Is The Chinese Short-Sighted and Selfish ? (Part 1 : Kiasu)

Read this and judge for yourself:

Malaysia Today : TODAYonline - What about the Chinese?

IMPORTANT EXCERPT 1 :
THE recent spate of street protests may have affected Malaysia's international image to a certain extent. But at home, the protests could go some way in halting the Chinese community's slide in support for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).

In fact, the government may even gain a few votes from the community, which had been leaning towards the opposition in recent months.

One reason for this change of heart lies in the traditional conservative belief of the Chinese that such street protests are bad for business.

IMPORTANT EXCERPT 2 :
The Hindraf protests were given wider coverage on Mandarin television news broadcasts than on national Malay language bulletins that day - perhaps a sign that the authorities were sending a message to the Chinese community that BN stood for law and order while the opposition represented some form of anarchy.

IMPORTANT EXCERPT 3 :
It was particularly noticeable that in fact, the Chinese were conspicuous by their virtual absence from both protests.

IMPORTANT EXCERPT 4 :
Madam F L Chen, a 50-something long-time resident of Petaling Jaya suburb, said she did not understand what the protests were all about."I could not go out that day to do any shopping. I just do not understand what the protesting was about," she told Weekend Extra.

IMPORTANT EXCERPT 5 :
Her reaction is perhaps stereotypical of many Chinese Malaysians, who, while not happy with the government over a host of issues including perceived discrimination, will not vote opposition if there is a chance it will lead to instability.
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First of all, in my opinion most Chinese folks belong to the selfish lot. Perhaps, Malaysian Chinese should not call Singaporean Chinese kiasu, kiasi and kiachenghu. With much disappointment I would say a big number of Malaysian Chinese are not much different than what they perceive of their Singaporean counterparts.

KIASU : LEISURE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING
Let's talk about kiasu first. According to the excerpt above, a Chinese auntie is concerned when she is not able to shop because of protests. I do not think she is concerned with the reason of protest and such. Maybe some would say it is arguable that this aunt does not represent Malaysian Chinese in entirety. However, bear in mind I do have a number of Chinese friends that labelled so-called protesters and rally participants as "criminals" or express downright condemnation over the affairs.

Now, why is it kiasu? Shopping is common in Malaysia. You can shop almost anytime and almost anywhere you like. We have several shopping malls in specific locations even around Kuala Lumpur itself. The issue here is, does one sideline national issues over the inability to shop ?

In essence, when one knows there is a protest going on, there could be something that is not right in the country. Protests mostly but not all arise from dissatisfaction over some handling of issues or perceived unfair treatment towards certain social groups. Rallies may stem out from a need to stake one's point for the benefit of the nation. Otherwise it could be some demand for the betterment of some procedures in the interest of all.

Selfishly, these selfish group of people will then conclude it has nothing to do with them. "Politics has nothing to do with me", they say. Such perception is definitely ironic. How could it have nothing to do with you? An election is a place for you to determine your future by choosing the correct leadership. A sham democracy represented by a rigged election may lead to marginalisation of your community. You and your children may suffer from the outcome of a poor leadership that may not be the aspiration of the majority. A poor economy may result from poor leadership. Widespread corruption and crime criples the economy. How in the world do you perceive that has nothing to do with you? How do you get to shop if you cannot get better income for your business?

Therefore, the irony of placing shopping as a priority over dissent and dissatisfaction of social groups proves the inability of certain chinese folks to see the bigger picture or similarly can be termed as "short-sighted".

There are even those who say they do not support Indians who rallied because it is "the affair of Indians and not ours". This is a selfish thinking, in which, certain Chinese do not view themselves as Malaysians. Some would say "Oh no! I think myself as a Malaysian but still it is an Indian problem, nothing to do with me". They think, it is not their affair that certain people in the nation of Malaysia are in difficult livelihood. Now, how could you be a Malaysian if you do not think of the well-being of other Malaysians? How could you expect to be treated as a Malaysian if you do not treat others as Malaysians?

As for those who label protesters as criminals, I would like to refer to a protest this year in Johor. It was right after a rape case. I am sure most of the chinese would know the crime in Johor is escalating. These people were protesting against crime. They were asking for police to do something useful to instil stability. So, how could these people who protested against crime be regarded as criminals? Ironic, isn't it? Stupidity or Short-Sighted, you decide. Could both work hand in hand?

So what if someone planned to protest over the matter of Mission schools must have crosses removed or over the Kampung Berembang incident ( as reported in Malaysiakini ) ? What if you are part of the mission schools or part of the people who was removed forcefully from their home ? Do you still label yourself as a criminal if you protest? Do you still place importance on shopping or other leisure activities? The fact that these did not directly affect certain chinese folks therefore did not see support or attention from these people prove again the selfishness and short-sightedness of certain groups.

Of course, there are exceptions to the selfish and short-sighted kiasu people in the chinese community. The question remains, "how many of them?". In my opinion, it is a minority.

( Coming up... Is The Chinese Short-Sighted and Selfish ? (Part 2 : Kiasi) )

Malaysia should consider not celebrating Merdeka Day and International New Year

My letter titled Malaysia should consider not celebrating Merdeka Day and International New Year in Lim Kit Siang's Blog .

My letter featured in Letters section of Malaysia Today .

My letter titled Lawyers march: Permit rejection mind-boggling in Malaysiakini .
_______________________________________________

Letter content

I would like to refer to Malaysiakini reports, Human rights march: 5 lawyers arrested and PM warns public safety is top priority. In the latter report, the PM apparently warned that "public safety takes precedence over public freedom".

I am not sure how our prime minister's brain works but if Abdullah Ahmad Badawi thinks the International Human Rights Day celebration requires a permit and jeopardise the national safety, I would like to remind the police and him to consider banning the up-and-coming Hari Raya Haji, Christmas, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya Aidiladha and most important of all the 51st Merdeka Day in 2008.

Hearing so many calls from his government and himself on the possibility of using the Internal Security Act, I hope our PM is just joking to Malaysians. After all, from my understanding, less than 10 person coming together without a permit is already a gathering and if police has its way, those assembling can be under detention without trial.

International Human Rights Day is not a protest or having any intention to upset national security. It is an annual celebration to commemorate, to remind us, humans, of the freedom we are supposed to have. Similarly, Merdeka or Independence Day falling on Aug 31, 2008 is to remind Malaysians on the freedom that we have achieved and to commemorate the effort to gain Independence as a human right.

If International Human Rights Day is considered to be unsafe, then perhaps, Merdeka Day should not be celebrated as well. There should be no marching. If 200 people walking on the street with some banners, without parang or guns for the Dec 9, 2007 celebration is considered not safe, it is in my opinion the Aug 31 celebration, which has more number of people marching, could be potentially dangerous to national security.

Maybe, Malaysians should reconsider celebrating the up-and-coming International New Year 2008 in places like KLCC or Bukit Bintang. If a small number of people celebrating International Human Rights Festival 2007 in a less than 15 minutes walk require a permit, a bigger turnout of people watching fireworks will probably require permits especially if these places display big ‘Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’ banners.

It is certainly mind-boggling that the police force had rejected a permit requested by Bar Council to hold the Sunday event. It is mind-boggling that a lawyer can be arrested for stopping some outsider from taking down a banner in the Bar Council compound, of which he is working in. There is nothing seditious with the banners.

