Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, interviewed on China's CCTV
In Comparison: And here is Ong Ka Ting, President of Malaysian Chinese Association, a Malaysian Chinese speaking Chinese
Ong Ka Ting Giving a Speech in Kuala Lumpur
Here is WHY AUSTRALIANS KICKED OUT the Liberal Coalition Party and REPLACED the Federal Government of former Prime Minister John Howard, after (only)11 years, with the Opposition Party.
"... For more than ELEVEN years, John Howard led us (Australians) on a voyage driven by greed and fear, into parochialism and paranoia, selfishness and racism, bigotry and corruption, and other dark places in the Australian psyche where we NEVER should have gone.
It was a mean and ugly trip, and it will take us all a long time to recover...."
- Mungo MacCallum. Read here for more
When Australian voters say "Enough is enough " with their Government, they walk the talk and ACT on it at the General Election. WHAT ABOUT MALAYSIANS?.... after 50 years of the SAME Government led by UMNO ?
(paraphrased into Malaysian context):
Malaysian (especially our Malay) voters should ask themselves this question:
Have Malaysians (especially Malays) been taken on a 50-year voyage by this UMNO-led Government, "driven by greed and fear, into parochialism and paranoia, selfishness and racism, bigotry and corruption, and other dark places in the MALAYSIAN/Malay psyche where Malaysians/Malays NEVER should have gone ?"
A vote for MCA or MIC, is still a vote for UMNO to run this country. For example... and many many more....
here for more
“Their (government) action shows that they have taken the rakyat and us members of the Royal Commission for fools,” noted a disappointed Aziz (photo) in a hard-hitting speech at a forum on the SCC organised by opposition party DAP in Kuala Lumpur last night.
“Yet the government today has seen fit to change all that. It is a MOCKERY. It shows total disdain for fairness, justice and equity. It shows TOTAL disrespect for public opinion. This is not the sort of document we want to see as part of our laws in this country. In fact, it is an insult to Parliament itself. So to say I’m disappointed is a really an understatement. I think this sense of disappointment, the sense of quiet outrage is shared by all right-thinking people - hoping that at long last this would be a rare opportunity for Malaysia to change the way the police work in this country, " says Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim Read
This affair is one of the many examples from the present administration that reveals conflict of interest, corruption and mismanagement involving politicians, business interests and public officials.
Despite directives from the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, no explanation is yet forthcoming from the Chief Secretary to the Government. Not a single person has been held accountable for this fiasco. ..." Read here for more
... MCA Minister Chan Kong Choy and his predecessor former President of MCA Ling Liong Sik had abused their powers by sending letters of support committing the government as guarantor for any financial liabilities of the Port Klang Authority (PKA) for the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project. Ling and Chan wrote four letters expressing the government’s undertaking to subsidiary companies of the PKFZ’s turnkey contractor, Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB). The four subsidiary companies are Special Port Vehicle Bhd., Transshipment Megahub Bhd., Valid Ventures Bhd. and Free Zone Capital Bhd. Developer KDSB had raised funds for the RM4.6 billion PKFZ project through the issuance of bonds purported through such a guarantee.
I have said this before and I will say it again that the whole thing smacks of corruption and gross abuse of power. A full and independent investigative audit should be carried out to determine the extent of the Government’s liability,...To date, I believe the Attorney General has not yet been called by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to answer questions pertaining to the dubious land sale which led to the huge cost overruns and now require a bail-out for the PKA. Read here for more by "Ancient Mariner"Blog
It is most unfortunate that in recent years, there have been mounting instances of disrespect and insensitivity of those in power and authority for the rights and sensitivities of non-Muslim Malaysians.
The most serious example were the recent triple insensitivities during this year's Deepavali – the Festival of Light celebrated by Hindus.
Firstly, there was the insensitive and sacrilegious demolition of the 40-year-old Sri Maha Mariaman Temple in Kampung Rimba Jaya in Shah Alam when Deepavali was just a week away.
This was followed by the disrespect and insensitivity when the Umno General Assembly was held on Deepavali – imagine the protest and outrage if the MCA or MIC had held their general assemblies during the Hari Raya holidays.
But there was a third strike – when Umno Deputy Youth Leader and the Prime Minister's son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin went on a rampage against the Indian community at the Umno General Assembly, telecast on RTM, blaming the Indian news vendors for taking a national press holiday during Deepavali and blacking Abdullah's speech as Umno President the next day...Read here for more
by Hizami Iskandar
" ... 5 Hindraf leaders have been detained under the ISA, with 2-year detention orders under s.8 having been signed by the Prime Minister.
To me, when I look at the ISA, I see a choice between what is easy, and what is right.
There's no denying that the ISA is the EASY choice.
- It is easy to just trust that the government knows best; that they know what they are doing.So very easy.
-It is easy to not have to bring out evidence and sensitive inteligence into open court, and to ask the people to trust that the evidence exists.
- It is easy to look at these 'troublemakers', and think, at least we have a superweapon that can make sure they can't ever hurt anyone, even though it's not actually proven beyond reasonable doubt that they will do so.
- It is easy to know that your government can strike pre-emptively at people, and keep you safe.
- It is easy to see all those people arrested under the ISA as 'them'; to never think that you might ever agree with what they say or do; to think that tomorrow, it could ever be you, or any of your loved ones.
But does that make it RIGHT ? I don't believe so.
And the simplest reason for this is one of natural justice - how can you punish a person without having proved her crime, and without giving her the chance to disprove the allegations made against her? This is natural justice, for the simple reason that we do it all the time.
