Will PAS Embrace Islam Hadhari or Join BN?

July is indeed a busy week. Therefore, time to blog is extremely scarce, with exams and office projects progressing at the same fast pace.

However, politics in Malaysia is at all times boring, slow and at its utmost unpleasant.

Will PAS Embrace Islam Hadhari?
1) I have been reading many articles about PAS having dialogue with UMNO over something called "Malay Unity". Perhaps, PAS has forgotten a few things, particularly of the events that transpired before the 12th General Election of 8th March 2008.

2) PAS has forgotten that it gained its biggest win in the Malaysian history resulting from the support through votes of Malaysians disregarding race and religion although PAS is typically a party leaned towards Islam. The proposed Welfare State (Negara Berkebajikan) is indeed more welcome to all rather than the concept of a purely theological State based on supposed interpretation of Islam and Hudud laws.

3) Since Malaysians have placed away many of their suspicion on the party, PAS should have discussed "Malaysian Unity" which by its own virtue include Malaysian Malay unity instead of concentrating on the latter, alone.

4) Ironically, PAS, a Pakatan Rakyat component is in talks with UMNO, the chief of Barisan Nasional on such matters. Why can't PAS speak with PKR, PSM or DAP on this matter and formulate plans to strengthen the unity of all races?

5) Why should it be UMNO? It is hard for a Malaysian not to view this negatively. After all, such talks arouse much suspicion, which brings us to the question : Will PAS eventually switch over to BN?

6) Even Sheih Kickdefella, a PAS supporter does not sound too happy in his post Baling Batu Tangan Sembunyi Dekat Belakang. I echo his words :

"I run to PAS not to be with Abdullah, ......."

and on top of that, I shall add, in my own volition, "and definitely not for it to be with Barisan Nasional".

7) If PAS switches over to BN, I shall personally conclude that PAS is no different than the UMNO it criticised pre-12th General Election. Any PAS leader, member of supporter should take note of this.

Raja Petra and Anwar Updates

Raja Petra has been freed.

Somebody on the net is talking about something called "criminal defamation" and "sedition". From what I comprehend, these two terms account for two different things under the legal system. I am so confused as to what is transpiring now in Malaysia. It is so mind-boggling.

How could that happen?

Blogger CHARLES HECTOR wrote the entry Why Raja Petra charged? Because if the state wants to it can... . It is necessary to read his blog for more information.

Meanwhile . Malaysiakini reports Still no sign of Saiful's police report . It seems that Anwar alleged that he has not seen the police report detailing the crime he was alleged to be committed. If what Anwar said is true, this brings to two questions : Can an arrest be made on a person without him/her knowing his/her offense? Would that be a human rights violation?

Hopefully people from the legal circle can educate the public on this matter.

Now, Anwar Released, Raja Petra Arrested and Charged !

Elviza wrote Anwar released on police bail and I thought the people waiting for him in front of Ibu Pejabat Kontinjen Kuala Lumpur (IPK KL) can take a rest, the road block can be removed and everything can resume as usual.

Anyway, I am very displeased with the reason given on why Anwar was arrested yesterday, one hour before the 2 p.m. deadline issued in the arrest warrant An excerpt from The Star says :

"Police arrested Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim an hour before the 2pm deadline as they feared that he would not show up."

This is really mind-baffling. Did anyone read the content of the warrant? I thought the warrant only allow arrests IF he did not show up after 2 pm . This reason of "fear" is truly shocking ! If police did not obey the time prescribed and the legally issued warrant itself, what more can I say?

Meanwhile, before everyone's emotions settled down, comes another arrest. Raja Petra of Malaysia Today have been arrested !

Aarvidi wrote Raja Petra in ‘mood to fight’ . Judging by his character, he will not back down from his words. Previously, I remember reading one of his articles where he said he will not give up and shall persist till the end. Come what may .. jail etc.

As a blogging Malaysian, I admire his spirit of persistence. I appreciate his contributions in promoting understanding between races by opening spaces for public opinions and building a cleaner and more efficient government.

I am saddened by this turn of event. I give my support to him and his family in going through this ordeal.

Anwar Arrested ! This is 2008, That Was 1998 !

Goodness gracious. Fiddlesticks ......

Anwar is arrested again ! He was debating yesterday and now he is arrested !

Almost all corners of blogosphere is writing about this !

There is a commotion in our Parliament as well.

