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The Never Ending Fixation on the 13th General Election and TMI

2011-12-09T00:09:00.011+08:00

Malaysia is probably the most politicised nation state in South East Asia today. I dare say that we are even more politicised that our fiery neighbour, Indonesia. They probably beat us only in having more street rallies, bombings of religious sites and (Malaysian) flag burning demonstrations. And by virtue of that statement, Malaysians are probably the most politicised people in South East Asia.

In other words, we are becoming more Machiavellian than we ever thought! If you don't believe me, just read through the political tweets in TwitterJaya or Facebook postings by the Barisan or Pakatan activist/cyber troopers. By saying that, I am not accusing people who hold a Machiavellian political view are all bad and wrong.

The issue here is that sometimes people tend to accuse their political opponents as practicing Machiavellian politics without them realising that they too are "guilty" of adopting the same Machiavellian tactics. For example, we have become more partisan than ever before to the extent that even facts and truth has taken a back seat in favour of political partisanship. Attack, Misinformation and Damage control are the name of the game.

But, how and when did it all started? Simple. One, the new political landscape in Malaysia post-March 8 General Elections. What kind of landscape change you may ask? Five states fell to the Opposition parties (Perak was taken back by Barisan in 2009). Two, the growing influence of the alternative media, particularly Malaysiakini and TheMalaysianInsider and the increasing popularity of the social media, namely Facebook and Twitter.

Election Date
If there is one thing that is unique about Malaysian politics, it must be our fixation on election date. Glancing through the newspaper editorials, postings in the social media and blogosphere, one should be able to notice that the most talked about question today is; "when is the 13th General Election will be held?"

A couple of months ago, some have expressed confidently that the Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak will dissolve the parliament on 11th November (11.11.11). Their argument - number 11 is Najib's favourite number. But to their disappoinment, nothing happened. 11.11.11 came and went peacefully. More recently, I saw a Facebook posting from someone claiming to have gotten source from the "SB" saying that the next elections will be held in February 2012. While one mainstream newspaper journalist predicted that elections could be held either in March or July 2012.

But the real truth is, I believe, only god knows. I don't think even Najib (to some extent Rosmah) is firm enough about when to hold for an election.

The question now is, why are we so fixated with speculating the election date? Well, the answer probably lies in the fact that traditionally since the era of the Tunku, it is the Prime Minister's prerogative to call for elections. Hence, the speculations and predictions from soothsayers and "Oracles" comes naturally, with many claiming to have gotten their so-called reliable information from their respective sources or perhaps through their own fantasy.

13th General Election
If there is one thing that is almost certain, it's got to be that the 13th General Election is around the corner. The tone of the rhetorics at the recently concluded UMNO General Assembly is evident enough. And secondly, it will be Barisan's toughest election contest ever.

If the previous elections were all about Barisan aiming to defend their two thirds majority in parliament, that ain't the case anymore. Today, it is all about defending Putrajaya - the seat of the federal power. March 8 has somewhat given a new hope for the opposition parties and the people in the sense that the Barisan government is not invincible. They too can be defeated as proven in Penang, Kedah and Selangor.

But if you've been reading too much political news from The Malaysian Insider, then you'd probably be brainwashed into believing that for every new government initiatives, reform policies or political announcements by PM Najib, they were all planned with the forthcoming elections at the back of Najib's mind.

Check out the following headlines and see for yourself TheMalaysianInsider (TMI)'s news report and their never ending "as polls loom". It makes me wonder, what actually "as polls loom" means? Technically it should mean something that is about to happen, isn't it? But in the case of TMI, anything goes.

TMI - Snap polls loom as GST put off again (Oct 13,2010)
TMI - As polls loom, Umno repairs ties with Gerakan (Nov 10,2010)
TMI - Umno postpones polls as snap polls loom (Dec 1,2010)
TMI - Najib pays Felda settlers RM100m as polls loom (Dec 25,2010)
TMI - As polls loom, Gerakan quells dissent in Penang (Dec 29,2010)
TMI - MCA reaches out to young voters as polls loom (Jan 8,2011)
TMI - Putrajaya doles out RM2.5b to schools as polls loom (Feb 10,2011)
TMI - As polls loom, Pakatan moves to repair battered image (July 23,2011)
TMI - As polls loom, Najib warns women against empty promises (Aug 25,2011)
TMI - Gerakan to name new Penang boss today as polls loom (Nov 17,2011)
TMI - As polls loom, Umno delegates swear loyalty to party (Dec 3,2011)

So perhaps by now you should be able to figure out why is it that most Malaysians are so fixated with linking everything that the government does with the next General Elections. To some extent it is due to the alternative media (or rather the new mainstream media) that feeds us with the "polls looming" news headlines!

Sultan Mahmud Shah vs Afonso de Albuquerque

2011-10-07T11:29:00.007+08:00

"There's always two sides to a coin", or so said a popular English proverb. Like everything else in the world, the same goes for history. But sometimes, there are not just two, but dozens of differences and interpretations of history.

No this is about Mat Sabu, Bukit Kepong or Mat Indera or the Communist Party of Malaya, no. That's old news. I've debated and argued (or rather tweeted) about it long enough already on Twitter.

So to those not in the know, this year marks the 500th anniversary of the fall of the Sultanate of Melaka (I prefer the Malay spelling for Melaka), and the beginning of Portuguese colonial rule in Tanah Melayu. What caught my interest to blog about this is partly due to an article in The Star (see image), the Melaka Chief Minister Ali Rustam was reportedly to have remarked that "Melaka had prospered as a nautical haven since the arrival of Alfonso d' Albuquerque" on August 24 1511.

Hang on a second there, YAB. Are you serious? I read it more than twice just to make sure that I got it right. And I marked the keyword in the article- "prospered". So is the Chief Minister trying to reinterpret the history of Melaka by saying that Albuquerque had prospered Melaka? I wouldn't give a hoot if it was just an average Abu or Mat who said it, but this is the Chief Minister of Melaka speaking.

Albuquerque caused the downfall of the most influential trading port in Southeast Asia. His only interest in Melaka was purely to monopolise the natural resources and to spread Christianity.

Chief Minister Ali could have at least shown his appreciation towards the Portuguese heritage and culture without erroneously glorifying (or perceived to be glorifying) Albuquerque, whom with the help from an influential Javanese community leader and Tamil traders, had successfully defeated the Sultan of Melaka's army and subsequently conquered Melaka. Where is his sensitivities?

Let me stress that I have no prejudices whatsoever against the local Portuguese community in Melaka (fact: I have Portuguese blood running in my veins) and I can understand that it is about remembering the Portuguese heritage and culture in Melaka.

The Portuguese community in Melaka have the right to celebrate. But what saddens me more is that knowing the state government has not done anything (please correct me if I am wrong) to commemorate the FALL of the sultanate of Melaka, which to my opinion have had greater historical impact and significance. We should instead be focusing more on the glory and the achievements of Melaka as the most influential trading port in Southeast Asia which hosted international traders from China, India and the Arab lands. Melaka was also the epicenter for the growth of Islam in the Malay peninsular before the Portuguese came and conquered Melaka.

Personally, it begs the simple question; was Albuquerque a coloniser who fought against the last Sultan of Melaka, Sultan Mahmud Shah, or was he now a reformer, in the eyes of Ali Rustam? I think the answer is pretty obvious. He can't be both. I feel that CM Ali could have been more careful in his choice of words.

Tweet to blog

2011-09-28T18:39:00.000+08:00

I hate to admit this all the time but the reality is that I've been spending so much time on "free" Twitter and Facebook and leaving this "paid" blog almost unattended. So what I would like to do today is to post some of my selected tweets here.

The issue of Palestine has always been close to my heart. So when the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas decided to go to the UN to seek for the UN's support for statehood or independence, I naturally became excited. Excited at the prospect of finally seeing freedom and justice for the Palestinians who are suffering from the Israeli occupation for almost three generations.And tweeted my thoughts and shared quite a number of articles on Twitter and Facebook, except here. While the majority of the international community are solidly behind the establishment for the state of Palestine, Hamas has been rather disappointing to say the least. Instead of showing solidarity with their fellow Palestinians, they questioned Mahmoud Abbas's intention of bringing the matter to the UN.

Here are some of my random tweets.

i-See..how to negotiate when the coloniser is building mo settlements within your territory. Freedom is fought. Never on a silver platter.
ii- How do you expect peace when you steal your neighbor's house, after a few years only willing to let go maid's room, and without keys. Doesn't make sense.
iii- Dear Tony (Blair), when Israel was formed (carved out of Palestinian lands) there wasn't any negotiation with the Palestinian leadership.
iv- The state of Israel was born in the UN. Why can't Palestine have the same right?
v- The American logic (referring to an op-ed in the Washington Post) that says that Palestinian independence would bring more hardship is just stupid. It is the Israeli colonialism and illegal settlements on Palestinian lands that's causing them hardship

Mobile upload

2011-08-21T22:39:00.001+08:00

This is a test
Sent by DiGi from my BlackBerry® Smartphone

Blogger for Blackberry

2011-08-15T08:40:00.001+08:00

So this is my first blog post via Blackberry. I know there's nothing much to shout about. And no, if you happen to reach here searching for a Blogger for Blackberry app, this is not the place. I've no idea why Google hasn't come up with Blogger for Blackberry app yet.

Hoping to post more blog entries soon.

Salam Ramadhan 1432.

Malcolm Gladwell, Social Media and Revolutions

2011-02-09T11:54:00.006+08:00

Seriously, I just don't get it. Why is Gladwell, a well-respected author, is so against the social media? Of course, there were more revolutions before the Internet was born. But social media, for whatever purpose it may serve, is just part of the evolution of communication technology.

I think if Gladwell lived in the 50s or 60s, he must have had the same opinion on tv or radio or film.

Read his latest piece on The New Yorker here, DOES EGYPT NEED TWITTER?

New Layout!

2011-01-03T01:29:00.003+08:00

Here ye! Here ye!

Just a quick announcement here. Shahnon.com is finally...UPDATED! (the content is not up yet though). It's been more than a year, I think, since I last changed my web layout.

Later folks.

UK Elections 2010 and Lessons for Malaysia?

2011-01-01T18:53:00.007+08:00

Happy (Gregorian) New Year to all!

In commemorating the new year (1.1.11) - which many have speculated to be an election year for Malaysia - I'd like to republish my opinion-article which was first published at Klik4Malaysia many moons ago.

As widely anticipated, David Cameron, 43, has just been named as the new British Prime Minister with Nick Clegg (pic above) as the Deputy Prime Minister.

If the English Premier League is the most-watched football event in Malaysia aside from the quadrennial football World Cup, then the UK General Elections could be one of the most closely watched elections. Dubbed as one of the most exciting and hotly-contested elections, the UK elections have inspired and captured the interest of many Malaysians, including myself.

What made the 2010 contest even more interesting than previous elections was the advent of strong "third force" in the shape of Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats (also known as the Lib Dems) in British politics. The phenomenal rise and the popularity of the statesman-like Clegg have impressed many especially through the televised debate during the campaign period, though we know by now the Lib Dems' performance fell far than what many expected.

It was said that the unexpected last minute drop of support toward the Lib Dems were due to a tactical switch of Lib Dems voters to keep the Conservatives or widely known as the Tories, out. So, to some extent the "Cleggmania" has failed. But though the Tories has gained significant increase, it is still not enough for them to form a majority. Gordon Brown's Labour, despite having bad perceptions throughout his tenure - most newspapers were pro Tories in the 2010 British elections, while traditional pro Labour newspaper, The Guardian backed the Lib Dems - still managed to command strong support, especially in his native Scotland, where the Labour won bulk of the seats with the Tories winning only one.

Nevertheless, the emergence of the Lib Dems has given the British voters a third option aside from the two old parties of Labour and Tories. And to Nick Clegg, the Lib Dems' leader, it gave him the unprecedented position as the kingmaker of the new British Government. This brings to the question of how does one explain the democratic nature of the British political system, when at the end of the day the decision to form a government lies with one man, Nick Clegg; or rather one party, the Lib Dems, to decide? I cannot imagine the kind of unmitigated disaster should the same situation were to happen in Malaysia today.

To some Americans who are used to their two-party system, the outcome of the UK elections which yielded a hung parliament for the first time in Britain since 1974 - as a result of no single party wins a majority - is something that is perplexing. One even remarked that he "had thought the rules of cricket were complicated", in reference to the possibility of the contesting political parties forming a coalition government.

It is worth to note that forming a coalition government after an election is not something unusual in European countries. As a matter of fact, it is a norm in most Western European countries such as Germany, Finland, Italy, Ireland and Sweden, though the same cannot be said in the case of Asian democracies.

From the system and conduct of the UK elections, what are the lessons that Malaysia can learn? I wish to highlight several matters of interest here; i) the democratic system, ii) the role of the monarch and iii) the media.

It is important to note that one of the important factors that set both countries apart is the level of democratic maturity. It is well known that for democracy to flourish and sustain fully, political awareness and political education must be given due emphasis. How is this to be made possible? Of course, the process takes time. As of now Malaysia is still a developing country whereas the UK is a developed country. The socio-political background, level of education and income varies clearly between the two countries. Therefore, the approaches are not and cannot be the same.

In view of the fact that our democratic constitutional monarchy system has its roots in the British Westminster system, it is interesting to compare how our system has fared throughout the years and what are the positive aspects that we can learn from the UK's democratic and electoral system.

The British hung parliament situation has some resemblance to the Perak Constitutional crisis last year where the monarch, Sultan Azlan Shah had to step in to solve the political impasse, which resulted from three state assemblypersons defecting from their respective parties. Therein lies the biggest mistake as the Sultan could have been avoided into making political decisions. Whatever the circumstances may be, a monarch must remain above politics.

In the British's case, though all parties were fully aware that the Queen may have the last say, their principles were clear that the Queen shall not be drawn into making a political decision.

"The prime minister is the prime minister until he resigns. It is his duty not to put the Queen into a position where she might be appearing to take political decisions. If and when he does come to resign, it is his responsibility to recommend to the Queen whom she should send for as her new prime minister." - The Guardian, May 7.

So, in a democratic sense, I believed Gordon Brown's resignation is commendable indeed - at least if you bring it into the present Malaysian political context. Imagine if a similar scenario were to happen in Malaysia say in the next General Elections; would our political leaders be civil and gracious enough to accept defeat? That would be the test for our democratic maturity.

Next is the role of the British media. It goes without saying that newspapers in the UK are much freer and open. If ever there exist some sort of control or censorship over the media, they were largely through the intervention or direction by the media owner or its shareholders.

The practice of media freedom in the UK not only means freedom to oppose or criticise, but also freedom to support whichever party or whoever they deem fit to be the Government. It is a well accepted tradition that there are pro Labour and pro Tories newspapers. Daily Mirror and The Guardian were known to be pro Labour; while The Times and Daily Telegraph were pro Tories. However, interestingly The Guardian which is traditionally pro Labour, has decided to back the Lib Dems, leaving the Mirror as the only pro Labour British newspaper in run-up towards the 2010 elections. Perhaps, to some extent this partly explains the election win by the Tories, albeit without a majority.

For Malaysia to achieve the same level of democratic and political maturity as the British, it might take few years to come. But I believe any form of change must come from the people and the civil societies. Unlike the old democratic model of the 60s and 70s, the new century is more about the democratic participation from the people.

Politics in the new century is no longer about a top down political approach, but rather a bottom up system where people are more involved in decision making, where the people have greater say over the future of the Government and the country.

Books of 2010

2010-12-31T02:13:00.008+08:00

Here's a famous quote from Charles Jones;
"You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read."

I don't mean to brag but for the sake of keeping an online record for myself or whoever that might be interested - like I have always been doing for many years - here's my list of books read in 2010. My personal favourites are in bold. In total, I read an average of 2.25 books a month.

The list below does not take into account tonnes of other reading materials i.e. academic journals, textbooks and magazines.

1. What Your Teacher Didn't Tell You - Farish Noor
2. Malaya's First Year at the United Nations - Tawfik and Ooi
3. Malaysia: The Road to Independence - Tunku Abdul Rahman
4. Raden Saleh: Anak Belanda, Mooi Indie & Nasionalisme - Harsja Bachtiar, Peter Carey & Onghokham (Indonesian)
5. A Short History of the Revivalist Movement in Islam - Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi
6. Pengembaraan ke Kedah, Perlis dan Kelantan - Za'ba
7. Gedung Kuning: Memories of a Malay Childhood - Hidayah Amin
8. How to Think Like Mahathir - Dalina Ismail
9. Protector? - Chandra Muzaffar
10. Malaysian Maverick - Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times - Barry Wain
11. Perangai Bergantung Kepada Diri Sendiri - Zaaba
12. The Life in Writing: Syed Hussein Alatas - Masturah Alatas
13. Daulah Uthmaniyah dan Alam Melayu - edited by Farid Mat Zin
14. Bahasa Melayu Bahasa Dunia: Sejarah Ringkas - James T. Collins
15. The Writer: The Early Years 1947-1972 - Dr Mahathir Mohamad
16. 120 Malay Movies - Amir Muhammad
17. 13 May 1969: The Darkest Day in Malaysian History - Leon Comber
18. Quran and Cricket: Travels Through the Madrasahs of Asia and other stories - Farish Noor
19. The Art of War & The Book of Lord Shang - Sun Tzu & Shang Yang
20. A Plea for Empathy: The Quest for Malaysian Unity - Dr Chandra Muzaffar
21. Teguran Suci dan Jujur Terhadap Mufti Johor - Prof Dr Hamka
22. Unfinished Journeys: Adventures in Familiar Places - Ziauddin Sardar
23. Outliers: The Story of Success - Malcolm Gladwell
24. Persuasion - Tom Gorman (unfinished)
25. 1984 - George Orwell
26. The Information Society - Armand Mattelart (unfinished)
27. Post-Capitalist Society - Peter Drucker (unfinished)

Okay, that's all folks! I guess this must be my last post of the year. So, Happy New Year all!

Malaysian Website Rankings for October 2010

2010-11-19T00:10:00.005+08:00

According to Adoimagazine.com, Facebook has beaten Google to become the number 1 most popular website in Malaysia! And it is slightly comforting to know that Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia are ranked higher than Kosmo and Harian Metro on the Internet.

For those not in the know, Malay tabloid, Metro, is currently the number 1 most popular Malay daily - which to my view is such a disgrace if the trend were to represent the level of intelligence and thinking of the Malay society at large, if you get what I mean.

Below are the top 20 websites, taken from AdoiMagazine.com.

1. Facebook 16. Wordpress.com
2. Google Sites 17. Kosmo.com.my
3. Yahoo Sites 18. Maybank2u.com.my
4. Mudah.my 19. Cari.com.my
5. Youtube.com 20. Hmetro.com.my
6. Blogspot.com 21. Lelong.com.my
7. MSN Sites 22. Fooyoh.com
8. Thestar.com.my 23. Themalaysianinsider.com
9. Lowyat.net 24. Mobile88
10. Malaysiakini.com 25. Biz.thestar.com.my
11. Mylaunchpad.com.my 26. Airasia.com
12. Utusan.com.my 27. Sinchew.com.my
13. Blogger.com 28. Paultan.org
14. Wikipedia 29. Nst.com.my
15. Bharian.com.my 30. Sinchew-i.com

Israel to Freeze Illegal Settlements? You Got to be Kidding!

2010-11-14T14:10:00.009+08:00

So the New York Times reported that Israeli Prime Minister has agreed to push for settlement freeze in the Palestinian territories. Whoa, did I hear that right? Read on..

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has agreed to push his cabinet to freeze most construction on settlements in the West Bank for 90 days to break an impasse in peace negotiations with the Palestinians, an official briefed on talks between the United States and Israel said Saturday evening.

Ah, so Prime Minister Netanyahu only agreed to freeze MOST of their illegal settlements in West Bank. How many settlements are there in the pipeline? Only god knows. Secondly, there is no mention at all about the existing illegal Jewish settlements which has been in existence for decades in West Bank.

And in order for America to get the Israeli regime to stop encroaching more Palestinian lands, in return "..the Obama administration has offered Israel a package of security incentives and fighter jets worth $3 billion that would be contingent on the signing of a peace agreement"

SO instead of telling off a thief "You are guilty of international law for stealing"; the Americans are saying, "please stop stealing! In return I will reward you for not stealing!"

And mind you, Israel has not agreed to stop stealing, but they have only said, "I will only stop stealing MOST of your lands, and I won't return back to you what I have stolen for more than 30 years."

And that, is the sad case of what is happening in our world today. The international community can only watch haplessly. Might is still right it seems.

Image source: promisedlandblog.com

1Malaysia.com.my

2010-10-29T02:50:00.003+08:00

PM Najib's tea party, Sri Perdana (13 March 2010)

Ah, no wonder I have been getting strange web traffic these few days. I just found out that my blog appeared on Prime Minister Najib's website, 1Malaysia.com.my! Ha ha..

Here's the link
http://www.1malaysia.com.my/1malaysia-events/past-events/tea-with-online-friends

Chinese premier calls for reform

2010-10-16T11:37:00.006+08:00

'People's wishes and needs for democracy and freedom are irresistible,' Wen Jiabao says. (full report)

Unbelievable! China for democracy?? The Chinese premier's statement has got to be one of the most, if not the most, revolutionary statements in the history of communism since the fall of the Soviet communist regime.

Would we be witnessing Wen Jiabao to follow in the footsteps of former Soviet Russia's Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika & glasnost policy of openness, transparency and economic reform (which subsequently resulted in the collapse of the Soviet regime)?

This is certainly good news for the people in East Turkestan (Chinese Turkestan), Tibet and maybe Taiwan too. Though I do not foresee the secession of the conflicting provinces from the state of China, at the very least there will be a greater political autonomy ala Aceh in Indonesia in post-tsunami 2005 and better respect for human rights.

Politicians of the world must realise and seriously take into account that the new decade and the new century is the era of greater democratisation. The old model of top-down politics is outdated and no longer viable in the changing new world driven by the convergence of information and technologies.

While the call for greater freedom by Wen Jiabao is lauded, however, let us be reminded that democracy or democratisation is not and will never be absolute. Absolute freedom only leads to anarchy. Likewise, absolute power will lead to dictatorship and totalitarianism. Therefore the biggest challenge is to seek middle path and to balance between the changing socio-political environment, the increasing democratisation of the society and to maintain peace and public order.

So it would certainly be interesting to closely follow the political development in China in the coming decade. Is Wen Jiabao going to be the Chinese Gorbachev?

"Hail" the English Defence League!

2010-10-12T01:57:00.004+08:00

Ten people were charged with public order and other offences today over clashes with police after the English Defence League and Unite Against Fascism held protests in Leicester yesterday.

Supporters had arrived by the coachload since the early morning and were allowed to gather in four police-monitored pubs ahead of the protests in Hotel Street. Many wore EDL-branded hooded tops and some chanted "EDL, EDL''. Others carried banners bearing slogans such as "Sharia laws will destroy Britain and all our British values". [read more]

It's amazing to see that there is actually an anti-sharia movement in the United Kingdom even when the Muslims form only 3% of the population. So the fear of sharia being implemented in the UK is just mathematically absurd.

I think any sane citizen can easily comprehend that, but no, not the peoples of the English Defence League and its supporters.

It appears that far-right extremists spreading anti-Islam ideology is fast creeping across Europe and has now found its way across the English Channel. If the decades of the 60s and the 70s were often recognised as the socialist decades, then could it be possible that the next decade be dominated by extreme religio-political ideologies and far-right movements?

Is the modern world, or are we, getting less tolerant and accepting??

[pic source: Wikipedia]

PM Najib and the extremists

2010-09-17T18:25:00.013+08:00

At a time where it appears as though Najib is caught between a rock and a hard place to openly state his views on Perkasa, he has instead shown that there is more to the issue than just being forced by some parties to choose between 'endorsing' or 'opposing' the vocal Malay rights group.

In a somewhat carefully delivered response, Najib made clear that extremists would not be tolerated, but fell short of naming any particular NGO or individual. To quote off TheMalaysianInsider;

“No, we do not want to be in conflict with any NGO,” he firmly said.

Najib went further to play down Perkasa’s significance as a pressure group, pointing out that as far as Umno was concerned, Perkasa was just like any other NGO.

“It is just like any other NGO. We have so many NGOs. There are times we can agree, and there are times we cannot agree,” he said.

No doubt it's a political statement. But I think Najib has learnt something from Obama, or it could well just be a coincidence.

Remember Obama's well crafted statement on the controversial New York mosque issue? In sum, Obama was trying NOT to say it directly that he supports the New York mosque proposal, but reaffirms the principles of freedom of religion which allows the rights to build places of worship. Go figure. :-)

Perkasa, extremists and the media
My argument is simple. If you think that Perkasa is extreme, racist, irrelevant and whatnot, why not just leave them alone. Ignore them. The media is partly responsible for hyping them up so much. This reminds me of the case of the infamous Pastor Terry Jones who initiated a campaign to burn a Quran on 911, which left many asking how is it possible that a pastor of a small church in a small town of Florida was able to generate so much wave of publicity throughout the world? Why does the media gave so much attention over a moronic idea to burn a Quran?

Maybe the answer lies in the axiom, "bad news is good news". Hence, extremists rules over moderates in media coverage. Yes No?

In principle, there is nothing wrong about Perkasa's struggle. In fact, you can say it resembles closely as UMNO's. But the only problem with Perkasa, in my view, is Ibrahim Ali and his extreme views and rhetorics which has alienated many non-Malays. And being the President, his words is seen and accepted as the official words of Perkasa.

For instance, I disagree with his views that the economic equity of the Malays and Bumiputras should be increased to 67% as to be in proportion with the percentage of Malay and Bumiputra communities in Malaysia. I believe that to empower the Malays and to improve their socio-economic conditions, it must be done through empowerment and education, not by such quota proposals.

I'd like to point out another example. Ibrahim Ali's views on prohibiting non-Muslims from entering a mosque is just plain distasteful and stupid, if I may say so. It shows his ignorance about the issue. But if you think I am here to lend my support the Serdang DAP MP YB Teo Nie Ching. No. Read on.

I am saddened that many prefers to look at the issue based on their own political prejudice. For instance, PAS supporters would try as hard to do a damage control exercise to justify Teo's act of entering the surau in Serdang. As usual PKR people will only voice out if they have something to talk about. And on that same note, some pro-UMNO supporters who were bent on scoring political points tend to criticise Teo without looking at the issue objectively. Objective in the sense that one would say it is okay for Teo to enter the surau, but there are limitations as to which part of the mosque a non-Muslim should be allowed in. And secondly, it would be much better for Teo if she had at least wore a simple headscarf to cover her head. To me, the blame should go to the surau committee for not advising Teo properly about the adab of entering the surau.

