Sorry, No New Thoughts Of Mine Lately But Read This Short Note

My apology for not posting any new 13th GE online campaign blasting you know who but just copy and paste from other sources.

Being sick for the past week and resting to gather strength while waiting to see how PR settle their internal party problems and embarking on a new campaign for the coming 13th GE.

One thing that is very clear for all Malaysians that love and wanted to see a bright future for Malaysia is:

"Umno Controlled BN" MUST GO
Malaysians can forget about the failed 1Malaysia or "People First, Performance Now" rhetoric, work together for change and bring back our lovely Original Malaysia recipe.

We still need Pakatan Rakyat as our platform for change but would like to remind Pakatan leaders that they must work together with the rakyat as well as other groups or third force that also wanted to see change. Do not simply throw them on the side-walk without engaging and working out a win win solution.

PR leaders must not always think along the line of politics to win elections but treat itself as a rakyat force and not a political force. You need to change strategy for this coming 13th GE in order to fight the might of your opponent.

Will be thinking how to continue with my online campaign for the 13th GE while recuperating. Hopefully to be back within a week or two.

An Alternative Paradigm For Change And Reform (?)

By Malik Imtiaz Sarvar

I do not think I am alone in feeling that this country is in need of a serious overhaul. Sweeping reform, of a nature far deeper than the superficial changes conceived by consultants to seduce voters, is critical to our continued survival. If voter sentimentnat the last general election is any indication, I think I am similarly not alone in believing that a change of government is in order.

I am guided to this conclusion not by dint of any admiration for those currently in Pakatan Rakyat(PR). Although admitted , there are individuals among them for whom I have a great deal of respect, this in itself is not a reason for change. The matter is addressed rather by reference to the seming inability of Barisan Nasional (BN) at the present time to form the kind of government this country needs.

It is not very difficult to prove this proposition: the BN is held by its component parties and their members, in particular UMNO. In as much as some within the BN may wish to push the envelope on reform, they are subject to those who shape influence with these parties.

Sadly, these influences seem to be driven by the belief that the ends justify the means. It is for this reason that painfully sectarian communal politics and the attendant inflammatory race and religious posturing are still very much a part of our lives despite this obviously being counter to the interests of us all. Repeated pleas to reconsider the value of such politics is met with hostility or simply ignored.

Their impact on the landscape is undeniable. Constant pandering to the politics of race and religion has resulted in grave consequences. Our country has been left terribly weakened, its institutions in seeming disarray, with no clear direction as to how to restore things to the way they once were.

At the heart of this is a highly worrisome race relations problem that is not only disruptive of desperately needed unity but also undermines our fundamentals, not least for standing in the way of constructive dialogue. Rather than engage in the issues, the government chooses to police thought and expression, the imminent sedition laws for cyberspace aptly illustrating the seige mentality of the current leadership.

To say that the citizenry is fearful for its future would not be overstating the situation, I think. For many of us, hope of the leadership recognising that what is best for our country is not necessarily defined by its political interests has diminished, if not wholly faded away. Trends that led us to doubt the quality and integrity of the government have not been arrested; concerns about the independence of key institutions–the Attorney-General’s Chambers, police, anti-corruption commission, Judiciary, and Election Commission, to name but a few–still abound as do doubts about the commitment of these bodies to the spirit of the Constitution.

The rakyat (people) has for some time felt that it cannot take their government at face value or believe in it being committed to do right by them. The constant refrains by its agents that all is well have worn thin. It is for this reason that the vote turned against the BN in 2008 the way it did. Wisdom would dictate that this was not so much due to voters favoring the PR rather than rejecting the BN.

Forgive me if I am not saying anything new in this. There is a purpose in reiterating this for the benefit of the PR. In the aftermath of the previous general election, opposition politicians talked about the political tsunami that engulfed the nation in tones of euphoric surprise initially. Over time, the tone and tenor of the rhetoric mutated and it is beginning to seem as if some of the politicians feel they are where they entitled to be. Some have gone so far as to posture as if they are our only choice.

This sense of entitlement is worrying as it is possibly indicative of politics having trumped the underlying cause of change and reform. If this is the case, the line between these politicians and those whom they condemn is less defined than they would have us believe. It would be wise for these politicians to recall that they were swept to success by a voter sentiment that is as likely to change its direction if the voters are left dissatisfied with what they perceive.

Leave aside the fact that the PR has precious little to make voters aware of what it expects to when, and if, it gets to Putrajaya. Or that it has not made clear what and how it will do as the government will be more viable for the nation than what the BN is doing. These are important issues but are unfortunately beyond the scope of this commentary.

Consider instead what it is Malaysians are being shown about PR through Keadilan. The Keadilan party election controversy raises serious questions about the ability of the party, and its allies whose fate is tied to it, to champion democracy it says it is fighting for.

Electoral irregularities are bound to happen and in any race, there will always be concerns about how level the playing field is. What is troubling is the scale of the complaints and the manner in which they have, or rather have not, been addressed. We have heard much about naysayers, traitors and the like, but we have heard little about the complaints levelled against the process and how they have been dealt with.

Malaysians need to understand clearly what it is that happened and why it happened. In particular, they need to be made to understand why there are factions within the party that have allowed their personal interests to get in the way of the cause they have represented themselves as championing.

Equally of concern is how, despite the matter having a direct bearing in the reputation of the reputation of the coalition as a whole, the other members of the PR feel unqualified to raise their concerns about it publicly. This is reminiscent of the relationship that the other component parties have with UMNO and, if so, raises an issue as to the power dynamics within the coalition.

The PR cannot run away from the fact that the Keadilan controversy has dented public confidence. Simply repeating that all is well will not go far in addressing the fundamental difficulties that have been brought into focus by it. Concrete steps must be taken.

Which brings me to the crux of the matter. It still hold the view that we need a new way of governing our country.. The question is, are we comfortable with placing our hopes entirely on PR? Some would have us believe that it is one or the other, a model that is problematic now that PR has shown itself to have feet of clay. I do not think our options are that limited. For one, PR can be made to see that it does not play a messianic role in the unfolding saga. For another, who is to say that we should not be recasting the paradigm and looking at alternatives?

*Malek Imtiaz Sarwar is a lawyer and the president of the National Human Rights Society (HAKAM).

Source: The Edge Malaysia (November 29, 2010)

Patriotism In Perspective

By AB Sulaiman

Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated recently that there have been too few non-Malays serving in the armed forces because “they lacked patriotism”. Malaysian politicians are not renowned for coining any worthwhile wisdom, and this one may prove hard to beat.

Sure enough this statement angered the public. But it’s so very odd. Where else have we heard an incumbent defence minister claiming his own illustrious soldiers and pool of citizens as not patriotic enough? In this writing I am trying to have a modicum of understanding to this bizarre situation.

Thanabalasingam, the former Navy chief, and Goh Seng Toh, a retired general, came up with their disappointment and anger, the former describing the minister’s remark as “it hurts,” and the latter with “unfair, stupid and racist”.

D Swami, a retired officer, then wrote on CPI of many cases of (non-Malay) military officers showing patriotism in warfare both within the country and abroad. They have clearly denied the ministerial accusation.

I am in full agreement with these individuals, basing my judgment from their straight- from-the-horse’s-mouth accounts above and from my personal experience in life. I came from the Royal Military College, with many ex-school and classmates joining the armed forces. Many of them left when they realised that their dedication, competency, loyalty, professionalism count for very little in their career development; but race and religion do.

But they can’t help being born (in this case) to the non-Malay ‘race’, and religion is very much a matter of personal faith and belief, of choice. So they left.

Yes, they left the military disappointed, disillusioned, and frustrated. Until today they voice their unending sorrow. And now their patriotism is doubted. To them this is like putting salt to a wound. I should know this for I meet with many of them regularly.

To come back to the issue, obviously patriotism among the non-Malays is alive and well now and as it has ever been. Obviously too, this minister has made an error or blunder of high proportions. If it is a bomb, it could equal C-4 explosives.

Patriotism defined

Where has the minister gone wrong? For this let’s explore what patriotism is all about. It is akin to nationalism i.e. one’s feeling of love and loyalty to one’s country and its way of life. But one’s feeling of love and loyalty for one’s country would yield at least four varieties:

a) Loyalty to the country, its peoples and their ways of life; also known as nationalism.

b) Loyalty to the country and its people, and going all the way to protect the country’s prestige and reputation. This is patriotism.

c) Loyalty to the government running the country (e.g. Loyalty to Barisan Nasional).

d) Loyalty to the individuals running the government running the country (e.g. Loyalty to Najib Abdul Razak, the Prime Minister).

This categorisation has some credibility. The Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has unwittingly touched upon it recently. It defined its role by fusing (a) and (c) together.

Witness what its commissioner Mahmood Zuhdi A Majid (right) said on human rights: “The commission took a careful approach to strike a balance between government and public interests.” Whether or not Suhakam is justified in adopting this middle road is a potentially contentious issue, and would merit some scrutiny. But I won’t delve any further into it at this time.

Unlike nationalism, patriotism indicates a person’s dedication and commitment to the protection of the welfare and prestige of his country. He is ready, willing, and able to go the extra mile in terms of personal sacrifices (including his life) he has to make and to withstand any discomfort this may cost him.

It is different from one’s loyalty to the government of the day.

Today the Barisan Nasional is in power. This does not mean that a PAS, DAP or PKR man is un- or non-patriotic. Nor does it mean that a person with no party affiliation is non-patriotic either.

It is certainly not one’s loyalty to the political party in power.
Certainly patriotism is not loyalty to the individuals holding the country’s rein of power.

With this initial definition, let’s see where to slot Ahmad Zahid. He was not even talking about nationalism or patriotism. He is way off course. I am inclined to think that he has demonstrated items (c) and (d) above. He is showing loyalty to his party and to Najib Abdul Razak.

