Friday 9 November 2012

STEVEN OH's Open Letter to Malaysiakini

 
The following is an open letter by Steve Oh, the man who penned the letter that is at the centre of a police investigation.


Dear Malaysiakini,

I am sorry to learn about the police visit to your office yesterday, not just one or two but 15 of them.

It lends credence to former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad's idea of ‘a police state’. If not over my letter, I am sure the police will find another reason to visit your office. It is mind-boggling why so many were necessary and you must have run out of tea or coffee.

I am told the reason for their visit was over a letter I had written to you and which you had published touching on the comments by Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar at last Saturday’s Oriental Hearts and Mind Study Institute (OHMSI) Truth Matters forum.

NONEI am glad that you still have it in the letters column because as your editor-in-chief Steven Gan rightly explained, "There is nothing considered as seditious in Oh's letter" and he is absolutely right. I stand by what I have written and let others fall in their false accusations.

I am just a nobody expounding somebody's ideas of freedom in a country bent on becoming the 'world's best democracy' as promised by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak. My ideas are congruous with his noble proposal so I can't understand why Malaysiakini is being put through the gauntlet again, this time over my letter. If a citizen has no freedom to express his or her peaceful ideas, then it is a dark place indeed.

I love the Malays, I love the Indians, I love the Chinese, I love the Sabahans, I love the Sarawakians and to speak the truth in love about their welfare is to love Malaysia and that is why I write. Nothing should stop anyone from speaking out against the wrongs in society and good governance is about rectifying the wrongs and not exacerbating the wrongs with more wrongs. 

I am also told that unless you give the police my email contacts they will confiscate your computers. You have refused to give them any details without my permission. It is what a noble and principled journalist and newspaper will do even if there is nothing to hide. It is all about professional ethics and safeguarding the integrity of journalism.

I do not want you to lose your computers so please feel free to give the police my email details under protest and offer them every cooperation, but they may still confiscate your computers. There is nothing to add or subtract from what was published, and my letter was on its way to the Malaysiakini archives until the police became the catalyst for its spread.

News and views come and go but the police can make them last much longer. I don't blame the police who have to follow orders and I look forward to when they will not be used to pursue trivial matters when the real criminals are out there. The police must also remember that they are accountable to a higher divine authority and must act justly and protect all citizens from slander and various forms of injustice.

Let good triumph over evil

Allow me to thank your readers for their comments of support but it is not about me but the welfare of others who have suffered the harsh injustices in the country. We climb mountains because they are there and we say things that need saying because we are conscionable human beings who care for others when we observe the injustices happen right before our eyes and the least we can do is speak out in their cause.

NONEIt is not my intention to upset anyone, least of all those who hold office in government which we all must respect but in a democracy when those in governance give us reason to criticise them as when they do wrong then it is our patriotic duty to speak out.

"Courage is not the absence of fear but the strength to do what is right in the face of it," wrote J Johnson.

The betrayers of democracy are not only its repressors but those who abet them by their apathy or sympathy. I know more and more Malaysians want their country to be a better place and have good governance. That is why they speak out and Malaysiakini provides that avenue in a responsible way.

What is needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing, as Edmund Burke wrote.

My prayers still are for the government and all those in authority that they will do good and not harm the innocent because doing what is right exalts a nation and everyone benefits. There are good politicians in government as in the opposition and a responsible and responsive civil society has to be active to ensure the good triumph over evil.

Steve Oh

Thursday 8 November 2012

MALAYSIA: POLICE INTIMIDATION AND HARASSMENT

8th November 2012
15 cops visit Malaysiakini over reader's letter


A team of 15 police officers visited the Malaysiakini office this evening to investigate a reader's letter related to the recent controversial statement made by PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar.

NONE










Malaysiakini is being investigated under Section 298 of the Penal Code which deals with the offence of "uttering words ... with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person".


NONENONE










If found guilty, the offender can be punished with imprisonment for a term up to one year or a fine or both.

The letter being investigated was authored by Steve Oh and published on Malaysiakini on Monday, entitled 'Nurul's watershed idea for the nation'.

The police team led by Subang Jaya police district headquarters senior investigating officer ASP Nadzri Harun arrived at the news portal's headquarters in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, at 5.15pm.

The team included the forensic unit from Cheras police district headquarters.

Intimidation and harassment



NONEArmed with a search warrant issued by Petaling Jaya magistrate under Sedition Act, they spent about 90 minutes recording statements from Malaysiakini chief editor Fathi Aris Omar, news editor Gerald Martinez and human resource manager A Shamini.

The police left around 6.50pm without confiscating any item from the office. However, they will be returning to Malaysiakini tomorrow for further investigation.

NONE
Editor-in-chief Steven Gan described the visit as "yet another case of intimidation and harassment".

"There is nothing considered as seditious in Oh's letter. We are consulting our lawyers on the matter," he said.

Malaysiakini was raided by the police in 2003 and 19 computers were seized, also over a letter to the editor written by a reader.

However, no charge was filed and the case was eventually closed.


 

VIDEO l 2.03 mins

Nurul's watershed idea for the nation

Read here in malaysiakini

by

Steve Oh

The Malaysiakini report on Nurul Izzah Anwar's statement that there should be no compulsion in religion even for Malays is a watershed idea for the nation.

This poignant truth surpasses even the remarkable observation made by former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the country's "first rate infrastructure and third world mentality."

It shows that Malaysian leaders know what's wrong with their country but do they have the moral courage and political capability to right the wrongs?

I am sure Nurul Izzah and her political coalition will win many votes if she makes her suggestion a key policy in their political manifesto.

It will bring Malaysia in line with contemporary values of human rights because the Malays are still a bonded people, controlled by all sorts of rules and regulations that exempt other Malaysians.

This one-nation two-system method of governance is retrograde and reason why despite all the high-sounding political slogans about 1Malaysia, real unity remains elusive.

Control is a double-edged sword and the government has done harm to the image of Islam because to non-Muslims the double-standards it practises in propagating Islam while restricting other religions, shows Muslims as weak in their beliefs and need cocooning from the world.

The Malay mind thus becomes like a licensed mind because the government and its religious authorities decide what they can and cannot believe and do.

For example they cannot marry a non-Muslim without having their intended spouse convert to Islam. Such a practice is not seen in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country.

We have also seen Lina Joy, a Malay who had converted to Christianity, unable to have her conversion recognised. I know of others in similar circumstances who have faced persecution and Operation Lalang in 1987 saw several Malays unfairly jailed and beaten while in custody.

The politicians are not concerned about the welfare of the Malays or Islam but their political control over the Malays so that they can keep them as a fixed deposit.

With political control the corrupt politicians are then able to plunder the nation and prove they are the real enemies of Islam, and fortunately more Malays are seeing the truth.

You only need to meet a Singaporean Malay to observe how myopic Malaysian Malays appear in comparison.

It seems pointless to send Malays on government scholarships to obtain PHd's in various fields when the Malay mind is still like the proverbial frog's under a tempurung (coconut shell).

Thus such a Malay mind is a closeted mind and this is often reflected in the sorts of ridiculous ideas we often hear or read about in the media when those sorts of leaders open their mouths and give us a peek into their minds.

Did not one even ludicrously suggest to vote for the DAP is a sin?

Sometime in the early 80's I wrote a letter with a similar view as Izzah's that was published in the New Straits Times.

I opined that the Malays have a right to be exposed to various ideas including different religions and I still believe that when the Malay mind is liberated from government control, then the country may soon see the enlightenment that Anwar Ibrahim wrote about in his book ‘The Asian Renaissance'.

Malays are not inferior to the Chinese or anyone but after 55 years of feudalistic control by their political overlords, the system of political largesse has resulted in a government-sanctioned policy of treating Malays as inferior and needing special treatment and the government continues to labour this perception.

States that practise religious or ideological control over citizens are like the communists that dictated what the people should believe.

They failed miserably and their capitalism today can only succeed when the human spirit is free to soar.

We are told Malay graduates fare poorly in the queue for jobs in the private sector and the finger can be pointed at the government's failed policy of racial segregation and producing what the employers consider an inferior product.

Until meritocracy is practised the Malays will continue to suffer a bad image.

When we were in school the Malays in our class were always among the top students and ours was a top school in the country. But because of the government's subsequent policy of racial discrimination, sadly our alma mater has lost its former glory.

Today religion and ideology-repressed states are failed states and even China, the remaining major bastion of communism, no longer practises thought control and freedom of faith is upheld albeit religious persecution still happens within certain places.