It is perfectly strange, people having stroll (a basic human right) can be arrested as well. Maybe, the police force should enlighten the public on these matters. Otherwise, it would also be wise for police to reconsider giving any permit for Merdeka Day 2008, which is also a celebration of human rights.

Last but not least, Happy International Human Rights Day to all Malaysians. Good luck and wish you all the best!

Some Minister says people support use of ISA ?

(Picture from Mob's Crib : ISA: Crime Against Humanity)

That is an article that I chanced upon in Malaysia Today : in their News and Commentaries section.

Goodness gracious, father in heaven.

A random search throughout Blogsearch : Hindraf+ISA revealed that almost all bloggers condemn the usage of the draconian act. We all know these bloggers are mostly Malaysian people. Reading Google search : Hindraf+ISA will produce identical results of disapproval from the public.

I have a substantial number of Malay friends, in and out of the net who said they may not fully agree with Hindraf's actions but ISA is beyond them. They cannot tolerate the invocation of an act with detention without trial on suspects.

When one is faced with issues and dissent, one should not keep Digging in the Heels of an uncomfortable Shoe. If there are people who thought the imprisonment would make the public more restful, it would be wrong. It will possibly garner more sympathy for the Hindraf cause. What is being done, in my opinion is removing the symptom without curing the root of the issue which is to address the dissatisfaction of the rally participants. If there is indeed hoodwink, I would say, in this era of Information Age and education, it is almost impossible to confuse thousands of people to march for a false cause. There must be some reality to some points in what is being mentioned and the government should do the right thing in looking into it.

Think about it.

Besides, that would make these names famous worldwide. ISA places attention to people who got it. Now, it is easier for them and those who suppor them to further their cause. Currently Malaysiakini reports "Charge them in court: Indian groups tell PM at special meet"


HINDRAF 5: R Kengadharan, P Uthayakumar, K Vasantha Kumar, V Ganabatirau and M Manoharan

Is there any Operasi Lalang ?

Abdullah is Strong and Powerful? Yes. Nice? No. I am scared, living in an atmosphere of fear again. Don't believe me, read this:

The Star:
Police said they have detained all five leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) under Section 8 (1) of the Internal Security Act.

The five are P. Uthayakumar, M. Manoharan, R. Kenghadharan, V. Ganabatirau and Vasantha Kumar. They were picked up at various locations in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Seremban.

They will be detained for two years.

Meanwhile, ironically, I could not access Malaysiakini for news. Jelas.info had expressed disgust over the usage of a draconian and inhumane act against those people. After all, if you can prove them wrong, why not do it in court? Let the public see what is happening. Let the citizens of Malaysia see the evidences reveal. Why is it necessary to imprison someone for two years before a judgement from a trial in the court?

Mr. Nice Guy? Well, you can now see how nice he is now. I must admit that I am wrong about him. He is not a weak man.

I feel sorry for the Indians and Hindraf. Indeed, a sad day for Malaysia "human rights". Arrests abundant and ISA usage during these few days before and after the International Human Rights Day. The public is no longer safe. As for the part on freedom, Malaysians will know how to judge on the current events.

Black Sunday, Human Rights, Malaysian-Style

( Picture from Mob's Crib : Under Siege: Our Rights )

Welcome to Malaysia. The picture is apt. The peaceful dove lying dead on the ground with gore. As for who "killed" it? It is not hard to guess. Ask Pak Lah and his government ....

This is the originally planned schedule to commemorate Human Rights Festival, an annual celebration. 2007's was supposed to be held on Sunday, 9th December. Note the word "supposed" was used . The venue was subsequently changed and unfortunately cancelled later.

Here is the outcome ( taken from Malaysiakini ):
1) Human rights festival: 9 charged . Eight people, including five lawyers, were charged today with participating in an illegal assembly yesterday. They also faced a further charge of disobeying the police order to disperse. ( P.S. Why is it illegal? That is because police did not grant them a permit. Why didn't police grant them a permit? I am not sure. Get the police to explain .. why ? )

2) Gov't marked human rights day with arrests . A letter by Alina Rastam .

3) Surely the marchers could be given 15 mins . A letter by Jonson Chong. Great, isn't it? I mean, the status of human rights in Malaysia.

Other major happenings on days around the "Human Rights Festival":
3) Vexed MPs stage walkout . Sixteen opposition MPs staged a walkout from the Dewan Rakyat in protest of the arrests of 24 BERSIH petitioners this morning. BERSIH is campaigning for electoral reforms which is good for the nation. Nothing racist, anti-religion, whatsoever.

4) Siege of Parliament - 'the ultimate shame' . Opposition MPs have roundly condemned the police for blocking access to Parliament House this morning, to stop polls reform group Bersih from submitting its protest memorandum.

5) Gov't begins crackdown against dissent . The authorities marked the day by clamping down on dissent, rolling out three separate legal actions against organisers of protests that have rocked the country in recent weeks.

and many more.......

What I have retrieved are only a few examples. Perhaps there is no point of saying too much about the Black Sunday. This letter taken from Malaysiakini describes it all :

________________________________________________--

I walked with Bar Council for two years by Vizla Kumaresan

I had taken part in the Bar Council’s Festival of Rights march for the last two years. On both occasions, it was a peaceful and colourful march with participants singing songs and chanting human rights slogans. Sadly, the tradition could not continue this year. Worse still, the lawyers and activists who came together on Sunday to commemorate International Human Rights Day were arrested and may face charges.

What we see happening is a tremendous denial of civil liberties, not only of the nine arrested but the liberties of all Malaysians. The people of Malaysia have been denied the right to assemble and to express themselves freely. Those who marched on Sunday were exercising their rights as guaranteed in our Federal Constitution and were also making fellow Malaysians aware of their rights.

It is deplorable that Malaysia, as a member of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, has chosen to act in this way against its citizens. As a member of the council, the government should act in a way that is respectful of human rights. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The government instead chose to crack down on peaceful gatherings. The authorities’ heavy-handed action is an indication that an informed public is something to be feared. It is my hope that the government will re-think its stand on freedom of assembly and act in a fair and just manner to all Malaysians wanting to express their views and opinions.
________________________________________________

In my opinion, Pak Lah is not a weak man. We cannot "cabar" him. Do not judge a book by its cover. It is not hard to guess why.

Wait a minute. I remembered people saying the Human Rights Day is an annual celebration. Nothing to do with protests whatsoever. If there is no protest, then there should be no one challenging / "cabar" anyone. If there is no protest and meant to be peaceful, I mean it is like celebrating Hari Raya Haji or Christmas annually, why are they not allowed to gather? Strange isn't it? How can public safety be compromised by a commemorative peaceful celebration?

If there is anyone who is equating this with "public safety is valued over public freedom", then I think it is crap. It is a peaceful celebration just like Hari Merdeka, just with more people being together, that's all.

Good luck, Malaysians. Happy (whoops) celebrating Human Rights Day ! Malaysian-style I mean. Or rather, someone's preference but not all Malaysians

Anyway, in the atmosphere of fear, I would still choose to write.

