Malaysia Boleh News Of The Year

Our much beloved ex-PM has made it into the top 3 anti-Semites elite-list.

Of course, that is nothing new. He has been spouting bigoted statements ever since he joined UMNO way back when the Ice Age was coming into the groove.

I went through the entire list of his fellow anti-Semites, and if you ask me, his statement is the most offensive of the entire list.

In fact, I even echo the sentiments of nominees 7 and 9.

Go check out what HartalMSM has to say about the hypocrite.

The Inordinate Obsession Over Three-Corner Fights

I confess that I once had my doubts about the third force.

Like many other concerned Malaysians, I anguished over a potential three-corner fight which may potentially give Barisan Nasional the upper hand.

Most people really want BN out of Putrajaya and its politicians either behind bars or in the zoo.

BN in the mean time has vowed to reclaim Putrajaya at all costs. The best way would be bribe Pakatan Rakyat MPs to jump over to their side.

The problem is, it has worked before. There was a huge Frog Festival that ended in the Perak democratic crisis, where Perak returned to BN hands due to MPs leaping over to the other side.

This has to be nipped in the bud. We have no room for error in the next General Elections.

Misbehaving MPs from PR have not been admonished nor has any disciplinary action been taken against them. There is merely silence.

In the midst of these discussions on how to take this nation forward, the scum at the bottom of the sewage pond is unable to resist spinning for its masters.

NST discredits Pakatan Rakyat by misquoting various civil liberty leaders with attempts like Some PR reps not fit to walk a dog. This agitates various anti-BN segments, to the extent of losing focus on the big picture.

The big picture is that we need good policy-makers in parliament, not just random and unqualified representatives of a political party belonging to the Opposition.

The MCLM president Haris Ibrahim, gave a very good example during the first public forum held by the MCLM to engage with the citizens and address their concerns.

He asked if anyone was from the Wangsa Maju constituency. There wasn't, but most people knew that Wee Choo Keong, a BN-friendly froggie is the current MP.

"Assuming that Wee decides to kiss and make up with PKR," Haris postulated, "and they decided to let bygones be bygones..."

The audience was silent.

"What if PKR decided to forget the past and allow Wee to run for MP again, and he was running against our independent candidate Imtiaz, should we withdraw Imtiaz to avoid having a three-corner fight?"

There was audible objection. "Hell no," I privately mouthed.

"Ah," said Haris smugly, "so it depends on the situation then?"

And that was it in a nutshell.

The MCLM is not advocating a three-corner fight to make things difficult for Pakatan Rakyat. Everyone with half a brain-cell knows that Barisan Nasional is chronically incapable of reform and thus has to be removed.

But good people need to be voted into parliament. Let us not lose focus of that.

A very good description of MCLM can be found HERE. It may be a little deep, but it is certainly well thought-out.

Reforms By Pakatan Rakyat

It looks like Pakatan Rakyat has finally got its act together and detailed a policy framework.

According to the booklet, PR promised instant reforms within the first 100 days of them taking over Putrajaya.

Among the reforms are:

1. A restructure of institutions including the Elections Commission (EC), the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Royal Malaysian Police. During a debate on the policy framework, DAP’s Anthony Loke said PR bring the MACC under the purview of Parliament.

2. A repeal of the Internal Security Act (ISA)

3. Instruct Khazanah Berhad, Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and other government bodies to take over highway assets from the concessionaires in order to abolish the toll system.

4. A restructure of the country’s subsidies, to lessen subsidies given to the private sector (such as the RM19 billion in gas subsidies given to independent power producers) and transferring these to subsidies for the man on the street.

5. Acknowledging the role and sacrifices of civil servants by studying the current pay schemes and increasing the incentives for teachers by RM500 a month

6. Transferring private water concessions to the government

7. Offering free wireless Internet access to those in urban and semi-urban areas

8. Cancelling Felda Plantations and opening up its farms to second- and third generation Felda settlers.

9. Increasing oil royalty payments to Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu and Kelantan to 20 per cent from 5 per cent currently.

10. Formation of a Royal Commission to solve the problem of illegal immigrants and citizenship issues in Sabah and Sarawak.

Let's see if they stick to their word, should they make it to Putrajaya in the next round.

Competent Malaysian Politicians

The BN government recently discovered via WikiLeaks that they weren't held in high esteem by their southern neighbours as originally thought.

But Najib insists that Malaysian politicians are competent.

Methinks thou doth protest overmuch.

Now, I personally think Tony Pua, Nick Aziz, Hannah Yeoh, Fong Po Kuan and a few others aren't too bad.

But the phrase "Competent BN Politicians" would be an oxymoron.

Perhaps you might like a further glimpse of these politicians in all their glory:

Mohd Said & Bung Mokhtar - these two fleas had their day in parliament.

Shahidan Kassim - this genius thinks Facebook should be banned in the name of national security.

And then we could come to a conclusion.

MCLM First KL Public Forum

If you still haven't a clue what MCLM stands for, it's Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement.

It has been registered in the UK since our national registry for societies has been pussy-footing (surprise, surprise) for way too long.

Date: 21st December, 2010
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: First Floor, KL Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

Speakers :
1. Haris Ibrahim
2. Malik Imtiaz Sarwar
3. Andrew Yong (Malaysian Overseas Votes)
4. The second independent candidate

Since they generally convene in London, you really do not want to miss this opportunity to get in touch.

The Teoh Beng Hock Inquest

Apart from a dismal (though amusing) performance from the MACC, nothing much has developed from the Teoh Beng Hock inquest.

Perhaps there isn't enough pressure on the government.

Anyway, lawyers from both sides will make their submission at the next session, the coroner will deliver his verdict after the submission and the inquest should end soon.

Date : 17 Dec 2010 (Fri)
Time : 9:30am
Venue : Room 5, Shah Alam High Court


All Malaysians - the Teoh family, you and I - have been asking for the truth for Beng Hock, and thus your attendance at the inquest will be a strong support to Teoh family to continue to seek justice.

Selvach Held Under ISA??

We all know the BN government is stupid, but to put the witness who implicated police in the R Gunasegaran death-in-custody inquest under ISA?

I grow more and more in awe of BN stupidity each day.

First, the witness was arrested in a violent manner in full view of other witnesses. Then he was slammed with trumped up drug charges.

Evidently nothing could hold water.

And when all else fails, bring in the Internal Security Act.

Related:
Time to walk your talk, people. Selvach needs us now. Will you be there for him?

WikiLeaks And Freedom Of Speech

My friend Tim sent me this link a couple of days ago.

Unflattering remarks from Singapore have been a highlight of the past few days and Malaysia has handed over a "protest note".

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman summoned T. Jasudasen, Singapore's high commissioner, and handed him a protest note over the "unjustified comments" made by Singaporean diplomats, the ministry said in a statement.

"The foreign minister also conveyed Malaysia's deep concern and displeasure over the comments as revealed by WikiLeaks and subsequently reported in the media," it added.