Malaysians have seen that rapid Islamisation and religious zeal by the authorities have not produced a society that reflects the high moral values that Islam and all religions advocate.

Instead in Malaysia we see Muslims act against the teachings of their religion and even so called religious leaders have allowed themselves to be used as political tools in a political agenda at the expense of Islam.

Is that not why corruption is rife and many Muslims are culpable of all sorts of crimes even the murder of Altantuya Shaaribuu, linked to the incumbent political leadership?

The religion of force has not produced true believers and no matter what the religion, it becomes diluted and delusional when its adherents become nominal and have to play hypocrite to avoid persecution.

Even the enigmatic Dr Mahathir Mohammed had to concede that his Muslim brothers and sisters conform more to form than substance but his half-truths overlook that it was due to his Islamisation and failure to right the wrongs after twenty two long years in the driver's seat, that is largely to blame.

If anything is deficient in the Malay mind blame it on a government that has fed the disease, not cure it.

Not long ago a Malay friend of mine died and was buried a Muslim though I know he had since stopped being a Muslim and was a strong follower of a strange foreign cult and he had not been tacit about his real beliefs and even tried to convert me.

Is it so difficult for those who claim they believe in the true religion to accept the hard truth? Is form more important than substance and face-saving more important than honouring the truth?

Pseudo-believers can be found in any religion and that is why no religion that takes its own teachings seriously advocates coercion though all religions have spread through proselytisation.

When religionists confuse submission with subscription they lose the plot. Forcing someone to submit to something is different from seeing someone subscribe to something out of willingness and conviction.
It results in the sort of silly actions by teachers who whip students for not obeying their enforced Islamic zeal in schools.

The forcing of non- Muslims to convert to Islam when they marry Muslims only creates a class of nominal Muslims.

The same can be said of forcing those who are born into Muslim families to be Muslims. Malays therefore are like 'religious slaves' if I may use the analogy.

They are born into religious and ideological bondage. They are often fed lies about other religions. Reading what some of their books describe of subjects that I know intimately is like reading horror fiction.

So when I hear enlightened Muslims like Nurul Izzah talk sense, I feel there is hope for the truth to be vindicated.

Anyone who is not free to think for himself or herself and has the freedom to adopt the religion of personal conscience and conviction is still a slave in reality. For this reason religion becomes a farce.

Can anyone afford to entrust his or her eternal future to any political party?

It is reason why those Muslims who go to mosque every Friday and pray five times a day and fast at Ramadan still think it is okay to accept bribes in their jobs because it has been the practice for so long.

They are no different from the prostitute who has a shrine of Kuan Yin in her room while engaged in a sinful business.

The same hypocrisy can also be found among the practitioners of other religions because nominalism and hypocrisy go hand in hand and produce spiritual blindness and intellectual darkness.

Is that not why we find so many Muslims in high office guilty of corruption and sexual misconduct, not unlike those who do not believe in God or consider themselves religious?

At least the latter unlike the former are acting out their beliefs and can't be called hypocrites. Sometimes I respect the atheist more than the religious hypocrite. Nevertheless God tells us the fool believes there is no God.

The liberation of the Malay mind will not only enhance the quality of Muslim faith but also enrich the Malay race as a people and community.

The government has been hypocritical in preaching about diversity but practising a system of racial and religious discrimination.

Add to it a policy of keeping the Malays in religious bondage and you have the ingredients for an incendiary society that can be ignited by the political conspirators as we saw in May 13, 1969.

Only this time we have bright and enlightened Malays who prevent history repeating itself.

I don't see the Chinese hung up about their religious and political diversity. The fact a Malay is defined as a follower of Islam defies logic, natural justice, and the fact race is not synonymous with religion.

So were the pre-Muslim Hindu Malays not real Malays?

The doctrine of Ketuanan Melayu is really a misguided idea of nationalism, a subversion against nationhood, a political ploy and an idea bound to fail because it has no moral authority in contemporary society.

You cannot believe that European colonialism is morally repugnant when you replace it with your own local variety.

Fifty five years of political feudalism as we have seen in Malaysia is enough for Malaysians to realise until they discard the status quo, they will never see radical change and remarkable progress as we see in Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Even Indonesia is outpacing Malaysia in its democratisation and economic progress.

The sooner the political cocoon is discarded the quicker we will see the Malay emerge as a beautiful butterfly instead of remaining in the suspended stranglehold of political ugliness.

There are many emancipated Malay minds and the hope of the Malays lies in their intellectual leadership, not those who exploit race and religion to advance their own perverted, selfish and greedy interests and still speak the language of deceit.

It is time Malaysians reject the idea that the government is the licensing board for intellectual freedom.

The Malays have to emancipate themselves and it is young leaders like Nurul Izzah who offer hope for them.

The archaic ideas and ways of the old political guard that has controlled the country for so long, is out of sync with the times and aspirations of contemporary Malaysians.

It is the corrupting ways of the old guard that is why Malaysia is unable to make real progress and falling further behind Singapore, because while Malaysia protects its corrupt police and politicians, Singapore prosecutes them, and they don't even have to factor in religion to act righteously.

We only need to look across the causeway to realise that an honest and sincere respect for others is the way to build a successful nation.

It gave me great joy to listen to the public announcement in Tamil as I alighted from a train in Singapore's MRT station.

Singapore has no hang-ups about its colonial past or that promoting Malay, Tamil, English and even Japanese is less nationalistic among its majority Chinese leaders.

What is wrong with Malaysia begins in the Malay mindset because they control the government and its machinery.

It has affected even non-Malay minds of certain MCA and MIC leaders who have sold out their own people for the same reasons the Malay leaders have sold out theirs.

Watching them shadow box with their Umno comrades while their constituencies continue to suffer serious injustices gives credence to the notion of the Ugly Chinaman and the Ugly Indiaman.

They need to prove to the majority race that they can be relied on to put their own people in their place as long as they are recipients of political largesse.

Nurul Izzah offers hope for the nation because she thinks like a Malaysian and a Muslim coming to terms with the reality that God is not just the God of the Malays but everyone and that faith is not about clobbering others and cocooning oneself in ignorance and bigotry but engaging those who differ from us.

I have just spent more than two weeks in Taiwan and though this country has been colonised by various nations, it has no chip on its shoulder and is not zenophobic.

Its tourism slogan is ‘Taiwan the Heart of Asia' and I soon found out why, because its people are generous.

Malaysia claims it is Truly Asia but is it really?

How is it truly Asia? Or is it just another slick slogan? How Asian are you when you compel others to speak like you, dress like you and believe like you?

Fortunately it is the people themselves, the ordinary Malaysians who reflect the virtues of the country and its appeal to foreigners as a friendly and hospitable place.

The victims of this ugly political bigotry are the Malays themselves who in my purview are among the nicest people anywhere.

The same can't be said of some of their lying and conniving political leaders and that is why Nurul Izzah is a leader of the times and the future despite her youth.

Pak Lah hit the nail on the head with his 'first world infrastructure, third world mentality' comment and it is my hope that younger politicians like Nurul Izzah will be able to liberate the Malay mindset from its bondage to the political and religious status quo.

What Pak Lah could only diagnose, perhaps Nurul Izzah, her mom and dad in politics, and others who love their country will be able to cure.

The hope of Malaysians is in the hope that a new government will cure the sickness that sees the country bedevilled by the devils they know and want no more of.

There is a brave new world waiting for Malaysians but it is not in hanging on to the past and the present political leaders whose performance despite the fresh slogans, are banal at best, and who have yet to learn that slogans, spin and lies do not make a nation, least of all a great one.

If Malaysians want change they have to work hard for change and if a report that more than 20 percent of Malaysians are still not registered to vote, it is yet another challenge the Opposition face to rouse them to act because every vote counts when the system is against you.

Sunday 2 September 2012

Your Royal Highness, It is So Trivial. Does It Really Matter ?

Read here and here for more


Photobucket 
 
 The Sultan of Selangor has questioned the state’s decision to invite Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to grace an official National Day celebration last week, a Malay daily reported today as controversy grows over the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government’s treatment of the palace. 
 
“His Royal Highness the Sultan finds it strange that in such a programme, Anwar, who is not part of the state government’s top leadership, was the guest-of-honour.
“The PKR Opposition Leader also does not hold any official portfolio, except as the appointed State Economic Adviser,” Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani, who is private secretary to Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, was reported by Sinar Harian as saying.

“The convention is that if His Royal Highness is unable to attend the state government’s official programmes, the Mentri Besar replaces the Sultan to give speeches and so on. But, why was Anwar invited and gave a speech, when this was an official programme, not a political programme?” the palace official told the Malay daily.

