What We Knew Then And Now

It's curiously funny when you go back in time and read about things that are crystal clear today, but were murky and uncorroborated back then.

Kee Thuan Chye's opinion piece about Arul Kanda is seemingly prescient for back in 2016: Will it be checkmate for Arul Kanda?

An excerpt here:

What was it that Arul allegedly lied about?

In February 2015, he said in an interview with the Singapore Business Times that 1MDB had redeemed US$1.103 billion from its offshore account in the Cayman Islands and parked it in a Singapore-based branch of Swiss bank BSI Bank.

“The cash is in our accounts … I can assure you … I have seen the statements,” he attested. Note his confident tone.

But it turned out there was no cash. In May, the Government admitted that the redeemed US$1.103 billion was actually in the form of “units”.

In June, 1MDB laughably sought to get Arul off the hook by stating that he “never said he ‘saw the cash’” and that he was “on the record as saying he had ‘seen the statements’.”

That was stupid. Anybody could see that Arul and 1MDB were trying to twist words. After all, he also was on record saying “the cash is in our accounts”, so how could he wriggle out of that?

Anyway, in October, Sarawak Report published on its website minutes of a 1MDB board meeting that took place in January 2015 at which Arul gave “detailed assurances to board members that there was indeed cash in the so-called Brazen Sky company account at BSI Bank”.

This cash-but-no-cash episode is very telling of what Arul’s mission amounts to. Even more telling is the refusal of 1MDB under Arul’s watch to provide details of the company’s foreign banking transactions to the PAC and the Auditor-General. Such information is crucial in determining, for example, whether a US$700 million transfer made by 1MDB to an account belonging to Good Star Ltd was legitimate.

More significant than that are the billions of dollars of unexplained payments – totalling at least US$3.51 billion – made to Aabar Investments PJS Limited registered in the British Virgin Islands.

According to the PAC report, 1MDB has not clarified whether this company was linked to the Abu Dhabi-registered Aabar Investments PJS that is a subsidiary of International Petroleum Investment Corp (IPIC), which actually declared to the London Stock Exchange this month that the Virgin Islands Aabar “was not an entity” within IPIC or Aabar Investments PJS.

If the Virgin Islands Aabar is not a company that 1MDB had legitimate business dealings with, then it is incumbent on Arul to provide the essential information to set the record straight.

Why hasn’t he done it? Why did he not furnish the PAC with the required foreign banking information? What is he trying to hide?

We now know what he was trying to hide.

Today we have made the connection to Goldman Sachs, and the ridiculously poor business practices they had with dubiously corrupted leaders in Asia.

Most recently, Malaysia is seeking US$7.5bil in reparations from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. I hardly think this is enough considering we were defrauded since 2013 and the funds, well-invested, would have greatly enriched our nation.

It annoys me that a greedy fool like Najib was allowed to remain in position for so long before finally getting removed. Even today, he still has ardent supporters who claim that he is being framed "for political reasons".

It also makes sense that Attorney General Tommy Thomas, when confronted about reports of him filing a suit in New York claiming US$5.1 billion from Goldman, said that those reports were “premature”; simply because it wasn't the full sum that they were claiming at all.

I don't agree with everything that Pakatan Harapan stands for, but when it comes to the 1MDB case, I am glad that they are on the ball.

Related: Malaysia seeks $7.5bn damages from Goldman over 1MDB scandal

GM Lay-Offs Extremely Depressing

I don't know if these are the stirrings of a tide that is to turn against Trump. It probably may not though, as his steadfast supporters haven't exactly been those who take thoughtful deliberation over emotion.

General Motors make a lot of cars, albeit not always well. They own a lot of brands. They diversify their operations and they certainly diversify their product.

Most of their American operations is based in the midwest, specifically in Michigan and Ohio. If you have ever lived in the US or met any midwesterners, you would know that these places are called the rust belt, i.e. there used to be quite a bit of industrial activity in the past, but that has largely waned - mostly because the jobs went east.