Kempen Gerakan Anti Salah Maklumat (GASAK)

Malaysiakini melaporkan Gerakan Anti-Salah Maklumat (GASAK) ditubuhkan . Berikut merupakan maklumat yang lebih mendalam mengenai GASAK, dipetik dari laman web Malaysiakini :

Sebuah jawatankuasa yang dikenali sebagai Gerakan Anti-Salah Maklumat (GASAK) ditubuhkan hari ini untuk memberi penerangan ke seluruh negara bagi menyedarkan masyarakat agar tidak terus dipermainkan oleh media yang hanya inign memastikan satu-satu parti politik sahaja yang berkuasa. Setiausaha Sekretariat Penaja GASAK, Hasmi Hashim berkata, perkara itu bertentangan dengan semangat demokrasi. Pada dasarnya, tegas beliau, jawatankuasa penaja Gasak menggariskan tiga tuntutan minima yang melibatkan badan media di negara ini, iaitu:

-> Hentikan salah lapor.
-> Laporan seimbang kepada semua pihak.
-> Kebebasan editorial.
__________________________

Untuk keterangan yang lebih lanjut mengenai pertubuhan ini, sila lawati HarakahDaily.net . "Boikot Media Pembohong" adalah program pertama yang dilancarkan oleh GASAK.

Penubuhan organisasi sebegini memanglah dialu-alukan. Alangkah baiknya kalau idea ini dimakbulkan lebih awal. Namun, bak kata pepatah Bahasa Inggeris, "lewat lebih baik dari tidak ada" ("Better late than never"). Rasanya masa sudah sampai untuk media kita disedarkan dari tidur yang ramai rakyat Malaysia tidak berpuasa hati sekiranya laporan yang disiarkan berat sebelah, tidak menunjukkan cerita yang sepenuhnya ataupun diputarkan sehingga tidak masuk akal di atas sebab-sebab tertentu.

Sekiranya media utama berfungsi seperti apa yang penulis baru sahaja ketengahkan, maka boleh dikatakan media utama itu tidak professional dan tidak beretika. Di zaman Teknologi Maklumat ini, media adalah sesuatu unsur yang penting untuk pembangunan pemikiran rakyat.

Mengapakah orang Malaysia mencari maklumat di internet?
Tidak dapat dinafikan sesetengah orang Malaysia mencari maklumat dan gambar mengenai peristiwa terkini seperti kempen BERSIH dan Hindraf di media bebas internet seperti Malaysiakini dan Malaysia Today serta halaman blog. Persoalannya mengapa perkara sedemikian berlaku?

Sebagai contoh, peristiwa kempen BERSIH yang telah berlalu, terdapat begitu ramai yang memakai pakaian berwarna kuning berjalan kaki di dalam hujan menuju ke istana, kebanyakan media utama hanya mampu melaporkan bahawa kempen tersebut mengakibatkan kesesakan lalu lintas. Gambar yang ditonjolkan oleh sesetengah media utama merupakan gambar kereta yang sesak tetapi tiada satu pun yang menunjukkan manusia yang berhimpun walaupun kempen ini merupakan perhimpunan aman Malaysia yang paling besar dalam dekad ini. Angka hadirin yang dilaporkan pula tidak tepat.

Adakah kempen ini akan berkesan?
Menurut salah seorang Ahli Jawatankuasa GASAK (dipetik dari Suara Keadilan), kempen Boikot Media Utama adalah satu persambungan kempen tahun 1998, sewaktu kontroversi gerakan Reformasi. Namun, yang menjadi persoalannya, adakah kempen ini akan berjaya pada tahun 2007?

Penulis blogger ini tidak tahu sama ada kempen tahun 1998 boleh dianggap berjaya. Namun yang pasti, konsep blog tidak wujud sehinggalah tahun 2000. Kempen kesedaran pada tahun 2007 mesti menarik kerana yang berkempen bukanlah hanya Badan Bukan Kerajaan tetapi meliputi blogger-blogger yang merupakan rakyat Malaysia. Yang menjadi masalahnya, dapatkah mesej kempen ini dapat menembusi pemikiran rakyat yang tidak membaca artikel di internet?

Memandangkan masih tiada idea yang boleh mendatangkan hasil dengan lebih cepat untuk menyedarkan rakyat mengenai media utama, kempen ini haruslah disokong. Penulis blogger ini berharap GASAK telah merancang dengan rapi dengan meliputi setiap aspek dan pelosok masyarakat sebelum kegiatan dijalankan.

The People's Parliament: People, we got rid of Fairuz. Now get rid of Rashid

Referring to Malaysiakini report : Amendment gives lifeline to EC chief .

Excerpt:
" The Constitution Amendment Bill, which was tabled for first reading in Dewan Rakyat today, may allow Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman’s tenure to be extended for another year.

Abdul Rashid, who is due to retire on Dec 31 on reaching the mandatory age of 65, may serve an extra year after the Bill comes into implementation.

Clause two of the Bill seeks to amend Article 114 of the Federal Constitution to increase the age of retirement of a member of the EC from 65 to 66 years of age.

-> Retiring on Dec 31
-> Second reading on Dec 11 "

_____________________________________

The People' Parliament, Haris Ibrahim wrote this in his People, we got rid of Fairuz. Now get rid of Rashid post :

" On 20th November, 2007, bodoh! bodoh! bodoh! tabled the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2007 in Parliament for its first reading. This bill seeks to extend the retirement age of EC members to 66.

The bill is scheduled for the second and third reading on 11th December, 2007.

Kim Quek has written an excellent piece on this disgraceful move to tinker with the constitution. It appears in Malaysiakini and you can read it HERE.

On the day scheduled for the second and third reading of the bill, BERSIH is planning a gathering outside Parliament at 11am to call on parliamentarians to vote against the bill.

What can we do now?

Click HERE. This is a link to all the details of the MPs.

Find the postal address or e-mail details of your MP.

Write to your MP now and tell him or her that you want him to vote against the amendment bill. Tell your MP that you will check Hansard to make sure that if he or she speaks during the second and third reading of the bill, that he or she speaks against the bill. Remind your MP that he or she is there to represent you and not the party. Tell your MP that how he or she votes on this bill will determine how you will vote in the coming elections. Tell your MP that you want a new chairman of the EC.

Send a copy of your letter to your MP to thepeoplesparliament@gmail.com

Haris will collate all such letters so that we will all know which MP has been directed by their constituents on this important issue and who from amongst them abided by this direction. "

Click this link for a SAMPLE OF LETTER to MPs directing a vote to oppose the Rashid bill .
_____________________________________

Frankly, as a citizen of Malaysia, I do not find any reason that such an amendment should be made. Get a new chief. Reiterating the demands of BERSIH walk on 10th of November, it is again time for us, the citizens to exercise our fundamental rights. Think about it. Do what you think is right and good for yourself, your children's future and the nation.

ISA is the Choice of Citizens ?

It is hard for a small-time blogger like me to make a decision on such a question. Perhaps, I shall just agree with Nazri Aziz's statement in the Aljazeera Forum . He said "Malaysians are not stupid and will be able to decide for themselves". It is high time for this blog to prove his words as true. Without further ado, let's take a look at a few matters at hand.

Citizens Want ISA It Seems
It is hard for one to restrain oneself from writing a blog when this piece of news from Bernama is floating around the net: Government Will Impose ISA When Situation Warrants, Says Abdullah .
Some important excerpts from the article:
"The ISA is a preventive measure to spare the nation from untoward incidents that can harm the prevailing peace and harmony and create all sorts of adverse things.