Within hours, this event has gone international ! Read this....

Read more of his arrest here:
Malaysia’s Anwar arrested over sex charges
Irish Times - Dublin,Ireland

Lawyer says Malaysia’s Anwar has been arrested on
International Herald Tribune - France

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar arrested: lawyer
Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney,New South Wales,Australia

Malaysia’s Anwar faces arrest
Aljazeera.net - Qatar

Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim arrested
Radio Australia - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia

Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim arrested
BBC News - UK

Anwar Is Arrested in Malaysia After Sodomy Accusation (Update1)
Bloomberg - USA

Police Arrest Malaysian Opposition Leader
Wall Street Journal - USA

Thanks to Susan Loone who provided those links in her entry Hundreds gather to protest Anwar’s arrest .

Tony Pua said Deja Vu and there are a few wishes that he had made on the up-and-coming investigations .... read it .. Statement 2 reminds me of history ...

"2. That Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be treated with total respect and decorum as an individual who is innocent until proven guilty under Malaysian laws. We do not need another black eye for Malaysia."

Malaysian Politicians Historic First Debate: Let's Be Fair to Both

Malaysiakini reported Anwar vs Shabery in historic debate yesterday (July 15). That's Anwar Ibrahim, the de facto leader of PKR, Pakatan Rakyat and Ahmad Shabery Cheek, our Information Minister, who is from UMNO, Barisan Nasional.

Now, why is that historic? This is the first time ever such debate (between two Malaysian politicians) are being held and televised. Some people termed this as a US-presidential style of debate. I do not see the necessity of attaching the term "US-presidential". A debate is a debate nonetheless. It only matters whether the participants are given equal time and space to supply their points. Fair Measure and Good Will are of prime importance.

In my review, I shall try my best to be fair to both debaters.

Ahmad Shabery Cheek
First and foremost, citizens should not forget to thank Ahmad Shabery Cheek for allowing the history to happen. I recall reading some news that certain politicians discouraged the Information Minister from participating.

One should know, BN has less to gain from the content of the debate. Most Malaysians do not like the recent fuel price hike. It is indeed tough to be in a position to defend the Federal government decision on this matter.

Despite all the pre-debate disadvantages and discouragement, the Information Minister attended. It has to be made known that without his presence there would be no debate. I see this as a positive development coming from BN. This is the form of reform that Malaysia needs.

Now, onto the content of the debate. I feel that he should have tabled more solid facts backing the fuel price hike decision or make more convincing counters on the points delivered by Anwar.

Furthermore, bringing out issues from the past on protests organised by Anwar does not sound convincing to me. In fact, I think the points are somehow out of topic.

Anwar Ibrahim
As usual, a seasoned politician (was the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia for a while before 1998), his points are more convincing compared to Ahmad Shabery Cheek's although the practicality in economic sense requires a thorough evaluation.

He mainly speaks within the topic, which should be the right thing to do in a debate.

He is even good in body language. Right after the debate, quickly he moved forward to shake hands with Ahmad Shabery Cheek. As a person that exudes and instils confidence, it is not surprising that many Malaysians feel that he is Prime Minister-material.

More Debates?
Is this a start to a politically mature Malaysia? Will we be able to see scenarios like Wan Azizah vs Rafidah Aziz , Lim Guan Eng vs Ong Tee Keat, Azmin Ali vs. Nazri, Nik Aziz vs. Pak Lah, Husam Musa vs. Syed Hamid Albar?

Hmmn ... Maybe Gobind Singh Deo vs. Bung Mokhtar or Teresa Kok vs. Ng Yen Yen would be interesting ... Yes, you heard it right.. from me...

Some people call for a debate between Najib or Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Anwar on national issues. That is highly essential.

It would be best if debates can be held occasionally. At least many citizens would be educated on various issues plaguing Malaysia. The nation would know which policy that politicians would prefer to solve certain problems. It is even good for the television stations and mamak stores with big TVs.

My sixth sense tells me the main motive of this event is to quell public anger through protests and such. I am a pessimist. I think it won't be possible for a 2nd debate for a long time. Let's pray that this would not be the one and only live TV debate in the history of Malaysia.

Now, let's pray I am wrong.

Pak Lah 2010

Malaysiakini reported PM hands over job to Najib in 2 years .

