Change starts from Rakyat

Since Mac 08, we have always asked PR to work harder, to have more integrity, to show us more proof that they can govern while quietly still hoping for BN to change so that we can have a better Malaysia for our children. We hope for the politicians to change their ways so that real change can happen in Malaysia soon.

Nice thoughts, but sorry folks, change will not happen that way.

By Tohkong Mosjid

There were 2 pieces of paper, a paper named BLACK and a paper named WHITE. BLACK was originally a piece of white paper, but because of its many past sins, hence it had turned black. BLACK had been around for quite sometime - he was actually quite proud of being black paper until the day the WHITE appeared out of nowhere.

WHITE gained a lot of popularity, because people liked its cleanliness and its decent image. The ever-increasing public acceptance of the WHITE made BLACK feel uneasy. BLACK wanted to regain the popularity and support that he lost to WHITE. He thought of changing himself into a white sheet of paper again.

BLACK wasted a lot of money on image makeovers but to no avail. No matter what they did, the dark stains on his body would still overwhelm whatever white spots that his image makeover designers tried to paint on him. His designers told BLACK that he could never be turned back into white paper. At most, he could only be made over into a decent image of a black paper with several white small spots on it -- and because his black colour was too overwhelmingly strong, people would still find it hard to notice those new white designed spots as well.

BLACK got angry with the news, but reluctantly he had to accept the fact that he couldn't be a white piece of paper again. He had to think of another way to rival WHITE's popularity. But how? People liked white nowadays, but how could he possibly turn himself into white again? How could he kill off WHITE's clean image in people's minds?

Soon, he came out with an idea -- to start sabotaging WHITE's army to paint some black dots on WHITE. To BLACK, this idea was easily executed as white was the most vulnerable colour to get contaminated and he knew that the people would be stupid enough to fall for his manipulation.

To sabotage WHITE's army, BLACK started the propaganda of telling people that WHITE was just as dirty as BLACK. He continued to give proof by highlighting each black dot on WHITE that he managed to sabotage. He bribed all the media to focus on WHITE's black spots to further disgust people of WHITE. He continued attacking WHITE by telling the people that WHITE had cheated the people because he was not entirely white -- WHITE had block colours on him just like his. He made sure this news went round the clock until it created a perception on the people that WHITE was actually a liar, and hopefully the people would return their support to BLACK.

In the end, he succeeded as people began to see that WHITE was no longer a white piece of paper, but white paper with a lot of black spots. He managed to bring down WHITE's popularity by manipulating people's thoughts by making them keep focusing on WHITE's black spots instead of the other areas that are full of white. Now, he even managed to equate himself to WHITE in the eyes of the people, although the truth was, he himself was a piece of black paper with some tiny FAKE white spots while WHITE was still significantly a white piece of paper with several sabotaged black spots.

But who contributed most to BLACK's success? No, it was not his advisors, but the stupid people who fell for his evil propaganda and the stupid people who couldn't seem to understand the simple logic about the vulnerability of carrying white colour around!! BLACK knew that he would always remain relevant if he could make sure the majority of people remained stupid for many years to come.

REALITY

Now, let us get back to reality. Some questions for us to ponder:

1. What's your feeling about Nizar (Pakatan's MB in Perak) now? Compare it to the feeling you felt for him when Sultan Azlan Shah declined his request to dissolve the assembly.

2. Then how about your anger towards MACC when Teoh Beng Hock's body was found in Plaza Masalam? Can you compare your feeling between now and then?

3. How about your feeling towards Pakatan Rakyat's open squabbles versus MCA's open media flip-flop? Which news did you find more annoying?

4. What about the horror you felt when you read about the fallen roof of Stadium Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin and the massive debt amassed by the Pahang state government? Or have you already forgotten about the news?

5. Why do you feel more distrustful of PAS over the unity-government fiasco rather than Muhyiddin and Utusan's numerous racist remarks? Or are you being manipulated not to think rationally?

6. How about the news about RM42,000 to buy 2 laptops versus someone trying to bring Tok Guru Nik Aziz to Mekah for RM65,000? Which one sticks in your mind more, the event that had happened without punishment, or the event that did not happen but is being punished heavily in the media?

7. Why do we know so much about Kelantan's politics but not Terengganu's politics where its MB is still under heavy siege from his own colleagues? Are we too blind to see someone trying to paint a black spot on TGNA because he has become an icon for Pakatan?

Since Mac 08, we have always asked PR to work harder, to have more integrity, to show us more proof that they can govern while quietly hoping for BN to change so that we can have a better Malaysia for our children. We hope for the politicians to change their ways so that real change can happen in Malaysia soon.

Nice thoughts, but sorry folks, change will not happen that way. We can't stay idle while hoping others will change things for us. The rule in our universe doesn't work that way. To achieve change, FIRST we need to change our mentality before real change has a chance to kick in. There isn't going to be any change if the rakyat's mentality stays the same.

Some said BN's survivs politically by controlling the judiciary, AG's chamber, police, MACC, media, Election Commission and lately the ROS. All independent agencies in our country have been turned into a tool for BN to stay in power. Yes, I have to agree with this statement, but to me this is not the major contributing factor to why BN is still in power.

BN is still in power because of us. Yes, we are the ones being manipulated to ensure BN survives. But is that our real choice? Do we realise that we been manipulated to "always choose BN" all these while?

Why does the majority of us still think that Malaysia is better off with BN? Who instills the fear in us to resist change? Who paints the picture of a dark Malaysia in our minds if PR takes over the federal government? Is PR's performance really that "bad" compared to BN after 20 months? If not, who makes us think that PR's states are not performing well?

BN will forever survive politically if we fail to realise our weaknesses all these years and figure out a way to overcome it. BN is the master of manipulating our weaknesses. Because of having these weaknesses, we are very vulnerable to be manipulated by politicians, especially politicians from the ruling coalition who control the MSM. Until we realise and acknowledge our weaknesses -- no matter how good the opposition is, the current government will remain in power for many years to come.

If we can't change 1. Our forgetfulness and 2. Our subconscious "to follow the herd" mentality -- rest assured no matter how much we shout about bringing change to our country, Malaysia will remain just the same with BN in charge. Pakatan can only do so much for Malaysia -- if we don't grow any smarter, they are not going to succeed. For a better Malaysia, we, the rakyat, (yes, not PR or BN) need to take the first step to change the way we think and stop ourselves from being manipulated again and again! Can we?


Vulnerability of white:
Imagine putting a white crayon next to a black crayon. Can the black crayon be dirtied by the white crayon? Hardly, because black can easily overwhelm the white colour. But vice-versa, can the white crayon be still as white as it used to be if it has been dirtied by the black crayon? No, the whitest white can be after being contaminated by black crayon is grey because white is the most vulnerable colour of all colours.

Negri Umno warlords seek to unseat MB

Mohamad is unpopular with Negri Umno. — File pic

By Adib Zalkapli - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 — Negri Sembilan Umno warlords are using allegations of an illegal money transfer to unseat the unpopular Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, whose aides denied the mentri besar is under central bank probe.

“We believe that there is no point letting the issue being exploited by the opposition, the leadership must take action, now we are just waiting for the president's return,” a Negri Sembilan division chief told The Malaysian Insider.

Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak is now attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2009 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Mohamad, who became mentri besar in 2004, is currently under Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) probe for allegedly transferring funds amounting to RM10 million to London through a money changer, Salamath Ali.

An aide to Mohamad said the BNM probe has nothing to do with his employer.

“The investigation is against the money changer and not against Datuk,” the aide told The Malaysian Insider.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Mohamad has privately blamed his staff for making him use the services of the money changer.

Pakatan Rakyat's Batu MP Chua Tian Chang revealed the matter after the central bank said Salamath Ali Money Changer had contravened Section 30 of the Money Changing Act 1998 and its licence had been revoked on Oct 26.

State Umno warlords are making their moves now to prevent the issue from being further exploited by the opposition.

“He is already not liked by 80 per cent of the Umno members here, so this case will not be ignored,” said the division chief.

The state Umno warlord pointed out that despite the blackout by the English and Bahasa Malaysia mainstream press, the issue has found its way to the party grassroots via text messages.

“Umno members in Jempol, Kuala Pilah, Rembau they don't access the Internet, so initially only civil servants talked about it, later people started sending SMS on 'kes duit haram MB',” he said.

