The Brahmin Bumiputera vs the Pariah Bumiputera

by sakmongkol.blogspot.com

Let me begin with a story. I invite you to spot the difference between a Brahmin Bumiputera and a Pariah Bumiputera.

Sometime ago, Halim Saad of Renong fame, got a contract to lay submarine cables. These are communication cables made from fiber optics. They were to be supplied by a local company. Call it Xco Sdn. Bhd. That wouldn't be hard to identify, because the supply of optical cables was and is monopolized by only one company.

The contract to install the submerged cables was quite lucrative. The person associated with the supply of optic cables wanted a piece of the action. It's a natural extension of our business, he declares. So he went over to randy Halim Saad and made an offer the latter couldn't refuse.

Halim Saad had to relent because Mr. Xco was exceedingly well connected. It was said, light could travel through the cable he had, faster than the best optic cables produced by Corning. Mr. Xco then was also developing one pristine Island off the coast of Sabah into a diver's haven.

He went to Halim Saad because Mr. Xco knows Halim Saad can understand where he is coming from. He comes from a world, where you get things by being who you are, by being from this genetic pool. Halim Saad can relate to these things- for he can relate to anyone being a member of MC-gay-gay whose membership entitles the members to get things as of right. He comes from a world where rules apply only to common folks and he, being of a special breed is excluded from mundane rules. He comes from a world where all the good things in life are meant only for the likes of him such as the phallic pleasures of driving in Porsche Cayennes or straddling in palatial mansions in Lorong Tun Ismail, somewhere in the pristine enclaves of KL, away from Proletarian Chow Kit. Halim Saad knows and understands all these.

In order to lay down the cables, Mr. Xco and his people bought and operated a cable laying vessel. She was christened SOB- not Son of A Bitch but Spirit of Borneo. So, she was put to use to lay down the cables with workers on board.

One day, an engineer who was doing consulting work inspected the vessel. To his horror, he found all the ship's certificates had expired. Anyone who operates or owns any type of ocean going vessel, will know that a ship must be certified seaworthy of ocean going. There are a number of certificates which any ship must pass upon inspection. The bloody SOB had nothing passed. It was unfit and not safe to operate with.

The engineer knew who owns the ship. What can he do? He can't complain to Halim Saad or the local authorities. What he did, was to complain to the union of ship workers which made such as ruckus that the SOB was taken out of service.

No sooner was it taken out; SOB was back in operations within the next 2 days. The leader of the shipping workers union called his engineer friend to ask whether he knows who the owner is. The engineer replied he didn't.

Who is Mr. Xco?

Mr. Xco illustrates how a special Bumiputera operates.

We shall not mention names. He is a typical Brahmin Bumiputera. The rest of the Bumiputera are the Pariah Bumiputeras. Hence, when we talk about Bumiputera, we must be clear as to which type of Bumiputera are we talking about? Some bumipteras are more equal than others.

How do you differentiate between the Brahmin Bumiputera and the Pariah Bumiputera?

First the Brahmin Bumiputera operates on the basis of his inherited stature. He advances in life on account of who he is. If he is from a distinguished genetic pool, what he wants he gets as of birthright.

Sociologists call this method of classifying people, as the ascriptive norm. You are placed on the hierarchy on the basis of who you are. Your being is more important to define your status- bloodline, old boy network, belonging to a particular grouping such as ANSARA or MCOBA etc.

The Brahmin Bumiputera is the naturally favored choice in anything. Because they are assumed to get things done by virtue of being who they are. In business he gets what he wants. In politics he expects to be given position. Political office, government position-all these are his exclusive province.

Rules apply only to plebeians and peasants. They don't apply to special Bumiputeras. Hence when we speak of Bumiputera special privileges, we actually mean, privileges for some special Bumiputeras.

The Pariah Bumiputera on the other hand has to qualify his way at every inch. He must qualify himself with superior education, superior talent and even superior morals. He must operate on the basis of what he can do society. He, the pariah Bumiputera operates on achieved norms- that is, he will judged in accordance to what he can do.

When it comes to rules and regulations, they apply more to the pariah Bumiputera than the Brahmin Bumiputera. Universal rules apply to common people, particular rules to special people.

Take one simple example. The behavior of people in relation to traffic lights. Everyone knows, the rule is, you never cross red lights. The universal rule is, if the lights are red, you must never cross it even when there is no traffic. But some people do cross red lights reasoning that they are no people. If caught, the people who flouted the rules are often excused because they are my brothers, relatives, members of my fraternity.

The above is a simple example of a Universalist or rule-based culture and a discretionary or particularist culture. In a rule-based culture, the approach is roughly: "What is good and right can be defined and ALWAYS applies." In particularist cultures, far greater attention is given to the obligations of relationships and unique circumstances.

Take the case of trying to cross the street at the red light that we gave above. In a rule-based society, you will still be frowned at even if there is no traffic. It tends to imply equality in the sense that all persons, or citizens, falling under the rule should be treated the same. But in societies like like ours for example, where particularist judgements focus on the exceptional nature of circumstances, it is likely to be OK with one if it is his/her brothers or friends that violate the traffic rule.

Thus for example, Dato Mohamad Abdul Aziz is likely to apply strict moral and whatever measures of censure on ordinary individuals but will likely excuse Bung Mokhtar. The Bung Mokhtars of this world are not just "citizens", but their "friends" or "brothers". This difference probably explains why there have been difficulties in implementing a judicial system that is credible in our country.

In morals, the pariah Bumiputera has to be whiter than white. The Brahmin Bumiputera is not censurable by any measures of moral sanctions. Accordingly the Brahmin Bumiputera is genetically immune to moral and religious censures. It is therefore all right for him to commit religious and moral transgressions. That is all part of his genetic immunity.

The pariah Bumiputera faces the terrible wrath of the moral gendarmerie and religious carabinieri. Woe betides if he is seen partaking in intoxicants or found in the company of intoxicated company. He or she can get caned. But the Brahmin Bumiputera even if he opens establishments selling liquor and other intoxicants or even owns a substantial share in a brewing company is spared the punishments or moral censure of any kind.

In treating others, Brahmin Bumiputeras and pariah Bumiputeras operate differently. The Brahmin Bumiputera acts as though he owns other people. Hence, the private space of others belongs to him and he may enter and goes as he pleases. Sociologists call this method of treating others as a social practise in diffuse culture. He is the master and lord over all others. It's the replay of the feudal chieftain bossing over the serfs. The boss-subordinate relationship usually does not stop only in the office or in the boss-worker relationship as contractually defined. The boss is likely to have a say in other aspects of his/her employee's personal life. The boss owns everything.

What a modern and democratic society wants is specific work culture, where an individual's life space is free from the encroachment of others. This is also an element of genuine freedom- i.e. to be from the control of others. In such a society, the leader would segregate out the task relationship he/she has with a subordinate, and insulates this "work relationship" from other dealings. Therefore, the leader's authority only reaches where his/her work relationship with the subordinate is defined, and each area in which the two persons encounter each other is considered apart from the other. Work and life are sharply separated in specific-oriented cultures.

Non Bumiputera Malaysians I encounter do not fear the ordinary Bumiputera and can understand and accept Bumputraism. By that we mean, the adoption of policies designed to correct the imbalances and historical accidents in which the majority of Malay Malaysians find themselves in. Except, they expect it as mandatory, that the polices so designed work in such a way as to encourage the ordinary Bumiputera 'stepping out' from self imposed and imagined limitations.

What they fear most are the special Bumiputeras or the Brahmin Bumiputeras. Because these people expect to be given what everyone aspires and wants in life as a matter of birthright.

