Politics And The MH370

I was going to avoid blogging about this MH370 fiasco because it is a difficult situation to handle -- for any authority, be they some third world country or a purportedly developed nation (the kind that spies on its citizens but has atrociously third world banking technology).

But three things have annoyed me. Firstly, the Malaysian government has shamed itself and the nation by insinuating that the Captain of the ill-fated MH370 was an extremist for being a life-long member of PKR and a supporter of Anwar Ibrahim.

Now, I'm not Anwar Ibrahim's biggest fan, but with regards to Captain Zaharie, I believe that anyone who stands up for democracy and wants the best for his country is a man to be admired.

Unfortunately, this insinuation was picked up by a trio of pubic lice -- who probably regard themselves as 'journalists' -- for the Daily Mail.

Now, if you have ever been to the UK or are familiar with that trashy rag, you would know that it is read by the mentally deficient, those on unemployment benefits who believe the UK is overrun by immigrants but are too lazy to get off their butts and work for a living, and other random losers.

Still, it has managed to infiltrate the news circle of other serious journalists who are now calling Captain Zaharie's integrity into question. This really annoys me.

It also annoys Peter Chong who vehemently denies that the Captain could be involved in any mischief.

Interestingly, these are feel good moments despite the gloom surrounding the disappearance of this aircraft that Malaysians do have best friends of other races. Peter Chong was Captain Zaharie's best friend.

The third thing that bothers me is some fool from CNN called Jake Tapper who has a smug, slappable, babboon-like face who says, "Who would want to do this, to this part of the world, to this country, and who would be capable of such a thing?"

It's not what he's saying that is annoying, but how he says it.

I have a message for Jake Tapper:

Listen up, you dumb fuck. Your country, the one with crappy-banking-technology-but-superb-spying-skills-on-its-own-citizens (and ludicrously expensive healthcare) is not the only thing that is worthwhile in this world.

While you had your head buried in a hole or possibly trying to deal with the general incompetencies of your nation, other countries have emerged as economic leaders in their own right.

I don't expect you as an American to be able to comprehend that, as you probably have an IQ of 90 or 95, but it would be much appreciated if you could shut that flapping trap that sits on the front of your face and lubricates your jaws with saliva.

Skewer The Fools In Kajang!

It's probably a very good thing that I don't live in Kajang because I would be up in arms and baying for blood.

I was first alerted to this fiasco by a friend on Facebook.

"Here we go again," he complained as he attached a link.

Another friend commented cynically, "Let the games begin."

So the games are being played out, from a plot that has been long hatched.

In spite of the huge costs that this move is going to incur, PKR appears to regard its internal politics as being paramount to all other internal issues.

The Kajang assemblyman was merely an obedient little ma chai who chose to risk the wrath of his constituents than go against the forces behind PKR.

This is a tiny but significant clue as to how powerful a small, select group is within this party.

The excuse is that the political games by UMNO will be stepped up soon and therefore, invoking the necessity to raise Anwar Ibrahim to the post of MB, while at the same time toppling the man who has an exemplary track record, fairly decent management skills and capability in leading the State of Selangor.

Khalid Ibrahim's only "weakness" lies in his inability to get along with Azmin Ali, who unfortunately happens to be Anwar's blue-eyed boy. I must admit that his is a weakness shared by many -- Azmin Ali has a sizeable number of enemies.

So Khalid Ibrahim is being forced out at the behest of someone's political ambitions: possibly Azmin Ali, and not for the first time, Anwar Ibrahim's.

I just see red when I hear how they attempt to spin it, especially Rafizi Ramli who has volunteered himself for the blame (given his high popularity ratings, he thinks he will escape unscathed but is going to be skewered eventually):

Good political leaders will never be popular. It pains me that we have to drag Anwar Ibrahim through this and subject him to public anger, yet his willingness to be a part of the bigger picture is the mark of the man.

Now this man is no martyr. Sure, he may have suffered at the hands of The Loony Tun and the police, and his reputation may have taken a bashing, but that is the extent of his torment.

In all other respects, he is a classic back-door man -- unscrupulously manipulative in his personal quest to become Premier.

It angers me that I have been subject to chemicals from tear gas and water cannons when I have put my neck on the line at street protests and demonstrations to get the Opposition in power. That has yet to happen, and possibly for good reason.