Why not now ? Why not 2020 ? Anyway, does anyone believe Pak Lah when he said 2010 ? It seems that Pak Lah wants time to finish his projects (Malaysiakini).

Did anyone remember Anyone saying the price of the fuel price will not rise but immediately raised. Did anyone remember Anyone saying 'getting married' are rumours but not long after that, he announced his marriage? Did anyone remember Anyone saying that he will not dissolve the parliament for election at a specific date only to eventually contradict himself by doing what he promised not to do? We shall never know when "Flip-Flops" would happen.

Previously I had written the entry No Contest for PM and DPM in UMNO . I loathed for the lack of choice that Malaysians have for Prime Minister within UMNO. Sincerely, if I had only two choices, unfortunately, between Abdullah and Najib, I would choose the former.

Sad, isn't it?

I have very pessimistic perception on the future of Malaysia.

In UMNO, my personal choice would be Tengku Razaleigh.... He speaks fluently and economic-minded (proven in the past). Unfortunately, he does not have enough support from the grassroots....

Perhaps, the best would be a change of government. It's high time for a CHANGE. It has been 50 years.

No Contest for PM and DPM in UMNO

Malaysiakini reported PM to declare no contest for Umno top 2 on Jul 10, 08 12:12pm
breaking news : According to Umno sources, Abdullah is also widely expected to announce that he would hand over the reins to Najib in two years. MORE
-> Ku Li, Muhyiddin affected
-> PM worried about nominations

The President and Vice President of UMNO are respectively the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. If the above news is true, would that be good or bad news?

For readers of this blog who knows my style, would have thought I would say it is a bad news. Perhaps, it is. Let's talk about the top spot, the President-cum-Prime Minister of Malaysia spot.

So, we will at least have Abdullah there for another two years. After Abdullah, who? Najib, perhaps.

At least we get Abdullah and not Najib for now. However, like it or not, if the political situation does not change, we shall get Najib around 2010.

Should I feel happy? Hmmn .. well .. seriously I do not know how to feel now. As for year 2010, "sigh".... we shall see how... "sigh"

We haven't got much choice anyway. Certainly ironic that this country is a so-called democratic nation but the top posts are not contestable.

I spoke to some of my Malay friends. They asked me ... if the posts are contestable and Malaysians do not want both Abdullah and Najib, who else can they nominate within UMNO?

Muhyiddin? Some say he is not Prime Minister material. Ku Li? Not enough support. Not much of good choices, they say. Now, that's really sad.

Positive News : Top Web Sites and World Heritage Sites

Malaysiakini is No 1 news site
Alexa ranked the paid news site Malaysiakini recently. This is a positive development not only for Malaysiakini itself, but on the other fact : Malaysian netizens are plausibly more aware of socio-political developments in the nation post-PRU12.

Perhaps, with news reporting which is done on a fairer measure than mainstream media, inclusion of Malaysian blogrolls, publications of letters from readers and exclusive videos on various happenings across the nation make this a must-visit site.

Other news websites to make it into the top 50 are The Star (16), Utusan Malaysia (18), Berita Harian (30), Malaysia Today (31), Harian Metro (34) and Harakah Daily (36).

I am not too happy that Malaysia Today ( http://www.malaysia-today.net/ ) only made it at no 31. I expected it to be higher in the list (meaning more visitors). However, for an independent site that runs on limited funding, it is a high achievement by itself. I have been a follower since its inception. Congratulations to Raja Petra and Malaysia Today commenters for making it happen. News coupled with public opinion does matter.

Personally, I do not really like politics, similar with many Malaysians but I feel it is unavoidable. Where there is human, there is politics. One can be ignorant if one is not affected by politics. Judging by the current situation the nation is in, the national political situation must be paid attention. It is at a critical stage where economy and livelihood of Malaysians are affected. By being knowledgeable of what is happening in the country, one can educate people who are less aware.

Note : Anyone wondering where NST stands ? Goodness gracious, I shouldn't have asked.

Youtube is no 4 and Blogger is no 5 (most visited sites)
Having an opinion is one thing but it is only through education and pro-active actions, the national situation may improve. Perhaps, that is why Blogger ranked no 5. Blogging is a form of pro-active action although it is not necessarily enough to turn things around.

Lately, The Sun reported : Abdullah hits out at slander and lies spread in cyberspace. It is not necessar to waste time to make too much out of what he said. There is nothing really significant or nothing that has never been said before. An excerpt from the words of All Blogs president Ahirudin Attan of Rocky's Bru ( http://rockybru.blogspot.com/ ) explains it all ...

