sellers? The Nasi Lemak that is most popular is the one that is truly a Malay recipe and not one that is doctored and adulterated to meet another's perceived preference.

5. Have a clear education policy is needed. A bold statement that the national education policy and experiment introduced by Mahathir when he was the Education Minister has failed as reflected by the increased demand for vernacular education will be a good start. Is anyone brave enough to state that the success of the vernacular schools is testimony to and represents the rejection of the Education Services wished on the nation by policy makers? What we have today is simply to pacify and retain MCA and MIC in the BN fold more than it is to nourish our ethnic minorities with culture and language!! The Education Policy should be guided by what is best for the people and the nation in the context of the world we live in than the sentiments and emotions of a few who have little else to justify their political participation to.

6. Acknowledge that matters of the state that the coalition needs to govern have nothing to do with cultural and religious traits and needs of the people. This should be left to the respective communities to take care of. As Mahathir once said, to a handful of us when we met him at his office, the business of government should be to issue laws, regulate, administer, enforce and govern matters of the state and not anything else, really. Of course he did admit that reality of the nation also required the government to provide medical, policing, education and other public and social services. I can't remember him saying that it was his duty to ensure the propagation, protection or whatever of any religion or culture or race. I came out feeling that there was only the Malaysian race!!

7. Recognise that there is a Malaysian race. We know it and recognise it when we are abroad. Then we identify ourselves as Malaysian. We are glad to see fellow Malaysians of any race. Indeed if anyone of our fellow citizens need help with immigration or customs, we gladly help, unless of course if you are a Menteri Besar carrying money he cannot account for. Can we try and be such Malaysians here at home and not see ourselves as Malay, Indian or Chinese?

8. Trust the best Malaysian to do the job. Why should it be that the Home, Finance, Education and Defence Ministers have always got to be Malays? Why should the cabinet positions reflect any racial quota or composition? Why can't it be an all Malay cabinet if indeed all of them are the best for the job? Or all Chinese or all Indian or Kadazan or what ever? Meritocracy is the word.

The above are but just some of the more important trust building imperatives that Malaysia needs if it wishes to advance and the people are to benefit the most from that development. Sadly, however, these ideals will be whittled down by politicians because of their own ambitions, perceived support, greed, fears, prejudices and distrust. To navigate through all this all these inhibitors should be confronted head-on. Not to embarrass or to cause anyone to fail or lose out. But politicians especially are not wont to expressing their own negative attributes that reduces them to the little nothings that they usually are.

Lee Hsien Loong's Speech

2009-11-10T10:57:00.003+08:00

I don't normally copy paste speeches or news reports. If and when I do, I usually would have something to say. But here in Lee Hsein Loong's Speech I have nothing to add. He has said it all. As a Malaysian, I can only ask, can we dare hope?

Risks of religious fervour

http://www.malaysianmirror.com Monday, 09 November 2009 04:10

This speech by Lee Hsien Loong is widely circulated on the Internet. As always, there will be those who miss out on it. This is published here specially for them. It may be late but it’s still a good read anytime.

"To live peacefully together, we need good sense and tolerance on all sides, and a willingness to give and take. Otherwise, whatever the rules there will be no end of possible causes of friction." PM Lee, on how fragile religious and racial harmony is in Singapore and how crucial it is to be tolerant

SO what are these risks? Let me just highlight three of them.

Aggressive preaching - proselytisation. You push your own religion on others, you cause nuisance and offence. You have read in the papers recently about a couple who surreptitiously distributed Christian tracts which were offensive of other faiths, not just of non-Christians but even of Catholics. They were charged and sentenced to jail.

But there are less extreme cases too which can cause problems. We hear, from time to time, complaints about groups trying to convert very ill patients in our hospitals, who don't want to be converted, and who don't want to have the private difficult moments in their lives intruded upon.

Intolerance is another problem - not respecting the beliefs of others or not accommodating others who belong to different religions. You think of this one group versus another group, but sometimes it happens within the same family.

Sometimes we have parents from traditional religions whose children have converted. The parents have asked to be buried according to traditional rites and their children stay away from the funeral or the wake. It's very sad. From a traditional point of view, it's the ultimate unfilial act but it does happen occasionally.

Exclusiveness is a third problem - segregating into separate exclusive circles, not integrating with other faiths. That means you mix with your own people. You'll end up as separate communities.

We foresaw these dangers 20 years ago. We passed the Bill, Maintenance of Religious Harmony, in 1989/1990.

Before we did that, then PM Lee Kuan Yew and the key ministers met all the religious leaders. We had a closed-door session at MCYS. We spoke candidly. We explained our concerns, why we wanted to move this Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act. The religious leaders spoke up candidly, they gave us their support. We moved with their support.

We continue to keep in close touch with them, to meet regularly. I do that personally, exchange views, keep the line warm and the confidence on both sides so that I know you, you know me. If there is a problem, we are not dealing with strangers but with somebody we know and trust.

Once or twice, I've had to meet them over specific difficult cases. No publicity, relying on mutual trust and the wisdom of our religious leaders to defuse tensions. I'm very grateful for their wisdom and for their support. Because of this active work behind the scenes, we've not needed to invoke the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act for 20 years. But it's something which is important to us which we must keep for a long time.

Four basic rules

We can never take our racial and religious harmony for granted. We must observe some basic principles to keep it the way it is.
First, all groups have to exercise tolerance and restraint. Christians cannot expect this to be a Christian society, Muslims cannot expect this to be a Muslim society. Ditto the Buddhists, the Hindus and the other groups.

Many faiths share this island. Each has different teachings, different practices. Rules which only apply to one group cannot become laws which are enforced on everyone. So Muslims don't drink alcohol but alcohol is not banned. Ditto gambling, which many religions disapprove of, but gambling is not banned. All have to adopt 'live and let live' as our principle.

Secondly, we have to keep religion separate from politics. Religion in Singapore cannot be the same as religion in America, or religion in an Islamic country.

Take Iran, an Islamic country. Nearly everybody is Shia Muslim. Recently, they had a presidential election which was fiercely contested between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi, and the outcome was disputed. Both sides invoked Islam. So Mousavi's supporters had a battle cry - Allahu Akbar (God is Great).

In Singapore, if one group invokes religion this way, other groups are bound to say: 'I also need powerful support. We'll also push back invoking our faith.' One side insists: 'I'm doing God's work.' The other side says: 'I'm doing my God's work.' Both sides say: 'I cannot compromise. These are absolute imperatives.' The result will be a clash between different religious groups which will tear us apart.

We take this very seriously. The People's Action Party reminds our candidates, don't bring all the friends from your own religious group. Don't mobilise your church or your temple or your mosque to campaign for you. Bring a multi-racial, multi-religious group of supporters. When you are elected, represent the interest of all your constituents, not just your religious group in Parliament. Speak for all your constituents.

Thirdly, the Government has to remain secular. The Government's authority comes from the people. The laws are passed by Parliament which is elected by the people. They don't come from a sacred book. The Government has to be neutral, fair.

We are not against religion. We uphold sound moral values. We hold the ring so that all groups can practise their faiths freely without colliding. That's the way Singapore has to be.

You may ask: Does this mean that religious groups have no views, cannot have views on national issues? Or that religious individuals cannot participate in politics? Obviously not.

Religious groups are free to propagate their teachings on social and moral issues. They have done so on the IRs, organ transplants, 377A, homosexuality.

And obviously many Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists participate in politics. In Parliament, we have people of all faiths. In the Cabinet too.

People who have a religion will often have views which are informed by their religious beliefs. It's natural because it's part of you, it's part of your personality. But you must accept that other groups may have different views informed by different beliefs and you have to accept that and respect that.

The public debate cannot be on whose religion is right and whose religion is wrong. It has to be on secular, rational considerations of public interest - what makes sense for Singapore.

The final requirement for us to live peacefully together is to maintain our common space that all Singaporeans share. It has to be neutral and secular because that's the only way all of us can feel at home in Singapore and at ease.

Common spaces

Let me explain to you with specific examples.

Sharing meals. We have different food requirements. Muslims need halal food. Hindus don't eat beef. Buddhists sometimes are vegetarian. So if we must serve everybody food which is halal, no beef and vegetarian, I think we will have a problem. We will never eat meals together. So there will be halal food on one side, vegetarian food for those who need it, no beef for those who don't eat beef.

Let's share a meal together, acknowledging that we are not the same. Don't discourage people from interacting. Don't make it difficult for us to be one people.

Our schools are another example of common space where all races and religions interact. Even in mission schools run by religious groups, the Ministry of Education has set clear rules, so students of all faiths will feel comfortable.

You might ask: Why not allow mission schools to introduce prayers or Bible studies as compulsory parts of the school activity or as part of school assembly?

Why not? Then why not let those who are not Christian, or don't want a Christian environment, go to a government school or go to a Buddhist school? Well, if they do that, we'll have Christians in Christian schools, Buddhists in Buddhist schools, Muslims in schools with only Muslim children and so on. I think that is not good for Singapore .

Therefore, we have rules to keep all our schools secular and the religious groups understand and accept this.

For example, St Joseph 's Institution is a Catholic brother school but it has many non-Catholic students, including quite a number of Malay students. The Josephian of the Year in 2003 was a Malay student - Salman Mohamed Khair.

He told Berita Harian that initially his family was somewhat worried about admitting him to a Catholic school. He himself was afraid because he didn't know what to expect. But he still went because of SJI's good record. He said: 'Now I feel fortunate to be in SJI. Although I was educated in a Catholic environment, religion never became an issue.'

Indeed that's how it should work. I know it works because I understand that Malay students in SJI often attend Friday prayers at Baalwie Mosque nearby, still wearing their school uniforms. SJI thinks it's fine, the mosque thinks it's fine, the students think it's fine, and I think it's fine too. That's the way it should be.

Another example of common space - work. The office environment should be one which all groups feel comfortable with. Staff have to be confident that they will get equal treatment even if they belong to a different faith from their managers - especially in government departments, but in the private sector too.

I think it can be done because even religious community service organisations often have people who don't belong to that religion working comfortably and happily together. This is one very important aspect of our meritocratic society.

Thus we maintain these principles: exercise tolerance, keep religion separate from politics, keep a secular government, maintain our common space. This is the only way all groups can live in peace and harmony in Singapore .

Aware and responsible church leaders

This is the background to the way the Government looked at one recent issue: Aware.

We were not concerned about who would control Aware because it's just one of so many NGOs in Singapore. On homosexuality policy or sexuality education in schools, there can be strong differences in view but the Government's position was quite clear.

But what worried us was that this was an attempt by a religiously motivated group who shared a strong religious fervour to enter civil space, take over an NGO it disapproved of, and impose their agenda. It was bound to provoke a push back from groups that held the opposite view, which indeed happened vociferously and stridently.

The media coverage got caught up and I think the amplifier was turned up a bit high.

This was hardly the way to conduct a mature discussion of a sensitive matter where views are deeply divided. But most critically of all, this risked a broader spillover into relations between different religions.

I know many Singaporeans were worried about this, including many Christians. They may not have spoken aloud but they raised one eyebrow.

Therefore, I'm very grateful for the very responsible stand which was taken by the church leaders. The National Council of Churches of Singapore issued a statement that it didn't support churches getting involved. There was also the statement by the Catholic Archbishop. Had these statements not been made, we would have had a very serious problem.

The Government stayed out of this but after the dust had settled, I spoke to the religious leaders, first the Christians and then the religious leaders of all faiths, so that everybody understood where we stood and what our concerns were. So we can continue to work together to strengthen our racial and religious harmony.

Unusually serious subject

This is an unusually serious and heavy subject for a National Day Rally. Normally, you talk about babies, hongbaos, bonuses.

No bonuses tonight but a bonus lecture on a serious subject. We discussed this in Cabinet at length and decided that I should talk about this. I crafted the points carefully, circulated them many times. Different presentations in Mandarin, Malay and English, because different groups have different concerns, but a consistent message so that there's no misunderstanding.

I also invited the religious leaders to come and spend the evening with us tonight. They can help us to help their flocks understand our limitations, to guide them to practise their faiths, taking into account the context of our society. Please teach them accommodation, which is what all faiths teach. I look forward to all the religious groups continuing to do a lot of good work for Singapore for many years to come.

Finally, let me share with you one true story which was published recently in an Indian newspaper, The Asian Age, and picked up by The Straits Times. It was about a young man from Gujarat , a Muslim, who migrated to Singapore after the Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002.

A train carrying Hindu pilgrims was stopped in Ahmadebad and set on fire. The circumstances were unclear but 50-odd men, women and children burnt to death, trapped in the train. The Hindus rioted. They had no doubt what the cause was. One thousand people died, mostly Muslims because Ahmadebad has a large Muslim community.

So this young Muslim decided to come to Singapore after the riots. We call him Mohammed Sheikh. It's not his real name because he still has family there. The article said: 'During the bloody riots, he watched three of his family members, including his father, getting butchered. His family had to pay for being Muslim.

'Besides losing his family and home, Mohammed lost confidence and faith in the civil society. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life cursing his destiny. He wanted to move on.'

So seven years ago, Mohammed came to Singapore and got a diploma in hospitality management. Now he is working in an eatery and he hopes to open his own business one day. He told the interviewer, had he stayed in Gujarat , 'I would have been hating all Hindus and baying for their blood, perhaps.'

Now 'he loves it when his children bring home Hindu friends and share snacks'. He told the interviewer proudly, 'My children have Christian, Buddhist, Hindu friends.'

He even hopes to bring his mother to Singapore so she can see for herself that people of different races, different faiths can be friends. The interviewer asked him what Muslim sect he belonged to and which mosque he went to in India. He said: 'I don't want to get into all that. Now I am just a Singaporean. And I am proud of it.'

This story reminds us that while we must not neglect to strengthen our harmonious society, we are in a good position.
So let us rejoice in our harmony but let us never forget what being a Singaporean means. It's not just tolerating other groups but opening our hearts to all our fellow citizens.

Our future

If we stay cohesive, then we can overcome our economic challenges and continue to grow.

This is how we've transformed Singapore over the last half century - solving problems together, growing together, improving our lives.

From the Singapore River to Marina Bay, we've totally transformed Singapore over the last half century. 1959 was a moment of great change but nobody at the Padang in June 1959 imagined the change in today's Singapore.

We will continue to improve our lives, provided we work together and remain a harmonious and a cohesive society so that in another 50 years, we would have built another Singapore, which is equally unimaginable today.

The key is to stay united through rain or shine.

A Few Good Men

2009-07-17T07:28:00.002+08:00

Felicita Fedelis, in her letter to Malaysiakini published on 16 July, entitled "Harsh punishment for those stoking 'religious disharmony'", said:

"It was even more interesting to see the responses of police force and media to this issue. It was reported in The Star that the two journalists charged with 'causing disharmony' may face two to five years of jail sentence. Such 'seriousness' to the offence. I feel that if a different party had committed such an act to a different community, without question they would have been arrested under the ISA and yet we see a different reaction to this situation.

Most of the times, we do not really know what actions of the arrested persons could have threatened national security and yet in this case, where the offence committed by the Al-Islam reporters are clearly capable of causing racial or religious disharmony, the offenders are simply facing a possibility of two to five years in jail."

To try to understand the response of the government and the police so far, you have to look at how each of the offended community is expected to behave upon such violation visited upon them.

The Catholic and Christian attitude at best is a forgiving one. This has already been said by one of the Bishops. Of course they make known the violation that has happened. Even those who had made the police report, beyond that, wait for their religious elders to guide them towards closure. And most of us achieve closure by forgiving these two ignorant journos.

At worst, we make the police report and for a few, they may just hold a prayer of protest and even worse still would be an out-door candle light vigil to let known to the indignant and indifferent that this is unacceptable behaviour.

Now, the response by the Catholic and Christian community in no way undermines national security. I cannot see the use of the ISA in this instance. Honestly, I think the Catholics and Christian community have already by their response so far have shown them our disapproval and we can leave any further action to the divine.

Now, how would a violation of an equal magnitude visited upon a mosque or any Islamic rituals or practice be responded to? I don't even want to contemplate what it might turn out to be. But within the context of the laws that are there, you will see that this could trigger off a response that could very easily threaten national security within the definitions provided for under the Internal Security Act. Not that I support the ISA, but as for the various tools available to the authorities to bring calm and peace, the ISA might just be appropriate.

As to how the authorities will deal with this matter, there are several factors that will come to play.

1. The police report itself which is an expression of disapproval over a violation of self and which might be covered by some criminal act or other.

2. The attitude of the authorities of their responsibility to non-Muslims especially when the authority responsible for the outcome is insensitive towards the feelings of the non-Muslim.

3. The weight given to the justification of the actions of these two journos if this justification can be found within their own religious calling. An attempt has been made by a blogger, Mahaguru58, where he quotes one religious leader and he quotes the Quran. If you are inclined towards religious justifications, then really these two journos have done no wrong as the only thing that matter is if their actions have necessarily violated any Islamic edicts or fatwas. Since in the Catholic Eucharist it is only the bread that is consumed and it is neither dipped in wine nor is wine served, it would appear to some that their only concern for theses two journos was if they might have consumed the wine. And now that we know that wine was not consumed, and that they may have not, in their religious calling violated anything, they actually are heroes.

Now, put in that position, how then are the police going to act? There is no real harm done. The Christians have had their opportunity to put on display their very charitable Christian forgiving attitude. (Remember, Jesus said, "turn the other cheek"?) If the Christians feel that they need to let it be known that this is unacceptable behaviour...yes, go have that candle light vigil. But more importantly don't forget to pray for the tormentor and the "enemy"! Do we want reprieve? For what?

I would advocate that having made known that what was done was unacceptable behaviour, the Christian thing to do would be to withdraw. There is no need to further contribute towards retribution or punishing these two journos. That is for the laws to take their course and for human decency to prevail. If nothing happens you know if there was any decency to begin with. I do not think it is even necessary to contribute to convicting these two journos.

Maybe if it comes to trial, and if I was to stand as the prosecuting witness, the only thing I would do is to explain what the Eucharist means to me and the Christian community, then to look at these two journos in their eyes and tell them, it is not necessary for them to ask for forgiveness as it may just be beyond them to understand, but to tell them that we forgive them nevertheless. I really would not want these two to be punished for something where their own point of reference might be telling them that they may have pursued a religious calling and did no wrong. The Tom Cruise and Demi Moore movie, "A Few Good Men" comes to mind!!

Manek Urai -PAS' TIME HAS COME!! WILL THEY SURVIVE?

2009-07-15T08:08:00.000+08:00

If UMNO was perceived to be the right, PAS conservatives would have been between the far right and right. the 'Erdogans' on the other-hand would, in my reckoning be left of right with a dose of the far right.

Far right of course in the Malaysian context is hard to explain within the context of fight and left as liberally used in Western Democracies.

The far right in the Malaysian instance would appear to have surrendered its fate and future to what is perceived to be "righteous and holy". This is determined by whoever in PAS has gained for himself the honour of being recognised as the righteous. As it is, it would seem like for the moment Tok Nik Aziz might have a problem claiming exclusivity to that title. Though not spoken, surely PAS President, Hadi Awang as well as his deputy Nasharuddin, by their actions and words sound rather dismissive of Nik Aziz's claim.

That being said the results of Manek Urai are going to be telling on holding PAS together. Each side is going to blame the other. Certainly the far right in PAS is going to find comfort in believing and telling themselves that this is a punishment from God for parting from his ways by working closely with PKR and DAP. The "sacrifices" made to accommodate PKR and DAP are unacceptable to God!!

The "Erdogans" can alternatively support their position by saying that the people have spoken. When you want to have "unity talks" with UMNO then what you are saying is you want to equalise things with UMNO. Then what difference does that make for the people, whether they vote PAS or UMNO? People of Manek Urai probably don't see the non-Malays as a factor or perceived enemies or competitors for their prosperity.

I reckon the Manek Urai results are going to drive the wedge further dividing the two clearly distinct wings in PAS. Any attempts to bring these two wings together will probably only result in a very damaging fight that might bring out the extremes to clash in a way no one has pondered. To keep quiet will only eat away at them and not achieve for PAS any clear goals for themselves.

Managing the fall out is whats' going to make PAS make or break. Is Nik Aziz the recommended arbiter? I don't think he is. He has already clearly stated his position as to where he is. I wonder who!

Malaysian Education-All Screwd Up Until Truth is Acknowledged

2009-07-11T06:24:00.004+08:00

This is what I posted in Farish Noor's posting on Linguistic Nationalism and the Realities of the Global Age We Live In

Farish,

You said, "advocates of mother-tongue education," and then I was looking forward to reading you demolish these so called advocates. But you did not.

It would seem like when dealing with language, especially, mother tongue, what we all fail to see is the hypocrisy that drives the argument. Even more the lie told by every advocate of mother tongue education as well as those who submit to these advocates and seemingly endorse their argument.

And how come in this sense it is only Malay, Tamil and Chinese that are considered mother tongue when even Mahathir's father would have told you that Tamil was not his mother tongue and yet Mahathir never for once tried to include the teaching in Malayalam for those Malayalee Malaysians? And amongst them are Hindus, Christians as well as Muslims and possibly in almost equal numbers. And what about the Kadazans, Muruts and Ibans? Surely theirs is not Malay as taught in our schools? I forgot, even the Kelantanese would object if one were to suggest that Bahasa Malaysia was their mother tongue. And if I am not mistaken Khir Toyo's mother tongue is Javanese!!

But when an MCA or MIC man was to talk in terms of protecting his mother tongue, somehow that call would appear to sound so sacred that both bureaucrats as well as politicians find themselves unable to dismiss the claim or to tell him to shut up.

Fact is, only in Tamil Nadu in India is Tamil spoken. And even then if I were to go back to the rural village that my ancestors come from the only education I can enroll in at the school nearest to me would be in an English school. Also, right now, all over Tamil Nadu, even the taxi driver would tell you that his kids study in an English School. But, mind you, if the government of India was to force Hindi Education, they'd fail miserably. Many decades ago Tamil Nadu alone stood aloof from the rest of India's transformation to Hindi. and you will see that traveling by train when you cross into Tamil Nadu you suddenly don't see any more signboards in Hindi. It will be English and Tamil.

Anyway, coming back to Malaysia, that same MCA guy who "fights" for vernacular education probably already has his kids in an International school or maybe in some Western country studying in English anyway. And so are the kids of most of our UMNO leaders I would presume.

No sir, it is not for the preservation of language and culture that our race based political leaders, and this includes our Opposition leaders as well, advocate Vernacular schools. Its basically a political icon. Somehow it is supposed to be a reflection of your commitment to your constituents. How can you be a leader of a Chinese or Indian Political party if the only things closest to identifying with your own race is language? As for culture it is shocking for me to see the Chinese leaders trying to suggest that a lot of what they do, wear and eat is Chinese culture. For heaven's sake, Bak Kut Teh, Laksa and Yee Sang are not Chinese as from China. Only Malaysian and Singaporean Chinese know what these are.

And all you need to do to change the minds of all these guys is just to give them a one way ticket to any western country and enough money for them to live a comfortable life, suddenly you will see all their "love" for language and culture go out the window! Mind you amongst immigrant communities in Australia and New Zealand the Malaysian Chinese will refuse to be identified as Chinese lest they be thought of as having come from mainland China. In Malaysia you hardly hear anyone referring to "mainland" China. In Australian and New Zealand Malaysian Chinese most definitely make that distinction. Indeed many would rather that they and their children are referred to as Malaysian. I just got affirmation of that from my daughter!!

But when the political powers shove a language that certainly does not match up to the languages of these other ancient cultures because they can, and also possibly for showing who is boss, and maybe, as a way to undermine any lingual advantage in any other language (well this is how many of us saw it when the changes were introduced in the 1970s), then you can imagine that the new lingual putsch will only be accepted under protest. And very soon they also realised that, like the tortoise does with its shell, going under the cover of "mother tongue" the people found refuge from the thrust of the might of the Malay politicians. And politicians in MCA and MIC found themselves a platform from which they could "lead" their flock.

But despite this, until the early 1980s I would not be too far wrong to say that the people did not make a quick switch. Vernacular schools continued on their downward spiral in admissions. But very soon things started changing. The demographics of the teachers being hired changed. When I was in school, a mission school, the only Malay teachers were the language teachers. You never had Malays teaching the sciences, maths, geography or history or for that matter PE. But this should not have mattered. I have myself hired Malays to teach at post secondary level and they did just as good a job.

Syllabuses started changing. I was talking to a 23 year old the other day and she told me that in Form 2 History, the entire year was spent on studying Islamic History. And of course when the teachers are Malays, there is the added spicing of the aura and awe!

We all started hearing of how after Standard 5 or 6 reasonably good Malay students were taken away to boarding schools. In a mixed classroom the teacher talks about scholarships and residential schools, exciting all the kids. but when the application forms were given out the Chinese and Indian kids saw to their disappointment that they were missed out. And then in Standard 3 or 4 when the Muslim kids started attending agama classes all of a sudden the Chinese and Indian kids find out that their Malay friends would avoid them. And very often they would also tell that it was their Uztaz who would have advised them so.

Then of course you had the uncertainty of gaining tertiary education within Malaysia which saw many of the non-Malays turning to private sector education and qualifications. And then the foreign tertiary institutions got wind of the Senior Middle 3 qualifications which 60 Chinese Private School students were gaining which never got recognised in Malaysia. But in the 1980s, it probably started with their recognition by Professional Institutes in the UK, and soon you could use that for University in foreign countries. Until then these Chinese School students could only go to Hong Kong and to Taiwan. Today you hardly hear of any, becaue they all go off to America and the UK or Australia.

With that opening, that is the ability to continue with further education,Chinese schools prospered. Tamil schools still floundered. But today, I see that Tamil schools in the city rejuvenated and overflowing in admissions. What gives?

I DARE ANY POLITICIAN TO SAY "THE PEOPLE HAVE REJECTED THE EDUCATION DISHED OUT BY THE MOE!"

I would like to suggest that the education dished out by the National School system as managed and administered by the Ministry of Education has been rejected. Not only that, given the opportunity, they all want to run away from the curriculum of the MOE and the influence of the MOE and the the teaching pool of the MOE. When my friends who are Chinese but English speaking and who cannot read or write Chinese, and every way very much western in their thinking and orientation send their kids to a Chinese School knowing they will not receive any help home, that shows what they think. They all walk.

Until and unless everyone, o.k. anyone from amongst the politicians, BN or opposition, is willing to say it as it is, we will always keep missing the turn we have to take. We will never make the correct decision as the politicians on both sides of the house dare not make the statement that needs to be made lest they be branded betrayers of their own race. That, no politician in Malaysia is brave enough to make. Sorry to say, I just cannot see us getting out of this cess pool that we are in.

Unfortunately we have NGOs for everything. Saving the trees, the environment, religion, the sick, freedom, police, but can anyone direct me to an NGO that is working towards Education for the future of our children in Malaysia?

FINALLY ACCEPTANCE!!

2009-07-09T02:10:00.004+08:00

"Najib said that Malaysians must stop tolerating and begin accepting each other because only through acceptance can the nation prosper and become developed.

“We must begin to accept and not only tolerate because tolerance is a concept of not wholeheartedly accepting or grudgingly accepting. Acceptance is a better concept and we must begin to accept that we are a plural and multi racial country,” he said.

.........................................................................................................................

And I thougt I will never ever hear that coming from any UMNO member, let alone leader. Even the so called Pak Lah, our former Prime Minister could only utter that rubbish abot tolerating. I recall writing about it. Telling him stop tolerating me, because I too cannot tolerate you. But accept me as I accept you.

With this statement, is Najib putting a nail to the head of "ketuanan Melayu"? After all if you advocate "ketuanan Melayu" there is no need to accept. You only need to tolerate to maintain the peace. You don't need to tolerate even if you don't like it.

The crazy thing was, everytime these political leaders uttered that word tolerate and urging their constituents to tolerate the other races or the other cultures they did not even bother to think about the ramifications of such attitudes. Did they not think that it was that kind of thinking that probably gave birth to the "ketuanan Melayu" concept itself?

