Thin-Skinned and Red-Faced Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin on the Attack !

Go to (Here) Rocky's Bru Blog for background and update


Information Minister
Zainuddin Maidin

READ Zainuddin Maidin's merajuk 'lecture' letter (below) to educate yourself his definition and his take of being a "LIBERAL" .

And how he, as the chief of the Government's media propaganda machine would like Malaysian "liberals" to think and behave.

What you get is a fairly good reflection of the kind of intellectual substance of a former journalist from UTUSAN MALAYSIA, who is now a Cabinet Minister in charge of INFORMATION (for crying out loud) on the world and on human thought. Oh, never mind what we think of his command of the English language (spoken and written).

NOW, read here what is "LIBERALISM" as others understand it, and here (by John F. Kennedy) and here and here

It seems Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin WRITES better than he SPEAKS... or does he?

Question: Did he REALLY write the letter himself ???

Now compare his speaking skills (interview with Al-Jazeera TV) and his letter to the Group Executive Editor of The Sun(below).

Zainuddin Maidin Speaking to Al-Jazeera TV on the Bersih Rally:

Go to Rocky Bru's Blog to read the column in The Sun newspaper that got the Minister furiously mad.

BELOW: Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin's letter addressed to Zainon Ahmad.

Zainon Ahmad
Group Executive Editor / Political Editor,
TheSun
4th Floor, Lot 6, Jalan 51/217
Section 51, 46050 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan

Dear Sir,

Your Column of Jan 22,2008 in the Sun

In reference to the above I would like to express some opinions about your commentary.

In the current atmosphere of open Government some writers are taking the opportunity to present themselves as being liberal by injecting cynicism into their work.

Pathological questioning of every decision and poking fun at the authorities is a badge that they wear to identify themselves as a liberal. Perhaps they think it makes their article more interesting to read.

I am saddened to count you as one of the writers painting themselves into a corner by limiting their work to negative commentaries just for the sake of playing to the galleries.

During the recent ‘Evening With the Media’ I spoke at some length about the Indonesian newspaper Pos Kota and their highly innovative layout and how they broke all the accepted rules of presentation in order to forge their own unique identity.

Their decision to cram the front page with snippets of all the important news contained within their pages is still considered cutting edge today as many newspapers are still adhering to the traditional rules of layout which gives room to just a few main pieces.

I mentioned Pos Kota and their brave departure with the rules because they took the initiative to free themselves of convention and I felt that this would be a good encouragement for the local Media to reinvent themselves as they face the assault of citizen journalism, blogging and online news portals.

What Pos Kota implemented some 20 years ago, is the same approach being used by many bloggers as they put only the first few juicy paragraphs of their entries on the front page to entice readers to click deeper into their website.

Pos Kota and its owner, Harmoko, who was Information Minister during Suharto’s administration, had correctly predicted what people wanted in the future and reaped the rewards of their vision by enjoying the highest circulation in Jakarta with almost one million copies sold every day.

It is strange, therefore, that someone as experienced as you could misinterpret my words, twist it backwards and use it against me.

Your commentary clearly painted me as someone who did not understand progress and innovation and from that it appears to me that you are cynical for the sake of being cynical. You criticize because you feel that defines you as a liberal and that is very sad.

Maybe it was a dry week and my speech was the only thing you could poke fun at but you clearly had to invent an oppposite parallel reality in order to do so.

This is a clear example of what I mean by Malaysian journalists feeling inferior because they are told by others that the country lacks freedom of the Press. You probably felt that if you did not criticize the Government for a week, that somehow you are less free as a journalist.

Instead of being proud of the latitude for criticism and expression that exists in Malaysia, you dwell on the few restrictions that we observe and somehow convince yourself that journalists here are not free to do their best for society.

Throughout the years we have seen senior politicians, civil servants and law enforcement officers brought to book and many cases of corruption, abuse of power and inappropriate conduct scrutinized in minute detain on the pages of our newspapers.

When these stories were carried no newspapers, their editors and journalists were not cautioned or reprimanded and this is a clear indication that the Government has always been open to criticism and scrutiny.

You are free to report what is wrong as long as the reports are grounded on reality and supported by facts.

We must accept that Malaysia comprises many races, religious beliefs and cultures and there is every need to ensure that everyone live in peace and harmony.

I know that many so-called liberals, like yourself like to trivialize the importance of staying clear of sensitive issues, thumping your chest and claiming that Malaysians are mature enough to discuss openly these matters.

It is true that Malaysians are mature but they are more mature than you would take them to be.

I would like to take your mind to a parallel in our daily life; If you talk to an adolescent, they will inevitably see nothing as sacred and would freely and openly talk about subjects that offends others because they feel that they are young and open minded. But as they grow older and become more wise, they understand that some things need tactful and sensitive handling.

As these adolescents grow older they still need to deal with the same issues as they did when they were young but they develop a more considered and thoughtful ways of solving problems, ways that offends as few people as possible while achieving the same result.

Many so-called liberals in Malaysia are still caught up in the euphoria of freedom, much like those adolescent who are allowed to go out unescorted for the first time, some can handle the burden of freedom while others run wild and bring all sorts of harm onto themselves and the people who love them.

Malaysia has a conducive and free atmosphere for the Media to serve the best interest of the people but it is important to remind ourselves that even the most open and free country in the world has boundaries which must be respected.

We are still a relatively young country and we are going through a period of accelerated growth and national integration, it is paramount that we never lose sight of this even in our most self-serving desire to become known as a liberal thinker.

In reality, the true liberal is one that looks at the big picture and is able to accommodate all points of view and interests without upsetting anyone.

A liberal is not someone who is necessarily cynical and it is certainly not someone who cannot be anything other than a cynic.

Maybe Chong, Zain and Mohan can talk about something more liberating the next time they meet for ‘teh tarik’ and not busy themselves too much with being liberals.

Sincerely,

DATUK SERI ZAINUDDIN MAIDIN

Moral of the Story for Voters: Don't Get Suckered by Promises BEFORE the Election

From " The Seventh Rangers (Mechanized) " Blog

QUOTE:

"..... I hope the Chinese Malaysians still remember the Suqiu issue from about a decade ago.

Chinese activists jointly submitted a memorandum on their expectations to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

As it was just before the general elections, Mahathir accepted it, giving the impression that the BN would implement the proposals.

The CHINESE were FOOLED into voting for the BN and that gave them a two-thirds majority, as usual.

AFTER the general elections, Mahathir blasted the Chinese community for holding him to‘ransom’ before the general elections.

It was around this time that Umno Youth went to the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, threatening to burn it down.

NOT ONE of the issues raised in the Suqiu memo was ever implemented.

Malaysians have continued to vote for the BN with no checks and balances as people have short memories. Suqiu then, now Hindraf. .."
-Kannan K

We say:

Make your Vote count against past and recent behaviour, attitude and performance of your MP/candidate in the Ruling Parties in BN-Government and those in the Opposition
- Malaysian Unplug

THE SEVENTH RANGERS
Read here the History of the Rangers-Mechanized

" The Rangers are unique in the sense that they have many races with different cultural values, when these diverse values come together they become a formidable fighting force.

The Rangers used to strike terror into the hearts of her enemies during the long fight against the Communist Insurgents.

They have served with valour and courage against the Indonesians (during Konfrontasi) and the Communists. Many have laid down their lives, with some maimed for life.

Their motto, "AGI IDUP AGI NGELABAN", which means "While there is life there is fight". Their place of birth was Sarawak...."
Read here for More

Whilst walking down the street one day a Malaysian "Boleh" Minister is tragically hit by a truck and dies.

His soul arrives in HEAVEN and is met by St.Peter at the entrance.

St. Peter:
Welcome to HEAVEN. Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you.

Yang Berhormat:
No problem, just let me in.

