Let's Just Call It "UMNO Election Commission". The Whole Malaysian Public Service and Police Force, Are Seen as Subservient to UMNO

Read here article by Andrew Ong in Malaysiakini

WE SAY,

We make this appeal fervently to ALL VOTERS, and we do mean, ALL ELIGIBLE VOTERS for the 7th April 2009 By-Elections, especially the YOUNG NON-Malay and Malay voters residing OUTSIDE these two by-election constituencies in Bukit Selembau, Kedah and Bukit Gantang in Perak, to please RETURN BACK TO VOTE,

It is obvious the Election Commission's decision was set out to frustrate YOUR vote.

Your vote is to tell the Election Commission it simply cannot get away with its blatant bias towards UMNO and against the Pakatan Rakyat.

To ALL eligible voters in Bukit Gantang in Perak and Bukit Selembau in Kedah:

This time around, you need to available yourself to stand up to be counted in these two by-elections.

The Commission's cowardice in the face of UMNO is making a mockery of our democratic process and making Malaysians voters look like stupid fools.

Therefore, we call upon you, wherever you may be, and however inconvenient it will be, to make a small sacrifice of YOUR time at this hour of need to protect our sense of true democracy, TO GO BACK AND VOTE, in these two by-elections in Kedah and Perak.

Keep this polling date in your memory bank: 7th April 2009 (Tuesday).

Just do it for the love of your country.
-Malaysian Unplug

The so-called neutral and independent Election Commission announced today that the by-elections for the Bukit Selembau state seat in Kedah and the Bukit Gantang parliament seat in Perak would be held simultaneously A DAY AFTER the Umno general assembly is completed - on April 7.

The polling day falls on a Tuesday, WORKING DAY, calculated move to REDUCE the amount of YOUNG and OUTSTATION voters.

Perak PAS deputy commissioner and elections director Asmuni Awi:

"Why not on a weekend?

Is it because they want outstation NON-Malay voters NOT to come back on that day?

They know that NON-Malay voters would not give their votes to BN.

It confirms that the EC is working to the tune of Barisan Nasional."

PKR chief strategist Saifuddin Nasution added that a disturbing pattern was emerging on how the EC decides on a polling date. He said,

"Wherever Pakatan is the incumbent, EC will choose a working day which will pose problems for the voters.

In the case of Permatang Pauh, Penang was forced to declare a public holiday. Such problems can be avoided if a proper date is chosen.

Choosing a working day for a by-election shows that the EC is not committed to providing the conditions for mass participation in the polls."

Meanwhile, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang described the late poll dates as a demonstration of the EC's "craven subservience" to Umno and urged the commission to reconsider the poll dates.

Lim claimed that the EC had made history by holding an election at the tail-end of the 60 day constitutional limit.

He said the commission has reinforced public perception that it was an "Umno creature at the beck-and-call of the top party leadership".

KAMI BUKAN PENDERHAKA !

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by

Mohd Rashidi Hassan

Kami bukan penderhaka.

Kami sama sekali tidak berniat untuk menentang Raja. Kami sekadar berpendapat bahawa keputusan yang diambil Raja di Perak TIDAK bertepatan mengikut lunas undang-undang

1. Kami berbeza kerana kami berpendapat bahawa jalan terbaik untuk membentuk sesebuah kerajaan, ialah melalui pilihan raya, BUKAN dengan cara membeli dan mengumpan wakil rakyat. Adalah tidak adil sesebuah kerajaan dibentuk, bukan dengan mandat rakyat, tetapi dengan mandat rasuah, sama ada dalam bentuk wang, jawatan atau penarikan balik kes-kes jenayah yang sedang dihadapkan ke mahkamah.
   
   
2. Kami berbeza dengan Raja kerana kami berpendapat, jalan terbaik untuk menyelesaikan kemelut politik di Perak, ialah dengan memulangkan mandat semula, kepada rakyat melalui pilihan raya umum negeri. Kami hanya meminta, jika pun hendak dijatuhkan sesebuah kerajaan negeri, biarlah dengan cara yang demokratik, iaitu dengan membuat undi tidak percaya dalam sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri.Bukan dengan menyuruh Menteri Besar atau anggota Exco meletakkan jawatan atas alasan parti yang memerintah sudah kehilangan majoriti di dewan.

Kuasa Rakyat

Inilah pendapat dan pendirian pemimpin-pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat, yang dipilih secara adil dan demokratik dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke 12, 8 Mac 2008 lepas.

Pakatan Rakyat bukan sebuah entiti yang kecil. Ia adalah suatu 'force' yang didukung oleh jutaan rakyat Malaysia, terdiri daripada berbilang bangsa dan agama. Kuasa rakyat ini adalah suatu kuasa yang besar, membentuk sebilangan kumpulan yang besar, sehingga berjaya menafikan majoriti dua pertiga Barisan Nasional di Parlimen.

Bilangan yang besar ini dibuktikan dengan, menempatkan suara mereka sebanyak 82 kerusi Parlimen dan beratus-ratus kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri. Suara rakyat yang besar ini juga mewakili negeri Kelantan, Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Selangor dan Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur.

Derhaka Umno Terengganu bukan PAS Perak

Justeru dalam menghadapi krisis di Perak, Menteri Besar, Dato' Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin tidak keseorangan.

Penyingkiran kerajaan negeri di bawah kepimpinan beliau, tidak dipersetujui banyak pihak dalam negara, yang tidak gembira dengan keputusan Raja. Pakatan Rakyat tidak bersetuju dengan keputusan Raja, manakala, Umno sudah tentu menyokong, kerana mereka mendapat kembali kerajaan negeri dengan cara yang amat mudah.

Apa pun tuduhan yang dilemparkan kepada pemimpin dan penyokong Pakatan Rakyat, salahkah rakyat punyai pandangan berbeza dengan Raja?

Jika peristiwa di Perak menyebabkan kebanyakan rakyat mempunyai persepsi bahawa Raja membuat kesilapan, apakah kewujudan persepsi ini menyalahi undang-undang?

Jalan mudah untuk media pengampu BN menjerat Nizar ialah dengan, menuduhnya menderhaka kepada Tuanku.

Namun Umno/BN jangan lupa, 'sederhaka' manapun Nizar, jika ia berlaku, jauh lebih bersopan dari sekumpulan pemimpin Umno Terengganu yang 'membinatangkan' Raja, dalam demonstrasi di Istana Terengganu, Mac 2008 yang lalu!

Sultan Terengganu dihina dan dilemparkan dengan kata-kata nista oleh orang-orang Umno, kerana mereka mahukan Dato' Seri Idris Jusoh sebagai Menteri Besar.

Orang-orang PAS, KeADILan dan DAP di Perak, tidak pernah sama sekali mencera Sultan Perak, sebagaimana dilakukan orang-orang Umno di Terengganu.

Soal derhaka tidak timbul sama sekali. Jika ada pihak yang menghasut Raja di Perak, baginda harus mengetahui, memahami dan membuat pertimbangan sewajarnya, jika baginda mahu menjatuhkan hukuman derhaka kepada Nizar.

Kes di Terengganu menunjukkan bahawa yang paling derhaka ialah Umno. Bukan PAS! Umno sanggup buat demo dan membawa kain pemidang yang jelas 'membinatangkan' Raja!

Bukankah tindakan pemimpin Umno itu suatu tindakan derhaka? Mana penderhaka itu semua? Mengapa mereka dibebaskan tanpa tindakan?

Apakah mereka boleh derhaka dan menyanggah Raja sesuka hati kerana mereka Umno? Apakah kerana Umno 'dilahirkan' di Istana Johor pada 11 Mei 1946, maka segala tindakan mereka terhadap Raja, semuanya boleh 'dipejamkan' begitu sahaja?

Apakah kerana Umno terlalu sinonim dengan Raja, maka Raja harus dilihat memihak kepada Umno?

Harus diingat, berlaku dalam sejarah politik negara, yang 'memaki hamun' Raja dan melucutkan hak kekebalan Raja pada tahun 1993, ialah orang-orang dan pemimpin Umno.

Umno yang mewujudkan mahkamah untuk membicarakan perilaku Raja.

Kalau boleh 'diflashback' atau dimainkan kembali pita siaran televisyen dan akhbar ketika itu, nescaya seluruh rakyat Malaysia akan memahami betapa hinanya Raja di mata Umno.

Siapa yang tampil membela Raja ketika itu? Tanyalah Ahli Parlimen Gua Musang, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Yang membela Raja ketika itu ialah PAS dan Semangat 46.

Nizar bukan Hang Jebat

Dalam kes Perak, Nizar tidak menderhaka. Nizar bukannya Hang Jebat. Nizar pun tidak mahu menjadi Hang Jebat, seperti hikayat Melayu purba.

Hulubalang Hang Jebat 'mengamuk' kerana membela sahabatnya, Laksamana Hang Tuah yang menjadi mangsa fitnah. Di Perak, Nizar adalah mangsa ketidakadilan.

Menurut sejarah tragedi purba kala tersebut berlaku, akibat ketidakadilan titah Sultan Mansur Shah yang dinasihatkan secara salah oleh memanda pembesar istana di sekeliling baginda, yang mempunyai kepentingan tertentu.