Sentiments of the romantic past

He might have been echoing the sentiments of the romantic past, like during the Malacca sultanate days. This was when society was generally agrarian in character and the population number very small.

Tribal warfare was more or less the norm and national defence was then a question of collective responsibility. Each member of a tribe would be required to ‘Mempertahankan negara dari musuh-musuhnya’ or to defend the nation from its enemies each time the society was under attack. At this time, patriotism was demanded and expected.

This must have been the case when the Portuguese came calling in 1509 and 1511. Likewise during the time of British rule when there appeared many Malay warriors daring to rise and challenge the colonisers. The fact of the matter would be that it was every person’s patriotic duty to defend his country.

But times have changed. Today we all live in a post-modern democratic society, and our total number come to nearly thirty million. We live in a world with modern economy, with its individual-oriented social norms. Mainly we live in an era of specialisation where we do one tiny bit in one big economic machine. National defence would be handled by the professional soldiers organised by his Defence Ministry.

With changing times come changing attitudes. In any case we humankind have developed independence of thinking. We have a growing concern over our government putting dominance over our lives as individuals. The sense of the individual or individualism has entered our domain.

Also the rules of engagement of warfare have also changed: In the past we were using bows and arrows, kris and swords, lances and machetes. Combat was essentially one-to-one. But today warfare invariably makes use of modern weapons of war, which means guns and bombs, tanks, rockets, jet bombers, warships and submarines.

Put all this together – the sense of the individual, the large number of population, the huge economic machine, the specialisation of functions, and we see the need for the state to plan, budget, set up, train, maintain and manage a war machine. There is need for a technically savvy and professional and permanent bureaucracy to ensure continuity, growth and development of the national war machine.

This means there is an absolute need for specially and professionally trained members of the armed forces to man a nation’s defence mechanism. Professional soldiers would mean the setting up of a good and clear path for career advancement for the individuals who have chosen soldiering as their profession.

Now, a word about the modern professional soldier. The modern soldier to begin with is a modern individual. The sense of the individual in him is strong. He joins the armed forces out of his free will, after having discarded other alternative careers he might have chosen.

He does his job with a sense of duty, integrity, competency, and professionalism, as provided by his training and skill, all in order to gain the satisfaction of a job well done. He is there to satisfy his own inner self, and if in his career he has to undergo sacrifices then he is ready to do so.

Sweep it under the carpet

But inasmuch as the minister has made a boob, the government reaction has been wanting. In other countries the minister would have been made to apologise and or resign. But here in our country of supposedly high morals and integrity it is business as usual.

As the Star puts it Ahmad Zahid had explained his claim to Najib.Apparently the prime minister had described this case as a mere polemics and asked not to discuss the issue openly. Zahid said Najib wanted a stop to any open discussion on the issue as ‘nothing would be achieved from it.’

In other words sweep it under the carpet, and nobody is the wiser.
But there is this adage of psychology or philosophy stating a person can make one mistake and he can be forgiven, but he should learn from it. He would be a fool if he repeats his (first) mistake. The moral is that we have to learn from past mistakes.

I see this wisdom being side stepped by Najib. Zahid will not open his mind and learn the fact that he might have said something troublesome (and even bordering on treasonous), so there is no guarantee that he will not repeat this same mistake again. Nor will other members of the cabinet learn from this one mistake and stopping them from repeating the same or a variation of the same mistake again.

It’s good to ask why Najib elects not to give Zahid a tougher reprimand. There can be many reasons. I’d hazard one guess – perhaps not to show or expose any weaknesses in his cabinet team. If this hunch is true, then how unpatriotic of him for not making use of this window of opportunity to improve the intellect and open the mind of Zahid and his other cabinet members.

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AB SULAIMAN is an observer of human traits and foibles, especially within the context of religion and culture. As a liberal, he marvels at the way orthodoxy fights to maintain its credibility in a devilishly fast-changing world. He hopes to provide some understanding to the issues at hand and wherever possible, suggest some solutions. He holds a Bachelor in Social Sciences (Leicester, UK) and a Diploma in Public Administration, Universiti Malaya.

Discontinue Teoh Beng Hock Inquest

By P Ramakrishnan

P Ramakrishnan calls for a royal commission of inquiry to replace the discredited inquest into Teoh Beng Hock’s sudden death.

We are gathered here today to express our solidarity with the Teoh family. We are here to express our sorrow over the tragic death of Teoh Beng Hock. We are here to share the pain and anguish that his family is suffering on a daily basis.

Teoh Beng Hock’s death has outraged the conscience of this nation. It is difficult to understand how his death could have taken place in a security area without the knowledge of MACC officials who had complete control over the premises.

Unanswered questions

His death has distressed us and has raised many questions of propriety in the manner he was treated by the investigating personnel.

He was on his feet working the whole of Wednesday, 15 July 2009, when he was taken in at 5.00pm for questioning. His cruel grilling continued into the wee hours of the next morning until 3.45am the next day – nearly 11 hours after he had gone into the MACC building. Why should he be subjected to this inhuman torture when he was taken in as a witness to help the MACC?

It is public knowledge that one Tan Boon Wah, another witness, who was in the building at the same time as Beng Hock, had stated that he had to stand the whole time he was being questioned without food, sleep, rest or break. Beng Hock’s session could not have been any different. He must have been deprived of food, denied sleep and rest and subjected to intense questioning for nearly 11 hours.

Anyone who had been subjected to this torture would have bolted from this hell hole when he was released at 3.45am. Why then didn’t he leave the place in a hurry?

How, why and when did he die? Is it believable that his death took place without the knowledge of the MACC?

“How can a bright young man walk into MACC office as a witness, only to return as a dead body?” Lim Kit Siang rightly demanded to know.

But after more than one year we are still waiting for answers that are not forthcoming to reveal the truth. We were told that the findings would be made known within two months. Now after more than one year, we are nowhere nearer the truth; no one is any wiser when the findings would be concluded.

We are still in the dark as to what caused his death and who contributed to this tragic episode.

The mystery surrounding Beng Hock’s death should have been vigorously and relentlessly pursued to unravel the truth at the shortest possible time. But what we are witnessing is the sad fact that the inquest has not moved with the speed this issue deserves. There is no sense of urgency. All that we have witnessed are delays and denials adding to the agony and anguish to the Teoh family. It is totally unfair to them that they should suffer this dereliction without any sign of closure to this tragedy.

A ‘suicide note’ surfaces

There is now a ridiculous attempt to introduce so-called new evidence to suggest suicide. Suddenly a handwritten note has been discovered but which was not submitted as evidence at the beginning of the inquest – nor was this fact disclosed to the lawyers representing the Teoh family and the Selangor state government.

There was even this absurd suggestion that Beng Hock could have strangled himself. When asked by Gobind Singh how this could be possible, the DPP Abdul Razak Musa came across as a clown when he tried to choke himself. I wish that he had succeeded and spared us the torment of listening to his ludicrous cross examination of Dr Pornthip!

There was yet another opportunity for him to escape the embarrassment that he was going through. However, it is a pity that when Abdul Razak asked Dr Pornthip if she had jumped off a building, nobody took advantage of this and to ask him how does one do that! His demonstration would have ended this comic opera!

When one is seeking the truth, no stone should be left unturned; no scrap of evidence should be overlooked. But – unfortunately – this wasn’t the case with this inquiry.

According to the investigating officer, he found a note in Beng Hock’s sling bag but put it aside because he “did not realise the significance of it”. What gave him that right to come to this conclusion? His duty and business should have been to sieve through every item that was in that sling bag for possible clues. But he behaved like a clueless clot displaying a total lack of discernment.

The Attorney-General’s conduct was no better. The AG’s clarification – that when this note was finally brought to his attention on 7 October 2009, he wanted further investigations to be carried out – is indeed baffling. He should have tendered this note to the coroner for the court to determine its authenticity and relevance to the case. To submit this so-called “new evidence” some 10 months later is totally unacceptable. It only raises questions of ethics and propriety.

From whatever angle one may look at this situation, there is only one inevitable conclusion — evidence has been clearly and surreptitiously suppressed.

Instead of assisting by all means to arrive at the truth, the AG’s Chambers have not acted in a transparent and honest manner by hanging on to this so-called “new evidence” that now suddenly seems to have assumed “significance”.

This so-called “new evidence” has unfairly disrupted the entire proceedings and made the inquiry untenable. If it had been tendered from the very beginning, the trend of questioning would have taken a different form and direction.

There seems to be a serious contradiction in the statement issued by the AG’s Chambers as to when the note was discovered. In Paragraph 4, the statement reads: “According to the investigation officer, it was not found when he first searched the deceased’s sling bag after the incident.” But in Paragraph 10, we are told: “However, recently the investigation officer owned up by admitting that he did in fact find the note when he searched the sling bag on July 17…” What then is the truth?

Why did the investigating officer lie in the first place? What was he trying to cover up? Why should we believe him?

We must unravel the mystery that shrouds his death. But in no way can we reconcile to the possibility of a suicide. Why would a young man about to marry the day after, a young man happily looking forward to becoming a father for the first time, want to take his life!

Sham inquest

The inquest into the death of Teoh Beng Hock has been totally discredited. It has turned out to be a sham inquest. Nobody is going to believe the coroner’s verdict.

It is Aliran’s stand that the inquest should be disbanded and discontinued; it should make way for the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry. Anything short of this would be a travesty of justice. Only a Royal Commission can determine what caused his death and who contributed to this tragic episode.

Someone who had suffered terribly in the Nazi death camp put it rightly: “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

Yes, we couldn’t prevent the injustice that was meted out to Beng Hock but we can protest to express our outrage, to demand justice for the Teoh family; to mobilise support so that an injustice can be remedied.

P Ramakrishnan is president of Aliran.

