tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81520984386974040452024-03-12T17:21:42.364-07:00The Real Nose NewsreelI'm not a news hound, but I have a nose. Some have common sense. Some have uncommon sense. Aku ada sense of smell. Harap itu cukup.AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-32937281141947867672012-01-10T05:35:00.000-08:002012-01-10T05:48:14.516-08:00Big Picture Time: What Sodomy 2.0 Means for MalaysiaWell, if there's a reason to emerge from a year-long haitus, this would be it.<br />
<br />
Predictably, the airwaves and the blogosphere were on fire with the surprise verdict of Anwar's acquittal in what has become known as Sodomy 2.0. The opposition parties are making as much as they can on the political significance of having their standard bearer fully on at the helm, while the ruling coalition is claiming this as proof of an independent judiciary. Statements by the big guns on both sides occupy the headlines, hiding in their highlights some more thoughtful considerations on the impact not only of the verdict, but on the case. The most intelligent views were arguably - but unsurprisingly - by those on the Bar Council, as reported in the sidelined article '<a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/10/courts/10233487&sec=courts" target="_blank">Court decision part of natural justice</a>'.<br />
<br />
The article noted the views of Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Saying Anwar’s prosecution was based on an archaic provision of the
Penal Code that criminalises consensual sexual relations between adults,
he said the case had “unnecessarily taken up judicial time and public
funds”.</blockquote>
In addition, it noted the following: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Human Rights Watch welcomed the acquittal and urged for Malaysia to
“revoke its colonial-era law criminalising consensual same-sex
relations”.<br />
<br />
“Anwar was acquitted on a charge that should have
never been brought in the first place,” said its deputy Asia director
Phil Robertson.</blockquote>
Perhaps even more so than whether the ruling coalition uses the judiciary in selective prosecution, the larger picture is that we have laws that do not make any sense in this day and age - and some which never made sense at all. And the continual reticence of the final arm of government receiving no media attention at the moment is probably the largest long-term threat: a legislature content to sit on a pile of old school legal weapons.<br />
<br />
At least we have some progress with the Internal Security Act, intended for the era of militant communism. But a core issue is that the state of emergency declared in 1947, while effectively over in 1960 to this writer's understanding has yet to be officially lifted, providing the legal cover for draconian measures against activist members of the public.<br />
<br />
Following the verdict, Anwar was interviewed by Al-Jazeera and asked whether the verdict showed that there was no conspiracy after all, to which he replied in the negative, citing that it was wrong for unfounded charges to be levied in the first place. This paints the Barisan Nasional's claims of judicial independence along the lines of a bully punching someone, and then saying, "But I didn't kick him!"<br />
<br />
And it is an understandable position not only for Anwar but his family, for whom this has been a two-year battle that they had expected would end up one way or another with him losing his freedom. And he was behind those same bars for six years before the original sodomy conviction was overturned. That's not even adding in getting punched by the Inspector General of Police while blindfolded and handcuffed. <br />
<br />
But the application of these particular charges served more than simply victimising a political opponent; they allowed a draconian law to remain as a firm weed in Malaysian society by pushing Anwar to not only deny the charges, but describing such behaviour as immoral. It was a political move, countering what was quite possibly an attempt to discredit the Opposition Leader in the eyes of Malaysian Muslims. In that sense, perhaps we might understand his actions.<br />
<br />
But Anwar's answer was more along the lines of John McCain responding to a supporter at a rally saying that she would not vote for Obama because he was a Muslim. And while McCain clarified that Obama was not a Muslim, he missed the main point, which was articulated clearly by Colin Powell on Meet the Press, even though he politely placed McCain out of the line of fire:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I am troubled by - not what Senator McCain says but what members of the party say and it is permitted to be said. Such things as 'Well, you know that Mr Obama is a Moslem.' Well the correct answer is, 'He is not a Moslem; he's a Christian, he's always been a Christian.' But the really right answer is, "What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Moslem in this country?"</blockquote>
It would seem that Malaysia may be a step ahead by having a judiciary that people can at least start to believe in, but it remains far away in providing the really right answers for disenfranchised segments of society.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dYELqbZAQ4M" width="420"></iframe></div>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-25402808621490439142010-12-17T18:11:00.000-08:002010-12-17T18:59:29.809-08:00So, Malaysian Politicians Are Incompetent. Who knew?<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Or as they say here, really-ah?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When WikiLeaks put it out there that Malaysian politicians are "incompetent", there was much brouhaha from the said politicians, naturally, but amongst the actual people of the country the mood was more along the lines of tell-me-something-I-don't-know. Perhaps more revealing was the description of Anwar Ibrahim being set-up for for charges of sodomy, but having walked into it nonetheless. If we ever needed the reminder, here it was: that it's not just that bozos are in power, but bozos of a different stripe who would like to be in power.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If anything, the recent chaos in government underlined how dilute Malaysian politics lie. The ridiculous Speaker called for an oral vote amidst sheer pandemonium, and could somehow still discern that there were more votes in one direction than the other, suggesting either that he's confusing cameras in Parliament for an audition at a B-grade Bollywood flick, or he's got Superman's hearing abilities. The police - under the watchful eye of the government - had the audacity to arrest people marching to the Human Rights Commission, which sort of did the job of the protesters in half the time. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">But at the end of the day, the real point has gone missing: so what if the "1 Malaysia" concept was created by the public relations company that made "1 Israel"? To equate a company with the foreign policy of a client is a silly attempt at scoring political points from - if successful - an equally silly public. The result really at the end of the day is not to show that Najib and Co. are on the side of Israel (whatever that means), but to show that we don't have a 1 Malaysia at all, and the real losers at the end of that is the Malaysian people.<br /><br />Kee Thuan Chye wrote of The Day Malaysia Woke Up. Unfortunately, it looks like it woke up with a bit of a hangover, and it'll take some time for it to get sober.<br /></span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-7861008398853336682010-06-06T04:14:00.000-07:002010-06-06T05:42:11.550-07:00From Hero to Zero: Someone knows the cameras are running<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >As a rule of thumb, I think that anyone who says that they aren't really heroes are none-too-subtly hoping that they'll appear both heroic and modest. When in actual fact they are neither. Especially the ones where the first time you heard anyone calling them heroes is themselves saying that they're not really heroes.<br /><br />Take for example, the Malaysian delegation of people who decided that they had extra time on their hands to get involved in the boat ride to Palestine:<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8nNqwXLV8JU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8nNqwXLV8JU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br />Now, after the bla bla for the first four minutes or so, he finally gets to the I'm not really a hero bit. After which he calls out his fellow team-mates and talks about how, well, heroic they are. It doesn't take a semiologist to see that the message is here are these brave people, and I'm their leader.<br /><br />I realize of course that international opinion is that the Israelis at best overreacted to the situation, and in the end there's unlikely ever to be a real agreement over who was right or wrong in 1967, and for that matter who is right or wrong today. I remember sometime back reading that usually everyone's at least somewhat at fault - otherwise arguments wouldn't last as long as they do.<br /><br />My argument about the matter is that the people most vocal about these matters either:<br />1. Don't know anything more than what they choose to read<br />(like some dumbasses in Western-world protests)<br />2. Have vested interests unrelated to what's right or wrong in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict<br />(like the Jewish-based interests forming the basis of the US support)<br />3. Are bound by a religious connection that has an equal amount (i.e. zero) of relationship to what's right or wrong in the Middle East.