It is entirely possible now that Kajang might be tempted to teach Anwar Ibrahim and the rest of his minions at PKR a lesson by voting for someone else. I only hope that some other party from the Opposition (like PSM) fields a candidate.

Otherwise, the seat may go to BN. Failing that, there are another set of possibilities that could occur.

With the same end result.

Someone skewer them!

Malaysian Government Pays To Defame

Josh Treviño is an American conservative political commentator who lost his column in the Guardian newspaper after allegations that his journalism wasn't exactly above board and that he was under the payroll of the Malaysian government to defame Anwar Ibrahim.

Since then, Josh Treviño has denied being a journalist, claiming instead that he was a PR man who "ran a loose operation" -- basically in having other writers also muddy the waters when it came to issues concerning Malaysian Opposition.

He rejected accusations that his actions had broken any rules of journalism. “I’m not a journalist and never was,” Treviño wrote. “That’s a pretty key distinction. What most PR does is comment/opinion.”

Fair enough. It happens all over the world, especially in the United States of America, which is where he hails from. In fact, a lot of American foreign policy came to pass based on pressure from lobbyists (often lawyers or PR specialists who are paid to promote a particular cause).

Many Malaysians complain about the USA being very "pro-Israel". What they do not realize is that American policies have been affected in the very same way that Malaysian policies are made and the way the world views Malaysia -- via paid influence and propaganda.

Lesson to be learned: People in glass houses should not throw stones.

Especially that the RM1.2 million (or US$389,724.70) that was paid to Josh Treviño probably came from the tax payer as UMNO regularly uses national coffers as its personal piggy bank. Lucius Goon points this out as well.

However, it is apparent that Treviño was treading the fine line between PR and journalism in his shady of definitions of what exactly he does. Huffington Post, following in the Guardian's footsteps, albeit much later, has since removed most of his postings, "after it was revealed that the author violated HuffPost’s blogger guidelines by not disclosing a financial conflict of interest"

Ah yes. I would imagine that US$389,724.70 is a significant financial conflict of interest.

This amount was paid to him, presumably via FBC Media, APCO Worldwide and David All Group (which I've personally not heard or blogged of prior to this mention) from the Malaysian government and the Prime Minister’s Office.

At this point, I'm wondering how much these PR companies have been paid by UMNO. It would certainly be a darn sight more.

I can't say I'm a huge fan of Anwar Ibrahim. But it does irritate me when money is used for no good purpose other than to defame a person.

Related:
1. Paid to blog: Josh Trevino’s MR26,300 a month - Uppercaise
2. Shilling for Malaysia Is Pretty Nice Work If You Can Get It - New York Magazine
3. Friends of Malaysia - The Maddow Blog (MSNBC)

John Mallot On Acquittals and Reforms

By John R. Mallot – The Wall Street Journal 11th January 2012

If electoral reforms don’t happen soon, the post-acquittal joy may quickly sour.

The not guilty verdict handed down last Monday in the sodomy trial of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim made both sides, Prime Minister Najib Razak and the opposition, happy. Mr. Najib gets an immediate political boost by claiming a victory for the rule of law and an independent judiciary, while Mr. Anwar can focus on the election ahead. This good feeling, however, is likely to be short-lived. Serious challenges lie ahead.

The first test of the post-verdict era will be whether the government chooses to appeal the acquittal. Defense experts successfully demolished the government’s DNA evidence, but the judge said during the trial that Mr. Anwar’s accuser was credible and reliable. With parliamentary elections looming, the government might conclude that forcing Mr. Anwar back into the courtroom will distract and pull him away from the campaign trail. On the other hand, an appeal would be polarizing and cost the government the support of centrists and independents.

The second test will be whether the government implements key electoral reforms before elections are held. Mr. Najib’s government cracked down in July on Bersih 2.0, a coalition of organizations calling for free and fair elections. This demonstrated the ruling party’s fear that genuinely fair elections could cause them to lose power for the first time since 1957. However, after strong domestic and international criticism of its heavy-handed treatment of the marchers, the government backtracked and created a select parliamentary committee to propose election reforms. Among the proposals are using indelible ink to prevent voter fraud and allowing the opposition to have access to government-owned television and radio, which now act as propaganda outlets for the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO).