The Malaysian government is incapable of accepting negative feedback from its citizens. How well can it swallow insults from its neighbour, I wonder.

According to our neighbours:

1) Malaysia is in a "confused and dangerous" state due to its incompetent politicians;

2) There is a "distinct possibility of racial conflict" in Malaysia which would see ethnic Chinese "flee" the country and "overwhelm" Singapore.

3) Najib Razak was reportedly described as "an opportunist" who "would not hesitate" to be critical of Singapore if "it is expedient for him to do so".

Of course, everyone is abuzz over the news that Anwar Ibrahim had walked into a honey trap.

His sexual orientation is the least of my worries. I am more concerned about his politics of cronyism and selective favour, not to mention his disconcerting obsession to become Prime Minister.

All that being said, I am still bemused at what people will say if they think no one will know.

P.S. WikiLeaks is not the gospel truth. There is a disturbing tendency to treat media reporting based on the US State department cables leaked to WikiLeaks as revealing some sort of ultimate, higher truth - WikiLeaks: take a deep breath

The 1st MCLM Candidate - Imtiaz

Over two years ago, one man asked, "Is there a statesman in the house?"

These are his words:

We need a real leader; someone whose commitment to truth, social justice and nation building is as uncompromising as is his or her rejection of politics, greed and vanity. Though we do not need a saint, we need someone who understands that Malaysia belongs to all of us and that its future is our collective future; someone who appreciates the immense power that lies beneath its surface and is capable of harnessing and unleashing that power to capture the world.

Though, someone who could call a spade a spade and get on with dealing with things practically and fairly would be a good start.

Now, is that too much to ask?

Today, he has taken up the challenge of national service by agreeing to run as a political candidate.


This is one guy that many political parties have yearned to field as their candidates. MCLM is capable of producing miracles!

Forget his excellent track record in human rights activism - he is one would aspire to live up to the words he uttered above.

Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival

It's going to be the 4th festival so far, to be held on June 11-12, 2011 in Los Angeles.

I blogged about the 2nd event early last year.

The Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival is a non-competitive, annual arts festival dedicated to sharing and nurturing storytelling of the Mixed experience.

The Mixed experience refers to interracial and intercultural relationships, transracial and transcultural adoptions, and anyone who identifies as having biracial, multiracial, Hapa or Mixed identity.

Many Malaysians are just as multi-racial as the Americans.

It's a pity we do not celebrate our diversity.

Death By Natural Causes In Malaysia

In Malaysia, death by a bullet discharged from the firearm of a trigger-happy policeman is now fast becoming 'death by natural causes'.

On 26 Apr 2010, Aminulrasyid Amzah was shot after he tried to flee a roadblock. He did not stand a chance. The 15 year old was killed immediately.

Granted, the kid had no drivers licence and was a menace on the road. But his car was riddled with 30 bullets. No pun intended when I use the term 'overkill'.

On 17 Oct 2010, five foreigners were shot dead after they were suspected to be robbers. Say if two were killed and three injured, there may be some semblance of 'law enforcement'. This reeks of cold-blooded murder.

On 16 Nov 2010, Ho Chei Hang was shot 4 times by plainclothes police officers in Kepong. Yet he was charged for 'attempting to murder' the police officer who had shot at him from behind!

On 13 Nov 2010, Mohd Shamil Hafiz Shapiei, was shot dead at about 4am on a street in Glenmarie in Shah Alam, Selangor. He was about a week away from turning 16.

Makes you wonder - at this rate, how many people exactly have been killed in this manner? Take a look at the government statistics:

A total of 279 suspects have been shot dead by the police between 2000 and 2009, while 147 died in police lockup during the same period, revealed Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein today.

For a country with a population of 28 million, those are not very positive numbers. Cast aside the fact that I don't trust the government and believe the numbers may be higher.

What is frightening is the perpetrators are those who are supposed to be protecting us.

These days, they either shoot citizens point blank or stand by as others inflict violence on their fellow citizens - check out this video I saw that shows how people take the law into their own hands.

The policeman on the right stands by and does nothing

If you don't even have a twinge of conscience while reading this, may God have mercy on you for stepping back and doing nothing as these atrocities continue to be committed in broad daylight.

1Sex 1Money 1Scandal: The Virus Returns

I loved it, and I think you might too. :-)



DATES/TIMES: 24 – 28 November 2010.
24 -28 November 830pm & 28 November 3pm

VENUE: PJLA Theatre, Jaya ONE
Block K, Jaya One,
Section 13, No.72A, Jalan Universiti,
46200, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

TICKETS: Call 03- 7960 0439 or E-mail boxoffice@pjla.com.my

Ticket Prices:
RM55 Wednesday and Thursday and Matinee Shows
RM65 Friday, Saturday and Sunday Evening Shows
RM25 for Students [Limited tickets per show, restricted view]
ALL SEATS ARE NUMBERED.

Law Of The Jungle

I really haven't a clue what the object of all that anger did.

But what is so wrong is that the police merely stand by and watch him get beaten bloody.



There is no more law and order in this country.

Radio Free Sarawak

I listen to the radio on my way to work everyday.

Music is great. Sometimes the DJs are hilarious, sometimes they are just plain annoying.

For the sake of free music, I put up with the imminent (and sometimes incessant) commercials.

But what I really cannot stand is the news. It is nothing but more government propaganda bullsh!t - as if we don't already get enough.

At least I have the internet. I have friends from all over the world. I'm exposed to different cultures - enough to form opinion and receive the truth.

Not so for the people who live in the rural interior, like Sarawak.

But you know what? There is now hope for them to hear the truth.

Something called RADIO FREE SARAWAK.

Send the following sms, or a shortened one, to every Sarawakian you know, and urge them to send the same out to every other Sarawakian.

“Untuk siaran radio yg sampaikan berita benar, telus & bebas, dengarlah Radio Free Sarawak, berfrekuensi 7590kHz pagi jam 6.30 – 7.30 dan 15680kHz petang jam 6 – 7, setiap hari. Sebarkan kepada semua rakyat Sarawak

I frankly haven't a clue what they'll do now that they have access to real news.

But at least give them the opportunity.

False Claims Don't Fly Too Well In UK

Now here is one dude who belongs to UMNO in heart and spirit. His name is Phil Woolas.

During the general elections, it was alleged that Woolas used doctored photographs, misrepresented facts and stooped to fomenting racial and religious divisions in his Labour leaflets that he handed out.

He claimed that his opponent, Elwyn Atkins, was paid off by a rich Arab sheikh and was in cahoots with the Muslim fundamentalists. This was naturally of concern to the voting public, who may have possibly voted against Atkins.

Now, this is nowhere as bad as Malaysia, where they put Opposition leaders behind bars just around election time to keep them from contesting.

Or repeatedly accused them of homosexuality, playing to a conservative gallery like Mahathir the grandmaster did.

Politicians all over the world are like diapers. They need to be changed frequently, and for the same reason.

However, unlike Mahathir, Phil Woolas has found his election void as the Court has ordered a rerun of the parliamentary seat poll.