"So, I don't know (when to invoke the ISA), but ISA will be there. When it is appropriate to use it, it will be used," Abdullah, who is also Internal Security Minister, told reporters on his return from a two-day visit to Egypt.

The Prime Minister was responding to reports that several street demonstrations would be held in the country soon.

Commenting on calls from the people urging the Government to invoke the ISA to tackle street demonstrations, the Prime Minister said: "I am very surprised that the people want the ISA. I thought they never wanted the ISA".

Questions abundant
Let me put it this way. I am as surprised as the Prime Minister himself when I read the last sentence above. I was in the state of confusion for a while. After some thoughts, perhaps it is best to ask a few questions to our Prime Minister in order to clear things up :

1) When you are talking about people wanting ISA a.k.a. The Detention-Without-Trial Act, which group are you referring to?
a) UMNO, MCA, MIC and BN people? or
b) Malaysian Commoners?

2) Please define properly, in unambiguous, official language on what is considered as "appropriate" for use? If certain races are marginalised and they only choose to submit a memorandum, would that be considered appropriate ? How about those that ask for electoral reforms and clean elections? Is it "appropriate" to use it on them?

3) Will ISA be executed on people who wield keris in meetings, asking when the keris would be used and expressing an interest to bathe it in someone's blood? Please do not tell the citizens that such actions and remarks are peaceful. Anyway, since Nazri had mentioned Malaysians are not stupid, I shall let them judge.

4) Is challenging or criticising the Prime Minister in one's written opinion liable for ISA as well? Citizens are concerned when certain people express words like "Saya Pantang Dicabar" ( I am Allergic to Challenge) in public.

5) Pak Lah, perhaps you should read the statements from Wikipedia on Internal Security Act . Allegedly, it mentioned what you spoke in 1988 and the year before on ISA being a draconian law. Is it true? Now you are saying you will use ISA. What is that supposed to mean, goodness gracious ?

Citizens Want Oppression ?
The defintion of "Draconian" according to Wiktionary :
Etymology: From the Athenian lawmaker Draco, known for making harsh laws.
Description: Very severe, oppressive or strict.
Example of usage: The despot chose a draconian punishment for the revolutionary. The Nazi regime was a draconian regime.

Meanwhile, a Malay progressive published an open letter in her blog titled "Dear PM Abdullah Badawi, Please Don't Follow Musharraf". As a Malay Muslim, she does not support the points mentioned in Hindraf's memorandum but she understands draconian law should never be executed in the name of democracy.

Furthermore, I would like to reiterate Nazri's statement ( Aljazeera Forum ) : "Malaysians are not stupid". I do not think Malaysians are stupid enough to support the implementation of an opressive law that will be imposed on themselves.

However, there could be some "smart" Malaysians who may want to impose such law on other Malaysians for a number of reasons beneficial to themselves, like free lunches etc.

Think about it.....

Maintenance of Peace and Harmony
There are many ways a government can maintain peace and harmony. Take for example, the previous Malaysian Indians rally in Malaysia.

For so many years, Malaysian Indians have been silent over their problems. They did not march or do anything of such massive proportions. The fact that they did it the other day signifies there are serious underlying issues concerning the society that should be addressed immediately.

In fact, it may already be a little too late. Still it is better late than never. If the government ( I would prefer to refer this to the Malaysian Indian Congress a.k.a. MIC ) intends to maintain an ambience of peace and harmony within the community, the leadership of MIC must answer their woes and explain thoroughly to the laymen Indians instead of condemning hard on those who have participated in the rally. Direct or indirect attempts to simply dismiss the rally as non-relevant will not make the people satisfied. MIC should also provide a blueprint on what is their long-term constructive plan to improve the livelihood and rights of the community. Temple demolition issues should be addressed. By right, all these actions should have been done earlier. Prevention is better than cure.

Using an oppressive law to curb dissent is definitely easier than all the efforts above. Members of Parliament should know that their tasks are not meant to be easy. MPs are supposed to be serving the community instead of placing full concentration on money-making only.

Problems should be solved from the root and not the symptoms. The logical outcome of utilising oppression on protesters will create a negative situation. When people choose not to protest, it could be out of fear of ISA. Intimidation using non-humanitarian laws or denial of social issues are equivalent to eliminating the symptoms of a critical disease. The absence of symptoms does not mean the absence of disease. Once the disease reaches the point of incurability, the protests may resume in bigger numbers when overwhelming anger and/or dissatisfaction supercedes fear.

From time to time, MIC MPs must speak to the commoners to understand and solve issues faced by the community. It is THE JOB of an MP. This is the only way to maintain peace, harmony and stability. Opression is not a permanent solution.

Indeed, somebody said the culture of protest is not the culture of Malaysians, especially Indians. I dare to bet protests are not even the first choice of Indians to highlight their problems. It is not the culture of human to feel happy being dismissed or their problems ignored for several times. Is it the culture of the MIC MP to listen and to seek to understand their community?

Ooops, I am sorry, that is supposed to be A JOB, not a culture. Did you do YOUR JOB well (to maintain peace and harmony), my dear MIC MPs? Ask yourselves.

In the meantime, Malaysiakini reports : More rallies in Kuala Lumpur next month (December 2007) .

Oppression is not an option in a democratic nation.

HINDRAF Rally of the Marginalised (Videos and Pics)

Malaysiakini reported 30,000 Hindraf protesters rally in KLCC

WE WANT OUR RIGHTS ! ( Picture from BMahendran.com )

Big crowd around the area( Picture from BMahendran.com )

Malaysiakini further reported of A Gandhi-inspired mass civil disobedience :
Hindraf legal advisor P Uthayakumar, has declared the movement’s rally today “a success” despite not being able to hand a petition to the British High Commission.

-> Petition 'not main objective'
-> Crowd defiant and persistent
-> 400 protesters detained

For at least five times, the crowd would run at each 'water canon charge', only to defiantly claim back their original positions and chanting "We want justice!" in both Tamil and English.

( Picture from Reuters )

One of the Petronas Twin Towers in the background while chemical-laced water was sprayed onto peaceful marchers. ( Picture from BMahendran.com )



( Pictures from Reuters )

This post can also be labelled as "Heavy Handed Police Force on Malaysian HINDRAF Marchers" or "HINDRAF Rally: Democracy Malaysian-Style on Poor Marginalised Indians" . The full set of the pictures can be viewed in Reuters Slideshow .

Other important pictures on the HINDRAF protest can be viewed in Belladonna's blogspot
1) HINDRAF Protest - Part 1
2) HINDRAF Protest - Part 2

There are helicopters and other aspects of the rally taken from her family's apartment.

Views of Independent Organisations
The President of Human Rights Association (HAKAM) , Malik Imtiaz Sarwar has expressed his opinions on the Personal Dignity Of HINDRAF Supporters . Malik mentioned how different the police treatment on the UMNO Youth Demonstration during Condoleeza Rice's (of USA) visit at the same vicinity of the HINDRAF rally. No heavy handed police force on the former while the latter can be seen as provided by the videos and pics on this page and other blogs.

Haris Ibrahim of the People's Parliament, who is a lawyer did not walk in the rally but as a concerned citizen, he took the role as an observer in the Bar Council team. The Bar Council is apparently upset over the force imposed on rally participants.