The trouble is that so far, none of the proposals have been carried out. The only thing worthy of note is a court decision earlier this month ruling that the one million Malaysians who reside overseas have no right to vote. Expatriate Malaysians, it should be noted, are generally believed to lean toward the opposition.

If UMNO fumbles electoral reform and squanders its newly earned goodwill, the opposition will get stronger. The growing pains and ideological differences that plagued the opposition coalition in years past have largely been overcome, and Mr. Anwar and his political associates express confidence that they could take power in a fair contest.

In contrast, Mr. Najib faces a constant uphill battle. Many of the economic and political reforms that he proposed were not implemented because of right-wing opposition from inside his party. He is regularly undercut in public by criticism from Malaysia’s very vocal former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, and in private by some of his most senior cabinet officers.

The public sees corruption on the rise and feels that UMNO supporters increasingly believe making money from government contracts is business as usual. Many Malaysians now use the word “kleptocracy” to describe their ruling class. This perception further undermines Mr. Najib’s calls for reform, making it seem as if no UMNO leader wants to crack down on this abuse, given its importance to maintaining the support of their political base. This perception is compounded by the fact that Mr. Najib has remained largely silent on the latest scandal, in which one cabinet minister’s family allegedly used public funds, targeted to increase cattle production, to buy luxury condominiums in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

These weaknesses compound UMNO’s fear of losing power and increase the risk of over-reaction. The party will not go down without a fight, and neither will its supporters in the bureaucracy, media, and business worlds, who fear losing access to the financial gravy train. Because of the high stakes, those who benefit from corruption will make an all-out effort to keep the opposition from coming to power. A return to Mahathir-style strong-arm tactics should not be ruled out.

All this will make the coming election the most important in Malaysia’s history—and also its dirtiest. The international community needs to pay attention and hold Mr. Najib to his promise of political and electoral reform. Mr. Anwar’s acquittal is only the beginning of the country’s fight against political abuse and corruption.

Washington Post On Anwar And Democracy In Malaysia

An editorial opinion by the Washington Post on Anwar Ibrahim's ludicrous case.

ON MONDAY a struggle over human rights and democracy will come to a head in an important Muslim country.

The site is not Egypt or Turkey but Malaysia, a country of 28 million that, as it has prospered economically, has grown an opposition movement that is pressing an authoritarian regime to share power.

The opposition’s leader is Anwar Ibrahim, whose multiethnic alliance shocked the ruling party in several state elections in 2008 and who has a chance to oust Prime Minister Najib Razak in national elections expected in the next few months, if the vote is free and fair.

All that explains why on Monday Mr. Anwar will find himself not on the campaign trail but in a courtroom, where he is likely to be given a lengthy prison sentence. The charge is homosexual sodomy, which Malaysia shamefully still treats as a crime.

Read the rest online: A ‘test’ of democracy Malaysia might fail

Malaysia: The Country With A One-track Mind

Sex scandals obsess Malaysia: the country with a one-track mind

Some days its media can talk of little else

By Sholto Byrnes

Sunday, 24 April 2011

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's opposition leader, tomorrow faces the resumption of one of the less edifying cases to have been heard amid the colonnaded formality of the Kuala Lumpur High Court: his trial for allegedly sodomising a 25-year-old aide named Saiful Bukhari.

It is not the only scandal with which the former deputy prime minister, whose dismissal and first trial for sodomy made world headlines more than a decade ago, is dealing.

The man once feted as Newsweek's "Asian of the Year", whose supporters include Al Gore, the former US vice-president, and Paul Wolfowitz, a former World Bank president, is also accused of being the star of a 21-minute sex tape featuring a Chinese prostitute (by way of variation, female), a clip of which was briefly posted on YouTube.

But these are only two instances of the sexually related incidents that fill the country's papers and gossip sites every day. So numerous are stories of physical misdemeanours in this conservative, Muslim-majority but essentially easygoing country that the question is being asked: are Malaysians obsessed with sex?

Within the past few days, it has emerged that the education department in the eastern state of Terengganu has set up a boot camp to which it has sent 66 schoolboys to deal with their "effeminate tendencies".