As Robert Reich writes in the Guardian:

Last week GM announced it would cut about 14,000 jobs in the politically vital swing states of Michigan and Ohio.

This doesn’t quite square with the giant $1.5tn tax cut Trump and the Republicans in Congress enacted last December. Its official rationale was to help big corporations make more investments in America and thereby create more jobs. Trump then told Ohio residents “don’t sell your homes”, because lost auto-making jobs “are all coming back”.

GM got a nice windfall from the tax cut. The company has already saved more than $150m this year, according to GM’s latest financial report. But many of those Ohio residents probably should have sold their homes.

What did GM do with the money that they got from the tax cut and the wages they do not have to pay anymore? They bought back their own shares!! - this is frequently done to boost the share price.

Reich continues:

In 2010, when GM emerged from the bailout and went public again, it boasted to Wall Street that it was making 43% of its cars in places where labor cost less than $15 an hour, while in North America it could now pay “lower-tiered” wages and benefits for new employees.

So this year, when the costs of producing many of its cars in Ohio and Detroit got too high (due in part to Trump’s tariffs on foreign steel), GM simply decided to shift more production to Mexico in order to boost profits.

In light of GM’s decision, Trump is also demanding the company close one of its plants in China. But this raises a second reality of shareholder-first global capitalism that has apparently been lost on Trump: GM doesn’t make many cars in China for export to the United States. Almost all of the cars it makes in China are for sale there.

In fact, GM is now making and selling more cars in China than it does in the United States. “China is playing a key role in the company’s strategy,” says GM’s CEO, Mary Barra.

Even as Trump has escalated his trade war with China, GM has invested in state-of-the-art electrification, autonomous vehicles and ride-sharing technologies there.

I don't know what to say. America is shooting itself in the foot on a rather consistent basis.

There's a part of me that agrees with Robert Reich. The emphasis on keeping shareholders happy while depressing workers' wages is wrong.

But I lived and worked in the US as an engineer for 5 years. During that time, I was always looking to prove my worth (yes, I know, typical Malaysian inferiority complex) and add value to whatever I was doing.

The unfortunate part was that my American co-workers were less keen on going the extra mile. It was always assumed that they were entitled to the job they had and the key thing was to keep to themselves what they knew, lest someone steal their job from them.

The problem with that is, this sort of defensiveness suppresses innovation. It only encourages complacency. Americans think that their nation is (and to be fair, it once was) successful because they are an inherently successful race of people.

It may not be quite so obvious to the average joe, but if you think carefully, this is White Supremacy 101. This is also something that Malaysians are frankly unable to understand and digest because they have been shafted over by Malaysian politicians too many times.

From the Malaysian perspective (and understandably so), the brown guy is every bit as bad as the white one. No Malaysian really thinks that Malaysians are exceptional to other races, regardless of what our slogans may regurgitate.

But bear with me when I say that American Exceptionalism is actually a novel and unassailable way of expressing white supremacy - which is why when Trump dog-whistled, they came running.

This is why they are comfortable sharing technology with the Chinese, because deep in their hearts, they cannot come to believe that the Chinese would have equivalent ability to take over the industry, learn their skill better than themselves and one day have economic and socio-political dominion in the world.

I don't know why Chinese people like American cars. I have never owned one - preferring Japanese cars myself, having owned two of them in my lifetime.

Perhaps it's because Chinese have been deprived of Western culture having lived under the heavy-handed rule of Communism for so long. Maybe American cars, which in my personal opinion, are neither aesthetically appealing nor exceptional in performance, are a symbol of freedom to the Chinese.

One day the Chinese will acquire a sense of entitlement and superiority, just like the Americans today. It's the circle of life, after all.

But for now, they are slowly but surely plodding ahead, and the Americans, once the people who were gung-ho to achieve anything, are blissfully oblivious.

Update: Trump’s Broken Promise to General Motors | The Daily Show

Predicting Financial Crashes

Everyone enjoys a good, "I told you so" moment. Not least of all, American media.

Newsweek has come up with an extremely ominous sounding article predicting that THERE COULD BE A FINANCIAL CRASH BEFORE END OF TRUMP'S FIRST TERM.