St. Peter:
Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is you have to spend one day in HELL and one in HEAVEN. Then you can chose, where to spend eternity.

Yang Berhormat.
Really, I have made up my mind. I want to be HEAVEN.

St. Peter:
I'm sorry, but we have our rules.

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down, down to HELL.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course.

In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it, are all his friends and other politicians who had worked for him.

Everyone is very happy and dressed in the finest batik there is. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.

They play a friendly game of golf and then indulge themselves on lobsters, caviar and the most expensive food.

Also present is the DEVIL , who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realises it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises.

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in HEAVEN where St.Peter is waiting for him.

St. Peter:
Now it's time to visit HEAVEN.

So, 24 hours pass with the Yang Berhormat joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing.

They have a good time and, before he realises it, the 24 hours have gone by and St.Peter returns.

St. Peter:
Well, then, you have spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity.

Yang Berhormat:
Well, I would never have said it before. I mean HEVAEN has been delightful, but I think I am better off in HELL."

So St.Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to HELL. Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in a middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.

He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The DEVIL comes over to him and puts his hands around his shoulder.

Yang Berhormat:
I don't understand. Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?

The DEVIL(smilingly):
Yesterday we were campaigning just like you during an election...Today you VOTED.

Moral of the story?
USE YOUR VOTE INTELLIGENTLY !!!


NEWS UPDATE !!

PROMISES, PROMISES and MORE PROMISES
(Simply incredulous. Questionable sincerity. Hypocritical at best.... and a bit too late in the day, isn't it?)

1. MCA president Ong Ka Ting, Gerakan acting president Koh Tsu Koon and Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein Onn - today revealed plans to build six CHINESE PRIMARY SCHOOLS in urban areas.

   They were accompanied by senior leaders from their respective parties.
   
   These new vernacular schools will be located in Sungai Long, Kajang, Bukit Serdang, Rawang in Selangor, Wangsa Maju in Kuala Lumpur and Danga Bay in Johor.
   
   This announcement - which includes plans to relocate 13 Chinese primary schools - is the largest ever of its kind to be ‘dished out’ to the Chinese community.
   
   The relocation will involve schools in seven states - Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Kedah. Read here on Malaysiakini for more

2. Addressing a community roused to anger by the Klang temple demolition and the Hindraf rally almost two months ago, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak yesterday assured Malaysian Indians that their representative in the cabinet is taken SERIOUSLY and urged them to continue to work within the system.

   Najib apologised for the demolition of the 100-year-old Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Padang Jawa, Shah Alam, on Oct 29, a week before Deepavali."Let us not to repeat that mistake in future. If we are wrong, we admit the mistake. We are sorry for that," he said.
   
   Asked if the government plans to build more Tamil schools since more Chinese schools are in the pipeline, Najib said the government is positive as to how it can restructure Tamil schools.
   
   “However, the government recognises there are grievances and aspirations of the Indian community that we have to address. The BN is going to do something more for the Indians,” he said .
   
   He said Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan had been asked to increase the intake of Indians and non-bumiputras in the civil service.
   
   (The problem with the civil service for Indians and non-bumiputras is the racially-biased PROMOTIONAL PRACTICE , favouring the Malays-Malaysian Unplug)
   
   Najib said more scholarships would also be given to Indians entering public universities and the bright ones would be sent to foreign universities.
   Read here for more

Commentary

From Kannan K, Read here for more

"Don't fall for the BN's (read UMNO) sweet promises"

"..... I hope the Chinese Malaysians still remember the Suqiu issue from about a decade ago.

Chinese activists jointly submitted a memorandum on their expectations to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

As it was just before the general elections, Mahathir accepted it, giving the impression that the BN would implement the proposals.

The CHINESE were FOOLED into voting for the BN and that gave them a two-thirds majority, as usual.

AFTER the general elections, Mahathir blasted the Chinese community for holding him to‘ransom’ before the general elections. It was around this time that Umno Youth went to the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, threatening to burn it down.

NOT ONE of the issues raised in the Suqiu memo was ever implemented.

Malaysians have continued to vote for the BN with no checks and balances as people have short memories. Suqiu then, now Hindraf. The MIC is trying to gain sympathy..."

The Royal Commission of Inquiry and the Comedy Court

From Malaysian Bar Council Website: Read here article "Court Jesters" by Nik Elin Zurina Bt Nik Abdul Rashid

Quote:

"... Thanks to some cunning Chinese with a "tool", one bragging and bullshitting Indian, one once powerful Malay, it's been a "right riot" this time for Malaysia.

...The Royal Commission of Inquiry - where an ex-head of the Executive, 3 ex-heads of the Judiciary, one Minister, and one bragging and bullshitting lawyer have been called as witnesses?

What particularly hit me was how stupid do these witnesses think we are? Are they thinking that we would be so gullible to accept their evidence? They must think we are drunk.

Thank God for the creation of the hidden video camera, the judicial corruption is now out in the open.

It should put all those in position now not to abuse their position. Everything could be secretly recorded now and 7 or even 14 years from now it may bring you shame.

The judicial corruption scandal is outrageous.

But soon enough all will be forgotten and the rot will be allowed to proceed. Yes, remember there is a FRESH FACE in the Judicial line-up.

Not that there weren't enough "Good enough" judges to be in the line.
-Nik Elin Zurina Bt Nik Abdul Rashid

Excerpts: Read here for more by Nik Elin Zurina Bt Nik Abdul Rashid

"..... It (is) almost impossible for any literate person in Malaysia not to be aware of the precarious standing of the Judiciary in Malaysia at this present time due to the "expose" of the Lingamgate tape.

Even my 4 year old son talks about Lingam. What astounds me is that my young child's favourite line is "Correct correct ah ah" instead of a simple "Yes" to any of our conversations.

.... Our lives have been changed by him (Lingam). Everyday we get famous lines to use on a daily basis:

"It was just coincidence that he was in bed with me" would be my defence if I ever get caught in a compromising position.

"I was not extremely close to him".

"I had too much drink".

And yes, if anyone handed in evidence to show my misdeeds, I will just state, "It looks like me and it sounds like me".

So who hasn't heard about the Royal Commission of Inquiry where an ex-head of the Executive, 3 ex-heads of the Judiciary, one Minister, and one bragging and bullshitting lawyer have been called as witnesses?

I WOULDN'T say, they were there to "testify" or "give evidence" as that would mean that they told "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth" so help them God.

But what particularly hit me was how stupid do these WITNESSES think we are?

Are they thinking that we would be so gullible to accept their evidence? They must think we are drunk.

I never thought I would be seeing the day the top-most senior Judge at one time in Malaysia, whom we would reasonably expect to be able to dispense justice, has now been put on a "trial' of sorts. "He lies", says his predecessor, " That's why I dislike him".

He must have thought that this day would never EVER come. But yes, in the Court from which he once ruled, the bag of worms is now open to scrutiny. Now he is screwed.

By the way, can anyone, anyone, swallow his so called "testimony"?

When the man was in power in the Judiciary, and with the blessings of another man in power in the Executive, there was no way that this could ever have been allowed to happen.

But thanks to some cunning Chinese with a "tool", one bragging and bullshitting Indian, one once powerful Malay, it's been a "right riot" this time for Malaysia.

And thank God for the creation of the hidden video camera, the judicial corruption is now out in the open.

Actually we knew it all along.

We were made aware since the Lingam-Eusoff photographs, I mean, fishing, arms on shoulders, holidaying together (oops, tagged along), not just by one documentary evidence, but by many photos, all after a successful judgment.

The judicial corruption scandal is outrageous but soon enough all will be forgotten and the rot will be allowed to proceed.

There is a fresh face in the Judicial line-up. Not that there weren't enough "Good enough" judges to be in the line.