In The Military, The Non-Malay Is Ridden Like A Horse

Written by Major (Rtd) D.Swami

Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi remarked that non-Malays shun a military career because they lacked patriotism. His sense of history and of the contributions of the Chinese, Indians and our brothers from East Malaysia towards the sovereignty of Malaysia leaves something to be desired. Zahid’s is a racist and bigoted view, pure and simple.

I’ve previously blogged about the winners of valour awards, not including those who had laid down their lives, are maimed, and not forgetting the non-Malay police officers.

I guess when the Chinese and Indians were bleeding and dying for this country, Zahid might just have been a dirty glint in his father’s eyes. I am not insulting this dull fellow, just that this shallow-minded individual needs some input regarding who was the first Malaysian to be awarded the Pingat Gagah Berani. He was a Chinese! Sergeant Chong Yong Chin PGB of the First Federation Regiment.

Dey Zahid, I suppose you did not know that. Insults have to be politely reciprocated with civility, I am doing just that.

Did you not know who was the first recipient of the Pingat Gagah Berani in the Congo? That person too was a Chinese, Lieutenant Lee Ah Pow PGB, read about how shoddily he was treated too! It had to take Brigadier R.S. Noronha of the Indian army (during a UN peacekeeping mission in Congo) to recommend him for an award. Lt Lee had shown exemplary courage and tremendous restraint under fire, yet his own Malaysian high command overlooked his valour.

There was another young Chinese officer, Lt David Fu Chee Meng, who too was awarded the PGB at the Battle of Tanah Hitam.

So those guys were not patriotic enough for you? Here is my favourite, someone I know personally, Sergeant Choo Woh Soon PGB, my wife’s uncle. The short guy in the centre of the photo is Sergeant Choo Woh Soon PGB. This guy, patriotic enough for you?

How about this Indian officer and Chinese soldier dying together to save your sorry butt from the commies? Captain Shanmuganathan PGB and 207770 Ranger Mat Isa bin Hassan PGB, do not be deceived by the name Mat Isa, he was a Chinese.

How about this Indian officer who laid down his life at the ripe old age of 24? Captain Mohana Chandran al Velayuthan (200402) Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa. Not patriotic enough for you? Here is another Indian who got the PGB, Second Lieutenant Panir Chellvum a/l Velaithan PGB. Still not patriotic enough for you?

M’sian soldiers burn cross

How about this where a sorry excuse for an officer caused the death of 13 Italian airmen in the Congo. The Malay Major had shirked his responsibilities of providing the airmen with protection, placed them in danger by ordering them to be brought to the mess and allowed them to be captured by the rebels. The Major then further disgraced himself by ordering all the officers and men at the mess to surrender their weapons to the rebels who had surrounded them, which they did sheepishly.

Malaysia’s name had to be salvaged in this incident by Second Lieutenants N.H. Siebel PGB and Captain Maurice Lam PGB, notice their names, they were non-Malays.

How about the time in Bosnia where soldiers desecrated a Catholic Cross? Again the situation was salvaged by the non-Malays. For posterity I have another link here about how the then Defence Minister Najib Razak excused the burning of Croation Catholic cross by two Malaysian UN peacekeepers stationed in Bosnia-Herzegovina as “unintentional”.

I will not even talk about the vandalising of the Hoba meteorite in Namibia.

Here is another Indian, who after serving a total of 29 years in both the police force and the army is denied his pension. The reason being he did not attend the weapons course and tactics course. What weapons and tactics course, when he and his men wiped out the remnants of the enemy in Selangor. What would his unshaved instructors teach him? Read about him, Captain Courageous aka Mukhtiar Singh s/o Sodagar Singh.

In any other army in the world today, they would have cited Mukhtiar Singh for courage and piled honours on him without any questions asked. Unfortunately he is an Indian in Malaysia, get that Zahid?
Here is a picture of an all Chinese group of Kinta Valley Homeguards who fought the Malayan Communist Party. More pictures here.

The problem with people like Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is he does not know about people like these Chinese and Indians who were willing to die for Malaysia unconditionally. They only wanted to be treated fairly. The current situation is like “some people are more equal than others”.

East M’sians discriminated against

People like Zahid are wind bags, full of foul air and all empty talk.

If you notice the minorities were significant in numbers in the forces when Malaysia was in danger, from the Japanese occupation of Malaya, the Emergency, Confrontation and the subsequent Emergency until the cessation of hostilities by the Malayan Communist Party.

Remember the Communist Party of Malaya did not surrender. It was a treaty for the cessation of hostilities. Freeing our Great Leader to push his agenda of Ketuanan Melayu, subsequently his achievements were … I shall just cite one, i.e. the amazing statement that Anwar Ibrahim socked himself in the left eye to gain public sympathy and give the police a bad name. Mahathir could not do many of the things he has done if the Malayan Communist Party was on the warpath as it would increase their numbers. Zahid, being an ardent fan of this old goat, is still playing to the gallery.

Soldiers who have served, the non-Malays, know what it is to be discriminated against because of their race and religion. Even the Bumiputras of Sabah and Sarawak are discriminated against, as most of them are Christians.

While at this, being an ex-soldier and all, I have seen many East Malaysian officers serving in combat units. Why did not any one of them make it to General? Not good enough?

Look at how brave, loyal and patriotic they are. See in the archives for the records I’ve compiled. After seeing the results of the Sibu ‘buy elections’, where the BN lost, I guess they saw the writing on the wall and recently promoted an Iban officer to become the first Iban who made it to General, Stephen Mundaw, in September this year.

Anyway that is peanuts, East Malaysians should demand and expect at least a 4-star General from amongst the Ibans, whose bodies have been littered across the battle fields in Malaysia. Their courage and ferocity in battle is unmatched.

Lack of promotion prospects

After having served many years and plodding along, being bypassed by juniors and incompetents, there are so many grievances. There is not enough space to write it all at one go. Is it not heart wrenching? You expect patriotism to burn brightly in the hearts of the non-Malays when our children are discriminated by virtue of race and religion?

Treat everyone equally on a level playing field and you will not need to ask for the non-Malays to defend this country. The numbers would be so huge that you would have to send most of them back.

In the military, the non-Malay is ridden like a horse, for the greater benefit of the majority. No rewards, when it comes to promotions and benefits … they forget you. You know about the old race horse, that it runs until it drops dead or is put out to pasture. Most non-Malays make it to the rank of Major, I am sure you have heard this before, about the infamous glass ceiling. That is the rank you have to be happy with.

You are not promoted on merit. I know of guys who can barely speak English but become Generals. During my time all the courses were in English. Ask the ex and serving non-Malays about the subtle hints to convert. They do not even respect your faith by suggesting that. If they’re always hinting to you that you should convert, it means they look down on you.

Religious and racial discrimination go hand in hand.

I have also had the privilege of seeing a General’s knees tremble, when he stepped out of my Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) as I helped him down. This was after an exchange of fire. I was the escort commander and he was riding in my IFV in Somalia.

A hundred non-Malays would, without hesitation and asking questions, charge a hill of 10,000 enemies to defend their country, Malaysia, if you treated them and their offspring as Malaysians and not as dhimmis and second-class citizens.

I could continue shellacking Ahmad Zahid until the cows come home but it is us who are to be blamed. He is the MP for Bagan Datuk, Perak. Those of us who continue supporting MCA and the MIC, are actually getting him elected year in, year out. Your votes have made him arrogant. If you notice his majority is actually shrinking. So the strongest message for the Defence Minister would be to boot this racist Umno supremacist out of Parliament in the next general elections.

Never forget.

You can see pictures and read more at the writer's blog here.

Keen To Join "BN Baru" But Needed Answers To these Questions First

Very interesting that 'Umno controlled BN' is now opening the door for direct membership. To avoid confusion over the many questions that arises with this introduction, let me called it "BN Baru". There are many confused statements coming out from the various leaders of what this 'BN Baru' constitutes.

Fellow Malaysians, before we rush in to sign up, we need to clarify a few things first in order not to get into 'Umno controlled BN' entrapment or deceit.

We need to ask these questions and hopefully the cybertroopers can forward them to their master for answers.

Q1 : "Najib said last week that the historic decision to amend its charter is an effort to make BN more inclusive and open to all who share its concept, principles and policies of the coalition."

Many left 'Umno controlled BN' is because they are not happy with it's concept, principles and policies. So what is the difference in this "BN Baru"? Have we got to endure the same old racist policies, abiding by master Umno's concept and the principle of 'ketuanan melayu'?

Q2 : Who will lead this "BN Baru", Umno supreme council, BN supreme council or members will elect their own "BN Baru" supreme council?

If "BN Baru" is going to be under Umno supreme council or BN supreme council, then, what is the different, they are all race base and members will have to abide by their policies.

Q3 : Are capable members of this "BN Baru" allowed to stand for elections as MP or SA and under which of the coalition party or will it be under the "BN Baru" new flag?

Q4 : As members of this "BN Baru" can we object 'Umno controlled BN' policies of discrimination, racism and unfair treatment.

If we are not allowed to object or go against bad policies implemented by 'Umno controlled BN', then, what is the difference of having this direct membership when members have to bow to what 'Umno controlled BN' says or order.

Q5 : Will you allow members of this "BN Baru" to call for total transparency in governing, separation of power to MACC, PDRM and Judiciary and allow them to serve the public and country without fear or favor?

"The BN Rakan Muda Club is for those between 18 and 21 who want to support the coalition before they are allowed to vote at the age of 21."

Q6 : Is this Club legal?
Youth between the ages of 18 and 21 are mostly students and undergraduate, if I am not wrong there is an act that disallowed students and undergraduate to be involved in politics. Is the 'Umno controlled BN' government going to remove this act to allow them to participate or a new act that allowed student and undergraduate to participate in politic ONLY if they join "BN Baru"?