Lantaran fitnah tersebut, lalu dititahkan agar Hang Tuah dibunuh.Hikayat lagenda difilemkan dengan lakonan Tan Sri P Ramlee dan ditayangkan berulang kali dikaca televisyen.

Secara moralnya, rakyat boleh mempelajari daripada ceritera-ceritera ini, berlaku dalam sejarah, ada kalanya orang-orang istana sama ada Raja, Bendahara atau sebagainya, membuat keputusan yang silap.

Sehingga wujud dalam seloka Melayu ungkapan 'Raja adil Raja disembah, Raja zalim Raja disanggah.'

Dalam kes Perak Nizar tidak keseorangan. Di belakangnya ada berjuta-juta rakyat Malaysia yang menyokong Pakatan Rakyat, amat kecewa dengan keputusan yang diambil Sultan Perak.

Rakyat dari kalangan rakyat berbilang kaum menyokong pendirian diambil Nizar, untuk tidak meletak jawatan sebagai Menteri Besar.

Bilangan rakyat yang marah dan kecewa dengan 'rampasan kuasa' di Perak bukannya sedikit.

Sehingga ada yang menzahirkan secara terbuka kritikan terhadap Raja. Sekaligus kritikan-kritikan tersebut jika dipaparkan, hanya akan menjejaskan kredibiliti dan integriti Raja.

Akibat daripada persepsi ketidakadilan yang berlaku di Perak, ianya telah mewujudkan pemahaman bahawa 'credibility Malay Rulers at stake', apabila mereka dianggap berpihak kepada Umno.

Raja-Raja Melayu seharusnya 'above political party' dan mengelak wujudnya persepsi di kalangan rakyat bahawa mereka pro atau menjadi alat Umno-BN.

Hanya dengan cara itu sahaja kredibiliti dan integriti Raja dapat dipulihkan.

Jalan terbaik untuk memulihkan keadaan di Perak ialah dengan membubarkan Dewan Undangan Negeri dan diadakan pilihan raya negeri semula.

Nescaya rakyat akan menerima keputusan pilihan raya dengan baik walau mana-mana pihak yang menang sekalipun, asalkan ianya dijalankan secara adil dan demokratik.

Nizar yang diKagumi

Read here for more

by

Ahmad Lutfi Othman

Memang berat ujian buat Nizar Jamaluddin. Bagaimanapun Menteri Besar Perak ini - yang dititah letak jawatan oleh Sultan Perak namun enggan berbuat demikian - yakin beliau berada di jalan yang benar.

Wajahnya tetap ceria dan berseri, cuba menyembunyikan rasa letih meniti hari yang padat. Matanya merah petanda tidak cukup tidur. Beberapa ayat awal surah ad-Dhuha menjadi rukun dalam mukadimah ucapannya, termasuk semasa wawancara eksklusif kami dengannya, juga ketika berpidato ringkas di depan Kuil Kallumaii Arul Subramaniar, Gunung Cheroh, Ipoh, pagi 8 Feb lalu.

Biarpun boleh dianggap pendatang baru dalam dunia politik, dan tiba-tiba dilantik menjadi Menteri Besar Perak, sesuatu yang tidak pernah termimpi oleh pimpinan Perak negeri itu, Nizar memang cepat belajar dan mudah menguasai persekitarannya.

Berdepan tuduhan menjadi boneka DAP, menjual kepentingan Melayu, diapit tujuh Exco bukan Islam, ditambah Speaker dan Timbalan Speaker juga bukan Islam, dengan tenang Nizar mengemudi bahtera Kerajaan Negeri Perak selama 11 bulan.

Justeru, tuduhan bahawa beliau kini seorang penderhaka bukan isu besar baginya.

Annuar Zaini Merosakan Hubungan Nizar dengan Istana Perak

Pada hari paling kritikal, 5 Feb, Nizar mengikuti satu program Koridor Utara di Bagan Serai bersama Perdana Menteri. Dalam ucapannya, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi langsung tidak menyebut nama Nizar walhal beliau masih seorang menteri besar. Esoknya, akhbar perdana turut "menggelapkan" kehadirannya di majlis berkenaan.

Difahamkan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Pihak Berkuasa Pelaksanaan Koridor Utara, Anuar Zaini yang sepatutnya berada bersama Abdullah sedang rancak "mengatur nasib" Nizar di Istana Kinta. Anuar dikatakan dalang yang cuba merosakkan hubungan baik Nizar dengan istana, dan menganggu pentadbiran kerajaan negeri. Nizar sendiri pernah memaklumkan hal itu kepada Raja Nazrin Shah, rakan karib Anuar.

Menurut laporan akhbar, Nizar secara tergesa-gesa meninggalkan majlis di Bagan Serai itu untuk menghadap Sultan. Jam 12.45 tengah hari, Nizar dilihat memasuki Istana Kinta dan keluar kira-kira 20 minit kemudian dengan mengangkat tangan menunjukkan isyarat bagus sambil berkata 'insya-Allah' kepada sekumpulan wartawan. Ramai menjangkakan baginda telah memperkenan permohonan Nizar untuk membubarkan Dun.

Rupanya tidak, isyarat bagus bagi Nizar adalah tanda beliau berpuas hati dapat menjelaskan semua yang terbuku di dadanya kepada Sultan. Nizar memberitahu kami, Sultan hanya diam tunduk mendengar hujahnya.

Kesulitan Tokoh Politik Dalam Konflik Dengan Istana

Selama ini, sejarah pendek negara kita menyaksikan bahawa tiada tokoh politik yang "selamat" jika bertembung dengan pihak istana. Konflik dengan istana rasanya tidak pernah dimenangi oleh orang politik.

Justeru, apakah kita boleh bayangkan bagaimana episod ini bakal berakhir? Ternyata Nizar sendiri sukar meramalkannya, namun membayangkan ia dapat membawa kesan positif akhirnya buat rakyat dan negara. Beliau mohon kami mengulas krisis di Perak itu dari sudut yang jarang terfikir oleh orang lain. Saya sendiri agak termangu mendengarnya.

Sultan Tiada Kuasa Menitah Letakan Jawatan

Memang Nizar di pihak yang benar. Sultan tiada kuasa untuk menitahkannya meletakkan jawatan. Di bawah sistem Raja Berperlembagaan, Sultan juga harus tunduk dengan undang-undang dan peraturan.

Baginda tidak boleh masuk campur sewenang-wenangnya dalam pemerintahan negeri. Dalam situasi genting di Perak apabila BN dan Pakatan Rakyat mempunyai jumlah kerusi yang sama, dan tiga kerusi penentu wakil Bebas sedang dirujuk ke mahkamah, baginda sewajarnya memenuhi permohonan untuk membubarkan Dun.

Ia langkah paling adil untuk semua pihak dan tidak dilihat memihak kepada mana-mana parti. Jika dirasakan Nizar sudah tidak mendapat kepercayaan majoriti Adun, baginda boleh menolak permohonan Menteri Besar itu dan membiarkan sahaja sidang Dun memutuskan undi tidak percaya kepada Nizar.

Langkah baginda melantik menteri besar baru telah mengeruhkan lagi suasana dan langsung tidak membantu untuk memulihkan keadaan.

Nizar Menawan Hati Rakyat Pelbagai Kaum

Memerhatikan dari dekat semasa beliau melawat tapak perayaan Thaipusam di Gunung Cheroh, saya yakin Nizar berjaya menawan hati rakyat Perak dari pelbagai kaum dan agama itu.

Wajah orang ramai yang bersalaman dengannya, termasuk anak-anak kecil yang belum bersekolah, begitu ceria dan nampak senang sekali. Mereka bersorak gembira memanggil namanya sambil melambai-lambaikan tangan.

Malah ketika Anwar Ibrahim mengumumkan pada majlis ceramah perdana di kediaman rasmi menteri besar, saya dapat mengesan reaksi pantas hadirin dari masyarakat Tionghua.

Semasa Anwar menegaskan bahawa jika berlaku pilihan raya negeri dan Pakatan menang, tiada calon yang akan dipilih menjadi menteri besar melainkan Nizar, beberapa anak muda Cina bertepuk sepuas hati. Mereka betul-betul gembira tidak terkata!

Sultans' Relevance Depends on Their Ability to Read RAKYATS’ Mood Correctly

by

Dr. M. Bakri Musa

Quote

"...The reputation and salvation of (Perak Sultan) Raja Azlan specifically, and that of the institution of Sultans generally, would require of him to look beyond the law for a solution.

Contrary to the assertions of constitutional scholars and legal practitioners, this is not a legal issue.

Its solution does not lie with the court system. Nor does it require of us to return to the old feudal ways of blind loyalty to the sultan, as some traditionalist would wish.

The continued RELEVANCE and indeed SURVIVAL of our Sultans depend on their ability to read the rakyats’ mood CORRECTLY , NOT on some cultural traditions, court precedents, or political expedience.

What surprised me is that this power grab is being led by a Sultan who is generally acknowledged as the most enlightened of the lot, having served as the nation’s chief justice, and who has, as his Crown Prince, an intellect schooled in the finest universities of the West.

That they chose to revert to their feudal past given the slightest chance was a great disappointment.

With a deeply polarized citizenry, the days of a supra majority government are gone. It is for this reason we must have an institution like the sultan that can act as an honest broker so as to maintain political neutrality and stability. Now that too is gone.