The MACC will eat shit tomorrow

The MACC has built its case on a house of straw. It leaked information to the MSM that a certain very senior police officer has undeclared assets totalling RM27 million. When Rosli Dahlan, the police officer’s lawyer, replied to the charge and proved that the allegation is a load of hogwash, the MACC went for the lawyer. And this is what they did to my lawyer as well, which I will reveal later.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

On Monday 21 December 2009, Rosli Dahlan is going to court to face a charge of not replying to a letter from the MACC. It seems not replying to a letter from the MACC is a crime. The thing is, Rosli did reply to that letter. He replied by asking for further clarification. But instead of responding to Rosli’s letter they came to his office and arrested him.

Is this a simple cut and dry case of not replying to a letter, which Rosli did? Or is there more than meets the eye?

The case is actually more complex than what they are making it out to be. It is not really about Rosli at all. It is about the one-time CCID Director, Ramli Yusuff. The IGP, Musa Hassan, wants Ramli removed. But Rosli is standing in the way and hindering the effort to remove Ramli.

But why does the IGP want Ramli removed? Well, it is an eleven-year old story that relates to the sodomy charge against Anwar Ibrahim back in 1998. Yes, that is how far the story goes.

Ramli was the police officer who held back the then IGP Rahim Noor who was beating up Anwar in the police lockup in Bukit Aman. Anwar was handcuffed and blindfolded at that time. Ramli was standing outside the cell and when he heard Anwar shout he rushed into the cell and discovered Rahim beating up Anwar. Ramli then grabbed Rahim, his boss, and pulled him out of the cell.

Ramli then requested medical treatment for Anwar but Rahim refused. Anwar was left unconscious on the lockup floor until the following morning before Rahim allowed Dr Vasantha to attend to him. But the doctor was told to just treat Anwar and not ask any questions as to who beat him up.

Initially, Rahim denied beating up Anwar. A Royal Commission of Inquiry was then held and during the Inquiry Ramli testified that is was Rahim who beat up the then Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. Rahim was subsequently sacked and spent two months in the Kajang Prison.

For his ‘sin’ of testifying that Rahim was the culprit who beat up Anwar, Ramli was sent into cold storage and his subordinate, Musa Hassan, eventually bypassed him and went on to become the new IGP, until today.

But Musa was due to retire in 2007. And once he retires then Ramli would become the new IGP. But they could not afford for Ramli to take over as the new IGP. Musa, who fixed up Anwar on the sodomy charges in 1998, would still be needed so that Anwar can be kept in check. So they had to remove Ramli so that Musa could stay on as the IGP. And that’s when they executed the plan on how to bring down Ramli on so-called charges of not declaring assets worth RM27 million.

Now, Anwar is facing a second sodomy charge dubbed Sodomy II. And, again, Musa is the man behind the plan to fix up Anwar. If Musa were allowed to retire and Ramli took over as the new IGP, this plan would be thwarted. Musa has guaranteed Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak that he has enough ‘evidence’ to send Anwar to jail for a long, long time. So Musa has to stay on as IGP and Ramli has to go. And anyone in the way for this to happen, such as Rosli, has to be brought down as well.

That is the simple crux to the whole issue. But that is not how the Prosecution will present its case against Rosli on Monday. Anwar’s Sodomy II case and ensuring that Musa stays on as the IGP and getting rid of Ramli in the process to make sure this will happen will not be argued in court. Instead, they will say it’s a simple and straightforward case of Rosli not replying to a letter from the MACC.

I don’t know how the court will rule. But in the Court of Public Opinion we know what the real issue is all about. And it does not matter what the court will rule because most Malaysians know that the court will do the bidding of the political masters.

Ummo is desperate. And yesterday’s Pakatan Rakyat Convention is making Umno even more desperate. It appears like Pakatan Rakyat has finally got its act together. And this is bad news for Umno. So Musa will have to ensure that Anwar gets sent to jail on the Sodomy II charge. And Musa will be retained as IGP, even though he was supposed to retire in 2007, until at least Anwar has been sent to jail.

Anwar must die. Ramli must die. Rosli must die. Only then can Umno live on. And on Monday, 21 December 2009, it will all become very clear when Rosli’s case is argued in court and the real story behind this whole issue unveils.

FURTHER READING:

What the case is really all about

The billions that MAS lost: the shit is finally hitting the fan

Raja Petra berada di London?

GAMBAR dari luar apartmen mewah di Gloucester Bayswater, London yang dipercayai menjadi tempat persembunyian Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin.

Pengendali laman web Malaysia Today, Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin yang sebelum ini dilaporkan berada di Melbourne, Australia, kini dipercayai bersembunyi di Apartment Trinity Court di Gloucester Bayswater, London.

Menurut sumber, Raja Petra dipercayai menyewa salah sebuah unit di pangsapuri mewah enam tingkat itu sejak menjadi buruan polis, kira-kira lapan bulan lalu.

Pangsapuri terbabit dikategorikan sebagai kediaman mewah. Setiap unitnya mempunyai dua bilik tidur, dua bilik air, dapur dan ruang tamu.

Bagaimanapun, sumber terbabit tidak menyebut berapa lama pengendali laman web tersebut mendiami pangsapuri itu.

Raja Petra menghilangkan diri selepas dua waran tangkap dikeluarkan terhadapnya kerana gagal hadir ke mahkamah pada 23 April dan 23 Mei lalu bagi perbicaraan menerbitkan artikel berbaur hasutan dan memfitnah isteri Perdana Menteri, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

Dia dituduh menerbitkan artikel bertajuk ‘Let‘s Send the Altantuya Murderers to Hell’ dalam blog www.malaysia-today.net, bertarikh 25 April 2008.

Selain itu, dia dituduh memfitnah Rosmah serta dua yang lain dalam satu akuan bersumpah di Kompleks Mahkamah Jalan Duta di sini pada 18 Jun tahun lalu.

Mahkamah Sesyen pada 11 dan 13 November lalu bagaimanapun membebaskan tanpa melepaskan Raja Petra kerana pihak pendakwaan gagal mengesannya.

Sementara itu, Timbalan Ketua Polis Negara, Tan Sri Ismail Omar ketika dihubungi Mingguan Malaysia bagaimanapun enggan mengulas lanjut mengenai perkara itu.

Beliau hanya berkata, polis masih berusaha memburu Raja Petra berikutan waran tangkap dikeluarkan terhadapnya mengikut Seksyen 4 (1)(b) Akta Hasutan.

Penulis laman blog itu sebelum ini dilaporkan oleh sebuah akhbar berada di Melbourne selepas lebih tujuh bulan usaha mencari dilakukan.

Menurut laporan akhbar itu, polis berjaya mengesan penulis blog itu dan mendapati Raja Petra lari dari Malaysia menuju ke Thailand melalui jalan haram sebelum menaiki penerbangan terus ke Australia. - Utusan Malaysia

Need for National Liberation

Today we take one decisive, deliberate and historic step to free our country from the consequences of BN misrule. This step is our joint agreement to a Common Policy Framework. This is our compass. This is our guiding light. This is what distinguishes us from our opponents. We must steer by this compass to arrive at our destination – which is no less and no more than the liberation of Malaysia.

(Speech by Zaid Ibrahim at Pakatan Rakyat’s inaugural convention)

Ladies and Gentleman,

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Before today, our three parties took several steps -- some steady, some faltering – towards the goal of our collective journey.

Skeptics could never believe that we could attempt the journey at all. They felt we could never be fellow travelers because of our different compasses and differing destinations.

This journey is our long march towards the liberation of our country from the consequences of 52 years of Barisan Nasional’s deviations. Their impact has caused our country to spiral downward in every sector of national life. Everywhere one looks you see the foundational structure and content of our country eaten away by the termites of the BN. Their rule has become a pestilence.