I can't fault the Malay leaders alone for uttering this most horrible word. I have even seen MCA leaders use it. Is that why there is this chavunistic attitude amongst the MCA types that we often see them coming off very patronising in their ways?

Well, Najib is certainly bringing down a lot of walls. I have said it before, and I will say it again. I don't support him. But he is captain of the ship that we are all aboard in. We need to get to shore. Like him or hate him he is controlling the rudder. Whether or not he succeeds very much depends on the social order and the assumptions about one another that has to be dealt with. Do we replace tolerance with acceptance? Do we replace suspicion with trust? Do we replace bias with indifference?

Well Najib, as much as I disagree with the latest change in the education policy over the use of English in the teaching of Maths and Scence, I think it is within your bearings to see that the solution to the education quagmire that we are in is not to be found within the political arena. Whats good for the country is not necessarily what is good for the politicians. It takes a brave effort to recognise and acknowledge the failure of the last 30 odd years of educational reform. It needs you, Najib, to come out to say what needs to be said. It is not like as if the people cherish Chinese or Tamil education. The people have rejected the Natioal Education that is rendered by the Ministry of Education. Also acknowledge, the policy to terminate the system that was in place in the 1960s was tainted by a thinking that by these means those seen to be advantaged would be denied that advantage as they would be "brought down" by forcing upon them Bahasa Malaysia, like as if this was all that was needed. Well, it would now seem like our children have all mastered the language and it is no more a barrier to educational excellence. It is just plain rejection of what the Ministry of Education is dishing out through its ministrations.

I have a possible way out of this. Let communities who can. Communities who have the will. Communities who meet certain crieteria to take on the running of the schools. By communities I do not mean race based. It should be other than race based. It could be local communities coming together. It could be the Mission schools getting back to what they used to do, minus the proselytising. Lets do something like that first

Anyway, Najib, for what it is worth, I want to congratulate you for introducing the change from tolerate to accept. I just hope this concept is not over the heads of our political leaders.

The Malays are not ready for PM Najib’s liberalisation policies

2009-07-08T15:32:00.002+08:00

The Malays are not ready for PM Najib’s liberalisation policies

Well, that is how Bigdog heads off his post. And why does he believe so? Well, Mahathir too says so.

Well, I guess if you are one of the beneficiaries of UMNO's policies than of course you got to be weary about anything that undermines the assumptions upon which those policies are sustained. I can understand that Mahathir is forever on the watch for anyone who might call his lie and I can understand why he would not want liberalisation of the kind Najib appears to be introducing because it may soon actually begin to reveal to the Malays that they may have been living a lie after all from Merdeka and more so since the early 1970s.

It is not so UMNO. After all there are many wannabes in UMNO who have not gained anything at all. But there are the lot of the hangers on whose entire being is sustained on the perpetuation of that myth about the Malays. and if there are any successful Malays they have to be able to show their success to UMNO's intervention in their lives.

How wrong and how false. No sir. Its no compliment to all the Malays I have come across. Certainly not true of the honest taxi driver or the honest businessman who has made it thanks to his own honesty and acumen. Certainly it is not true of he many medical specialists that many of us have referred to. Yes, me too, for a repiratory problem that I had I saw a specialist. A Malay specialist. And when my Cardiologist friend from Sweden needed to see such a doctor for his son's ailment, I took him there too. to this Malay specialist. And my Swedish friend whose wife is a paedetrician, came out praising him.

Well, the rest below is what I commented in Bigdog's posting! I don't normally do this, but I have copy pasted from that post here because if it is cleverly edited I can be made to sound rather racist. So, I might as well have it posted here as well in my blog which they will not be able to do anything about. Woof!! woof!!:

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This comment posted in Bigdog's blog.

Yes! I agree with you the Malays will never be ready for the kind of liberalization that Najib appears to have unleashed on the Malays. This is certainly going to mean the little that they have come out of the shell, has gone to waste as they will now all recede right back to where they feel very safe. Just like tortoises and all those shell fish.

Yes the Malays have got to be repeatedly told that they need the handicap that they possess otherwise the non-Malays like this writer will only take easy advantage of them. It is just not possible for the Malays to move up life's social and economic ladder without all that they have had over the last 51 years!

The Malays have to ask, what were they before Merdeka. Better still, what were they before 1970? Yes, they were Javanese, Sumatrans, Bugis, Minagkabaus, Tamils, Malayalees, Siamese, Yunanites, Kelatanese, Patanese and what have you.

Yes, it was the constitution that brings them all together as one. Its not because they are of any common genetic stock. No sir. Its not biological. It is a political notion and an idea. And the Malays owe it to this idea and they owe their existence and their privileges and handicaps to that idea. If it had been biological, then Malays would have had wings, and they'd have bionic limbs and eyes and ears and they'd all be singing and dancing like Michael Jackson as wished so for them by UMNO!!

Yes, that is what UMNO would like you all to think. UMNO would like all Malays to think and to believe that they are indeed handicapped. That it is UMNO that equalises for them the unfair advantage that the others are supposed to have because of some God manufactured distortion that just happened to them.

Yes, that is what UMNO assumes when making its position known. It is the position that UMNO takes of its flock. It is the position that UMNO sees as the only justification for its existence.

This is the position and the assumption that has to exist in order to validate Mahathir and his thinking and his policies. Remove these assumptions about Malays and everyone would see Mahathir's lie. Mahathir himself will see how valueless he really was over his 22 years as the premier. Does that explain for you why Mahathir is aghast about this liberalisation of Najib's?

Not too long ago I gave Mahathir till the year end before he begins demonising Najib like he did Badawi. It now looks like at least Badawi had more than a 100 day honeymoon before he saw Mahathir's venom. Can someone tell the old man to just go to hell?

Hey, I am not anti-Malay. I am more sympathetic really. Sympathetic because there are a lot of them out there who actually believes the bullshit that UMNO espouses to them about them. I cannot believe any of the attributes that arise out of the assumptions about Malays apply to people like the host of this blog or Rocky or any number of my Malay friends whose personality, and whose individuality I can only envy and be proud that they would count me as a friend.

Khairy!! The Oxford Education Is Wasted On You

2009-07-03T05:16:00.003+08:00

Khairy, I've been hearing you keep saying struggle of the Malays. O.k. maybe I am dumb. But can you explain to me in not so many words, what that struggle is? After that, can you then tell me how different that struggle is from the struggle of the Chinese or the Indians or the Ibans and the Kadazans or the Sikhs and the Bidayuhs or the Orang Asli in the Peninsula?

Honestly I am done with the Malay struggle. Give me one good reason why anyone should give way to the so called Malay struggle that you talk about?

Maybe you don't know this. But you and your Malay struggle agenda is what keeps Malays stuck in such low self esteem. They don't need enemies from amongst the other races. Their biggest enemies are you, Khairy, and UMNO itself. You keep reminding them that they are constantly in a state of struggle. Handicapped. Of diminished capacity.

Malays need to be all of that so that you, Khairy, and the rest of the UMNO leaders can justify your presence and your dominion over the Malays. It is no use to UMNO if the Malays overcome whatever it is their struggle is as then UMNO would not be prepared for the new realities. Can you imagine UMNO ruling over the likes of its own leaders? Not the Khir Toyo kind whose ill gotten gains that he has been able to accumulate since he became Menteri Besar of Selangor can only be enjoyed provided he remains true to UMNO.

If really there is such a thing as a Malay struggle, why is it that so many reject it? If the struggle referred to has any traction at all should it not be identified with by all Malays? Should not all Malays want to be with UMNO? I know that if I am in a struggle, I would reach out to the hand of even an enemy to get out of that struggle. Yet by the day more and more Malays are moving away from the hand extended to them by UMNO.

Maybe many Malays have discovered that this struggle is just a word applied to whatever it is your demons are. Sure I too can identify with struggle if you were to say that until I have the next million I am in a state of struggle. Sounds no different from when you are sitting through a sermon and the preacher man says we are all sinners. Sure, I am, but I always think the guy next to me is probably a greater sinner than me!!

Finally it would seem like, as Najib has been quoted as having said, he is the biggest UMNO war lord and so he can, the war lords in UMNO have been silenced into acceding to the policy changes recently announced by Najib. It probably required the biggest war lord to do this maybe.

It used to be that when a non-Malay based company wished to have itself listed on Bursa Malaysia they would first have to have a 30% Bumiputra shareholding. And even then not any Bumiputra. It had to be an approved Bumiputra. It simply meant that if you had gotten your favourite Bumiputra teacher as your 30% shareholder and he also happens to be either a nobody or a member of PAS, he could be invalidated. 15 years ago many founders of companies who had their companies listed would have had the inenviable task of having to go Bumiputra shopping! Yes, you see one Datuk after another and one Tan Sri after another. Nearly all of them, especially if they were a former civil servant or an official of a GLC, without fail will tell you why the shares have to be sold to them at a discount. Of course before their commitment they will need to ask their "saudara". Anwar's name was mentioned and so was Mahathir's. Whether real or not was another matter altogether. And of course runners and political secretaries and os on had to be taken care of. And of course when the Datuks and Tan Sris say this you just get so awed. the worse are the slime balls who tell you that if the listing application fails, you will be required to buy back the shares from them. Honestly talking to them they would have seemed so pathetic. But sure they put on this air of importance and grandeur even. I guess, I now know where it comes from. UMNO of course. Maybe that is why UMNO leaders today hate, more than the Chinese and the opposition party members, Malay businessmen who are their own men and who would not give a toss to UMNO!

As fellow human beings I feel sorry for the Malays who have bought into UMNO's propaganda. It only confirms for them that they are lesser human beings needing the crutches proffered by UMNO. They start life feeling handicapped. Many more lose life's battles even before they can even start as they are told that they deserve those handicaps. And whether you like it or not handicaps don't and cannot stand on their own. A handicap is against or over another person, choice or option. Like in a race you can have a handicap when you start ahead of the others. And you accept that handicap and are pleased about it only because you accept the fact that you deserve it. And you deserve it because you think that is the only way you have an even chance against your "antagonist." And you accept it because you think lesser of yourself and not an equal. This is a lie and UMNO leaders know it. But it is a useful lie as it gets for them the support they need to maintain their power and access to all that wealth.

40 Years Today - May 13!

2009-05-13T09:32:00.003+08:00

I was going to set out my thoughts on this anniversary of that fateful day 40 years ago which has since imposed on us a life governed by parameters stemming from the assumptions about that day. But I already had written this a year and a half ago after the BERSIH rally and didn't need to write anything new. So I have decided to reproduce it here. But just some preliminaries...o.k..o.k.o.k My preliminaries can be a posting in itself. Excuse me.

"Assumptions" you might say. Are they not fact, one might ask. Well, I knew as fact that it was a racial conflict. I knew as fact, then, that it was prompted by boisterous celebrations and provocations started off by the Chinese victors after the just ended General Elections. I knew as fact, the antagonists in this battle. I also knew as fact that when curfew was announced over the radio at about 5.30 - 6.00 in the evening, the first and second names of localities they announced were Kepong and Jinjang!! And staying then in Kepong, I heard not a single gun shot throughout this time.

Since then of course many of these so called "facts" have become nothing more than lies or just some small part of the total ingredients that came together to unleash the violence that happened. Indeed it might just be more correct to say that we have all allowed ourselves to be led by assumptions more than facts. Facts don't instill fear as much as assumptions do.

In any case this episode then set the stage for what followed. The NEP that was conceived had honourable objectives to begin with. A smaller share of an enlarged cake can be a whole lot more bigger, heavier, valuable and pleasurable than a silly cup cake. And then there was the Rukun Negara that had as its objective :

Achieving a greater unity for all her people;

Maintaining a democratic way of life;

Creating a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably distributed;

Ensuring a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural tradition,

Building a progressive society which shall be oriented to modern science and technology

Nice and wonderful. Except that this did not sit well with the simplicity that UMNO's leaders wanted for themselves in achieving a tight hold on political power and the riches that that led to.

Would it be more correct to say that since Mahathir's ascension to power that everything that was done was contrary to everything the Rukun Negara desired?

The May 13 Bogey

Power became the sole currency in the 1980s and today power and money seem to be all that matter. The useful call to keep the sheep within the pen was "May 13. " Just mention it in passing and everything that that date conjured up put us on guard. We let fear lead us. Remind the people what it takes for those in power to run amuk and that alone shuts up the discourse of the day. Mention May 13 two weeks or so before a General Election and you get the desired two-thirds majority despite everything looking against you. GE 1999!! Badawi tried on 7 March 2008. It came out the next day on the front page of the NST. But it did not say May 13. It said there will be chaos and instability. Looks like May 13 was a far more effective label. Chaos and instability has not exactly had any kind of negative in print in our minds as much as May 13 has. So we did not respond to it. And even if he had used the more familiar label "May 13" he would not have achieved anything as by then the May 13 bogey had been called.

On 19 November 2007 I wrote this on my blog. And I'll just reproduce this here to remind me of how I saw the lie of May 13 dissipate at the BERSIH rally of 10/11.

The May 13 Threat Bogey Dissipated!

UMNO leaders when needing to threaten the masses, especially those they have frequently threatened to have their blood bathe in UNMO's drawn kerises, have always relied on the threat of another May 13 to do the honours for them. The 1999 General Election was a case in point. It was then that there was the Barisan Alternative and it all looked formidable and the BN rightfully looked shaken. Then a matter of a couple of weeks or so of the GE, the threat was issued that if the BN did not win as well as always, May 13 could happen.

Now, after all the structural changes that have been put in place since 1969, the ones who would be most intimidated and threatened by such a threat would be none other than the non-Malays; the Chinese and to a lesser extent, the Indians. It worked. The DAP lost bad. Lim Kit Siang and Karpal lost their Parliamentary seats. But this threat was not directed at Malays. Surely not. The Malays were not intimidated. PAS won handsomely. They even won a second state, Terengganu and almost won Kedah.

The 1999 General Election was useful for showing one thing. UMNO needs the non-Malay vote badly, more so than the Malay votes to win. The Malay vote is basically unreliable as it can be equally divided and neutered and therefore of no consequence to UMNO in many of the constituencies, more so in the urban areas.

There are two demons that threaten and therefore can guide a non-Malay's actions, especially at the polling booth. Threat of May 13 and the other is Islamic State.

The 2004 General Elections had the non-Malays shrouded with the threat of Islamic State. After all, after PAS' greatest victory ever, they did come out with their Islamic State Document. This threat was not of UMNO's making. It was PAS. DAP decided to go it alone without the Barisan Alternative that now was made up of PAS and Keadilan.

PAS got hit bad. They lost Terengganu and almost lost Kelantan. Keadilan came off with just one Parliamentary seat. What happened?

Would I be right to say that the Chinese and non-Malays dumped the Barisan Alternative? It might just explain the sizable victories of BN candidates in a number of constituencies. Even a number of Malay/Muslims might have been frightened off the Islamic State prospect. The non-Malay votes would have moved across to the BN. Of course, to some extent the non-Malay voters too may have forgiven DAP, so that DAP ended up with a lot more seats in Parliament and State Assemblies. At the same time DAP should be reminded that their victories were not exactly very sizable victories.

We now read that DAP would not work with Keadilan if Keadilan was to work in any kind of coalition with PAS. Well, good on DAP. DAP has no choice but to stay by that stand. As for Keadilan, working with PAS would certainly not go down well with the non-Malays. Politically speaking they would still be in limbo. Going by the 10 November demonstration, it would seem like UMNO has made a lot of Malays angry as well. Who will be the beneficiary of that anger? If Malay votes have now become unreliable to ensure UMNO's victory, who do they call upon?

The 10 November Demonstration demonstrated one thing to those who were in attendance. There was absolutlely no thought of fear of a May 13 happening. We were Bangsa Malaysia. The PAS' Unit Amal Malaysia in their maroon shirt tops and dark pants caught our awe in their organisation and in the dischrage of their duties. We walked with them while they chanted Allah Hu Akhbar. No fear. No nothing!

Suddenly May 13 did not mean a thing. There was no need for May 13 anymore. Did I worry about May 13 in 1999? Yes. I may not have acted on that fear. But I know many who did. The previous two UMNO General Assemblies saw a number of UMNO Delegates referring to May 13 and a couple of them even unsheathed their kerises. But then the 10 November Demonstration had not happened. Those threats may have had some effect on some non-Malays. But 10 Novemebr has neutered that threat. Those 40 odd thousand people who were there would testify to that fact that none of us held any fear of the other or wished what UMNO has threatened on the other.

This is UMNO's greatest fear. For almost 40 years UMNO has been able to unite all Malays, including those in PAS, that their common enemy were the Chinese and to a lesser extent Indians. May 13 was such a racial riot where the only demarking difference beween friend and foe was the colour of their skin. The Chinese bogey man was a useful enemy to the UMNO elites. Does not matter if they were married to or their children were married to a Chinese. But citing Chinese, May 13, threat to NEP, Education, special rights, Ketuanan Melayu were all enough to conjure up in the Malay mind shadows of the Chinese enemy! That was all that was needed for the UMNO leader to get a sense of unity among the Malays. It worked. It has worked.

UMNO leaders know that all that lie that they had so successfully relied on was exposed to be nothing but a lie on 10 November. 10 November was not successful because a petition was sent to the Agong by some 40 thousand people. It was more successful in calling UMNO's lie. It was more successful in showing to all present that May 13 will never happen again and that it is not in our system or blood to see the other Malaysian who is not like us as an enemy. The May 13 bogey has been shown for what it really is.

Yes, May 13 could happen again. But its only beneficiary would be UMNO. Its only purpose would be to salvage UMNO. Its only purpose would be to rescue UMNO. Its only purpose would be to perpetuate UMNO's leaders. It will certainly not be needed to protect the Malays or to invoke a revenge for the Malays. After all it will be foolhardy for the non-Malays to start one, it has to be started by the Malays. But really? The Malay? Or would it be more right to say UMNO!

10 November could prove disastrous for UMNO because they may not be able to threaten the non-Malays with May 13 as at least for those who participated in that mobilisation we experienced no ill will to our other fellow Malaysians. UMNO could see, that left on its own its citzens saw each other as Bangsa Malaysia. This is just not good for UMNO.

UMNO needs to demonise the 10 November rally. They tried with the statement from the Palace's chamber maid citing the Agong. But that person now after being discredited as an UMNO card carrying member means that story is now shunted from being granstanded. Just like that story by the alleged rape victim of a former Malacca Menteri Besar that she was not raped by him. A one day wonder story to try and improve their standings in the 1999 General Elections.

Let us all unite and see each other as Bangsa Malaysia. As that is what we already are. Just that only some 40 thousand or so saw and expereinced it on 10 November.

Between the Sultan and Me!! Nizar, You asked for it!

2009-04-22T11:53:00.004+08:00

The Perak matter has seen sympathies flowing to Pakatan Rakyat and Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin, in particular.

I too have had my sympathies leaning towards Nizar and the Pakatan leaders in Perak. I even went under the assumption that Najib must have held the Sultan to ransom maybe.

Perakians showed their dismay. Their shock and their disappointment. As much as BN leaders have made all this show of emotion to be tantamount to hatred towards the monarchy, which position the monarchy too has repeated, it certainly is not hatred. It is shock and dismay in the believe that Pakatan Rakyat and Nizar have been done wrong. This misleading labeling of the show of emotions is unfortunately going to lead towards a response from the Authorities as well as the Monarchy that is not going to be in the best interest of anybody. Indeed the noise level from the Monarchy seems to have been raised a little recently which noise was not present during the time of Tun Mahathir's Premiership.

However, Malaysiakini carried this article on the 21 April, 2009 entitled "'Between the sultan and me'"! That being a quote from Nizar. He appears to be proud of all that he has cited in the affidavit that he has filed in the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry the day before. Giving a detailed account of what had transpired at the crucial meeting with the ruler on Feb 4 and 5 Nizar seems proud to reveal what was communicated by him to the Sultan.

Nizar is quoted as having warned the Sultan of the possible consequences he could face in failing to dissolve the state assembly. I reproduce below what was reported in the Malaysiakini report:

"Mohd Nizar said in his affidavit that the sultan had informed him on Feb 5 that he was not acceding to the request to dissolve the assembly.

The ousted menteri besar then requested for another 15-minute audience with the ruler and proceeded to list out several reasons as to why the assembly should be dissolved. These include:

1) He was applying for the dissolution of the assembly based on his power as the menteri besar.

2) Power should be returned to the people to choose a lawful government.

3) If the assembly was dissolved, the people would respect and improve and uplift the image of the royal institution and they would also be thankful. This will show that the sultan is just and non-partisan in letting the people to decide. This was in accordance with the concept of constitutional monarchy, and the democracy principles that the state upholds.

4) The sultan should be thankful and accept God's gift in allowing him to celebrate his silver jubilee and to return the peoples’ right to choose their own government.

5) Should the ruler not grant the dissolution, the people would blame the palace and the sultan himself.

6) Where was BN's morality in accepting Jamaluddin, Mohd Osman and Hee, with two of them facing corruption charges. What if Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman are found guilty of corruption, what would happen next? If the charges are withdrawn, the people would feel that it was based on intervention by the palace or BN.

7) If the assembly is dissolved, the royalty and the palace would be respected in the eyes of the public and international community. Thequestion of immunity of the rulers as brought about by (former premier) Dr Mahathir Mohamad would also be negated.

8) Mohd Nizar cited a passage from Sultan Azlan Shah's book titled 'Constitutional Monarchy, the Rule of Law and Good Governance' which had been given to him by the ruler on his appointment as menteri besar. The passage stated: "Under normal circumstances, it is taken for granted that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would not withhold his consent to a request for the dissolution of the Parliament. His role is purely formal."

9) He also reminded the ruler of what happened in countries like Indonesia, Philippines, Egypt and Iran which once had a monarchy. However, once the monarchy reneged and sided with a political party, it resulted in their downfall.

Refused to resign

Mohd Nizar said he also told the sultan that during his silver jubilee celebrations, the latter had emphasised on good governance and pleaded with the ruler to uphold it by dissolving the assembly.

He also reminded the ruler of the statutory letter signed by the 31 Pakatan elected assemblypersons in support of him being menteri besar which was ordered by the palace.

Following this, Mohd Nizar said: “The sultan slowly raised his face and said he would not order the dissolution and instead called for my resignation.”

Refusing to do so, the ousted menteri besar then replied: "Ampun Tuanku, patik pohon sembah derhaka" (Forgive me your highness, I humbly beg to disagree).

He then kissed the hand of the ruler, who left the room without uttering a word."

So what is the Problem?

Now, I don't know about most of you. But the moment I read this, I felt myself being let down.

If what Nizar did was not patronising, I don't know what is! It would seem to me that the Sultan tried to advise him when he quoted to him the Quranic verse at the meeting on the February 5, "Innallaha maa Sobirin" (God is with the person who is patient)."

Having said that, to go back to the Sultan and to tell him all those things, thinking or assuming that the Sultan does not know of all this certainly would have insulted the intelligence of the Sultan.

I will not be surprised if the Sultan's staid position since then has to do with his sensibilities being ruffled by a most annoying patronising communicae.

To Nizar's credit, it would seem like as if such a communicae, in the extent and in its presumptions that it exudes, I have this feeling that it must have been drawn up by someone other than him or even those who might have any kind of inclinations towards royal protocols. May I suggest that it was the work of some DAP Assemblymen in Perak!

I know, reading this article, I felt disappointed. It was patronising, even to me, what more the Sultan. The Sultan's response, as told by Nizar, is most certainly one that is commensurate with what is deserving when one unschooled in the manners of the cultured behoves himself as Nizar seems to be suggesting that he did.

If the leaders in Pakatan can recognise this and see where it is that they erred, maybe as the Sultan has said "Innallaha maa Sobirin" (God is with the person who is patient).

1 Malaysia! Najib's Inspiration or Nightmare! Whence it comes from?

2009-04-18T16:40:00.003+08:00

Najib Tun Razak finally ascends to the highest office in the nation on the 3rd April. He makes his maiden speech the same night. And, as it would seem, he introduced his inspiration, or so he must have thought. 1 Malaysia! Just the label. No packaging. No content! What has happened since then?

Many have narrated. But I shall pick from what SIM KWANG YANG wrote in his missive published by Malaysiakini entitled Long live the king(makers.

1. Within a week of becoming Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, who many tell me may be racist, although I have not been able to tell, tells Samy Velu to just shut up. And dutifully Samy complied. (Well trained)

2. That same weekend Mingguan Malaysia begins to define for Najib its version or understanding of 1 Malaysia where I suppose Ketuanan Melayu remains in all it embraces in the eyes of bigots. (This was not quoted by Sim).

3. After the results of the by-elections in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau came out Muhyiddin Yassin once again comes up with a statement that is best described, racist. Somehow he expects appreciation from the Chinese when the government does what it is supposed to in the first place.

4. This is followed through by Utusan Malaysia calling for Malay unity to counter the "increasing demands" made by the Chinese and the Indians.

5. Ibrahim Ali, the "independent" PAS ticketed MP from Kelantan, makes a similar call for Unity.

6. Muhiddin more or less warns the Chinese people on the peril of seeing themselves as king-makers.

7. Then Utusan comes out with its very contradictory front page masterpiece. On the one hand you have a picture of the newly minted Prime Minister making chapatis in a Sikh Temple. Yet the main heading was "BANGKITLAH MELAYU". I don't know what that means. But from what I have read so far it does not seem to be very nice. Asking Malays to Rise up to counter the "increasing demands" of the non-Malays.

But hey, these Utusan buggers completely forget that if the Chinese overwhelmingly voted PAS or PKR, theirs only contributed to the substantial numbers of the Malays who voted PAS or PKR. Or is it more convenient to forget as the intention is to raise the temperature of the Malays a bit. To instill fear in them maybe. And then to draw them back into a common fold. And all because they see demons amongst them in the form of the Chinese and the Indians. It always stumps me when our Malaysian leaders allow these ultra Malay papers to get away publishing all these seditious and incitement filled articles and yet proudly declare "Malaysia Truly Asia"!! unless of course they are trying to tell the truth about Asians of course. That we might say one thing when the truth might be another.

Origins of 1 Malaysia!

Of course it was just as surprising to me that in his very first speech Najib has to refer to 1 Malaysia. It is only too obvious that many in UMNO did not like the sound of it. Unity is only for Malays. Not between Malaysians.

Najib too comes with a lot of baggage going back to the time when he pulled out his keris in Kampung Baru, way back in 1987, shouting out that the streets will run with the blood of the Chinese. Or something to that effect. People remember that. I remember that. So, 1 Malaysia coming from him is a little surprising, although beyond that caption, we don't know the packaging. And obviously there is no content.

So where did 1 Malaysia come from? How is Najib inclined towards something as haunting and anathema as this to many of his UMNO colleagues and war lords? Surely nothing that he has said or done in his lifetime that I can think of that I could associate 1 Malaysia or its theme to.

What about DAD? RUKUN NEGARA!

Looking back, It reminds me that the Rukun Negara was proclaimed on the 31 August 1970 by the Yang Di Pertuan Agong. It was at a time when his father, the former Prime Minister Tun Razak, was chairing the National Operation Council that was formed shortly after May 13 1969. Presumably, Tun Razak is credited with the Malaysian National Ideology. And yet, what is it that we recite and remember of it? The pledge:

"We, the people of Malaysia, pledge our united efforts to attain these ends, guided by these principles:

Belief in God.

Loyalty to King and Country.

Supremacy of the Constitution.

The Rule of Law.

Mutual respect and good social behaviour. "

But hey, look at the pledge once again. So what if we said that pledge? So what if we abided by those principles? What are we supposed to achieve?

Now this is not anything that is a big secret. Indeed on this matter I am copy pasting from the Malaysian government's own web site. Not Raja Petra's Malaysia Today!! In fact what we are supposed to achieve is what is stated first. And if you re read the pledge above you will see "We, the people of Malaysia, pledge our united efforts to attain these ends,". Yes. to attain these ends!! Anyone knows or recalls what those ends are? Here it is:

"The pledge of the Rukunegara is as follows:

Our Nation, Malaysia is dedicated to:

Achieving a greater unity for all her people;

Maintaining a democratic way of life;

Creating a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably distributed;

Ensuring a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural tradition,

Building a progressive society which shall be oriented to modern science and technology.

