hoping to hit the of 100,000 people for a gathering who will then march to the palace fm merdeka square to submit a memorandum to the king for a massive electoral reformation...
this is the gelombang kuning which malaysia-today mentioned... (http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/holds.php?itemid=9108)...
this gonna be huge!...
do come for it and for the exercise!... :) .. every little way helps in building a better, a fairer, a cleaner, a colour-blind and a real democratic malaysia, again!...
BERSIH: Perhimpunan 10 November akan dipenuhi dengan kuning
Oleh Faisal Mustaffa
KUALA LUMPUR 9 Nov - Gabungan Pilihan raya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH) akan tetap meneruskan perhimpunan aman mereka sungguhpun beberapa insiden buruk yang berlaku dalam perhimpunan sehingga membawa kepada kemalangan.
Perhimpunan aman bagi menuntut pilihan raya umum akan datang bersih, telus dan adil akan diadakan pada 10 November akan datang di Dataran Merdeka pada pukul 3 petang.
Pengumuman rasmi tersebut dibuat oleh Ahli Jawatankuasa Induk BERSIH dalam satu sidang media di Ibu Pejabat PAS di sini hari ini yang dihadiri oleh YB Teresa Kok (DAP), Dr Zulkifli Ahmad (PAS), Sivarasa Rasiah (keADILan) dan Hj Anuar Tahir (Penggerak Demokrasi).
Pilihan raya awal
Dalam sidang media tersebut, Sivarasa menjangkakan pilihan raya umum akan diadakan awal, iaitu seawal November kerana keadaan negara yang semakin terdesak.
“Insiden di Batu Burok pada 8 September, pendedahan rasuah dalam sistem kehakiman pada 19 September dan pendedahan laporan Ketua Audit Negara yang melibatkan penyalahgunaan beratus juta ringgit wang rakyat menjadikan BN (Barisan Nasional) terdesak,” kata Sivarasa.
“Pengumuman untuk mengadakan pilihan raya lebih awal akan dibuat oleh Perdana Menteri bagi keluar daripada keadaan (terdesak) ini,” tambah Sivarasa lagi.
10 November bukan program ceramah
Menurut Dr Zulkifli, program yang akan dianjurkan oleh BERSIH pada 10 November ini bukan satu program ceramah seperti yang diadakan di Batu Burok.
“Pihak penganjur akan pastikan yang ianya satu perhimpunan yang aman dan diadakan dalam satu suasana yang meriah,” kata Dr Zulkifli.
Apabila ditanya mengenai permit polis, Dr Zulkifli menjawab bahawa pihak polis dan badan-badan hak asasi akan dimaklumkan mengenai perhimpunan tersebut.
“Saya pasti rakyat yang hadir mempunyai objektif yang lebih jelas, iaitu mahukan pilihan raya yang bersih dan adil”, jelas Dr Zulkifli lagi.
Mengenai perhimpunan itu, Dr Zulkifli menasihati orang ramai berpakaian serba kuning sebagai simbol protes. Satu memorandum juga akan diserahkan kepada DYMM Seri Paduka Bagina Yang di-Pertuan Agung di Istana Negara.
Dalam sidang media itu juga, BERSIH membandingkan dengan perhimpunan di Burma baru-baru ini di mana rakyat keluar untuk tuntut demokrasi selama dua minggu berturut-turut sehingga pihak junta melakukan keganasan bagi menghentikan perhimpunan.
Friday, October 19, 2007
"do not disturb islam, if not something will come up"... said the perak mufti...
sometimes is it just me who don't get it or it's just a practice as to why are there no actions taken against this kinda racist clowns who is giving islam a bad name?!?...
a very good video... at the crossroads - malaysia... basically mentioned few of the major problems which is bothering the country...
do watch the whole thing... the superstar aka the perak mufti of the video will appear at the last bit of the video and make his racial statement...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9zmRMoDt58)
a very good video... at the crossroads - malaysia... basically mentioned few of the major problems which is bothering the country...
do watch the whole thing... the superstar aka the perak mufti of the video will appear at the last bit of the video and make his racial statement...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9zmRMoDt58)
92 to 124... reporters without borders...
would be interesting to hear the views fm journalists and reporters...
(http://minda-kembara.blogspot.com/2007/10/press-freedom-malaysias-worst-ranking.html)
full list...
(http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=24025)
p/s ; thank God for malaysiakini and rpk and many others!...
(http://minda-kembara.blogspot.com/2007/10/press-freedom-malaysias-worst-ranking.html)
full list...
(http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=24025)
p/s ; thank God for malaysiakini and rpk and many others!...
25th november 2007.. the date given to hold the 12th general election!... gelombang kuning!...
if one know aab well enough, one will know he is a strong believer of feng shui and there are couple of dates given to him to hold the next general election...
besides this.... pls do read the below article fm rpk...
the last bit of the article refreshes me and brought smile to my face as to the real meaning of muhibbah and teamwork as to working together for a better, a fairer, a cleaner, a colour-blind and a real democratic malaysia...
i can never forget how a malay telling a bunch of racist malays.. "langkah mayat kami dulu"... because that bunch of racist malays threathen the chinese to have another may 13, if they 'don't-do-well' in the general election!... wat a low threat!...
pls read the article in full below...
16/10: Gelombang Kuning
Category: General Posted by: Raja Petra
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
From the seventh to the ninth of November 2007, Umno will be holding its Annual General Assembly. The last party election was in 2004 so it is actually time for another one. However, it appears like they are, again, postponing the party election so that Abdullah Ahmad Badawi can remain the unchallenged Umno President until at least 2009 -- that is after the next general election. This postponement will allow Abdullah to purge the party by dropping the remnants of the Mahathir regime from the general election candidacy list and all his people can then be put in place before the party election is held. This will also mean it will be very difficult for anyone to mount a challenge to unseat him in the 2009 party election.
There is much speculation that Abdullah might close the convention with an announcement that he will be having an audience with the Agong the following Monday to request the dissolution of Parliament to enable the Twelfth General Election to be held on 25 November 2007. Or maybe he will meet the Agong beforehand to inform His Majesty that he will be making the announcement on Friday, 9 November 2007, of the dissolution of Parliament.
25 November 2007 is one of the four dates the feng shui master gave Abdullah for the Twelfth General Election to be held. The other three are 19 May 2007, which has since passed, 15 December 2007, and 15 March 2008. This is the same feng shui master who gave Abdullah the 21 March 2004 date to hold the Eleventh General Election that saw Barisan Nasional sweep 91% of the seats in Parliament, the most impressive performance ever.
Political observers, however, feel that 25 November is too early to hold the general election as MCA and Gerakan are not ready yet. According to the word on the ground, there will be a massive swing of Chinese support to DAP, which may end up getting 20 to 25 Parliament seats. There is the added danger that Penang might fall to the opposition -- or at least the Chinese seats might fall even if Umno still retains its seats in Penang. This would mean that even if Barisan Nasional can still retain a simple majority in Penang it will be an Umno government minus a two-thirds majority and with a very strong opposition presence in the State Assembly.
Umno appears to still have 70% Malay support nationwide (and 50% in Kelantan and Terengganu) but Chinese support has shrunk to only 40%. This augurs well for DAP -- and probably for PKR as well in ‘Chinese’ constituencies where they field Chinese candidates. PKR has the potential to secure five to eight Parliament seats with PAS bringing in another 25 to 30 in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu -- giving the opposition a combined 50 to 60 seats in Parliament.
Of course, this still allows Barisan Nasional a 72%-77% majority in Parliament from the present 91% -- more than the two-thirds majority it needs -- but 50 to 60 opposition voices in Parliament will certainly make life very uncomfortable for the ruling coalition.
Barisan Nasional is not sitting pretty though. It has injected hundreds of thousands of ‘new’ voters into Kelantan and Terengganu to ensure its Gelombang Biru (Blue Wave) will achieve the Pembangkang Sifar (Zero Opposition) campaign it has launched. The Terengganu Gelombang Biru campaign proved successful in 2004 when PAS was reduced to just four State seats with 28 State and eight Parliament seats falling to Barisan Nasional. The 2004 election success in Terengganu merits the same campaign being implemented nationwide.
Sabah, a PKR target, has seen an influx of 1.5 million foreign voters while Kelantan and Terengganu have about one million or so combined. This almost assures Barisan Nasional a clean sweep of Sabah, Kelantan and Terengganu. In the other states where ‘foreign participation’ is a bit more difficult, opposition supporters have been relocated to other constituencies while government supporters have been moved in. Then there are the postal votes, which invariably are always in favour of the ruling party, plus the dead voters and those above 100 years old still on the electoral roll -- and the previous elections have proven that they always come back from the grave to cast their votes.
DAP has discovered that many of its supporters have been removed from the electoral roll while ‘new faces’ have been added to the list. Since some constituencies saw margins of only 1,000 to 2,000 votes, 2,000 voters moved out and a new lot of 2,000 moved in would mean that Barisan Nasional can win with a most comfortable margin. Expect many of the DAP kingpins to be sent into retirement. Lim Kit Siang alone has lost 8,000 votes over the last few months. Bye-bye Kit Siang and Guan Eng. Maybe you can now become a fulltime blogger like me.
Yes, the outcome of the Twelfth General Election has already been decided even before Parliament is dissolved. Barisan Nasional is serious about its Gelombang Biru and Pembangkang Sifar program. In 2004 it was 91% as follows:
UMNO: 35.9% of the popular votes and 110 seats or 50% of the seats.
MCA: 15.5% of the popular votes and 31 seats or 14% of the seats.
MIC: 3.2% of the popular votes and 9 seats or 4% of the seats.
Gerakan: 3.7% of the popular votes and 10 seats or 4% of the seats.
Others: 5.5% of the popular votes and 39 seats or 18% of the seats
Total BN: 63.8% of the popular votes and 199 seats or 91% of the seats.
Opposition: 36.2% of the popular votes and 20 seats or 9% the seats.
This time around Barisan Nasional wants 100% of the 219 seats which they hope to win with about 70% of the popular votes.
Anyway, that is what Barisan Nasional wants, but the people are not sitting pretty either. In anticipation of the dissolution of Parliament soon after the Umno General Assembly on 9 November and the general election being held on 25 November, BERSIH, the coalition for free and fair elections, is holding a rally at 3.00pm on Saturday, 10 November 2007, at the Dataran Merdeka in front of the Selangor Club. The target is to gather 100,000 concerned citizens who will then march to the Istana Negara to present a Memorandum to the Agong calling for massive electoral reforms. It is going to be a sea of yellow or Gelombang Kuning (Yellow Wave) as many will be dressed in yellow. This will be the peoples’ response to Barisan Nasional’s Gelombang Biru.
Electoral reforms are long overdue. Not only are voters being transferred out and foreigners being registered as voters, but many who never registered as voters in their entire life have found, much to their surprise, that they are now registered voters. Who do you think will be voting in their place? In the last election many who voted in the same constituency for the last 20 or 30 years found that they had been transferred to another state. They then rushed to their ‘new’ polling station and found that they had already voted. In short, someone had voted in their place.
Gerrymandering, ‘phantom’ voters, ‘imported’ voters, transferred voters, postal voters, etc., can of course work to a certain extent. But when the swing is massive even this can’t help. This would be when Barisan Nasional plays the race card and threatens the voters, in particular the Chinese voters, with another ‘May 13’ if the ruling coalition loses its two-thirds majority in Parliament or ‘Chinese’ states like Penang fall to the opposition. Well, if they try that ‘Remember May 13’ trick again, the opposition will come forward to address it.
To demonstrate what I mean, read this old article I wrote in 20 August 2000 called ‘Politics of Fear’. This is what I said then:
Two days ago, Umno Youth confronted the Chinese about the demands the Chinese had made, a long time ago, during the Tenth General Election. Why, after almost a year, does Umno Youth dig this issue up? Why did they not confront the Chinese then, at the time the demands were made, back in 1999? Is it because they needed the Chinese votes then but no longer need it now?
Maybe it did take Umno Youth almost a year to realise what the Chinese demands were, or to pluck up the courage to stage an illegal demonstration in front of the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. I was told it was a boisterous demonstration complete with four-letter words -- and I am not talking about the Umno word (which is also a four-letter word) but of the ‘F’ type. Some people were roughed up and one journalist-photographer was assaulted.
But that’s not the issue. The Chinese tried to pacify the Umno Youth demonstrators and explain what the demands were all about, but Umno Youth would hear nothing of it. Taking a very confrontational stand, Umno Youth told the Chinese they refuse to listen to any explanation and insisted that the Chinese apologise. Again, the Chinese tried to explain the issue but Umno Youth shouted them down and would not allow them to. Umno Youth only wanted an apology and nothing less.
Umno Youth was very abusive and vulgar in their treatment of the Chinese. Clearly their intention was to spark an incident but the Chinese knew better than to engage Umno Youth in a boxing match. The Chinese knew, either way, they would come out the loser.
Umno Youth has given the Chinese a week to apologise and warned the Chinese that they run the risk of angering the Malays if they do not. This, in turn, raises a greater risk of racial tension, possibly followed by a racial conflict. In short, if you don’t play ball, there may be another May 13 looming over the horizon.
Yesterday, the Chinese announced that they will not apologise, as there is nothing to apologise for. Furthermore, the issue is ‘dead’ and had already been previously clarified to everyone’s satisfaction.
Both sides will not back down so it is now a stalemate.
This was a major booboo for Umno Youth. They have thrown the challenge and the Chinese have stood firm. What will Umno Youth do next? If Umno Youth keeps quiet it will lose face so will it now start a racial conflict as promised?
Anyway, what Umno Youth is going to do is not important as it is no longer significant in Malaysian politics. Maybe when Anwar Ibrahim was the Umno Youth leader people took notice. Since then Umno Youth is seen as merely Mahathir’s tool to provoke issues whenever Umno proper cannot be seen to be behind it.
What is more interesting in this whole issue is that Barisan Alternatif (BA) is going to make history and change the way the many races in this land live with each other. Yesterday, PAS, DAP, PRM and keADILan had a ‘roundtable conference’ in Kuala Lumpur. The conference had nothing to do with the Umno Youth threat. It was to plan the opposition’s strategies for the future. I must admit it was a fantastic conference and if they implement all the plans adopted it is going to make the opposition coalition a very credible alternative to the ruling government. But that is a story for another time.
At this conference, the youth members from the four Barisan Alternatif parties pledged to stand united in the face of Umno Youth’s threat. And they will be issuing a media statement to that effect in a day or two.
Pemuda BA (and three out of the four BA Youth leaders are Malays mind you) is going to tell Umno Youth that the Malays will stand united in defence of the Chinese. If Umno Youth tries to harm the Chinese they will first have to cross the line of Malays. The Malays in BA will stand between Umno Youth and the Chinese.
“Let the Umno Youth Malays kill the BA Youth Malays first before they can touch the Chinese,” said one Malay from keADILan.
“The Malays will stand between Umno Youth and the Chinese,” said another Malay from PAS.
“It is time we stop talking about Malays and Chinese and start talking as Malaysians,” said the DAP chap.
“PRM will take the initiative of drafting the press release to tell Umno Youth that Pemuda BA is guaranteeing the safety of the Chinese,” said the PRM Youth leader.
I felt a tear in my eyes. Umno Youth may not realise it but they have just made history. Their threat to start another race riot if the Chinese do not apologise has brought the Malays forward. The Malays are now standing in defence of their Chinese comrades. The Malays are prepared to face their fellow Malays in protecting innocent Chinese lives.
What really moved the crowd was when Dr Hatta Ramli of PAS got onto the stage and announced to the assembly of Malays, Chinese and Indians that Umno Youth would have to “step over our dead bodies first before they can harm the Chinese” (“langkah mayat kami dulu”).
The hall reverberated with applause. I felt like crying. My wife is, after all, Chinese, though of Siamese descent. 43 years of independence and, finally, Malaysians have learnt to set aside racial differences and stand up for one another. Yesterday we stopped being Malays and Chinese and emerged as Malaysians. What a great Merdeka Day celebration this 31 August is going to be.
Umno Youth had better be warned. Nearly half the voters voted for the opposition the last general election. It is also said that more than 70% of these people are Malays, as the Chinese had been intimidated into voting for the ruling government.
Maybe Umno Youth is trying to win back Malay support by showing how aggressive they are and that they will take no shit from the Chinese. But this move has backfired badly, just as Dr Mahathir’s move to put Anwar in jail for 15 years has.
Umno Youth has not won back the Malays. They have only forced the Malays to come out in defence of the Chinese. And, to make matters worse, Umno Youth is probably going to now lose the support of the Chinese, which they had in the first place.
The Chinese were scared the last election. They were scared because they thought they were on their own. Now that they know the opposition Malays in BA will not let any harm come to them there is no longer any reason to be scared of Umno.
Umno Youth had better be warned. The Malays in BA are not just paying lip service. They mean what they say. The Malays in BA are determined that race riots are a thing of the past. The Malays in BA will take the punches first before a single Chinese hair can be harmed. The Malays in BA are not ‘talk only’ like Umno Youth but are ‘battle seasoned’ through years of Reformasi. And there are more BA Malays than there are Umno Youth members.
If at all any good has come out of the Reformasi movement it is that Reformasi has successfully set aside race and elevated justice as the rallying call. Umno is all about ‘Malay rights and privileges’. Reformasi is about justice for Anwar and justice for all Malaysians.
(http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/holds.php?itemid=9108)
besides this.... pls do read the below article fm rpk...
the last bit of the article refreshes me and brought smile to my face as to the real meaning of muhibbah and teamwork as to working together for a better, a fairer, a cleaner, a colour-blind and a real democratic malaysia...
i can never forget how a malay telling a bunch of racist malays.. "langkah mayat kami dulu"... because that bunch of racist malays threathen the chinese to have another may 13, if they 'don't-do-well' in the general election!... wat a low threat!...
pls read the article in full below...
16/10: Gelombang Kuning
Category: General Posted by: Raja Petra
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
From the seventh to the ninth of November 2007, Umno will be holding its Annual General Assembly. The last party election was in 2004 so it is actually time for another one. However, it appears like they are, again, postponing the party election so that Abdullah Ahmad Badawi can remain the unchallenged Umno President until at least 2009 -- that is after the next general election. This postponement will allow Abdullah to purge the party by dropping the remnants of the Mahathir regime from the general election candidacy list and all his people can then be put in place before the party election is held. This will also mean it will be very difficult for anyone to mount a challenge to unseat him in the 2009 party election.
There is much speculation that Abdullah might close the convention with an announcement that he will be having an audience with the Agong the following Monday to request the dissolution of Parliament to enable the Twelfth General Election to be held on 25 November 2007. Or maybe he will meet the Agong beforehand to inform His Majesty that he will be making the announcement on Friday, 9 November 2007, of the dissolution of Parliament.