There’s no telling the depths to which this spiral will take us. But there is every reason today to believe that the people are no longer content to be spectators at this chronicle of national decline and ruin. Enough of them have rallied to support our three parties in the effort of national liberation. And today we give them cause to hope that salvation is on hand.

Today we take one decisive, deliberate and historic step to free our country from the consequences of BN misrule. This step is our joint agreement to a Common Policy Framework. This is our compass. This is our guiding light. This is what distinguishes us from our opponents. We must steer by this compass to arrive at our destination – which is no less and no more than the liberation of Malaysia.

We can already hear what our critics say about us. They say we are a one-election wonder, that we are a sand castle that will topple when the next wave of public opinion hits the beach.

The Common Policy Framework is our first response to our critics. Our second response would be when this Common Policy Framework is matched by the deeds of PR governments in states we control. This should see the Pakatan better prepared for not only the 13th general election, but also the one after that and all elections hereinafter.

The Common Policy Framework is our path to the hearts and minds of Malaysians. We want them to back us so that we can check the downward spiral of this nation. We have not only to check, we have to reverse the slide and restore this nation to the fullness of its promises at its founding in 1957 and at its enlargement in 1963.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There is of course another version of the narrative of the decline of our nation. This other narrative is the narrative of the BN. This is that they are the only people who can govern this nation. They are the chosen ones. All the rest are pretenders who think they can govern and soon discover that they can’t. Only the BN has the right formula for effective governance. In recent years, perhaps, they have been a little groggy about this formula. That was why they fared badly in the last general election. Now all BN has to do is to clean up their act, change the captain, rebrand their efforts, like trumpeting their 1Malaysia concept, and the coalition will be back to its strength of old.

They think the success of Pakatan Rakyat is temporary. They think this opposition coalition is the handiwork of a single leader, whose devious charm and charisma can hoodwink the Malaysian people for perhaps one or two elections. So if they can tie him up in knots with all sorts of legal suits, or better still, send him away to jail for a long time, then everything will go back to the way it was.

This is the BN narrative. This is their version of reality. It is a classic case of self-delusion. Why so?

This is simply because the BN cannot change. True, it has changed its captain. He is like a magician come to do conjuring tricks at a children’s party. But the biggest trick that he must do is that of his own disappearance. That he has to do but he cannot do. And that is the reason why the BN cannot change.

It has a skipper that must bring about his own disappearance for change to have any meaning. There’s one thing the BN has deeply entrenched in its culture: the art of self-preservation. That culture reigns supreme in the BN. Once a BN leader gains the seat of paramount authority, it will take a political tsunami to dislodge him which was what occurred to Abdullah Badawi.

Therefore, I say, there’s no way BN can change because the person who must initiate change exempts himself from the logic of this change. Hence whatever change he brings will be cosmetic, not substantive. But aided and abetted by a servile mainstream media, a compliant judiciary, and subservient law enforcement agencies, the headman can continue to rule. He can continue to beguile the people that he brings change, that he can cause change to happen.

The whole exercise mistakes the activity for change for the essence of change. They are two different things. If they were the same, the blogger Raja Petra and the private investigator P. Balasubramaniam would not have to seek refuge abroad. If they were the same, Teoh Beng Hock would not have died and Nizar Jamaluddin would still be Menteri Besar of Perak. If they were the same, Kelantan would not have to consider suing the federal government for payment of oil royalties legitimately due to them.

The BN cannot change because change would bring about its destruction. But we must not depend on the expected failure to change of the BN to convince the people that they must put us in power in Putrajaya.

Daily the news about the plunder and waste of this country’s resources gets more and more depressing. The latest revelations put losses suffered by the country under the rule of Dr Mahathir Mohamed at a staggering USD100 billion. Those losses relate to the tangibles. What about the intangible losses such as the deformation of the judiciary, and the erosion of professionalism in the police force and civil service. Daily the consequences of these intangible losses become evident for the people to see. These consequences will arrive at a cumulative point that will see the people say, “Enough is enough. Let’s be rid of this plague.”

Ladies and Gentleman,

This is a game for us to lose. It is only if we lose our nerve, and drop the ball that we will fail. Nothing that our opponents can do to us can make that happen, unless we let them make it happen. So as long as we close our ranks, work together, find middle ground, and communicate with one another, and stay resolute about breaking the spell cast by a half century of BN’s rule, the prize of leadership at the national and state level will be ours for the taking. We do not have to agree on everything and on every subject, but we must learn the rules by which to disagree.

There is another thing that the BN has not woken up to either because they are obstinate to the reality on the ground, or they are so full of arrogance and taksub, not to want to understand it. This is that Malaysia has changed. Our founding fathers struggled to conceive the birth of a new nation, whose communities knew little of each other and could not trust each other. There was a fear that the only way to allow this nation a chance at success was to have a joint venture of communities as the basis of leadership. And it was this that made the Alliance and then Barisan Nasional a success in the past.

That reality no longer holds. Society has become much more complex and has matured through the rakyat’s sharing of common experiences over the last half century. Malaysia has changed. And we know it. No longer do race-based politics built on patronage command support from the people. Such politics only helps to foster hate, selfishness, corruption and greed. All of this was perpetuated in the name of protecting the interests of the many, but in reality was manipulated to feather the nests of a few.

Today, Malaysians continue to respect the fact that we remain a nation of specific communities with a rich diversity of faiths, cultures, languages and traditions. We do not fear this diversity. Indeed we celebrate it. And although we accept that solutions must be found to ensure that disparities between communities must be addressed so that they do not grow to dangerous levels, the constitutional provisions on the special position of Bumiputras, and those relating to language, religion and culture must be protected.

Malaysians now recognize that the type of politics that is needed to lead our country is one that is built on universal values and ideals, premised on the commitment to our faith and spirituality, and not instead on what our identity papers say is our race.

Look at us. Look at your fellow delegates from the other parties. And you will see that it is Pakatan Rakyat and its parties that have a common ideology built on universal values and ideals, built on our faith and spirituality, that has a commitment to protect the Constitution, and all Malaysians so as to lead Malaysia the way Malaysians want to be led.

It is Pas, DAP and PKR who today collectively represent the will and desire of Malaysians. We are different from them. The Malays in Pakatan are not racists, the Chinese in Pakatan are not the taukays of MCA, the Indians in Pakatan are not the gullible Indians of MIC or Makkal Sakkthi. The Dayaks and Kadazans are not the ones that belong to the BN.

We are differerent. In short, if we in Pakatan Rakyat fail, Malaysia will fail. Because we have what it takes to deliver what a changed Malaysia wants and needs. Today marks another step in our journey to make sure that this will be so.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Do not be overly concerned with our frailties and some inconsistencies among us. For those frailties and inconsistencies reflect the true frailties and inconsistencies of Malaysia and its communities. Our society must find its way to manage them, we must be there, at the head of that journey, pointing out the right way, leading by example and showing how it is to be done.

To succeed we will need to accommodate. We will need to help each other and ourselves find the middle ground. We must be willing to be open to new ideas, we must be willing to trust one another, we must be pragmatic, and we must be willing to share. No different than what this country needs to do to succeed.

I am proud to have contributed to the convention and to be standing here today. I want to thank Dato Seri Anwar for giving me the chance to initiate the first draft of the Common Policy Framework. It was the creation of a common policy framework that was the contribution that I had committed to make when I became your colleague. But this success is not mine. It is your success, and those of your leaders and your component parties who worked to make this a reality.

Let’s build on this. Let’s not be distracted. Our journey of many miles begins with this auspicious consensus. Let’s be guided by commonly shared values and ideals premised on the values of the ordinary people of this country so that we can rescue Malaysia from the sorry state it is in today and will continue to be if we do nothing.

We have resolved to do something. The Common Policy Framework is the compass by which we will journey to liberate the country we all love.

Hidup Rakyat! Hidup Pakatan! Hidup Malaysia!

