Melayu Bangkit, Cerdek, And Celek!

(Malays Awake, Smart, and Eyes Open!)
By M. Bakri Musa

It is commendable that Gertak, the Malay NGO, would have as its mission Melayu Bangkit (to awaken Malays). It should go further and ensure that we Malays are also cerdek (smart), and celek! (eyes wide open!) That would ensure that we would not be forever pelek (puzzled), unable to comprehend events around us and be left behind.

It is not enough for Malays to be awake, for if we still keep our eyes closed (even if we close only one eye!), then we might as well go back to sleep. At least then we could benefit from its recuperative powers. And if we are awake and have our eyes wide open but we remain dumb (not cerdek), that would be no improvement either.

Once we are bangkit, cerdik and celek, only then would Ketuanan Melayu be a reality, and not as now, merely a hollow slogan. Then Article 153 of our constitution would no longer be contentious as it would be of interest only to historians, as its provisions would have become irrelevant.

Now that would be a worthy goal! At least one worth shouting about!

Predictable Behavior

The Melayu Bangkit organizers’ choice of the keynote speaker at their “massive” rally in Kuala Trengganu on June 14, 2010 was revealing. If Mahathir could not awaken Malays when he ruled the country for 22 years and had all the powers of the state at his disposal, there is little hope that he could do so now when he is so much older and without power, especially the power to bestow favors.

The behaviors of those leaders were predictable, culturally. They hewed closely to our aphorism, Bila hilang aleh ka pangkal (When you are lost, revert to the source).

Malays today are at a crossroad; we are lost. However, instead of bravely assessing the choices and moving forward on a course that would best meet those challenges, we have retreated in the hope of reaching the starting point and beginning afresh. That is, to reboot, in computer language.

Alas there is no reboot or reset button. What we should do instead is extract the wisdom of our culture that had stood us well in our daily kampong life and apply that to our current predicament. Those pithy, catchy sayings are just that; they do not help us comprehend our problems, much less solve them.

If we reflect on our days back in the belukar (jungle), when we were lost we would move on, hacking the path forward as best as we could determine. There was no turning back for we knew that the path back would have been overgrown. We would just as likely to get lost in going back as in going forward.

By choosing Mahathir, Gertak leaders were going back. They were clearly counting on him to be the big draw. Just as obvious, they did not have the confidence in the pulling power of their own ideals and mission.

They were half right. They were wrong in thinking that Mahathir would bring in the crowd, but they were right in that they could not sell their ideas, not even in the heartland of Malays.

There are two ways at looking at the poor attendance. One is that Malays were still tidor (asleep), literally, what with the World Cup soccer series going on. If we were not asleep literally, then perhaps we were figuratively. After all it was not that too long ago when we were being led by that sultan of slumber, Abdullah Badawi. Perhaps we have not yet awakened to the fact that the nation now has a new leader. Or it could be that our new leader is no different from the old sleepy head he replaced.

To me, the low attendance was due to more practical reasons. It was a Monday, a working day, and those Malays, like other Malaysians, were busy working. What with the government withdrawing subsidies for such essentials as sugar and cooking oil, Malaysians have to work doubly hard. They do not have time much less inclination to listen to frustrated politicians ventilating. The rakyats are fed up with hot and foul air; the country is sweltering and fetid enough already. Besides, they have heard those promises before.

To the organizers however, Monday is no different from any other day. Being from the rent-seeking class, they do not have to work and thus have plenty of time for berseminar and berkongress.

Contrary to the perception of those Melayu Bangkit boys, we Malays have not been asleep. We have been alert and awake, with our eyes wide open. It is just that we do not like what we have been hearing or seeing.

Mahathir must have an inflated sense of his influence post-retirement, especially after his success in bringing down his successor. I do give him credit in breaking down our taboo of criticizing leaders. However, before he crows or claims credit for Abdullah’s downfall, we need to remind Mahathir that Abdullah was no great trophy. To claim credit would be akin to the weekend hunter bragging of his shooting prowess on bringing down a lame caged kancil (mouse deer). Abdullah would have stumbled anyway, on his own lameness.

It was pathetic to see Mahathir frittering away his still considerable reservoir of goodwill, and soiling the prestige of his former office by associating with the lunatic fringe of Malay extremists and losers. Surely it would not be too difficult for him to find a more select audience to exercise his intellectual and other faculties.

It was also disappointing to see a former prime minister and once the leader of all Malaysians indulging in the same old tired “us” versus “them” rhetoric. Mahathir lamented that while Malays constitute the majority, our political power is divided, with Malays now also supporting PAS and Keadilan. Yes, there was a time when UMNO and Malays were synonymous. What did we get for that? An arrogant, rent-seeking class – the UMNOPutras – grown glutton on the nation’s riches which they think belong to them, and only to them. They are the ones now presuming to “lead” us.

These are not the leaders who will take us to the Promised Land. Judging from the abysmal attendance at the rally, the average Malay is also very much aware of that.

Granting Us Our Merdeka

If these leaders are truly interested in awakening and liberating Malays, in short, granting us our merdeka, then I suggest they focus on two critical areas: education and information.

Good education means equipping us with the necessary language and mathematical skills, as well as the capacity for critical thinking. Make us cerdek! Giving good education is like waking us up (bangkit) and then lighting the pelita (candle). With us now wide awake, the candle would lift the darkness, and with our eyes wide open (celek), we could then find our way out.

You can tell much about a society and predict its future by looking at the schools. When I look at our national schools, especially those in rural areas catering to Malays, I need not bother with the national statistics to tell me about the fate of our people. Yet in those “kongresses” I hear little on how to improve our schools or enhance the educational achievements of our people.

Instead what are often recommended would result in the closing of Malay minds, as with discouraging our young from learning English, deeming it to be the language of oppressors.

Superior education alone is not sufficient, for if we close the world on our people we would succeed only in creating the worse possible combination: a mass of highly educated but deeply frustrated citizens. That would not be good for the ruler or the ruled.

Removing censorship would go a long way in opening the world of ideas to our people. We should do away with such archaic practices as banning books and requiring special permits for publications. Nor should we restrict who can preach our faith. Such restrictions are futile in this digital age. Nations can no more control the flow of information then they could of air.

In this regard I applaud Mahathir’s decision not to sue his critics. Leaders should be willing to accept criticisms, even blatantly unfair ones. Leaders should not abuse the court system to intimidate or silence their critics. Likewise, I applaud UMNO Youth’s Khairy in calling for repeal of the Printing Press Act. My only regret is that he did not pursue that when he had access to the highest power in the land.

The Melayu Bangkit folks should influence us through their ideas, not threats, intimidations, or gertak. Impress us with the brilliance of your brain and the innovativeness of your ideas.

I have been trying to get copies of the papers presented at this and earlier seminars but to no avail. Those presenters are not proud of or keen to have their ideas disseminated. The organizers should have at the very least videotaped the proceedings and posted them on the Web for a wider audience; likewise with their papers. Those folks should not be content only with submitting those ideas “to the authorities.” God knows, that had been done umpteen times before, and we know what the results were.

We should demand more of our leaders beyond their shouting of old slogans, resurrecting of phantom enemies, or fantasizing the good old days under the coconut tree. For them to be leaders, they must first be bangkit, cerdek, and celek. We have no wish to be led by Pak Tidor (Sleepy head), Si Bodoh (Moron), or Mek Mato Tup Soboleh (The one-eyed).

Brazil put Elephants in the shade

Brazil booked their place in the Round of 16 with a game to spare after a convincing 3-1 victory over Côte d’Ivoire at Soccer City.

Two goals from Luis Fabiano and a third by Elano secured the second victory for Dunga’s side in South Africa – a result that guaranteed them one of the top two places in Group G even before Portugal’s meeting with Korea DPR on Monday. It was not all good news for the South Americans, though, who finished the game with ten men after Kaka received a late red card after a clash with Kader Keita. It was Kaka’s second yellow card and came after the Brazilian appeared to dig an elbow into the chest of Keita, who went down clutching his face.

For Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Elephants, this was a sobering evening despite Didier Drogba’s late headed reply. Although Drogba was fit to start his first game of this FIFA World Cup, Côte d’Ivoire did not trouble Brazil’s back line until it was too late and they will now go into their final group game against the North Koreans on Friday with just one point to their name.