Oh boy, Oh boy, Oh boy!!!

this is certainly very inconvenient to all those who have obviously responded to Najib's utterance of his 1 Malaysia!

I can see 1 Malaysia drawing its inspiration from what our nation is dedicated to according to the Rukun Negara. Was Najib in fact referring to the Rukun Negara when he stated 1 Malaysia? I cannot see any of the Prime Ministers since Tun Razak, presumably, drawing any kind of inspiration from the Rukun Negara. Surely everything that Tun Mahathir did or followed, policy wise or otherwise was in direct conflict with the Rukun Negara. The same can be said of Abdullah Badawi too.

Najib did not say anything new. Najib did not say anything that was in conflict with the pledge all of us subscribe to. Why the hypocrisy of these UMNO bigots in government as well as in the press? Don't they know the Rukun Negara or the National ideology? Or is this ideology one of Tun Razak's crazy ideas? Now that he is dead and gone, maybe it is a question for Najib to answer!

I can see the 1 Malaysia prescribed by Najib is consistent with what his late father, Tun Razak, prescribed as the National Ideology of the nation way back in 1970. It is sad that this has been throughout this time been shafted and mostly forgotten. Najib may have tested waters including reference to 1 Malaysia in his opening speech. Many have tried to define what it might be within the acceptable mores of their convoluted minds. But I say, 1 Malaysia is right there for all to see in the Rukun Negara. If we have only been able to recite the principles without seeing where it is supposed to head us to, maybe it is about time we started reciting the dedication of the Rukun Negara. Once again:

The pledge of the Rukunegara is as follows:

Our Nation, Malaysia is dedicated to:

Achieving a greater unity for all her people;

Maintaining a democratic way of life;

Creating a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably distributed;

Ensuring a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural tradition,

Building a progressive society which shall be oriented to modern science and technology.

So What is it that Distracts You When You Drive?

2009-04-08T20:36:00.002+08:00

This was reported in the NZ Herald of 8 April, 2009:

Distractions make modern motoring hazardous

5:00PM Wednesday Apr 08, 2009
The AA says driving requires 100 per cent of anyone's attention.

Shut up, put the sandwich down and keep your eyes on the road.

AA Insurance put the message more politely, but that is the advice emerging from its survey of New Zealand drivers which asked if they ever found themselves distracted from the job at hand.

As expected around half the 3708 people questioned blamed the usual suspects: the radio/CD/MP3 player.

What surprised the insurer was the most common cause of lost concentration (identified by 54 per cent of respondents) was other passengers.

"Gadgets and music are often blamed as dangerous distractions but it may be that the hazard is the one sitting next to you - or arguing in the back seat!" AA deputy general manager Martin Fox said.

"Drivers need to manage the distraction wherever it comes from and it's easy to underestimate how distracting passengers can be."

He said while they were the most frequent issue, passengers still did not match up to cellphones in terms of the degree of distraction.

More than a third of those surveyed said they used cellphones without a hands-free kit, forcing them, in most cases, to remove a hand from the wheel. A further 22 per cent said they often sent text messages while driving.

Eating behind the wheel proved a widespread practice with 54 per cent indulging while reading billboards consumed the attention or a further 34 per cent.

"Really, if you're driving, it should be the only thing you're doing," Mr Fox said.

One anomaly in the statistics was the practice of personal grooming.

Just 8 per cent reported applying make-up, yet 68 per cent said they'd caught others in the act.

- NZPA

*******************************************************************************

Can you think of any other distractions? I can already think of a number of things that I cannot write about!

But some of the worst is when the wife sitting next to me suddenly goes revisiting her shopping expedition and starts citing the items bought and their costs and then the discounts and I am supposed to add, divide, multiply, frationate and factorise and whatever not that is needed. Oh boy that was taxing..But the worst distractions were the fights Survived all this!!! Thank God!!! Somebody's watching me I suppose!!

OF

Is It Really an Internal Security Act?

2009-03-23T01:37:00.002+08:00

Just a few hours ago those attending the weekly Sunday gathering of bloggers and supporters of the anti-ISA, pro Anak Bangsa Malaysia “movement”, if you want to call it that, were asked by Robert if we would all wear the “Anti-Isa” badge, or T-shirt, as often, if not all the time where ever, whenever.

I found that a little uncomfortable. I have after all never really been one to wear my ideas, believes, support or anti-whatever on my back or collar. Most of whatever T- shirt that I wear that carry any kind of message was after all only given to me and if you catch me wearing it, it probably means I had no other ironed T shirt to wear!! And even in school I never wanted to wear the school badge!! I am not about to start changing some old habits.

Anyway, my discomfort was not so much about wearing anything on my collar or T-shirt but more because by wearing it I would be acknowledging the ISA (Internal Security Act). I would be acknowledging that the Act was passed for the purposes of securing the internal security of the nation. Of the country! Its very name itself appears to leave in my mind the notion or the possibility that the Internal Security, at the time of passing the Act in 1960, is just as threatened now as it was then.

Last weekend, Brother Rogers of the Catholic LaSalle Mission, I think, talked of his experience serving time under ISA in Kamunting when he was detained under the Operation Lalang in 1987. There was something that he said about how the act has been used that reflected more the insecurity of the people with the powers to impose it rather than the Internal Security of the nation that got me thinking.

ISA – Internal Security Act Or IinSA -Internal InSecurity Act

Wikipedia says this is called, in Malay, Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri! Oh well. I think the Malay version more accurately describes the intent of the Act as originally promulgated by those who passed it in 1960.

Section 8(1) of the ISA provides that ‘(i)f the minister is satisfied that the detention of any person is necessary …’ then s/he may issue an order for his/her detention. The three grounds given in Section 8(1) upon which the order may be based is where a person has acted in any manner prejudicial to the:
a) security of Malaysia or part thereof; or
b) maintenance of essential services; or
c) economic life.

Now, just going back to Operation Lalang, so many Opposition MPs were taken in despite them having sworn their commitment to serving the nation and its people. How then did they suddenly become a threat to country? Or was it that UMNO was under grave threat then?

The detentions following the Reformasi movement also failed to show how those detained were threatening the nation under the grounds above.

Then of course we had that Sri Lankan businessman Tahir or something who got detained for being the middle man between Scomi and the buyers in Libya of machinery parts that were to be used in building nuclear plants. Now, how did that threaten the “keselamatan dalam negeri”? Or was it more expedient to have him sequestered in Kamunting so that he cannot implicate the Prime Minister's son or his company?

More recently the detention of Raja Petra Kamaruddin, Theresa Kok and the Sin Chew reporter. Syed Hamid Albar, has to spin a tall tale to get anyone to believe that they posed any kind of threat to the country. But I will agree that Raja Petra posed a threat to UMNO. So did Theresa, whether by her self or by her being part of the Pakatan Rakyat. Obviously as for the reporter, Syed had to admit that she was taken in supposedly for her protection. Which means he admits she was not a threat to the nation. She may have been a threat, by her reporting to individuals within UMNO or to UMNO itself though.

What I see is, every time UMNO feels vulnerable and shaky. Every time certain leaders in UMNO sense any insecurity, whether for themselves, or for the party, the ISA has been conveniently employed. It is not so much a threat to the country. It is more an internalised insecurity of the UMNO leader or internalised insecurities of UMNO itself. You don't see the ISA ever being used when there are internal problems in MCA or MIC or when these parties take a position that UMNO might feel uncomfortable with. (But then again I can't remember MCA or MIC ever taking a position opposite to that taken by UMNO. After all they can't even respond to UMNO Youth's keris waving antics despite it being pointed at them).

We all like to say that we got to live up to our name. Does ISA or Internal Security Act necessarily reflect the purpose for which it has been used in the last 40 years?

Or would it be more true and honest to say that the name more suited for the Act, taking into consideration the purpose it has served over the last several decades, is IinSA or Internal Insecurity Act. After all the only honest explanation for all its recent uses are indicative of the internal insecurities of UMNO's leadership or UMNO itself.

Since honesty is such a rare commodity to expect out of the UMNO led government, can we then at least refer to and educate everyone that this is more IinSA -Internal InSecurity Act rather than ISA – Internal Security Act?

Measures For Malaysian Judiciary-Loss of Independence!

2009-03-17T08:29:00.010+08:00

Has our Chief Justice got his knickers twisted? I would have thought having attained such a high position he should know better as to what the correct measure for quality is. Quality itself is unfortunately not something that is acquired when you get an ISO certification or similar or when you keep to the standards set by such certifying bodies. Anyone with any idea of what it is these certifications really indicate would know that this is no guarantee for safety!

The Sanlu Corporation of China would testify how it got fooled into complacency thinking since it has (presumably it has) the HACCP Certification that food manufacturing companies ought to have, that it was on a roll to profits and riches. Yet in a matter of weeks it all fell on its face when melamine in its baby's milk products were found to have killed babies and caused a lot of illness as well.

Read the report in The Star of 17 March 2008 below and see for your self what I mean:

Restore faith in judiciary

LANGKAWI: Judges must work towards restoring the confidence of the public and foreign investors in the judiciary, said Chief Justice of Malaysia Tan Sri Zaki Tun Azmi.

Judgements must be written fast and even posted on the judicial website. Criminal cases must also be heard quickly to avoid the accused being remanded for too long.

Zaki advised judges to change the way they think and work, and at the same time, learn to manage their cases better.

He reminded judges to stick to their case schedules and avoid any delays in hearings.

“The reduction in cases pending is not impossible to achieve,” he said when opening the Judges Conference 2009 here yesterday. The meeting ends on Wednesday.

Zaki also said measures were being taken to set up a special Commercial Court.

“We should handle commercial cases faster, with honesty and integrity so that we can woo more foreign investors into this country.

“The foreigners hope for fast decisions because they could lose a lot of money if the cases are delayed,” he said.

He added that the Justice Department had increased the number of judges in the Commercial Court in Kuala Lumpur and the Appeals Court to handle such cases.

He added that several efforts had also been made to enhance court management, such as the restructuring of registration in some courts.

“Management judges are also appointed nationwide to manage cases and oversee the management of courts,” he said.

He added that since having efficient case management, judges in the Kuala Lumpur High Court Special Powers and Appeals division now heard twice as many cases than before.

.....................................................................................................................................................

So, restoring the confidence of the public and foreign investors in the judiciary to Chief Justice of Malaysia Tan Sri Zaki Tun Azmi means:

1. Judgements must be written fast and posted on the judicial website.

2. Criminal cases must also be heard quickly to avoid the accused being remanded for too long.

3. Judges must change the way they think and work, and at the same time, learn to manage their cases better.

4. Stick to their case schedules and avoid any delays in hearings.

5. The reduction in cases pending

6. Handle commercial cases faster, with honesty and integrity. (so that we can woo more foreign investors into this country)

7. Increase in the number of judges in the Commercial Court in Kuala Lumpur and the Appeals Court to handle such cases.

8. Enhance court management, such as the restructuring of registration in some courts.

9. Management judges appointed nationwide to manage cases and oversee the management of courts.

Now why do I feel like one very important measure is missing here?

What's happened to INDEPENDENCE you nut head? And what happened to just plain old upholding the law as is written?

8 March 2008 - A Year After!!

2009-03-07T23:02:00.003+08:00

This is what I wrote on the 7th March 2008:

"Like for instance I am rather certain Barisan Nasional will hold on to more than 50% of the seats contested for Parliament..."

Yes they did. But they lost their two-thirds as I had also conjectured then..

I also did say then, the GE was only a precursor to the battle within UMNO which was really the one to watch. It was to be Najib's opportunity to get to the PMs seat now rather than wait for Badawi to retire or die!

Now, these things have happened and is happening.

Then at about noon on 8th March I wrote:

A quote from Abdullah Badawi on the NST of that same day : "quote from Abdullah Badawi. He says "You have to vote for our future... our children. What will happen if there is chaos and instability?..."

God knows what kind of chaos and instability he was talking about. Was it the kind that happened on May 13?

Or was it that he knew, if only BN lost their sacred two-third majority in parliament they'd be like headless chicken flapping away until they eventually fall and die!

They ended up losing not just the two-thirds majority, they even went on to lose 4 states. Something I completely had lost sight of when making my earlier predictions.

A Year Later

Well, they have managed to reclaim Perak. Or so they say!

But just take a look at how they have got about to achieve what they have achieved in Perak. Or have they achieved anything yet?

Yes they have. Quite surely Sultan Azlan Shah must be thinking that he has been had by Najib Tun Razak. Believing that everything was alright the Sultan went ahead and did what he did to appoint the BN man Menteri Besar and asking the Pakatan man to resign.

He satisfied himself that BN had the confidence of the majority in a way that he felt satisfied. But now, he might be thinking, maybe it was not alright.

Does not matter, let us take it the way the Sultan determined that the confidence of the majority was now with the BN, was alright and he waited for the BN to send in their Malay Adun to be conferred the MB of Perak. But just see who walks in. That alone should have made the Sultan feel a little silly as less than a year ago we hear the Sultan had insisted the MB has to be a Malay even if the majority party in Perak was DAP with non-Malay Aduns.

Nevermind that, I would suppose when a political leader goes to see the Royalty for his favour and his endorsement, surely the least any citizen may assume is that the political leader has everything wrapped up and when the Sultan grants that favour and endorsement, as he did in this case, that the Sultan will not subsequently see that the favour he has granted or the endorsement that he has made is frustrated like in the way it has been now by the Speaker of the House.

Is the speaker being disloyal to the Sultan? I don't think so. He is afterall only doing the job that he should be doing as a Speaker employing all the powers and authorites that are vested in him according to the state constitution.

Najib, with all his bravado, has conducted himself just like a headless chicken. A headless chicken runs about with no rhyme or reason until it drops dead.

Maybe it is this that Abdullah Badawi was quoted as saying as reported on the 8th March 2008.

Of course many believed that by chaos and instability that would mean the collapse of any kind of system. The collapse of many of the institutions of government. The collapse of the administrative machinary. But has it really?

Sure, the police don't seem to know who they are supposed to be working for. Same with many of the government servants at the various State departments under Pakatan Rakyat.

There is confusion of course. The BN and government were synonymously and interchangeably used as referring to the one and the same. Even opposition political leaders while campaigning and even till today keep referring to the poltical BN and the Government administration as one and the same. So you can't really fault the government servants who think that their allegiance should be to the BN leadership. Pakatan is still the stranger and a temporary guest in the house.

BN leaders are so used to having their word to be final. Mainstream Media too fall over each otehr to quote these leaders. But hey, Toyo is just an opposition ADUN. He gets more coverage and his statements are coloured in the most favourable way so that it seems suthoritative and final. Unlike the statements made by Selangor MB Khalid which come off looking suspect and weak. Toyo's denial of any allegation of corruption somehow looks more authoritative than Khalid's accusation of him which seems to be rather, pleading.

The by-elections so far have proven one thing to UMNO. Their claim on behalf of the Malays that they are the "tuans" under the ketuanan Melayu mantra have fallen on deaf ears. Teh Malay vote has left them and if they have been found bleeding in the elections, the taken for granted Chinese and Indian votes too have left them in a very big way. They probably have also determined that it is going to take a lot more longer time to redeem the non-Malay vote. And this means they have to get the Malay vote all the way back to them.

How? PAS is stronger than before. Keadilan takes the urban Malays. So what and who is left for UMNO? They now resurrect the Allah issue. They can easily achieve the victory they want. Stop Christians using it. And what can that be marketed as? An example of ketuanan Melayu maybe? Or better still, a jihad won only by the Malays within the Muslim world! UMNO did it. Not PAS!! So UMNO are really the defenders of the Islamic religion. After all PAS is divided on this issue. Better still as a result of this division PAS breaks up.

Yes there is chaos and instability. But mostly only those orchestrated by UMNO and to benefit UMNO. Perak is a great lesson for Pakatan. Its brought out heros like Nizar and Sivakumar. They must surely be the champions for a majority of the Chinese in Perak. And UMNO would have us believe that we can only find our heros from within our own racial communities.

I would like to look at Perak positively. I would like to think that Perak has forced upon the three parties in Pakatan to come closer and to see how one depends on the other for strength and security.

But more importantly, Perak has also shown what UMNO and Najib are prepared to do to achieve their evil aims. Evn if it means deceiving the Royalty. With over 51 years of experience in governmning the country as well as the states they cannot now claim they did not know about the powers of the Speaker of the House.

There is also the bigger job of having to further move the Anak Bangsa Malaysia agenda. Since 8th March 2008 I have this believe that we look at ourselves as well as our other country men as Malaysians. Less of Malays, Indians and Chinese and others. Hope this will grow on us. Of course this is not exactly what might be good for UMNO and its BN formulae. Already they can see that they are not able to order around their partners in BN as they used to before. No doubt MCA and MIC have far less seats in parliament today. So what? As long as the Malay vote remains divided, UMNO now has learnt the bitter lesson that they need teh Chinese and the Indian votes more.

Oh God Almighty. You, Yet Again!

2009-03-06T10:09:00.007+08:00

On my last post 3 Cabinet Decisions Withdrawn In Succession I had referred to three cabinet decisions rescinded in succession. No sooner had the bytes cooled down before a fourth was rescinded. This time this had gone even beyond a decision. It had even been gazetted. In otherwords it had even become law. then no sooner it had been made known to the nation, it was very quickly rescinded, retracted, suspended!

And it has all got to do with the name of the Almighty! The Arabic name to be precise. A name I find so difficult to mouth because it identifies with the name of the Almighty of the Islamic religion. No sir, I do not want to nor intend to offend a Muslim friend or brethren who might think, my being non-Muslim, its use is so sanctified and preserved for people of his faith that my use of it would diminish that Almighty or his faith.

Of course, I have the right to use it. I have no doubt whatsoever that I can use it. And I have no doubt that I will defend my right to use it whenever, wherever and however.

But do I need to use it? No! No I don't need to use it. After all I have a thousand other names that I can use. It can be Dave. It can be Joe. It can be Briteney, or even Engelbert. And what about Madonna! Or it can be the name of the person I see every time I look in the mirror! After all was I not made in His image?

Why do I need to use a name that makes my good friends or my neighbours uncomfortable. No doubt there is no basis for the discomfort. Is it my business really if they are uncomfortable? Not really.

And why are they uncomfortable? Maybe they lack understanding! Maybe they are insecure! Maybe they are confused! Now, all of these could have a valid basis or it is sheer madness. All that is necessary for me to know is that they are sensitive about it, uncomfortable about it and certainly very suspisious about it. Well, at least that is what their politicians tell me.

But when beer drinking bloggers begin to get passionate about it and write about it or endorse the writings of others, then I have got no choice but to start separating the wheat from the chaff.

There is nothing doctrinal about this issue. Indeed, it was never any kind of issue until politicians started making noises about this. I should add to this group also wannabe ulamaks and religious and racist bigots who raise their profiles chanting anything that works up the adrenaline of their listeners. Apparently for some of them the measure of ones faith might be the level of hate and prejudice you can generate in yourself on your perceived enemies.

If really this was a non-issue that has now been made into one and magnified many times over then of what purpose is this heating up now?

Well, for one thing, it gets the speaker free publicity. And we all only know too well, the UMNO General Assembly is just around the corner.

But more important than that is another.

I have asked myself. Now that The Herald has sued and it is now in the hands of the courts who is going to gain and how important is such a gain to them. Of course, the cynic in me thinks the court has already decided in favour of the UMNO led government.

Does UMNO need this very much? A resounding YES!! UMNO needs this verdict in their favour and they need to be able to use the power that is with them to put a stop to Christians also using the name of the Almighty of the Muslims. But why? When did they become so holier than thou religious and taken up the mantle of the jihadist?

Let us go back a bit. Not too far. Just back to August/September 2008 to the Permatang Pauh by-election. UMNO went to town then about them championing Ketuanan Melayu. But this time this mantra fell flat. People, Malays especially, responded, yes, Ketuanan UMNOPutra sahaja. There was nothing to show the voting Malay for all that mantra that he was tuan over the land and over the non-Malays.

On the religious front, PAS has always taken over the leading role as being more Islamic and the champion or the promoter and defender of the faith. UMNO has never been able to get any kind of traction with the voting Malay over their declaration that this is an Islamic State after all, after so many years.

The Christians have provided a wonderful opportunity to pierce this impossible impasse. Stop the Christians from using that word that happens also to be the name of the Muslim's Almighty. Does not matter that the Christians in Sabah and Sarawak have only known this word to reference their Almighty. Does not matter that the Muslims use it as a pronoun whereas the Christians use it as a noun. Just maintain that it confuses the Muslims and they are sensitive about it. Accuse the Christians of using it to deceive Muslims into thinking it is the one and the same Almighty. Any justification to support the application of their power and authority over life in the country. They can do it. They have the power to do it. And they will get away with it. No worries about Christians elsewhere raising their swords as Christians lost their crusading spirit a long long time ago.

What does stopping Christians with all this might mean to UMNO? A lot!

Wouldn't they then be able to say, "This is what Ketuanan Melayu is all about. We say what, to whom and how you pray."

Wouldn't they then be able to tell all Muslims " We can and we have defended the faith. PAS does not and cannot." After all PAS seems to have two minds about it. Nik Aziz ,their spiritual head, seems to think it is alright for the Christians to use it. And you have Hadi Awang, their President and his men who seem to think like UMNO that the Christians cannot use it.

Out of the blues with this, which they can make happen, they can deliver to the Malay Muslim population two things that are close to their hearts. The Ketuanan Melayu mantra and the defenders of Islam claim are realised.

Is this going to get traction with their constituents? I believe it will. I believe it will gain for them a huge amount of traction and by the time the next General Election comes around, the gains made by PAS and Keadilan can be and will be scuppered. Afterall, they will need a massive shift in the Malay vote as the non-Malay support has now become suspect and unreliable.

You can very well bet UMNO will go to town with this claim. You can very well bet UMNO will reinvigourate their efforts to inculcate in the mind of the Malay that this is a jihadist victory that the Malays can be proud of. After all, the Malays have not necessarily been involved in any kind of jihadist activity that they can claim pride in. This will be their first according to UMNO. Very satieting. They need to do this and they need the time for this to sink in so that by the next general elections they will get what they want.

Yes, this is more important to UMNO than you might think. This could be the lifeline that will perpetuate the UMNO juggernaut into the future. How else do you get the dissapearing support of the Malays back? The Malays have now gone three ways. PAS, Keadilan and UMNO. Sure UMNO has the advantage at this time. But for how long? And this advantage is of no use without the support of the non-Malay vote. PAS has recently become a lot more acceptable to the non-Malay and non-Muslims. This will make it hard for UMNO!

As an added bonus, this can propel towards causing a split in PAS. We have already seen in parliament two opposing views from the PAS candidates on this. Malay MPs in Keadilan will find it difficult and compromised opposing UMNO on this. Non-Muslim MPs of Barisan Nasiaonal will as always be bound to voting alongside their UMNO counterparts in this so that UMNO can claim that even the non-Muslims were not objecting to this.

Simply put. UMNO needs to be seen as the one stopping the use of the name of the Muslims' Almighty by non-Muslims. UMNO needs to be seen employing its power and authority to deliver this outcome. This would represent to them an act of Ketuanan Melayu and it will also be represented as an act to defend the Islamic faith. And walla; I wonder how many will fall for that!! In UMNO's estimation, I suppose enough!!

3 Cabinet Decisions Withdrawn In Succession??

2009-02-28T12:22:00.002+08:00

One would imagine that the ultimate decision making body in any "democratic" country would be the one chaired by the nation's leader. In Malaysia it would be the Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi. With all the resources at hand one would assume all facts and factors are considered before decisions are made. The men and women on the Cabinet also claim to be representatives of the people and therefore, as they claim, are fully in touch with the pulse of the nation and its people.

And yet, in just a matter of a couple of months there have been three successive decisions made by the cabinet that have been reveresed in short order.

The approval of the cabinet for the take over by Sime Darby of Institut Jantung Negara, the building of another airport at Labu, within just minutes of the grossly underutilised KLIA and most recently the hike in the toll rates on the privatised highways.

Making oneself look good is easy enough. One reversal of an unpopular decision should be enough to make one look good. But cause to make three reversals of decisions recently made in quick succession, then the decision makers soon come out looking stupid. I don't knowof any committee, board or body of people who have made such significant decisions in quick succession and then only to have them reversed just as quickly wihtout a label or stigma attaching to them. I should say, this Abdullah Badawi led Cabinet has all but lost any credibility to continue leading.

When valuable assets of the nation are managed by amateurs whose only experience has been in politics and the ability to make decisions on the strength of being able to push through anything without a care for accountability, it should be worrying for future generations.

Anyone with their finger on the pulse of the people would have known Sime Darby's attempts at IJN and Labu as being one of the most stupid and ill conceived public relations disasters one could ever imagine.

Now, Sime Darby is surely not led by idiots prone to making such infantile decisions. It was a PR disaster for Sime making everyone on the Sime Board look stupid.

Not only that. The Malaysian Cabinet too, led by Abdullah Badawi, must be looking very stupid indeed. They are supposed to be the ultimate "board", playing custodian to the nation's political, social and economic health. And yet, within a short duration of time, we see three major withdrawals or cancellation of Cabinet level decisions. IJN, Labu and most recently the toll hike.

And then you have Sime sacking Fox Communications which is run by known Abdullah Badawi favouring runners and cronies.

Obviously with Fox being discredited this way, any more spins they push out will be not as effective anymore.

Who gains in all this?

There has been talk that Badawi might want to hold on to the Prime Ministership post 31 March. To do that he has to have a lot of wind behind his sails.

Surely these three episodes would would have the effect of taking out the wind off any sail!!

Everyone suggests Badawi dances to the tune of his son and his son-in-law. Attacking them would be pointless. So maybe take the wind out of Badawi's sail. That might do it!

But is it enough?

If this was the play, and I am no political watcher or expert, and if I can come up with this spin, surely Badawi's men can come out with even more to put the wind right back behind the sail.

IJN and Labu were non starters. You don't plan to set out on a course of action without knowing what the feedback would be. Sime would seem to have wanted the feedback they got. One, not enough, they did another number with Labu. Once again they were made out to look stupid. But was it they or the cabinet that looked stupid when in succession we saw the withdrawal of 2 cabinet decisions? Or was the price of making the Sime board look stupid all worth while anyway? Then the toll hike, making it three.

Najib seems to be looking better and better each time...of course his reference point is Badawi!! Now, that is no match!! And yet it would seem a lot of wise men and women are prepared to look stupid in very quick succession. I wonder why!!

Deputy IGP: ISA still relevant

2009-02-23T11:05:00.003+08:00

"The Internal Security Act (ISA) is still relevant to curb threats to the country’s security and economy but it is not meant to oppress anyone, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said." (The Star 22 Feb 2009)

""People who organise revolution usually plan to take over the government as well through personal ambition."

No, that second paragraph was spoken by a judge in sentencing the guilty one to life imprisonment. After all, the guilty one did admit saying "I do not deny that I planned sabotage. I did not plan it in a spirit of recklessness nor because I have any love of violence. I planned it as a result of a calm and sober assessment of the political situation that had arisen after many years of tyranny, exploitation and oppression of my people......."

Raja Petra Kamaruddin, or better known by his initials RPK, is certainly not guilty of planning anything like the guilty one I have just referred to.

According to the complaint made by the Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar RPK is supposed to have promoted the insult of Islam referring particularly to an article he published under his "NO Holds Barred" column.

I have read that piece. Yes RPK went full blast. But anyone with a meager primary school English education would be able to tell you, and I am certain even with his sworn lack of English, Mohammad Mohammad Taib would, if he allowed candour to take over, that that article was critical of Muslims. The followers of Islam. How that then equals Islam, I really don't know. And even then it was targeted at all those hypocritical and corrupt Muslims who, by the very definition of who Muslims are, might not exactly fit that definition.