Of course, my argument is subject to various religious or political interpretations, but at least my views are based on my simple understanding of how foreign non-Muslim tourists are treated when they visit the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur or the Putra Mosque in Putrajaya. In both mosques, non Muslims are allowed to enter but they may NOT walk in up to the main praying hall. Simple as that. And they are required to done a head-covered jubah for women and for men - if they are wearing shorts. Therefore, based on these counts alone, I believe the surau committee rather than Teo has made a mistake.

To sum up, the issue is not a simple Yes or No answer. It isn't about whether or not a non-Muslim can enter a mosque. But it is about the adab or etiquette of a non-Muslim when entering a mosque. There's more to the issue than what was being reported in the media and sadly I can't find anything similar to this simple explanation in the mainstream media to better inform the non-Muslims about the whole issue so that they won't be left confused by some politicians from both sides who were trying to score some political points.

I think I have diverted quite a bit from my original post. So I shall stop here, for now.

"It is academic to keep talking about Islamic State" - Dr. Dzulkifli

2010-09-16T23:32:00.007+08:00

"So it is academic to keep talking about it. I don't know why other PAS leaders keep on talking about, it (sic) to find themselves getting bashed by others," he said. (Malaysiakini, Sept 16)

I think that is by far the most strongest critic of the Islamic state agenda coming from a PAS national leader. And if I understand it well, Kuala Selangor MP and PAS Central Committee member Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad has basically trashed off his party's ultimate political agenda - or Utopia according to him - of establishing an Islamic state. Reading his statement made at a seminar at UCSI University is like imagining listening to some UMNO politician challenging the special position of Malays/Article 153 Federal Constitution or some DAP chap criticising its age-old political mantra of "Malaysian Malaysia".

Dr Dzulkifli added that, "..it (Islamic state) may be our life-long aspiration. But by looking at our demographics, it is only academic to us... We cannot simply push it aside, so it remains as a utopian dream."

So would it be safe to assume now that PAS has abandoned its Islamic state agenda and using Islam, Hudud, shariah merely for political gains? In all honesty I doubt Dr Dzul would have said the same thing if he were to speak in front of a Malay majority PAS members.

I have long come to conclusion that PAS's version of Islamic state or Hudud is purely rhetoric. Dr Dzul reminds me of PAS President, Hadi Awang. When Hadi was the Terengganu Mentri Besar (1999-2004), he once said that the implementation of Hudud is only 0.0001% of Shariah laws. Now ask yourself, where is their sincerity? Please do not misconstrued my comments as an attempt to question PAS's political agenda. That is not my business. But, if they're openly admitting that implementing Hudud or Islamic laws is just academic or Utopian dream, then isn't it hypocritical for them PAS leaders to continue misleading the public especially the rural folks about Islamic this and that and accusing the UMNO led BN Government as unIslamic for whatever reasons? If that is not hypocritical, then I don't know what is.

If you want to talk about realpolitik or political numbers as argued by Dr Dzul, then yes, it's just unrealistic. There is nothing wrong with admitting that. But please, go and tell your members and your supporters the same thing. :) As a matter of fact, UMNO has long realised the impracticality of implementing such laws in a plural society like ours.

For some unknown reasons the following news was not (or not yet) covered in Malaysiakini's Bahasa Malaysia edition. Hmm, I wonder why. Malaysiakini might have their own reasons, but in the absence of explanation and reason, perception rules over reality, if you get what I mean. :)

[image source: Malaysiakini.com]

Quran-Burning and Freedom of Speech

2010-09-08T23:04:00.007+08:00

“Shock the world into focus …get people to start asking hard questions …remind the world we still have freedom of speech … expose the truth … [and] force the world into action.”

Showing no sign of backing down under growing pressure, the Florida church planning to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of 9/11 offered “five more reasons” for doing so on Tuesday. It also took a swipe at critics, including “U.S. generals,” over freedom of speech.

An issue that has been simmering for two months sparked a fresh media frenzy following General David Petraeus’ warning Monday that the planned Quran-burning by the Gainesville-based Dove World Outreach Center could endanger American troops in Afghanistan and be used to incite violence around the world.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday evening commented to a mostly Muslim audience on Dove World pastor Terry Jones’ “plans to burn the Holy Quran on September 11.” [Read more]

So there you have it.. When freedom of speech is being abused, when freedom of speech is being justified to do stupid things; what you get is some moron extremist planning to burn a Quran - Islam's most sacred book. But.. oh wait, maybe this is what freedom of speech means to some people in America?

Dr. Chandra Muzaffar on the 'Allah' controversy

2010-09-05T00:19:00.002+08:00

This, in my view, is one of the best responses on the 'Allah' issue. Taken from TheStar's Saturday Business section on Dr Chandra Muzaffar.

The crux of the matter is to understand the underlying concerns of both Muslims and Christians, which sadly is very much lacking in our society today. Resolving the problem isn't just about taking sides. It is not just a matter of whether or not you agree with the term Allah. The problems and solutions are far more complicated and delicate than that. Read on..

How best can Malaysia resolve the “Allah” controversy and find a win-win solution? Suzannah Ayub, Raub

It is important for both sides to be honest and truthful about the underlying issues that surround the controversy. Christians and other non-Muslims in Malaysia should acknowledge the simple truth that for the last 1,400 years, the term “Allah” has been shaped by Islamic theology. This is why in any dictionary or encyclopedia, Allah is defined as “the Islamic concept of God” or as “the Muslim term for God.”

Muslims in Malaysia, on the other hand, should understand that many Arab Christians use the term within their own circles and Muslim theologians in general have never objected to this. Likewise, Muslim jurists and the Muslim masses in Indonesia have not reacted negatively to Christians in their midst using the term “Allah,” a practice which began during Dutch colonial rule. It is partly because of the influence of Indonesian Christianity that Christians in Sabah and Sarawak have been using the term for more than a hundred years. It has had no adverse effect upon inter-religious ties in the two states, which on the whole are relatively harmonious.

Not many Malaysians know that “Allah” also appears in the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. This is why it is not practical, nor is there theological justification, to prohibit non-Muslims from using the term.

What one can do to protect the integrity of the term – which is the legitimate concern of the Muslims – is to prohibit its misuse in the public sphere. That would be a win-win solution.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/4/business/6905384&sec=business

Reflections on Merdeka

2010-08-31T01:10:00.002+08:00

Some quotable quotes from our Bapa Kemerdekaan, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj. Lest we forget.

I would like to remind you that the first Malay ruler who made an agreement with the British Government was my own grandfather. He ceded Penang to the British under a lease and they are still paying for the lease today. Now God has decreed that his grandson shall take back not only Penang but the whole of Malaya. - Padang Merdeka, Malacca, 20th Feb 1956

On Malayan youth;

"..To the youth of this country I have a message. You have a wonderful future ahead of you. Unlike us, you have a country free from any domination. You grow up with your heads held high as masters in your own country... The future of this country rests on you: Whether our star rises or falls, it will be due to you solely.
Therefore be ready to serve her, to build her up and to give your life in her defence. You and I must be determine to make Malaya a place which we shall all be proud to call our home.." - Kuala Lumpur, 30th Aug 1957

On Malaya's freedom;

"..Let freedom be secured for all law-abiding people. There shall be freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom of want, freedom of association, freedom of assembly and freedom of movement" - Kuala Lumpur, 30th Aug 1957

On Chin Peng's broken promise;

"Now Chin Peng, at our talks in Baling, you specifically stated that if I returned from London with complete control of internal defence and security you would lay down your arms. I have now obtained control of this Ministry and, therefore, I call upon you to honour that pledge you made and surrender all your weapons.." - Radio Malaya, 22nd Feb 1956

Source: Malaysia The Road to Independence - Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj (Pelanduk, 2007)

Terima Kasih 'Departemen Pendidikan Nasional'

2010-08-22T03:18:00.002+08:00

What has this Indonesian textbook got anything to do with me?? Read on..

Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial - Kurnia Nandar Wati, Ratih Hurriyati (Departemen Pendidikan Nasional, 2009)

Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial, page 28 (original source: fotopages)

Today I found out that one of my favourite pictures was being used in an Indonesia textbook (above). So, I'd like to thank the Pusat Perbukuan Departemen Pendidikan Nasional or the (Indonesian) National Education Department for crediting my photo and adding my name in the textbook.

However, to my surprise I later observed that the entire pictures in the textbook were sourced from the Internet (!) - including blog sites such as Blogger and Wordpress; Wikipedia and Flickr. And I thought to myself, what a cheap way of sourcing images for publication! I mean, it's understandable if it was meant for desktop publication, or publication for private purposes, but sourcing images off the Internet for a school textbook? Now, that is something new. I have no idea if the same practice is being adopted in Malaysia, but I hope not.

It is amazing or rather frightening to see how fast things have changed over the years. Fifteen or ten years ago, people would scan texts or pictures and upload them on the Internet. Today, it is totally the opposite. Perhaps such practice would become a norm in the near future when everything in the world are connected and wired to the Internet, or when there are no more "real" books or newspapers or magazines in the market. Or am I imagining too much?

Well, if you're still reading this, thank you for your time. I don't really have anything decent to blog about other than to keep this blog updated. So, there. :-)

Here is another picture used in an Indonesian tourism website, WisataMelayu - Sebagian Besar Objek Wisata Sumbar Masih Bersifat Potensi (Bukittinggi, Indonesia, Aug 2005)

Israel must clarify Palestine's status - Hussein Ibish

2010-06-08T00:22:00.002+08:00

Anti-Zionist Jews campaign for a Free Palestine (credit: ectomorfo)

While world attention has been heavily focused on efforts to break the siege of Gaza, Palestinians in the West Bank are pursuing a series of new, nonviolent, strategies challenging the Israeli occupation. What they are primarily seeking, and what the Israeli government is desperately trying to avoid, is clarity about the status of the occupied territories.

Palestinians are insisting that Israel cannot continue to treat the territories occupied in 1967 in a selective manner, regarding settlers and settlements as unambiguously "Israeli" but the Palestinian population as fundamentally alien and outside Israel. The new Palestinian strategies are pressing the uncomfortable but unavoidable question: are these territories part of Israel, or not?

Throughout its policies in the occupied territories, Israel picks and chooses according to its convenience, maintaining an untenable ambiguity regarding the legal and political status of the territory and its residents. This ambiguity begins with the legal and political status of the population of the territories. While Israeli settlers live under Israeli civil law and with all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, Palestinians live under Israeli civil and military administration with a very different set of laws and without the rights or responsibilities of citizenship. This structure based on dual registers of reality in the same space extends throughout the entire system of the occupation.

The recent flap over Israel's OECD membership is an excellent case in point. Israelis were outraged that Palestinians would object to Israel's attempt to join the organisation, but the Palestinians were making an important point: Israel includes the prosperous, heavily subsidised, settlement economy in all of the "national" economic statistics it submitted for OECD membership, but excludes all aspects of the Palestinian economy that struggles under occupation. It's not just a question of veracity of Israel's figures. It is a demand to know on what basis Israel can consider the settlements part of the "Israeli" economy but surrounding Palestinian villages not.

Clarity is also the ultimate aim of the boycott of settlement goods recently launched by the Palestinian Authority. The boycott serves many purposes, including bolstering the Palestinian economy and harnessing Palestinian spending power in developing its own society.

However, it is unlikely that the boycott will really damage the economic viability of settlements, which are heavily subsidised and are ideological rather than for-profit enterprises. Probably the most important function the boycott performs is to focus everyone's attention on the clear distinction between settlement goods and legitimate Israeli products, and thereby isolate and highlight the distinction between Israel itself and the settlements.

Israel's infuriated reaction to the boycott is a clear indication of how uncomfortable it is with such clarity. The political dangers were illustrated recently when two large Italian grocery chains took a principled decision not to sell settlement products, only to discover that Israel refused to clearly label settlement goods or distinguish them from "Israeli" products generally. As a consequence, the companies decided not to sell any Israeli exports on the grounds that there is no clarity.

Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu's protestations that the boycott is only hurting the Palestinians themselves rings extremely hollow. If that were true, why are he and his colleagues so upset by it? Israelis indignantly ask Palestinians: are you partners or are you enemies? The answer is simple: partners in peace, security and all legitimate matters, yes; partners in occupation and settlements, no.

Palestinians cannot be expected to acquiesce to, much less subsidise, their own oppression and they have every right to peacefully and lawfully challenge the occupation and demand clarity.

The same logic ultimately applies to the PA state and institution building programme. By developing the framework of Palestinian statehood, the programme forces Israel into the clarity of a simple choice: either gradually and however grudgingly cede more and more attributes of sovereignty in greater and greater parts of the occupied territories to the PA in order to allow the programme to develop, or kill it. The state building programme cannot survive stasis. It requires continuous, even if gradual, expansion. It asks Israel a simple question: are the occupied territories ultimately your country or ours?

Israel is alone in not recognising that it is the occupying power in the territories conquered in 1967. Heretofore its policies have been structured around obfuscation that allows the settlements and the settlers to occupy a legal and political space indistinguishable from Tel Aviv and its inhabitants, except, of course, for all the special subsidies and privileges they are accorded, while all aspects of Palestinian life are characterised by occupation. The Palestinian point is that there cannot be two legal and political registers: a virtual Israel that exists wherever an Israeli settler happens to be and an ambiguous, unresolved occupation everywhere else.

Because peace will depend on ending the occupation, it also requires clarity about the occupation. Palestinians are doing themselves, the world, and ultimately the Israelis as well, a big favour in rejecting Israel's fog of ambiguity and demanding simple, necessary clarity. [Read more]

Nick Clegg's Messsage of Hope

2010-05-26T01:31:00.007+08:00

I must say I am very much impressed with the statesman-like Deputy Prime Minister of the UK and leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg. It's not about trying to be different from some others who supports either Labour or the Tories, by endorsing the third force, the Lib Dems, but perhaps I was one of the few who were caught up by the much-hyped "Cleggmania" during the UK election campaign.

Also read his inspirational first opening speech as Deputy Prime Minister on constitutional reform and "New Politics". New Politics: Nick Clegg's speech on constitutional reform

Below are some excerpts from the Lib Dems mailing list.

Dear Shahnon,

It's just over a week since I accepted the position of Deputy Prime Minister - and already we have achieved real change.

Changes that the Liberal Democrats have spent months campaigning for, are about to happen.

There will be no ID cards, no third runway at Heathrow, no more fingerprinting in schools without parents’ consent, no more child detention.

Promises we were making a few weeks ago are becoming realities. Fair taxes. The income tax threshold will rise to £10,000. That is this Government’s priority, not tax cuts for millionaires. The best start at school for every child. Extra money is now going to be targeted to pupils who need it most. That is a huge leap in creating a truly mobile society.

We're making Britain's economy fairer. The banks are going to be taxed, the bonus culture is going to be addressed. And we're cleaning up British politics. Fixed term parliaments are happening. People will soon have the power to sack corrupt MPs, and be able to vote in elections to the House of Lords.

But this isn't the end of the story.

Thanks to your support there are Liberal Democrat ministers in government, putting Liberal Democrat policies into practice.

I need you to take the next step and join the Liberal Democrats today.

We're going to be campaigning for real change in government just as strongly as we did in opposition.

Canon Laser LBP2900 Driver Windows 7 x64!

2010-05-10T02:23:00.003+08:00

Canon Laser LBP2900 driver for Windows 7 (x64) is now available! Finally! I have been waiting for this damn bloody driver for almost 5 months now.

Thanks Canon!

http://support-my.canon-asia.com/contents/MY/EN/0100278201.html

Muslims in Norway

2010-05-07T23:02:00.003+08:00

Last Wednesday I was fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to Nora Eggen, a Norwegian Muslim presently a guest researcher at IAIS, who gave an informative talk on the Muslim community in Norway. Below is an excerpts from my article in Klik4Malaysia.

...Historically, Eggen revealed that the interaction between the Norwegian and the Muslim world started as early as in the 13th century, when an envoy from a Muslim sultanate in the Middle East was sent to Norway. She also relates another occasion when the King of Sweden, King Karl XII was given refuge in Istanbul by Sultan Ahmed III (Sultan of the Ottoman Empire), after losing a battle against the Russians.

As a result of Karl XII's long stay in Ottoman land, he has brought along new beverages such as coffee into the Scandinavian lands. Also, several Ottoman-Turkish words were introduced into the Norwegian language through Karl XII's encounter with the Ottomans.

However, it was not until the late second half of the 20th century that saw significant growth of the Muslim population in Norway, due to the liberal immigration laws which has allowed thousands of immigrants from Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Turkey and Morocco. Many were initially planned for a short stay, but eventually most stayed and settled down.

The second wave of migration, Eggen said, comprised of mostly refugees from war-torn countries or victims of political oppression, such Iraq, Iran, Palestine and Somalia...

Read more at Klik4Malaysia.com

Hulu Selangor – An Expected and Surprising Win for BN

2010-04-27T03:47:00.003+08:00

My take on the Hulu Selangor by-election result.

Hulu Selangor - An Expected and Surprising Win for Barisan Nasional

Of Hulu Selangor By-Election and Hulu Bernam

2010-04-18T22:09:00.009+08:00

Talking about the upcoming Hulu Selangor by-election, I can't help but reminiscing my childhood days where my dad would always bring the whole family 'balik kampung' to Hulu Bernam on weekends to pay a visit to my late grandmother and other family members. Hulu Bernam is only about 50 minutes drive from Subang Jaya or about one and a half hour via the old trunk road.

[Don't get confuse between the small Hulu Bernam kampung and the Hulu Bernam state seat, under the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat, which encompasses other nearby kampungs such as Kampung Gedangsa, Felda Soeharto and few others.]

Anyways, the most exciting part was of course visiting my family's durian orchard and bathing at the Bernam River, even though I can't stand the smell of durian and didn't know how to swim back then.

I used to joke with my friends how I could swim from "Selangor to Perak" when I was younger. Ha ha. For those not in the know, the Bernam River (picture) is the river that separates the two states of Selangor and Perak. So, that explains how I could swim across from Selangor to Perak in just minutes.

Hulu Bernam is an interesting district in Selangor. Situated at the northern tip of Selangor and due to its close proximity to Tanjung Malim, I believe most folks in Hulu Bernam consider Tanjung Malim as their hometown, not Hulu Bernam. Even my dad would always say Tanjung Malim, Perak as his hometown and never Hulu Bernam, Selangor; even though technically speaking, my dad's kampung is within the Selangor boundary.

Sounds confusing? Not really.

Unsurprisingly, because the nearest town, Tanjung Malim is just a stone's throw away. Not just that, but the nearest post office, bus station, police station, clinic and other public amenities are all in based in Tanjung Malim, including the once famed Sultan Idris Training College, now Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).

Perhaps because of that, I guess people of Hulu Bernam either have dual loyalty to both Selangor and Perak or no strong affiliation to any of the two state.

My dad used to tell my how he would cycle from his house in Kampung Baru A, Hulu Bernam to Sekolah Melayu Kalumpang in Kalumpang, which is about 7.5 kilometres away! Every day, mind you.

I did some research on the Net and found that the Kalumpang Malay School was established in 1889! It could be one of the oldest in Selangor. It was still a "Sekolah Melayu" during my dad's time in the 1950s, not yet 'Sekolah Kebangsaan'.

As for me, the farthest that I have cycled from my place was to Kelana Jaya, which is about 10kms away from Subang Jaya. So not too bad. :-)

I plan to visit Hulu Bernam again someday. Perhaps the Hulu Selangor by-election would give me a good reason to go there!

----------
This blog article was first published at Klik4Malaysia.com's 'Blog' section

Off to Batam

2010-03-16T00:28:00.003+08:00

I'll be leaving for Batam tomorrow for a three days visit. So hopefully it's going to be a worthwhile trip though I don't expect Batam to be as colourful and vibrant as Jogjakarta or Bali. In case you don't where the heck Batam Island is; it is situated to the south of Singapore about 20km away.

History has it that Hang Nadim, the boy of great wisdom of the classic "Singapura Dilanggar Todak" fame had once set foot on the island of Batam, hence the reason why the international airport in Batam (Hang Nadim International Airport) is named after him.

Off.

An Evening with the Prime Minister

2010-03-14T14:46:00.014+08:00

1Malaysia hi-tea with PM Najib's Facebook friends at the his official residence, Seri Perdana

1Malaysia kuih-muih

On the 9 of March, unexpectedly I received an email (below) from the Prime Minister inviting me to his tea party at the prime minister's official residence, Seri Perdana, Putrajaya! Of course, I wouldn't expect the PM himself to email me. Email aside, Najib confessed during the hi-tea that most of the time he would personally update his Facebook and Twitter himself, and only on certain occasions he would get his staff to do the postings on his behalf.

Najib should perhaps give some advice to his Information Minister, Rais Yatim about Facebook or Twitter. Rais's recent statement on Facebook shows how ignorant and out of touch he is with the Internet and the "social media culture". And this is the man who is supposed to be in charge of the Internet and broadband. Should Najib plans to have a cabinet reshuffle, I would urge him to place Rais somewhere else, not in the Information and Communication Ministry.

Anyways, out of the thousands of applicants - some reports says 2000 - I was among the chosen Facebook friends of Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak to attend the 1Malaysia hi-tea. So, of course I was happy and excited. I suppose most people in my position would feel the same too. It was my second visit to Seri Perdana. The first was exactly 10 years ago when I was in form five.

I sat with a well mixed group of people with different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Sitting with me at my table were a former national athlete who now works as a Marketing Director, a retired teacher, a technical engineer, a restaurant chef who came all the way from Kulai, Johor, a high school student and another 30-something lady. The lucky ones were seated in the same table with Najib and his wife, Rosmah.

Surprisingly, out of the hundreds of questions submitted via email, the 1Malaysia team has chosen mine out of the 10 selected ones. Initially I wanted to ask something on policies or something that is of great concern to Malaysia e.g. economic recovery, education system, issues of brain drain, corruption, crime and et cetera; but then again I suppose others would have thought the same too, so I decided on something personal; about books. Ha ha. The question was based on an article in The Star three years ago (Joy and knowledge from a life-long habit). So I was slotted for question number 4, out of the 10 pre-selected questions.

And so I got to know that 'When China Rules the World' by Martin Jacques and 'Blink' by Malcolm Gladwell are among the books that Najib currently reads.

The first question from the floor was on 1Malaysia. A lady stood up and asked the Prime Minister how did he came about with the idea of 1Malaysia.

Interestingly Najib shot back by asking her, "What do you, think about 1Malaysia?", which drew much laughter and applause from the audience. She smiled sheepishly for a while and I couldn't hear what she responded. :P

Q&A session aside, I have to admit one of the best part of the event was the food itself. I would say it's a 1Malaysia food galore. I had yong tau fu, roti boom, putumayam, cendol (a diversity of "politically correct" foods) and went home happy with a full stomach!

The event was front-paged in almost all major newspapers today. Here are some of the related articles.
Internet has broken down many walls - The Star
Internet Friends Proud To Meet PM - Bernama
Najib has tea with cyber pals - MalaysianInsider
Lima juta warga Malaysia aktif dalam Facebook - Utusan
Najib Tekad Capai 6 Peratus - Berita Harian

Najib Razak [press@1Malaysia.com.my]
Shahnon Mohamed Salleh [my@emailaddress.com]

Salam Shahnon Mohamed Salleh,

Kehadiran anda ke Jamuan Petang 1Malaysia Bersama Perdana Menteri telah disahkan. Jemputan ini adalah untuk seorang sahaja dan tidak boleh ditukarmilik. Anda akan diminta untuk mengemukakan kad pengenalan setelah tiba untuk tujuan pendaftaran.

Terima kasih.
1Malaysia.com.my

Group photo with the Prime Minister (picture source: Berita Harian)

Four in five believe internet access is a fundamental right

2010-03-09T23:51:00.005+08:00

Four in five people around the world believe that web access is a fundamental human right, according to a new survey.

The poll, which collated the answers from more than 27,000 people across 26 countries and was conducted on behalf of the BBC World Service, found that 87 per cent of interne t users felt that web access should be a basic right. More than 70 per cent of non-users felt they should have access to the net.

In Japan, Mexico and Russia, nearly 75 per cent of respondents said they could not cope without their internet connection. Ninety per cent of those polled in Turkey believed web access was a fundamental human right, making it the strongest supporter of the widely held sentiment.

"The right to communicate cannot be ignored," Dr Hamadoun Toure, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), told BBC News.

"The internet is the most powerful potential source of enlightenment ever created."
He said that governments must "regard the internet as basic infrastructure - just like roads, waste and water".

Seventy-eight per cent pollsters believe that the web gave them greater levels of freedom. This belief was most popular with the US respondents, who were also the respondents that were the most confident to express their opinions openly online. [Read more]

Some thoughts to ponder: Perhaps it's the time for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights be updated? Hehe. :-)

Shahnon.com is back, again!

2010-02-27T23:37:00.002+08:00

Yes, Shahnon.com is back with a new hosting and lots of new plans ahead! So, hopefully all's gonna be well, insyaAllah.

IRA strikes again!

2010-02-25T10:59:00.013+08:00

Bobby Sands was an Irish volunteer for the Provisional Irish Republican Army and member of the United Kingdom Parliament who died on hunger strike while in HM Prison Maze (Wikipedia)

Read all the Western media headlines below.
Not a single Western media outlet has mentioned the religion of the perpetrators. But imagine if similar event were to happen in the Middle East. For sure the media would mention the religion of the perpetrators and label them with names such as "Muslim terrorist" or "Islamic terrorist". It is never my intention to see the media headlines mentioning the religion of the people behind the latest bombing in Northern Ireland, but only to show how blatantly bias the Western media is, in their reporting.

Insurgency Rises in Northern Ireland - Wall Street Journal
A bomb that was just a blast from the past - Independent
Clinton condemns 'cowardly' N.Ireland car bombing
British PM condemns N. Ireland bombing - CNN
Northern Ireland car bomb blamed on dissident republicans - The Guardian
NORTHERN IRELAND: BOMBERS 'WILL NOT WRECK PEACE' - UK Express
Ireland - Minister Martin deplores Newry bomb - ISRIA
Dissidents blamed for court bomb - Glasgow Evening Times
Republicans blamed for huge NI bomb - politics.co.uk
Dissident IRA Car Bomb Damages Courthouse - TIME
Republican terrorists blamed for detonating car bomb near border - Times Online
Courthouse car bombers condemned - Hillingdon Times
Dissidents blamed for NI car bomb - Channel 4 News
Car bomb explodes at Newry courthouse - BBC News

This incident reminds of an Irish Australian tourist whom I met during my visit to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam last month. (I still prefer the city's old name, Saigon) I can't recall his name but from our conversation, he is a retiree and now spending his free time travelling the world, alone (his wife died few years ago).