This much-anticipated meeting of the five-time world champions and Drogba’s Elephants – seen by some as potentially Africa’s biggest hope at the finals – began with a shooting opportunity for the Seleção inside the first 60 seconds as Robinho broke forward. But, ignoring the yellow shirts on either side of him, he flashed a shot over the crossbar from outside the box.

Robinho had a hand in the opening goal after 25 minutes, his lovely interplay with Kaka preceding the latter’s through-ball to Luis Fabiano which left the Brazil No9 clear to lash a spectacular shot high inside the near post. The Elephants had managed only one shot on target in their goalless draw with Portugal but after 38 minutes Aruna Dindane tried his luck from distance, albeit his driven shot went straight at Julio Cesar.

Within five minutes of the restart, Brazil had their second goal as Luis Fabiano struck again. After weaving his way between three green and white shirts, the Sevilla man beat Boubacar Barry with a strong shot inside his near post. The Ivorians came close to a response soon after only for Drogba to steer a header wide of Julio Cesar’s left-hand post after rising between Maicon and Lucio to meet Dindane’s centre from the right. That would be Dindane’s final contribution as he made way for

Gervinho yet the force remained with Brazil. Kaka had a shot beaten away by Barry in the 61st minute but within 60 seconds he had created the third goal for Elano. The Real Madrid playmaker broke down the left and running at Kolo Toure, found the space to drill in a low cross that Elano turned home for his second goal of the finals. Saldy for Elano that was his final contribution as, soon after, he took a kick on the shin from Ismael Tiote and left the field on a stretcher.

Julio Cesar was finally called into meaningful action when Ivorian substitute Romaric drove in a low shot that the Brazil custodian got down low to block. Eleven minutes from time, however, Drogba did restore a measure of pride for the Elephants when, following Gervinho’s lung-bursting forward run, the substitute laid the ball back to Yaya Toure whose precise cross was nodded home by the Chelsea striker. That was the end of the scoring, although for Kaka, the night did not end as he would have wished as tempers flared in the closing minutes.

Italy humbled by All Whites

New Zealand caused South Africa 2010's biggest upset thus far by holding world champions Italy to a 1-1 draw at Nelspruit's Mbombela Stadium. In the end, only a Vincenzo Iaquinta penalty prevented Marcello Lippi's Azzurri dropping all three points as the All Whites, who took an early lead through Shane Smeltz, produced a courageous and intelligent performance to earn their second FIFA World Cup™ point.

Faced with a side ranked 74 places above them, New Zealand might have been expected to park the proverbial bus in front of Mark Paston's goal. In fact, the opposite was true. Evidently deciding that attack represented the best form of defence, coach Ricki Herbert fielded three strikers in an adventurous line-up, and was rewarded for his boldness with the opening goal inside seven minutes. New Zealand benefited from some distinctly un-Italian defending with the Azzurri rearguard left in chaos by an inswinging Simon Elliot free-kick. The most notable culprit was Fabio Cannavaro, who inadvertently cushioned the ball into the path of a grateful Smeltz. From four yards out, all the New Zealand No9 had to do was poke the ball under the diving Federico Marchetti.

In a tournament full of upsets, it looked at this stage that a truly momentous shock was on the cards, but an Italian response was not long in arriving. They should have been level after 16 minutes, in fact, after Cannavaro knocked down Simone Pepe's corner for the well-positioned Giorgio Chiellini, but the Juventus centre-half provided a typical defender’s finish, smashing the ball out for a throw-in on the far side.

Italy were taking a stranglehold on possession, however, and after Gianluca Zambrotta just missed out on finding the top corner from 25 yards, Riccardo Montolivo went closer still, bending a superb effort around the statuesque Paston only to see the ball rebound to safety off the inside of the post. The Azzurri players must have wondered at this stage if this simply was not going to be their day, but their luck was to change after 28 minutes when Tommy Smith was penalised for pulling down Daniele De Rossi in the box. Iaquinta stepped up to take the resultant penalty and level the scores with a perfect spot-kick low to the left of the wrong-footed Paston.

Italy might have hauled themselves level, but Lippi remained unhappy enough to make a double substitution at half-time that saw Antonio Di Natale and Mauro Camoranesi enter the fray. The former, a prolific scorer in Serie A this season, nearly made an instant impact, firing in an imaginative right-foot volley that Paston could only parry clear. However, Lippi will have been hugely concerned at the relative ease with which New Zealand continued to hold his side at bay, and substitute Chris Wood came within a whisker of winning it for the Kiwis in the closing stages with a left-foot shot that slipped inches wide. Herbert's side were certainly well worthy of a share of the spoils, and go into their final match against Paraguay with everything still to play for in Group F.

Paraguay too strong for Slovakia

Paraguay claimed their first 2010 FIFA World Cup™ victory by beating Slovakia 2-0 on Sunday in Mangaung/Bloemfontein. Top of the Group F table with four points – at least until Italy take on New Zealand later in the day – the Paraguayans got a goal in each half at the Free State Stadium through Enrique Vera and Cristian Riveros.

The South Americans controlled the contest right from the start, and they might have opened their account in the early going when Roque Santa Cruz's shot took a tricky deflection towards goal but Slovakia goalkeeper Jan Mucha was up to the task, diving well to save in the top-right corner. Riveros and Lucas Barrios then had good opportunities to confirm Paraguay's dominance. After 19 minutes Riveros had time and space for a shot from 20 yards out but his effort went straight at the keeper. Four minutes later Barrios blasted over after some fancy combination play with Vera.

Paraguay's breakthrough came after 27 minutes following a Slovakian give-away in defence. Paulo Da Silva strode forward menacingly and his pass split the defence to find Vera. With two defenders around him, the Ecuador-based midfielder finished coolly with the outside of his right boot around the despairing goalkeeper. At the other end, Slovakia's only real chance of note fell to Kornel Salata, who could not keep his free header down from a corner. Indeed Santa Cruz might have doubled the lead except for a fine save with his feet by Mucha in the 39th minute.

With only one attempt on goal in the first half, Vladimir Weiss's side came out more aggressively in the second period, but Paraguay's organised back line contained them. The Europeans very rarely even threatened to equalise, and Vera should have claimed a second goal when Santa Cruz picked him out all alone in the area in the 72nd minute, but his header bounded wide to the goalkeeper's right.

Instead it fell to Riveros to settle the encounter four minutes from time with a curling left-foot shot from the edge of the area. Slovakia will now hope to resurrect their South Africa 2010 campaign against Italy at Johannesburg's Ellis Park on Thursday, while Gerardo Martino's Paraguay take on New Zealand at the same time in Polokwane.

Deadly blasts target Iraq bank

Many of the victims of Sunday's twin bomb blasts in Baghdad were women [AFP] Two car bombs have exploded outside the headquarters of the Trade Bank of Iraq in Baghdad, killing at least 26 people and injuring 53 others, security officials have said. The near-simultaneous blasts occurred shortly after 11am [0830 GMT] on Sunday in the Yarmouk neighbourhood in western Baghdad. There are conflicting reports about whether the bombs were planted in parked cars or driven by suicide bombers. Major General Qassim al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the Iraqi army, said the attack involved two suicide bombers in cars. But Al Jazeera's Omar al-Saleh, reporting from Baghdad, said there were reports that the bombs were actually planted in parked cars outside the bank. It's also unclear whether the attack was carried out by anti-government fighters, or whether the bombings were part of an attempted robbery. A source from the bank told the Reuters news agency that several bank guards were killed in the blasts and the building was badly damaged. One of the two bombs exploded near an office of Iraq's interior ministry where Iraqis apply for their national ID cards. Many of the victims were women, according to the Iraqi army. Heavily guarded area The Yarmouk district is not far from Baghdad's heavily-guarded Green Zone. Our correspondent said the location of the attack would be viewed as another sign that the Iraqi army and police are struggling to provide basic security. "If you walk 150 metres, you will have an Iraqi army checkpoint there," he said. "So it's kind of a blow to the security forces." The bank is one of the public sector's most active financial institutions and has been working to encourage foreign investment in Iraq. Banks have become frequent targets for both criminals and fighters in recent months. A June 13 raid on Iraq's central bank killed 15 people which the security forces blamed on the remnants of al-Qaeda in Iraq. And gunmen stole $6.5m from a Baghdad bank last summer. Sunday's bombings occurred after a string of attacks in the capital on Saturday evening.

Pudu jail demolition gets negative public response

When the clock strikes 10pm tomorrow, the 394-metre stretch of Pudu Jail wall fronting Jalan Pudu will be demolished after having served its purpose for the past 100 years.