Even Goldman Sachs (of 1MDB money-laundering complicity) has weighed in on the situation, predicting that this year's U.S. fiscal outlook would be "not good". Well.

Makes you want to sell up all your earthly possessions and go live in a bunker, doesn't it?

The US of A is a land of hype, and has been for the last 50 years since things got going for them, so they struggle with communicating issues in moderation, and they frequently live in a polarised state.

If you've observed them (and not just during election season), you would observe that the Democrats and Republicans even struggle to see eye to eye on almost anything!

Two things though: student debt and household debt.

Those have skyrocketed from the good ole 60s. Most households today in 2018 do not have any savings set aside for a rainy day, given that a significant portion even live on minimum credit card payment.

This household debt is even higher than the 2008 subprime mortgage lending crisis; that's how serious it is!

Now you may say that this is also common in Malaysia, and I would agree, because another thing we have in common with the US is a massive deficit that will take ages to settle, thanks to the monumental 1MDB fiasco.

The difference is, the new Malaysian government actually appears to be alarmed by this and is taking cautious measures to combat this. The US government on the other hand, is blissfully talking about building a wall, hitting China with tariffs and developing a ridiculous program called Space Force (which given their deficit is just ...)!

I don't see how the US is going to repay its debts. US economic commentator Peter Schiff says, "The U.S. government is going to be given a choice between defaulting on the debt, or else massive runaway inflation."

It is no longer the most technologically advanced nation; it has been overtaken by China. The US, sadly, has been paralysed by complacency and a sense of entitlement.

Its saving grace? Migrants. Thousands from all over the world. But now that Trump makes them feel unwelcome, they will probably up and leave at some point.

They are held back from returning to their native countries because of religious and socio-economic politics (Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan) and lack of progress on the ground (India). Most Chinese migrants have beef with China, as do the Japanese with Japan.

It's a bit arrogant to start predicting when it would happen. Brexit has artificially boosted the US economy because investors have lost confidence in the UK and even EU. So the US unwittingly became a safe haven.

What the investors don't see is China happily wooing the very countries that America, in its infinite wisdom, has snubbed. These include African, Latin American countries and the Caribbean, not to mention the neglected cities of America - like Flint and Detroit.

The US isn't the fortress of economic superiority as it once was. It is no longer the country that was brought to its knees as it staggered through the 1920s Depression - and still emerged triumphant.

Nothing could be more ironic when seen through hindsight.

The financial crash will happen, but I wouldn't bother predicting when.

Related: Total student debt in America now exceeds cost of Iraq War

Centre In KL To Combat IS Propaganda

Okay. I don't like Islamic State or Daesh or whatever. They are stupid, vicious and a waste of space.

But when I hear that the US wants to set up a centre in KL to counter Islamic State’s online propaganda, I am going, "Whaaaaat?"

After all, the US is responsible for the propagation of IS.

If George Bush hadn't invaded Iraq and Afghanistan; leaving women and children dead and enraging thousands of young Muslim men, there would not have been a reason for IS to thrive.

They themselves have clearly acknowledged that, "public statements from US government officials condemning the group could easily be used by it as a recruitment tool".

Ah well. Perhaps we shall know in time to come, whether this was a good idea or not.

Is Malaysia Complicit In CIA Torture?

Let me get this straight. Malaysia calls itself a Muslim country.

It claims to uphold the ideals of a peaceful nation. It protests against the brutality of Israel against Palestine.

But Malaysia assists the CIA in torturing not just human beings, but predominantly Muslim people?

Really Malaysia, are you the running dogs of the United States of America?

Shame on you.

Malaysia And America

It is no secret that the American government has somewhat unconventional torture methods when dealing with potential or suspected terrorists.

Guantanamo Bay is probably the most famous holding centre.

But what is truly surprising, is the Malaysian government's involvement in detaining suspects in collaboration with the CIA.

The BN government has always been very vocal in opposing Washington, mostly in attempts to posture before the predominantly Muslim public.