'M'sia is Zimbabwe by another name'

Without mincing his words, political analyst Abdul Aziz Bari likened those who hold the reins of power in Malaysia to a bunch of 'thugs'.

According to him, these individuals do as they please without proper regard for the law of the land and the percepts laid down in the federal constitution.

"We are like Zimbabwe, just with another name!" stressed the law expert.

Zimbabwe under President Robert Mugabe has earned international infamy over it's questionable policies and use of the legal system and laws to prop up the government.

Elaborating, Abdul Aziz said: "I don't know how else to call them, sometimes we need to call a spade, a spade. What we have is a state of lawlessness, it's like the law of the jungle."

He pointed to the recent overturning of the high court decision regarding the Malaysian Anti Corruption Agency's (MACC) right to interrogate beyond office hours as a glaring example.

"It is painful to hear the court of appeal decision. They are using the provision to overrule the high court, saying it is silent on the matter," he told Malaysiakini.

'Judiciary takes its cue from government'

According to the UIA law professor, the court of appeal's recent decision "is a lame decision and in itself a failure to carry out the court's role, namely to fill the gap left by parliament in the statute."

Abdul Aziz is adamant that "the high court decision is to be preferred as it is closer to justice and the spirit of the constitution."

"It is for the court to fill the gap by making a decision that is closer to fairness and justice," he added, though he bemoaned that in Malaysia, "the judiciary takes its cue from the government."

"When you have a judiciary like what we have, what can we do? In normal circumstances you go to court to compel the parties who refuse to do its legal duty to do it. But not in our case," he said.

What is worse, according to Abdul Aziz, Barisan Nasional is "undermining or simply could not care less about the constitution."

"BN has demonstrated complete disregard for the rule of law and supremacy of the constitution, either the letter or the spirit of it," he said.

Abdul Aziz contends that the Reid Commission's original intent was to propagate federalism, this he said permeates through the entirety of the constitution with the express delineation of powers to the state and the federal government.

On a micro scale, he added, this framework of federalism included the issue of the petroleum royalties and funding for states.

Umno warlords stumbling block to change

Abdul Aziz believes that the BN government is clearly going against the constitution when it set up the JPP (Federal Development Department) which is ultra vires of the defined rights of the states.

He explained that the state has rights to certain grants and funding the federal government sans such 'intermediaries'.

The use of the Emergency Ordinance to define territorial waters in the Kelantan oil royalty issue, he said, is another example of the BN government's disregard for the law.

"Why not refer to the Petroleum Act or the Law of The Sea?" he asked.

In a similar vein, he also criticised the federal government's 'play acting' in making much ado when giving assistance and aid during natural disasters to opposition held states,

"Why the furore, it is their duty anyway, as described in the constitution," he said.

According to Abdul Aziz, this rot of lawlessness goes right down to BN's core which is Umno.

He is of the opinion that the Umno warlords cannot be reformed and as long as they exists, Umno cannot be reformed.

"They simply don't want to do it," he said.

Pakatan's Common Platform Looks Good But Pledges Are Just Talk For Now

Pakatan has been criticized for not making its governance model comprehensive and transparent. This has resulted in the newly minted coalition being called a 'fly-by-night' operation.

The coalition has responded quite positively to the criticism and has unveiled for the first time its stand on several important key areas at their maiden convention. However, some highly anticipated issues such as local council election, Freedom of Information Act, and the status of secular Malaysia are left undefined.

Some good policy announcements include the much needed decentralisation of economy planning and management at the state government level. This move will allow state governments more control over their own economy and investment planning and promotion. Malaysia's economic development is long hampered by inefficient and ineffective over centralisation at the federal government.

Economic Planning Unit and several ministries responsible for socio-economic development have done very little to push up the efficiency, vibrancy and productivity of our economic sectors. Over centralisation also breeds corruption. Overlap in decision making between ministries has resulted in unnecessary bureaucracy.

The move to decentralise the economy is a plus point for the Pakatan.

The coalition has promised to implement the Equal Opportunity Act and to provide help and assistance based on need not race. This is a good move and will help to retain capable people in the country. Affirmative action based on race is the sole main push factor for brain drain in the country.

Rightly, the coalition has decided to empower the parliament, which is still a rubber stamp of the ruling executives, by making GLCs and public institutions accountable to the august house. The outcome will be positive for all parliamentarians. If needed, they can form special committees to probe and enquire about certain policy decisions taken by these GLCs and institutions. The move will allow for better parliamentary transparency.

Parliamentarians will have to be more educated and informed on issues and policies Malaysia's main problem is unqualified and low value added people are being voted into parliament while the capable ones are staying away from politics.

It is comforting to know that the coalition has pledged to implement the IPCMC, Judicial Appointment Commission and help to address the overlap between civil and syariah law. The leaders must also pledge to stay away from interfering with the jurisdiction and work of these independent institutions in the future. The political nexus between political parties and these institutions must be severed permanently.

Other key areas:

Healthcare - Establishing a National Heath Commission to improve public healthcare.

Women - Ensuring 30 percent representation at the government's decision-making level.

Police - Establishing the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission.

Culture - Liberalising restriction on performances by artistes. (Personally, I am glad this is included in the policy statement. Currently, the whole permit application process is riddled with redtape and corruption)

Language - Promoting Bahasa Malaysia as the regional lingua franca but protecting mother tongue languages.

Labour - Minimum wage policy.

Social security - Establishing a National Retrenchment Fund.

Elections - Redelineation of electoral boundaries to fulfil concept of 'one person, one vote'.

Public transport - Study the possibility of buying back North-South Highway and renegotiating highway concessions to reduce toll prices.

Media - Amending the Printing Presses and Publishing Act to ensure media freedom.

This is a positive step forward for Pakatan. I hope more of us will keep a copy of their pledges and make sure that Pakatan leaders walk the talk.

Unfortunately, there is no indication of further democratisation through local council election. This is a grey area. Some had defended Pakatan's lack of action by claiming that this can only be implemented by the federal government.

This is not necessarily true. The state government should study the legal and constitutional provision for a local council election. Local councils are under the control of state government.

Hence, I support the call of both Haris Ibrahim and Wong Chin Huat for an immediate action to allow real democratisation to happen. Pakatan's pledges are just pledges. Most of these pledges cannot be implemented unless they win federal power. We know what to believe and take home from these pledges.

What's more important is still what the Pakatan led state governments can do within their own jurisdiction. It is time for them to push the envelope and to test the legal provision on local council election.

They can still be outperformed by Najib's administration. BN can make and implement these pledges immediately. At the end, voters will still support a coalition which can make things happen and enhance their living standards. - http://khookaypeng.blogspot.com/2009/12/pakatans-common-platform-looks-good.html

Personal Impressions of the Historic Pakatan Rakyat Convention

By Din Merican

I arrived at the Convention Hall of Majlis Bandaran Shah Alam early this morning to witness political history in the making. It was the coming together in a formal and business-like manner of Parti KeADILan Rakyat, Democratic Action Party and PAS.

Upon completion of my registration as a blogger, I went into a special room to congratulate Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Ustaz A Fadil Hadi Awang, Lim Kit Siang, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim who is the host of the Convention, and also PKR President, Dato Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

I spent a few minutes to talk to Dato Seri Wan Azizah about her recent trip to Los Angeles, California where she was a recipient of the Omar Ibn Al-Khatab Distinguished Pathfinders Award from the Foundation that bears the name of the Second Caliph and Companion of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, pbuh. This award is for global leaders who lives have been devoted to the selfless service and whose dedication, perseverance, values and commitment to excellence exemplify the best aspects of human spirit. I congratulated her on this award.