This is because the judicial and executive arms of the UK government administration are divorced from each other - unlike in Malaysia, where they are blissfully in bed trying to conceive chaos and disorder to remain in power.

They Don't Want The Chinese And Indian Vote

"Whether we like it or not, we have to put up with them," says UMNO Titiwangsa division head.

'Them' being the Indians and Chinese - scourge of Malaysia.

So Mr Division Head has a game plan. "If we can get 70% of the 32,000 Malays to vote for BN," he postulates, "we don't need the Chinese and Indian votes."

I know given our current unpredictable political climate, saying this transcends various levels of stupidity. If you have trouble believing me, watch the video for yourself.



I hope every self-respecting Chinese or Indian from the Titiwangsa constituency is watching this. Every intelligent Malay too.

And I hope they know what to do in the coming general elections.

Then we'll see who has the last laugh.

How Easily She Is Fooled

Hillary Clinton with Anifah Aman

(Media-Newswire.com) - Washington — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is praising Malaysia’s commitment to religious tolerance as she visits the Muslim-majority country.

“Extremism is not a path to building sustainable prosperity, peace, stability or democracy — it only promotes conflicts and hardens hearts,” she told reporters at a joint news conference November 2 with Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman.

Clinton said the United States fully supports Malaysian efforts to create a global interfaith dialogue, which Anifah said began with a proposal that Prime Minister Najib Razak made to the U.N. General Assembly in September.

Anifah said the proposed initiative “promotes mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and rejects extremists who undermine the universal values of religion.” The initiative’s goal is to create a global movement of moderates, he said.

Clinton did not meet with the prime minister, who was sick during her visit, but did speak to him by telephone. Clinton said she had raised the trial of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with Anifah.

“The United States believes it is important for all aspects of the case to be conducted fairly and transparently in a way that increases confidence in the rule of law in Malaysia,” Clinton said, adding that the United States would continue to follow the matter. The government has denied there is any conspiracy against Anwar, and Anifah said Anwar will receive a “fair and open trial.”

“It is in my interest and in our interest to make sure that Anwar gets a fair trial because if there is such a thing as a political prosecution, if it can happen to Anwar, it can happen to the rest of us,” Anifah said.

He and Clinton said they discussed cooperation on issues including trade, science, education, Afghanistan and nuclear nonproliferation. Clinton added she also planned to sign a series of agreements with Malaysia during her trip.

“First, a memorandum of understanding between our two governments designed to expand our collaboration on research and development of new technologies; second, a partnership between the government of Malaysia and Johns Hopkins University to build a new medical school and teaching hospital here in Malaysia; and finally, the sale of 50 Pratt & Whitney airplane engines to Malaysia Airlines, which will create new jobs in both countries,” Clinton told reporters.

Clinton’s visit to Malaysia is part of her 13-day trip to meet with leaders of at least eight East Asian and Pacific nations.

The secretary began traveling October 27 and is set to visit Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia and American Samoa before returning to Washington November 8. The secretary’s trip overlaps with President Obama’s travel to India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan November 6–14.

Meanwhile, Najib is quietly hiding away from the public eye with claims of chicken pox and gastric issues. And who can blame him?

Evidently, it is not only Rosmah that he fears, but also Hillary Clinton and Julia Gillard too. I guess too many women in one's life can give one stomach ulcers.

Terry Fox Run 2010 KL

Sometimes when I think there is no hope for this country, I am reminded that there is a ray of light even in the dense forest.

One of them is the Terry Fox Run which will be held in KL this Sunday.

It is usually the civilised and developed countries that organise this run, but evidently Malaysia has its moments too.

Terry Fox is a Canadian who first lost his leg to cancer. He eventually lost his life to it as well, but before he departed, he ran to raise funds for cancer.

Must have been painful on only one normal leg. But he did it.

And so do many other people around the world every year.

If you're keen to help raise funds for cancer research, here are the details:

Date: 7-11-2010 (Sunday)
Time: 8:30am
Venue: Taman Tasik Titiwangsa

Launch Of BERSIH 2.0

INVITATION TO THE LAUNCH OF BERSIH 2.0
UNITE AND ADVANCE ELECTORAL REFORM

We, the BERSIH 2.0 steering committee, invite your organisation to join and unite with us to advance clean and fair elections in Malaysia. Much still needs to be done and BERSIH 2.0 needs your support and help to make the mission come true for a democratic Malaysia.

BERSIH 2.0 believes that it is only when elections are clean and fair, can citizens determine their own destiny and expect holders of public office to act accountably and effectively. The road to electoral reform is part and parcel of the democratic process to put into place the rule of law, human rights protection, good governance and sustainable development in Malaysia. As citizens, we can make this our reality.

The key issues of electoral reform include
1. A complete revision of the electoral roll to ensure that the existing irregularities are removed and a roll with full integrity is in place.
2. The use of indelible ink (as is done in Indonesia and India) to prevent multiple voting.
3. The reform of postal voting to abolish the existing separate electoral roll for postal voters and to make it flexible for all voters, at home or abroad, with valid reasons to opt for postal voting.
4. Free and fair media access for all contesting parties, which should include: (a) free access to state-owned media especially television and radio; (b) fair paid access (political advertisement) to private media; and (c) provision of the right of reply for all contesting parties and personalities who are covered negatively in news reports.
5. A meaningful minimum campaign period of 21 days.
6. Fair and professional practices in constituency redelineation exercises to minimise mal-apportionment, gerrymandering and consequent disproportionality in seats and votes.
7. Automatic registration of all eligible voters.
8. Reduction of the voting eligibility age from 21 to 18 years old.9. Reform in electoral financing to ensure transparency and limit the influence of money politics.
10. Administrative neutrality of all levels of governments before, during and after general and by-elections for the federal and state legislatures.
11. Affirming the right of all students of 18 years and above, to participate in politics inside and outside campus.

Bersih 2.0, whilst acknowledging the importance of the reform agenda of Bersih, is now relaunched as a fully non-partisan coalition of civil society groups. It is a movement of ordinary citizens asserting the right of all, to clean and fair elections as guaranteed by law. We must ensure our votes and voices count.

We, therefore, warmly invite you and your organisations to join us and extend your full support to ensure that the next election and future ones will be clean, fair and democratic.

The details of the launch are as follows:

Date: 10 November 2010 (Wednesday)
Time: 8.30 p.m. – 10.30 p.m.
Venue: PJ Civic Hall, Jalan Yong Shook Lin, Petaling Jaya.

Please bring your members and friends to the launch. You can contact Nurul at 03-77844977 for more information. I

Yours sincerely,
Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan
Chairperson

The Steering Committee of BERSIH 2.0 comprises:

Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan, (Chairperson), Andrew Khoo, Arumugam K., Dr Farouk Musa, Haris Ibrahim, Liau Koh Fah, Maria Chin Abdullah, Richard Y W Yeoh, Dr Toh Kin Woon, Dr Wong Chin Huat, Yeoh Yang Poh and Zaid Kamaruddin.

