My East-West Allah

thenutgraph.com

Go not to the temple to put flowers upon the feet of God,
First fill your own house with the fragrance of Love.

– Rabindranath Tagore

MY first reaction to the news that a church was attacked was one of disbelief. Most East Malaysians, I think, would be confused as to why this is even an issue in the first place. Whether it was in East Malaysia or Kuala Lumpur, my memories of bilingual and Malay-language mass in church included this essential part:

"Kudus, kudus, kuduslah Tuhan, Allah Maha Kuasa."

When we asked for forgiveness, we would sometimes pray:

"Saya mengaku kepada Allah yang Maha Kuasa ... bahawa saya berdosa dengan fikiran dan perkataan."

In our prayer books, both in East Malaysia and in Kuala Lumpur churches, guidance for reading of the Gospels is written:

Bacaan Injil

Injil sebagai puncak sabda Allah diwartakan dari mimbar oleh diakon atau imam.

My father is a non-Muslim bumiputera and my mother a West Malaysian Chinese. My sister and I grew up attending mass and read books on Buddhism; my mother's Catholic brother who practises Buddhist meditation introduced Islamic poetry to our family. We have Muslim cousins and Buddhist aunts.

My East Malaysian cousins and I share ancestors who were bobohizans — pagan medicine women — and men who held bomoh abilities. My family members and I, regardless of faith — whether Muslim, Christian or Buddhist — understood that "Allah" and "Tuhan" could be used interchangeably. It was never something to get confused about.

As Catholics, we never fought with our Protestant cousins the way I had to defend my church denomination when I came to Kuala Lumpur. Diversity in skin colour and belief were expected, and accepted. Had anyone tried to put my Buddhist or Muslim relatives down on account of religion, they would have my sister and me to contend with.

Underlying it all, we knew, even as children, that everyone's blood runs red, and that we ultimately worship the same God. Those who did not believe in a higher being practised love and compassion anyway. This was good enough for most of us.

Excerpt from prayer book (Courtesy of Petra Gimbad)

Being the product of a mixed-race marriage does that to you. In East Malaysia, taxi drivers would never ask, "You Melayu ke Cina?" Once, I had a conversation in primary school about our collective heritages. Many of us were the product of at least three races, most named five. Only two were pure Chinese Malaysian.

Imagine getting into a cab in Kota Kinabalu and having to recite, "Aku orang Cina, Bugis, Filipina, Kadazan, Murut ..." It just does not work. Plus, there are far more interesting things to talk about, such as poverty in Sabah or the Penan issue.

Blurring the lines

The recent church, Sikh gurdwara and surau attacks brought me home to Sabah and Sarawak and what I missed about them. In Malaysia, our textbooks ask schoolchildren, "Is Ali a Malay?" and "Is Mei a Chinese?" based on what they wear, what they speak, and what religion they practise. This is despite the fact that most Chinese girls do not wear cheongsams on a daily basis; and many of my Malay and Indian Malaysian friends in Kuala Lumpur speak English at home.

In East Malaysia, the lines are blurred. You find Kadazan Malaysians who pray at the gurdwara, and Sino-Kadazan Malaysians with Arab and Muslim ancestors who pray in churches.

My father's Muslim friends were so accepting of pork being served at the same table. This is similar to the acceptance practised by Buddhist and Hindu friends throughout Malaysia of non-vegetarian cuisine or beef meals.

Vegetarians don't complain when meat is served
at the table (Pic by lockstockb / sxc.hu) It worries me how West Malaysian ideas of intolerance have started creeping in: during my childhood, peers started telling me off for being kurang ajar while I absentmindedly ate pork in front of them. What then, one begs to ask, of vegetarians or Hindus who do not eat meat or beef and accept the serving of certain foods at the same tables?

It seemed a little unfair when, as a Catholic, I refrained from meat on Fridays and was totally okay with chicken being served at the same table on that day. I would rather have my friends near than feel segregated on account of food. This is more muhibbah, no?

Why fight over a word?

The arguments we have over the right to a word are utterly bewildering. Classmates and I said "Ya Allah!" instead of "Oh my God!", and used the terms "Nabi Isa" and "Yesus Kristus" interchangeably. Out of respect, my Christian friends and I would try to use the term "Nabi Isa" when we were referring to Jesus Christ while talking to Muslim friends. However, if we said "Yesus Kristus", our Muslim friends did not mind — we understood that our faiths had differing concepts, but we knew we were essentially talking about the same man.

This took place in a school that had a 95% majority of Muslim girls, who may fit the constitutional definition of what it is to be a Malay Malaysian. They spoke the language as do all of us in East Malaysia, regardless of race — unlike the Kuala Lumpur community who sometimes cannot even communicate with each other. They wore the baju kurung, as do many non-Muslim schoolgirls throughout Malaysia. And they professed the Islamic faith. However, many of the girls were ethnically Bajau.

The only Muslim I had to worry about was the ustaz who purportedly sexually harassed his students. I was exempt from this because I did not have to take Islamic studies — a part of me wished I could, because it angered me to hear my friends' stories and I wished I could have collected evidence on their behalf.

As early as primary school, Malay-Muslim friends in Sabah made sure I knew that I should never feel forced into Islam, and that some would attempt to do so by force to "capai pahala". I was to take my time to learn about the religion. If I chose not to convert, that was okay, too. One of these friends was the daughter of an ustaz and ustazah.

Closer to God

In the light of attacks on churches, a gurdwara and surau, I feel immensely lucky to be a mixed race child from a family of many faiths. I believe — and this is personal — that this has brought me closer to God. Hafiz expresses it best:

Blue church next to an Iban longhouse in Sarawak
(Pic by tajai @ Flickr)I have learned
So much from God
That I can no longer
Call
Myself
A Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim,
A Buddhist, a Jew.
The Truth has shared so much of itself
With me
That I can no longer call myself
A man, a woman, an angel,
Or even pure
Soul.

Dihalang Berceramah Di Lembah Pantai

Alhamdulillah acara di Ampang dibanjiri puluhan ribu rakyat tanpa sebarang masalah.

Tetapi program di tanah PKNS, Kampong Kerinchi bersama Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Khalid dan Nurul Izzah menghadapi masalah permit polis.

Entah mengapa sejak kemenangan kita usai tahun 2008, belum pernah sekali kami dibenarkan berucap di Lembah Pantai. Shahrizat terus berdendam dengan kekalahan dan Raja Nongchik menganggap beliau punyai kuasa mutlak. Dan polis bertindak sebagai alat penguasa Umno.

Dalam pengalaman saya berdepan dengan pegawai polis sebelum ini dalam isu ceramah, saya belum pernah menyaksikan keangkuhan pegawai saperti Wan Bari dari IPD Brickfields. Selalunya pegawai datang – pernah Ketua atau Timbalan Ketua Polis Negeri menyatakan dengan sopan (dari bawah pentas) bahawa saya harus segera menghentikan ucapan. Dalam kes ini beliau terus naik ke pentas pukul 11.33 malam dan minta saya hentikan ucapan. Saya setuju dan meminta hadirin bertenang.

Saya berhenti berucap tetapi beliau arah saya turun pentas segera. Saya minta beliau sopan, kerana saya sudah berhenti dan tidak wajar beliau pamer kuasa secara angkuh.

Alhamdulillah majlis berakhir dengan tenang. Ayuh Selamatkan Malaysia!

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Dr Mahathir – a Creation of the US!

By Martin Jalleh

For a very long time the US government was looking for a political lackey to do its bidding in South East Asia. They scoured the earth and soon found their man in Bolehland – a land where anything is possible. He was none other than Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Dr M). They would mould, modify and manage him into a perfect make-believe.

They first portrayed Dr M as the savior of his nation. He would make great speeches about the grave threat of recolonisation but for his own political survival he would hone to perfection and use a gamut of archaic repressive laws left behind by the Colonial Master. US professors in history and politics would then write about the tragedy of how the once-oppressed are now the oppressors in the Third World!

Next they projected him through the foreign press as a Voice of the Third World. Dr M would invite Nelson Mandela to stand next to him in Kuala Lumpur to declare his anti-apartheid vehemence. The same media would then go to town with his racist stance at home reinforced recently by a Cabinet minister who crowned him a “Bloody racist” and a “Father of racists”! It was an excellent smokescreen for racism in US.

The US singled him out, shored him up and saluted him the hero of the Muslim world. Dr M would declare his country an “Islamic State” and preach on Islamic values. Yet, his party was corrupted to the core and his Federal ministers and Chief Ministers (Menteris Besar) were guilty of sexual immorality and many other sins. The West pounced on the tragic contradiction and used it to smear the good name of Islam.

The US gave him free rein with his occasional anti-semitic invective. He would blame the problems of his country and the world on the Jews, though he had official Jewish financial advisors to his government, such as Salomon Smith Barney and Goldman Sachs. The more he attacked Israel, the more it gave the US the excuse to defend and protect them!

He was pictured as fearless in criticising and castigating the US for its many human rights abuses, whilst the US collected evidence of every human right violation he had committed especially those related to the Internal Security Act. Every year such evidence would fill the pages of the annual reports by US agencies on human rights abuse in the country which are sent to potential investors of Malaysia.

“Mahathir, despite his nationalistic rants, signed a secret security agreement with the United States in 1984 that gave the Americans access to a jungle warfare training school in Johor and allowed them to set up a small-ship repair facility at Lumut and a plant in Kuala Lumpur to repair C-130 Hercules transport aircraft,” wrote Barry Wain, author of the ‘Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times’.