"The severity of the symptoms vary. We understand that some people end up as homosexual," said the department's director, Razali Daud, "but we will do our best to limit the number. If left unchecked, it could become a problem for them, their families and society."

Earlier this month, a well-known MP, Ibrahim Ali, the leader of the Malay rights group Perkasa, asked in parliament if wives truly "understand their roles". "Husbands driving home after work see things that are sexually arousing and seek their wives to satisfy their urges," he said, complaining that sometimes women pretend to be busy with other matters. "They will say, 'wait, I'm cooking,' or 'wait, I'm getting ready to visit relatives'." They evidently required a "proper explanation" that "in Islam, wives are supposed to stop everything to fulfil their husbands' demands."

Although now an independent, Ibrahim was once a luminary in the governing Barisan Nasional alliance, which cannot appear too overbearing in matters of personal morality given that it includes non-Muslim Chinese, Indian and indigenous components as well as Muslim Malays.

The Islamist opposition party PAS, however, is less constrained, as its youth leader, Nasrudin Tantawi, made clear in February. "We have identified favourite spots where lovebirds mingle," he said, warning that his organisation would be helping to check "immoral activities" in the run-up to Valentine's Day. "We are deploying our members to preach and distribute pamphlets promoting sin-free lifestyles."

The action was certainly necessary, he said. "Last year there was a campaign to promote a no-panties day."

Such remarks do not go without comment. The country's Women, Family and Community Minister, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, has already condemned the Terengganu state government's boot camp, and Ibrahim's antediluvian views have provoked widespread condemnation.

"Ibrahim must apologise and submit himself for gender sensitivity training," said Teresa Kok, of the opposition Democratic Action Party. Nasrudin's Valentine's Day campaign, meanwhile, led to PAS's youth leader being slapped down by more senior members of his own party.

Read the rest on the web.

CSI NY, LV And Miami, You Can Take A Hike Now

There is nothing the Malaysian police can't do!! They can solve any mystery, any crime, any puzzle that besieges the Malaysian public.

They are awesome crime scene investigators, dammit!!!

That is especially if it involves s0domy or s3x, which is their prime area of expertise.

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have sufficient evidence to identify the man in the s3x video implicating an opposition leader, Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said Thursday.

He added that investigations into the video were expected to be completed next week.

"We are now ascertaining, who is the owner of the (Omega) watch handed to the police," he told reporters here.

I mean, seriously - who cares if Mongolian models get blown up, children get kidnapped and murdered, or houses get burgled and ransacked??

That's not important at all. Why should those be investigated and solved?

What's really important is that we, the Malaysian public, get to find out who stars in dodgy videos.

Aren't you proud of our police now?

When Will Anwar Ever Learn?

When will Anwar ever learn?
April 13, 2011

FMT LETTER

From Rakyat Tulen, via e-mail

I’m not talking about his private life. I’m talking about his leadership style. By putting up so many candidates in the Sarawak elections, many of whom are hopeless, PKR is doing damage to the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

DAP and PAS are doing much better in the campaign thus far. The record breaking, huge crowds at the main towns are the work of DAP. Anwar just went and spoke.

PKR’s stars like Baru Bian in Bakalelan and Nicholas Bawin in Batang Ai are strong leaders in their own right. They are credible Dayak leaders from earlier parties like SNAP and PBDS.

PKR only gave them the platform to contest after SNAP and PBDS were “deregistered” by the BN-controlled Registrar of Societies.

When will Anwar learn that he and his henchmen Azmin Ali and Tian Chua cannot go around talking down to people?. Sarawakians are a proud lot. They do not like to be told what to do.

Dictator Taib Mahmud too, does not like it when Najib and Muhyddin told him to step down. Sarawakians prefer to throw out Taib Mahmud themselves. There is no need for the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister to interfere. Sarawakians know what to do.

But Anwar does not know what to do. He is making the same blunder that he has made with PKR in Sabah. He chose the wrong leaders for the wrong reasons. Half of PKR’s Sabah leaders have left the party. The remaining half are at each other’s throats.

Anwar severely misjudged the politics of Sabah when he put a controversial, born loser Ansari Abdullah to contest in the Batu Sapi by-election last October.