I used to hate "Comprehension" during English classes. Never really could understand what exactly I was supposed to look for. I scored poorly. One would say that I was even incompetent.
A mistake of this order where the criticism was of miscreant Muslims and not Islam. A mistake that completely misses the object matter of the article and now places the author's life and freedom in jeopardy would have got me an "f" and I reckon my English teacher, Mr Amoz, would have probably hauled me up for some stern ticking off.

But that is it. Syed Hamid Albar has chosen to stand on the position that the object matter of the article was Islam. Not miscreant Muslims. He has been vested powers and authority by the Internal Security Act to detain anyone he thinks can be a threat to security. And he has determined and satisfied himself that RPK's article and RPK himself are a threat to security qualifying him for ISA detention without trial.

The ISA unfortunately by its very omission assumes a number of things about the Home Minister. That at the time of him acting out his authority and power given to him under the act, that he is sane and that he is competent and that there is rationale in the reasons for his actions.

I am only going to go to the last time this Home Minister employed these powers. That day on the 12th September when he detained first RPK, then the reporter from Sin Chew and then Theresa Kok the DAP MP.

To let the reporter out in under 24 hours and later Theresa Kok and to say that they were only detained for their protection shows nothing but incompetence. If really they needed to be protected, there are such things as safe houses and 5 star hotels.

To continue with RPK's detention for the reasons stated earlier shows failure in comprehension. That is incompetence. One mistake is excusable. Three in one day? That is insane. As for rationale, there is absolutely none at all. He has violated the very act that gave him those powers.

Unfortunately, there are judges in this country who will uphold the actions of this Home Minister. I suppose they will save their conscience from guilt by not bothering to ask any more questions than only examining processes and procedures. Like if the Home Minister has correctly signed the requisite orders and dated them even. What about hose assumptions that I sated earlier? Sure, they are not there in the act. But isn't it rationale to expect that the Home Minister was sanguine, was competent, was sane was, rationale, had no personal interest and so on?

I am not a lawyer. I fail to understand how lawyers really work. I fail to understand why even RPK's defense lawyers ignore asking these questions. I probably would have failed as a lawyer if I had taken up that profession as I get myself and allow myself to get worked up by these "irrelevant" questions. I suppose the law is as is. As it is stated. And that is probably also why, as they say, the law is an ass!! Maybe because when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me, assumptions are not allowed. So they say the Home minister got the powers, you just take that he has the powers. You just take it that he is competent. And sane. And rational. It does not matter that the actions are insane, incompetent and irrational.

That guilty one I spoke of in the opening paragraphs! Now, that was Nelson Mandela! Of course, he was guilty of what he was charged for. He went against the laws and the one with the power correctly charged him and had him imprisoned him. I would just like to talk to the prosecutors, the politicians and the judges of that time. What they think of it now! What they think of themselves now! President Quartus de Wet! That was the name of the judge. He was the one who said what I quoted earlier. Would I be permitted to say that he was a bloody fool? Well, considering that Malaysia now is a great fan of South Africa and Nelson Mandela, I guess it wouldn't be too difficult to get everyone going " Quartus de Wet is a bloody fool!!

Now how about Syed Hamid Albar? And how about Augustine Paul? How about any other judges who are going to be judging on RPK's matter?

Maybe these judges can explain to me how flawed the laws, the prosecution, the judgment and the judges in the Nelson Mandela case were when compared to Malaysia's ISA, prosecution and judgment? Maybe these judges and the government can explain to me what it was that was lacking or depraved in the laws, the prosecution and the judgment that put Mahatma Gandhi in jail so many times in both South Africa as well as in India? If you are unable to because they are no different from the ISA, then please refrain from holding out Gandhi as a symbol to anything.

Supposedly the ISA is not to oppress anyone. Suppress then? Maybe the Deputy IGP can explain to me what competent set of circumstances brought about the ISA arrests of the three last September!

RPK, THE JAILBIRD!! HAHA, SO WAS GANDHI!!

2009-02-20T11:24:00.002+08:00

As Raja Petra Kamaruddin, or Pete, or RPK as he might have been known to you, prepares to be incarcerated yet once again, it bothers me that I am doing very little in showing my support for him.

The powers that be want him written down as no more than a nuisance whose right place at this time is in some detention centre or prison.

So, he is supposed to be a threat to society and a threat to the security of the country. Well, at least that is what I read in the MSM. The way they report it, I suppose I am supposed to believe that if the government of the day says so, and they act so, and they prosecute so, they must be doing so in the interest of the people. Therefore I should be thankful to the government that they are doing this to RPK.

And then it occured to me. Not too long ago there was certainly a similar situation in another country where the legitimate government of the day was doing exactly what the Malaysian government is doing today to RPK. I thought of Nelson Mandela. I thought of Mahahtma Gandhi. And then I stretched my imagination a bit and it went so far as Jesus Christ himself.

What would I have been doing if I had had the kind of comfortable life that I am having now and these things were happening to Mandela or Gandhi or Jesus?

Would I have been reading the Times of India and reading the version of the story as expounded by the government? Maybe I might have even sighed and thought, why can't this starving skiny bones just leave things be and let those who govern, govern? Surely the government would not prosecute if they had no evidence!! Surely the judges would be impartial and rule fairly. And so, even though they may have jailed Gandhi 11 times in all, surely the judges would have been fair and right? Wouldn't they?

It makes me wonder now, if those judges who found Gandhi guilty and had sentenced him to prison were to be alive today and reading everything they are reading about Gandhi, what it is they would be thinking of themselves! Guilt free? I wonder what the judges who are going to be sitting in judgement of RPK think of thsoe judges who sent Gandhi, Mandela and Jesus to imprisonment and crucifixion!

But lets just leave those doing their jobs alone. Let us ponder about the rest of us who may not have been part of the movement of these individuals. We may have not been aredent fans or followers or supporters of Mandela, Gandhi or Jesus. And we may not exactly have been fans of the government of the day. We are just ordinary citizens who have our businesses and our jobs and we are comfortable in the environment provided by the government of the day.

As I have earlier stated, I think all that I would have done would have been really to not even bother too much. Of course I will keep myself informed through the newspapers and radio. And in Jesus times I suppose I would have gone to the temple to hear what the Pharasees and rabbis would have had to say.

Would I have comprehended Gandhi's message? After all when you gather lots of people who are in protest there must be problems and potential for violence. What with traffic jams and the closure of roads and public places? Not exactly good for business. And Gandhi caused all this. As for Mandela, I didn't even know he existed until long after his incarceration started. So there!!

No. RPK is no Gandhi or Mandela or Jesus. But the similarities are glaring. The description of these individuals by the powers that be. The excuses that were used in bringing them before the courts. The manner of the judgement that befell them. The consequenses of those judgements. Well, Gandhi and Mandela were lucky in some ways. They became legendary and succeeded in achieving their aims while still alive. RPK? I wonder! I hope!!

As for the instruments of government that kept the regimes protected to perpetuate their rule. As for the judiciary that attempted to give credibility and legitimacy to the rule of these regimes; well, they certainly did their jobs. They were powerful and they carried out their work judiciously and they certainly seemed so strong and unbreakable. This also reminds me of all those secret service agents and police who kept the Eastern European despots in power. When they fell, what ever happened to them and their power? We the ordinary citizens were supposed to live in fear of them.

So it was convenient I suppose to just go on living out our lives as we usually do. And this is where the oxymoron or dichotomy arises. How can then, Jesus, Gandhi or Mandela be our hero?

A good read on Gandhi's jailbird experiences may be read here.

You may want to read BBC's report at the time Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment. Compare this to the reports today that you will find in NST and The Star. Absolutley no different in the reporting styles if you were an ordinary citizen who just wants the good life.

Or just be an ordinary citizen going about living your good life at the time when Jesus was hauled up, tried and convicted. Mind you, even Peter denied him three times, so how much better do you think you could have been?

Even if RPK is no angel, which he is not. He after all smokes and drinks and uses the f word even in his writing!! And he wears jeans for heavens sake!! And he has got a keen eye for the good looking ladies...just take a look at Marina and you know what I mean. Has he earned to be named alongside Jesus, Gandhi or Mandela? NO HE HAS NOT!!!

BUT!! THE POWERS THAT BE! THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY! THE JUDICIARY OF THE DAY! THE INSTRUMENTS OF GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY! THE POLICE AND SPECIAL BRANCH OF THE DAY! ---THEY ALL HAVE!!!

What RPK represents to the Barisan Malaysian Government is no different to what Jesus represented to the leaders of the temple, is no different to what Mandela represented to the Apartheid government of South Africa and is no different from what Gandhi represented to the British government in India.

No, RPK is no Jesus, Gandhi or Mandela. Sure go ahead and jail him and history will equate this government, this judiciary, this police force and the people of Malasyia living at this time as being no different from those governments and institutions and the people that imprisoned Mandela and Gandhi.

Police Cover-up Play in Kugan's Murder

2009-01-30T09:20:00.003+08:00

There might just be three crimes that can be associated with Kugan.

Firstly the alleged involvement in a car theft. Not charged. Not proven guilty and not given a chance to defend himself. I have to concede, however, if he had in fact led the police in recovering stolen vehicles and had knowledge of these, there might be an association but still not convicted.

Secondly the torture, abuse and finally the murder of Kugan in the hands of the police who do not have the license to torture, abuse or kill.

Thirdly, and more damagingly as this involves the reputation of our medical services as well as the police, the cover up.

Watergate is hardly remembered for the breakin by 5 people into the Democratic Conventin's head quarters. It is remembered for the White House's as well as President Nixon's attempt at cover up of the break-in.

In Kugan's murder, the cover-up started with the first post-mortem that was relied upon by Selangor CPO Datuk Khalid to try to shoo away any link to the murder. So Kugan was supposed to have died from having liquid in his lungs. And he was supposed to have had asthma.

May I suggest that the post-mortem was done even before Kugan's family was informed of his death? So when they came barging into the mortuary Khalid was already ready with a response. Of course he did not bargain for the family to barge into the mortuary and take photos and videos and have them on U-Tube so quickly.

And then there was distraction. Suddenly, the barging into the mortuary became the such an important crime that the police spent tax payer funded resources to investigate this "crime". The MSM helped to try to get us all to shift our sights and minds to this barging in because two MIC Ministers/deputy Minister were being investigated and questioned despite them having said that they only came in about an hour after the family had already burst into the mortuary.

Khalid tried but could not get people to shift their minds from the crime of murder to the crime of trespass. Too bad, there was a video showing the mortuary guards opening and letting the family in.

What I want to know is where is it in CPO Khalid's responsibility or charter that his greater priority should be the cover up to protect the police when they commit a crime?

I contend that Selangor CPO Khalid has criminally been trying to cover up and that he should be investigated and charged for attempting to abet in trying to protect murderers amongst the police force.

Not only him. Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar is no different. There has been no show of remorse or regret on the part of Syed Hamid for the murder that has been committed. He tries to cast Kugan as the villain and the police as heroes. But then again I also know him to be an idiot. So I guess he has a good excuse for his conduct.

The suspects in this murder should be detained or at the very least, as they are police, and the crime was committed in the course of the carrying on of their duties, they should be suspended from their duties. Instead they are all transferred to desk jobs to another police station. There is hardly any word of the nature of investigations that these cops are undergoing. I would suggest naming and shaming them before sending them to the gallows.

This murder should not have happened. What is worse, the continuing cheap attempt at cover-up. What did Khalid aim to achieve when he very quickly established for us that Kugan died from liquid in lungs. That it is somehow a medical condition and that we will not ask further questions? That the family of Kugan's can easily be cowed into accepting the death of their son? That MIC can be left to do any damage control as they have been faithfully doing for the previous 51 years?

What did Khalid aim to achieve by giving so much publicity to the investigation over the "trespass" into the mortuary, like as if that was the bigger crime? How did he know that the body was tamppered with by the relatives of the deceased for him to accuse them of that? Was he trying to suggest that the family is the one that caused the bruises, the cuts, the swellings and so on several hours after Kugan had died?

Every statement of Khalid's has to be examined for its naievete and stupidity against its timing and the known facts that he should have been aware of at the time he made the statement. If indeed he had cause to rely on his initial excuse for Kugan's death, then the pathologist whose report Khalid relied on should be investigated. In fact, I think the pathologist has to be investigated for how he was able to release his findings so quickly when the pathologist for the second post-mortem done has taken a lot longer time to release his findings.

Unfortunately for me, I think "cover-up, is not a crime in Malaysia!!

PAS! Why Force Me To Defend My Position

2008-12-23T11:08:00.002+08:00

Whether it is DAP they are asking, I feel compelled to respond when PAS challenges DAP to give its reasonse to DAP's rejection of the Hudud laws.

Fact is, we already have laws that govern. However, injustices do happen. With man made laws we limit the exposure of such injustices to man himself. We don't extend it to the Almighty.

Hudud is claimed to be God given laws. But it is man who is supposed to administer and to issue justice under this law. A failure, there will be unnecessary and uncalled for censure of that law and diminishing of that law in the eyes of everyone. Diminishing the issuer of that law itself indirectly, if not directly.

No doubt PAS may hold that these laws only apply to Muslims. But to non-Muslims, they are our fellow human beings and they are our fellow Malaysians. As much as you might say it is none of our business, it becomes our business when a fellow human being and a fellow Malaysian is dealt an injustice. Should I remain silent or should I condemn the system that brought about the injustice? Does my condemnation confine itself to the people wrecking havoc with the powers they now possess or does my condemnation extend to the source of such power?

In every which way that Hudud is applied, as it calls for the use of a "divinely ordained" rule of conduct and retribution, then, I am inevitably forced to view the same from the "divinely ordained" perspective I have been required to look at within my own believe system.

Let the man without sin be the first to cast the stone on the sinner! By extension, let the man without sin be the one to judge the sinner.

If your cheek is struck, offer the other cheek!

In otherwords, I am forced to judge and deal with crimes from the divinely imposed attitude that my believe systems require of me. Judging is one thing and carrying out the sentence is quite another. And I will fail on both counts. Which means the criminal will go free.

However, within a secular system of crime and punishment I shall have no problem with judgement as well as meteing out punishment. And if an injustice happens, my lord is free from my own shortcomings.

As much as PAS is willing to risk the good name and credibility of their Almighty, I am not. And I am also not happy nor willing to subject their Almighty to scrutiny by the actions of His faithful servants here on earth. As that is what inevitably happens.

RAJA PETRA IS FREE!!!!! I LOVE THIS!!

2008-11-07T10:43:00.003+08:00

The Star had that on its online site at 10.00am when I opened it. Wow, what a moment. What a relief. Maybe its a Malaysian Obama moment! Or is it an Obama effect? After all we have to believe taht Obama's victory causes a shift in certain fundamental assumptions.

I thought I'd call up Michelle Yoon and let her know. I know she was very glued in on this. I could hear her sigh of relief and happiness too.

So what does it mean?

The Star reported "The judge ruled that the Home Minister had acted outside his jurisdiction when he issued the two-year detention order under Section 8(1) of the ISA."

Ah..outside his jurisdiction!! Then is it illegal? Something like if I were to steal something...that would also be outside my jurisdiction right? Or if I were to pimp, that too would be ourside my jurisdiction, right? Or if I were to prostitute myself or be involved in sodomy, that too would be outside my jurisdiction, right? Or if I were to indulge in corrupt activities or murder, that too would be outside my jurisdiction, right?

Then is Syed Hamid Albar just like one of those guys, a crook, just not caught, investigated and charged yet?

Now its for Pete to sue these buggers.

The problem with the ISA is that it assumes competence on the part of the Internal Security Minister or Home Minister, as that position was once called. It assumes bona fide in the exercise of the powers vested in him. It assumes competent and informed interpretation of the threat imposed by the subject matter of the exercise of that power.

Just reviewing this Minister's performace so far it can be seen very clearly that he has been absolutely incompetent and has abused the powers he has been vested with, not just recklessly carelessly but also knowingly illegally. After all as a Minister I guess he is stopped from feigning innocence!! And since his parliamentary colleagues find it not so objectionable, I now call Syed Hamid Albar a bloody bastard too!

BARACK OBAMA - MALAYSIA'S ENEMY NO 1!

2008-11-06T00:51:00.008+08:00

If ever there was something really historical that is probably going to have the greatest impact on humanity that has happened in my lifetime, it must be the sweet victory of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America.

Becoming the first black President of the United States of America after only 40 years, when Martin Luther King could only but dream of, says something of the transformation and the utter rejection of prejudices of many and the fizzling of the sense of hopelessness of just as many, has surely got to impact on the collective psyche of a vast portion of the human population that continues to suffer under such prejudices, hopelessness, subordination and discrimination.

To the leaders of the African continent, for whom, their measure of leadership was, until Nelson Mandela came along, lacking for an icon that was worth anything at all, they now have an icon to measure up to.

To the leaders of other countries where the leaders decide what is supposed to be good for you, Obama represents an abomination to everything held dear.

For Malaysia, Obama's victory represents something that is quite opposed and contrary to everything Barisan Nasional stands for and represents.

Even if there might have been some measure of similarity in what the Republican Party stands for to what the BN stands for in Malaysia, the grace with which the loss of the campaign was met by McCain certainly puts them on a plateau too far beyond the reach of our Malaysian BN leaders.

In delivering our salutations and congratulations to Obama, who obviously has to detest anything that would suggest support for racism or racist tendencies, it must take quite a heap of hypocrisy and pungent audacity on the part of our own miserable politcal leaders, both present and past.

Really, I would rather they don't even comment on Obama as their vile and their lie will taint the sweetness of his success and victory.

Surely there cannot be any honesty and sincerity in any salutations to Obama or for hopes of a better tomorrow as a result of Obama's victory. How can that be, when here, in Malaysia, it is all about fostering the objectives you will find articulated and supported by the Klu Klux Klan.

And there is more commonness in objectives as well as purpose of the BN that correspond to the KKK than they do with the dreams of Martin Luther King Jr that was realised in Obama's victory.

If Obama's victory realises the dream of Martin Luther King of all people being equal, UMNO, which leads the BN government is all about fostering "ketuanan Melayu" or supremacy of one race and the subordination of the other races. It is this they say, that is sanctified by the so called "social contract" that makes sacred the unequal treatment of the different races in Malaysia.

Let us be clear about one thing. The greatest enemy and threat to the Malaysian BN led government is none other than one Barack Hussein Obama, the newly minted President elect of the United States of America.

If for one minute there is any show of excitement over Obama's victory by any of the Malaysian leadership, it surely has to be cautious, fear filled and full of nothing but hypocrisy and total dishonesty.

Postscript: Malaysian Premier Abdullah Badawi claims that even in Malaysia any member of the minority races can become Prime Minister.

Well, for those who have been wondering what hypocrisy is, this is it. When UMNO and Malays, because this includes Selangor Chief Minister Khalid Ibrahim as well as PAS, cannot seem to think that PKNS can/should be headed by a non-Malay, what crap is this Abdullah talking about? Is it one of his many shiok sendiri quotes for minions to orgasm over?

** When introducing themselves to Barack Obama, anytime in the future, I would highly recommend that UMNO sends over the video taken at the aborted APCET II conference held on Nov. 9 1996, just 12 years ago. Its one representation of itself.

Social Contract - Oh really?

2008-10-19T19:39:00.007+08:00

Daniel, a commenter asked my views on the social contract as I had not touched on it in my previous post. Unfortunately, he seemed to have thought I walk around with my computer attached to me and expected an instant reply. Hey, I got a life mate.

Then when I got to writing a response, it just got to be too long and so it appears here as a new posting.

For a quick summary of what the social contract is all about, I would suggest you read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_contract_(Malaysia). There are a lot more analysis eselwhere and some good takes on it by Farish Noor and others. Surely I can't add much more to these prominent writers and historians. So, I am only going to confine to whatever about the Social Contract that I find problems with.

Obviously, any country at all with a constitution, has to have that constitution written based on the needs of that nation. In so far as the needs are concerned, usually if there are competing forces, presumably friendly, as I presume it was in the Malaysian instance, then the final constitution would have been agreed upon based on agreements reached over, what at best, must be assumptions about each of their respective claims over priorities.

That the Malaysian constitution in over 51 years has had 42 amendments to it unlike the American constitution that has had 27 over more than 200 years says something about the durability of the constitution. To even suggest that it is as well thought out as the American constitution would be a travesty. However, it would have had certain forces working on it that may not have imposed itself on the American constitution. The drafters of the American constitution would have come together believing in the commonness of their claims and hence all that might have been needed was a document that will help in their governance.

For instance, at the time the American Constitution was written and the amendments added that followed, had they then envisaged the likelihood of a black president, would that constitution have been any different? Maybe they were too self-assured that it would be an unlikely possibility. By now when in all probability the next president of the United States will be black, the society there is already ready to embrace him and the colour of his skin is immaterial. What more, this can happen even without any changes needing to be made to the constitution. Such is the durability of the American Constitution. That of course does not necessarily assure for Barak Obama that the measures used on him will be the same that has been used on all the previous presidents.

In granting independence the British insisted on settling the issue of the Chinese and Indians then. There was this presumption that the Malays were the indigenous people of this country, homogeneous in a sense. Just as there would have been the whites, blacks and native Indians in America, we had Malays, Chinese, Indians and the native Orang Asli. But in the American instance, it was an all white representation at the table that finally agreed upon the constitution with hardly any regard for the blacks or the native Indians. Slavery of course continued and the amendment to the constitution abolishing slavery came about only in 1860. Even then there did not seem to be the need for the Malaysian styled "social contract" that could have ensured Obama never had any hopes for higher office. Also, the assumptions imposing on the constitution drew from the commonness of purpose of all who signed that document.

However, in the Malaysian instance, although the "social contract" is not legislated, it provides the basis for the constitution. It presumes competing communities coming together to share the land, resources and political space of this nation. It presumes a prior claim of the Malays and that of the rulers in the land, resources and the political space and that this claim should be catered for into eternity as the forces that separate the different communities shall forever prevail. Unlike the commonness that prevailed on the American constitution, I suspect the Malaysian constitution had a greater imposition of competing interests and claims. To a certain degree that is a shame and a weakness, especially now when for many a sense of "Kita Anak Bangsa Malaysia looms, the "social contract" might be a bit of a bother.

The social contract presumes homogeneous political interests and an enduring regard of oneself amongst the Malays. I do not think they envisaged that the Malays would be divided into those supporting UMNO, those supporting PAS and those supporting Keadilan. It presumed the Chinese and the Indians would forever be tied to the MCA and MIC's articulation of their respective selves and interests. The definition of who is a Malay, was to say the least, superficial. That Khir Toyo is a privileged Malay over many others might be rather distressing considering his father only landed here in this land in 1946. I have often wondered the reverence these "recent" Indonesian imports would have for the rulers in the various states unlike the Chinese and the Indians here.

Something interesting I found was that Syed Hamid Albar's father, Syed Jafaar Albar, was an Indonesian immigrant from just before the war. Well, my father was born here in Malaysia in 1924 and so was my mum in 1933. And yet Syed Hamid fosters the social contract on me. Its the same with Khir Toyo.

And then I see all those Indonesian workers on our streets. They continue to say they are Indonesian and I believe they are not even allowed to think of identifying themselves as Malays, hence all the harassment they claim to be subject to in the hands of our Police and Rela. To make sure of that the son of a former Indonesian Migrant, our Home Minister Syed Hamid, looks after that. What irony!

Of course I don't need to tell you how passionate sons of others, who might have called themselves Indians or Arabs but now shamelessly identify themselves as the Malays referred to, are in the "social contract". Just see one Mahathir Mohammad.

Now, as for the "social contract" talked about, there is of course no social contract as such. Maybe not even an agreement. But surely there would have been agreed a number of assumptions. There may have also been a number of assumptions actively weighing themselves on the final constitution drawn up that may have never been spoken of.

My problem with the social contract is the continuing imposition of the assumptions that would have prevailed upon the Constitution like as if those assumptions remain a constant until eternity.

We are talking of assumptions that weighed in on the drafters of the constitutions at a time when the Malays did not eat noodles or pau, the Indians did not eat nasi lemak or satay and the Chinese may not have known the delights of thosai and idli. My grandfather would not have envisaged that I would be marrying a Chinese girl for instance. So you see, those were times when it was probably never envisaged that there would be so much of cross-cultural and racial fusion taking place. But most certainly the uncertainties that prevailed then would now not be present and confidences, rather than suspicion, in themselves as well as one another would be at a higher degree.

The constitution was drafted at a time when for many Indians and Chinese India and China were still very much home to go back to. If not for Mao's communism, the ties of Malaysian Chinese to their relatives in China would have been as strong as those of the Indians with their relatives in India. There was a temporariness of the stay of Indians and the Chinese then that certainly does not exist now.

But those factors are not valid factors anymore. The assumptions arising from these don't apply any more. It is only in the minds of the UMNOPutras, the term "social contract" means anything at all.

Sadly, the Rulers too in their Special Statement, seem to have assumed that the starting point for any views and opinions on Malaysian citizenship and the constitution has to be the "social contract" which somehow is locked in a time capsule, never to change in its character.

What is completely ignored is, the assumptions underlying the social contract have most definitely changed in form or even have become invalid and non-existent.

But you see, to acknowledge that the assumptions that prevailed upon the drafters of the constitution have changed or become invalid for certain powers that be would certainly not be profitable anymore. To push to examine these closely might just invite for myself unnecessary trouble. After all the Rulers have decided, for the moment, that the "social contract" is a given that continues to remain valid.

I have to remind myself, the last time someone did try to stump some UMNO leaders with questions over the assumptions prevailing upon the "social contract", we saw the exit from Malaysia and the birth of a new nation, Singapore.

I am not an historian nor have I the inclination to be one. But I would suggest that maybe someone better suited will be able to list down for us all the assumptions that prevailed upon the drafters of the constitution as well as those that were "agreed" on what they now call the "social contract"! One thing that is obvious to me is that of the assumptions that may have been so valid all those years ago only a few may still continue to remain valid. Of course there would be new ones. It will certainly be an interesting exercise to be able to list all those assumptions that prevailed then, including the unspoken ones, and then to delete those that may not be valid anymore. To add new assumptions that may be valid, and then to see how this will impact on the constitution we have today.

In this exercise I am not even asking for universally acceptable assumptions to apply. I recognise that there is still that "suspicion" and the angst that has been cultivated by UMNO. However, sparing the influence of political interests and forces, there is this Malaysian culture that exists and that most of us like to identify ourselves with. These are within our collective consciousness.

Thus, if an academic exercise was attempted at rewriting the constitution at this time by a group of people coming together with a commonness of purpose and interests rather than competing purpose and interests, I would expect to see the rulers retaining their pride of place and probably with greater clarity of their roles as they have stated in that Special Statement of theirs. I can expect to see Islam still recognised as being the foremost religion of the land. I can see Malay still supported to be the National Language of the Federation. However, for the constitution to have to still state that there is such a thing as "other communities" or the "Malay privileges" and so on would probably be giving in to unfounded fears.

When during the BERSIH rally on the 10th November 2007, I found myself in the midst of some PAS supporters chanting "Allahu Akhbar", the fact that I did not find that hostile or threatening. The fact that I found myself supporting and marching alongside them. The fact that I could not see them directing whatever angst they had at me. Hey, we have come a long way since independence and the competing interests that had to be compromised somehow then don't seem to be valid anymore. Something to think about.

So Daniel, I hope this gives you my take on the Social Contract. If I am wrong, help me change it. You see, there will always be a social contract. But that social contract is not something that is written in stone. It evolves as fences fall and confidences replace suspicions.

When you look at the durability of the American Constitution that has been subject to just 27 amendments since its adoption over 200 years ago, it tells you something about the foundation upon which it was built. Ours on the other hand obviously is founded on fear, suspicion, avarice, selfishness, opportunity, greed, and a lot of other negatives. I do not fear revisiting the start of this process. After all I am a whole lot more confident of the goals of my fellow Malaysians. Why should the fears of my forefathers submit me to servitude or for that matter compromise. Why should the fears of my forefathers be a restraint on the development of a truly Malaysian Malaysia? Hey, the assumptions that were brought to bear on the "social contract" may have been very real then and valid too. But now?