25 November 2007 is one of the four dates the feng shui master gave Abdullah for the Twelfth General Election to be held. The other three are 19 May 2007, which has since passed, 15 December 2007, and 15 March 2008. This is the same feng shui master who gave Abdullah the 21 March 2004 date to hold the Eleventh General Election that saw Barisan Nasional sweep 91% of the seats in Parliament, the most impressive performance ever.
Political observers, however, feel that 25 November is too early to hold the general election as MCA and Gerakan are not ready yet. According to the word on the ground, there will be a massive swing of Chinese support to DAP, which may end up getting 20 to 25 Parliament seats. There is the added danger that Penang might fall to the opposition -- or at least the Chinese seats might fall even if Umno still retains its seats in Penang. This would mean that even if Barisan Nasional can still retain a simple majority in Penang it will be an Umno government minus a two-thirds majority and with a very strong opposition presence in the State Assembly.
Umno appears to still have 70% Malay support nationwide (and 50% in Kelantan and Terengganu) but Chinese support has shrunk to only 40%. This augurs well for DAP -- and probably for PKR as well in ‘Chinese’ constituencies where they field Chinese candidates. PKR has the potential to secure five to eight Parliament seats with PAS bringing in another 25 to 30 in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu -- giving the opposition a combined 50 to 60 seats in Parliament.
Of course, this still allows Barisan Nasional a 72%-77% majority in Parliament from the present 91% -- more than the two-thirds majority it needs -- but 50 to 60 opposition voices in Parliament will certainly make life very uncomfortable for the ruling coalition.
Barisan Nasional is not sitting pretty though. It has injected hundreds of thousands of ‘new’ voters into Kelantan and Terengganu to ensure its Gelombang Biru (Blue Wave) will achieve the Pembangkang Sifar (Zero Opposition) campaign it has launched. The Terengganu Gelombang Biru campaign proved successful in 2004 when PAS was reduced to just four State seats with 28 State and eight Parliament seats falling to Barisan Nasional. The 2004 election success in Terengganu merits the same campaign being implemented nationwide.
Sabah, a PKR target, has seen an influx of 1.5 million foreign voters while Kelantan and Terengganu have about one million or so combined. This almost assures Barisan Nasional a clean sweep of Sabah, Kelantan and Terengganu. In the other states where ‘foreign participation’ is a bit more difficult, opposition supporters have been relocated to other constituencies while government supporters have been moved in. Then there are the postal votes, which invariably are always in favour of the ruling party, plus the dead voters and those above 100 years old still on the electoral roll -- and the previous elections have proven that they always come back from the grave to cast their votes.
DAP has discovered that many of its supporters have been removed from the electoral roll while ‘new faces’ have been added to the list. Since some constituencies saw margins of only 1,000 to 2,000 votes, 2,000 voters moved out and a new lot of 2,000 moved in would mean that Barisan Nasional can win with a most comfortable margin. Expect many of the DAP kingpins to be sent into retirement. Lim Kit Siang alone has lost 8,000 votes over the last few months. Bye-bye Kit Siang and Guan Eng. Maybe you can now become a fulltime blogger like me.
Yes, the outcome of the Twelfth General Election has already been decided even before Parliament is dissolved. Barisan Nasional is serious about its Gelombang Biru and Pembangkang Sifar program. In 2004 it was 91% as follows:
UMNO: 35.9% of the popular votes and 110 seats or 50% of the seats.
MCA: 15.5% of the popular votes and 31 seats or 14% of the seats.
MIC: 3.2% of the popular votes and 9 seats or 4% of the seats.
Gerakan: 3.7% of the popular votes and 10 seats or 4% of the seats.
Others: 5.5% of the popular votes and 39 seats or 18% of the seats
Total BN: 63.8% of the popular votes and 199 seats or 91% of the seats.
Opposition: 36.2% of the popular votes and 20 seats or 9% the seats.
This time around Barisan Nasional wants 100% of the 219 seats which they hope to win with about 70% of the popular votes.
Anyway, that is what Barisan Nasional wants, but the people are not sitting pretty either. In anticipation of the dissolution of Parliament soon after the Umno General Assembly on 9 November and the general election being held on 25 November, BERSIH, the coalition for free and fair elections, is holding a rally at 3.00pm on Saturday, 10 November 2007, at the Dataran Merdeka in front of the Selangor Club. The target is to gather 100,000 concerned citizens who will then march to the Istana Negara to present a Memorandum to the Agong calling for massive electoral reforms. It is going to be a sea of yellow or Gelombang Kuning (Yellow Wave) as many will be dressed in yellow. This will be the peoples’ response to Barisan Nasional’s Gelombang Biru.
Electoral reforms are long overdue. Not only are voters being transferred out and foreigners being registered as voters, but many who never registered as voters in their entire life have found, much to their surprise, that they are now registered voters. Who do you think will be voting in their place? In the last election many who voted in the same constituency for the last 20 or 30 years found that they had been transferred to another state. They then rushed to their ‘new’ polling station and found that they had already voted. In short, someone had voted in their place.
Gerrymandering, ‘phantom’ voters, ‘imported’ voters, transferred voters, postal voters, etc., can of course work to a certain extent. But when the swing is massive even this can’t help. This would be when Barisan Nasional plays the race card and threatens the voters, in particular the Chinese voters, with another ‘May 13’ if the ruling coalition loses its two-thirds majority in Parliament or ‘Chinese’ states like Penang fall to the opposition. Well, if they try that ‘Remember May 13’ trick again, the opposition will come forward to address it.
To demonstrate what I mean, read this old article I wrote in 20 August 2000 called ‘Politics of Fear’. This is what I said then:
Two days ago, Umno Youth confronted the Chinese about the demands the Chinese had made, a long time ago, during the Tenth General Election. Why, after almost a year, does Umno Youth dig this issue up? Why did they not confront the Chinese then, at the time the demands were made, back in 1999? Is it because they needed the Chinese votes then but no longer need it now?
Maybe it did take Umno Youth almost a year to realise what the Chinese demands were, or to pluck up the courage to stage an illegal demonstration in front of the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. I was told it was a boisterous demonstration complete with four-letter words -- and I am not talking about the Umno word (which is also a four-letter word) but of the ‘F’ type. Some people were roughed up and one journalist-photographer was assaulted.
But that’s not the issue. The Chinese tried to pacify the Umno Youth demonstrators and explain what the demands were all about, but Umno Youth would hear nothing of it. Taking a very confrontational stand, Umno Youth told the Chinese they refuse to listen to any explanation and insisted that the Chinese apologise. Again, the Chinese tried to explain the issue but Umno Youth shouted them down and would not allow them to. Umno Youth only wanted an apology and nothing less.
Umno Youth was very abusive and vulgar in their treatment of the Chinese. Clearly their intention was to spark an incident but the Chinese knew better than to engage Umno Youth in a boxing match. The Chinese knew, either way, they would come out the loser.
Umno Youth has given the Chinese a week to apologise and warned the Chinese that they run the risk of angering the Malays if they do not. This, in turn, raises a greater risk of racial tension, possibly followed by a racial conflict. In short, if you don’t play ball, there may be another May 13 looming over the horizon.
Yesterday, the Chinese announced that they will not apologise, as there is nothing to apologise for. Furthermore, the issue is ‘dead’ and had already been previously clarified to everyone’s satisfaction.
Both sides will not back down so it is now a stalemate.
This was a major booboo for Umno Youth. They have thrown the challenge and the Chinese have stood firm. What will Umno Youth do next? If Umno Youth keeps quiet it will lose face so will it now start a racial conflict as promised?
Anyway, what Umno Youth is going to do is not important as it is no longer significant in Malaysian politics. Maybe when Anwar Ibrahim was the Umno Youth leader people took notice. Since then Umno Youth is seen as merely Mahathir’s tool to provoke issues whenever Umno proper cannot be seen to be behind it.
What is more interesting in this whole issue is that Barisan Alternatif (BA) is going to make history and change the way the many races in this land live with each other. Yesterday, PAS, DAP, PRM and keADILan had a ‘roundtable conference’ in Kuala Lumpur. The conference had nothing to do with the Umno Youth threat. It was to plan the opposition’s strategies for the future. I must admit it was a fantastic conference and if they implement all the plans adopted it is going to make the opposition coalition a very credible alternative to the ruling government. But that is a story for another time.
At this conference, the youth members from the four Barisan Alternatif parties pledged to stand united in the face of Umno Youth’s threat. And they will be issuing a media statement to that effect in a day or two.
Pemuda BA (and three out of the four BA Youth leaders are Malays mind you) is going to tell Umno Youth that the Malays will stand united in defence of the Chinese. If Umno Youth tries to harm the Chinese they will first have to cross the line of Malays. The Malays in BA will stand between Umno Youth and the Chinese.
“Let the Umno Youth Malays kill the BA Youth Malays first before they can touch the Chinese,” said one Malay from keADILan.
“The Malays will stand between Umno Youth and the Chinese,” said another Malay from PAS.
“It is time we stop talking about Malays and Chinese and start talking as Malaysians,” said the DAP chap.
“PRM will take the initiative of drafting the press release to tell Umno Youth that Pemuda BA is guaranteeing the safety of the Chinese,” said the PRM Youth leader.
I felt a tear in my eyes. Umno Youth may not realise it but they have just made history. Their threat to start another race riot if the Chinese do not apologise has brought the Malays forward. The Malays are now standing in defence of their Chinese comrades. The Malays are prepared to face their fellow Malays in protecting innocent Chinese lives.
What really moved the crowd was when Dr Hatta Ramli of PAS got onto the stage and announced to the assembly of Malays, Chinese and Indians that Umno Youth would have to “step over our dead bodies first before they can harm the Chinese” (“langkah mayat kami dulu”).
The hall reverberated with applause. I felt like crying. My wife is, after all, Chinese, though of Siamese descent. 43 years of independence and, finally, Malaysians have learnt to set aside racial differences and stand up for one another. Yesterday we stopped being Malays and Chinese and emerged as Malaysians. What a great Merdeka Day celebration this 31 August is going to be.
Umno Youth had better be warned. Nearly half the voters voted for the opposition the last general election. It is also said that more than 70% of these people are Malays, as the Chinese had been intimidated into voting for the ruling government.
Maybe Umno Youth is trying to win back Malay support by showing how aggressive they are and that they will take no shit from the Chinese. But this move has backfired badly, just as Dr Mahathir’s move to put Anwar in jail for 15 years has.
Umno Youth has not won back the Malays. They have only forced the Malays to come out in defence of the Chinese. And, to make matters worse, Umno Youth is probably going to now lose the support of the Chinese, which they had in the first place.
The Chinese were scared the last election. They were scared because they thought they were on their own. Now that they know the opposition Malays in BA will not let any harm come to them there is no longer any reason to be scared of Umno.
Umno Youth had better be warned. The Malays in BA are not just paying lip service. They mean what they say. The Malays in BA are determined that race riots are a thing of the past. The Malays in BA will take the punches first before a single Chinese hair can be harmed. The Malays in BA are not ‘talk only’ like Umno Youth but are ‘battle seasoned’ through years of Reformasi. And there are more BA Malays than there are Umno Youth members.
If at all any good has come out of the Reformasi movement it is that Reformasi has successfully set aside race and elevated justice as the rallying call. Umno is all about ‘Malay rights and privileges’. Reformasi is about justice for Anwar and justice for all Malaysians.
(http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/holds.php?itemid=9108)
will the real ipoh timur-ians and many others too pls stand up?!?...
managed to 'track down' 8,000+ votes/voters went to ipoh timur 'mysteriously/mystically' fm a bn 'stronghold'... lks won by approx 9,000+ votes during the last general election...
pls do the maths and colour the picture yrself...
(http://colour-blind.org/?p=1225)...
(http://zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com/2007/10/people-of-east-ipoh-youre-being-karned.html)... uncle bernard is a close and long time family friend, retired teacher he writes pretty 'wittily' on this matter...
p/s ; do check yr voting status fm time to time, preferably once ever week or so....
pls do the maths and colour the picture yrself...
(http://colour-blind.org/?p=1225)...
(http://zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com/2007/10/people-of-east-ipoh-youre-being-karned.html)... uncle bernard is a close and long time family friend, retired teacher he writes pretty 'wittily' on this matter...
p/s ; do check yr voting status fm time to time, preferably once ever week or so....
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
yipppeeeee... somebody got a new house!... :) ...
all charges dropped fm him... he created a drama in the palace... he shed crocodile tears... got summoned fm hrh sultan of selangor... he is surely bigger than God?!?...
(http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/content/view/11621/2/)
p/s ; where he get his money fm?!?.. blatant corruption?!?... watever it is i need a job in mpk!...
(http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/content/view/11621/2/)
p/s ; where he get his money fm?!?.. blatant corruption?!?... watever it is i need a job in mpk!...
the latest 'bet' in town... :) ...
there's a latest bet in town...
on when will our space participant get his datuk-ship... and.. how big is the land is he gonna get... and... how many products is he going to endorsed...
p/s ; i can almost see a mawi in the making to a certain extent... :) ...
on when will our space participant get his datuk-ship... and.. how big is the land is he gonna get... and... how many products is he going to endorsed...
p/s ; i can almost see a mawi in the making to a certain extent... :) ...
alfred ho... one of the most prominent blind singer blogs!...
kudos to you alfred and welcome on board!...
even one of the most prominent blind one took much interest in making the country a better place after 'seeing' the problems we are going through now... hope by this example of his, many will follow his footstep in making the country a better place to live in...
even the blind one can 'see', wat more those who born and live in a perfect human body function...
taken fm his blog...
"Why I've taken an interest in politics
Dear Readers,
Allow me first to introduce myself. I am a blind individual in my 50's and a singer, guitarist by profession. I have been in this profession for more than 20 years now and my forte is singing the old western favourites. I also sing in several chinese dialects, including spanish and several languages. I mainly do the pub circuits and perform at company and wedding functions.
For your information, the reason why I am disenchanted with the government is because I have been discriminated against in years gone by. Apart from being a singer, my other interest lies in disc jockeying and as such some years ago, I applied to RTM for such a post. Of course the powers that be at RTM were reluctant to offer me the post but after writing numerous letters, they finally gave me the job but with a hidden agenda. They only gave me the job for 6 months after which they relieved me of the post. Subsequently, I wrote several letters to the then information minister, Khalil Yaacob but my pleas for him to intervene in the matter fell on deaf ears as he decided to ignore my letters. I also approached people such as Lee Lam Thye, Lim Keng Yaik and even the very popular complaints officer of MCA, Michael Chong with the same results. All the 3 people that I mentioned gave me the cold shoulder, inspite of the fact that we are supposed to be governed by a caring government. It may interest you to learn that I even went personally to the MCA complaints bureau to seek out the assistance of Michael Chong and believe it or not he refused to entertain my complaint and he even tried to drive me out of his office saying that he was the wrong person for me to approach and that I should bring my complaints to the blind association instead. I even tried to highlight this matter with the star newspaper but as the star newspaper is a MCA publication, I was told by the news editor that my news report was not newsworthy, even after I had given my account of the events to one of the star reporters. disgusted by this, I wrote several letters to certain top MCA officials such as Ong Ka Ting but to my dismay they chose to ignore my letters till this very day. I even had my letters to these inconsiderate officials published over Malaysiakini. Subsequently, Michael Chong tried to defend himself over Malaysiakini but I think that he failed miserably. Believe it or not , I even wrote to no less than the prime minister himself for his assistance but until today I have yet to get a reply from him. To ensure that the PM got my letter, I purposely attended his hari raya gathering at the PWTC where I handed the letter to him personally. As such he cannot deny not having received my letter for assistance. I even rang to speak to his political secretary, Vincent Lim but as expected, he was just as unhelpful. As a result of these problems that I have encountered, I have decided to take a great interest in politics.
You know, if given the opportunity I would like very much to campaign for the opposition as I strongly feel that the misdeeds of this very uncaring government should be exposed"...
(http://alfredhosinger.blogspot.com/)
even one of the most prominent blind one took much interest in making the country a better place after 'seeing' the problems we are going through now... hope by this example of his, many will follow his footstep in making the country a better place to live in...
even the blind one can 'see', wat more those who born and live in a perfect human body function...
taken fm his blog...
"Why I've taken an interest in politics
Dear Readers,
Allow me first to introduce myself. I am a blind individual in my 50's and a singer, guitarist by profession. I have been in this profession for more than 20 years now and my forte is singing the old western favourites. I also sing in several chinese dialects, including spanish and several languages. I mainly do the pub circuits and perform at company and wedding functions.
For your information, the reason why I am disenchanted with the government is because I have been discriminated against in years gone by. Apart from being a singer, my other interest lies in disc jockeying and as such some years ago, I applied to RTM for such a post. Of course the powers that be at RTM were reluctant to offer me the post but after writing numerous letters, they finally gave me the job but with a hidden agenda. They only gave me the job for 6 months after which they relieved me of the post. Subsequently, I wrote several letters to the then information minister, Khalil Yaacob but my pleas for him to intervene in the matter fell on deaf ears as he decided to ignore my letters. I also approached people such as Lee Lam Thye, Lim Keng Yaik and even the very popular complaints officer of MCA, Michael Chong with the same results. All the 3 people that I mentioned gave me the cold shoulder, inspite of the fact that we are supposed to be governed by a caring government. It may interest you to learn that I even went personally to the MCA complaints bureau to seek out the assistance of Michael Chong and believe it or not he refused to entertain my complaint and he even tried to drive me out of his office saying that he was the wrong person for me to approach and that I should bring my complaints to the blind association instead. I even tried to highlight this matter with the star newspaper but as the star newspaper is a MCA publication, I was told by the news editor that my news report was not newsworthy, even after I had given my account of the events to one of the star reporters. disgusted by this, I wrote several letters to certain top MCA officials such as Ong Ka Ting but to my dismay they chose to ignore my letters till this very day. I even had my letters to these inconsiderate officials published over Malaysiakini. Subsequently, Michael Chong tried to defend himself over Malaysiakini but I think that he failed miserably. Believe it or not , I even wrote to no less than the prime minister himself for his assistance but until today I have yet to get a reply from him. To ensure that the PM got my letter, I purposely attended his hari raya gathering at the PWTC where I handed the letter to him personally. As such he cannot deny not having received my letter for assistance. I even rang to speak to his political secretary, Vincent Lim but as expected, he was just as unhelpful. As a result of these problems that I have encountered, I have decided to take a great interest in politics.
You know, if given the opportunity I would like very much to campaign for the opposition as I strongly feel that the misdeeds of this very uncaring government should be exposed"...
(http://alfredhosinger.blogspot.com/)
face to face with rpk... a no holds barred interview...
do read every single line of this simple and direct interview...
as mentioned... "I don’t care about Siti Nurhaliza or Sharifah Aini or whoever. They are not in public office and they are not earning their salary from money we pay the government in the form of taxes. They can do what they like, even screw around and hold sex parties. But if you are a Yang Berhormat, civil servant, and so on, then we are watching you. We own you. And if you get out of line and we will screw the daylights out of you."...
hear us now?!?...
p/s ; let's just hope more rpks will be mushroomed in the near future in malaysia for malaysia...