Videos

( Malaysiakini.tv on Youtube )


( AlJazeera Official Report on Youtube )

A Youtube user by the name of thaksan had made several recordings AlJazeera news reports at different times.
1) Hindraf report at 9am on Youtube
2) Hindraf report at 10am on Youtube
3) Hindraf report at 11.35am on Youtube
4) Hindraf rally report with Y.B. Mr. S.K. Devamany, the Member of Parliament for Cameron Highlands and current Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) Member of Central Working Committee ( Must Watch! )

Some important points from the fourth video:
Q: Why then if there is a democratic process in place, you do not allow protests to take place. These people have requested a permit but you turned it down. Why is it necessary?

A: I think the intention was wrong. I think because religion was used and religious issues are very sensitive in this part of the nation. We are a multi-religious nation and things can go out of place and emotions are flaring.

Q: Hold on a minute, you seem to be suggesting the protesters are causing the violence but in fact it was not the case. It was clearly the police that were taking the aggressive stance by firing tear gas and spraying chemicals through water cannons. They were not provoked by the protesters.

A: We have to see the type of people that came for the demonstration. I am not there but I wish that the demonstrators are matured and know how to handle themselves.

Q: Sir, what do you mean by the type of people. Are you referring to the fact that these people are of Indian ethnicity? Is that something that the government cannot accept : Indians taking to the streets?

A: No, No, I don't think so. I don't think so. The fifth prime minister has been giving tremendous allowances for openness and errh, feedbacks from the people, the press has been given freedom, legislatively freedom has been given the last four years.

Q: OK.

A: And the result of this response is because also of the openness. And I think the reactions could be instigated by one or two incidences which could have been overshot, overblown and there is a reason. A layman doesn't exactly know what is being done.


Then, I have more questions to ask the MP from MIC:
1) If it is the openness of the current governance, why aren't the protesters allowed to march?
2) If laymen do not understand "what is being done", why didn't the MPs or members explain it to the laymen and make sure they fully understand way back before the rally?
3) Dear me, are you sure it is only one or two incidences that caused such dissatisfaction? I wish the Indians good luck. I vow to all Indians to perform as suggested by Devamany, do it through the ballot boxes too.
4) Are you really sure the press and legal are really free? Hmmn.. wow... let's see the newspaper tomorrow.
5) The person is still unable to convince me with his answer on "Why the protest is illegal when the country is supposed to be practising democracy ?".

My Stand on HINDRAF rally

I read with much enthusiasm about the Hindraf Rally this Sunday (tomorrow) . Meanwhile Malaysiakini reported Three Hindraf leaders arrested for you you-know-what.

These are the details that I have found on the net :
Date: Nov 25, 2007.
Time: 7am to 11am
Place: British High Commission, 185 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur

Map and Transport details kindly provided here)

The intention of the rally is to present a memorandum to the British as well as to rally against marginalisation of the minority Indian community in Malaysia.

There are in fact two views to this rally. I would like to bring atttention to two posts on the question "Shall we rally this time around?"

1) A Nay :
Haris Ibrahim, The People's Parliament -> Why I will not walk this Sunday and why the walk must not proceed.

2) An Aye:
Nat Tan, Jelas.info -> Why I will walk this Sunday

Haris has brought up some valid points saying that the rally is communal/race-based and not national based such as the BERSIH rally. There are also concerns among bloggers and commentators that SOMEBODY would try to create a scene out of this in order to make future rallies for the best interests of the nation unlawful.

Point taken, but I would like to bring to attention some of the points mentioned in Jelas.info :

Point 1:
My conclusion is this: If we were to wait for another mass rally that will take a more mature, universalistic approach to race relations while actually having an impact in calling attention to the horrific living conditions facing Indian Malaysians today, we will wait forever.

Point 2:
Let’s be honest, no other group is going to pull those numbers in defence of minority rights in Malaysia.

Point 3:
So, are we going to walk the talk about multiracialism?

Point 4:
Are we who like to quote Voltaire’s “I may disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it” actually going to do anything to defend the right to assemble?

My stand on the issue is similar to this point (Point 4) brought up by Jelas.info . After all, Hindraf has mentioned that this rally shall be a Peaceful Rally, unless of course some Agent Provocateurs appear out of SOMEBODY's (you-know-who-always-sabotages) command. Hope you catch the drift.

Let Indians voice out.

An " Accident " to Press Freedom

Malaysiakini reported Unruly Umno members punch photographer .


( Picture taken from Screenshots )

Scary, isn't it? Well, that is only half of the story. There is something even scarier to come..

Here it comes...

Regarding the incident related to the photo above, The Star published a piece of news. This is the important excerpt :

Cheras Umno head chief Datuk Syed Ali Alhabshi said that it was an accident.

He said DAP Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai had come with a few journalists to the front of the Cheras Recreational Centre, which housed the Yayasan Pendidikan Cheras and Cheras Umno office.

Syed Ali, who is also the foundation chairman, said an Umno member came out to ask why they were taking pictures of the building.

He claimed Tan then provoked the Umno members, who became upset and asked everyone to leave.

“It became tense and there was pushing and shoving. In the process, one of my people accidentally hit the photographer.”

Accident? Excuse me? That is an accident? Hahaha, dear me, that's pretty profound. Now, let's take a closer look at the "Accident" .... Now I found that word quite becoming.. Hahaha


( Picture taken from Screenshots )

Oh, "Accident"? Hmmn, I mean, how? Malaysians should feel happy and lucky that it was not reported that the reporter's face accidentally hit the fist of another person. Goodness gracious, if that's the case, it would definitely be a much more serious, ahermmmm, "accident".

Anyway, it does not matter if it is a (real) blow to Press freedom or an ermmmm "Accident", the person as well as the party whose member has got his hands into the photo and onto the face of another person must apologise.

It does not matter who make any form of provocation first or last. The person who hits another first (whoops, again I missed the word "accidentally"... hehehe) would be in the wrong. The party should demand its member who, ermmmm "accidentally" hit the photographer, to make a public apology.

Errmmm, "Accidentally" hitting someone from the press is a serious matter especially if it involves someone from the ruling party of the government. Apologising and promising that such an incident shall never happen again is an ethical thing to do. The only way to make this public is through a press conference. One should lead by good example (provided if there is any).

Seriously, Malaysians should read these blogs regarding the ermmmm, "accident" for more information :

1) Jeff Ooi : Violence against journalist... Umno style
2) Guangming Employee Punched by Umno, Slapped by MCA
3) What a Lulu : Speechless, Lulu Is Speechless
4) Rocky's Bru : A (real) blow to Press freedom

The bespectacled reporter in the picture is Mr. Koh Chun Seng from Guangming Daily. A police report was lodged.

BERSIH: We Do Not Want Representative, We Want Tuanku (To Tell Us)

Malaysiakini recently reported King: No royal support for Bersih rally ( Nov 16, 07 1:34pm )

Excerpt of the news:
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abdidin in a rare press statement said neither he nor Istana Negara had directly or indirectly supported the massive rally held over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur.
-> Don't get involved in illegal activities
-> Build a better nation together

I was actually shocked when I read that piece of news. If it is really the truth, it will still come as a "no surprise" to me. After all, striving for electoral reform, a clean election as a civil rights is nothing simple. It is a long and painful Struggle.