No place for UMNO in Conference of Rulers' Special Statement

2008-10-17T19:23:00.006+08:00

I was a little aghast reading the Special Statement issued by the Conference of Rulers this morning in The Star. Later when I took a closer look, it suddenly dawned on me a sense of frustration and maybe even anger on the part of the Rulers when issuing this document. I have appended below the Special Statement as issued by Bernama.

Read it carefully and you will realise that most of what is being said is being addressed to UMNO.

Firstly, the Rulers are claiming for themselves : "The Malay Rulers hold the constitutional role to safeguard the special privileges, position, eminence and greatness of the Malay Rulers, safeguard Islam, Malay as the National Language, and the genuine interests of the other communities in Malaysia."

A few points to take note of:

1. It is the constitutional role of the Malay Rulers. Nothing mentioned of UMNO or the Government of the day or any political party or NGO.

2. The safeguard of the special privileges, position, eminence and greatness is of the Malay Rulers. No mention is made of Bumiputras, Malays, UMNOPutras or even the indigenous people.

3 The safeguards extended to everyone else, other than the Rulers, that the Rulers now are stamping their constitutional role to safeguarding are : Islam, Malay as the National Language, and the genuine interests of the other communities in Malaysia.

So what about the Malays? At this time, it would seem like in this statement the Rulers might have left out the safeguarding of the privileges, protection, rights etc of the Malays from their roles. Why?

Is there an assumption here that the Malays naturally get or gain any privileges or that their special position is ordained somehow? Or is the distinguishing point to be made here is that in their reading the Rulers see themselves as the special ones and everyone else, Malays, Chinese and Indians fall under "other communities"?

I will have to presume that the "special status" of the Malays here arises from some other article in the Consitution. (I am not much into that kind of research and referencing....leave that to the likes of Malik Imtiaz and Haris Ibrahim).

In any case, what is interesting in this claim being made by the Rulers is that it is even mentioned at all with all the emphasis that is found in that statement. For the Rulers to find it necessary to state the obvious, "The Malay Rulers hold the constitutional role to safeguard ......" That is to say, this has nothing to do with UMNO. UMNO, please don't find your raison de tre in assuming for yourself a role that was never meant for you in the first place. UMNO stop hijacking the entire Malay race by assuming for yourself a safeguarding role over the Malay race.

In fact it would seem like the safeguarding role that the Rulers state here extends to the "other communities" which all along we have assumed to mean the communities other than the Malay community. Maybe it is an error that the safeguarding of the Malays is not mentioned. Only the Malay Language and Islam. What if all those special privileges applies, as stated in that statement, only to the Rulers? What if the Rulers intended to put the Malays in their place and have lumped them together with the "other communities"? After all the rulers should know that all who claim to be Malays today are not necessarily descended from those who would have called themselves Malays just a generation ago, let alone two or three generations ago. Therefore, the ties that bind and that give the Rulers their pre-eminent position that derives from the collective acknowledgment and recognition of all those who claim to be Malay today may be suspect! There is probably greater comfort in relying on the "other communities'" acknowledgment, recognition and submission to the Rulers after all.

As for MCA and MIC's claim to be representatives and protectors of the rights of their respective races, maybe they got to re-evaluate that position. As you can see, the Rulers are also stamping their claim to safeguarding "the other communities". So why are MCA, MIC or the other Sabah and Sarawak race based parties needed?

Secondly, The only time reference is made to the Malays, this is what the special statement of the ruler states, "The Conference of Rulers also calls on the Malays to be united to safeguard the privileges, position, eminence and greatness of the Malay Rulers, safeguard Islam, Malay as the national language, and the genuine interests of the other communities in Malaysia as enshrined in the Federal Constitution. It has to be emphasised that this agenda is more important and foremost than political or factional interests.

Indeed the onus is for the Malays to safeguard what has been promised the Rulers, Islam, Malay as the National Language and the genuine interest of the other communities. No mention is made about them fighting for their own rights or seeking protection of their rights and or privileges. And indeed if they do have rights and privileges that may be found in other articles within the constitution, the Rulers have certainly not mentioned here any willingness to "safeguard these for the Malays". Maybe the so called Malay privileges, rights etc, is a given, understood and accepted and it is totally redundant even talking about it. In which case, fighting for it is equally redundant.

UMNO has positioned itself as the voice of the Malays. UMNO has positioned itself as the defender of the Malay rights. UMNO has positioned itself as the guardians of the resources and the people of Malaysia and more particularly the Malays.

Nowhere in this document do I see even an acknowledgment that UMNO exists or is relevant.

So who do the Rulers Fault?

To give us a glimpse of what has led the Rulers to issue this statement, the statement refers to:

"The actions of certain quarters in disputing and questioning these matters, which formed the primary basis for the formation of Malaysia and are enshrined in the Federal Constitution, had caused provocation and uneasiness among the people.In retaliation, several quarters particularly Malay leaders whether in the government or non-governmental organisations as well as individuals had expressed their dissatisfaction and anger against those who had made the statements and reports and organised the forums.

"Among the reasons identified for these to have occurred is the cursory knowledge of those concerned regarding the historical background as to why these provisions were enshrined in the Federal Constitution and the influence of their attempts to implicate the principles of impartiality and justice without regard for the historical background and social condition of this country. Narrow political interests are also a cause.

Obviously, the Rulers are perturbed by claims and counter-claims being made. UMNO and ultra-Malay nationalists might think that the Rulers are expressing their concern at the constant statements against Malay privileges being made by leaders of other communities. They even suggest that these were provocative and caused uneasiness.

But read that again. In the first sentence in the first paragraph the reference is made to those questioning the Malay privileges. Presumably leaders or "representatives" of other communities. Then the second sentence identifies the opposition taking the retaliatory positions, i.e. the Malay leaders, whether in government or non-government and some individuals. These second lot being Malays of course.

But the second paragraph is an indictment of those who have run fowl by making statements after only a cursory knowledge of the circumstances leading to these being enshrined in the constitution. And who else can "influence of their attempts to implicate the principles of impartiality and justice without regard for the historical background and social condition of this country. Narrow political interests are also a cause"?

There is something certainly being said by the Rulers here that might suggest that the premise upon which the UMNO led Barisan Nasional runs the country is wrong. If the rulers are going to redeem for themselves the role of safeguarding the nation in its various forms at this time, and that the BN, by their majority, was presumed to have been assigned to carry out that role on their behalf, the re-statement of what is obvious should not be read just callously. Is there a warning here that UMNO should consider?

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Conference Of Rulers Issues Special Statement

KUALA TERENGGANU, Oct 16 (Bernama) -- The 215th meeting of the Conference of Rulers, held at the Istana Maziah here, issued a special press statement on several matters enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

Following is the press statement in full issued by the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal, Engku Tan Sri Ibrahim Engku Ngah.

"Press Statement issued by the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal on the role of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers regarding the special privileges, position, eminence or greatness of the Malay Rulers, Islam, Malay as the national language, the special position of the Malays, and genuine interests of the other communities in accordance with the Federal Constitution.

"The Malay Rulers who attended the meeting of the Conference of Rulers conferred on the issuing of this special joint press statement Thursday.

"The Malay Rulers hold the constitutional role to safeguard the special privileges, position, eminence and greatness of the Malay Rulers, safeguard Islam, Malay as the National Language, and the genuine interests of the other communities in Malaysia.

"The actions of certain quarters in disputing and questioning these matters, which formed the primary basis for the formation of Malaysia and are enshrined in the Federal Constitution, had caused provocation and uneasiness among the people.In retaliation, several quarters particularly Malay leaders whether in the government or non-governmental organisations as well as individuals had expressed their dissatisfaction and anger against those who had made the statements and reports and organised the forums.

"Among the reasons identified for these to have occurred is the cursory knowledge of those concerned regarding the historical background as to why these provisions were enshrined in the Federal Constitution and the influence of their attempts to implicate the principles of impartiality and justice without regard for the historical background and social condition of this country. Narrow political interests are also a cause.

"Unless this phenomenon is arrested immediately, it can lead to disunity and racial strife that can undermine the peace and harmony which has all this while brought progress, development and success to the nation.

"As such, it is necessary for the Conference of Rulers to emphasise and remind all quarters of these constitutional provisions besides giving emphasis to the assurance of safeguarding the genuine rights of other communities.It has to be emphasised that each provision in the Federal Constitution has undergone the process of discussion, consideration, consultancy, sacrifice and compromise of the highest degree for what has been championed, discussed, considered, benefited from as well as agreed to by all quarters concerned, until the realisation of the provisions in the Federal Constitution which are known as the Social Contract.It is not proper to dispute and question this Social Contract and more so to subject it to a review or change because it is the primary basis of the formation of Malaysia.Therefore, it is appropriate for the Malay Rulers to remind that there should never be any attempt ever to test and challenge issues related to the Social Contract.

"Truly, the leaders of the pre-independence era were insightful -- far-sighted. They brought along with them the Malay Rulers for the negotiations to claim independence. The Institution of the Rulers was retained and legally enshrined in the constitution of an independent Malaysia.The Institution of the Rulers was accorded eminence, was positioned at the apex of Government, as the head of the country and the states, as a protective umbrella, ensuring impartiality among the citizens.The Institution of Rulers takes on the role of being a check-and-balance factor to untangle complications, if any.

"The Conference of Rulers also calls on the Malays to be united to safeguard the privileges, position, eminence and greatness of the Malay Rulers, safeguard Islam, Malay as the national language, and the genuine interests of the other communities in Malaysia as enshrined in the Federal Constitution. It has to be emphasised that this agenda is more important and foremost than political or factional interests.

"Non-Malays should not harbour any apprehension or worry over their genuine rights because these rights are guaranteed under the Federal Constitution and provisions of the state constitutions of Malaysia contained in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.

"It is hoped that with this emphasis, all confusion among the people regarding these matters can be contained and an atmosphere of peace, harmony and mutual respect can continue to exist among the people for the maintenance of order in the country

FAILURE OF UMNO'S INCITEMENT!

2008-10-16T11:49:00.002+08:00

In one fell sweep,Syed Hamid Albar, our Home Affairs Minister, now makes sure that the spirit of HINDRAF becomes more generic and more palatable to absorb by a wider audience. Not just throughout the Indian community but across all other races too.

If previously you were stopped at the "gates" of HINDRAF by the faces that you saw representing it, now there are no "gates". Not that there were any before to begin with, as after all they were not an entity.

Human beings generally look towards an entity. Some kind of physical form. And once they see that , they then look for the personages representing it. Even though there was no entity before, there was a perceived entity in HINDRAF as they had "officials" and they certainly appeared to have some kind of organisation.

Now that the government has issued this ban, we are forced to look beyond that "entity". Looking beyond we see the spirit.

In case dumbo Syed Hamid does not understand what it is I am saying, he should look at America. The labels "Civil Rights Movement", Ku Klux Klan, McCarthyism and such resonate. None of these were "entities". They did not need Presidents, Secretary Generals, Organising secretaries or whatever to carry on with their efforts. So really, you could not ban these. But they all represented something. Right or wrong they all represented something people identified with, supported, participated in and even fought for.

But, I guess, Syed Hamid is doing all this not so much for those among us who understand and know these things. He is doing it for the message that he wants transmitted to his audience. The Malays from the Malay heartland. He wants to paint for them a picture of the evils and the hate that is before them. Hamid and his lot want the Malays to see HINDRAF for the threat against their race and Theresa Kok as the Chinese thief in the night who wants to take away from the Malay their birth right.

Well, for everything that he has said and done till now. For every incitement hate filled missive written and published by their mouth piece, Utusan Malaysia, the Malay heartland is not buying. So much incitement has been filled in their rhetorics that at any other time, for much less, blood has been shed throughout the world where emotions can easily be worked upon. I remember the movie Hotel Rwanda. I recall reading the kind of stuff Hitler depended on to get the German people either whole heartedly supporting him or at worst remain silent. What difference is there in what Syed Hamid Albar is doing and allowing Utusan Malaysia to do and what Hitler relied on or the evil that was vent upon the minorities of Rwanda had been nourished on?

To the credit of the ordinary Malay their emancipation is certainly evident and their rejection of the intent of Syed Hamid Albar, Utusan Malaysia and the leaders of UMNO is testified in the increased number from amongst them who voted Anwar Ibrahim back into Parliament at Permatang Pauh.

It is so very clear as to the intent of UMNO in permitting Utusan Malaysia free latitude in attempting to spread their venom. Syed Hamid Albar's attempting to demonise the HINDRAF movement certainly does not go unnoticed amongst the Malays as they welcomed them into their very own heartland at Anwar Ibarhim's Hari Raya open house at Kampung Baru.

Syed Hamid Albar's and UMNO's untruthful indictment on the state of race relations in Malaysia as coming to a dangerous level is certainly not seen on the streets. Their repeated notations and reference to perceived tensions only resonates in their heads as their own partners in BN push their rhetorics for their own audiences. If at all anyone says anything that may seem a challenge has been thrown it is UMNO's partners in Gerakan, MCA, MIC and UPKO in Sabah. But I suppose this they have to do in order to ensure their constituents within their parties see them as heros.

There has been no race based threat issued by anyone in Pakatan Rakyat and HINDRAF for that matter. If I can see that I am confident the ordinary Malay, Indian and Chinese can see that. But this is, as we can all see, not exactly very good for all the BN parties. It must be very uncomfortable for many members of these parties in BN to see the contradiction of what their leaders are telling them and what they can see for themselves. so why on earth do they stay supporting those parties? What do they fear? What do they worry about?

IRANIAN CENSORS OR MALAYSIAN! WHO DOES A BETTER JOB?

2008-10-07T04:44:00.003+08:00

I don't normally copy paste articles as I prefer to just write off the fly. But I thought at a time when the press, especially MSM, is complicit in inventing stories and perceptions that do not reflect the real situation on the ground, maybe, our lying, conniving, and inciting people in the press must surely sometimes feel doubtful and shitty about what it is they are doing with their God given talents. Maybe sometimes,when their conscience is awakened for just a fleeting second, the need to find comfort, (well, crooks and scums too ned comfort you know) may be overwhelming. That is when, knowing that they are not alone can be comforting.

But then again during their evil conniving and inciteful moments, they might wonder, what else they can do that might be sanctioned by people wearing robes and long beards. Or maybe they can learn from other masters of their trade. After all Joseph Goebels never envisaged the internet, did he? So in this time when their spin can be countered almost immediately, what can they do. I guess there must be some in MSM who would have loved to work in Iran where they got access to harsher bully boys to rely on when their own spins don't work.

Anyway, I leave it to you to see how well our spin masters, our information vendors and censors match those operating in Iran.

Jail for Iranian Journalists
by Arash SigarchiMiddle East QuarterlyFall 2008, pp. 49-52http://www.meforum.org/article/1992
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Arash Sigarchi, former editor of Gilan-e Emrooz, was the subject of the Middle East Quarterly's Dissident Watch in the fall 2005 issue. He recently received asylum in the United States. This article is adapted from a speech he gave at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., on February 4, 2008. — The Editors.

I was a newspaper journalist in the Islamic Republic, but censorship forced me to blog. My blogging led to my arrest and eventual departure from my homeland. To comprehend how pervasive censorship is in Iran today and how difficult it is for Iranians to access a wide range of accurate information about everyday news, it is essential to understand how the Iranian government censors journalists. Iranian censorship is enforced by six major entities.
Instruments of Censorship

First, the Supreme National Security Council, charged with defending the country from external enemies, has become omnipresent not only in domestic matters but also in journalism. On a weekly basis, upon direct orders from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme National Security Council informs journalists and newspaper editors of new themes of censorship. Ahead of the March 3, 2008 U.N. Security Council decision to sanction the Islamic Republic for its uranium enrichment program,[1] the Supreme National Security Council sent a letter to newspaper editors and instructed them to respond with articles describing nuclear energy as an Iranian right.[2]

The second group, the Iranian judiciary, acts upon the direct orders of the supreme leader. If the supreme leader questions one item, this might lead to the closure of twenty to thirty newspapers. The judiciary might order only temporary closures but, in practice, their long duration makes the shutdowns permanent. In addition, security forces have killed two journalists and imprisoned another seventy. The Intelligence Ministry has imprisoned several hundred people for interrogations.

Arash Sigarchi (R) greets Iranian president Mohammad Khatami at the Iranian Press Festival, 2001.Security agencies are a third group that exerts pressure on journalists and newspapers. As a journalist in the Islamic Republic for twelve years, I was never able to criticize the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). To do so is simply forbidden. Toward the end of Mohammad Khatami's term (1997-2005) and the beginning of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration (2005-present), the Ministry of Information and Security—Iran's intelligence ministry—began to summon all newspaper journalists to ask them to cooperate with the system. Their message was clear: Those who cooperate can work; those who do not will go to prison. Those who cooperated with the regime received economic privileges. Some of my former colleagues chose to accept the regime offers and today hold positions of power.

The Office of the Friday Prayer Leaders is a fourth mechanism of censorship. The Friday prayer leaders exist to provide the supreme leader a representative in every major town and city. They are, in effect, mini-Khameneis. As Khamenei censors at the national level, so do the various Friday prayer leaders enforce censorship in the provinces. For example, in November 2003, Ayatollah Zeinolabedin Ghorbani, the Friday prayer leader of my hometown of Rasht, spoke about a house that cost $200,000. During the following Friday prayer session, he criticized the system in which workers cannot afford decent housing. I published a response suggesting that it would be more productive if the system actually helped workers get decent housing rather than simply talking about the situation. The same day the article appeared, seven people attacked and beat me, and the judiciary fined me $1,000, a significant amount in Iran, for insulting the sacred matters of Islam.

The fifth group consists of the so-called "pressure groups," which many Iranians refer to as Hezbollahi groups. They are similar to Germany's pre-World War II Brown Shirts, who roughed up anyone deemed an enemy or insufficiently loyal to the regime. These groups, who attack journalists because of political opinions and writings, are attached to the Basij resistance force, to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and to the various security agencies. After I criticized Ghorbani, I also experienced this firsthand. Vigilantes attacked me and my staff in our newspaper office.

Sixth, beyond external censorship, there are internal pressures that also constrain Iranian journalism. Economic actors constrain journalism. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has extensive economic interests.[3] Their companies maintain advertising relationships with newspapers. For example, if an IRGC-owned factory wishes to hire workers, they will place a notice with the local newspaper. When a newspaper is critical of the regime, however, the IRGC will ban any company in which it has an interest from advertising in that newspaper, severely curtailing the revenue that paper can expect. For this reason, most newspapers practice self-censorship.

In the Islamic Republic, newspaper editors do not have the freedom or independence to determine their own publications' content. The regime approves the newspaper executives who oversee the editors and enforce censorship. In addition, self-censorship is rife. Many of my colleagues resisted becoming mercenary pens in the hands of others, but they censor themselves to avoid arrest. Often, the sentences for journalists are severe. But, if they show contrition in prison, they win early release. If they return to reporting the truth, the state quickly returns them to prison. Many journalists, after receiving a taste of incarceration, are far more mindful of what and how they write.

Information Gap

The lack of real journalism hurts the Iranian public by promoting a false sense of international diplomacy. Ahmadinejad, for example, has said that Iranian discussions with the entire world with regard to Iran's nuclear issues are over, but he still negotiates with Westerners. The entire world has sanctioned us economically, but few Iranians inside the Islamic Republic understand the full nuance or effect.
Another example: In 2007, Ahmadinejad visited Gilan to inaugurate a sports stadium. This year, it was announced that the stadium had opened. What the newspapers could not report, however, was that the stadium had been slated to open fifteen years ago. Nor could the Iranian papers ever report that a day after Ahmadinejad inaugurated the stadium, it shut because it had not yet been completed.

The press also misleads with regard to the economy. After the supreme leader said that the Islamic Republic needed to be self-sufficient with regard to cereals, for example, Ahmadinejad reported that under his government, Iran had, indeed, become self-sufficient. Soon after, my wife and I traveled from province to province. In southern Iran—provinces such as Hormozgan, Bushehr, and Khuzestan—I took pictures of foreign ships importing cereals into Iran. Clearly, neither the politicians nor the newspapers reported the true situation. As a result, politicians could not implement the proper policies to enable the agricultural sector to meet real rather than fictional goals.

You might ask if Iranian journalists are asleep. No, we are awake, but in prison. So how can Iranian reporters pursue the who's, what's, where's, and why's that underpin basic journalism? Many—myself included—started blogging. Everything that I could not publish in my newspaper, I wrote on my blog. When I started in 2001, the Iranian government was not too aware of the Internet, and so I got away with straight reporting. But they soon caught on. I was arrested briefly on August 29, 2004, and, again, the next day. On January 17, 2005, the Revolutionary Court sentenced me to ten years imprisonment for cooperating with the U.S. government, two years for insulting the Iranian leadership, and two years for conducting propaganda against the Islamic Republic. Despite the crackdown of which I was one victim and Ahmadinejad's efforts to shut down blogging, the phenomenon has taken off. When I was arrested, Persian was already the fourth most popular language for blogging.[4] Today, two million people write blogs in Iran. I firmly believe that the only group that can counter the demagoguery of the Ahmadinejad government are the bloggers. With the help of their efforts, censorship in Iran will be crushed.

Arash Sigarchi is an Iranian journalist, living in Washington, D.C. He is the recipient of the 2007 Hellman/Hammett award for writers who have suffered political persecution. He blogs at www.asigarchi.blogspot.com.

[1] UNSCR 1803 (2008).[2] Agahsazi (Tehran), Mar. 3, 2008.[3] Ali Alfoneh, "How Intertwined Are the Revolutionary Guards in Iran's Economy?" Middle Eastern Outlook, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, D.C., Oct. 2007.[4] The Guardian (London), Dec. 20, 2004.

Can We Mind Our Language

2008-10-03T09:02:00.004+08:00

CAN WE MIND OUR LANGUAGE!

Nathaniel Tan said in his blog posting "I applaud the surprising restraint showed by the police."

Malaysiakini carried its report on that same night by Andrew Ong and Rahmah Ghazali thus, "About 2,000 people staged a peaceful march through the busy streets of Kuala Lumpur tonight calling for the abolishment of Internal Security Act and freeing detainees under the Act"

On Badawi's Open house on the first day of Hari Raya, The Star had reported with the following headline:"Hindraf commotion at govt’s Raya open house"

Further in that report it had the following statements from various Ministers:
Ayed Hamid Albar: " “This is not the time, this is not the correct venue. They can come to wish Selamat Hari Raya and shake hands, but the rest of it, different time, and different date.
“If they come in peace and harmony there shouldn’t be any problems,”

Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal "Hindraf members should have known their limits and not turn up at an open house “like this”.
“There are platforms for you to make your submission. This is not the proper way of doing things. I mean, it’s a Raya do. Today is Hari Raya, it’s got nothing to do with memorandums."

Tourism Minister Datuk Azalina Othman "such behaviour would reflect poorly on Malaysia’s image to tourists.
“If you are here as a guest, then behave as one. Parliament will convene on Oct 13. They can do so (submit their memorandum) then,”

Can you see how in our writings we all commit a common cardinal sin?

Nat want's to applaud the polices' restraint. What would have caused them to lose that restraint? Malaysiakini suggested that the rally was peaceful. But aren't all the rally's by this multi-faceted movement peaceful? Why the need to make this redundant statement?

On the Open House, The Star attempts to discredit "the commotion" by suggesting that it was an HINDRAF affair alone. Well, I guess the reader is supposed to assume that this would be typical uncouth behaviour of Indians. They completely ommitted the fact that along with the HINDRAF crowd there was also Haris Ibrahim and the Anti-ISA crowd. In any case if it was such an auspiscious occassion why all those men in blue in any case? Why did Haris not suggest that there was any commotion in his posting? Neither did Zorro! So, maybe Haris and Zorro are spinning as well?

And then those statements by the Ministers!

Like as if they can tell you when it ever was that the "protestors" referred to have ever caused disharmony or been violent or had contributed towards any kind of racial or religious disharmony. And obviously they are also suggesting that it is quite normal for them to receive memorandums of this nature on gentlemenly kiss on the cheeks basis. And where is that platform they were referring to? How so quickly they forget that they had water canons and FRU's tear gassing when little children wanted to hand the Prime Minister flowers at the Parliamet House.

They want to continue to suggest, subliminally, if necessary, that any such assembly, being illegal because they do not have a police permit, must naturally be "not peaceful" and a "threat to the security of the nation"

Nat applauded the police for their restraint. But why? Was the rally boisterous, noisy, threatening, unruly, destructive, or made up of thugs who carried weapons with them so that the polices' restraint deserved or earned them an applause? Was it even necessary for the police to have been there if indeed their presence was to stop the rally turning to become a threat to the security of the nation?

Malaysiakini found it necessary to prefix the rally with the adjective "peaceful". Are they suggesting that rallies otherwise are not peaceful? Or are they suggesting that the peacefulness of this rally was something unique? I thought Bersih and Hindraf's rally of 1011 and 2511 were also peaceful. The water canons and the tear gassing only tried, oh so hard, to define those rallies in terms that provided satisfaction only to the UMNO led BN.

You see when you have pictures of water canons and FRU men shooting tear gas, of course it suggests the necessity for such devices being used. To the vast ignorant majority who confine their information source to MSM only, these rallies must have been totally unthinkable threats to their usual way of life. And that is how the UMNO led BN wants the people to view these rallies, protests or demonstrations or even attempts at handing over memorandums.

But what are we doing ourselves in trying to paint a different picture?

Obviously in all this we are painting the police and the FRU as the frontline enemy. But really they are not. They are only carrying out orders. So were the KGB, East German Secret police, and Romania's secret police as well. But can you recall the indignity of the fallen dictators and the regime that held all that power on the day it all fell? It seemed all so sudden didn't it?

I still remember Christmas day 1989. Nicolae Ceauşescu appeared indestructive and strong in the morning. I guess his armoured guards were still protecting him. By late afternoon he was shot dead together with his wife like a dog by the enraged people and strewn on the streets. Where were his secret police? Why did they abandon their post? Certainly it was not because the people were better armed or that their voilence was overwhelming.

I would like to think reason finally got to them and the inevitable was upon them.

Are we, in our approach so far, going about it on the presumption that the police are a homogenous lot acting according to the wishes of the IGP, and/or those at the top, for whom perpetuation of UMNO's rule is a compromised goal?

Maybe its about time we consider addressing the men in blue at the front. Do they necessarily know that national security and the perpetuation of UMNO led BN's rule are not exactly one and the same thing? Wikipedia has it that as part of the programme for the National Service one module - the Nation Building Module (Kenegaraan) - Classroom based. Nation's history, sovereignty and dignity, Malaysia and international affairs, Defence and National Security and Citizen's responsibility to the nation, and loyalty towards the current government, Barisan Nasional - has it that loyalty to Barisan Nasional government is a necessary attribute of a good Malaysian citizen. Do the Malaysian police see the perpetuation of the UMNO led BN is synonymous to national security and national perpetuation?

May I suggest that in our writings too, reference to the government be very specifically addressed as the UMNO led BN government. What we all really want is the over-throw of the UMNO led BN. The government then becomes a PR ruled government. This needs to be repeatedly said so that those who form the instruments of government or are part of the apparatus of government once again retrieve for themselves their professionalism and become impartial to the political shenanigans to which they presently dance to. It is imperative that this be achieved immediately even before PR takes over.

The Star's report on the government's Raya open house at PWTC was mischievious. By their willful omission of the presence of the anti-ISA group they have tried to confine any protestations to HINDRAF only. Adding "commotion" to their attempts to access the premises where, they too were invited, The Star carried out Joseph's Goebel's instructions to the letter. After all to non-Indian Malaysians this Indian crowd is looked upon as belonging to the estates with no sense of decorum and city slick ways. They are supposed to be an uncouth lot and certainly a little less civil for the occassion.

The Star has certainly inherited Joseph Goebel's legacy for how a corrupt and evil propaganda machine should be. How they should write so that they define each and every event and happening according to what favours their leaders.