That is what disappoints me most with this latest political crisis in Perak. If a sultan as enlightened as Raja Azlan could not disentangle himself from this political morass, we have LITTLE hope that the OTHER sultans would be any better.

There is a silver lining to all this. Thanks to Nizar’s Jebat-like stance of “Patek menyembah mohon derhaka!” Malaysia will never degenerate into an absolute monarchy.

In times like this, we have to savor such blessings!
- Dr. M. Bakri Musa

The current tussle between the Sultan of Perak and his Pakatan Chief Minister is not the first, nor will it be the last, such crises in the country.

Contrary to the assertions of constitutional scholars and legal practitioners, this is not a legal issue. Its solution does not lie with the court system. Nor does it require of us to return to the old feudal ways of blind loyalty to the sultan, as some traditionalist would wish.

I am not surprised that Sultan Raja Azlan, a former chief justice, would view this as a legal matter. However, the reputation and salvation of Raja Azlan specifically, and that of the institution of sultans generally, would require of him to look beyond the law for a solution.

Anything less and he would risk our country degenerating into another Thailand , cursed with endless constitutional and political crises. Coming as it is during these trying economic times, it would also be a major distraction, one we could do without.

The continued relevance and indeed survival of our sultans depend on their ability to read the rakyats’ mood correctly, not on some cultural traditions, court precedents, or political expedience.

Lessons From The Past

Past experiences have shown that it was rare for the sultans to emerge from these political crises with their reputations enhanced, or the institution of royalty strengthened. Even when the sultans emerged as heroes, they exposed their blemishes.

Raja Azlan needs to be extra diligent to make this episode the exception. Thus far it has not been promising.

The Malayan Union

The sultans meekly agreed to the British “suggestion” of turning the country into a dominion. Whether it was British perfidy or the sultans’ stupidity, the result was the same. The price tag too was modest: piddling pensions and perfunctory visits to Buckingham Palace for the sultans. As a sweetener, just in case, they were awarded the knighthood of some medieval English order.

Fortunately their subjects, then almost exclusively Malays, were not as meek, or easily hoodwinked and cheaply bought.

Under the leadership of the late Datuk Onn Jaafar, the Malay masses, on the pretext of paying homage, descended upon the palace in Kota Baru where the rulers had gathered. They effectively prevented the sultans from leaving the premise to ratify the agreement with the new British governor, effectively scuttling the treaty. Thus ended the brief and naked British power grab.

It was also a devastatingly effective demonstration of the halus (refined) ways of our culture. Fortunately the sultans correctly read the subtle message from their rakyats. Good thing too, for had it not been for those village peasants intervening, our sultans would today be reduced to the status of the Sultan of Sulu. Today’s highflying sultans must be reminded of this – and often – lest they forget, as they are wont to.

Independence

Less than a decade later with the Federation of Malaya (1946) replacing the Malayan Union, and with the sultans securely ensconced in their palaces, this delicate balance between the ruler and the ruled would once again be tested, this time in the negotiations for independence.

It turned out that our sultans were LESS than enthusiastic with the idea, at least initially. Not an unreasonable posture, considering the fate of their brother hereditary rulers in independent India and Indonesia . Fortunately the sultans again correctly read the rakyats’ mood.

Sultans' Enhanced Status After Independence

After all, the pro-independence Alliance coalition scored a near unanimous victory in the 1955 general elections. Despite that, those rulers did not give in easily. They demanded – and received – assurances that their royal status would be enhanced. Indeed the Reid Commission tasked with drafting a constitution for the new nation codified the role of the sultans beyond their being mere feudal heads of their respective states.

The new constitution provided for a new national body, The Council of Rulers, headed by a “King” to be chosen from among his brother rulers. Unlike real kings however, the new Agong would, apart from being “elected,” have a limited tenure of only five years – unheard of for any royalty anywhere. Further, this Council would have veto authority on legislations passed by the bicameral (House and Senate) Parliament.

Functionally this Council of Rulers would thus be a Third House of Parliament, a miniature House of Lords but with an exclusive membership of only nine sultans.

This enhanced status of the sultans also satisfied the Malay masses, feeding their vanity patriotism of Ketuanan Melayu.

With their now elevated status and considerably more generous civil allowances, our royal families soon acquired regal tastes beyond what they could have imagined in their kampong days.

Now they compare themselves not to the Sultan of Sulu but the Queen of England and oil-rich Middle Eastern potentates. Actually, closer to the Arab potentates!

Our sultans lack the social finesse and regal restraint of Windsor Castle but have all the excesses and vulgarities of the House of Saud.

Constitutional Crisis of the 80s

Time has a way of eroding the wisdom acquired from earlier experiences. Royal excesses soon knew no bounds; it would only be a matter of time when the sultans would clash with the elected leaders. By mid-1980s the sultans would face an adversary in the person of Prime Minister Mahathir, a leader whose heritage and upbringing would put him not in the least in awe of things royal.

On taking on the sultans, Mahathir precipitated a severe constitutional crisis. He prevailed but the price was high.

Mahathir had to unleash his hound dogs in the mainstream media to uncover every royal transgression, venal and minor, real and imagined, in order to discredit the sultans. It was not pretty.

While Mahathir effectively clipped the wings of these highflying sultans, they could still fly high and far. Barred from meddling in political matters, they found a lucrative niche in commerce. With that they could acquire the latest luxury jets to fly to their favorite distant casinos.

Political Tsunami Impacted the Sultans

Things would have remained the same, with the royals indulging their newfound wealth, had it not been for the political tsunami that swept Malaysia in the March 2008 election.

Sensing a leadership vacuum with the Barisan coalition now crippled, the sultans began flexing their muscles.

Pakatan leaders, uncertain of their new role, did not quite know how to handle these newly assertive sultans. By default and fearful of appearing to challenge the Malay sultans, Pakatan state leaders readily gave way to the sultans in Perak, Kedah and Selangor.

Even in states where Barisan did not lose, as in Trengganu, the sultan there was not shy in asserting himself. In no uncertain terms and without any hint of subtlety the Sultan of Trengganu rebuffed the UMNO leadership and succeeded in having an individual more to his liking to be the new chief minister. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi was impotent; his candidate was summarily rejected by the sultan.

Not to be outdone, a few months later the Sultan of Perak intervened in the micro management of the state over the transfer of a junior functionary in the religious department, on the pretext that matters pertaining to Islam are the exclusive preserve of the sultan.

His claim was not challenged. Nature abhors a vacuum; a weakened Barisan and as yet uncertain Pakatan Rakyat created this opportunity for the sultans to reassert themselves.

What surprised me is that this power grab is being led by a sultan who is generally acknowledged as the most enlightened of the lot, having served as the nation’s chief justice and who has as his crown prince an intellect schooled in the finest universities of the West. That they chose to revert to their feudal past given the slightest chance was a great disappointment.

This power struggle between the sultans and the political elite, and among the political leaders, would not interest me except that it deeply polarizes Malaysians. That this polarization transcends race is no consolation.

After over half a century of dominant one-party rule, the country unsurprisingly has difficulty adjusting to the possibility of a minority or even change in government. This adjustment is most difficult on current leaders.

Things would have been difficult even if the sultans were to play their constitutionally assigned role of honest brokers, but with their trying to reassert themselves, it makes for a combustible combination.

Perak Crisis and the Institution of the Sultan

The other consequence to this power struggle is that the institution of sultan will never again be the same.

The oxymoronic expression of ousted Perak Mentri Besar Nizar Jamaluddin, “Patek menyembah memohon derhaka!” (roughly translated, “Pardon me for my peasant insurrection!”) will now be part of our lexicon.

More significantly, his Jebat-like stance has all the makings of a modern day Malay heroism. This powerful imagery is now indelibly etched in our Malay psyche.

It is not the sight of citizens giving the Perak crown prince the middle finger that stunned me rather that this was done so openly, spontaneously, and in-your-face style.

The sultan’s website (put up initially to demonstrate a royal family very much in tune with its Internet savvy citizens) had to be deactivated as it was quickly filled with shocking insults. Even former Prime Minister Mahathir felt compelled to condemn those attacks.

It matters not; the genie is now out of the bottle. The sultans are now no longer what they once were.

I do not lament this; I just hope that the sultans recognize this sea change in their subjects. Nor do I miss the days of a strong and dominant government. That would be good only if the leaders were fair, honest and competent. Saddam Hussein’s government was strong and dominant; look at the devastations it created.

Canada has a tradition for minority governments, and its citizens are not at all ill served by that. Indeed there is considerable merit in having a divided or minority government. That would be the most effective system of checks and balances.

With a deeply polarized citizenry, the days of a supra majority government are gone. It is for this reason we must have an institution like the sultan that can act as an honest broker so as to maintain political neutrality and stability. Now that too is gone. That is what disappoints me most with this latest political crisis in Perak. If a sultan as enlightened as Raja Azlan could not disentangle himself from this political morass, we have little hope that the other sultans would be any better.

There is a silver lining to all this. Thanks to Nizar’s Jebat-like stance of “Patek menyembah mohon derhaka!” Malaysia will never degenerate into an absolute monarchy.

In times like this, we have to savor such blessings!