The demure yet steadfast symbol of peaceful reform was in her usual cheerful demeanour. She accepted with my compliments with grace and humility. For her, the first Pakatan Rakyat Convention is probably the culmination of her decade or so long struggle (since 1998) with the Reformasi movement which grew out of the Free Anwar Campaign that capitivated our nation.

Far from being a rather lukewarm affair–it can’t be with 1,500 audience that make up our plural society– this PR convention showed to me at least that there is hope for a viable coalition of these three ideologically different political parties to challenge the UMNO-Barisan Nasional stranglehold on our country.

Suddenly, it dawned on me that we have a strong force for constructive change, making it possible for us now to envision a two party system for the first time in our country. We as Malaysians now have a choice between a corrupt, racist, and repressive one that characterises UMNO- BN and Pakatan Rakyat which seeks to be unite the rakyat and whose policies, plans and programmes are founded on justice for all, and honest, open and transparent governance.

How is it possible that these parties can come together, sit on the same table and discuss the future of our nation when a decade ago (in 1999), it was impossible to agree on even fundamental issues? An experienced and charismatic leader Anwar Ibrahim who is endowed with boundless patience, tolerance and tact is probably a major influence. Credit must go to him.

But other factors conspire to make a meeting of “strange political bedfellows” to craft a common policy framework for the purpose of meeting the formidable challenge of UMNO-Barisan Nasional in the next elections This common framework is founded the universal values of democracy, freedom and justice. Well deserved thanks must go to the drafting team of Pakatan Rakyat for their effort in finalising the common policy framework, and making it a living document for action.

Anwar Ibrahim was the first to take the rostrum. He was at his best with his “switch with suppleness from Bahasa Malaysia to English and back, sprinkling some Mandarin and a modicum of Tamil along the way.” (Terence Netto). I have posted the text of his convention speech earlier, and I do not need to repeat its message here. His intellectualism and keen grasp of ideas are there for all to see.

Lim Guan Eng was inspired, drawing on his years of political experience. He spoke with extreme confidence as his intense eyes pierced into the audience. His use of Islamic phrases won him many friends , especially PAS members in the audience who obviously understood his message. His use of “amar maaruf nahi mungkar”(Arabic for enjoining the good and forbidding the bad) and pantun– a dig at UMNO-Barisan Nasional– brought down the house.

Ustaz Abdul Hadi was the last speaker for the morning session. He told the audience not to equate Islamic rule with inferences from UMNO’s example of it, for which he received a round of applause. This is the first time I saw in the PAS leader a man well versed in the history of Islamic civilisation, liberally quoting the great historian Ibn Khaldun, in particular the concept of mesyarakat madani (civil society). It was an impressive display of his intellectual depth and openness as he articulated his ideas with panache.

The audience was assured that PAS under the Hadi Presidency is not the “devil” that UMNO tries to depict via its massive propaganda machine. On the contrary, it is a party and a key member of Pakatan Rakyat which is willing, ready, and able to take on the task and responsibilities of governing a plural society. I was personally impressed with his delivery and breath of vision. It is no small wonder; this gentle Ustaz is surrounded by a team of Islamic intellectuals, who embody his progressivism within the Pakatan Rakyat’s common policy framework.

Pakatan Rakyat has made a important beginning. The road ahead is full of challenges and possibilities. The myth that it is falling apart after Bagan Pinang has been debunked. We can now look forward to promising future when we can trust and believe in government again. Pakatan Rakyat calls for honest, transparent and accountable government which is people centered, not one that is self serving and corrupt.

Ucapan Penutup Konvensyen Oleh DSAI

Bahagian 1

Bahagian 2

Bahagian 3

The Truths Copenhagen Ignored

by Johann Hari

The Independent/UK December 19, 2009

So that’s it. The world’s worst polluters – the people who are drastically altering the climate – gathered here in Copenhagen to announce they were going to carry on cooking, in defiance of all the scientific warnings.

They didn’t seal the deal; they sealed the coffin for the world’s low-lying islands, its glaciers, its North Pole, and millions of lives.

Those of us who watched this conference with open eyes aren’t surprised. Every day, practical, intelligent solutions that would cut our emissions of warming gases have been offered by scientists, developing countries and protesters – and they have been systematically vetoed by the governments of North America and Europe.

It’s worth recounting a few of the ideas that were summarily dismissed – because when the world finally resolves to find a real solution, we will have to revive them.

Discarded Idea One: The International Environmental Court. Any cuts that leaders claim they would like as a result of Copenhagen will be purely voluntary. If a government decides not to follow them, nothing will happen, except a mild blush, and disastrous warming. Canada signed up to cut its emissions at Kyoto, and then increased them by 26 per cent – and there were no consequences. Copenhagen could unleash a hundred Canadas.

The brave, articulate Bolivian delegates – who have seen their glaciers melt at a terrifying pace – objected. They said if countries are serious about reducing emissions, their cuts need to be policed by an International Environmental Court that has the power to punish people. This is hardly impractical. When our leaders and their corporate lobbies really care about an issue – say, on trade – they pool their sovereignty this way in a second. The World Trade Organisation fines and sanctions nations severely if (say) they don’t follow strict copyright laws. Is a safe climate less important than a trademark?

Discarded Idea Two: Leave the fossil fuels in the ground. At meetings here, an extraordinary piece of hypocrisy has been pointed out by the new international chair of Friends of the Earth, Nnimmo Bassey, and the environmental writer George Monbiot. The governments of the world say they want drastically to cut their use of fossil fuels, yet at the same time they are enthusiastically digging up any fossil fuels they can find, and hunting for more. They are holding a fire extinguisher in one hand and a flame-thrower in the other.

Only one of these instincts can prevail. A study published earlier this year in the journal Nature showed that we can use only – at an absolute maximum – 60 per cent of all the oil, coal and gas we have already discovered if we are going to stay the right side of catastrophic runaway warming. So the first step in any rational climate deal would be an immediate moratorium on searching for more fossil fuels, and fair plans for how to decide which of the existing stock we will leave unused. As Bassey put it: “Keep the coal in the hole. Keep the oil in the soil. Keep the tar sand in the land.” This option wasn’t even discussed by our leaders.

Discarded Idea Three: Climate debt. The rich world has been responsible for 70 per cent of the warming gases in the atmosphere – yet 70 per cent of the effects are being felt in the developing world. Holland can build vast dykes to prevent its land flooding; Bangladesh can only drown. There is a cruel inverse relationship between cause and effect: the polluter doesn’t pay.

So we have racked up a climate debt. We broke it; they paid. At this summit, for the first time, the poor countries rose in disgust. Their chief negotiator pointed out that the compensation offered “won’t even pay for the coffins”. The cliché that environmentalism is a rich person’s ideology just gasped its final CO2-rich breath. As Naomi Klein put it: “At this summit, the pole of environmentalism has moved south.”

When we are dividing up who has the right to emit the few remaining warming gases that the atmosphere can absorb, we need to realise that we are badly overdrawn. We have used up our share of warming gases, and then some. Yet the US and EU have dismissed the idea of climate debt out of hand. How can we get a lasting deal that every country agrees to if we ignore this basic principle of justice? Why should the poorest restrain themselves when the rich refuse to?

A deal based on these real ideas would actually cool the atmosphere. The alternatives championed at Copenhagen by the rich world – carbon offsetting, carbon trading, carbon capture – won’t. They are a global placebo. The critics who say the real solutions are “unrealistic” don’t seem to realise that their alternative is more implausible still: civilisation continuing merrily on a planet whose natural processes are rapidly breaking down.

Throughout the negotiations here, the world’s low-lying island states have clung to the real ideas as a life raft, because they are the only way to save their countries from a swelling sea. It has been extraordinary to watch their representatives – quiet, sombre people with sad eyes – as they were forced to plead for their own existence. They tried persuasion and hard science and lyrical hymns of love for their lands, and all were ignored.