PKR members walked out of the Pakatan gathering in protest after Anwar announced Ansari’s candidacy, followed by a humiliating boxing match at the Sandakan airport.

Along the way, Anwar burned his bridges with local party SAPP, the one and only party that left the BN government to help Anwar.

Anwar is creating enemies of friends everywhere. DAP in Sarawak, SNAP, SAPP, Hindraf, NGOs, MCLM, Movement for Change Sarawak and many other groups.

Pakatan to form the next government will need to rally more people from a bigger spectrum to take on the BN. What Anwar and his henchmen are doing is to drive away people who could help him become Prime Minister.

Are Azmin and Tian Chua and Anwar’s inner circle worried that more people will share their power when they form the next government? When will Anwar ever learn?

Malaysia Video Raises An Outcry

We've gained the attention of the Wall Street Journal for all the wrong reasons again.

----------------

By JAMES HOOKWAY

The wife of embattled Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Tuesday that he isn't the man featured in a videotape having sex with another woman, condemning the airing of the clip as a crude attempt to smear his reputation ahead of a series of vital elections.

Parts of the video were leaked onto the Internet on Monday, triggering a flurry of speculation over whether the man in it really is Mr. Anwar. The opposition leader, who once served as Malaysia's deputy prime minister, has already said he isn't the man shown in the grainy, black-and-white film, and he describes it to reporters as "an evil plot."

Read the rest of it online: Malaysia Video Raises Questions And An Outcry

BN - Without Doubt, They Are Goofballs!

Someone went through a lot of trouble to make that video.

Apparently, this sex video was meant to be among BN's potential weapons for the 13th General Elections.

But what made them dust it off in a hurry and use it now: the Sarawak state elections. You and I know that Sarawak is going to be the Kingmaker in the coming General Elections.

BN’s internal polling revealed that BN could potentially lose far too many seats in the state elections due to anger towards Taib Mahmud, the Chief Minister of Sarawak who has indiscreetly hoarded wealth for himself without any regard for the State.

In fact, BN’s internal polling shows that Taib’s party PBB itself is projected to lose about 50% of its seats and SUPP to lose all its seats.

Yet, their projection is that BN will still win, but with a much reduced majority. They figured they would not gain the 2/3 majority and even just win by around 55-60% majority (as predicted by Raja Petra in his video).

BN needs to win Sarawak big time in order to keep as many Parliament seats in 13th GE.

So Najib and Muhyiddin both went to see Taib in Sarawak about 2 weeks ago. Never have the PM and deputy PM ever gone to visit a state together. This suggests they must have been concerned. Very concerned.

They went to pressure Taib to resign and appoint a caretaker CM before state elections in the faint hope that with Taib leaving, the Sarawakians would forget, cool down - be less angry and vindictive when voting.

Perhaps BN hoped it would still win handsomely.

The story is that Taib assured them that he would consider it seriously, but Taib threw a shocker.

He sent off Najib and Muhyiddin at the airport but as soon as the plane took off, Taib called for a press conference in the airport itself.

He announced that he was going to dissolve the state assembly in the next week, and would remain as CM and retire only after the elections - after a transition period to enable the new CM to get up to speed.

Najib and Muhyiddin got the shocking news after they landed in KLIA. Taib had just showed them the finger. Awesome or what??!! :-)

Since the state assembly dissolution was already announced, nothing could be done. What was even more intimidating is that Pakatan Rakyat was getting stronger by the day in Sarawak. Something needed to be done.

So, they resurrected Anwar’s purported sex tape to destroy PKR’s credibility, hoping that people will be wary of the Opposition.

But they didn't let the experts plan the moves. They were in a hurry and made some crucial mistakes.

Talk about dumb-asses trying to frame people without goofing up:

- The room that was used to screen the tape to reporters at Carcosa was booked by of all people, Risda - a federal govt agency!!

- Risda’s chairman is Rahim Thamby Chik, the guy who raped an underaged girl once (but escaped scot-free). He is strongly linked to UMNO.

- The room in Carcosa was actually booked by the Timbalan Ketua Umno Bhg Bukit Gantang, who just happens to be the special officer to Rahim Thamby Chik.

The dude paid for it by credit card and worst of all... are you ready for this...?