Face To Face: Raja Petra Kamarudin
Raja Petra Kamarudin, dubbed the ‘Asian Reformist’, is changing the way Malaysians look at themselves. Sometimes seemingly shy, but never backing down from confrontation with the powers-that-be, he is somewhat of an enigma. Face to Face talks to the man behind Malaysia Today and uncovers this reformist.
1. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: Malaysia Today has been hugely successful. Into its 3rd Anniversary, would you do anything different in terms of the stated objectives and direction of Malaysia Today?
Raja Petra: I suppose if I died and was born again I would still live my life exactly the same way I am living it now. I know this sounds blasphemous coming from a Muslim considering that Islam does not believe in reincarnation. But I am of course speaking figure-of-speech-wise. In that same spirit I would not do things any differently as far as Malaysia Today is concerned.
2. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: Malaysia Today seems to be down or inaccessible more often these days. Is this the result of attacks from Umno cyber-troopers as you alleged? It appears that they are close to shutting Malaysia Today down completely.
Raja Petra: Initially the problem was bandwidth. I had to increase our bandwidth multi-fold and bandwidth costs money. That is why I sometimes whack those who post ‘junk’ in the blogs. They are using up valuable bandwidth and this would deny the other more genuine readers access to Malaysia Today, especially those who do not have Broadband access and have to depend on dialup.
Anyway, I have resolved the bandwidth problem. All you need is money to buy more bandwidth, that’s all. And as a ‘pensioner’, so to speak, I am surviving on my pension. Therefore I do not have income or bottomless pockets and it was certainly painful to have to increase my expenditure on the website. Since I started Malaysia Today three years ago my expenses have increased ten-fold. I also have about half a dozen staff to pay and some of them are on fixed monthly salaries.
The current problem we are facing has nothing to do with money or bandwidth. We have been attacked many times, sometimes two days in a row, with DOS (denial of service) attacks. On Monday last week we were shut down for seven hours and the following day for six hours. I have since beefed up our security. Again, all it takes is money…..sigh…..
But we are not the only one getting hit. Screenshots and Harakah too were attacked. I believe they are attacking all ‘anti-government’ websites. Yes, they might finally try to close us down for good. But I don’t know how they are going to do it. Maybe they will find something to charge me with and lock me away. I really don’t know and I can’t be bothered. In fact, I challenge them to do their worst.
3. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: You have vowed to keep Malaysia Today an open avenue for all views yet the comments posted on your site are now the subject of legal contention. You talk about the inability to monitor the bulk of comments posted and now practice some form of censorship. I put it to you that you have strayed from your promise?
Raja Petra: We see thousands of postings a day so how can I read everything on top of searching for news items, updating the site, editing, all which I do myself, plus writing as well? I probably read about 10% or less of the comments so invariably many junk postings get through.
But a friend is scanning through the comments and editing or deleting those he feels are overboard, obscene, racial, and so on. I have given him full authority because it would be impossible for him to contact me and discuss case-per-case each posting. I trust my friend’s judgement and leave it to him to decide what gets thrown out.
There are of course certain parameters we work within. For example, postings such as Keling Pariah, Malay dog, Chinese pig, fuck your mother’s arse, and such profanities, definitely get thrown out. I don’t think anyone can accuse us of unfair censoring if we clamp down on these types of postings.
But other than that we are quite liberal and many are actually unhappy about this. They feel we are allowing or even encouraging Malay and Islam bashing. My contention is that when Malays shout and scream about Ketuanan Melayu and label this and that Islamic or un-Islamic then they are inviting comment or criticism.
Sure, non-Malays or non-Muslims criticise Malays and Islam respectively. But the question is: whose fault is this? When you walk around naked then you can’t fault people for calling you cuckoo. Don’t walk around naked, then no one will have any reason or opportunity to insult you. We are stripping the Malays and Islam naked for all and sundry to see, so expect the criticism. Stop screaming about Melayu and Islam and no one will scream back. But then Malays think that since this is a Malay-Muslim country they have every right to scream about Melayu and Islam and that others should never dare scream back. That is when the problem starts.
4. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: How do you feel after being named as a leading ‘Asian Progressive’ by World Business Magazine (May 2007)?
Raja Petra: Actually, it’s second most progressive, not leading. But I really don’t know how they named me although they did mention the criteria applied. But that is only the opinion of one journalist from one journal. I am sure others will not agree with his opinion. So I am not popping champagne just yet.
5. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: Critics charge that you change ‘teams’ from Anwar Ibrahim to Tun Dr. Mahathir, that you are disloyal to your chosen allies. What would you say to the critics?
Raja Petra: Why must everything be looked at in terms of teams? I did not support Anwar when he was in the government. I supported Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in his Semangat 46 days. Of course, I did support Anwar for awhile, but that was before he went up the Umno ladder. I was in fact closer to PAS since the late 1970s.
I support causes, not personalities. If that personality carries a cause I can relate to then I rally behind him. If I do not like his cause or feel that he has abandoned the cause then I move on. Life is too short to bitch and whine. If we meet eye-to-eye, we talk. If not, we walk.
Politicians carry this concept of ‘if you are not with me then you are against me’. Even Bush is like that. Why can’t I not be with you, yet not be against you? Today, Tun Dr Mahathir is the closest thing we have to an opposition. He is doing the job of the entire opposition. I like that and can relate to it. That does not mean I overlook his mistakes of past. But if he can redeem these mistakes and make up for what he did by correcting things, then that is all I care.
Even God forgives you if you repent and turn over a new leaf and make up for your past mistakes. Are we above God that we can choose to reject Mahathir for what he was rather than look at him for what he is now? This country needs saving. And if the opposition will not do that then we have to work with the next best thing.
Many say that the present problems facing our country are Mahathir’s doing. Well, in that case then that is even more the reason why Mahathir should be the one to correct them. Anyway, if Mahathir will not do it, who will? I don’t see anyone else doing it.
So I support Mahathir in his effort to correct the wrongs. I will also support anyone and everyone else who wishes to bring about reforms, even Khairy Jamaluddin if he wants to reform the nation.
6. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: I put it to you that in your widely read articles, your enemies often suffer personal attacks. Do you agree?
Raja Petra: True, but once you are a leader then you no longer own a private life. You are a public servant so you become public property. You are in office because of us and we are paying your salary. So we own you and what we own we can do what we like with it.
I don’t care about Siti Nurhaliza or Sharifah Aini or whoever. They are not in public office and they are not earning their salary from money we pay the government in the form of taxes. They can do what they like, even screw around and hold sex parties. But if you are a Yang Berhormat, civil servant, and so on, then we are watching you. We own you. And if you get out of line and we will screw the daylights out of you.
7. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: The common view is that you are opposed to the administration of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Is this fair comment and if so what is your ultimate goal in this context?
Raja Petra: I have been opposed to the administration since Hussein Onn’s time. I have nothing personal against Pak Lah. I just don’t like the way this country is run. It is not enough we have a CEO. We also need accountants and auditors. Look at me as the auditor. Our job is to hassle the CEO, the Board of Directors, accountants….. to make sure they are doing their job and are not having their hands in the till. I support Tengku Razaleigh for Prime Minister but you can bet your last dollar I will also give him a hard time when he finally does become Prime Minister….. as I know he will.
8. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: You allude to the heightened public profile/statements of members of the Royal families of the country lately as one of tacit support for your cause….. Comment?
Raja Petra: The Royal Family has been fed up with the way this country is being run for almost 30 years now. This is not something new. But they have always been very careful about what could be perceived as interfering in the administration of this country. But there is a limit. Everything has a limit and I think this limit has been reached. Just because the Royal Family kept quiet for 30 years out or respect and so that the government does not lose face does not mean they didn’t care.
And what makes you think it is wrong for the Royal Family to speak out? Malaysia is supposed to be a democratic country which practices freedom of speech. Why should the Royal Family be denied its fundamental right just because they carry a Tengku or Raja in front of their names. Members of the Royal Family too are citizens of Malaysia, pay taxes, and vote in the elections. That gives them the right as any other Malaysian to express their views.
And the Royal Family has just about had it with the way this country is being managed. It is time for change and the Royal Family is calling for change. Of course, protocol does not allow the Rulers to make official statements so they don’t. But their family members are not prohibited from speaking out. It is not illegal to speak out. In fact, as Muslims, it is their Islamic duty to speak out.
9. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: Quote: - “Perhaps I can show that the Royal families are not a total bunch of useless leeches” - Are you attempting to reassert the powers of the Royal families back to the time of the pre-constitutional crisis of 1993?
Raja Petra: What do you mean? Reassert which power? You mean the Royal Family had its powers removed? Maybe up to very recently the Royal Family kept silent but this does not mean because they have no power or that their power was removed.
In 1993, as you say - actually it was in the 1980s - it was another group of people sitting on the throne. Today, it is the sons of those who sat on the throne in 1993 who are now sitting on the throne. The 1980s bunch was the pre-Merdeka bunch. Today, you are seeing the post-Merdeka bunch. Times have changed.
These vocal members of the Royal Family are products of a Western education, the borderless internet, Globalisation, and what have you. They are all well-read and highly-educated, unlike the past Rulers. We are no longer dealing with people born and raised in the kampong. These are professionals who know what is good for the country.
10. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: In a recent public lecture, you stated that the opposition parties are disunited and have no real prospect of winning an election. What kind of realistic change then can you hope to inspire under the present circumstances?
Raja Petra: It is three opposition parties against 14 in Barisan Nasional. BN has 6 million members against the opposition’s 1 million or so. It is not an equal contest.
The BN has the entire government machinery and media at its disposal to be used as its election machinery. BN spends RM1.5 billion in the elections against the opposition’s RM10 million or RM20 million. For Sabah alone it will cost about RM200 million. And that is just 25 out of 219 seats, slightly over 10% of the seats. Sarawak is another 28 seats. These two states give BN 25% of the seats in Parliament. Added to Perak and Johor, BN can already form the government.
BN speaks as one voice although it consists of 14 parties. The opposition speaks as three voices. The race is lost even before the gun goes off.
In 1969, the ruling party won only 45% of the votes but still formed the government, although without a two-thirds majority. In 1999, BN got 54% of the votes and retained its two-thirds majority. The opposition can never win unless there are massive reforms in the electoral system. The gerrymandering and postal votes are stacked in favour of the ruling party.
Actually, the opposition should just boycott the elections until the system is reformed. Participating in the election just gives BN legitimacy. Let them win 100% uncontested. It will not be as legitimate as them winning 90% through fraud, which is what is happening and will continue to happen. And it really does not matter if the opposition is united. They will still get whacked to kingdom come….. and it is even worse now considering that they are not united.
11. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: Furthermore, you estimate that in 50 years time, Bumiputera, Malays in particular will exceed 80% of the nation’s population. Does this mean that the Bangsa Malaysia of 2007 will look a lot less like in 2057?
Raja Petra: The Malay population is increasing faster than the non-Malay population. When this nation celebrates the 100th Merdeka Anniversary in 2057, Malays will by then form 80% of the population. Not only is the Malay birth rate higher, but non-Malays are leaving the country. So it is double jeopardy. The Bangsa Malaysia can still happen but the Malays will form the majority, a higher majority than even now. Bangsa Malaysia is something in the mind. In reality the Malays will dominate this country.
Malaysia is actually a time-bomb with no solution in sight and we may even see that time-bomb go off in our life-time. I just hope the government realises that the clock is ticking and I hope it has a clue on how to defuse the time-bomb. If not, Malaysia will not be a nice place to live, if it is not already that. At the moment the government appears clueless though, in particular our sleeping Prime Minister.
12. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: Malaysians are known for their vocal opposition but secret approbation for the status quo. Do you think that this election will be any different? What do you predict the political outcome of the anticipated general elections will be… Realistically..?
Raja Petra: Malaysians talk only. They say one thing but they do the opposite. They will vote for stability, at least as they perceive it, at the expense of human rights and other issues which they regard as western notions.
As long as they have money in their pockets they don’t care about corruption, how many people die in the police lockups, whether ten more Altantuyas get blown up with C4, whether 20 more demonstrators get shot, and what have you.
People are such. People are selfish. If you touch what they own they will get very violent. As long as they are okay that is all that matters. The country can go to the dogs, and it is. So they will vote for BN because only BN can give them what they want. Everything else can go to hell.
BN knows this. They know what makes the voters tick. And they will play to the voters’ gallery and win the elections. The voters are fools and BN knows this. But the voters are happy fools so that is all that matters. And Malaysia Today will continue whacking. And the readers will continue whining. But they will continue voting in the same government, ‘the only government capable of running this country’, as how they normally argue in justifying voting for the ruling party. And I will wait for death to come and claim me. And they will bury me and all will be forgotten. Not much prospects for the future is it? Sheesh…..I think I will also migrate.
Thank you, Raja Petra, for talking to Face to Face.
as mentioned... "I don’t care about Siti Nurhaliza or Sharifah Aini or whoever. They are not in public office and they are not earning their salary from money we pay the government in the form of taxes. They can do what they like, even screw around and hold sex parties. But if you are a Yang Berhormat, civil servant, and so on, then we are watching you. We own you. And if you get out of line and we will screw the daylights out of you."...
hear us now?!?...
p/s ; let's just hope more rpks will be mushroomed in the near future in malaysia for malaysia...
Face To Face: Raja Petra Kamarudin
Raja Petra Kamarudin, dubbed the ‘Asian Reformist’, is changing the way Malaysians look at themselves. Sometimes seemingly shy, but never backing down from confrontation with the powers-that-be, he is somewhat of an enigma. Face to Face talks to the man behind Malaysia Today and uncovers this reformist.
1. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: Malaysia Today has been hugely successful. Into its 3rd Anniversary, would you do anything different in terms of the stated objectives and direction of Malaysia Today?
Raja Petra: I suppose if I died and was born again I would still live my life exactly the same way I am living it now. I know this sounds blasphemous coming from a Muslim considering that Islam does not believe in reincarnation. But I am of course speaking figure-of-speech-wise. In that same spirit I would not do things any differently as far as Malaysia Today is concerned.
2. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: Malaysia Today seems to be down or inaccessible more often these days. Is this the result of attacks from Umno cyber-troopers as you alleged? It appears that they are close to shutting Malaysia Today down completely.
Raja Petra: Initially the problem was bandwidth. I had to increase our bandwidth multi-fold and bandwidth costs money. That is why I sometimes whack those who post ‘junk’ in the blogs. They are using up valuable bandwidth and this would deny the other more genuine readers access to Malaysia Today, especially those who do not have Broadband access and have to depend on dialup.
Anyway, I have resolved the bandwidth problem. All you need is money to buy more bandwidth, that’s all. And as a ‘pensioner’, so to speak, I am surviving on my pension. Therefore I do not have income or bottomless pockets and it was certainly painful to have to increase my expenditure on the website. Since I started Malaysia Today three years ago my expenses have increased ten-fold. I also have about half a dozen staff to pay and some of them are on fixed monthly salaries.
The current problem we are facing has nothing to do with money or bandwidth. We have been attacked many times, sometimes two days in a row, with DOS (denial of service) attacks. On Monday last week we were shut down for seven hours and the following day for six hours. I have since beefed up our security. Again, all it takes is money…..sigh…..
But we are not the only one getting hit. Screenshots and Harakah too were attacked. I believe they are attacking all ‘anti-government’ websites. Yes, they might finally try to close us down for good. But I don’t know how they are going to do it. Maybe they will find something to charge me with and lock me away. I really don’t know and I can’t be bothered. In fact, I challenge them to do their worst.
3. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: You have vowed to keep Malaysia Today an open avenue for all views yet the comments posted on your site are now the subject of legal contention. You talk about the inability to monitor the bulk of comments posted and now practice some form of censorship. I put it to you that you have strayed from your promise?
Raja Petra: We see thousands of postings a day so how can I read everything on top of searching for news items, updating the site, editing, all which I do myself, plus writing as well? I probably read about 10% or less of the comments so invariably many junk postings get through.
But a friend is scanning through the comments and editing or deleting those he feels are overboard, obscene, racial, and so on. I have given him full authority because it would be impossible for him to contact me and discuss case-per-case each posting. I trust my friend’s judgement and leave it to him to decide what gets thrown out.
There are of course certain parameters we work within. For example, postings such as Keling Pariah, Malay dog, Chinese pig, fuck your mother’s arse, and such profanities, definitely get thrown out. I don’t think anyone can accuse us of unfair censoring if we clamp down on these types of postings.
But other than that we are quite liberal and many are actually unhappy about this. They feel we are allowing or even encouraging Malay and Islam bashing. My contention is that when Malays shout and scream about Ketuanan Melayu and label this and that Islamic or un-Islamic then they are inviting comment or criticism.
Sure, non-Malays or non-Muslims criticise Malays and Islam respectively. But the question is: whose fault is this? When you walk around naked then you can’t fault people for calling you cuckoo. Don’t walk around naked, then no one will have any reason or opportunity to insult you. We are stripping the Malays and Islam naked for all and sundry to see, so expect the criticism. Stop screaming about Melayu and Islam and no one will scream back. But then Malays think that since this is a Malay-Muslim country they have every right to scream about Melayu and Islam and that others should never dare scream back. That is when the problem starts.
4. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: How do you feel after being named as a leading ‘Asian Progressive’ by World Business Magazine (May 2007)?
Raja Petra: Actually, it’s second most progressive, not leading. But I really don’t know how they named me although they did mention the criteria applied. But that is only the opinion of one journalist from one journal. I am sure others will not agree with his opinion. So I am not popping champagne just yet.
5. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: Critics charge that you change ‘teams’ from Anwar Ibrahim to Tun Dr. Mahathir, that you are disloyal to your chosen allies. What would you say to the critics?
Raja Petra: Why must everything be looked at in terms of teams? I did not support Anwar when he was in the government. I supported Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in his Semangat 46 days. Of course, I did support Anwar for awhile, but that was before he went up the Umno ladder. I was in fact closer to PAS since the late 1970s.
I support causes, not personalities. If that personality carries a cause I can relate to then I rally behind him. If I do not like his cause or feel that he has abandoned the cause then I move on. Life is too short to bitch and whine. If we meet eye-to-eye, we talk. If not, we walk.
Politicians carry this concept of ‘if you are not with me then you are against me’. Even Bush is like that. Why can’t I not be with you, yet not be against you? Today, Tun Dr Mahathir is the closest thing we have to an opposition. He is doing the job of the entire opposition. I like that and can relate to it. That does not mean I overlook his mistakes of past. But if he can redeem these mistakes and make up for what he did by correcting things, then that is all I care.