Mohamad was previously reported as saying that the Selangor Sultan was not invited or informed of the state-level celebrations.

“Maybe the people will wonder why in an official programme, the Sultan did not appear, but Anwar became the guest of honor and came forward to speak,” he was quoted as saying.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had yesterday castigated the PR-led Selangor government for shutting out the state Ruler from its official National Day celebrations at Dataran Shah Alam last Thursday, suggesting that it placed greater importance on Anwar  who was only an economic adviser than the monarch.

“The question of disrespecting the Selangor Sultan does not surprise us... they show more respect to their economic adviser who has no locus standi,” he told reporters at the Selangor Umno Adilfitri celebration in Sungai Buloh yesterday as he scoffed at his political nemesis’ specially-created position within the state government.

“His Royal Highness is the symbol to the state that we must respect,” he said, adding that the Selangor Sultan was a symbol of the state’s sovereignty and unity and should be accorded the highest level of respect.
Najib, who is also Umno president, had warned that there the PKR-DAP-PAS opposition bloc would change many things, including the royal institution should it succeed in taking power at the next general elections due soon.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has deflected criticism saying the state countdown to the country’s 55th Independence Day last Thursday at Dataran Shah Alam was not politically-motivated.
“This celebration has never been a politically-motivated celebration and has been carried out by government officials from the state secretariat office for several years,” Khalid, who is also the PKR treasurer, was quoted as saying in today’s New Sunday Times.

Khalid reportedly said that the state had complied with the usual practices in organising such an event.
The weekend edition of the Umno-linked English daily also reported Khalid saying that State Secretary Datuk Mohamad Khusrin Munawi would explain the circumstances in a report.

 The Selangor government today denied it had intentionally shut out Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah from its official National Day celebrations last week, and pointed out that the state ruler did not traditionally attend the event and this has been the practice since the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) administration.

The state leadership — now under Pakatan Rakyat (PR) control — was put on the backfoot today after the Selangor Ruler reportedly questioned its decision to invite Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to grace the event despite the fact that he holds no official position in the government, pointing to a widening rift with the palace.

Faekah Husin, who is political secretary to Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim , defended the state's decision as the norm for the past four years.

“It has been the tradition for the last four years that His Royal Highness the Sultan is not invited and (does not) attend the Merdeka day celebrations programme.

“His Royal Highness is only invited to the yasin and tahlil ceremony at state mosque, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque,” she told The Malaysian Insider when contacted.

She said it had always been the case even when the state was under BN administration. '

She was responding to Malay daily, Sinar Harian’s front page news report today, that the Selangor Sultan had questioned the state’s decision to invite Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to grace the state’s official National Day celebrations last Thursday night.

“The convention is that if His Royal Highness is unable to attend the state government’s official programmes, the Mentri Besar replaces the Sultan to give speeches and so on. But, why was Anwar invited to give a speech, when this was an official programme, not a political programme?” Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani, who is private secretary to the Selangor Sultan told Sinar.

The Sultan’s private secretary was also previously reported as saying that the Selangor Sultan was not invited or informed of the state-level celebrations.

Faekah said she was confident that the committee organising the event, led by State Secretary Datuk Khusrin Munawi, had conducted checks on protocol when deciding the invitation list.

“We believe Datuk Khusrin has seen the protocol list for invitations of previous years including celebrations during the time of BN’s rule (in Selangor).

“But if this year, His Royal Highness had the intention to attend the Merdeka eve celebrations, His Royal Highness’ private secretary Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani has to advise us, but there was no advice regarding that matter from him,” she said.

She also expressed regret at Munir’s statement to the media that appeared to have been played up by certain parties to suggest the Selangor PR government was attempting to diminish the Sultan’s role.
“Datuk Khusrin himself has guaranteed that Datuk Munir will explain, but I don’t understand why his (Munir’s) statement in the media is very different.”

“When it’s related to the Sultan and the palace, the state government is very careful,” she said.
A text message the state secretary had sent Faekah — made available to The Malaysian Insider — appeared to corroborate her remarks.

In the message, Khusrin had purportedly referred to the issue as an attempt by Umno-owned Malay paper Utusan Malaysia to stir up public sentiment against the state government. He had also purportedly said he would clarify the matter with the Sultan’s private secretary.

The text message stated: “Saya maklum. Utusan sengaja nak buat isu. Selama ini memang Tuanku tak pernah dijemput dalam program malam kemerdekaan kecuali majlis baca yasin. Saya minta Dato Munir untuk beri penjelasan semula (I note that. Utusan wants to create an issue intentionally. All this while, His Royal Highness has never been invited to Merdeka eve programmes except the yasin reading ceremony. I will ask Datuk Munir to explain again)”.

Faekah also said the state government is confident that the Sultan of Selangor will view the matter from a broader perspective despite allegations by certain parties criticising the state for its alleged disrespect to the royal institution.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had yesterday castigated the PR-led Selangor government for shutting out the State Ruler from its official National Day celebrations at Dataran Shah Alam last Thursday, suggesting that it placed greater importance on Anwar, who was only an economic adviser, than the monarch.

“The question of disrespecting the Selangor Sultan does not surprise us... they show more respect to their economic adviser who has no locus standi,” he told reporters at the Selangor Umno Adilfitri celebration in Sungai Buloh yesterday as he scoffed at his political nemesis’ specially-created position within the state government.

“I believe His Royal Highness is wise enough to view this matter in a broader way.”

“No one wants to ignore the Sultan; what more if His Royal Highness himself has intentions to attend the Merdeka eve night (celebrations),” she said, adding that “but if that is true, the intention did not reach us.”
“If it was informed (to us), I am confident that the Merdeka celebrations will be more joyous with the presence of His Royal Highness, the Sultan,” Faekah said.
 
 

Saturday 1 September 2012

UMNO was not an independence movement. UMNO vehemently opposed independence. “Merdeka” was taboo. UMNO’s greeting was “hidup Melayu!”


'Lembu punya susu, sapi dapat nama'

 
by

Hishamuddin Haji Yahaya,
   

 

 31st August 2102

Read here for more

MERDEKA: Can UMNO’s claim that they fought for the country’s independence stand the test of time?  

The veracity of this claim is now shrouded with doubt. 

A book in bahasa, entitled Anak Merdeka, written by Haji Salleh Majid and published in 1991, exposed the fallacy of this claim. The author was no politician but an ordinary man who lived to witness the political development of this country evolving from the 1940s to the day of Merdeka.

Early attempts to gain independence

Early attempts to achieve independence were mostly unrecorded. For example, in the early 1940s and before the Japanese occupation of Malaya, Ishak Haji Mohammed (commonly known as Pak Sako), together with an Indonesian delegation, surreptitiously went to Japan soliciting Japanese help to fight for the independence of their respective countries.  This was followed by Soekarno meeting Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy (right) to plan strategies for both countries’ independence.  Though both attempts failed for various reasons, the seeds of independence had been sowed long before the existence of UMNO.

Ishak Haji Mohamad’s secret trip to Japan was risky business, inviting prosecution for treason, punishable by death, but such was the dexterity of this pure nationalist.  Though he was in the colonial civil service at that time, his patriotism and love for the country was never sacrificed to the colonial masters he served.  In fact it was while in Japan that the name Sako was begotten.  The Japanese found it difficult to spell and pronounce his name Ishak, so they called him Isako.  Later it became his pen name, Pak Sako.

Indonesia’s independence


The independence of Indonesia on 17 August 1945 triggered fire in the hearts of Malays of Indonesian descent.  After all, Indonesia was the “motherland”, separated only by the narrow Straits of Malacca.  Both were Malay lands; and if one could gain independence, why not the other?  Furthermore, an independent Indonesia could provide moral and material help to Malays in the struggle for independence.  Thus, begun the dawn of Merdeka.

Formation of PKMM

It was not until early 1946 that Malaya’s first independent movement was formed.  It was a political party called Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM).  Its founder members were Malays of Indonesian descent, notable among them were Ahmad Boestamam and Musa Ahmad.  The party published its first newspaper called Suara Rakayt at Hale Street, Ipoh.  The contents were one hundred per cent political.  In no time, PKMM opened branches all over the country with its headquarters at 2 Batu Road (now Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman) Kuala Lumpur.  It did not take long for Pak Sako and Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy to join the party.

“Merdeka!” was the greeting of party members whenever they met.  It was said in a spirited voice with clenched fist brought to the chest.  Anytime and anywhere they met, the greeting was “Merdeka!”