<br />(Muslim communities in Malaysia being the current example)<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">On the last point, all you have to do is have a look at Dr Mahathir's posting on the subject (link </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/2010/06/gaza-aid-convoy.html">here</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">). He mentions that </span></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >"</span></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >Incidentally, the Rachel Corrie is named after a brave 23 year old American girl who stood in front of a bulldozer which was about to destroy a Palestinian house. The Israeli operator of the bulldozer simply ran over her and killed her." Heart-wrenching, right? That is, until you don't take Dr Mahathir at face value and do the most basic of background reading (link <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Corrie#Corrie.27s_death_and_subsequent_controversy">here</a>)</span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.</span></span><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br />However all these very complicated strands of self-interests and self-delusions play out, I can't see why Malaysians decided to promote their kaypohness to land up on a boat asking for trouble. At the end of the day you've got these people who firmly believe that Israelis are international terrorists, but if Hamas flings a bomb over the border and blows up Israeli children, then that's just self protection.<br /><br />Which is a rather shaky position. The responsible thing for anyone to do before going before a camera, or on a boat, is to ask yourself whether you're impartial enough to open your mouth - and secretly pat yourself on the back. For now though, you say you're not a hero, and I'll readily take your word for it.<br /></span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-50553180313802212812010-03-24T02:54:00.000-07:002010-03-24T03:29:53.404-07:00Mean What You Say<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">You may not say what you mean, but darn it, mean what you say!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Politics is politics, and oftentimes the guy in the limelight with a dozen microphones in his face can't always say exactly what he thinks... unless you're Joe Biden and throw the consequences to the wind. But for all our sakes, if you're going to say something, but better know what you're saying.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Republican Senator Jon Kyl should have thought twice about using poll numbers by CNN... when talking to CNN. Especially when it's Wolf Blitzer on the other side of the line. When you use poll numbers as the basis for your argument, you sign up to having poll numbers used as the same qualifying criterion.<br /><br />And when someone calls you out on this, you can't just say now you don't believe the numbers. At the end of the day, everyone has to play by the rules - at the very least the rules you yourself make up.<br /></span><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="ep" height="374" width="416"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="movie" value="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=politics/2010/03/23/tsr.jon.kyl.interview.cnn"><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"><embed src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=politics/2010/03/23/tsr.jon.kyl.interview.cnn" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" height="374" width="416"></embed></object>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-34991256520852936762010-01-03T05:29:00.001-08:002010-01-03T06:46:53.717-08:00Who's God - or Whose God?<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Roaring into 2010 is the case of the use of "Allah" by Catholics in their weekly publication, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Herald</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, putting the issues of religion front and centre.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Most cultures find problems when they face irreconcilable differences. In the spirit of Malaysia Boleh, we have shown that we can find problems when faced with irreconcilable similarities.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The main question is framed as: why the change to use "Allah" instead of "Tuhan"?</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> This is a relevant enough question - and the historical approach employed by the church in its stance that won the case in the High Court is that its usage dates back to the early 1800s. An example is shown here in a </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.christian-journey.com/bahasa-malaysia-bible/">Malay Bible from 1818</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. The usage in </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Herald</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">'s Malay section caters primarily for those from East Malaysia, for whom the usage of "Tuhan" instead would be the change - not the other way around. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">That being said, the similarities are obvious - at some point in history the two religions shared something in common. That's something to be celebrated and it is either that there are few who recognize it, or few who are brave enough to embrace it. A surprise it was then that it is a member of PAS who has risen to the challenge, as quoted by the </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/48263-khir-toyo-says-in-mourning-over-allah-ruling">Malaysian Insider</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"To me, I see this as an opportunity to bring all of us closer together despite our religious differences and submit to the God Almighty. We all believe in God and we call God Allah. There is most certainly plurality in Islam. Islam accepts and recognises the fact that there are different religions out there in the world. Even though all these religions may not be united, we all believe we worship God Almighty." - Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the end we're talking about ownership of a word - does any religion "own" exclusive terminology? And how do we determine who owns what? Because if we really go down this path, it's likely Christians and Muslims would face a stiff challenge from the much older religion of Judaism. The issue of ownership itself, is however, crucial - when you own something, it's not free for use, and that's where freedom of religion comes in. Beyond just one word is the issue of whether people get to practice their beliefs in the way that they believe, and whether the use of "Allah" in Christianity threatens or changes Islam. One could argue it does not, just as the use of Nabi Isa does not affect Yesus Kristus - are they competing for a definition of <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">who's</span> God, or is the question rather <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">whose</span> God are you referring to?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the end though, it is likely this matter of "confusion" amongst rural Muslims, which seems to a side issue but is the crux of the problem. It seems somehow more probable that the use a term so recognizably part of Islam would send Catholics away - not the other way around. If it is simply a question of seeing a threat where none exists, Marina Mahathir put it succinctly in that <a href="http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com/2010/01/confident-people-do-not-get-confused.html">Confident People Do Not Get Confused</a>.<br /><br />It seems hinted by some politicians, however, that it is not the question whether people would get confused... but whether there is an active move to convert and confuse Muslims simply by using the word "Allah". If this really is the problem, then opponents should bring it up honestly as the issue that it is, and prove in a court of law that the Church is going about spreading its religion dishonestly. If not, then one should hold one's peace and go in peace.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">That being said, one can understand that there is a suspicion simply because it seems like a new issue when discussed on the Peninsula. The Church's position, again, is that the Malay section of its publication is geared towards the large number of Catholics that live in East Malaysia, for whom it is matter of maintaining a tradition and continuing one's way of practicing their religion. The position of various opponents, most obviously the political ones, is that there is something else up the Church's sleeves. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The question that faces all Malaysians is whether we trust each other despite our differences - and similarities - of religion.<br /><br />Malaysian unity and the image of our country in the eyes of the world in the end lies in whether we can take that leap of faith.</span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-71973989410877248122009-11-23T08:02:00.000-08:002009-11-23T08:34:15.076-08:00The Election Commision's Wearing the Emperor's New Clothes<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cambridgeprints.com/illustrators/hughes12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 401px;" src="http://www.cambridgeprints.com/illustrators/hughes12.