Even God forgives you if you repent and turn over a new leaf and make up for your past mistakes. Are we above God that we can choose to reject Mahathir for what he was rather than look at him for what he is now? This country needs saving. And if the opposition will not do that then we have to work with the next best thing.
Many say that the present problems facing our country are Mahathir’s doing. Well, in that case then that is even more the reason why Mahathir should be the one to correct them. Anyway, if Mahathir will not do it, who will? I don’t see anyone else doing it.
So I support Mahathir in his effort to correct the wrongs. I will also support anyone and everyone else who wishes to bring about reforms, even Khairy Jamaluddin if he wants to reform the nation.
6. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: I put it to you that in your widely read articles, your enemies often suffer personal attacks. Do you agree?
Raja Petra: True, but once you are a leader then you no longer own a private life. You are a public servant so you become public property. You are in office because of us and we are paying your salary. So we own you and what we own we can do what we like with it.
I don’t care about Siti Nurhaliza or Sharifah Aini or whoever. They are not in public office and they are not earning their salary from money we pay the government in the form of taxes. They can do what they like, even screw around and hold sex parties. But if you are a Yang Berhormat, civil servant, and so on, then we are watching you. We own you. And if you get out of line and we will screw the daylights out of you.
7. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: The common view is that you are opposed to the administration of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Is this fair comment and if so what is your ultimate goal in this context?
Raja Petra: I have been opposed to the administration since Hussein Onn’s time. I have nothing personal against Pak Lah. I just don’t like the way this country is run. It is not enough we have a CEO. We also need accountants and auditors. Look at me as the auditor. Our job is to hassle the CEO, the Board of Directors, accountants….. to make sure they are doing their job and are not having their hands in the till. I support Tengku Razaleigh for Prime Minister but you can bet your last dollar I will also give him a hard time when he finally does become Prime Minister….. as I know he will.
8. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: You allude to the heightened public profile/statements of members of the Royal families of the country lately as one of tacit support for your cause….. Comment?
Raja Petra: The Royal Family has been fed up with the way this country is being run for almost 30 years now. This is not something new. But they have always been very careful about what could be perceived as interfering in the administration of this country. But there is a limit. Everything has a limit and I think this limit has been reached. Just because the Royal Family kept quiet for 30 years out or respect and so that the government does not lose face does not mean they didn’t care.
And what makes you think it is wrong for the Royal Family to speak out? Malaysia is supposed to be a democratic country which practices freedom of speech. Why should the Royal Family be denied its fundamental right just because they carry a Tengku or Raja in front of their names. Members of the Royal Family too are citizens of Malaysia, pay taxes, and vote in the elections. That gives them the right as any other Malaysian to express their views.
And the Royal Family has just about had it with the way this country is being managed. It is time for change and the Royal Family is calling for change. Of course, protocol does not allow the Rulers to make official statements so they don’t. But their family members are not prohibited from speaking out. It is not illegal to speak out. In fact, as Muslims, it is their Islamic duty to speak out.
9. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: Quote: - “Perhaps I can show that the Royal families are not a total bunch of useless leeches” - Are you attempting to reassert the powers of the Royal families back to the time of the pre-constitutional crisis of 1993?
Raja Petra: What do you mean? Reassert which power? You mean the Royal Family had its powers removed? Maybe up to very recently the Royal Family kept silent but this does not mean because they have no power or that their power was removed.
In 1993, as you say - actually it was in the 1980s - it was another group of people sitting on the throne. Today, it is the sons of those who sat on the throne in 1993 who are now sitting on the throne. The 1980s bunch was the pre-Merdeka bunch. Today, you are seeing the post-Merdeka bunch. Times have changed.
These vocal members of the Royal Family are products of a Western education, the borderless internet, Globalisation, and what have you. They are all well-read and highly-educated, unlike the past Rulers. We are no longer dealing with people born and raised in the kampong. These are professionals who know what is good for the country.
10. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: In a recent public lecture, you stated that the opposition parties are disunited and have no real prospect of winning an election. What kind of realistic change then can you hope to inspire under the present circumstances?
Raja Petra: It is three opposition parties against 14 in Barisan Nasional. BN has 6 million members against the opposition’s 1 million or so. It is not an equal contest.
The BN has the entire government machinery and media at its disposal to be used as its election machinery. BN spends RM1.5 billion in the elections against the opposition’s RM10 million or RM20 million. For Sabah alone it will cost about RM200 million. And that is just 25 out of 219 seats, slightly over 10% of the seats. Sarawak is another 28 seats. These two states give BN 25% of the seats in Parliament. Added to Perak and Johor, BN can already form the government.
BN speaks as one voice although it consists of 14 parties. The opposition speaks as three voices. The race is lost even before the gun goes off.
In 1969, the ruling party won only 45% of the votes but still formed the government, although without a two-thirds majority. In 1999, BN got 54% of the votes and retained its two-thirds majority. The opposition can never win unless there are massive reforms in the electoral system. The gerrymandering and postal votes are stacked in favour of the ruling party.
Actually, the opposition should just boycott the elections until the system is reformed. Participating in the election just gives BN legitimacy. Let them win 100% uncontested. It will not be as legitimate as them winning 90% through fraud, which is what is happening and will continue to happen. And it really does not matter if the opposition is united. They will still get whacked to kingdom come….. and it is even worse now considering that they are not united.
11. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: Furthermore, you estimate that in 50 years time, Bumiputera, Malays in particular will exceed 80% of the nation’s population. Does this mean that the Bangsa Malaysia of 2007 will look a lot less like in 2057?
Raja Petra: The Malay population is increasing faster than the non-Malay population. When this nation celebrates the 100th Merdeka Anniversary in 2057, Malays will by then form 80% of the population. Not only is the Malay birth rate higher, but non-Malays are leaving the country. So it is double jeopardy. The Bangsa Malaysia can still happen but the Malays will form the majority, a higher majority than even now. Bangsa Malaysia is something in the mind. In reality the Malays will dominate this country.
Malaysia is actually a time-bomb with no solution in sight and we may even see that time-bomb go off in our life-time. I just hope the government realises that the clock is ticking and I hope it has a clue on how to defuse the time-bomb. If not, Malaysia will not be a nice place to live, if it is not already that. At the moment the government appears clueless though, in particular our sleeping Prime Minister.
12. Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob: Malaysians are known for their vocal opposition but secret approbation for the status quo. Do you think that this election will be any different? What do you predict the political outcome of the anticipated general elections will be… Realistically..?
Raja Petra: Malaysians talk only. They say one thing but they do the opposite. They will vote for stability, at least as they perceive it, at the expense of human rights and other issues which they regard as western notions.
As long as they have money in their pockets they don’t care about corruption, how many people die in the police lockups, whether ten more Altantuyas get blown up with C4, whether 20 more demonstrators get shot, and what have you.
People are such. People are selfish. If you touch what they own they will get very violent. As long as they are okay that is all that matters. The country can go to the dogs, and it is. So they will vote for BN because only BN can give them what they want. Everything else can go to hell.
BN knows this. They know what makes the voters tick. And they will play to the voters’ gallery and win the elections. The voters are fools and BN knows this. But the voters are happy fools so that is all that matters. And Malaysia Today will continue whacking. And the readers will continue whining. But they will continue voting in the same government, ‘the only government capable of running this country’, as how they normally argue in justifying voting for the ruling party. And I will wait for death to come and claim me. And they will bury me and all will be forgotten. Not much prospects for the future is it? Sheesh…..I think I will also migrate.
Thank you, Raja Petra, for talking to Face to Face.
narcotizing the masses through religion.. by m bakri musa...
another brilliant piece of article from him!...
as mentioned... "Even a determined and wise Chinese Emperor could not withstand the narcotizing power of opium. Religion is even more so. Given a leadership woefully lacking in integrity and competence, religion can have a stranglehold more tenacious than the most potent opiate."
don't think anyone can say better than him...
aab should read this and stop playing the racial/religion card, especialy comes the preparation for the next general election...
p/s ; wonder is bakri doing any postal voting... :) ...
Narcotizing the Masses Through Religion
by M. Bakri Musa
In the 19th Century, tiny Britain was able to humiliate the great Chinese Empire and subdue its masses by making opium readily available to them. It was also highly lucrative for the British, with the poor Chinese bearing the heavy burden. To be fair, Chinese leaders from the Emperor on down were fully aware of the dangers, but despite their valiant efforts they were unable to prevail against the British.
Today Muslims, Malays in particular, are being similarly narcotized, not by opium but by an equally potent agent: religion. Unlike the Chinese of yore who were victims of a malevolent foreign power, with Malays it is our leaders who are doing it to us, and with good intentions too. They want us all to end up in Heaven! Touching!
The Muslim masses today, like the Chinese of the 19th Century, were not unwilling victims. They are not to be blamed, just like we cannot blame a patient who is in great pain wanting a powerful painkiller. It may not cure the underlying disease but at least it relieves the suffering. Likewise when your daily existence is terribly painful – the fate of the vast majority of Muslims – you too need immediate relief. It would be cruel and inhumane to deny that.
The familiar official indices readily reveal the targic reality of daily existence of the Muslim ummah: high mortality and low literacy rates, pathetic per capita income, gross abuses of human rights, women deprived of their basic dignity, and oppressive governments. It is obvious to all, except the leaders. Visit the slums and squatters of Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan, and the anguished reality of unbelievable depravation will hit you hard even if you try to avoid it.
Muslim leaders should worry less about their followers ending up in Heaven and focus more on the monumental task at hand of lifting the masses out of their current living hell. It may be argued that if religion brings relief to their daily struggle, so be it. That is a delusion; the narcotizing effect of religion is even more destructive.
Hard Work of Leadership
Making sure that your citizens are fed, educated, and housed so they could have a reasonably decent life to pursue their dreams and realize their potential is no easy task. While there are well-established and proven principles out there, there is no simple solution or ready path for a particular society. Each has its own unique challenges; its leaders must carve their own distinctive path. That would demand, aside from the mandatory diligence, intelligence, and integrity, an even greater sense of humility on the part of leaders.
The problems and challenges are infinite in their manifestations, and great intelligence is required in recognizing and elucidating them. The humility is for the inevitable pitfalls and failures that would humble you and sap your confidence. Humility is also needed so you could learn from your failures and from others, including your adversaries.
These necessary leadership qualities do not come naturally, nor are they easily acquired. Consequently and far too often, the tendency is for incompetent leaders to resort to simplistic solutions or endlessly mouthing meaningless slogans: “Bring back the Caliph!” “Implement the Sharia!” “Establish an Islamic state!”
The masses pick their cue from the leaders. No surprise then that they are only too willing to senselessly “martyring” themselves. Working hard to acquire the necessary skills to make themselves useful to society is much more mundane but necessary undertaking. Nor does it grab the headlines.
The American scholar Abdullahi Naim wisely observed that the experience of the vast majority of Muslims across the world today is about “struggles for constitutionalism and human rights, economic development, and social justice, not about the quest for Islamic states to enforce sharia.” Naim’s words should be emblazoned all over our masjids, ministries, and country.
First Tie Your Camel
Allah will not change the fate of a people unless they first change themselves, goes the wisdom of the Quran. That in turn takes leadership. Islam recognizes the supreme importance of leaders. At Friday and other congregational prayers, it is customary for the Imam to lead the dua (supplication) seeking Allah to provide wisdom and health to the Sultans and leaders so they could lead their people along the path of righteousness.
Our culture too recognizes the importance of leadership, hence the observation: Endah negri kerana penghulu (Great leaders, great society!). It is not enough for us to pray that our leaders would lead us along the straight path. We must also do our part and exercise due diligence in choosing our leaders and then attentively monitor their performances.
As per the wisdom of our Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w., first tie your camel securely, then pray to Allah that it does not escape. To put that in current political perspective, we must first choose our leaders wisely, meaning, scrutinize them thoroughly before casting our votes, then pray to Allah that we get leaders with integrity and competence. Praying alone will not secure your camel, or guarantee you honest leaders. Nor should we assume the one who could lead us in prayers is the one most competent to lead the nation.
Even a determined and wise Chinese Emperor could not withstand the narcotizing power of opium. Religion is even more so. Given a leadership woefully lacking in integrity and competence, religion can have a stranglehold more tenacious than the most potent opiate.
To Malays today, religion is less a salve for the soul and more a narcotic to make us escape the world and perversely, as God is everywhere in this wonderful universe, away from Him.
(http://www.bakrimusa.com/archives/narcotizing-the-masses-through-religion)
as mentioned... "Even a determined and wise Chinese Emperor could not withstand the narcotizing power of opium. Religion is even more so. Given a leadership woefully lacking in integrity and competence, religion can have a stranglehold more tenacious than the most potent opiate."
don't think anyone can say better than him...
aab should read this and stop playing the racial/religion card, especialy comes the preparation for the next general election...
p/s ; wonder is bakri doing any postal voting... :) ...
Narcotizing the Masses Through Religion
by M. Bakri Musa
In the 19th Century, tiny Britain was able to humiliate the great Chinese Empire and subdue its masses by making opium readily available to them. It was also highly lucrative for the British, with the poor Chinese bearing the heavy burden. To be fair, Chinese leaders from the Emperor on down were fully aware of the dangers, but despite their valiant efforts they were unable to prevail against the British.
Today Muslims, Malays in particular, are being similarly narcotized, not by opium but by an equally potent agent: religion. Unlike the Chinese of yore who were victims of a malevolent foreign power, with Malays it is our leaders who are doing it to us, and with good intentions too. They want us all to end up in Heaven! Touching!
The Muslim masses today, like the Chinese of the 19th Century, were not unwilling victims. They are not to be blamed, just like we cannot blame a patient who is in great pain wanting a powerful painkiller. It may not cure the underlying disease but at least it relieves the suffering. Likewise when your daily existence is terribly painful – the fate of the vast majority of Muslims – you too need immediate relief. It would be cruel and inhumane to deny that.
The familiar official indices readily reveal the targic reality of daily existence of the Muslim ummah: high mortality and low literacy rates, pathetic per capita income, gross abuses of human rights, women deprived of their basic dignity, and oppressive governments. It is obvious to all, except the leaders. Visit the slums and squatters of Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan, and the anguished reality of unbelievable depravation will hit you hard even if you try to avoid it.
Muslim leaders should worry less about their followers ending up in Heaven and focus more on the monumental task at hand of lifting the masses out of their current living hell. It may be argued that if religion brings relief to their daily struggle, so be it. That is a delusion; the narcotizing effect of religion is even more destructive.
Hard Work of Leadership
Making sure that your citizens are fed, educated, and housed so they could have a reasonably decent life to pursue their dreams and realize their potential is no easy task. While there are well-established and proven principles out there, there is no simple solution or ready path for a particular society. Each has its own unique challenges; its leaders must carve their own distinctive path. That would demand, aside from the mandatory diligence, intelligence, and integrity, an even greater sense of humility on the part of leaders.
The problems and challenges are infinite in their manifestations, and great intelligence is required in recognizing and elucidating them. The humility is for the inevitable pitfalls and failures that would humble you and sap your confidence. Humility is also needed so you could learn from your failures and from others, including your adversaries.
These necessary leadership qualities do not come naturally, nor are they easily acquired. Consequently and far too often, the tendency is for incompetent leaders to resort to simplistic solutions or endlessly mouthing meaningless slogans: “Bring back the Caliph!” “Implement the Sharia!” “Establish an Islamic state!”
The masses pick their cue from the leaders. No surprise then that they are only too willing to senselessly “martyring” themselves. Working hard to acquire the necessary skills to make themselves useful to society is much more mundane but necessary undertaking. Nor does it grab the headlines.
The American scholar Abdullahi Naim wisely observed that the experience of the vast majority of Muslims across the world today is about “struggles for constitutionalism and human rights, economic development, and social justice, not about the quest for Islamic states to enforce sharia.” Naim’s words should be emblazoned all over our masjids, ministries, and country.
First Tie Your Camel
Allah will not change the fate of a people unless they first change themselves, goes the wisdom of the Quran. That in turn takes leadership. Islam recognizes the supreme importance of leaders. At Friday and other congregational prayers, it is customary for the Imam to lead the dua (supplication) seeking Allah to provide wisdom and health to the Sultans and leaders so they could lead their people along the path of righteousness.
Our culture too recognizes the importance of leadership, hence the observation: Endah negri kerana penghulu (Great leaders, great society!). It is not enough for us to pray that our leaders would lead us along the straight path. We must also do our part and exercise due diligence in choosing our leaders and then attentively monitor their performances.
As per the wisdom of our Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w., first tie your camel securely, then pray to Allah that it does not escape. To put that in current political perspective, we must first choose our leaders wisely, meaning, scrutinize them thoroughly before casting our votes, then pray to Allah that we get leaders with integrity and competence. Praying alone will not secure your camel, or guarantee you honest leaders. Nor should we assume the one who could lead us in prayers is the one most competent to lead the nation.
Even a determined and wise Chinese Emperor could not withstand the narcotizing power of opium. Religion is even more so. Given a leadership woefully lacking in integrity and competence, religion can have a stranglehold more tenacious than the most potent opiate.
To Malays today, religion is less a salve for the soul and more a narcotic to make us escape the world and perversely, as God is everywhere in this wonderful universe, away from Him.
(http://www.bakrimusa.com/archives/narcotizing-the-masses-through-religion)
blatant racial marginalisation?!?...
fwded email...
can this fwded email with facts proves the indians/hindus are being marginalise, blatantly?!?...
am glad uthayakumar took the initiative to make a protest note to aab... i won't be surprise with his frequent overseas visits/trips, this protest note is still under the kiv tray... worse, under the 'not-urgent-cum-rubbish' tray...
p/s ; if these kinda racial/religion marginalisation carry on, the indians MUST make their voices heard!... stop placing hope on the so-called leaders fm mic, stand up yrself and be counted!... if the aneh were to stand again in his strong hold seat in sungai siput, vore him out fm there.. this could be a tight slap cum wake up call for him!...
Budget 2008, Protest Note to Prime Minister 12-9-2007
PROTESTNOTE
"BUDGET2008, NO ALLOCATION FOR THE 523 TAMIL SCHOOLS AND THE 70% POOR AND HARDCORE POOR INDIANS".
ToY.A.B.DATO SERI ABDULLAH AHMAD BADAWI PRIME MINISTER AND FINANCE MINISTER OF MALAYSIA
DATE:12.09.2007
TIME:2.00PM
VENUE:PARLIAMENTHOUSE
BY
HINDRAF
(HinduRightsActionForce)
No. 135-3-A, Jalan Toman 7,
Kemayan Square,
70200 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.
Tel : 06-7672995/03-22825421, Fax: 03-22825616
Email waytha@hotmail.com
Website:www.policewatchmalaysia.com
INTRODUCTION
"With all due respect we refer to the above matter and regret to note that for the RM176.9 Billion (NST 8-9-2007 pg 2) 2008 budget proposal tabled in Parliament on 7.9.2007 by your goodself, no specific allocations have been made to make all 523 Tamil schools fully aided and for the 70% poor and hardcore poor Indians to be taken out of poverty.