The African Americans took decades to obtain proper civil rights. Most of the time, in the midst of their journey faced many obstacles that make their struggle looked seemingly impossible.

The most important thing is, they thrived and hold on to their beliefs, have faith in God that one day they will get what they want : to get the fundamental human rights that they have always aimed for. That provided they took actions in the likes of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks.

In the case about Malaysia, I think with or without Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, the Struggle for a Clean and Fair Election must persist. Of course, if the Monarch is participating, it will definitely be good. Inevitably, we have to react accordingly.

Which brings back to the original story of Malaysiakini. Immediately after reading that piece, I searched through the internet to obtain more updates. Have found a lot of articles.

After reading those, I felt more angry than remorseful. Angry at Yang Di-Pertuan Agong? No, no, no, of course not. Why? That is because I found out that it was claimed by other articles on the net: the statement was made by a person called Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja . It is not coming directly out of the mouth of Yang Di-Pertuan Agong. It is through a runner in the Palace. Purportedly, the runner is said to be someone from a certain ruling party (hope you catch the drift). Is there a conflict of interest here?

For more information on some conspiracy theories on the subject of runners doing something extraordinary, please read these articles. It would be best to make sure these are distributed to the public so that Malaysians will be able to judge and comprehend what is happening.

Read these:
Malaysia Today : What the eye does not see (Raja Petra Kamarudin)
Merah Tinta MSO : Respon Cepat, Penjelasan Pengelola Istana Negara Tidak Mengejutkan (Mohd Sayuti Omar)
Malaysia Today : Bohong! Bohong! Bohong! (Kamal Amir Menulis)

I echo the decision made by Mahaguru58, a famous blogger himself. He said : Agong's 'Statement'. Won't believe it till I see and hear His Majesty on live tv!

To date, our Monarch has not made any direct statements albeit by himself on the Memorandum for Electoral Reforms by BERSIH. There are some possible powerful hands (not Agong's) at works, although I cannot say it for a fact.

There are certain quarters that claimed the BERSIH rally is about freedom to assemble and not about electoral reform. That is certainly weird, I would like to reiterate this point :

BERSIH , the organisation is for Freedom to Assemble AND / FOR Electoral Reform. Been that since day one.

Besides that, it should be made known that we need Agong to support a clean and fair election through electoral reforms proposed by BERSIH in the memorandum. He does not have to support the rally and gathering. It is merely symbolic.

In the meantime , one of the heroes of our nation did this: Mind your own business, Syed Hamid tells foreign Human Rights groups . I was wondering whether this is the professional way to respect Human Rights as well as the best way to handle public foreign relations. I find that approach quite impolite.

Anyway, Freedom to Assemble and Clean Elections are Fundamental Human Rights in Any Democratic Country. That I cannot regard as applicable with nations of Communist Governance, Dictatorship or Autocracy.

Regards and best of luck Malaysians. When the going gets tough , the tough gets going.

BERSIH: Malik, Khairy, Nazri in Aljazeera Forum

Malaysiakini has many news, letters and articles on BERSIH rally. To top it off, Aljazeera had just organised a forum to discuss related issues pertaining to the biggest Malaysian rally of this decade.

Speakers comprised Human Rights Lawyer, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar of the blog Disquiet, Deputy UMNO Youth Leader, Son-In-Law of the Prime Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Nazri Aziz attended. It was chaired by award winning journalist, Teymoor Nabili .

( Videos by matsputnik posted here on 16 November 2007)
matsputnik : 101 East , Aljazeera (part 1 of 4)
matsputnik : 101 East , Aljazeera (part 2 of 4)
matsputnik : 101 East , Aljazeera (part 3 of 4)
matsputnik : 101 East , Aljazeera (part 4 of 4)

( Updated on 18th November 2007 : Official videos from AlJazeeraEnglish )

AlJazeera English - 101 East (part 1 of 2)


AlJazeera English - 101 East (part 2 of 2)


Key points to take note:
1) Khairy said "The Prime Minister had said during the current UMNO General Assembly that in the near future media can regulate themselves".

[Sagaladoola: Yes, Khairy said that in the forum. My question is, can anybody confirm whether the Prime Minister REALLY said that? Get what I mean?

I have Questions, Is it true that the Media is not allowed to regulate themselves now? Hmmnnnn, then who is regulating the Media now? Dear me, I shouldn't have asked that.]

2) Khairy said Election commissions are doing changes all the time, therefore that shows the government listens to the people but Malik thinks the Saturday rally symbolised Civil Societies wanting an Institutional Reform for the eletions. Teymoor asked whether there is any validity that Election commissions have made those changes.

[Sagaladoola: Very interesting answer indeed. Watch that in Part 4. Do not want to create spoilers]

3) Teymoor took out New Sunday Times and exclaimed: “In the largest protest march in Malaysia in a decade, the local papers were silent on the front pages and wrote about the traffic jams in page 4! “ Of which, Nazri said "Media is free to report anything" when questioned about the local media response on the BERSIH rally.

[Sagaladoola: Oh really, Nazri? I let the viewers judge. Fishy, really fishy. Speechless]

4) Nazri said "What's the point when you can call 50,000 (persons) but i can call 1 Million, does that show that I am right?"

5) Nazri said there should not be any Institutional Reform for this issue.

6) Khairy claimed BERSIH is an opposition initiative proven by these leaders sending the memorandum to Yang Di-Pertuan Agong.

7) Malik replied that this is not an Opposition Initiative but a Civil Society Initiative. Opposition parties can be a part of Civil Society. UMNO can join BERSIH, a Civil Society if they want to.

[Sagaladoola: Finally someone said it. I have mentioned it earlier in my post The Yellow Wave: How Come Opposition-Led? I asked, "why didn't UMNO support BERSIH electoral reform rally?" Why? UMNO, BN, why? Why didn't you join? There should be nothing to be afraid of. Or... Have I missed out something? I admit that I am a stupid person for asking this question]

8) Take note on Teymoor's questions on "permits for gathering". Excellent , really excellent and I do not mean the answers from certain people in the forum.

BERSIH: Zam, Is this the Professional Way?

Watch the video below before reading the rest of the transcript with added comments from this blogger.


__________________________________________________

Transcript of Malaysia's Information Minister's interview with Al Jazeera News on the Bersih Protest. Taken from Kenny Sia : The ZAM Rap. A similar version can be located at nooryahaya....ramblin on

Minister: I commend yo-yo-your journalists trying to project... to exaggerate more than what actually happened. That-that-that-that's it. We are not the-the and I-I congratulate your journalists behaving like an actor, that-that's it...

Reporter: As you say that, sir, we're watching scenes of protesters being sprayed by chemical-filled water!

[Sagaladoola : At this point of time, Aljazeera is playing a real footage of what is transpiring in the rally. What is the logic behind the Aljazeera journalists be accused as actors (as claimed by Minister) when the scene is real ? What sort of logic is Zam using when he said Aljazeera is exaggerating when the footage of the scene with people running about avoiding the gas and water is real?

Minister should answer in a logical manner.]

Minister: YA! I am watching! I'm here! You've been trying... trying to do it this - to do this everywhere but in Malaysia people are allowed to, you know? We know our police head our colleague... Police have whatever allowed the procession to go to the Istana Negara, you know? Do police, first police, like, they handle them, they attack them, they... the police don't, don't, don't fire anybody?