It was an interesting conversation we had. When I asked him the reason why he migrated from Europe down south to Australia, he told us (there were other Dutch tourist in the conversation) about the "prospect of free and good life" in Australia, in the late 1960s. Now that's news to me.

But anyway, the thing that caught my interest was the way he refer to his origin country. Interestingly, after more than 4 decades of living in Perth, Australia, he still refer Northern Ireland as the "occupied country". Though it's not really something new to me, but to hear such a statement coming from a native Irish guy is refreshing, indeed.

It is exactly the same way Palestine is being referred to as "Occupied Palestine" by every Palestinians today.

Of UK General Elections, Opinion Polls and Malaysia

2010-02-25T03:28:00.013+08:00

Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron (The Telegraph)

The latest poll conducted by ICM for The Guardian puts the Conservatives down three per cent on 37 per cent, with Labour climbing one per cent to 30 per cent. The Lib Dems are down one at 20 per cent. Read more

For years, I have always been interested with opinion polls and my interest grew a bit when I took Research Methodology for my MA course. It always baffled me when I come to think that Malaysia does not have its own established independent polling company. I have always asked myself why there was not a single credible opinion poll to gauge popular public opinion especially in the run-up periods before elections?

But of course that was all until our very own independent opinion research, Merdeka Centre came into the picture. It's good that we have Merdeka Centre, but I do hope we have a couple more independent polling companies. I believe by having more opinion polls - not just during elections though - is a positive sign towards a mature democracy. Democracy is not just about electing your MP into office once every 5 years, but it encompasses every aspect of politics and society.

Thomas Friedman once said "the world is flat". Indeed, and so does democracy. To put Friedman's idea into the political context, that would mean, the democratisation of democracy, which roughly means greater political participation from the public. The old top-down order is slowly being replaced with a new bottom-up political approach.

Our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is aware of this. That's why in a statement made last year, he said that "the era of goverment knows best is over" or something along that line.

As they say "the opposition does not win elections, the Government loses them". Najib is absolutely aware of that. Hence, you see him doing his walkabouts throughout the whole country - from Kuala Lumpur to Kedah and Sarawak. To quote off The Star, "We have a thinking Prime Minister in charge".

UK General Elections
The upcoming the British elections, which will take place this year seems to have caught my interest, lately. I remember an interview I did with one young opposition MP who supports the Conservative party leader David Cameron, hinted that should Cameron and the Conservatives wins the next UK General Elections, then the opposition coalition of Pakatan Rakyat stands a good chance in the 13th General Elections! Agree? Yes, No?

Speaking off the record, she however noted that Cameron hasn't been too clear on the economic front. In her own words, verbatim;

"See, we don't have to be too clear on a lot of things!" she said with a big smile.

It shook me a bit though. But of course, she wasn't being serious - but still, the fact that she mentioned it says something too. :-)

So, with or without the UK elections, I believe the outcome of the 13th General Elections would to some extent depends much on Najib's political strategies and whether he could solve the problems within Barisan Nasional component parties.

According to popular blogger Raja Petra, he admitted that it would be much harder to defeat Najib from the outside, but easier from the inside, citing the case of the racist remark uttered by Najib's former special officer as an example.

Whither Political Integrity? - Shahnon Salleh

2010-02-23T23:57:00.008+08:00

It is often said that a lie told often enough becomes the truth. Being a former student of communication, I have also learnt another important element of propaganda that, "if you can't convince them, confuse them". And in the context of modern political communication, perhaps the more proper and widely used terms are "damage control" and "spin".

Now let's bring that into the context of political reality. Let's not even talk about our democratic integrity yet, but about the quality of our elected representatives. Where do our politicians stand in terms of integrity and credibility? Look around us; surely we can recall the many shameful incidents in the past few years. The Perak frogs' fiasco, the resignation of former Penang Deputy Chief Minister I, Fairus Khairuddin, and more recently the resignation of Bayan Baru MP, Datuk Zahrain Hashim, just to name a few.

If the performance of a salesperson is judged by his or her number of sales, likewise politicians are judged by what they speak and write. With the help of Google and Youtube, it is not hard for the public to see for themselves and make their own judgement. In the old days, once certain news appears on television, there's no way you can watch it for a second time, unless of course you taped it. Today, politicians can no longer lie. The public can view them repeatedly over the Internet until the connection goes down.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang is one good example. If I were a diehard supporter of Pakatan Rakyat, I would doubt this man's loyalty to the opposition coalition. Let's take a look at his previous statements. Prior to Anwar Ibrahim's failed "September 16 mission", he said that PAS would not hesitate to leave the opposition coalition if there are more non-Muslim MPs in the opposition, of which he was referring to the then possible crossover by Sabah and Sarawak MPs - which we know by now nothing happen.

Last December, a day after Pakatan Rakyat's first ever convention, Hadi made another "un-Pakatan" statement when he was reported by the alternative media, mind you, not just the mainstream papers that "we do not want to act in a hurry to register Pakatan", which implies his evasive and non-committal response to the opposition coalition. However, in a fairly recent interview with Klik4Malaysia, DAP MP Tony Pua explained that he has watched the video and discovered that Hadi's statement was in fact misunderstood by the journalist who asked the question. But even so, what if Hadi really meant what he said?

And recently, a day after Pakatan Rakyat MPs unanimously passed a statement in support of the 50 Australian MPs in relating to Anwar's sodomy charge, Hadi caused another stir when he remarked that it was not necessary for foreigners to meddle in the internal affairs of a sovereign country like Malaysia. Of course, later on, his political secretary Dr. Shamsuri Mokhtar clarified that Hadi did not criticise the actions by the Australian MPs, but "stressed that there are indeed shortcomings in our judicial and legal system which have led to the protests from external parties." Is this a case of: if you can't convince them, confuse them?

Now, this brings us to another question. If ever Hadi did indeed utter such statement, what is wrong for him to share similar views with his political opponent? Similarly, Tengku Razaleigh is an UMNO MP, but of late, he has been attacking the ruling party in almost every issue; like the court case of the rightful Perak Menteri Besar, the Anwar's sodomy trial and latest, the Kelantan oil royalty issue.

Furthermore, speaking of integrity, we have seen how some political leaders - whether from the government or the opposition - expects and demands that their members "toe to party line" or ship out. Admittedly, some form of discipline is needed, but where is the line between public and party interest? How does one balance between individual integrity and party loyalty?

The opposition have always urged Barisan Nasional MPs to not always blindly follow the party whip. For the record, BN's MP for Hulu Rajang, Billy Abit Joo once supported the opposition's anti-Internal Security Act petition, in late 2008. But then again, imagine what would the reaction be if one of their own Members of Parliament opts to support a government's motion or decide to vote against the opposition's motion?

Another example is the Prime Minister's 1Malaysia slogan. Whether he likes it or not, the integrity and the credibility of Najib and his 1Malaysia concept have been somewhat affected by his former aide's racist remark. All it takes is just one bad apple to ruin everything. Damage has been done, dozens of police reports have been lodged and there is little 'damage control' or 'spin' can be done. The people are beginning to question the government's sincerity on 1Malaysia. Najib may be sincere, but what about his own staff?

Again, we shall ask our politicians, what is the meaning of integrity to them? More importantly, are they willing to compromise integrity for the sake of gaining political mileage and power? By the look of it, it seems as though, political integrity means toeing to party line and never have an independent mind, and if your political opponent agrees on something, you must not agree, and vice versa.

For our democracy and democratic system to mature, we must ensure that we have mature and responsible politicians in the first place. If the results of the 12th General Election were interpreted as a vote of protest to the Barisan Nasional government who was seen as being too arrogant and not listening to the people's voices; let's hope in the next General Election, the people will vote out unprincipled and unethical politicians, regardless of what political party they belong.

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This article was first published at Klik4Malaysia.com's 'Daily Bites' section

Understanding New Public Diplomacy - Joseph Nye

2010-02-13T22:13:00.010+08:00

Below is an excellent article by renowned International Relations scholar, Joseph Nye (left), which I reproduce in full from his column in the New Straits Times. I first came across Joseph Nye, albeit through a textbook; 'World Politics (Kegley Jr)', when I was studying 'International Politics' as part of my MA degree program.

One of his famous political quotes which to some extent has influenced my pragmatic approach and thinking on politics and political philosophy is this;

"When I was working in Washington and helping formulate American foreign policies, I found myself borrowing from all three types of thinking; realism, liberalism, and constructivism. I found them all helpful, though in different ways and in different circumstances." - Joseph Nye (World Politics, Kegler).

It should be noted, however, that what I intend to share here is his views and thoughts, and not so much about the man himself. Joseph Nye was the former Assistant Secretary of Defence during the era of the Vietnam War; a brutal and shameful war which saw millions of Vietnamese being killed and displaced and thousands others were believed to have been affected by the American biological weapon "Agent Orange". I had a chance to visit Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) about a month ago and I must state this clearly that "you wouldn't know how terrible the impact of the Vietnam War until you have visited Vietnam yourself." It is really devastating. Totally beyond what I have ever imagined before.

Anyways, this post is about Joseph Nye. I'd be posting another blog entry if I would want to talk about the Vietnam War. I would certainly recommend the following article to all Media and Communication students, scholars or anybody interested in the subject.

Understanding New Public Diplomacy - Joseph Nye

THE world of traditional power politics was typically about whose military or economy would win. In today's information age, politics is also about whose "story" wins.

National narratives are, indeed, a type of currency. Governments compete with each other and with other organisations to enhance their own credibility and weaken that of their opponents.

Witness the contest between the government and protesters after the Iranian elections in June last year, in which the Internet and Twitter played crucial roles, or the recent controversy between Google and China. Reputation has always mattered in world politics, but credibility has become crucial because of a "paradox of plenty."

When information is plentiful, the scarce resource is attention. Under the new conditions, a soft sell may, more than ever, prove more effective than a hard sell.

For example, the relative independence of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), sometimes a source of consternation to British governments, has paid rich dividends in credibility, as illustrated by this account of Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete's day: "He rises at dawn, listens to the BBC World Service, then scans the Tanzanian press".

Sceptics who treat the term "public diplomacy" as a mere euphemism for propaganda miss the point. Simple propaganda is counterproductive as public diplomacy. Nor is public diplomacy merely a public relations campaign. Public diplomacy also involves building long-term relationships that create an enabling environment for government policies.

The contribution of direct government information to long-term cultural relationships varies with three dimensions or stages of public diplomacy, and all three are important.

The first and most immediate dimension is daily communications, which involves explaining the context of domestic and foreign policy decisions. This dimension also involves preparation for dealing with crises. If there is a vacuum in information after an event, others will rush in to fill it.

The second dimension is strategic communication, which develops a set of simple themes, much as a political or advertising campaign does. While the first dimension is measured in hours and days, the second occurs over weeks, months and even years.

The third dimension of public diplomacy is the development of lasting relationships with key individuals over many years or even decades, through scholarships, exchanges, training, seminars, conferences and access to media channels.

These programmes develop what the American journalist Edward R. Murrow once called the crucial "last three feet" -- face-to-face communications, with the enhanced credibility that reciprocity creates.

But even the best advertising cannot sell an unpopular product.

A communications strategy cannot work if it cuts against the grain of policy. Actions speak louder than words. All too often, policymakers treat public diplomacy as a bandage that can be applied after damage is done by other instruments.

For example, China tried to enhance its soft power by successfully staging the 2008 Olympics, but its domestic simultaneous crackdown in Tibet and subsequent repression in Xinxiang and arrests of human rights lawyers undercut its gains.

Great powers try to use culture and narrative to create soft power that promotes their advantage, but they do not always understand how to do it.

Critics in the United States complain that the over-militarisation of foreign policy undercuts its credibility. Instead, they advocate diplomacy "on steroids", staffed by diplomats trained in new media, cross-cultural communications, granular local knowledge, and networks of contacts with under-represented groups.

The centralised mass media approach to public diplomacy still plays an important role. Governments need to correct daily misrepresentations of their policies, as well as to try to convey a longer-term strategic message.

The main strength of the mass-media approach is its audience reach and ability to generate public awareness and set the agenda. But its weakness is its inability to influence how the message is perceived in different cultural settings.

The senders know what they say, but not always what the targets hear. Cultural barriers are apt to distort what is heard.

Networked communications, on the other hand, can take advantage of two-way communications and peer-to-peer relations to overcome cultural differences.

This type of decentralisation and flexibility is difficult for governments to accomplish, given their central accountability structures.

The greater flexibility of non-governmental organisations in using networks has given rise to what some call "the new public diplomacy", which is no longer confined to messaging, promotion campaigns, or even direct governmental contacts with foreign publics serving foreign policy purposes.

It is also about building relationships with civil-society actors in other countries and facilitating networks between non-governmental parties at home and abroad.

In this approach to public diplomacy, government policy is aimed at promoting and participating in, rather than controlling, such cross-border networks.

Indeed, too much government control, or even the appearance of it, can undercut the credibility that such networks are designed to engender. The evolution of public diplomacy from one-way communication to a two-way dialogue treats publics as co-creators of meaning and communication.

Power in a global information age, more than ever, will include a soft dimension of attraction as well as the hard dimensions of coercion and payment.

Combining these dimensions effectively is called "smart power". For example, the current struggle against transnational terrorism is a struggle over winning hearts and minds, and over-reliance on hard power alone is not the path to success.

Public diplomacy is an important tool in the arsenal of smart power, but smart public diplomacy requires an understanding of credibility, self-criticism, and the role of civil society in generating soft power.

If it degenerates into propaganda, public diplomacy not only fails to convince, but can undercut soft power. Instead, it must remain a two-way process, because soft power depends, first and foremost, upon understanding the minds of others. -- Project Syndicate

The writer, a former United States assistant secretary of defence, is a professor at Harvard University

http://www.nst.com.my/articles/17nai/Article/art_print

Demand 'Coldplay' in Kuala Lumpur!

2010-02-13T00:00:00.006+08:00

I am now officially 'demanding' one of my favourite bands, Coldplay, via Eventful.com, to come and perform live in Kuala Lumpur!

Whether it was by sheer luck or an act of fate, way back in 2008 I demanded for Mxpx to come to KL - via Eventful - and 18 months later, they finally came!

Now, let's see how long should I wait this time around, for Coldplay. :p

View all Kuala Lumpur events on Eventful

Explosions in the Sky live in Kuala Lumpur at The Ruums. (February 2008)

Mxpx at Number One Cafe, KL (December 2009)

Back! Yes, I am Back!

2010-02-09T23:38:00.009+08:00

So, what is up?? Good news and bad news!

Good news first. Finally I am back, blogging! Yay!!! Sorry, am a little bit excited. Can't help it. If I were to describe my blogging life, it must have been like a roller coaster ride. One of the reasons why this blog was down for such a long time was partly because of the bloody Malware that has infected my server! I've wasted so many hours trying to figure out the error. And thanks to Taqiyuddin from MYCERT who has patiently helped me out going through the long list of Apache logs and detected the errors. I wonder who was the culprit attempting to attack my harmless and humble blog?

I have since temporarily shut down the domain. And shahnons.blogspot.com will be my temporary blogging space. Though not for long, I hope.

Now for the bad news. I just got an email from Blogger which reads "Important: Changes to Blogger FTP Service". Curious enough, I clicked on it and there goes the bad news. (damnit!)

Blogger is shutting down its FTP Publishing service! Omg. I have been using Blogger on my own domain for more than 5 years already and it's just frustrating to read this piece of news.

According to Blogger, here's the reason why they are closing down their FTP publishing service:

"...only .5% of active blogs are published via FTP — yet the percentage of our engineering resources devoted to supporting FTP vastly exceeds that. On top of this, critical infrastructure that our FTP support relies on at Google will soon become unavailable, which would require that we completely rewrite the code that handles our FTP processing."

Sad.. but to look at it positively, it's also like a blessing in disguise. If not because of the news, I wouldn't be setting up this temporary blog URL. And I wouldn't be typing this new entry after such a long hiatus.

By the way, to those not in the know, I have been blogging rather inactively at my "other" place - Klik4Malaysia.com. Go check it out here! :)

Dr. Farish Noor - What Your Teacher Didn't Tell You

2009-12-21T03:49:00.004+08:00

Ah, finally managed to get a copy of "What Your Teacher Didn't Tell You" by Malaysia's favourite political historian, Dr. Farish Noor. It is based on Dr. Farish's public lecture series at The Annexe, of which I am privileged to have attended one of them last year (Dr. Farish Noor and books).

Of all the chapters in the book, I am particularly interested in "Hang Tuah the Pacifist". Dr. Farish has brilliantly recreated Hikayat Hang Tuah into something new and exciting. I mean, anybody can read and understand the thick hikayat but not many can read and interpret the hikayat like how Dr. Farish did.

Frankly speaking, history would be so much interesting if we have people like Dr. Farish teaching the subject in schools.

Anyways, I have yet to read the whole book, but have only skimmed through few pages. Still, I am recommending the book for all of you.

Whither 1Malaysia?

2009-12-16T07:21:00.002+08:00

A lot have been said and written about this subject since Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak assumed premiership in April 2009. But in reality, 1 Malaysia is not something new. We are in fact 1 Malaysia since Merdeka, or perhaps way before that.

What has happened since then?

In principle, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the 1Malaysia concept. I believe only insane citizens would want disharmony among themselves. But here comes the famous problem. Malaysians always have problems with policy enforcement or implementations. Whether or not 1 Malaysia will succeed, the outcome can only be seen in the next 5 to 10 years, or maybe even 20 years.

According to renowned historian, Prof. Khoo Kay Kim, race relations in Malaysia have gotten worse since the 1960s. The interesting question is, when was the turning point? When did we go astray?

National unity (sounds more politically neutral than 1Malaysia) cannot and will not succeed without strong participation, sacrifice and commitment from the rakyat themselves. There has got to be a strong change of mindset.The change might take years or even a generation to come, but somebody has to have the strong political will to take the first step.

Now, what would be "the" ultimate step(s)? Obviously, there is no magic wand to solve this problem overnight. But everyone from political leaders, bureaucrats, opinion leaders, activist and concerned citizens should re-look at the idea of a Malaysian unity. Slogans, campaigns, rhetorics; all these are as good as meaningless without having any strong substance in them.

We used to be proud of our slogans like Malaysia Boleh, Malaysia Truly Asia and today, 1 Malaysia. We are proud of our multiculturalism; unity in diversity and so on. But take a minute and ask ourselves, what is the ONE thing that binds the whole MALAYSIA together?

Could it be our national language (Bahasa Malaysia)? Our food (roti canai)? Sports (Nicol David)? our Rukunegara? etc etc? Are they effective enough to instill unity?

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This blog article was first published at Klik4Malaysia.com

Democratic participation and the Malaysian Blogosphere

2009-11-18T21:42:00.003+08:00

The essences of democracy comprises of freedom of political expression, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. These attributes are essentially important elements for a democratic society to flourish. From the era of Napoleon Bonaparte, who famously stated, “Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets” (1804-14) in 19th century to the modern 21st century, the media have well been recognized as a strong political power, because of its strength and ability to influence the beliefs and perceptions of the populations.

The capability for expression increases the participatory nature of democracy in cyberspace while significantly breaking old traditional media hierarchies. In the world of blogosphere today, many of the bloggers are their own writers, editors, publishers and bosses. They set their own rules and agenda on what to write, what to publish, what to censor and so on.

The power of this new communication tool between citizens can result in the creation of an empowered civil society and the possibility for a political action.

Access to information is no longer dominated by the traditional media. This is noticeably proven in the 10th general election in 1999 whereby even though the ruling party of Barisan Nasional still holds great influence over the mass media, they suffered huge losses, including losing the state of Terengganu. This occurred during an era where the Internet penetration in Malaysia is still low.

More recently, the devastating results of the 12th general election in 2008 by Barisan Nasional is a clear signal that they can no longer rely on the traditional media to communicate their political messages to influence the public.

While it is often perceived by the public that blogs and bloggers are more inclined to support the opposition parties, yet there are also examples of blog campaigns which, though not directly seen as being pro government, at least it supports the same cause as the ruling party.

One example worth mentioning here is the “Daulat Tuanku campaign” which was launched in support for the Monarchy in the wake of Pakatan Rakyat’s utter disrespect toward the Sultan Azlan Shah, especially in relating to Karpal Singh’s plan to sue the Perak Sultan during the height of the Perak political crisis in February 2009.

The impact of blogs and the rapid evolution of new media technologies have caused the democratisation process on the society to be inevitable, specifically in the sense of a greater freedom of speech, freedom of political expression and political participation.

Blog, as a medium for political expression, is here to stay, and will continue to have a major impact on the political scene.

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This article was first published at Klik4Malaysia.com

Israel's illegal settlements

2009-11-07T07:54:00.006+08:00

May 2009
"We want to see a stop to settlement construction, additions, natural growth -- any kind of settlement activity" - Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State (Washington Post).

Sept 2009
"US harshly rebukes Israel on settlement plans" (AOL.com)

Nov 2009
"We do not accept the legitimacy of settlement activity. Ending all settlement activity current and future would be preferable," - Hillary Clinton (msnbc).

I wonder when will all these diplomatic statements coming to an end? Especially when the outright violations of international law by Israel is so obvious.. And when can the international community, particularly the Palestinians can expect to see some tangible actions be done? It seems as if Israel who is the biggest superpower on earth, not America. Even the US can't tell them what to do.

Welcome Ramadhan

2009-08-21T23:49:00.001+08:00

Happy Ramadhan to all Muslims wherever you are..

Historical Road Trip

2009-07-26T23:40:00.004+08:00

Finally! I am taking leave from work for one week. It's been a pretty stressful six long months staying in Klang Valley commutting myself between Subang Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam and PJ only. So this is really a much needed break indeed.

Inspired by the writings of Muhammad Ibrahim Munsyi in his "Kisah Pelayaran Muhammad Ibrahim Munsyi" and Ryszard Kapuscinski's "Travels with Herodotus", I am off for a week-long historical cum photography road trip throughout Peninsular Malaysia. And am all set to snap thousands of pictures! Hopefully it'll be an exciting worthwhile adventure.

I will also see how far DiGi's Yellow Man will follow me everywhere I go. heheh.
Lastly, do pray for my safe journey.. :-)

Til then, have a good week ahead folks!

Of freedom of speech and hate speech

2009-07-18T22:59:00.007+08:00

Julia Klein's article, "The Myths of the Third Reich" (Third Reich refers to the era of the Nazi Germany) in the online version of The Wall Street Journal left me pondering over the question of freedom of speech and hate speech -
1. Where is the boundary between the two? 2. Where does one draw the limit?
Interestingly, the article ends with the following sentence:

"In Germany today, advocating Nazi ideology is illegal. But in the U.S. and elsewhere, balancing free speech with the desire to silence partisans of hate crimes and genocide remains a vital and troubling concern. The exhibition ends, appropriately, with this dilemma clarified but not entirely resolved." - Julia Klein.

Western nations, by and large have their own standard for freedom of speech - no freedom of speech for holocaust denial or anti-Zionist activism - to the extent that one could risk being persecuted simply by expressing doubts about the holocaust or risk being labelled as an anti-Semite. This is made worse due to the exaggeration and the propaganda played out by the Western media.

Likewise, Asian democracies (I specifically mention Asian democracies here because freedom of speech is totally a non-issue in totalitarian states of North Korea and Myanmar and the Arab monarchies) should also be allowed to set their own standards of freedom of speech, in accordance to its rich culture and tradition.

An interesting question we ought to ask is, if the Holocaust is considered as the West's Achilles heel and its biggest weakness according to Iranian President Ahmaninejad, what then is the Achilles heel for Asian democracies? I feel there are many and it varies from one country to another. This is because the countries of Asia, from Tokyo to Jakarta, Delhi to Dubai, are so diverse and have very little in common if compared to Europe. And I believe Asians have the right to set their own standard of freedom of speech instead of trying to adopt and apply Western standard and ideals into the context of the local democratic development.

I am all for freedom of speech but I do not subscribe to absolute freedom or any absolute ideological extremes for that matter. Absolute freedom leads to anarchy. Anarchy equals extremism. So there has to be a balance. In Islam it is called Wasatiah or al-Wasatia; in Chinese philosophy they have the concept of Yin and Yang, which both literally means moderation or balance!

In justifying the concept of moderation into modern politics, I'd like to quote famous International Relations scholar and former American policy maker, Joseph Nye:

"When I was working in Washington and helping formulate American foreign policies, I found myself borrowing from all three types of thinking: realism, liberalism and constructivism. I found them all helpful, though in different way and in different circumstances." - Joseph Nye (Kegley Jr., World Politics 12th Edition)

I tend to think that I am a pragmatist politically and a realist too sometimes. My view is that one can adopt any political ideology, but at the end of the day you got to think of being pragmatic.

During the years of Mahathir's rule, the Malaysian economic system was often labelled as "controlled capitalism". Mahathir believes in free market policies, but not by following the Western model completely. So to me, it was all about being pragmatic and rational. Another good example is the great American bailout - of which, strictly speaking, was totally in contradiction to the fundamental theories of free market capitalism. John Keynes was right all along! And funny that because of this, some quarters from the right wing fundamentalist in America had gone to the extent of accusing Obama as a socialist. Well that's a topic for another story I guess.

End.

NST: Remembering Natrah - Interview with Datin Fatini Yaacob

2009-07-12T16:14:00.003+08:00

This is an update from my previous blog post.

Remembering Natrah (Part 1)
Remembering Natrah (Part 2)
Remembering Natrah (Part 3)

Click on the links above to view the videos. Below are some excerpts from the interview.

"..keputusan mahkamah sebenarnya dihormati oleh semua orang Islam. Tapi yang menjadi rusuhan ialah kerana provokasi suratkhabar Straits Times (yang waktu itu di bawah British). Suratkhabar buat provokasi Natrah tu dengan gambar melutut pada patung virgin Mary..keluar (suratkhabar) berkali-kali, bukannya sekali. Ianya hanya caption story. Orang Melayu marahlah kan. Dah menang (kes mahkamah) fine, kenapa nak provoke.

Suratkhabar Melayu seperti Melayu Raya marah. Persoal kebijaksaan pengarang Straits Times. Kisah ini meletakkan Malaya di peta dunia sampai ke Russia, Belanda dan UK. Sebabnya ada banyak pertembungan-pertembungan dalam kes ini. Pertembungan budaya Barat dan Timur, agama Islam dan Kristian. Tapi persoalan sebenarnya ialah soal hak asasi manusia.