Construction on the 4.5 metre wall, also known as Pudu Goal, started in 1891 on Jalan Hang Tuah and it was fully completed in 1895 at a cost of RM15,360.90.

The wall which had once set a record for the longest mural in the world (384 metres) now has no meaning as it stands amidst flourishing development in the Bukit Bintang Golden Triangle.

The prison itself stopped operating in 1996 and prisoners were shifted to the Sungai Buloh Prison, 36km from here, after the building could no longer cater to the high volume of up to 6,550 people at a time since 1985.

The memories linked to the historic landmark will remain part of the country's history even after the wall is torn down, a move proposed by Kuala Lumpur mayor Ahmad Fuad Ismail, which aimed to ease traffic congestion in the area through a road-widening project including the construction of an underpass.

A check by Bernama revealed soil levelling works on the prison premises completed and awaiting demolition of the wall tomorrow night, which has received negative reaction from those who know the building's historical value and uniqueness.

Prabu Munusamy, 32, expressed his disappointment on the move, saying the prison complex could be a valuable tourist attraction.

He said although the building had housed criminals, it should be preserved for its own unique values.

"This prison has even held several prominent convicts and until today the public still come by to see and take photos there," he said.

'Enough with development'

Fifty-two-year-old Chew Chong Huai said he was saddened to know a building with such historical value, which should be made a heritage site, would be torn down.

"In other countries, like China for example, historical buildings would be kept and preserved as tourist attractions," he said.

Irwan Hashim, 32, also disagreed with the move to demolish the prison complex and wall, saying the city was already congested with development.

"Enough with these developments. Kuala Lumpur is packed with buildings, shopping complexes and such, so let's not destroy whatever is left of our heritage," he said.

Meanwhile, a tourist from the Philippines, 49-year-old Farancisco B Lopez said the Pudu Prison should be preserved for tourism purposes like the Alcatraz prison in California, United States.

"It's a waste and pointless. I was told that this building is one of the historical sites in Malaysia because it was built in the 1800s during the British colonial era,” he added.

- Bernama

HRP Opening of the Perai /Batu Kawan Operations centre in Penang

The Human Rights Party took another step towards its 15/38 objective with the grand opening of the Perai /Batu Kawan operations centre in Penang today the 20th of June 2010. The event was well attended by about 200-250 supporters whose energies you could sense focussing as the evening progressed and speaker after speaker overwhelmed them with the logic of the 15/38 initiative.

The event was handled by an extremely skilful emcee. His in-between comments were very well thought out and very appropriate. The speakers Sambu, Uthayakumar and Naragan swept the crowd off their feet with their words about the 15/38 initiative – explaining, clarifying, challenging, provoking, cajoling, coaxing and arousing the crowd. The Tholvi song sung by all the participants never fails to bring the blood rushing to the face, every time it is done. Two welcome surprises were the fireworks that interspersed the speeches at appropriate moments. The whole event was a very well conceived one, judging by the way the energies focused towards the end – as if in a crescendo.

The only thing that marred the event was the presence of several DAP gangsters. What surprises us is the manner in which the DAP is reacting to HRP opening stall in Perai. They seem to reacting with fear syndrome. These same thugs just the day before had physically assaulted one of our activists who was distributing fliers of invitation for the event. DAP is doomed to the dustbins with this sort of bullying tactics. Do not forget why UMNO/MIC went the way they did in the 12th GE. In any case Uthayakumar very succinctly put Ramasamy on notice- Ramasamy is looking at an imminent boot from the constituency in the next elections if he is foolish enough to contest again in this constituency.

The message of Naam, namake vakkalipom went through very sharply. These are but little steps. Watch for more in the months to come.

RM 40 million to create Malay Giat Mara & IKBM entrepreneurs. But Indian excluded!

(See BH 29/5/2010 at page 6)
In the first place the academically poor Indians are not allowed entry into the 200,000 places in the Giat Mara nationwide Colleges (UM 8/3/09 at page 12) and Institut Kemahiran Mara (IKM).
We have come to know of zero Indians given these entrepreneurship loans. But thousands have complained to us that they have been denied this and other business loans.
P. Uthayakumar

UMNO: No minimum wage for all workers @ RM 1,300 per month

The UMNO cronies would get to make money “importing” low paid foreign workers, and avoiding minimum wages.
This result in the Indians in Cameron Highlands and thousands of other Indians having to complete with these foreign workers and earning as low as RM 13.00 (appx USD 3.00) per day or RM 260.00 per month (appx USD 65.00) (See The Star 27/5/2010 at page N 59 & The Star 27/5/2010 at page N 57), that some 20,000 (mostly Malaysian Indian port workers are being paid as low as RM 700 per month by their back breaking port and general workers.
And why up to 70% foreign workers in the furniture industry (UM 27/5/2010 at page 24)?
S. Jayathas

They articulate only limited ideals for the society that they claim to serve

Thank you for the article below. The main goal of politicians are to remain in power as politicians. They articulate only limited ideals for the society that they claim to serve and such ideals are usually aimed at the numerically dominant population, mainly  to garner votes for their survival. Malaysians have been conditioned to see themselves in their own racial frame work only, for ease of manipulation by calling on their tribal loyalty when needed.  The Malaysian society is capsulated within their racial boundary. 

The political system in Malaysia  does not allow the politicians to dismantle the racial fencing. The architects of the Malaysian constitution, the founding fathers, latched on to that racial classification that was used by the British.  The British found it convenient to use racial identity of  their colonial subjects, a practice that has become entrenched to this day by the BN government. The British identify  others by their ethnicity and call them the ethnic population, except themselves. The British do not consider themselves as an ethnic group. One cannot refer to  the British as ethnics. In Malaysia the division of Malaysians is  according to the racial composition and this practice is entrenched . It is a  convenient classification for political manipulation with patronage. Under such convenience, the class division in each racial group is well and truly hidden. Class has no cohesive structure to serve the politicians, but the emotive racial group has.  For egalitarian governance the recognition of class division is highly relevant, and sadly it does not exist in Malaysia.

It is essential  for the proper distribution of national resources based on need and not on race. Unfortunately, response to need-based action is not expedient for politicians who are primarily motivated to remain in power by using racial identity. They are not there to champion social  ideals to respond to people with need,  but to racial tribes as it is easy to call on their racial emotions  to harvest votes to remain in power for personal grandeur. Given this dynamics in Malaysia, we are stuck with the racial divide. Those who accuse HINDRAF as being “racist” organisation, a label that is not given to the other BN parties, are blind to the realities.  They wish to see Malaysians uncloaked of their racial identity, when the system itself does not and will  allow that.


It is a reality that the statistics and empirical evidence that indicates deprivation and poverty is correlated to the lower stratum of Malaysians of Indian ethnicity,  a stratification of class of people at the bottom rung we identify  as Indians. This lazy and inefficient term irks those who see in desperation the solution to the evils of a race based Malaysian political system. They decry demand that HINDRAF leaders avoid recognising the truth. The truth  is the correlation between the compelling need of  a class of people who happen to be of Indian (mainly Tamil language group) ethnicity. The visibility of this class of people in need are readily seen as Malaysians of Indian ethnicity. To avoid this realty will lead to non recognition of those Indians in the bottom rung of social class who are in dire need for affirmative action. There is of course this needy class of people in every racial group of Malaysian society, but than each group has their champions fighting for them. We have been conditioned to think in terms of racial grouping, and not under the egalitarian class system.

I am sure the HINDRAF leaders will not be intimidated from using the lazy term of Indian identity until such time when the rest of the society changes. Until than has to continue to use the trem Indian, a term that is easily understood to be heard, in their struggle to uplift the need of a class of people at the bottom rung of  society who are Malaysian Indians. This class of people are in dire need to the basics of living that is their right to have. Others will not fight for this powerless minority, who happen to be Indians and  who may not yield sufficient votes for Indian MPs to stay in power. 

Robert K Chelliah

UMNO racism and supremacy, but delivery system blamed!

This is the year in and year out lame and obsolete excuse UMNO gives for keeping the Indians out of the national mainstream development of Malaysia. UMNO does this via their 1,016,799 civil service who are mostly racist Biro Tata Negara “graduates”, especially in the Implementation and Co-ordination Unit (ICU), Central Co-Ordination Unit (CCU) and the Economic Planning Units (EPU) in the One Malay-sia Prime Minister Najib Razak’s Department and the Finance Ministry.
This UMNO racist and supremacist policies has permanently kept the Indians in the poor and the lower income group.
P. Uthayakumar

UMNO: Indian settlers become homeless after 53 years of independence, Kg Baru Malay settlers become millionaires!