Q7 : It is the understanding that this "BN Baru" is open to all races, does it means that the very much dislike of separating Malaysians into Bumi and Non-Bumi will come to an end?

Q8 : Will members of this "BN Baru" have the opportunity to climb the ladder to become elected as Prime Minister one day, irrespective of their races?

Q9 : Many youths today deplored the use of religion and race for political mileage. If I were to join this "BN Baru" am I allowed to campaign to stop the use of religion and race in politics?

Q10 : How far and to what extend can this "BN Baru" members go?

We need to know the involvement we will be into, active, passive or just as slave that follow orders from 'Umno controlled BN'. If this is the case why the need to have this "BN Baru" direct membership that are no different from the present 'Umno controlled BN'?


Until we have the answers as to where we stand as members of this "BN Baru", we do not want to go in and regret that this "BN Baru" is going to behave and act like the same old 'Umno controlled BN' way of politics.

GE 13 Is The Rakyat War Against Powerful & Rich Umno-BN Part 2

You can read Part 1 here.

In Part 1, I had written that 'Umno controlled BN' is no longer a viable coalition to be voted in to govern this country and must be rejected at all cost comes the 13th General Election. They had been given 12 chances and opportunities for half a decade and we are still facing the same old sicknesses plaguing this country and to no end. As the 13th GE draws closer they are playing with the feel good act, begging and giving you the same old story that they are changing to serve the rakyat, all in words form that will never be put into action. They are good, real good in this type of game but will the rakyat take the bait yet again?

So, what other choices have we got if not 'Umno controlled BN'? Good question, I, myself is scratching my head initially but have decided to go for broke by giving Pakatan Rakyat and the third force a chance. Ya lah, Ya lah, the misunderstood third force again, I will deal with that on the later part of this posting.

Lately I had been bashing PR, especially DAP and PKR, but it is for their own good, to jolt them from their day dreaming of capturing Putrajaya without actually having to work hard together with the rakyat for it to happen.

The coalition name is Pakatan Rakyat but lately they seem to have forgotten about the rakyat but their own individual party. They must know that without the rakyat, there is no party and there is no hope of being elected to be the government of the day. The changed in Taiwan, Japan, Philippine and the UK is not the power of the political party but the people power.

A political party must have the support of the rakyat and not it's members only. What do the rakyat see in a political party, not who are the leaders that their members elected but whether the party and the leaders can work together with the rakyat and for the rakyat.

Pakatan Rakyat, when talking about 'competency, accountability and transparency' (CAT) should not only apply it to State Governments that they rule but also to each of their individual party. Have PR forgotten what they preaches during their ceramah, 'orang melayu anak saya, orang cina pun anak saya, orang india pun anak saya, orang iban, kadazan dan lain lain pun anak saya', 'we are one big family'. The rakyat may not be members of PR coalition parties but are supporters of PR and they have every right to know and criticized what are happening within the coalition parties. How than can leaders of PR brushed aside criticisms and complains from the rakyat regarding the party problems and termed them as outsiders interfering with party matters.

When problems and infighting started to show up, the usual comments coming from party leaders are, 'these are normal, it happens in every political party, it's party internal problems, outsiders should not interfere'. These are bad publicity and affects the rakyat confidence of the party. Even though it usually happen to any political party and are treated as normal, why not do something about it to prevent it from happening rather than let it happened. Ever heard of "Prevention Is Better Than Cure"?

PR should look deeper into their individual party elections and selecting of candidates and find ways to prevent infighting, threats and abandon ship if they lost or not selected. Its a tall order, I guess, but it needs to be done if PR wanted to take over Putrajaya. The rakyat are always watching and remember that the rakyat's mind is always fragile and easily swayed by superficial sweetening offers from 'Umno controlled BN'. If you cannot put your own party in order, how are you going to run Putrajaya, this is implanted in the minds of the rakyat with the help of 'Umno controlled BN' multi media and TV stations.

The problem with party election is that each candidate has his/her own supporters and his/her supporters will vote for him/her without considering the quality, integrity and capability of the said candidate. We always complain of voters voting blindly for 'Umno controlled BN' even though they knew how bad they are. The same case is also happening at PR individual party election.

The rumor and speculation of PKR party election shamble is that of being power crazy with the aim to be Prime Minister and top government positions once PR takes over Putrajaya with the certainty that Anwar Ibrahim will be going to jail.

Whether this is true or not, PKR must sort out all their problems within these two months and be ready to face the 13th GE. From the concluded PKR election and with those being elected, I can safely say that there is no candidate suitable for the PM position nor the top tier positions, maybe the second tier ministerial positions for some. I suppose many will agree with me on this.

In order to avoid any conflict arising should PR takes the crown after the 13th GE results, PR leaders must start now in working out the Federal Government positions structure without Anwar Ibrahim in the picture. Anwar Ibrahim was the chosen PM by all the 3 parties coalition of PR but that does not mean his second in line will take over automatically should Anwar be sent to jail. PR must send a clear signal to aspiring leaders that the PM and all Federal positions are not a certainty for anyone holding top party positions. They must prove to the rakyat that they are capable leaders with integrity and sincerity to work for the rakyat and not just because they were elected party leaders by it's members.

What I said above may sound funny or nonsense to PR party leaders but my main point is, think of the rakyat first in whatever you are trying to do, inside or outside the party as long as your ambition to capture Putrajaya is still there. If your ambition is no longer there, than fight all you want, the rakyat will seek other alternatives or simply many will return to 'Umno controled BN'.

I will still root for Pakatan Rakyat despite seeing what had happened to PKR and to an extend DAP. DAP is taking the right approach to prevent any further showdown or crack in it's party election as shown by the Selangor DAP team, hopefully it is a sincere gesture and not an act. The main reason for my decision is that PR is running their States very well and above board and that, if given the opportunity to rule the country will definitely be much better than "Umno controlled BN'.

As regard to the Third Force, my advise to PR is to work closely with them. Stress out all the disagreeable terms or conditions. PR needs all the help from any groups, Hindraf or NGOs that opposed 'Umno controlled BN' in order to capture Putrajaya.

I would say that the third force got started on the wrong footing and many had misinterpreted its role and function. Even after the many explanations from Raja Petra and Haris Ibrahim, the online and offline media somehow still intentionally trying to confuse the public and working against Pakatan Rakyat for the benefit of 'Umno controlled BN'.

Just to put it plainly, the third force is like the reserve players of a football team. Anyway, rather then calling it the third force, the originator had came out with a new term, Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM), so that it will not get confused. You can read the latest about MCLM here.

The MCLM and this article by Selena Tay, Harakah, posted on Malaysia Today save me the ordeal in trying to explain further on the third force.

If the Third Force also has the good intention of ending BN’s rule, Pakatan Rakyat should by all means engage with them to field good candidates in the coming General Election. By good candidates, it means that they are morally upright and financially sound. They must also be honourable citizens who are well-known for their contributions to the well-being of society. Read Full Article

13th GE Online Campaign: The List Of Articles Highlighting The Incompetence Of Umno-BN

We Have To Make The Change And
Take Back Our Country
Umno Najib will be calling for the 13th GE anytime soon. It is learned that instructions were given to all the media and TV stations to start the 'feel good' scenario about the PM capabilities and to report all the goodness of 'Umno controlled BN' to fool the rakyat to vote for him. All the good deeds by the opposition must not be reported but instead to be spun and twisted to make them look bad.

Below are the list of my previous postings highlighting the incompetence of 'Umno controlled BN' and the reasons why they must not be given another chance to rule this country.

Fell free to distribute these articles and spread the word of CHANGE to Take Back Our Country.

13th GE Online Campaign:

Malaysia Needs A New Federal Government

Is It Difficult To Govern A Country?

"Wait And See First Lah"

Intolerable Umno/BN

Umno/BN Controlled Multi-Media Spin And Distortion

Big Fish Caught! The More Reason To Vote For Change

Why Be Afraid Of PAS?

PR Needs To Put In Place A 2nd & 3rd Line Of Defence

UMNO/BN Must Go

When PM Opened His Mouth, The People Got Angrier

What A Shameful & Hypocritical UN Speech By The Prime Minister Of Malaysia!

Najib, The More You Talk, The More You "Make Chinese Angry"

Chua Soi Lek, So What If PAS Occupy The “Captain's Seat”

Umno & PM Declaring War Against The Rakyat!

Still Wanna Believe That MCA Can Help & Look After You?

PM, Umno-BN Come Begging For Chinese Votes

MCA Is More Frightening And Dangerous Compared To PAS pt.1

MCA Is More Frightening And Dangerous Compared To PAS pt.2

GE 13 Is The Rakyat War Against Powerful & Rich Umno-BN Part 1

Malaysians Abroad Keeping The Government Under Watch

.
by Sydney Sasson
The Malaysian Insider
November 23, 2010

Dear Deputy Foreign Minister Pillay,

We read with interest your latest statements in the Dewan Rakyat today that the Malaysian government is keeping Malaysians abroad under watch.

Guess what? Malaysians abroad are keeping the Malaysian government under watch too. Its encouraging to know that a number of civil society initiatives and solidarity actions taken by Malaysians overseas in the past year have been noticed by the Malaysian government.

It means that all those days of braving the cold and rain to protest against the archaic Internal Security Act and government corruption, and writing to various overseas Members of Parliament and lobbying politicians, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Commonwealth Human Rights Council, the overseas press and international civil society organisations to alert them to the worrying state of human rights in Malaysia has not been in vain.

When will we stop protesting, letter writing, lobbying, campaigning and keeping the Malaysian government under watch?

When the Malaysian government starts listening to the voice of the people and restoring social justice and democracy to the citizens of Malaysia.

When the Malaysian government starts behaving like elected and paid servants of the rakyat, rather than lawless, corrupt political masters.