It should put all those in position now, not to abuse their position as everything could be secretly recorded now and 7 or even 14 years from now it may bring you shame.

MALAYSIA: The State of the Nation, 2008 (An International Perspective)

From FINANCIAL TIMES (Deutschland): Read here




von John Burton

When at least 10,000 ethnic Indians gathered late last year in Kuala Lumpur to demonstrate against alleged racial discrimination, it triggered political tremors in multi-ethnic Malaysia.

Not only did the protest defy a state edict against unauthorised outdoor assemblies, it also broke a taboo against publicly questioning the country's long-standing policy of preferential treatment for majority Muslim Malays.

Malaysia's government was clearly rattled.

Abdullah Badawi, the prime minister, invoked the colonial-era internal security act for the first time since coming to power in 2003, detaining without trial five leaders of the Indian protest.

Underlying Racial Tensions
The protest revealed underlying racial tensions in what has been seen as one of the world's most successful multi-ethnic states and one of its more open economies. Malaysia is among south-east Asia's richest countries, regarded as a model for other Muslim countries in embracing globalisation.

Many observers were surprised that the protest was mounted by ethnic Indians, Malaysia's smallest and most quiescent racial minority, who have been the strongest supporters of the National Front coalition government since it came to power in 1957.
But dissent has grown among Indians recently with the destruction of Hindu temples that officials said were built illegally and court cases that ruled that Muslim-born Indians could not convert to the Hindu faith.

Malaysia suffered race riots in 1969 when ethnic Malays clashed with Chinese, who have come to dominate the economy since they started immigrating in the 19th century. Since then, however, peace has reigned among the Malays (52 per cent of the population), ethnic Chinese (25 per cent), Indians (8 per cent) and indigenous people (10 per cent).

Creeping Islamisation
But there are signs of growing resentment among the country's minorities to Malay political dominance and what they see as "creeping Islamisation". "There used to be more mixing among the races but increased urbanisation has brought more competition for jobs and ethnic identities have become more important as a result," says Jawhar Hassan, head of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Kuala Lumpur.

Preferential Treatment for Malays
The policy of preferential treatment for Malays, known as the new economic policy, has contributed to this trend. Established in the wake of the 1969 riots, the programme was meant to narrow the income gap between wealthy Chinese and poor Malays and indigenous people, known as bumiputra or "sons of the soil", by giving the latter preference for university places and state jobs.

Businesses were required to have a bumiputra partner, who would hold at least a 30 per cent equity stake.

The policy succeeded in eradicating poverty among Malays but has been blamed for leading to an informal apartheid.

The adoption of the Malay language rather than English as the language of instruction in state schools in the 1970s led Chinese and Indian families to enrol their children in private schools to preserve their native language.

The overwhelming majority of students in state primary schools now are Malays.

The belief among ethnic Chinese and Indians that they are being denied opportunities has led many to emigrate, while others who do not have enough funds to start a new life abroad express frustration with the system.

"I was born and raised in Malaysia and I consider myself as much a bumiputra as a Malay. But I'm treated like a second-class citizen," says Anand, an ethnic Indian taxi driver.

Recent Court Cases on Religious Issues
Several recent court cases involving the conversion of Muslims to other religions have exacerbated divisions. The civil courts have ruled that Islamic sharia courts, which oppose apostasy, are the sole authority on the issue since Muslims fall under their jurisdiction.

The decision has raised doubts about Malaysia's commitment to freedom of religion and led to the formation last year of the Hindu activist group that organised the recent Indian protest.

UMNO Hardliners
Economists warn that the NEP represents a barrier to improving Malaysia's economic efficiency when the country is facing increased competition for foreign investment from regional rivals such as Vietnam.

Mr Abdullah has sought to ease some affirmative action provisions in response to those concerns. But when he announced last year that the government would waive such rules for a new economic zone near Singapore, he was criticised by hardliners in his own United Malays National Organisation, Malaysia's dominant party.

The prime minister faces a tough challenge. He must appease Malay nationalists to keep his post, since his power base within Umno is weak. But his refusal to make concessions to minorities is likely to cause Chinese and Indian voters to defect to the opposition at the next general election, which could come early this year.

The government is expected to win the election easily, since it holds more than 90 per cent of the parliamentary seats. But a declining share of the vote for the National Front could undermine Mr Abdullah's authority and derail his economic reforms.

An erosion in support for the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Malaysian Indian Congress, the two main parties in the National Front that represent the ethnic minorities, would further increase the influence of Umno on state policy.

Mr Abdullah already appears to be bowing to pressure from Umno conservatives, in spite of promising political liberalisation after the autocratic rule of his predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad.

"The protest reflects the new openness that Abdullah sought to achieve by encouraging the expression of grievances. But he may have decided to use the ISA to calm down the power brokers within Umno, who don't like to see their authority challenged," says Ramon Navaratnam, head of the Malaysian branch of Transparency International.

A close aide to the prime minister painted a more alarming picture, saying that the recent Indian protest could create a backlash among Malays and lead to racial violence. "Abdullah appears to be genuinely worried about the situation," says a foreign diplomat in Kuala Lumpur.

U-Turn in Economic Reforms
There are other signs of a U-turn in Mr Abdullah's reform agenda. He recently scrapped plans to sell Proton, the troubled state-owned carmaker, to Volkswagen or General Motors, caving in to pressure from Malay subcontractors who feared a loss of business.

Any significant retreat from the NEP is unlikely as long as the National Front remains in power. "In spite of the complaints about the NEP, the fact is that the policy has ensured this country's stability and its abandonment would destroy it," says Mr Jawhar.

"The NEP was originally meant to eradicate poverty among all races, not just the Malays," says Mr Navaratnam. "But it has since evolved into a policy promoting the interests of Malays. If it can regain its original intention, the NEP can still play an useful role."

Related Article



Read here on International Herald Tribune

Ethnic anger on the rise in Malaysia

by

Thomas Fuller

The customers of Malaysian Indian Casket, a small shop on the outskirts of this modern and cosmopolitan city, come in all different sizes: standard coffins clutter the entrance, child-size boxes are stacked high on the shelves and extra-large models, those for the tallest of the deceased, are stored in the back.

But there is no variety in the ethnic background of the clientele.

"All the customers are Indian," said Aru Maniam, a shop salesman.

Malaysians Divided by Ethnicity
In death as in life, Malaysians are divided by ethnicity. The country's main ethnic groups - Malays, Chinese and Indians - have their own political parties, schools, newspapers and, in the case of Malays, a separate Islamic legal system.

For years this segregation was promoted as the best formula for social harmony in a country that advertises itself as "Truly Asia," a place where the palette of skin colors is as diverse as the mosques, churches and Hindu and Buddhist temples that dot the landscape.

Deteriorating Ethnic Relations
But in recent months ethnic relations here have deteriorated to a level that many find alarming. After years of muffled tensions over religious conversions, government funding for minority schools and a longstanding system of special privileges for Malays, the dominant group, ethnic anger has burst to the forefront of Malaysian politics.

Protest by Ethnic Indians
In November, Indians, who make up less than 10 percent of the population of about 25 million and are disproportionately poor, led a protest march through Kuala Lumpur, the first large-scale ethnically motivated street demonstration in almost four decades.

They announced a largely symbolic $4 trillion class-action lawsuit against the British government, the colonial rulers, for bringing them as indentured laborers to the region, "exploiting them for 150 years" and allowing them to be marginalized.

The police broke up the demonstration with water cannon and tear gas and arrested five representatives of a group called the Hindu Rights Action Force, or Hindraf, which led the protests. The five men are being held indefinitely and without trial under an internal security law.

"This is a country that is in search of soul, in search of a common mission," said Charles Santiago, coordinator of the Group of Concerned Citizens, an organization that seeks solutions to ethnic strife in the country. Malaysians, he said, are feeling more threatened by common problems such as crime and cost-of-living increases, but at the same time are increasingly divided by ethnicity.