Every time there is an issue regarding Palestine in particular or Islam in general, there is a public demonstration (this time, without the tear-gassing and chemical-laced water being sprayed all over the participants) outside the American Embassy.

It is no secret that the average Malay Muslim does not like the US and is not keen on cooperating with the Americans.

In fact, the most common (and possibly effective) form of smear campaigns in Malaysia is to associate any organisation or person with the Americans.

Anwar Ibrahim was accused of being an American spy, when he met William Cohen (U.S. Secretary of Defense). Subsequently the accusation was toned down to being just a "tool of America to gain control over Malaysia".

Anwar did get to turn the tables when he linked APCO to Najib's 1Malaysia slogan. Which goes to show that America and its support of Israel is a rather sensitive topic in Malaysia.

More recently is the accusation of Suaram, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL), the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) as well as news portal Malaysiakini as being tools for foreign hands to destabilise the Malaysian government.

This came about because the US-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has provided funds for those NGOs.

The allegations are ludicrous, but they are useful as smear campaigns, especially for those who don't bother to check the facts.

So for all the smearing that the BN government of Malaysia does against the USA, it is actually in cahoots with them.

The irony.

Fix US

American readers of CRANKSHAFT may find this intriguing:

http://www.fixus.us/

In the own words of these citizen journalists, "Fix*us is a campaign about giving you the platform to weigh in on some of the biggest issues."

No country is perfect, be it Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, UK or the USA. The problem with democracy, in spite of it being possibly the best political system there is, is that the politicians are always trying to run it their way.

The responsibility is on us as citizens to remind them that they serve us and not themselves.

This is something Malaysians can take on as well. Actually, it has been done -- we have our very own UndiMsia!

But do take a look at this concept by LiveCitizen.

Being A Citizen Journalist

I think it is safe to assume that the US government allows street protests, but within a limited time frame.

After that, they get just as brutal and violent as the Malaysian police.

Any instance or place in which the authorities get violent on peaceful dissenters is wrong. And these instances should be documented for all and sundry to see.

Check out: RAW VIDEO - Cop Runs Over Wall Street Protester's Leg

We can't always rely on the mainstream media, for most of the time, they are owned by corporations that have a vested interest in keeping certain news from public knowledge -- especially if it concerns them.

That's why we need Citizen Journalists.

Gizmodo has given a comprehensive list of things to do and not to do when playing the role of Citizen Journalist.

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.

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.

Results, Not Rhetoric

We're obviously full of talk, and next to nothing on substance.

And reaching new heights on the Malaysia Boleh scale, we have been blacklisted by the United States for human trafficking.

The government has protested and called the blacklisting unfair treatment.

But the US is obviously not gullible.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The United States welcomes Malaysia's crackdown on human trafficking, but wants to see "results rather than rhetoric" before it can remove the Southeast Asian country from a blacklist, a senior official said Thursday.

Several alleged traffickers, including government officials colluding with them, have been arrested and charged in recent weeks after Malaysia was labeled one of the world's worst offenders in a U.S. State Department report released in June.

The prosecutions were "heartening," Luis CdeBaca, a top State Department official, told reporters at the end of a three-day visit to Malaysia where he met with government officials and aid groups.

But "we are looking for sustainability. We want to make sure that cases are brought (to court) not simply in the interim period," he said.

Check out our status on Human Trafficking.

Half the time, it's the Malaysian immigration officers who are guilty of the crime:
Malaysian Officers Held over Burmese Migrant Sale
Five immigration officers nabbed for human trafficking

But for reporting the truth through her organisation Tenaganita, Irene Fernandez goes to jail.

And we're celebrating 52 years of independence? What have we achieved??

Black Or White?

There's nothing that grabs my attention more than an argument about race.

A lot of the arguments of late can be blamed on the USA as usual - or to be more specific, Barack Obama.

Now I have a friend with a long-running severe obsession over the man. Any less-than-gushing remark about Obama could potentially spark off a rant and more.