Mohamad came under fire from Negri Sembilan opposition leader Loke Siew Fook during the state assembly sitting over the issue but the Rantau assemblyman kept mum and refused to give an explanation.

Opposition lawmakers have also called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to conduct a probe into the scandal.

Mohamad had also refused to talk about the matter openly at a press conference early this month.

Show us what BTN teaches, says Kit Siang

By Clara Chooi - The Malaysian Insider

IPOH, Nov 29 – Critics charge that it is racist in nature, the government insists it is not. The big BTN argument is really unnecessary when a solution is so simple, according to DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang (pic)– make public what really goes on in the camps.

He challenged the Federal Government to reveal, through a public inquiry, what is taught during the controversial National Civics Bureau (Biro Tata Negara, or BTN) courses.

“Why not, if they have nothing to hide and claim that the courses do not incite racial hatred? Let it be publicly revealed,” he said in a press conference after the opening of the Perak DAP 15th annual convention here today.

Lim scoffed at the open denials made by Umno leaders that the courses were not racial in nature and did not invoke feelings of hatred amongst the races.

He said it was not so much the syllabus that contained such “racism” but the interactions and lectures given during the courses.

“It is not the syllabus but the interactions that spew out so much communal poison,” he said.

Lim urged the Umno leaders to stop their “double-speak” on the issue and end racial politics once and for all by conducting themselves as national leaders for all Malaysians.

He said leaders like Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and Datuk Seri Noh Omar, who had spoken out in defence of the BTN courses, were merely in denial of the truth.

“If they are incapable of behaving like true leaders, then they should scrap and bury the seven-month-old 1 Malaysia concept by the new Barisan Nasional.

“There is no doubt that these BTN courses, which incite racial hatred, are completely against the 1 Malaysia concept and this is why, after 52 years, the concept had to be mooted, because nation-building in the country was a failure,” said Lim.

He also lambasted the other BN component parties like the MCA, MIC and Gerakan for failing to come out in the open to rebut what their partners in Umno were saying in defence of the BTN.

“Do they really agree with what these leaders are saying in defence of the communal, seditious, racist and derisive courses in the BTN? Why have they kept silent?” he questioned.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng agreed with his father and said that the BTN courses took racism a step too far by telling the Malays to regard the Chinese as “Jews”.

“I think this is extremely disgusting and very obviously raises racial sentiments amongst the people. This is not 1 Malaysia.

“I sympathise with the Selangor government on this matter,” he said.

He added that the purpose of such courses should be to improve efficiency and the delivery system instead of talking about politics.

We can do better

The back half of these rows of terrace houses started coming down two weeks ago.

It was on this desolate road at Kampung Sentul Pasar that we met Raja. His family i

s one of a handful left inhabiting the remains of houses, which once provided shelter

for KTM staff. Sections of his roof are covered with frittered sheets of tarp.

“I'm okay with being resettled in a flat,” says Raja in Tamil. “But why send me and

my family packing to a place deep at the fringe of Puchong? How do I start again?

How do I find work? I was born and raised here in Sentul Pasar. My support is here.

Sini boleh cari kerja – tolong bawa lori, angkat barang. It's as good as taking away my livelihood.”

His voice remains even, but it gets raspy from the built-up frustration.

“Macam mana mau dapat susu untuk anak?” he gestures towards the

direction of his wife and five-month-old baby.

Raja's problems highlight the core issues in the nation's task of resettlement

and the urban poor. It's one thing to have a Zero Squatter policy, but another

when we examine the means to this end. Current mechanisms lack a basic virtue: Heart.

These are human beings here.

For too long, we have relied on Cold War-era social housing ideas and methods.

We cannot rely on just one model – the 750 sq ft high-rise apartment unit –

for the whole country. Nor can we simply decouple a family from its roots and

economic links. True, these projects provide shelter. But they sever ties.

They are not conducive for larger families. In many instances, these resettlement

exercises are a continuing stigma to those who have been relocated.

And how do you accommodate members such as these?:

We need choices. The late scholar-architect Chen Voon Fee once iterated: “For a building or a place to genuinely thrive, you have to maintain the patterns that exist. You cannot subvert. You mustn't overwhelm.”

There are sufficient affordable housing models from around the world, most notably Balkrishna Doshi's Aranya Community Housing project in Indore, India. It was undertaken by the local government, the Indore Development Authority. Implemented in 1983, this boldly imaginative project has been recognised numerous times over, including being awarded the Aga Khan Prize in 1995.

In her book, Architecture beyond Architecture, Cynthia Davidson writes about the project:

"But perhaps more important than the design goals this project has achieved are the social goals that it promotes, by creating common spaces where Muslims, Hindus, Jains and others in this neighborhoods can mix, the project promotes co-operation, neighborliness, tolerance and cohesive social relationships. In addition, it actively provides a socio-economic mix that provides for cross-subsidies and financial viability."

From Kampung Buah Pala and Kampung Tanjung Tokong in Penang to the Sentul heartland of Kampung Chubadak, Kampung Tanah Lapang, and Sentul Pasar, we see the ravenous appetite of redevelopment displacing thousands of citizens who are without the might of money.

In more than one instance, it has become political baggage leading to the fall of incumbents during elections. All this will not change without more imaginative models and policies on social and affordable housing. The existing bodies need more sensitivity and collaboration in dealing with urban redevelopment. Progress must come with a heart.

So far things do not look too good if inhumane scenes such as these taken at Kampung Tanah Lapang continue:

Fellas, you don't spray 'ROBOH' on a house. No matter how stubborn the occupants are, you just don't. The act betrays how the various parties involved view these people.

Heart.

What is it?

The lessons can be found right in the very streets where these structures are being torn down. Yesterday at the dusty lane of Kampung Sentul Pasar, while listening to Raja, we saw this:

See the hands. See how they tenderly intertwine.

A boy, Indian Malaysian, was leading an elderly man - so aged his back could not straighten - down the path. The man is a Chinese Malaysian. His legs were full of sores. Together they carried their packed meals.

Slowly. Ever so slowly, they walked.

The boy was leading grandpa home.

Free & Equal – Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia Forum

By Haris Ibrahim,

The year 2009 is the International Year of Reconciliation. It aims to promote the concept of reconciliation worldwide.

In conjunction with the United Nations’ declaration that 2009 is The International Year of Reconciliation with “Unity in Diversity” as the theme, the Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia initiative will be holding a forum at Rumah Anak Bangsa Malaysia, 66 Lorong Setiabistari 1 Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday 5th December, 2009 from 2.00pm to 6.00pm.

Uplifting the way of life of the marginalized and reconciling them with mainstream society is essential in order for all to be free and equal.

Resolving human conflicts, working towards reconciliation and restoring peace and harmony would bring about a better Malaysia for one and all.

The event will address these issues and the programme will include a talk, field trip reports, a narration by FoodNotBombs on how the homeless are helped, and a screening of “The Imam and The Pastor” with accompanying discussion by members of Nur Damai.

Please RSVP by 1st Dec 09 (Tuesday).
Email – events@sayaanakbangsamalaysia.net
Farida – 016-2095 818
Hasbee – 017-332 5424
Rumah Anak Bangsa Malaysia – 03-2095 0435

Top Umno leaders should stop all double-talk, abandon race politics, be national leaders for all Malaysians or they should scrap and bury Najib’s seve

By Lim Kit Siang,

Top Umno leaders should stop all double-talk, abandon race politics, be national leaders for all Malaysians or they should just scrap and bury Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s seven-month-old 1Malaysia slogan and concept.

Malaysians are shocked that the outrageous “defense” of divisive, racist and seditious Biro Tata Negara (BTN) courses by Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, was not the lone voice in Cabinet but represented the consensus of the top Umno leadership.

On my call for the closure of the racist BTN courses which go against everything Najib’s 1Malaysia could stand for, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said it was “just the opposition’s tactics to divert attention from their problems”.

He asked: “The BTN has been there for a long time; why should they raise the issue now? Maybe it’s because they are worried as the BTN has been successful in assisting the nation-building process and in upholding the 1Malaysia concept.”

Alleging that Pakatan Rakyat is using the issue to deflect its weaknesses, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar made the following charge on my call for the closure of BTN course: “Just like a blind man who does not know of what he does not see, how can Kit Siang talk of the BTN course when he has never attended it?”

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil claimed that the BTN course instills the patriotic spirit and that those who attended the BTN course love it.