The past six months have seen an unusual number of street demonstrations in Malaysia, a country where the police for decades have systematically denied permits for demonstrations in an effort to keep political quarrels off the streets.

Frustrations with the Government
Frustration has grown with the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, who promised to sweep away corruption and make government more accountable when he came to power five years ago.

In September, the country's Bar Council marshaled thousands of lawyers for a demonstration demanding judicial independence after a video clip surfaced of a top lawyer apparently negotiating judicial appointments.

In November, a coalition of activist groups organized a demonstration of at least 10,000 people calling for clean and fair elections.

Last Saturday, opposition groups demonstrated against rising prices of food and fuel, the second such protest in six months.

The Indians' anger appears to have rattled the government the most. Abdullah sought to woo back Indians by declaring the Hindu festival of Thaipusam, which was celebrated Jan. 23, a federal holiday. A court decision in a highly emotional dispute over whether an Indian man should be buried according to Hindu or Muslim rites has been postponed indefinitely.

Analysts say race relations could become more tense as the country prepares for elections, which are widely expected to be called for March.

"It will be a racialized campaign, there's no question," said Bridget Welsh, a specialist in Malaysian politics at Johns Hopkins University-SAIS in Washington.

Government Losing Support of Non-Malays
An opinion poll made public last Friday by the Merdeka Center (www.merdeka.org) showed support for the government among non-Malays plummeting. Only 38 percent of Indians and 42 percent of Chinese said they strongly or somewhat approved of Abdullah's job performance, by far the lowest rating for the prime minister. When he came to power, he had an overall approval rating of 91 percent.

His overall approval rating in the new poll was 61 percent, a poor showing for Malaysia, where the opposition is weak. Almost two-thirds of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the way the government was handling issues of ethnicity and inequality.

The survey, conducted by phone in December among 1,026 randomly selected registered voters, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.

"Indian support for the government is the worst it's ever been in the country's history," Welsh said. "It's profound. Indians have traditionally supported the government the highest."

With Chinese voters also angry at the government - mainly over its handling of the economy - Welsh says the government risks losing control of the state of Penang, where ethnic Chinese form a plurality, as well as a handful of parliamentary seats scattered across the country.

There is little risk that the coalition of Malay, Chinese and Indian parties known as the National Front, which has governed the country since independence from Britain in 1957, will lose its majority.

Even though the coalition won only 64 percent of the popular vote in 2004, it controls more than 90 percent of the seats in Parliament, partly because after five decades in power the government has gerrymandered constituencies to its advantage.

But analysts fear that ethnic frictions could increase as Chinese and Indian representation in the government weakens.

Policy Favoring the Malays
Underpinning the anger of the Chinese and Indians is an affirmative action program in place for 37 years that favors Malays and other smaller indigenous ethnic groups collectively known as bumiputra, literally "sons of the soil."

Bumiputra make up 60 percent of the population but have 87 percent of government jobs. They receive discounts of 5 to 10 percent on new homes and have a reserved quota of 30 percent of any newly listed company on the stock market. Newspapers are filled with notices of government construction contracts exclusively reserved for companies controlled by bumiputra.

"It's completely unacceptable that you cannot get awarded a contract just because of the color of your skin," said Lim Guan Eng, the secretary general of the Democratic Action Party, the leading opposition party in Parliament. "That grates tremendously. We are treated as though we are third- or fourth-class citizens."

The bulk of the Chinese and Indians came or were brought to the Malay Peninsula while it was still a British colony to work in tin mines or on rubber plantations, although some Chinese, known as Peranakan, came as long as five centuries ago.

Bumiputra Status
Yet Malaysia's ethnic classification is complicated by the fact that race is often an imprecise concept in Southeast Asia. Malays are a vaguely defined group that trace their ancestry to the Indonesian islands of Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra or as far as Arabia and India.

Lim points out that the father of Mohamed Khir Toyo, the chief minister of Selangor State, came from Indonesia. Yet his son is considered a bumiputra, while an ethnic Chinese person whose family has lived in Malaysia for centuries would still not qualify as indigenous.

Ethnic Indians - The Biggest Losers
The biggest losers in the current system are Indians, who, according to government statistics, make up 9 percent of the labor force but hold 16 percent of menial jobs and control just 1.2 percent of equity in registered companies in the country.

Indians are not aided by the affirmative action program, because it is based on ethnicity, not need.

More than economic issues, said Santiago of the Group of Concerned Citizens, Indians were infuriated by the highly publicized case of a Malaysian soldier, Maniam Moorthy, who died in 2005 and whose body was claimed by the Islamic authorities for Muslim burial.

The authorities claimed that Moorthy, who was born a Hindu, converted to Islam months before his death. Moorthy's wife, Kaliammal Sinnasamy, sued in a civil court to obtain the body, but the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction because the matter had already been decided in an Islamic court. A ruling on Kaliammal's appeal has been postponed indefinitely.

The case, one of at least a dozen similar ethno-religious disputes reported recently in Malaysian newspapers, became a cause célèbre among Indians.

"You can push us, you can cheat us, you can discriminate against us, but you can't tell us that we're not Hindus after we are dead," Santiago said.

11 books on Islam banned (read here related article)
Malaysia has banned 11 books for allegedly giving a false portrayal of Islam, such as by linking the religion to terrorism and the mistreatment of women, an official said Wednesday, The Associated Press reported from Kuala Lumpur.

The government ordered the books - most of them released by American publishers - to be blacklisted this month "because they are not in line with what we call the Malaysian version of Islam," said Che Din Yusoh, an official with the Internal Security Ministry's publications control unit.

"Some of them ridicule Islam as a religion or the facts are wrong about Islam, like associating Islam with terrorism or saying Islam mistreats women," he said.

The banned books include eight English-language ones, such as "The Two Faces of Islam: Saudi Fundamentalism and its Role in Terrorism," "Secrets of the Quran: Revealing Insights Into Islam's Holy Book" and "Women in Islam." There are also three books written in the local Malay language.

LOS ANGELES, USA

Local Malaysian Indians planning rally

by

Todd R. Brown

Read here

FREMONT (USA) — While countries such as Israel and Pakistan are infamous for imposing strict emergency security rules on civilians, the plight of ethnic Indians in Malaysia is LESS well-known.

The tropical nation along the South China Sea officially is Islamic, and Hindu residents there complain of second-class treatment by the government.

Recently, Malaysian police detained several Hindu Rights Action Force leaders under a nearly 50-year-old law that allows people to be held for years without charge.

On Saturday, local Malaysian Indians plan to gather in Fremont to make banners for a rally Feb. 16 at the Consulate General of Malaysia, Los Angeles, to call for an end to discrimination they say their people routinely suffer under Muslim dominion.

"It's a form of apartheid," said Malini Kumar, 36, of Fremont, originally from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. "They've marginalized Malaysian Indians. They've altered the constitution in such a way that it's biased against them."

Kumar is part of a Yahoo discussion group, called Bay Area Malaysian Indians, that has about 40 member e-mails so far. The banner-making will be at 1 p.m. at her home, 2503 Parkside Drive.

She said people from the Internet group will trek to the consulate to present red roses signifying peaceful struggle and yellow roses signifying a demand for justice.

"When the British gave us independence, it was supposed to be equal for everybody," she said of Malaysia's 50-year-old autonomy. "We have no political and financial power. We've become the poorest ethnic group in Malaysia."

Indians there make up 8 percent of the population, compared with ethnic Chinese at 25 percent and Malays — born Muslim under the law — at 60 percent.

Malaysia also uses a two-court system, a civil court for non-Muslims and a Sharia system that follows the Quran.