When the Malaysian government stops spending RM1.8 million of the Malaysian tax payers money on luxury holidays to Disneyland.

When the Malaysian government abolishes the Internal Security Act and stops using it to suppress freedom of thought, speech and association.

When the Malaysian government stops using the University College and Colleges Act to penalise students who choose to observe or participate in the socio-political life of our nation.

When the Malaysian government stops arresting peaceful candle light vigil protestors and throwing grandmothers in jail.

When the Malaysian government stops exerting absolute control over the media and using the Press and Printing Act 1985 to stamp out free speech.

When the Malaysian government stops stripping the judiciary of its independence and autonomy.

When the Malaysian government stops torture and murder in detention.

When the Malaysian government starts to recognise and uphold the rights of migrant workers and refugees.

When the Malaysian government stops institutionalised racism.

When the Malaysian government stops recklessly threatening that a challenge to their 53 years of BN rule will result in “crushed bodies” and “lost lives”.

Listen – loosing an election is not the worst thing in the world. This is politics — some days you win, some days you loose. When you don’t win, you retreat gracefully to the sidelines, show some statesmanship and rebuild and strengthen your team. You reflect on why you may have lost the popular support of the people and you try to adapt and improve accordingly. You form a shadow cabinet, you develop progressive policies and wait for the next election to once again capture the imagination and hearts of the people.

So get real and grow up, BN. No one party can rule for over 50 years and not be considered a despot.

When the Malaysian government stops plundering and cheating our brother and sisters in Sabah and Sarawak of their native customary rights and rich and beautiful heritage.

When the Malaysian government stops throwing cartoonist in jail.

Dear Deputy Foreign Minister Pillay, why do you think over a million Malaysians abroad choose to reside overseas?

Because they cherish their basic civil liberties and human rights which are all too often trampled on back home. Because they hold dear the fact that the most important ingredients to success are in fact talent and hard work, not the colour of your skin.

Because they acknowledge that any truly developed and civilised society emphasises the importance of high quality education, healthcare and social equity, not merely the senseless pursuit of obscene wealth and 100-storey vanity projects.

You claim that ‘irresponsible people are tarnishing the good name of Malaysia’. We beg to differ. In our opinion, the only one tarnishing the good name of Malaysia is the Malaysian government itself. The only traitors in this whole saga, are the politicians who have betrayed the citizens who elected them. And this is why Malaysians abroad are standing in solidarity with their fellow citizens back home to demand good governance, justice, accountability and transparency. Till then, please let Prime Minister Najib and his cabinet know that you are all under watch.

GE 13 Is The Rakyat War Against Powerful & Rich Umno-BN Part 1

Umno claimed that Putrajaya is theirs and will crushed bodies and lost lives to defend it while Pakatan is marching forward to take control.

Both coalitions are obsessed with Putrajaya, failing to note that Putrajaya does not belong to any of them but the RAKYAT.

The 13th General Election is more like 'its a do or die' mission for the rakyat to take back the country. The rakyat used Pakatan as a stepping stone at the 12th GE to do what is necessary. Can we still hang on to Pakatan to ensure victory for the rakyat?

The rallying cry is not just for change but to Take Back Our Country.

The rakyat now have to choose between an evil regime against a once good apple that is now starting to turn bad, yet still salvageable by cutting off the bad part, but will they dare to do it?

'Umno controlled BN' is doing what is necessary to stay in power. They are now divided into many groups to spread the good news what 'Umno controlled BN' had done and will be doing for the rakyat and the country, while conveniently leaving out corruptions, racism and other crimes that they may have committed. They are reaching out to the rakyat and are willing to listen to them, as what they claimed especially by Umno president, the PM himself. They can come out with all sorts of gimmick but Umno is still the master and has overall control of BN. The rakyat are reminded again and again that only 'Umno controlled BN' can developed the country and bring prosperity, happiness and harmony, is this a fact or fallacy, you think over it.

These are all talks and promises only, nothing ever written in black and white, easier for them to retract after winning each election. They are no difference from the past 12 general election campaigns. If anyone bothered to check through all their promises, I am sure you will be shocked at the percentage that were actually implemented.

The rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer, the inciting of hate among the races, racism are growing stronger day by day, religious intolerant with the one way street command, all must respect the sensitivity towards only 1 religion and you know which one it is. They will stay quiet for now because they needed your votes for the coming 13th GE and if you are not careful and gave them a huge mandate, do not blame anyone but yourself when they return to their old racist, corrupt and arrogant way.

'Umno controlled BN' is deflecting their own fear of losing power onto the rakyat with the help of the pdrm and judiciary. Certain groups are dispatched to create on site scenes at PR rule states and state assemblies, protest at Namewee road shows and force it to be canceled, arrest or disrupt peaceful gathering and forum, latest being the cake eating in protest of the 100 storey tower and these are the actions taken by the PM that claimed to listen to the rakyat. They can whacked anyone that entered into their "territory" or hurt those who wanted to see a deputy minister during by elections and the police will not take any action against them.

The PM calls for transparency but it gets more opaque than before. Billions of the rakyat money are thrown around big projects in the name of development without proper planning and feedback. The question of why an allocation of 5 billion ringgit were budgeted for the 100 storey tower when PNB claimed that the tower will be constructed with their own fund, was not answered.

Two high-profile rail projects which are expected to cost a collective total of RM64 billion, with public funds accounting for 70 per cent of the expenditure and the government is pushing for a July kick-off next year for construction of the new KL MRT system. There is totally no feedback from the rakyat nor are they shown the full details of such a huge project which will cause mass destruction to the KL transport infra-structure just like the failure of the LRT and monorail systems, if not properly planned but just to gain legacy or is it fishing for votes.

What the rakyat wanted is for complete transparent accounting of all the big projects because previous experiences had shown that major projects either failed to complete, shoddy work and most of the time the final cost ballooned to 2 or more times the original cost.

Billions were lost through corruptions, leakages and kick backs, the government knows it and the rakyat knows it but simply cannot do anything about it. When the rakyat objected or questioned about it, the 'Umno controlled BN' will claimed that they were given the mandate by the voters that elected them into power to run the country any way they wanted or deem fit, that is how powerful they are today. Bailing out GLC and private companies are the norm for 'Umno controlled BN' but just a reminder that the bailout money belongs to the rakyat.

Three most important things that needed to be look into and actions taken in order to bring the country forward are the education system and its policies, race and religious issues, but were completely left out by 'Umno controlled BN' for obvious reasons.

If just by throwing the rakyat's money into huge projects without any consideration whether it benefits the rakyat plus other constrains, suppression of human rights and by allowing racial and religious issues to fester will turned this country into a developed nation, we do not need 'Umno controlled BN' but just any party to run this country.

Umno is very very rich and so are its component parties, among their members and associates, any one ever questioned or wanted to know why and how these political parties can become so rich? Sorry, everything is classified under the OSA.

For the past 12 general elections, the rakyat had succumbed to the fear culture, led to believe that only 'Umno controlled BN' can look after them and blindly voted them into power.

The rakyat are now starting to realise that 'Umno controlled BN' is the actual cause of the country's many problems, illnesses and may face bankruptcy by 2019. They are simply fed-up with 'Umno controlled BN' for all the improprieties and mismanagement of the country and now wanted to take back the country. In order to do so, this kind of government will have to go and not allowed to rule for another term. They can talk and promise all they want but the rakyat must not be taken in again if they truly wanted to take back the country. Show them the door this coming 13th GE.

So, 'Umno controlled BN' is no longer wanted by the rakyat, who then will the rakyat voted in to govern this country?

Stay tune for part2, where we will take a look at the hazy Pakatan Rakyat and the much misunderstood third force.

1Malay(sian) Armed Forces

By Zairil Khir Johari

Being Defence Minister must sit well with Zahid Hamidi, for it has turned him into a trigger-happy man. Now, if only he could move his aim away from his own foot.

In my last post I highlighted his jingoistic call to stand up against the ‘neo-colonial’ government of Penang. And just when you think that such a marvelous statement could not be outdone in asininity, he follows it up with this classic piece of pronouncement:

“The reasons (for the low participation of non-Malays in the armed forces) could be because of a fear towards a tight discipline. It could be because of a low spirit of patriotism. It could be because certain ethnic groups had a negative perception of the armed forces and did not encourage participation,” said the minister.

Bravo. As expected, a commotion soon ensued, with denouncements and debates from both sides of the fence. Certainly, such a statement is nothing less than a stinging insult to the countless deeds and sacrifices made by non-Malay servicemen over the course of our country’s history.

Yet at the same time, it does raise a pertinent question. Why does there seem to be such dismal interest in the armed services amongst the non-Malay community (recruitment of non-Malay personnel from 2008-2009 is a paltry 1.2%)?

Dr Lim Teck Ghee, for example, suggests that the low incidence of non-Malay participation in the armed services may in fact be due to socio-economic factors, hence turning the discourse into one involving class rather than race. Others have suggested a lack of awareness and perhaps a remuneration structure that is less than attractive.

While I would not suggest that the salary scheme is not in need of review, nor would I go so far as to say that socio-economic conditions do not play an important role in the issue, I would however like to submit that the crux of the problem is far simpler than envisaged. As pointed out by our first Navy Chief, K Thanabalasingam, it is the simple and pragmatic reason of career advancement that makes non-Malays think twice.

In other words, non-Malays are less interested in joining the armed forces because of unequal promotion opportunities.

Simply ask yourself this: would you join an organisation if you knew from the get-go that no matter how hard you worked, no matter how dedicated you were, you will never receive due recognition simply because you weren’t born on the right side of Bumi?