RELATED ARTICLE

Kelantan-1977: Istana and the Politics of UMNO and PAS

Read here for more article by "Tulang Besi"

"...Masuk ni (krisis Perak) dah DUA kali PAS (dihalang) oleh Raja-Raja Melayu.

Yang pertama sewaktu jatuhnya kerajaan PAS di Kelantan, sewaktu PAS masih di dalam Barisan Nasional pada tahun 1977.

PAS telah dihalang melantik MB sendiri di Kelantan walaupun PAS mempunyai kerusi yang teramai di Kelantan. Ertinya, MB PAS pada masa itu ditentukan oleh UMNO dan bukannya oleh PAS.

Calon MB Kelantan pada masa itu telah berfungsi sebagai seorang MB BN lebih dari MB PAS. Kemuncak dari peristiwa itu, berlakulak undi tidak percaya kepada MB PAS itu dan jatuhlah calon MB tersebut.

Istana Kelantan telah tidak mengiktiraf undi tidak percaya tersebut. Lantaran dari itu, calon BN itu kekal MB Kelantan yang tidak mendapat kepercayaan dewan.

Akhirnya, PAS telah meminta supaya DUN dibubarkan bagi mengadakan PR semula. Juga ditolak oleh Istana Kelantan yang jelas hamba kepada UMNO.

Apabila Raja Kelantan pada masa itu tidak mengizinkan pembubaran DUN di Kelantan, maka alasan itu digunakan untuk menjustifikasikan berlakunya “krisis perlembagaan”.

Ibrahim Ali pula telah mengajurkan beberapa demonstrasi kecil-kecilan dengan membakar 2-3 tayar dan akhirnya pentadbiran kerajaan negeri Kelantan di letak di tangan Kerajaan Pusat di bawah Mageran.

Hasilnya undang2 darurat berkuatkuasa dan PAS telah tidak berupaya untuk berkempen manakala UMNO bebas bergerak. Apabila MAGERAN diangkat pada tahun 1978, terus diadakan PR negeri dan BN telah menang besar. PAS hanya tinggal 2 kerusi.

(Nota: Nampak tak sekarang kenapa Tok Guru Nik Aziz tidak setuju bermuzakarah dengan UMNO? Mereka yang menyokong muqabalah ni semuanya takda pengalaman kena tipu dengan UMNO. Sepanjang masa PAS ditipu di Kelantan dahulu, Ustaz Nik Aziz terlibat secara direct. Tok Guru Nik Aziz kenal siapa UMNO ni). .... "
-"Tulang Besi"

English translation of the above article in Bahasa. (Courtesy of Jed Yoong) Read here for more

Including this time, it’s twice that PAS has been cheated alive by the Malay Rajas. The first was when the PAS government fell in Kelantan, when PAS was still part of the Barisan Nasional in 1977.

PAS was obstructed from choosing its own MB (Chief Minister) in Kelantan although PAS held the most seats (in the state legislative assembly) in Kelantan. It means, the PAS MB was determined by UMNO and not PAS.

The candidate (from PAS) for Kelantan MB at that time functioned as a Barisan MB more than a PAS MB. At the peak of that incident, a no-confidence vote was passed on the PAS MB and the candidate for MB fell.

The Kelantan Palace did not assent the no-confidence vote. Following that, the Barisan candidate remained as Kelantan MB that does not command the confidence of the state assembly. In the end, PAS requested for the dissolution of the DUN (state legislative assembly) to pave the way for fresh elections. This was also rejected by the Kelantan Palace which is clearly a slave to UMNO.

When the then Kelantan Raja did not allow the dissolution of the DUN in Kelantan, this is used as an excuse to justify the occurence of a “constitutional crisis”. Ibrahim Ali even organised a few small demonstrations that burned 2-3 tyres and in the end, the adminstration of the Kelantan state government was placed in the hands of the Federal Government under MAGERAN.

As a result the Emergency Laws were enforced and PAS was already unable to campaign while UMNO was free to move. When MAGERAN was removed in 1978, state elections was immediately held and Barisan won big. PAS was only left with 2 seats.
-"Tulang Besi" (translated by Jed Yoong)

Crown Prince Raja Nazrin Had Demanded the 3 Defectors Sign Pledge of Loyalty to Nizar in March 2008

Read here for more in Center for Policy Initiatives Blog

HARAKAH (February edition) Headlined ‘SPR memihak BN’ (Election Commission sides with BN) was Seized by Police

Harakah – February edition seized by police– contained two articles illuminating on (the Perak crisis).

1. A full page interview with Perak PAS head of information Ustaz Misbahul Munir Masduki who is political secretary to embattled Menteri Besar Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin.
   
   Misbahul revealed that the two PKR and one DAP state assemblymen (Aduns) for Behrang, Changkat Jering and Jelapang respectively had in March 2008 signed a pledge of loyalty to Nizar upon the insistence of Perak Crown Prince Raja Nazrin Shah as a pre-condition for the ruling house installing a Pakatan state government, following the closely fought 12th general election.
   
   
2. In the same Harakah paper, a page two story quoted Perak PAS state commissioner Ustaz Ahmad Awang as accusing the defecting Aduns of ‘treason’ to the Sultan when they broke their oath of loyalty to Nizar (as contained in the March 2008 written pledge submitted to the sovereign).

Only 10 months ago in their undertakings to Raja Nazrin, the trio had promised their support to Nizar and Pakatan.

What is to say the same crossover-three’s-company might not present themselves before the royals in, say, 10 months from now with another change of heart?

Furthermore, two of the ‘independent’ Aduns are presently dancing a tango with the court on corruption charges and the possibility of having to vacate their seats if guilty still hangs in the air. It is indeed a strange definition of ‘independence’ if these Aduns throwing their lot with BN have assured the palace that they would vote along the ‘dacing’ party line on all occasions.

But in any case, blessings had been given Umno to proceed to form a new state government on short order and Umno’s Zambry Abdul Kadir sworn in as Menteri Besar at equally lightning speed.

Malaysiakini reported that distributors have been warned not to sell the Harakah ( PAS bi-weekly newsletter).

The Home Ministry also seized almost 20,000 copies of Suara Keadilan which frontpaged the Perak constitutional crisis.

Media watchdogs would be similarly keen to hear the official reasons given on why Suara Keadilan (Feb 4-11) and Harakah (Feb 6-8) warrant seizure. If the ministry could provide an explanation as to what content was deemed unacceptable, then the same set of criteria might be applied to the less than satisfactory mainstream media.

As it is, the authorities’ high-handed ban only deprives Malaysians of their right to information, and comparing news coverage with mainstream spin.

Perak Crisis: Poll Found Perak Voters Disagreed with Sultan's Handling of the Crisis

Read here and here for more

DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT FROM MERDEKA CENTER

The Merdeka Centre's recent pollof 507 residents showed Barisan Nasional's takeover of Perak has been given the thumbs-down by voters.

1. Sixty-six per cent (66%) of Perak residents it surveyed disapproved of using defectors to form a new government.
   
   
2. Seventy-sic per cent (76 %) of the respondents felt that the "people, through elections, should decide on who forms the government."
   
   
3. Seventy-four per cent (74%) said the assembly in Perak should have been dissolved and the people allowed to select a new government through a vote.
   
   
4. Sixty-two per cent (62%) said the Perak Sultan's handling of the case "does NOT reflect the will of the people of Perak".
   
   
5. 59 per cent of the respondents feel that the political crisis in Perak would decrease support for Barisan Nasional.

Taken together, the poll by the Merdeka Centre suggests that Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and the BN may occupy the seat of government but a significant number of Perakians may NOT accept their legitimacy to hold power.

The survey findings indicate that many Perak voters also feel that the Ruler may have erred.

Some 507 registered voters were interviewed by telephone and the sampling was done randomly. The margin of error was about 4.5 per cent

The findings came as the government prepares for a bruising contest over the national parliamentary seat in Perak, and the seat in the state assembly in far-northern Kedah state, which have both become vacant.

Merdeka Centre pollster Ibrahim Suffian said however it was too early to gauge sentiment for the upcoming votes, which the Election Commission will fix dates for on Friday.

There is a roiling debate even among LAWYERS on the Sultan's decision, with the MAJORITY saying that he should have either agreed to the dissolution of the House or held off making any decision until a vote of no confidence against Nizar was taken in the assembly.

Kedah's Tengku Zainol Tengku Yahya, Just Shut Up So Not To Look Like a Stupid Idiot !

SI BODOH !

TENGKU ZAINOL TENGKU YAHYA
PRESIDENT,
Kedah Association of Royalty (PKDK)
Bernama reports:

The president of the Kedah Association of Royalty (PKDK), Datuk Tengku Zainol Tengku Yahya has called on the authorities to ban the entry of DAP chairman Karpal Singh to Perak for being rude to Sultan Azlan Shah. He said, "The Malay rulers are pillars (in the society) that have to be protected, so Karpal's outburst against the Sultan of Perak is unacceptable."

Tengku Zainol described Karpal's outlandish remarks as uncivilised and could influence others to make seditious remarks against the rulers and called on him to apologise openly to the Sultan.Several quarters had lodged police reports against Karpal Singh for his alleged seditious remarks against Sultan Azlan Shah.

Karpal Singh had informed Sultan Azlan Shah and the new state government that he would take legal action against the two parties if they proceed with the swearing-in of the new menteri besar.