Formation of UMNO

The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) was formed in June 1946, six months after the formation of PKMM.  It was established with the sole objective of opposing the proposed Malayan Union which relegated the powers of the Malayan Rulers to the British Residents.  UMNO was not an independence movement.  In fact, it vehemently opposed independence as the leaders were mostly colonial civil servants who had sold their lives and soul to their colonial masters.  Not only was UMNO opposed to independence, the word “Merdeka”was taboo to them.  UMNO’s greeting was “hidup Melayu!”

Pic: UMNO's formation at Istana Johor, 1946

The other reason UMNO opposed independence was that the Malays were poor and uneducated; left to themselves, Malaya would be a failed state.

The PKMM, on the other hand, thought otherwise.  The party wanted independence first; then there would be ample opportunity to educate the Malays as the country was rich in natural resources, and it would not be a failed state.  These opposing positions divided the two parties and led to enmity.

PKMM and the labour movement


Enhanced by its committed leaders, the PKMM was a symbol of solidarity.  The spirit within party members raged like wildfire.  Branches and bureaus were established.  Apart from the youth and women’s wings, labour, agriculture and religious bureaus were established.  The labour bureau was the most active and most successful political agitator.  Through it, the PKMM penetrated the Malayan labour movement, which was very responsive to the former’s presence as the living conditions of the labourers at that time were deplorable.  In fact, the presence of the PKMM was welcomed and long awaited.

Incidentally, the Malayan labour movement had affiliated itself with the world labour movement, the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), whose headquarters was in Paris, and not with the American-controlled International Labour Organisation (ILO), whose headquarters was in New York.  The WFTU was leftist inclined, and with the Malayan labour movement affiliated to it, the PKMM’s penetration into the movement heightened British suspicion of the party.

Organised strikes

Between 1946-1948, the labour movement was so active (except in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah) that intermitternt strikes almost crippled the rubber and tin industries.  The port workers of Singapore too joined in the strikes, crippling Malaya’s major port.

As expected, the British operative policy of divide and rule was immediately put into action. While pretending to acknowledge the labourers’ plight, the PKMM was declared illegal and its leaders incarcerated.

The organised strikes did not ease with the banning of the PKMM.  Day by day, British economic interests were in jeopardy.  The rubber and tin industries, the mainstay of the British economy, faced imminent paralysis.  By this time the colonial government had sent a loud and clear message to Whitehall.  By this time, Whitehall realised that the independence of India and Indonesia had given impetus to Malaya to free itself from the shackles of colonial rule.  This aspiration could no longer be contained and sooner or later Malaya had to be given its independence.

Independence on a silver platter


The British had learnt that independence achieved through war not only resulted in the loss of life and property, but left a grudge within the beneficiary state, resulting in the nationalisation of the colonialists’ assets.  This meant the British could lose everything.  So the only option was for a negotiated independence.  The question then was who would be the British protege so that their assets would be fully protected and the expatriates could hold on to their jobs a little longer.

Pic: Tunku Abdul Rahman signing the independence agreement in London, 1956

With PKMM banned and its leaders incarcerated, the only organised movement that dominated the political scene then was UMNO, which was seen as a safe bet.  Firstly, most of their leaders were British educated and had embraced British culture and values ever since their high school days in Britain or at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar.  Secondly, they were mostly the sons of the Malay rulers and chieftains who had been close to the British.  These people had regarded the British as their icons and mentors and viewed them as their savoir.

UMNO, the opportunist


UMNO was quick to seize the opportunity.  With its adversary, the PKMM banned and driven into oblivion, UMNO took over where the PKMM had left off.  From an anti-Malayan Union organi-sation, it suddenly assumed the role of a force fighting for independence.  The British were very comfortable with UMNO’s new role, and negotiations for independence took off.

The negotiations that followed were mainly technical and focussed on two major issues: to prepare the country’s constitution and to agree on the date of the declaration of independence.  A body was formed, headed by Lord Reid, to look into a constitution and the date of independence was agreed as 31 August 1957.  For political exigency, UMNO would have to forge an alliance with the ethnic Chinese and Indian political parties,  and hence “Perikatan” (Alliance) was formed.

Pending full independence, Malaya was ruled by the Federal Legislative Council consisting of appointed members representing the various races and professions.  With independence granted on a silver platter, the British were successful in retaining the entire system and had their assets protected.  For UMNO and the Alliance, the declaration of independence was a jubilant moment as it was achieved without shedding a drop of blood.

Declaration of independence

On 31 August 1957, Malaya was re-reborn.  As the clock struck midnight, the Union Jack was lowered and the new Malayan flag was hoisted in front of the clock tower opposite the Selangor Padang.  The shouts of “Merdeka!” — no less than seven times — reverberated and resounded in the air.  The shouts were led by Tuanku Abdul Rahman, who stood on a rostrum surrounded by his Cabinet Ministers, some of whom, I observed, were obviously drunk.

The official declaration of independence was held at Stadium Merdeka the next morning, attended by all the Malay Rulers, the British High Commissioner and the representatives of the Queen (Duke of Gloucester).  I was there with my father and sibling “representing” Temerloh, Pahang.

Thus, Malaya was born as an independent state, a member of the British Commonwealth and member of the United Nations.  It was the culmination of a long and difficult struggle, an achievement won not by the educated class, but by labourers, port workers and others — the downtrodden — whose existence we hardly knew.

They were the real fighters of Merdeka, whose actions created a landscape for independence.  Those were the people who laboured endlessly  to enrich the colonial masters in return for a pittance and who now lay in the graves unknown and forgotten.

They were Malays, Indians, Chinese and others and they were certainly not UMNO members.  They were the unsung heroes who sacrificed their lives and freedom for future generations,  but who only found their own freedom in the silence of their graves.  It is those people who deserve to be commemorated on 31 August every year and not “the patriots” who hoisted the jalur gemilang on the roofs of mansions at the prestigious addresses of Kuala Lumpur or those who flew the jalur gemilang on the roofs of their flashy cars.

To the real patriots and the fighters of independence, we offer them our unreserved salute.  As for UMNO, we only have this to say: “Lembu punya susu, sapi dapat nama.

* The writer, a lawyer, is former MP for Temerloh, Pahang, and the former managing director of Harakah. This article appeared on Aliran monthly.

Sunday 19 August 2012

Dr Mahathir Semasa Perdana Menteri Berusaha MENENTANG HUDUD: Mudah Lupa atau Sudah Nyanyuk

Read here for more AND here

Dr Mahathir, seorang tua sudah lupa atau sudah nyanyuk.


Berikut adalah antara kenyataan Mahathir tentang hukum Hudud dan perlaksanaannya di negara ini.

 1- (Kenyataan Mahathir pada 14 Julai 1992 kepada wartawan). 

"...Apabila hukum rejam batu sampai mati kepada penzina dan potong tangan kepada pencuri, nescaya ramailah rakyat Islam yang mati dan kudung tangan. Ini sangat MEMALUKAN  umat Islam,  kerana orang bukan Islam akan sempurna sifatnya dan boleh meneruskan kerja."



2- Ucapan Mahathir pada 30 April 1992 di perjumpaan Ketua2 Umno bahagian Johor).

 "...Saya nak tahu siapakan di antara ahli2 Pas yang sanggup memotong tangan orang jika hudud dilaksanakan di Kelantan. Barangkali Nik Aziz akan melakukannya. Jika benar kita nak tengok apa yang berlaku selepas hukum itu nanti."


3- Ucapan Mahathir pada 2 Mei 1992 di Papar Sabah). 

"...Bagaimana kita boleh maju kalau orang Islam sudah tidak ada tangan dan kaki. Bagaimana mereka mahu bersaing dengan bangsa2 lain kalau sifatnya sudah tidak cukup. Hukum Hudud TIDAK SESUAI  dilaksanakan di negara ini yang mempunyai rakyat berbilang kaum dan agama."

4- (Kenyataan Mahathir kepada para wartawan pada tahun 1994 selepas mesyuarat MT Umno). 

"..Saya ingin memastikan bahawa negeri2 yang diperintah oleh BN TIDAK AKAN melaksanakan hukum hudud."

5- (Ucapan Mahathir pada 14 Ogos 1994 di Pasir Mas Kelantan). 

"...SUKAR  dilaksanakan hukum syarak kerana masyarakat Malaysia bukan seratus peratus Islam."

6- Ucapan Mahathir pada 3 Mac 1994 di Pusat Bahasa Arab, Nilam Puri, Kelantan. 