In an immediate reaction, National Bloggers Alliance pro tem president and National Press Club adviser Ahirudin Attan, who blogs as Rocky's Bru, urged Abdullah and other leaders to look at the positive side of blogging.

"Labelling blogs as something negative is going back to the stone-age, because we have been through this before," he said.

Indeed .. and indeed Youtube is no 4 and Blogger is no 5 in the World Wide Web of the Information age by Malaysian standards. Further, on negative perceptions ....

Ahirudin said the government should not accuse bloggers of attempting to create negative perceptions through their postings, but should instead act on slanderous and defamatory accusations.

“Just like there are good cops and bad cops, good politicians and bad politicians, there are good blogs and bad blogs,” said Ahirudin.

Ahiruddin, the former editor of the Malay Mail, said that politicians were to blame as well “because they are the ones who give out statements”.

A blog is just a medium for discussing issues affecting the people, adding that the traditional media were also reporting the same thing, said Ahirudin ....

Georgetown, Malacca win world heritage status
Finally, after all these years.

Did anyone care to notice there are some unique similarities?

These towns are the result of the elements of pluralism. Multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-ethnic. It is hard for one to find places in the world that house Islamic Mosques of Malay-Pakistani-Indian designs, Christian/Catholic churches, Buddhist-Taoist-Confucian/Siamese/Burmese based temples, Hindu temples very near to each other.

In Malacca, one can see designs of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Dutch, Portuguese, English and Nyonya buildings in one place. People of different faith and religion live in various settlements and make their living peacefully in the town.

How could that be achievable? That is a question Malaysians should ask themselves. I can think of one for now.... Mutual respect. It's time to celebrate.

Clarification : Economy and Anwar-Najib Ding-Dongs

On my Sunday, July 06, 2008 post : Malaysia Circus Politics: Bloggers Declare Strike-Disgust , a reader sent me this e-mail ...
No body needs you really. Don"t put such a high value in what you write. There will be many others who will continue.No man is indispensable. Just take your ego to new heights. Cheers

My reply
I do not put a high value to what I write neither do I feel egoistic that my opinion must be embraced by everyone. This blog is written by a commoner, the average worker with average income who has a weekday job to make ends meet.

There is no intention to terminate this blog from socio-political issues but only having a temporary pre-empt (that's what the strike is all about) from writing about the Anwar-Najib ding-dongs.

Anyway .. if readers care to read the whole article in the post linked above, I wrote the statement "Instead, I shall put more concentration on economy and administration". The global economic crisis is coming and Sleepyheads in the Administration are plenty. That is where the concentration would be for this blog now, the Bread-and-Butter issue. Malaysians will suffer horribly if its economy collapses.

That is more important than the Anwar-Najib ding-dongs.

Everything else, BAU (business as usual). In fact, there are two entries today, about media, of which, one correlates with the PROTES rally.

Hope this clears up the issue on "strike".

To all readers, please put in more efforts in educating your fellow friends, families and relatives on what is happening. It is good to know there are Malaysians who care about the nation.

"Towards a Better Malaysia!"

Fed Up of The Starry Drama

Wong Chun Wai wrote Fed up with the political drama

This is what was written ....
After all, politics is all about perception. But in Malaysia, with the credibility of the government, judiciary, police and media in question, facts and evidence no longer matter.

And who can blame Malaysians? You have a private investigator P. Balasubramaniam who made incredulous allegations against Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in a statutory declaration, which ranged from anal sex to commission for a submarine deal, and then retract them barely 24 hours later.

The man should be arrested and charged in court. The perception of Malaysians now is that a statutory declaration can be written by anyone, in the presence of any lawyer, and sealed for RM6 in front of any commissioner of oath.

The statutory declaration is in danger of becoming a piece of toilet paper. You can file a document, say the nastiest things, with no evidence except “reliably informed”. What the people choose to believe will depend on their political allegiance.
_______________________________________________

It is necessary for me to say a few things. Yes, I am indeed sick, tired and fed up of the current political drama.

Yes, I have low confidence on the credibility of the government, judiciary, police and media in question but it has nothing to do with Mr. Bala's act of retracting the first Statutory Declaration. Goodness gracious.....