Remember the first BERSIH rally in 2007?

A Call To Reluctant Politicians

It's about the third force.

We need people with integrity. Those who would NOT leap like frogs to BN.

Or as Haris puts it, those who "can be counted on to not sell their souls when BN comes a calling with millions ... to betray the rakyat."

Read the whole post HERE.

The general elections may be closer than you think.

Trying To Obtain A Birth Certificate

Some of you may remember a previous post about Malaysian-born children without birth certificates.

I still find it shocking that in this day and age, there are children in this country who are stateless and belong nowhere. They do not exist in the eyes of our government.

These are three of the eight children I wrote about earlier. The little boy peeking out from behind his sister has no birth certificate.

He hasn't attained school-going age yet, but if he doesn't somehow obtain a birth certificate, he doesn't obtain an education.

Which is why my friend was so keen on ensuring these kids make their foray into government records. He dragged the young 25 year old mother and her unregistered children to the Registry department.

But trying to get a birth certificate is not easy. Firstly there is a fine for not registering within the stipulated period.

Secondly, you need a witness to swear under oath that he/she was present when the child was born.

And last but not least, the civil servants in the district were uncooperative. They told the mother to go all the way to Seremban to register their birth.

It takes over an hour to get from Kuala Pilah to Seremban. There is limited public transportation, if any.

Perhaps the civil servants were acting within their rightful jurisdiction. But the manner in which they regarded this uneducated, poverty-stricken woman was out of line.

It is not merely the politicians in the state level that exceed their boundaries. So do those in the local council.

We need to have more say and control over the government and administration of the local council for things to improve.

On The Fast Track To Bankruptcy

These are the days when one is compelled to slap one's forehead in dismay at the priorities of the ruling coalition in terms of "national interests".

Of course, the average Malaysian knows that it is about how much money the politicians can siphon from this project to build a 100 storey tower.

We already have the Twin Towers, which reigned as the tallest for awhile.

And then it was quickly overtaken by Taipei 101 (Taiwan) and Burj Khalifa (UAE).

So why do we need yet another Malaysia Boleh project?

It is not the first time I have said it, and I will say it again:

We are a nation that nurses its deep-seated insecurities by conjuring up ridiculously over-the-top mega-projects which serve no purpose beyond ego-stroking.

When thousands of Malaysians suffer traffic jams everyday due to our poor public transportation, do we need another white elephant?

At some point we need to come to our senses.

Let that be NOW.

Facebook Blocks Politically Sensitive Sites

 

TIME magazine has this to say:

An American may have invented Facebook, but when it comes to social networking, we can't touch Malaysia.

A study showed that Malaysians have the most friends on their social networks, averaging at 233 digital friends per user.

Malaysians were also the heaviest users of social networking sites, spending a whopping nine hours per week on average communicating with their hoards of online friends.

So it is a grave mistake for Facebook to block the publishing rights of the page “Malaysians for Beng Hock”.

The administrators of the above-mentioned page have this to say:

The arbitrary and undemocratic governance of Facebook on its users is not only tyrannical in itself, it is open to manipulation by authoritarian regimes to shut down facebook activism by making a lot of or high-powered complaints.

From our knowledge, at least two other politically-critical pages - ‘Justice for Beng Bock’ and ‘save Jamal on Air’ pages were also terminated by Facebook without reasons.

As both the death of Beng Hock and sacking of 988 deejay Jamaluddin Ibrahim are highly controversial issues in Malaysia, these raise the legitimate suspicion if such blocking was the outcome of some backdoor crackdown operation on new media, made possible by Facebook’s arbitrary governance.

It is entirely expected that our scum-of-the-earth government would pressure Facebook with a request like this, but very surprising that Facebook would accede to that.

After all, Facebook have the highest number of users in Malaysia and you don't want to piss them off.

The Teoh Beng Hock Inquest

Remember how the last session of Teoh Beng Hock's inquest went?

Please attend and support his family. Your presence will make a difference.

Date: 14/10/10 (Thursday)
Time: 2pm
Venue: Shah Alam High Court

Lawyer Gobind Singh will interrogate witness about the ‘note’.

If you have any queries, please call Yap Hwa at 012-2658448

Sabah Or Malaysia

Some dude by the name of Aricco Jumitih represented the country in the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

He took the gold medal for the 62 kg weightlifting event.

But he was seen wearing a vest bearing the flag of his home state Sabah, instead of the Jalur Gemilang usually worn by national athletes participating in international events.

That has irked some of the bigwigs.

The irony is they barely give two hoots about East Malaysia, except to exploit them politically and economically.

Even when they actually do the nation proud, they get their asses stomped on.

You just can't win sometimes.

Dog Eat Dog World

Some of you may have been unhappy about struggling to make ends meet when April comes and the tax man wants another chunk!

The problem is, Najib needs your money.

More than you do.

Third Line Of Defence

I expect our National News Agency to spout a lot of rubbish.

It is even a given for our Prime Minister to babble nonsense.

But still, nothing prepared me for this.

I guess the fourth line of defence would be to show this article to enemies of Malaysia so that they die laughing.

The 47 Minutes Of Silence

A quick one, folks.

There has been a call for Malaysians to observe a moment of silence in reflection of what has happened in our nation.

It is held tomorrow and details are as follows:

Date: 15.9.2010 (Wednesday)
Time: 11pm
Venue: KL-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH)
Attire: A black shirt/T-Shirt

The silence is going to last for 47 minutes - to mark the number of years Malaysia has come into being.

To avoid the temptation to talk, please bring along material for reading/writing/drawing etc. It is after all going to be 47 minutes.

Do encourage family members and friends to attend.

The UMNO-Perkasa Relationship

There was an interesting page on Malaysiakini about the relationship between UMNO and Perkasa where the whole good cop/bad cop routine was exposed.

Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised that there are a few people in Malaysia who are not entirely clueless as to how UMNO and Perkasa operate.

The good cop/bad cop routine is usually used when questioning suspects in the interrogation room.

Usually the bad cop enters first. He proceeds to scare the living hell out of the suspect or witness.

Be it throwing tables around, bellowing in rage, or roughing up the witness, he certainly does a good job of intimidating.

But not all witnesses succumb to the bad cop. That's why we have the good cop, who shows up when the witness is still reeling from the experience with bad cop.

He speaks in soothing tones, perhaps even apologises for the behaviour of the bad cop. "Talk to me," he urges gently, "you can trust me."

A lot of witnesses fall for that routine.

In Malaysian politics, UMNO is the good cop, while Perkasa is the bad cop.

Perkasa goes all out to unnerve the citizens, especially the Chinese and Indians. Then UMNO comes in to soothe those frayed nerves.

It is a very effective tag team. Until it is unmasked, that is.

Previously, UMNO used to go out and do the fear-mongering on their own. The old routine of May 13 was rehashed so many times, it's a miracle that people are still falling for it.

But then again, most Malaysians are afraid of their own shadows, so I shouldn't be surprised.