These discarded ideas – and dozens more like them – show once again that man-made global warming can be stopped. The intellectual blueprints exist just as surely as the technological blueprints. There would be sacrifices, yes – but they are considerably less than the sacrifices made by our grandparents in their greatest fight.

We will have to pay higher taxes and fly less to make the leap to a renewably powered world – but we will still be able to live an abundant life where we are warm and free and well fed. The only real losers will be the fossil fuel corporations and the petro-dictatorships.

But our politicians have not chosen this sane path. No: they have chosen inertia and low taxes and oil money today over survival tomorrow. The true face of our current system – and of Copenhagen – can be seen in the life-saving ideas it has so casually tossed into the bin.

Gerakan Has No Right To Reject Penang Umno's Request

PENANG, Dec 20 (Bernama) -- Parti Gerakan does not have the right to reject the state Umno leader's request that the post of the state Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman be held by Umno as the decision is up to the national BN chairman who is also the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

State Umno Liaison deputy chairman Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman said Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, who is also the incumbent State BN chairman, had no right to reject the request of the state Umno.

"Tsu Koon should look at the Umno request in a positive manner because the proposal was not made indiscriminately but in the interest of the state BN and has its rationale," he said when contacted, here Sunday.

He was commenting on the statement by Dr Koh yesterday which rejected the request by the State Umno leader that the post of State BN chairman, held by the Gerakan for more than 35 years, be handed over to Umno.

Zainal Abidin pointed out that it was not the right of any individual or party to hold the post for generations or for life, and as such, it was not wrong for the Penang Umno's request to be considered in the best manner.

He added that Umno, which had won 11 state seats and two parliamentary seats in the last general election, should be given a chance to lead the state BN.

The Penang Umno's desire to hold the State BN chairman's post was announced by Penang Umno Liaison chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Friday.

Najib declines comment on missing jet engine

The Sun

SHAH ALAM (Dec 20, 2009): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak today declined to comment on the disappearance of the RM50 million jet engine as the incident is still under investigation.

"Investigations are underway...if anyone is found to have committed the offence, action must be taken against them," he said after officiating at Felda's Iktiraf Carnival 2009 today.

It was reported on Saturday that the turbojet engine, which powered the single-seater F-5E Tiger jet, went missing from the RMAF airbase in Sungai Besi late last year. Also missing was the maintenance and service records.

Earlier, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zaid Hamidi was quoted as saying the theft was an 'inside job'.

He also said the ministry will take legal action at the international level against the company which purchased the engine.

On another note, Najib said he was happy with the feedback received during the NKRA public hearing last Friday.

"The response was encouraging and I believe the public have a clear understanding of the objectives of the NKRA.

"We hope the government's transformation plan progresses smoothly.

Najib also urged all parties to give the government a chance to prove that it is committed to bringing about changes.

"The main challenge is to curb corruption and crime," he said.

Death in police custody – K Letchumanan (Raub police station lock-up, 18 December 2007)

Two years ago last Friday, 30-year-old K Letchumanan reportedly died in the Raub police station lock-up four days after he had been arrested.

Despite the requirement that all custodial deaths be investigated by inquiries conducted pursuant to Chapter XXXII of the Criminal Procedure Code, it does not appear that an inquest has been conducted into K Letchumanan’s death.

Every death in custody must be thoroughly and impartially investigated. K Letchumanan’s death must not be relegated to a mere statistic.

Based on the Royal Malaysia Police’s statistics, 85 persons died in police custody between 2003 and 2007 alone.

We express our heartfelt condolences to K Letchumanan’s family and friends on this anniversary of his death.

Bad news from Copenhagen; Vroom! in Malaysia - Anil Netto

Folks, it’s bad news from the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen as the nations of the world failed to agree on a common platform to reduce the threat.

There is no Copenhagen climate treaty. History was not made; no deal was sealed. This is the grim situation, at a glance:

Najib has committed Malaysia to a 40 per cent cut (compared to the 2005 level) in emissions by 2020. The Pakatan parties, on the other hand, unveiled their common policy framework, which promised to “reduce carbon emission rate to conform with international standards” and to build the foundation for a smooth transition to alternative energy resources.

But in the same week they pledged all this, the deputy sports minister, representing Najib, unveiled the Malaysian-backed Lotus Team drivers for the coming high-octane Formula One season, while over in Penang, street circuit races were revived with the holding of the Petronas Cub Prix at the Esplanade over the weekend. Are these politicians for real? It is as if Malaysians live on a different planet, where rhetoric and reality never meet, where climate chaos will never encroach into our comfort zones.

Part of the problem is that we have been kept in the dark on the key issues surrounding climate change, while a small minority are in denial mode. The other reason is that many of us seem to value unsustainable corporate-led economic growth above environmental protection. This is a piece I wrote for IPS:

Malaysia recorded 187 million tonnes of carbon emissions in 2006, according to U N Millennium Development Goal indicators. That puts it in third place in the South-east Asian region behind Indonesia (333 million tonnes) and Thailand (273 million tonnes), with Vietnam (106 million tonnes) in fourth place.

On a per capita basis, a different picture emerges. With 7.2 tonne of CO2 per capita, Malaysia is still the third highest emitter in South-east Asia. Brunei tops the list at 15.5 tonnes per capita, followed by Singapore with 12.8 tonnes. Thailand (4.3 tonnes) and Indonesia (1.5 tonnes) occupy fourth and fifth places respectively. Full article here.

1Malaysia = Transformation = Reformation = Reformasi?? Copycats and arrogance

by Nathaniel Tan

Firstly, Salam Maal Hijrah! :)

Not to politicise religion or whatever, but I thought it a bit presumptuous when Najib said:

The Hijrah spirit practised in Islam is in line with the 1Malaysia concept which is a continuous effort at strengthening unity among the people.

Hallo. *IF* anything, it would be that 1M’sia is in line w/the Hijrah spirit, not the other way around. So arrogant this guy!

I also couldn’t help but notice other terminology, as used in the front page of today’s Star as well:

THE 1Malaysia Transformation Roadmap will be released by the end of next month after getting public feedback, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon.

Transformation? What, you mean like Reformation? Like, Reformasi?

Sigh, there isn’t a single original idea in 1M’sia is there?

I guess the proof of the pudding will always be in the tasting.

(for a long time, I always found myself saying: the proof is in the pudding. which i realise. doesn’t make sense :P )

Kenakan cukai GST untuk jadikan Malaysia negara maju...?

"Pelaksanaan cukai perkhidmatan dan barangan (GST) bertujuan meletakkan ekonomi negara pada tahap yang sama dengan negara maju dan sesuai dengan peredaran zaman."

Itulah ayat palik lawak bangang yang keluar dari mulut Menteri Kewangan II, Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah. Dalam kenyataanya yang dilaporkan oleh laman berita MyStar (BM) dia juga berkata berkata, pelaksanaan GST memberi kelebihan, terutama kepada kerajaan dalam meningkatkan aliran pendapatan yang kemudiannya boleh digunakan bagi melaksanakan projek-projek untuk manfaat seluruh rakyat, ia tidak membebankan rakyat !!

Hahahahaaaaa.... gelak ...gelak... letak cukai pada rakyat agar negara boleh jadi negara maju kerana kebanyakan negara maju kenakan cukai barangan.... BANGANG !!!! Cukai tak akan membebankan rakyat ?

Rakyat seharusnya menyanggah kenyataan bangang ini kononya pelaksanaan Cukai Barangan dan Perkhidmatan tidak akan membebankan rakyat.

Kenyataan menteri itu sebagai tidak masuk akal, pengenalan CUKAI akan menyebabkan rakyat terpaksa menanggung lebih RM 6.4 bilion cukai yang sepatutnya diperolehi daripada pihak industri.