..Sebenarnya Che Aminah menang first round kes mahkamah itu. Tapi dia berasa tak selamat Natrah di bawah jagaan beliau. Jadi, dikahwinkan dengan Mansor Adabi. Kahwin boleh dibuat di luar (jajahan & undang-undang) British, jangan di bawah common law. Di bawah common law, akan terbatal perkahwinan, sebab masih bawah umur.

Kalaulah perkahwinan dibuat di Tanah Melayu, atau Johor sekalipun, masih ok lagi. Jangan takdir berlaku kerana kebodohan kita.."

Note: Datin Fatini Yaacob is a researcher and writer on Natrah Maarof @ Maria Hergoth.

Natrah, Nadra, Bertha Hertogh

2009-07-10T22:27:00.007+08:00

In 1950, a custody battle over 13-year-old Dutch girl, Bertha Hertogh turns into a violent clash between East and West (source: Monsoon Pictures).

It was only this morning after reading a news report about Nadra (Bertha Hertogh)'s death that I thought to myself, why there is no film produced on this incident. So I decided to search the Net and could only found one documentary, currently in Singapore's national archive titled, 'My Name is Nadra, not Bertha'. Thanks to Facebook, I got to know from a friend that a movie on the Nadra tragedy is to be produced by Monsoon Pictures (poster above), scheduled to be screened next year.

Below is an excerpt of my comment posted in Facebook, reproduced here.
The issue of Natrah is not just about custody. But the bigger tragedies were the forced religious conversion and the insensitivity of the colonial British towards the local sentiment.

First, Natrah was brought up as a Muslim and second, she was legally married to Mansor Adabi, according to Muslim rites. And it was absolutely natural for the local Muslims to feel upset when the court declared their marriage null and void.

Also, I'd like to quote a phrase of Haja Maideen's book, 'The Nadra Tragedy';

"Arthur Locke (British administrative officer in Terengganu) was apparently upset and uneasy that a white girl was being brought up by a local woman".

And this eventually led to the custody battle and the subsequent riot in Singapore. If only Aminah rejected the "advise" by the British officer to bring Natrah to Singapore and stayed in Kemaman, things wouldn't be the way it was.

One of the biggest cause of the problem was because Singapore was still under British rule. And the rule of the land was of course, British laws. And when you're up against the British authorities and British judges, no doubt there is little chance of success.

I believe incident like this would not have occurred should Singapore had been independent and free. This event should serve as an important lesson in a multiracial and plural society like Singapore and Malaysia. Peace and harmony are something that should never be taken for granted.

Related blog entry.
SaifulIslam - Pulanglah Natrah

Netanyahu's version of a Palestinian state

2009-07-05T19:34:00.003+08:00

This is an old write up. First posted in my Facebook Note two weeks ago (16 June 2009).

"Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu endorses creation of Palestinian state" - New York Daily Times

"Netanyahu Answers 'Yes' on Palestine" - Washington Post

In a quick glance, the headlines above does sound a little promising. But read on to understand what kind of Palestinian 'state' is Netanyahu endorsing.

“Each will have its flag, each will have its anthem. The Palestinian territory will be without arms, will not control airspace, will not be able to have arms enter.” - Benjamin Netanyahu (15 June 2009, Times Online)

Funny that of all things, the Israeli PM has to mention flag and anthem first while ignoring the basic and fundamental attributes of a state: sovereignty, territory, authority and population.

A future Palestinian state is not fit to be recognised as a "state" - at least in the context of international politics - IF it does not fulfill the basic attributes of a state as above. A free and independent state of Palestine must have full control and sovereignty over its territories of West Bank and Gaza, and most important of all, the right of self-determination.

Any further talks between Israel and Palestine must begin by recognising the basic natural rights of Palestinians. It is the natural right of any state authority to secure itself with military power. It is the natural right of Palestinians to self-defense and self-determination. Thus, the idea of Netanyahu's "demilitarized state" of Palestine is completely absurd.

I believe no sane political leaders in the world would accept such a flawed pre-conditions for peace or independence. And as usual, certain Western media was quick to give the impression that it is the Arab leaders who rejected the peace process while selectively chose not to highlight the details of the conditions.

This is only the fundamentals of the issue, of which Israel already failed to recognise. And we haven't even touch on other details such as the issue of the right of return of Palestinian refugees, the control over Palestinian natural resouces e.g. water, and so on.

I am willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt, but certainly not the hawkish Netanyahu. The ability of Obama to even acknowledge the root cause of the Palestine-Israel conflict and admitting the difficulties in the peace process from both sides shows that he is a man with knowledge and substance.

But then again, there is a limit as to what extent the Obama administration can do to help. The longstanding disunity among Arab leader is the biggest problem of all. It is the Arab leaders - and to a certain extent members of the sleeping OIC - that should take responsibility for their own failings.

New Malay Indian party?

2009-05-20T18:33:00.007+08:00

New Malay Indian party vows no street protests
Malaysia Sun
Wednesday 20th May, 2009

Petaling Jaya, May 20 : The newly-formed Indian origin Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party will not resort to street protests, preferring to solve things through discussions.

Party president and former Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) national coordinator R.S. Thanenthiran said grievances could be heard through round-table discussions.

"Enough fighting on the streets. We are more determined than ever that non-violence is the way forward with dignity and justice," he told reporters on Tuesday.

Read the headline above. I think it contains some serious error. I believe it should be read as "Indian Malaysian party". 'Malay Indian party' sounds more like a Malay based party in India. Hehe.

I wonder who owns the website. It doesn't look like it is owned by a Malaysian. The flag at the top of the website looks more like an American flag - without the yellow star and crescent.

On another unrelated event, I'd like to share Rehman Rashid's take on the "Indian Malaysian" or "Malaysian Indian" terminology in his article, "Which is the adjective, and which the noun?" in the NST. I find his views rather interesting, yet very strange that nobody has ever talked or discussed about it all these years. Here's an excerpt of his article.

"Malaysian Indian", "Malaysian Chinese" -- this must be the only nation in the world where ethnic communities are so designated. No one's ever heard of "American African", "Australian Vietnamese" or "Canadian French", so why "Malaysian Indian"?

and

For our purposes, however, it's well past time to rectify this strange and unwholesome anomaly. We are Indian, Chinese and Malay Malaysians, as we are Muslim, Christian, Buddhist and Hindu Malaysians, as we are tall, short, thin and fat Malaysians.

Thank you bro Rehman for writing such a thought-provoking article.
What say you?

Raja Petra in the news

2009-05-19T16:27:00.002+08:00

Anak Raja Petra didakwa tuduhan mencuri
SHAH ALAM 19 Mei - Anak kedua penulis blog Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin mengaku bersalah di Mahkamah Majistret di sini hari ini atas empat pertuduhan mencuri dan memiliki motosikal curi serta melakukan pecah rumah di sekitar Shah Alam.

Raja Azman Raja Petra, 33, dari No. 5, Jalan BRP 5/5, Bukit Rahman Putra, Sungai Buloh didakwa mencuri sebuah motosikal Yamaha RXZ nombor pendaftaran BJQ 9597 bernilai RM8,000 milik seorang lelaki, Syaiful Setapa.

Tertuduh juga mengaku mencuri sebuah telefon bimbit Nokia, sebuah jam tangan Seiko dan serangkai kunci motosikal yang kesemuanya dianggarkan berjumlah RM3,850 dari sebuah kediaman milik Saipul Adli Mohamad Yunus.

Oh dear. Pete, what happened to your son? Sudah-sudahlah nak lawan Istana Selangor tu. Tak ke mana pun. He he.

Wesak Day, Kuala Lumpur

2009-05-09T21:26:00.003+08:00

Wesak Procession in KL, near Central Market.

I just got back from spending half day in KL when I came across the Wesak procession above, by accident. Fortunately, I saw it from afar, or else I would've use the same road and probably still stuck in the traffic jam. :p

Happy Wesak Day to all Malaysians.

Soe Hok Gie - Catatan Seorang Demonstran

2009-05-07T18:14:00.004+08:00

source:Wikimedia

New book in town! Thanks to Zulhabri and gang for his new effort in bringing excellent books from across the shores. Just to share this piece of news here; if you're interested into more alternative books head over to the "Arts for Grabs + KL Alternative Books" at The Annexe Gallery this weekend.

One of Gie's famous quote in his book was;

"Seorang filsuf Yunani pernah menulis … nasib terbaik adalah tidak dilahirkan, yang kedua dilahirkan tapi mati muda, dan yang tersial adalah umur tua. Rasa-rasanya memang begitu. Bahagialah mereka yang mati muda."

This roughly translates to English as "A Greek philosopher once wrote... The best fate is that of the unborns, the second one is that of those born yet die young, and the worst is that of those who die in the old age. I feel that this is right: Happy are those who die young." [Wapedia]

In the same event, Dr. Farish Noor will be presenting his lecture on Batik as a "Trans-Cultural Signifier". I really hope to settle off my work soon to attend the lecture.

Perak MB's new blog

2009-05-03T03:55:00.003+08:00

Perak Mentri Besar, Dato Seri Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir has got a new blog. www.zambry.com

In his first blog entry, Zambry took a swipe at Lim Kit Siang, where the DAP supremo called him a "caveman" Mentri Besar for banning alternative media from covering the upcoming Perak assembly. Kit Siang must have a short memory because it was barely a month or so ago when his son, Lim Guan Eng banned the News Straits Time (NST) from covering the Penang state government events. This is just pure and simple hypocrisy, isn't it?

It's so damn bloody easy for one to talk about press freedom, democracy, rule of law and all other political jargons when one is not in power. But when the power is in their hand, they failed. Guan Eng's NST boycott is a clear testament to this.

DAP talks so much about democracy, but look at their so-called "democratic" party. Kit Siang has been at the helm of party since the days of Tunku Abdul Rahman. Four Prime Ministers, from Tun Razak to Abdullah Badawi have come and gone, but the great Kit Siang is still around, holding great influence in the party via the DAP 'prince'.

That is why, all the talk about their political idealism is just nonsense. They failed to walk the talk. Kit Siang and Samy Velly belongs to the same political generation and of the same political mind. Both had successfully squashed all internal party dissent throughout the years. Besides the contrasting political ideologies between the two, the other differences between Kit Siang and Samy Vellu is that the latter had the chance to serve in government as a cabinet Minister for more than 20 years, and thus exposing himself to a greater deal of criticism and scrutiny.

You may say Mahathir Mohamad was the same during his premiership, but in my view, Mahathir is one who knows when he has step down. He is famously quoted for saying, something along the line of; "Kalau nak berhenti makan, berhenti masa tengah sedap makan". And I think he did just that in 2003.

Manohara's family vs Kelantan royal palace

2009-05-01T23:42:00.008+08:00

Manohara giving SOS signal?

Above is an article from Tribun Makassar (Makassar - home of Najib Razak's forefathers) on the current hot issue in Indonesia; the kidnapping and abuse of Manohara Odelia Pinot, wife of the Kelantan royal prince, Tengku Fakhry.

Here's a transcript of the dot points in the article.

1. Manohara dan suaminya tampak menonton pertandingan bola
2. Tapi ibunya melihat ekspresi Manohara sedang minta pertolongan
3. Kerajaan (Kesultanan) Kelantan utus pembantu rumah tangga ke Indonesia - Untuk jelaskan kondisi Manohara (Betul ke ni?)
4. Ibu Mano tersinggung pembantu rumah tangga yang diutus

So, who is right? Manohara or the Kelantan royal family? It saddens me if what Manohara's mother claims to be true, that the royal palace sent over their "pembantu rumah tangga" to Indonesia to settle this issue? Oh well, I prefer to see this matter being resolved amicably between the two families without the need to go to the court.

And as usual, the nationalist Indonesian media just love to sensationalize anti-Malaysia sentiments by showing Malaysia as a big bully, a country with no respect for others, and funnily even the Yang diPertuan Agong Sultan Mizan wasn't spared either. Probably some of them don't know that there are 9 royal families in Malaysia.

Financial liberalisation or economic imperialism?

2009-04-28T17:22:00.006+08:00

The Star: Government goes easy on financial sector
PUTRAJAYA: The Government will issue up to nine new banking and insurance licences until 2011 and allow foreigners to own up to 70% equity in the country’s Islamic banks, investment banks and insurance companies.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the liberalisation package, comprising six thrusts, was aimed at enhancing Malaysia’s linkages with international economies.

I read this news with mixed feelings and many questions. I am not an expert in this field so my comments will only be based on my limited understanding of the subject.

Although I tend to be an optimist, but reading the announcement by Prime Minister cum Finance Minister Najib Tun Razak, I can't help but ask; is it financial liberalisation or an economic imperialism in the offing? Yes, we are facing the worst economic recession in history. Yes, we need more Foreign Direct Investments (FDI). But I have strong doubt about allowing foreigners to own majority stakes in important sectors of the economy. Does this mean they'll soon be given license to own our local banks? Is this a sign of our weaknesses? Does the great nations of the Western world that gave birth to many liberal economic philosophies have decided to open up and liberalise their industries and other key sectors of their economy?

Will Najib liberalise other sectors too? To take an example of the telecommunication industry, it was barely two years ago when the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry asked the third largest local telco player, DiGi, owned by Telenor, to cut their stake from 61% to 49% (source: Telegeography.com). Will there be a reverse in the policy? I hope not.

Globalisation

I am a firm believer of globalisation; only in the sense that if it cuts both ways. Not just from West to East, but also from East to West. Globalisation and modernisation must not equate Westernisation. I have asked this question once to my American graduate lecturer, and sadly the answer that I get is a dissapointing one. He holds a strong Americanism and a defeatist view and believes in the hypothetical claim that globalization and Westernisation - is alright.

In my view, if you want to be a true advocate of globalisation, free trade and other similar jargons, you must be prepared to accept the process holistically, and not take a hypocritical approach; which is what America is now - a strong proponent of liberal economy that goes around the world asking others to open up their market but at same time practicing protectionist and conservative economic policies at home whilst citing security reasons (note: Kapitalism, free trade & globalisasi Barat) to justify their un-liberal economic acts.

Back to Malaysia, I do hope that other key sectors of the economy, e.g. health, agriculture etc, will not fall into the objective of liberalisation. I hold a centrist and pragmatic view of economy, in that while I am all for free market, private ownership and all that, I also believe government have an important role to play in the market and must not and cannot allow important economic sectors to fall into foreign hands. There must been a clear line between attracting investments, increasing competitiveness AND selling the country.

I do hope my speculation and worry is wrong.

KL International Book Fair 2009, PWTC

2009-04-26T19:42:00.003+08:00

From Raden Saleh, Tun Perak, Abdul Samad Amjah to Mawdudi and Hamid Enayat

Visiting the KL book fair has become part of my annual routine for the past 5 years or so. I've lost count how many books lying on my shelves that I haven't read or waiting to be read and yet, today I bought another five books. Well, I guess that is fairly normal for a bookworm, isn't it?

Out of the five books, I am particularly interested in "Raden Saleh: Anak Belanda, Mooi Indie & Nasionalisme" (Komunitas Bambu, 2009) by Harsja W. Bachtiar, Peter B.R. Carey and Ongkokham. It's in Bahasa Indonesia by the way. Many thanks to Gerak Budaya and SIRD for bringing in excellent Indonesian books to our shores.

Browsing through the pages of Raden Saleh Syarif Bustaman, a 19th century Javanese aristocrat, scientist and one of the greatest Indonesian painter; I had a lot of questions running through my mind. I began to wonder whether there exist such a distinct intellectual within the Malay society in the 19th century other than Munshi Abdullah, the father of modern Malay literature. If ever there were any, could it be possible that such work was left unpublished or lost? (Note: According to 'Hikayat Abdullah', thousands of original Malay manuscripts were lost at the time when Stamford Raffles' ship went up in smoke) Also, I wonder why is it that the awareness of nationalism, intellectualism and independence came in rather late in the Malay states, if we were to compare with others say in India or in the Arab states?

Reading 'Hikayat Abdullah', the great Munshi made no apologies when he criticized the attitude of the superstitious Malay society, the stupidity and cruel Malay Sultan(s) (note: Sultan Husin Syah of Singapore and the Temenggung), their negative attitude toward education and so forth. Upon finishing reading through Munshi Abdullah's social critique on the Malay society, I find it rather sad that some of the old Malay traits are still exist in the modern era. No doubt there's been a great deal of improvement in terms of education, social, economy etc, but certain aspect like witchcraft, magic and other un-Islamic rites are still being practiced till today. I'm thinking of reading again Mahathir's Malay Dilemma and probably Syed Hussein Ali's 'Orang Melayu - Masalah & Masa Depan' later on.

Back to work!

Previous KLIBF postings
KL International Book Fair 2008
KL International Book Fair 2007

Penanti - Yet another by-election!

2009-04-16T23:38:00.008+08:00

theSun: Fairus resigns as Penanti assemblyman; Another by-election imminent
Opalyn Mok

GEORGE TOWN (April 16, 2009) : Former Penang deputy chief minister Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin yesterday resigned as Penanti state assemblyman, confirming weeks of speculation that a by-election for the Penanti state seat was likely.

In a press statement, Mohammad Fairus, 33, said he took this step to resign as a state representative to protect the interest of his party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

Bernama: PKR Wants To Find Deputy CM In Penanti
KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 (Bernama) -- Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin said the Penanti state by-election in Penang is just an avenue for the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) to find a candidate for the post of Penang Deputy Chief Minister I.

I think it's no longer a secret that Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is filled with bunch of underqualified and low quality wakil rakyats. That a by-election is needed just for the sake of getting a new Deputy Chief Minister 1. That none of the two PKR elected representatives are deemed good enough to be promoted as Penang Deputy Chief. If not why does it took so long for Anwar to decide between only two of their Wakil Rakyat, Abdul Malik Kassim and Maktar Shapee?

First was the corruption scandal involving the two PKR frogs in Perak; Jamaluddin Mat Radzi and Osman Jailu. Next, the former Kedah state Exco, V. Arumugam, who quit amidst allegation of a marriage scandal and latest is the resignation of Fairus Khairuddin as DCM1 and ADUN of Penanti. In simple words; PKR is not only the weakest link in Pakatan Rakyat, but also the main cause of our never ending political instability. Heheh.

With all these scandals surrounding PKR, Anwar still has the time to talk about forming a shadow cabinet. Franky, the shadow cabinet plan is a laughable news. It is just a political gimmick. If Pakatan Rakyat is really sincere and capable enough as the so-called 'government-in-waiting, then the shadow cabinet should've been formed last year. As a comparison, the Barisan Nasional opposition in Selangor was quick to form their own shadow cabinet immediately after the 12th general election.

Still, It would be interesting to see the distribution of cabinet posts between PAS, PKR and DAP and who among their leaders to be appointed to the shadow cabinet, if ever, that is going to happen soon. And it's pretty likely that Anwar will again be the dominating factor in choosing the members of the shadow cabinet.

Til then, let's wait for the upcoming Penanti by-election. Nothing much to shout about as it is a foregone conclusion that PKR will win the seat and that the winner will be appointed as the new DCM1.

Proton Exora!

2009-04-16T01:21:00.004+08:00

Proton unveils its first MPV
KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Holdings Bhd unveiled its first multipurpose vehicle (MPV), the Exora, to the public in a gala event here Wednesday night.
Launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the 1.6-litre Exora has already received orders of 2,500 units, even before its public unveiling.

The seven-seater -- Proton’s most important model for the year -- also marks the company’s entry into the MPV market, which is growing domestically and regionally.
The Exora is a result of an investment of RM450mil and 18 months of intense in-house research and development, the company said.

It is powered by a 1.6-litre CamPro CPS engine with 125bhp and torque of 150Nm, and is available in a four-speed automatic version, in trim levels of Mid-Line and Hi-Line.

The Mid-Line Exora costs RM69,998 and the Hi-Line variant, RM75,998 for the metallic colours.

Click here and here for a full review of Proton Exora by Anthony Lim and Paul Tan.

Image source: star-motoring.com

ps: I'm not really good in commenting on cars, so I won't say much here but I do think that Exora is somewhat a revolutionary design by Proton.

pps: But on the other hand, I can't help but notice a striking resemblance between Proton Exora and Toyota Wish. Don't you think so?

I'm lovin' my new Persona. :)

The Edge: Tri-election post-mortem

2009-04-15T17:18:00.003+08:00

Today, I found out that one of my blog traffic came from The Edge. Curiously enough, I clicked on the link, and saw a commentary of the so-called post mortem of the recent tri-election, containing blog posts from around the local blogosphere. So, thanks to The Edge journalist, Lam Jian Wyn for quoting and mentioning this humble blog in your article; 'Tri-election post-mortem'.

Written by Lam Jian Wyn
Wednesday, 08 April 2009 15:30
The tri-election fever is gone, sort of.

In the wake of the results – 2 to Pakatan, 1 to Barisan – are a slew of blogposts. While some bloggers were wasted from the election frenzy, the blogosphere’s pundits wasted no time in dissecting the results.

BN’s defeat in the peninsula was clearly met by some with disbelief. A Voice was disappointed with the component parties of BN. “Much to my chagrin, the Chinese vote did not sway for BN. Did MCA or Gerakan failed to deliver for BN? Does it indicate MCA and Gerakan as being no more relevant to the Chinese voters?”

Ahmad A Talib, in his list of conclusions from the election results, agrees. He adds that Chinese voters would much rather vote for Nizar, who is a Pas candidate.

While A Voice feels that Malay votes have gone up, the real question is: “Is the battle in Bukit Gantang about the age-old animosity between Umno and DAP? Or it has changed from the battle of party politics to become the battle to win the heart of the voters? Has the traditional political structure undergone a permanent change after GE12?”

Shanon blames the BN’s defeat on their inability to understand young voters as well as what he considers weak leadership which has failed to rein in Umno members . “It's a case of nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga. And it doesn't help much when the alternative media tends to highlight and sensationalize racial and religious issues or statements made by certain Umno leaders.”

He is also doubtful of the party’s campaign tactics. “Umno picked a local boy as their candidate... Tun Dr Mahathir helped out to campaign for Umno and Barisan Nasional. Khairy Jamaluddin kept a low profile this time around. And the result of these? Only a minor increase in Malay votes whereas the bulk of non-Malay votes solidly went to PAS! The presence of Tun might increase the number of Malay votes for Umno, but can it also be a reason for the huge drop among the Chinese? “

Meanwhile. Syed Imran thinks that BN’s decision to allow Pakatan leader Anwar Ibrahim's former right-hand man Nor Ezam to campaign is a costly mistake. “Ezam is not well-liked, and he is in fact a burden to BN. I wrote before that if BN wants to lose, allow Ezam to go to the ground just as he did in Permatang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu. Like it or not, Anwar’s influence is stronger than Ezam’s, that’s assuming if he has any at all,” the blogger opines.

‘Cyberspace Nak Muay Warrior’ Sakmongkol AK47 is derisive towards the "status quo" -- the defeats merely reinforce the existing governing bodies in the respective states. “That is true indeed. The victories reinforce the status quo in the sense they do not change the rakyat's anguish and rejection of BN and BN's polices,” the blogger opines. “Indeed status quo remains in the sense we are fooled into believing that Umno wants to change for the better,” Sakmongkol AK47 adds, referring to the elitism in Umno’s ranks.

Areka, in an open letter to premier Najib Razak, attributes the BN’s defeat to “denial syndrome” and quoted the late China chairman Deng Xiaopeng: "It doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it is a good cat." The blogger goes on to remind the ruling government to sober up and start paying attention to the rakyat. “You have the power for five years. Change. Or we, the Rakyat just need the power a day on polling day once every five years to change you. The ball is at your feet now. “

Those hungover from the election fever nonetheless still have something to say. “To the voters in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau, we salute you and thank you,” types Balajoe while vIvEk simply quips: “It feels good to deny you guys a win. Seriously!”

Related articles.
The Edge: Tri-Election post-mortem
Shahnon.com: The beginning of a new democratic revolution?

Mahathir's advise to son

2009-04-11T14:01:00.004+08:00

NST - Saturday, 11 April 2009

"Just because you're in the cabinet doesn't mean I'm going to keep quite, you know...?" Tun Dr. M to son, Mukhriz.

Read between the lines. Hehe. Picture above is the latest cartoon by Lat in today's NST. Lat has never failed to disappoint me with his political cartoons long since I was in primary school.

If there is one reason why I still read the NST, it must be because of Lat's cartoons, besides Johan Jaafar and Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Zaini Said's weekly column. Other than that, NST has nothing much great to offer.

Utusan - political headline of the day

2009-04-08T05:41:00.004+08:00

Utusan Malaysia: BN 1, PAS 1, PKR 1

According to the news headline above, it seems that BN didn't lose after all! :P
Let's be fair to Utusan. Being a pro-establishment paper, definitely some kind of a political spin were to be expected, but who would've thought such a thing? I must commend those people in Utusan for putting up such a creative headline. No, seriously I mean it. Hehe.

The beginning of a new democratic revolution?

2009-04-08T01:00:00.004+08:00

And so the results were out. Pakatan Rakyat won 2-1 (4-1, if you count in Permatang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu). To me, the win in Batang Ai has no significance to UMNO, simply because UMNO, as the backbone of Barisan Nasional does not exist in Sarawak. The real battle that UMNO lost was Bukit Gantang.

The results of Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau have also reaffirmed that the political landscape in peninsular Malaysia remains much the same since March 8 last year. And perhaps, to some extent it is a strong signal to Najib's premiership or the approval of Nizar Jamaluddin as the rightful Menteri Besar of Perak; whichever way one prefers to see it. One thing is for certain, the impact of the great political Tsunami of March 8 is still around. Kuala Terengganu, Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau remain a strong testament of the rejection of UMNO and Barisan Nasional as a whole.

A quick analyze on the tri-election results of the infamous two Bukits and one Batang would show a deep sentiment of unpredictability among the new and young voters. Something of which perhaps none of the older generation of political analysts could have an idea of what had happened or what went wrong. Maybe not all, but I've watched a whole lot of rubbish being dished out by some of the so-called political experts trying to justify the losses by UMNO and BN whereas the simple truth is they just don't understand the mind of the young voters. And in this sense, one person that stands out is Dr. Abu Hassan from UM. I believe his understanding was largely based on his studies and ground research conducted during the by-elections.

Let's recap a bit. UMNO picked a local boy as their candidate. Pak Lah has stepped down. Najib Razak was appointed as the new Prime Minister. Tun Dr Mahathir helped out to campaign for UMNO and Barisan Nasional. Khairy Jamaluddin kept a low profile this time around. And the result of these? Only a minor increase in Malay votes whereas the bulk of non-Malay votes solidly went to PAS! The presence of Tun might increase the number of Malay votes for UMNO, but can it also be a reason for the huge drop among the Chinese?