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Photo credit: </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.cambridgeprints.com/illustrators/HUGHES.HTML">Shirley Hughes, Cambridge Book & Print Gallery</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">There's a certain level of idiocy when one looks at something black and says it's white. Then there's an additional level of incredulity when one really expects everyone to swallow it whole. It brings to mind the story of the Emperor's New Clothes, except here, the emperor's not just strutting in the nude, he's trying to sell his fashion line as well.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">First of all you have this Datuk Abdul Hasan Sarif, a Kedah assemblyman, who couldn't be bothered </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/44353-umno-brace-for-kota-siputeh-vote-amid-plan-to-appeal-">showing up</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> for the state assembly. You're called an assemblyman - the job is to go to the assembly!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And then, on the grounds that it cost too much, the Election Commission tries, and fails, to </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/44336-high-court-blocks-ec-bid-insists-on-by-election-in-kedah">not hold an election</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. You're called an election commission - the job is to commission elections!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Beyond the obvious contradictions, the real crime here is having a public institution like the Election Commission fight for a specific party, when the highest call of its duty is to be an impartial body. In a country with too many who are too jaded, or too willing to sit and back and watch, one won't hear a strong enough chorus for the resignation of the EC's clearly biased officials. Officials, who in a more robust society, in a more robust time, would be tarred and feathered by now. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Amidst all this though, some small reasons for hope. First, the high court judge who had the sense not only to rule without fear nor favour. Second, last year's elections, which showed that while some might not ride to the front lines, they don't exactly have as short memories as they used to.<br /><br />In neighbouring Perak, the strategy seems to be to keep these memories refreshed. With the Election Commission's New Clothes coming after us, another reminder to keep our eyes truly open for those who would commit daylight robbery.</span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-22785571188009961412009-10-22T00:10:00.000-07:002009-10-22T00:55:43.150-07:00Too Late to Exhume Reputations of Local Pathologists<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Respected pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand, director-general of Thailand’s Ministry of Justices Central Institute of Forensic Science, provided medical confirmation to what seems to be in the arena of common sense to many Malaysians: that Teoh Beng Hock's death was most likely murder.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">And all she had to work with were pictures reports of our local pathologists, which was enough to put a nail in the coffin of their professional reputations. </span><a style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/22/nation/4952131&sec=nation">The Star</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">'s report mentioned that </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 51); font-family: trebuchet ms;">"She added that there was a need to cut open the skin to check for internal bleeding to determine whether Teoh had been tortured. (Both the pathologists who had conducted the postmortem on Teoh had not done so.)"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The </span><a style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.malaysiainsider.com/index.php/malaysia/40991-thai-expert-says-teohs-death-80pc-homicide">Malaysian Insider</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> report included a further contradiction: </span><br /> <p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 51); font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;">"She rejected the idea that the anus was penetrated by a bone fragment, which had been put forward by local pathologist, Dr Khairul Aznam Ibrahim from the Hospital Tengku Rahimah Ampuan in Klang. She reasoned that if that had happened, the force would have punctured the area opposite its entry and not as what was shown in the autopsy photos taken."</p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The two local pathologists - Dr Khairul and Dr Prashant Samberkar of the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre - failed likewise on the level of medicine and common sense. Medically by coming to conclusions without any reasonable basis and having an incomplete autopsy, and not having the common sense to know that it would be only a matter of time before a real expert would be well able to point out the inaccuracies. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">With the possibility of a second post-mortem in the air, they may be in for a second round of shame. The credibility of these pathologists, who seemed too eager to take away any possibility of MACC responsibility, seemed to smell from the start. It seems that even now, their reputations will be far too late to exhume.</span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-53587937049388664342009-10-11T00:41:00.000-07:002009-10-11T01:36:48.456-07:00From King-Makers to King-Takers: The Chaos Theory of the MCA<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/40012-ong-loses-confidence-vote-mca-in-chaos">Malaysian Insider</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> was quick to call the situation in the MCA as being "chaos" while the MCA-owned </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/11/nation/4885685&sec=nation">Star</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> was not surprisingly more cautious, calling the situation that of "uncertainty". One thing is certain though, that is that there is a strange thread of logic in any bit of chaos.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">To see how this works we need to recap the election results. From the Star:</span><br /><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The resolutions</span></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">1) Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek That the members of the general assembly have no confidence in the leadership of Ong<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 51); font-weight: bold;">ADOPT: 1155 REJECT: 1141 SPOILT: 8</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">2) That the presidential council’s decision on Aug 26 in accepting the recommendation of the disciplinary board and the subsequent decision of the central committee (if any) to expel or suspend Dr Chua is annulled<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 51); font-weight: bold;">ADOPT: 1204 REJECT: 1095 SPOILT: 5</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">3) That Dr Chua be rightfully restored as MCA deputy president<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 51); font-weight: bold;">ADOPT: 1110 REJECT: 1184 SPOILT: 10</span></span></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">In summing up the results, the Malaysian Insider said that:<br /></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">"In the process, MCA’s delegates rejected the leadership of both Datuk Seri Ong and deputy president Chua Soi Lek.</p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">With both the No. 1 and No. 2 men sidelined, the MCA will have no figure of authority in charge for the first time in its 60-year history, and the results pleased nobody."</p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Well, that's not entirely accurate - while it certainly is true that neither the Ong Tee Keat and Chua Soi Lek camps were given a victory, a particularly small number of central delegates who snubbed both had their way. And when other elections may have their king-makers, here we have instead king-takers.<br /></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Perhaps the EGM showed a kind of democracy that few other elections, whether in Malaysia or abroad have - the kind that not only allows people to support a candidate, but to vote against a candidate without having to support his opponent.<br /></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">So how indeed do the numbers play out? It is hard to say for sure the voters' intentions, but here are two ways one can look at it.<br /></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. Obviously each camp has its core supporters. Let's take Chua Soi Lek - with 1155 people voting against his nemesis, 1204 to annul the disciplinary action against him, and 1110 to reinstate him as deputy president.<br /><br />Analysis:<br /></p><ul><li>there were 1110 delegates who voted for him on all counts - core supporters<br /></li><li>45 delegates who did not care to support him at all but did not think Ong Tee Keat acted well either</li><li>94 delegates who thought the disciplinary action against him was too much but who did not support him as deputy president. Out of these, 49 candidates chided Ong Tee Keat for his overbearing actions, but didn't think it enough to kick him out.<br /></li></ul>2. On the other hand, Ong Tee Keat had 1141 supporting his continuation as president, 1095 supporting his actions against his deputy, and 1184 against his archrival.