Besides, on the part of the phrase "reliably informed", to ascertain whether it can be treated as valid, one should check out Haris Ibrahim's latest post Hearsay and speaking from the grave (1) and Hearsay and speaking from the grave (2) (updated 09 July 2008 08.36 a.m.)

Now I am sick, tired and fed up of "questionable" media too ......

Spinning Report on Fuel Price Hike Rally

Yesterday, 6th July 2008, PROTES organised a fuel price hike protest at Stadium MPPJ Kelana Jaya, attended by approximately 10,000 participants. The rally lasted the whole day. There is an overall feel of a carnival.

Bernama reported Thousands Attend Rally Protesting Fuel Price Hike
_____________________________________________

Excerpt:
Supporters of opposition parties and extremist organisations Sunday defied orders by the authorities and joined a rally organised by the Coalition Against the Fuel Price Hike (Protes) at the Kelana Jaya Stadium here.

Comment:
"Extremist organisations"? Yawn ..... By the way, Barisan Nasional, the opposition party in Selangor was not the organiser of the event in Stadium MPPJ (a Selangor area).

Excerpt:
The presence of the police and other authorities around the stadium helped to ensure that the rally participants, some of whom were seen to be aggressive, did not resort to any mischief.

Comment:
The funny thing about this Bernama report is the failure to mention this about Rockers rile crowd at rally (Malaysian Insider). From Malaysian Insider :"It was not immediately clear why the audience was unhappy with the band. However, the story emerged that the band had been performing a number titled "Liwat" which contained rather unsavoury lyrics. The last straw was when the lead singer, turned around and pulled down his pants to expose his underwear."

Is this the cause of aggressiveness? Shouldn't this be highlighted in the same report?

Excerpt:
However, the one-day gathering themed "Protest by A Million People", caused some problems to the neighbourhood residents who had to stay indoors for fear of their safety due to the sudden appearance of thousands of people in the area.

Comment:
This is actually funny. The neighbourhood residents stay near Stadium MPPJ. So, what is a Stadium for? For sporting events, maybe concerts other than this first-time protest. How many people can a Stadium house? Thousands.... So, everytime there is a sporting event or concert, potentially thousands would come. The residents would have get used to it already. These statements are really mind-boggling. Goodness gracious.

Excerpt:
He also said that the police had received not less than 10 telephone calls from residents in the vicinity of the stadium complaining about the rally.

Comment:
I presume that would be slightly more than 10 (maybe 11 , 12) but definitely lesser than 20. It is also possible that only 10 calls were received.

Excerpt:
The rally was organised by the opposition parties to garner the sympathy of the people to protest against the government's decision to raise fuel prices last month.

Comment:
This statement is confusing. The venue was MPPJ, a Selangor area. From what I gather, Barisan Nasional, the opposition party in Selangor did not organise the rally. Pakatan Rakyat is the Selangor State Government. The Barisan Nasional Federal Government was the one who decided to raise the fuel prices last month.

Bernama sshould use the words "Barisan Nasional" and "Pakatan Rakyat" instead of "Government" and "Opposition". It is rather questionable when the latter terms are used.

"Garner the sympathy"? Hahaha.. that is a good one. The last thing I heard, there were many who were not "sympathised" but actually angry at an unconscionable fuel price hike.

There is also a lack of writings on the speeches of various MPs and people who were present in the rally.
_____________________________________________

As a conclusion, I would like to state that I do not need any news that side with either Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat.

I need an equal measure of fair reporting. That's all.

It is not hard to guess which side the Bernama report leans towards.

Malaysia Circus Politics: Bloggers Declare Strike-Disgust

I am joining this chorus of bloggers to express my extreme disgust, frustration, discontent at the recent Malaysia Circus Politics involving the below:

1) No end in sight to handing in and revoking Statutory Declarations. The only one acceptable to me is RPK's Statutory Declaration.

2) Police reports after police reports, allegations after allegations, denials after denials.

3) Endless "Bollywood Drama Minggu Ini" : Keeping evidences and giving out little by little.

4) Flip-flopping : Somebody said they did not meet someone, the next day Somebody said he actually did.

5) Liwat-Meliwat. Fretting over anal intercourses.

6) Suggestion on army to be involved in streets. Why do that? That should be the police's job. Somebody used to say Malaysia is not like Pakistan, not like Myanmar. Malaysia is not a military government (yet).