UMNO has failed miserably to win the support of the non-Malays. And the great perception is that UMNO is still seen as the super dominant party while MCA and Gerakan are mere passengers. Therefore, there is no place for hope to rest upon the non-Malay based parties in BN. Therein lies the big problem. To talk about UMNO from a broader perspective, (no I'm not blaming Pak Lah for the Bukit Gantang defeat) Pak Lah's so-called leadership of openness had in a way turned out to backfire the party. Frankly, the problem is not about being open, transparent and so forth, but it is a result of a weak party leadership. A leadership that failed to control the act of some party members. It's a case of nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga. And it doesn't help much when the alternative media tend to highlight and sensationalize racial and religious issues or statements made by certain UMNO leaders.

As a result, UMNO was perceived to be a racist party espousing extreme ethno-nationalistic political ideology. Extreme voices from within the party began to dominate and seen to be the voice of majority.

While PAS has successfully geared its political stance to the center, UMNO, on the other hand - at least in the context of political perception - went further and further to the extreme right. No doubt that the conservative and hardline party leaders in PAS are still around, but the new liberal and moderate leaders of the so-called Erdogan faction or the pro-Anwar group are becoming more prominent and made their presence felt more than the old conservatives. Now this, I believe, is the delicate role Najib has to play, that is to bring UMNO back to the center, back on track and project itself as a moderate party whilst being firm and fair at same time.

Unless Najib and his group of advisers and his new team in cabinet could turn the tables around, I foresee that nothing much will change in the coming months or years to come.

Tri-Election and the Blogosphere

2009-04-07T14:35:00.004+08:00

If the popularity trend in blogs has any bearing on the tri-election results in Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Batang Ai, then I believe Pakatan Rakyat stands to win all three convincingly. But unfortunately, I doubt that is the case here, particularly in Batang Ai where the Internet penetration there is perhaps only around 1% or less.

At the very least, the results below could provide some indication where the blogging community is heading.

In the new free media of the Internet, should Barisan Nasional and its component party leaders/members fail to recognize the growing and powerful impact of blogs, then it is likely to spell doom for the party. Setting up a blog is one thing, but more importantly is to have a good quality blog content. No point in having a blog if it's not frequently updated or merely posting news reports as blog posts.

Anyway, if the three by-elections in Perak, Kedah and Sarawak were to be judged by "popularity in blogs", this is the results.

Ismail Saffian (BN) vs Nizar Jamaluddin (PAS)

S. Ganeson (BN) vs S.Manikumar (PKR) [This is worst. Blogs on S.Ganeson is almost non-existent]

Malcolm Mussen (BN) vs Jawah Gerang (PKR)

Barisan Nasional vs Pakatan Rakyat

Malaysian Broadband Ahoy!

2009-04-05T23:59:00.004+08:00

Argh, what a bloody slow Internet connection! I wouldn't be surprise if TM Streamyx is having issues again, but Izzi broadband is currently slow too. I wonder what is going on. Luckily my other alternative mobile Internet access - DiGi Unlimited Data Access - is doing fine. Maybe this is a sign that I should try to cut down my time spent on the Net. :-)

Malaysia in Transition

2009-04-03T00:38:00.003+08:00

As someone who belongs to the "Generation M" group - youths who grew up and spent their lives knowing only one Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad - this is what I wrote in this blog roughly six years ago;

Sebak rasanya apabila sekali lagi menonton klip video pengumuman mengejut tentang persaraan semua jawatan dalam kerajaan dan parti, termasuklah jawatan Perdana Menteri oleh Dr. Mahathir ketika Perhimpunan Agung UMNO, Jun tahun lalu melalui sebuah rancangan 30 minit di Channel 9. Dalam sedar tak sedar, masanya telah tiba. Masih semacam samar-samar lagi, masih semacam sukar hendak menerima kenyataan, atau mungkin memakan sedikit masa lagi untuk menerima kenyataan bahawa Dr. Mahathir bukan lagi Perdana Menteri Malaysia. Apa pun syabas kerana peralihan kuasa di negara kita berlangsung dengan penuh lancar, tiada kekecohan timbul.

Back then, a website, ThanksMahathir.com was specially created to dedicate our respect and love to the Father of Modern Malaysia. I wonder whether anybody in the Prime Minister's office has forgotten to do the same to Pak Lah, or perhaps many are eager to see him leave quickly?

I wish all the best to Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak as the newly appointed Malaysian Prime Minister.

p/s: I just realised that Samy Vellu has been the MIC President ever since my parents got married and still holding on to the post til now! I think Samy is now in a race with Taib Mahmud, to be the longest ever BN component party president in Malaysia. 3 UMNO Presidents and 4 MCA Presidents have come and gone, but the great Samy and Taib are still around!

But but, that's not all. If you combine the number of years of the Father-and-Son leadership of the "Democratic" Action Party or affectionately known as DAP since 1969 to date, any BN component leaders still lose to them, hands down. Lol!

UMNO and a few good men

2009-04-01T04:56:00.001+08:00

My favorite magazine, Off the Edge, featured an interview with Muar MP and newly elected UMNO Youth deputy, Razali Ibrahim in their latest issue. I agree with the heading on the mag. Dato' Razali, is indeed one of the few good men in Pemuda, or UMNO in general. I also believe he is one of the future leaders to watch. I hope that Najib will include him in his new cabinet. It doesn't matter if previosly no Naib Ketua Pemuda was appointed to cabinet. What is more important is getting clean and capable leaders. Najib should break away from old traditions if he's really interested in reforms.

Old leaders of the Syed Hamid Albar generation should be left out. It's just sad to know that Shahrir Samad has resigned. I believe in the eyes of the public, Shahrir is no doubt one of the best minister in Pak Lah's cabinet.

UMNO, at this point of time, is in dire need of clean, intelligent, capable, moderate and incorruptible leaders. Corrupt leaders like Khir Toyo, though he has ideas and writes well, should be kicked out too. BN will not be able to wrest Selangor back from Pakatan Rakyat if Khir Toyo is leading the BN campaign. We need more capable leaders like Razali Ibrahim in UMNO.

Secondly, what is needed is for the new breed of moderate leaders to come out and be more vocal on national issues or any important issues that affects the rakyat. UMNO cannot afford to allow extremist leaders to have more say in the party.

We've had enough of dwelling too much into petty political issues whereas the focus, time and attention should be on governance, rebuilding the economy and gaining trust of the public. The time is running out, everybody is watching, and the party cannot afford to make any mistake or risk facing a greater political Tsunami in the 13th GE.

On the other hand, looking at the reports and current ground analysis of the three by-elections, I believe BN has a winnable chance in winning at least two of the three seats, if not all. Hope that the support shown will be translated into solid votes!

Note: I'm not referring to analysis made by the mainstream media, Utusan Malaysia especially, as they have not known to be very useful, but merely syok sendiri. Lol.

Najib, Tun Dr Mahathir & Pak Lah

2009-03-29T09:11:00.002+08:00

Hari-hari terakhir seorang Perdana Menteri

A picture says a thousand words. ;-)

Earth Hour in Kuala Lumpur

2009-03-28T22:47:00.007+08:00

View of Kuala Lumpur from my office window. The KLCC towers, KL tower and closer to my place, Sooka Sentral were all in the dark during this historic moment. The only building bright enough from my place was the KL Sentral building. The lights was on for a very obvious reason that nobody should blame the KL Sentral management for not participating. Hehe.

Earth Hour - 28 March!

2009-03-28T00:47:00.003+08:00

Earth hour is here! Be part of the global campaign!

Turn off your lights or other electrical appliances for one hour (8.30pm - 9.30pm) on 28th March 2009!

Join Malaysia as we take part in a global movement to stand united with 1000 cities and its peoples for Earth Hour by switching off non-essential lights for one hour.

Above is a quote from an email I received.
Anyways, I'd like to comment on a letter in The Star yesterday where a so-called concerned citizen critized the idea of organizing such event. I find it totally absurd and ridiculously dumb to say that this huge global movement organized by international NGOs with the support of countless multinational corporations is a "mere publicity stunt". One must remember that this is a 'campaign', hence to run a campaign one needs to have a good publicity to spread the words around.

It's interesting that the writer mentioned about Malaysia being a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol. Yes, but that is our participation at governmental level. The Earth Hour campaign involves a much wider community - that is, the peoples of planet Earth. And by having this sort of campaign, every each of us would have the chance to participate or at the very least be educated about the serious issue of climate change.

p/s: In future if power failure happens, I hope TNB would not use the 'Earth Hour' campaign as an excuse. Heheh.

UMNO elections

2009-03-26T23:58:00.006+08:00

So the great tension of the UMNO election has finally settled. It's been with a huge sigh of relief to know that Muhyiddin won the Deputy President post. To me, the Deputy President race is far more important the Ketua Pemuda election. I just can't imagine what disaster if Mat Taib won. Although I was disappointed that Mukhriz lost (and surprisingly finishing third!), as an outsider and a non-party member, I'd like to prefer to be positive about the election of Khairy Jamaluddin as the new Ketua Pemuda. Like it or not, Khairy has to change his arrogant style. I believe the hardest part now is for Khairy to reunite the different factions within Pemuda. This is not an easy task. Mukhriz might seemed to be accepting the result well, but obviously not to his staunch supporters and majority of the grassroots who voted for Mukhriz during the pencalonan period. I wish them all the best.

Despicable Act

2009-03-25T00:38:00.005+08:00

This is, simply, despicable. I do not wish to post the poster image on this blog (you may click on the link to view it). The person who designed the poster must be one hell of a foolish moron. It just sadden me to see the level of our political fightings have stooped this low. The fact that they're involving the Mufti and the wise Sultan Azlan Shah made it even worse. Heck, why blame the two old men? Blame the frogs who jumped ship lah. Blame the poor quality of your party candidates. I guess it's always easy to put the blame on others, rather than ourselves.

Najib signals for Mukhriz?

2009-03-24T22:05:00.003+08:00

Is Najib sending a subtle signal to Mukhriz Mahathir for the UMNO youth chief post in his opening speech of the party wings convention?
I was watching Najib's long and winding speech on Astro Awani when I heard him uttering something like "Pemuda harus mencari pemimpin yang berani berubah..blabla..". For the record "Berani berubah" is Mukhriz's campaign motto or rally cry for the election, while Khairy adopted 'Setiakawan'. Whether this is a mere coincidence or not we shall find out tomorrow.

The Best of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad

2009-03-23T02:46:00.006+08:00

UCAPAN YBHG TUN DR MAHATHIR MOHAMAD DI PERHIMPUNAN DAN SIDANG KEMUNCAK PRIBUMI PERKASA NEGARA
DI KOMPLEKS SUKAN TNB, JALAN BANGSAR,
KUALA LUMPUR PADA HARI AHAD, 22 MAC 2009

1. Terlebih dahulu saya ucap terima kasih kepada penganjur perhimpunan ini kerana menjemput saya dan memberi peluang kepada saya untuk berucap kepada hadirin.

2. Saya yakin ramai daripada kita yang hadir, terutamanya orang Melayu dan bumiputra lain, hadir kerana kita berasa kita berada dalam keadaan cemas, keadaan yang merbahaya, keadaan terancam.

3. Kenapa tidak? Kita kini diserang berkali-kali oleh berbagai pihak.
4. Ramai daripada orang lain berkata Melayu adalah kaum pendatang.
5. Melayu mengamalkan apartheid ala kulit putih Afrika Selatan.
6. Melayu tidak adil, suka menidakkan hak kaum-kaum lain.
7. Melayu sudah cukup kaya dan tidak perlu dasar Ekonomi Baru lagi.
8. Semua peluang perniagaan dan pelajaran diberi hanya kepada orang Melayu.
9. Kuasa politik dibolot oleh orang Melayu dan lain-lain.

10. Berhadapan dengan tuduhan dan tohmahan ini Melayu sekarang tidak boleh mempertahankan diri, bahkan tidak boleh bercakap berkenaan dengan bangsa mereka tanpa dituduh sebagai racist. Mereka harus terima sahaja semua tuduhan/tohmahan ini dan berdiam diri atau bersetuju sahaja. Mereka juga boleh tambah tokok kepada kecaman ini dan mereka ini akan dianggap liberal dan disanjung tinggi oleh orang lain. Sebenarnya orang Melayu sekarang berada dalam ketakutan, tidak mempunyai pemimpin yang sanggup pertahankan mereka. Sebaliknya pemimpin mereka mengerohkan lagi keadaan dengan memohon maaf walaupun kesalahan dilaku oleh orang lain.

11. Demikianlah situasi yang mereka hadapi sehingga mereka berasa mereka bersalah, tergamam dan tak dapat berkata apa-apa.

12. Keadaan hari ini lebih merbahaya daripada keadaan semasa British merancang untuk menakluk negeri-negeri Melayu dengan perancangan Malayan Union. Pada masa itu kita boleh cakap berkenaan Melayu dan tidak ada sesiapa yang akan tuduh kita sebagai racist. British pun tidak panggil kita racist. Mereka akui memang pun hak orang Melayu menuntut negeri-negeri Melayu sebagai hak orang Melayu. Semua perjanjian berkenaan dengan negeri-negeri di semenanjung mesti dibuat dengan Raja-Raja Melayu. Tidak ada siapa dari kaum laim yang berhak membuat apa-apa perjanjian.

13. Sekarang orang Melayu tidak pun boleh berkata negeri ini negeri Melayu, tidak boleh sebut negeri ini dikenali sebagai Tanah Melayu. Negeri Jepun boleh dikatakan negeri orang Jepun, negeri Korea – negeri orang Korea, negeri China – negeri orang Cina, negeri India – negeri orang India. Tetapi negeri Melayu – bukan negeri orang Melayu. Dahulu mungkin. Tetapi tidak sekarang. Sekarang Malaysia, hak orang Malaysia dan bukan hak orang Melayu. Kesanggupan dan kerelaan orang Melayu berkongsi milik negara ini tidak sedikit pun dihargai. Pemberian satu juta kerakyatan oleh Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra kepada kaum lain tidak dihargai bahkan tidak diingati, dilupakan dengan begitu sahaja.

14. Orang Melayu dikatakan kaum pendatang di negaranya sendiri. Dan kaum pendatang lain tidak boleh dipanggil kaum pendatang. Jika sesiapa berbuat demikian, mereka mesti minta maaf. Tidak perlu sesiapa minta maaf jika berkata Melayu kaum pendatang.

15. Namun saya memberanikan diri untuk bercakap sedikit berkenaan orang Melayu di Malaysia walaupun akan dituduh sebagai racist. Saya beranikan diri kerana sesungguhnya orang Melayu berada dalam keadaan cemas, dilanda oleh bermacam-macam masalah dan ancaman. Jika orang Melayu tidak dibenar bercakap berkenaan masalah mereka, maka mereka mungkin jadi kaum yang terlucut hak (dispossessed) di negara mereka sendiri. Bahaya ini benar kerana kita sudah lihat tekanan dan kehinaan terhadap bangsa kita apabila mereka dijadikan bangsa minoriti di wilayah yang dahulu adalah sebahagian daripada negeri-negeri Melayu.

16. Keadaan ini boleh berlaku kepada orang Melayu bukan sahaja kerana orang lain tetapi kerana orang Melayu sendiri. Mereka suka membinasakan diri mereka.

17. Mereka tidak mahu merebut peluang yang disedia bagi mereka. Tempat di universiti tidak diambil. Peluang perniagaan diselewengkan. Belia Melayu tidak ingin belajar, lebih berminat dengan melepak atau jadi Mat Rempit.

18. Majoriti daripada rakyat Malaysia yang terlibat dengan dadah terdiri daripada orang Melayu, yang mendapat penyakit HIV Aids kebanyakan adalah Melayu, kes rogol dan jenayah lain juga ramai orang Melayu.

19. Yang gagal dalam perniagaan juga Melayu, tidak bayar hutang Melayu, tak selesaikan kontrak juga Melayu.

20. Gejala jualan AP pun melibatkan Melayu.

21. Kita tak suka dengar semua ini. Kita malu. Tetapi jika tidak disuarakan masalah tidak akan hilang dengan sendirinya. Orang lain tahu juga. Lebih baik malu jika kita dapat sedarkan beberapa kerat daripada kita dan mereka mengubah tabiat supaya tidak melakukan yang salah lagi. Yang lain tak malu tak mengapa. Tak mungkin kita dapat sedarkan semua. Yang kena akan terus kena.

22. Dasar Ekonomi Baru dibentuk supaya dalam jangkamasa 20 tahun kita akan dapat bahagian kita sebanyak 30%. Tetapi sekarang sudah hampir 40 tahun. 20% yang dikatakan kita dapat pun dapat kerana badan-badan yang mewakili Melayu, bukan orang Melayu sendiri. Kita hendak supaya DEB diteruskan. Apa gunanya jika kita tidak mahu guna peluang yang diwujudkan? Apakah kita mahu DEB kerana nak jual AP, kontrak, lesen dan sebagainya? Lebih baik DEB tidak diteruskan dan kita tidak dapat selewengkannya. Sekurang-kurangnya kita tak akan malu kerana pelbagai ejekan yang akan dibuat kepada kita.

23. Kita bernasib baik kerana dalam bidang politk kita cekap, kita kuat, kita dapat menguasai Kerajaan selama 50 tahun. Walaupun Melayu berpecah kepada beberapa parti, bermusuh sesama sendiri, tetapi majoriti Melayu masih dapat kekalkan kuasa mereka. Mereka dihormati dan disegani.

24. Tetapi itu pun sudah terlepas daripada genggaman kita. Sekarang kita tidak kuat lagi. Parti Melayu yang terkenal sudah kalah dalam Pilihanraya Umum ke-12. Parti Melayu yang menangpun berada dalam ketakutan jika parti rakan mereka menolak mereka. Sekarang orang tidak lagi hormat kita. Apa sahaja yang dituntut orang lain, baik yang menang, baik yang kalah akan kita layan. Kita yang perlu hormati orang lain. Tersilap sikit kita minta maaf bagi pihak semua bangsa Melayu.

25. Sesungguhnya pemimpin kita yang perjuangkan kemerdekaan, yang menebus maruah kita sudah kita khianati. Mereka berjuang bermati-matian supaya kita hidup bahagia. Mereka korbankan apa sahaja yang ada pada mereka. Pemimpin Melayu hari ini, pengikut –pengikut mereka tidak tahu mengenang budi. Mereka khianati pejuang-pejuang dahulu dengan melupakan perjuangan asal kerana utamakan kepentingan diri sendiri. Biar bangsa hancur asalkan dapat kemenangan bagi diri sendiri, dapat jadi Menteri, Perdana Menteri, dapat kontrak, dapat duit.

26. Kononnya nak jadi Perdana Menteri termuda. Bukan nak majukan bangsa dan negara, hanya jawatan tertinggi untuk diri sendiri seawal mungkin. Dengan apa cara sekalipun, halal atau haram, tak mengapa asalkan boleh jadi Perdana Menteri termuda.

27. Jika kita sudah sanggup jual bangsa kita, kita jual untuk dapat duit sedikit, untuk jawatan kecil dan besar, untuk isi temolok kita, alamatnya apa? Yang dikejar tidak akan dapat, yang dikilik akan berciciran. Lepas itu kita tidak ada apa-apa yang boleh diraih lagi. Semuanya akan dikuasai orang. Pada masa itu kita jadi hamba sahaja, kita akan meminta-minta sepanjang masa.

28. Ada pula yang dibawah bertanya, orang yang mereka sokong dapat jadi Perdana Menteri, Menteri, Menteri Besar – dapat kereta, dipanggil Yang Berhormat, elaun besar, terbang sana, terbang sini.

29. Kita dapat apa? Duduk di takuk tu juga. Lebih baik kita ambil sedikit bagi diri kita, sementara ada peluang.

30. Salahkah kalau kita terima duit sedikit? Mungkin kita tidak undi orang yang menyogok. Dia bukan tahu. Tetapi Tuhan tahu. Kamu membuat sesuatu yang haram. Kamu bukan sahaja jual bangsa. Kamu menolak agama kamu yang melarang, yang mengharamkan perbuatan kamu. Kamu berdosa.

31. Tapi tak mengapa. Masih muda, tak akan mati lagi. Bila dekat nak mati pakai kopiah putih dan sembahyang kuat-kuat.

32. Tetapi yang haram, haram juga. Kalau makan daging bibi haram, makan duit rasuah lebih haram, kerana ia akan binasakan bukan kita sahaja, tetapi kaum bangsa kita yang semuanya beragama Islam.

33. Pengundi salah, samada undi penyogok atau tidak. Salah kerana sudah terima jenayah rasuah sebagai budaya kamu. Apabila rasuah dibudayakan, percayalah bangsa dan negara mungkin dijajah oleh penyogok secara langsung atau tidak langsung. Bangsa akan dihina oleh dunia, akan dipandang rendah, akan dipermainkan orang. Akhirnya yang makan suap, mereka sendiri akan jadi mangsa, mereka sendiri akan terpaksa hulur untuk mendapat apa yang sebenarnya hak mereka. Inilah nasib bangsa yang menjadikan rasuah sebagai budaya biasa.

34. Sesungguhnya Melayu mudah lupa. Kita lupa betapa kita dijajah dahulu, kita terpaksa panggil tuan orang yang menjajah kita, orang yang menghina kita. Tak boleh cakap berkenaan ketuanan Melayu. Kamu jadi hamba dahulu, bukan Tuan, layak hanya untuk tanam padi, tangkap ikan, jadi kuli orang, bawa kereta orang, tukang masak orang.

35. Selama 450 tahun kita dijajah, hidup sebagai hamba, dianggap tidak layak mentadbir negara sendiri, tidak layak merdeka.

36. Kita terpaksa letak diri kita dibawah naungan negara-negara jiran yang lebih kuat.

37. Tiap tahun kita usung bunga emas dan perak untuk dipersembahkan kepada negara penaung-penaung kita.

38. Kadang-kadang Raja kita pun pergi bersama, untuk membukti kesetiaan diri dan negeri kepada negara penanung.

39. Kata orang Kedah “Terkerempun-kerempun” apabila berhadapan dengan orang asing. Mungkin ramai yang tidak faham. Tanyalah orang Kedah. Itulah “body language” kita dahulu walaupun hari ini ada juga, tetapi pada Raja yang tak bertakhta.

40. Saya biasa lihat seorang orang tua Melayu berbasikal di tendang jatuh oleh askar Siam semasa Kedah diberi kepada Siam oleh Jepun. Kesalahan orang tua ini ialah kerana tidak berhenti dan menghormati lagu kebangsaan Siam.

41. Saya biasa lihat orang Melayu ditempeleng dan disuruh panjat pohon kelapa seperti kera oleh Jepun. Inilah nasib orang yang tidak merdeka, tidak memerintah negara sendiri. Boleh ditendang, boleh ditempeleng.

42. Dan yang lihat diam sahaja, tak dapat buat apa-apa, termasuk saya. Dalam kehinaan ini muncul kesedaran dan semangat untuk menebus balik maruah bangsa. Dan bergabunglah orang Melayu untuk menangkis rancangan Malayan Union British, untuk mengekalkan perhambaan orang Melayu. Tidak siapa yang bertanya “apa yang saya akan dapat bagi diri saya” pada ketika itu. Yang kita tumpukan ialah untuk membebaskan bangsa dan negara daripada dijajah dan dihina. Kalau dalam proses ini kita terkorban, atau kita berada seperti biasa, itu tidak mengapa. Yang kita utamakan ialah maruah bangsa kita, tidak lagi akan ditendang, tidak lagi akan ditempeleng – tetapi akan dihormati oleh kawan dan lawan.

43. Sekarang kita merdeka. Perjuangan pengasas negara telah berjaya. Kita tidak akan ditendang dan ditempeleng lagi. Kita bebas daripada kehinaan. Memang pun keadaan terhormat ini sudah menjadi perkara biasa bagi kita. Bagi ramai dari kita ia datang bergolek. Ia datang melayang. Ia tidak akan dipisah dari kita.

44. Perjuangan orang dahulu adalah perkara lama, tidak perlu diingati. Yang jelas kita sudah merdeka, dapat pelajaran dan kaya sedikit. Soal tendang, tempeleng, itu cerita lama. Pepatah Melayu berkata sekali merdeka, selama-lamanya merdeka. Apa pun kita buat merdeka tetap merdeka. Sekarang ialah masa untuk kita “enjoy”. Kita kecap sepenuhnya nikmat yang ada pada kita.

45. Apa dianya semangat ke-Melayuan? Apa relevannya? Bukankah kita sudah berjaya? Hendak semangat buat apa lagi? Masuk parti untuk apa? Perjuangan sudah selesai dengan jayanya.

46. Tidak bermakna masuk parti jika tidak dapat sesuatu bagi diri sendiri. Kita sokong orang dapat jadi Yang Berhormat, jadi Menteri, dapat peluang raih duit kerajaan dan lain-lain. Kita tak bolehkah dapat sikit bagi diri kita?

47. Tetapi benarkah kita akan merdeka selama-lamanya? Memang benar. Walaupun kita tidak buat apa-apa untuk mengekalkan kemerdekaan, bukankah sudah 50 tahun kita merdeka? Apa yang hendak dikhuatirkan? Lima puluh tahun, 100 tahun lagi pun kita akan merdeka walau apa pun kita lakukan. Takkanlah kerana kita ambil 100 Ringgit duit sogokan maka akan hilanglah kemerdekaan kita? Kita boleh sembahyang hajat dan terima 100 Ringgit lagi. Orang lain terima lebih daripada kita., katanya satu juta. Masih kita merdeka. Tidak benar kerana sedikit rasuah kemerdekaan akan hilang.

48. Tetapi ingatlah penjajahan tidak selalu berbentuk penaklukan secara langsung. Penjajahan boleh berlaku walaupun kita miliki pemerintahan sendiri. Ia boleh berlaku apabila pemerintah kita yang dipilih dan diberi kuasa oleh kita sudah menjual diri mereka kepada orang lain, samada dari dalam negeri atau dari luar. Atau takut jiran marah.

49. Pemerintah yang mengikut telunjuk orang lain bukan bebas lagi. Pemerintah yang menjadi pemerintah melalui rasuah akan benar diri mereka disogok kerana perlu mendapat kewangan yang cukup untuk membeli sokongan lagi supaya kedudukan mereka sebagai pemerintah akan kekal.

50. Untuk mendapat sogokan yang cukup mereka akan sanggup ikut arahan penyogok. Dengan perkataan lain mereka akan jadi alat pada penyogok.