The US recognized him as the man behind Malaysia’s economic success but at the same time it would point the finger at him for the nation’s stagnant economy and for the scandalous amount of money lost during his premiership. As Barry Wain would also reveal: “Malaysia has squandered an estimated RM100 billion on financial scandals under the 22-year rule of Dr Mahathir Mohamad.”

In spite of the big show he had put up in demonising the US, Dr M would seek to return to the US for re-engineering and to receive further instructions. The government paid RM4.6 million for the services of disgraced US lobbyist Jack Abramoff to secure an audience with the then US President George W Bush, whose many crimes against humanity gave an elated Dr M a longer anti-US script to act out.

Dr M said recently that if the US can make ‘Avatar’, they can make anything, even 9/11!

Alas, how true, they can even make their very own Dr Mahathir Mohamad, one who would do anything at the behest of the US to satisfy his craving for the attention and adulation of his country and the world, and the adoration of his many followers who consider him their very avatar of power!

Impostors swindle food caterers for non-existent ministry functions

The Star
By SHAUN HO

PETALING JAYA: Impostors posing as Human Resources Ministry officers have been cooking up a scam to cheat caterers by ordering food for non-existent functions.

One such victim, who declined to be named, claimed he was fleeced of RM2,750 after he was contacted last month by a man introducing himself as a Human Resources Ministry “special officer” wanting a quotation for a function on Jan 9.

The victim, who manages the catering section of the family-owned business, was told that another senior official would contact him once the quotation was approved.

Several days later, the victim did receive a call from another man claiming to be the Industrial Relations Unit director-general, who informed the victim the quotation had been approved.

The victim even received an official-looking letter bearing the department’s letterhead several days later.

“I was initially sceptical about the offer, but was convinced when I saw the letterhead,” he told The Star.

The victim then paid RM250 for the catering project tender and RM500 as commission to the “special officer”.

He was also supposed to pay RM2,000 as “processing fee” to secure the fast release of a cheque for RM54,000 - of which, RM40,000 was for the catering and another RM14,000 as commission to both the so-called ministry officers.

He paid RM2,750 to secure the catering deal. On Jan 4 he went to Putrajaya to collect the RM54,000 cheque.

“While on my way, the “special officer” called and said that the function had to be postponed to Jan 16. He added that my money would also be refunded via ATM machine.

“I waited three days but no money was returned to me,” said the 30- year-old businessman.

He became suspicious and called the department last Tuesday only to find out that there was never any function planned.

He discovered he was the eighth victim who had called the ministry about the scam.

Other victims had lost up to RM10,000.

Industrial Relations Department director-general Mohd Yunus Razzaly confirmed the incident and said he had received complaints from several other food caterers as well.

The department had lodged several police reports over the matter.

S'pore, M'sia fare poorly in 'quality of life index'

By Anil Netto

Many Malaysians look up to Singapore for its quality of life.

But have a look at the ‘quality of life index’ by International Living. Singapore has a total score of just 61, just above Malaysia’s 58. Both are way down the list.

Of course, this doesn’t look like a scientific index as it appears to be based more on perception. And the compilers of the index admit they have a Western bias when it comes to matters such as climate preference.

But all the same it is interesting to note that the quality of life in Singapore – which scores 100 per cent for ‘risk and safety’ but is pulled down by its low level of freedom – just doesn’t cut it for them.

Watch the racist Zulkifli Noordin speaking

Borneo forum revisits M'sia Agreement pledges - Malaysiakini

Borneo Forum (BF), an all-Borneo NGO umbrella body, made the Malaysia Agreement the focus of its deliberations in Kota Kinabalu yesterday.

BF brings together the Borneo Heritage Foundation (BHF), the Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) and observers from Kalimantan.

The ad hoc meeting in KK resolved that the Malaysia Agreement will be raised by a Sabah-Sarawak delegation at a briefing at the House of Commons in London on March 19.

The London meeting was set up by Hindu Rights Action Front (Hindraf) chair P Waythamoorthy (right) who said that Hindraf will also be represented.

"We will prepare a joint memorandum for the London meet," said BF protem chair Jeffrey Gapari Kitingan. "Two researchers are in London to gather material from the Rhodes Library in Oxford."

Sarawak environmentalist John Anthony Brian briefed the meet on the progress made by the two Sarawak researchers in London.

BF pro-tem secretary-general Paul Kadang said the memorandum will have to be comprehensive and thorough so as to convince the UK goverment.

"The focus will be on the undertaking and assurances to Sabah and Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement," said Paul.

The failure of the federal government to live up to the promises of the Malaysia Agreement was attributed to "the lack of a permanent monitoring and coordinating body".

The London meet was scheduled to be held earlier this month but was postponed after a simmering crisis in the Sabah chapter of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) threatened to erupt into open warfare.

Kitingan (left) is the PKR national vice-president with overall responsibility for Sabah and Sarawak.

Earlier, BHF delegate and former Tuaran MP Yunof Maringking briefed the meet on the controversy surrounding the use of the term Allah, an attribute of God, by Christians in Malay print.

"This issue would not have arisen if the 1st Point in the 20 Points for Sabah and 18 Points for Sarawak had been honoured," stressed Yunof, a senior lawyer in private practice.

"It was the promise of the Malaysia Agreement that both Sabah and Sarawak would not have an official religion."

Yunof saw no reason why Sabah and Sarawak, along with Labuan, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Malacca, "should be bogged down by the religious history of the Malay sultanates".

He went on to talk about various state enactments on several terms used in Islam as well and fatwas which referred to non-Muslims.

'Let the court resolve the matter'

The meet was unanimous that the state enactments, being inferior laws, were ultra vires the federal constitution and the fatwas non-binding on non-Muslims.

The meet noted that God was rightly explained as Tuhan in the national anthem, Rukun Negara and in Parliamentary usage.

They resolved that this should be maintained and not replaced by the term Allah since the latter was an attribute of God and not the only one.

There are 999 other attributes of God, the meet agreed. "Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohd had wrongly described Tuhan as the Christian God."

The BHF legal committee which was present cautioned the meet against polemics on the current court case pitting the Herald, the Catholic weekly, against the Home Minister.

"The issue is whether the Home Minister has the power to use the Printing Presses Act to prohibit the Herald from using the term 'Allah' in Malay print. Let the court resolve the matter ," advised the committee. "

Nazri showed disrespect

The meet was not without its prickly moments when de facto Law Minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz was rapped on the knuckles for showing disrespect to Judge Lau Bee Lan who presided over a Dec 31 ruling favour of the Herald.

"Nazri should be cited for contempt of court if he doesn't apologise," said BHF delegate Evelyn Gobile.

Nazri was also chided for having shown disrespect to Archbishop Murphy Pakiam by blaming him for the court case.

The meet did not touch on Nazri's (right) announcement that the federal government was agreeable to Christians in Sabah and Sarawak using the term Allah in Malay print.

However, they resolved that the Malay language was the common heritage of all Malaysians and no religious denomination should be restricted from using the language fully for faith-based activities.

BHF delegate Benedict Topin won the meet's approval for his analysis that Umno, the ruling party, had miscalculated on the Allah issue "and would not in any case back down on their politicisation of the issue".

"Already, Umno is politicising the Government Transformation Programme as well," said Benedict. "Those who attended the GRP briefing in KK last Sunday were shocked by the extent of politicisation."

Among its calender of activities for this year, the BF meet agreed that Sabah and Sarawak representatives should visit Kalimantan Tengah on April 24 for the harvest festival visit.

Kalimantan celebrates the harvest festival a month before Malaysian Borneo. On the cards are an All-Borneo Song and Music Festival and All-Borneo Safari.

The cultural ties between both halves of Borneo - "the world's best kept secret" - is seen as a prelude to indigenous groups in Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei drawing strength from the well-organised similar movements in Kalimantan.

On a final note, the BF meet resolved to accept the offer from the Chief Justice of the US Indian Nations Native Supreme Court to help develop the native court system in Malaysia.

The offer was made through John during a recent visit to the US. BF expects to co-ordinate on the matter with the state attorney-generals in Sabah and Sarawak and their respective bar councils.

Najib-Anwar rivalry spreads to Indian chambers

By Baradan Kuppusamy - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 – The “two-chiefs disease” that has blighted the PPP and the Makkal Sakti Party has spread to the Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry with council member and former president Datuk V.K.K. Teagarajan claiming that he is the rightful president and not Datuk K.K. Eswaran, who bested him by a one-vote majority in elections last June.

The source of their bitter feud, which is the talk of Indian business circles, may well be politics and not business rivalry.

The origins of the feud is a press statement Eswaran gave soon after winning as president, in which he attacked Hindraf, criticised the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and, in the same breath, praised Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The statement did not go down well with some members who are overtly pro-Hindraf, pro-PR and pro-Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Subsequently Eswaran, according to Teagarajan, continued to use the chamber’s name to propagate his political beliefs and promote Najib’s interest over the main role of the chamber, which is to help and promote Indian businessmen.

Eswaran also allegedly, and on numerous occasions, made political statements favourable to Barisan Nasional.

However, critics say that Teagarajan, who was once an MIC and BN supporter, had also done the same when he was president.

Teagarajan countered, however, that he had never put politics above chamber matters or interests.

He told The Malaysian Insider that he might close one path and open another, politically speaking.

“I keep my options open,” he said when asked if he was considering joining a PR party.

The Najib-Anwar rivalry is notably causing a major split in the Indian chamber, because many of its members are openly backing Hindraf and PR.

According to Teagarajan, members were put off by Eswaran’s alleged “blatant” disregard for the rules and interest of the chamber, his alleged disregard for the ROS directives and “arrogance” and disruptive way of running the chamber.

“His arrogant way of way management has alienated many chamber members,” Teagarajan claimed.