As a Malaysian, I would want "Justice for Altantuya", the Mongolian lady who was killed and body destroyed using a C4 bomb. In my opinion, it is still necessary for Najib to put national and party interest as priority by taking a leave and clearing his name before resuming his job.

As for Anwar, if he has any other evidences, he should for once and for all expose everything. Otherwise, make lesser episodes.....

In this day and time, we should place more attention on bread-and-butter issues, inflation, a potential looming global economic crisis/recession and a dwindling economy.

What is Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Prime Minister of Malaysia and his Administration doing to all these crucial issues? Can Pak Lah step up to the plate?

It is useless if one is only smart in playing politics but not on administering the welfare and economy of the nation. After all, poor administration is not a wise political move. This statement is dedicated to all politicians.

All these politicising has taken away our attention on the bigger threats/issues. I am too lazy to keep up with the circus politics. Tell me when the story is near the end. That is how I approach boring serial dramas. There is more to life than this. Instead, I shall put more concentration on economy and administration.

Blogs expressing similar sentiments (strike, disgust)
Rocky's Bru Malaysian bloggers on strike
Marina Mahathir's I think I'll go on strike
Jeff Ooi's Visit Meliwat Year 08
Wong Chun Wai's Sick, Tired and Fed up
Khoo Kay Peng's National Crisis
Unspun blog Sick, tired and fed up in the New Malaysia
Michelle Yoon's My open letter to Anwar Ibrahim

Should Najib Go On Leave?

Yesterday, I posted an entry titled Explosive Statutory Declarations on C4 Case .

Balasubramaniam, the private investigator of the man implicated in the murder, Abdul Razak Baginda (political secretary of Najib) made a statutory declaration that allegedly name our Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Minister of Defence Najib as related to the mentioned case.

Bala was in a press conference held by Parti Keadilan. Blogger Hard-T posted a detailed entry of the given question and answers between Bala, Anwar, their lawyer and the press. It was said there is a possibility of more exposure on the case in the near future.

YB Lim Kit Siang wrote Altantuya Murder - Najib should go on leave from his DPM duties until cleared of allegations in Balasubramaniam SD.

It has been almost two years since the case presided in the court. I agree with the suggestion that Najib should go on leave to clear his name before returning to his duties.

As you can see, this is a case of international scope, involving relationships between this nation with Mongolia and possibly China (some records of Altantuya's immigration is mysteriously missing).

Furthermore, the reputation of our own government is at stake. Judging by the performance of Barisan Nasional and UMNO in the previous general election (PRU12) which highlighted major problems of these parties in garnering support from the masses, Najib should wisely take a leave.

After all, I believe one should place the interests of the nation as the highest priority, followed by party and eventually self.

Right?

Updated 11:11 a.m. 4th July 2008
Malaysiakini reports PI retracts stunning statutory declaration. In less than 24 hours, Bala had retracted his Statutory Declaration.

Explosive Statutory Declarations on C4 Case

Previously, Raja Petra Kamarudin made a Statutory Declaration involving a high-profile person.

Today at 11.00 a.m. , Anwar Ibrahim made a press conference. A private investigator by the name of Balasubramaniam a/l Perumal allegedly made another Statutory Declaration involving another high-profile person.

Nathaniel Tan's jelas.info and Anwar Ibrahim's Blog released an entry on Press Statement and Statutory Declaration of the aforementioned explosive exposure.

America has many "Confessions" to tell whereas Malaysia has many "Declarations" to make.

So, if the high-profile persons mentioned above are related in terms of marriage, what could that necessarily mean?

I think, me, as a Malaysian is starting to get quite concerned. I am not sure about the rest of the population.

Meanwhile, Malaysiakini reported 'No' to soldiers on street duty. The excerpt states : "Unprecedented and dangerous was how human rights group Suaram executive director Yap Swee Seng described yesterday’s suggestion that the armed forces be roped in to maintain public order."

Now, I am even more concerned with that.

Why, soldiers and not the police? I do not agree on that and I am not sure who came out with the idea. I would only be able to understand that if our nation is ruled by a military government but currently our nation is not running such a governance. From what I gather, Malaysia is a Constitutional Monarch government which is supposed to be aiming to become as democratic as possible.

Perhaps, in order to clarify the above, it is necessary to get the Minister of Defence-cum-Deputy Prime Minister Dato' Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak to explain.