<br /><br />Analysis:<br /><ul><li>1095 delegates supported him fully, supporting him on all counts, including his actions against Chua Soi Lek</li><li>46 continued to support his presidency, though they used the occasion to overturn the particular actions against his deputy</li><li>89 delegates voted against Chua Soi Lek - but also did not support Ong Tee Keat. </li></ul>So, we have between 45 to 89 delegates out of over two thousand whose double punch ruled the day... and who have proven why my lack of ability to make the numbers tally is a reminder that I would never have done well as an accountant.<br /><br />At the end of the day, however, it is perhaps not these numbers but a variation of the old Malay adage that describes it best: <span style="font-style: italic;">gajah sama gajah berjuang, pelanduk tembak dari tengah-tengah.</span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-55639714350716298512009-09-02T23:23:00.000-07:002009-09-02T23:32:40.041-07:00Lagu Kampung Buah Pala<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Sung to the tune of "Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur".</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Janganlah tamak Kampung Buah Pala</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Cari masalah... don't push your luck lah.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Janganlah tamak Kampung Buah Pala</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Ini bukan cara Satu Malaysia.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Sudah lama dah pergi ke ma-kah-mah</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Hakim kata, pergi sajalalah</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Anda cabar dengan guna tahi lembu</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Apa ini? Cadangan Samy Vellu?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Janganlah tamak Kampung Buah Pala</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Cari masalah... don't push your luck lah.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Saya tahu kau punya grouse</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Tapi saya pun tak milik double storey house.</span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-36911664089415210812009-08-14T22:55:00.000-07:002009-08-14T23:05:46.664-07:00The Cost of a Flighty Ong Tee Keat<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The costs of four flights made by Ong Tee Keat could buy you - at the very least - twenty-one trips around the world.</span><br /><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">In <span style="font-style: italic;">The</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Malaysian Insider</span>'s article entitled<span style="font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/35116-kdsb-calls-tee-keat-a-freeloader-with-their-jets">KDSB calls Tee Keat a 'freeloader' with their jets</a></span>:<br /></p><p style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-family: trebuchet ms;">"Asked about the costs to make a trip on a private jet, Faizal replied that it was between RM10,500 to RM17,500 per hour, excluding landing charges and crew allowances.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-family: trebuchet ms;">He estimated that the total cost for the four trips made by Ong amounted to between RM105,000 and RM140,000.</p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-family: trebuchet ms;">He also confirmed that there were other politicians, including from MCA, who had used Wijaya Baru jets but stressed that Ong was the only one who had not paid."</p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">A round-trip flight to the United States - halfway around the world, and back - costs less than RM4,000 if you know how to book your tickets. Even at the higher estimate of RM5K - and not taking into account frequent flyer miles - and the lowest estimate of Ong's flight costs, that's 21 times around the globe. If he can afford that out of his own pocket, I'd ask how he got that wealthy. If he's (literally) passing the buck, well, I'd ask if the definition of Transport Minister means that he costs the most to transport.<br /></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Readers of this blog may have noticed that I've been rather critical of Penang's new chief minister Lim Guan Eng in issues of Kampung Buah Pala and Lee Kuan Yew... nonetheless, one can't help but draw a particular comparison...</p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifr6cdYhTxr7kjOMBygtzNfU_l_Y1unDuvbUPOSe21Uut52ZuG5qAuFNsY-f2mVn9sdQX8-Z2s6Hy1rktubUxVttikjRllMaYkVzlrA9a9uUXGxQdZDuUPHLbLRYJkIZ7VjfzbeyLKTV35/s1600-h/mrmanager.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifr6cdYhTxr7kjOMBygtzNfU_l_Y1unDuvbUPOSe21Uut52ZuG5qAuFNsY-f2mVn9sdQX8-Z2s6Hy1rktubUxVttikjRllMaYkVzlrA9a9uUXGxQdZDuUPHLbLRYJkIZ7VjfzbeyLKTV35/s400/mrmanager.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370067245646178818" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">...when one remembers he flys commercial, economy-class.<br /></p>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-62202268282194359832009-08-10T22:38:00.000-07:002009-08-10T23:15:11.200-07:00Do You Know How to Squeeze a Little Buah Pala Juice?<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well, it does seem that some people know how to squeeze a watermelon out of a nutmeg.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Alright, let's get some misconceptions sorted out. These aren't exactly the hardcore poor we're talking about, no matter what their bullock-cart protests may imply. Anyone able to keep an </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://kgbuahpala.blogspot.com/">official website</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> isn't doing that badly, methinks. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And a quick look at their Facebook group has this as their description:</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"The village is on the Penang Island and as a heritage village, it is almost 200 years old.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >In mid-2008, George Town was awarded by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. But the irony is that developers Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd want to destroy Kampung Buah Pala, and rob the Island of its beautiful heritage and culture!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A "heritage village"? What the heck? Did UNESCO come to tour Kampung Buah Pala? I can hear them going: we were just going to award Malacca, but when we saw Kampung Buah Pala we knew we had to add in Penang... the stunning architecture reminiscent of... um, well, the bullock! Oh yes, we like to award places which are really full of bull.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And did either the previous or current state governments list Kampung Buah Pala on the list of things tourists should visit? Are we taking sufficient steps by both the State Exco for Culture as well as Tourism Malaysia to make sure that everyone knows that a visit to Penang's cultural sites is never complete without a visit to Kampung Buah Pala? Hellllllllllo???</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To imply that the developer wants to "rob the Island of its beautiful heritage and culture"... come on. It's a developer. Like all developers, it wants to make a profit, plain and simple.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Was there a land scam? Maybe yes, maybe no, and it's a valid question. But one which is by far unassociated to the fact these so-called victims never owned the land on which they resided, and should be grateful that they received free space for all the two hundred years they claim to have been there. As we near Merdeka Day, it is rather shameful that the ingenuity of Malaysians is showing how we turn a land scam into a bigger land scam.<br /><br />The only squatters' rights, in this author's opinion, is the one you get when you go to the loo - two hundred years ago to today: a heritage squat, you might say.</span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-51297170423182880102009-07-21T11:03:00.000-07:002009-07-21T11:08:38.468-07:00The Perfect Anti-ISA Protest Idea<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Though it wasn't originally for that purpose, I can't think of a better way</span> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">of organizing a protest... the anti-ISA people should keep it in mind.</span> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">First of all, it's a little harder to arrest people as a group (Malaysia not having the freedom to congregate) if they're all 1) individually 2) doing nothing. Second, by the time the cops arrive, they've all blended into the public.</span> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">All they need is a slogan, like "We stop so they will. ISA: it halts our way of life."</span><br /><br /><object style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jwMj3PJDxuo&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jwMj3PJDxuo&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-18750543555248492192009-06-17T08:24:00.000-07:002009-06-17T08:55:18.532-07:00From Kuan Yew... to Kiasu<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When the dust clears, one has to wonder, to whom indeed is Lee Kuan Yew the mentor of, like the wise old guru on the top of some sacred hill. In recent days, that hill is Penang Hill. The former Singaporean Prime Minister, on a lightning tour of Peninsula Malaysia, provides a negative comment on the development level of Penang, and all hell breaks loose.