[Sagaladoola: Do what, Zam? It is true that this KL BERSIH rally does not suffer from the same fate as the Batu Burok Tragedy , where there are alleged firing that got some of the participants hit by bullets. Perhaps, the only similarity shared is both are organised by BERSIH ! Dear me .. !]

Reporter: Our correspondent came back to the office, sir, with chemicals in his eyes!

Minister:You-you-you-you are here with the idea, you are trying to project, what is your mind! You think that we Pakistan, we are Burma, we are Myanmar. Everything you-you are thinking! WE ARE DIFFERENT! We are totally different!

[Sagaladoola: If you care to notice, in the truncated video from television made into Youtube entry above, Aljazeera reporter did not use those nations as comparison. Why did the minister mention those countries, hmmnn, any idea? What was the minister having in mind? Curious, curious .. you get what I mean? Hahaha.

Oh let me think. Hmmn, ok... Myanmar and Pakistan dispersed their protests (illegal it seems) as well.]

Reporter: Well unfortunately when you refuse to let people protest, it does appear so.

Minister: Ya ya we are not like you! You-you have earlier perception, you come here, you want to project us like undemocratic country. This a democratic country!

Reporter: So why can't people protest then, if it's a democratic country?

[Sagaladoola: Simple but Good question !]

Minister: YES, PEOPLE PROTEST! People do-do... of course they protest. We are allowing them protest, and they have demonstrated.

[Sagaladoola: This is a rally for electoral reform, seeking only an audience with the Monarch of the nation, Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, not a demonstration (like what the Minister claimed). Wrong info? Hmmnnn...]

Minister: But we just trying to disperse them, and then later they-they-they don't wanna disperse, but later our police compromise. They have compromised and allowed them to proceed to Istana Negara! Police, our police have succeeded in handling them gently, right?

[Sagaladoola: Oooh, footage of tear gas, chemical-laced water being sprayed and people running around playing on the screen. Hmmn, Zam, is that "gentle handling"? Wow, hmmnn, I do not know what to say. I am shocked. Oh yeah, why can't the police compromise earlier? I mea like not blocking so many roads and using gas and chemical. Saves a lot of taxpayers' money if those are not done you know.]

Minister: Why do you report that? You take the opposition, someone from opposition party you ask him to speak. You don't take from the government, right?

[Sagaladoola: Such a stupid question. Zam, reporting real events are what reporters and news stations do.

Besides that, Zam, as an Information Minister, you are from the government. Aljazeera is obtaining information from you now, the government as you speak. Oh dear me, you didn't realise that? Oh yeah, people OTHER than the government have the right to speak too. In case you do not know, this is what people call Democracy. Zam, I thought you said Malaysia has Democracy? Ok, then let's assume I am in the wrong and you are right. You are the government, I am not. Now everything is ok already? Hah?!]

Reporter: Why did you not break up these protests...

Minister: Pardon? Pardon? Pardon?

Reporter: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

Minister: I can't hear you! I can't hear you!

Reporter: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

Minister: No we-we are! We... this protest is illegal! We don't want..this... the... NORMALLY...

[Sagaladoola: When the reporter asked this question, people are still running around helter skelter in the footage escaping from all those chaos. Otherwise, there are pictures of FRU trucks. I do not know about you, but that sure does not look peaceful to me.]

Reporter: OK, so let me return to my former question. Why is this protest illegal?

[Sagaladoola: Hahaha, reporter, that is another good question. Gotcha, Zam. Careful, careful, don't contradict yourself in the same interview. Hahaha...]

Minister: YA! It's a illegal protest because we have the election in Malaysia. It's no-no point on having a protest! We are allowing to every election... every five years never fail! We are not our like, like Myanmar, not like other country. And, and you are helping this. You Al-Jazeera also is helping this, this forces. The, you know, these forces who are not in passion, who don't believe in democracy!

[Sagaladoola: Minister, let me help you answer this question. You should say, "the protest is illegal because the police has not granted a permit". Aiyoh, easy answer right? What say you, dear readers? Like that also don't know?

With each mention of Myanmar in the video, the name starts to get into my head. Suddenly, thought of Monks protesting and the the way they were handled run through my head. Scary! Whoops, did I get out of topic? Back to original story.]

Reporter: Alright, many thanks for joining us.

Minister: I don't, ya, you, Al-Jazeera, this is, is Al-Jazeera attitude. Right?

[Sagaladoola: Zam, don't you think that was rather inappropriate, considering the fact that you said such a thing in international TV watched by various nations around the world. I wonder how they view Malaysia now after all these.

Zam, are you sure this is the professional way as a Minister to handle such issue? Oh dear, let me find a hole first.]
__________________________________________________

In my personal opinion, Aljazeera was trying to ask , why is the rally considered illegal when freedom to assemble is listed under Universal Declaration of Human Rights. No human rights is equivalent to absence of democracy (but the Minister said earlier that Malaysia is a democracy). After all, BERSIH rally is also a Civil Rights Movement. Democracy allows civil society to claim their rights for a clean and fair election.

Check out Article 20(1) of the Declaration : Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

Even as I write, Malaysiakini has just published the latest news " Hawker: Police broke my knee during rally ". Jelas.info posted Police beat up innocent bystander at Bersih Rally - Pics & Eyewitness account.

Certainly mind-boggling, Malaysia Gemilang, Malaysia Boleh, Malaysian-Styled Democracy !

Kudos to Aljazeera for maintaining their composure and professionalism.

Other posts on BERSIH rally:
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 1
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 2
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 3
We have to BERSIH-kan Malaysia
The Yellow Wave: How Come Opposition-Led?

The Yellow Wave: How Come Opposition-Led?

(Picture from Elizabeth Wong: Rakyat pantang dicabar!. That's 40,000 participants)

On 10th November 2007, 40,000 protesters marched the streets of Kuala Lumpur, braved the rainstorm, conquered their fears and headed towards Istana Negara to submit a Memorandum for a Clean and Fair Election to Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan, the Monarch of Malaysia.

Malaysian Unplug Uncensored had the full text of electoral reform requests from BERSIH Memorandum presented to His Royal Highness. Indeed all the points stated in the article are with good intentions and for the best of the nation.

According to the online paper, The Star, the nation's "Beloved Prime Minister" Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said "Saturday’s street protest in Kuala Lumpur was an attempt to drag the royalty into opposition politics". On top of that, he added that the memorandum being handed over to an Istana Negara official was a move by the opposition to “trap” the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Shocking statements. It is indeed a sad affair that our "Beloved Prime Minister" Pak Lah cannot look beyond the division of politics for the benefit of the nation. If the Rakyat can see the bigger picture, why can't the Administration? BERSIH is actually a coalition of 60 plus Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and a small insignificant number of political parties, of which coincidentally consists of the Opposition. Only 5 to be exact.

UMNO should have tagged along for Clean Election demand


(Picture from Elizabeth Wong: Rakyat pantang dicabar!. That's 40,000 participants)

The demands for a clean election would not look like opposition-led as our "Beloved Prime Minister" claimed (although not a fact) if his ruling party, currently the most powerful in Malaysia by the name of UMNO and its sub-components in Barisan Nasional vow to tag along with BERSIH.