Jika perolehan cukai daripada para peniaga akan dikurangkan sehingga RM 5.4 bilion dan dalam masa yang sama pendapatan negara bertambah kepada RM 13 bilion, bermaksud jumlah cukai RM 6.4 bilion akan diperolehi daripada rakyat.

Persoalannya bagaimana menteri boleh keluarkan kenyataan rakyat berpendapatan rendah mampu menyimpan seperti mereka yang berpendapatan tinggi?. Pengecualian cukai RM 6.4 bilion yang dinikmati oleh para peniaga akan dibayar oleh pengguna yang terdiri daripada pekerja berpendapatan rendah, pesara, pelajar ataupun golongan pertengahan.

Around the websites

Callous exclusion
Leaders from Sabah, Sarawak and the Indian community were noticeably absent from the main photo-shoot for Pakatan Rakyat. Why wasn’t Jeffrey Kitingan from Sabah and Sarawak included? After all Sabah and Sarawak came together with Singapore and Malaya, not the negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu, to form the new Federation of Malaysia. Sabah and Sarawak are equals of Malaya and should not be treated as just one of the states in Malaysia in the same league as the states of Peninsular Malaysia. If Malaysian Borneo has fallen in rankings in the estimation of Peninsular Malaysian leaders, it’s with good reasons too. It’s the result of a deliberate Federal Government policy of foisting proxies, traitors and stooges on the people of Sabah and Sarawak as their leaders. Genuine leaders have been hounded out of existence in the process. Some names come to mind i.e. Daniel Tajem Anak Miri of Sarawak and Jeffrey Kitingan of Sabah. Earlier, it was his brother Joseph Pairin Kitingan that got the third degree treatment from Kuala Lumpur just like his predecessor Donald Stephens, also the huguansiou (paramount chief) of the KadazanDusunMuruts. Pairin is now huguansiou.

Third Force
It does not make sense for Sabah & S’wak leaders to throw their lot permanently with any of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) members or indeed the ruling coalition. Anwar Ibrahim may want to capture Putra Jaya. If so, that’s his problem. Why should the people of the M’sian states in B’neo jump from the proverbial frying pan (Barisan Nasional) into the fire (PR) because of Anwar. In that sense, Anwar has to do it alone since Sabah & S’wak are caught between the devil (BN) & the deep blue sea. Better the known devil (BN) than the unknown angel (PR). M’sian B’neo should be eternally with the “winning” side i.e. whether PR or BN but this can only be decided after the General Elections are over. There is a need to get the politics and relationships right. Sabah & S’wak, standing together, should reach out to the Indian community, Orang Asli and other disadvantage, underprivileged & marginalized groups in Peninsular M’sia. Such a Third Force can make common cause with moderate Malay & Chinese elements in Peninsular M’sia to forge a Gov’t that is driven by the politics of what brings people together.

--
Posted By joefernandez@fernz to the oRAcLe weblog OrAcLeOrAcLeOrAcLeOrAcLeOrAcLeOrAcLeOrAcLe

Mandores and Mandorism A system whose time is up!

Who is a Mandore?

Historically, a Mandore was a supervisor in the rubber estates, whose role was to ensure the estate bosses got their work done by the Indian rubber tapper – the daily paid wage workers. Besides just supervising to get the job done these Mandores also had the role of goading the workers on, on unpopular policies. They resorted to manipulation, force and deceit, in many cases to do this. Then, when dissatisfaction brewed and the workers began to speak out they also played the role of the spy for the master – telling on trouble makers. In many of these situations they connived with their masters because of their understanding of the nuances of the tappers lives and communities.

The master for his part always remained in the background. He used many ruthless schemes to maximize his personal gains from the background. He skillfully used his Mandore to be his fall guy. In return for the fronting he did for the master, these Mandores enjoyed a few more perks in life. The master gave a very small portion of truly what should all have gone to the tappers, to the Mandores and set off with the rest. Those tidbits gave the Mandores a status that they strutted while the master got the large chunk of the value that was created by the tappers. The master got off with the loot. The Mandores got a few crumbs and was always humming and hawing for more. The tappers got the short end of the stick.

That was the process of yore, devised by the plantation owners of those days to ensure they got the maximum possible yields. They allowed only enough to be paid to the tapper and his families’ subsistence , some toddy and maybe a little for his festivals, but not more.

Then the white masters left and the brown and yellow tuans took over in the 1960s. This system remained and evolved. What started as a system for maximizing the profits in the plantations became in time a system for subjugating the Indian poor to maximize the returns for the tuans in the economy as a whole wherever the Indian worker was involved. The tuans influence now extended to all aspects of the economy and politics.

Mandores become Mandorism.

What is Mandorism?

Mandorism in short, is a system for subjugation of the Indian working class by Indian middlemen fronting for the power elite of the country.

With Independence came an opportunity for a better life for all. But it was not to be. It was independence for The Malay, Chinese and Indian elites only. It was not Independence for the workers. It was really not any different for the workers – in fact it got worse for the workers.

At this stage of the nation, there was collusion and contention between these 3 sections of the elite. They colluded where their collective self preservation was concerned and they competed where their individual self preservation was concerned. It was in the collusion mode that Mandorism arose.

The new Mandore’s role now, was to hold the down the Indian poor so the elite could pole vault off their backs undisturbed into their newfound opportunity for prosperity. The new system was such that it benefited the elite but it impoverished the workers and the workers had to be kept ignorant and they had to be kept down. One policy which clearly impoverished the Indian workers was the fragmentation of the estates and the ejection of the estate workers en masse into the urban centers. The dislocation created was massive, the negative effects of which are still being felt.

How did this happen without any effective opposition from the people so thrown out. Enter the new Mandore – the MIC. Their historical role now, it is clear was to mollify the effects of all this deprivation and dispossession. Mandorsim was born.

Here are some key features of how mandorism operates/operated:

1) The new Mandores assumed leadership for the Indian workers through the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) beginning in the 1950s. They extended the Mandores role from inside of the estates to the outside and to all aspects of the economy and politics that involved the Indian workers.

2) The interests of the workers were increasingly compromised by these MIC Mandores for positions in the Federal Cabinet, in Parliament, in other Governing councils for the Mandores at all levels in the MIC.

3) The MIC Mandores were made responsible for resolving the issues and the problems of the Indian community through the ethnocentric political arrangement of the Alliance. The elder brother UMNO took on the role of the Tuan and MIC became their Mandores.

4) The Mandore was not really expected to solve the problems of the community – they could not anyway, because of the miniscule allocation of resources. They were just to hold the Indian poor down so the tauns could take away the resources to their higher priorities without questions from the Indian poor. The MIC mandores were expected to give a perception that they were solving the problems. So, whenever problems arose and there were plenty of them, UMNO would just pass the buck to the Mandore MIC and Mandore MIC would create mirages of doing something about the problems

and the poor were fed with a steady diet of such illusion.

5) So what kind of things does the Mandore MIC do to create these illusions– set up illusory bodies like the National Land Finance Cooperative (NLFCS), the NESA scheme, the MIC Unit Trust Scheme, the Koperasi Pekerja Jaya company, the Maju Jaya Cooperative, the MAIKA Scheme, The AIMST and MIED funds. These bodies were the Mandores answers to the woes of the Indian community. Not only did they all not provide any tangible benefit to the Indian poor , they bankrupted the Indian poor further in many cases.

Compare this with what the tuan was doing on the other side - FELDA, FELCRA, PERDA, KEDA, KEJORA, MARA, PNB, PNS, KHAZANAH, PETRONAS, FAMA, all the other Government Linked companies, to name just a few. Look at the net effect of all those development efforts and the opportunities they had created and how they have brought about sea changes to the Malay community. The Indian poor achieved zero with all the illusory schemes of the Mandoreswhile the Mandores continued to sell off the rights of the Indians with impunity and connivance with UMNO and destroyed the future of several generations of Indian .