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As James Chin wrote, "His comments about crumbling infrastructure in Penang compared to Ipoh sparked off a war of words between DAP and Gerakan over who is responsible for Penang’s decay. Why do Malaysians take his words, in this case just a side remark, so seriously?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Answering his own question, he continued, "I suspect the reason why Malaysians, especially the Chinese press, take his comments so seriously is in part based on historical sentiment, and another part based on Singapore’s economic performance."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The real question, in my opinion, is the rhetorical one: why do we need his approval? Mahathir may have been snide in calling him "The Little Emperor", but as least he was more supportive of his own country than the likes of the DAP and Gerakan, who seem like bickering children hungry for a smile from Grandfather Lee.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Food for thought is also if Penangites would really want to rub a magic lamp and have a Minister Genie transform the island into Singapore? The modern infrastructure will no doubt be useful, not to mention real social development with meritocracy at its core. But everything comes with opportunity cost and suddenly the focus will be your personal infrastructure when Penangites will have to work longer and harder to own their own houses. Houses, you say? Think again.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Essentially what people like our current and former chief ministers have done is paint a poor picture of Penang and its people as not having enough faith in, and pride in, the uniqueness of our stat<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">e.</span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.. warts and all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ultimately we're having a guest, not an auditor, and the proper response to Lee Kuan Yew is: sorry sir, in this country we learn that the first lesson of being a good guest is to not insult our hosts. And that, perhaps, sets us apart a little more than infrastructure ever will.</span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-46858161316941407182009-05-26T10:28:00.000-07:002009-05-26T10:47:16.024-07:00Courting Trouble Fast, by Appealing for Common Sense<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When faced with criticisms both within and beyond, the Malaysian government has always been quick to respond that proof of democracy here is that we hold free elections. When someone from the United States once pointed out that by that yardstick even Hitler had elections, there was a great hue and cry that Malaysia's sovereignty was insulted when the Nazi dictator and this country were uttered "in the same breath". </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Even by the government's shallow breadth of democracy, the state of Perak falls rather short, with calls for a new mandate falling on deaf ears. Even Mahathir has mentioned that elections would see BN losing - in essence admitting that while the courts may be in their corner, and perhaps even a legislative vote of no confidence with the aid of self-serving frogs, the confidence of the people of Perak is a different story entirely.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Zambry is of course trying to maximize the decision of the Appellate Court as much as he was trying to minimize (with record breaking judicial speeds from a stay to a hearing to a decision) the judgment of the High Court. Once again, however, he has fallen on his own sword, a victim of sad irony. First, there was his little statement comparing himself to Gandhi - while the Pakatan Rakyat face the police when they try a simple fast. There were the calls from BN leaders asking the PR people to respect and accept the new court decision - contrasted to the previous decision when Najib said he would "solve the problem."<br /><br />And now, a very large foot in a very large mouth appears for Zambry - as the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Malaysian Insider</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> reports:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"The people should not be fearful or apprehensive in bringing up problems related to illegal settlement and land to the state government, said Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir."</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">By risking mentioning the obvious, how about the illegal settlement OF the state government?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Or at least, in the next breath, an immoral one?</span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-20153121891880197812009-05-11T07:56:00.000-07:002009-05-11T09:55:08.322-07:00A Page Turns in Perak and Najib Tries to "Solve the Problem"<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It really shouldn't be such a surprise that the system of justice in our country affirmed what the fair-minded already know to be true. But the concept of due process, of checks and balances has been so usurped, so tainted with scandal that many did not have the faith that there would be a fair day in court. The </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/26112-nizar-is-mb">Malaysian Insider</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> reported that even Nizar, who never gave up in the face of adversity, was stunned by the decision. So yes, this is a moment for celebration for the truly democratic. But in the much larger picture, it is a time for us to work towards a day when courting true justice is not a gamble, but a guarantee.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >The Barisan's Options</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It seems, however, that the Barisan Nasional is not ready to throw in the towel. It has two major options, and it is likely it will travel both paths simultaneously.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">One is to challenge the High Court decision, and place a request to stay its execution pending appeal. The Barisan-linked mainstream media has been quick to place this right next to Nizar's victory, with UMNO-connected TV3 unbelievably making the headline news Najib's assertion that the BN has a solid case for appeal, instead of the actual court decision.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The other option comes back to the Perak monarchy, which in the absence of Sultan Azlan Shah away in the United States places Raja Nazrin, the Regent, in the limelight. Early Tuesday morning he will grant an audience to the rightful MB, and if he does not consent to a dissolution of the state assembly he could instead instruct a sitting of the assembly to table a vote of no-confidence against Nizar. On a legally technical level, Zambry would then be legitimized as the new MB.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >The Pakatan's Options</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Pakatan Rakyat has several options in its favour as well. At this point, the royal household has a chance to regain some trust of the people, and more importantly restore rule of law in the state. Should the Regent chose to call for a sitting instead of a dissolution, the argument could be put forward that the sitting under the Tree of Democracy is now considered valid. This would also imply that the decision of the state assembly to dissolve was valid, and it is purely awaiting an already much-delayed execution.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Second, is that not only has Nizar defeated Zambry in a court of law - but Sivakumar is the rightful Speaker of the House, not Ganesan. Further, the decision also affirms the rasionale for suspending Zambry and his "Exco", since the judge declared the process of taking over the Perak government undemocratic. Without those barred from the assembly, the Barisan cannot claim a majority.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Even if the Barisan somehow claim a majority supporting a vote of no confidence, it is hard to imagine Zambry gaining the trust of the public after being essentially declared by the High Court as an illegitimate MB.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Quotes of the Day</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/26136-najib-we-will-appeal-against-decision">Najib</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">: </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >“We will solve the problem.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ironically, the only way to "solve" the problem is to DISsolve the assembly.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A rather long, but worthwhile read by the young </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/john-lee/26066-bns-suicide-attempt-in-perak">John Lee</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, including this comparitive account of history:</span><br /><blockquote style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><p><span style="font-size:85%;">In the 17th century, England was ruled by King Charles I — a firm believer in the principle that might makes right, and that the executive reigns supreme. Parliament increasingly refused to go along with his oppressive taxes and repressive policies.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Infuriated, Charles led a band of armed men to Parliament to arrest his opponents, violently entering the House of Commons.