If UMNO or Barisan Nasional (hereafter called BN) under the leadership of our Beloved Pak Lah were to participate, things would definitely had turned out differently. The headlines in papers such as The Star and New Sunday Times could be "UMNO supports BERSIH demands for clean election". Sounds nice. How positive it would have been for BN.

Regrettably, a massive party like UMNO decided not to support BERSIH. In fact, Pak Lah proved his critics wrong (on saying he is sleeping all the time) by giving a strong and confident declaration "Saya pantang dicabar" (I do not like to be challenged). This statement proved himself a powerful person and not weak as some thought. According to Malaysiakini on its 6th November 2007 article, Khairy wants Bersih rally organisers arrested.

It is certainly ironic for the Beloved Son-In-Law of the Beloved Prime Minister to make such a public statement because he is neither a Minister or a Member of Parliament. In a bizarre way, true to his predictions, arrests were indeed made on BERSIH Participants a.k.a Citizens concerned with Malaysia. There are some allegations in the internet that certain journalists are being beaten, tear gas being fired and chemical-laced water cannons being sprayed.

It is unclear (to me) on the reasons UMNO and BN are giving such a resistance to the Peaceful BERSIH Rally demands that are beneficial for the nation as a whole. It is open to readers to guess the possible answers. After all, UMNO and BN have ruled Malaysia since Independence / Merdeka, suffering only from a crisis in 1969. To top it off, there are even calls within the party for another additional 50 years of UMNO, BN rule.

Of course, UMNO, BN ruled by winning in the current election system. 40,000 displeased citizens regardless of political affiliations, groups and parties had taken the difficulty of walking in wet clothes to submit a memorandum to reform the election system in which UMNO and BN have been using and winning all these years.

Why did UMNO not join BERSIH in the rally but resent it so much? (P.S. I must admit I am a pretty stupid person for asking this question)

Citizens do not want His Royal Highness Agong to be 'trapped' with Potential Unclean Elections



(Picture from Kickdefella: Daulat Tuanku!)

Pak Lah stated that there are parties that intend to 'trap' (such negative word) Yang Di-Pertuan Agong and attempt to drag His Majesty into opposition politics. The previous section stated that UMNO should have joined the rally so that it does not become opposition politics. It is still unclear (to me) on why UMNO did not join in.

On the other hand, there is absolutely a main reason that Non-Partisan Citizens a.k.a. BERSIH rally participants from all over Malaysia support the submission of the memorandum. That is because they do not want Yang Di-Pertuan Agong to be 'trapped' by "divide and conquer" politics and "unclean elections". After all the citizens are His Majesty's subjects and His Royal Highness is bound by certain governance on making sure the Parliament is formed legally through Genuine Democracy. After all, this Parliament would represent him in governing his subjects. Unclean and Unfair Elections are equivalent to Sham / False Democracy.

The peaceful BERSIH rally is to campaign for Genuine Democracy.

If there is intention of anyone to say that the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong is not supposed to be in politics, the perception would be totally wrong. After all, Malaysia is a country of Constitutional Monarchy. The word "Monarch" symbolises none other than Yang Di-Pertuan Agong. The Constitution provided certain power for His Royal Highness to react against those who creates Sham Democracy.

The citizens want Genuine Democracy too. That is what the walk is all about. Do you get the point, Pak Lah?

Malaysian Unplug Uncensored posted the article : " What's Next After the Nov 10 People's Rally ? " after the submission of the memorandum for electoral reform.

I am still in a daze, wondering why UMNO or BN would not participate in this event. If it's good for democracy and citizens, why not? I must be a stupid person myself for not being able to figure it out.

Nuff said. :-)

Other posts on BERSIH rally:
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 1
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 2
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 3
The Yellow Wave: How Come Opposition-Led?

BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 3

Malaysiakini reported Organisers hail rally a success
by Fauwaz Abdul Aziz on Nov 10, 07 9:33pm
Bersih rally Despite attempts to spook the public from participating in the Bersih rally, 40,000 people turned up today in the largest show of force since the reformasi protests a decade ago.



Tien Chua of PKR updating participants on the current status.


Hadi Awang of PAS addressing those that came.


( Picture from the __earthinc )
Anwar Ibrahim of PKR making an entrance with Lim Kit Siang of DAP and Khalid Ibrahim.


Anwar Ibrahim gave a little speech. The memorandum has been submitted by Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan.


The job was done. The crowd was ready to disperse peacefully. Throughout the whole rally, Malaysians were well-behaved. It is certainly strange that a Certain Somebody could say rally will "never be peaceful". From what I learnt, only police used water cannons and tear gas on the peaceful BERSIH participants @ Rakyat.


The crowd left the scene only to reveal a substantial number of police and trucks guarding the front of Istana Negara.


A massive traffic snarl on the road as human and vehicles prowl the street collectively.


A funky guy made some funny moves using his yellow bulldozer in support of the BERSIH event. BERSIH participants were amused. A large number of those who did not walk in the rally would like a clean election too. Maybank building, KL Tower and Petronas Twin Towers (KLCC) are in the background.


Some of the people walked to Dataran Merdeka, some to KL Central and others towards Central Market.

A picture speaks a thousand words. Obviously, I have more than one here. You can find more in the net.

Yes, BERSIH rally is a success ! We have created History !

Congratulations, Good Work, Malaysians !

You have braved the storm and conquered your fears !

Other posts on BERSIH rally:
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 1
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 2
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 3
We have to BERSIH-kan Malaysia
The Yellow Wave: How Come Opposition-Led?

BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 2

Malaysiakini reported 40,000 protest for free and fair elections
Nov 10, 07 8:16am
Bersih rally 40,000 protesters massed outside Istana Negara this afternoon, facing off against riot police in defiance of a government ban on the rally calling for clean and fair elections.


A few steps away from reaching Istana Negara. Just after the bridge is the roundabout to the final destination.


BERSIH participants enjoying every step of the way. Some were chatting while there were those who enjoyed the city view.


In the background is Istana Negara. We have just reached the roundabout !


This road is originally meant for cars.


The Yellow Wave have reached Istana Negara. People was sitting down while the memorandum was being submitted by organisers of BERSIH.


Daulat Tuanku ! Daulat Tuanku !


An organiser was thanking citizens for being concerned with the nation. It was said that, at the same time, activists for democracy were demonstrating in front of Malaysian embassies in several countries (Thailand, India, etc.) demanding for electoral reform.


FRU in the background. Everyone was reminded that the rally was to be maintained at all times peaceful. Typically, Malaysians are peaceful people.


Hidup Rakyat ! Hidup Rakyat ! BERSIH ! BERSIH !


Balloons galore. The storm had become a drizzle.


Reporters and photographers climbed up the construction to get better pictures of this Historical Moment.


Sea of Yellow has created a new chapter in History. The crowd is so large (40,000) that the view went all the way into the sublime. There you go , we are now part of History !

Daulat Tuanku ! Hidup Rakyat ! BERSIH, BERSIH ! Allahu Akbar !

Malaysians, you have made it !

Other posts on BERSIH rally:
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 1
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 2
BERSIH: The Yellow Wave (Pics) Part 3
We have to BERSIH-kan Malaysia
The Yellow Wave: How Come Opposition-Led?