He also claimed that Eswaran failed to hold a special delegates conference, as directed by the ROS on Sept 9 last year.

“He also failed to convene the annual delegates’ conference for 2009 by June 30 last year and got an extension until Dec 30 but also failed to convene in that time,” Teagarajan said,

Teagarajan said that seven out of the 12 state chambers held a special meeting on Oct 5 last year and formed an interim committee to organise a special delegate’s conference.

The conference was held on Jan 11 and during which Teagarajan claims he was elected president.

Eswaran could not be contacted but the Sunday Star quoted him as saying the Jan 11 meeting was illegal and that he had the backing of 58 of the 72 chamber delegates.

He also said the ROS had been informed of the decision to postpone the conference.

Gerak chief joins PKR despite suit from party leader

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid - The Malaysian Insider

PETALING JAYA, Jan 24 — Chief of graft watchdog, Gerak, Mohd Nazree Mohd Yunus today joined PKR but denied it was an attempt to have a pending civil suit dropped.

Nazree, a protege of Gerak founder Ezam Mohd Noor who is now in Umno, insisted he joined the party because of his “principles”.

“I want to be a part of a party that fights for the people and it honours me to participate in the second Reformasi wave,” the 26-year-old told reporters at the PKR headquarters.

The former student leader added that he had discussed his application with party de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the latter was “open” about him joining the party.

Nazree’s mentor, Ezam, on the other hand, had left PKR after a nasty fall-out with Anwar’s right hand man, vice-president Azmin Ali.

Ezam resigned as Gerak chief and joined Umno in June 2008.

Many assumed that Nazree would follow Ezam’s anti-PKR trail when he lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission against PKR Selangor chief Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim on allegations of graft.

Khalid immediately denied any wrongdoing and claimed the report was libellous in nature and sued the latter.

Observers believe that Nazree’s intention in joining PKR is an attempt to avoid the civil suit.

The former Gerak chief’s application will be reviewed by PKR’s top leadership. Should he be accepted, Nazree will be joining the PKR’s Angkatan Muda, the party’s youth wing.

In response to media speculation Nazree said there is no question of him being appointed to a particular post within the wing.

No man is an island; we are the revolution

It is Anwar’s duty to ensure that this is what will happen. Anwar must now put into place Plan B. The second liners must now be mobilised. Anwar must strategise on the basis that he is certainly going to jail and that he cannot prevent this from happening.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE

I do not know whether you are into Reggae music. If not then maybe today I can convert you to ‘real’ music from the crap you normally listen to on the Malaysian radio stations.

Today, I want to talk about the anxiety many have expressed about the future of the opposition alliance, Pakatan Rakyat, in the event Anwar Ibrahim, yet again, gets sent to jail. Well, trust me, there is every possibility Anwar will be sent to jail. There may be no avoiding that.

At 5.00pm last Friday, a meeting was held in the Bangsar home of a certain Umno veteran whom I am not at liberty to mention by name. Let us just say that he knows I know who he is because I had dinner with him less than a month ago and we both ‘fought’ to pay the bill.

Nevertheless, I told him, since he was visiting ‘my kampong’, then it is my duty to pay for dinner. In the event I visit him in his kampong, then I will allow him to pay -- although if I do that I would probably be packed off to Kamunting before we could even meet for dinner.

Anyway, the meeting that was held in this Umno veteran’s house last Friday at 5.00pm and attended by many other Umno leaders was to discuss two very crucial issues. One was on how to bring down Pakatan Rakyat and the other on how to ensure that Anwar Ibrahim gets sent to jail for a very long time where he would probably never see freedom again and end up dying in jail.

That is how determined Umno is in seeing both the destruction of Pakatan Rakyat as well as the incarceration of Anwar Ibrahim. And that is why I said Anwar might be hard-pressed in his efforts to escape incarceration. It is not about the law. It is not about the trial. It is not about whether Anwar is guilt or innocent. It is about Umno wanting to ensure that Anwar ends up in jail whereby that would see the destruction of Pakatan Rakyat.

While one may happen, this does not mean the other will happen as well. Anwar may most likely end up in jail. But this does not guarantee the destruction of Pakatan Rakyat as well.

And this was made very clear by Lim Kit Siang in his statement yesterday.

Pakatan Rakyat or even Parti Keadilan Rakyat is not about Anwar. It must not be about Anwar. If the fate and fortune of the opposition rests on just one man, then Anwar and the opposition leaders have done a great injustice to all Malaysians.

Was the ANC about Nelson Mandela? Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years but did this see the death of the ANC? In fact, the ANC actually grew in strength in spite of and because of the incarceration of Mandela.

They tried to kill the ANC by cutting Mandela off from the outside world. They even denied Mandela family visits for a very long period. Even his wife was not allowed to visit him. They thought that this would sever all links between Mandela and the ANC and this therefore would mean the ANC would be leaderless and would drift aimlessly.

But this did not cripple the ANC. Life went on as usual. In fact, the ANC moved forward and gained more ground. Mandela may have been the icon of South Africa’s opposition to Apartheid. But with or without Mandela’s presence it did not matter one bit. The ANC did not die because Mandela was not around.

And this will be what happens to Pakatan Rakyat. Anwar can come or he can go. But Pakatan Rakyat will continue, with or without him. So what Kit Siang said yesterday is absolutely true. It would be nice to have Anwar around. But it is not crucial that he is.

It is Anwar’s duty to ensure that this is what will happen. Anwar must now put into place Plan B. The second liners must now be mobilised. Anwar must strategise on the basis that he is certainly going to jail and that he cannot prevent this from happening.

We are talking about The Cause. We are talking about The Struggle. We are talking about The Peoples’ Movement. We are talking about The Revolution. And this must not be about Anwar.

And with that I will leave you with this second music video about The Revolution.

SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE

For whom the bell tolls (UPDATED with BM Translation)

Who are the traitors here? Are the traitors those who hijrah in search of a better life like what the Prophet Muhammad did? Or are the traitors those who ignore the patriotic contribution of Malayans from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Malaysians who ‘abandon’ their country and migrate to another country are traitors, says an Umno Minister. Is he speaking on behalf of the Malaysian government, on behalf of Umno, on behalf of Barisan Nasional, on behalf of the Malay race, or on behalf of the Muslim ummah (community)?

Malays always scream, rant and rave that Islam comes first and everything else goes to the bottom of the priority list. Even the Member of Parliament for Kulim -- someone from what can be considered a liberal party, PKR -- says that he puts Islam first and everything else second. So let us assume that Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, being a Muslim, speaks from the Islamic perspective. I doubt he would dare declare otherwise.

Islam stipulates that if you suffer persecution, oppression, injustice, and discrimination under a dictatorial regime, then it is your duty to hijah (migrate). And hijrah is very important to Islam. Hijrah is what the Prophet Muhammad was commanded by God to do. And the day of the Prophet’s hijrah is the day the Muslim calendar begins. That is how important hijrah is to Islam.

Is this Muslim Minister from Umno whacking Prophet Muhammad and calling him a traitor?

Many Malaysians died for their country. The Indians and Chinese migrated to British Malaya between the mid-1800s to about 1920 when the British started to tighten the immigration policy and no longer brought in labourers from India and China to work the railway, public works, plantations and tin mines in Malaya.

But this did not mean that immigration came to a complete stop. The British still brought in Indians to serve in the civil service and to serve as schoolteachers. This was because the local Malays, at that time, were not so proficient in the English language compared to the Indians. So the Indians were required as government servants and teachers.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s father is one example of an English language teacher from India who came to Malaya and eventually married a Malay woman, resulting in the birth of Dr Mahathir.

Many Indian and Chinese immigrants married in Malaya, sometimes to fellow Indians and Chinese and sometimes to local Malays (that is why many Malays look more Indian and Chinese compared to their Indonesian cousins). And understandably they sired children born in Malaya. And these local born sons and daughters of the immigrants are those Malaysian Indians and Chinese of today, many who have never stepped foot in India or China since the day they were born.

Their parents and grandparents (some are third or fourth generation Malaysians while some, like the Melaka Chinese, have been ‘locals’ since 500 years ago) came to Malaya to serve the country and died in this country. And some of these 'immigrants' have been in the country longer than even Malays who are only second or third generation Malaysians.

The question of who came first is an arguable issue. There are Indians and Chinese who have been in Malaysia for hundreds of years and there are Malays who have been in the country less than 100 years. Nevertheless, this article is not to argue about who is more Bumiputera -- the Malays, Indians or Chinese.

Everyone -- Malays, Indians and Chinese alike -- are sons and daughters of immigrants. It would be very difficult to dissect the three different races based on generalising. You would have to look at it on a case-to-case basis. My family came to Malaya in the mid-1700s. Tian Chua’s family came to Malaya much earlier than that. Dr Mahathir and Khir Toyo are merely second generation Malaysians although one became the Prime Minister and the other the Chief Minister of a State.

Okay, the purpose of this article is not to argue who is more Bumiputera as we can argue till the cows come home and will never reach a consensus. What I want to talk about is who has served this country and, therefore, can be considered a true patriot.

The railway, roads, bridges and buildings, right up to maybe the 1980s or so (that means for more than 100 years), were built by the Indians and Chinese (not the Malays). I still remember even as recent as the 1970s when Indians would work in the hot sun building the roads and laying the railway lines. They also worked in the estates and plantations. And the same goes for the tin mines and the construction industry, which were mainly a Chinese affair.

And many died. There were numerous cases where entire Chinese communities were wiped out by disease and war and they had to bring in fresh loads of Chinese workers from China to replace those who had died. And the living conditions of these workers were pathetic. Trust me when I say detention under the Internal Security Act in Kamunting is luxurious compared to what these Indians and Chinese had to endure.