UMNO: Indian settlers become homeless after 53 years of independence, Kg Baru Malay settlers become millionaires!
This is yet again another sad sob story of seven Indian settler families in Papan Lama, Batu Gajah becoming homeless after living in their land over the last three generations (The Star 2/6/10 at page N47).
Any comments from ‘multiracial’ DAP Perak or Batu Gajah? Or no comments because the victims are the soft target Indians. Or would DAP would rather fight the UMNO regime on some other Malay, Chinese or natives issues?
Karunai Nithi @ Compassionate Justice

Listen to your brother, Guan Eng tells Najib

Lim feels Najib needs to get buy-in from inside in the BN.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today urged Datuk Seri Najib Razak to heed his brother’s advice for a review of the New Economic Policy (NEP).

Lim told The Malaysian Insider the only problem the prime minister has is the opposition from Barisan Nasional (BN).

“He would do well if he listens to his brother, but will BN listen to him?” said Lim who is also the chief minister of Penang.

“If BN refuses to listen he should form a new party and call it 1 Malaysia party since he is so committed to 1 Malaysia,” said Lim.

Najib’s younger brother Datuk Seri Nazir Razak who is also the chief executive of CIMB had said in an interview with Mingguan Malaysia today that NEP has been unfair to the majority of the Malays as it only benefits selected few.

Nazir also questioned the lack of transparency in the allocation of bumiputera shares in listed companies and the awarding of APs.

“In the name of NEP, shares of listed companies are given out to bumiputeras, but the question is who is entitled and who is benefiting from it?” he asked.

“And look at the awarding of APs, what is the basis for the award?” said Nazir.

He also told the influential Malay weekly the NEP which was introduced during his father, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein’s administration to forge unity has become a divisive policy.

In agreeing with Nazir, Lim said while the policy was framed with noble intention it has become synonymous with corruption and cronyism.

“Those who have stolen from the Malays must be brought to book,” said Lim citing Najib’s admission last year that out of the RM54 billion worth of shares allocated, only RM2 billion worth remain in bumiputera hands.

He said if not for the leakages the 30 per cent target of bumiputra ownership would have been achieved.

Lim added that retaining the failed policy would only made Malaysia stuck in what he called the “corruption trap.”

Sedition trial: Karpal ready to battle prosecution's appeal

By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Today

GEORGE TOWN: DAP national chairman Karpal Singh is determined to go all out to defend himself at the hearing of the prosecution's appeal against his acquittal from sedition charge.

Solicitor-General Idrus Harun has filed an appeal last week against the High Court decision on June 11 to acquit Karpal Singh from a sedition charge.

Deliberating on the appeal, Karpal conceded that it was within the prosecution's right to appeal against the decision made by High Court Judge Azman Abdullah.

However, he insisted that he was unperturbed by the appeal.

“I will defend myself with all might and power at my command in the hearing (of the appeal),” he said in a statement today.

In delivering his five and half pages of judgment, Judge Azman ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove its sedition case against Karpal under Section 3(1) of the Sedition Act 1948.

He said the prosecution had failed to prove any ingredients, which could lead to the tendency to incite, hatred, insult, or disloyalty to the Ruler.

Karpal was charged with uttering seditious words against the Sultan of Perak during a press conference at his legal firm office in Jalan Pudu Lama in Kuala Lumpur between 12 and 12.30 noon on Feb 6 last year.

The veteran parliamentarian was alleged to have said the removal of Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as Perak Menteri Besar by Sultan Azlan Shah could be questioned in the court of law.

The judge ruled that what Karpal said during the press conference fell within the exception in Section 3(2)(a) of the Sedition Act, which stated that it is not seditious to show that any Ruler has been misled or mistaken in any of his measures, nor it is seditious to point out errors of defects in the government or Constitution, as by law established.

In his immediate response to his acquittal, Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal has said that the judgment made it clear that a Ruler can be taken to court.

Btg Kali killings: Renewed call to Britain to apologise

Batang Kali massacre_file pix

KUALA LUMPUR: The British government is questioned again over its refusal to apologise to the families of 24 Batang Kali massacre victims as it had expressed its regret for the 1972 killings by British troops of 13 protesters in Northern Ireland.

Institute of Public Relations Malaysia president Prof Mohd Hamdan Adnan said countless demonstrations, petitions and demands for apology and compensation were sought over the years from Westminster over the Batang Kali massacre.

He said the government should set up a public inquiry to enlighten the people and remind the British government on the incident which occurred more than 60 years ago.

"This is necessary as the families of the victims have waited for justice and compensation for a long time," he told Bernama here today.

The Batang Kali massacre took place on Dec 12, 1948 during British military operations against communist terrorists after the end of World War II.

It was claimed that the 7th Platoon of the G Company, 2nd Scots Guards, had surrounded a rubber estate at Sungai Rimoh and shot 24 villagers before setting fire to the village.

British Prime Minister David Cameron apologised on Tuesday for the 1972 killings by British troops of 13 protesters on Northern Ireland's Bloody Sunday after a long-awaited report said all those shot were unarmed.

Mohd Hamdan said if the British government could apologise and admit that there was no justification for the shooting of civilians during a civil rights march on the Bloody Sunday, it should do likewise to the families of 24 Batang Kali massacre victims in the name of justice and human rights.

Public awareness needed

Historian Prof Emeritus Dr Khoo Kay Khim said the government should create public awareness on the Batang Kali massacre as well as bring it up to the international community to ensure justice for the families of the victims.

"However, the matter should be raised in a healthy and diplomatic way to avoid untoward incidents as some people might misconstrue why the issue is raised and wrongly interpret it. This might lead to more harms to the families," he said.

He said the apology and compensation could be obtained with strong support from the government and non-governmental organisations.

"What is more important is the process of bringing up the matter to the attention of our government, the British government and in turn, we may have a strong ground if the information and investigations are comprehensive," he said.

For national literature laureate A Samad Said, the people need to educated on the country's historical events, including the Batang Kali massacre, through articles, essays, novels, theatre and movies.

"This can help raise the spirit of patriotism. The Batang Kali massacre is a historical event which should be appreciated and remembered by the people," he said, adding that the families deserve justice.

Despite countless demands for an apology and compensation since 1948, the Royal Malaysian Police closed the case in 1997 for lack of evidence.

In January 2009, the British Foreign Office rejected a call for an inquiry but three months later, it was reported that the government was reconsidering the decision.

On April 2, the last witness of the Batang Kali massacre, Tham Yong died at the age of 78.

- Bernama

Zaid's way forward for PKR

By Stephanie Sta Maria - Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: PAS has just wrapped up a successful congress, while DAP recently basked in the afterglow of its Sibu by-election victory. PKR, on the other hand, is still fighting off attacks from former party colleagues and is considered to be the weakest link in the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

The party elections in December, therefore, could well be a golden but final opportunity for PKR to pull itself together before the next general election. To gain an overview of the party's possible route forward, FMT spoke to one of its more vocal members, Zaid Ibrahim.

As PKR's central leadership council member, Zaid has consistently voiced his recommendations on rebuilding the party to the leadership. For this interview, however, he made it clear that he was not speaking on behalf of the party but only on the basis of his observations in the past one year.

“There are weaknesses in the PKR's system that could drag Pakatan down,” he said. “One of them is Anwar Ibrahim's title of PKR de facto leader.”

“He should be the party president in order to set in motion the transformation that we are talking about. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR's current president) is a wonderful lady but she is not a politician in the true sense.”

Zaid explained that with Anwar as president, the party will be prompted to make the necessary changes, especially on what kind of leadership he wants and the issues that should take priority. According to him, the former is of great importance and should be PKR's focus for the future.

“PKR has to clearly decide what kind of leaders it wants, then pick the people who fit that mould and structure the organisation along those lines,” he said. “There is currently a lack of strong party leaders at the ground level. The quality of an organisation depends very much on this.”

“PKR needs to identify good people who possess the spirit of reformasi and who still believe in democracy and the ideals of a better government. These are the party's core principles.”

Deep, meaningful roots

The Pakatan secretariat coordinator pointed out that a struggle has to have deep, meaningful roots and cannot be sustained solely by a set of intangible beliefs or historical circumstances.