"...Apakah hukum hudud mesti dilaksanakan juga walau apa pun keadaan sehingga mendatangkan mudarat kepada orang Islam. Apakah dalam keadaan Islam sudah lemah, hukum2 yang  BOLEH MELEMAHKAN LAGI ORANG ISLAM   mesti dilaksanakan?"


7- (Ucapan Mahathir pada 3 Mac di Pusat Bahasa Arab, Nilam Puri, Kelantan) 

"...Hudud TIDAK  boleh dilaksanakan kerana sukar mendapat saksi yang tidak fasik."

8- (Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, ucapannya di Pusat Bahasa Nilam Puri, Kelantan, 3 Mac1994. 

“...Saya cabar Kelantan laksana hukum hudud di depan orang bukan Islam.”

9- (Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, ucapannya di Pasir Mas, 14 Ogos 1994).

 “....Al-Quran perlu ditafsirkan semula untuk DISESUAIKAN  dengan keadaan masakini.”


10- (Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, temubualnya dengan media massa selepas sidang Majlis Tertinggi Umno, 1994).

 “...Saya akan mempastikan bahawa negeri-negeri yang diperintah oleh Barisan Nasional TIDAK AKAN melaksanakan hukum hudud.”


  Siapa Mahathir rasakan dirinya itu untuk dibandingkan dengan orang yang berkuasa di Malaysia pada masa ini ( Perdana Menteri Najib Razak) yang jelas mengatakan:

'Hudud TIDAK  akan dilaksanakan di negara ini' 
 - Najib Razak


Tengok video ini..

Friday 17 August 2012

This Ridhuan Tee is a Very Confused CHINESE

 ARISE Ridhuan Tee, YOU are now a Malay!

by

Hussein Hamid

 http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=38306:arise-ridhuan-teeyou-are-now-a-malay&Itemid=2

 
 .Somewhere in all the zeal of becoming a Muslim Ridhuan Tee mistook being a Muslim and being Malay as one and the same thing!

Why?

 Where does it say that a Muslim must be Malay?
 There are White Americans who are Muslims. There are Black Americans who are Muslims. There are Arabs, Burmese, Africans, Chinese, Indians and Russians who are are Muslims.

Be a Chinese Muslim, not an 'almost Malay'
Why can’t Ridhuan remain a Chinese and be a Muslim at the same time? Are there any Malays out there who want Ridhuan to be Malay? Or is it Ridhuan himself who became a Muslim to be Malay?

Does he think he has been a Muslim long enough to qualify himself to be a Malay? What is it with this Chinese? How or when did be became confused that a Malay must be a Muslim and so a Muslim must be a Malay?

And how come Jawi has not told this Ridhuan that he can be a Chinese and a Muslim at the same time?
This Ridhuan is indeed a very confused Chinese who is a Muslim or is he a very confused Muslim who is a Chinese and wanting to be Malay?

Did somebody tell him that he is now ‘almost a Malay’ now that he is a Muslim?

Whatever it is I think it is time Jawi or some UMNO bigwig make him an honorary Malay and end his agony of wanting to be a Malay so much that he is embarrassing himself with his grovelling! 

Arise Ridhuan…you are now a Malay!


 I have now lived in Australia for close to 30 years. I speak English like a Malay speak English – no slang, no aussie twang, no use of that aussie favourite word “mate”. Speak English just as I use to speak English when I was in KL. My name is still Hussein…not Ssein, not Housein or Saint…just Hussein.

My Son Zack does speak with a slight Aussie accent but that is because he has born here and lived almost all his life in Australia. My daughter Terrina speaks Malay and English like any other Malay complete with her Ok Lah, Tidak Apa lah and all the nuances that makes one a Malaysian – she was born at Assunta Hospital and grew up mostly in Bangsar amongst Malaysians.

My wife is Greek and has lived all her adult life in Australia – so she is Greek Australian and the only Malaysian part of her is the fact that she likes Popiah and can make a mean goreng pisang – but no Nasi Lemak, no Nasi Dagang (my two favourites!).

What I am trying to say here is that we are all a product of the life we have lived….and even if we come into contact with others, it is really up to us to be who we want to be. I am comfortable being Malay who calls Australia home.

I can remember a time in the 60’s in London at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park and there was this Indian asking the West Indians around him to “Go Home – go back to your country – we British do not want you here!”. The image of that Indian asking the West Indians to go home has never left me – it was comical and yet sad.

It was also ironic having one Black man asking another Black man to go back from where he came from – and I can still see the indulgent smiles of everyone around me.

 But to all intents and purposes that Indian was lost in his sense of importance! He wanted to keep Britain White and the fact that he was Black and an immigrant himself escaped him totally.

And now I see the same situation in this guy Ridhuan Tee

- Hussein Hamid

Wednesday 8 August 2012

EVIL INCARNATE: Umno-BN's blockbuster movie May 13, 1969

 by

  Iskandar Dzulkarnain, Stan Lee

Read here for more

The most saddening event in Malaysia’s politics today is the screening of the new May 13 movie - Tanda Putera.

What is the country coming to?

Barisan Nasional, which calls itself as a caring government and the 'only alternative' in this country refuses to lift a finger to stop this madness! But it's time Malaysians told them - stop it!

For God's sake, stop damaging racial relations in this country any further.
If Malaysians don't want you at the 13th general election, please accept defeat graciously and leave. You can always come back in 5 years time but Malaysians cannot afford another 5 years of such evil scheming aimed to destroy the fabric of our own society just so that the BN can stay in power.

It is really sickening to see a faltering government conjuring controversy after controversy to try and justify its right to rule, only to be caught in the act time after time for false representation. You can kid the Rakyat once or twice, maybe three times but you can’t kid them all of the time. Malaysians are not that dumb.

Too late for BN to garner a mandate?
The GE-13 should have been held a year ago. BN would have had a fighting chance to garner a solid mandate. Instead, greed to regain a two-thirds majority got the better of them and today, they are in real danger of losing their simple majority to rule.

No right thinking Malaysian would allow BN to have a two thirds majority. BN should be contented with either a two-party system or get ready to warm up the Opposition bench.

The polls delay has caused so many unpleasant incidents to emerge that many Malaysians already view the Federal Government as nothing more than a bunch of power-brokers struggling desperately to stay in power at any cost. That’s how dim the scenario looks today!

Screening such a controversial movie is simply the last straw for most Malaysians. The May13 incident is a ‘dark horror episode’ that should remain buried in the past.

Digging it up to remind Malaysians of the cruelty, madness, evil deeds and murderous intents of masses running ‘amok’ in the streets chopping everyone up in a blood bath is a perverse condition of unstable rulers who should belong in a mental institution, not governing our nation.

Copycat threats
Screening it and reminding Malaysians of these horrors, may activate unstable ‘copy-cats’ serial murderers baying for blood. It may cause them to lose control and copy the demented actions of the Umno Youth which instigated the tragedy.
It also reminds us of the mass shooting during the premiere screening of ‘the Dark Knight’ when an unstable American tried to copy ‘the Joker’ and gunned down 12 people in cold blood, injuring scores of other victims.

What does the government hope to gain from screening such a film as Tanda Putera? With its depiction of hideous atrocities and racial slurs, is the May 13 movie expected to remind the audience of our illustrious history or to be taught a 'new' history where Umno's role is washed clean and it is all Lim Kit Siang's fault. Yet the DAP adviser was not even in Kuala Lumpur but in East Malaysia when the May 13 incident broke out in 1969.

The REAL HORROR of May 13
The racial riots on that fateful day led to a 'national emergency' or Darurat. Officially, 196 people were killed between May 13 and July 31, 1969, due to the machete attacks and other violent acts. Journalists and other observers have stated many times, this number is intentionally under-counted and the real tally much higher.

Other reports at the time suggest that over 2,000 were killed by rioters stirred up by Umno Youth and mainly in Kuala Lumpur. Many of the dead were quickly buried in unmarked graves in the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital grounds.
Thousands were injured and maimed for life. It was almost a full-scale war. Even the death toll from all the ‘Rambo’ movies combined hardly touched 200 casualties. And now the BN government, for its own motives, thinks that it is good idea for Malaysians to be reminded about its sordid past.

Although, many Malaysians know the real truth leading up to these events, the BN government has no qualms as to distorting the accuracy of the events depicted in the movie.

May 13 movie to make the Malays hate the Chinese: Chong Wei to appease the Chinese
Now, on its final leg leading up to the GE-13, the BN government is desperate to grasp at something that can sway the people - in this case, the Malays - against the Chinese.

All the talk about 1Malaysia sounds so hollow when the authorities have no wish to enforce or embrace the concept. Even making a national her o of badminton star Lee Chong Wei won't help because the people know Prime Minister Najib Razak is playing a devious game.