The Malayan civil service, legal system, education system, and whatnot, depended on the English educated Indians brought in from India. It was not until the 1920s or so, when the immigration policy was tightened, that the Malays were educated enough to start filling the ranks of the civil service. Even by the time of Merdeka the country still depended on the immigrants because there were not enough educated Malays to serve the country.

And almost all these people died in this country (only some went home to die) and their Malaysian-born children, grandchildren and great grandchildren are those Indians and Chinese you see in the country today.

To sum up: this country was built by the non-Malays. What we see today is the result of the contribution by the non-Malays. Initially, Malaya’s economy depended on rubber and tin, long before we had factories and heavy industries. And it was because we had immigrant Indians and Chinese is why we saw a thriving rubber and tin industry. If not because of rubber and tin, Malaysia would be amongst the poorest countries in this world.

Then we had three wars - the Second World War, the Malayan Emergency, and the Konfrantasi with Indonesia. And not just Malayans, but many foreign ‘Mat Salleh’ (white skins), as well as Africans, Fijians, Gurkhas, Indians, Punjabis, Bengalis, and many more, died in these wars. Of course, Malays died as well. But Malays were not the only ones who died in these three wars. See the statistics in the addendum below to get an idea of those who sacrificed their lives for this country.

But is the contribution of these patriots ever remembered? The Malays scream, rant and rave that this is a Malay country. They declare that this is Tanah Melayu (Malay land). But we might not even have a country, at least not in the form that we see it now, if not for the fact that many not of Malay origin laid down their lives for this country. If the non-Malays, including the ‘Mat Salleh’, had not died for this country, Malaysia would no longer be an independent nation but just a small province of Indonesia.

When Malays talk about dying for your country, they just look at the three wars. But the death toll for these wars does not even come close to the death toll of those who died serving this country in other ways. Some died defending the country in wars. But many more died in the effort to build this country to what it is today. And many also died of mere old age after serving this country their entire life and then retired here as citizens.

But how do we repay these patriots or children and grandchildren of patriots not of Malay origin? We insult them. We threaten them. We discriminate against them. We oppress them. We persecute them. We treat them as second-class citizens. We refuse to recognise the patriotic contribution of their parents, grandparents or great grandparents in defending this country and in building this country to what it is today.

So these people feel hurt. So they feel that the sacrifices and contribution of their forefathers are not remembered and appreciated. So they decide to leave the country and go to another country that can better-appreciate their talents and skills instead of threatening and subjecting them to screams of “go back to your own country”.

Who are the traitors here? Are the traitors those who hijrah in search of a better life like what the Prophet Muhammad did? Or are the traitors those who ignore the patriotic contribution of Malayans from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s?

The Umno Ministers should be made to pass a history test before they can be appointed as Ministers. And they should also be made to pass a lie detector test every time they make a statement.

As the Malays would say: bodoh (stupid) is bad enough. Bodoh sombong (arrogantly stupid) is unforgivable. And Umno Ministers are just that -- bodoh sombong.

ADDENDUM
Combatants in the Malayan Emergency

United Kingdom

Australia

New Zealand

Federation of Malaya

Rhodesia

Fiji

Various British East African colonies

Breakdown of the combatants in the Malayan Emergency

250,000 Malayan Home Guard troops

40,000 regular Commonwealth personnel

37,000 Special Constables

24,000 Federation Police

Casualties in the Malayan Emergency

Killed: 1,346 Malayan troops and police (of many races) and 519 British military personnel

Wounded: 2,406 Malayans (of many races) and British troops/police

Civilian: 2,478 killed, 810 missing (of many races including 'Mat Salleh')

Malaysian-Indonesian Konfrontasi

Combatants in the Konfrontasi

Malaysia

United Kingdom

Australia

New Zealand

And with supported from the United States

Allied Casualties

114 killed

181 wounded

Indonesian Casualties

590 killed

222 wounded

Civilian casualties

36 killed

53 wounded

4 taken prisoner

The forces that served during the Konfrontasi period to secure Malaysia’s freedom and independence

United Kingdom

Royal Navy:

40 Commando Royal Marines

42 Commando Royal Marines

Sections of Special Boat Service

Detachments of 845 Naval Air Squadron (Wessex)

Detachments of 846 Naval Air Squadron (Whirlwind)

Detachments of 848 Naval Air Squadron (Wessex)

849 NAS Fairey Gannet AEW on HMS Victorious

British Army

Squadron of Life Guards

Squadrons of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards

Squadrons of Queen's Royal Irish Hussars

Squadrons of 4th Royal Tank Regiment

H Squadron of 5th Royal Tank Regiment

4th Light Regiment Royal Artillery (comprising 29 (Corunna), 88 (Arracan), 97 (Lawsons Company) Light Batteries)

V Light, 132 (Bengal Rocket Troop) Medium Batteries (of 6th Light Regiment Royal Artillery)

T (Shah Sujah’s Troop) and 9 (Plassey) Light Anti Defence Batteries (of 12th Light Air Defence Regiment)

30 Light Anti Defence Battery (Roger’s Company) (of 16th Light Air Defence Regiment)

53 (Louisburg) Light Anti Defence Battery (of 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment)

11 (Sphinx) Light Anti Defence Battery (of 34th Light Air Defence Regiment)

40th Light Regiment Royal Artillery (comprising 38 (Seringapatum), 129 (Dragon), 137 (Java) Light Batteries)*

70 Light, 176 (Abu Klea) Light, 170 (Imjin) Medium Batteries (of 45th Light Regiment Royal Artillery)

8 (Alma), 7 (Sphinx), 79 (Kirkee), 145 (Maiwand), Commando Light Batteries (of 29th and 95th Commando Light Regiments, Royal Artillery)

1st Battalion, Scots Guards

Guards Independent Parachute Company

1st Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers

1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders

1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles

1st Battalion, Queen's Own Highlanders

1st Battalion, Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment

1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry

1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

1st Battalion, Royal Leicestershire Regiment

1st Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd)

2nd Green Jackets, The King's Royal Rifle Corps

3rd Green Jackets, The Rifle Brigade

2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

D Company, 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

1st Battalion, Royal Hampshire Regiment

22 Special Air Service

1st and 2nd Battalions of 2nd Gurkha Rifles

1st and 2nd Battalions, 6th Gurkha Rifles;

1st and 2nd Battalions, 7th Gurkha Rifles;

1st and 2nd Battalions, 10th Gurkha Rifles;

Gurkha Independent Parachute Company

Detachments 656 Squadron Army Air Corps

Various units from Corps of Royal Engineers

Various units from the Royal Corps of Signals

RAF

Detachments 15 Squadron RAF Regiment

Detachments 34 Squadron (Beverley) stationed in Singapore

Detachments 48 Squadron (Hastings and Beverley) stationed at RAF Changi, Singapore

Detachments 209 Squadron (Pioneer and Twin Pioneer)

Detachments 52 Squadron (Valetta) stationed at RAF Butterworth, Malaya

Detachments 66 Squadron (Belvedere) stationed at RAF Seletar, Singapore

Detachments 103 Squadron (Westland Whirlwind HC 10) stationed at RAF Seletar, Singapore

Detachments 110 Squadron (Westland Sycamore then Whirlwind) stationed at RAF Seletar, Singapore

Detachments 205 Squadron (AVRO Shackleton MR Mk2) stationed at RAF Changi, Singapore

225 Squadron (Westland Whirlwind HC 2)

230 Squadron (Westland Whirlwind HC 10)

81 Squadron (Canberra PR 9) stationed at RAF Tengah, Singapore

20 Squadron (Hawker Hunter) stationed at RAF Tengah, Singapore

60 Squadron (Gloster Javelin) stationed at RAF Tengah, Singapore

64 Squadron (Gloster Javelin) stationed at RAF Tengah, Singapore

45 Squadron (Canberra) stationed at RAF Tengah, Singapore

74 Squadron (English Electric Lightning) stationed at RAF Tengah, Singapore

15 Squadron Handley Page Victor stationed in at RAF Tengah and Butterworth)

Australia

102 Field Battery Royal Australian Artillery.

3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment

4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment

A and B Squadrons of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment

Malaysia

Malaysian Army

Squadron of Malaysian Reconnaissance Regiment

A and B Batteries (of 1st Regiment, Malaysian Artillery)

3rd Battalion, Royal Malay Regiment

5th Battalion, Royal Malay Regiment

8th Battalion, Royal Malay Regiment

1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment

Royal Federation of Malay States Police

Police Special Branch

Battalion of Police Field Force

New Zealand

1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment

1st Ranger Squadron

41 Squadron (Canberra)

Detachments 41 Squadron (Bristol Freighter)

Translated into BM by Tan KY:

Menurut seorang Menteri UMNO

Menurut seorang Menteri UMNO, rakyat Malaysia yang “berhijrah” ke negara lain adalah pengkhianat. Adakah beliau bercakap bagi pihak kerajaan Malaysia, atau UMNO, BN, atau kaum Melayu atau umat Islam?

Orang Melayu selalu memaki-hamun dan berpekik yang Islam adalah segala-galanya dan selebihnya tidak penting. Contoh terbaik ialah ahli parlimen Kulim, daripada parti PKR yang dianggap liberal, berkali-kali berkata bahawa beliau meletakkan Islam mendahului segala-galanya, termasuk tugas beliau sebagai ahli parlimen. Sekarang mari kita anggap bahawa Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, sebagai seorang Islam, juga bercakap daripada perspektif Islam.