Malaysians want to know whether all the other UMNO Ministers, and equally important, whether Ministers from the MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the Sabah and Sarawak Barisan Nasional component parties agree with these racist sentiments of these top Umno leaders, and if not, why they allow themselves to be dragged by their noses on an issue with such far-reaching consequences to the future of the nation.

Furthermore, what are the Ministers from MCA, Gerakan, MIC, Sabah and Sarawak BN component parties, as well as moderate Umno Ministers and leaders, if any, doing in Cabinet and outside to speak out and to demand an immediate end to the divisive, racist and seditious BTN courses which promote racial hatred and national disunity in the name of patriotism and nation-building!

Chitrakala: 4-in-1 MIED AGMs

Confrontation expected when former CEO and chairman meet

Frankie D'Cruz

KUALA LUMPUR: The 25-year-old Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED), the MIC’s education arm, will hold its first formal annual general meeting (AGM) involving all 33 life members next week — but, oddly, there will be four separate AGMs dating back to 2004 on that one day.

The four AGMs in one sitting, covering 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, has stunned MIED life members who describe the move as unlawful as such meetings should be held annually.

The members who received notices for the meetings were particularly concerned about the accounts that would be presented since the MIED is mired in financial irregularities. The first three meetings for 2004, 2005 and 2006 have only one agenda to pass the accounts while the 2007 meeting has five items on its agenda.

The meeting, on Dec 3 at MIC headquarters, is also expected to see a face-to-face confrontation between MIED chairman and MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and the institute’s former chief executive officer P. Chitrakala Vasu, both of whom have been involved in a vicious duel since early this year.

The row is expected following fresh allegations that Chitrakala, who is a life member of the MIED, had used names of dead people to siphon out millions of ringgit under the pretext of providing education loans.

It was also claimed that Chitrakala has interests in 13 companies from auto service to management of a national service camp. She was also alleged to have used MIED funds to buy a house in London and a luxury car.

Sources said Samy Vellu could not explain why the MIED accounts were not kept properly, audited and submitted when asked by a central working committee (CWC) member at its recent meeting. The MIC
leader has said some RM18 million MIED funds are missing.

The MIED hogged the CWC meeting with Samy Vellu allegedly hurling more accusations at Chitrakala, whose most recent action was a defamation suit against her mentor, his wife Indrani and Tamil Nesan.

Chitrakala, when contacted. said: "He (Samy Vellu) is entitled to say anything he likes to a group of people who are willing to listen to his tales without questioning him just as how he has been telling things about AIMST and MIED ownership.

"I have stated everything I need to say to the police and the court with documentary evidence. The truth is with them and it will prevail."

Sources said MIED founding member former MIC treasurergeneral Tan Sri M Mahalingam was also accused of financial mismanagement involving millions in the award of dentistry equipment to AIMST University at the CWC meeting.

While Chitrakala said she would be attending the meeting, Mahalingam is expected to stay away. The Malay Mail had reported last month that the 33 life members of MIED have not had a single official meeting since its incorporation 25 years ago. The life members currently comprise 25 members, seven trustees and the chairman Samy Vellu.

MIED life member S. A. Vigneswaran had said that the circular of resolutions were usually distributed to the members at the CWC meetings.

MIED leadership denied this saying all meetings were held during CWC meetings but were at a loss to explain the absence of those who were not CWC members.

Speculation over 5 new trustees aligned to party chief

KUALA LUMPUR: Three MIC stalwarts are expected to relinquish their positions on the eight-member MIED trustees board. They are founding member Tan Sri M. Mahalingam, Tan Sri G. Vadivello and Tan Sri K. Kumaran.

Sources said the number of trustees would be increased to 10, which means that apart from replacements of the three resigning trustees, there would be two additional members.

Speculation is the new trustees will be Datuk S. Veerasingam, Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, Datuk M. Saravanan, Datuk T. Rajagopalu and Datuk K.S. Balakrishnan.

The sources said the new trustees are close aides of MIC chief Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and that their appointments again raised questions about the planned move to disassociate MIED from the MIC.

Public outrage surfaced last month over a reported move by Samy Vellu to “hijack” the entity — considered the jewel in the crown of the MIC — and place it under a foundation headed by him.

Samy Vellu had this month told the media that the MIED and MIC would remain as one while sources said he had said otherwise at the Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting before the news conference.

“Despite an assurance by the party president that MIED will remain part of the MIC, this new development has raised fresh doubts,” said a source.

Burning effigy will not help your cause

MALACCA: Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam is unperturbed by a group's plan to burn his effigy in Puchong today in protest over the 10-subject limit on students sitting the SPM next year. "They can do whatever they want," he said, adding that the burning of his effigy would not force the government to reconsider its plan to cap the number of subjects a student can take.

The government's move has raised the Indian community's ire as students, especially those in the Science stream, would be unable to take the Tamil Literature paper, which would have been the 11th subject.

Speaking after handing out rewards to 14 pupils from Sekolah Rendah (Tamil) Kubu who scored 7As in the recent Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah, Dr Subramaniam said the protest could have been due to claims by certain quarters that he was not fighting for the right of the Indian community.

"I have been calling for the government to allow Indian students to take 11 subjects during cabinet meetings and also through the MIC.

"We cannot be emotional when addressing this matter."
Dr Subramaniam said he had on Monday met officers from the Education Ministry, including its director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom, on the matter.

"We proposed that the Indian students be allowed to take 11 subjects, which would include Tamil and also Tamil Literature.

"However, the officials counter-proposed that the students wanting to sit these two papers could drop a subject, such as moral education or one of the four science subjects. We are not agreeable to this and this is why we are still in talks with the authorities."

The other side of Malaysia

This is a side of Malaysia you don’t often see, a world hidden from us. Here, we get a peek at the sad conditions inside an immigration detention centre.

Fraudsters cash bail money with forged papers

The Star
By Nelson Benjamin

JOHOR BARU: The court here has been hit by fraudsters again — this time court documents were forged to secure the release of the bail bond of an accused.

The forged court documents were presented to a local bank which released the bond or fixed deposit slips without proper verification.

(A bail bond is in the form of a fixed deposit, which is a bond or obligation given by an accused and his surety to ensure his appearance in court. The amount will be forfeited if the accused jumps bail or absconds before a judgment is handed down.)

The fraud was only detected recently — almost a year after the money was cashed — after a magistrate ordered the bond to be forfeited.

The order was made after the accused, who was involved in a drug case, jumped bail and did not attend court.

When the bank informed the court that the money was taken out last year, a court interpreter lodged a police report.

This is the second time such a case has been reported in the Johor Baru court.

Last year, important court documents, including bail bonds meant for safekeeping pending the conclusion of a trial, went missing at the courthouse.

A 26-year-old former court interpreter has claimed trial to 11 charges of committing criminal breach of trust by disposing bank-in slips and receipts for sums totalling RM96,000. The case is still pending.

In the latest case, investigations showed that a man, in his 40s, was charged at a magistrate’s court for a drug offence last year and released on a RM3,000 bail, posted by a friend.

Sources said police believed that a man had used fake court documents to cash the fixed deposit slips.

Police have now obtained arrest warrants for the accused and his bailor.

Court authorities and banks have been urged to tighten their procedures as there would be many more such cases yet to be detected. “Bail bonds should always be kept in a secure location by court registrars,” sources said.

Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Zainuddin Yaacob confirmed that a report had been lodged and police were investigating the case. He urged those with information to contact the police hotline at 07-2212999.

Maklumat Akta Rahsia Rasmi(OSA) Disekat,Timbul Kemusykilan Penduduk

Dari TV Selangor

Usaha Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim mendedahkan maklumat Akta Rahsia Rasmi berhubung tragedi tanah runtuh Bukit Antarabangsa mendapat respon amat positif dari penduduk.

Selepas setahun kehilangan punca, para penduduk yang terkesan akhirnya menemui ruang untuk mencari keadilan.

TV Selangor bagaimanapun mendapati penduduk kesal dengan tindakan kerajaan Pusat menyekat pendedahan dokumen itu.

Manakala ada yang berpendapat tindakan kerajaan pusat benar-benar mencurigakan.

“Kita berpendapat bahawa kegagalan untuk clarify dokumen dokumen tersebut hanya menunjukkan kelemahan di peringkat kerajaan pusat itu sendiri,di samping itu mereka bermain politik untuk mencari kesalahan Tan Sri Khalid”,kata wakil penduduk Dr Rafick Khan Abdul Rahman.