6) The MIC Mandores did not consolidate and develop the position of the Indians in the country at all. They compromised all that for the crumbs of positions as Minister, Deputy Ministers some other positions in Government, stole whatever little crumbs that were thrown at the Indians, obtained grants of lands, shares for themselves, their cronies and their relatives.

7) For the problems of the Indian community, elder brother UMNO would always send in the Mandore MIC to front for them. And what does the Mandore do – he says, I will raise it in Parliament, he says, I will raise it in the Cabinet meeting, he says I will raise it to the PM. He creates an illusion of representation. Result – zero.

8) They put up pictures of handing over some mock cheques in the Tamil newspapers, they issue statements in the Tamil newspapers that the PM gave a 100 million Ringgits, the PM gave 65 million Ringgits, a new school building has been approved, the Indian entrepreuners would be given loans, the Indian poor will be allotted low cost houses, the temple demolition will be stopped or postponed and such other lies and nonsense. Net effect, the Indian newspapers which anyway were owned by the MIC Mandores sells more copies (Samy Vellu owns the Tamil Nesan and Subramaniam owns the Makkal Osai) and the Mandores look like they are busy settling the problems of the Indian poor. The truth is that nothing has changed, the tuan loots, the Mandores get some crumbs and the poor keep getting shafted.

9) For some other problems that seems to be getting out of hand for the tuan UMNO and which could cause some embarrassment or hurt, they send in the Mandore MIC to sweet talk, to bribe, to threaten and to coax the key individuals into submission and kill the offending problem off. We see this in so many instances – the temple demolitions, the squatter home demolitions, the police murders to name a few.

All of this represents just a facet of the whole system in the country – a pernicious one nevertheless. There is just no political will in the system to resolve the Indian working class problems, so mandorism steps in and keeps the problem at bay. There is a lot of play acting,but no real substance of a long term and sustainable solution.

Enter the Newest mandores - the PR mandores

In the last general Elections the Indian poor for the first time threw off the illusions created by the MIC Mandores and kicked them out and put in place in 5 States, Governments that they thought would have more political will to address their longstanding issues. They placed a lot of hope in the Pakatan Rakyat Coalition. But much to their disappointment what they got was just more of the same. Old wine, just new bottle.

What do they get, a new set of Mandores who facilitate their new tuans to demolish, to destroy, to delude, to throw more crumbs, to mollify. If we go back up this story and replace the MIC Mandores with the PR Mandores the story will not read much different, only these Mandores are doing in these last two years what the MIC Mandores have been doing for over 50 years.

They help their tuans break Indian settlements, demolish Indian temples, demolish Hindu burial grounds, give mock cheques in the newspapers, promise secondary schools after the next elections, give a little bit of land for a school here, a school there, give some handouts to fire victims and play it big in the newspapers. They support the Srilanka Tamil refugees in a big way, they want to kill off the MIC Mandores, burn their effigies, they want to kill off Hindraf, the emerging champion of the poor Indians, they lie, they twist, they do everything what MIC has been doing for the last 50+ years.

They propose no permanent solutions to any of the problems. They develop no master plan to address any of the problems. They have no no vision for a healthy and thriving Indian community as part of a larger healthy and thriving Malaysian community, they have no political will to address these problems head on. They are interested only in supporting their new tauns, keeping their political positions, looking good within their respective political parties and hoping to get nominated by their parties for the next general elections and then maybe retire with a lifelong pension.

So what is the difference – MIC Mandores or PR Mandores. All the same stuff, just different in name and style.

Mandorism as a system must be demolished

Time has come for us to completely kill off this Mandorist system. Mandores do not represent the poor and marginalized. They represent the interest of the tuans. What is needed now is a true representation of the poor and the marginalized in the halls of power. Only then will policies be forced in place for the poor and the marginalized. Not just for the Indian poor and marginalized but for the poor and marginalized of all of Malaysia. The current two coalitions really do not represent the poor and the marginalized, that is why they have similar policies and methods in spite of their avowed differences– an example of this similarity is this policy of the continuation of Mandorism. The powers-that-be must deal with the true representatives of the poor and the marginalized, they should not try and manipulate their way out of their obligations to the poor of the country. The Mandorist system has been a way for them to do it.

Powers that be must get out of the denial syndrome

The powers-that-be now need to stop denying that the poor are beginning to speak up and that this is not reversible anymore. They must accept that the expectations of the people cannot be bottled in any more. The likes of me who do not quite belong to the category of the poor and marginalized are increasing, as more and more become aware of what is really happening and why. No matter that the poor may still be inarticulate themselves, the numbers who are speaking up for them are increasing and are doing so increasingly fearlessly. The process is set. You cannot put the genie back into the bottle.

This truth must be accepted and the denials and the petty intrigues must stop and realism must set in, to prevent further pain and further loss for Malaysian society as a whole.

The powers that be must demolish the Mandorist system and start negotiating a better future with the poor and marginalized themselves through their true representatives. There is no other way out of this problem of the poor and marginalized Indians.

So let us all start getting real and initiate positive moves to go on forward. Start with killing off the Mandorist system.

Viva la Makkal

Naragan

Tamil Nadu leaders wish well for referendum in Canada

Tamil Nadu political leaders Pazha Nedumaran, Ko'laththoor Mani, Aruna Bharathi and Thamizharuvi Maniyan in their statements Friday wished well for the democratic move of Canadian Tamils in conducting a referendum on Tamil Eelam Saturday and urged all Canadian Tamils to make it a grand success. Other prominent leaders like Vaiko and Thol Thirumavalavan have already extended their support to this international effort. Mr. Thirumavalavan has recently called for such democratic exercises in Tamil Nadu too. In the meantime, the move for the referendum is enlightening many Canadians on the history of Eezham Tamil struggle and how the struggle predates militant movements, said a Canadian Tamil who happened to spend some time with Canadian intelligence officials in explaining what was Vaddukkoaddai Resolution.

Vaddukkoaddai Resolution and its mandate was a significant event in the history of World Tamils. After all the sacrifices, there cannot be any retract from the goals of the mandate, said Pazha Nedumaran. "I urge every Tamil person to steadfastly stand by the principle of the resolution, upholding an independent and sovereign Tamil Eelam."

Following Norway and France, the Canadian Eezham Tamils too should overwhelmingly mandate the main principle of Vaddukkoaddai Resolution, said Periyar Dravidar Kazhakam Leader Kolaththoor Mani. As successive Colombo governments had in the past rejected all reasonable and reconciliatory demands such as the Thimphu proposal, limited itself to self-determination and on the contrary Colombo had committed unforgivable genocide on Tamils, proposals such as Thimphu are of no relevance today and Eezham Tamils have to stick to full independence and sovereignty of the Vaddukkoaddai Resolution, he further said.

• Statement from I'lanthamizhar Iyakkam

"Make it a hundred percent success," wishes K. Arunaparathy, the coordinator of I'lanthamizhar Iyakkam (Young Tamils Movement). Diaspora Tamils today bear the bulk of the responsibility in the liberation struggle, he said.

Voice: A commercial announcement in 680 News

Direct Link (mp3)

"Democratic political struggle is the most feasible way in the current context," says Thamizharuvi Maniyan of the Gandhiyan Political Movement, who was formerly a leader of the Congress Party in Tamil Nadu. "In the line of Vaddukkoaddai Resolution, if a Gandhian struggle is pursued internationally, Tamil Eelam could be achieved in our own lifetime," he further said wishing well for the referendum movement in Canada.

Display of awareness placards on scooped snow

• Details on polling stations and information from Coalition for Tamil Elections Canada