We applaude the UMNO controlled government's allocation of RM170 Million allocation for the Orang Asli (native) poor for housing assistance and social amenities. (The Star 8.9.2007 pgN10), RM380 Million allocation for the Sarawak native poor and the RM800, 000 allocation for a pilot project to address orang asli student high drop out rates (NST 9-9-2007 pg3), RM4 Billion has been allocated for projects to improve the quality of life in Sabah and RM4 Billion has been set aside for development projects in Sarawak. However no allocations have been made for the Malaysian Indians, 70% of whom are in the poor and hardcore poor category.
We append hereinbelow the 2008 Budget proposals which obviously leaves the Indians out yet again in the 50th Year of Independence and that also marginalizes Tamil Schools and especially the 70% poor and hardcore poor Indians as follows:-
1. RM12 Billion for implementation of higher education projects and programmes – University Technology Mara will receive a (big) part of the allocation to increase its student enrolment to 200,000 by 2010 (The Star 8.9.2007 pg N8)
2. 480 Million for Giat Mara, Industrial Training Institute (ILP) and National Youth training Institute (NST 8-9-2007 pg 11).
3. RM400 Million to Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputera Berhad (PHBB) to increase bumiputera property investment in IDR (Iskandar) NST 8-9-2007 pg 10).
4. RM30 Billion for primary and secondary schools, RM500,000.00 for each cluster school for co-curricular activities training and educational equipment (The Star 8-9-2007 pg N6)
5. Cost of living expenses double up to 97% for PSD scholarship students in the US, Britain and Canada (NST 8-9-2007 pg N8)
6. More than 90, 000 students at local higher learning institutions will enjoy a higher cost of living allowance (cola). Students will see an increase from 23% to 84%. (NST 8-9-2007 pg )
7. 2 Billion for government training agencies to produce more and better trained workers (The Star 8-9-2007 pgN12)
8. RM550 Million to upgrage polytechnic and community colleges (NST 8-9-2007 pg N11).
9. RM750 Million for the construction of Advanced Technology Training Centre (ADTEC) in Taiping and on Industrial Training Institute Construction of eight Mara Science Junior Colleges four Mara skills training institutes and 28 Giat Mara centres. (NST 8-9-2007 pg 11).
10. RM100 Million to train 50,000 workers (NST 8-9-2007 pg11).
11. 12 Billion (Weekend Mail 8-9-2007 pg19) for community colleges which will undergo a rebreeding exercise.
12. RM381 Million for implementation of low cost housing, housing programmes- 50 Million allocated to BSN and Bank Islam (The Star 8-9-2007 pg N10) to kick start the scheme beginning 1.1.2008.
13. The RM50 Million fund to guarantee housing loans (The Star 6-9-2007 pg N10) meant for by those without fixed income deliberately and specifically did not include the aging and poor Indian plantation workers who are in need of this very basic necessity the most ie shelter.
14. RM331 Million for poverty eradication programmes. (NST 8/9/2007 pg14)
15. RM680 Million for the construction of rural and village roads, RM462 Million for rural water and electricity supply projects as well as RM70 Million for social amenities and RM15 Million for ICT education in rural areas. (NST 8/9/2007 pg14)
16. RM8 Billion yearly Salary increase.(New Sunday Times 9/9/2007 PG8).
17. RM3.8 Billion to improve facilities and encourage research at Universities (Nst 9/9/2007 pg12)
18. We are disappointed that no provisions were made for the minimum wage of RM1, 000.00 per month and the 5 years maternity leave to take care of and to bring up quality children granted to civil servants as announced by your goodselves two (2) weeks ago was not extended to the private sector.
(NOTE: THE ABOVE IS DESIGNED / TAILORED TO MERELY
BENEFIT THE ESTIMATED 97% MALAY MUSLIMS).
We note the UMNO controlled government's "overplaying" and gimmick in the print and electronic media which highlighted the RM60.00 per hour for degree holders and RM50.00 for diploma holders to teach Mandarin or Tamil in National Schools (NST 8-9-2007 pg4) it is estimated that only in 3% of National Schools are Chinese and Tamil thought as a subject during school hours despite the very many repeated empty promises having been made to teach Tamil and Chinese in all national schools over the last 50 years and which is also a main proposal to the Reid Commission in 1956.
VIOLATIONS OF FEDERAL CONSTITUTION
Article 8 of the Federal Constitution provides for Equality before the law "All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law".
The Budget 2008 proposal is in direct violation of Article 12 (Rights in respect of education)
"Without prejudice to the generality of Article 8, there shall be no discrimination against any citizen on the grounds only of religion, race, descent or place of birth –
(a) In the administration of any educational institution maintained by a public authority, and in particular the admission of pupils or students or the payment of fees; or
(b) In providing out of the funds of a public authority financial aid for the maintenance or education of pupils or students in any education institution (whether or not maintained by a public authority and whether within or outside the Federation
Even after 50 years of independence, all 523 Tamil schools in Malaysia are yet to be made fully aided on the excuse that most of them are on privately owned land especially plantation land. This problem can be solved by the stoke of a pen by invoking Section 3 of the Land Acquisition Act 1960 and acquiring all the said privately owned land Tamil schools are sitting on and then converting them into fully aided government schools and allocating them a budget befitting of a worthy school and / or being treated equal to a national school.
In any event there are many national schools in privately owned land and being granted full aid by the government but when it comes to Tamil Schools, a different set of rules applies.
Note: The Chinese Schools have the economically powerful business community to help them out financially and most do not need government assistance to be in existence.
APPEAL
We hereby appeal that the budget be adjusted accordingly to include a RM990 Million allocation to "liberate" all 523 Tamil primary schools into fully aided primary schools at least in conjunction with Malaysia having been independent for 50 years and to give effect to your goodselves declaration that "schooling will be totally free in Malaysia, says PM" (NST 8.9.2007 pg2) (which in effect excludes Tamil school pupils) and another 2 Billion (only about 1.2% of the total 2008 budget) to help the 70% poor and hardcore poor Indians out their state of poverty as per the 18 point demand forwarded to your goodselves at Putrajaya on 12.8.2007.
( http://www.policewatchmalaysia.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1186979067&archive=&start_from=&ucat=9&
(Copy enclosed for you easy reference)
After all in the latest Auditor General's Audit Report " RM1.4 Billion more (additional has been paid out) for navy vessels "unjustified" (over and above the original purchase price of RM5.35 Billion. (The Sun 11.9.2007 pg5) and an (exorbitant) RM19,000.00 helmet for the Fire and Rescue Department (NST 8/9/2007 pg18)
No allocations have been made to address Indian student high dropout rates from especially primary and secondary schools. We hereby appeal that a further sum of RM100, 000.00 per Tamil school be allocated for this purpose.
CONCLUSION
We understand the government policy of wanting to "memperkasakan" (empower) national schools. Our reply to quote Confuscious is "A thousand mile journey begins with a single step" Stop the institutionalised racial discrimination and Islamic extremism in schools and in the country. Not only the national schools but the whole country would become "diperkasakan" (empowered). After all we are all Malaysians.
Lastly we hereby call upon the UMNO controlled government to treat all Malaysians including the Malaysian Indians as human beings and not as fourth class citizens after the Malays, Chinese and many muslim foreign workers just because the Indians do not have much political, economic or international clout.
Thank You
Yours Faithfully
P.Uthayakumar
Legal Adviser
can this fwded email with facts proves the indians/hindus are being marginalise, blatantly?!?...
am glad uthayakumar took the initiative to make a protest note to aab... i won't be surprise with his frequent overseas visits/trips, this protest note is still under the kiv tray... worse, under the 'not-urgent-cum-rubbish' tray...
p/s ; if these kinda racial/religion marginalisation carry on, the indians MUST make their voices heard!... stop placing hope on the so-called leaders fm mic, stand up yrself and be counted!... if the aneh were to stand again in his strong hold seat in sungai siput, vore him out fm there.. this could be a tight slap cum wake up call for him!...
Budget 2008, Protest Note to Prime Minister 12-9-2007
PROTESTNOTE
"BUDGET2008, NO ALLOCATION FOR THE 523 TAMIL SCHOOLS AND THE 70% POOR AND HARDCORE POOR INDIANS".
ToY.A.B.DATO SERI ABDULLAH AHMAD BADAWI PRIME MINISTER AND FINANCE MINISTER OF MALAYSIA
DATE:12.09.2007
TIME:2.00PM
VENUE:PARLIAMENTHOUSE
BY
HINDRAF
(HinduRightsActionForce)
No. 135-3-A, Jalan Toman 7,
Kemayan Square,
70200 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.
Tel : 06-7672995/03-22825421, Fax: 03-22825616
Email waytha@hotmail.com
Website:www.policewatchmalaysia.com
INTRODUCTION
"With all due respect we refer to the above matter and regret to note that for the RM176.9 Billion (NST 8-9-2007 pg 2) 2008 budget proposal tabled in Parliament on 7.9.2007 by your goodself, no specific allocations have been made to make all 523 Tamil schools fully aided and for the 70% poor and hardcore poor Indians to be taken out of poverty.
We applaude the UMNO controlled government's allocation of RM170 Million allocation for the Orang Asli (native) poor for housing assistance and social amenities. (The Star 8.9.2007 pgN10), RM380 Million allocation for the Sarawak native poor and the RM800, 000 allocation for a pilot project to address orang asli student high drop out rates (NST 9-9-2007 pg3), RM4 Billion has been allocated for projects to improve the quality of life in Sabah and RM4 Billion has been set aside for development projects in Sarawak. However no allocations have been made for the Malaysian Indians, 70% of whom are in the poor and hardcore poor category.
We append hereinbelow the 2008 Budget proposals which obviously leaves the Indians out yet again in the 50th Year of Independence and that also marginalizes Tamil Schools and especially the 70% poor and hardcore poor Indians as follows:-
1. RM12 Billion for implementation of higher education projects and programmes – University Technology Mara will receive a (big) part of the allocation to increase its student enrolment to 200,000 by 2010 (The Star 8.9.2007 pg N8)
2. 480 Million for Giat Mara, Industrial Training Institute (ILP) and National Youth training Institute (NST 8-9-2007 pg 11).
3. RM400 Million to Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputera Berhad (PHBB) to increase bumiputera property investment in IDR (Iskandar) NST 8-9-2007 pg 10).
4. RM30 Billion for primary and secondary schools, RM500,000.00 for each cluster school for co-curricular activities training and educational equipment (The Star 8-9-2007 pg N6)
5. Cost of living expenses double up to 97% for PSD scholarship students in the US, Britain and Canada (NST 8-9-2007 pg N8)
6. More than 90, 000 students at local higher learning institutions will enjoy a higher cost of living allowance (cola). Students will see an increase from 23% to 84%. (NST 8-9-2007 pg )
7. 2 Billion for government training agencies to produce more and better trained workers (The Star 8-9-2007 pgN12)
8. RM550 Million to upgrage polytechnic and community colleges (NST 8-9-2007 pg N11).
9. RM750 Million for the construction of Advanced Technology Training Centre (ADTEC) in Taiping and on Industrial Training Institute Construction of eight Mara Science Junior Colleges four Mara skills training institutes and 28 Giat Mara centres. (NST 8-9-2007 pg 11).
10. RM100 Million to train 50,000 workers (NST 8-9-2007 pg11).
11. 12 Billion (Weekend Mail 8-9-2007 pg19) for community colleges which will undergo a rebreeding exercise.
12. RM381 Million for implementation of low cost housing, housing programmes- 50 Million allocated to BSN and Bank Islam (The Star 8-9-2007 pg N10) to kick start the scheme beginning 1.1.2008.
13. The RM50 Million fund to guarantee housing loans (The Star 6-9-2007 pg N10) meant for by those without fixed income deliberately and specifically did not include the aging and poor Indian plantation workers who are in need of this very basic necessity the most ie shelter.
14. RM331 Million for poverty eradication programmes. (NST 8/9/2007 pg14)
15. RM680 Million for the construction of rural and village roads, RM462 Million for rural water and electricity supply projects as well as RM70 Million for social amenities and RM15 Million for ICT education in rural areas. (NST 8/9/2007 pg14)
16. RM8 Billion yearly Salary increase.(New Sunday Times 9/9/2007 PG8).
17. RM3.8 Billion to improve facilities and encourage research at Universities (Nst 9/9/2007 pg12)
18. We are disappointed that no provisions were made for the minimum wage of RM1, 000.00 per month and the 5 years maternity leave to take care of and to bring up quality children granted to civil servants as announced by your goodselves two (2) weeks ago was not extended to the private sector.
(NOTE: THE ABOVE IS DESIGNED / TAILORED TO MERELY
BENEFIT THE ESTIMATED 97% MALAY MUSLIMS).
We note the UMNO controlled government's "overplaying" and gimmick in the print and electronic media which highlighted the RM60.00 per hour for degree holders and RM50.00 for diploma holders to teach Mandarin or Tamil in National Schools (NST 8-9-2007 pg4) it is estimated that only in 3% of National Schools are Chinese and Tamil thought as a subject during school hours despite the very many repeated empty promises having been made to teach Tamil and Chinese in all national schools over the last 50 years and which is also a main proposal to the Reid Commission in 1956.
VIOLATIONS OF FEDERAL CONSTITUTION
Article 8 of the Federal Constitution provides for Equality before the law "All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law".
The Budget 2008 proposal is in direct violation of Article 12 (Rights in respect of education)
"Without prejudice to the generality of Article 8, there shall be no discrimination against any citizen on the grounds only of religion, race, descent or place of birth –
(a) In the administration of any educational institution maintained by a public authority, and in particular the admission of pupils or students or the payment of fees; or
(b) In providing out of the funds of a public authority financial aid for the maintenance or education of pupils or students in any education institution (whether or not maintained by a public authority and whether within or outside the Federation
Even after 50 years of independence, all 523 Tamil schools in Malaysia are yet to be made fully aided on the excuse that most of them are on privately owned land especially plantation land. This problem can be solved by the stoke of a pen by invoking Section 3 of the Land Acquisition Act 1960 and acquiring all the said privately owned land Tamil schools are sitting on and then converting them into fully aided government schools and allocating them a budget befitting of a worthy school and / or being treated equal to a national school.
In any event there are many national schools in privately owned land and being granted full aid by the government but when it comes to Tamil Schools, a different set of rules applies.
Note: The Chinese Schools have the economically powerful business community to help them out financially and most do not need government assistance to be in existence.
APPEAL
We hereby appeal that the budget be adjusted accordingly to include a RM990 Million allocation to "liberate" all 523 Tamil primary schools into fully aided primary schools at least in conjunction with Malaysia having been independent for 50 years and to give effect to your goodselves declaration that "schooling will be totally free in Malaysia, says PM" (NST 8.9.2007 pg2) (which in effect excludes Tamil school pupils) and another 2 Billion (only about 1.2% of the total 2008 budget) to help the 70% poor and hardcore poor Indians out their state of poverty as per the 18 point demand forwarded to your goodselves at Putrajaya on 12.8.2007.
( http://www.policewatchmalaysia.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1186979067&archive=&start_from=&ucat=9&
(Copy enclosed for you easy reference)
After all in the latest Auditor General's Audit Report " RM1.4 Billion more (additional has been paid out) for navy vessels "unjustified" (over and above the original purchase price of RM5.35 Billion. (The Sun 11.9.2007 pg5) and an (exorbitant) RM19,000.00 helmet for the Fire and Rescue Department (NST 8/9/2007 pg18)
No allocations have been made to address Indian student high dropout rates from especially primary and secondary schools. We hereby appeal that a further sum of RM100, 000.00 per Tamil school be allocated for this purpose.
CONCLUSION
We understand the government policy of wanting to "memperkasakan" (empower) national schools. Our reply to quote Confuscious is "A thousand mile journey begins with a single step" Stop the institutionalised racial discrimination and Islamic extremism in schools and in the country. Not only the national schools but the whole country would become "diperkasakan" (empowered). After all we are all Malaysians.
Lastly we hereby call upon the UMNO controlled government to treat all Malaysians including the Malaysian Indians as human beings and not as fourth class citizens after the Malays, Chinese and many muslim foreign workers just because the Indians do not have much political, economic or international clout.
Thank You
Yours Faithfully
P.Uthayakumar
Legal Adviser
the shrinking ringgit!...
this thought comes up to me every now and then.. especially when am travelling... went through this post and found it to be true to a certain extent... (http://niamah.blogspot.com/2007/09/little-things.html)...
do you think our ringgit are really weak?!?... is this some man-made after effects?!?...
wat say you?!?...
btw, had a chat with a good number of people over the past few months or so who most of them run their own biz.. the current economy is crap and stagnant fm late 90s until now... we thought, talked, discussed and encouraged each other about the next booming cycle, so everyone can have a good time again..
malaysia looks good on the books with the current movements and projects... think as aab said, these are the so called feel-good factors.. i dun think so tho!..
also, if am not mistaken someone once told me... approx 65%-75% of companies are under the npl status at this very moment... if this statistics proves to be true, then this says a lot on the current shitty situation we are in eh?!?..
p/s ; we currently have zero purchasing power as a nation... our natural resources are getting thinner and thinner... also, we are going to be a net importer of oil very soon!...
p/s ; compare a dollar to a dollar.. malaysia is indeed an expensive country!..
do you think our ringgit are really weak?!?... is this some man-made after effects?!?...
wat say you?!?...
btw, had a chat with a good number of people over the past few months or so who most of them run their own biz.. the current economy is crap and stagnant fm late 90s until now... we thought, talked, discussed and encouraged each other about the next booming cycle, so everyone can have a good time again..
malaysia looks good on the books with the current movements and projects... think as aab said, these are the so called feel-good factors.. i dun think so tho!..
also, if am not mistaken someone once told me... approx 65%-75% of companies are under the npl status at this very moment... if this statistics proves to be true, then this says a lot on the current shitty situation we are in eh?!?..
p/s ; we currently have zero purchasing power as a nation... our natural resources are getting thinner and thinner... also, we are going to be a net importer of oil very soon!...
p/s ; compare a dollar to a dollar.. malaysia is indeed an expensive country!..
iskandar development region...
some call it as aab's baby...
some call it as an investment to the country...
some call it as an investment for the middle eastern...
some call it as a 'mahathir-have-putrajaya/cyberjaya-so-aab-MUST-have-something-else-lah' kinda case...
some call it as an another putrajaya/cyberjaya...
some call it as the future in down south...
some call it as a competiting hub against singapore...
wat do you call it?!?...
for me... johor/down south is as good as we have already sold the state to the middle eastern... think there are loads of other ways to develop the state/down south... start small, perhaps with small projects here and there and work the way up... public transport and safety should be tackle first...
as for now, we are basically selling the pride of the nation which is proton soon.. then idr, then ncer and then ecer... wat's next?!?...
as soon as aab came on board.. we are basically selling, selling and selling... owhh yes, we buy too... we buy submarines, sukhois and navy ships which cost the country billions of ringgit!...
my ramblings on a tuesday morning... :) ...
p/s ; not even a single concrete work started in idr and we are talking about ncer and latest being the ecer...
p/s ; the faster you go up without proper preparation, the harder you will fall...
some call it as an investment to the country...
some call it as an investment for the middle eastern...
some call it as a 'mahathir-have-putrajaya/cyberjaya-so-aab-MUST-have-something-else-lah' kinda case...
some call it as an another putrajaya/cyberjaya...
some call it as the future in down south...
some call it as a competiting hub against singapore...
wat do you call it?!?...
for me... johor/down south is as good as we have already sold the state to the middle eastern... think there are loads of other ways to develop the state/down south... start small, perhaps with small projects here and there and work the way up... public transport and safety should be tackle first...
as for now, we are basically selling the pride of the nation which is proton soon.. then idr, then ncer and then ecer... wat's next?!?...
as soon as aab came on board.. we are basically selling, selling and selling... owhh yes, we buy too... we buy submarines, sukhois and navy ships which cost the country billions of ringgit!...
my ramblings on a tuesday morning... :) ...
p/s ; not even a single concrete work started in idr and we are talking about ncer and latest being the ecer...
p/s ; the faster you go up without proper preparation, the harder you will fall...
rockybru the prominent blogger is a phantom voter!...
election commission busted, again!... rashid, wat say you this time round?!?...
to those who have register yrself this year, pls re-check yr status...
i registered myself twice... 1st time cannot pass because 'some of unknown reason/s'.. re-register myself for the 2nd time... just 'approved' my registration...
know even a very well known politician got his name 'vanished mysteriously' fm the electoral roll... he need to re-register himself, hopefully enough time for the up and coming general election.... if this kinda stuffs can happen to a politician, it can happen to everyone... do check yr status every now and then... do make yr vote count and yr voice be heard!...
you can check yr status here... (http://daftarj.spr.gov.my/daftarbi.asp)...
p/s ; yes to indelible ink!... no to postal votes!.. clean up the electoral roll!... thank God for bersih!...