Ishani Chowdhury of the Hindu American Foundation said cases in Sharia court pitting Muslims against non-Muslims typically go against the minority groups.

In one case, she said a Hindu mother who got a divorce could lose her son because her husband converted to Islam, then forced the child to convert. A Sharia court would not grant custody of a Muslim child to a non-Muslim parent.

In another case, she said a woman born to Muslim parents but raised as a Hindu by her grandmother was forced into an "Islamic rehabilitation center" to try to prod her to renounce her faith.

Ratha Maniam, 54, of Redwood City said she plans to attend the banner-making and the rally "to support my fellows back home." The native of Perak in northwest Indonesia said her Hindu brother registered his transportation company under a Muslim owner's name because of ethnic bias.

"We cannot own a business," she said. "(My brother) pays per truck like $500 a month just to use his name."

She and Kumar said a university quota system also favors Malays at the expense of Hindus, who must have far superior test scores to get into higher education.

"I have good friends who are Malay. You feel it's a little bit unfair. The government says they're doing this because they want to bring the Malay race on par with the Chinese," said Kumar, noting that rubber plantation and tin mine owners in the 1800s brought in Chinese and Indian laborers, whose descendants succeeded in business.

Kumar said although their number is small, Malaysian Indians here need to make a statement about their historic struggle.

"We don't expect the government to change overnight," she said. "We just want to voice out our frustration. We are Malaysian citizens, but just because of our race, you're treated so differently."

Bay Area Malaysian Indians, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bayarea_malaysian_indians/

- INDIA

Ethnic Indian's anger hits Malaysian basis of racial stability

Read here

Kuala Lumpur (AP): Malaysians typically sit and gripe about the government while sipping tea in safe sidewalk cafes.

Few want to protest in public and face possible arrest.

That could be changing.

About 20,000 minority ethnic Indians clashed on the streets with the Kuala Lumpur police for seven hours in November last to demand equal rights and a fairer share of national resources.

They dispersed amid clouds of tear gas and water cannons. Some 250 people were briefly detained and five protest organisers are in jail under a law that allows indefinite detention without charges or trial.

"It was a watershed event," said S Nagarajan of the Education, Welfare and Research Foundation, a non-profit group that represents impoverished ethnic Indians. "It showed that Malaysians have overcome the fear of authorities. Even we were surprised by the scale and the spirit of the people."

Emboldened by the impact of the November 25 demonstration, ethnic Indians have become increasingly vocal with claims that they are marginalised in this multi-racial country.

They claim that the Malaysian Indian Congress, the third largest party in the ruling National Front coalition, has become corrupt and has not done enough to improve the situation for Indians.

According to Nagarajan, Indians make up 5 per cent of the civil service now compared to 21.5 per cent in 1969. Only about 1.2 per cent of corporate equity has been in the hands of Indians for the past three decades.

"The anger has been building up," said Nagarajan. "The state has been arrogant and a bully, not realising that even the marginalised can react."

Read here

Global rights group calls for abolition of strict Malaysian security law

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- An international human rights organization Thursday called on Malaysia to abolish its strict security law and said five ethnic Indian activists detained for holding a mass rally stand no chance of getting a fair hearing.

The activists from the Hindu Rights Action Force, or Hindraf, were detained in December under the Internal Security Act, which allows for indefinite detention without trial, shortly after they led some 20,000 Indians to protest alleged unfair treatment in ethnic Malay-dominated Malaysia.

A hearing into an appeal by defense lawyers to have the detention declared illegal finished on Monday. The verdict will be issued on Feb. 26.

Laurie Berg, an Australian lawyer speaking on behalf of the International Federation for Human Rights, said Thursday the hearing was not fair because the detainees were not present and could not challenge the accusations.

"We find that they have no chance of a fair hearing under this law ... The Internal Security Act is the very definition of arbitrary detention ... It's a violation of their fundamental human rights," she told reporters. "The use of this law is never justified."

Berg called on Malaysia to abolish "this outdated law" and free the five activists and about 70 others detained under the decades-old legislation.

Officials were not available for comment Thursday.

Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail has said the imprisonment of the five Indian activists ordered by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was lawful and necessary for security reasons.

Hindraf shot to prominence through its Nov. 25 rally to protest against alleged discrimination in employment, business and education opportunities and the destruction of some Hindu temples.

Ethnic Indians, most of them Hindus, make up only 8 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people. Ethnic Chinese, mainly Buddhist and Christians, account for a quarter, while Muslim Malays make up 60 percent.

Must Read Article !! MUHIBBAH - What It Was and How Things Have Changed

From ZAKHIR'S ZOO BLOG. Read here

Quote:

"... The spirit of Muhibbah should happen when you least expected it. It should come naturally WITHOUT you nor the company you’re with consisting of different races were even aware of (the) very (fact).

It comes from the heart and NOT just to show off for the sake of promoting some Tourism Year.

Now days, when a Malay chap has an Indian best friend for example, those fellas tend to proudly make this a big issue by telling the world. In Malaysia, everyone mixes freely with different races.

Racial unity mustn’t be made a big deal in pulling in foreign tourists. By including that in travel brochures we are in a way telling the world we’re guilty of racism ourselves.

We’re a civilized society for goodness sake.

We’ve gained our independence more than 50 years now that anything racial in nature should have been buried like decades ago.

Muhibbah is about a group of people from different races sitting around having a meal, enjoying each other’s company and laugh their asses off together WITHOUT making such a big deal out of it. .."
- "KERP"

by

Zakhir Mohamed

Here is my take, for 'Muhibbah'. I shall paint a story about how 'Muhibbah' affected my life.

I was delivered into this world through C-section by Dr. Ronald S. McCoy, to a civil servant couple.

When I was a young boy, my parents took me to a paediatrician by the name of Dr. Gwendolyn Smith.

Otherwise, my regular GP is Dr. David S. Mutthu and Dr. P. Cumarasamy. Once a while, my parents would take me to see Dr. S. Rajadurai. When I had my surgeries over twenty years ago, my surgeons were Dr. A. Sabapathy and Dato' Mr. S. Sreenivasen.

During the 13th May 1969 race riot, a good neighbour in front of our home, the late Mr. Charles Lee, watched over us as my father was somewhere in Pahang, enroute to Kelantan that fateful evening. He was very worried for my mother, who was 8 month pregnant then.

The only two male teachers I had as class teachers during my primary school was Mr. Robert Yong and Mr. Ong Beng Jin. Mr. Ong was a fierce man and I could not actually recall how many times I was slapped by him, let alone made to stand on the chair or outside the class. Conveniently, he was the school discipline master!

I hung around guys like Azlan Ramli, Rosihan Adi Baharuddin, Auslan Kardin, Tengku Sharafuddin, Mukhriz Fadzil, Khoo Cheng Leng, Mui Kok Peng, Ivan Yeoh, Raymond Tan (and his sister, Samantha Tan), Melvin F. Xavier and Gary Thanabalan, whilst in Sekolah Sri Petaling.

In the evenings, I would play with Roger Tan and Yue Chee Kin. Of course there were the Megat and Yusof brothers and Fateh Iskandar (now Dato' FD Iskandar, Exec Director of Glomac Bhd.) and later his koleq buddy, Ahlan Nasri Nasir.

Like most of us 5A holders in the late seventies, we enrolled in boarding schools.

Azlan Ramli, Rosihan Adi, Auslan Kardin, Faiz Ali, Azlin Azraii and seven others went to MCKK and Khoo Cheng Leng and Tengku Sharafuddin was trained in RMC. Another bunch enrolled in MRSMs.

I went to a boarding school, it was meant for the under developed Malays from the rural areas, along with Kamaluddin Madros, Badrulhisham Muda, Ahmad Irfan, Faisal Azamuddin, Azhar Nordin and Azlina Ramli.