Islam berkata bahawa jika anda ditindas, didiskrimasi oleh sebuah regim yang kejam, adalah wajib untuk anda berhijrah. Hijrah merupakan konsep yang amat penting dalam Islam. Allah mengarahkan Nabi Muhammad untuk berhijrah, dan kalendar Islam bermula pada tahun hijrah.

Sekarang renung-renungkanlah. Adakah Menteri UMNO tersebut menuduh Nabi Muhammad seorang pengkhianat?

Ramai orang Malaysia berkorban kerana negara kita. Orang India dan Cina datang ke negara Malaya di antara tahun 1800 ke 1920. Selepas itu, British mengetatkan polisi imigrasi dan tidak lagi membawa buruh daripada India dan China untuk bekerja di landasan keretapi, ladang dan lombong di Malaya.

Tetapi ini tidak bermakna imigrasi telah berhenti selepas itu. British masih membawa rakyat India untuk bekerja di sektor awam dan untuk bekerja sebagai guru sekolah. Ini kerana pada masa itu, Melayu tempatan kurang menguasai Bahasa Inggeris berbanding rakyat India. Oleh yang demikian, rakyat India diperlukan sebagai kakitangan awam dan guru.

Ayah Tun Dr Mahathir ialah contoh seorang guru bahasa Inggeris yang datang dari India, dan mengahwini seorang perempuan Melayu tempatan.

Ramai pendatang India dan China berkahwin di Malaya, setengahnya kepada rakyat senegara dan setengahnya kepada Melayu tempatan (ini sebabnya banyak Melayu hari ini mempunyai iras Cina dan India). Anak-anak mereka dilahirkan di Malaya, dan merupakan rakyat Malaysia hari ini yang berbangsa Cina dan India. Ramai di antara mereka tidak pernah menjejak kaki di India atau China dari hari mereka lahir.

Ibu bapa mereka dan datuk-nenek mereka (ada yang merupakan generasi ketiga atau keempat di Malaysia dan setengahnya, seperti Cina di Melaka, telah berada di sini sejak 500 tahun lalu) datang ke Malaya untuk bekerja dan menghembuskan nafas terakhir di negara ini. Dan sesetengah “pendatang” ini telah berada di negara ini jauh lebih lama daripada sesetengah Melayu yang merupakan generasi kedua atau ketiga.

Perdebatan tentang siapa yang datang dahulu adalah perkara yang tidak mudah diselesaikan. Ada Cina dan India yang telah berada di sini sejak beratus tahun dahulu, dan ada Melayu yang hanya berada di sini kurang daripada seratus tahun. Namun demikian, artikel ini bukanlah untuk betengkar mengenai siapa yang lebih layak digelar “Bumiputera”

Semua daripada kita merupakan anak kepada pendatang. Sukar untuk kita mengkategorikan tiga bangsa ini secara umum. Ia sesuatu yang harus dilihat satu-persatu. Keluarga saya datang ke Malaya pada tahun 1700-an. Keluarga Tian Chua datang lebih awal daripada itu. Dr Mahathir dan Khir Toyo merupakan rakyat Malaysia generasi kedua walaupun seorang pernah menjadi Perdana Menteri dan seorang lagi Menteri Besar.

Sekali lagi, artikel ini bukan untuk membincangkan siapa yang lebih Bumiputra, kerana kita boleh berdebat siang dan malam dan sehingga kucing bertanduk pun kita tidak akan mencapai kata sepakat. Apa yang saya ingin ketengahkan di sini ialah siapa yang telah berjasa kepada negara ini dan oleh yang itu, layak digelar sebagai rakyat yang cinta negara.

Landasan keretapi, jalan raya, jambatan dan bangunan di negara ini, sehingga ke tahun 1980-an (lebih daripada 100 tahun) dibina oleh India dan Cina (bukan Melayu). Saya masih ingat pada tahun 1970-an, saya melihat pekerja India bertungkus lumus di bawah matahari yang terik membina jalan dan landasan keretapi. Mereka turut bekerja di estet dan ladang. Sama juga bagi lombong timah dan industri bangunan, yang kebanyakannya diusahakan orang Cina.

Dan ramai yang terkorban. Banyak kes di mana pekerja Cina maut akibat wabak penyakit dan perang dan pekerja baru terpaksa dibawa daripada China untuk menggantikan yang terkorban. Hidup mereka penuh kesengsaraan.

Di Malaya pada masa itu, sektor awam, perundangan, pendidikan bergantung kepada rakyat India yang menerima pendidikan Inggeris (India pada masa itu di bawah naungan British). Selepas 1920-an, Melayu tempatan mula mengisi jawatan di sektor awam setelah menerima cukup pendidikan Inggeris. Walau bagaimanapun, ketika negara kita merdeka, negara masih bergantung kepada golongan pendatang kerana rakyat tempatan masih kurang yang menerima pendidikan yang cukup.

Hampir kesemua golongan ini yang pada mulanya dibawa dari Cina dan India, anak, cucu mereka yang dilahirkan di Malaysia merupakan rakyat Cina dan India yang anda lihat di Malaysia hari ini.

Kesimpulannya, negara ini dibina oleh yang bukan Melayu. Apa yang kita ada hari ini merupakan keringat bukan Melayu. Pada awalnya, ekonomi Malaya bergantung kepada getah dan timah, sebelum kita mempunyai industri berat dan kilang-kilang. Dan hanya kerana adanya pendatang India dan Cina kita mempunyai sektor pelombongan dan peladangan yang berjaya. Kalau bukan kerana ini, Malaysia hari ini mungkin di antara negara termiskin di dunia.

Selain itu, kita pernah mengalami tiga perang, Perang Dunia Kedua, perang Komunis dan Konfrontasi dengan Indonesia. Bukan hanya orang Malaya, tetapi juga orang putih, orang Afrika, orang Fiji, orang Gujerat, orang India, Punjabi, Bengali dan banyak lagi, terkorban dalam peperangan ini. Tidak dinafikan, Melayu juga banyak yang terkorban. Tetapi mereka bukannya satu-satunya golongan yang terkorban.

Pokoknya, adakah pengorbanan golongan bukan Melayu diingati hari ini? Ada Melayu hari ini yang terpekik terlolong bahawa negara ini kepunyaan mereka. Mereka kata ini Tanah Melayu. Tetapi kita mungkin tidak ada negara yang kita ada hari ini tanpa pengorbanan bukan Melayu. Jika bukan kerana mereka, kita mungkin hanya satu wilayah Indonesia hari ini.

Apabila Melayu bercakap tentang berkorban untuk negara, mereka selalunya menumpukan kepada tiga perang ini. Tetapi angka korban bagi perang adalah kecil berbanding dengan yang terkorban kerana berkhidmat untuk negara ini dalam aspek lain. Dan ini tidak termasuk yang menignnggal dunia kerana usia tua selepas menghabiskan seluruh hidup mereka di negara ini sebagai seorang rakyat.

Tetapi bagaimana kita membalas budi mereka, dan anak-anak dan cucu-cucu mereka yang bukan Melayu? Kita menghina mereka (pendatang!). Kita mengancam mereka (jangan cabar Melayu!). Kita mendiskriminasi terhadap mereka (hak-hak Bumiputra!). Kita menindas mereka dan menganggap mereka sebagai rakyat kelas kedua. Kita tidak menghiraukan budi datuk nenek mereka yang menghabiskan hidup berbakti untuk negara kita.

Jadi mereka berasa terkilan. Mereka berasa bahawa pengorbanan dan bakti datuk nenek mere tidak dihargai. Jadi mereka mengambil keputusan pergi ke negara lain di mana bakat mereka lebih dihargai. Mereka meninggalkan Malaysia kerana tidak tahan dengan kecaman “baliklah ke China atau India. Ini Tanah Melayu!”.

Siapa pengkhianat di sini? Adakah pengkhianat mereka yang berhijrah mencari kehidupan yang lebih baik seperti apa yang dilakukan oleh Nabi Muhammad? Atau pengkhianat mereka yang tidak mahu mengiktiraf pengorbanan dan jasa pendatang di Malaya dari tahun 1800-an ke 1900-an?

Menteri Umno patut mengambil ujian sejarah sebelum mereka menjadi Menteri. Mereka juga patut mengambil ujian bohong setiap kali mereka membuka mulut mereka.

Bak kata orang Melayu: bodoh suduh cukup teruk. Bodoh sombong tidak boleh dimaafkan. Dan Menteri Umno hanya satu: bodoh sombong.

"Dont come home, Son"

Sometime in 1980, when I was a final year student in London, I had a very short teleconversation with my father. In those days, there were no call cards, Skype or the like and calls were expensive. He had a very simple message - "Dont come home, Son".

By "Ice Cream Seller"

To Deputy Minister Husni,

A story (true) in response to your statement about emigration by ingrates.

Sometime in 1980, when I was a final year student in London, I had a very short teleconversation with my father. In those days, there were no call cards, Skype or the like and calls were expensive. He had a very simple message - "Dont come home, Son".

Now almost 30 years on, I see where he was coming from.

He advised me to stay on in the UK or if I found the weather not to my liking, told me to go to Australia - even if it meant that I may eventually marry a "white girl" as he put it. I was 23 and marriage was certainly not on my mind.

He was a 'pendatang'. This pendatang however secured a scholarship to study in Raffles College (the pre-cursor to the University of Malaya) and served some 30-odd years in various senior teaching positions culminating with the last few years in the Malay College. Amongst his students - a list of past and present ministers and opposition figures.

I didnt heed his advice till last year and spent the last 28 years in Malaysia. However, it became increasingly untenable to work here without compromising my values, integrity and conscience.

Why did he advise me such?