I, Phantom? I have never registered myself as a voter in my entire life.
So how did I get my name on the Election Commission's voter roll?
Someone must have done it for me. Who?
I have never been to Rapat Setia, for heaven's sake.
My address on my old ID and on my new MyKad is Puchong, Selangor.
I have never lived in Perak.
My kampong is in Melaka.
So who did I vote for in Gopeng? And in Simpang Pulai?
Is someone walking around with my ID, my MyKad?
Am I really who I think I am?
Was I a Phantom Voter in the last general election?
Excuse me, Mr Election Commissioner, YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO HERE!
I've always been skeptical when people talk about phantom voters being used to win elections. I have always been sympathetic with the EC when people accuse it of flaws in the electoral process. With millions on the electoral roll, surely honest mistakes can be expected here and there.
There's nothing honest about the EC's mistake here.
(http://rockybru.blogspot.com/2007/09/excuse-me-wtf-registered-me-as-voter.html)
to those who have register yrself this year, pls re-check yr status...
i registered myself twice... 1st time cannot pass because 'some of unknown reason/s'.. re-register myself for the 2nd time... just 'approved' my registration...
know even a very well known politician got his name 'vanished mysteriously' fm the electoral roll... he need to re-register himself, hopefully enough time for the up and coming general election.... if this kinda stuffs can happen to a politician, it can happen to everyone... do check yr status every now and then... do make yr vote count and yr voice be heard!...
you can check yr status here... (http://daftarj.spr.gov.my/daftarbi.asp)...
p/s ; yes to indelible ink!... no to postal votes!.. clean up the electoral roll!... thank God for bersih!...
I, Phantom? I have never registered myself as a voter in my entire life.
So how did I get my name on the Election Commission's voter roll?
Someone must have done it for me. Who?
I have never been to Rapat Setia, for heaven's sake.
My address on my old ID and on my new MyKad is Puchong, Selangor.
I have never lived in Perak.
My kampong is in Melaka.
So who did I vote for in Gopeng? And in Simpang Pulai?
Is someone walking around with my ID, my MyKad?
Am I really who I think I am?
Was I a Phantom Voter in the last general election?
Excuse me, Mr Election Commissioner, YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO HERE!
I've always been skeptical when people talk about phantom voters being used to win elections. I have always been sympathetic with the EC when people accuse it of flaws in the electoral process. With millions on the electoral roll, surely honest mistakes can be expected here and there.
There's nothing honest about the EC's mistake here.
(http://rockybru.blogspot.com/2007/09/excuse-me-wtf-registered-me-as-voter.html)
another video clip that rocked the nation!...
lingam owhh lingam!... fairuz owhh fairuz!...
when anwar mentioned he have stuffs with him and he will released it 'when the time is right'.. i knew very much he spoke the truth!...
this video clip certainly rocked the nation... it rocked the entire judiciary system!... it brought nothing but shame to the judiciary system!... it shook the whole judiciary system!...
aab stepped in... najib stepped in... finally they sense some kinda 'urgency' of these kinda matters eh?!?...
if this subject were to bring up in the dewan, will the speaker 'dismiss' it as a 'non-urgent' matter?!?...
the video clip that rocked the nation... (http://www.malaysiakini.tv/?vid=1378)...
latest article on this subject as at now.. (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/9/22/nation/18966948&sec=nation)...
to those who follow up on this case, especially the lawyers... wat's yr view like?!?...
blatant use of power, relationship and money!...
btw, it is not the tape... it is the current rotten judiciary system which powered by greed, money and power which we are facing now!...
re the 'walk for justice' walk... no police, no blocks, no hurdles and no thunderstorm can stop all these responsible rakyat fm struggling and bringing the real justice to malaysia!...
kudos to the thousands who attended the walk!...
let's just hope there will be more people, in particular the lawyers, to realise the seriousness of this case and to struggle on!...
a royal commission is a must to restore the public confidence!...
p/s ; independent panel to probe into this matter?!?.. the next thing you know, delay here and delay there and the cj steps down 'properly' in oct 2007/nov 2007 and case will be close then.. dun be surprise if this is said then... "sudahlah cj pun dah pencen, usahlah kita mengambil kira lagi case ini"...
p/s ; nazri just screwed himself BIG time, again!...
p/s ; the current situation/position malaysia in the transparency index say a lot tho...
when anwar mentioned he have stuffs with him and he will released it 'when the time is right'.. i knew very much he spoke the truth!...
this video clip certainly rocked the nation... it rocked the entire judiciary system!... it brought nothing but shame to the judiciary system!... it shook the whole judiciary system!...
aab stepped in... najib stepped in... finally they sense some kinda 'urgency' of these kinda matters eh?!?...
if this subject were to bring up in the dewan, will the speaker 'dismiss' it as a 'non-urgent' matter?!?...
the video clip that rocked the nation... (http://www.malaysiakini.tv/?vid=1378)...
latest article on this subject as at now.. (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/9/22/nation/18966948&sec=nation)...
to those who follow up on this case, especially the lawyers... wat's yr view like?!?...
blatant use of power, relationship and money!...
btw, it is not the tape... it is the current rotten judiciary system which powered by greed, money and power which we are facing now!...
re the 'walk for justice' walk... no police, no blocks, no hurdles and no thunderstorm can stop all these responsible rakyat fm struggling and bringing the real justice to malaysia!...
kudos to the thousands who attended the walk!...
let's just hope there will be more people, in particular the lawyers, to realise the seriousness of this case and to struggle on!...
a royal commission is a must to restore the public confidence!...
p/s ; independent panel to probe into this matter?!?.. the next thing you know, delay here and delay there and the cj steps down 'properly' in oct 2007/nov 2007 and case will be close then.. dun be surprise if this is said then... "sudahlah cj pun dah pencen, usahlah kita mengambil kira lagi case ini"...
p/s ; nazri just screwed himself BIG time, again!...
p/s ; the current situation/position malaysia in the transparency index say a lot tho...
space participant, that is!...
this may come a little late...
(http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition16/index.html)
just hope we will not be paying million of ringgit for another one to go up without any concrete purposes in the near future... let's just hope this won't be a 'gaya mesti ada' case...
p/s ;watever it is... congrats and all the best!... this famous joke will be a history soon..
usa - astronaut...
russia - cosmonaut...
china - taikornaut...
malaysia - can or not...
(http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition16/index.html)
just hope we will not be paying million of ringgit for another one to go up without any concrete purposes in the near future... let's just hope this won't be a 'gaya mesti ada' case...
p/s ;watever it is... congrats and all the best!... this famous joke will be a history soon..
usa - astronaut...
russia - cosmonaut...
china - taikornaut...
malaysia - can or not...
i forgotten that you are stupid and you remember you are an irresponsible politician!...
something 'light and funny' to share...
no matter who this vvip/vip is govt or the opposition.. i personally think he is dumb and to 'conveniently forget' to do such things is stupid...
(http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/9/26/nation/18992789&sec=nation)
earlier news...
(http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/9/24/nation/18976278&sec=nation)
sepandai-pandai tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh ke tanah juga... :) ...
p/s ; another sandiwara to prove the govt is working and/or clamping down their own people?!?... :) ...
no matter who this vvip/vip is govt or the opposition.. i personally think he is dumb and to 'conveniently forget' to do such things is stupid...
(http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/9/26/nation/18992789&sec=nation)
earlier news...
(http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/9/24/nation/18976278&sec=nation)
sepandai-pandai tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh ke tanah juga... :) ...
p/s ; another sandiwara to prove the govt is working and/or clamping down their own people?!?... :) ...
turkey would never turn into another malaysia... from sabah english edition...
understand more than 90% of the turkish are muslims...
we have more than 90% turkeys in our current parliament... :) ...
i find this article rather interesting.. understand turkey have more muslims than malaysia, yet they do not want to be like malaysia, like an islamic state which aab and najib confirmed it couple of weeks/months ago?!?...
would be interesting if syed hamid's hardtalk on bbc come AFTER this comment from the president of turkey... :) ...
now, who say people want to imitate malaysia?!?...
btw, we have some a bn mp fella compare malaysia to ghana and/or those lower ranking to us... but will never compare us with country which is higher ranking than us in order for us to improve.. real sad state of mentality!...
i find some of the comments via this subject thru lks's blog are pretty interesting...
(http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/09/24/turks-do-not-want-turkey-to-be-another-malaysia-turning-into-an-islamic-state/)
p/s ; malaysia is a secular state with islam is the official religion...
Turkey would never turn into another Malaysia
19.09.2007
President Gül, during his first official trip to Northern Cyprus, has answered the questions of those who fear Turkey will become a country like Malaysia: "How could one think this?" asked Gül, adding: "Turkey is negotiating with the EU for full membership. If there are people who still have worries on the scarf issue, then we should fear those people instead."
President Gül has made his first official trip to Northern Cyprus, together with his wife Hayrunnisa Gül. The trip is the first public appearance for Mrs. Gül since her husband was elected president.
During the reception given in Gül's and his wife's honor at the Northern Cyprus President Talat's residence, Gül answered questions from the press. Gül emphasized that Turkey's number one priority is EU membership.
Upon the question of a possible coup attempt from the army, Gül said: "Clearly I do not overrate people who are expecting a coup. The military's intervention would be the biggest injustice that could ever happen to our country. Everyone in Turkey should accept and digest the different beliefs and ideas. All Turkish people must respect the differences of one another. This is what it takes to 'live together'."
(http://english.sabah.com.tr/108582425C38450CA2AEF6CDA358E809.html)
we have more than 90% turkeys in our current parliament... :) ...
i find this article rather interesting.. understand turkey have more muslims than malaysia, yet they do not want to be like malaysia, like an islamic state which aab and najib confirmed it couple of weeks/months ago?!?...
would be interesting if syed hamid's hardtalk on bbc come AFTER this comment from the president of turkey... :) ...
now, who say people want to imitate malaysia?!?...
btw, we have some a bn mp fella compare malaysia to ghana and/or those lower ranking to us... but will never compare us with country which is higher ranking than us in order for us to improve.. real sad state of mentality!...
i find some of the comments via this subject thru lks's blog are pretty interesting...
(http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/09/24/turks-do-not-want-turkey-to-be-another-malaysia-turning-into-an-islamic-state/)
p/s ; malaysia is a secular state with islam is the official religion...
Turkey would never turn into another Malaysia
19.09.2007
President Gül, during his first official trip to Northern Cyprus, has answered the questions of those who fear Turkey will become a country like Malaysia: "How could one think this?" asked Gül, adding: "Turkey is negotiating with the EU for full membership. If there are people who still have worries on the scarf issue, then we should fear those people instead."
President Gül has made his first official trip to Northern Cyprus, together with his wife Hayrunnisa Gül. The trip is the first public appearance for Mrs. Gül since her husband was elected president.
During the reception given in Gül's and his wife's honor at the Northern Cyprus President Talat's residence, Gül answered questions from the press. Gül emphasized that Turkey's number one priority is EU membership.
Upon the question of a possible coup attempt from the army, Gül said: "Clearly I do not overrate people who are expecting a coup. The military's intervention would be the biggest injustice that could ever happen to our country. Everyone in Turkey should accept and digest the different beliefs and ideas. All Turkish people must respect the differences of one another. This is what it takes to 'live together'."
(http://english.sabah.com.tr/108582425C38450CA2AEF6CDA358E809.html)
remembering nurin jazlin jazimin!..
i find the below article pretty meaningful...
let's just hope the animal will be brought to justice soon... heck, stuff him/her with cucumber and brinjal at the 'proper' place as soon as he/she is caught, dun think trials and/or court hearings needs to be done!...
murder after murder, rape after rape, theft after theft, abuse after abuse, etc... wat is wrong with our society lately?!?...
anyway, i like how the politicians make their promise/s and how the authorities pass the buck around!...
more reading at...
(http://rockybru.blogspot.com/2007/09/after-nurin-politician-promises.html)
(http://nursamad.blogspot.com/2007/09/passing-buck.html)
malaysia is no longer safe enough to walk around without any worries!...
i remember wat one fellow ryzer/mmner told me... she migrated to singapore and she mentioned something like she is not use to the saftey in singapore, she felt so safe everywhere and with everything.... vast different when you cross the border, if a johorean who have never been robbed, he/she is not a johorean!...
p/s ; think the authorities extended the current igp's term based on the 'good record'.. let's just hope pdrm, which supposed to protect the citizens instead of blaming the citizens, get down to the work fast enough before anymore victims being cannibalised by these kinda animals again!...
Remembering Nurin Jazlin Jazimin
I am only eight years old
Just five years from my teens
Which I will now never see
And it’s more than just that
For I won’t see too the sun
Nor the moon nor the rain
Nor feel the soft pitter patter
Of warm raindrops gathering
In my tresses, running gently
Down to my once warm body
I am only eight years old
Denied my youth, cut down
With no dignity, with no one
I love besides me, to hold me
As I trembled from violence
Inexplicable cruelty, no pity
No chance to say goodbye
To emak and ayah and pals
Why, no one can tell me now
Too late, I'm part of the dark
I am only eight years old
Will you remember me as
You do Altantuyaa Shariibuu
Not a glamorous beauty
No high profile case in me
Just a neighborhood kid
I have never been abroad
To France or European cities
Just local Wangsa Maju
An innocent child, no more
I am only eight years old
So why do they say it’s all
God’s Will, dear wonderful
God who loves us all, why
Blame Him, for it was Evil
Who stalked me as a prey
Be like the Chinese and bury
Me in red clothing, armed
With scissors in my hands
To set me off as Rhamnousia
(http://ktemoc.blogspot.com/2007/09/remembering-nurin-jazlin-jazimin.html)
let's just hope the animal will be brought to justice soon... heck, stuff him/her with cucumber and brinjal at the 'proper' place as soon as he/she is caught, dun think trials and/or court hearings needs to be done!...
murder after murder, rape after rape, theft after theft, abuse after abuse, etc... wat is wrong with our society lately?!?...
anyway, i like how the politicians make their promise/s and how the authorities pass the buck around!...
more reading at...
(http://rockybru.blogspot.com/2007/09/after-nurin-politician-promises.html)
(http://nursamad.blogspot.com/2007/09/passing-buck.html)
malaysia is no longer safe enough to walk around without any worries!...
i remember wat one fellow ryzer/mmner told me... she migrated to singapore and she mentioned something like she is not use to the saftey in singapore, she felt so safe everywhere and with everything.... vast different when you cross the border, if a johorean who have never been robbed, he/she is not a johorean!...
p/s ; think the authorities extended the current igp's term based on the 'good record'.. let's just hope pdrm, which supposed to protect the citizens instead of blaming the citizens, get down to the work fast enough before anymore victims being cannibalised by these kinda animals again!...
Remembering Nurin Jazlin Jazimin
I am only eight years old
Just five years from my teens
Which I will now never see
And it’s more than just that
For I won’t see too the sun
Nor the moon nor the rain
Nor feel the soft pitter patter
Of warm raindrops gathering
In my tresses, running gently
Down to my once warm body
I am only eight years old
Denied my youth, cut down
With no dignity, with no one
I love besides me, to hold me
As I trembled from violence
Inexplicable cruelty, no pity
No chance to say goodbye
To emak and ayah and pals
Why, no one can tell me now
Too late, I'm part of the dark
I am only eight years old
Will you remember me as
You do Altantuyaa Shariibuu
Not a glamorous beauty
No high profile case in me
Just a neighborhood kid
I have never been abroad
To France or European cities
Just local Wangsa Maju
An innocent child, no more
I am only eight years old
So why do they say it’s all
God’s Will, dear wonderful
God who loves us all, why
Blame Him, for it was Evil
Who stalked me as a prey
Be like the Chinese and bury
Me in red clothing, armed
With scissors in my hands
To set me off as Rhamnousia
(http://ktemoc.blogspot.com/2007/09/remembering-nurin-jazlin-jazimin.html)
register to vote... by ibnu hakeem...
fwded email...
simple and direct email...
by Ibnu Hakeem
I address all right thinking Malaysians, the people
who inhabit this most beautiful land, country and
nation that we call Malaysia. Our nation is in danger,
extreme danger of being swamped by the insatiable
greed, utmost dishonesty, blatant corruption and gross
stupidity of those whom WE (including me) have helped
put in power. I have none other to blame except
myself. Never before in the history of our young
nation have the lives and the future of so many
millions been at the mercy of such a handful few
incompetents. We must eradicate this unfortunate
condition from this country and make sure that we are
never put in these same circumstances again. The time
has come to act.