“There must be hope that things are moving forward. If you want to revive that spirit, then you must have credible people at the state level to build the network that is crucial in an organisation. And this process has to begin now before the struggle becomes diluted. It's not that difficult, we just have to kick-start it.”

Zaid also highlighted the advantages of practising democracy within the party, particularly when it involved the selection of candidates and suggested that the selection be made by the grassroots instead of the central leadership.

“PKR is a grassroots reformation party, so we have to be driven by the people. Our constitution currently dictates that the state chiefs are selected by the party's top people, which is very much in Umno style.”

“If the state chiefs are handpicked by the grassroots, then there is a sense of check and balance and accountability. When you are responsible for making a decision, you tend to make sure that decision works better and you don't blame others for its failure. PKR is still very top down in its process and I think that has to change.”

Zaid added that his yardstick for success is the day a group of party supporters take the initiative to mobilise themselves to get things done.

While he acknowledged the need for a charismatic, hardworking leader to helm the party, he also said meshing that with grassroots strength and better quality members would take PKR much further.

“Anwar still holds the fort in PKR but we cannot depend on him alone. PKR in itself has to be strong if we want the other two parties to respect us and work with us. We have to complement Anwar's strength with organisational strength.”

'No room for decorum'

When asked about public uncertainty following the series of resignations within the party, Zaid brushed it off with a reminder that the country's new political landscape has left no room for decorum or etiquette.

“It's all about brute and buying power,” he said. “But having said that, if we have a more committed set of leaders, this would not happen so easily. PAS has done very well. It's probably trained and prepared to expect this sort of attack, whereas PKR isn't.”

“As long as there are incentives, there will be defections. This has exposed our vulnerability and a need for commitment to getting the right people. We need people with a track record of service and who have shown dedication. We cannot field candidates just because the media takes a shine to them.”

“Many people in politics are in the news for the wrong reasons and we think they're popular when they are actually not. Take Ibrahim Ali. We must choose people who are consistent with our struggle and who believe in it.”

Zaid noted that the party's fragility made it all the more important for the party elections to be managed well in terms of empowering the chosen leaders, taking tough actions against “state-level warlords” and being realistic about its political ambitions.

“Some state warlords have greatly troubled the party in the past two years but they cannot be dislodged without help from the top. So the top leadership must put its foot down and endorse a more positive member.”

“We also need to be more realistic about our political ambitions by matching what we have with what we want. PKR wants to rule the country but do we have what it takes to do that? If we don't, then we may as well be realistic so we don't lose everything.”

“If we do, then we must put the appropriate people in place and give them power to carry out their duties. For example, Chua Jui Meng is a very senior politician and should be the leader in Johor. It's a no-brainer. And if he becomes the leader, he must be given complete authority to save Johor. This is what I mean by 'managing it well'.”

In a parting remark on the Pakatan coalition, Zaid said that it worked as a political party but not yet as a government.

“The three parties are getting closer but maintaining a distance in how they run their respective governments. Pakatan should be more cohesive in putting forth streamlined policies that are identical with those of our state governments. Only then can we gain more momentum and strength in moving forward.”

Sabah contractors want probe on university projects

By Charlie Rudai - Free Malaysia Today

KOTA KINABALU: Local contractors at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) are crying foul after discovering that a high ranking officer at the UMS Maintenance and Development Office also operates a company carrying out development project contracts for the university.

The contractors are claiming unfair competition as well as conflicts of interest since the high ranking officer is also tasked with monitoring all project implementations at UMS.

“Clearly there is a conflict of interest here. How could someone who is responsible to decide on the project for UMS, also have his own company conducting projects for UMS at the same time?” asked the contractors who requested anonymity.

A check with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) showed that the officer is holding nearly 80 percent of the shares in the private consultant company, which the contractors said has a contract with UMS, as well.

The contractors urged the relevant authorities, including the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the CCM as well as the Higher Learning Ministry, to look into the matter.

“What concerns us is that under the 10th Malaysia Plan, UMS has been allocated with development projects worth about RM1 billion. Qualified local contractors like us might not have a fair chance in securing these projects,” they said.

“Is there any assurance that the individual will not take advantage of his decision-making powers to ensure his own company gets these projects?” they asked.

UMS Vice-Chancellor Prof Kamaruzaman Ampon could not be contacted for comment.

Capello says Rooney problems all in his head

CAPE TOWN: Fabio Capello believes Wayne Rooney's World Cup goal drought is down to a "mind" problem.

Rooney has failed to score in six appearances on football's biggest stage -- two here and four in Germany four years ago -- and was a shadow of his normal self during England's disappointing 0-0 draw against Algeria on Friday.

But England's head coach has dismissed speculation that the striker, who has suffered a series of niggles in the wake of a more serious ankle injury he suffered at the end of March, is not 100 percent fit.

The Algeria stalemate has left England needing to beat Slovenia in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday to be sure of reaching the last 16 and Capello has little option but to keep faith with the forward he regards as England's most precious asset.

"Wayne is a good player," Capello said. "He is always dangerous for the other team. For the movement and everything. He lost a lot of balls and a lot of passes (against Algeria) but he is still an important player.

"He is completely fit. He trained. He stayed on the pitch for as long as any other player. He is perfect. The problem is in the mind. I know this."

Capello said Rooney reminded him of one of his own former team-mates.

"In the mind you are ok, ok, ok," he said. "Then you get to the pitch."

'They train well'

Capello appeared to play down the possibility of a radical shake-up of his line-up, a stance which would be consistent with his belief that it is a fear of failure that is preventing England's big guns from living up to their reputations here rather than any tactical problem or lack of ability.

"This (change) is not in my mind," the Italian added. "During the game I can change. I can do different things. We have time to prepare for what is going to be a really important game for us.

"Now we have to play like we train. We have been passing really well. It was really good. The problem is not only when we win the ball. We have to win it back quickly. This is one of the big problems that we have now. We have to press the opponents to win back the ball. I want to see the spirit next time."

Capello, who has refused to rule out quitting if England come up short on Wednesday, admits he is at a loss to understand why his players have been so lacklustre.

"We have trained at every moment. We have practised everything. But when we have played we have lacked the same pace," he said.

"The fear of the World Cup is in the mind of the players. It is incredible. The performance in training is good. The performance on the pitch is not the same players, that I know."

Must win clash

Capello's captain, Steven Gerrard, has promised that the spirit that was missing against Algeria will be restored for the must-win clash with Slovenia.

"I thought against Algeria we weren't aggressive enough, we never pressed the ball and won it back quickly enough," the Liverpool midfielder said.

"We never showed enough urgency and we certainly weren't clinical enough around the box. We need to find something quick for Wednesday night.

"It adds a lot more pressure on ourselves for Wednesday but as a player you've got to thrive on that pressure and look forward to it and hope we can get the result we want."

Gerrard partially endorsed Capello's comments about the impact of the huge expectations surrounding England on players' performances.

"There is a lot of pressure on the guys, there is no lying about that. There is a lot of tension because we want to stay in this tournament for a long time.

"But we knew that coming into it, that there was always going to be big pressure and as players you've got to accept that. You've got play under that pressure and play well.

"What's done is done now. There is no good looking back. We can't change that. This is our last chance."

- AFP

Saudi women use 'breastfeed the driver' fatwa in driving bid

"Do the women have to breastfeed the driver in the presence of their husbands or can they do this alone?"
 

"Who will protect the wife if the husband entered the house unexpectedly and found his wife breastfeeding the driver?" she asked.

Saudi women plan to turn a controversial fatwa (religious ruling) to their advantage and launch a campaign to achieve their long-standing demand to drive in this conservative kingdom.

If the demand is not met, the women threatened to follow through the fatwa which allows them to breastfeed their drivers and turn them into their sons.

The campaign will be launched under the slogan: "We either be allowed to drive or breastfeed foreigners," a journalist told Gulf News.

Amal Zahid said that their decision follows a fatwa issued by a renowned scholar which said that Saudi women can breastfeed their foreign drivers for them to become their sons.

"As every Saudi family needs a driver, our campaign will focus on women's right to drive," she said.
The controversial fatwa, which was regarded as both funny and weird, issued recently by Shaikh Abdul Mohsin Bin Nasser Al Obaikan, member of Saudi Council of Senior Scholars and adviser to the king, has sparked a debate in society.

The renowned scholar said Saudi women can breastfeed their foreign drivers for them to be become their sons and brothers to their daughters.

Under this relationship, foreign drivers can mix freely with all members of the family without breaking the Islamic rule which does not allow mixing of genders.