Megat Arif Ahmad Kamil pula berpendapat,“Itu yang kerajaan harus siasat sebelum didedahkan kepada rakyat, kerana perkara ni ada berbaur politik sedikit kerana setelah sekian lama kenapa baru sekarang nak dedah”.

Seorang lagi wakil penduduk,Haji Muhd Syuib Lebar pula berkata beliau akan tetap menunggu sehingga punca kejadian yang telah meragut nyawa dan kemusnahan harta-benda didedahkan.

“Saya sabar menunggu ,memang penting yang pertama nak tahu apa sebab tanah runtuh ,mungkin boleh berhati hati dan berjaya cari penyelesaian.dan lebih berhati hati di masa depan”,katanya.

DSAI Di Mahkamah Persekutuan, Esok 30hb November 2009

Esok merupakan kes saman DSAI ke atas Mahathir Mohammad. Berikut merupakan butiran kes tersebut:

Tarikh: Isnin, 30hb November 2009

Masa: 9.00 AM

Tempat: Mahkamah Persekutuan, Istana Keadilan, Putrajaya

Pejabat Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim

Tee Keat Dismisses 1128 Declaration

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 (Bernama) -- MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has dismissed the 1128 Declaration mooted yesterday by supporters of MCA vice president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai in wanting fresh party polls to be held within 60 days.

Ong said any call for a fresh election must follow the party's constitution and be referred to MCA's central committee (CC).

"What is important is the constitutional provisions must be followed," he told reporters after attending an Aidiladha celebration in his parliamentary constituency of Pandan here on Sunday.

"If we love democracy in MCA, all quarters have to respect the due process. The wishes of the majority of the CC members must be respected. The majority cannot bow down to the minority. That is not how a democratic party is run," said Ong, who is also Transport Minister.

As to the party's annual general meeting scheduled for Dec 5, he said any request for a postponement must be referred to the CC and that to his knowledge the Dec 5 date had not changed.

On the contention by Liow's faction that there was no need for MCA's Youth and Wanita wings to also hold fresh polls, Ong said grassroot members felt otherwise and that they wanted the party constitution to be followed.

He also claimed that while he was in London recently, all kinds of slander were spread about him possibly because certain people were uneasy that he wanted wrongdoings in the Port Klang Free Zone controversy to be investigated.

He added that he would not waver from doing what was right.

MCA has been wracked by a leadership crisis because of factionalism. There are three factions in the party, the president's, the deputy president's and Liow's, which wants a quick election to be held to resolve the crisis.

Deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has said the earliest polls could be held would be in March

Penang May Also Ban BTN Courses

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Nov 29 (Bernama) -- The Penang government may follow Selangor's move in preventing its staff from attending courses run by Biro Tata Negara (BTN) or the National Civics Bureau.

Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman said it was seriously considering a proposal by Penang Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) youth chief Yusmadi Yussof.

He added Penang backbenchers would be proposing the ban to the state government at the state assembly tomorrow.

"We will seriously consider Yusmadi's proposal that Penang follow Selangor's move in preventing state government staff from attending BTN courses," he said at a PKR youth gathering here on Sunday.

Meanwhile, PKR national youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mat Akin said a secretariat headed by Yusmadi would be collecting public views on BTN courses which the opposition claimed as indoctrination by Barisan Nasional (BN).

PPP To Serve Murugiah Notice To Resign As Deputy Minister

JOHOR BAHARU, Nov 29 (Bernama) -- The People's Progressive Party (PPP) will be serving a notice to Senator Datuk T. Murugiah Monday to ask him to vacate his deputy minister post within 14 days, said its president Datuk M. Kayveas.

Speaking to reporters after attending PPP functions here on Sunday, Kayveas said the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department should resign as he had obtained the post when he was still a member of the party.

Murugiah was sacked from the party on May 16 this year.

Kayveas also said the party would be holding an open contest for all Malaysians to design a new logo for PPP.

First, second and third prize winners will respectively receive RM5,000, RM3,000 and RM1,000 while RM500 will be given to three consolation prize winners.

Details on the contest will be made availabe at www.ppp.org.my beginning Dec 7.

Nik Aziz's Prayer For PM, Umno's Destruction Ridiculous - Hishammuddin

KLUANG, Nov 29 (Bernama) -- Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein regards PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat's ill-intended prayer against the prime minister and Umno over oil royalty as ridiculous.

Nik Aziz, who is also Kelantan Menteri Besar, had on Friday said that he prayed for Datuk Seri Najib Razak to change his mind over oil royalty which he said Kelantan deserved, failing which he would pray for the destructin of the prime minister and Umno's future.

"We in Umno do not wish to pray for PAS to be divided, but we are grateful that what PAS has been accused us of is happening to itself.

"They (PAS) accused Umno of creating issues that could divide PAS, that we have caused a rift among their leaders. But we have been patient, and in the end God showed it to them when they became their own victims."

Hishammuddin told this to reporters after an Aidiladha "korban" event organised by the Sembrong Umno division and launching of a Giat Mara poverty-eradication programme in Kampung Contoh, near Kahang, here, today.

The Home Minister said Nik Aziz's penchant for condemning Umno leaders, for instance, likening them to Pharaoh, calling them pig carers and infidels, and accusing them of corrupt practices had become a culture in PAS, but such actions were actually to cover up PAS leadership's own weaknesses.

"Nik Aziz had created a lot of controversies. Of course no party is free from controversies but we face these openly, unlike Nik Aziz who is always in denial mode."

Hishammuddin said different from PAS, Umno did not point the accusing finger at others. In fact, after the last general election, Umno strove to improve its leadership and did some soul searching, besides amending its constitution, he added.

He opined that the turmoil in PAS had to do with the party's relationship with PKR and DAP as they had different ideologies to the extent that PAS had deviated from its real, original struggle.

Port Dickson menjadi mangsa projek runding terus

By Chegubard,

Negara ini telah mendapat anugerah alam sekitar (bentuk alam) yang amat berharga. Keindahan Port Dickson kelihatan begitu jauh jika dibandingkan dengan jumlah pelancong dan pendapatan hasil industri pelancongan yang berjaya dijana. Banyak alasan namun antara sebab utama yan g tidak boleh dinafikan ialah pembinaan infra yang lemah khususnya jalanraya. Boleh dikatakan dari segi alam Port Dickson ialah permata bertaraf dunia yang gagal kerana persiapan infra yang jauh ketinggalan.

Kegagalan ini berpunca dari sikap tidak serius dan persiapan infra yang hanya mengambil kira untung poket tertentu.

Contohnya projek membina jalan baru dari Lebuh Raya Seremban-Port Dickson, Jalan Persekutuan 5 di Pasir Panjang dan menaik taraf Jalan Persekutuan 5 dari Pasir Panjang ke Linggi telah dimulakan sejak 14 Febuari 2005 dan sepatutnya siap mengikut kontrak pada 12 Ogos 2007.

Projek ini telah dilaksanakan secara RUNDING TERUS, REKA DAN BINA dan dianugerahkan kepada Kontraktornya, Hartajaya-Genting Timur-AMR Jeli JV Sdn. Bhd. Setelah gagal menyiapkan projek pada 12 Ogos 2007 seperti syarat kontrak, kerajaan telah menganugerahkan syarikat tersebut dengan menunda tarikh siap projek (tanpa denda) ke Disember 2009.

Kemajuan fizikal sebenar projek sehingga 30 Oktober 2009 ialah 65.6% berbanding dengan sepatutnya 97.7%. Notis bagi tujuan penamatan kerja kontraktor telah dikeluarkan oleh kementerian atau JKR pada 1 Oktober 2009.

Kelewatan tersebut yang berpunca dari prestasi kontraktor dan birokrasi yang wujud telah menyebabkan kos pembinaan naik. Kerajaan sekali lagi dengan murah hati telah menawarkan bantuan melalui perubahan harga variation of price ( variasi harga ) kepada kontraktor untuk mengatasi masalah tersebut.

Walaubagaimanapun berdasarkan prestasi semasa walaupun dengan bantuan beberapa kali, sudah pasti bukan sahaja kos projek ini akan meningkat, ianya akan mengambil masa lama lagi untuk siap memandangkan hanya 65.6% sahaja kerja telah disiapkan. Inilah yang Pakatan Rakyat bangkitkan dalam membincangkan mengenai belanjawan negara, mengenai pengendalian projek-projek runding terus yang akhirnya mengakibatkan tergendala dan cost-overrun ( berlebihan kos ). Kontrak-kontrak seperti ini menyumbang kepada ketirisan penggunaan dana negara yang akan memuncak diantara 5% ke 10% ( RM 10 billion ke RM 20 billion ) SETAHUN !