UMNO has discovered that the cow-head protests, the burning of churches and other hate-crime is a blight on its reputation.

So these days they get Perkasa to do their dirty work for them.

Oh yes, you can't have one without the other. You can't have UMNO without Perkasa.

Hari Malaysia

BN Govt Coming Down Hard On Freedom Of Expression

It was quite subtle at first. They tried to block Malaysia Today around this time - exactly two years ago.

You and I know how that went.

A mirror site popped up almost immediately, and Malaysians, being the busybodies that they naturally are, forwarded the link for the new site to everyone they knew.

I received the link to that mirror site at least 5 times via email.

And then they put the Malaysia Today blog owner Raja Petra Kamarudin behind bars using the draconian Internal Security Act as a tool. RPK has since wisely left the country, but is still running the blog from abroad.

Now they are coming down hard on individuals who speak out against the injustices of the BN government.

Journalist Helen Ang was one of them - for her superb article posted on the CPI website regarding NEP and minority religions.

Then Wee Meng Chee (better known as Namewee), was questioned for more than 7 hours over his rap song criticising a blatantly racist headmistress.

The irony of the situation is that the headmistress went scot-free with her statements.

Malaysia to monitor Internet for 'harmful' blogs (from AFP)

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia has formed a task force to scour the Internet for blog postings deemed harmful to national unity, authorities said on Friday in the latest of a series of actions against new media.

Home ministry deputy secretary general for security Abdul Rahim Mohamad Radzi said the unit would involve the police, Internet regulators, the information ministry and the attorney general's chambers.

"It is a mechanism that will coordinate these various agencies to help monitor what is being said in cyberspace and to take action against those that are trying to stoke racial tensions and disunity," he told AFP.

Abdul Rahim said the group would also monitor alternative and mainstream media for similar content.

"There is a disturbing trend now appearing on the Internet where some people are inciting racial unrest and causing confusion and this will damage the peace we have in the country," he added.

Abdul Rahim cited the recent case of a Facebook page that insulted Muslim Malays. They make up the majority of Malaysia's multicultural population, alongside large ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.

Police are also investigating ethnic Chinese rapper Wee Meng Chee for sedition, after he posted a three-minute rap on YouTube criticising a Malay headmistress accused of making racial slurs against minority students.

The government has ordered a probe into the case which caused anger among Malaysia's minorities, who complain their rights are being eroded as the country becomes increasingly "Islamised".

In another case, Malaysian journalist Irwan Abdul Rahman was charged this week over a satirical blog which made fun of the state power firm Tenaga, and faces a year's jail if convicted.

The prosecution caused a stir because unlike the mainstream press, the web and online media in Malaysia have remained relatively free, despite occasional raids, bans and government criticism.

Major newspapers and broadcasters are closely linked with the ruling coalition, so the Internet has become a lively forum for dissent and debate.

The government in 1996 pledged not to censor online content as part of a campaign to promote its information technology sector.

The government, bound by its pledge not to censor online content is now clamping down on individuals who rightfully speak their mind by posting material online.

It would be amusing were it not so tragic, that the intention is portrayed as so noble - protecting the peace in the country.

The only problem for BN is that the Malaysian citizen of average intelligence knows that it is the grandmaster of racial unrest and disunity.

But the frequency and intensity of these events has me worried. I believe something really big is coming - and very soon.

Integrating East And West Malaysia

This was posted last year, but it is still relevant today:

Your Malaysia Isn’t My Malaysia

Go and read it in its entirety, but here are some excerpts:

We call ourselves Malaysian but when we come over to West Malaysia, we might as well be aliens in hostile land.

We don’t understand your hangups about alcohol.

We don’t get why you can’t build religious buildings that aren’t mosques without hassle.

We don’t see why you’re always in a hurry to get everywhere and drive as if you’re the only one who wants to get home. Why you won’t wait for the pedestrian to cross when we do that all the time.

We don’t understand you at all. And that’s a shame.

Because we don’t need National Service to teach our youngsters to hang out with each other. We know that tolerance isn’t ‘Saya tak kacau kamu, kamu jangan kacau saya’ (I don’t bother you, you don’t bother me)

We’re just sorry that you still haven’t figured that out after 52 years of so-called independence.

I'm sorry, too. We could have achieved so much, if only we had our priorities right.

One Word: Champion!

Never in the history of Malaysian law has there been this much forehead-slapping.

Never before have so many eyes rolled collectively in exasperation and annoyance. In fact, the vortex caused by all that eye-rolling is probably contributing to the formation of a tornado in Kansas or New Mexico right this very moment.

The credit goes to one man - Abdul Razak Musa, a specimen of certifiably limited intelligence, who represents the MACC over the Teoh Beng Hock inquest.

I wasn't in the courtroom, so I had trouble believing the Malaysiakini report, but according to some of my sources who witnessed the shenanigans first-hand, the following events actually did happen.

He began by trying to smear the forensic pathologist Pornthip Rojanasunand's credibility as an expert witness. According to my sister the lawyer, this is an accepted practice in persuading the judge to dismiss the witness' opinion.

"Did you know that the university that you graduated from is not recognised in Malaysia?" Abdul Razak Musa, the dumb fool asked.

To that, Pornthip answered, "But it is in the top five in Asia."

If he had done his homework properly, he would have known that it isn't in the top five. It is either the seventh or eighth. I checked.

It is, however, still a very embarrassing point as no Malaysian university comes even close. Somehow I think that point was lost on him.

If someone had told me this was going to be a cross between the Jerry Springer show and a PT Barnum circus, I would have taken the day off and gone to watch. These days you can't get this sort of entertainment for free.

Our hero went on to suggest that Teoh had strangled himself and even went as far as to demonstrate this on himself.


If you thought nothing could possibly be worse than that, you would be wrong. For the grand finale, Abdul Razak Musa asked Pornthip if she had any experience jumping off a building.

Champion.

The mainstream media however, managed to sanitise their version of it, so that the entire proceedings actually appeared sane.

How I pity those stalwart supporters of the mainstream media. They have no clue what they've missed.

Another Excuse For Using The ISA

Just after the candlelight vigil protesting the use of the Internal Security Act, the BN government detains terror suspects.

I think terrorists should be arrested and put behind bars, though not detained under the ISA.

Everyone, regardless of race, religion and social standing, deserves justice.

Sufficient evidence should necessary to convict them, if they are indeed genuine terrorists, and not some fictional characters cooked up by the BN government to strike fear in the hearts of people.

Malaysia arrests 3 suspected militants possibly linked to Indonesian radical cleric

By The Associated Press (CP) – 9 hours ago

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia arrested three suspected militants believed to have ties with a radical cleric in Indonesia who was charged this week with helping plan terrorist attacks, officials said Thursday.

The two Malaysians and an Indonesian were detained Wednesday for suspected involvement in activities that could jeopardize national security and for alleged links with foreign militants, national police chief Musa Hassan said in a statement.