Justice demands that if it is disputed by the alleged wrongdoer, then it must be proven, and the alleged wrongdoer must be given a chance to defend herself. And all this takes place under the watchful eye of a neutral arbiter.
None of this happens under the ISA.
- The government does not have to prove its case - no evidence needs to be tendered in a court of law. The alleged wrongdoer has no chance of defence - she gets picked up, and processed immediately.We also need to remember that the ISA has been a cover for torture in the past. We only need to look at the recent judgment in the case of Abdul Malik Husin to see judicial condemnation of the torture inflicted on him during the course of his ISA detention.
- As for the neutral arbiter? The ISA detainee has not been convicted in a court of law, by the judgment of an free and independent judge - she has been sentenced by the act of a single signature.
- And ever since the government restricted further the jurisdiction of the courts to examine the grounds of detention, even habeas corpus will not avail her.
It happens, we cannot deny it, and it is a very powerful reason to do away with the ISA. Secrecy breeds torture. Just read the judgment, and understand the depth of suffering that was inflicted on En. Abdul Malik.
The record of ISA usage in Malaysia includes a whole lot of opposition leaders and NGO activists and political dissenters, not to mention passport forgerers - all of whom aren't exactly the next Al-Qaeda or Tamil Tiger bomber, in my humble opinion.
But yes, at least half of the current detainees are suspected KMM or JI members. Please bear in mind, however, that links with Tamil Tigers aside, Hindraf does not strike me as a terrorist threat.
Have we so easily forgotten the Prophet's advice: better to let a thousand guilty men go free than to punish one innocent? That is the balance of justice in Islam.
What we should be doing is countering the rhetoric with a genuine desire to help our Malaysian Indian brothers, and framing this as part of a drive to help all Malaysians who still live in poverty and deprivation.
Instead of thinking that people are automatically going to riot the more they listen to Hindraf, we should be saying: we should not resort to violence, but we must do all we can to help each other. Yes, it's a whole lot harder than just shutting them up with the ISA. But which is easy, and which is right?
I ask you to please think about the question of justice.... And if you believe, as I do, that the ISA completely offends against that natural justice, then I would ask you to at least join all the other Malaysians who now say to our government: we choose what is right, over what is easy; and if you choose what is easy, over what is right, then let not this injustice be done in our name. "
Read here for more
As expected, the Malaysian Government's reaction was to demonise the demonstrators, block the roads, call in the riot police and have the demonstrators arrested, chased and tear-gassed in the streets of the capital.
Its difficult for any leader to listen to the people when he is gassing them at the same time. Its equally difficult for there to be any meaningful dialogue between the state and the population when the latter are demonised as anarchists, un-patriotic trouble-makers, foreign agents, etc as soon as they show the slightest signs of protest.
Prime Minister Badawi had appealed to the Malaysian public to give him time, feedback and support. The demonstration of frustration and the demand for reform happen to be precisely the sort of feedback he needs at the moment, one could argue.
Yet Badawi’s reaction on the eve of the Bersih demonstration was to threaten the demonstrators with arrest and to state bluntly that he will not be challenged.
Is this the REAL face of the benevolent administration that came to the power on the promise that the leader would listen to the Malaysian public, and which asked Malaysians to ‘work with me, and not for me’? Read here for more
Related article
AUSTRALIA: Newly Elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at Bali Kyoto Conference Read here for more and here
Kevin Rudd strode the world stage with ease, a product of his background in the diplomatic service.
He instinctively understands the demands of protocol -- a stark contrast with John Howard who, on his first trips overseas, resembled something of a broken toy soldier on an unfamiliar parade ground.
Rudd's easy demeanour was helped immeasurably by the greeting the Australian team received in Bali. The 10,000 delegates embraced Rudd and his ministers with genuine warmth.
"It was like we were all rock stars," one told me.
And watching wave after wave of UN officials wanting to shake their hands, you could believe it.
None of the ministers put a foot wrong. Treasurer Wayne Swan built on the increasingly close work Australian Treasury officials have been doing in recent times with their Indonesian counterparts.
When it came time for the group finance ministers photo, the hosts placed Swan on the right hand of Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyno.
World Bank president and former US Under-Secretary of State, Bob Zoellick, was pushed to one side -- a measure of how far Washington was on the outer over its continued refusal to sign up to Kyoto.
Stephen Smith was assured and looks like he'll fit the surprise appointment as Australian Foreign Minister like a glove.
Climate Change Minister (Malaysian born) Penny Wong won high praise from Green groups, not for bending to their will, but for her tough-minded focus and clear articulation of Australia's position.
Despite being in the job less than a fortnight, she was the country's chief negotiator and acted like it.
Environment Minister Peter Garrett (of former rock band 'Midnight Oil), despite being muzzled in favour of Wong, enjoyed himself immensely. Whatever you may have thought of his troubled election campaign, given his Green activist past, there was simply no naysaying Garrett's impact in Bali. His mere presence was a statement about the changed direction of Australian policy.
While Rudd was suitably statesmanlike in his formal appearances, elsewhere we got a glimpse of what is likely to be a less-buttoned-down prime ministership than that of John Howard.
"Please, call me Kevin," was his greeting.
From Australia's perspective the Bali meeting was a conspicuous success.
New PM Kevin Rudd has repositioned Australia by signalling Kyoto Protocol ratification.
Rudd sent the message that he would not be intimidated by European-led crusades that are more about politics than solving climate change.
Rudd and his Climate Change Minister Penny Wong made an excellent start in having Australia operate as a diplomatic bridge builder between developed and developing nations.
Penny Wong was asked to chair the pivotal working group that devised the final text, a task she accepted on the proviso that there was a co-chair from the developing world (Argentina).
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