Akhirnya kerugian berganda buat rakyat....hilang wang kerana membayar kontraktor lemah, hilang wang masuk hasil industri pelancongan.

Persoalanya siapa punya syarikat ? siapa dapat komisyen ? SPRM kuda kayu, Polis buta bisu...media hilang daya....

BANGKIT !! atau s

RELIGIOUS OR SECULAR: ANIMAL SLAUGHTER A SHAME

Washington, DC (November 27, 2009). The Hindu American Foundation described the mass slaughter of animals at the Gadhimai Temple in Nepal, which began on November 24, 2009, as grotesque and nearly unrecognizable in the practice of mainstream Hinduism today. This ritual, which local Nepalis organize every five years, is performed at a slaughterhouse near the temple, and thousands of buffaloes, goats and other animals are brought by local villagers to the area for slaughter. Most of the impoverished and itinerant farmers that frequent the ceremony believe in witchcraft and black magic hoping that an animal sacrifice promises future success. The ritual proceeded despite the protests of several animal rights activists in Nepal and India and was attended by the local Maoist politician representing the district.

"These marginal practices of animal slaughter are a relic of a violent and superstitious past that continue today largely because they are encouraged by a nexus of underworld gangs, bootleggers and politicians prospering by the selling of meat and animal hide to tanneries," said Ramesh Rao, PhD, the Foundation's human rights coordinator. "We add our voices to the outrage and anguish that so many animals suffered in a dark ritual that also hoodwinked the local poor to sacrifice their livestock for cheap."

While "yagna," the ritual of sacrifice in which oblations are offered to the Divine Agni (fire), is acknowledged by Hindus, and there are allusions in Hindu texts to the sacrifice of animals in ancient texts, Hinduism also unequivocally advocates the protection of all living beings seeing divinity in them. Modern Hindus, making up the largest numbers of vegetarians in the world, therefore perform the fire sacrifice symbolically using grains, fruits, butter, etc., to propitiate various deities.

"It is unfortunate that the temple in Nepal still allows this feudal, anachronistic and bloody animal sacrifice whatever the local and religious lore," added Prof. Rao. "Remembering that forty-five million turkeys were sacrificed this week for Thanksgiving alone, we hope that the world will join us in condemning the sanitized butchering of billions of animals for food with the same zeal that we condemn the orgiastic killings in Nepal in the name of religion."

The Hindu American Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, non-partisan organization promoting the Hindu and American ideals of understanding, tolerance and pluralism. Contact HAF at 301.770.7835 or on the web at www.HAFsite.org.

Helpless victims of merciless sex predators

Anwar, who are Hindraf's real heroes? - Malaysiakini

'Where are Thanenthiran, Vasanthakumar and Ganabatirau? Is holding a dinner to commemorate the solemn event a fitting move?'

Anwar backs Hindraf's Vasantha

Gandhi: I can only say that P Uthayakumar and some hardcore believers in Hindraf did a sensible and meaningful commemoration of the historical event two years ago.

Where are Thanenthiran, Vasanthakumar and Ganabatirau? Is holding a dinner to commemorate the solemn event a fitting move? Get down in the trenches like Uthayakumar to go all the way to submit the memorandum and keep the fire alive. Knock on the doors of the corridors of power to act on the plight of Indians.

Ranjit Singh: Anwar Ibrahim should take the trouble to do some background checks on this character (Vasanthakumar) before endorsing him. Anwar doesn't seem to learn from his lessons as he keeps recruiting hapless and suspicious candidates who eventually backstab him.

Imhindraf: Hindraf members, please set aside your differences for the benefit of Indians. Hindraf came about to protect the Indians worst-hit by Umno discrimination.

DC: Here we go, another one attempting to gain political mileage for his own benefit. Why didn't he raise the Kampung Buah Pala issue to Anwar? We are not going to see change until and unless these so-called Indian champions openly, and with indignation, raise our issues.

Lvbala: That should be the way, Anwar. "Our political landscape has changed. Indian, Hindu and Tamil problems must be seen and projected as a Malaysian problem."

We should stand as one. United regardless of race, ethnicity and religion. United we must stand and free this holy land from corruption. Make Malaysia proud. Be a proud Malaysian.

Murali: First Thanenthiran sold his soul to Umno and now Vasanthakumar and Ganabatirau have sold theirs to Pakatan for political mileage. These are the selfish people I have seen after Samy Vellu. We will see whether they will highlight and solve the Indian issues.

Let It Be: Hey guys, if Vasanthakumar is going to be a frog there's nothing all of us can do here. Whether he's a true Indian or a frog, only time will tell. The Indians are not blind and you can cheat them only once.

To be frank, the defining moment for Malaysia was when Anwar was sent to prison because the powers-that-e believe they can continue to mislead us. It made Anwar a better person, when otherwise he would be sucked into Umno's politics of deceit and corruption.

Hindraf did the right thing to come to Pakatan Rakyat and let all Indians rally together for a long and meaningful road ahead. Hope, trust, perseverance, loyalty and lastly sacrifice is needed for this journey.

Reaching out to all, Hindraf's theme for third year

Kris Khaira: Timber companies in Borneo steal from the vulnerable through illegal logging because of profit. For the same reason, oil palm plantations pay their workers of all races, including Indians, obscenely low wages. The common enemy here is capitalism, a system that prioritises profit over people.

Gibran: Hindraf is not racist; it started by taking up the plight of the suppressed Indians. If they are successful, the ramifications will be great because this allows other marginalised communities like the disabled, single mothers and the like to bring up their issues.

Hindraf's success is pertinent - we could best equate it with the civil rights movement in US in the 60s, once the African-Americans obtained equal rights other marginalised groups started fighting for their rights too. Let us support this movement.

Paradox: Dear Penan brothers, be prepared! Hindraf will join forces with you to help your struggles. Now, this is what we call the real 'Bangsa Malaysia'. Kudos to Hindraf!

Pau Line Yaacob: Hindraf is on the right path. Many misunderstand them as being a race-based organisation but there is no harm in raising the issues of your community.

Pairin raises KadazanDusun issues as well. Would you call him racist and not seeing larger Malaysian issues? Similarly Hindraf speaks for the marginalised Indians. In fact they are going a step further to incorporate the natives from Borneo. Well done.

Najib’s BTN dilemma

By Leslie Lau - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin next to him, and a number of ministers were thoroughly briefed several weeks ago on the divisive nature of the controversial Biro Tata Negara (BTN) courses compulsory for civil servants and university undergraduates.

At the end of the briefing, the PM spoke of the fear and siege mentality the BTN courses had created, particularly among Malay participants.

“This must end,” he told those present, including Muhyiddin, Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin and Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.

The Malaysian Insider understands that all of the Cabinet members who were present at the briefing, arranged by Datuk Seri Idris Jala, nodded in agreement.

Najib is now facing increasing pressure to close down the BTN while the hawkish forces in his administration continue to defend what has been called racist brainwashing courses by participants and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

PR is now on a campaign to expose what its leaders say are political indoctrination programmes to ensure civil servants and students back Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno.

An earlier proposal by the Najib administration to overhaul the BTN, or National Civics Bureau, may not be good enough, with more Malaysians speaking up against the courses.

If the government does not shut down the programme, Najib will face the prospect of more talk that his 1 Malaysia talk is empty.

In recent week, a number of former participants which include PR politicians and journalists have spoken of their experiences at BTN camps.

They have pointed to how facilitators would stoke racial superiority, including portraying the Chinese as the most significant threat to the Malays.

PR parties such as the DAP have been portrayed as communist enemies of the country.

A constant theme of the BTN courses, especially for Malay participants, is the emphasis on racial ideology which is strikingly similar to Umno’s Ketuanan Melayu rallying cry, according to the accounts of some former participants.

Government ministers at Jala’s briefing several weeks ago had all privately acknowledged the need for BTN to be revamped.

Jala had spoken on the need to overhaul BTN, to make it more inclusive.

Jala has been charged with the responsibility of promoting Najib’s 1 Malaysia concept.

His team has been incubating ideas which touch on race, religion and other stumbling blocks to better race relations which have deteriorated.

The BTN courses have already been identified as one of those stumbling blocks.