With almost all avenues for free speech and expression
tightly controlled by the Government, there is only
Cyberspace left open to us. And we are thankful that
it is a huge amount of space that we still have. A few
good men and women, the 'Band of Bloggers', are
leading the charge in Cyberspace to correct the things
that are wrong with the leadership. This leader has to
go out the window into the tong sampah with all the
other soiled pampers.
The time has come for all Malaysians who are of voting
age to make sure they are registered to vote. This is
no more our civic or patriotic duty. It is a matter of
life and death. If we wish to live well then please
get yourself registered to vote. Tell your children,
family, friends and relatives to go and get registered
to vote. Do it fast while the voter registration rolls
are still open.
And also when the time comes, please go out to vote.
Rain or shine, thunder or squall, we must all go out
to vote in the upcoming General Elections. And please
vote wisely. Recently in Johor Bharu Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad called upon all Malaysians to vote wisely.
Every vote is counted and every vote will count. We
have heard of electoral rolls being rigged and
elections being stolen - this has happened on all
sides - but let this irritation not hinder anyone from
voting.
To the Malay voters, you are the largest voting group.
Look around and see all that has been wrought. If you
are happy, then vote your conscience. If you are not,
then show your disagreement.
To the Chinese voters; the large majority of whom are
strong supporters of BN; do not be afraid to vote as
per your conscience. It is not the end of the world if
you do not vote BN. The Chinese have always been a
practical people, who are rightly concerned about
their wellbeing and the future of their children.
After all, in the final analysis, that is all that
matters. But because of this the Chinese have
frequently been subject to blackmail, coercion and
threats. The Chinese fear too much that without a BN
government there will be chaos. So they toe the line.
Perhaps it is time to step out of line just a little.
Not too much but maybe just enough. Trouble only
starts if we create it. So let us not create any
trouble. Let's just go about our businesses and go
about voting our choice without creating any trouble.
The Indians have always been the most loyal supporters
of BN. Their almost undivided loyalty to the BN is
legendary. Never in the history of elections in
Malaysia has the Indian vote ever been successfully
split or deviated away from the BN. But the Indians
too must consider carefully where exactly the country
is headed. It does not look as if the country is
headed anywhere anytime soon.
Having been born and bred under a BN Governments since
Independence, many of us are too comfortable with the
BN and do not want to see the BN lose in the
elections. But the BN has become too much of a
dinosaur. The BN is either too constipated or suffers
embarrassing incontinence. Too many of us now feel
that the time has come to reduce the size of the BN.
The excess fat, the sluggish, the snobbish, the
corrupt and the fools have to be culled. The time has
come for some drastic carving with a meat cleaver.
Tun Dr Mahathir said vote wisely. What does it mean to
vote wisely? We must remember that the urban
constituencies are only about one third (approx.) the
importance of the rural constituencies. This means a
rural constituency with 10,000 voters has as much
importance as an urban constituency with 30,000
voters. This means one voter in a rural constituency
has as much power as three people voting in an urban
constituency to determine our future.
And remember that the strength of the BN is in the
rural constituencies. This means that even if the BN
loses all the urban constituencies but wins all the
rural constituencies, they will still rule, thanks to
the delineations carried out by the Elections
Commission. Therefore BN supporters in the urban areas
can be more flexible or generous with their voting
preferences this time around. Don't worry. Even if you
don't vote BN in the urban constituencies, BN will
still rule from the rural constituencies. Don't worry.
So vote wisely.
We voters cannot give all our support to BN any
longer. If there were three friends voting BN, let
there be one less vote for BN this time round. If
there were five voting for the BN before, let there be
two less now. If a husband and wife both voted BN, let
there be only one only time. And to all voters, if
there are two seats on the ticket, a Parliamentary
seat and a State seat (DUN), give just one to the BN.
We have to reduce the size of this dinosaur that we
the BN supporters have created. We have to do this to
save the BN from self-destruction and from destroying
the country in the process. For the good of the BN and
for the future of this country, reduce the support
that we have given to the BN.
This is the power of democracy. This is the power of
each individual vote. Register as a voter. Voting is
your right. Vote wisely.
simple and direct email...
by Ibnu Hakeem
I address all right thinking Malaysians, the people
who inhabit this most beautiful land, country and
nation that we call Malaysia. Our nation is in danger,
extreme danger of being swamped by the insatiable
greed, utmost dishonesty, blatant corruption and gross
stupidity of those whom WE (including me) have helped
put in power. I have none other to blame except
myself. Never before in the history of our young
nation have the lives and the future of so many
millions been at the mercy of such a handful few
incompetents. We must eradicate this unfortunate
condition from this country and make sure that we are
never put in these same circumstances again. The time
has come to act.
With almost all avenues for free speech and expression
tightly controlled by the Government, there is only
Cyberspace left open to us. And we are thankful that
it is a huge amount of space that we still have. A few
good men and women, the 'Band of Bloggers', are
leading the charge in Cyberspace to correct the things
that are wrong with the leadership. This leader has to
go out the window into the tong sampah with all the
other soiled pampers.
The time has come for all Malaysians who are of voting
age to make sure they are registered to vote. This is
no more our civic or patriotic duty. It is a matter of
life and death. If we wish to live well then please
get yourself registered to vote. Tell your children,
family, friends and relatives to go and get registered
to vote. Do it fast while the voter registration rolls
are still open.
And also when the time comes, please go out to vote.
Rain or shine, thunder or squall, we must all go out
to vote in the upcoming General Elections. And please
vote wisely. Recently in Johor Bharu Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad called upon all Malaysians to vote wisely.
Every vote is counted and every vote will count. We
have heard of electoral rolls being rigged and
elections being stolen - this has happened on all
sides - but let this irritation not hinder anyone from
voting.
To the Malay voters, you are the largest voting group.
Look around and see all that has been wrought. If you
are happy, then vote your conscience. If you are not,
then show your disagreement.
To the Chinese voters; the large majority of whom are
strong supporters of BN; do not be afraid to vote as
per your conscience. It is not the end of the world if
you do not vote BN. The Chinese have always been a
practical people, who are rightly concerned about
their wellbeing and the future of their children.
After all, in the final analysis, that is all that
matters. But because of this the Chinese have
frequently been subject to blackmail, coercion and
threats. The Chinese fear too much that without a BN
government there will be chaos. So they toe the line.
Perhaps it is time to step out of line just a little.
Not too much but maybe just enough. Trouble only
starts if we create it. So let us not create any
trouble. Let's just go about our businesses and go
about voting our choice without creating any trouble.
The Indians have always been the most loyal supporters
of BN. Their almost undivided loyalty to the BN is
legendary. Never in the history of elections in
Malaysia has the Indian vote ever been successfully
split or deviated away from the BN. But the Indians
too must consider carefully where exactly the country
is headed. It does not look as if the country is
headed anywhere anytime soon.
Having been born and bred under a BN Governments since
Independence, many of us are too comfortable with the
BN and do not want to see the BN lose in the
elections. But the BN has become too much of a
dinosaur. The BN is either too constipated or suffers
embarrassing incontinence. Too many of us now feel
that the time has come to reduce the size of the BN.
The excess fat, the sluggish, the snobbish, the
corrupt and the fools have to be culled. The time has
come for some drastic carving with a meat cleaver.
Tun Dr Mahathir said vote wisely. What does it mean to
vote wisely? We must remember that the urban
constituencies are only about one third (approx.) the
importance of the rural constituencies. This means a
rural constituency with 10,000 voters has as much
importance as an urban constituency with 30,000
voters. This means one voter in a rural constituency
has as much power as three people voting in an urban
constituency to determine our future.
And remember that the strength of the BN is in the
rural constituencies. This means that even if the BN
loses all the urban constituencies but wins all the
rural constituencies, they will still rule, thanks to
the delineations carried out by the Elections
Commission. Therefore BN supporters in the urban areas
can be more flexible or generous with their voting
preferences this time around. Don't worry. Even if you
don't vote BN in the urban constituencies, BN will
still rule from the rural constituencies. Don't worry.
So vote wisely.
We voters cannot give all our support to BN any
longer. If there were three friends voting BN, let
there be one less vote for BN this time round. If
there were five voting for the BN before, let there be
two less now. If a husband and wife both voted BN, let
there be only one only time. And to all voters, if
there are two seats on the ticket, a Parliamentary
seat and a State seat (DUN), give just one to the BN.
We have to reduce the size of this dinosaur that we
the BN supporters have created. We have to do this to
save the BN from self-destruction and from destroying
the country in the process. For the good of the BN and
for the future of this country, reduce the support
that we have given to the BN.
This is the power of democracy. This is the power of
each individual vote. Register as a voter. Voting is
your right. Vote wisely.
yes, we are embroiled in a constitutional crisis.. by rpk... a must read by all!...
a must read by all...
one simple and direct comment fm the read is very true...
huador69 wrote:
Judge UMNO punya
Polis UMNO punya
Media UMNO punya
Parliament UMNO punya
Kerajaan UMNO punya
Petronas UMNO punya
Apa rakyat ada...
The AGONG saja
So please help the rakyat Tuanku
20/09 16:45:46
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al Muktafi Billah Shah has already been unofficially informed that Malaysia Today is garnering online signatures to support a ten-point Peoples’ Petition (Petisyen Rakyat) appealing for Tuanku to intervene and rectify the very troubling and extremely alarming state of affairs in this country. And Tuanku has also been told that thus far we have obtained about 10,000 signatures, to which Tuanku sighed and retorted that this is going to be another responsibility he has to take care of.
We are due to officially submit the petition to Tuanku a week or so before Hari Raya. Nevertheless, since Istana Negara comes under the Prime Minister’s Department, the powers-that-be can of course deny us access to The Agong. That, in fact, happened back in November 1999.
Soon after Parliament was dissolved in November 1999, I tried to meet The Agong, who at that time was the Sultan of Selangor. The purpose of my request to meet The Agong was to hand him a letter expressing our anxiety at what could possibly happen in the event Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds majority in the 29 November 1999 general election -- or worse, if Barisan Nasional garnered less that 50% of the seats in Parliament. This anxiety was certainly not misplaced as had been proven in the Sabah episode when two Chief Ministers were sworn in and finally, through the intervention of Kuala Lumpur, Pairin Kitingan was declared the legitimate Chief Minister and PBS ended up forming the State Government. History has shown this can and has happened and therefore history could be repeated on the morning of 30 November 1999 if we did not take precautions.
What we were concerned about (and don’t ask me who the “we” are) is that in the event Barisan Nasional, say, won 49% of the Parliamentary seats and the four opposition parties (PAS, DAP, PKN and PRM) won 51% of the seats, a Barisan Nasional Prime Minister could still be sworn in to form the government. This is because Barisan Nasional, though a coalition of 14 political parties, is a legally registered coalition; whereas PAS, DAP, PKN and PRM were a ‘loose’ coalition that was not legally registered. Therefore, say, PAS won 20% of the seats, DAP 15%, PKN another 15%, and PRM 1%, Barisan Nasional, at 49%, would still be considered the largest minority and therefore its 49% would beat PAS’ 20%, DAP’s 15%, PKN’s 15% and PRM’s 1%.
In short, Barisan Nasional would be regarded as one party winning 49% of the seats and not 14 parties winning 49% while the four opposition parties would be considered as four parties winning lesser seats than Barisan Nasional and not one party winning 51%. So, Barisan Nasional’s collective 49% would beat the four opposition parties if their seats are looked at individually instead of collectively.
The letter we wanted to hand to The Agong was signed by the four opposition leaders -- Fadzil Noor, Lim Kit Siang, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and Dr Syed Husin Ali -- agreeing to combine all the seats the four opposition parties were to win so that they could be treated as a block just like the Barisan Nasional seats. On Thursday night, I sent the letters to the four opposition leaders who were campaigning all over the country with instructions to the couriers that the letters must be returned by dawn. We sent two cars to each leader in case one car broke down or got involved in an accident -- or in case they get ambushed along the way. We also did not reveal which car was carrying the letter in case....well, you know in case what.
The next morning I got the four letters back and around noon that Friday I rode to the Istana Negara on my Yamaha Virago but was not allowed into the palace. I explained that I am The Agong’s nephew and wanted to see Tuanku about a family matter. The palace official told me that they are under strict instructions from the Prime Minister’s Department that no one gets to meet The Agong until after the general election, not even family members. I phoned two of The Agong’s sons, my cousins, and tried, through them, to get to meet Tuanku. They told me that even they, Tuanku’s own sons, can’t get access to The Agong. I had no choice but to hand the letter to the palace official with instructions that the letter be personally handed to The Agong. I then went for my Friday prayers.
I went back to the office at 2.30pm and, lo and behold, there was a letter waiting for me in the fax machine, the fastest response ever from the government and which should have made the Book of Records. It was a letter from the Prime Minister’s Department turning down my request to meet The Agong with instructions to try again after the general election. Realising that Barisan Nasional was thinking exactly what we were thinking and that they had pre-empted our every move, we took steps to hire a helicopter and placed it on standby. In the event the four opposition parties do win 51% or more of the Parliamentary seats, the helicopter would take to the air and pick up the four opposition leaders and drop them onto the lawn of the Istana Negara so that they can get sworn in to form the new government; beating Barisan Nasional to it like what Haris Salleh did to Pairin in Sabah.
But, again, Barsian Nasional pre-empted this. The Agong was not in the Istana Negara but was safely hidden in Langkawi where we could not get to him. Invariably, The Agong was well-guarded and not even his own sons could get to him. Anyway, that is all academic now. Barisan Nasional managed to win two-thirds of the seats though it won only 54% of the votes. So it did not matter any longer whether we could reach The Agong or not.
Expect, therefore, that we may again get blocked and may not be able to personally meet The Agong to hand Tuanku our Peoples’ Petition. At best they might just allow us to meet a palace official like what happened to PAS yesterday when all they managed to meet was the Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-Raja Melayu, Tan Sri Engku Ibrahim Engku Ngah. Nevertheless, this is good enough as this would still be regarded as official and would be as good as personally handing the petition to The Agong. And that is why Malaysia Today chose to conduct an online petition. Other than making this easier for all to sign, an online petition would be public knowledge and even if they block us from personally handing the petition to The Agong, they will not be able to block knowledge of the petition. This means The Agong will know about it even if the hardcopy version does not reach him.
Yes, November 1999 taught us a thing or two and it is not that easy to do us in a second time.
Now, some have asked me: what can The Agong do? Sure, The Agong receives our petition. But what can The Agong do about it when the Rulers have no power? Undeniably, those who ask this question have not read the Federal Constitution of Malaysia or do not even realise that we have one. Even those who are aware of the Constitution point out that Article 43 of the Constitution forbids The Agong from interfering in the running of the government. The Agong, they argue, can only act on the advice of the Prime Minister. Actually, that is not quite true.
Article 43 (1) says: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall appoint a Jemaah Menteri (Cabinet of Ministers) to advise him in the exercise of his functions.
Note that it says the Cabinet is ‘to advise him in the exercise of his functions’. It says ‘advise’ and this is the one word that has been wrongly interpreted as The Agong receives instructions from the Cabinet. If they had meant for The Agong to receive instructions from the Cabinet then Article 43 (1) would have used the word ‘instruct’ and not ‘advise’.
Now, look at Article 43 (1) (a) that says: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall first appoint as Perdana Menteri (Prime Minister) to preside over the Cabinet a member of the House of Representative who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House.
Note that Article 43 (1) (a) says that The Agong shall appoint as Perdana Menteri ‘a member of the House of Representative’. It does not say that the Perdana Menteri must be the President of Umno or the Chairman of Barisan Nasional. The only criterion for the appointment of the Perdana Menteri is: ‘who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House’.
Note that part again: ‘who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House’. What happens if The Agong, in his judgement, feels that the Perdana Menteri is UNLIKELY to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House? In other words, what happens if 111 Members of Parliament pass a vote of no confidence in Parliament? Would The Agong then not, in his judgment, form an opinion that the Prime Minister no longer commands the confidence of the majority of the members of that House?
Okay, you may argue that this is in theory only and in practice could never happen. We can never see the day when 111 Members of Parliament will stand up in Parliament and pass a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister, you might say. Never mind! Even if you think that in practice this will never happen, what is important is that in theory it is possible and it will be perfectly legal to do so, and The Agong, according to the Constitution, can intervene and remove the Prime Minister. And it is not treasonous to talk about it or actually do it because the Constitution provides for it.
What is even more interesting is Article 43 (4) of the Federal Constitution that says as follows: If the Prime Minister ceases to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the House of Representatives, then, unless at his request the Yang di-Pertuan Agong dissolves Parliament, the Prime Minister shall tender the resignation of the Cabinet.
Yes, once 111 Members of Parliament pass a vote of no confidence on the Prime Minister, he (plus the entire Cabinet) has to resign, unless the Prime Minister asks The Agong to dissolve Parliament -- which means we shall then have fresh elections (and later I will show you that The Agong can refuse to dissolve Parliament even if the Prime Minister asks him to).
This continues in Article 43 (5) which says: Subject to Clause (4), Ministers other than the Prime Minister shall hold office during the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, unless the appointment of any Minister shall have been revoked by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the Prime Minister but any Minister may resign his office.
In short, while the Prime Minister must resign, if it pleases The Agong, the Cabinet Ministers can stay in office.
Now, let us look at a hypothetical situation. Say 111 Members of Parliament secretly meet The Agong or send him a petition saying that they have lost confidence in the Prime Minister, although no official vote of no confidence has been tabled in Parliament, this can also be regarded as the majority of the Members of the House having lost their confidence in the Prime Minister and The Agong can act on that.
Okay, now let us look at Article 32 (1): There shall be a Supreme Head of the Federation, to be called the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who shall take precedence over all persons in the Federation and shall not be liable to any proceedings whatsoever in any court.
And Article 32 (2) says: The Consort of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (to be called the Raja Permaisuri Agong) shall take precedence next after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong over all other persons in the Federation.
In short, The Agong is the Supreme Head of Malaysia while his consort is The First Lady who ‘takes precedence next after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong over all other persons in the Federation’. Maybe the New Straits Times can stop calling Jeanne Danker The First Lady as this goes against our Constitution.
The Agong’s supreme power is further clarified in Article 39 which says: The executive authority of the Federation shall be vested in the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and exercisable, subject to the provisions of any federal law and of the Second Schedule, by him or by the Cabinet or any Minister authorised by the Cabinet, but Parliament may by law confer executive function on other persons.
The icing on the cake is of course Article 40a.
40a. (1) In the exercise of his functions under this Constitution or federal law the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or of a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet, except as otherwise provided by this Constitution; but shall be entitled, at his request, to any information concerning the government of the Federation which is available to the Cabinet.
40a. (2) The Yang di-Pertuan Agong may act in his discretion in the performance of the following functions, that is to say:
(a) the appointment of a Prime Minister;
(b) the withholding of consent to a request for the dissolution of Parliament;
(c) the requisition of a meeting of the Conference of Rulers concerned solely with the privileges, position, honours and dignities of Their Royal Highnesses, and any action at such a meeting and in any other case mentioned in this Constitution.