Breast milk kinship is considered to be as good as a blood relationship in Islam.

"A woman can breastfeed a mature man so that he becomes her son. In this way, he can mix with her and her daughters without violating the teachings of Islam," the scholar said.

‘Ridiculous and weird'

Al Obaikan based his fatwa on a Hadith (saying) of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) which was narrated by Salim, the servant of Abu Huzaifa.

Later, Al Obaikan clarified that his fatwa was being distorted by the local media which ignored the condition that the milk should be drawn out of the woman and given to the man in a cup to drink.

Speaking to Gulf News, a number of Saudi women condemned the fatwa. Fatima Al Shammary was quoted by the local Arabic daily Al Watan as saying the fatwa was "ridiculous and weird".

"This fatwa has become a hot topic of debate among women. Is this is all that is left to us to do: to give our breasts to the foreign drivers?" she said.

Another Saudi woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, questioned: "Does Islam allow me to breastfeed a foreign man and prevent me from driving my own car?

"I have not breastfed my own children. How do you expect me to do this with a foreign man? What is this nonsense?" she said.

Another woman said the fatwa should also apply to the husbands who should be breastfed by housemaids. By doing so, all will be brothers and sisters," she said.

Hamid Al Ali, a journalist for an electronic newspaper, recalled that an Egyptian driver who had a crush on a female teacher he drives to school asked her to breastfeed him. When she retorted angrily, he said: "I want to be your son."

Saudi writer Suzan Al Mashhadi sarcastically asked Al Obaikan: "Do the women have to breastfeed the driver in the presence of their husbands or can they do this alone?"

"Who will protect the wife if the husband entered the house unexpectedly and found his wife breastfeeding the driver?" she asked.

Read about life in 'Islamic' Iran HERE

Anti ISA Movement UK

Gracefully retired? Mahathir? Spin with some credibility, lah, Syed!

I’d heard recently through the UMNO grapevine that Syed is Mahathir’s latest chief bull-shit artist in blogoshpere, and so I’ve been dropping in at his blog from time to time to see if there was anything in his posts that might confirm or dispel the rumour.

He’s been critical of Najib in several of his recent posts, which more or less sat quite snugly with the juicy details of the ongoing skulduggery that’s said to be unfolding amongst the various factions in UMNO. I’ll save details of this for another post.

His post, ‘Tun Musa Hitam : Be Gone’ certainly confirms that he’s a member of the pack of running dogs of Mahathir, even if not top dog.

In that post, having whacked Musa for having not done the decent thing of resigning over the recently disclosed Sime Darby losses, he then alludes to Musa’s criticism of Mahathir’s refusal to relinquish power, and then Syed draws a comparison between both Musa and Mahathir.


“Tun Musa Hitam is famous for his dinner table tirades against “Mahathirism”. Mahathir was egoistic, he refused to relinquish power, he was authoritarian bla bla bla. But arent you the hypocrite now Sir? Mahathir has been gracefully retired for seven years. Strange behaviour for an authoritarian tyrant, isnt it? Yet you are refusing to own up to responsibility in running just one company – Sime Darby. The mind cannot help wondering if you had become the Premier. More “full frontal” assaults perhaps?”

Really, Syed?

So was that Mahathir’s twin brother from Kerala speaking at the Bangkit flop in Terengganu two days before your post?

The same twin brother who’s been spewing hate and trying to drive a wedge between the people to save his own sorry ass?

Really, Syed, I hope he’s making it worth your while trying to save his rakyat-robbing ass, because it is causing you big time credibility-wise.

In my books, it has.

Oh , and by the way, did you say ‘semen from a woman’ in your ‘DNA Forensics’ post?

Did I read that right, Syed?

Semen from a woman?

I was always poor at science, but I could have sworn that semen was only discharged by men.
Got me wondering if I had got that wrong all these years, so I checked it out at Wikipedia. Here’s what it says.

“Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that usually contains spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads (sexual glands) and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilizefemale ova. In humans, seminal fluid contains several components besides spermatozoa: proteolytic and other enzymes as well as fructose are elements of seminal fluid which promote the survival of spermatozoa and provide a medium through which they can move or “swim.” The process that results in the discharge of semen is called ejaculation”.

Does read like semen is rather a ‘male’ thing, no?

dictionary.reference.com is emphatic that it is indeed a ‘male’ thing.

You, though, say otherwise, even as you castigate just about every other person who doubts the fides of the ongoing sodomy trial as being semi-literate and as having the knowledge of DNA that matches a monkey’s knowledge of the Stock Market.

Now, there is no question that you are anything other than literate, given your having shared with us your in-depth knowledge of DNA culled from surfing the internet, but would it be fair to ask, Syed, given your contention that women discharge semen, if your knowledge and understanding of the human reproductive system matches that of a donkey sitting cross-legged and contemplating the next move in a chess game?

The arbitrariness of moral policing

By Shanon Shah | The Nut Graph

CRITICISMS towards moral policing in Malaysia are nothing new. Back in 2005, the Federal Territories Islamic Department came under fire after its infamous raid of Kuala Lumpur’s Zouk nightclub. After the Muslim detainees’ claims of sexual harassment and other abuse by religious enforcers, the government sought to curb moral policing, in rhetoric at least. In 2006, then de facto Minister of Religion Datuk Dr Abdullah Md Zin also admitted to procedural flaws in enforcing khalwat (close proximity between unmarried men and women) laws.

But the truth is that the institution of moral policing also has deep support. In 2008, for example, the then president of the Malaysian Syarie Lawyers Association, Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar, said: “Have we forgotten that building a moral and upright society is one of the basic principles of [Malaysian] nationhood? If we want to abolish morality legislation, the fifth principle of the Rukunegara (‘good behaviour and morality’) should also cease to exist.”
Because morality legislation is often enacted and applied in the name of religion, the debate often gets emotional and tense. Perhaps a better way to frame the discussion on moral policing would be to analyse the substance of moral policing laws, and the procedures involved when moral policing is actually implemented.
Regarding the laws’ substance, some questions people could ask are: Where do these laws come from? What areas do they cover? Why do we need these laws in the first place? If they are enacted in the name of a particular religion, for example Islam, do they differ from Muslim society to Muslim society? If yes, why; if not, why not? Regarding moral policing procedures: How do enforcers go about doing their jobs? What happens before, during and after a moral policing operation? Who are enforcers accountable to?
Disquieting picture
In our attempt to understand moral policing in Malaysia, The Nut Graph ran a series of four interviews with individuals who have encountered the moral police. We wanted to know from a procedural perspective what actually happens during, for example, a khalwat raid.