I tried once to gauge the source of her enthusiasm for Obama. Between various torrents of emotion, I gathered that she was excited about him being the "first African American man to become the president of the USA".

Frankly, I beg to differ.

He is not an African, a Negro or a Black man alone. He is also White, something that the rest of the world seems content to dismiss.

Exceptions exist, in the form of Jason Haap of Cincinnati, USA who (rightly, in my opinion) protests the "one drop rule" - that old racist theory that claimed one drop of black blood made someone forever black.

Haap is a White man who is married to a Black woman and has two multi-racial sons. But not everyone in the same situation agrees. My friend, Ax is also a White man married to a Black woman.

He, however seems to be fixated on the notion that Haap is claiming being Black is less than an ideal condition to be in. Or in his words, "offensive".

But that is the USA. What do other people around the world think?

David Aaronovitch is half Jewish. He writes for The Times. His children are also multi-racial or in his words, "who are not black and are not white, or who are both".

He makes an observation that I have, in the past, put forward before as well: "To say that Mr Obama is black is to say, in effect, that his mother had no race or that her race was somehow obliterated by her choice of husband."

It is interesting to note that in the UK, the fastest-growing ethnic category is that of mixed race.

That can never be a bad thing. I note with approval that Britons in general have become better looking in recent times, evidently a positive side-effect of miscegenation.

On another note, take a look at this two-tone miracle, repeated yet again.

How Stupid, Really?

Now this is disturbing.

You know why gullible people exist?



Because they don't travel much. I cannot emphasize how much travelling broadens the mind, and heck - in this case, knowledge.

I'm certain you couldn't have fooled me with a stunt like that. But those people on camera seem to have bought it hook, line and sinker.

Now not all Americans are like that. The joke's on you if you think they are.

I've personally met enough Americans in my lifetime to know some of them are actually very intelligent.

Somehow, I suspect Americans are also distrustful of their government and media. I think they believe they are constantly being lied to and would rather believe anyone else.

I wonder when we Malaysians will become like that.

We Hear You, Condi! You Can Stop Now...

Don't get me wrong.

I think this woman has achieved much in life.

And I'm proud of her ability to rise above the hurdles and discrimination she's faced in life.

But enough already with all that meddling!

The first time was fine.

We Malaysians do like an international mention every once in a while for our stellar human rights record. It's our publicity relations stint with the rest of the world, you see.

But after that it gets old, Condi.

Perhaps no one pointed out to you, hon, that the USA is in no position to comment about our situation. In fact, to broach the topic of human rights would be nothing short of a virulent case of hypocrisy.

Would you like a list of your international misdemeanours? I've just discovered I'm not the only one who's annoyed. Tehsin is too.

And she has a list. A nice one, which I think some of us would be quite obliged to add on to. Trust me, that ain't something you'd find particularly complimentary.

So Condoleeza - lay off, baby. Otherwise, we'd be compelled to take some action like some students in New Zealand with an inherent sense of fairness and justice.

And a good plan to go with it:

Dr Rice will fly into Auckland tonight and her minders will need to be on alert after a student group announced a reward for anyone who could arrest her.

Auckland University's Student Association is offering $5,000 to anyone who can make a citizen's arrest.

Association president David Do says Dr Rice should be ashamed of her role in the Iraq war.

"I think New Zealanders have an inherent sense of fairness and justice and they understand why we are doing it," he said.

"They see the link between what the US has done to the people of Iraq."

It's good to have civic-minded citizens of the world.

And very good to have upstanding Aussie colleagues to give me the heads-up on this. :)

The Truth Is Like Pink Bananas

When someone like Abdullah Ahmad Badawi claims that there are no threats against Anwar Ibrahim's life and that the government promises protection for him, there is only one suitable response that comes to mind:

Dude. Plug that hole.

And I'm referring to his mouth, and not the other end, lest you think I am suggesting he go get himself sodomised.

Though it wouldn't be a bad idea considering how sodomy has become so in vogue these days.

But I digress.

It astounds me that Pak Lah even bothers to declare assurances anymore. Everyone knows he lies as fluently as he snores.