But this week, as the flap grew over BTN, Muhyiddin defended the programme and denied that it was racist.

Instead the Selangor PR government has been the subject of attacks, particularly in the Bahasa Malaysia press, for attempting to ban its civil servants and students at state-owned institutions from attending the courses.

Umno leaders including Defence Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi, a close ally of Najib, have spearheaded a stout defence of BTN as an organization which promoted national unity and was being subjected to unsubstantiated attacks from PR.

While Najib remains overseas attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), his ministers and party-owned newspapers have promoted the idea that BTN is a flawless organisation.

They are also criticising PR parties for being unpatriotic or being against national unity.

Such a stand is likely to put the Prime Minister in a difficult position.

The Malaysian Insider understands that there are moves within the administration to dilute the syllabus of BTN courses, as a compromise.

But such half-measures are not likely to be enough if Najib is serious about reversing what many Malaysians see as institutionalised racism.

The question now is whether Najib will stick to what was articulated in private.

Revolt in Makkal Sakti over Samy Vellu-style leader

By Baradan Kuppusamy - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 — The newly formed Makkal Sakti Party which Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is hoping will help him win over the Tamil working class, is heading for a major split over what some senior party leaders say is “the Samy Vellu-style, dictatorial” tendencies of president R. S. Thanenthiran.

The leaders, who requested to remain anonymous, told The Malaysian Insider, accused Thanenthiran, who has just returned from a holiday in Bali, of high-handedness and failing to share decision making with other senior leaders.

The senior leaders have requested an emergency general meeting of the 27-member Central Committee when they hope to debate the issue and resolve differences.

While one faction of the CC says they want to table a vote of no-confidence against the president and remove him, another faction said their intention is to thrash out all differences and shortcomings with Thanenthiran to end the squabbles.

“We want to close ranks and save the party,” a senior leader said.

“This party was hard to get (registered) and there is so much work to do to help the poor Tamil people. We don’t want to waste this golden opportunity by squabbling among ourselves.”

Party secretary-general Kannan Ramasamy told The Malaysian Insider that CC members have requested him to call a emergency meeting to discuss various “outstanding issues” but he declined to go into the details.

He said any nine members of the CC can write to him requesting an emergency meeting.

“I have called for a meeting next week and my role is more like a mediator aiming to resolve the outstanding issues,” he said.

The meeting is expected to be held on December 2 at the party headquarters in Shah Alam, sources said.

Thanenthiran could not be reached for comments but a CC member allied with him said the president is aware of the grouses and lobbying with CC members to “head-off” the December 2 emergency meeting.

When contacted many CC members appeared divided over the issue.

While some criticised Thanenthiran others were more anxious to contain the split and close ranks.

Among the grouses critics have levelled at Thanenthiran was that he conducted the October 10 launch by Najib and the inaugural congress that followed in an autocratic manner.

He refused to share the limelight with other senior leaders, a CC member said.

Thanenthiran allegedly gave preference to himself, his wife and a brother while sidelining senior party leaders, said another CC member.

“He also did not account for the funds used to organise the function,” said a CC member adding there was “big over spending”.

But the main grouse seems to be that Thanenthiran dominated the Oct 10 launch and the general assembly that followed “the way Samy Vellu dominates the MIC."

“We are against this kind of arrogant leadership…we are not stupid people to line up and nod our heads to Thanenthiran. That's why we reject the MIC,” said a CC member.

Many leaders among the Indian community had expressed shock that Najib had even consented to launch the party because they saw its leaders as political novices.

They also said Thanenthiran did not have the political maturity or leadership acumen to lead the party and wondered aloud how far the party would go before heading south.

The founders of Makkal Sakthi Party, including Thanenthiran, were either former mid-level leaders in the Hindraf movement or came into the limelight after the founders of Hindraf were detained under the ISA leaving a big leadership vacuum in the movement.

The former Perak Hindraf co-ordinator who is now deputy president of Makkal Sakthi party, A. Waythamoorthy, said party leaders were ready to discuss and resolve all issues.

“There is so much to do and so little time to achieve success that we cannot waste the time squabbling among ourselves,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

“We have our work cut out for us, we have the Prime Minister helping us and we need to close ranks to achieve our aims to help our community,” Waythamoorthy said.

He declined to go into the unhappiness some CC members are expressing against the party president.

“It is best we resolve matters among ourselves and get on with our main task,” said Waythamoorthy.

Kit Siang slams Umno bloggers as political desperadoes

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 — Veteran lawmaker Lim Kit Siang condemned Umno bloggers on their campaign to paint the DAP as a communist party.

Lim told The Malaysian Insider that the tactic used by governing party is “gutter politics at its worse”.

“This is gutter politics at its worse of the political desperadoes who does not have any political issues against DAP. DAP’s record have shown that it is a patriotic Malaysian party dedicated to the improvement and welfare of all Malaysians and races.

“DAP leaders have paid the price for their courage on their convictions and have not wavered on our political stand. It should not distorted and perverted,” he said.

Umno blogs have been working overtime in trying to make the DAP as the country’s new public enemy number one by labelling it and its leaders as communists in an effort to shore up Malay support.

An Umno blog, Parpukari, even went as far as caricaturing Bukit Kepayang assemblyman and Selangor state executive councillor Ronnie Liu of the DAP in a communist uniform.

Lim’s confident Malaysians would not fall into the trap.

“I am really skeptical if they can gain support but if they can demonstrate either DAP or Pakatan are wrong in our policies and programmes or if Umno and Barisan Nasional have better policies and programmes and not in a campaign of lies and falsehood. I also have trust in the Malaysian electorate,” he added.

Its Seputeh MP Teresa Kok was amused by Umno’s latest tactic and called it “archaic”.

“If you really want to paint DAP as communist party then why did they ask the chairman of the China communist party Hu Jintao to come here. Why did Najib lead a trade delegation to China and even invest in the country. Malaysia has also given mega-projects to Chinese companies. So who is closer to the China's communist party compared to DAP? I think they have nothing better but to make DAP look ugly ,” she said.

She added that if Umno persists in using the race card to divide Malaysians then it would be difficult to achieve Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s slogan of 1 Malaysia.

Political analyst James Chin was not surprised with the smear campaign.

“They have been doing that for quite a long time already. Their strategy is actually quite simple, they paint DAP as communist and anti-Islam. They also paint PKR as anti-Islam and anti-Malay and a traitor party. And they paint PAS as a deviationist party so this is part of the overall strategy,” Chin said.

He explained that the Umno blogs are only used to “reinforce the pro-Umno crowds”.

“It will not work because if you look at the number of blogs in Malaysia, the country has the largest number of socio-political blogs in the region. The ratio is about one pro-establishment to ten anti-establishment blogs so they are really being outnumbered. The aim of the pro-Umno blogger is not to convince but to reinforce the pro-Umno crowds. That is why there are very few pro-Umno blogs in English, the majority are in Malay. They are there to reinforce the brand and not so much to sell the brand,” he said.

Another analyst, Khoo Kay Peng, questioned why Umno was labelling DAP as communists when the country recently welcomed China’s president Hu Jintao.

“It senseless and not very classy for them to do that. You call DAP communist and then you roll down the red carpet when the president of the biggest communist country in the world came to Malaysia then telling the whole world that this is your main trade partner in this region.

I think it is not very wise. DAP is a social democratic party, it is a little bit middle left but I do not think that it is a party of communism,” Khoo said.

He added that Umno bloggers should do better in their attacks against DAP.

“If Umno bloggers are paid to do this work then I don’t think they are doing a good job. You cannot just put a label like that but what they should do is to provide good oppositions on issues and ways that the Pakatan state are being run,” he said.

BTN — Between true education and indoctrination

By Azly Rahman

I agree we must give credit to those working hard to “improve the psychological well-being of the Malays” and for that matter for any race to improve its mental wellness. This is important. This is a noble act. The question is: in doing so, do we want to plant the seeds of cooperation and trust– or racial discrimination and deep hatred? Herein lies the difference between indoctrination and education. Herein lies what the work of Malaysia’s Biro Tata Negara is about.

These days, the idea of Ketuanan Melayu is going bankrupt, sinking with the bahtera merdeka. It works only for Malay robber barons who wish to plunder the nation by silencing the masses and using the ideological state apparatuses at their disposal. In the case of the BTN it is the work of controlling the minds of the youth. The work of BTN should be stopped and should not be allowed anymore in our educational institutions. It is time our universities especially are spared of counter-educational activities, especially when they yearned to be free from the shackles of domination. Look at what has happened and what is still happening to our institutions with the University and University Colleges Act and the Akujanji Pledge.