Police identified the Malaysians as Sheikh Abdullah Sheikh Junaid, a 70-year-old businessman, and contractor Samsul Hamidi, 34, while the Indonesian was listed as Mustawan Ahbab, a 34-year-old marketing executive. They were arrested separately on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur and eastern Pahang state.

Authorities were holding them under the Internal Security Act, which allows for indefinite detention without trial.

An official familiar with the arrests said the men were believed to have worked with a terror cell in Indonesia's Aceh province that was allegedly set up by prominent radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir.

Bashir was arrested in the world's most populous Muslim nation this week for allegedly setting up the cell and militant training camp in Aceh that was plotting high-profile assassinations and bloody attacks on foreigners in Jakarta.

Those arrested in Malaysia were trying to help the cell expand in this country, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements on this.

Malaysian human rights groups that have long campaigned against the Internal Security Act criticized the arrests, saying the three detainees were at "risk of torture and other ill-treatment." Activists said the detainees should either be charged in court or released.

Over the past decade, Malaysian authorities have detained more than 100 Islamic militant suspects without trial. Most were released in stages after officials said they had renounced extremist beliefs.

These are very subtle messages that the BN government is sending out to an Islamophobic world, telling them that the ISA puts terrorists away.

What they neglect to mention, however, is that they also silence political opponents and activists in the same way.

Taking Back Our Politics

The whole idea of politics was to have someone represent you - basically be your voice in the larger arena.

Most of us were really excited when the tsunami of GE12 showed the impact when people unite and come together with a purpose.

But a few years down the road, we're disillusioned with what we've got.

Frogs who've leaped to the other side upon offers of cash (or threats of exposure).

Troublemakers who can't keep their mouths shut, like Hasan Ali of PAS and Zulkifli Noordin and PKR.

Haris has a plan. And I like it.

His post, Enter the Third Force even had me raising my eyebrows and wondering if it was wise to split the vote at a critical time like this.

But there's more to it.

I'll let Haris walk you through it.

Child Marriage Is No Solution

Melaka is a place for good food. Unfortunately, it ends there.

Once upon a time, it was hailed as the cultural and historical heritage of Malaysia, the birthplace of our current nation.

I have been there a number of times, and I see nothing to shout about. Everything is touristy and fabricated. Perhaps I should have headed for the beaches instead of trying to explore the town.

But what can you expect from Melaka, when its state government has decided to allow child marriages to purportedly curtail out-of-wedlock pregnancies?

I won't say more on government policies and the need for restructuring society and addressing social ills, as this entry says it all.

However, I recall a bit of drama concerning teenage parents when I was in the UK last year. Apparently, a 13-year-old boy had fathered a child with his 15-year-old girlfriend.


It was even more befuddling as the kid's voice hadn't even broken yet and he looked like a 9-year-old.

But Alfie Patten was going to raise the child well, he claimed. Never-ending news reports detailed how he had bottle-fed his daughter and changed diapers.

It was very hard for me to smother my cynicism. It is rather difficult for parents in their 20s to cope with raising their newborns - what more for teenagers?

Anyway, it turned out his girlfriend was a bit of a player. After numerous other teenage boys came forward claiming to be the father, Alfie Patten took a paternity test - only to discover that the little girl wasn't his.

So that was that.

I suspect if he had gotten hitched to his girlfriend, that marriage would have ended in divorce.

Children do grow up and change, after all.

Response Of Brutality

This is what awaited peaceful participants of a candlelight vigil.


An eye-witness account HERE.

1PoliceState

Some of you may have attended the peaceful candlelight vigil last night.

Peaceful until the police stormed the crowd, that is.

What can I say? We live in a police state that is determined to stifle all forms of negative feedback to the government administration.


People First, Performance Now.

Anti-ISA Candlelight Vigil

It's almost been a year since last year's Anti-ISA protest.


Come and be part of a growing citizenry of Malaysians who want justice. This is a time for solidarity.

Date: August 1, 2010 (Sunday)
Time: 8.00pm
Venue: Dataran MBPJ opposite Amcorp Mall/ Padang Timur

Time To Suppress Your Anger!

Every now and then, just when I think I've seen the worst, something comes along to prove me wrong.

Today's case in point is this notoriously ridiculous blog by the name of Marahku.

Forget that the blog owner attempts to decorate his blog with flames to give an aura of "anger". At least I think that is the intention.

Forget that trying to get a legitimate fact out of this blog is like finding a needle in a haystack.

If you have been following the attempts to discredit Haris Ibrahim, the owner of The People's Parliament, you would have been astounded to find that while Haris is able to present his facts from government sources, his detractors have had to rely on merely muddying the waters.

Anyone with half an education would be able to spot that.

But what was absolutely classic, is the statement, "Government is the work of saints coveted by fools".

I nearly died laughing.

Now, I may look at a lowly-paid social worker who lives in the slums in efforts to improve the welfare of those slum-dwellers and concede that he/she is a saint. Most people regard Mother Theresa of Calcutta as a saint, anyway.

But there is no way I could possible look at the Malaysian government (or any other government, for that matter) and call them saints.

Some say the best governments are the Scandinavian governments - they have really good welfare schemes, good healthcare, excellent infrastructure, a superior education system and well, the list goes on.

As for our government, they purchased submarines that refused to submerge. The Malaysian air force owns F5 aircraft of which engines were pilfered and then mysteriously returned after a stint in South America.

We have a police force that closed down some of its stations in crime-infested districts due to fears that it isn't safe for the cops themselves to be manning those stations.

We have highways that are jammed with traffic even though motorists are still forced to pay toll to use that highway.

Hey. We have a government that sprays chemical-laced water and tear-gasses citizens that publicly (but peacefully) oppose its nefarious regime.

With full knowledge of that, can one seriously say that government is the work of saints??

And You Thought Malaysian Politicians Were Stupid

Most of you know that this is a Malaysian blog dedicated to whipping Malaysian politicians into shape.

But every now and then, out pops a foreign politician that makes you slap your forehead in dismay.

I don't know about you, but I think this politician from Australia needs a refresher course in the world of technology.

Thinking he was sending a private message to a journalist, he posted it in public. On twitter.

If you have a twitter account, you would know how fast news travels. It was sensitive information, and harmful to party image - not just that of the politician in question.

Of course, it begs the question: Why was he supplying a journalist with that information in the first place?

The problem with this group of paramecia we call politicians is that we let them roam freely among the good citizens of this world.

Rightfully, they should be locked up in some gardens with a leash around their necks. They should be provided with bibs during mealtimes so they don't soil their clothes.

God knows we all need protection from them. Heck, they need protection from themselves!

Remembering The Deaths In Custody

Flowers for Those who Died in Custody

Date: July 16, 2010 (Friday)
Time: 7 pm
Venue: KL Bar Council car park (Behind the Annexe Gallery)

Go HERE for more info.