With hindsight, I saw his foresight. As an educationist, he saw we were heading to be another Ceylon (from where he was sent when orphaned), Burma, Philippines and in today's scenario, Zimbabwe.

He saw what the outcome would be when we mess up education with politics.

He saw that religion would be a divisive factor in years to come (he even encouraged me to learn Jawi as a 9 year old).

He believed that in a country like this, mixed marriages would help cement society.

He saw in some of our leaders of yesterday that even in their youth, they had unbridled cunning and only needed an opening to exploit that trait.

He saw in some of his students potential to be PM but said that would never be because they were "too smart for UMNO's liking".

He saw that given our racial demographics, religion would be used as a means to ensure the survival of a particular group.

He believed that eventually, the Malays would have a class war amongst themselves.

He said that even amongst the Malays, many of the English educated would opt to live away from Malaysia.

He told me promotions won't necessarily be given for competence. These are usually won in the Clubs (read political party today) and over a few drinks. Being a bit of an introvert myself, he encouraged me to join clubs, associations and play sports and travel. He said honesty doesn't necessarily pay in this world but still better to be honest and live with dignity.

Our home was (at different times) home to 3 delinquent Chinese boys - sent by the Juvenile court. He volunteered to take them in. Add to that a few other Indian boys. Though not my mother tongue, I spoke to my parents in Malay till I was about 10. We took in a Chinese lady injured during the war and she lived with us for about 40 years till she died. My father referred to her as his mother in law. I thought she was my grandmother even though my mother was not Chinese!!

By the late 70s and early 80s, he saw that this scenario would not likely repeat in the years to come. When he died in 1982, we were pleasantly surprised to see some of his students (by then in their 50s) come from different states for his funeral. One told me that it was my father that made sure he spoke flawless English and another told me how my father would bring the 6th Formers home from the hostel and used our home for dinner and to teach them social graces - including dancing (taught by my mother). Partners were arranged from the convent school with the blessings of the headmistress!!!

29 years on, I view his foresight through the same prism and now agonise as to whether I should tell my children the same. For now, I am allowing my eldest to pursue his tertiary education overseas. Maybe when he finishes, he may not be as shortsighted as I was. Pray God grant him wisdom and vision.

Last year, I resigned from my job, returned the company car and driver, said goodbye to my executive package and moved to Australia where I now live with no maid, no driver, no Audi 2.8, no golf, no teh tarik seessions, no bonus etc but am rediscovering humanity running a humble ice cream shop.

Sometimes we learn very late.

An ice-cream seller

The mind and heart of anak Bangsa Malaysia

By Haris Ibrahim

Farida just reminded me of a post I had put up here more than two years ago.

With all the hate-talk that we hear so often these days, it does not seem out of place to reproduce that posting again.

It represents my state of mind and all that I feel, as an anak Bangsa Malaysia.

___________________________________________________

When he hears the racist call to shed the blood of this group or that, or the claims that one group is supreme over others, or has more rights, he asks, if not of the racist speaker, at least of himself :

‘Are we not all human? What is the rationale for this class or group discrimination? Different colour? Different culture? Different religion? Some were here before the others and therefore are more superior? The larger in number are the mightier? Can these factors justify these discriminations?’

This is the mind of anak Bangsa Malaysia.

In his mind, all this does not seem right.

The hate-language continues to play on the mind of anak Bangsa Malaysia.

He is greatly burdened by this talk of blood-spilling, by this ‘us and them’, ‘do not like it, get out’, ‘this is our land,your fathers were migrants’, ‘we gave you citizenship’ talk.

‘These are my people. Yes, all of them. No, not just my clan. All of them. They are my brothers and my sisters. Why would you want to hurt them? How can I just watch as you deny their children what my children have? I love their children as I love my own. Ignore their hunger because they are not of my race, of my faith? What God would have me do that? Not my God. No, I will not let you hurt them. They are my people. I love my people. Yes, all of them. Yes, even you. Please, please stop saying these things. It hurts my people and it hurts me.”

No, this is not the mind of anak Bangsa Malaysia.

This is his heart.

An ultimatum to PKR and Anwar : Choose between the rakyat and Zul Nordin

I’ve just sent the following sms to Anwar and several other PKR leaders : “An ultimatum to PKR and Anwar : Choose between the rakyat and Zul Nordin”, with an invitation to view the results of this poll.

Go on, have your say.

Should PKR sack Zulkifli Nordin?

Yes, get rid of this trash
No, he is a valuable asset to PKR
Who is Zulkifli Nordin?

VoteView Results
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Dihalang Berceramah Di Lembah Pantai

Alhamdulillah acara di Ampang dibanjiri puluhan ribu rakyat tanpa sebarang masalah.

Tetapi program di tanah PKNS, Kampong Kerinchi bersama Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Khalid dan Nurul Izzah menghadapi masalah permit polis.

Entah mengapa sejak kemenangan kita usai tahun 2008, belum pernah sekali kami dibenarkan berucap di Lembah Pantai. Shahrizat terus berdendam dengan kekalahan dan Raja Nongchik menganggap beliau punyai kuasa mutlak. Dan polis bertindak sebagai alat penguasa Umno.

Dalam pengalaman saya berdepan dengan pegawai polis sebelum ini dalam isu ceramah, saya belum pernah menyaksikan keangkuhan pegawai saperti Wan Bari dari IPD Brickfields. Selalunya pegawai datang – pernah Ketua atau Timbalan Ketua Polis Negeri menyatakan dengan sopan (dari bawah pentas) bahawa saya harus segera menghentikan ucapan. Dalam kes ini beliau terus naik ke pentas pukul 11.33 malam dan minta saya hentikan ucapan. Saya setuju dan meminta hadirin bertenang.

Saya berhenti berucap tetapi beliau arah saya turun pentas segera. Saya minta beliau sopan, kerana saya sudah berhenti dan tidak wajar beliau pamer kuasa secara angkuh.

Alhamdulillah majlis berakhir dengan tenang. Ayuh Selamatkan Malaysia!

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Stop the lecturing - Kenneth Eswaran

by Naragan

This is a response to Kenneth Eswaran's interview on the 23rd of January 2009, to Malaysiakini on MkiniTV.

When a businessman comes out in the open and makes public statements on an issue of public interest in a

rather controversial manner, there is a lot at stake for him. Given this, why is Kenneth Eswaran (who now goes

by KK Eswaran) taking that risk, by projecting himself as a spokesman of sorts for the Indian community

(though he vows that, that is not what he is trying to do).

If you look a little beyond his words, it is evident that he is taking a position that is totally against the interests

of the vast majority of Indians in the country. A businessman is a businessman, he only cares for his own interests,

but occasionally puts on a façade of speaking up for a community.

He talks about Tamil schools, he talks about youth training, he talks about petty traders interests. But what he is

effectively saying is no different than what has been said for the last 50 years – we must do it in the proper way,

we must do it in an appropriate way, we must do it this way and we must do it that way and so on – but not in

a way that will yield a tangible difference to the entire Indian community.

In the process of the interview, he lambasts Waythamoorthy- quote from Malaysiakini "We regret Waythamoorthy's

inconsiderate action in circulating a pamphlet tarnishing the image of his own country at a conference with

seditious remarks and unjustified statistics, plus a call to the Indian government to impose trade sanctions against

Malaysia such as to stop importing palm oil from Malaysia," said Eswaran. This, probably is Kenneth eswaran's

main purpose of the Malaysiakini interview.

A little bit of research reveals exactly why he takes this "patriotic" approach. He heads a company called

Multi Vest Resources Bhd (MVest) whose primary business interest is Palm Oil. He owns just over 28%

of the shares. MVest has 4000 hectares of oil palm plantation in Malaysia and 75,000 hectares more coming

up in Kalimantan.

He is also wrapped in this business with UMNOputras. If you look at the register of shareholders you won't

necessarily see the UMNOPutra shareholding, you will see significant nominee shareholding (this is a

known device for concealing who the real shareholders are). His Board of Directors are made up of

3 Bumiputra Directors out of a total of 5 Directors listed on the website.

So you can see, he seems to be in one of those chrony type of relationship.

Waythamoorthy's request to the Indian Diaspora and the Indian businesses and government to review

their purchasing policy on palm oil is clearly detrimental to Kenneth Eswaran's personal interests,

besides the interest of his UMNOPutras overlords – there you have it. The real issue is just that,

his own petty interests. So he calls for this sweeping interview!!

The rest of it is just a masquerade. he really only wants to push his main point and to discredit Waythmoorthy

who is hitting him and his overlords where it hurts most – at the money. Not so easy, Kenneth. Not so easy.

Kenneth, to take care of your interests you should instead be talking to the UMNOPutras to change their

policies towards the minorities in the country.

That way the leaders of the minority and marginalized community do not need to go outside to seek help,

to bring about the political will to do something positive about the marginalization problem. They do not need

to hit at your interest.

You should not be telling us what we should and should not do, because we all now are awakening to how this

problem has occurred and all the stuff you talk about in your interview is old nonsense we have discarded.

You should be looking at your overlords and talking to them to stop their apartheid like policies, stop their encroachment

on the rights of the minorities.

You should be doing this if you truly really cared. You should try and facilitate the change that your overlords

so badly need. You should not be lecturing us – we have had 50 years of that already. Read the writings on the wall

- it is becoming increasingly obvious - that change is around the corner.
.
You know what Kenneth, you sounded exactly like Samy Vellu in that interview, so anchronistic. You are so out

of touch with the times. Look where all that lecturing got your dear friend Samy Vellu - next to the dustbin of history

(the next stop I guarantee you is the dust bin of history itself - it is maybe months away). We are no more the

docile Indians everyone used to paint us out to be. We will continue until we get what is our right, what is guaranteed

by the constitution that our forefathers signed up to.