Over decades, many millions of Malays and non-Malays have not been getting the right information on our nation’s history, political-economy, and race relations. History that is being shoved to us or filter-funneled down the labyrinth of our consciousness is one that is already packaged, biased, and propagandized by our historians that became text-books writers. History need not be “Malay-centric”. Special rights for all Malaysians should be the goal of distributive and regulative justice of this nation, not the “special rights of a few Malays”. History must be presented as the history of the marginalized, the oppressed, and the dispossessed — of all races. We toil for this nation, as the humanist Paramoedya Ananta Toer would say, by virtue of our existence as “anak semua bangsa … di bumi manusia”. Malaysia is a land of immigrants.

In this regard we can learn from the former British colony called America. Whatever the shortcomings may be, America is a land of immigrants and still evolving. Even a Black man or a woman can become president. This is what America conceives itself to be and this is what Malaysian can learn from. Can a non-Malay become a Prime Minster is he/she is the most ethical of all politicians in the country?

No one particular race should stake claim to Malaysia. That is an idea from the old school of thought, fast being abandoned. Each citizen is born, bred, and brought to school to become a good law-abiding and productive Malaysian citizen is accorded the fullest rights and privileges and will carry his/her responsibility as a good citizen. That is what “surrendering one’s natural rights to the State” means. One must read Rousseau, Locke, Voltaire, and Jefferson to understand this philosophy. A bad government will not honor this — and will fall, or will sink like the bahtera merdeka.

The history of civilizations provides enough examples of devastation and genocide as a consequence of violent claims to the right of this or that land based upon some idea of “imagined communities.” We must teach our children to make history — a history of peace amongst nations. This must be made into a new school of thought: of “new Bumiputeraism” that encompasses all and do not alienate any — because life is too brief for each generation to fight over greed.

The eleventh hour of human existence and our emergence in this world has brought about destruction as a consequence of our inability to mediate differences based on race, color, creed, class, and national origin. Each ethnic group thinks that it is more socially-dominant than the other. Each does not know the basis of its “self”. Each failed to realize its own DNA-make up or gene map.

Life is an existential state of beingness, so must history be conceived as such. Nationalism can evolve into a dangerous concept– that was what happened to Europe at the brink of the two World Wars. It happened in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Indonesia when Suharto fell. I argue that we must live evolvingly in the “historical presence of historical constructions”. The past and the future is in the present.

Back to BTN.

Courses devoid of critical treatment and sensibility and ones that retard student thinking — such as “Kenegaraan” — in our universities are designed to tell our mind to live in an imagined past. BTN is playing this dangerous game of blind nationalism still passing down packaged information that do not take into consideration the complexities of globalization and the promise of multiculturalism. We need to offer courses such as Multiethnic Malaysia that will have students aspire to think like multiculturalists and help this nation evolve better.

The ministry of education higher education combined has hundreds of experts — many overseas trained and have tasted the “spirit of multiculturalism” and the “beauty of intellectual freedom” in their classrooms abroad — who ought to have engineered a paradigm shift to help dismantle indoctrination agencies such as Biro Tata Negara.

But where are the voices in the wilderness of our public universities — those who should be speaking up against ‘Ketuanan Melayu or Ketuanan this or that race’? Why are many of these experts, instead of fighting for radical changes to affect radical-peaceful structural changes, are making big decisions to further advance the cause of racism? One-dimensional thinking prevails — the thinking that does not allow diversity of ideas and failed to develop cross-cultural perspectives. Ideas move nations but indoctrinations remove intelligence. Political masters– however corrupt to the core they are — dictates the work of our academicians.

Whoever writes history and turn that into say, BTN propaganda, controls the future (or at least they think they do). We must question what is taught during the sessions or during any history lesson; fundamentally:

• Whose history are we studying?

• Is it meaningful to me?

• Who wrote this history? Why? Who benefits?

• Who gets included and excluded in this history textbooks?

• Who’s the hero — who’s the villain?

What I want to see is a stop to the systematic and ongoing stupefication of the Malays and the non-Malays and to let them be free from being run-down emotionally by boot camp facilitators who make a living humiliating people. We have a new generation of best and brightest Malaysians to educate. As an educator I have worked with thousands of them. These are extremely creative individuals who enjoy being challenged at the most respectable and intellectual levels — not through indoctrination methods such as those used in BTN camps. They want to be fed with more questions and not be shoved with BTN-type of answers. We cannot afford to turn term them into docile beings while at the same time we holler the slogan “human capital” or modal insan the world over. It will be a “modularly insane” human condition if we continue to capitalize on human docility.

The Biro Tata Negara as an indoctrinating institution was conceived by “intellectuals” who themselves are trapped in their own cocoon or glass coconut shell of “wrongly-defined” Malay-ness and in a paradigm that teaches a poor understanding of Malaysian history. These intellectuals are running around in our public universities promoting a more sophisticated and pseudo-intellectual version of racism. Inciting racial sentiments in classroom and boot camps is big business nowadays — profits made in the name of patriotism. But who’s monitoring the trainers?

Education is not about insulting one’s intelligence and instilling fear in our children. This is what the creators of BTN need to learn. In short, the indoctrinators need a good education on how not to indoctrinate. “Melayu ‘kan hilang di nusantara … ” if we allow the dumbing down of Malaysians to continue.

Progressive parliamentarians must discuss this serious matter concerning the organization’s deliberate attempt to promote disunity and to further fertilize the seeds of racism, at a time when we need to come together as Malaysians in order to face humanity’s greater problem such as the food, oil, and water crisis that will plague us as human beings — at a time when we must focus on constructing a new republic of virtue that will be founded on transcultural ethics, responsive and reflective politics, and a social-democratic-based economic system that do not tempt and feed human greed of the things they do not need. Our Asian despotic brand of capitalism continues to destroy the very foundation of our existence and our moral fibre. It is greed — big time — that brought down the National Front.

Through the work of the Rakyat, Divine intervention helped speed up the process of removal of Greed disguised as political parties in power. That’s the metaphysical interpretation of March 8, 2008.

We are not running Hitler Youth camps in Malaysia. We must not even come close to setting up one.

Syarat mayat Chin Peng dibawa pulang

Utusan Malaysia
Oleh Tan Melaka

PEMBACA sebuah akhbar Inggeris baru-baru ini bertanya, kenapa mayat Noordin Mat Top seorang anggota Jemaah Islamiah telah dibenar dibawa pulang dan dimaafkan, kenapa tidak Chin Peng?

Pertanyaan ini sekali gus menimbulkan kekeliruan di kalangan rakyat negara ini dan juga anggapan tentang ketidakadilan Kerajaan Malaysia terhadap seorang bukan Melayu dan bukan Islam, sedangkan hakikatnya ini adalah kes yang berbeza sama sekali.

Tubuh atau mayat Noordin telah dibawa pulang setelah dia dibunuh di Indonesia dan dikebumikan secara senyap tanpa sebarang upacara yang menampakkan simpati dan penghormatan terhadapnya. Suatu lagi yang boleh mengelirukan ialah kononnya dia telah diberikan kemaafan.

Siapa yang memberikan kemaafan, kerajaan Malaysia, orang ramai, keluarganya? Kenyataan seperti ini walaupun pendek tetapi sekali gus mengelirukan dan mengapi-apikan perasaan perkauman di kalangan rakyat yang tidak mempunyai pengetahuan latar belakang peristiwa Noordin itu, atau rakyat yang tidak dapat berfikir.

Noordin telah ditembak mati oleh tentera Indonesia setelah dia mengganas dan bukannya di Malaysia dan rakyat negara ini tidak mempunyai dendam terhadapnya seperti perasaan dendam dan marah rakyat terhadap Chin Peng.

Rakyat juga tidak pernah meminta supaya jika dia mati, mayatnya dibawa pulang ke Malaysia yang menampakkan dia sebagai seorang yang penting dan berjasa.

Penulis juga setuju jika Chin Peng dibawa pulang ke negara ini tetapi bukan 'hidup-hidup'. Chin Peng boleh pulang dengan syarat dia hendaklah mati ditembak atau dibunuh terlebih dahulu seperti pulangnya mayat Noordin. Mayatnya hendaklah dikebumikan tanpa upacara besar-besaran dan bukan di sebelah bapanya seperti yang dimintanya kerana mungkin bapanya pun tidak mahu berada di sebelahnya.