Related:
Some of the deaths in custody.
Francis Udayappan - A Death In Custody Brushed Aside
Kugan Ananthan - See What They Did To My Son
Teoh Beng Hock - He Jumped Off The Roof
R Gunasegaran - Rest in peace, Guna
P Babu - Sawmill Worker Becomes Latest Death In Custody

Being On CIA Payroll

First published in HartalMSM

I've been on the socio-political blogging scene for about 4 years now, and a year prior to that just penning down random thoughts on a friend's blog.

Consequently, I have read a huge number of blogs and met a sizeable number of bloggers online. I've even met some in person via Malaysian blogger events.

So it came as quite a surprise to hear that Elaine Supkis was quoted as a "well-known" blogger because I hadn't heard of her before Utusan Melayu - pride of UMNO and all things lamentable - shot her to fame for proclaiming that Anwar Ibrahim and the CIA were in cahoots together.

Now I've read and re-read her posting, and I cannot decide if she was being tongue-in-cheek with that claim or attention deficit. She does, however, cite her source as "a Jewish editor of the warmongering Washington Post."

I love how specifically she names her source and produces evidence that goes beyond reasonable doubt. Not.

Utusan Melayu, bless their little rumour-mongering hearts, evidently did not think twice about crediting such a dubious blogger for the little nugget of information.

Now, they wouldn't be the first to make such wild allegations. Big Dog, a Malaysian blogger with a penchant for the ludicrous and nonsensical rambles on about the special treatment that Anwar Ibrahim receives from the USA.

Yes, he does have the tendency to ramble on. So much so that he ought to be called Rambo. Minus the muscles, of course.

He can afford to ramble. While I concede that he is at least somewhat of a "well-known" blogger, he is not burdened with journalistic responsibility. Well, he certainly does not take it upon himself to burden himself.

Utusan Melayu, which is a national mainstream broadsheet, amusingly has no qualms about completely shedding whatever morsel of dignity it may have ever had or stripping itself of all credibility.

John Malott is an ex-American ambassador who has had enough of rumours flying back and forth. His letter, regarding the claims of Anwar Ibrahim being a CIA agent challenges the government full on for fanning those rumours.

I have yet to hear a peep out of the government over this. The BN government is afflicted with selective hearing.

They are also sorely lacking in the power of deduction.

It is easy to make allegations, but difficult to produce supporting evidence. In the case of Anwar Ibrahim, it is hard to believe he is privy to such sensitive information, to begin with.

Throughout history, spooks (known in some circles as 'spies' or 'secret intelligence agents') have generally worked behind the scenes, living lives of blissful anonymity. To obtain information, one has to look as unassuming and harmless as possible to gain the trust of those whose boundaries they plan to violate.

Anwar Ibrahim certainly does not fit the role. He is thrust too deep into the public eye and has a schedule which is far too rigid for that.

Moreover, he does not possess a compelling reason to 'spy' on Malaysia for the Americans.


Take Aldrich Ames for example. He was an American mole, once working for the CIA and posted to Russia during the cold war.

Aldrich Ames' compelling reason was money. He had run himself into so much debt that he was looking for a way to make more money to pay off those debts. That's when he became a double agent. Because he was the guy next door, no one suspected him of being a turncoat - not even his colleagues in the CIA, until it was too late.

Most of us know that Anwar Ibrahim aspires to be the next Prime Minister. Some of us think his ambitions come at whatever cost, and are thus wary. Perhaps a few think that this ambition is sufficient to motivate him to betray the nation.

That being said, while I love this country, I will have to admit that its significance by international standards is hardly big. We are not what Russia was to the Americans and British. We are not even what Cuba and Argentina were to the Americans.

There is not much to betray.

Perhaps what I like about this nation is that we really don't have any notable enemies. Not even Singapore, even though many Malaysians I know have harboured a desire to add arsenic to the water we supply to Singapore. That desire has since tapered off, along with memories of Pedra Branca.

All kinds of allegations and accusations can be made against various individuals, by bloggers and mainstream media alike. However, we need to discern what makes sense and what doesn't.

In the case of Anwar Ibrahim being a CIA agent, I would suggest that even overactive imaginations lay that matter to rest as the very notion of it is ridiculous.

Save Sakineh

Dear Friends,

Yesterday an Iranian woman, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, was saved by global protests from being stoned to death.

But she may still be hanged -- and, meanwhile, execution by stoning continues. Right now fifteen more people are on death row awaiting stoning in which victims are buried up to their necks in the ground and then large rocks are thrown at their heads.

The partial reprieve of Sakineh, triggered by the call from her children for international pressure to save her life, has shown that if enough of us come together and voice our horror, we may be able to save her life, and stop stoning once and for all. Sign the urgent petition now and send it onto everyone you know -- let's end this cruel slaughter NOW!

Sakineh was convicted of adultery, like all the other 12 women and one of the men awaiting stoning. But her children and lawyer say she is innocent and that she did not get a fair trial -- they state her confession was forced from her and, speaking only Azerbaijani, she did not understand what was being asked of her in court.

Despite Iran's signing of a UN convention that requires the death penalty only be used for the "most serious crimes" and despite the Iranian Parliament passing a law banning stoning last year, stoning for adultery continues.

Sakineh's lawyer says the Iranian government "is afraid of Iranian public reaction and international attention" to the stoning cases. And after Turkey and Britain's Foreign Ministers spoke out against Sakineh's sentence, it was suspended.

Sakineh's brave children are leading the international campaign to save their mother and stop stoning. Massive international condemnation now could finally stop this sickening punishment. Let's join together today across the world to end this brutality.

Sign the petition to save Sakineh and end stoning here

In hope and determination,

Alice, David, Milena, Ben and the whole Avaaz team


SOURCES:

Iranians still facing death by stoning despite 'reprieve' - The Guardian

Britain condemns planned Iran stoning as 'medieval' - AFP

Evening Is The Whole Day - Preeta Samarasan

About a year and a half ago, this article caught my attention.

It was of interest because there aren't all that many Malaysian novelists around, much less those who attract foreign attention.

A feeling of belonging in Malaysia

First novelists often get missed in the cacophony of new books from established or popular writers. And so it was with Preeta Samarasan, a Malaysian native and a recent graduate of the University of Michigan whose sweeping novel about a Tamil family in a changing Malaysia moved quietly along book circles this year, overshadowed by new works from such brilliantly popular names as Jhumpa Lahiri, Salman Rushdie, Manil Suri and Amitav Ghosh.

It is getting increasingly awkward and rare for Malaysians to express themselves and explore their niche in this nation. Somehow, this writer manages.

In Evening Is The Whole Day, she describes the relationship to the 'motherland' many Malaysians still hold on to:

"Somewhere in all that hoping and studying and preparing, something else changed: India ceased to be home," Samarasan writes while describing how the Rajasekharans became Malaysians. " . . .  This, this flourishing, mixed-up, polyglot place to which they had found their way almost by accident, this was his country now. Malays Chinese Indians, motley countrymen they might be, but countrymen they were, for better or for worse. What was coming to them all. It would be theirs to share."

It is just heart-breaking that race relations in Malaysia, which once flourished, are now steadily deteriorating.