COMMENTARIES

1. Tengku Zainol would do the royalty good by keeping his mouth shut. His remark against Karpal might be perceived as the royalty efforts to restore feudalism and monarchy in Malaysia. He should be reminded that Malaysia is a constitutional democracy and the role of royalty is only symbolic in the constitution.
   
   Tengku Zainol is ridiculing Malaysians' intelligence by assuming what we are brainless parrots who could be easily influenced to do something wrong. Most of the criticisms against the decision of the Perak Sultan to dismiss the MB and the popularly elected government are made independently, without the influence of Karpal.
   
   The main pillars of the Malaysian democracy are the constitution, the parliament, the judiciary, the constitutional monarchy and the democratic process of elections. No one is above the law.
   
   Karpal should not even be credited as the person who started the criticism. Many constitutional experts have sounded the same alarm bell. Read here for more
   
   
2. (Tengku Zainol), since that is your stand, we will go one step higher than you and call for the death of Mahathir. And since you are an honourable man who speaks for Royalty, you must also be honourable in calling for Mahathir’s death since he was the one who clipped the privileges of the Royalty. And we know that you will not make such calls, and we will call it for you!
   
   Any UMNO moron who takes on Karpal and Gobind, will receive severe backlash from this website. We will remain neutral for views expressed by readers on Karpal, but if any UMNO moron dares to lay their hands on Karpal, it is equivalent to taking us on! Read here for more
   
   
3. Then first they must ban UMNO, Najib and Badawi from entering Trengganu for allowing their supporters to carry banners referring to the Sultan as 'Natang (or binatang =animal) last year. ...Don't be an idiot and threaten to ban this and that person. Under the Constitution, the Agong and the sultans are just constitutional heads and can be sued. And threatening to sue a sultan is "NOT SEDITIOUS" .
   
   Just like the late Tuanku of Negri Sembilan being sued (successfully) by Citibank.
   By the way, where were you when Tun Mahathir took away the special powers of the Agong and the sultans? .... If Karpal Singh is banned from Perak for insulting Sultan, then Standard Chartered should be banned from operating in Negri Sembilan for its court action.... I think you are just stupid and an idiot too. Don't be childish. what Karpal says is not against the law. I salute him as he has the guts to voice up. Look at the umno youth calling him with names, that's how much they have brains. Read here for more
   
   
4. BolehLanders are seeing the hypocrisy of this anti-derhaka movement and will not be so gullible and stupid to think that UMNO or BN is really the protector of the Ruler and whose records on ‘treason’ behaviour is impeccably clean. BolehLanders are not so stupid as you think, and also believe the Rulers watching your illegal demos from their palace windows feel any safer with you as their protector than the other party if they were to demonstrate too!
   
   The morality and lesson of all this vanguards and vigilantes 'protector of the Ruler' against treason and sedition circus is, your 'Hang Tuahs' are also the 'Hang Jebats' when the situation warrants
   
   A litany of catalogues of past BN UMNO ‘derharkas’ can be found here
   
   The list below from Mari Derhaka - Let Us Learn From UMNO
   
• Annuar Musa (BN) - jatuhkan maruah sultan Kelantan dengan menabal Sultan baru
  
  
• Mahathir Mohamed (BN) - gesa kurangkan kuasa raja-raja melayu
  
  
• Muhammad Taib (BN) - larikan puteri raja dan berkahwin di selatan Thai - dah bercerai dah pun.
  
  
• Perarakan burung petalawati oleh Ibrahim Ali (sewaktu dia BN) ke istana Kelantan .
  
  
• Ada sorang menteri besar (BN) yang pernah kena marah dekat sultan - Negeri Johor ??
  
  
• Bekas menteri besar (BN) yang rasuah di Kedah - yang letak jawatan tu.
  Read here for more
  
  
5. How Karpal insult the rulers? It is very funny, everytime we disagree with our Malay rulers, we are deem to be insulting. Come on, we no longer in the "zaman kesultanan melaka" not in those ancient China Dynasty where if you disobey the King/Sultan, you get beheaded or killed.We in 21st century, democratic world, humanize. Everyone of us entitled to speak what we want. Read here for more
   

Patriotism and Hate-Speeches are Different Things

by

Dr.Farish A. Noor
(Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies,Nanyang Technological University,Singapore)

Nothing stirs the humbug soup better than spurious talk of patriotism and loyalty.

The saddest thing of all is that more often than not whenever there is the rallying call to demonstrate one’s patriotism and to show one’s love for the nation, it comes from the most narrow-minded, chauvinistic and intolerant quarters of society.

This was demonstrated in Malaysia recently when political differences between the ruling National Front coalition led by the UMNO party and the opposition People’s Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat) spilled out onto the streets.

In the wake of the take-over of the state assembly of the state of Perak by the National Front, several politicians of the People’s Alliance – including veteran opposition politicians like Karpal Singh of the Democratic Action Party and the former Chief Minister of the state Nizar Jamaluddin – cried foul over the means that were used to wrestle control of the state assembly from their hands. Complicating matters was the role of the Sultan of Perak who chose not to dissolve the Perak Assembly but instead allow for a new National Front-led state government in a matter of days.

Now from the wider perspective of world politics, the goings-on in the state of Perak somewhere in North Malaysia may not have even registered a blip on the international news radar. Indeed, years from now the historian may write on the episode and sum it up in one sentence, as an instance of power changing hands in a controversial manner.

But what is alarming was the reaction of the Youth Wing of the UMNO party that reacted to the protests of the opposition party leaders by condemning them for having the temerity to question the process and the role of the Sultan in the debacle.

Among the leaders of the UMNO Youth Wing who were present to further complicate the situation was Khairy Jamaluddin, son-in-law of the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who is stepping down from his post as Prime Minister by March this year.

Speaking before a crowd of his loyal fans and supporters, Khairy was reported to have asked them “in the past, what did we do to traitors?” – to which they replied “Kill them!”

That chants for death and vengeance can be made in public like this and at a demonstration led by a politician said to have been educated at Oxford suggests that Malaysian politics has reached a new low of late. For a country that once aspired to attain ‘first world status’ and a ‘first world mentality’ – to quote Prime Minister Badawi, father-in-law to Khairy himself – there seems little to suggest that Malaysian politics today has evolved any further than the sorry standards of Bantuland.

When right-wing conservative politicians lead rallies that end with chants for death and retribution, we know that the normative operational rules of democratic politics have been breached and that we are now on a different playing field altogether.

One is reminded of the hate-speeches of the Nazis and Fascists of Germany and Italy who likewise claimed the values of Patriotism and love of the nation as exclusively theirs; and who decried and condemned their opponents as the enemies of the state, worthy of banishment, exile, persecution, imprisonment and ultimately death.

Likewise we have seen the same sorry state of affairs in many an other failed state and dysfunctional polity where the democratic process is all but redundant and the rule of law usurped by the might of thugs and squads of goondas instead.

Indonesia and the Philippines during the era of Suharto and Marcos witnessed the use of such right-wing stormtroopers who hounded the political enemies of their paymasters; and who were later responsible for a host of attacks, killings and disappearances.

In Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto contributed to the slide in law and order when he too created his own para-military force to serve the interests of himself and his party; but which ultimately helped only to erode even further the credibility of the state and the process of law in the country.

Is Malaysia heading down the path of these countries too, then? Well thus far it can be surmised that an education at Oxford – sponsored or self-financed – certainly does not serve as a guarantee of a democratic outlook or a mature mindset. Had this been the behaviour of spotty teenagers suffering from hormonal imbalance, one could have dismissed the demonstrations in Perak as a case of stupid boys doing what stupid boys do.

But this was a demonstration organised by a political party, led by an aspiring politician, who was savvy enough to realise the full import and gravity of the words he uttered, and cognisant of the emotional effect they were bound to have.

Hate speech is hate speech, even if it is cloaked in the guise of a misguided patriotism. The pressing need at the moment is for Malaysians to reclaim the value and meaning of patriotism again, and not let it be defined solely by those who equate patriotism with love of themselves, their party or their political interests.

Should that come to pass, then hope will surely be lost.

Kajian Universiti Malaya: 97 peratus (%) Rakyat Perak Mahu DUN diBubarkan

Read here for more

by

Nyza Ayob

Sebanyak 97 (%) peratus rakyat Perak mahukan Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) dibubarkan iaitu sebagai cara terbaik mengatasi kemelut politik di negeri itu serta memberi peluang mereka 'meraikan' demokrasi.

Demikian hasil kajian yang dilakukan oleh Penganalis Politik dan Pensyarah Kanan Jabatan Pengajian Media, Universiti Malaya, Prof Madya Dr Abu Hassan Hasbullah terhadap penduduk di negeri itu yang bermula di Pasir Salak sehingga ke Kuala Gula.

Abu Hassan menjelaskan, peratusan tersebut yang menunjukkan:

• desakan rakyat Perak yang merupakan natijah gerakan massa rakyat yang merasa tertekan,
  
  
• penghidupan terganggu serta seluruh sistem ekonomi, politik dan sosial yang sudah punah.

Kata Prof Madya Dr Abu Hassan Hasbullah:

"Bagi mereka, rakyat harus bangkit semula memperbetulkan keadaan bagi memberi peluang kepada rakyat memilih tokoh-tokoh politik yang mereka inginkan. Rakyat mengatakan bagi peluang kepada kedua-dua pihak.