Selain daripada itu, kerajaan janganlah membenarkan mana-mana pihak menjalankan kutipan derma bagi membangunkan Tugu Peringatan di atas kuburannya seperti yang dilakukan di Nilai terhadap perkuburan bekas-bekas pengganas komunis yang dikelirukan sebagai pejuang menentang Jepun. Hal yang sama juga berlaku di Sarawak.

Pendapat pembaca itu yang mempersoalkan mayat Noordin dibawa pulang, tanpa mempunyai nama penulisnya, maka itu dipercayai mungkin merupakan pandangan akhbar itu sendiri.

Walaupun pendek sekali surat itu, tetapi ia cukup berkesan untuk mengapi-apikan perasaan perkauman seolah-olah kerajaan pimpinan orang Melayu dan Islam di Malaysia memberikan layanan yang berbeza terhadap pengganas.

Harus diingatkan bahawa bekas pengganas komunis Melayu yang dibenarkan pulang ke tanah air dan mati di negara ini seperti Pengerusi Parti Komunis Malaya (PKM) Musa Ahmad dan Samsiah Fakeh telah memberikan kerjasama kepada kerajaan Malaysia lama sebelum upacara menandatangani perjanjian perdamaian antara kerajaan Malaysia dan Thailand dengan PKM di Hatyai.

Bringing back Dr M to lead Kedah

Malaysian Mirror
By Farah Azreen

27 November 2009

UMNO has been embarrassed by a court ruling that one of its state seats in Kedah is up for grabs because the incumbent representative had been absent twice in a row from state assembly meetings

Furthermore, the party is in shambles and even with the able stewardship of Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal in Kedah, the party has still not come to terms with last year's election losses.

The allegedly erratic wakil rakyat Abu Hassan Sarif has filed an appeal to challenge the High Court decision that he is no longer the Kota Siputeh assemblyman and that his state seat is up for grabs.

But many Kedahans are not hopeful of an Umno or Barisan Nasional revival at the by-election, if there is one, or at the next general polls, scheduled to be held in 2013.

At the moment, they see their state as being stable under the Pakatan Rakyat administration, led by state PAS commissioner Azizan Abdul Razak, albeit a minor dispute concerning the stand taken by the DAP over a pig slaughter house several months back.

Comfortable with Azizan's leadership

It is said that even some Umno people are comfortable with Azizan, Kedah's 10th mentri besar and the first from PAS.

Veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin also conceded that among the Pakatan-held state governments, the Kedah administration is the 'most steady' and least controversial except for the abattoir incident.

"With the image of the PAS-led state government untarnished, it would be an uphill task for the Barisan to defend the Kota Siputeh seat, in the event a by-election is held," he said in his blog.

Abu Hassan had defeated his PAS challenger Ismail Wan Teh by 495 votes; polling 8,160 votes against his opponent's 7,665 votes.

It is understood that PAS may be fielding Ismail again while the Barisan is not likely to give Abu Hassan a second chance as it does not want to be dealing with another 'tainted' candidate.

While a random poll, if it is carried out at this time, may suggest that PAS is the favourite to win the by-election, it would be a mistake for the party to under-estimate Umno, which is already moving on the ground to drum support against Azizan's administration.

For instance, one of the criticisms against the mentri besar is that his administration had failed to draw investments and, therefore, not bringing in much-needed money to the state coffers.

No longer in the limelight

Umno, though no longer hogging the media limelight in Kedah, now works silently and treading carefully when its campaigners enter Pakatan strongholds. Countering talk that Kedah Umno is now being led by a Sabahan, party members drive home the point that Shafie's father-in-law is a prominent local man from Sungai Petani.

Nevertheless, the questions still asked are: Is Umno a united party? Is Shafie well-accepted? Would Kedahans prefer another person to lead Umno? Who do they want?

As normal in Umno politics, there are 'warlords' and there are 'cliques' and 'camps'. And while Shafie is a seasoned politician and seen as a trustworthy leader, he is not able to stop these cliques and camps from rejecting his leadership in Kedah.

Amid this disarray, a certain name has surfaced; a man seen as capable to re-energise the party and to re-group the conflicting factions under one umbrella. He is Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former prime minister, elderly statesman, leadership icon and a no-nonsense critic of Pakatan de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

It is not that his supporters want to bring him into the mainstream to make him a wakil rakyat - certainly not to contest in Kota Siputeh - but more as a unifying factor to take on Azizan and the Pakatan leadership.

In other words, according to some party watchers, his role is to bring Kedah Umno "back on track."

Rallying support for leadership

This does not mean that Shafie has to be removed from his post as Kedah liaison committee chairman. Even in an advisory capacity, Mahathir's presence is seen as pertinent to back Shafie and to rally party members from all corners of the state under a single leadership.

While such formula would not be without its glitches, it is seen as the best idea at this juncture to prepare the party for the expected onslaught in the run up to the 13th general elections, when it comes.

Moreover, Mahathir is a familiar face and one who knows ever nook and corner of his home state. Not a man, woman or schoolgoing child has not heard of the icon who was Asia's longest-serving leader when he helmed the country for 22 years until October 2003.

Despite incessant attacks from critics, Mahathir is also much respected by his opponents and by record-breaking aspirants who admire his 'Malaysia Boleh!' spirit.

Kedahans in Umno is banking on his guardian light to once again bring the shine to the party. - Malaysian Mirror.

Has Anwar really lost his bearing?

I don’t know whether it is naivety or sheer desperation for political survival that the opposition leader attended the occasion organized by the artifical HINDRAF leaders.

As it stands, with the showdown with Jeffrey & Zaid, Anwar seems to be embarking in a path in recruiting or shall I say endorsing suspicious personalities.

Similar to Najib who jumped the gun to endorse Makkal Sakthi Party Malaysia, Anwar seems to be acting in sequence to endorse another offshoot of the HINDRAF movement who lacks credence.

Foot for thought, the architect who financed and brought in Makkal Sakthi Party into BN was this philanthropist OMS Thiagarajan who is closely associated with Datuk S. Subramaniam and owns about 40% of the tamil daily Makkal Oosai.

The same person now financed the occasion that Vasantha Kumar organized and was present during the occasion that was gracefully attended by Anwar.

Vasantha Kumar is also known within the Klang community to have close relationship with one K.P.Samy, the undying ally of Datuk S. Subramaniam and practically attends all the MIC functions since his release from ISA.

Why Anwar would even engage such skeptical & suspicious character bemuses me unless it politics as usual.

It is so obvious; all these purported HINDRAF leaders claim that they have the support of the grassroot but only have one thing in unison that is in their own political agenda and those of the mandores both in Pakatan and Barisan National.

Anwar doesn’t seem to realize that he in turn now has been used as a pawn by this faction of HINDRAF headed by the alleged Special Branch Vasantha Kumar to launch his political career or is he so gullible to embrace someone with such dodgy credential?

At least Thanenthiran of Makkal Sakthi Party had the dignity to voice his political ambition and chose his part on what fitted him best by courting the BN faction. However this character Vasantha Kumar in his platform launches character assassination against Uthayakumar and Waythamoorthy who are synonymous with HINDRAF from day one.

Does this lend any credibility to a purported leader? Would you not rather be talking about your plans on how to uplift the society on such an occasion?

Both Uthayakumar and Waythamoorthy have proven credibility. Uthayakumar, for the last eighteen years have been battling with the police on human rights violations when everyone stood silent and watched. Waythamoorthy in highligting the plight of the marginalized Malaysian Indian and abolishment of ISA throughout the world resulted in recognization of the HINDRAF’s struggle and release of the ISA detainees.

Today, one faction is courted by BN and the other faction is courted by Anwar. What is baffling is why neither party could ever court the originators of HINDRAF?

In my view, I think both these political parties rather have a politically motivated personality under its reign rather than one with a steadfast goal who would fight for justice and equality based on the needs of the society such as the original HINDRAF have been doing for the Malaysian Indians even if some may call it racist.

Sitting in a neutral position, all I can presume is Anwar has definitely lost his bearing besides his oratory skills in identifying and pursuing what is just and equal for his own political goals.

Anwar, I hope you know what you are doing, as this guy could end up being another political trap for you as was the Saiful episode.

Mydin Baharuddin