In your interview Kenneth Eswaran you go on to say that all these people who are claiming to be leaders of the Indian

community are doing so only for their own petty interest.

I can speak for myself with certainty, I have no interest in doing what I am doing other than to get the truth out.

I think most of the people out there who are speaking out at great risk are doing for much the same reason.

Our interest is to show up the treacherous lies of the last 50 years and lay bare to the people the types of people

and policies that have cheated so many generations of Indians from a decent life.

In that process we seek a better life for all.

Do not try to belittle all of that just for your own petty interest.

We are only asking for what we should be rightfully getting. In your interview , you asked one of the reporters,

how large a community the Indians are in Malaysia - 8 percent was the answer. Then what did you say in response -,

we are only a small community - if the others get a dollar, we cannot also ask for a dollar.

Kenneth, you really take the Indians to be so stupid as not to be able to see the nonsense in your argument .

is that what the Indians are asking for? Do the Indians get 8% of the national income, do they own 8% of the

wealth of the country, do they have 8% employment in all fields, do they have 8% public university and skills

training institutes enrolments in all courses offered, do they get 8% of all the contracts awarded by the government

– where do they get what they should get. We don't want a dollar for dollar, we want 8% of every dollar .

That is what you call a dollar for a dollar in your silly argument.

Kenneth Eswaran, the President of MAICCI, you are beginning to play the role of a new Mandore now, just like Samy Vellu

has been doing all these years. We do not need another Mandore. If you want to take care of your interest then get your

overlords to effectively sue for peace with the marginalized Indian people.

You say there is a meeting coming up soon to discuss matters of interest to the Indian community, if you really cared,

invite Waythamoorthy and Uthayakumar (you have such a close relationship with the UMNOputras) for the meeting

and start a meaningful dialog – not one for appearance sake only. If you really cared, we challenge you to do that.

United we will stand and united we will act till we get what is our right.

For the vidoe interview I refer to in the piece above, go to http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/16632

Awang Selamat’s vial of poison, lies and sedition and the rise of Middle Malaysia

Mingguan Malaysia’s Awang Selamat is ironically furnishing the best evidence of the rise of Middle Malaysia.

His Sunday vial of poison, lies and sedition, “Melayu sokong DAP?” in Mingguan Malaysia’s leader page today – for instance the falsehoods that DAP is anti-Malay and wants to abolish the Malay monarchy by establishing a republic – would have sparked unrest and turmoil in Malaysia pre-March 8, 2008 when mainstream media (msm) were virtually the sole source of information in the country.

But today, there would be those who would read Awang’s latest spiel of poison, lies and sedition with a yawn because it lacks credibility, although its capacity to create mischief cannot be under-estimated as not all Malaysians can yet escape the thrall of the Umno/Barisan Nasional monopoly of msm.

In previous years, DAP leaders would be very alarmed by such poisonous and seditious fare in the Utusan newspapers.

There is still cause for alarm but also room for confidence that with the rise of a Middle Malaysia it is no more a one-sided affair where Mingguan Malaysia lies are taken as gospel truth. More Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans and Ibans, have a greater capacity to discern truth from falsehoods like those spouted by Awang Selamat in Mingguan Malaysia today.

The best way to debunk Awang’s poison, lies and sedition is to subject it to the exposure of reason and truth, but this does not mean that those in authority, particularly the Police and the Attorney-General should not take the necessary action against Awang Selamat and Mingguan Malaysia to protect the integrity and the best interests of plural Malaysia.

Awang’s venom is reproduced below:

Mingguan Malaysia
Rencana
Bisik-Bisik Mingguan
Awang Selamat

Melayu sokong DAP?

Benarkah makin ramai Melayu menyokong DAP? Itulah yang digembar-gemburkan oleh para pemimpin DAP dalam ceramah, perhimpunan mahupun menerusi media kebelakangan ini.

Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU) lalu yang menyaksikan parti itu menang banyak kerusi, dijadikan modal pukal bahawa semua kaum termasuk Melayu memihak kepada DAP.

Bukanlah Awang mahu terjebak dengan sindrom penafian tetapi apa yang diuar-uarkan oleh parti tersebut tidak lebih sekadar muslihat.

Berdasarkan maklum balas yang akhbar Utusan Malaysia dan Mingguan Malaysia terima selain pemerhatian menerusi banyak blog, apa yang didakwa oleh DAP tidak benar malah makin ramai orang Melayu menolak parti berkenaan.

Awang turut menerima limpahan emel yang marahkan DAP sejak beberapa bulan lalu berikutan banyak isu termasuk penghinaan terhadap raja Melayu dan usaha membawa pemimpin PKM, Chin Peng pulang.

Anehnya para pemimpin DAP menggambarkan parti itu menerima sokongan secara langsung yang meluas daripada masyarakat Melayu sedangkan hakikatnya cukup berlainan.

Kejayaan DAP mendapat banyak undi Melayu pada PRU ke-12 adalah atas sokongan para penyokong Pas selain sebahagian lagi penyokong PKR. Jika tidak kerana faktor Pas, DAP tidak akan mendapat sokongan Melayu yang signifikan.

Sesungguhnya masyarakat Melayu masih menghindari DAP apatah lagi dalam senario pasca PRU ke-12. DAP menjadi lebih rasis dan semakin agresif dalam gerak tindak mereka untuk menulis semula Perlembagaan negara. Yang tersirat, hala tuju parti itu adalah bagi menubuhkan negara republik – tanpa raja, tanpa mengambil kira sejarah bahawa Melayu sebagai kaum teras dan tanpa Islam sebagai agama rasmi.

Jadi apa muslihat DAP? ia tidak lain bagi mengelirukan orang Melayu dengan memanipulasi sokongan secara tidak langsung yang diterima daripada penyokong Pas dan PKR atas tiket pakatan pembangkang.

DAP terpaksa menjaja gambaran palsu itu untuk terus memastikan sokongan Melayu bertahan jika tidak pun meningkat.

Dengan banyak perkembangan politik yang tidak memihak kepada pembangkang, parti itu bimbang Pas dan DAP gagal menarik sokongan pengundi Melayu pada PRU ke-13 nanti. Perpecahan dalam Pas dan banyak kepincangan PKR termasuk kemerosotan sokongan terhadap Anwar Ibrahim yang menjadi taruhan DAP, adalah petanda jelas.

Perkembangan dalam Pas turut berubah. Parti itu tidak lagi bulat menyokong Anwar, berbeza dengan senario PRU ke-12. Begitu juga sentimen terhadap DAP di kalangan ahli akar umbi Pas, yang kini lebih diwarnai negatif.

Jadi tidak hairan mengapa DAP makin agresif melaksanakan usahanya menarik sendiri sokongan Melayu termasuk melalui program outreach dan penubuhan cawangan khas Melayu terutama di Perak dan Selangor.

Selain itu, sudah lama diketahui DAP melantik seorang dua Melayu menduduki jawatan kanan tetapi mereka tiada pengaruh dan jadi pak turut. Semua orang tahu DAP mendabik dada sebagai parti semua kaum sedangkan realitinya ia dikuasai oleh orang Cina dan memperjuangkan kepentingan kaum itu.

Strategi terbaru ini menampakkan parti itu sendiri tidak percaya dengan kemampuan Pas dan PKR untuk memenangi hati bukan Melayu pada PRU ke-13 nanti. DAP turut khuatir Pas akan beralih arah dengan mengambil pendirian yang lebih mesra UMNO atas nama perpaduan umat Islam. Segala-galanya boleh berlaku. Sekarang ini pun ramai orang Islam sedar, kedudukan Islam semakin kritikal disebabkan perpecahan dan percaturan politik yang silap. Dengan kata lain, DAP tidak boleh mengharapkan Pas dan PKR selama-lamanya.

Selain itu, tujuan DAP menambah ahli Melayu juga kerana menyedari UMNO terus mendapat sokongan kuat orang Melayu di bawah kepimpinan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Maka tidak hairan DAP semakin terdesak untuk menjenamakan semula parti itu termasuk menerusi gagasan terbaru Middle Malaysia. Ia kononnya bersifat merangkumi berbanding konfrontasi dan menjadi milik setiap rakyat terutama generasi muda.

Ramai yang memberi reaksi terutama dalam blog. Ada yang menyatakan Middle Malaysia mempunyai agenda rasis. Menurut satu tulisan: “Sekiranya diterjemahkan Middle Malaysia ke dalam bahasa Mandarin, ia membawa maksud tersirat ‘Malaysia untuk kaum Cina’. Ini boleh ditafsirkan kaum Cina mahu menjadi ‘tauke Malaysia’ kerana Chung adalah sinonim dengan ‘Penguasa Cina’ di Malaysia.”

Awang tidak pasti sejauh mana kebenarannya. Namun tanpa hujah seperti itu pun, Awang memang tidak mempercayai DAP. Jika DAP benar-benar menjadi parti untuk semua kaum, Awang tidak akan mempersoalkannya tetapi itu semua hanya pembohongan dan tipu daya. Banyak tindak tanduk parti itu membahayakan asas kenegaraan kita, ia umpama musuh dalam selimut.

Tindak-tanduk DAP menyerang secara konsisten agensi awam di bawah kepimpinan Melayu seperti Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM), Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM), Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR), Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM), institusi perundangan Islam dan banyak lagi, menyerlahkan lagi belang parti itu.

Sikap keterlaluan DAP memanipulasi isu yang membakar sentimen bukan Melayu juga tidak boleh diterima. Lihat sahaja isu kematian Teoh Beng Hock, penggunaan kalimah Allah oleh pihak gereja Katholik dan kejadian gereja dibakar, amat tidak bertanggungjawab.