Although the four interviews hardly represent the total number of individuals who have encountered the moral police, they do paint a disquieting picture. All the individuals interviewed seemed to have been arbitrarily targeted. In all cases, varying degrees of intimidation were employed. In some, enforcers used violence. One interviewee even testified there was corruption involved in her case.
And then we have to ask if there were any underlying prejudices involved in how the different targets were treated. For example, Mona Abu Bakar, a middle-class, English-speaking daughter of a high-ranking civil servant, got off minimally embarrassed and inconvenienced. But Rina and Ros, two transsexual women who are arguably lower than middle-class, were physically and verbally assaulted by religious enforcers. In between the two extremes is Nabila Nasir, a young, urban, middle-class Malay Malaysian woman who was intimidated and verbally harassed for dating a Chinese Malaysian man.
The comparison doesn’t end there. Mona and Nabila eventually got off without facing any charges. Rina and Ros, on the other hand, had to face the syariah court a mere days after they were detained. Rina and Ros also testify that they did not have legal representation when they appeared in court and were eventually fined RM700. But in any legal proceeding, shouldn’t an accused have the right to a lawyer and to be presumed innocent until proven guilty?
Substance vs procedure
It would appear, then, that moral policing in Malaysia does not have clear processes and systems for individuals to safeguard their rights even within the syariah framework. Nevertheless, proponents of syariah-based moral policing in Malaysia often point towards the comprehensiveness of Islamic legislation. Islam does not separate between personal and public morality, we are told. In other words, criticisms against procedural abuse are countered by quoting the idealised substance of Islamic legislation.
But this idealised view of Islamic law does not take into account the fact that Islamic law can only be applied by human beings. Human beings are flawed creatures prone to making mistakes, despite the best of intentions. And we cannot discount the fact that there are probably a large number of religious enforcers who hold racist, misogynistic, or homophobic views, or who are not above engaging in corruption. The question remains: If the moral police are there to watch over our morals, who watches the moral police?
And in Malaysia’s syariah-based moral policing legislation, it is not only transvestism  and khalwat that are considered crimes. Non-compliance towards other personal religious practices is also considered crimes punishable by the state. The provisions are quite catch-all, and the Malaysian system conveniently confuses the substance of Islamic morals and the procedures in human application of Islamic laws. Therefore, in order to untangle the substance from the procedures of moral policing, we eventually need to analyse the substance of Islamic teachings.
Substance vs substance
For example, though it is a virtual consensus that alcohol consumption is a sin in Islam, does Islam, in its substance, advocate worldly punishment for Muslims who consume alcohol? And though the view is that Friday prayers are obligatory for Muslim men, does Islam actually view non-attendance of Friday prayers as a crime?
This is where diverse interpretations of Islamic law and thought emerge. Predictably, this is also where the debate gets shut down in Malaysia. Advocates of the Islamic status quo invariably panic that these questions are “insults to Islam”, itself a crime punishable under syariah law.
And so, this is how state-sanctioned moral policing perpetuates itself. Fear, shame and intimidation are effective ways for the moral police to assert their authority – just look at how Ros, Rina and Nabila’s Chinese Malaysian ex-boyfriend capitulated. But in the end, even citizens in the most repressive of environments start getting sick of feeling afraid.
Take, for example, the Saudi Arabian woman who was stopped by a religious enforcer in May 2010 when she was walking in an amusement park with a man she was not married to. She got so angry that she beat the religious enforcer up and put him in hospital. Or how about the two Saudi women stopped by a religious enforcer in 2007 apparently for wearing makeup? One of them took out a can of pepper spray and emptied it into the religious enforcer’s face. Her friend filmed the incident with her mobile phone while calling the Saudi religious enforcers “terrorists”.
While some might find these stories funny or even justified, they demonstrate that the violence and arbitrariness of moral policing only beget more violence and arbitrary retaliation. The only way out of this ugly spiral is for open public debate on moral policing to be allowed and encouraged. And in a true democracy, such open public debate would eventually allow society to settle on what kind of laws its members want in order to have their rights safeguarded and upheld. Will this ever, however, happen in Malaysia?

Tan: Gov’t Meddling Caused Felda’s Overruns

From Malaysiakini
By Haslan Zakaria

Former deputy minister Tan Kee Kwong has urged the federal government to come clean about Felda and to stop interfering in the running of the government-linked company.

MCPX
“Do not forget the very reason why Felda was started (was to undertake) social responsibilities,” reminded Tan (right).

He said this in a blog posting following his open letter dated June 6, where he publicly accused Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak of “single-handedly destroying” Felda’s prudent management and the siphoning away of its wealth.

Continuing his attack on what he claimed as “government meddling” in the state-owned plantation firm, he listed in his blog instances of mismanagement that the government he allegedly misled Parliament and the public about.

Tan, who is now in the opposition PKR of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, based his accusations on his experience in 2004 while serving as then-deputy to Land and Cooperatives Minister Kasitah Gadam in charge of all Felda matters.

Tan went on to lament the government-linked firm’s decline to its present pathetic state, from what he described was once a stellar example of how such a project should be like.

Felda, he said, used to be the biggest producer of crude palm oil in the world and led the way in developing new areas and distributing land to the landless.

“By their direct interference, the evil and corrupt political masters have managed to destroy in a short space of time what was a very well-run GLC,” said Tan.

He contended that as a GLC, Felda’s wealth belonged to to all the country’s citizens. Now, however, it has been squandered to enrich the few.

Senseless overspending

Tan pointed to the questionable and sudden reversal of previously cost-cutting moves in 2006 to build the firm’s new 29-floor headquarters for RM220 million on their own land in Jalan Semarak as one example of government meddling.

The plan, according to Tan, had already been under way.

“(The) tender to demolish their old building was called. Even the former PM Pak Lah (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) was given a date to officiate the ground breaking ceremony.

“This plan of course makes much more sense than to spend RM662 million to pay for a new building in the KLCC area where land cost is the highest in the whole of Malaysia,” said the former federal minister.

He also detailed how this decision came about in a “clandestine” meeting in 2007 between Najib, the late Nassimudin of Naza-TTDI and then Felda managing director Mohd Bakke Salleh that bypassed Felda’s chairperson and director-general.

“They decided to abandon the cost-effective plan to build on their own land, but instead invested in a 5-star building at a 5-star price!” alleged Tan.

Lambasting the lack of accountability, Tan asked if this was the pattern of how GLCs were being run.

“Why bother to have a chairman or board at all?” he asked.

Welfare or deception?

Tan then attacked the government’s recent reply in Parliament on Felda’s “missing” RM2.7 billion.

Last Wednesday, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Ahmad Maslan said that the missing funds were used for welfare purpose.

“What utter rubbish. In fact, it was an attempt to mislead the Parliament, the rakyat and worse of all, the 113,000 Felda settlers,” said Tan, zeroing in on the supposed allocation for crops.

According to Tan, for the past 30 years, there had already been a fund in place for replanting called ‘Tabung Tanam Semula’.

For every metric tonne of fresh palm bunch sold to Felda’s oil palm million, RM3 to RM5 is deducted and channelled into the fund, depending on the market price of crude palm oil.

This money belongs to the settlers and an average of RM15,000 is set aside when it is needed to replant oil palm or rubber for each of Felda’s 113,000 settlers, totalling RM1.7 billion.

“Ahmad Maslan, your answer in parliament is totally misleading. That sum belongs to the settlers not to Felda. In fact, Felda should be paying interest back to the settlers for holding their money for such a long time,” said Tan.

‘Failed US investment’

Tan also blasted the allegedly failed RM500 million Felda Global Ventures investment in Boston and Cincinatti in the US.

The investment arm, formed three years ago, was the brainchild of Mohd Bakke. According to Tan, it was a fiasco that never generated returns for Felda.

“Please tell us exactly what this Twin Rivers Inc is all about. Or is this another attempt to siphon money out, like what happened to the Euro100 million commission paid to purchase French submarines for our navy?” he quizzed.

How could Bakke, who he alleged managed Felda poorly, be given the star role with his new appointment as Sime Darby chief, asked Tan.

“Is it because he is an ‘obedient servant’?” asked Tan.

PJ’s University Hospital – A Traffic Disaster

by ROAD 10

Have you been to the University Hospital recently? If you haven’t, try it and join the jam and queue which stretches out to its traffic-light junction entrance at Jalan University. And God help you if you have a loved one or friend with a smashed leg or heart attack. If you are indeed at that junction and stuck in the jam, you might just as well read out the last rites as there is a large likelihood of the patient going up to meeting God directly from that traffic junction itself. No way will you be able to approach its oddly built and placed Accidents and Emergency Unit (the signboard mysteriously mentions Trauma but the building itself looks like a giant car park).

The University Hospital or now glamorously termed University Malaya Medical Center has an infrastructure and layout that is well…for a lack of a better term…truly cocked up. For those who are old enough to remember the early years of this Hospital when even the Jalan Gasing/ Federal Highway intersection at EPF was nothing more then a traffic light junction instead of an interchange, this hospital used to be numero uno in its almost ergonomic layout for especially the general public and patients. Whoever the original founders and designers were, they had paid great attention to detail and many a time all that we PJ residents had to do when there was an emergency was just drive up directly to its A&E Department located just after the traffic lights.

Wikipedia states that the Hospital was founded by a Dr. Danaraj during the period when Tunku was the Prime Minister and the foundation stone was actually laid by Jibby’s dad, Razak in 1965. It opened officially in 1968. I remember it was so well designed that anyone running up to its A&E got everything done almost immediately including emergency surgery rather fast. The University Hospital used to have large, rather therapeutic, meticulously maintained lawns that covered much of its open space. I remember still its large open car park off Jalan University. There used to be a mamak shop on the ground floor that sold for 10 cents these large curry puffs. Today you have to fork out RM6 for a piece of cake at its Secret Recipe outlet at its lobby. A chat with the sundry outlets there complain of outrageous rentals.

But like many things in Malaysia, with the passing of its old guard, the University Hospital like almost every other institution in this country appears to be undergoing rather rapid or is it “rabid” development? The chaos is truly astonishing! One has to be actually there to experience the utter traffic nightmare and mayhem as a result of what looks like very haphazard development taking place at the hospital grounds. Looks like Malaysia’s lethal corrupt piratisation program and Ketuanan culture has not spared even this Hospital. A massive so called Primary Care building or RUKA has emerged out of no where blocking its initial main entrance and its original A&E.