Jika rakyat memilih salah satu pihak, maka pihak itulah pilihan rakyat Perak. Kata mereka, sebagaimana sebuah acara kematian, begitulah acara demokrasi.

Dun Perak sekarang ini dianggap sebagai telah 'mati'. Kedua-dua pihak mempunyai ruang dan juga tanggungjawab untuk mempertahankan apa keadaan sekalipun.

Sebagaimana dilihat pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Bukit Gantang yang akan diadakan, maka sekaligus SPR menggunakan ruang pilihan raya ini untuk mengadakan pilihan raya di seluruh negeri Perak dengan andaian kedudukan Dewan Undangan Negeri adalah tidak sah.

Internet adalah media yang tidak berpihak berbanding akhbar. Jika Harakah ia akan melihat daripada sisi PAS, jika Suara KeADILan daripada sisi KeADILan, Utusan Malaysia dan Berita Harian akan melihat daripada sisi Barisan Nasional.

Maka bagi rakyat tidak ada medium lain yang mempunyai pelbagai sisi dan tidak berpihak ialah media baru iaitu internet.

Blog merupakan kewartawanan individu di mana mereka meluah perasaan individu sebagai ahli masyarakat bukan seperti sebuah akhbar yang mempunyai ramai pengarang. Jika ada 5,000 blog rakyat di Perak, mereka dapat membaca 5,000 blog daripada sisi orang Perak. Ini berbeza dengan media sekular yang satu arah."

Beliau berkeyakinan kehadiran media baru yang dikenali sebagai 'kewartawanan sukarelawan' akan terus menjadi medium yang paling berpengaruh dan paling berpengaruh sepanjang pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Bukit Gantang dan Dun Selambau.

Jelasnya media tradisi seperti akhbar merupakan media yang sangat berpihak yang mana hanya bersifat satu sisi dan satu arah.

Sehubungan itu beliau tidak meragui bahawa media baru ini akan menguasai aliran informasi sehingga ke skala 86 peratus yang akan menguasai dan membentuk pilihan raya di kedua-dua Dun dan Parlimen itu.

Perak Sultan is STILL Allowing the Political Farce to Continue On

Related articles:

• Perak Politics is Fast Becoming a BAD Joke: The Sultan MUST Repair the Damage QUICKLY
  
  
• Welcome to Malaysia of Frogs, Toads, Scumbags and Hypocrites

Perak gets a ‘funny’ new cabinet: Barisan Nasional's Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir today announced the appointment of three advisers and a state information chief. According to Bernama, the four will receive perks similar to those received by state executive councillors. Read here for more

Out of 10 exco positions, ‘BN’s menteri besar’ Zambry Abdul Kadir has only managed to fill up six of them. What’s interesting (and perhaps surprising) is that NONE of those four ‘frogs’ involved in the coup d’etat is on the list.

Four advisers with exco status are appointed by Zambry.

Let’s examine the four of them to understand WHY (it is) ‘FUNNY’:

1. Gerakan’s Chang Ko Youn, LOST in the Beruas parliamentary seat in Mar 2008, is appointed ADVISER for Chinese community affairs.
   
   
2. MIC’s S Veerasingam, LOST in the Sungkai state seat in Mar 2008, is appointed ADVISER for Indian community affairs.
   
   
3. Mohd Najumuddin Elies and Hamdi Abu Bakar are both ELECTED state assemblypersons but are NOT given an Exco position.

For 1 and 2, it is a clear-cut attempt to bypass Perak state constitution, which requires state excos to be elected representatives. Another round of violation of the state constitution, you can say that.

It also highlights how ‘unrepresentative’ of the BN Perak lineup, that it does not have among its elected representatives anyone to represent the major communities of Chinese and Indian. So they have to cook the funny idea of ‘adviser’.

For 3, it is even funnier. Those two are state representatives duly elected by the people. Why are there given a job of an exco WITHOUT the title of an exco? I can only offer one clue: to appease internal factional fights of UMNO Perak.

So, poor Perak, it gets an ILLEGITIMATE state government with a cabinet of six excos, two ‘work-around’ advisers, and two ‘cannot-call-exco’ excos.

It’s a funny cabinet. Good luck, Perak. Read here for more

Meanwhile....

1. A survey conducted by Malaysiakini saw an overwhelming majority of Malaysians are unhappy over what has been going on in Perak, with an overwhelming majority of readers disagreeing with Sultan Azlan Shah's decision in the transfer of power in the silver state.
   
   
   A total of 34,617 out of 39,411 readers, or 87.8 percent said they were AGAINST the sultan's decision in the four-day survey which ended yesterday. Read here for more
   
   
2. Datuk Seri Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin said today he will soon vacate the last bastion of Pakatan Rakyat's government in Perak after being shut out from his office and now operating from the menteri besar's residence as the seat of his administration.
   
   But the ousted menteri besar still maintained that his administration is legitimate and can operate from any premises, saying he will leave the official residence "in dignity" at the "golden moment" should an eviction notice be issued. Nizar said,

   "I have my own dignity. I am not going to be like a stupid, mad boy staying forever until I am officially evicted.
   
   To an extent, this is the last symbol of democracy in this state but we will go beyond that. The symbol will then be the basis of truth and rule of law that we fight for even if we are ripped off of these premises.”" Read here for more

3. Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) Director Datuk Dr Zaininah Mohd Zain today denied that Changkat Jering assemblyperson Mohd Osman Jailu had been admitted to the hospital recently. Mohd Osman was issued with a warrant of arrest after he failed to turn up for his corruption trial. "Changkat Jering assemblyperson Mohd Osman Jailu was NEVER admitted to HKL," she told Bernama today, in response to the claim by Mohd Osman's sister that her brother failed to turn up for his corruption trial at the Magistrate's Court in Ipoh yesterday as he was admitted in the HKL.
   
   Magistrate Sharmila Abdul Samad issued the order yesterday after Mohd Osman's sister (Norliza) told the court her brother had been admitted to hospital in Kuala Lumpur due to a heart ailment, but she failed to produce a medical certificate. Norliza failed to produce any medical certificate as she claimed that the doctors were still observing Mohd Osman's condition.Read here for more
   
   
4. Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir started his first day as menteri besar today engaged in a rant against journalists. He snapped at awkward questions from reporters at his first press conference. He has been feeling the strain of defending what has been an obviously unpopular and possibly unconstitutional takeover of the state from Pakatan Rakyat. Zambry was sworn-in last Friday by Sultan Azlan Shah at the Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar while riot police outside quelled a protest by thousands of people. Read here for more
   
   
5. Despite a state-wide ban on political ceramahs, Pakatan Rakyat leaders vowed to defy police orders in Perak and said the ban was a sign of Barisan Nasional’s desperation to win the upcoming Bukit Gantang by election.“We will defy this unfair rule. This is a calculated move to curb dissenting voices,” said PKR information chief Chua Tian Chang, adding that the ban would not stop the party from campaigning. Read here for more
   
   
6. The non-Malay vote in Perak will be very difficult for the BN. This is clear from the response to the defecting Chinese assemblyman Hee Yit Fong. The locals were so enraged that her family is taking the brunt of their anger.Nizar was popular among the non-Malays, and his move to approve permanent land leases for Chinese new villages and vernacular schools was hailed. There is concern now among villagers whether the BN government will continue this policy (but) the new BN Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir has said it was too early to decide. Read here for more
   

Samseng UMNO Youth Threatens Public Order, NO TEAR GAS FROM POLICE ?

Read here for more

Related articles:

• UMNO Pembela Raja-Raja Melayu ? Poodah !!
  
  
• What DERHAKA? Missing the Point !

QUOTE

It is within our local (especially the Malays) mentality and perception, that the Rulers do have the rights to “tell off” the executive when the later goes astray.

And to act in any way which is repugnant to the Rulers’ wishes may be regarded as rude or even treasonous. However,this has NO legal basis whatsoever and is NOT reflective of legal REALITY.

The REAL power in our country and under our constitution (states and federal) rest with the PEOPLE. We elect our representatives and consequently, our executives and legislatives. Read here for more
- Art Harun (Lawyer)

There is a Malay adage which says: Raja adil raja disembah, raja zalim raja disanggah (Roughly it means: To obey the law is right, against injustice we should fight).

Hence the hollowness of the charge of treason (derhaka). As the ruler is the head of Islam and the epitome of Malay civilisation and culture, perhaps it is worthwhile to mention that in Islam, telling the truth before an UNJUST ruler is considered the HIGHEST form of piety. Read here for more
- Prof. Abdul Aziz Bari

Umno Youth wants DAP national chairman Karpal Singh to drop any lawsuit against the Sultan of Perak or it will demonstrate outside his office in Jalan Pudu every day.

Karpal Singh said he would take legal action against the police for failing to stop an illegal demonstration.

Some 50 Umno Youth members from Selangor and Federal Territory marched to Karpal Singh’s office yesterday. The demonstration stopped rush hour traffic around the busy Puduraya area.

They also called for the arrest of PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin for not heeding the Sul­tan’s directive that the latter resign.

Federal Reserve Unit personnel stopped the demonstrators when they were near Karpal Singh’s office.

Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman said the group did not have a permit and police used their discretion and warned them to disperse within 15 minutes which they did.

Serdang Umno Youth chief Ungku Mat Salleh said,

“We want any action to bring the Sultan to court to cease immediately because it can jeopardise public security and Karpal Singh must ask for forgiveness from the Sultan.”

Note: DID THE SAMSENG UMNO YOUTH APOLOGISE FOR IMPLYING THE SULTAN IS A "NATANG" (ie BINATANG) AT A DEMONSTRATION IN TRENGGANU- see below
(Binatang is a Malay word for "Animal")


"KAMI NAK IDRIS, NATANG"

Related Article

UMNO Deputy Chief Khairy Jamaludin incites Violence Against Nizar for treason against the Sultan

Read here for more

About 1,000 mainly Umno Youth members attended the rally here under the watchful eyes of the police. Nizar has refused to resign and maintains he is still the legitimate MB. Instead, the speeches portrayed Pakatan Rakyat as anti-Sultan.

UMNO Youth Deputy Chief Khairy Jamaludin who is also MP Rembau asked the crowd at the Jalan Sultan Abdul Jalil field here.“In the old days, what did we do to those who committed treason?”

The crowd replied “kill him!” as they waved banners with the words “Nizar Penderhaka Melayu Moden (Nizar is the modern day Malay traitor)”. The crowd started tearing up posters with pictures of Nizar, as Khairy also called for Nizar and Perak DAP chief Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham’s titles to be retracted.

Commentary

Isu Menteri Besar Perak : Adakah derhaka kerana mengikut Sunnah Nabi?

Read here for more

Heboh tentang DS Nizar menderhaka. Itulah istilah yang pemimpin-pemimpin UMNO gunakan bagi mensifatkan DS Nizar.

Tapi betulkah DS Nizar derhaka?

Aku rasa sebenarnya DS Nizar mengikut sunnah Rasulullah SAW.

Dan sunnah Nabi SAW adalah lebih berharga dari titah mana-mana raja dalam dunia.Kerana sunnah Nabi SAW berlandaskan firman ALLAH Azza WA Jalla. Sedangkan titah raja mungkin terdorong oleh hanya akal atau perasaan atau nafsu.

Mengikuti sunnah Nabi SAW ,InsyaALLAh akan mendapat syafaat baginda di akhirat nanti. Ikut titah raja belum tentu lagi..... Keenganan DS Nizar meletak jawatan bila di titahkan oleh raja adalah seperti sabda Nabi SAW kepada sahabat besar Uthman bin Affan r.a. iaitu:-

hadithuthman

“Wahai Uthman, seandainya suatu hari nanti kamu dilantik oleh Allah mengendalikan urusan kepimpinan ini, dan kaum munafiq mahu menanggalkan pakaian engkau yang Allah pakaikan kepadamu, maka JANGANlah engkau menanggalkannya!” [riwayat Ibn Majah]

Jadi, adakah derhaka jika seorang pemimpin Muslim mengikut sunnah Nabi SAW?

Welcome to Malaysia of Frogs, Toads, Scumbags and Hypocrites

Read here for more on "Hantu Laut" Blog

Most would be highly repulsive and against it. Those who voted them felt betrayed and cheated.

Some politicians glorify it. The law have nothing against it.

Like the monkeys in the forest it is not unlawful to swing from one tree to another. Only the law of morality speaks bad of it but than morality is a much abused word.

Welcome to the world of frogs, toads, scumbags and hypocrites.

DEFECTION was a 'highly glorified' word soon after the March 2008 Elections. Anwar Ibrahim was intensely promoting and glorifying defections to attract the scumbags from BN to cross over to Pakatan.There were some tense moments for BN when the situation became uncomfortably volatile and the risk of losing power was closing in.

The panicky BN have to send some 30 of its MPs overseas to escape the evil clutches of Anwar Ibrahim. The purported study tour overseas was a smokescreen to hide the BN's true fear of Anwar's bluff of a coup on 16 September 2008.

Amazingly, other than Karpal Singh, none of the Pakatan leaders and supporters protested and demonstrated against Anwar's evil attempt to wrest power from a democratically elected government.

As many have suspected it was Anwar's biggest bluff. It shows that those who know him doesn't trust him.No scumbags from BN took up the offer.

If the plot to topple the BN had been successful I bet my bottom dollar there would be explosion of celebrations and rejoicing of Anwar's master stroke, demolishing the evil regime.

The hypocritical world of Pakatan would have chuckled at morality and chucked it into the dustbin of history and the pro-Anwar writers, journalists, bloggers and supporters would have a field day singing in praise of him.The accolades would have been nothing less than thunderous.The BN's eulogy and the satanic verses would have been read together with hellish rendering.

From the recent episode in Perak one can only conclude that scumbags politicians are everywhere and Pakatan were not short of it either.At least in BN they don't pretend to be good and spotless, they have accepted whatever accusations of wrongdoings that had been thrown at them.

In Pakatan the scumbags are still well camouflaged in their lairs but are slowly coming out of the woodwork.The 2 PKR and 1 DAP assemblymen were just the tip of the iceberg. There would be more.

The biggest scumbag and one that should be given a trophy would be none other than the Wizard of Bota, Nasaruddin Hashim who should go down in the Guinness Book of World Records as the shortest hop made by a political frog.

In Kedah the assemblyman for Bukit Selambau V. Arumugam has tendered his resignation from the Exco and vanished.However, he has not resigned his assemblyman seat. It doesn't take much imagination to guess where he is going to resurface.

This man not only exudes immorality but extreme stupidity with his aberrant behaviour.He married a young woman, almost 20 years younger than him, without divorcing his first wife and flaunted her at official functions.

No one in Pakatan, including those of high moral standard, complained or reported him until it was exposed publicly by others with vested interest.In latest development Anwar said he has seen the letter of resignation.Could it be another undated pre-signed letter of resignation or the real one? We have to wait and see.

Morally spotless politician is not a dime a dozen. Most are tainted somehow or other. What happened in America and the West with the recent financial meltdown showed the West are not that squeaky clean either, as many of us would have thought.They have done worse damage to the global finance and economy.

Do not get me wrong I am not espousing corruptions and immoral behaviour, I am just trying to get the key fits in the correct lock and the real perspective of the hypocrisy of the whole issue.

The BN are full of them and they make no secret of it, they are corrupt, arrogance, thieves, robbers and say what you like, they may not be the best the country ever had, but they have also brought progress to the nation that many refused to give credit for .They could have done better if there were less corruptions and abuses of power.

I have no objection for politicians crossing the floor on principle or disagreement on policies but it becomes morally wrong and demeaning when it's for money and position.Unfortunately, in this country those who did it's did it for the wrong reason.

Most of us wanted a change of government, but must we do it with so much hatred and labour under so much self-delusion?

"We have two kinds of morality side by side: one which we preach but do not practice and another which we practice but seldom preach".
-Bertrand Russell

UMNO Pembela Raja-Raja Melayu ? Poodah !!

UPDATE:

UMNO as Shameless Hypocrites on Charges of Treason for Criticising the Monarch

Read here for more

"... (On) disagreement with the decision of a Ruler in the belief that the Ruler erred in going beyond what was legally permissible, such action cannot be criminalized for being seditious, as the voicing of opinions aimed at showing that a Ruler had been mistaken is allowed.

To say that such action amounts to treason is wholly incredible. Treason requires an intention to wage war, to cause bodily harm or death or to cause the deposing of a Ruler.

Saying that the Ruler is wrong may be impolite or offensive but it can by no stretch of the imagination amount to treason, nor has it ever been suggested to amount to such.

How what it is Mr Karpal and associates have said and done amounts to treason or sedition eludes understanding, just as how it differs in principle from what was done in Trengganu or Perlis last March.

Their right to do so is a cornerstone of a system founded on the Rule of Law, one that Tun Mahathir relied on to strip away royal immunity when he was Prime Minister (and which was fully supported by UMNO and UMNO Youth).

More worryingly, such conduct incites.In all societies there skulk individuals who take it upon themselves to force through a conclusion that they believe their community requires in supreme acts of deliverance.

Though the Barisan Nasional ( read: UMNO) may have won the day in securing the right to govern (in Perak), it must ask at what cost to itself and, more importantly, to the rakyat. In this case, the winner does not take all.

-- End of Update --

Umno Bapa Penderhakaan

by

Aisehman

Read here for more

UMNO pembela kedaulatan Raja-Raja Melayu?

Please, lah.

UMNO, Masihkah Kau Ingat?
(Siapa 'Natang' ie BINATANG ?"

UMNO protesting the Terengganu Sultan’s decision last year
to reject Idris Jusoh as the state’s Menteri Besar.
Melayu UMNO memang mudah lupa.
Where was UMNO when the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan kena saman by a bank the other day? UMNO was nowhere.

Where was UMNO when the Sultan of Terengganu/Yang di-Pertuan Agong refused to accept Idris Jusoh as the Menteri Besar? UMNO was on the streets … protesting the Sultan’s decision.

Where was UMNO when Mahathir took on the Raja-Raja Melayu all those years ago? UMNO was everywhere … badmouthing the royalty.

If we are going to play this game of labeling each other, then let me ask:

• Siapa yang mula berani bersikap kurang ajar?
  