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Finding that the MPs had fled, the King displaced Speaker William Lenthall from his chair, and demanded to know where they had gone.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Lenthall’s words, much like former Perak MB Nizar Jamaluddin’s “Patik mohon derhaka,” have gone down in history as a brave defence of the right of elected legislatures to deliberate in peace, without heed for the executive’s wishes: “May it please your Majesty, I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as the House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here.”</span></p></blockquote><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">But first prize goes to the </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://thestar.com.my/">Star Online</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, for - probably inadvertantly - letting a snide side remark getting posted on one of the sub-headings:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwT_UUE_awEwJTlbvo8dE9uygSCBkh6NisrrunSeLkPJyptU1zEl-k8BFeR6QfOkaHOIs_AFUp7QxeQF35DljR1fsXCFNHPP0RN2PGCyui2yac8V6kei7XME2CdOeICtdGDQC5O-XUB4X/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 420px; height: 88px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwT_UUE_awEwJTlbvo8dE9uygSCBkh6NisrrunSeLkPJyptU1zEl-k8BFeR6QfOkaHOIs_AFUp7QxeQF35DljR1fsXCFNHPP0RN2PGCyui2yac8V6kei7XME2CdOeICtdGDQC5O-XUB4X/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334607392236119506" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Somehow it brings to mind the ancient Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">That we do, indeed.</span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-29133622861579447972009-05-08T05:43:00.000-07:002009-05-08T06:13:20.847-07:00Perak Aftermath: In Some Circles They Would Call This Talking Out of Your...<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >...well, I'll leave that to your imagination. Let's just say Christina Aguilera would have an inkling.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >If you thought that it was something to see the gall in trying to legitimize a BN-run Perak government, all you had to to was wait a day to hear the pathetic excuses for their actions.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The</span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/25771-zambry-says-tyranny-of-the-minority-should-not-rule-over-majority"> Malaysian Insider</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" > noted Zambry's comments:</span><blockquote style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-family: trebuchet ms;">Zambry agreed the police were not supposed to be in the chambers but added the BN-elected speaker Datuk R Ganesan had the power under the standing orders to call in the police. <p>“Ganesan had no choice but to ask the police to help control the dewan. Let the people decide on the actions of the Pakatan assemblymen today,” said Zambry.</p></blockquote><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Whoever works as Zambry's PR guy could best advise the purported Mentri Besar to leave out the words <span style="font-size:180%;">"let the people decide"</span> out of his speeches. For that is exactly what he is preventing.</p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The next case of foot-in-mouth came from Hee Yit Foong, who said of her former DAP colleagues: <a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/25863-hee-has-power-or-so-she-says">"Hati mereka ada hantu."</a> Never mind that every kid in every school who hears this will laugh their heads off. And add it to their toilet grafitti.<br /></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">And then the PM decides to open up another can of worms in today's <a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/25891-najib-denies-isa-release-meant-to-calm-anger-over-perak-fiasco">Malaysian Insider</a>:<br /></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p><blockquote style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-family: trebuchet ms;">Speaking to reporters today, Najib, who is also Umno president, brushed aside PR claims that the takeover in Perak was unconstitutional. <p>He cited Winston Churchill, the former British prime minister, as an example of a politician who had changed parties.</p></blockquote><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Churchill you say? The words of Churchill himself are the best rebuttal of our Prime Minister:</span><br /><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p><blockquote style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0); font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">"</span>He is one of those orators of whom it was well said, 'Before they get up, they do not know what they are are going to say; when they are speaking, they do not know what they are saying; and when they have sat down, they do not know what they have said.'" ~ Winston Churchill.</span> </blockquote><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-88863145222281782812009-05-06T22:47:00.000-07:002009-05-07T00:26:57.640-07:00Fashion Police<div style="text-align: right; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br /></div><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSChtDZ3a7wxagxXZOnY0vpapRLDjbyutK_RwSLDLktRa0_0bh7M8KEj0GNxYyIWU4uYHaBr8iBDfoEpXmuJJrRrfAoCYuBrdn4pFpbq0hlCC5m_0tmppIjNLLPkrRbGGrNoHXXe_ydr2H/s1600-h/1Malaysia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSChtDZ3a7wxagxXZOnY0vpapRLDjbyutK_RwSLDLktRa0_0bh7M8KEj0GNxYyIWU4uYHaBr8iBDfoEpXmuJJrRrfAoCYuBrdn4pFpbq0hlCC5m_0tmppIjNLLPkrRbGGrNoHXXe_ydr2H/s400/1Malaysia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332972775807668946" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When it comes whatever extent of a democracy Malaysia has, one thing is certain - we like to keep things literal. When it came to throwing the book, Karpal Singh famously took it one step further in Parliament by throwing his shoe. When it came to branches of government, the legitimate Perak government took it one step further by turning to the Tree of Democracy. And now police have arrested Wong Chin Huat for sedition for suggesting that people wear black today in protest of the Barisan Nasional's hostile takeover of the Perak government - bringing a special new stench to the words "fashion police."</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Plus, the undemocratic nature of Barisan Nasional's "power-grab" is certified with the </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/lite/articles_headlines.php?id=malaysia/25697-shoving-match-in-tussle-for-speakers-chair">physical removal</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> of Perak Speaker Sivakumar from his seat.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLpp2JbZZ4I_qCgvjiWMDI18MK3h3hW4XPVtg7yRbThyphenhyphenzVynRkLfrgXhKyN477OiVXnDFJFmkgQHm_2r8iKT3tenKudtOAezGawnhVYxCZ7rSseyQT9zXpBtjdBvoxUKyuCB7gbkJRnQw/s1600-h/4299_1145537472046_1035799724_423385_5321232_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLpp2JbZZ4I_qCgvjiWMDI18MK3h3hW4XPVtg7yRbThyphenhyphenzVynRkLfrgXhKyN477OiVXnDFJFmkgQHm_2r8iKT3tenKudtOAezGawnhVYxCZ7rSseyQT9zXpBtjdBvoxUKyuCB7gbkJRnQw/s400/4299_1145537472046_1035799724_423385_5321232_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332979405631853906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Photo sourced from Lim Kit Siang, showing the forced removal of Sivakumar</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ultimately, people will remember the words of people like Najib and Muhiyiddin falsely accusing the Pakatan Rakyat of forcing unnecessary by-elections (which in itself makes no sense), when in Perak these very politicians are doing their best to avoid what is a necessary state-wide election.<br /><br />All this while Dr Mahathir maintains his classic independent streak (despite all the show of solidarity at the UMNO General Assembly) by commenting again on the validity of the removal of Perak Mentri Besar Nizar:<br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 204, 204);">As far as I know, the federal constitution states very clearly that a monarch cannot remove a prime minister. He can refuse to appoint a prime minister, but once appointed you cannot remove him until there's a vote of no-confidence made against him.</span> - </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Dr Mahathir, as reported by mysinchew</span></blockquote><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Once upon a time, Malaysia received a black eye in international standing when more literally Anwar Ibrahim received a black eye while in police custody, hit - while handcuffed - by none other than the top man in the police force. Today, the police have decided to give themselves a black eye, going against not the power of black shirts, but the strength of ideals and ideas of conscience, due process and the true quality of one's democracy.<br /><br />Perhaps even more importantly, they have failed to protect the people of Perak - including their democratically elected Speaker - from those who would usurp their right to decide.