However, the guy next to my bed for three whole years is a chap from Kampar by the name of Ng Chee Hong, who is also my Form 4 and 5 classmate.

My best buddy in school is a guy of Pakistani descent. He was denied a place to do pre-medicine matriculation by MARA post-SPM because MARA did not consider him as a "Malay". Eventually, he entered UM's Medical School after obtaining good grades at STPM.

The principal of the boarding school, En. Abdul Hamid Zamburi was a typical Malay nationalist. He wanted us to understand the meaning of 'nation building'.

I was fortunate enough to be admitted as an 'anak angkat' by a Felda settler, Pak Marsimon B. Sajam of Felda Sri Ledang, near Jementah, Segamat for two and half weeks, after my SRP. There I learned the life of being settler.

My third form history teacher instilled my first interests in politics. He taught us the political gistory and relate it to the April 1982 General Elections (my first observation of the process of democracy, Malaysian style). I have been observing politics, ever since.

When I enrolled into my boarding school in Kuantan, 6 January 1980, my Principal is a man called Khoo Khiok Boon, even though the school is under an agency specially enacted by Parliament to the develop the Bumiputras.

I had American Lester Terrence "Terry" Stretch III, English lady Susan "Puan Mariam Abdullah" (can't remember her last name) and Aussie Nikki Renshaw, as secondary English teachers.

My first mathematics master is Mr. Ho Liang Koo. Then it was Mr. Khoo Soo Lee, who made additional mathematics just like "A stroll in the park".

Mr. Ho taught me again in lower six and then it was Mr. Peter Croome. My economics master then was Eric Bowring. He taught me rugby.

The most memorable character of all during my sixth form was Vice Principal Matthias Franscisco De Menezes. He picked on me ever so often, whilst letting other guys get away and one day I revolted. In hindsight, I am so grateful to him! (For making a lot of fuss, thus instill some discipline into me)

My former physician is Dato' Dr. Joseph Ong. He is 'Baba' and speaks Melayu very well (with a full Southern accent).

Dato' Dr. Menon was my wife's obstetrician and he delivered my daughter, 11 and half years ago. Her paediatrician is Dr. Lim Suan Tee.

Three months later, my wife underwent a gallstone surgery and Mr. Liew Fah Kong performed the task. Her radiologist was Dr. Mukherjee. When I started going to Damansara Specialist Hospital in the late 90s, I saw Dr. Mahendran.

I live in a Chinese majority neighbourhood, where 90% of the homes in my street are of Chinese ethnic origin. My immediate next door neighbour is a Chinese Dato' from Johor and conveniently give me durians, few times in a year despite that I hate the smell of durian. Anyhow, I don't have the heart to reject his kindness or neither tell him "But Dato', actually I don't eat durian".

My father, for many years, was the Resident Association President (after a longtime President Petaling Jaya councilman Mr Yue Saw Him passed away to cancer in 2002), even though 85% of the members are of Chinese ethnic origin. They give him full support and also promote neighbourly activities.

My father's committee members include Toi See Yan (who is also his Company Secretary), Rajes Patel (his lawyer) and Peter Chin (who is also his stockbroker) and they are always around the house, with his financial adviser, Thien Tuck Meng.

Another good neighbour is Supt (Rtd) Blossom Wong. Another good neighbour down the street is Phang Ah Tong, a true-blue MIDA man.

In the nineties, my best friend is a guy name Eugene Chua. We have lunch almost everyday in the week (except weekends) and our favourite treat for lunch is either Kai Fan, Char Kuey Teow or when we have a little extra time (and of course, money), buffet Dim Sum either in Shah Alam or Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

He even drove all the way down to Johor Bahru for my nikah and joined me in a short 'post nikah honeymoon' in Singapore there after (separate rooms, of course!). He moved away and now we don't hang out that much.

I even had a Cantonese name then. All my staff were of Chinese ethic origin and they call me "Feh Chai", till present day.

Once, in a phoneshop while waiting to be served, I looked around at some of phones on display, with Eugene. The shopkeeper wass serving a customer. Suddenly, a Malay delivery boy stormed in, scanned around, stepped up to me and coyly ask, "Mr. Balbir?"

"Do I look like Mr. Balbir to you?????" Until today, Eugene calls me that!

At home, I tease my family, a little too much. I call the missus "Linda Lum" and my daughter "Tan Ai Sha", or worse still, "Aishi Sikunitsu". And in retaliation, they'd annoyingly call me back, "Mr. Balbir"!

Two of my best buddies during my ACCA days are Baldev Singh and Sudhev. I lived with a Kadazan lass, Maria Marcella Kimin for two years and later, her sister Juliana (I have forgotten her middle name!) Kimin joined us. The three of us, Malay boys called Maria "Mom" because she takes good care of us and kept the household spotless clean.

Maria's boyfriend, Charles Gimbad, who was at the other side of the Atlantic, makes a point to visit her and we hung out. Nowadays, Sabah had been our annual holiday calender and we see them once a year.

One of my closest expatriate friend is a Derby bloke by the name of David Armstrong Jones, who was the Director for Rolls Royce. David made a point to speak Malay, ever so often.

Another is my MBA mate, Paul F. Gorter. Paul is a Bostonian native and like David, he too speak Malay. I worked in a teaching hospital project once with a true-blue 'EU' guy, Paul Ravelli. Paul is British national, Scottish born to an Italian ethnic parents, worked for a French company and live in Lisbon!

When I did my MBA (I REFUSED to do my MBA in public universities, especially in ITM, because I would imagine ALL my coursemates would be only Malays) in a private college, almost all my coursemates are of Chinese ethnic origin, with the exception of Paul and two guys from India, Madhu Bharat and Sandeep Nath.

There is also a Kelabit, Bojeng Bari, who is a Sarawak native and now makes Klang Valley as his permanent home.

For three and half years, 3-4 times a week I would hang around with these guys, but NEVER WITHOUT Ching Chee Kong, Ho Yoke Ming, Daniel Chan, Nicholas Chee and Barney Wong; discussing, arguing, brainstorming, researching, re-editing course works, eating, teh tariking and last but not least, Happy Hour-ing!

(There was one guy, Gan, a lecturer in TAR College. He was more of a 'lone ranger' and usually avoided hanging out with the rest of us, There is this other member of our gang, whose name eludes me at the moment).

Unfortunately, there was no ladies in our MBA, in the whole three bloody years!

Our supervisor in an engineer-turned-process developer Mah Kong Howe, who is still a good friend. Being a Pudu born and bred and later went to Australia (and got hooked on refereeing Cricket!), he once shared his experience during the wedding at his wife's place in Kelantan, where almost all the guests were local Malays and they served nasi minyak instead of the usual Chinese food for the feast.

Of course, everyone is the wife's family had Malay names. It was a shock for him!

Of course, I have an array of other good friends, most of them from the print media industry and most of them I made friends with, at the National Press Club.

All are journalist, except lawyer Wee Choo Keong. Wee was the DAP MP for Bukit Bintang. One of them, Star political sub-editor Joceline Tan visited me while I had my surgery.

So did my blogger friends, Bernard Khoo, Tony Yew, Captain Yusof Ahmad, Ahiruddin "Rocky" Attan, Nuraina Samad and the guys from MyKMU.net.

Our green grocer is a guy called Gan, who can read 'jawi' (many Malays nowadays are 'jawi' illiterate!). Our daily 'roti-man' is an Indian chap by the name of Sickander. My personal pharmacist is a sweet lady called Miss Chan. My daughter's GP-cum-paediatrician is Dr. Chan Wai Yue.

My car mechanic is Kolo Chan and I go to Sunny Tan to get my tires fixed.

Nowadays, my physicians are Dr. Zainuddin Md. Zin and Dr. Daud Sulaiman.