He is using May 13 to get the Malays to hate the Chinese and using Chong Wei to appease the Chinese that this is 'not so bad' after all.

Somehow, with such fictitious sincerity, unity may indeed be a lost cause unless there is a regime change. For as long as the BN remains in power, it will see racial unity and integration as a direct threat to its hold over the country.

First Anwar, now gunning after Kit Siang
Implying that the DAP and a living, breathing leader to be the cause of the May 13 riots is not only character-assassination and gutter politicking, it is downright Evil.
Ban the movie immediately for the distorted historical events and inaccuracies for these are dangerous and can be perpetuated as being the truth when it is anything but truthful.

Those who were born after May 13 and are gullible enough to believe Umno-BN would be telling their children and grandchildren 50 years from now that it was Kit Siang who started the racial riots.

But the fact remains, Kit Siang was not even in Kuala Lumpur. How could he have urinated on a flag pole bearing the Selangor flag at the residence of the then Mentri Besar Harun Idris?

After failing to convict Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, despite Sodomy I, Sodomy II and the awful Datuk T sex tap, are the Umno-BN now turning their attention to the DAP and Lim Kit Siang?

Sunday 5 August 2012

"Christian conspiracy' bloggers in 'Pilih M'sia' drive

The mysterious 'Saya Pilih Malaysia' campaign took a new twist today with a newspaper advertisement featuring, among others, two bloggers who sparked the 'Christian conspiracy' row last year and three Pro-UMNO bloggers

Read here for more

(1) "CHRISTIAN CONSPIRACY" BLOGGERS


The two bloggers :
(a)  Big Dog, whose real name is Zakhir Mohamad, and
(b) My Anger (Shamsul Yunos)

Both had in May last year made blog postings alleging that DAP had organised a meeting with Christian leaders in Penang at which they took an oath to make Christianity the country's official religion.

utusan malaysia, malaysia negara kristianThe Christian conspiracy charge took the spotlight in May last year - weeks before the mammoth Bersih 2.0 rally - when Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia quoted the two bloggers Big Dog and My Anger in a front-page report with the screaming headline: "Kristian agama rasmi?" (Christianity the official religion?).

The report triggered an uproar among Christian leaders that led to a flurry of police reports and counter-reports. This was aggravated by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein saying there was "some basis" to the claim.

However, five months later, the Home Ministry confirmed that there was no evidence to back the claim and the case was subsequently closed.

(2) PRO-UMNO BLOGGERS


Three  other personalities featured in the advertisement carried by all major newspapers today, are prominent pro-BN bloggers

(a) rocky's bru, whose real name is Ahiruddin Attan, and

(b) Apanama (Firdaus Abdullah).

(c)   Syed Akbar Ali who goes by the blog name OutSyedTheBox, believed to be close to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad but has often been critical of both the government and opposition in his blog postings.

The template again uses BN's trademark blue and white colours, but does not specify who is behind the advertisement.

Personalities linked to Blog House

However, four personalities featured in the advertisement are linked to Blog House Malaysia (BHM), whose patron is Mahathir.

  Syed Akbar (OutSyedTheBox) is BHM president while Ahiruddin (Rockybru), Firdaus Abdullah (Apanama) and Zakhir (Big Dog) hold the posts of adviser, deputy secretary and treasurer respectively.

BHM too has had its fair share of controversy when its secretary, Tony Yew, lodged a police report against videographer Chan Lilian over a Twitter posting in which she urged Christians to back the Bersih 2.0 rally last year.

The report led the police to raid Chan's home in Penang before carting away her computer and modem.

The 'I Choose Malaysia' advertising blitz, which enters its third week, is not confined to major newspapers but is also broadcast on TV channels RTM1, RTM2, TV3, 8TV, TV9, NTV7, Astro RIA, Astro Awani, Astro Vaanavil and Astro AEC.

This extensive campaign is estimated to run into the millions of ringgit.

Monday 25 June 2012

Mamak-KSN (Chief Secretary to Govt) Playing Partisan Politics

MAMAK ALI HAMSA  asked Malaysian Civil Servants to be LOYAL  to UMNO-BN  and NOT  be fooled by Opposition Pakatan Rakyat.


Read here for more

We say,
Dr Ali Hamsa, GET OUT  of your position as a Public Servant if you want to engage in Partisan Politics.

Just Remember,   it  is  the Malaysian tax-payers who  are paying YOUR  salary for  your family's luxury life-style

The   Ketua Setiausaha Negara (KSN)
ALI HAMSA

Dr Ali Hamsa


The newly appointed Chief Secretary to the Government (Ketua Setiausaha Negara), Ali Hamsa has told civil servants  to be loyal to the incumbent (UMNO-BN) , saying they should not be fooled by the OPPOSITION's (Pakatan Rakyat)  “empty promises.”

Both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have been wooing the 1.4-million strong public service, a traditional vote bank for the ruling coalition whose support appears to have wavered over the recent wage hike debacle.

“They should know better. Don’t be taken in by empty promises,” former Public Private Partnership Unit (UKAS) director-general Datuk Seri Dr Ali Hamsa said in reply to a question by the Umno-controlled New Straits Times on promises by the federal opposition.

“As civil servants, we must be loyal to the King and serve the government of the day. It is important that we know our role as civil servants and carry out our responsibilities well,” said the top civil servant, who was promoted this week, in an interview published by the English daily.

 RELATED ARTICLE:

Ali Hamsa! Lepaskan jawatan KSN, bertanding atas tiket BN!

Read here for more

Baru sehari dua menjadi Ketua Setiausaha Negara )KSN) Dr Ali Hamsa sudah bercakap politik,  sedangkan beliau adalah ketua kepada 1.4 juta perkhidmat awam yang sepatutnya tidak menyebelahi mana-mana pihak dan bekerjasama dengan sesiapa atau mana-mana parti yang dipilih rakyat.

 Kakitangan kerajaan merupakan pelaksana kepada apa-apa dasar yang telah digubal oleh sesiapa yang memerintah yang diberikan mandat oleh rakyat.

Dr Ali menyeru kepada semua kakitangan kerajaan supaya memberikan sokongan kepada kerajaan yang ada pada hari ini dan jangan mendengar janji-janji kosong dari pihak pembangkang. Walaupun beliau berasa berterima kasih kepada kerajaan kerana dijadikan KSN manggantikan KSN yang lama ia tidak bermakna Dr Ali boleh menafikan hasrat rakyat yang ramai yang merupakan empunya kepada negara ini.

Penjawat awam itu pun kepunyaan rakyat dan dibayar gaji mereka oleh rakyat termasuk gaji Dr Ali itu sendiri. Penjawat awam seperti Dr Ali ini nampaknya mesti melalui kurusus sivik yang asas untuk memahami apakah jenis negara dan sistem yang ada yang beliau akan tadbir ini.

Malaysia tidak lagi mempunyai KSN sehebat Abdullah Ayub, Abd Kadir Shamsuddin, dan beberapa orang yang lain semasa pentadbiran Mahathir Mohamad. Dari menjadi seorang yang ‘impartial’ Ali Hamsa menjadi seorang ahli politik. Jika begitulah keadaannya maka kita layan KSN ini sebagai seorang ahli politik.

Seruan yang pertama saya jika didengari elok Ali Hamsa meletakkan jawatan dan bertanding diatas tiket BN dan berkempen keseluruh negara untuk membuktikan yang parti pembangkang memberi janji kososng. Inilah yang menyebabkan kerajaan sekarang sudah menjadi haru biru kerana mereka bercakap tentang isu yang mereka tidak sepatutnya bercakap.

Sekarang kita lebih diyakini bahawa kita mempunyai sebab yang lebih besar kenapa BN mesti ditolak oleh rakyat kali ini. Sikap seorang penjawat awam berpangkat KSN ini amat memalukan. Mentang-mentanglah beliau melangkahi ramai penjawat awam yang lebih berkelayakkan dari beliau, beliau memilih untuk mengampu dan membodek pimpinan yang ‘incumbent’.

Kita ingatkan apabila Sidek bersara,  kita akan mendapat seorang KSN yang lebih mulia tetapi nampaknya hari demi hari kita mendapat pentadbir yang lebih keliru seperti beliau (Sidek).

Segala-galanya sudah menyimpang jauh. Pastikanlah yang PRU13 ini akan mengubah segala-galanya. Setidak-tidaknya kita akan ganti seorang KSN yang tidak sewel seperti ini.