The problem in our circumstances, we too, the bloggers, the alternative press and the NGO's that may be opposed to the evil in this UMNO led BN government are quite careless in the use of our language. We may not even be saying it when we say ,"the rally was peaceful". Yet in what we did not say, we have suggested a whole lot more. Personally I think to even say that it was a peaceful rally is redundant. Why is it, when we read of a 50,000 people rally in London we do not even think of anything that might suggest insecuity?

STOP VALIDATING UMNO'S MANTRA!!

2008-09-22T20:11:00.002+08:00

Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim told a forum on integrity held at the Institut Integrity Malaysia yesterday, politicians are to blame for the country’s deteriorating race relations. Racial politics were souring relations, he said.

Social anthropologist Sarjit S. Gill said politicians today were to blame for the increasing rift between the races at the same forum

I am afraid I have to disagree with that statement. Maybe its just plain English misused when the good speaker may have really wanted to say something else.

I have no qualms in saying that today there is greater unity amongst races and less hostility. There is less worry if one needs to go into areas settled by another race. No worries starting up conversations with just about anyone in carrying on of our business

What these speakers said is just one of the stanzas of the UMNO mantra that is repeated over and over again so that there is this sense of hostility created in our minds that is artificial and not real.

But that provides the assumptions or the ingredients necessary for UMNO to perpetuate itself.

UMNO' MANTRAS

Malays have the propensity to running amuk. so the rest of us should defer to that threat.

Malays are the supreme race.

Malays have rights

Malays have privileges and these cannot be spoken against. So the rest of us are supposed to shut up.

Malays need protection from the rest of us the demons. It is the goal of the demons to grab every thing. The Malay cannot on his own defend his position. The Malay will disintegrate.

UMNO is the one holding them all together and getting them to climb the ladder little at a time.

UMNO is the protector of the Malays

SCREWING WITH YOUR MIND

Hey, wonderful mantra isn't it? Many actually believe this bullshit. But it has been useful in giving UMNO its raison de tre all these years. Beyond this mantra, UMNO has hardly had much of a political philosophy to talk about. It had the rich UMNOPutras eating out of its hands and the rest of the Malay populace praising them in worship.

But fact is, decent Malays who know better feel embarassed by this. They know what these mantras are meant for.

Finally, the Malays only need to see a little further from our coasts to which Malays have gone decades or hundreds of years ago.

You have the Cape Malays, The Sri Lankan Malays, The Singapore Malays. All of them continue to identify theselves as Malays. They still practice their culture and religion despite being minorities. The older generation still remembers the language.
Best part of it. They call themselves Malays. Better stil they don't have UMNO protecting them. And you would have thought UMNO is there to defend the Malays.

There are Indonesians who were brought over as a kid in 1946 and soon forget their roots completely in less than a generation. Just look at Khir Toyo. Why? Because being Malay is easy. Can fool the genuine ones very easily. And most importantly very profitable too. Just look at Mahathir. Half Indian but never openly says it. He has to be Malay!! Useful and convenient isn't it? Ask half the UMNO supreme council members and you will encounter the same thing. Guys and gals who have denied their own heritage to "become" Malay.

Strangely there is no Malay in Malaysia who identifies himself as Indonesian. But hey, in Australia and New Zealand you come across a lot of Indonesian migrants who till today say they are Indonesian in origin. But strangely when they go over to Malaysia, except for those new ones, they call themselves Malay! Certainlythey have taken teh Malays for a nice long ride alright.

Hey, if the Malay in Cape Town and the Malay in Sri Lanka and Singapore to this day identifies himself as Malay, how come these Indons and Mamaks who came over hardly a generation ago rather be called and identified as Malay? So who really has been taken for a ride? Who has been victimised?

No sir, if anyone sees racial strive, it is not at all with the genuine Malays who have nothing to hide about themselves and everything to be proud of. It is the pseudo political Malays who have a great big problem. To them the so called racial strive is needed. To genuine Malaysians there is nothing to feel hostile about our neighbours. Just the usual crap which has nothing to do with cultural or religious differences.

By repeating that mantra even those opposed to UMNO just give it validity. Can we please stop giving validity and accredition to UMNO's mantras !

Indeed there is no racial strive and there is no racial discord. That which is spoken of is a picture UMNO and its other racist partners conjure to provide the necessary impetus for perpetuation of their laws and rules of conduct.

Baiting The Malays!

2008-07-24T19:28:00.005+08:00

UMNO leaders, if they want, can disenfranchise all non-Malays of their voting rights. Preserving voting rights and participation in the administration and the governance to only the Malays. They have the force of guns in their hands to achieve this.

Does that ensure for the UMNO leaders complete access to the loot? No!

Because even with the seeming need for Malay unity, there never will. UMNO leaders will find opposition from within their own race and religion. After all, if indeed there was such a thing as Malay or Islamic unity in any section of the Malay community, can one see it in that congregation of people who are championing this now within UMNO itself? After all UMNO is an all Malay and all Muslim party. If really they are that united, we would not see them literally killing one another within that party itself. It is thanks to the existence of PAS and PKR that they even appear united in some form or other.

Let us get one thing straight. UMNO did not need Malay unity before 8 March 2008. What effort did they put into getting anywhere close to what they are suggesting now about Malay Unity? "Malay Unity" as they define it would have been inconvenient to a majority of the UMNO leaders and warlords as then you will have many hollier than thou Islamists from PAS who might be dictating how, where and what. If they were willing to give away the Selangor Menteri Besar's position as well as the Deputy Menteri Besar's position to PAS despite PAS having only 8 State seats to UMNO's 18 if only PAS joined UMNO in forming the Selangor State Government, does it also mean that they would have been willing to hand over the Premiership as well as that of UMNO's leadership too? Indeed very generous of them. But surely!

Fact of the matter is Malay and Islamic Unity as they keep drumming right now was ever needed now as it was before 8 March. But that would have been inconvenient as the loot may have to be divided into many more smaller parts and there is no guarantee that the present beneficieries would necessarily gain from it. Somehow, if this Unity they are talking about had existed before the last elections, I wonder if Zakaria Deros of the infamous Pandamaran Palace might just still be alive today.

Malay Unity was never needed when UMNO was secure in the thought that the non-Malay voters would be with them and vote UMNO. That they voted PAS this time, unfortunately and very sadly it would seem like many in PAS may have so quickly forgotten.

Just as UMNO realises their injustice done to the Chinese and Indian communities and hence their abandonment of UMNO, PAS should realise that if they have many more seats today it is thanks to the Chinese and the Indian votes which otherwise would have gone to the UMNO Malay. WE all can rest assured UMNO would be coming around to lick Chinese and Indian ass come the next elections. When that happens PAS will very quickly learn a bitter lesson to not muck around with the non-Malay and non-Muslim vote. Sadly there are ungrateful idiots in PAS too. So what if they have Islamic credentials. That they are idiots has nothing to do with their piety nor their diligence in their commitment to everything Islamic.

Even if in an environment where only the Malays had rights to vote and govern and administer and they decided that only one political party was necessary, UMNO, there will be divisions and fights for the position of President and all the way down to Division chiefs, branch chiefs and branch exco-members. Maybe history would have thought them to avoid being aides to anyone though.

Therefore, you find that even this is no good for the UMNO leaders as they know that if they are leader today and very powerful at that too, it is only because another fellow Malay who is a lot better than he is the leader in PKR or PAS. So no thank you. We can do without the competition.

Just imagine if every Malay was hunky dory and lovey dovey with one another, you think Najib will be Deputy President of UMNO? You think Abdullah Badawi would be President of UMNO and Prime Minister too? Maybe Razaleigh would be. Or maybe Anwar Ibrahim or Azmin Ali or Nik Aziz maybe. And what about Hadi Awang? Khir Toyo would be reminded that he is no more than a Pendatang himself and probably he'd be looking down somebody's throat right now instead of reading this.

PAS have got to be bloody fools if they feel they are getting a hard on over UMNO's seduction. Of course they like to give their meetings Arabic names that make it sound oh so sacred. Muzakarah one says and now after a confrontation with Nik Aziz he says Muzakarah is not allowed but they can have Muqabalah. Words I have never heard before. But from how it sounds to me, it would seem like seduction is not allowed but flirtation is. It is alright to flirt in public. But as most of us know, seduction happens behind close doors and more often than not you really don't want people to know what happens.

UMNO is just a bloody platform for individuals motivated by greed for money and power. UMNO has no political philosophy to talk of. Other than wanting to be protectors of the Malay race what political philosophy can they talk of? Nothing! They just know that they want to be a supremist race. Well, Hitler was the last to call for a supremist race. Who amongst the Malay race want to stand up alongside Hitler in this call? Or are all Malays very much like and in secret in adoration of Adolf Hitler? .

But as Haris has reminded me, it is the Chinese and the Indians who are to blame for continuing to give UMNO the power to say and do anything and everything.

Now we see the MCA and MIC and Gerakan saying stupid things so that they can convince their UMNO masters that they are the better ass lickers.

So UMNO is trying so hard to define everything that is happening. They say the call for Malay unity is not racist. If so, then why did they not make the same call before 8 March? Then we could have just one all Malay party on the one side and DAP, MCA, MIC and Gerakan in the Peninsula and the rest in Sabah and Sarawak on the other.

Of course now they tempt the PAS guys with all kinds of seduction. But just imagine they take the bait. Maybe they will ask for Deputy Premiership for themselves. You think Najib will want that? No doubt he is increasingly looking like Mo of The Three Stooges, but surely even Mo is not that stupid.

No, this so called Malay Unity, Malay rights Malay supremacy is all for ensuring the Pakatan Rakyat falls apart. This needs to fall apart so that the leaders in UMNO can continue with their raid on the nation's treasures. This is all that is important for UMNO.

Already they have shown that there is really no love for the race nor the country. With more than just a nail biting majority they can easily rule and do more for the country. Instead they spend more time politicking and they probably know more about how a 60 year old guy with a bad back would go about sodomising a young 23 year old male than all the writers you would find in literotica.com.

Question the people ought to ask is, what anything at all UMNO is trying to do or say is attempting to achieve? Who gains? Who looses?

All that UMNO has been doing is working overtime in trying to get Malays to be united in seeing the non-Malays and the non-Muslims as enemies and demons and as competitors to their space and their rights. Really?

Hey, you guys, just ask yourself, if you are in need of a doctor or a lawyer, do you really use as a criteria, the race of the person before you go to see him? On the last two occasions when I had to see a specialist, one for myself and the other a the son of a foreign couple who were both doctors on holiday here, I saw specialists who were Malays upon the recommendation of my family doctor, an Indian. Did I have a problem about it? No. Was I happy with their service and treatment? Yes. Infact my foreign friends were so pleased that they even commented about the doctor's competence. And I was proud!! And that doctor was a Malay.

But UMNO would have you believe that such emotions are not possible. UMNO would have you believe that we are like oil and water and therefore cannot mix. Maybe they have not heard of homogenisers. Oil and water can actually be made to mix.

No. the demons for the Malay race can be found from amongst them. They come in the shape of UMNO. They, like a pendulum, use race when that is convenient and they will use their Islamic religion when that comes in handy. They kick Islam about a whole lot more than you've probably seen David Beckham kicking the football in all the games you have seen him play. Of course if they want to, they will make this statement of mine as belittling Islam and want to take me out too. But am I?

Fact of the matter is Bangsa Malaysia is taking hold. I was out about town on Sunday at singer Dayang Nurhafizah's Birthday party with a bunch of young Malay friends of mine. And we had a wonderful time together. They were friends. Girls and a guy. They were friends. Can anyone in UMNO understand what I am saying? Hey, I enjoyed myself in the company of a handful of Malay girls and guys in a place that was filled to the brim with young Malay fans of Dayang. And I enjoyed myself. Did I feel frightened for one minute? What the hell are you talking about?

This I only read after making this post. But please go to this link and read what is happening in PAS. I reckon this further supports some of what I have written here. (http://www.malaysiawaves.com/2008/07/muzakarah-another-perspective.html)

What is The Threat to The Malay Race That it Requires Protection?

2008-05-23T09:39:00.004+08:00

This whole making a mountain out of a mole hill seems to assume a number of things about the Malay race. Or is there really such a thing as the Malay race? I have to wonder. Or like Hitler did, turned Germans into Nazi's so that you could seperate Nazi's from the ordinary Germans, you now have the political cult "Malays", who you can seperate from the ordinary Malay.

There is this presumption of a unique race who call themselves Malay now that they have moved to live in a land once called Malaya. Khir Toyo's father was an Indonesian in Indonesia at the end of the second World War. Khir Toyo is now a Malay. How many more who were born Indonesians now pass off as Malays?

My grandfather was Indian when he first came to Malaya before the first World War. My parents were both born in Malaya between the two wars. They obtained their citizenship papers post Merdeka. Today I am still Indian.

Whilst I, and I should add, my fellow Malaysian Chinese, are quite certain and confident of ourselves, our race, religions etc, and therefore, are not so much concerned about needing our cultures or our faiths protected like the Malays seem to need, it is amazing that as UMNO would have us all believe, the Malays need protection despite they being the majority, the ones controlling the purse strings, the ones with all the power and the authority and access to all the resources of the land. A bigger wonder is despite knowing all these there seems to be sizable proportion of the Malay race out there who seem only too willing to submit to the fears thrust upon them by their leaders.

UMNO and Malay NGOs repeat like a mantra the need for their protection. The need to thrust their language upon everyone and looking at it as something sacred. I know of Chinese and Indians who are quite happy despite not knowing, speaking or writing the language of their race. Of course MCA and MIC claim to be the protectors of the Chinese and Indian race respectively. For this purpose, even more than any efforts in the lands we have come from, MCA and MIC can, I believe, claim to be the greatest champions of our respective races anywhere in the world. Like as if we need it.

Of course being Indian or a Chinese for that matter, we are in a way stopped from denying our culture, race, religion etc. Therefore, when another of our race stands on a platform purportedly claiming to defend and/or represent our "very much needed" protection, rights etc, we find ourselves unable to say anything against that person as he appears to have a more righteous cause than I could ever express. So what has happened is that even within a race we find instead of greater unity, greater disparity. I cannot change the fact that my children's ability to speak or communicate in the language of their mother or their father is minimal or non-existent. Only the colour of our skin places us within a racial set that is the making of politicians and we are counted as part of that statistic. And UMNO presumes that I am sufficiently represented by my race based leaders.

And what have my children's race based leaders bargained for them?

Well, they have got the Indian/Chinese quota, what ever that means. They have got the Chinese and the Tamil schools that they can happily attend. And oh, does not matter that they are Christians, but they have got an extra day holiday for Thaipusam now. But, hey, my kids don't speak either language.

Their first and only language at home is English. No doubt I am not English, but my politicians have robbed off my children's rights to access education in a language they use and need.

The position taken that there are Tamil Schools for Indians and Chinese schools for the Chinese is a bit of a fallacy as everyone knows that the Punjabi or the Malayalee or the Telugu or the Hindi speaking Indian has not got a school that he can send his children to. My former Hinanese neighbour who only spoke Hainanese was not properly represented either by MCA as the Mandarin thought in our Chinese schools were as alien to him as they are to me. A Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien or Teo Chew cannot claim Mandarin is their mother tongue. And what about the Kadazans, Ibans, Dukuns and Negritos and whoever else.

Why is it that English education as we all knew it before Mahathir became Education Minister is anathema to everyone. It would seem so even to Anwar and Pakatan too very sadly.

But this separation of races and the provision of Chinese and Tamil schools provides a convenient separation of the races rendering greater weight to the notion that each race, by the differences in their race, language and religion, have opposing goals which requiire opposing representation and defence of positions gained.

There is obviously the danger that English schools would nullify the clear seperation created by all these visuals the present system has created. It would seem like Pakatan too is on the same road as Anwar has promised to remove the teaching of Maths and Science in English and have it reverted to the language of the respective school. Why this presumption that there is no demand for the English type schools of the pre-1980s?

It is often a joke to hear our racist leaders sound out why it is important to nurse our individual cultures and languages. Of course UMNO, by its policies and the thrust to push everything Malay on us in the 1980s found this defeated by the greater popularity for Tamil and Chinese schools. Indeed if only they had left well alone, we would have seen, like in Singapore, the demise of the Chinese and Tamil schools. The only reason I can provide for why this change in the fortunes of the vernacular schools in Malaysia is the complete rejection of the Natioanl Education provided by National schools. It is not just the education but also the rejection of the type of teachers who were teaching in these schools. The Chinese and Tamils in large numbers moved out to the Chinese and Tamil schools, voting with their feet.

But this is good for UMNO. And this was good for MCA. It was all good for the race based politics to continue into the future as the educational system stood as the icon of the race based politics to be defended and protected into the future. MIC could never explain what happens to the Indian after he finishes his primary education in the Tamil school. Sure a handful finish secondary and university and prosper. What about the majority?

By letting each dominant race have as its icon something to fight for the UMNO elite are assured that there will always be more than enough Malays out there who will secure for them their leadership positions without the threat of the Chinese and Indians making it difficult for them. It is quite alright too for all the advantage they have as leaders of UMNO to share part of the power and the loot with submissive MCA and MIC leaders.

Iconically too, these different language schools stand as symbols of opposing interests that each race can look upon. Thus giving truth to UMNO's message that "ketuanan Melayu" needs to be protected. The Malay rights and interest have to be defended and fought for. There is the demonic enemy who is always there in the culture of the chinese and the Indians.

Bareft of anything really useful, MCA and MIC have also made themselves seem relevant placing themselves as the saviours of our races. Problem with Pakatan is that they too seem to have fallen for this trap into thinking problems like poverty and homelessness is race based and individual racial leaders are best to deal with their constituents.

It is all a question of who is going to share the loot. To share in that loot they got to first hold power. Leadership by fear and threats is convenient and easy. Better still religion has provided a lot of deterrent to secure the submissiveness of its members, so use that to the maximum as well.

The propagation of the threat to the Malay race has been very successful for over 50 years in keeping them in check. They of course have the opportunity to make use of UMNO for their own ends. But the psychological conditioning of the Malay race has been so successful that threat to that success is what seems now to be the greatest worry for UMNO's leaders.

Therefore, we see, Mahathir assuming as such and once again worries out loud his concern for ketuanan Melayu. He worries about the non-Malays questioning UMNO. He is so convincing that Malays need protection and that only his UMNO can do that for them. He makes it sound like UMNO under Badawi is not doing that and have opened a gaping hole for the "enemies" of the Malays to threaten their "rights". He is so sure that Anwar is going to sell the Malays to the Jews, if not to Paul Wolfowitz.

But really!!!

UMNO's Raison d'etre

2008-04-14T10:34:00.004+08:00

No mention of "Ketuanan Melayu" was heard during the period leading to 8th March. Maybe then, it was necessary not to frighten off the already frightened non-Malay voters.

But in the last few days from the Kelantan Prince to UMNO leaders the loud wailing of a perceived threat to "Ketuanan Melayu" is repeated. Threat to the Malay agenda. Malays to remain the privileged community into perpertuity. UMNO the protector of the Malay hegemony and the ones to ensure Malays dominate the political and administrative sphere of the country.

But Malays, all Malays, should remember, the Ketuanan Melayu emotion is one that can only be usurped and sensed in an environment where non-Malays also exist making a claim to the very space Malays exist in. Fair enough, Malays find themselves having to "share their space" with those who don't look like Malays. The obvious ones here will of course be the Chinese and the Indians.

But really, is it this sharing of space with others the real bone of contention?

I don't think so. Malays have been "sharing " with the Indians, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and the English for several hundred years already. Despite that it is only the religion that was brought over by the Indians that they let themselves to be consumed by. And that religion, Islam, now in fact defines for the Malay, their race even.

"Ketuanan Melayu" as the words conjure is not something that was even thought of in its present context, when we achieved Merdeka. Sure there was the privilege accorded by the constitution to the Malay race. But from a strict reading of it, it would be seen that it suggests that the privileges were something that was bargained for, then enforced upon. It was privileges that the MIC and MCA representatives felt necessary to accede to and grant as a need may have been identified and acknowledged. The privileges were not something that were imposed upon as any attempts to have them imposed upon may have led to delays in gaining independence. I cannot somehow see where in those times "Ketuanan Melayu" was usurped or in operation in gaining for the Malays their special privileges.

Perceived Threat Necessary to Sustain Pointless Leadership

One has to wonder, why then "Ketuanan Melayu" is being propagated and now being showered on the Malays?

"Ketuanan Melayu" as a concept means nothing to the ordinary Malay living within a Malay society. If it was a homogeneous race living as a society that governs itself "Ketuanan Melayu' or any attitude of "Ketuanan Melayu" would be redundant. That would also be the case even if from within them there were two politically opposed parties vying for their support.

But if it is possible to show that there are threats to the Malay from those not of the same race, there may now be a purpose for uniting the Malays.

UMNO party vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in calling for Premier Abdullah Badawi to vacate his position immediately attributes it to " it can eventually lead to disaster for the Malays and Umno,” . Yes UMNO maybe, but how so, the Malays? Wonder how the Malays survived hundreds of years before UMNO came to being in 1946! Muhiddin is certainly rubbishing all the Malays and their leadership before 1946.

"Muhyiddin said the election results showed the domination of Malay politics through Umno which was long regarded as beyond challenge had become a myth"

But why the need for domination? Why on earth should the Malays dominate the political landscape in Malaysia? Cannot they trust fellow Malaysians to do the necessary to ensure all Malaysians benefit and have equal opportunities under the Malaysian sun? Why is there the need for UMNO to continue spreading the religion of suspicion and hate of the other races? Why does UMNO operate on the premise that its constituents need protection? Protection from whom?

Has there not been enough evidence to show that the Malays indeed need protection? But the protection they need is from UMNO and its leaders themselves more than anyone else. But very cleverly they have bluffed the Malays into believing that the Chinese and the other non-Malays who are out to dominate them and, therefore, UMNO is best equipped to protect them.

They use words like betrayal and traitors to label any Malay who may not jive with their cause. So that voting for DAP was equated by many as eating pork. But this failed this time around. The bluff is obviously not working. Many Malays, both urban and rural have called the UMNO bluff of the non-Malay demon.

In trying to resuscitate UMNO and gaining back the Malay support Mingguan Melayu and other Malay presses are going to town with the "Ketuanan Melayu" reminder. As Raja Petra put it, amongst the royalty there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of them. All you need is one bad apple from amongst them to once again talk of Ketuanan Melayu and the Malay presses and the MSM will make it sound like as if the entire royalty is asking for it.

Next will, I suppose, be Islam that will be brought into the fray when "Ketuanan Melayu" stops being effective.

Yes "Ketuanan Melayu" is needed. UMNO needs it desperately. The Malays don't. Take away "Ketuanan Melayu" and UMNO finds itself, by their very admission, redundant. There will be no role to play for them.

The GE 2008 has not robbed the Malays of anything. But it certainly has robbed off many rent seekers amongst the UMNOPutras their gravy train. The Malays at large have no access to this gravy train. Obviously all who have tasted the wonders of the gravy train want it continued for the benefit of their generation and the next. Well, at least that is what they say, when what they mean is themselves and their families.

The question is who amongst the Malays will stand up and put a stop to the reference to "Ketuanan Melayu" and whatever that represents? Anwar Ibrahim has referenced the benefits intended by "Ketuanan Melayu" as extending to the rakyat. Maybe he still finds in "Ketuanan Melayu" an assurance to leadership and power even though he may not be in UMNO.

Should Pakatan Wait? I think Not!

2008-04-08T11:57:00.003+08:00

A lot has been said about the possibility of Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament hopping over to Pakatan Rakyat so that there is a change in government. Every argument from a righteous standpoint is indeed valid and the concern that PK needs to work towards consolidating itself before taking on the onerous task of governing the country is just as valid.

Assumptions Assumptions Assumptions

However, there carries with this position an assumption that the BN government will carry on with the task of governance of the country for the next 5 years honourably and in committed citizenry.

Is that a valid assumption, however? This has to be examined further.

So what of the next 5 years? What assumptions would the UMNO led BN have of their future and fortunes at the next GE? I suggest that it is these that will be the driving force of what we can expect of BN in the next 5 years.

I can only imagine that the BN will do everything in its power to gain what they lost. And they must if you were them. And the big question is how it is that they are going to achieve this.

That depends on what they believe to be the most expedient way and a way that is achievable.

Working on Assumptions

Now what is achievable by their reckoning must also be achieved through a track that they believe has to comply with what they believe to be the way Malaysians have been consigned to follow and abide by.

Even now they only seem to talk in terms of UMNO, MCA, MIC and what ever else. How else can a single party provide a place for 14 Presidents/Charimen who through their presidentships/chairmenship assure for themselves or herself, within the corridors of power, a place at the table (read cabinet)?

The only justification for the race based party to exist and to continue to exist is the assumption that each race has its own distinct goal which requires protection and promotion which can only be achieved by members of that same race. That goal unfortunately is dressed in the cloak of culture, language, religion, food, education, vocation, profession, habits and behaviour such that these are taboo areas that can only be visited upon without raising any concern by a member of that same race.

This presupposes that there is this inherent desire by one race to superimpose ones' own values on the other so that it better fits into their view of the other. And, therefore, the need for protection and promotion of self.

The BN has successfully sold this premise for 50 years and has found its model viable. But that model stood on the continued maintenace of the assumptions.

Maintaining Assumptions

Without exactly telling us why, we have only heard loud and clear, "your race needs to be represented", "your race will not be represented", "no one will fight for your rights". Obviously these statements, which unfortunately never got dissected, were valid on the premise that UMNO will reign forever. They represent the majority race, the Malays. UMNO is only concerned for the interests of the Malays. The Malays have no concern for the others. Everything the Indians, Chinese, Kadazans, Ibans have got needed to be fought for, justified and obtained, rather reluctantly from an unwilling UMNO. Or maybe it was traded for.

UMNO needs this scenario. Not because it is generous. But because it has PAS to contend with. And now Parti Keadilan Rakyat as well. Just imagine. If UMNO was the only party representing the interests of the Malays!. There was no PAS. Then of course with the attitude that Ketuanan Melayu tends to nurture, what would have been required of the component parties representing their various communities would have been so much more. But then to spread the loot among the already large number of war lords will of course precipitate a new kind of problem with this "enlarged" UMNO. PAS has actually helped the existing war lords in UMNO get a bigger share of the "loot", so to say.

The present model is convenient for everyone concerned in the BN. It provides for every possible platform any individual can raise. I could never understand the political parties popping up in Sarawak and Sabah ever so often through the breakages of existing parties that are components of the BN and yet everyone remains a BN party. But this has catered for the many war lords and the leaders of various communities. Unfortunately, or should I say, thankfully, no one has arisen in Malaysia thinking that on his own he can be a dictator without the need for any one majority supporting him other than, say,the armed forces.

The present model is useful in satisfying the power hungry within each community and it also has pacified the different people into a sort of submission. Of course the usefulness of employing the threat of chaos, security, stability, development and so on cannot be underscored. However, one has to wonder in what sense the security of the nation will be threatened when only those who love this land participate in the entire electoral process. I always have thought that by threat to security of the nation that we would have political enemies who are not of the country.

Why BN as Presently Constituted Needs to Maintain its Model?

I am not going to elaborate on this. But just want to be a little cheeky about it. Just look at the quality of the leaders of UMNO and its component parties. Now compare them, individually if you must, against the several leaders in the PR. Just compare the credentials of the PR MPs against the MPs of the BN. I feel assured that there are more of them in the PR who can actually contribute towards technical discourses that will most probably leave a majority of the BN MPs lagging behind if not dumb founded. BN MPs and Ministers, several of whom got kicked off, and of course leaving some still around, are very much known for their single word curses only.

That being the case, can you now see why at all cost the BN has to fight to keep its present model? The different parties is just a clearer separation of the different parts. Even if they all decide to merge into a single BN party, you can very well bet that party will be separated into different constituencies. Unfortunately that constituency will naturally veer towards a racist track. Any philosophical kind of constituency will just be beyond the majority of the war lords and they cannot allow this as it would require a language they cannot speak let alone understand.