My gastric by-pass surgeon is Dato' Dr. Haron Ahmad and when he cut me up recently, Dato Dr. Wan Nik Ahmad Mustapha and Dr. Ibtisam Ibrahim knocked me out and managed my breathing.

Two days after surgery, Dr. Norhayati Mokhti x-rayed my intestine and consulted gastroenterologist Dr. Mohd. Nazim Mohamed Salleh, to ensure the surgery was successful.

I also see Dato' Dr. Khalid Kadir, the eminent endocrinologist.

My daughter's paediatrician is Dato' Dr. Azizee Omar and six years ago, Mr. Abdul Razak Mohamad performed appendectomy on her.

My wife see Mr. Rozman Md. Idrus for her back.

My father's cardiothoracic surgeons are Tan Sri Mr. Yahya Awang and Dr. Syed Mohamed Adeeb.

Now, it seemed that things have changed, over forty years.

P/S My first girlfriend was a Chinese girl from Jalan Khalidi, Muo!

- Zakhir Mohamed

The Opposite Efffect of Book-Banning by the UMNO-led Govenment

From "Teh-O-Ki" Blog

by

Zaharan Razak

• Read here the 11 Books banned by the Malaysian Government and HERE
  
  
• Related articles on the controversy on the use of the word "Allah": Read here and here and here

Excerpts: Read HERE and HERE for more article by Zaharan Razak

"... There's a news item about the banning of 11 books on the grounds that they are contrary to or contain inaccurate information about mainstream Islam.

Primed now to have a look at any of the 11 books banned today? Google the title "Secrets of the Koran by Don Richardson " at Amazon and there are more than 50 reviews to whet your appetite.

Go ahead and ban it to be seen doing your job but the implications are not worth it.

Of course the authorities have their codes of morality, faith and political correctness to uphold, but some question the effectiveness of the move especially when, as often happen, there is a "changing of the guard" and the ban is lifted. This happened to Dr Mahathir's book "The Malay Dilemma," to cite one instance.

Another criticism is that the very act of banning the books brings attention and provides free publicity to them and many people who otherwise might not have known would be moved to read them to see what the fuss is all about.

I suppose the real service of the ban is that the authorities are seen doing their duty for which they are given fat salaries from taxpayers money, their image is polished "menjelang pilihan raya" and as a sop to the collective hypocrisy aka as emperor's new clothes.

For one it implies that the Malaysian public are not intelligent enough, or worse, free to make their own judgments.

1. How are we going to grow up wise and worldly if we are prevented from knowing what the "other side" is saying?
   
   
2. How are we going to grow up big and strong and take our place on the world stage if we don't know our weaknesses?
   
   
3. How are you going to defeat the "enemy" if you don't know its strengths and weaknesses?
   
   
4. How are we going to know their t's and s's if we don't know their language and books, while they know ours?

In fact we may even be in a situation where they even teach us our language!

Who wrote the first Malay dictionary? Winstedt.

Who founded the first Malay language college? Winstedt.

Who is the greatest Malay scholar? Zaaba. His teacher? Winstedt.

The policy of banning books by the authorities is self-serving at the expense of the rakyat who is simply regarded as fodder or collateral to prop up their status, position and authority.

This may well be a grand plot, at least in effect if not by design, to subjugate and repress the masses to keep them stupid and subservient so that they will never present a threat to the RULING class...."

Related Articles

From COMPASS DIRECT NEWS: Read here for more

"... Adding to the furor over whether non-Muslims have the right to use the word “Allah” in their publications and religious practice, on January 11 online news agency Malaysiakini reported that officials confiscated English-language Christian children’s books because they contained images of prophets.

The government reportedly said Internal Security Ministry officials confiscated the books because their illustrations of prophets offended the sensitivities of Muslims. Islam, which shares some prophets in common with Christianity, prohibits the portrayal of prophets.

Enforcement officials of the Publications and Al-Quran Texts Control Department under the Internal Security Ministry, headed by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, reportedly confiscated the books from three MPH bookstores in Johor Bahru, Senawang and Ipoh in mid-December.

The books have been sent to the department’s headquarters in Putrajaya for investigation. Managers of the MPH bookstores reportedly said they will wait for the Internal Security Ministry’s decision on the books.

In a statement released yesterday (January 17) , the Rev. Dr. Hermen Shastri, general-secretary of the Council of Churches Malaysia questioned how the books could be offensive to Muslims when they were not meant for them.

In the strongly worded statement about the seizures, Shastri said government officials “have no right and have overstepped their bounds by confiscating Christian literature.”

He urged the prime minister and his Cabinet to take immediate action to put a stop to such seizures and to “amend administrative rules and regulations especially in the Internal Security Ministry that give a free hand to enforcement officials to act at their whim and fancies.”

At the same time, the debate over whether non-Muslims can use the word “Allah” in publications and religious practice was stoked when the Internal Security Ministry told the Sun on Wednesday (January 16) that it had confiscated a total of 163 publications comprising 18 titles from bookshops nationwide.

A ministry official told the daily that the seizures were made because the word “Allah” was used in the books...."

LIST OF BOOKS BANNED BY MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT

According to the ministry's Quran Publication Control and Text Division Secretary Che Din Yusoh, the ban order was gazetted on Jan 17 under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

The 11 books banned are:

* Secrets Of The Koran: Revealing Insights Into Islam's Holy Book by Don Richardson (Regal Books From Gospel Light, Ventura, Calfornia, USA);

* Qur'an and Women Rereading the Secrets Text From Woman's Perspective by Amina Wadud (Oxford University Press, New York);

* The Two Faces Of Islam: Saudi Fundamentalism and It's Role in Terrorism by Stephen Schwartz (Anchor Books, New York);

* Woman In Islam by Margaret Speaker Yuan (Greenhaven Press Farmington Hills);

* Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About The World's Fastest-Growing Faith by Robert Spencer (Encounter Books Califonia);

* What Makes Me A Muslim by Catherine M. Petrini (KidHaven Press Farmington Hills);

* The Importance Of Muhammad by Marilyn Tower Oliver (Lucent Books, Farmington Hills);

* Faiths Islam Worship, Festival and Ceremonies From Around The World by Trevor Barnes (Kingfisher, Massachusets);

* Amalan Kemurahan Rezeki by Lifa Karimah (Jasmin Enterprise);

* Rahsia Jalan Yang Lurus (Al-Mustaqim, Johor Bahru); and

* Islam & Pluralisme by Al-Mustaqeem Mahmood Radhi (Middle Eastern Gruaduate Centre, Damansara Kuala Lumpur).

OTHER BOOKS BANNED BY THE MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT

April 26 2007: The Internal Security Ministry has banned 37 book titles and publications on Islam containing twisted facts that can undermine the faith of Muslims.Secretary of the Publications and Quranic Texts Control Division Che Din Yusoh said today 21 of the publications were in the English language and published in the United States, United Kingdom and Jordan while 16 were in Bahasa Malaysia and published in Malaysia and Indonesia.