Of course, Zahid Hamidi has since denied the existence of racial discrimination in the armed forces, citing the fact that there are:

* ‘A few’ non-Malay generals in the army (three according to my sources)
* Two non-Malay admirals in the navy
* One non-Malay general in the air force

Now, while the Minister may be proud to boast of the above data as ‘proof’ that non-Malays are able to hold ‘high positions’, I on the other hand see the existence of a racially-based quota system (3-2-1 for Army-Navy-Air Force) that is also evident in every branch and twig of our public service.

What does this (unwritten) quota mean in practical terms? It means that yes, while a non-Malay can definitely earn a ‘star’ or two on his uniform (and nowadays, rarely more than two), he would have to compete with other non-Malays for a share of the available quota. In other words, a non-Malay army officer is reviewed and measured relative to other non-Malays, instead of to all his fellow officers.

Furthermore, in today’s environment, it is virtually impossible for a non-Malay to attain anything more than two stars, much less to be considered as chief of one of the armed services (in contrast, our country’s first Chief of Navy was an Indian Malaysian gentleman who held the post for 9 years).

Now, we ask ourselves, which ‘non’ would be interested to join the armed forces in such a climate? Well, I know of one.

This particular officer, a ‘non’, had enlisted at the age of 18, spurred by dreams of dressing in uniform and defending his country. Today, on the verge of retirement after nearly 40 years of service, and despite being one of the most senior officers (in terms of length of service) in his chosen armed service, he will likely never attain a ‘star’ simply because the ‘non’ quota in his chosen service has already been filled. Never mind his ability, never mind his dedication, never mind that he could be more capable than some of the other ‘stars’ that have passed him by (lucky stars indeed for they were born on the right side of Bumi), he must resign himself to the unfortunate fact that he is, in his own country of birth, a ‘non-entity’.

In contrast, his counterpart in Singapore who was his classmate in Defence College, is now a 3-star general in the island republic. Would this officer be forgiven for wishing he had been born in Singapore instead of Malaysia?

So, dear Minister, what do you have to say about this? Oh wait, I know. You would probably say that this gentleman officer does not deserve to be a general because as a ‘non’, he is innately less patriotic and averse to discipline. What else can it be right? After all, in 1Malay(sia), everything else matters for nought.

Petition : A Royal Commission Of Inquiry For Teoh Beng Hock

Please go to this page
http://www.petitiononline.com/m4bh/petition-sign.html
to sign Petition : A Royal Commission Of Inquiry For Teoh Beng Hock
My signature is # 470, what is yours....

To: 100,000

Petisyen ini adalah initiatif 'Malaysians for Beng Hock'
http://malaysiansforbenghock.wordpress.com/
此签名运动由‘全民挺明福’发起



Petisyen : Suruhanjaya Siasatan Diraja Untuk Teoh Beng Hock

Kepada : YAB Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Perdana Menteri Malaysia

Saya, seorang warganegara Malaysia, menggesa Datuk Seri menubuhkan Suruhanjaya Siasatan DiRaja untuk menyiasat punca kematian Teoh Beng Hock, serta mewujudkan satu masyarakat tanpa penyeksaan.



我们的诉求：成立皇家调查委员会，调查赵明福的死因

致：马来西亚首相拿督斯里纳吉敦拉萨

我，一名马来西亚公民，促请首相成立皇家调查委员会，调查赵明福的死因，以及打造一个无酷刑社会。



தியோ பெங் ஹோக் மரணத்தை விசாரிக்க அரசு விசாரணை ஆணையம் அமைக்க கோரும் மனு.

மாண்புமிகு டத்தோஸ்ரீ நஜிப் துன் ரசாக் அவர்களுக்கு,

நான், ஒரு மலேசிய குடிமகன் என்ற வகையில் மாண்புமிகு டத்தோஸ்ரீயாகிய நீங்கள், தியோ பெங் ஹோக் மரணத்தைச் விசாரிக்க அரசு விசாரணை ஆணையம் ஒன்றை அமைப்பதோடு, சித்திரவதையற்ற சமுகத்தை உருவாக்கவும் கோருகிறோம்.



Petition : A Royal Commission of Inquiry for Teoh Beng Hock

To : YAB Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia

I, a Malaysian citizen, hereby urge Datuk Seri to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the death of Teoh Beng Hock, and to ensure a torture-free society.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Ex-Servicemen Launch Broadside At Zahid Hamidi

By Joseph Sipalan

When Admiral (rtd) K Thanabalasingam ascended to the position of the nation’s first ever local chief of Navy,it would have never crossed his mind that his loyalty to the country would be questioned.

Having spearheaded the navy’s mission to protect Malaysia from numerous threats that arose in the 1960s-1970s period, the former naval chief spoke in disbelief at Defence Minister Zahid Hamid’s recent statement that patriotism among non-Malays was “not strong enough” for being reluctant to sign up with the Armed Forces.

“I don’t understand how such a statement came about… I’ve been through a lot, and I don’t care who says it, it hurts me. I am a Malaysian born and bred, and I intend to die here,” Thanabalasingam (left) said when contacted by Malaysiakini.

The 75-year-old veteran who retired in January 1977 after holding the top naval post for nine years and one month, stressed that there has never been a lack of patriotism among non-Malays in defending the nation from threats within, and without.

He recounted how they, along with their Malay brothers-in-arms, fought side-by-side regardless of whether they were in the navy, air force, army or police field force to push back the communist insurgency that spanned some three decades from the 1950s until it ended in 1989, and the perils they braved over the five years of the 1963-1966 Confrontation from Indonesia.

“Even during the Confrontation, there was a lot of action in the Singapore Straits and Malacca Straits. At that time, two of my officers were awarded the PGB (Panglima Gagah Berani), which is the highest award for bravery, for blowing up KKOs (Indonesian Korps Komando Operasi) during an attack.

“One officer was an Indian who eventually retired as a commodore, and the other a Eurasian who also later retired as a commodore too.

Why were they awarded PGBs? Because of their bravery in the line of duty,” he said in driving home his point.

Zahid’s barking up the wrong tree

Retired airman, Brig Gen (rtd) Datuk Goh Seng Toh (right) was more severe in his rebuke of Zahid’s statement, calling it “unfair, stupid and racist”.

Goh, 65, said before anyone starts accusing non-Malays of being unwilling to serve the country in the military, the nation’s leaders themselves should set an example if they insist on such talk.

“He’s (Zahid) barking up the wrong tree… if you talk of patriotism, then I have one question; do any of our ministers have children in the Armed Forces? If not, then the same argument applies to them, so why only look at the Chinaman?

“I was shot at twice by communist terrorists in Betong at the Thai-Malaysia border. I nearly lost my life on more than one occasion, and I never chickened out. If anyone queries my patriotism, I get very angry,” said the 35-year veteran.

All about being practical

Both men, however, agreed that the crux of the matter lies not in the loyalty of non-Malays to the country, but the challenge of surviving in the modern world.
Thanabalasingam stressed that far from being an issue of patriotism, what concerns non-Malays when it comes to enlisting in the Armed Forces is their career prospects should they choose to lay their lives on the line for the country.

He pointed out that public perception of the armed forces is mired in the notion that non-Malays, more often than not, are left behind when it comes to career advancement,

“Today people are more interested in careers. Gone are the days when you just join and follow orders. People want to see what’s in it for them, can they raise a family, educate their children… they want to be able to raise their family comfortably instead of having to struggle to make ends meet

“If the conditions are correct, they will join. It has to be proven that they have got a good future and prospects, and there is no discrimination in promotions or selection for senior defence posts or special courses overseas,” he said.

Goh went so far as to say that the Armed Forces have done nothing to disprove the perception of race being a key factor for advancement.

“There is an element of truth, unless you say all the Chinese who join the Armed Forces are sub-standard. But this cannot be true, because there are many good people, but they leave because they do not see their career path being very bright.”

Goh, who earned his one star in 1997 – three years before retirement – blamed the low ratio of non-Malay soldiers on the current make up of the Armed Forces, the bulk made up of the Royal Malay Regiment.

“Not a single non-Malay can be part of it. No Chinese, Indians, Ibans, or any other can join these regiments. You must be Malay.”

“I can’t say exactly how many regiments there are, but assuming that they take up around 50 percent of our forces, that only leaves 50 percent open to multi-racial (participation), and this would only be for the services and supporting arms,” he said.

No matter what the situation ,however, Thanabalasingam said he believes that Malaysians will stand up and be counted among the country’s defenders when needed, regardless of race or creed.

“If we had a war today, I would volunteer to do whatever I can, even with my condition with a walking stick… many would rally to the cause to defend the nation,” he said.

An Open Letter To The Prime Minister - By Johan Brendon

By Johan Brendon

Dear Prime Minister,

This letter sets out to find the real Najib Razak. So let me start with your controversial ‘1Malaysia’ slogan. Did you conceive the idea because you have seen the light and believe Institutional racism is immoral or did you think you could get away with a catchy gimmick to show your visionary leadership?

In my letter (14/11/10), ‘1Malaysia – 2Standards’ published in Malaysia Today, I lampooned your ‘1Malaysia’ slogan by paraphrasing George Orwell’s mocking fable (Animal Farm), “we are all equal but some are more equal than others”. Having shown your true colours, "… political power must remain with the Malays to translate the spirit of the Constitution", wouldn’t you agree ‘1Malaysia’ is therefore a publicity stunt and you have no intention of, to use your own word, “progressing” towards an equal society? The fact that you give mixed messages suggests that you are either a very confused man or a very shallow man who speaks with a forked tongue.

There is still a dark shadow cast over your reputation concerning the murder of a certain Mongolian woman. An innocent man, let alone an esteemed Prime Minister, accused of conspiracy of a hideous crime, would surely want to do all he can to clear his name; wouldn’t you agree? In view of your alleged involvement, I would have thought you would want to urgently establish a judicial inquiry conducted by an unimpeachable Judge (an oxymoron?) to clear your name as well as the reputation of the country.