  
• Siapa yang terdahulu sanggup bersikap biadap?
  
  
• Siapa dia Bapa Penderhakaan?

Sebelum suku sakat Melayu yang kononnya berjuang demi agama, bangsa dan negara tu buka mulut, cuba-cubalah jenguk cermin.

Kalau tak jenguk selalu pun, sekali-sekala pun cukup.

Manalah tahu, timbul sedikit kesedaran diri.
-"Aisehman"

RELATED ARTICLE

Umno Pembela Raja-Raja Melayu ?

Read here for more

by

Penarik Beca

Ir Haji Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin kata dia tak tahu. "Saya memang tak tahu mengenai saman-saman ini, nanti saya dapatkan kedudukan sebenar," katanya kepada mStar Online.

Malaysiakini pula melaporkan beliau menegaskan: "Saya tidak ada niat sama sekali hendak menyaman baginda (Sultan Perak)."

Bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad pula berkata, undang-undang membolehkan seseorang Sultan untuk dibawa ke mahkamah. "Dari segi etika, ia tidak baik tetapi dari segi perundangan, tiada siapa yang boleh dihalang daripada menyaman (Sultan)... ini undang-undang," mStar Online memetik beliau berkata.

Berug dan Kurap mungkin akan mengadakan tunjuk perasaan menghentam kegianan dan ketagihan Karpal nak menyaman Sultan itu.

Bagaimanapun, tidak dapat diingati sebesar manakah tunjuk perasaan mereka :

1. ketika Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad menyaman Dipertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan sebelum ini, Allahyarham Tuanku Ja'afar Tuanku Abdul Rahman.
   
   
2. apabila Fasal 38 (4) Perlembagaan Persekutuan untuk mengkudungkan imuniti raja-raja Melayu pada tahun 1993
   
   (Tahniah dan terima kasih tidak terhingga, Tun! Dan, terima kasih tidak terhingga kepada Allahyarham Tun Ghafar Baba yang mengemukakan usul khas di Parlimen pada 10 Disember 1993 memberitahu dewan bahawa seorang rakyat Malaysia bernama Douglas Gomez telah dicederakan di Istana Bukit Serene oleh Sultan Johor pada 30 November 1992.Demi Allah, terima kasih tidak terhingga kepada kedua-dua Tun itu!)
   
   
3. apabila pada waktu itu beberapa menteri kabinet mendedahkan skandal pemilikan harta raja-raja. Antaranya membabitkan pemberian konsesi balak ribuan hektar kepada raja tertentu. Didedahkan juga bahawa tiap-tiap sultan telah ditawarkan 100,000 unit saham Telekom dan berbagai lagi.
   
   
4. Filem-filem Melayu lama pula yang mengisahkan tentang kezaliman dan kebodohan raja-raja Melayu diulang tayang di kaca tv.
   
   
5. apabila Ahli Parlimen Arau waktu itu, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim menjadi juara bila mendedahkan keburukan keluarga Sultan Johor yang bertanggungjawab melakukan 23 kes penganiayaan ke atas rakyat jelata yang tidak berdaya termasuk memukul, mencedera dan merogol semenjak dari tahun 1972. Semua Sultan didedahkan keburukkan mereka.
   
   
6. apabila pada 29 April 1993 Tan Sri Annuar Musa dan Datuk Ibrahim Ali menabal Tengku Ibrahim Indra Petra di Ketereh dalam majlis anjuran Yayasan Kemiskinan Kelantan yang dipengerusikan Annuar bagi mengantikan Sultan Ismail Petra oleh kerana menurut mereka Sultan itu bukan waris yang sah.
   
   
7. apabila Program Semarak di Lubok Jong, Pasir Mas mencetuskan perarakan yang dipimpin Tan Sri Mohamed Yaacob ke istana menyerah memorandum mendesak Sultan Kelantan turun takhta.
   
   
8. Dari kesemua peristiwa itu, tidak pula dapat diingati ahli Umno mana dan berapa banyak pula penyokong Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (kalau Najib tak turut menyokong pindaan Perlembagaan yang antara lain mewujudkan Mahkamah Khas kepada raja-raja Melayu, Karpal nak saman apa hari ini?

Perak's Constitutional Crisis: Learning from Australia-1975

Read here article in NutGraph

Quote:

The lesson is available free, there to be taken "ready off-the-shelf", from Canberra (Australia).

The same price need not be paid again. It was not a good deal. Not for anyone (in Australia).

In Australia it is now widely recognised that,

1. if the government was not to have fallen on its own, it should NOT have been peremptorily dismissed.
   
   
2. And if it was doomed to fall, it should have been allowed to do so in the natural course of democratic events, through democratic processes.
   
   
3. The impatience to force the issue may have saved a few days or weeks of delay, but it plagued the nation with its consequences for thirty years until the matter began to be put decently to rest.
   - Emeritus Professor Clive S Kessler

Jeopardising the nation

by

Clive Kessler
(Clive S Kessler is Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the School of Social Science and International Studies at the University of New South Wales in Australia.)

Excerpts: Read here for more

(The following are) comments by an outsider who holds Malaysia close in his attachments on the present constitutional crisis in Perak and its national political implications may prove useful and instructive.

Tough legal questions have been raised already with no simple answers. They are questions that serious Malaysian citizens are worried, and have the right to be concerned, about. Those questions need not be repeated here.

If I were the Sultan, I would have allowed the fate of a democratically elected government, under a system of constitutional monarchy, to be decided by the people in one of two ways.

1. Either on the floor of the people's house by their own recently elected representatives, or else,
   
   
2. if for some reason that was not feasible or acceptable, at an election that might explicitly test public opinion on the question.

That way, the newly elected house, whether controlled by the Barisan Nasional or the Pakatan Rakyat, would authoritatively be that of the people's, with whom modern democratic sovereignty originates.

Either course would soon have seen mass public demonstrations of allegiance on both sides and, in their train, huge potential problems in maintaining civil peace and public order. That much is undeniable. Any conscientious ruler or head of state would have to be deeply concerned at such a prospect.

The Kelantan Experience, "Peristiwa 20 Ogos 1968"

In the so-called "20 Aug 1968" peristiwa in Kelantan, some half dozen or more PAS state assemblypersons were to have defected and sided with Umno at a sitting of the state assembly in the old Balai Besar in the palace precinct in Kota Baru.

It did not happen. The PAS government of Kelantan was not toppled. The frogs did not jump. They stayed under the sheltering tempurung of the party in whose name they had been elected.

But I still recall the very tense and at times frightening atmosphere as I travelled by motorcycle, through police and army roadblocks, the 25 miles from Bachok to Kota Baru and the roiling, ever-growing crowds that, along with me, were converging ominously there on that fateful morning.

These are not matters to be trifled with nor risks to be taken lightly — least of all by a constitutional head of state with a proper sense of public responsibility and duty.

Learning from Australia - 1975




In Australia in 1975, the Governor-General Sir John Kerr chose to act similarly in a similar situation.

He insisted on exercising his personal discretion that, as he understood the situation, his constitutional "reserve powers" entitled him to wield.

He dismissed a government that arguably still had a majority within the people's elected house of parliament.

The result was unfortunate, to say the least. It poisoned Australian politics, public culture, and (dare one say it?) the very soul of the nation for a generation. Its effects have not fully worn off away even now.

Malaysia could now be at risk of a similar outcome. I hope not but fear so.

For that reason, a test in the state assembly or snap polls would have been preferable whatever the costs and however messy the shorter-term practicalities of maintaining public order. As a matter of long-term public and national policy, that would have been better than a measure that substituted something else for the verdict of popular will.

In Australia it is now widely recognised that:

• if the government was not to have fallen on its own, it should NOT have been peremptorily dismissed.
  
  
• And if it was doomed to fall, as well it may have been, it should have been ALLOWED to do so in the natural course of democratic events, through democratic processes.

The impatience to force the issue may have saved a few days or weeks of delay but it plagued the nation with its consequences for thirty years until the matter began to be put decently to rest.

It was NOT a good deal. NOT for anyone.

1. NOT for the ousted Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.
   
   
2. NOT for his successor Malcolm Fraser who never overcame the "legitimacy deficit" that his manner of coming to power caused him.
   
   
3. NOT for (Governor-General Sir John) Kerr who went into exile and died amidst widespread ignominy and contempt.
   
   
4. NOT for Australia, which was made to live for a generation under the shadow of what was widely seen as a quasi- or pseudo-constitutionalist coup against constitutionalism.
   
   
5. And NOT, therefore, for constitutional principle and process itself.

The Lesson for Malaysia

That is an outcome and fate that Malaysia, I hope, will avoid. The lesson is there already to be learnt from others. The same price need not be paid again.

Malaysia these days has other urgent needs and priorities. It does not need, now to be paid exorbitantly on its own account, this distraction or these afflictions.

The lesson is available free, there to be taken "ready off-the-shelf", from Canberra.

Former Lord President Tun Mohamed Suffian Hashim repeatedly insisted in his foundational written texts that in Malaysia, the constitution and nothing but the constitution is "the supreme law of the land".

Malaysia cannot afford to see constitutional principles imperilled, and constitutional processes jeopardised — not even out of an understandable impatience, or a conscientious determination, to see the urgent political and practical problems of the day speedily resolved.