Obviously this is an assumption on my part. But over and above this, what can be evidenced is the model as we see it now provides for the few who with a touch of audacity reap in the harvest of the loot before them. If they had to play in a pool that is made up of all the members of the component parties, they all might just get lost in the crowd and they may have to contend with the likes of Samy Velu and his boys. Some how, I cannot see half the UMNO and MCA leaders having tea with this lot.

As it is they all have their own separate pools to swim in and there is more than enough in their respective pools to keep them happy. There is a perceived coalition of sorts but this is just so that they can defend their own pools very comfortably.

Bangsa Malaysia just does not fit!

The PR is anathema to say the least. The PR parties come together not so much on race as much as BN would like them to be categorised as. There is a distinct subscription to philosophies or ideals, I would like to think, that transcend race. Even PAS' Islamic leaning credentials cuts through race when seen for what it really has to mean. Clarity of these philosophies and respecting each of these philosophies should be more easily achieved than one that requires you to "abandon" your race to embrace another, or work with another. The only qualification is PKR which can trace its origins to the ouster of its leaders out of UMNO . That and reformasi characterised Keadilan. If I am not mistaken when reformasi was the clarion call of Anwar and his supporters, it had more to do with the reformation of UMNO rather than the BN model. Please do correct me if I am wrong.

However, if over the next 5 years Pakatan Rakyat survives, unlike Barisan Alternative of 1999, this time the PR has the opportunity to show that it too can rule. Its survival alone, let alone success could mean the end of BN as we see it today. We all recognise that it had to be a collective effort on the part of all Malaysians that saw the outcome of the GE 2008. We should all, hopefully be drunk with this model that sees us all as Malaysians. Not Malay, Chinese, Indians and others.

Options for BN

Become honest politicians for the betterment of the country. They do not see politics in the BN model as an avenue for wealth and riches and the acquisition of power and arrogance.

But that will mean great sacrifices. No more Zakaria Deros. No more APs. No more cronies and psycophants. That will be like taking off a limb. What will you do to keep that limb of yours? If PR lives up to its promise for just 5 years, this is what will be expected of BN to deliver for them to be considered even.

If we all agree, that this is one position that the UMNO led BN will never allow to take, then they got only one option. To destroy PR at all cost. To destroy anything that might add to their credentials or to show that they too can lead and rule and govern. That, for those who find their comforts in "Just wait and see" in the expectation that PR will tumble, anything less than PR making total fools of themselves will just be not acceptable.

Country's Immediate Future

When it is more important that PR will fail than even a rescue and reformation of UMNO or the BN, the country's interest will have to take a back seat. Badawi, with his proven weak, if not no leadership, will only result in Intifida like assaults of the kind delivered by Azalina, the new Tourism Minister. Opportunities will surely be lost.

If Mahathir's wishes are realised and Badawi is dumped, and UMNO is lucky enough to get a resourceful and vibrant leader, the leadership will have to ensure the propagation of the model that has delivered so much for the UMNOPutras. That will be his agenda.

However, if for whatever reason, fate intervenes, and they realise that it is a lost cause, and that the loss of the governance of the country to PR is seen to be inevitable, and they got 5 years to still continue, rape and plunder is what I expect to see.

What ever option that is open for consideration on the BN table, the result as I see it is just the same. The country and its people will lose.

Pakatan's Responsibility Now!

The PR supporters, writers and opinionated do gooders who want to only see the righteous ways of doing things see no option but for PR to wait till the next GE. They are to play the effective and good opposition party in parliament and to rule justly and equitably in the states they now rule. According to them accpeting frogggies, jumpers, or party hoppers to effect a take over of the government is just not on. Haris Ibrahim of People's Parliament would only allow for party hoppers if they first go back to their voters. Yes call them all in a town hall session and seek their permission. Others say, they ought to resign and go for a re-election.

Let me make it clear. The country needs to be rescued from the BN right now. Its just like when someone holds a loved one for ransom, I will not wait for protocols to make the rescue if I was given the one opportunity to do it right now.

Looking For Reason. Looking For Opportunity

What we need to do now,is to look for the reasons and to look for why it might become necessary for all of us to support party hopping to effect a change over of the government even if it means going against our own principles. What is enough and when would it be right before you would be convinced that it is time for BN to go? Are we going to wait for things to begin to fall apart before we act?

Or are we waiting to comfort ourselves that we can trust Anwar Ibrahim enough to see him taking over the Premiership of the country?

Maybe some of us are not looking at all these points that might lead us to be convinced that it is time for BN to go. But surely Anwar is. But then again Anwar may not even be bothered to look for these things to justify a move,he is just looking for the opportunity to move for just the sake of taking over the government. I just hope that he too will be looking for a justifiable reason that we can all bank on the BN and UMNO to deliver. Just hope that it is soon.

ESTATE INDIANS' INHERENT RIGHT TO COMMUNAL PROPERTY!

2008-03-18T11:16:00.004+08:00

Rocky in his post in rocky's bru Sunday, March 16, 2008, entitled Temple in Sime Darby estate demolished refers to an incident in one of the Sime Darby Estates of a temple demolition. Others have disputed that fact. I posted a series of questions in the commentary which I thought I shall post here for my own future reference more than anything else.

I am not going to bother about the veracity of it. However, there have obviously been many instances of temple demolitions on land that is supposedly private but which once was part of an estate.

Obviously there are always two sides to a coin. The position of the land owners may in the face of it seem right. Calling it "temple on private land" appears to be sufficient to appease the majority that the land owners have a rightful claim an that there is trespass to the property.

I would like to explore a different approach and I wonder if you might be of the same opinion as I that maybe it may not just be as simple as that after all. In a much earlier posting on the Malaysian Indian Dilemma I did try to explain. Maybe it was a little over the top.

I am proferring a set of questions that require some honest answers. Of course I am directing it all to Sime Darby, seeing that they are presently the largest owners and benefactors of decades of sacrifice and investment. But this can equally apply to any estate, large enough to warrant the support of a working community within the estate. You will need to go through all the questions before you begin to see the picture that I am attempting to paint here. So please bear with me.

So these are the pertinent questions for Sime Darby.

1. When was the temple built?

2.Who built or allowed the temple to be built ?

3. On whose land was it built?

4. Why was it necessary for the temple to be built?

5. Was/Is there a tamil school also built within the vicinity?

6. The housing provided, was it of the dormitory kind suitable for itinerant workers or was the housing provided cater for families to live in?

7. If housing was meant for workers and their families, a school was provided for the children of the workers and land was allocated for a temple to be built, how were all these facilities used and how was it relevant in the carrying on of the business of the estate?

8. If all these facilities that were provided and tolerated for so long by the owners despite them not being used nor relevant in the carrying on of the business of the estate, then why did Sime Darby find it necessary to misallocate company resources for non-business use?

9. Why does Sime Darby now demolish this temple?

10. Has the nature of the business of the estate been changed somewhat so that any need that might have existed prior to the demolition, now does not exist anymore?

11. How does provision of a primary tamil school, housing for a family, instead of the worker, and provision of a temple be wholly, exclusively and necessarily for the carrying on of the business of the estate?

12. If Sime Darby is unable to answer question 11 above satisfactorily, then Sime Darby is required to answer why then were these provided and tolerated for so long?

13. What is the economic life expectancy of a rubber tree that will make investment in the industry viable?

14. Can that life expectancy of the rubber tree be ensured using itinerant workers who may work from anything between 1-3 years.?

15. If not, why not?

16. Will Sime Darby agree that using itinerant workers will in most instances cause the premature expiry of the tree because of unskilled tapping?

17. Will Sime Darby agree that the rubber industry is only viable when permanent workers continue working, on average, their entire working life, in the estate?

18. Will Sime Darby agree that it needed to ensure constant replacement of retiring and dying tapping workers?

19. Will Sime Darby agree that because tapping needed to commence at dawn and workers needed to begin work while it was still dark, it was necessary that in any sizable estate housing was necessary to be provided so that it is almost equidistant to the four corners of the estate?

20. Will Sime Darby agree that it needed to provide all the necessary facilities and infrastructure within the estate so that workers can be the catalyst for the birth of a cummunity that can be relied upon to supply the needed skilled tree tapping staff as a matter of succession planning?

21. Will Sime Darby agree that to conduct a viable rubber estate business it was not only the workers which the estate needed, but its demographics and succession planning meant that alongside the cultivation of the rubber trees a community needed to be supported?

22. Will Sime Darby agree that marriage and copulation between workers of the opposite sex produced for them the assurance of replacement workers in n years time?

23. Will Sime Darby Agree that basic school and/or day care facilities were provided for only such purpose and such time that the children were of unemployable age?

24. Will Sime Darby agree that the tamil school provided in the estates enabled the parents to go on to work and government employed teachers were used to teach, with little hope of the children proceeding beyond primary education?

25. Will Sime Darby agree that this pool of children supplied the needed replacement that came about from the retirement, death or moving out of rubber tapping workers?

26. Were a mosque or a church ever considered to be provided to these workers? If not, why not?

27. Were the provision of the temple a necessary requisite in order to ensure the community that provided the skilled workforce and that assured the work force of the future in order that the economic life of the rubber trees can be prolonged for as long as is possible? Is there a correlation between the two?

28. Does Sime Darby agree that what it needed were workers, and yet it needed to sustain and support a community in order that it has a viable business model that will secure for itself the maximum earnings?

29. Has Sime Darby derived from each of its rubber estates the earnings that it had sought?

30. Does Sime Darby acknowledge that while supporting a community, it's employment arrangements were only with the individual workers and that those who were not workers, and yet part of the community, for example some spouses, children and non-working parents, were not compensated for the role they played in making possible and viable the business of the estate?

31. Will Sime Darby Agree that this community may have just an inherent right to not just the communal land but also all the facilities that include the housing, temple as well as the school and the small patch of garden and playing field that kept them immobile?

32. Will Sime Darby agree that the rubber industry has been screwing the workers and this community for the last 150 years?

33. Can Sime Darby explain why it provided transportation for the children of the chief clerks, the mandores and supervisors from the estate to the nearest English or Sekolah Bangsaan Schools often located several miles fromt eh estate?

34. Can Sime Darby explain why it did not provide the same opportunities for the children of the rubber tapping workers?

35. So how long does it have to take for a community to work for Sime Darby before they can earn and keep for themselves what was promised to them as a community as an enticement to stay and work for Sime Darby?

I get a feeling that if the various stakeholders were to go through these questions, a better formulae can be worked out to deal with the marginalised Indian situation with dignity and honour. I am not suggesting that Sime Darby or other estates set out to steal from or abuse or exploit the workers in the first instance. A lot of what was done may have not even been strategically thought out. Even if it was I wonder if documents can surface to show conspiracy.

Without having to feel the need to defend themselves. Or without having to read this from the point of one standing accused, or without reading this list of questions from the point of view of one who might feel exploited, I am hoping that understanding can be established. From there we can work towards a respectable solution for not just marginalised societies, but also temples and places of worship and community property.

BN's Track Vs BR's Rope

2008-03-12T09:28:00.002+08:00

Its analysis time. Everyone is promising to, for the umpteenth time, going down to grass roots to find out what happened. The MCA has got its post mortem. MIC has got its. UMNO is still grapling over its analysis and post mortems. Bit of a laugh actually as they all seem still very much trapped in their own rigid make-up. They just cannot seem to look from out of the box.

I believe instead of going back to the roots, where they will not get any real answers, they, for the first time, should start reading blogs from, o.k. lets pity them a bit, about a year ago. All of our postings and comments are archived anyway, and the collective intelligence of the blogging community, comentators and the grass roots are expressed in so many ways and available freely to them.

For their election strategies as to what to tell the people, they should have relied on blogs to find out exactly what to say. But I guess all these very important people like the sound of their own voices better and preferred to rely on mainstream media.

As someone who supports the Barisan Rakyat and the Peoples' Parliament movement, indeed I like to thank mainstream media for helping heap so much rubbish on all of us in the weeks leading to the General Elections that the stink was just unbearable. Barisan Nasional's enemy No.1 was, is and continues to be Mainstream Media. This is one good reason to get rid of the Printing Press and Publications Act. They may, for once, tell the Barisan Nasional People the truth. As to the meaning of "truth", I advise they check up Wikipedia.

Now for my own interpretation of what happened.

What happened started over 50 years ago when the Alliance of UMNO, MCA and MIC was formed. They set themselves on the same starting point reaching out to a common destination.
But they set themselves on seperate lanes on a track with each going at their own pace like as if they were on an athletic's track.

They saw the nation and they continue to see the people like as if we still remain in our own lanes on that track and like as if it is ordained that each of our communities remain within our own assigned lanes on that track. Given that to be so, the formulations for leadership, governance, conduct of civil society was presupposed to support that track. The fact that they do not see any difference is further affirmed by the individual parties within the BN as well as collectively by the BN when they speak about reinventing or restructuring themselves.

Even now, when speaking of forming the cabinet, the over-rinding insistence is the make up of it with "representation" of the seperate communities predominating its formation.

My attitude is, if that is what they believe, then just do so and continue on that track and support it from the separated lanes that they all are running in. They are welcome to support that structure that has finally let them down.

What Happened on March 8, 2008!

For me, I guess my first experience of what was happening was when I was at the BERSIH Rally on the 10th November. The word I used to describe in a comment somewhere was, cohesion. This word is now used by Anwar Ibrahim himself to explain how it happened.

I warned UMNO then, and once again after HINDRAF's 25th November Rally. I warned that BERSIH was more potent than HINDRAF as those present at BERSIH experienced first hand the cohesion and the sense of elation stemming from it.

But I guess they were the ruling ones and it was their interpretation and definitions and labels that mattered. They actually believed it when the MSM ran with it as well. The MSM could have, but they failed to tell UMNO that they got their definitions wrong. They could have, but failed to tell UMNO that HINDRAF had nothing to do with terrorism. It really makes me wonder if some shenanigan within MSM was doing all this to purposely undermine UMNO and Barisan Nasional. But that is fine with me. After all they were taking me and the rest of us Malaysians down the tube anyway.

From Threads Weaved Into Ropes

Yes, we recognise that we were all on our own separate lanes bonded at our boundary lines. We were uncomfortable, most of us. However, maybe unknowingly to us, as this was surely not premeditated, we found ourselves to be like individual threads of different strengths, make-up, colour and orientation walking along the the lanes on the track laid out by the BN. Going towards the polling booth we began to cross over and weave together to form a rope of multi-coloured threads of different strengths and properties. We became one.

A multi-coloured rope is certainly stronger than the cumulative sum of the strengths of the individual thread. The colours weaving around one another accentuates its beauty more than when it was coiled around itself.

Maybe some in there are stronger than the other, but interleaved with the other and supporting the weaker, it gets even stronger, and in the meantime allowing the weaker to grow with it.

That is what we as a nation have become. That is what I see.

Politics of BN Vs Politics of BR

BN presents to you the politics of the athletic's race track with each of us in our own seperate lane. The only comfort is we are bonded at the boundary lines. All their promises for the future. All their promises of a restructuring. All their perspectives does not allow them to see anything beyond this race track.

BR shows you as multi-coloured threads walking together and then seamlessly merging and weaving to become a solid strong rope. In that rope you find the thread that you contributed now is stronger than when it was before getting weaved into that rope. As part of a rope you
imediately see your value increase over the value that you were when you were just a thread.

In that rope, you find your colour accentuated, shining bright against all the other colours and not only that, you bring out the best in the colour of the others too.

So I give you: BARISAN NASIONAL's You in your own lane on the race track

OR You may choose to be part of BARISAN RAKYAT's ROPE!

RM1 FOR MSM!

2008-03-11T12:57:00.004+08:00

Mainstream Media forgot its charter and got guided completely by Joseph Goebels in the run up to the elections. Joseph Goebels would have been proud of the NST, The STar, The Sun, Berita Harian, Utusan Malaysia, Makkal Osai, Tamil Nesan, Nanban, RTM, TV3 NTV7, TV8 and 9 and what ever other means by which the BN got its story out.

MSM stole the show indeed in showing to the world how a propaganda machinery should be run. Obviously they will not apologise for their mistakes. Indeed they were even, I dare say, operating contrary to the linceses under which they operate. Which means news.

I have one suggestion. Of course this assumes that in 5 years BN will have lost out to Barisan Rakyat and Barisan Rakyat for a start will rule on a simple majority. Which means they can use the laws in place. Now employing these laws they can immediately cancel the licences of all these MSM as they would have failed the conditions of the license.

My recommendation is that the owners of these newspapers can be told that the license will be sold then for RM1 to anyone who proves that they indeed are more worthy as news publishers and broadcasters. That would be fair. The previous owners can hold on to their business premises and plant and machinery and employees and wait forever for a license or they can do a fire sale of evreything, lock, stock and barrel for, o.k. la, Give them RM2, for it to the new license holders.

The staff will not necessarily have to suffer. They will all be reemployed. Of course the champion ass lickers would have to go.

I think Malaysiakini ought to get ready for this occassion! no point starting a print newspaper now. Jsut wait, and they will get all of this on a fire sale!

OPEN INVITATION TO BN MPs & ADUNS

2008-03-10T16:17:00.006+08:00

SELAMAT ERA BARU

This is an open invitation to all BN MPs and ADUNS

You are freely invited to leave and abandon the Barisan Party you are a member of to join any one of Party Keadilan Rakyat, Democratic Action Party or PAS (My apologies to PAS. I don't even know what your full name is).

This invitation has only one proviso. That you shed all traits, attributes and properties of the Barisan Nasional Party and its expectations of its members that you belong to. Cleanse yourself and then come in clean unconditionally. You have a lot more to lose sticking around as in 5 years your game will be over!

Why?

I would like to first of all appeal to your conscience since I believe that it only took you to suspend it in order to survive your membership with BN in the first place. So you still have it.

You know that it was fraud that had to take place with or without your acknowledge that you are an MP in the first place. Your continued silence only acquiesces that fraud. If I am mistaken here, I do apologise and I retract this statement.

The UMNO led government was all about perpetuating a myth in order that a few will benefit. You may also have benefitted although I do hope for your sake you are not one of those.

The UMNO led Barisan Nasional saw the nation as an athletic race track with each of us classified into our ethnic background slotted in each separate lane. We started the race about 50 years ago with a destination in sight. We are all at various distances along that length with some getting advantages like getting on a buggy to ride whereas others are still running or walking. Even after this massive defeat, they continue to talk like as if the nation remains on that athletic track, each on their own lane.

8th March 2008, the people saw themselves as thin threads of different colours and strength. But along the walk to the polling booth, they weaved together into a very strongly bonded rope. The rope being stronger than the sum of the strength of the individual threads. The interweaving colours giving colour and a shine and a light that gives far greater value to each and every thread in the rope than the individual value of the thread itself.

Yes, you are on that single lane in an athletic track. Whereas we are threads that have weaved into a multi-coloured rope.

Can't you see? You are like a thread moving along that lane. We are now a rope, on the other hand, and have taken over the entire track and there is but just one lane!

Join us and make the rope stronger yet.

Badawi, your so called leader, who has led you into this storm says he will still remain the Prime Minister BECAUSE he has the support of UMNO members.

Now, is he the Prime Minister of the nation or is he the prime minister of just UMNO members?

Yes he sees ardent supporters who will insist and cry if he even considers letting go. But look at these supporters and who exactly are they? Are they the UMNO war lords who most benefit financially from the perpetuation of UMNO's world?

You may think I am presumptious. That in 5 years all will return to being the same.

Just consider!!

You are being led by a guy who studied Islamic Civilisation or something. All of you basically cannot summon enough courage to stand up and talk to a bunch of bloggers let alone the new MPs and ADUNS you are going to confront. Just compare your qualifications, careers, ability to talk, debate and carry out a discourse. You will all be completely drowned out by even the youngest rookie. The only thing that will keep you going is Nazri standing up and pointing fingures shouting and sreaming angrily "Racist and Kekauman" 41 times. All I can say now is save yourself or forever be condemned as your kampung's idiot.

You cannot even write a decent sentence to save your lives. The rookies in Parliament and State Assemblies can, not only write legislations, they can also tear them apart when your Attorney General writes for you to present and that you basically will never understand anyway. After all you only read.

You promised your constituents that you will talk on their behalf. Oh really? Sothinathan and that other MIC guy got a whipping when they tried. So stop fooling yourselves. MCA guys are only trained ass lickers. At least Gerakan saw one or two who would speak. They probably got a away because they were not MIC. As UMNO MPs you basically need to only say sokong to everything and to scream and shout when the opposition member talks. Can you see how low down UMNO has led you to become? You can save yourself now! Do it before it is all over. History will treat you kindly.

Look at the people on the opposition bench. Take a hard look. In 5 years you will be there and they will be where you are. Why? Do I even have to say it? You just need to be a no brainer to be where you are. Just the lady MPs alone will eat you up for breakfast leaving no bones for the men who come a little later.

Its a new ERA. You can fight it or you can be part of it. Your call.

If you cannot make up your mind, do it for selfish reasons then.

Badawi will not last long. Najib has the best opportunity now to get rid of him to become your leader. But don't believe Tun Mahathir and think for one moment that Najib is going to be any better. In any case you are going to see only battles raging within UMNO. UMNO is basically finished. It will self implode.

Reason it for yourself. With all this infighting that UMNO is going to be in, this is inevitable. They will be ruining the country. Let them do the fighting while not running the country as well. If you guys got out now and joined any of PKR, DAP, or PAS, the Barisan Rakyat that has committed itself to the Peoples' Declaration issued by The Peoples' Parliament will at the very least be able to acquire a simple majority and take over the running of the country. The country can be saved from the next 5 years of hell that UMNO is going to lead us all into.

You may be comforting yourself that this tsunamic change in fortunes might have erupted out of an emotional response to any number of issues. That this is just a swing of the pendalum. Fact is there is frustration with the structures that have defined their lives and the strictures placed on them whether consciously or otherwise.

Your people may not be buying your stories any more. They may not be your stories, they could be other peoples' stories you have been made to repeat.

You may think that this is all about individual leaders who have overstayed their welcome. Is it really that simple?

There are possibly other more relevant reasons that others can add to this. I am going to stop here.

Once again BN MPs and ADUNs are invited to abandon their sinking ship to join the force that is moving the country to a new era. PKR, DAP, PAS.

Only 30 of you are needed to cross over. Who will be the first?

Once again SELAMAT ERA BARU

I AM NOT A MEMBER OF ANY POLITICAL PARTY AND NEVER WILL BE! (But then again, some people do remind me, never say never).

Badawi warns of Chaos and Instability!!

2008-03-08T12:14:00.002+08:00

Election day finally arrives a little too early for me. Got up about 6.00 and with time on my hand decided to turn on the idiot box, to RTM2 infact and learnt a bit about my prostrate. But I couldn't take it anymore after a while when it got a little gross..like bladder filing up with urine and this guy being unable to piss it out. Almost felt like I was under that agony. Channel surfed for a bit and then decided to brush teeth and wash up. Logged on to see if there was any thing new before taking a shower and dressing up and venturing out into a new world, I hope!

Decided to treat myself to a breakfast, two thosais and my kopi si kosong. Had bought the NST before that. Opened up and on the first page, I see what I thought to be generous of the NST actually. They actually are acknowledging that its my call as to where Malaysia ought to go from here. They got hope yet, I thought, as it sounded like respect for me.

Now what do they have to say about scorpions? NST had to spoil it for themselves and become Joseph Goebels award winning propaganda machine that they really are and have been for a long time, that I believe they couldn't have known better.

At the bottom left corner of the page they had a quote from Abdullah Badawi. He says "You have to vote for our future... our children. What will happen if there is chaos and instability?

Hmm...what is that supposed to be? A threat? A reminder of possibilities we ought to fear?

At one look, without the backgrounders and the total Malaysian experience, it may seem to be a tame enough statement. No threat. No reminders to anything.

However, for a bum like me with an idle mind with nothing else to do, all that is needed are prompts like this to begin to expand on it. So if you care to indulge me, you may take a ride with my idle mind that wants to probe this further.

So whats it that being Malaysian does one assume of our psyhe and make up? We know that government means a Barisan Nasional government with the leader of UMNO as its head and Prime Minister. It just cannot be any other way. A BN government means, UMNO is in control and they will have their way with everything and anything and they are a law unto themselves.

Opposition means those DAP, PAS and Keadilan types who are basically the unwelcome spoilers at the party. They are supposed to be uncouthed, unshaven, belicose, loud mouthed who just only know how to oppose. And they don't wear a tie! And after all, that is their role and doing all that. Whereas the BN politicians are supposed to be gentlemanly, after all you cannot be a Datuk or a Datuk Seri and be all those descriptives that apply to opposition politicians. And the BN MP wears aBush Jacket or a tie and suit.

Now, the Barisan Nasiaonal that is supposed to be led by UMNO in equality, so they all like to claim, with the component parties are supposed to be the know it alls who so generously give off of their time and economic opportunities to serve the people. The opposition are just a hurdle to all that is meant for the best of the people. But you see, the Barisan Nasional only knows one thing. That it has to have not less than two-thirds of the seats in parliament and of every state assembly. Anything less is just too embarssing and unacceptable. Kelantan is just not acceptable to them.

Now once every 5 years or so, in trying to be in keeping with the constitution which they have amended something like 690 times over the last 50 years, more than 20 times the times that the American constitution has been amended in over 200 years, we have general elections.

Now here, is the dichotomy. With the power to amend the constitution anytime, and with the opposition so demonised as nothing but spoilers, one has to wonder why then have the opposition. Is it not so easy as to pass the necessary amendmends to the constitution and institute laws to ban the opposition and be just a one party state? Like China maybe! Yes be a dictatorship. Can be done so easily.

But no. obviously there is something else that these guys savour more. Its not about religion or respect for the laws and constitution surely. But then again Armani and all the other fashionable clothes don't exactly sit well on Dictators and their wives do they? A dictator flying in a RM200 million jet is looked upon as a scoundrel so much so he cannot actually fly the plane anywhere. But then you get off such a plane in your Armani suits as the Prime Minister of a democratic country, it kind of all fits nicely and you have respect too. You see scoundrels too want respect. To be a Gadaffi is a hard act to follow forever. Even he fell for the trappings finally.

So do you see why they leave a legitimate and controllable opposition seemingly wondering about freely? Gives them legitimacy and certainly makes them look good. You got to remember, at that level, they are seeking approval, respect and comaraderie from a different bunch of people from the ones you see at latte land!

So now, coming back to whats on the front page of the NST. Threat, promise or a warning?

A flippant look at that statement and being the everyday Malaysian the first thing that strikes you is that you see the chaos and instability and you picture in your head Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh leading it. You may even have in the distance the image of Anwar and maybe even Tok Nik Aziz. Its them that are supposed to be causing all this chaos and instability.

But stop. Put on your brakes.

That statment by Badawi is so that he makes sure he gets what he wants and needs. That is a two -third majority victory and better still if he can equal or better the 2004 performance.

So this statement is intended to stimulate you, or motivate you, or inspire you, or corner you or threaten you to vote BN or what?

Look at that statement carefully once again. " What will happen if there is chaos and instability?"

Now, that is not inspiring at all. Is it motivating? No! Is it stimulating? I am certainly not getting a hard on!

Is it inspiring a hope? Nope. Is it inspiring or prompting a fear? Now that is more like it!

If that is the case, is it carrying out the function of a threat? That sure bloody well is!

So, in otherwards Badawi issues a threat and I am supposed to respond to it and approach the polling booth in fear!

Bollocks to you Badawi. Bollocks to you.

So what Badawi is trying to suggest is that an "opposition" victory is a sure recipe for unmitigated disaster as there will be chaos and instability. Well, at least I am sure Chandra Muzaffar and a few others will certainly think so too.

And they expect that we are to stop at that and only view the "opposition" victory as chaos and instability in the same frame.

Now stop once again. There are more questions that need to be asked.

Who is going to cause the chaos and instability? Badawi ignominously leaves that out.