Pada Awang, DAP adalah parti paling ekstrem, yang berselindung di sebalik nama demokratik tetapi agendanya ultra Cina. Selagi parti itu tidak komited untuk menjunjung dan mempertahankan Perlembagaan negara, selagi itu Awang tidak akan terpengaruh biarpun pemimpinnya memetik ayat al-Quran dan hadis. Biarlah Melayu yang tidak sedar diri dan yang punya agenda peribadi dipergunakan oleh DAP. Awang bukan jenis itu.

Thank Malaysian Indians for nation-building with deeds in the country by ending their marginalization and status as the new underclass and not go to C

by Lim Kit Siang

I was flabbergasted by the Bernama report yesterday of what the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in Chennai on Friday, as follows:

January 23, 2010 18:48 PM
Najib Visits Chennai To Thank Malaysian Indians For Nation-Building
By P. Vijian

CHENNAI, Jan 23 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak, who made a historic trip to Chennai, said it was to honour Malaysian Indians as a vast majority had cultural bonds with Tamil Nadu from where they originated.

“My trip ends in Chennai, it is not coincidental but intentional because Chennai, Tamil Nadu is the original state where many Malaysian Indians originated from.

“Eighty-five per cent of Malaysian Indians are ethnic Tamils and my visit was to recognise the Malaysian Indian contributions to the development of Malaysia,” said Najib.

Speaking at a special dinner held in conjunction with his visit to the city, Najib said it was important to recognise those who contributed to nation-building, irrespective of their ethnic background.

“So, this visit is important…for 52 years, we have no (Malaysian) prime minister who visited Chennai, I am the first one to visit,” he added.

He also assured Malaysian Indians that their plights would be addressed and the government had taken and would continue to purse policies to help those in need.

“We have heard your call, Malaysian Indians have some dissatisfaction with the Malaysian Government in the past, but we are going to do more for the Indian community,” he said.

It raised eye-brows all round and provoked many questions, such as:

1. Why go to Chennai to thank Malaysian Indians for nation-building, to “recognize the Malaysian Indian contributions to the development of Malaysia” and to tell Malaysian Indians on behalf of the Malaysian Government “We have heard your call…we are going to do more for the Indian community” when all these should appropriately be said and done in Malaysia, the homeland of all Malaysians regardless of ethnic origin?

2. Isn’t it most inappropriate for the Prime Minister to make such statements in Chennai, which will give ultras and extremists the ammunition to attack the loyalty of Malaysian Indians to the country, accusing them of divided loyalties when Malaysian Indians like Malaysian Chinese, born, bred and who will die in Malaysia, have only one undivided homeland – Malaysia?

3. Najib making the first visit of a Malaysian Prime Minister to Chennai (capital of Tamil Nadu from where 85 per cent of Malaysian Indians originate from) is memorable and even historic, but why tarnish it by linking with Malaysian politics, which is of no service to the cause of the Malaysian Indians or Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan and policy?

4. If Najib has to visit Chennai to be credible to thank the Malaysian Indians for their contribution to Malaysian nation-building and development and to acknowledge their cries for just and fair treatment as Malaysian citizens, would he have to visit Xiamen or Guangzhou to similarly thank the contributions of six million Malaysian Chinese to Malaysian nation-building and development as well as to signal that his government has heard their call for justice, fair play and equality so that all are first-class Malaysian citizens without second or third-class categories? Nobody is suggesting that Najib should make such a visit to Xiamen or Guangzhou but this is why his speech in his visit to Chennai is so jarring, out-of-place and inappropriate.

5. Najib’s speech in Chennai is completely at variance with his 1Malaysia concept and slogan. He should dispense with his highly-paid foreign and local advisers who have been giving him all the wrong advice, reducing his 1Malaysia slogan and concept into a joke and mockery

My advice to Najib – thank Malaysian Indians for nation-building with deeds in the country by ending their marginalization and status as the new underclass and not go to Chennai to make beautiful-sounding but meaningless tribute.

Let Najib make a true and real beginning by announcing a New Deal to end the marginalization of the Malaysian Indians which is part of a National New Deal in the Tenth Malaysia Plan to end the marginalization of all Malaysians who have been left out of the mainstream of national development after nine five-year development plans, whether Malays, Indians, Chinese, Orang Asli, Kadazan or Iban.

Ghazali Shafie Dies

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 (Bernama) -- Former Home Minister Tun Ghazali Shafie died from old age at his home in Wangsa Baiduri, Subang Jaya, near here, Sunday night.

Ghazali, 88, died at about 7.45pm, according to his nephew Adam Azman.

Ghazali's remains were then taken to the home of his younger sister Datin Yuhanis Shafie in Damansara Utama.

Adam said his late uncle's remains would be bathed and prepared for burial, and the funeral prayer performed at the Al-Mujahiddin Mosque in Damansara Utama at 8am Monday.

Another funeral prayer would be held at the National Mosque before Zohor Monday. The late Ghazali will be buried at the Warriors' Mausoleum near the National Mosque.

Ghazali who was born in Kuala Lipis in 1922, leaves two sons, Bachtiaer and Sheriffudin.

His wife Toh Puan Khatijah Abdul Majid died in April 2008.

Ghazali was a politician who served during the era of Malaysia's first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman to the fourth, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He was called "King Ghaz" as he was very stern in carrying out his tasks.

He joined the Persatuan Melayu Pahang (Pahang Malay Association) in 1946, initially focusing on social welfare work and then venturing into politics by joining Umno and holding various positions in the party from 1958.

He was made Senator from 1970 to 1972. He contested the Lipis parliamentary seat in 1974 and won uncontested.

He was also Kuala Lipis Umno division head and Umno Supreme Council member, and won the Umno vice-president post in 1981.

He began his service with the government in 1941 as a member of the Malayan Voluntary Force.

In 1961, he was appointed as project officer and a member of the Cobbold Commission in 1962 for the formation of Malaysia.

Ghazali joined the Cabinet when he was appointed Minister with Special Functions in 1970, and in 1971 he was given the information portfolio in addition.

In 1973, he was made Home and Information Minister and in 1981, was appointed Foreign Minister before resigning from the Cabinet in 1984.

After leaving government service, Ghazali joined the private sector and was the chairman of a number of corporate companies including Paremba, Landmarks Holding Bhd and MUI Finance.

In sports, he was president of the Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union from 1962 to 1988.

On Jan 10, 1982, Ghazali who was then Foreign Minister, escaped death when the Cessna aircraft he piloted from Kuala Lumpur enroute to Kuala Lipis crashed in Kampung Janda Baik. His personal bodyguard and the co-pilot were killed in the incident.

Police rapped for arresting 9 students ahead of campus polls

Wong Choon Mei

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23: Pakatan Rakyat leaders have slammed the police and the Umno-BN government for the arrests of nine university students, who were part of a group that was protesting against unfair and skewed campus election procedures. “The situation was fine, everyone was calm. It was when the police came and created a scene with their loud hailers and started taking down banners and dragging some students away,” PKR supreme council member Badrul Hisham Shahrin, who is also known as Chegubard, told Harakahdaily. “By taking this high-handed approach, the police have shown themselves to practice double standards. Why pick on the students today when several weeks ago at the Umno-spearheaded mass protests over the Allah issue, not a single arrest was made,” PAS Youth leader Abdullah Karim told Harakahdaily. Intimidation and influencing voting pattern More than 200 students from several public universities, due to hold their campus polls on Sunday, had congregated at Menara Tun Razak in Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur before marching to the Sogo shopping complex about half a kilometre away. They had wanted to distribute flyers to the public and some had carried banners. Most of them belonged student activist groups such as Kumpulan Aktivis Mahasiswa Independen (Kami), Gabungan Mahasiswa Islam Se-Malaysia (Gamis), Gabungan Mahasiswa Bantah E-Voting (Bantah) and Pro-Mahasiswa. In Malaysia, campus politics are divided between the pro-establishment camp, which is said to have the backing of the campus authority, and the anti-establishment camp. Polls are intensely competitive and traditionally fraught with allegations of irregularities, harassment and intimidation. “I think it clear that many of the students were from the anti-establishment camp but that is not an excuse for the police to act this way. Today’s march was peaceful and there was no threat to national security. The police would be well-reminded to stay non-partisan. People are getting fed up and are asking if the arrests were intentional, to intimidate and influence the voting pattern tomorrow,” said Abdullah. What sort of democracy? The police crackdown intensified after student leader Aizat Salleh gave a short speech once the group – chanting ‘Bangkit Mahasiswa’ or ‘Arise Students’ as they marched – reached Sogo complex. "We have already submitted a memo to the Higher Education Ministry. We appeal for greater transparency in the election process at all public universities and we urged the authorities to return to us our campus democracy," Aizat told the crowd. But before he could continue further, he was detained. The other eight arrested were Hilman Idham, Mohammad Za'im Mustapha, Ahmad Shukri Kamarudin, Ahmad Syukri Abdul Razak, Mohammad Idris Yusoff, Fikhri Harun, Syahriul Ismail and Ridhuan Jamil, all of whom belonged to student organisations from universities in the Klang Valley. They were brought to Dang Wangi district police headquarters for questioning. “The right to assemble peacefully is a basic democratic right, and especially necessary for university students,” said Chegubard. “As the inheritors of our future, youths must be given greater room for freedom of expression, greater room to explore and develop their minds. In every country, in every part of the world, this is understood. But apparently not here in Malaysia, where we look like a democratic country. But we are not, we are only a regimented democracy.”