Read what Preeta Samarasan had to say about May 13 last year.

Saving Private Interests

When I was still a young ciku, the world of cinematography yielded a somewhat popular WWII movie entitled Saving Private Ryan.

Being an American movie (and a Steven Spielberg one at that), it was highly dramatic coupled with generous infusion of patriotism and brotherly love.

In 1998, I was certainly much less cynical than I am today, so I enjoyed the storyline which detailed the arduous effort of rescuing a fallen serviceman during the Normandy invasion.

Today, in Malaysia, a similar effort is being exerted.

Individuals In Collusion With Raja Petra Can Be Hauled Up - Musa:

KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 (Bernama) -- Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said individuals in collusion with fugitive Raja Petra Kamaruddin can be hauled up under the law.

"We can propose to charge them for harbouring criminals but it is up to the court to decide," he said when asked what police (PDRM) were doing to bring Raja Petra home.

Newspapers recently ran a photograph of Raja Petra together with private investigator P.Balasubramian and Federal Territory Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) chief Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Musa said PDRM could not act in haste to record statements from them as procedures had to be followed.

"We can't go to the country to detain him as it too has laws but this does not mean that we can't act.

He said although Interpol had refused to track down the Malaysia Today webmaster, PDRM had other initiatives and strategies to detain him.

It matters not that Interpol had rightfully reviewed the reasons behind this extradition and decided those reasons were not valid.

By hook or crook, the police - and by proxy the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional - want Raja Petra Kamarudin back on Malaysian soil so they can control the damage he inflicts to their reputation.

I hate to break this to you, but there is no brotherly love lost here.

Lest you think Malaysia has no serious issues (to the extent that the police are spending so much time on a futile exercise), we have had a young woman blown up with C4 explosives.

There has been no motive established, and her killers were identified as two commandos who worked for the BN government. Justice has yet to be served for that young Mongolian woman.

And then we had a young man fall to his death when he was pushed off a building. He would have become a father, but he never saw his son.

We have also had a number of missing children who may have been kidnapped and trafficked into other countries. Someone needs to bring them back to their families.

Raja Petra Kamarudin is not the priority here.

Manipulating Anti-Semitic Sentiment

First published in HartalMSM.

The average Malaysian has never met a Jew in person, though he's probably used Michael Dell's computers, installed Bill Gates' Microsoft software and watched Steven Spielberg's movies.

I'm personally guilty of all, and to top that off, I am also a fan of Mel Brooks - he of the History of the World Part I fame.

Dell, Gates and Spielberg are prominent Jews, but the truth is, not all Jews are smart nor are they dumb. Like every other race out there they are people; consisting of a mix of the good and bad.

For some, a Jew is simply an evil tyrant - one of the many who have brought on countless suffering on innocent Palestinian children.

Alas, but the mainstream media is just not considerate enough to drop the bias and perhaps admit that Hamas terrorists provoked attacks or "peace activists" on some aid flotilla may have brandished weapons while dealing with Israeli soldiers, resulting in a return fire.


After all, sensationalism sells and billowing smoke from "yet another Israeli attack" or a profusely bleeding child hovering between life and death makes for righteous anger.

This is not to say that the Israelis are innocent of wrong-doing.

What bothers me is that people are willing to be manipulated with so little information at hand. I have colleagues who spew hatred and venom against the collective race known as the Jews.

Worse are those who manipulate this sentiment to launch an attack against their enemies.

The B'nai B'rith asserts that Anwar Ibrahim spreads anti-Semitic propaganda and anti-Israel slander. Their belief is that Anwar Ibrahim is (in their words), "a purveyor of anti-Jewish hatred".

Given his proximity with key U.S. officials, I hardly think it is so.

But Anwar Ibrahim, in my opinion, is guilty of playing up to the gallery. As anti-Semitism in Malaysia is at an all time high, associating the ruling coalition (Barisan Nasional) with Israeli spies and accusing them of being infiltrated by Israeli intelligence personnel is an impactful move.

The impact is two-fold, nevertheless. Anwar's detractors have always been wary of his links with the U.S. His sudden burst of anti-Semitism isn't necessarily going to warm them to him.

More unfortunate are his unquestioning supporters, who are now increasingly convinced that the Jews are the epitome of all evil known to mankind and beyond.

Those who have till now remained impartial are now introduced to a political leader's nasty side, one that would enable him to spurn his friends to suit his personal ambition.

Given that the odds are indeed stacked against him - he is being accused of a ludicrous crime that isn't a crime but for Malaysian laws, and his political career is in dire straits.

What may be acceptable for a ex-Premier, long past his use-by date but still enthusiastically milking his once glorious popularity, is no longer acceptable for one who aspires to lead a nation in the future.

Anwar Ibrahim And Being Anti-Israel

I thought this was an interesting article in the Washington Post, which expresses my sentiments exactly.

Flirting with zealotry in Malaysia

Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of Malaysia's political opposition, has become known over the past decade as one of the foremost advocates of liberal democracy in Muslim countries. His many friends in Washington include prominent members of the neoconservative movement -- such as Paul Wolfowitz, the former World Bank president and U.S. ambassador to Indonesia -- as well as such Democratic grandees as Al Gore.

Lately, Anwar has been getting attention for something else: strident rhetoric about Israel and alleged "Zionist influence" in Malaysia. He recently joined a demonstration outside the U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur where an Israeli flag was burned. He's made dark insinuations about the "Jewish-controlled" Washington public relations firm Apco Worldwide, which is working for Malaysia's quasi-authoritarian government.

Therein lies a story of the Obama era -- about a beleaguered democrat fighting for political and personal survival with little help from Washington; about the growing global climate of hostility toward Israel; and about the increasing willingness of U.S. friends in places such as Turkey and Malaysia to exploit it.

First, a little about Anwar: While serving as deputy prime minister under Malaysian strongman Mahathir Mohamad in the 1990s, he began pushing for reforms -- only to be arrested, tried and imprisoned on trumped-up charges of homosexual sodomy. Freed after six years, he built a multiethnic democratic opposition movement that shocked the ruling party with its gains in recent elections. It now appears to have a chance at winning the next parliamentary campaign, which would allow Malaysia to join Indonesia and Turkey as full-fledged majority-Muslim democracies.

Not surprisingly, Anwar is being prosecuted again. Once again the charge is consensual sodomy, which to Malaysia's discredit remains a crime punishable by whipping and a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Anwar, who is 63 and married with children, denies the charge, and the evidence once again is highly suspect. His 25-year-old accuser has confessed to meeting Prime Minister Najib Razak and talking by phone with the national police chief in the days before the alleged sexual encounter.

Nevertheless the trial is not going well. If it ends in another conviction, Anwar's political career and his opposition coalition could be destroyed, and his life could be at risk: His health is not great. Yet the opposition leader is not getting the kind of support from the United States as during his first prosecution, when then-Vice President Gore spoke up for him. Obama said nothing in public about Anwar when he granted Najib a prized bilateral meeting in Washington in April.

Read the rest of the article on the site.