51. Kepentingan penyogok tidak sama dengan kepentingan kita, atau kepentingan bangsa dan negara.

52. Kita sudah lihat hanya kerana hendak kekal sebagai pemerintah, ada yang sanggup layan apa sahaja arahan, tuntutan, desakan oleh pihak yang menentukan jawatan bagi kita. Kalau pun apa yang dituntut merugikan orang Melayu, itu tidak mengapa asalkan kita dapat jawatan, walaupun sebagai “figurehead”, patung sahaja, tidak berkuasa pun.

53. Jika kita terjemah keadaan ini kepada jawatan yang didapati kerana disogok apakah yang tidak sanggup kita buat? Jual bangsa, jual negara pun kita sanggup.

54. Apabila kita sudah jual bangsa dan negara apakah kita merdeka lagi? Sudah tentu tidak.

55. Justeru itu tidak benar kepercayaan kita bahawa sekali merdeka selama-lamanya merdeka. Pada permukaannya kita merdeka tetapi pada hakikatnya kita sudah kembali dijajah. Apabila kita kembali dijajah maka kita sudah khianati pejuang-pejuang kemerdekaan kita dahulu.

56. Itulah kenyataan yang sebenar.

57. Melayu mudah lupa. Kata seorang ahli falsafah; “Mereka yang lupa akan sejarah mereka akan didera dengan mengulangi kesalahan mereka berkali-kali”.

58. Inilah hasil daripada mudah lupa. Kita lupa bahkan kita tidak suka diperingati akan sejarah kita. Apa kena-mengena peristiwa 50 tahun dahulu? Apa kena-mengena dengan kita akan kemiskinan Melayu, dengan kedaifan mereka dalam bidang ilmu dan profesyen di masa dahulu? Itu dahulu, ini sekarang. Sudah tentu sejarah penjajahan kita dahulu tidak ada kena mengena dengan keadaan kita sekarang. Tidak ada pelajaran yang akan kita dapati daripada sejarah 100, 500 tahun dahulu. Itu semua cerita dongeng.

59. Apa yang kita lakukan sekarang, kita lakukan kerana kita sudah merdeka dan selamat. Buatlah apa pun kita tetap selamat, tetap merdeka.

60. Jadi penagih dadah, jadi pelepak, jadi “Mat Rempit”, jadi penjenayah pun tak mengapa.

61. Bukankah kita yang memilih dan membentuk Kerajaan? Kerajaan perlu bertanggungjawab terhadap kita. Jika kerana amalan buruk kita, sesuatu yang tidak baik menimpa kita, bukankah menjadi tanggungjawab Kerajaan pilihan kita untuk menyelamatkan kita?

62. Jika kita diserang orang bukankah menjadi tanggungjawab Kerajaan yang kita pilih untuk menangkis serangan ini?

63. Jika kerana Kerajaan yang kita pilih terdiri daripada orang yang sogok duit pada kita dan mereka pula disogok oleh orang lain dan mereka berasa lebih terikat kepada yang menyogok mereka dan kurang bertanggungjawab kepada kita kerana sokongan kita mereka dapati kerana kita terima sogokan, apakah yang dapat kita buat? Tak banyak. Hanya menerima sahaja.

64. Akan menjadi lebih buruklah nasib kita sepanjang masa.

65. Hakikat yang sebenar ialah sokongan kita, undi kita yang kita jual tidak lagi mengikat mereka yang kita pilih untuk jadi Kerajaan.

66. Mereka akan anggap balasan kepada sokongan kita sudah pun dibuat melalui wang sogokan daripada mereka.

67. Sesungguhnya nasib kita ada di tangan kita. Jika nasib ini tidak baik kitalah yang harus berusaha untuk memperbaikinya. Ingatlah, Tuhan telah berfirman yang Dia tidak akan mengubah nasib sesuatu kaum melainkan kaum itu sendiri berusaha mengubah nasibnya.

68. Apakah kita sedang berusaha untuk memperbaiki nasib kita? Tidak ternampak satu pun usaha ke arah ini. Yang kita lihat ialah perbuatan merosakkan lagi keadaan nasib yang sudah buruk ini.

69. Kita tahu yang kita lakukan bukan untuk memperbaiki keadaan. Tetapi kita lakukan juga untuk kepentingan semasa kita. Masa depan soal lain.

70. Pejuang-pejuang kemerdekaan telah pilih demokrasi sebagai cara kita memerintah. Kenapa?
71. Sebabnya ialah kerana mereka percaya majoriti daripada rakyat tentulah bijak dalam amalan mereka, tentulah tahu antara yang baik dengan yang buruk, tentulah bijak semasa membuat pilihan.

72. Pengasas kemerdekaan percaya majorti akan tahu pilih apa yang baik bagi mereka. Sudah tentu mereka akan menolak orang yang hanya bergantung kepada sogokan untuk dipilih.

73. Tetapi mereka tidak sangka pewaris mereka, sebilangan yang tidak kecil akan tolak kebaikan dan mengutamakan sogokan untuk menentukan siapa akan memerintah mereka.

74. Pejuang kemerdekaan yang sedar betapa sukarnya bagi orang Melayu mendapat peluang dan bantuan dahulu dan dengan kerana itu Melayu tidak berjaya.

75. Dengan kesedaran ini mereka merangka untuk mengadakan lebih banyak peluang dan sokongan kepada bangsa mereka supaya bangsa mereka boleh berdiri sama tinggi dan duduk sama rendah dengan kaum-kaum lain, bahkan dengan bangsa-bangsa lain di dunia. Mereka percaya semua peluang dan sokongan akan direbut oleh pewaris daripada bangsa mereka.

76. Ya, mereka ini kebanyakan sudah tidak ada, sudah tinggal kita. Tetapi jika mereka ada apakah perasaan mereka? Tentulah mereka akan kecewa dan hampa amat sangat kerana segala-gala yang mereka ilhamkan sudah dipermainkan oleh pewaris mereka, tidak dihargai oleh pewaris mereka.

77. Mereka melihat bagaimana peluang dan bantuan disalahgunakan atau ditolak dengan begitu sahaja. Sepatutnya dengan peluang belajar di semua peringkat bangsa mereka sudah jadi bangsa yang berilmu. Dengan peluang berniaga mereka sudah jadi kaya, atau sekurang-kurangnya tidak miskin.

78. Tetapi tidak. Peluang bukan sahaja tidak direbut tetapi peluang digunakan secara yang boleh merosakkan bangsa. Mereka lepak, mereka jadi Mat Rempit, yang lakukan jenayah yang kadang-kadang menyebabkan kematian mangsa mereka.

79. Diberi peluang berniaga, diberi modal, diberi latihan tetapi kerana ingin kaya cepat mereka memperdagangkan peluang, kontrak, lesen, permit dan sebagainya.

80. Modal mereka guna untuk belanja bagi memenuhi nafsu, hutang mereka tidak dibayar. Kerana kelakuan beberapa daripada mereka, bangsa mereka dicap sebagai bangsa yang tidak beramanah, dan tidak boleh dilayan, tidak boleh diharap dengan duit ringgit.

81. Dan banyaklah lagi perbuatan mereka yang tetap mengecewakan pejuang bangsa dahulu.

82. Kata mereka, jangan buka pekong di dada.

83. Malu kata mereka.

84. Tetapi tidakkah lebih malu apabila mereka lakukan apa yang telah saya sebutkan. Tak buka pekong pun busuk juga. Biarlah pekong di dada dibuka supaya kerana bau terlalu busuk kita akan cuba melepaskan diri daripadanya. Jika tidak ia akan menjadi lebih busuk di dalam dan akan bunuh kita.

85. Semua yang disebut ini menjadi pengkhianatan kepada pejuang bangsa dahulu. Kerosakan kerana ini lambat laun akan merosakkan masa depan kita.

86. Tetapi yang terdahsyat diantara amalan buruk kita ialah rasuah, terutama rasuah politik. Politiklah yang dapat memberi kuasa walaupun pada yang lemah dan miskin. Politik kita sewaktu perjuangan untuk kemerdekaan berjaya memberi kekuatan kepada Melayu sehingga mereka yang daif ini dapat mengalahkan kuasa besar dunia. Hanya dengan bersatu dan bertindak bersama, hanya dengan pendirian yang tegas kelemahan dapat diatasi dan kejayaan dicapai. Sesungguhnya kuasa politik kuasa ajaib.

87. Selagi ada kuasa ini kepada kita, percayalah kita akan dapat pulih segala-galanya, kita akan dapat mengatasi kelemahan kita, kita akan dapat tentukan masa depan kita.

88. Tidakkah kita lihat bagaimana daripada bangsa yang dijajah dan dihina, kuasa politik sudah mengubah nasib kita demikian sehingga kita dianggap sebagai contoh kepada bangsa-bangsa lain di dunia.

89. Bandingkan negara kita 50 tahun dahulu di waktu kita mencapai kemerdekaan dan negara kita sekarang. Negara dagang yang ke-17 terbesar di dunia. Kemiskinan dikurangkan daripada 70 peratus kepada lima peratus. Bandar sebesar bandar di negara maju, penuh dengan pencakar langit. Bekalan air, api dan kenderaan yang terkini.

90. Pendapatan per kapita yang 20 kali lebih tinggi dari 50 tahun dahulu dan lain-lain.

91. Semua ini adalah hasil kuasa politik semata-mata. Kerana kuasa politik, negara berbilang kaum, ugama, budaya dan bahasa dapat distabilkan. Dan sesungguhnya kita sudah dapat berdiri hampir sama tinggi dengan kaum-kaum lain dan bangsa-bangsa lain.

92. Tetapi sekarang kita lakukan perbuatan untuk menghakis dan menghapus kuasa politik kita.
93. Kerana wang yang sedikit, kerana 100-200 Ringgit kita jual kuasa politik, kita serah nasib kita kepada perasuah, perasuah yang akan jual bangsa dan negara.

94. Apakah akan jadi kepada kita apabila kuasa politik terlucut daripada kita? Apakah kita akan terus merdeka? Saya fikir tidak.

Tuan-Tuan dan Puan-Puan,

95. Perhimpunan Melayu hari ini memang menjadi hak bagi kita kerana kita menghadapi masalah-masalah yang besar-besar, bukan satu tetapi banyak masalah.

96. Kita semua berasa cemas. Di mana-mana sahaja orang Melayu sedang berhimpun untuk membincang masalah mereka, kecemasan yang mereka rasai.

97. Jika pada hari ini kita dapat menyedarkan akan musibah yang sedang dan akan timpa keatas kita, jika kesedaran ini akan menyebabkan kita bertindak keras terhadap mereka diantara kita yang mencetuskan masalah ini, jika kita dapat bandingkan gejala rasuah yang menjadi ancaman terhadap kita yang terbesar sekali, maka ralatlah perhimpunan ini, berjayalah perhimpunan ini.

98. Saya tak salahkan orang lain. Saya salahkan kita sendiri. Tak mungkin orang lain menguasai kita jika kita tegas dan tidak membenarkan mereka.

99. Maju mundurnya bangsa kita terpulanglah kepada kita. Ingatlah Tuhan tidak akan ubah nasib kita melainkan kita berusaha mengubah nasib kita sendiri.

100. Oleh itu berusahalah mengubah nasib diri sendiri setelah kita berhimpun di sini untuk membincang masalah yang kita hadapi. Saya percaya perbincangan kita akan membuahkan pemikiran dan tindakan yang boleh menyelamatkan kita.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Terima kasih.

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Credit to BigDog and Nazirul for sharing it on their blog and Facebook.

Madagascar!

2009-03-20T15:28:00.003+08:00

This is yesterday's news actually. It's pretty amazing to know that the new President is only 34 year old! I guess he is perhaps the youngest President ever to be elected. The last time I heard about Madagascar is when watching some bunch of crazy animals singing 'I like to move it move it!' hehe.

The Malaysia Model - Najib Razak

2009-03-19T23:34:00.002+08:00

Recovery, Malaysia-Style. (The Star, 19 March 2009)

I was pleasantly surprise to see Dato Seri Najib's article in The Star today that it took me a while just to stare at the page. For a moment I thought The Star is giving the UMNO President-elect a new space in the paper. But no, the article first appeared in Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. It was also translated in Malay in today's Utusan Malaysia - Tukar Cakap Jadi Perbuatan (The headline sounds rather odd to me)

I have always believed that to be a political leader, one must also be a thinker. And to be a good leader one must know how to articulate his/her ideas well not only in the form of fiery speeches, but also in writing. 21st century is the age of information and knowledge, and politics in this era is about politics of ideas. This is the era of information warfare. Should one fail to get a hold of these, it means that one(read: aspiring politician) is simply not good enough.

To be frank, this is one area where Khairy Jamaluddin has clear advantage over the other Ketua Pemuda UMNO contenders; Mukhriz Mahathir and Khir Toyo. And this is the one area where Ali Rustam lack the most. It's a good thing that he has been disqualified from contesting, seriously.

My Professor once said that it's easy for one to be a political commentator, anybody can do it; from taxi drivers to kaki lepak tepi jalan and so on. But the difference between them and a thinker or at least a 'wannabe thinker' is that, the latter writes. It is of no use if one have tonnes of brilliant ideas, but not being put into writing or something tangible.
Well, I hope this is not the first and last of Najib's article. :p

Ali Rustam and UMNO Elections

2009-03-18T14:41:00.005+08:00

This is my first attempt of mobile blogging. Not too bad. The posting will be short and brief, I hope.

I am going to be frank about the latest decision by the UMNO disciplinary board to bar the Malacca CM from contesting. With or without the decision, to me, Ali has no credibility at all to even think of contesting the Deputy President post. I agree with what Nazri Aziz said that based on technical factors alone Ali is incapable to be DPM. To begin with, he's not even an MP. And secondly, he's already a CM, for f sake.

In his recent interview with The Star, Ali said that he is proud to be referred to as Pak Lah's man. What does this means? Voting Ali as Deputy simply means - No Reform. And worse, voting Ali means UMNO stand to lose big in next general election. (Najib could be a possible factor here too but that's another story for another day). I strongly hope that the board will reject his application, if he ever decide to appeal.

Ali should look at himself in the mirror. Throughout history no sitting UMNO MB or CM has ever contested the Deputy post. Besides, a Deputy President of UMNO is traditionally or by default the Deputy Prime Minister! And being a DPM is a full time job. I don't believe that one can juggle himself as a Chief Minister, albeit a small state, and a DPM. I am not denying his achievements as the Malacca CM. But I believe the federal level is a different ball game, which he has a very limited experience. I remember reading in the papers last year whereby Ali was quoted as saying something like, the Deputy post is vacant therefore I feel I should offer myself. I seriously think that any candidate who uses this stupid line for contesting any party position should be rejected. Yes, isn't it obvious the post is vacant? There is no need to emphasize on it. What people want to know is your ideas and contributions.
Obama fought for the presidency because he wanted 'change' and not because Bush's term is coming to an end.

Ali, though he has a track record as the chief of Belia 4B and other youth organisation, he no longer or perhaps never represented the voice of the younger generation. Furthermore, being an UMNO leader from Malacca, where UMNO won all seats contested, I doubt he could understand the general misperception and ill feelings of the rakyat against UMNO or the government. Being a Pak Lah man, he simply does not have the ideas and capabilities needed to help Najib in pursuing reforms in UMNO. This is no longer the era where the rakyat could be easily fed with janji-janji pembangunan. UMNO must change. Old rhetorics is becoming obsolete already. UMNO must step up the pressure and always be on the offensive. To keep on being defensive to the opposition only shows that you are weak. I can only see business as usual for UMNO if Ali becomes the Deputy. To all Ali supporters, I think you can at least do good to him by letting him just focus on Malacca. Let Najib and his new team focus on Malaysia.

I don't have time to talk about Mat Taib here. Muhyiddin Yassin is the only choice. I just don't understand with some people in UMNO. Party elections is about electing capable leaders to lead the party and government and it's not a beauty contest where one is judged by his looks or whether he smile at you or not.

May the best man win.

Lee Chong Wei beats Lin Dan!

2009-03-16T00:08:00.003+08:00

Utusan: Chong Wei juarai Terbuka Switzerland
KUALA LUMPUR 15 Mac - Pemain nombor satu dunia, Datuk Lee Chong Wei menjuarai Terbuka Switzerland apabila berjaya menewaskan musuh tradisinya, Lin Dan dari China pada perlawanan akhir Siri Super itu sebentar tadi. Chong Wei menang dengan straight set 21-16, 21-18.

This is simply smashing! For a moment I thought Lin Dan was really unbeatable, until he lost to Chong Wei today. In the meanwhile, our doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong made it a double joy for Malaysia when they won the doubles title after beating Danish pair Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen. This is certainly a great news for Malaysia.

Congratulations to them both for making Malaysians proud and giving us something to cheer about. Sometimes we just need a break. I believe most Malaysians are just sick and tired of the neverending political feud that has been going on since the March 8 general election.

Anyways, I believe the next plausible step is to aim for the elusive Thomas Cup, which Malaysia last won seventeen years ago!

Al-fatihah to the Father of Modern Silat

2009-03-11T23:48:00.004+08:00

Pendita Hj. Anuar Wahab (source: Wikipedia)

Al-Fatihah and sincere condolences to the family of Pendita Hj. Anuar Wahab who has just passed away. He was the Guru Utama or the Grandmaster of Seni Gayung Fatani. Being a former practitioner of Gayung Fatani back in high school, this news comes as a really great shock. All that I can think of upon reading the news was that, it is such a great loss to the Silat world, particularly among Gayung Fatani members.

If the Malay legendary warrior, Hang Tuah is well known as the 'Father of Silat', I think it is reasonable to confer the title 'Father of Modern Silat' to Allahyarham Pendita Hj. Anuar Wahab. His contribution towards the development of modern Silat in Malaysia and the world is simply immeasurable.

To sum up his remarkable achievements toward Silat, it would be the modernization of the Silat syllabus, his contribution toward the establishment of PESAKA, the parent body of all Silat associations in which Silat Gayung Fatani was one of the founding member, he was also part of the founding member of the International Silat Organisation or PERSILAT, and most important of all, the founding of Silat Olahraga or the combative sport of Silat, which has brought greater fame to Silat through various regional and world competition.

Talking about Silat in general, if there is one thing that I really look forward to is that to see Silat become an Olympic sport one day, or perhaps some Hollywood (since there are no local producers who are interested) filmmakers would incorporate Silat into their films. Malaysia's most expensive film, 'Puteri Gunung Ledang' had Silat in it, but sadly the Silat that appeared on the silver screen were only in the form of Silat costumes and the spoken Silat (read:Malay) language, whereas the movements and all the fighting scenes were so alien to the even basic style of Silat Melayu; Hence the reason why Guru Ariffin Yeop decided to withdraw from being the Silat instructor.

Lastly, I have only one wish to the current leadership of Gayung Fatani. Please learn the lessons of Gayung, Cekak and some other Silat groups, whereby the moment their founding grandmaster passes away, a host of splinter groups were formed by former students of the grandmaster - each claimed to be the most righeous - and taking away all but the Silat's original name.

Below are some of Guru Hj. Anuar Wahab's contribution toward Silat from his writings.

Related blog post:
Pendita Anuar Wahab passes away - Nadzrin Wahab

Trivia - Do you know what are the similarities between Shahnon(.com) the blogger and Shahnon Ahmad the national laureate? :)

One Last Flip-Flop by PM Abdullah Badawi

2009-02-28T00:56:00.004+08:00

FLIP (26 Feb 2009)
TheStar: Works Minister announces toll hike
KUALA LUMPUR: Road users will have to pay higher tolls for five major highways beginning March 1.
The highways affected are the North-South Expressway (PLUS), Sprint/Kerinchi/Damansara Link highways, Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Expressway (AKLEH), Sungai Besi Highway and the New Pantai Expressway (NPE).

FLOP (27 Feb 2009)
Malaysiakini - Gov't U-turn: Toll hike put off
In a dramatic reversal, the government has decided to suspend toll hike of up to 33 percent for five major highways in Klang Valley announced yesterday.

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi was also quoted in The Star saying "The situation is not right for a toll hike. I felt that this matter needed to be discussed again in the Cabinet."

Now, the interesting question is, why is it that no proper study or consideration was made before announcing the toll hike? Sadly, it just shows how indecisive and weak the government is. The government should study all possible (political) implications before making such hasty decision. I think it's pretty obvious that no sane rakyat would support or agree for a toll increase, especially in the present state of economic crisis. But no, this smart Minister decided to proceed with announcing the toll hike on Thursday.

This is not the first flip flop decision made during Pak Lah's administration, or else he wouldn't be named as such. I believe the first was the controversial 'crooked' or 'scenic' bridge issue when Pak Lah decided to scrap it altogether just over a month after announcing that "JB bridge project must go ahead" back in January 2006. This incident also signalled the first public feud between PM Abdullah Badawi and former PM, Tun Dr. Mahathir and it further strained the relationship between the both of them.

Like it or not, the present government is a weak government, and when you have a weak government administering the country, you just can't afford to make unpopular decisions or risk facing voters' backlash in the next general election. Future Prime Minister and UMNO president, Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak is no statesman but a politician (which I think is slightly better than Pak Lah, a mere administrator/bureaucrat). To me, this is the main distinction that separates between Najib and Tun Dr. Mahathir - a real statesman. I foresee that Najib and his new government will not have much choice other than adopting a populist approach in policymaking otherwise they will forever be dogged by never ending dilemmas and controversies. Looking in the context of the local blogosphere, I anticipate such great backlash from the pro-Pakatan Rakyat bloggers (especially coming from Raja Petra's Malaysia-Today) the moment Najib takes the oath as the nation's sixth Prime Minister.

Coming back to the toll issue, I thank Pak Lah for intervening in postponing (should've just be cancelled for good) the toll hike. After all, he is resigning soon, so let's be nice to him. :)

"A politician thinks about the next elections - the stateman thinks about the next generations." -- Winston Churchill.

'Geng' the movie!

2009-02-26T01:12:00.005+08:00

It's really been a while since I last blog something about Malaysian movies, or any movies for that matter. This blog has been too politically focused in the past few months - all thanks to the never ending political instabilities ever since the March 8 elections.

So anyways, I have just watched 'Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula' at TGV Sunway Pyramid with some of my office colleagues. I have read a few good reviews about the film and knowing most of the production crews and their capabilities since my university days, I have no doubt that the film will be a big hit.

And true enough, the film grossed more than RM2.5million within just 4 days! It might be just a matter of time before it exceeds beyond 5million in the next couple of weeks. I must say that for a meager budget of RM4 million, the first Malaysian 3d animation film is not just a good film, but an outstanding one.

For an extensive review of the film, read Hafidz Mahpar's article in The Star: Animating an industry.

Honestly, I can't recall when was the last time I watched a good Malaysian movie and I think this is a proud moment for Malaysian cinema and also the local animation industry in particular. I foresee that this film might grab some awards in the upcoming whatever film festival in Malaysia or maybe even overseas.

Last but not least, I recommend all to watch the movie!

Charity Bazaar for Gaza, Bangsar

2009-02-20T12:11:00.003+08:00

Another long overdue entry. :p
The charity bazaar for Gaza below was held at the Bangsar Shopping Centre about 10 days ago. I even spotted former MCA Cabinet Minister, Dr. Chua Jui Meng there.

A Malaysian doctor on the mini stage shared her experience while working with the humanitarian group in Gaza

Two street musicians and an unknown lady

Politicians of the week

2009-02-18T23:33:00.010+08:00

Elizabeth Wong

Blogpulse.com

Graph above shows the popularity of three Pakatan Rakyat leaders in the blogosphere; Anwar Ibrahim, former Perak MB, Nizar Jamaluddin and former Selangor exco member and Bukit Lanjan Assemblyperson, Elizabeth Wong.

While Nizar Jamaluddin's fame has slowed down this week, Eli's popularity among bloggers continues to skyrocket exceeding even her boss, Anwar Ibrahim - all due to her recent nude pictures scandal allegedly being exposed by her ex-boyfriend.

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Mukhriz Mahathir, Khir Toyo and Khairy Jamaluddin

Secondly, judging by the popularity in blogs, former Selangor MB, Dr. Khir Toyo seems to be the leading contender for the Ketua Pemuda UMNO post. Unfortunately, this sentiment is also shared by many UMNO insiders and other political commentators like Joceline Tan of The Star and Raja Petra of Malaysia-Today. His latest fame in the blogs was his criticism on Eli Wong's nude picture scandal, which he was widely condemned.

As a human being, I sympathize with Eli. There is just no doubt that she is the victim here. And Khir Toyo's remark in saying that "this is about public morality" is just plain stupid. I just hope that Khir Toyo lose in the upcoming pemilihan Ketua Pemuda UMNO, really. I just can't think of what 'change' he can bring to UMNO. It looks more like an unimaginable disaster.

While Khir Toyo was famous for his comments on Eli Wong's "morality", another UMNO youth leader candidate, Mukhriz Mahathir reached his peak in December 2008 when he suggested to abolish vernacular schools and to have one school system for all. Something like in Singapore. This suggestion sparked new debate between both Barisan and Pakatan bloggers and interestingly, there seems to be some support for his ideas from Pakatan bloggers while non-Malay Barisan supporters were strongly against the idea. In my view, although the idea is good for uniting all Malaysian schoolchildren from all races under one school system, politically it is just too unrealistic, at least in the context of Barisan Nasional. Mukhriz was quoted as saying;

“The school remains the same physically and it is the system that needs changing where the medium of teaching would eventually be one, which is Bahasa Malaysia, except for Science and Mathematics,” he said, adding that it would include religious schools.

All in all, my personal view is that any leading UMNO leaders must not only attempt to win the hearts and minds of the Malays, but also the minority non-Malays too. And sadly, even though I am rooting for Mukhriz, I think none of the three leaders above have such quality. They must realize that this is no longer the 60s or 70s. To keep harping on racial or religious issue doesn't make any real sense anymore. Malaysia needs a new strong leadership with a good clear sense of direction to lead the country out from the economic crisis and into a better future.

Forum for Palestine

2009-02-12T02:38:00.003+08:00

This is quite a long overdue blog post - all due to the Perak political crisis which dominated all media headlines for the past few days.

Last Thursday I was fortunate to had the chance to hear former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir and other panel members speak at the forum for Palestine, organised by the Kuala Lumpur Foundation To Criminalise War at Crowne Plaza Hotel, KL. I don't have much time to blog about it though. You may head over to Tun's blog for his personal view on the forum. Here are some pictures. Apologize for the low quality pictures. :)

Tun Dr. Mahathir giving the opening speech. His full speech is available at criminalisewar.org

Prof. Michel Chossudovsky and former US Congresswoman and 2008 Green Party nominee for President of the United States, Cynthia McKinney (seated)

Two Jordanian doctors spoke about their horror experience while treating patients at the Al-Shifaa Hospital in Gaza. Seated on the left is law expert, Prof. Gurdial Singh Nijar

Two by-elections within 60 Days!

