I just discovered that Sarawak's Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud owns property in Seattle. But Taib Mahmud is a rich man, wealthy from all the natural resources he has plundered from the Sarawakians, so that wasn't what confounded me.
It was the knowledge that the FBI were renting the office space from Taib Mahmud.
How revolting is that? The FBI is supposed to fight crime but it appears to be condoning crime if the criminals are from other countries.
Bear in mind that even the Americans think that Taib Mahmud is corrupt based on a Wikileaks cable (Sarawak: Opposition Adrift; Indigenous People Lack Services; Police Reject Criticism) that said:
(C) Comments from the DAP politicians and Suhakam reinforce what we have heard from other Sarawak state leaders and national politicians. By these accounts, the Sarawak state government remains highly corrupt and firmly in the hands of its chief minister.
So it surprises me that the FBI in Seattle do not find this to be disturbing.
The irony is that Seattle is not redneck country. It is home to Boeing, one of the biggest commercial jetliners in the world. It is also home to Starbucks.
It is home to intellectuals.
Seattle is one of the two most literate cities among America's largest cities and has a higher percentage of college graduates than any other major American city.
This gives me hope that they will think about what they are doing and reconsider their options for renting out office space.
I think you could persuade them to reconsider.
Please go and sign this: Stop the FBI from Supporting Corruption in Sarawak
The petitioners are not asking for outlandish numbers from people who are ignorant and frightened to speak out. They need 500 people.
As I was signing it, I discovered that there was only about 100 or so to go to achieve that target.
You should sign it, especially if you're an intellectual. You could make a difference.
2 comments:
Landlordism is a virulent cancer, especially the absentee species. If it so happened that I was named "the owner" of vast tracts of land, I would mark out an area for my own use - and invite others to use other portions gratis on a renewable contract, provided they agree to observe a minimum of ethical and aesthetic conditions (e.g., no ugly structures, monocultures, or toxic effluents).
I don't know why some people apply moderation in their lives and others act like everyone owes them something.
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