To compound matters, its A&E has moved to the main carpark which is quite a distance from its main tower building. As an engineer, I cannot for the life of me, understand how the new A&E was allowed to be built on its open car park space located hardly a few meters from the edge of Jalan University. Patients have to fight their way through traffic to reach its emergency unit. And after having done that, relatives will have to run around in circles looking for a parking space. If you are lost they will eventually direct you to this giant, dimly lit car park right above the A&E building which will truly test your driving skills as you try to negotiate its narrow lanes and super low ceilings.

And if you happen to get a parking space on the 5th floor or something, you will need to grope around to find out where the lifts are. And if you indeed find the lifts (most of the patients were taking the staircases including the mak ciks who could hardly walk), they don’t tell you where you need to get off to get to the tower building. Not only is the ergonomic design gone, the run around can give any patient a coronary. That such a well organized hospital could have been transformed to such pandemonium and haphazardness could only have happened in Bolehland.

But apparently there is worse to come. According to the security guards there, more towers or “menaras” are coming up with no one having any idea where the staff to manage them are going to come from or where the public car parks are going to be. Looking at the signboards and his story, it sounded like another scam “submarine cannot dive “or “jets without engine” story. But to be fair, the nursing standards at this hospital are still much better then one gets in a general hospital I suppose.

However, patients trying to get to this hospital get a very raw deal indeed. Its entrance is literally unapproachable. All the hospital’s open spaces seem to have been replaced with concrete multistoreyed car parks with even more towers being built without any solutions to its current unending traffic and parking problems. Its roads have become extremely narrow from the very outset at the University Road Junction causing traffic to backup to the highly congested Jalan University. Its emergency department is literally sitting on Jalan University. It will be a real miracle if a patient can actually get there except if you are in an ambulance. Its new specialist, pediatric and maternity towers promise to only add to its traffic nightmare.

The Vice Chancellor, who reportedly is a qualified engineer should “turun padang” to see the havoc himself and see how patients, especially the elderly struggle daily because of the poor planning. He should first try making the turn into the badly architectured multistorey car park complex. If he is bringing his grandmother in his MPV, he should get prepared to get a few scratches on the MPV when he tries to maneuver into the entrance of the carpark. He then should try to get to the main tower from the car park complex. And if he is lost at the lifts or find them too slow, he should then take the steps without tripping on the many potholes on its floor. If he misses taking the link bridge because of poor signages, then I would recommend that he takes the steps all the way down and cross the road at the zebra crossing without getting knocked over by the heavy traffic there. For patients, caught in this chaotic environment, it is truly intimidating.

The VC must identify who is responsible for this haphazard development of Malaysia’s best known hospital. For residents in PJ, this is the only General Hospital they know and even if they have to pay a small amount for treatment but it doesn’t matter because it used to be known for its quality care. But now with all its roads choked and car parks literally unapproachable, patients literally risk dying getting to the hospital’s door. A neighbor of mine was referred to the UH for a hormonal problem but after being unable to find a parking space for one hour, she skipped the hospital and kept driving all the way to Putrajaya where she was treated quite promptly.

If the VC or whoever is in charge of this hospital is not going to find a remedy for its traffic nightmare, the UMMC is going to end up a ghost hospital as patients will not be able to get there. In fact, this may already be happening as the A&E Department looks rather deserted for a hospital this size. If the University Hospital doesn’t solve its traffic and parking woes soon, all that building that is being carried out there using tax payer’s money is going to go to waste. The simultaneous rapid building rampage on almost every open space this hospital used to have is highly suspicious, especially if the no staff story is true. I do hope someone is not making money from needless projects

Don't Be Influenced By Opposition Tactics On Jemaah Islamiah Issue - Najib

BAGAN DATOH, June 20 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wants the people to place confidence in the authorities rather than be influenced by the opposition tactics on the issue over Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militants.

The Prime Minister said the matter was a reality and not merely a creation to divert the people's attention as alleged by the opposition.

"The issue (on JI militants) is a national security matter and certainly the government had known about the involvement of senior lecturers in local universities in the militants' activities.

"That's why we must believe and have confidence that the matter is a threat and we leave it to the authorities because they, especially the police and intelligence personnel, certainly have much experience in tackling the threat from the JI and militant groups," he said when asked on the level of national security following the disclosure on the JI threat at the media conference at the Bagan Datoh Town Weekly Market Site, here on Sunday.

Also present were Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who is also the Member of Parliament for Bagan Datoh and Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.

Speaking to reporters after launching the NGV Tech Sdn Bhd Shipyard Construction Project in conjunction with his working visit to the Bagan Datoh Parliamentary constituency, Najib said based on the effectiveness of the security forces in tackling terrorism, the government could prevent fatal incidents and destruction to properties.

He said all the measures taken were aimed at preventing undesired incidents as the government did not want to be blamed for not taking proactive measures.

On Thursday, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was reported as saying that the issue on the JI was merely an excuse by the Barisan Nasional to divert attention from the other major issues that we raised currently.

Child safety and protection should be emphasised, says NGO

The Star 

PETALING JAYA: The recent case of missing two-year-old Nisha Chandramohan has once again struck home the issue of child safety and protection.

National Council of Welfare and Social Development Malaysia president Datuk Halim Ibrahim said cases of missing children needed urgent address by the entire society – starting with parents themselves.

“Parents, especially the younger ones, may not know much about child protection and safety, like the do’s and don’ts. They need to be informed,” he said in an interview yesterday.

Halim said that for some religions, like Islam for instance, it was compulsory to undergo marriage courses before getting married.

“This is to ensure that the couples know what marriage is all about. I think future parents ought to be given courses too and be informed of their responsibilities,” he said.

Halim said it was everyone’s responsibility and not just parents to ensure that children were safe.

“They include teachers, authorities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the private sector as well as individuals.

“There are many NGOs focusing on social and other issues in the country, but none specifically on missing children,” he said.

While the Government had a role in drawing up policies to protect children, others like NGOs, the corporate sector and teachers could get themselves involved in providing guidelines on child protection.

He said school and kindergarten teachers could contribute by teaching children about their safety.

“Everyone must work as a team. We cannot rely on just the authorities,” he said.

Nisha Chandramohan, who suffers from epilepsy, was unknowingly brought out of the house in Mentakab, Pahang, by a relative who was suffering from mental illness on June 4.

A police report was lodged when the relative was found by passers-by that day but Nisha was nowhere in sight.

Under the 10th Malaysia Plan, the police will screen carers from childcare centres, nurseries and kindergartens as a way to better address abuse.

Also, an alert system for lost and missing children will be established, with the co-operation of the media and law enforcement agencies.

The proposed system will be similar to the AMBER Alert bulletin in the United States that informs the public of suspected child abduction cases.

Sexual harassment a hallmark of insecure men

The Star 

PETALING JAYA: Men who harass women are insecure and unable to control their emotions.

They are also unable to handle attractive and intelligent women who demand respect.

This has led to some of them shooting nude photographs or videos of women and threatening to post them online or sending them via SMSes.

“Some harassers seem to think that it’s a compliment when they show you attention, which isn’t always so, as their actions and comments carry sexual connotations,” said Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower) executive director Maria Chin Abdullah.

“Some harassers feel they are more in control when they put women in a vulnerable position. This are men’s own insecurities.”

She added that lack of enforcement and sex education also contributed to the problem.

Maria, who spoke at a workshop titled “Connecting ICT with Violence Against Women” yesterday, also said modern day tools such as handphones, social networking websites, blogs, e-mails and Web cameras played a role in violence, harassment and human trafficking, especially against women, regardless of race and nationality.

Based on an Empower survey between April and May, in which 42 out of the 54 respondents were females, Maria said the most vulnerable victims were aged from 15 to 30.

Meanwhile in Johor Baru, Malaysian Women Development Department director-general Wan Hasmah Wan Mohd said more men should attend women’s rights courses and seminars to gain insight on how to treat women with respect.

Wan Hasmah said more awareness campaigns championing women’s rights were needed to curb violence against women and spouse abuse, adding that parents should teach their children from an early age to respect their peers of different gender.

Is this the shape of things to come?

The way we go about planning the economy without a thought to the environment is worrying. Sometimes a cartoon can say so much more than words.