2009-02-09T21:57:00.005+08:00

Two by-elections: One MP dies, one rep quits
PETALING JAYA: The country will face two by-elections within the next 60 days after a Member of Parliament (MP) in Perak died, while a Kedah assemblyman quit -- both on Monday.

Bukit Gantang MP Roslan Shaharum of PAS died of a heart attack on Monday morning, while Bukit Selambau assemblyman V. Arumugam of PKR quit his seat and his position on the Kedah executive council in the afternoon.

This is something which is not necessary yet unavoidable. Malaysian politics is getting hotter and more exciting, depending on which side you are with. Personally, I seriously think that the current political situation is just too much. And it's definitely not good for the country. Expect to watch more political fightings, lies & deceptions and dirty politics being played out by both parties.

This is also causing me problems for my on going MA research as I find it quite hard to set the time frame for my research. And secondly, while analyzing the blogosphere, I often end up reading most of them. Focus, focus.. :)

The Perak Circus. I mean crisis

2009-02-07T23:54:00.006+08:00

UPDATE:
Utusan Malaysia - Mesyuarat Exco Nizar tidak sah, macam budak-budak - SUK
Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri (SUK) Perak, Datuk Dr. Abdul Rahman Hashim ketika dihubungi Mingguan Malaysia semalam turut terkejut dengan tindakan Mohammad Nizar sampaikan boleh mempengerusikan 'mesyuarat Exco' berkenaan.

"Katakan kepadanya dia hanya main wayang, mesyuarat itu tidak sah, macam mesyuarat budak-budak," katanya.

Ketika Mingguan Malaysia membacakan empat keputusan 'mesyuarat' yang 'diluluskan' oleh Mohammad Nizar, Abdul Rahman terdiam seketika.
"Cakap pada dia, terima kasih sahajalah," katanya.

Hahah. Man, this is so funny. I just can't wait to see how long this ex-MB would last without the support from the Sultan AND the government agencies! Dear Nizar, it would be much better for you to do what Idris Jusoh did in Terengganu last year and accept the Sultan's decision.

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What a disgraceful lot!!

..Sekumpulan beruk dan ungka didapati cuba menghalang kenderaan rasmi Raja Muda Perak, Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah yang sedang menuju ke Istana Iskandariah, Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar (BH)

Dua tiga ekor beruk berbaring di atas jalan raya di luar kawasan Istana Iskandariah, Kuala Kangsar (Utusan)

What happened yesterday at the Perak royal town of Kuala Kangsar was such a shameful and uncivilised act by the beruks above. I can't help but feel sad looking at the pictures. It was something totally unprecedented in the modern history of Perak - open and blatant disrespect towards the royal family.

PAS members, which I think forms the majority of the protestors above, are known for their strong discipline and would not do something without the consent of the party leadership. Therefore, I believe all these acts wouldn't have happened without the consent of the real dalang, namely Anwar bin Ibrahim and supported by the DAP puppet ex-MB, Nizar Jamaluddin and the PAS leadership. More than 24 hours have passed and yet there is not even a single condemnation from any of the Pakatan Rakyat leaders on the behaviour of their members at Kuala Kangsar.

Friends or anybody who have been following this blog throughout some time must've notice that I don't usually express my views on local politics strongly and emotionally. But I feel, the despicable acts by the beruk-beruk in the pictures above was the last straw. It was really unacceptable.

The DAP-puppet ex MB, Nizar Jamaluddin's shameful disrespect toward the Sultan too was another disgrace. It was only few days ago that he was quoted in the media as saying, "..terserah kepada Tuanku membuat keputusan", and then when decision was not made in his favour; it is now, “Berjuang Hingga Titisan Darah Terakhir!”, said the ex Mentri Besar. But, who are you waging war against? The Sultan of Perak? No? Oh, so you're fighting against the appoinment of the new Menteri Besar, Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir, yes? But then again, who appointed him??

On the other hand, while I do enjoy reading Raja Petra's articles, it is not that often that I agree to what he has got to say. However, this time around I am in total agreement with him. Allow me to quote;

"When the Rulers of Perlis and Terengganu ‘interfered’ in Umno’s choice of Menteri Besar, we hailed them as great Rulers who are full of justice and wisdom. When the Rulers agreed to allow Pakatan Rakyat to form the Perak and Selangor state governments, they are the best Rulers in the world. Whenever things go our way we are full of praise. But as soon as the decision does not favour us they are haprak Rulers.

The Rulers are a disappointment. We are disgusted with our Rulers. Our Rulers sold out to Umno. Malaysia should abolish the Monarchy and turn the country into a Republic. And so on and so forth. That is what is on the lips of many Malaysians. But if the Rulers had favoured the opposition, even though they did so in violation of the law and the Constitution, we will hail the Rulers as amongst the best in the world.

Actually, the Perak and Selangor Rulers were worried that the Pakatan Rakyat state governments of these two states would not last, in particular in Perak, which had a very slim majority. That is why there was a week’s delay in swearing in the Perak and Selangor state governments.." - Raja Petra Kamarudin (Malaysia-Today)

Last words. "Face fact. It is Anwar out-manouvred, out-witted and eating humble pie." - anotherbrickinthewall

Below are some good reading from across the blogs.
Ketuanan Pakatan Rakyat
Perak Politics: Reality of Realpolitik
Anwar's Storming of the Bastille in Perak

Perak in crisis

2009-02-06T00:00:00.003+08:00

Another round of quotable quotes by Bar Council Chairwoman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, constitutional law expert, Prof. Dr. Shad Saleem Faruqi and Kelantan MB, Tuan Guru Nik Aziz.

PERAK IN CRISIS - Nizar has no choice but to resign: Bar Council
KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs:Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin has no choice but to resign, the Bar Council head said.

Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said that Perak ruler Sultan Azlan Shah had acted within the provisions of the state constitution in not agreeing to the dissolution of the state assembly and asking Nizar to quit.

“The constitution says that if the MB does not command majority in the state assembly and his request to dissolve the state assembly is not granted by the Sultan, then will have to tender the resignation of the exco, including himself,” she said.

“These provisions are similar to those in the Federal Constitution and in this case, the Ruler seemed to be satisfied that he (Nizar) does not command the majority.” [NST]

Prof Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi - Not In Constitution, But Sultan Can Dismiss MB
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Perak has the power to dismiss his Menteri Besar even though the latter refuses to tender his resignation after being decreed to do so, a constitutional law expert said.

"In a situation where the person (MB) doesn't want to step down despite having lost (the support of the majority), I think the Sultan will have the power to remove.

Nik Aziz Respects Sultan's Decision, PR Must Be Rational
KOTA BAHARU, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat respects the decision of the Sultan of Perak not to dissolve the State Legislative Assembly and asking his Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, to resign as His Highness has the right and power to do so.

New BN government in Perak aside, frankly, I pity those three PKR and DAP frogs. I wonder how are they going to work and serve the people in their respective constituencies effectively as new independent representatives. I mean, don't they feel ashamed to face the people, particularly those who voted for them? To look at it from a long term perspective, they are in fact committing political suicide. I doubt BN would retain these politically corrupt ADUNs in the next general election. And even if they do get selected to contest under BN, I don't think they can win again after what had happened.

According to DAP Perak chairman, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, Hee's reason for leaving Pakatan was because she was not given any benefits by the state. Quoting his statement from The Star, "He said Hee was dissatisfied and had complained for not being appointed an exco member and for not getting a Toyota Camry" (The Star).
If this is really true, then I feel sad for BN to have someone with such a disgraceful mentality as an elected representative and possible new Perak Exco.

Whatever it is, the new Mentri Besar of Perak will definitely not going to have it all smooth sailing. He is after all leading an unpopular government and there is no certainty that the new government will be a stabler one than the Pakatan Rakyat government. Only time can tell.

Perak circus: Anwar started the party-hopping ball rolling

2009-02-04T23:28:00.008+08:00

The circus clown party in Perak is just getting more exciting that I can't afford not to blog about it and be part of history. A simple search on "Perak" on the blogosphere have so far resulted in an impressive 12728 results (via Blogpulse).

Below are two quotable quotes from 1) The Group Chief Editor of The Star, Wong Chun Wai and 2) a letter to The Star by Ahmad Hussein.

A Game that Anwar Ibrahim lost
"It was a high stakes game that Anwar Ibrahim started and he has ended up losing the Perak state government.

The PKR tried luring BN representatives to join the party and even set a Sept 16 deadline of forming the next federal government. It failed but many people believed it would take place. In the end, it was just a sham. Then the Pakatan Rakyat tried to woo BN men in Penang, Negri and last week, the Bota state assemblymen. The floodgates, so to speak, were opened.

A dangerous political game was played out and in the end, when the BN decided to come in, they walked away with a prized state." - Wong Chun Wai

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The Star: Anwar started the party-hopping ball rolling
IF there is anyone to be blamed for party defections, it should be PKR supremo Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He was the one, in his obsession to take over as the Prime Minister, who encouraged party hopping and even set the Sept 16 deadline.

His followers, many of whom unfortunately have become slavish idol worshippers, have conveniently forgotten this.

He wooed and persuaded Barisan Nasional elected representatives, especially from Sabah and Sarawak, to defect. Please do not tell us that these targets of his were not promised positions of power. We were not born yesterday.

Then, he convinced the State Assemblyman for Bota in Perak to join PKR. Of course, it was all in the name of principles and serving the people.

If it were PKR, DAP or PAS-elected representatives, they would have been condemned and accused of selling out the people.

Are we to believe that PKR does not buy elected representatives, given the huge financial resources they have now?

It is strange that Anwar has not called for the Bota assemblyman Datuk Nasarudin Hashim to step down so that a fresh by-election can be held. What kind of double standards is this?

Anwar is said to have played a major role in over-throwing the PBS state government under Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan. The undated resignation letters were found to be invalid and useless then.

Now, we are told by the Pakatan Rakyat leaders that these letters are valid. Come on, again, double talk.

Anwar has opened the flood gates, and if more PKR and DAP assemblymen from Perak quit, he deserves it because he started the game.

Remember, the PKR has also been trying to convince Negri Sembilan and Penang BN state assemblymen to join them. No wonder, they are not keen on any anti-hopping laws for the country.

AHMAD HUSSEIN,
Petaling Jaya.

Quoting Hishamuddin Rais in his speech at a forum recently, I say "This is Realpolitik in action. Politic spelled with a K".

While it is strongly speculated that the jump by the Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen; Jamaluddin Radzi, Osman Jailani was to be made few days before their corruption trial, I also wonder whether the timing of the clowns to jump ship to Barisan Nasional was pre-planned to coincide with Sultan Azlan Shah's silver jubilee?

Anyhow, I have strong faith in the Sultan’s wisdom, justice and capabilities, that he will make a wise and good judgement in the best interest of the rakyat. It surely gonna be one tough 'neutral' decision to be made. But my conscience tells me that it's gonna be a state-wide fresh election, though.

In the mean time, keep your seat belt buckled up while waiting for the wise old Sultan to pass his judgement. Tomorrow's surely gonna be more exciting, I bet!

Related articles:
Bernama - Was PR Out-manoeuvred In Its Own Game?
Bernama - Will Sabah's 1994 Political History Be Repeated In Perak?

Occupied Palestine and Israel III

2009-01-28T23:30:00.004+08:00

Here's another great piece of article written by renowned law professor, Dr. Shad Saleem Faruqi in today's The Star.

Going to the roots of the conflict.
If Israel has a right of self defence, so do the starving beleaguered people of Palestine who are the victims of state terrorism and economic strangulation.

IN many Western capitals including Washington and Paris, and in some Malaysian minds, there is, regrettably, no sense of outrage at the three-week carnage that took place in Gaza beginning Dec 27.

I have heard Malaysians say that Israel cannot be expected to sit idly by as Hamas fighters shoot rockets at innocent Israeli citizens.

Indeed, any sovereign nation is entitled under Article 51 of the UN Charter to defend its sovereignty against an armed attack.

However, this right of self defence in international law is available only to a state that is under unlawful attack. It is not available to one that is itself an aggressor; that is in unlawful occupation of another land; and that is involved in a genocidal programme of economic strangulation of a whole people.

The right to wage war without authority of the UN is not available for bringing regime change – in this case the attempt to topple the rightfully elected Hamas government of Gaza.

We should also not ignore the fact that elections are around the corner in Israel and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wishes to bolster his political chances.

A number of other historical, legal and political facts cannot be denied.

First, even before the launch of the Israeli invasion of Dec 27, the people of Gaza were in the midst of a grave humanitarian crisis due to Israel’s unlawful 19-month economic blockade that prevented food, medicine and other basic necessities of life from reaching the hungry and angry inhabitants of this occupied land.

Second, the truth is that Hamas was not the first to launch an attack on Israel. Neve Gordon of Ben-Gurion University tells us that “it was Israel which broke the ceasefire on Nov 4 when it attacked the Gaza Strip”.

Hamas retaliated by shooting crude, 25-mile range rockets into Israeli civilian areas, killing four innocent Jewish citizens.

Third, the right of self defence under Article 51 persists only till “the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain peace and security”.

Once the Council formally determines that there exists a threat, individual states may no longer exercise the right of self defence without the Council’s express prior approval.

There was no such express approval given to Israel to continue its slaughter.

Fourth, if Israel has a right of self defence, so do the starving beleaguered people of Palestine who are the victims of state terrorism and economic strangulation by Israel.

Fifth, the International Court of Justice has affirmed in the Nuclear Weapons Case that lawful defence must be both proportional to the armed attack and necessary to respond to it. International observers have confirmed that Hamas rockets killed four Israeli civilians. Nine other Israelis died in executing the Gaza assault.

In a totally disproportionate and barbaric response, Israel killed 1,300 Palestinians and wounded 5,000. It bombed Gaza back to the stone age. Forty-five percent of the casualties were women and children.

Sixth, deliberate annihilation of civilian areas is a war crime. The shelling of UN-run food depots and refugee centres and the bombing of hospitals, mosques and schools are grave violations of humanitarian laws.

The point-blank shooting of innocent children and elderly citizens, as is graphically illustrated by The Star’s Shahanaaz Habib, are crimes against humanity.

Seventh, Israel’s halt to the assault on Gaza’s civilians and the cessation of mass murder are a welcome relief. But this façade of restraint does not change the ground realities.

The whole of Palestine including the 1.5 million people of Gaza are still under Israeli subjugation. Israeli ground troops and tanks remain in occupation.

Apartheid walls surround the people. A 19-month-old illegal and crippling economic blockade is still strangulating Gaza. All borders are sealed. Palestinian land, air and water remain under Israeli control.

For all practical purposes, the inhabitants of Gaza in particular, and Palestine in general, remain trapped in a massive jail. In a brutal system of permanent apartheid, they lead a life of near starvation, unemployment and utter indignity.

In the face of such continuing bestiality, what can the Third World do?

Our NGOs must fill the airwaves with the view that there will be no lasting ceasefire and no peace unless there is justice. The Palestinians cannot be caged.

Racist and religious bigots in Israel, the US and Europe must be told that enough is enough. The world cannot any more tolerate this 61-year effort to wipe out the Palestinians.

Neither should we condone the diabolical attempt to sear into the Palestinian conscience the idea that the Palestinians are a defeated people and that if they wish to survive they must be prepared to lead a dog’s life under Israeli control.

It is with regret and disgust I note that US and French presidents talk about the need to “stop weapons smuggling into Gaza” but ignore the larger, root cause – the genocide and inhumanity of the apartheid Israeli state.

The Third World should stop relying on the US and Europe to bring justice to the Middle East.

On the issue of Palestine, the Third World should turn to Russia and China. They should fill the vacuum of leadership and demand justice for the Palestinians.

There is one shining precedent.

In 1956, an Anglo-French-Israeli expedition invaded the Suez Canal. The USSR threatened to intervene on the side of Nasser’s Egypt. Faced with this ultimatum, France, UK and Israel withdrew in humiliation.

The Third World should have no expectations from the Security Council of the United Nations. It is a relic of the racist, colonial era. We must rely on the 191-nation General Assembly which is the most democratic of all international institutions. We must jettison the colonial interpretation that the General Assembly’s powers are residual and subordinate to the Security Council’s. Third World nations must push through more “Uniting for Peace Resolutions” and cooperate with each other to enforce them.

If Russia, China and India can provide the lead, an international force that excludes the US and Europe can be put together to patrol the occupied lands, secure basic necessities and prevent the ongoing genocide.

Finally, there must be an impartial, international investigation into widely reported violations of the laws of war by both Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Israel cannot be suckled with immunity after each horrendous crime against the Palestinians just because Jews were butchered by Europeans. On no principle of justice can Arabs be held vicariously responsible for European crimes against the Jews.

Dr Shad is Professor of Law at UiTM.

Thoughts on Barack Hussein Obama

2009-01-23T00:01:00.006+08:00

Some quotable quotes of Obama's inauguration speech taken from the Internet.

"President Obama's first call 'was to President Abbas'
President Obama placed the Middle East at the forefront of his first hours in office yesterday as he sought to make good on his promise of “ushering in a new era of peace.” - Haber27.com

"United States President Barack Obama is expected to sign an executive order Thursday to close the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba within a year." - Bernama.com

"Mr Obama, who was sworn in using his full name of Barack Hussein Obama, also spoke directly to those of the Islamic faith, seeking to separate Muslim moderates from Islamist extremists.

During the election campaign, Mr Obama said he would travel to a Muslim country in the first 100 days of his presidency. Malaysia, Indonesia and Morocco are understood to be under consideration." - Telegraph.co.uk

Read President Obama's Inauguration Speech in full

While I do not want to be overly optimistic with the quotes above, I believe these are encouraging words from the new President of United States. Regardless of what people think, to me, Barack Hussein Obama is definitely the lesser of two evils. I seriously doubt that if John McCain won the presidential election he would have said or done anything close to it.

Commenting on Obama's Middle East peace plan, I think it is indeed laudable. Again, while not being too optimistic, I do hope that with his diversified and intellectual background and his vast knowledge of the international aspect of society and culture, Obama could achieve what his predecessors; from the progressive and idealist President Woodrow Wilson to the worst president in American history, George Bush - had failed to accomplish. I know he was pretty silent on the recent Israeli raid on Gaza, but to be fair to him, we should give him a chance to implement his ideals and to put his words into concrete actions.

Let the closure of the notorious Guantanamo Bay and the early withdrawal of American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan be the first steps towards a practical and durable peace in the Middle East.

It is also interesting to note that he mentioned Malaysia (in his election campaign) out of a few dozens of Islamic countries that he intends to visit in his first 100 days in office. This is certainly a good sign. I bet George Bush or Sarah Palin probably wouldn't even know where Malaysia is. The Americans by and large are pretty ignorant of the world beyond their borders and probably unaware of the fact that Arabs are not the only Muslims and that the geographical spheres of the Muslim world is not only limited to the Middle East but stretches from Indonesia in the east to Morocco in the West.

For the record, Republican veep contender, Sarah Palin was quoted as 'did not know Africa was a continent'. How unbelievable is that for a person vying for Vice Presidency of the world's most powerful country. Thank goodness, the Republican lost. And with Obama as President, I think the world can at least 'hope' for a change, rather than feeling 'hopeless' under the previous neo conservative era of George Bush, Dick Cheney and all the right wing hawks in Washington.

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Here's another great article by Marina Mahathir reflecting on the inauguration of Barack Obama - Can We Hope for a Real Change?

Occupied Palestine and Israel II

2009-01-19T22:21:00.003+08:00

Some of my random postings on the Palestine-Israel issue on the local blogosphere.

1. On Hamas rocket attacks on the Jewish settlements;
..As you are aware, West Bank and Gaza is under full Israeli military occupation. Israel controls all land and sea borders. There is no freedom of movement. Their basic rights were denied. Do you expect no resistance at all to all these?

Obviously, Hamas knew that their Qassam rockets are nothing compared to the Israeli military might, but what they did was a show of defiance. This is absolutely natural in any fight against colonialism.

Furthermore, note that most of the Hamas rockets were targetted at Jewish settlements within Palestinian territories - which was not suppose to be there in the first place! It doesn't make sense for you to build houses in somebody else's territory and expect to live there in peace, do you?

Check this out to see how "terrible" the impact caused by the rockets. Something which the Israel used to justify their war on Gaza. http://palestinian.ning.com/forum/topics/the-other-side-of-the-story

To answer your analogy in the earlier part of the article, I wish to quote the following;

"Israeli apologists have presented absurd propaganda about those devices. We’ve been asked, for instance, what would we do if rockets were being launched on our homes in New York or Texas, from Canada or Mexico?

The proper answer is that, if those two nations had been unlawfully occupied or embargoed by the United States for 60 years of relentless oppression and repression, and if all attempts at peaceful change had been forcefully prevented or scuttled by the U.S., then such attacks would be an understandable, indeed a justifiable attempt at gaining intolerably deferred liberty.

Our appropriate response wouldn’t be to bomb the hell out of the nearest Canadian or Mexican city, but to collectively look into mirrors and earnestly ask ourselves, “What have we done wrong to incur their wrath?”

And then act to correct the situation."

- http://www.propeller.com/story/2009/01/01/the-truth-about-those-hamas-rockets

2. On the Palestinian resistance organizations and the root cause of the conflict;
..First, ask yourself why and what is Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups are fighting for? Why nobody care to think about this? They are fighting for independence and sovereignty of the state of Palestine! Even the the Americans fought against the British occupation. Same goes for the Indonesian against the Dutch, the Vietnamese against the French colonialism and so on so forth.

Secondly, you must understand the root cause of the problem, which many are still unaware or pretend not to highlight about the real fact that the state of Palestine is under Israel occupation since the end of the Six Day War in 1967. Not withstanding the fact that 70% of Palestinian lands were taken away in 1948 to create the state of Israel.

The Zionist regime has ignored hundreds of UN resolutions and international law which clearly stated that the Israeli occupation AND the creation of Jewish settlements within Palestinian territories are illegal.

Also, do you know that in 1975, the UN has stated that the Zionist ideology is a racist ideology. Equivalent to the Apartheid. But does Israel give a damn about all these? Hell no. Why? Because the UN is a toothless world organization. Because the US, the world's superpower is solidly behind them. Because the American political system were made to ensure that they will always support the cause of the Zionist regime.

I'd like to repeat again that the Palestinian state is under Israeli occupation. The Jewish settlements in Palestine is illegal, according to international law. Do you expect the Palestinians to just sit, watch and do nothing? While the Zionist regime freely bombs away their homes, take away their lands and farms which aged hundreds of years, denied them basic human rights, denied them the right of return for Palestinian refugees, something which is guaranteed by the UN, and so on so forth etc etc.

Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian families and relatives were being cut off because of the illegal Palestinian wall, which was built inside Palestinian territories! With all these injustice, human rights abuse and atrocities do you expect no resistance?? Do you expect no resistance at all?

The question that should be asked to the Israeli and American political leaders is not whether Hamas or the Palestinian leaders support the establishment of Israel, BUT whether they support the existence of an independent Palestinian state??

Just Google the map of Palestine and compare them from 1948, 1967, 1990 to date. I think Palestine perhaps is the only country in the world where its territories are shrinking from time to time. And it looks as if the Palestinian state which is going to be wiped out.

3. On Fatah's alliance with the Israel authorities;
In the 80s, Israel secretly supported Hamas against the PLO led by Yasser Arafat. America too, in the 1980s supported Osama bin Laden and the Afghanistan mujahideen who fought against the Communist Soviet but years later it turn to backfire them. It is basically the same old divide and rule policy.

Israel does not want to see Hamas and Fatah united. So they sided with Fatah this time. Why? because Israel does not want peace - in the real sense - with Palestine. Peace in the real sense would mean the finalization of the two-state solution. Peace in the real sense means, giving independence and full sovereignty to the Palestinians.

As far as I can see, I do not foresee this to happen anytime soon because at present time, there isnt any Israeli political party bold enough to support the creation of an independent nation-state of Palestine and giving full sovereignty to the Palestinians; or they would risk losing badly in the election.

This is very much obvious. The fact that hundreds of thousands of illegal Jewish settlements were built in West Bank and Gaza in the past few decades are clear evidence that they want to keep a hold on to the Palestinian lands.

The unlawful Jewish settlements within Palestinian borders is one of the major stumbling block to the peace process. The illegal Apartheid wall is another. The stealing of Palestinian water resources by Israel is another issue. Do you honestly think Israel want to let go all these easily?

Thorough out history, no colonizer have let go their colonized territory easily. Even Malaysia fought hard for our independence, albeit a bloodless one. Therefore, I believe that Israel must be forced out from Palestinian lands. Soft approach does not seem to work anymore.

I am not interesting in the Arab world. The notion of an Arab world in the sense of a regional solidarity simply doesn't exist anymore. In my view, this is not just an Arab issue, but a matter of freedom and rights of self determination of the Palestinian people, something which have been denied for decades.

Moderate Palestinian leaders are being realistic throughout the years. What they are asking is only a fraction of the original Palestinian lands, which is the pre-1967 Palestinian borders. And this too have been denied by Israel. When Arafat was in power, Ariel 'butcher' Sharon ruled that Arafat must be removed as a condition for peace negotiation. And then, when Hamas won the general election, Israel yet again imposed a ridiculous set of conditions for negotiation, one of it is they do not want to recognise the new democratically elected Hamas government, even though the moderate Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh offered to renew peace process.

Kuala Terengganu by-election and UMNO

2009-01-18T22:56:00.009+08:00

Kuala Terengganu Crystal mosque. (source: The Star)

So, BN has lost yet another parliamentary seat in less than a year, plus the other two seats previously held by the Sabah based party, SAPP. BN and UMNO leaders should come to their senses and realize that after the 8 March political Tsunami, Permatang Pauh and now Kuala Terengganu, the widely perceived perception is that the people rejected them. After all, perception is more important than the real truth in politics. Personally, I do not think that Najib has the credibility or strong political will to carry out the necessary reforms for BN and UMNO. Even as Deputy PM, he has yet to prove that he is really up for the number one job. Politically, the best thing that I can foresee Najib can do is perhaps to be able to reunite the many factions within UMNO, especially those from the anti-Pak Lah group.

UMNO is seriously in a total mess. There is also this huge generation gap between the old leaders and the younger generation and it's unbelievable that they're doing nothing serious to capture their hearts and minds; the potential new voters in the next election. They should be focusing more on the young intellectuals and professionals, not those useless mat rempits. The tired old rhetorics of development agenda of BN, Perjuangan Melayu UMNO and so on so forth, are no longer relevant or something which doesn't really concern the new generation.