He asked for a goddamn corporate discount by using his Risda corporate account!!

Datuk T - The Bumbling Trio

People in glass houses should not throw stones.


I guess Rahim Thamby Chik isn't aware of that bit of advice or perhaps he assumed that people have forgotten his statutory rape some years back.

Sadly for him, neither I nor a CRANKSHAFT reader Joshua Lopez, had forgotten. I doubt we're the only ones who remember.

We claim to be a conservative nation. We collectively indulge in a lot of moral policing. And yet, sex is always at the forefront of Malaysian politics.

I think there is probably a good number of Malaysians who are very intrigued about whether Anwar did it or not. A bigger number (judging from the people I have spoken to on this topic) don't believe Anwar is guilty of all these sexual accusations.

The rest don't give a rat's ass if he did it or not. After all, each new accusation revolves around an adult male or female.

The last thing I would want to do is to judge someone over his sexual morality, especially among consenting adults.

It would be different if it involved animals (bestiality) or children (pedophilia).

In fact, it is Rahim Thamby Chik who has a very dubious pedophilic past behind him. Not Anwar Ibrahim.

Not to mention Shuib Lazim who should be hanging his head in shame for peddling his shameless rhetoric of racism and bigotry.

I don't know who this Shazryl Eskay is - but he completes the UMNO frame-up task force.

It is a very bumbling and incompetent team that wouldn't be able to convince the nation of their absence of a political motive even if they danced the entire Swan Lake ballet in a pink tutu.

Same Old Garbage Again About Anwar Ibrahim!!

It was a friend living abroad who first alerted me to this fiasco via email. So much for me slinking into the office and thinking it was going to be an uneventful Monday.

Oh no, a scandalous video had to show up.

The said fiasco was unveiled to the mainstream media with much pomp and ceremony - complete with confiscation of cameras and all recording devices outside the room, and journalists made to dress in robes before being allowed in to view the footage.

They had Sodomy I. Then came Sodomy II. But they cannot help but continue to flog a dead horse, in the hopes that it might suddenly get up and start galloping.


Hence, some BN-inspired twit had the lack of creativity to come up with a musical of Anwar Ibrahim doing the horizontal lambada with some East Asian woman (but of course), purported to be a pr0stitute.

"Anwar is not a pious person with high moral value and integrity as portrayed, and therefore he is not fit to be a leader," they said in the statement signed only "The Insider".

Okay, it wasn't a musical, but if they were going to subject us to this same old crap, they could have at least put in some effort.

Anwar, of course denies it. He needn't have bothered - no one worth their salt would actually believe that he was the star of this CCTV invasion of privacy.

Not even his detractors, of whom I am one.

In fact, I am almost inclined to believe it was a plan hatched up by Anwar Ibrahim himself to boost his flagging popularity.

Nothing brings support as much as sympathy for a man much wronged.

In The Eyes Of The World

There is a very fine line between staying credible and becoming ridiculous. But our favourite news agency has tottered over the edge after spinning itself dizzy.

It began with reporting Old Nyanyuk's "woes" as described in his delusional autobiography.

Apparently, Old Nyanyuk finds himself nursing a grudge against Anwar for making him look bad with his internationally publicised sodomy charges.

Now, this is rich, considering Anwar got himself imprisoned for a few years, had his reputation smeared, his eye bruised and bloodied, and his career in tatters.

The charges? The act of sodomy between two consenting adult males? How could that be anything but a personal matter??

Is it not convenient that those charges came at a critical moment when Old Nyanyuk found himself potentially ousted from office by a then strong contender?

With these charges being of such a private nature, could there really be impartial, unbiased rulings with untampered evidence?

The very act of imprisoning Anwar is criminal. And yet, they talk about joining the International Criminal Court.

Mongolian models have been blown up with C4 explosives and no one charged for the crime but two commandos with no clear motives - how could it even begin to be credible?

We have a monstrous record for deaths in custody. Citizens are dying in the brutal hands of the police, the very people supposed to be protecting them. It is truly shocking.

With our human rights record: abusing participants of street protests, tear-gassing them, spraying them with chemical laced water and beating them among other things, how could we as a nation be seen by the world as anything but overrun by despots?

This news agency either has a grim sense of humour or a severe lack of comprehension.

