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Saturday 25 April 2009

Bindmans Law and Campaigning Award 2009

I was browsing through the Comment Is Free section of The Guardian when I stumbled across a name I recognised.

Why, I had sat only across the table from this man during one of the blogger gatherings at Blog House. I was quite impressed. I personally don't know all that many people who have had to deal with a death threat.


Malik Imtiaz Sarwar seems to take it all in his stride and for his efforts and courage, he has been awarded the Bindmans Law and Campaigning Award by Index on Censorship.

And apparently, that was the reason why he had his piece on The Guardian entitled The truth about Malaysia - it was in conjunction with the award. An excerpt:

Architects of autocracies would benefit tremendously from studying the Malaysian model. It stands as a shining example of how, given the right combination of greed, ambition, maladministration and contempt for the rule of law, any democracy can be recast into an autocracy while preserving the veneer of democratic process.

Imtiaz is a deep thinker and not all his blog entries are easy to follow but this article is a must-read, so go to the site and read it in its entirety.

6 comments:

Pat said...

Yes, it's a good read, and that was my favourite line, too :)

Whenever I read Imtiaz, my thoughts slow down, and he guides me to the light. I think that is just one of his gifts as a writer: to be able to see the issues clearly, and discuss them objectively, and with sound reasoning. And to guide his readers to see it, too.

He isn't always an easy read, I must agree. But, always a pleasure.

I am so happy that he's been given this award. It couldn't happen to a better Malaysian.

Donplaypuks® said...

MIS looks like the quiet, studious type. But inside he's a tiger!

It would not be too far-fetched to say that here is a prime candidate for the next AG or Law Minister's post. The incumbents warming these seats cannot hold a candle to the likes of MIS!
http://donplaypuks.bogspot.com

walla said...

If a government really wants to move from 'i know best', it has to enable people to build their own 'i can learn and think too'.

No government has a monopoly on best approaches to solve the complex issues which beset so many these days. The world is changing so that its forces impinging on each society also change from day to day. Since a government is also made up of people, why try and institutionalize political correctness?

The situation now is a few trying to present their version of 'all is well' to the many who are themselves facing challenges that spell otherwise.

You can only reseal the lacuna if people are allowed to think, voice and represent their own ideas of how to improve the country. And if they criticize the people who hold power, that should be welcomed for the new paths it helps to beckon, not for the threats that have been arbitrarily seen in the interest of a few who have defiled not just the rule of law but also the process of democracy that legitimizes the framework in which the rule of law is to preside in a changing world.

It's all about ego, isn't it?

http://is.gd/uNa8

yuking said...

A non-malay even though he is more capable and more qualified but cannot:

Be – the prime minister of the country
Be – the deputy prime minister of the country
Be – the head of any branch of the armed forces in the country
Be – the head of department in a ministry
Be – the head of state of the states with no rulers
Be – the head prefect of a national school
Be – the IGP of the country
Be – the nominated as the best of the best in the school
Be – the secretary-general or deputy secretary-general of a ministry

What is worse is that the PM goes around telling people, repeating a crazy lie, by saying that – “We do not practice racial discrimination in our country”.

Did the MCA and MIC leaders agree to this in 1957?

Did the people in Sabah and Sarawak also agree to this in 1963?

I think malays will keep on to give rubbish answer!

aston said...

Do you also know that the May 13 incidents, the Chinese were victimized wrongly?

In truth, before 1969, the malays were in despot state yet Malaysia's economy was vibrant.

Despite the Chinese being more economically prosperous, but in truth they only owned not more than 20% of the nation's equity.

The bulk of the nation's wealth went to Britain as the British still controlled most of our country's wealth, i.e. rubber and tin.

But Umno didn't tell the malays that. Instead, they told the malays that most wealth are going to the Chinese and therefore, the Chinese are making the malays poor.

Umno didn't want to tell the malays that it was Umno who agreed for the British to remain in control of Malaysia's wealth. And that Umno dare not retake the wealth away from the British.

Furthermore, the MCA and MIC didn't help as well as they too benefited from the anti Chinese and anti malay sentiment.

So, when problems cannot be solved and the malays were openly rebelling against Umno, the easiest escape is to blame the Chinese and innocent Chinese blood was spilled for Umno madness.

vesewe said...

This country was all along a land for Orang Asli. The Chinese originated from China, Indians originated from India, malays originated from Indonesia etc. China gets to give priority to the Chinese, India get to give priority to Indians, and the malays are just freeloading from the Orang Asli land by claming it is bumi land.

This is because they are doing what Allah said……….Allah told malays to come from Indonesia and steal the land from Orang Asli and use Orang Asli as slaves. So when is Malaysia giving priorities to Orang Asli? The only time Malaysia is not a racist country is when an Orang Asli becomes the prime minister of Malaysia - which is never - it is a genocide in the name of Allah!