If BN and UMNO leaders really believed that they will bounce back in the next election like how they did in 2004, without any serious internal reforms, then I think when 2013 comes, BN will follow into footsteps of Golkar or Kuomintang. I feel that there are two major reasons why BN was successful to have recovered from their disastrous defeat in 1999. One, Pak Lah was relatively new as PM and still carry the Mr. Clean name tag, and for that reason, a vast majority of the rakyat gave him a resounding mandate. Secondly, Anwar was still in prison! And the opposition parties then, were not cohesively strong compared to the opposition alliance of PAS-PKR-DAP in March 2008. Like it or not, Anwar is the definitely the one-man factor that totally changed the course of the Malaysian political landscape in the 12th general election.

Back to the Kuala Terengganu by election, I have to disagree with Tun Dr Mahathir, in saying that the lost is due to lost of faith in Pak Lah. First, it was Najib who led the by-election campaign. Secondly, Najib is the future Prime Minister while Pak Lah is the outgoing. Hence, there are no strong reasons to say it's because of Pak Lah. Not discounting the fact of the huge number of hardcore PAS supporters in Kuala Terengganu, to a larger extent it was certainly due to the rejection of UMNO and BN as a whole by the majority Malays.

In the good old days of BN, they can always rely on the so-called 'silent majority' groups. But not anymore, the silent majority seems to be against the ruling party now and some of them are no longer 'silent'. To some, the Internet and blogs are becoming their new medium of expressing themselves politically. UMNO leaders must stop the habit of being on denial. They've got to seriously start face the facts and the new political reality post March 8 2008.

Israel and Gaza: Stop the Carnage, End the Lies

2009-01-13T00:24:00.003+08:00

More Palestinian cartoons at bendib.com/palestine

The article below is by far one of the best analysis on the current Palestine-Israel conflict published in our mainstream media (NST). I like the way ISIS CEO, Tan Sri Jawhar Hassan put his views in condemning the Israeli aggression and the way he discerns facts from lies. I also find it intriguing to read the strong words put forth in the article. E.g. commenting on Israel's massive worldwide propaganda -

"It is the corruption of truth on a colossal scale."

"The real issues are 40 years of illegal occupation, relentlessly expanding illegal settlements, suffocating blockades, closed border crossings, countless UN resolutions contemptuously ignored and violated, and disproportionate and indiscriminate use of overwhelming military force."

"The world must end this gruesome charade and stop Israel from perpetuating this grave injustice. Israel cannot be persuaded. It must be forced to return to its 1967 borders and honour the relevant UN resolutions for a just settlement."

I guess the above quotes pretty much sums up the whole bloody issue.

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NST: Israel and Gaza: stop the carnage, end the lies
By Mohamed Jawhar Hassan (2009/01/12)

THE image that Israel has carefully constructed of itself, for its own people and for the world, is built on a grand lie. It is the corruption of truth on a colossal scale. It reminds one of the words from the song Jerusalem Tomorrow:
I could tell a tale,
I could make it spin,
I could tell you black was white,
I could tell you day was night,
Not only that, I could tell you why.
Back then, I could really tell a lie.

Israel's pervasive influence on the power and media centres of the world; its cynical manipulation of words like democracy and terrorism which automatically evokes positive feelings towards it in the West, especially in the United States; the deep guilt that Christian Europe feels for the unspeakable horrors it visited on the Jews through the centuries and especially during the Holocaust; and Israel's projection as a small power under dire threat from larger Arab neighbours, all aid in the spinning of the myths and the lies.

A top-notch communications machinery with glib spokespersons is part of six decades of sustained deception.

These are some of the lies as they relate to the ongoing assault on Gaza:

- Israel says Hamas broke the ceasefire late last month by resuming rocket attacks into its territory. The facts: the ceasefire was for a period of six months ending Dec 16. During the ceasefire rocket attacks were to end and humanitarian supplies resumed fully. The rocket attacks ceased, but Israel only allowed about 20 per cent of the humanitarian aid in. Israel also broke the ceasefire on Nov 4 when it entered Gaza and killed six Palestinians, all to stop a tunnel being built that would help inhabitants smuggle in scarce supplies. This provoked the rocket attacks. Israel's November incursion was timed to happen when all eyes were on the presidential elections in the US, just as its invasion now is timed to inflict maximum damage before president-elect Barack Obama assumes office.

- Israel says it is forced to attack Gaza in self-defence to stop the grave threat from rockets fired by Hamas. The fact: Hamas launched rockets into Israel as a sign of defiance and to dramatise the suffocating blockade of Gaza. According to the Carter Centre, Hamas rockets have killed only three Israeli civilians in the last seven years. According to the Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem, Palestinian rockets took 13 Israeli lives in the last four years, compared with more than a thousand Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in just the past two years. This is the grave threat that is Israel's excuse to invade Gaza.

- Israel says its goal is only to dismantle Hamas' ability to fire rockets into its territory, and that it does not target civilians and takes care to avoid civilian casualties. These statements are made by no less than their prime minister, foreign minister and defence minister. The facts: a merciless air and land assault that is now into its 16th day, killing and maiming over 4,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians including women and children. The destruction is complete, a la Lebanon -- hospitals, schools, homes, buildings, and electricity and water supplies. Even international humanitarian convoys are bombed. Gaza is a killing field. It is literally a prison encircled by walls and land and sea blockades. No people on earth, including Israelis, Americans and Europeans, not to mention Malaysians, will want to live under these inhuman conditions and submit without a fight.

- Israeli leaders and spokespersons never fail to use the dreaded word "terrorists" to describe the Hamas fighters. The word is repeated again and again for good effect. As the numbers above attest, the real terrorists are the Israeli armed forces. Israel is terrorism incarnate. The modern-day barbarism has little equal: it texts Gazans to evacuate buildings when they have nowhere to run, then it cold-bloodedly bombs the buildings.

- Israel and its friends say they do not want to deal with Hamas because it does not recognise Israel and is not committed to a peaceful solution. The facts: one of the first acts of Ismail Haniyeh after being democratically elected prime minister in October 2006 was to send a message to United States President George W. Bush offering a long-term truce in return for an end to Israeli occupation. His offer was not even acknowledged. Hamas also agreed to any peaceful settlement worked out by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas if it was later approved by a majority in a public referendum.

- Israel denies a humanitarian crisis of its making in Gaza. The facts: every humanitarian assistance body active in Gaza, including those under the United Nations, will vouch that a disaster of immense proportions exists in Gaza. The strangulation of Gaza began well before the invasion. The noose is being tightened beyond tolerable levels now. All the media images give lie to the Israeli denials.

- Israel says the issue is smuggling of weapons, Hamas rockets and terrorism. The real issues are 40 years of illegal occupation, relentlessly expanding illegal settlements, suffocating blockades, closed border crossings, countless UN resolutions contemptuously ignored and violated, and disproportionate and indiscriminate use of overwhelming military force.

- Israel and its friends urge the people it has evicted and dispossessed by force to follow the path of peace and not violence. They urge peaceful negotiations. But peaceful negotiations have got the Palestinian Authority and Fatah nowhere. Israel keeps playing for time, expanding settlements all the while in pursuit of its real objective: a Greater Israel. Any wonder then that those who lose hope throw stones, fire rockets and become suicide bombers?

- Israel milks the Holocaust to the full to gain sympathy. It portrays itself as the victim, a weak state under constant threat from predatory Arab and Persian neighbours. It is civilised, a democracy that respects international law and human rights. It is only exercising its right of self-defence.

The facts: present day Israel is no longer a victim of the Holocaust. It is the perpetrator of one. This one is not as dramatic as the last, but it is just as real in the profound mass pain and suffering it inflicts.

Civilised countries with unfettered military power can unleash the most barbaric acts of war and destruction, and Israel is one. Israel is the fourth most potent military power on earth. It has breached international law many times, and it perpetrates humanitarian crimes in the name of justice, freedom and democracy without batting an eye.

The world must end this gruesome charade and stop Israel from perpetuating this grave injustice. Israel cannot be persuaded. It must be forced to return to its 1967 borders and honour the relevant UN resolutions for a just settlement.

The major powers must stop abetting Israel. They cannot shield the aggressor from international law. They cannot arm the occupier and deny arms to the occupied. They cannot condone oppression and humanitarian disaster. They cannot resist mounting international outrage and growing domestic opposition.

Governments are constrained from speaking out. But those that have diplomatic relations with Israel can recall their ambassadors and, if necessary, suspend diplomatic relations until it complies with international law and respects the will of the international community.

Non-government organisations and the people have more freedom to act. The demonstrations around the world are just the beginning. Their capacity to make a difference can be compelling. Even the most hardline governments, those that tolerate the use of war and overwhelming force to bludgeon others into submission, must relent and heed the voice of the people.

When Israel finally agrees to a ceasefire after wreaking maximum carnage, the chapter is not closed. The people must not quickly forget the slaughter. The perpetrators must be brought to justice in an international court.

The issue of Gaza and Palestine is not about race, religion or nation. It is about decency, dignity and humanity.

Tan Sri Jawhar is chairman and CEO of ISIS Malaysia. The views are his own.

Myth and Reality in Occupied Palestine

2009-01-11T20:50:00.002+08:00

As mentioned previously, here are some pictures at the "Myth and Reality in Occupied Palestine" forum held in the Bar Council Auditorium, Jalan Lebuh Pasar, Kuala Lumpur. For more details and summary of the event scroll down to previous blog entry.

L-R: Hishamuddin Rais, Prof. Gurdial Singh Nijar, Dr. Rosli Omar

Dr. Farish Noor

"Queer/Feminist Bloc for the Freedom of Palestine"

The accidental reunion of 6 Jejarum 1995, Sri Subang! Hehe.
L-R: Fareisha, Sara, unidentified person, the blogger, afzan

Occupied Palestine and the Israeli Propaganda

2009-01-11T01:48:00.006+08:00

Myth and Reality in Occupied Palestine forum, Bar Council Auditorium, Kuala Lumpur (9 January 2009).

I'll probably post some of the pictures at the 'Myth & Reality in Occupied Palestine' forum, hopefully soon. It was a great night. Dr. Farish Noor was arguably the best speaker at the forum. Thankfully he made it on time to reach KL from Singapore to attend the forum.

In summary, Dr. Farish first talked about the Liberal Conscience and how it tends to delay actions. He spoke of how the American so-called global 'War on Terror' were being transplanted into the context of Gaza. Another point was that the Palestinians in Gaza are the colonized people, therefore, wouldn't colonized people fight against their oppressor? Dr Farish then made clear distinguish between 'fight for victory' and symbol of defiance by Hamas. From another perspective, he said that history should not and cannot be used to justify the Israeli actions. The ancient Kingdom of David and Solomon have got nothing to do with the modern nation state of Israel. Modern Israel was establish on 1948 and according to Dr. Farish, this is the point of history that should be looked into.

Hishamuddin Rais, too, entertained the crowd well with his firebrand speech. While I may not agree with all the points brought forward by him, I do admire his rhetoric and oratory skills. Isham stressed on the point that the crux of the matter is about American imperialism and he added that the belief of Zionism is not just limited to the Jews but it exists everywhere among all nations of the world, even in Malaysia. Isham also mentioned that Hamas is actually the creation of Israel. I don't know, but I find this as something enlightening but totally an absurd one. I don't buy the idea of his so-called "local Zionist" propaganda. I think Isham chose the wrong platform in attacking UMNO. This is not the time to argue on local issues but to stand in solidarity with our Palestinian brothers in Gaza. Even Fatah supporters too demonstrated together with their Hamas brothers in the West Bank against the Israel atrocities.

I also reject totally his repeated statements that the issue in Palestine has got nothing to do with Islam. Yes, the main issue isn't about god or Islam, but about stolen land, unlawful occupation, oppression and Apartheid rule, restriction of movements and freedom and etc. Yet, I believe it is wrong to outrightly reject the notion that it has nothing to do with Islam.

Occupied Palestine and Jerusalem or Baitulmaqdis in particular obviously does have something to do with Islam and the Muslim ummah in general. He must've missed out the fact that Jerusalem was the first qiblah of the Muslims before it was later changed to Makkah. Secondly, Jerusalem is the site of the third holiest mosque for Muslims - the Al-Aqsa mosque. References to Jerusalem and events in it have been made more than seventy times in the Qur'an and many times in the Hadith[source]. And the fact that the whole of Jerusalem, since 1967, is under Israeli occupation is something which every Muslim cannot accept. I believe many Muslims are now waiting for another Salahuddin Al-Ayubbi to liberate Jerusalem from the Tel Aviv regime. To date, Israel is still imposing strict access into Al-Aqsa mosque for Palestinian Muslims from West Bank and Gaza - The rule says that only married males aged 50 and above are allowed to enter the mosque. This, according to them are the people with least possibility to cause any trouble.

Another speaker, Professor Gurdial Singh Nijar, a law expert and former Isham Rais's lecturer in UM, spoke lengthly of the Palestinian-Israel issue from the viewpoint of international law and all the laws and conventions pertaining to war time. It is interesting to note that while all the international law has made it clear as to what extent actions or conducts during war can be deemed as war crimes, both the USA and Israel - two superpower which have conducted numerous acts of 'state terror' and war crimes - are not parties to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). So which independent body or tribunal has the political will and strong enough to prosecute these war criminals?

Therein lies the the problem - Total disrespect for international law and human rights from the Israeli and the American side and the weaknesses or the almost non-existence of a strong enforcement agency under the United Nations (UN).

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I haven't really been posting much comments on other blogs for quite awhile or probably months already. But this time around, it just annoys me too much reading ignorant blog commentaries on the Palestinian-Israel issue. So, here's one of my comments in reply to pro-Zionist blog readers.

Posted on Othermalaysia.org by Shahnon
January 11th, 2009 at 1:43 am

Gosh, I wonder how ignorant some people can be. This isn’t just about Hamas firing rockets and then Israel retaliates. That is all propaganda. The whole issue is about the bloody occupation. It’s about the illegal occupation of West Bank and Gaza. Even the Americans fought against the British occupation for independence.

I think for as long as there is no independent and sovereign nation-state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, there won’t be a permanent peace or security for Israel. And I don’t see it happening anytime soon as there are No political party contesting in Israeli election willing to surrender Israel's full control over Palestinian land and resources, the illegal Jewish settlements and so on. Peace cannot prevail if Israel is still occupying Palestinian lands.

So, tell me, what options does the Palestinians have other than to show resistance against the mighty Israel?

Have a look here to see how “terrible” the impact of Hamas rockets compared to Israeli bombs. http://palestinian.ning.com/forum/topics/the-other-side-of-the-story

Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land

2009-01-06T02:51:00.004+08:00

U.S. Media and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict I

Part II

Thanks to Yasmin Ahmad for sharing these excellent documentary videos in her blog. She also appeared live on Gala TV on Malaysia's CNN channel, Astro Awani last night where she talked about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict videos (above) posted in her blog and also on the SMS by Dr Jemilah of Mercy Malaysia regarding the current state of affairs in Gaza and the situation in Egypt border where the Mercy Malaysia team are currently stationed.

Palestinian issue aside, I think it's pretty amazing to see how influential blogs can be nowadays. In the early days, bloggers used to pick up news from the media and post up analysis or comments, but now it seems to be the other way round. The media are now contacting bloggers to discuss about their blog posts. So, out of curiosity, I visited Yasmin's blog to watch the videos and I think it is probably the best video on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that I have ever watched, from the perspective of media practitioners and journalists.

Below are my brief summary of the video and maybe for the benefit of some readers, I have also noted down the important points in the documentary as references.

It starts with the beginning of the Israeli occupation after the end of the shameful and disastrous Arab forces defeat in the Six-Day War of 1967..

..In 1967, following a war between Israel and the countries of Syria, Jordan and Egypt, Israel militarily occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.

..That year, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 242 calling on Israel to withdraw from the Occupied Territories.

..Israel has yet to comply.

..Today, 3 million Palestinians live under military occupation.

Occupation, Military occupation, Illegal occupation, Illegal Jewish settlements, Occupied territories of Gaza and West Bank; These are some of the important words that often being deliberately ignored by the Western media.

The atrocities mentioned in the Amnesty International regular reports on Israel military activities in the occupied territories of West Bank and Gaza.

"unlawful killings"
"torture and ill treatment"
"destruction of homes"
"blocking of ambulances"
"denial of humanitarian assistance"
"civilians as human shield"
And has gone so far to label the acts as WAR CRIME

Here are some of the key points by the interviewees in the documentary;

"..You can't 'defend yourself' when you're militarily occupying somebody else's land (commenting on Israel's self-defense excuse)." -- Noam Chomsky

"The context that often missing from the current reporting (referring to US media) is that the Palestinian uprising is a revolt against the 34 year long (note: it should be 42 years by 2009) occupation and if there's no occupation in the story, then the story doesn't really make sense and the occupation is frequently missing" -- Alisa Solomon, Journalist, The Village Voice USA.

"For most American who doesn't understand the history of the conflict, this (referring to U.S. Middle East news report) is an example of riots that are going on where the authorities are taking measures..

What's not mention was the fact that these confrontation are taking place on an occupied territory. the Iraeli troops were there defending an occupation that doesn't have any international legitimacy, that's illegal," -- Seth Ackerman, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, USA

"The Western media, they are concentratng on the violence and not on the reasons, and not on the basic fact of occupation." -- Major Stav Adivi, reserves, Israel Defense Forces, Israel

"The Israel military sends its troops to the occupied territories to defend what is considered an illegal occupation and when the population resist, the Israel is being under attack (as reported in the U.S. media) e.g. 'Israel is under attack..', 'Israel is responding to an attack..', 'Israel retaliates again..'," -- Seth Ackerman, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, USA

"The settlements are illegitimate by international law but what's worst is that many of the occupants, the founders, people who live there today are very aggresive toward Palestinians. They go around fully armed with sub machine gun, carrying grenades and they frequently threaten the Palestinians," --Prof Karen Pfeifer, The Middle East Research & Information Project, USA

"..When you have a population that is being occupied, when their fundamental human right are being systematically denied, when they're not allowed to move from city to city, or from place to place without huge amount of harassment, when they're being subject to torture, when people are in desperate conditions, it's not a surprise that they're going to be very very angry," -- Rabbi Michael Lerner, Founder & Editor, Tikkun Magazine, USA.

Soon as I finished watching the video, I began to wonder how come our local media couldn't come up with such a report, or at least somewhere close to it. Though our government and media have always been supporting the Palestine cause, I think our media are largely too focused on the humanitarian crisis aspect, the poor conditions of the Palestinians, the killings of women and children, the violence of Israeli soldiers etc. while missing out on the main context of the real event, e.g. the military occupation of West Bank and Gaza - the root cause of the Palestinian resistance or intifada which is the crux of the matter. What is also lacking is the 'explanation part' of the event which I feel that the media has the responsibility to educate our public, besides merely reporting day to day incidents, the number of bombings, deaths and so on.

On the other hand, I seriously think that now is perhaps the time for a second Arab revolt to remove the idle kings and dictators of the Arab world. It is pathetic and such a shame that a population of 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa couldn't even come up with a strong consensus to condemn Israel, which comprises of only 6 million population..

I wonder what happen to Fatah's military wing, The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades? Why aren't they joining hands with Hamas to fight the Israeli aggression?

Lastly, here's another insighful article by Seth Ackerman -
Nixed Signal: When Hamas hinted at peace, U.S. media wouldn't take the message

The Gaza massacre in perspective

2009-01-03T14:13:00.005+08:00

Prof. Dr. Chandra Muzaffar has yet again written an excellent piece of article in his NST Saturday column with regard to the Gaza air strikes by the Israeli regime.
To understand the issues behind the Israeli onslaught better, Dr. Chandra has outlined at least five key points of the conflict, which according to him, the mainstream media has not highlighted.

One, even after the so-called Israeli "withdrawal" from Gaza in August 2005, the Israeli army has conducted numerous raids and air strikes in Gaza in the name of fighting "terrorism" which have killed hundreds of civilians including women and children. These assaults intensified after Hamas captured the Palestinian Legislative Council in a free and fair election in January 2006. When Hamas ousted its rival Fatah from Gaza in June 2007, Israel went all out to destroy Hamas through military and non-military means.

Two, in spite of Israeli attacks, Hamas, a few violations notwithstanding, observed its June 2008 truce with Israel. Not a single Israeli was killed by Hamas rocket fire during the six-month period of the truce.

The Hamas leadership even proposed a 10-year truce to Israel in April 2008. There was no response from Israel. It was because of continuous Israeli military strikes, the closure of border crossings and a suffocating blockade of Gaza, imposed by Israel, that Hamas was forced to end the truce on Dec 19.

Three, in juxtaposing Hamas rockets with the Israeli arsenal, the media seldom mentions the tremendous asymmetry in military power between the two sides. What are Hamas's homemade rockets compared with the wide range of sophisticated lethal weaponry at the command of the world's fourth most powerful army? The death toll from the present assault tells the whole story: 375 Palestinians to five Israelis as of Dec 30 after four days of air bombardment.

Four, to grasp the significance of this asymmetry one has to place it in the context of the Israeli blockade of Gaza that began soon after Hamas won the 2006 election. By punishing the people of Gaza for voting for Hamas through the imposition of a blockade that has increased poverty and destitution and denies life-saving drugs to the critically ill, Israel has made the victims of its cruel and callous siege even angrier and more desperate. The media has made no attempt to link Hamas's rocket attacks to the siege.

Five, neither has the media explained to the people that at the root of this longstanding conflict that goes back to the beginning of the 20th century is the occupation and annexation of Palestine and the oppression of the Palestinians. [Full article]

Let's hope President-elect Barack Hussein Obama will fulfill at least parts of the global expectation placed on him for achieving peace in the Middle East. Although I am less inclined to be optimistic at this stage, I'd certainly say the Arab-Israeli never ending conflict would be a litmus test for his seriousness in bringing about 'change' and giving 'hope' for the people of the world who put faith in him in the recent presidential election.

Gaza holocaust pictures

2009-01-03T00:26:00.005+08:00

A compilation of Israeli flags burned all over the world; from Malaysia, India, to the Middle East and Africa and from England to Peru. And in many other parts, the peace loving people of the world, including the Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews gathered and protested against the Israeli air strikes in Gaza.

Burn, burn down the Zionist flag!

Johor Bharu, Malaysia (The Star)

London, England (Times Online)

Lima, Peru (Times Online)

Mombasa, Kenya (Daily Nation)

Cairo, Egypt (AlArabiya.net)

Amman, Jordan (UK Reuters)

Baghdad, Iraq (AFP)

Kuwait City, Kuwait (AFP)

Kabul, Afghanistan (AFP)

New Delhi, India (Times Online)

Last but not least, picture of protest by the Neturei Karta or the Jews Against Zionism group based in New York.

New York, USA

Some interesting facts about the Anti Zionist Jews organization taken from their website;

1. Neturei Karta oppose the so-called "State of Israel" not because it operates secularly, but because the entire concept of a sovereign Jewish state is contrary to Jewish Law.
2. The true Jews remain faithful to Jewish belief and are not contaminated with Zionism.
3. The true Jews are against dispossessing the Arabs of their land and homes. According to the Torah, the land should be returned to them.
4. And lastly, the Zionists have illegitimately seized the name Israel and have no right to speak in the name of the Jewish people!

Back in Malaysia, former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in his capacity as the Chairman of the Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise War has issued a strong press statement against the barbaric massacre of the Palestinians in Gaza and called upon the United Nations General Assembly to "condemn Israel the same way that the Security Council condemns Darfur, Rwanda and Burundi and to set up a Tribunal to try Israeli war criminals." Read in full below.
Israel Must be Stopped from Committing Further War Crimes

Azidi & Shalin's wedding

2009-01-01T15:19:00.005+08:00

I kick-started the new year by attending Azidi Ameran and Shalin Zulkifli's wedding reception at Shah Alam today. Azidi's mother is mom's former colleague in a local uni, so that's how we got the invitation. Here are some pictures. :)

wedding reception at Azidi's house in Shah Alam

silat performance before the bride and groom

Ayam masywi or "ayam golek". Our local version of Kenny Rogers Roasters

Related news - The Star: Shalin seals 14-year relationship with Azidi

Books of 2008

2008-12-31T23:55:00.003+08:00

As usual, by end of the year I will post the list of books read throughout the year. Textbooks and academic journals were excluded. I'll probably share the huge list of journals in another blog. Anyway, here it is.

Local/Asian interest:
1. Strategic Communications (PsyOps, Information Operations and Public Diplomacy): The Relationship Between Governmental 'Information' in the Post 9/11 World - Mohd Rajb Ghani & Philip Taylor
2. Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Hancur Berantakan Dihantam Gelombang Tsunami - Razali Abdullah
3. Dr. Mahathir's Selected Letters to World Leaders : Introduction and Selected Commentaries by Abdullah Ahmad
4. Social Roots of the Malay Left - Rustam A. Sani
5. Achieving True Globalisation - Mahathir Mohamad (Interview by Dr. Kohei Hashimoto)
6. Mencari Jalan Pulang: Daripada Sosialisme Kepada Islam - Kassim Ahmad
7. Hegemony: Justice; Peace - Dr Chandra Muzaffar
8. Lagi Cerpen-Cerpen Underground - Saharil Hasrin Sanin & Faisal Tehrani
9. Jejak-Jejak di Pantai Zaman - Ungku A. Aziz (dan Pendeta Za'ba)
10. Muhammad Abduh: Riwayat Hidup dan Pemikiran - susunan oleh Khairul Anam Che Mentri & 'Ammar Gazali
11. Saasatul Ibaad - Faisal Tehrani
12. Laksamana Cheng Ho dan Asia Tenggara - Leo Suryadinata et al.
13. The Malays of Patani: The Search for Security and Independence - Nik Anuar Nik Mahmud
14. Hikayat Abdullah - Hamzah Hamdani
15. Blogging and Democratization in Malaysia: A New Civil Society in the Making - Jun-E Tan and Zawawi Ibrahim
16. Islam Melayu Komunis: Wawancara Dengan Abdullah C.D., Rashid Maidin, Abu Samah

English/International:
1. People Like Us: How Arrogance is Dividing Islam and the West - Waleed Aly
2. The Unromantic Orient - Muhammad Asad (Leopold Weiss)
3. In The Time of the Mishmish - Alijah Gordon
4. Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid - Jimmy Carter
5. Chile, The Other September 11: An Anthology of Reflections on the 1973 Coup - Ariel Dorfman et al.
6. Who Needs An Islamic State (Second Edition) - Abdelwahab El-Affendi
7. War of Deception: the facts and fallacies about the war in Iraq - Daim Zainuddin
8. Freud and the Non-European - Edward Said

Happy New Year all!