+ Unveiled At Last: Bob Sjogren (YWAM Publishing, United States);

+ The Last of the Giants: George Otis Jr (Fleming H.Revell, US;

+ Inside the Community: Understanding Muslims Through Their Traditions: Phil Parshall (Baker Books, US);

+ Now You Can Know What Muslims Believe: (Ministries to Muslims, US);

+ Blind Following of Madhhabs: Shaykh Muhammad Sultaan (Al-Hidaayah Publishing, United Kingdom);

+ My Journey from The Christianity of Ahlul Sunnah Wal Jamaah To The Islam Of The Prophet: Saim Bakar;

+ Answering Islam The Crescent in Light of the Cross: Norman L Geisler, Abdul Saleeb (Baker Books, US);

+ Islam in Context Past, Present and Future: Peter G. Riddell, Peter Cotterell (Baker Academic, US);

+ Feminism and Islamic Fundamentalism, The Limit of Post-modern Analysis: Haideh Moghissi (Zed Books Ltd, UK);

+ Islam At The Crossroads, Understanding Its Beliefs, History and Conflicts: Paul Marshall, Roberta Green, Lela Gilbert (Baker Books, US);

+ Glad News! God Loves You My Muslim Friends: Samy Tanagho (Authentic Media, US);+ The Fifth Pillar A Spiritual Pilgrimage: David Zeidan (Piquant, Great Britain);

+ Heart of the Koran by Lex Hixton (The Theosophical Publishing House, US);

+ The Life and Times of Muhammad: Sir John Glubb (Madison Books, US);

+ Inside Islam The Faith, The People and The Conflicts of the World's Fastest Growing Religion (Marlowe & Company, US);

+ Jesus and Muhammad Profound Differences and Suprising Similarities: Mark A. Gabriel (Charisma House,US);

+ Nine Parts of Desire The Hidden World of Islamic Women: Geraldine Brooks (Anchor Books, US);

+ Introducing Islam: The Basics: Kim Whiteheads (Mason Crest Publishers, Jordan);

+ Introducing Islam: Islam, Christianity and Judaism: Dorothy Kavanaugh (Mason Crest, Jordan);

+ Murder in the Name of Allah: Hazrat Mirza, Tahir Ahmad (Lutterworth Press, Great Britain); and,

+ The New Paths in Muslim Evangelism, Evangelical, Approaches to Contextualization (Baker Book House, US).

The banned book titles published LOCALLY are:

+ Ringkasan Mafatih Al-Jinan Kunci Pembuka Syurga: Syeikh At-Tuisy (Jasmin Enterprise, Kuala Lumpur);

+ Bahaya Tarikat Sufi/Tasawuf Terhadap Masyarakat: Ustaz Rasul Bin Dahri (Perniagaan Jaha Bersaudara, Johor); and

+ Apa itu Ahmadiyah?: Mirza Bashiruddin, Mahmud Ahmad (Jemaat Islam Ahmadiah, Batu Caves).

The banned book titles published in INDONESIA are:

+ Petunjuk Membuat Azimat dan Benda Bertuah: Abd. Hamid Zahwan (CV.Aneka, Solo),

+ Islam Tanpa Syariat Menggali Universalitas Tradisi: Ziauddin Sardar (Penerbit Grafindo);

+ Ombak Hidup Mengalami Damai Di Mata Taufan - (Yayasan Isahi Nusantara, Jakarta),

+ The Passion of Christ Kesengsaraan Al-Masihi; Mujarobat Ilmu Kekebalan: Ahmad Toha, Abdul Ghoni (CV Bintang);

+ Menyoal Relevensi Sunnah Dalam Islam Modern: Daniel W. Brown, Jaziar Radianti (Penerbitan Mizan, Bandung);

+ Rahsia Manusia Menyingkap Ruh Ilahi: Syekh Nur ad-Din ar-Raniri (Pustaka Sufi, Yogyakarta);

+ Ikhtisar Tajul Muluk (Mahkota Raja): Abd.Hamid Zahwan (CV Aneka, Solo);

+ Pilihan Do'a Jaljalut Mengantisipasi Gejolak Zaman Modern: Muh. Rofi'.SI (CV Aneka, Solo);

+ Pengantar Psikologi Al-Quran Dimensi Keilmuan di balik Mushaf Utsmani: Dr Lukman Saksonro (PT Grafikatama Jaya);

+ One True God Risiko Sejarah Bertuhan Satu: Rodney Stark, Sadat Ismail (Penerbit Qalam,Yogyakarta);

+ Tasawuf Dalam Qur'an: Dr Mir Valiudin (Pustaka Firdaus, Jakarta); and

+ Wahdat Al-Adyan Dialog Pluralisme Agama: Fathimah Usman (LK iS Yogyakarta).

Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman: A Political Stooge and a Spineless Election Commission Chairman

WHAT AN IDIOT !

A Spineless
EC Chairman

Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman

The Star reported: The Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said:

“There are those who take to the streets (telling lies) and getting the publicity, and we (the Election Commission) suffer.

If we have the power to sue, we can take action against those who spread lies without evidence.

These people are traitors (for hurting the image of the country).

Vote-rigging is not possible here because the electoral boxes are there in front of the eyes of the agents (representing the candidates and parties) at all times."

(Note: His extension as EC Chairman was opposed by Malaysians, Read HERE and HERE and here why he is unfit to be EC Chairman)

Commentary:

From "Straight Talk" Blog: Read here for more

"... I am astounded by his statement.

What is the use of EC if it can't even defend its own image and credibility?

Does the EC needs to be given special power to sue? I do not think so.

The chairman, on the behalf of EC, can file a defamation case against any critic. I am not surprised if what Abdul Rashid really wanted is power to put someone in jail without trial.

Despite his experience of running elections over the past many years, the EC chairman's understanding of the electoral process seems to be quite limited.

Fraud and vote rigging can be conducted through many ways e.g. phantom voters, vote buying, unfair access to media, sheer financial strength etc.

This is why the calls to clean up the electoral roll must be acted upon.

Even Dr Mahathir has warned of possible vote buying in the upcoming elections.

For example in Germany, the publicly funded broadcasting stations are obligated to provide equal access to all politicians regardless of their affiliation. The access is important so that voters are well informed of their choice and selection of candidates.

Abdul Rashid should ask for power to prosecute and punish those who played dirty in the upcoming elections and not power to sue critics.

The inability of the EC and its chairman to accept open criticisms does not augur well for the openness and transparency of the institution."

From "KTemoc Konsiders" Blog: Read here for more

".... This is the civil servant that a BN or rather UNMO-dominated Parliament changed the sacred Constitution in order to allow him an extra year or two to serve.

Now, he has the damn cheek to want the power to sue critics who make allegations against the EC.

Basically he wants to silence anyone who raises complaints against him and the several unexplained decisions and actions of the EC.

For all the trouble Parliament was dragged through to extend his service above the mandatory retirement age, he still hasn’t a clue about the duty of the public service.

The public service is the servant of the public. Any citizen or even a foreigner served badly or otherwise by the public service has the right to criticise and even make accusations against a serving public servant, provided the accusations are related to the official duties of the public servant.

The public servant has the right of reply, producing where necessary evidence to refute the accusations, allegations or even lies as this so-called Tan Sri had the nerve to whinge about.

The onus shall always be on the public servant to demonstrate that the accuser has been incorrect, and not for the accuser to defend his or her accusations.

That is the convention of public services in democracies.

The fact that Abdul Rashid has asked for the power to sue, indicates that the public service has not been provided the power to sue anyone, for a damn good reason - that is not within its rights or terms of reference as a public service. More importantly it is to deny such public service the powers to intimidate the public into silence.

As a public service, the burden is on the institute and its officers to demonstrate to the public that it is not incompetent, corrupt or has deviated from official government policies.

It must always be transparent, accountable and responsive to public concerns, queries or complaints.

If Abdul Rashid is so thin skin, then I recommend that he should retire, resign or just get out of the Election Commission and indeed, out of our face.

As if that was not enough, the bloke even has the nerve to make a political statement by criticising his accusers who complained of vote-rigging: “These people are traitors (for hurting the image of the country).”

Whether those accusers are traitors or not is not for you, Abdul Rashid, a public servant, to open your big mouth to say.

You should immediately apologise for your reckless slandering of members of the Malaysian public.

And ominously he spoke of his own organisation’s 'incompetency', by advising that 17,000 people who registered during the last quarter of last year may not be able to vote if investigations could not be completed before the elections.

How difficult is it to confirm a mere 17,000 people?..."