<br /></span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-8952101789745442592009-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:002009-04-19T01:08:12.250-07:00Dollars and Sense<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As the Malaysian expression goes: so clever. Najib has actually found a way to attack his opponents before the Penanti by-election is announced - by saying that by-elections cost money. As the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Star</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> reported Najib as saying:</span><br /><blockquote style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"It is different if an elected representative dies but resignations are political decisions which can also be regarded as a political ploy," he said.</blockquote><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now, if this had been in regards to the Permatang Pauh by-election I would see the logic in that. (Though Anwar could of course put forward the argument that he should have been eligible in March 2008 to begin with.) But that was months ago... and it would take a true dumbass to believe that Fairus or PKR is engineering a political ploy, for the whole issue is not doing the Pakatan Rakyat any favours. </span><br /><blockquote style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Speaking at a press conference... he said the people resent by-elections that were held deliberately.</span><br /></blockquote><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If the people truly do resent these by-elections, apparently they resent the Barisan Nasional even more, with the Bukit Selambau and Permatang Pauh by-elections showing a larger majority for the Pakatan Rakyat victory.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Also in the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Star</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">:</span><br /><blockquote style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">When asked if Mohammad Fairus had betrayed his constituents with his resignation, he said it was up to the people to judge was had transpired.<br /><br />"The people are smart now and can make up their own minds," he added.</blockquote><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well, the people of Kuala Terengganu, Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Permatang Pauh certainly made up their own minds. And smart they were.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If one would like to save up some money from by-elections, I suspect that those who were sprayed with water from the police could suggest ways to be more efficient with costs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">At the end of the day this smacks of a smokescreen, diverting our attention from what is truly important: that while by-elections may be costly in currency, the denial of people's right to choose in the cases of three Perak party-hoppers is far more costly to our democracy.<br /><br />*April 19 update: ...or a smokescreen for not fielding a candidate towards certain defeat!<br /></span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-78493030165838836682009-04-15T08:50:00.000-07:002009-04-15T08:58:09.514-07:00One Malaysian's One Track Mind<p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The <a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/23427-najib-discard-ethnic-silo-mentality">Malaysian Insider</a> reported on new PM Najib's explanation of his "One Malaysia" concept.</p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">And it seems that Samy Vellu's little tantrum on not getting his minister's post back has not gone unnoticed:<br /></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p><blockquote style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-family: trebuchet ms;"><p>“The MIC should have been thankful to the government for freeing the 13 and not only focus on the two Hindraf members released.</p> <p>“If we freed two Hindraf members, don’t forget there were 11 others. Don’t think about Hindraf alone,” he said.</p></blockquote><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Wait a second. The MIC should be thankful to the government? Isn't the MIC, as part of the Barisan Nasional, part of the government? So - in other words, the One Malaysia concept is about dividing the ruling coalition and telling which factions should be more greatful? Hmm...</p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Not surprisingly, between the lines, a One Malaysia promoted by these folks end up being Umno-centric:<br /></p><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p><blockquote style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-family: trebuchet ms;"><p>He said under the One Malaysia concept, if it concerned poverty eradication, it should encompass all races irrespective of whether they were from urban or rural areas, estates, new villages or aboriginal settlements.</p> <p>“It (One Malaysia) does not mean the policy to help the bumiputras is sidelined, in fact it will give implementation of the policy greater impetus so as to ensure that eligible bumiputras get their due consideration,” he said.</p></blockquote><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Further impetus - on a programme that takes out certain Malaysians and considers them as "special" compared to the rest. If that is Najib's concept of a One Malaysia, then it's clear which Ones he has in mind.</span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-9490738663379473932009-04-08T01:02:00.000-07:002009-04-08T03:43:46.479-07:00Spin, spin, spin!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It was, to say the least, a tough spin. Bernama TV had guest panelists who were quick to say that the BN's defeat at the hands of Mohd. Nizar Jamaluddin was not reflective of the overall sentiment of Perak. They transfered their broadcast to Muhyiddin Yassin's press conference - right until the very moment a reporter asked if the BN loss was due to (now contested) Perak government takeover.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Extrapolating results apparently is not possible when the BN loses... but it's a different case when the BN wins. The New Straits Times website put the Batang Ai win by BN as showing that there was "no room for PKR" in Sarawak. If this were the case, wouldn't it just as easily show that the Perak win was a referendum on Najib's engineered Perak party-hopping coup?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Bernama TV even had a caller who voiced his opinion that the reason for the BN loss in Perak was not because the BN wasn't strong but the people didn't know how to "use their wisdom". And the favoured phrase seems to be that Nizar obtained "sympathy votes". Which, instead of indicating the sentiments of the people, is used to paint the voters as irrationally emotional. Somehow I doubt that will go down well the next time these same voters go back to the ballot box.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Let's recap the things the BN fellas - whether rightly or shadily - had running for them:</span><br /><ul style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><li>The elections were held on a day that conveniently avoided the UMNO elections - and provided a boost media-wise for the party event (not to mention the Hindraf ISA releases soon after)<br /></li><li>The elections were held on the same day - helpful for the larger BN machinery</li><li>The PR people were slapped with a ban on discussing certain issues - including the Altantunya court case</li><li>Dr Mahathir's return to the fold and to the campaign trail<br /></li></ul><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And that's not even taking into account the regular advantages of "instant noodle" development and media coverage. So far since the "political tsunami" one year ago (and many BN "post-mortem"s to boot) the score is PR:4 to BN:1.<br /><br />At the end of all this, what is the BN response?</span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="font-size:180%;">"Maybe the people are undecided, so we will have to work harder to convince them."</span> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >- newly minted Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This, immediately following the by-election results with a high voter turnout and leading majorities for both PR wins - showing exactly how confidently the people had </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >decided</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Like I said, for the Barisan it was a tough spin. And even a harder sell.</span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-77867331114727696892009-03-22T01:23:00.000-07:002009-03-22T01:53:39.179-07:00The Irony, Oh The Irony<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Muhyiddin Yassin, the UMNO veep with his eyes on the deputy president's post, has apparently decided to show how good he'd be as a bulldog No. 2. In </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/3/22/nation/3532831&sec=nation">The Star</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> today, his comments on the resignation of Penang Deputy CM Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin:</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;" >“The crisis shows a shaky government and proves they are incapable. They wanted to hide it at first, but now it has become a crisis,” he said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I get a feeling that he thinks that Ali Rustam's ungraceful exit from the upcoming UMNO elections makes him seem like the cleaner candidate. But he is forgetting the larger picture that Ali Rustam is still in the same party, a party that decided to retain him as Chief Minister of Melacca - a position higher than that of Fairus.