Any occasion where Pak Lah utters the truth (even by accident) would be an occasion to celebrate. A moment to commemorate. Time to bring out the champagne and make a toast..

It would be as rare, unexpected, unbelievable - perhaps even confusing as, say ... pink bananas.


Now Pak Lah is either ignorant of the reputation he possesses, or in severe denial. I'd say the latter is a higher possibility.

It doesn't, however, stop him from getting offended when the USA stated that it would oppose any politically motivated investigation or prosecution against Anwar.

"The United States seems to harbour prejudice against us. The Government will not intervene in any investigation. The team carrying out the probe are professionals and they know their duties."

In your dreams. Liar.

There are no professionals left in the police force. The judiciary has its hands tied behind. This investigation is probably an exercise in futility.

I expect to see mattresses being brought to court again.

But Pak Lah cannot take the credit for being the biggest liar yet. Someone else takes the cake:

Malaysian deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak also assailed the American government for implying that the investigation could be biased.

"It is not politically motivated. The thought never even crossed our minds," he said.

I was still laughing 3 hours later.

As I said, the truth is like pink bananas.

USA: Freedom Of Expression

US defends peaceful protests in Malaysia

WASHINGTON: The United States underscored on Wednesday the rights of Malaysians to hold peaceful protests, after Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's government swiftly suppressed mass rallies and threatened to use a draconian law to detain protesters indefinitely without trial.

We believe citizens of any country should be allowed to peacefully assemble and express their views," a US State Department official said when commenting on the crackdown of unprecedented street protests in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur this month.

One called for electoral reform which drew some 30,000 people, and another by at least 8,000 ethnic Indians last Sunday was aimed at highlighting racial discrimination.

The rallies were the biggest in a decade and took place despite bans ordered by police, who broke up the gatherings with tear gas, water cannons and baton charges.

The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not go beyond his succinct statement, which was the first reaction by Washington on the rare outpouring of anti-government dissent in Malaysia.

The protests led to a veiled threat by Abdullah on Tuesday to use the controversial Internal Security Act (ISA) that allows for detention without trial to stem the dissent.

Rights groups, who have campaigned to have the ISA abolished, cautioned the prime minister against using such laws.

"It is a huge mistake for Prime Minister Abdullah to even consider using this unjust law to crack down on peaceful demonstrators," said T Kumar, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific advocacy director in Washington.

"We strongly urge him not to use it." Amnesty has also called on the US authorities to check whether excessive force was used in quelling the recent demonstrations and to oppose any use of the ISA against peaceful protests, he said.

Abdullah argued that the ISA was "a preventive measure to spare the nation from untoward incidents that can harm the prevailing peace and harmony and create all sorts of adverse things."

"So, I don't know (when to invoke the ISA), but ISA will be there. When it is appropriate to use it, it will be used," he said.

Malaysia is holding more than 100 people under the ISA, about 80 of them alleged Islamic militants. Rights groups have long campaigned for them to be freed or brought to trial.

The legislation allows for two-year detention periods that can be renewed indefinitely. The government maintains that detention without trial is needed as a first line of defence against terrorism.

US intelligence consultancy Stratfor, in a bulletin to clients this week, said the Malaysian demonstrations signaled "instability" ahead of national elections expected early next year.

"The recent demonstrations signal chaos and unpredictability to come before elections are announced, but Badawi's grip on internal security is not going to loosen any time soon," it said.

The Lure

The blog owner must be in cohorts with his advertisers. :)

And the translation:

The US government offers 50,000 permanent Green Cards this year.
You can win a green card to Live and Work in America...
Special bonus - Free flight ticket to the US for the winners
Click here for more information

The Lure

Now I know that the United States of America does have a lottery for immigrants, but I've always wondered if this USAFIS is legitimate.

The government lottery application is free but USAFIS demands payment upfront.

The ad seems all innocent-like. On the surface.

The United States government offers 50,000 permanent Green Cards this year.

You can win a green card to Reside and Work in the United States (Amerika Syarikat)...