40a. (3) Federal law may make provision for requiring the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to act after consultation with or on the recommendation of any person or body of persons other than the Cabinet in the exercise of any of his functions other than:
(a) functions exercisable in his discretion;
(b) functions with respect to the exercise of which provision is made in any other Article.
Now, while 40a (1) says “the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or of a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet”, it also says “except as otherwise provided by this Constitution”. So this means The Agong can act WITHOUT the advice of the Prime Minister wherever the Constitution allows him to do so.
Article 40a (2) in fact allows The Agong to “act in his discretion in the appointment of a Prime Minister”. This therefore makes it perfectly legal for The Agong to use his discretion in appointing the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Discretion here would mean that The Agong can do what he feels is right and if he feels that Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah should be the Prime Minister then Tengku Razaleigh it is.
And Article 40a (3) says that “Federal law may make provision for requiring the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to act after consultation with or on the recommendation of any person or body of persons other than the Cabinet in the exercise of any of his functions other than functions exercisable in his discretion”. This means two things:
1. Any person or body of persons other than the Cabinet CAN advice The Agong; which means these other people can override the Prime Minister.
2. But these same people who can override the Prime Minister cannot override The Agong in cases where The Agong is allowed to exercise his own discretion.
And finally Article 41: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall be the Supreme Commander of the armed forces of the Federation. So, in short, while Article 31 makes The Agong the Supreme Head of the Federation, Article 41 makes him the Supreme Commander of the armed forces. If that is not power then I don’t know what is -- unless you don’t know what the word ‘Supreme’ means.
Now, recently, the government openly declared that Malaysia is not on the verge of another Constitutional Crisis, 20 years after the first two. Actually this is not true. Malaysia is not on the verge but is already embroiled in a Constitution Crisis. But those who walk in the corridors of power are trying to hide this fact from us. Allow me to reveal a message I received from one of my Deep Throats in the corridors of power. The following is self-explanatory and demonstrates what I am trying to say:
Two names, Nik Hashim and Hashim Yusof, were given by the CJ, both whom are ‘kaki bodek’, as possible candidates to replace him. Both these candidates were rejected by the Rulers. After their elimination, as a consolation, they were promoted to the Appeals Court.
Since the Rulers had rejected Nik Hashim and Hashim Yusof, the next in line would be Justice Dato Abdul Hamid Mohamed and Justice Dato Alauddin Mohd. Sherif. But the CJ does not favour these two because they are independent-minded, apolitical and well-known for their integrity. The CJ bypassed these two on the pretext that both are close to retirement in a year or two.
On the Rulers’ insistence, the PM and the CJ had no choice but to accept Justice Hamid as President of the Court of Appeal and Justice Alauddin as the Chief Justice of Malaya. Both of them were appointed by the Agong on 5 September 2007.
On the same day of the above two appointments, a senior lawyer from the private sector, Tan Sri Zaki Tun Azmi, 62 years old, became the first person to be directly-appointed to the Federal Court. He is UMNO’s Legal Adviser and a member of its Disciplinary Committee plus is Fairuz’s ‘kaki’ from the Kedah days.
His leaving a lucrative private sector practice where he was making millions a month in legal fees -- repeat, millions a month -- raises questions in the minds of the members of the bench, the chattering class, and some important MPs on both sides of the political aisle. The speculation is that he could probably succeed Fairuz as CJ.
It is an open secret that the Prime Minister wanted a two year extension to Fairuz’s contract. But this was rejected by the Agong and his brother Rulers. As a temporary arrangement, the PM asked the Agong to appoint Fairuz on a three-month contract. The Agong is still holding back his agreement on this matter.
This whole affair, yet again, shows the PM’s duplicity. Here is a God-given chance to do something about our Judiciary, which has been systematically destroyed over the last 25 years. Instead of doing something about it, which is what the people want, the PM is still trying to keep the rot afloat by working with Fairuz.
It is a shame that today our Rulers have to step in to defend the Constitution and rebuild our much-battered institutions. It is also a sad reflection of our UMNO-led governance. You have to expose this and do not worry about the authenticity of the information as my information is from impeccable sources. You will be doing Malaysians a great public service by exposing this latest Constitutional Crisis.
(http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/corridors.php?itemid=8377)
one simple and direct comment fm the read is very true...
huador69 wrote:
Judge UMNO punya
Polis UMNO punya
Media UMNO punya
Parliament UMNO punya
Kerajaan UMNO punya
Petronas UMNO punya
Apa rakyat ada...
The AGONG saja
So please help the rakyat Tuanku
20/09 16:45:46
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al Muktafi Billah Shah has already been unofficially informed that Malaysia Today is garnering online signatures to support a ten-point Peoples’ Petition (Petisyen Rakyat) appealing for Tuanku to intervene and rectify the very troubling and extremely alarming state of affairs in this country. And Tuanku has also been told that thus far we have obtained about 10,000 signatures, to which Tuanku sighed and retorted that this is going to be another responsibility he has to take care of.
We are due to officially submit the petition to Tuanku a week or so before Hari Raya. Nevertheless, since Istana Negara comes under the Prime Minister’s Department, the powers-that-be can of course deny us access to The Agong. That, in fact, happened back in November 1999.
Soon after Parliament was dissolved in November 1999, I tried to meet The Agong, who at that time was the Sultan of Selangor. The purpose of my request to meet The Agong was to hand him a letter expressing our anxiety at what could possibly happen in the event Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds majority in the 29 November 1999 general election -- or worse, if Barisan Nasional garnered less that 50% of the seats in Parliament. This anxiety was certainly not misplaced as had been proven in the Sabah episode when two Chief Ministers were sworn in and finally, through the intervention of Kuala Lumpur, Pairin Kitingan was declared the legitimate Chief Minister and PBS ended up forming the State Government. History has shown this can and has happened and therefore history could be repeated on the morning of 30 November 1999 if we did not take precautions.
What we were concerned about (and don’t ask me who the “we” are) is that in the event Barisan Nasional, say, won 49% of the Parliamentary seats and the four opposition parties (PAS, DAP, PKN and PRM) won 51% of the seats, a Barisan Nasional Prime Minister could still be sworn in to form the government. This is because Barisan Nasional, though a coalition of 14 political parties, is a legally registered coalition; whereas PAS, DAP, PKN and PRM were a ‘loose’ coalition that was not legally registered. Therefore, say, PAS won 20% of the seats, DAP 15%, PKN another 15%, and PRM 1%, Barisan Nasional, at 49%, would still be considered the largest minority and therefore its 49% would beat PAS’ 20%, DAP’s 15%, PKN’s 15% and PRM’s 1%.
In short, Barisan Nasional would be regarded as one party winning 49% of the seats and not 14 parties winning 49% while the four opposition parties would be considered as four parties winning lesser seats than Barisan Nasional and not one party winning 51%. So, Barisan Nasional’s collective 49% would beat the four opposition parties if their seats are looked at individually instead of collectively.
The letter we wanted to hand to The Agong was signed by the four opposition leaders -- Fadzil Noor, Lim Kit Siang, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and Dr Syed Husin Ali -- agreeing to combine all the seats the four opposition parties were to win so that they could be treated as a block just like the Barisan Nasional seats. On Thursday night, I sent the letters to the four opposition leaders who were campaigning all over the country with instructions to the couriers that the letters must be returned by dawn. We sent two cars to each leader in case one car broke down or got involved in an accident -- or in case they get ambushed along the way. We also did not reveal which car was carrying the letter in case....well, you know in case what.
The next morning I got the four letters back and around noon that Friday I rode to the Istana Negara on my Yamaha Virago but was not allowed into the palace. I explained that I am The Agong’s nephew and wanted to see Tuanku about a family matter. The palace official told me that they are under strict instructions from the Prime Minister’s Department that no one gets to meet The Agong until after the general election, not even family members. I phoned two of The Agong’s sons, my cousins, and tried, through them, to get to meet Tuanku. They told me that even they, Tuanku’s own sons, can’t get access to The Agong. I had no choice but to hand the letter to the palace official with instructions that the letter be personally handed to The Agong. I then went for my Friday prayers.
I went back to the office at 2.30pm and, lo and behold, there was a letter waiting for me in the fax machine, the fastest response ever from the government and which should have made the Book of Records. It was a letter from the Prime Minister’s Department turning down my request to meet The Agong with instructions to try again after the general election. Realising that Barisan Nasional was thinking exactly what we were thinking and that they had pre-empted our every move, we took steps to hire a helicopter and placed it on standby. In the event the four opposition parties do win 51% or more of the Parliamentary seats, the helicopter would take to the air and pick up the four opposition leaders and drop them onto the lawn of the Istana Negara so that they can get sworn in to form the new government; beating Barisan Nasional to it like what Haris Salleh did to Pairin in Sabah.
But, again, Barsian Nasional pre-empted this. The Agong was not in the Istana Negara but was safely hidden in Langkawi where we could not get to him. Invariably, The Agong was well-guarded and not even his own sons could get to him. Anyway, that is all academic now. Barisan Nasional managed to win two-thirds of the seats though it won only 54% of the votes. So it did not matter any longer whether we could reach The Agong or not.
Expect, therefore, that we may again get blocked and may not be able to personally meet The Agong to hand Tuanku our Peoples’ Petition. At best they might just allow us to meet a palace official like what happened to PAS yesterday when all they managed to meet was the Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-Raja Melayu, Tan Sri Engku Ibrahim Engku Ngah. Nevertheless, this is good enough as this would still be regarded as official and would be as good as personally handing the petition to The Agong. And that is why Malaysia Today chose to conduct an online petition. Other than making this easier for all to sign, an online petition would be public knowledge and even if they block us from personally handing the petition to The Agong, they will not be able to block knowledge of the petition. This means The Agong will know about it even if the hardcopy version does not reach him.
Yes, November 1999 taught us a thing or two and it is not that easy to do us in a second time.
Now, some have asked me: what can The Agong do? Sure, The Agong receives our petition. But what can The Agong do about it when the Rulers have no power? Undeniably, those who ask this question have not read the Federal Constitution of Malaysia or do not even realise that we have one. Even those who are aware of the Constitution point out that Article 43 of the Constitution forbids The Agong from interfering in the running of the government. The Agong, they argue, can only act on the advice of the Prime Minister. Actually, that is not quite true.
Article 43 (1) says: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall appoint a Jemaah Menteri (Cabinet of Ministers) to advise him in the exercise of his functions.
Note that it says the Cabinet is ‘to advise him in the exercise of his functions’. It says ‘advise’ and this is the one word that has been wrongly interpreted as The Agong receives instructions from the Cabinet. If they had meant for The Agong to receive instructions from the Cabinet then Article 43 (1) would have used the word ‘instruct’ and not ‘advise’.
Now, look at Article 43 (1) (a) that says: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall first appoint as Perdana Menteri (Prime Minister) to preside over the Cabinet a member of the House of Representative who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House.
Note that Article 43 (1) (a) says that The Agong shall appoint as Perdana Menteri ‘a member of the House of Representative’. It does not say that the Perdana Menteri must be the President of Umno or the Chairman of Barisan Nasional. The only criterion for the appointment of the Perdana Menteri is: ‘who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House’.
Note that part again: ‘who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House’. What happens if The Agong, in his judgement, feels that the Perdana Menteri is UNLIKELY to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House? In other words, what happens if 111 Members of Parliament pass a vote of no confidence in Parliament? Would The Agong then not, in his judgment, form an opinion that the Prime Minister no longer commands the confidence of the majority of the members of that House?
Okay, you may argue that this is in theory only and in practice could never happen. We can never see the day when 111 Members of Parliament will stand up in Parliament and pass a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister, you might say. Never mind! Even if you think that in practice this will never happen, what is important is that in theory it is possible and it will be perfectly legal to do so, and The Agong, according to the Constitution, can intervene and remove the Prime Minister. And it is not treasonous to talk about it or actually do it because the Constitution provides for it.
What is even more interesting is Article 43 (4) of the Federal Constitution that says as follows: If the Prime Minister ceases to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the House of Representatives, then, unless at his request the Yang di-Pertuan Agong dissolves Parliament, the Prime Minister shall tender the resignation of the Cabinet.
Yes, once 111 Members of Parliament pass a vote of no confidence on the Prime Minister, he (plus the entire Cabinet) has to resign, unless the Prime Minister asks The Agong to dissolve Parliament -- which means we shall then have fresh elections (and later I will show you that The Agong can refuse to dissolve Parliament even if the Prime Minister asks him to).
This continues in Article 43 (5) which says: Subject to Clause (4), Ministers other than the Prime Minister shall hold office during the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, unless the appointment of any Minister shall have been revoked by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the Prime Minister but any Minister may resign his office.
In short, while the Prime Minister must resign, if it pleases The Agong, the Cabinet Ministers can stay in office.
Now, let us look at a hypothetical situation. Say 111 Members of Parliament secretly meet The Agong or send him a petition saying that they have lost confidence in the Prime Minister, although no official vote of no confidence has been tabled in Parliament, this can also be regarded as the majority of the Members of the House having lost their confidence in the Prime Minister and The Agong can act on that.
Okay, now let us look at Article 32 (1): There shall be a Supreme Head of the Federation, to be called the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who shall take precedence over all persons in the Federation and shall not be liable to any proceedings whatsoever in any court.
And Article 32 (2) says: The Consort of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (to be called the Raja Permaisuri Agong) shall take precedence next after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong over all other persons in the Federation.
In short, The Agong is the Supreme Head of Malaysia while his consort is The First Lady who ‘takes precedence next after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong over all other persons in the Federation’. Maybe the New Straits Times can stop calling Jeanne Danker The First Lady as this goes against our Constitution.
The Agong’s supreme power is further clarified in Article 39 which says: The executive authority of the Federation shall be vested in the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and exercisable, subject to the provisions of any federal law and of the Second Schedule, by him or by the Cabinet or any Minister authorised by the Cabinet, but Parliament may by law confer executive function on other persons.
The icing on the cake is of course Article 40a.
40a. (1) In the exercise of his functions under this Constitution or federal law the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or of a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet, except as otherwise provided by this Constitution; but shall be entitled, at his request, to any information concerning the government of the Federation which is available to the Cabinet.
40a. (2) The Yang di-Pertuan Agong may act in his discretion in the performance of the following functions, that is to say:
(a) the appointment of a Prime Minister;
(b) the withholding of consent to a request for the dissolution of Parliament;
(c) the requisition of a meeting of the Conference of Rulers concerned solely with the privileges, position, honours and dignities of Their Royal Highnesses, and any action at such a meeting and in any other case mentioned in this Constitution.
40a. (3) Federal law may make provision for requiring the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to act after consultation with or on the recommendation of any person or body of persons other than the Cabinet in the exercise of any of his functions other than:
(a) functions exercisable in his discretion;
(b) functions with respect to the exercise of which provision is made in any other Article.
Now, while 40a (1) says “the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or of a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet”, it also says “except as otherwise provided by this Constitution”. So this means The Agong can act WITHOUT the advice of the Prime Minister wherever the Constitution allows him to do so.
Article 40a (2) in fact allows The Agong to “act in his discretion in the appointment of a Prime Minister”. This therefore makes it perfectly legal for The Agong to use his discretion in appointing the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Discretion here would mean that The Agong can do what he feels is right and if he feels that Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah should be the Prime Minister then Tengku Razaleigh it is.
And Article 40a (3) says that “Federal law may make provision for requiring the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to act after consultation with or on the recommendation of any person or body of persons other than the Cabinet in the exercise of any of his functions other than functions exercisable in his discretion”. This means two things:
1. Any person or body of persons other than the Cabinet CAN advice The Agong; which means these other people can override the Prime Minister.
2. But these same people who can override the Prime Minister cannot override The Agong in cases where The Agong is allowed to exercise his own discretion.
And finally Article 41: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall be the Supreme Commander of the armed forces of the Federation. So, in short, while Article 31 makes The Agong the Supreme Head of the Federation, Article 41 makes him the Supreme Commander of the armed forces. If that is not power then I don’t know what is -- unless you don’t know what the word ‘Supreme’ means.
Now, recently, the government openly declared that Malaysia is not on the verge of another Constitutional Crisis, 20 years after the first two. Actually this is not true. Malaysia is not on the verge but is already embroiled in a Constitution Crisis. But those who walk in the corridors of power are trying to hide this fact from us. Allow me to reveal a message I received from one of my Deep Throats in the corridors of power. The following is self-explanatory and demonstrates what I am trying to say:
Two names, Nik Hashim and Hashim Yusof, were given by the CJ, both whom are ‘kaki bodek’, as possible candidates to replace him. Both these candidates were rejected by the Rulers. After their elimination, as a consolation, they were promoted to the Appeals Court.
Since the Rulers had rejected Nik Hashim and Hashim Yusof, the next in line would be Justice Dato Abdul Hamid Mohamed and Justice Dato Alauddin Mohd. Sherif. But the CJ does not favour these two because they are independent-minded, apolitical and well-known for their integrity. The CJ bypassed these two on the pretext that both are close to retirement in a year or two.
On the Rulers’ insistence, the PM and the CJ had no choice but to accept Justice Hamid as President of the Court of Appeal and Justice Alauddin as the Chief Justice of Malaya. Both of them were appointed by the Agong on 5 September 2007.
On the same day of the above two appointments, a senior lawyer from the private sector, Tan Sri Zaki Tun Azmi, 62 years old, became the first person to be directly-appointed to the Federal Court. He is UMNO’s Legal Adviser and a member of its Disciplinary Committee plus is Fairuz’s ‘kaki’ from the Kedah days.
His leaving a lucrative private sector practice where he was making millions a month in legal fees -- repeat, millions a month -- raises questions in the minds of the members of the bench, the chattering class, and some important MPs on both sides of the political aisle. The speculation is that he could probably succeed Fairuz as CJ.
It is an open secret that the Prime Minister wanted a two year extension to Fairuz’s contract. But this was rejected by the Agong and his brother Rulers. As a temporary arrangement, the PM asked the Agong to appoint Fairuz on a three-month contract. The Agong is still holding back his agreement on this matter.
This whole affair, yet again, shows the PM’s duplicity. Here is a God-given chance to do something about our Judiciary, which has been systematically destroyed over the last 25 years. Instead of doing something about it, which is what the people want, the PM is still trying to keep the rot afloat by working with Fairuz.
It is a shame that today our Rulers have to step in to defend the Constitution and rebuild our much-battered institutions. It is also a sad reflection of our UMNO-led governance. You have to expose this and do not worry about the authenticity of the information as my information is from impeccable sources. You will be doing Malaysians a great public service by exposing this latest Constitutional Crisis.
(http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/corridors.php?itemid=8377)
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