And wouldn’t you also want to punish the silly bugger who made Malaysia a laughing stock for buying a submarine that only floats? As we Malaysians would say, ‘where can’? This entire shady episode encapsulates the real Malaysia with intrigues such as unexplained deaths including an ‘accidental fall’ from a tall building, corruption, cronyism and cover ups. Hence with all the goings-on, it comes as no surprise if Malaysia is soon considered a banana republic. At best, your inaction suggests your indifference and at worst, you really have got something to hide in particular to the deceased Mongolian and a wonky submarine.

There is another small matter concerning Anwar Ibrahim. The sodomy charge and conviction is a tried and trusted means to silence him. We ought to pay tribute to our former half-Indian Prime Minister for his evil genius to come up with such a clever plot. There is a hint of suspicion that you are using the same ploy; though - bless you, you did try to counter such cynicism with your bravado, “We are willing to compete against anyone, this is democracy”. Amen to that! So will you have a quiet word in the pathetic Attorney General’s ear to drop the sodomy charge? If you did, you will also be doing the country another big favour because the sheer incompetence of the nincompoop, Gani Patail (a lawyer?), is making a mockery of the Malaysian judiciary.

Your recent conduct pertaining to your declaration that the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) had endorsed ‘Malacca’s developed status’ which turned out to be false, is fascinating. But what is puzzling is not the falsehood per se, but telling such a porky in a public announcement is certainly blatant. It is either you like living dangerously or that you are incapable of differentiating between fact and fiction.

Last but not least, why would you want to be endorsed by our former half-Indian Prime Minister who is perceived to be inherently corrupt, racist and some might say evil? I would have thought you would not want this half-Indian anywhere near you. Even the ineffectual but affable Badawi stood up to him. The fact that this half-Indian instills fear in you perhaps shows the weakness of your own conviction and character. So Prime Minister, enough said. These observations and inferences have seemingly highlighted your dodgy side and may I quickly add, ‘seemingly’ is the operative word and therefore will you show us the real Najib Razak?



Yours Obediently,

Johan Brendon

My 137 Seconds Black Out "FlashForward" Vision

Did you and Pakatan Rakyat leaders saw the same thing or maybe you all saw more than me. I drank a lot that night and my vision may not be that clear and complete, tell us what you saw and allow PR to take precautionary measures. Will PR leaders study what is going to happen and formed a team to investigate and do something to divert this disaster from happening?.

Local television is now running the series "FlashForward" and here is a brief of the story line.

A mysterious event causes everyone on the planet to simultaneously lose consciousness for 137 seconds, during which people see what appear to be visions of their lives approximately six months in the future - a global "FlashForward". A team of Los Angeles FBI agents, led by Standford Wedeck and spearheaded by Mark Benford, begin the process of determining what happened, why, and whether it will happen again. Benford contributes a unique perspective on the investigation, in his "FlashForward", he saw the results of six months of investigation that he had done on the "FlashForward" event, and he and his team use those clues to recreate the investigation.

A mysterious political event causes everyone in Malaysia to simultaneously lose consciousness for 137 seconds, during which Malaysians saw what appear to be visions of their lives approximately six months into the future - a Malaysian "FlashForward".

Everyone is now asking everybody they met 'what did you see'? I am now telling you all what I saw during my 137 seconds blackout and that everyone who is reading this will also tell us 'what did you see'.

I saw myself standing among the crowd of thousands, in an open field, watching the results of the the 13th general election projected on a big screen direct from Putrajaya. It is the night on the 15th of May 2011.

People were very angry, shouting and screaming when they saw the final results on the screen. Umno-BN had won 210 parliamentary seats and won all the 13 state assemblies with the opposition holding 12 parliamentary seats and a few scattered state assemblymen in Penang, Kelantan, Perak and Selangor. The opposition was totally wiped out and Umno-BN a huge landslide victory.

An unbelievable results, what happened. I quickly surfed the internet for answers and what a big surprise.

Just days before nomination, hundreds of anti-government bloggers, NGO leaders, priests, journalists, common people, including some opposition leaders and potential candidates were arrested on the pretext of national security and some for sedition.

On nomination day, many opposition candidates were rejected by the EC based on objections and on flimsiest ground. Umno-BN won many seats uncontested on that account.

Many ceramahs by the opposition were banned by the police during the campaigning period. Intimidation and instigation by unknown people were carried out day and night. The EC ordered the removal of many opposition banners and stop all kinds of flier distribution.

Money were given in broad daylight, telling people not to attend any ceramah by the opposition and more money given to those who is voting against the opposition.

All the multi media newspapers and television stations were instructed only to print and report all Umno-BN candidates speeches leaving no room for the opposition. Umno-BN candidates were on television live everyday for the duration of the campaigning period.

Checking the multi-media online news saw reports of disarray and turmoil of the opposition, fighting for candidacy, members leaving the opposition to join Umno-BN and spin of the opposition coalition collapsing. PKR infighting continues unabated spreading their fire into PR with no firemen around to fight the raging fire. Looks like everyone is clamoring for position themselves, giving threats of leaving or stand as independent candidates.

On polling day, voters were make to walk a quarter mile to the polling stations. Many polling agents from the opposition were rejected by the EC, again on flimsiest ground, and many counting booths were without any opposition representatives.

Just a few seconds before I wake up, there were news flash on the internet that millions of people will be taking to the streets the next day in protest of the well orchestrated and manipulated 13th GE.

Did you and Pakatan Rakyat leaders saw the same thing or maybe you all saw more than me. I drank a lot that night and my vision may not be that clear and complete, tell us what you saw and allow PR to take precautionary measures. Will PR leaders study what is going to happen and formed a team to investigate and do something to divert this disaster from happening?.

Last Call Pakatan Rakyat: Shape Up Or Ship Out!

Many of my friends including myself are working very hard behind the scene in spreading the message and calling for the March To Putrajaya by supporting Pakatan Rakyat.

Lately, many are getting very tired and feel illusion from the behavior of PR leaders, mainly from PKR. As usual, like any other leaders, they only wanted to listen to the people surrounding them which very often provided them with only news, false or otherwise that the leaders wanted to hear and not from the rakyat on the ground.

The voters trusted and believed in Anwar Ibrahim, a true and capable leader that can lead the change for a better Malaysia. His capability to cement and bond the three political parties, DAP, PAS and PKR together is well known everywhere.

Now, what happened to this great figure, who seems not able to resolve his own party problem? Is his party so much bigger than the three parties coalition that he cannot controlled nor managed? Is he being fed the wrong information from his close aids that everything is still fine, his support is gaining more ground and Putrajaya is now within reached or even closer? But let me tell him, the sentiment on the ground is totally different, many are questioning his integrity and ability to lead them to Putrajaya. How can he lead the whole country when he cannot even put out the small fire now raging inside his party?

DAP also has its own problems but kept under tab, how long can it hold before all the problems burst into the open? They really need to look into it and solved the problems and not to let it simmer.

PAS will most likely face with problems only when Umno challenged and instigated the Malays regarding religion and PAS working with DAP.

Contrary to many who believed that the 13th GE is a do or die mission for Umno-BN, I would say its just the opposite, its a do or die mission for PR if PR does not shape up it will be shipped out.

Paktan Rakyat leaders must start to look into minute details how they are going to campaign for the coming 13th GE and the selection of their candidates.

I am not sure any of the PR leaders would want to listen to this one stupid rakyat comment and opinion but anyway I will still write what is on my mind.

My general ideas for Pakatan Rakyat on their planning for the coming 13th General Election:

1) PR must start to talk and act like they are running the federal government.

2) Stop the bashing and challenging of Umno-BN failings to do this or that, price increases, mega projects, wastage of public fund etc.

3) Instead, chart out a program what PR will do to rectify all the wrongs being done by the previous government.

a) What would PR do for each of the state, from Perlis to Sabah.

b) Removed all unfriendly projects and reintroduce projects that are beneficial to the people as well as to the FDI.

c) How PR will distribute funds to all the states irrespective which political party is controlling.

d) A special fund set up to help all the poor Malaysians (set a level mark for earning figures to indicate what constitute as poor) from working families, agriculture to small traders.

e) A one time discount for first time buyers of housing costing 150k and below. Bumi discount will continue but will only be once per person for unit costing 350k and below. (These are just examples, PR needs to study further in details to avoid the soon to be opposition twisting and spinning the actual facts.)

There are many items that you can think off and how PR is going to implement them.

4) Removed all archaic laws and introduced laws that are more aligned to the 21st century.

5) Working with the police force on how to make Malaysia a safer place to live in.

6) How to control the influx of illegal immigrants.

7) How to fight inflation and keep consumer good prices affordable

8) Will toll be totally abolished or a total revamp of the rates calculation, reducing the financial burden for the rakyat.

9) Bang on transparency and how it can save the country billions of ringgit. Use chart and figures as proof available from PR ruled States.

All the above are just what I think the rakyat wanted to know and PR may need a few good economists to help out further.

PR must campaign on the same platform with the same ideas and topics throughout the country rather than telling different stories to different audience.

Lastly the candidates.

There are going to be big fights over the selection of candidates, trust me. PR should start screening all their potential candidates for their integrity, honesty, but most important are they willing to work for the rakyat and not for self glory and power. There are many existing Aduns, MPs that are good which could be retained while a few may have to go, whether they like it or not.

For this coming 13th GE, voters will definitely weigh the candidates as well in their decision whom to vote as they had seen too many frogs jumping after the 12th GE.

In conclusion, Pakatan Rakyat cannot continue their old method of 'opposition like' campaigning, not any tom, dick or harry is a suitable candidate, forget about the 308 tsunami and start creating a new wave, stop listening in total whatever your close aids are feeding you, start cleaning up your own backyard, stop boasting, praising yourself, just remember no leaders are indispensable.