Monday 28 May 2012

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, How Dumb and Ignorant Can You Be on Malaysia's Commitment to UNCAC

 Read here for more

The Scorpene scandal and the long arm of the law

by


WHEN it comes to an issue like corruption, nations have long since accepted that it cannot be combated single-handedly.  A significant milestone in cooperation was when the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) in New York passed the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) on 31 Oct 2003.

Shortly after, Malaysia signed the UNCAC on 9 Dec 2003.  The UNCAC came into force on 14 Dec 2005. We then ratified it on 24 Sept 2008.

As a party to the UNCAC, how well do our government ministers understand Malaysia’s obligations under this international treaty and local laws on international cooperation on criminal matters?

 Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s recent snubbing of the inquiry by a French court into the Scorpene submarines scandal suggest ignorance, at the very least.

Scorpène Class Malaysian Navy submarine "Tun Razak" in the shipyard of Navantia-Cartagena (Spain) few days prior to its delivery. (© Outissnn | Wiki Commons)
Scorpène Class Malaysian Navy submarine "Tun Razak" in the shipyard of Navantia-Cartagena (Spain) few days prior to its delivery.

How UNCAC works

Under the UNCAC, state parties agree to cooperate with one another in every aspect of the fight against corruption, including prevention, investigation, and the prosecution of offenders. State parties are bound to render specific forms of mutual legal assistance in gathering and transferring evidence for use in court and to extradite offenders. 

There is a provision whereby state parties that do not have extradition treaties with each other may use their common membership of the UNCAC as the basis for any extradition request. They are also required to undertake measures which will support the tracing, freezing, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds of corruption.

Another over-arching trend in the international fight against transboundary issues is universal jurisdiction. A country can bring to trial and prosecute in that country, those accused of having committed a crime in another country. 

An area relatively new to Malaysia, we are only beginning to adopt universal jurisdiction through recent amendments to Section 4 of the Penal Code. This expands the scope of extraterritorial offences to include damage to property belonging to, or operated, or controlled, not just by a Malaysian federal or state government, but also to a Malaysian company or individual located outside Malaysia.

 This addresses our lack of laws to prosecute offences such as the hijacking of a Malaysian privately-owned (but foreign-flagged) ship by Somali pirates in international waters.

Ignorance or lack of political will?

Image of Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Zahid Hamidi 

Bearing this in mind, Ahmad Zahid’s response to the possibility of being subpoenaed to appear in a French court to answer questions about the Scorpene affair is surprising for a number of reasons. France is also a signatory to the UNCAC, having signed it on 9 Dec 2003, and ratifying it on 11 July 2005.

The investigation by the French courts into allegations of transboundary corruption in the purchase of two Scorpene submarines by Malaysia would be precisely the kind of issue that UNCAC and universal jurisdiction are intended to address. By ratifying the treaty, Malaysia has signified to the world our willingness to submit to an international framework of cooperation in this regard. 

The Defence Minister’s comments, then, seem totally out of line with our international obligations.
Ahmad Zahid reportedly said, “Why should I appear?  I am not a witness!  If I appear, who will pay for my expenses?  I don’t want to use my money and the government’s money.”

In so doing, he clearly revealed his lack of familiarity with the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act 2002.  Part II of this Act deals with requests to Malaysia by foreign governments. In particular, Section 27 of the Act deals with requests for attendance of a particular person in another country to give evidence or assist in a criminal matter there.  

Malaysia’s Attorney-General can be requested by foreign authorities to arrange for the person to attend such proceedings. Section 19 specifically requires the Attorney-General to confirm that “allowances” and “arrangements for security and accommodation for the person” are to be made by the requesting foreign authorities.

So really, Ahmad Zahid need not worry about spending his own money or that of the Malaysian Government. France would pick up the bill, merci beaucoup.

Ahmad Zahid’s own ignorance aside, Malaysia’s attitude towards the Scorpene probe is also an issue of political will. 

Even though France is not a “prescribed foreign State” pursuant to Section 17 of the Act, Section 18 of the Act allows the Attorney-General to give special direction in writing for the Act to apply to that state. There is room for ad-hoc cooperation with France, if the Attorney-General recommends it and if the minister in charge of law agrees.

International perception

Malaysia could still refuse to entertain a request from France and would have grounds to do so in Section 20 of the Act.  These include:
  • Section 20(1)(g): the facts constituting the offence to which the request relates does not indicate an offence of sufficient gravity;
  • Section 20(1)(h): the thing requested for is of insufficient importance to the investigation or could reasonably be obtained by other means;
  • Section 20(1)(i): the provision of the assistance would affect the sovereignty, security, public order or other essential public interest of Malaysia.
However, Malaysia should be cautious of how a refusal would be perceived by the international community in such a high-profile case. Care must be taken not to give a wrong impression.

No doubt, the Act contains complex provisions which include the voluntariness of a witness to travel to another country to assist in a criminal probe. The details of the Act’s provisions are beyond the scope of this article but suffice to say, the Minister of Defence should not have been so quick and glib in his reaction. 

Provisions do exist in Malaysian law to send him for an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris.  He should seek legal advice. 

Had he done so, he might have not been so glib again with his latest reaction — “Who are they to issue a warrant of arrest? We are not subjected to French laws.”

‘Red notice’ option
 
There is still the possibility that France could request countries, with which it has a mutual assistance in criminal matters agreement, to detain Ahmad Zahid and deliver him to Paris. 

This could happen should Ahmad Zahid travel to any such country or to any country which is a member of the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. No doubt he would then have to fight it, just as, under different circumstances, Julian Assange is currently fighting his extradition from the United Kingdom to Sweden.

It is open for the French courts, if Ahmad Zahid refuses to answer a subpoena, to upgrade that subpoena to an international warrant of arrest, and to seek the assistance of Interpol to effect it.  

This is known as a “red notice”.  Whether the French would actually do that is a tale for another time. 

Sunday 27 May 2012

BOYCOTT "SEKINCHAN IKAN BAKAR" RESTAURANTS

BOYCOTT Sekinchan Ikan Bakar

 for Ambiga's sake

 Read here for more

 This is one of the hoodlums that had threaten a pasar malam outside Datuk Ambiga's house. 

You can see him painting the yellow lines on the road outside her house in the pictures (see below)

Datuk Jamal Md  Yunus

Photobucket
OWNER OF
SEKINCHAN IKAN BAKAR  RESTAURANTS


This is one of the hoodlums that had threaten a pasar malam outside Datuk Ambiga's house. You can see him painting the yellow lines on the road outside her house in the pictures (see below)


Photobucket
BOYCOTT his business! 

We do not need to eat Ikan Bakar at his outlets to survive but see whether he can survive without business patronage from the good supporters of Datuk Ambiga! 

You reap what you sow! Show support for Datuk Ambiga and BERSIH! BOYCOTT SEKINCHAN IKAN BAKAR! 

P.S. I wonder whether the Income Tax fellows know that ikan bakar business can be so lucrative that one can afford driving Ferraris and other sports cars from it!

 Or is he one of the privileged UMNO cronies receiving "favours" from a munificent UMNO! Sekinchan ikan bakar 

 The owner of the above restaurant outlet is the bloody moron who proposes to organize a pasar malam in front of Datuk Ambiga's house.

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Recollections of the Other History of Independence of Malaysia: 63rd Anniversary of the Formation of Regimen-10 (Tentera Pembebasan Nasional Malaya)

REJIMEN KE-10 TPNM

Artikel oleh Mat Amin

 Read here for more in "Kini Dan Silam" 

Hari ini pada 63 tahun yang lalu, tepatnya pada 21 Mei 1949, Rejimen Ke-10 telah dirasmikan di hutan Kerdau Daerah Temerloh, Pahang. 

Rejimen Ke-10 adalah sebuah pasukan gerila Melayu, terdiri dari putera puteri kaum buruh dan tani Melayu yang inginkan kemerdekaan penuh tanah air dan pembebasan rakyat.

Bapa Abdullah C.D. seorang anggota KMM (Kesatuan Melayu Muda) dan anggota Jawatankuasa Pusat PKMM (Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya) adalah penaja dan pemimpin pasukan ini dari awal sampai akhir. 

Berikut adalah petikan tulisan Abdullah CD berkenaan penubuhan Rejimen Ke-10.
 
Penubuhan Rejimen Ke-10

Rejimen Ke-10 adalah sebuah pasukan Melayu Tentera Pembebasan Nasional Malaya.

Rancangan untuk mendirikan pasukan gerila Melayu telah dirancang dan diperbincangkan dalam Sekolah Parti Kem Se-Malaya pada pertengahan Jun 1948 (lihat bab 35).