Special Bonus - Free Flight Tickets to the USA for the winners!

Click here for further information.

Yes, I checked it out. About 5 years ago.

They seem to be pretty serious, to the extent of translating it into Malay. Is that some effort to make us feel at home, I wonder.

However, most immigrants to the US, at least from Malaysia, would at least have a reasonably good grasp of the English language.

Those who don't speak English enough to understand this advertisement would be the uneducated terrorist types, anyway.

War On Terror? Please.

It's the 4th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

I was completely oblivious to that fact until Dav of Evil Bobby fame pointed out some atrocities on the blogosphere by the name of "Blogs For Bush".

At first, I figured it was just some lame satire.

Unfortunately, there is obviously a very misguided (and I'm being generous here) individual out there called Mark Noonan who actually believes that the war in Iraq is justified.

It puzzles him that Gandhi, for all his anti-violence stance is revered worldwide. Apparently Gandhi is but a mere humbug.

Note to Mark Noonan: If you're going to refer to any names, learn how to spell them first. It's Gandhi, not Ghandi. Since I'm sure you're being paid handsomely by Bush, perhaps you should take some classes, beginning with Spelling and then perhaps move on to History.

But I digress.

I am simply irked to no end by this notion of morality. Mark Noonan claims:

Be that as it may, I believe that I have a moral obligation to prevent someone, unprovoked, from striking someone else. In other words, whack me across the face to your heart's content, but as soon as you try to strike the man next to me, you'll find me standing in your way, fighting in defense of your target.

Your naivete amazes me. In defense?

To begin with, all your sophisticated systems couldn't track down Osama bin Laden, who claimed responsibility for the 911 attack.

Instead of focusing on the real terrorists and issues/policies which led to it, your government licks its wounds and proceeds to attack Iraq, which had NO weapons of destruction. The invasion was illegal and based on false pretenses.

And that's called defense?

We cannot ever allow, if we can possibly prevent it, an unprovoked attack upon another human being - however hard it might be, we must prevent such attacks..

Really? You could have begun by preventing that completely unprovoked attack on Iraq, which until NOW has NEVER been justified.

Except for the oil, of course.

..and deter people in the future from even trying such attacks.

Good God. This is bordering on slapstick.

Pray, you are NOT preventing any attack. You're merely justifying another. Of course you're advertising for new recruits too, but don't mind me.

Look. Let's stop pussy-footing.

This is in no way a war on terror, okay?

The U.S. government has not even made a half-ass attempt to establish a decent government in Iraq.

Your troops are getting killed off in Iraq. And the average American citizen is tired of sacrificing human lives and paying for the GINORMOUS cost of the war.

As for the terrorists, they have already won.

The American population is smaller than the Middle East. It is not as dispensable either - from what I gather, most Americans value life (or at least they don't buy the notion of getting virgins in heaven for wiping out people). Today, Americans live in constant fear of attack.

On the other hand, the Middle Easterners have relatively high birthrates. They believe 'God giveth and God taketh away'. Hell, they are more than willing to indulge in their 'holy war' and become suicide bombers.

Because of this illegal invasion of Iraq, many of those who were previously opposed to the terrorists are now siding with them.

Once upon a time, I believed that Saddam Hussein should be removed. Frankly, he was a nefarious creep.

So I supported this war.

Of course, as a Malaysian, I could support the war for all I wanted.

Firstly, no loved one of mine was going to be involved. And secondly, I don't pay tax to the U.S. government to fund this war.

I've wised up since on the issue of war and violence. And for some reason, I care about people who live on the other side of the world. A pity the same can't be said for the Bush administration.

Today, it's ironic that more casualties have resulted from the American invasion than in the entire reign of Saddam Hussein.

It's such a shame. Most of the Americans I know are incredibly lovely people. They're witty, smart and fun to be with.

But the terrorist scum don't know that. They believe it is their solemn duty to exterminate as many Americans as possible because "every American is out to INVADE and PILLAGE".

Such a fallacy is perpetuated by your government, Mark Noonan, and the president you blog for.