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">To add to add, Ali has been found guilty of money politics, when at worst Fairus has been accused of being a poor performer. In the mangled words of media today, I believe readers wil agrees that I just "rubbished" Muhyiddin's assertions.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Irony works both ways though, as </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/3/22/nation/20090322123103&sec=nation">this</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> article shows that the vandalism of the Democracy Plaque has turned in the Pakatan's favour. </span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-18800976495726704312009-03-17T23:20:00.000-07:002009-03-18T08:09:58.815-07:00Prosecution Asks Court to Shoot Legal Profession in the Foot<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">There's a disturbing trend for trying to lock up people who, in all respects, are doing their jobs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">First, there was the case of the Sin Chew reporter who published the racist remarks uttered by Ahmad Ismail. She ended up under the ISA, a move so politically disastrous that the Home Minister had to backtrack, saying that it was for her own protection. Ahmad Ismail on the other hand got a slap on the wrist, and was welcomed as a hero in his own UMNO branch, indicating the apparent UMNO philosophy that calling fellow citizens “penumpang” is really something you should just say a little quieter. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Now this with Karpal Singh, being charged under the Sedition Act for recommending a avenue of appeal is entirely legal. Here’s news to the powers-that-be: he’s a lawyer, and he was talking about the law. To top it off, he’s not talking about a technicality or a hypothetical case – he’s actually filed suits against royalty before. Not to mention that the law was actually put in place by UMNO’s former president, and signed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of the day. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Now the court has a rather distasteful matter in front of it. The prosecution, has already shot the legal profession in one foot, and is asking the court to finish the job of judicial suicide. They are being asked, in the home of the system of justice in our country designed to enforce the law of the land, to convict a person for speaking about what that law actually is all about. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">If the Malaysian public can’t see the extent of idiocy in this act of lunacy, then the courts don’t have much left to shoot.</span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-19209456321375585882009-03-14T07:30:00.000-07:002009-03-14T08:04:57.388-07:00Homing in on the 'Even More' Unintelligent<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">In the article in today's Star, 'Teresa Kok files suit over detention under ISA', Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar is quoted as saying:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:180%;" >"I have faced many legal suits before. I will carry out my duty even more diligently despite the suit."</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br />~ Syed Hamid Albar</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Even more</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> diligently? The way I see it, this has one of the following implications:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. That before he was sued, he was well, somewhat less diligent.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">2. Whenever the Home Minister faces a legal suit, it has the tendency to hinder his diligence.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">3. If the suit was not filed, the Home Minister would carry out his duties less diligently.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">In the meantime, Najib's wife, commenting on the DPM's soon-to-be promotion, is apparently hearing the voice of the Almighty:</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;" ><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">"If God says it is his turn, it is his turn."</span> ~</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> Rosmah Mansor</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">That, I must say, is a new one. After all in politics, it's more often "the Devil made me do it".</span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-3230108742830815322009-03-01T20:04:00.000-08:002009-03-01T20:08:39.088-08:00What’s In Your Handphone?<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Here’s a radical thought: invest not in your government. In any government. Vote for the ones you think best serve the people, the ideals, the rights, the equality upon which democracy rests, all this to be sure. But place your real investments, your rallies, your vigils, your microscope on those institutions which are intended to keep your government in check. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Your courts.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Your media. Including the computer screen in front of you.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Your election commission. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Your police.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Your anti-corruption agency, in whatever name it brands itself tomorrow.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Governments will come and go, and some will be better than others, but these, these are the barometers of democracy. These are what define our democracy, and be it the truth that I believe it is, our report card isn’t too flashy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The mainstream media brands the man who stands up to protect his wheelchair-bound father from street thugs akin to one convicted of road rage. The Election Commission places by-elections in a place particularly convenient for the Umno elections. The riot police charge peaceful demonstrations – including one in the middle of singing the national anthem. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">And the anti-corruption agency? The Star reports on the chief commisioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 204, 204);font-size:130%;" >“Ahmad Said has been attacked in blogs and via e-mail over the issue of his son bringing child pornographic material into Australia. His son, a pilot, pleaded guilty and paid a fine for the offence.<br /><br />Ahmad Said vehemently denied that it was child pornography. He said that the titles of the video clips found in his son’s laptop computer were misleading.<br /><br />‘I can bet with you that it’s something that you will find on most men’s handphones,’ he said.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Now it is true that his son’s actions need not reflect on the Ahmad Said as the chief commissioner. What it reflect is he as a father.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">What does reflect badly on him as chief commissioner is that he supports his son pleading guilty to a crime that according to him is “misleading”. Mind me asking, since it is apparently not child pornography, <span style="font-weight: bold;">what else it could be that one would risk one’s reputation pleading guilty to child pornography</span>? Who are these ‘most men’ that Ahmad Said knows, and here’s the obvious: is he himself one of them?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Is it any wonder that there is public scepticism. To which he replies: “This is an issue of perception. We will prove our consistency by our actions.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">In the challenge of Ahmad Said: I’ll bet. </span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152098438697404045.post-61149829087003380022009-02-26T19:49:00.000-08:002009-02-26T20:11:23.678-08:00Barbarians at the Gate<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Umno Youth members block wheelchair-bound Member of Parliament Karpal Singh in the Parliament compound. Karpal's son as well as other MPs come to his defence, including Lim Lip Eng and Fong Po Kuan. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Star</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> reported:</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><br />"Lim's tie and coat had been pulled by the men in full view of Parliament security.<br /><br />During the commotion, Fong shouted: 'Where is security? Where is security?' and a reply was heard: 'We only <span style="font-style: italic;">jaga</span> (look after) inside (Parliament), not outside.'"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Apparently, the partial Parliament security take good care to </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >jaga</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> who butters their bread, whether it be inside or out.<br /><br />To roll back the political impact, an 8-man team headed by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz will "take appropriate action against those responsible."<br /><br />That really shouldn't be difficult: after all, the media have taken extensive photography and video of the barbarians... which then can easily be crossed-checked with the police. Unless there was an easier way to find out who they are. Oh wait, there is: Umno Youth records.<br /><br />As easy as it may be to protect the integrity of Parliament from hooligans, what you wanna bet this gets swept under the carpet? I'll bet Ahmad Ismail is having a grand old laugh right now.<br /></span>AFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14850847392158378828noreply@blogger.com0