MCA Is More Frightening And Dangerous Compared To PAS pt.2

You can read part 1 here.

With Or Without MCA, Malaysian Chinese Can Still Survive. MCA To Many Malaysian Chinese Is Now A "Meaningless Chinese Association".

Anyone ever wonder why MCA is so fearful of Islamic Malaysia becoming an Islamic country. No, there is no writing mistake on Islamic Malaysia because according to Umno-BN with support from MCA, Malaysia is already an Islamic country.

I am not familiar about the Islamic religion but my questions to MCA are, "what is the difference between Umno-BN Islamic Malaysia and PAS Islamic country? Are there two or more types of Islamic religion in this country? Is MCA trying to confuse the non muslim into believing that Umno-BN Islamic Malaysia is better than PAS Islamic country?"

Is it not frightening to see MCA telling you that their apple is sweeter as compared to the one that you have when both apples were plucked from the same apple tree?

After sleeping with UMNO for 54 years, exactly what have MCA done other than telling the Chinese that MCA is relevant to fight and protect their needs and rights. As far as the Chinese can remember, they are self reliance, study and work hard to sustain their own living without any hand outs or help.

The MCA refused to acknowledge their failure to look after the Chinese welfare and hence got the thrashing at the 12th GE. What is happening today, the depriving of higher education, footing the additional cost of buying houses against the 10% bumi discount, facing racist remarks, being called all sorts of names, unfair distribution of development funds to Chinese schools, failure to regconised college and university degrees, difficulty in obtaining citizenship for eligible and qualified spouses and the list of unfair treatment goes on.

Is this the way of MCA, claiming to fight and protect the Chinese rights and welfare?

MCA will only make their presence felt when general elections are round the corner and at by elections. The 13th GE is just round the corner and you can now hear the rumbling voices from MCA and this time they are allowed to make more daring noises, with approval from UMNO, like calling for better equality, calling for actions to be taken against the racist principles, challenging UMNO for this and that. MCA is now bolder in voicing and tackling UMNO to show the Chinese that MCA has changed.

All these noises meant nothing but only talks that are amplified. Umno only allows MCA to raise their voices to attract the Chinese voters but any actions to be taken still lies in the hands of Umno.

There is no free lunch, as the saying goes, there are surely something that Umno will get from MCA by allowing MCA to be so bold in making so much noises.

MCA is frightening the Chinese that PAS, when taking over Putrajaya, will impose the Islamic laws, chopping of hands and stoning to death, i.e according to PAS Islamic country. Can MCA gives the assurance that Umno-BN Islamic Malaysia will not implement them in the future? Can MCA get a black and white guarantee from Umno that any Islamic laws implemented by Umno will not affect the non muslims?

Umno is already starting to implement the Islamic laws albeit slowly and don't tell me that MCA cannot see it. Umno has to show that they are more Islamic than PAS to retain the malay votes and whatever PAS can do, Umno can do better in matters relating to Islam. Non muslims are now banned from using certain words, entering of mosques and suraus are prohibited, cannot eat at school canteen during puasa, cannot bring halal food to school and I am sure many more of this cannot, that cannot, will be coming soon all because we have to respect the sensitivity of one religion and its a one way street for that matter. Are snatching of dead bodies and caning for drinking beer not Islamic laws that MCA is not afraid off but afraid of PAS Islamic laws?

MCA is dangerous because they always tell you that all matters are best discuss behind closed doors with Umno. They never reveal what were discussed and that is what happened behind closed doors where all these discriminatory policies and actions were born.

So, until we can really see actions being taken to change all the discriminatory policies or "Double Standard" (the crying call of MCA when their banners were rejected by local council) and respect for all Malaysians, MCA will remain a frightening and dangerous party when compared to PAS.

Malaysian Chinese must not fall into the trap of Umno-BN, MCA, again and again and again. If Umno-BN can declared Malaysia an Islamic country, why can't PAS? Why is Umno-BN so nice to you now a days when they have been treating you like shit for over 50 years, ALL because they wanted your votes and they know very well without you they will fall and MCA under the thumb of Umno will have to do the bidding call.

The only solution to take back our country and to punish Umno-BN and MCA is to

VOTE FOR CHANGE WHICH IS OUR ONLY OPTION

Anwar Ibrahim, You Are Dead Wrong!

I am not a PKR member but a strong supporter for Pakatan Rakyat which PKR is part of the coalition hence it gives me the right to make a comment about the inferno inside PKR.

I am not going to say, between the two rivals, who is right or who is wrong because that is not for me to judge as I have nothing to do with PKR. Anwar Ibrahim should know better how to handle the situation.

But, what I see is that Anwar Ibrahim is dead wrong the way he handled it. When a leader allows such a situation to grow to such an extend, there is really something very wrong.

A leader cannot and must not take sides when dealing with infighting nor join in the tit for tat mud slugging. At the onset of the problem Anwar Ibrahim was already seen to be leaning to one side. You can support anyone you like but when there are problems emerging, as a leader you must order a full investigation into it and not challenged against it and let the fireworks rage on.

A leader must put an immediate stop to such an ugly situation but not Anwar Ibrahim. He seems happy to allow it to ferment adding more fuel to the raging fire. Even if there is no evidence of any wrong doing, a leader after consulting and gathering the correct information will call in the rival teams to resolve it internally. Although one rival may claimed there are discrepancies and persistence in making everything in public, a good and capable leader will know how to control the situation and not join in the fray by rebutting openly.

Anwar Ibrahim may want to think that he still has great support, may be he has, but if he continues to do nothing and allow the party to burn here and there, the fire will eventually burn down the whole house. I am not a bit concerned about that but my worry is that the fire will spread to Pakatan Rakyat as well.

So, my advise to Anwar Ibrahim, look into the problem and solved it, be a fireman for once and put out the fire. If you can't, then its about time you give up the leadership. Sorry for what I had said but PKR must really put the house in order or you can wave goodbye to Putrajaya not only at the 13th GE but forever.

Neo-Colonisation Or Neo-Liberation?

by Zairil Khir Johari

Did you just say what I thought you did?

It is back to the grind as the Penang State Assembly gets underway, as does the UMNO-BN’s theatrical onslaught on the State Government.

Last week, they managed to round up a motley group of protesters ostensibly comprising angry Malay residents from Balik Pulau and a member or three from the BN-friendly Parti Cinta Malaysia, a party made up of disgruntled former members of the DAP and the once-relevant ‘political NGO’ called Gerakan (I posit that a political party with unelected nominees in government more closely resembles an NGO than a political party proper).

Their grouse this time? Over an area of land in Balik Pulau that has been allocated for the development of an educational hub. Of course, it was invariably portrayed as yet another case of the sacrilegious ‘Chinese government’ cruelly robbing the ‘poor Malay peasant’ of his land and rights.

As always, facts play no part in their campaign of blind vilification. It makes no matter that only 21% of the land acquired was Malay land (corresponding to a whopping 2 Malay families), the rest belonging to non-Malays. In any case, as the Chief Minister explained, the racial aspect of land ownership was never even a consideration! But there you go, just another round of racialised rhetoric from an opposition bankrupt of ideas.

During yesterday’s State Assembly session however, UMNO had the temerity to deny involvement in last week’s protest, conveniently ignoring the fact that Penang UMNO Youth Leader Norman Dahlan had been fussing about at the scene, proudly proclaiming that he was there to return ‘a portion’ of the money that they had recently stolen from the poor in their constituencies.

True heroes and nationalists, this lot. They are indeed the saviours of their race, as evident by a recent statement by the Minister Zahid Hamidi, Chief Hero of UMNO Penang:

“I am confident that together we can free the people of Penang from the clutches of the neo-colonisation spearheaded by the DAP under (chief minister) Lim Guan Eng,” he said.

Neo-colonisation? Really? That’s a very bold statement by the Hon. Minister. Surely he wouldn’t have made such an accusation unless it was factually based. Let us assume it is, and let us examine these facts for ourselves to see how the unfortunate people of Penang have been oppressed by their ‘colonial master’ over the last two years:

*The Penang state Budgets for 2008 and 2009 were turned from deficits to surplus budgets.

*Not good enough? Even the local council, Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai, was able to achieve an average surplus of RM23 million a year since 2008. Compare this to an average deficit of RM28 million a year over the last 8 years prior to 2008.

*What about rising state coffers? For two years running, Penang has declared record collections of RM1 billion in 2008 and RM1.1 billion in 2009. Penang had never crossed the RM1 billion mark prior to 2008.

*Senior Penangites above the age of 60 now receive RM100 a year, while families of senior Penangites who pass away receive RM1,000 in compassionate bequest. All this made possible from administrative savings (gasp, did I mention the S word?).

*Let’s not forget the Malays, who have now been ‘colonised’. They have been further oppressed by a monumental increase in the budget allocated to Islamic welfare, from RM12.5 million in 2008 to RM20.5 million in 2009 and RM24.3 million in 2010.

*And then, there’s also the obscure fact that Penang has managed to eradicate hardcore poverty.

*Last but not least, the neo-colonial government of Penang has also punished its people (or maybe just a few previously well-connected cronies?) by being the first state in Malaysia to implement a public open tender system.

So, all in all, the Pakatan Rakyat Government of Penang has indeed been disastrous! Open tenders, greater transparency, less wastage of public funds, administrative savings (surely it can’t be true), money actually being returned to the rakyat (shameful) and the end of hardcore poor families. Achieved, I must add, in spite of an uncooperative Federal Government and a pack of opposition troublemakers hell-bent on besmirching the State Government with no fidelity whatsoever to the truth.

A tyrannical regime indeed. I ask the Minister: is this what you mean by neo-colonialism? It appears to me that the people of Penang have in fact been liberated by the change in government.

Neo-colonisation? More like Neo-liberation. Our country has had enough of the former. Let’s liberate the rest of Malaysia.