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.

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.

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.

Sodomy, The Sequel

From The Economist:

Malaysia's opposition leader on trial

PUTTING an opposition leader on trial inevitably carries a whiff of politics. When that leader is Anwar Ibrahim, and the charge is sodomy, the same accusation used in 1998 to wreck his political career and confine him to jail for six years, the whiff becomes a stink. Mr Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, is playing a familiar role in “Sodomy II”, as the newest case is known. He is in the dock again, but in the court of public opinion it is Malaysia’s judiciary and its political masters who face the judgment of a sceptical nation.

On May 10th the defence began its cross-examination of a former aide to Mr Anwar, Saiful Bukhari. In February he testified that Mr Anwar sodomised him in a borrowed flat on June 26th 2008.

In Malaysia “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, even between consenting adults.

A conviction would automatically bar Mr Anwar from politics for five years and send his parliamentary coalition into disarray.

Mr Saiful, now aged 25, is the prosecution’s star witness. Karpal Singh, the doughty chief defence lawyer and an opposition MP, began by asking about Mr Saiful’s acquaintance with the prime minister, Najib Razak. Mr Anwar’s team claims that a political conspiracy has been undertaken to discredit him. The government denies it strenuously. But the circumstances of Mr Saiful’s accusation remain murky.

Mr Saiful has told the court that he went to visit Mr Najib, then deputy prime minister, at his house on June 24th 2008—two days before the alleged incident—to talk with him about his own troubles. That an ordinary citizen should have been granted such access has stoked suspicions. On the very same day, Mr Saiful went to see a police officer who played a key role in “Sodomy I”. Later, according to Mr Saiful’s testimony, he spoke by phone with Malaysia’s senior cop. How did he get the number? asked Mr Singh. Overheard it from Mr Najib, came the rather feeble reply.

Other questions touched on the findings of the doctors who examined Mr Saiful. Two days after the alleged molestation, they found no sign of penetration. Another doctor wrote that the witness had inserted a plastic object into his backside. “Nothing wrong with your anus. Why all this fuss?” asked Mr Singh, crossly. Challenged over the medical reports, Mr Saiful protested that he could not see his own anus. The judge concurred.

Malaysians have grown used to such smut in the courtroom. Mr Anwar’s first trial featured a crusty mattress that the prosecution said was stained with his semen, proof of sodomy. Mr Anwar was released in 2004 only after it was ruled that testimony against him had been coerced. Four years later, as Mr Anwar prepared to stand for office again, with hopes of toppling a shaky government, Mr Saiful joined his campaign as a volunteer. Whatever the merits of his complaint, it is hard not to suspect a political hand at work. Mr Singh seems determined to reveal whose.

The trial has proved a distraction for Mr Anwar. His party has suffered a string of defections and lost a recent by-election. Another by-election looms in the important state of Sarawak on May 16th. The trial has forced Mr Anwar to cut short his campaigning. He has managed to keep up his foreign jaunts though, staying on the international stage, and chiding Mr Najib’s government for having hired an American lobbying firm to raise Malaysia’s profile.

In 1998, when Mr Anwar was first taken down, his supporters thronged the streets. Reactions this time have been more muted. Foreign governments took a dim view of Sodomy I; America’s vice president at the time, Al Gore, said it “mocked international standards of justice”. Twelve years ago Malaysia was teetering on the brink of financial ruin, and nervous foreign investors looked to Mr Anwar as a safer pair of hands.

Fearing a power grab, the prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, sacked his uppity deputy and imposed capital controls. This time Malaysia’s finances are in fairly good shape and it is the rich world that is fretting over deficits. It may find less to say about Sodomy II.

Malaysia, Not Anwar, Is In The Dock

The Wall Street Journal ran an editorial beginning of this month.

Guess who responded today? Check this link to find out: Malaysia Upholds the Rule of Law

Like someone once said, if you shine a beam of light through this imbecile’s left ear, it travels unimpeded and exits through the right.

The Outcome Of The Trial

I am always impressed when the big time journos like the Washington Post sit up and pay attention to Malaysian politics.

This is no exception: Why the prosecution of Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim matters to the West


I think this would be something you might like to read for yourself - it is probably Malaysia's most famous trial.