Now we know and can be sure that the "opposition" are indeed good losers. For 50 years they have been losing and they have not casued any problem. The only time the UMNO led coalition, Alliance then, came to losing their two-thirds majority, in 1969, UMNO and some of its leaders started the skirmishes that led to the infamous May 13 disaster. Of course for over 20 years they let us all believe that it was an opposition led or inspired strife.

Never mind. So if the BN gets its two-thirds majority, that will be alright and we will not have to worry about chaos and instability. The BN and Badawi are confident the "opposition" are good losers and know how to go back to their stables after a defeat. That is very complimentary and generous too.

What if the two-third majority is lost? What if the Barsan Nasional loses its simple majority and the "opposition" take over?

Chaos and instability! But how? Who causes it? The "opposition"?

Well yes! Except this time the opposition will be the BN led by Badawi himself. And he is promising that he and his Barisan Nasional will cause chaos and instability if they lost? Wow! woe be it if they lose. WE may have to start the new era with an Emergency!

Remember, with the present "opposition", i.e DAP, Keadilan and PAS in a victorious mood, they will be busy celebrating and will be busy trying to form the next government. Why would they want to cause chaos and instability and make life miserable for themselves?

So Badawi is basically saying that he and his buddies are basically bad losers and like very spoilt children, to keep them quiet and obedient, we should actually hand them a handsome victory! After that they will go to the loot at their whims and fancies as we are the ones who let them into the loot in the first place. Nice, very nice!

So Badawi is promising that if they lose, that is lose two-thirds or even worse, lose the simple majority, they are going to throw a tantrum! Have you seen what happens when an unrestrainable child throws a tantrum? And Badawi threatens that he is going to throw one if he loses!

So really what the BN wants is that we lie our lives in fear of them!!

Once again Badawi, bollocls to you!

GE 2008 -Dreaming Up Scenarios!

2008-03-07T01:00:00.000+08:00

I am not a gambler. Neither am I a good investment consultant or advisor. Doing either requires one to postulate positions or events or situations in the near or distant future. That I hate doing because it means I might have to be committed to it. And I hate making commitments. And then I may have to also act on it. And that I hate very much as I'd rather procrastinate.

However, since we are in the General Election season, it is interesting to conjecture. There are so many scenarios out there and any one of them can happen of course. And some certainly will not happen. Like for instance I am rather certain Barisan Nasional will hold on to more than 50% of the seats contested for Parliament. Now, that is a bit of a relief, since by committing to that assumption I don't have to paint a scenario for what if they do only manage to get under 50% of the seats in Parliament. Hmm...I don't even want to contemplate that as much as I might be wishing it alongside my blogging mates out there.

So for the next outcome. Fair enough, there is a sizable number out there for whom anything less than a two-third victory for BN might constitute instability. What exactly they picture in their minds by that is a wonder though. Let me digress a bit and expand on this.

For some it would seem like as if there will be a collapse of the government itself especialy if the BN were to lose more than 50% of the seats. It would seem like as if suddenly all the various institutions of government will go into a seizure and just stop functioning. Hospitals will shut down. The police might be out of a job, (after all to many in the force their job is principally to ensure the ruling BN party and more importantly UMNO is protected at all cost; security vis a vis crime is just ancilliary). Schools will close, Government offices will shut and transportation will grind to a halt and anarchy will reign.

Somehow I cannot understand this. How is it that the BN has governed us for 50 years now and has not managed to make human beings out of us who might be trusted to know right from wrong and will be able to manage our affairs without their overseeing us? It would seem like as if like a herd of sheep or cattle we remain within our safe boundaries so long as the guard dogs are there. But the moment the guard dogs are taken away we go bersek and destroy ourselves.

But then again that is the picture that forms for many who rely on the Mainstream Media for all the information they need to make their opinions and decisions. If only they will allow themselves to indulge in a little thinking. If really such a thing was to happen and the BN actually lost, would it not be that the victors will be celebrating and quickly be working towards governing? So surely they will not be in any mood to be fighting. Certainly they don't want to rule over a fighting lot. So who really is going to cause any problem at all? Yes, that is right. It will be the losers surely. And as it is, they are the ones who are talking about instability because they know they are the ones who will instigate it and cause it too. So I guess, at this time it might just be better that we take note of that threat, because it is indeed a threat, and maybe not give them any reason to excercise that threat.

But then again, as I have already said earlier, that is not exactly a scnario that I will conjecture.

But as to what the next scene might be like it would actually be necessary to look at the personalities and issues that are the real moulders of decisions and actions within UMNO.

Lets cut straight to the chase. Fact is, we all think Khairy wants to be Prime Minister and he needs to get on board to head towards that direction while protector father-in-law is still ruling the roost. But we also know the Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Razak is targeting that position as well. If natural order of things prevail and the so called and much taunted "culture within UMNO" prevails, Najib will be the next PM.

But if Najib becomes the next PM, he knows he does not want lover boy Khairy up his ass all the time scheming and plotting. Najib's men will take over and Khairy might just be history. Khairy cannot allow for that.

General Elections in Malaysia are not just about who takes over parliament and how many seats BN has. It is also about how well BN has performed. And what happens if they don't perform well. Well, for this we got to go back to 1969 as that was the last time it was perceived that the then Alliance made up of UMNO, MCA and MIC supposedly did not do well although they barely got their two-thirds majority. But that was enough for some restless souls in UMNO to initiate what for a long time I had actually thought was racial riots caused by Chinese celebrations and their chiding of the Malays. Of course we all know better now that it was an UMNO grass-roots inspired turmoil perpertrated out of Dato Harun's house in Kampong Baru.

It was short, no doubt. But it did not take too long to displace the Prime Minister then, Tunku Abdul Rahman. Of course the beneficiary was Tun Razak. Najib's father. The point I am making here is that, really, all that was needed was at the GE the Alliance, and if now, BN, makes a poor showing and the wannabes in UMNO can use that as the excuse to purge the leadership.

Badawi, and indeed Khairy more so, need a resounding victory at the GE on the 8th March if they don't want to be purged out of UMNO. Anything like the 1969 victory is good enough to warrant a revolt in UMNO. Only problem is that they cannot use the 1969 solution. Racial riots. If BN does badly, it would be as much the Malays who voted against them as it would be the Chinese and the Indians. Indeed, reading the blogs and listening to some of the ceramahs, it would seem like the Malays are more committed and intense in their despise for BN than the Chinese or the Indians.

Coming back to my conjecture or prediction. I reckon BN, by their measure, would do badly. They may just scrape through and hold their most sacred two-thirds. Or they may just lose that precious two-thirds. In any other country the winning party would be only too pleased and celebrating. But for BN and more so, UMNO, this is just unconscionable! Just unthinkable! Just unacceptable! Ther eia a major losss of face and someone has to go. Obviously, it would have to be Badawi and all those closely identified with him.

But then again we saw how the UMNO leaders behave and what their loyalties are all worth. Remember how they all abandoned Mahathir? Worse than Judas I would say. Rafidah, the crying baby who ran up the stage crying when Mahathir announced he was quitting UMNO, and hardly two years later, she chastises him. I suppose they do't even send each other Hari Raya cards anymore.

Well, that is what I reckon we would see. We would see how, like clock work they would all move about like chess pieces to the side of the perceived champion. Its easy for everyone up there in UMNO. But not so easy with Khairy. He is Son-in-Law after all. Also he certainly has burnt many bridges with most others and especially Najib. But then again he can be a chameleon. After all Badawi is only a father-in-law. And what the hell if she want to go, go lah...That Maya whatever her name is is still around isn't it? Ah, well, conjecturing after all, so let me risk it. I think Najib will dump Khairy at this point.

Yes, this GE might just see the demise of Badawi's administration and of course that is good for the country. We can bid Khairy adeu.

But achieving this is another thing altogether. In 1969, Harun did the May 13. For over 20 years most of us believed the official story line and the Chinese took a greater blame for it.

But unlike May 13, we now have had stuff like the BERSIH rally on 10 November and HINDRAF rally of Nov 25th. You now also see some HINDRAF boys carrying PAS flags and supporting PAS and you also see PAS guys supporting Chinese candidates. There is cohesion and no one believes the other wants to wreck havoc on him just because he is of a different race. I too am willing to support PAS. So there is no racial hatred towards another race really.

Najib cannot resort to the 1969 passage to oust Badawi. He has to do it from within UMNO. And from within UMNO he has to draw his strength and unleash his whip at the most appropriate time, like when Badawi is most vulnerable and weakest. He cannot wait until it is too late by which time Badawi would have gathered his troops to withstand any attempts to oust him.

So I guess by this time, if indeed my conjectures and predictions are valid in any way, Najib should be watching not so much what is going on in the General Elections. I hope he is focusing his attention on UMNO itself. Its nice and ready for a slaughtering. Time of course is of essence.

Well, I'm just a purveyor. I like watching. But as I watch teh GE, I shall also have an eye on UMNO and Najib. Badawi and Khairy. I think a much more interesting battle is begining to take shape in UMNO itself.

But then again, as predictions go, this will have to remain no more than just a prediction. But, I wish it came true actually!

So Najib, here it is. Your best chance to making PM is if you could help throw this GE. Provide youself the excuse and get rid of Badawi. Let this opportunity go and your favourite Pak Lah may just decide that he actually likes flying that plane a lot! Who knows, the mile high club is something worth keeping membership of for as long as you can, right!!

Makkal Sakthi- See It Through!

2008-03-03T12:31:00.000+08:00

Fellow Indians, you showed your resolve on 25th November 2007 when 30,000 of you took to the streets and stood tall through water canons and tear gas charges against you.

Once again on the 23rd January 2008 you rocked the country, especially the authorities when 800,000 of you failed to show up at Batu Caves! Now 800,000 is a number of people never before in this country ever to do something together to send a message. Never before and never again probably will there ever be 800,000 Malaysians collectively protesting and sending a message to the authorites that they have had enough.

Unfotunately for these 800,000 people, the fact that you were not where you usually assemble somehow seems to have been missed by everyone. Conveninetly The Star reported you having gone in large numbers to all the other Murugan temples around the country. But when it came to attendence at Batu Caves they could only meekly quote Samy Velu. And of course according to this moron he quoted something like 1.3 million people.

Until Thaipusam, Hindraf were supposed to be terrorists. since then they have stopped using that term. So what it is they are confined for is indeed a wonder. Just don't be surprised that at the last minute the Hindraf 5 are released without any charges and unconditionally. Why? To seduce you into thinking everything is alright and that now you should vote the BN once again.

Don't be cheated. Indians, just remember one thing, you don't need political representation. It was not political representation taht got V.K. Lingam to be able to twist the Malaysian judiciary for more than a decade around his little fingure. The indian diaspora is doing very well for itself everywehre else that it has gone to. And they are not politically represented. The one controlling the the world's largest steel production is Mittal, an Indian. Of course he is not South Indian Tamil like you. But Satyam and a few other IT companies are controlled by Tamils like you. Pepsi's CEO is Indra Nooyi, is Indian born and from Chennai. Guess what? She speaks Tamil like you and I. Indian-born Nooyi, who was ranked No. 11 in Fortune's list of the most powerful women in business, joined the company in 1994 and was named CFO in 2001.

They all did it BECAUSE they were and they are not politically represented.

Samy says we need to be cotinually represented in the government and cabinet. WEll, eh, yes. We have been for the last 50 years. And see where and what it has got you. If you see me as having done well for myself, it is because I don't know any MIC member. If I had, then I'd be taking his advise and I'd have been waiting for him to bring me the promises that he has made to me. Just like most of you . Still waiting on MIC and its leaders to deliver on its promises.

Fact is other Malaysians, Malay and Chinese, have seen what you did on 25th November. They respect you for that. They don't realise that 800,000 of you did not turn up at Batu Caves to continue on with your struggle. If only they knew!! But now, more importantly, at every opposition rally, whether it is a Chinese, Malay or Indian crowd, there is one clear message that every speaker enunciates. Makkal Sakthi! Makkal Sakthi! Makkal Sakthi!

You started it. Now finish it. Vote DAP! Vote Keadilan! Vote PAS!

Samy: Indians can count on MIC

2008-02-27T09:26:00.000+08:00

Well, that is what Samy says. But why repeat this and others so frequently these days? Three days ago he was quoted as saying that Indians need to be politically represented in the corridors of power.

Well Samy, fact is we have been for 50 years and see where we are today.

The Indian diaspora that went elsewhere are not politically represented. They have done well for themselves including in some countries like Fiji and some African countries, literally controlling the economy.

Samy, just leave the Indians alone. Abandon them. Let them rise up above themselves and fend for themselves. They will and they can. V.K. Lingam has shown us the way. Despite you and the MIC, by staying out of MIC, he, a Malaysian Indian ruled the Malaysian judiciary for over a decade.

BN MPs Want To Be Judged. But On What?

2008-02-24T21:07:00.000+08:00

The Sunday Star, talking on Kota Melaka MP, Wong Nai Chee, says that he will take a no-nonsense approach when dealing with issues and will rely on facts and figures to back up claims. He is further quoted "“Our strategy remains the same regardless of who the DAP fields as a candidate here. I am more concerned with how the voters judge us.”

Wong said voters were able to see for themselves the changes in the city since it came under Barisan control.

“We have brought about many positive changes over the last four years. For instance, I assisted the state in lobbying for RM128.8mil from the Federal Government to alleviate flash flood problems in the city,” he said.

So Mr Wong has prescribed for himself that the measure of his worth and work as an MP is in what he has been able to obtain for his constituents. And yes I have no argument about that and I applaud him too.

But wait. Is that the measure of an MP's tasks and responsibilities? Remember he is a member of parliament. That is a Federal position. What the hell was he doing looking at whether the drains were clogged or if the roads were properly maintained? Was that what the Kota Melaka voters picked voted for him to do? What ever happened to to all the various State Assembly men whose constituencies are within Kota Melaka? Did they all leave it to Mr Wong here, who of course being MP and all ranks higher than them? And what ever happened to the various local municipalities located within Kota Melaka? Isn't it that Mr Wong here is claiming all the credit for work that these Municiaplities are primarily responsible for in any case?

Completely Side Tracked!

This is the 12th General Election. Yet, I have not for once read any measure of any Member of Parliament or State Assembly men whether by themselves, their party colleagues and peers, or the people, for what is really expected of them. Some how it seems like all and sundry including the elite in society, the Oxford and Harvard educated, the doctors, lawyers and all the various political scientists too as well as the journalists together with the rest of society take the claims of these politicians of what ever assessments of these politicians as measured against their performance within their constituencies as a given without asking if indeed that is a correct measure to gauge the MPs or State Asemblyman or woman's performance.

So what is it that is really expected of them? And why do we vote them in anyway? What really is the correct scale to measure them on?

If one was to rely on Mainstream Media to guide us, it would seem like it would be their ability to deliver on the immediate needs of their constituents. Going by the Kota Melaka MP's description, it would be about physical improvements, better maintenance, a little bit of infrastructure and so on.

But really, is that the job description of Members of Parliaments and State Assemblymen in our country? If one was to write the job specifications of what it takes to be a MP, what is it that one will fill in it?

Maybe I can be of help here. I have searched around and I have found that the labour department in New Zealand has a career help web site where one can go to see details of various jobs. They specify what the tasks and responsibilities are. The knowledge and skills to bring along and other personal requirements. And I found in there the job specification for Politicians and Members of Parliaments.

In the absence of any job specifications, and all and sundry have assumed for themselves a measure that is indeed dubious and irrelevant to their tasks, I reckon the people can take a look at this and see if the MP or State Assemblyman they wish to support indeed meets the mark.

So here goes:
------------------------------------------------------------

Member of Parliament - Tasks and specialisations

Tasks & duties

Members of parliament may do some or all of the following:
- listen to and act on behalf of individuals or groups
- attend sittings of parliament
- study reports, proposals, complaints and petitions
- present, debate and vote on new laws and changes to existing ones
- sit on select committees to look at bills before they become law
- attend meetings and public events
- make speeches and give interviews to journalists
- be in charge of a ministry or government department
- work with various departments, ministries and ministers to develop policy
- hold a managerial or administrative position in parliament such as junior or senior whip (the person who manages a party's MPs).

MEMBER of PARLIAMENT - PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS

Skills & Knowledge

Members of Parliament need to have

- knowledge of political, economic, social and cultural aspects of New Zealand life
- knowledge of the region they are representing
- knowledge of official parliamentary procedures
- excellent communication and listening skills
- public-speaking and debating skills
- decision-making ability
- planning and organisational skills
- negotiating skills
- skill in interpreting and evaluating information.

Personal qualities

Members of parliament must be able to gain people's trust, make good judgements and work well under pressure. They must also be motivated, responsible and able to lead others.

Physical requirements

Members of parliament must have clear speech, a tidy appearance and a good level of stamina.

Member of Parliament - How to get into this job
Entry requirements

To become a member of parliament you must be a New Zealand citizen and at least 18 years of age. You must also be registered in an electorate and voted in by the electorate or through inclusion on a party list.

Tertiary education

There are no specific tertiary educational requirements, but a tertiary qualification in law, public policy or economics may be useful.

Training on the job

Useful experience

Work as a local government representative, a union official or delegate, or work for a political party or pressure group is useful for becoming a member of parliament. Any work in economics, law, education or another specialist field is also useful.

Working conditions

Members of parliament work in offices at parliament, and in their own home or regional office. They visit various businesses and organisations, and travel to meetings, press conferences and promotional events in New Zealand and overseas. They may have to be away from home for days at a time.There is a lot of stress involved, as members of parliament are in a position of high responsibility.

-------------------------------------------------------

I would like to ask Mr Wong Nai Chee to work out his scorecard based on what has been given above. Maybe it might just prompt him to think otherwise as to why maybe that he might be off his mark by the mile when suggesting to his constituents that he has done well as their MP.

The absence of knowledge of what the job of an MP or a State Assembly man is supposed to be leaves the controlling party to subliminally, indeed overtly suggest into our collective heads that the deliverables of our MPS and State Assemblymen and women should only be those that we are able to see in terms of physical and material benefit to the people. And this the ruling party controls.

There is indeed hope to begin to change the minds of the voters if and when they get to know what it is in our system of government as provided by the constitution is envisaged of our elected representatives, whether in Parliament or in the State Assemblies. It is certainly not by the measures the Prime Minister as well as all the BN leaders ask us to look at. it is not what the MPs and State Assembly men and women ask us to look at. Surely a new candidate has no record of what he can score on his measure. Yet becuase he knows your eyes are only rooted on one scale he can confidently talk about his accesses to the resources that can make things happen.

Unfortunately even those experienced MPs of the opposition only seem to talk about what it is they can do materially for their constituents.

I, on the other hand would say, that nearly all the MPs would fail when measured against the tasks and responsibilities envisaged in the job specifications set out for politicians in New Zealand. In terms of Skills and Knowledge too, I would say most would miserably fail and many would end up being laughing stocks.

IS UMNO SAYING THEY OPERATE BY TRIAD RULES?

2008-02-23T21:56:00.000+08:00

Only once, when the ruling party lost its 2/3 majority was there ever a riot.

Winners don’t have a reason to riot. Only losers do! UMNO saw itself losing when together with MCA and MIC it failed to control 2/3s. May 13 was an UMNO initiated riot. They have even stopped denying this accusation of late.

The opposition has lost in all 50 years. As losers they have conducted themselves very well. NO RIOTS! There have also never been any threat of riots or instability should they lose prior to any election.

Supporters of UMNO/BN and fence sitters are generally fully convinced that there will be instability should UMNO/BN lose its sacred 2/3s or, God forbid, the simple majority! Where does that sense of instability come from?

One time, in 1999 when UMNO felt threatened, it threatened May 13, the Chinese fell for it, UMNO got its two-thirds.

The May 13 threat or bogey man has been a useful weapon and excuse for UMNO to assert itself.

The Bersih Rally of 10/11 debunked the bogey man threat. There is far more cohesion between the races now then ever was. This is what is uncomfortable to UMNO. This is what UMNO does not like.

If racial differences do not work, then the next thing to accentuate is the religious differences. This is a more potent powder keg. UMNO needs racial/religious differences to become an issue more than anyone else does in Malaysia.

Fact is, there is no more May 13 threat. What is another loss for the opposition? Winners don’t need to fight. Winners celebrate!

Denying UMNO its two-thirds will be a victory for the people and the opposition. This will be a loss to UMNO.

Is UMNO suggesting that they are such bad losers that they would start another May 13, as they did the first time around, should they lose their sacred two-thirds?

Strangely other members of the Barisan Nasional are scarcely found employing or issuing the May 13 threat or for that matter the threat of instability. Only UMNO seems to quite comfortably and confidently use this threat or for that matter suggest instability should they not obtain their sacred electoral goals.

What is it that UMNO seems to know that others don't? Why do a large number believe and subscribe to the notion of instability should the "opposition" become the ruling party/(s)?

They may all be very educated and much in the know, but all those very clever sounding people who keep assuring themselves as well as others of the threat to national stability and economic progress forget that they too have been caught up by the way, in both Singapore and Malaysia, the ruling parties, PAP and Barisan Nasiaonal, are interchangeably and synonymously used when referring to the government. It is like as if the government is an extension of these ruling parties. Like as if the government's cheque books are legally and legitimately in the name of these parties. Like as if these parties indeed own and have excusive rights over the use of these cheque books.

In that state of mind, do these people envisage a complete collapse of the entire government machinery? Like as if the police force disintergrates maybe? Of that the armed forces will run riot because their salaries are not paid? Maybe they see the entire finacial system collpse or the hospitals and schools shut down because all the government staff get laid off!!

Well, they should know that when the Aparthied white controlled parties of South Africa lost to the African Nasional Congress of Nelson Mandela, we did not see any of these things happen did we? Sure one would argue that South Africa is a mess today. Are they, therefore, suggesting the return of the Aparthied parties?

India has seen 4 changes of government. It is a big country with more differences demographically in race, religion and language and economic well being. We did not see the kind of instability envisaged by many Malaysians. Australia just had a change in the ruling party that governs. And America goes to the polls later this year. I wonder if anyone issuing the kinds of threats issued by UMNO will be laughed out of there.

Yes, friends, we have all bought into that definition laid out and trumpeted by UMNO and PAP. Only they rule and that is the undeniable truth and reality of it. Hence when they say BN government or the PAP government we all only can see the government as being an extension of these parties. Therefore, even the parties who are not part of the ruling party, only see themselves to be "opposition" parties. Reading their manifestoes and all their various hopes and wishes and promises, we only see them seeing themselves as playing the role of a good opposition. If all they seem to hope for is to add to the number of seats they presently hold in parliament, the goal is now only to be able to present a stroger oppositionto the ruling party. Indeed even in their fouding charter and goals it might seemlike they only want to see themelves play the role of opposition.

What is inconceivable to me is that all these "opposition" parties seem to also be quite at home operating under the label "opposition". Indeed that is the only label that seems to stand out on them. The fact that UMNO has experience as an opposition party is lost on everyone. Yes they are the opposition in Kelantan State and they were for one term the opposition in Terengganu. Yet, I might not be too far wrong to suggest that UMNO might have continued to set the pace even as opposition.

Why? Well, when you know yourself to be opposition and sit comfortably with the label opposition pinned on you, it then follows that you wait on someone to propose before you oppose. If there is no proposals before you there is nothing for you to oppose, is there? In otherwards as "opposition" there is nothing to show in terms of contribution towards nation building.

When America goes to the polls, does anyone talk in terms of opposition? What about Australia or New Zealand or Great Britain? Indeed when they go to the polls, there is no opposition. Indeed there is also no ruling government. There are the parties of course. Except that they are all uniformly cast into right or left. Conservative or Liberal, Republican or Democrats. And of course there others that are in between or on the extreme poles. Of course we cannot forget the Greens as well. Everyone knows where exactly in the spectrum each party resides in and as a citizen you know from your own reckoning of yourselve where it is you belong. (And this secret, just for Malaysians. It is not a sin to belong to any one party or any one pole. And it has nothing to do with your professed or chosen religion or race either).

In Malaysia, can anyone really tell if UMNO/BN is right or left? Can anyone really tell if DAP or PAS or Keadilan is rigth or left? Between the component parties of the BN is everyone on the right or left? I would suggest that UMNO/BN is both left as well as right and they also occupy the centre as well. They are all things to all people, so they claim and so they are perceived to be. As for the rest, they all seem to know that they are the opposition. Meaning opposing everything that comes, whether from the right, left or centre.

We have gangsters running this country and it would seem like the people want that and following the Stockholm Syndrome, having been held captive for so long, we actually seem to subscribe to the cause fo our captors, the gangsters.

Badawi-A Blatant Liar!

2008-02-13T20:35:00.000+08:00

In less than 24 hours he makes a 180 degree turn. Morning newspapers headlines siad there was not to be any dissolution of parliament. Even if he was only jesting, surely he cannot be so good that all newspapers bought his line hook line and sinker and invested his statement in front page headlines.

Can we trust him when he makes all those promises? He has promised the Indians all kinds of things. Can you trust him? He is a liar.

oldfart50

Najib- The Inconvenient Guest

Anas Zubedy, You' Still haven't Got IT!

I No Longer Believe!! What are you saying RPK?

BN Leaders Admit to Their Crooked Ways!!

Discount or Subsidy?

Contents

Kampung Baru land will not be sold to non-Malays

In IRAN They Let Apostates Go!

Iran drops apostasy charges against women converts

Ignorant Muslim Reporters. Even More Ignorant Muslim Attorney General!

Malaysia defends inaction over Catholic 'desecration'

The Allah Issue, Theocratic Incumbance or Political Opportunism?

Allah Mak!! Need Another Expression!!

Coke reveals ambitious 2020 growth targets

Pakatan Rakyat!! the Ideal!!

Lee Hsien Loong's Speech

A Few Good Men

Manek Urai -PAS' TIME HAS COME!! WILL THEY SURVIVE?

Malaysian Education-All Screwd Up Until Truth is Acknowledged

FINALLY ACCEPTANCE!!

The Malays are not ready for PM Najib’s liberalisation policies

The Malays are not ready for PM Najib’s liberalisation policies

Khairy!! The Oxford Education Is Wasted On You

40 Years Today - May 13!

The May 13 Threat Bogey Dissipated!

Between the Sultan and Me!! Nizar, You asked for it!

1 Malaysia! Najib's Inspiration or Nightmare! Whence it comes from?

So What is it that Distracts You When You Drive?

Is It Really an Internal Security Act?

Measures For Malaysian Judiciary-Loss of Independence!

Restore faith in judiciary

8 March 2008 - A Year After!!

Oh God Almighty. You, Yet Again!

3 Cabinet Decisions Withdrawn In Succession??

Deputy IGP: ISA still relevant

RPK, THE JAILBIRD!! HAHA, SO WAS GANDHI!!

Police Cover-up Play in Kugan's Murder

PAS! Why Force Me To Defend My Position

RAJA PETRA IS FREE!!!!! I LOVE THIS!!

BARACK OBAMA - MALAYSIA'S ENEMY NO 1!

Social Contract - Oh really?

No place for UMNO in Conference of Rulers' Special Statement

FAILURE OF UMNO'S INCITEMENT!

IRANIAN CENSORS OR MALAYSIAN! WHO DOES A BETTER JOB?

Can We Mind Our Language

STOP VALIDATING UMNO'S MANTRA!!

Baiting The Malays!

What is The Threat to The Malay Race That it Requires Protection?

UMNO's Raison d'etre

Should Pakatan Wait? I think Not!

ESTATE INDIANS' INHERENT RIGHT TO COMMUNAL PROPERTY!

BN's Track Vs BR's Rope

RM1 FOR MSM!

OPEN INVITATION TO BN MPs & ADUNS

Badawi warns of Chaos and Instability!!

GE 2008 -Dreaming Up Scenarios!

Makkal Sakthi- See It Through!

Samy: Indians can count on MIC

BN MPs Want To Be Judged. But On What?

IS UMNO SAYING THEY OPERATE BY TRIAD RULES?

Badawi-A Blatant Liar!