Mengikut rancangan asal, di Temerloh akan didirikan satu kompeni dipimpin Kamarulzaman Teh, satu kompeni di Jerantut dipimpin Rashid Maidin dan saya mendirikan satu kompeni di Benta. Akan tetapi, apabila Kamarulzaman dan Rashid Maidin ditangkap, semuanya telah berubah. Saya ditugaskan untuk menggantikan Kamarulzaman memimpin pasukan di Temerloh.
Abdullah C.D.

Masa penubuhan Rejimen Ke-10 tidaklah dirancang dari awal atau boleh juga dikatakan secara kebetulan sahaja. Ketika itu, saya sedang memimpin Platun 1 bergerak di Jerantut. Chen Nan mengirim surat melalui utusan meminta saya pulang ke Kerdau untuk bermesyuarat. Saya bertolak meninggalkan Platun 1 ke Kerdau bersama beberapa orang pengawal. Dalam perjalanan pulang, saya melalui Gong. Massa Tionghua di situ menghadiahkan saya sedikit sumbu badak (tanduk badak sumbu). Mengikut keterangannya ia menjadi ubat yang paling baik untuk pelbagai penyakit.

Sepeninggalan saya, dalam Platun 1 timbul pertentangan antara orang Jerantut dengan orang Temerloh. Orang Jerantut di wakili Wan Ali mahu pertahankan Jerantut manakala orang Temerloh diwakili Budin mahu pertahankan Temerloh. Kerana pertentangan itu, orang Temerloh dalam Platun 1 juga bertolak balik ke Kerdau mengekori saya dari belakang. Tak lama saya tiba di Kerdau, mereka juga sampai.

Dalam pada itu, satu platun di bawah pimpinan Musa Ahmad dan Wahi Anuar telah diserang tentera British. Dalam pertempuran itu Wahi berpecah dengan pasukan. Komander Platun, Hasan sangat marah terhadap Wahi. Hasan akhirnya memimpin platunnya pulang ke Kerdau. Dalam masa yang sama Wahi dan Musa yang berpecah dari pasukan juga tiba di Kerdau. Jadi secara tidak dirancang, kami semua telah berkumpul di Kerdau.

Kerana kami semua sudah berkumpul, Chen Nan mengadakan perbincangan dengan kami iaitu saya, Musa dan Wahi untuk mendirikan Rejimen Ke-10. Kebetulan pula hari yang kami tetapkan itu ialah tanggal 21 Mei 1949.

Rejimen Ke-10 dirasmikan dalam suatu perayaan yang penuh khidmat dan meriah. Perayaan itu dihadiri oleh Chen Nan, 3 orang pimpinan bahagian Melayu iaitu saya, Wahi dan Musa bersama 2 platun pasukan asas (Platun 1 dan Platun 3). Selain itu terdapat Kompeni Khas Rejimen Ke-6 di bawah pimpinan Hong Yi dan satu kompeni pasukan Tionghua yang baru datang dari Raub, kira-kira 200 orang semuanya.

Chen Nan selaku wakil Jawatankuasa Pusat mengisytiharkan berdirinya Rejimen Ke-10 TPNM dan menyampaikan ucapan. Yang penting ditegaskannya ialah Rejimen Ke-10 adalah tentera Melayu - dari komander hingga ke perajuritnya terdiri daripada putera puteri terpuji bangsa Melayu; Rejimen Ke-10 adalah lambang kemegahan kaum tani Melayu yang luas.

Kemudian saya membuat ucapan, pokoknya menyatakan keazaman pasukan Melayu untuk teguh berjuang demi kemerdekaan ibu pertiwi, memikul harapan nusa dan bangsa khasnya membangkitkan kaum tani yang luas untuk kemerdekaan tanah air dan pembebasan nasional. Sebagai pasukan tentera rakyat kami haruslah tegas mematuhi disiplin TPNM.

Johan telah mempersembahkan 2 lagu berentak march bertajuk TENTERA PEMBEBASAN NASIONAL dan BARISAN GERILA MALAYA. Lagu itu dipersembahkan dengan gaya yang amat menarik. 2 buah lagu ini menjadi lagu rasmi Rejimen Ke-10. Johan adalah seorang pejuang internasionalis dari Indonesia.

Badan pimpinan Rejimen Ke-10 pokoknya berdasarkan ketetapan di dalam persidangan kader di Sekolah Parti Kem Se-Malaya, cuma sedikit perubahan kerana Kamarulzaman dan Rashid Maidin masih di dalam penjara:
  • Komisar Politik Abdullah CD
  • Panglima Wahi Anuar
  • Pegawai Politik Musa Ahmad
Sebelum Rejimen Ke-10 didirikan, PKM telah mendirikan  Ke-9 rejimen TPNM, asasnya ialah 8 Rejimen Pasukan Tentera Anti-Jepun Rakyat Malaya yang dibubarkan apabila tamat Perang Dunia Kedua.

Ke-9 Rejimen TPNM tersebut didirikan semula setelah penjajah British mengisytiharkan Undang-Undang Darurat pada pertengahan Jun 1948
.

Pada 1 Februari 1949, PKM merasmikan Markas Agung TPNM atau Malaya National Liberation Army (MNLA). Sejak itu berbagai pasukan gerila anti-British disatukan di bawah Markas Agung TPNM.

Rejimen Ke-10 yang dirasmikan pada 21 Mei 1949
, masih peringkat dalam buaian. Tapi dengan adanya sokongan dan bantuan yang kuat dari kaum tani yang luas dan bantuan pasukan sesaudara, pasukan Rejimen Ke-10 telah tertempa dalam api perang.

Sebagai salah sebuah pasukan Tentera Pembebasan Nasional Malaya, Rejimen Ke-10 harus dengan teguh mematuhi 4 Asas Disiplin dan 10 Fasal Perhatian tentera iaitu:

EMPAT ASAS DISIPLIN

1. Segala tindakan patuh kepada perintah;
2. Tidak mengambil sebatang jarum atau seutas benang pun dari massa;
3. Sebarang rampasan perang harus dirasmikan;
4. Dengan ketat menyimpan rahsia tentera.

SEPULUH FASAL PERHATIAN

1. Pertuturan hendaklah ramah tamah;
2. Berjual beli harus adil;
3. Barang-barang yang dipinjam harus dikembalikan;
4. Ganti kerugian barang-barang yang dirosakkan;
5. Rumah-rumah yang ditumpangi harus dibersihkan;
6. Menghormati adat resam;
7. Jangan memukul atau memaki orang;
8. Jangan merosaki tanaman;
9. Jangan berlaku tidak senonoh terhadap wanita;
10. Jangan menganiayai tawanan perang.


Di samping itu, kerana keistimewaan Rejimen Ke-10 terdiri dari orang Melayu, Markas Agung menetapkan songkok khas berbintang lima yang boleh digunakan untuk sembahyang.

Manifesto Penubuhan Rejimen Ke-10

Selepas dirasmikan penubuhan Rejimen Ke-10, pejabat penerbitan yang dikendalikan oleh satu regu khas di dalam hutan telah mencetak MANIFESTO PENUBUHAN REJIMEN KE-10 dan diedarkan ke serata tempat.

Perisytiharan penubuhan Rejimen Ke-10 telah menggemparkan penjajah British dan memberangsangkan massa rakyat.
Pasukan gerila Melayu di berbagai negeri merasa sangat terdorong kerananya. Kaum tani di merata tempat di Pahang menghantar putera puteri mereka yang tersayang memasuki Rejimen Ke-10 untuk meneruskan perjuangan bangsa Melayu menghalau penjajah British. Mereka telah memberikan sokongan dan menjadi sandaran penting bagi Rejimen Ke-10. Oleh itu, Rejimen Ke-10 benar-benar bintang harapan petani Melayu yang luas.

Saya mendapat laporan dari organisasi bawah tanah dan unit pasukan bersenjata Melayu di beberapa negeri bahawa pasukan-pasukan Melayu di Selangor, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka dan Kedah sangat terberangsang setelah mendapat berita berdirinya Rejimen Ke-10. Mereka menghantar tahniah dan ada yang memohon menyertai pasukan Rejimen Ke-10.
Pada tahun 1950, Jawatankuasa Pusat PKM dan Markas Agung TPNM membuat penyusunan semula menetapkan pasukan bersenjata Melayu di berbagai negeri diletakkan di bawah riayah Rejimen Ke-10 di samping bekerjasama dengan organisasi Parti di negeri masing-masing.
- Abdullah CD