Cybertroopers on the Prowl Again

Aliran reports Aliran website attacked on 1st July 2008 7:10 pm
Excerpt:
"Within a three-minute spell, our website was bombarded with 60,000 hits from two IP address in particular. This was confirmed by our web-hosting company, which temporary disabled our website for a few hours. "The account was getting attacked," said the company's network security administrator."

Malaysiakini reports 'Malaysia Today' hacked by Soon Li Tsin on 2nd July 2008 8:00pm
Excerpt:
"Popular political blog Malaysia Today was hacked this morning and the poor Internet connection affecting several areas in Malaysia has affected efforts to restore the website. "

Tun Dr. Mahathir's 'Che Det' blog posted an entry titled Note To Visitors on 22nd June 2008, 11:09pm
Excerpt:
"On Friday June 19th, chedet.com was locked by the administration of Bloggers.com for what was termed as "suspected spam blog". Following that chedet.com has not been able to publish any new posting pending approval by Bloggers.com"

Anil Netto wrote this phrase in Malaysia Today, Aliran websites attacked :
"Is this all just a coincidence?"

Once upon a time, Sagaladoola blog shared the same experience as Che Det's blog. I was not able to post anything as well. Eventually, after a period of time, it was released after some investigation processes by the owners of blogger.com . Ronnie Liu's site (of DAP) suffered a similar fate before the 8th March General Election .

With the Anwar issue making big rounds as major headlines on almost all medias, it is certainly mind-boggling the cyber attacks would come at the same time. Perhaps, Anil Netto asked the right question.

There is of course one socio-political commonality between all the attacked sites. Freedom of speech is under attack. It is not hard to guess which group of people potentially executed the moves. The question is, who are behind this group of people? Who will be most advantaged by limiting the access to these websites?

Like what I said just now... That really isn't hard, right? That's really suspicious....

Indian-Snake in Perak, Vandalism at Pasar Seni Station

Indian-Snake Fable in Perak State Assembly
I feel a little concerned after reading this article published in The Star. ...
______________________________________
Saturday June 28, 2008
Reps keep up heat on Speaker
By HAH FOONG LIAN and CHRISTINA KOH

IPOH: It was another fiery day for Perak State assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar who not only had to handle continued heckling by Barisan Nasional assemblymen but also had a question with racial overtones thrown at him.

The first 36 minutes of Question Time yesterday saw opposition assemblymen continuously standing up and asking him for the chance to speak, and raise issues.

One by Hamidah Osman (BN-Sungai Rapat) particularly earned the wrath of the Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen when she asked whether Sivakumar “agreed to disagree” with the well-known fable of whether a snake or a man from a certain racial community should be killed first.
______________________________________

dansemacabre.wordpress.com posted some pictures and comments on this. YB Lim Kit Siang wrote a detailed entry titled Indian and the snake… .

In order to be fair to UMNO, it was said that Barisan whip Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali (BN-Pengkalan Hulu) then asked her to retract her words, and she did.

I was wondering which fable this lady is actually referring to. I feel that the question on "Indian and Snake" is considered non-essential in Parliament. Fables, mythologies and fictional story-telling are the stuff of primary schools and kindergartens. MPs are supposed to discuss serious issues affecting public and iron out any related problems in the Assembly.

What exactly is the MP trying to imply by comparing a race in Malaysia with a lethal animal? Is the MP trying to foster unity, positive feelings between races with that remark? Goodness gracious, that is really mind-boggling.

Sungai Rapat constituents should question their MP whether she "agree or disagree" with my point-of-view. Although she apologised, it is important to know whether she knows why she actually had to apologise.

At the back of my mind, I was wondering whether MIC is aware of this. If they are, why wasn't there any known reaction?

Interesting Grafittis
Perhaps, the message from the Malaysians through votes, creating a Political Tsunami in the 12th General Election (8th March 2008) that costed Barisan Nasional 5 states and the denial of 2/3 majority in Parliament for the very first time in the nation's 50 year history is not clear enough to the party members.

Perhaps, the party members do not understand the gravity of the situation.

I was in Kuala Lumpur old town few days ago. Travelled by Putra LRT and stopped at Pasar Seni station. Upon leaving the station by descending the escalator, I saw these shocking grafittis on some nearby walls. Decided to take some shots to share with readers.


I believe this was sprayed / painted onto the walls right before the 12th General Election. Translated it means "Just as long it's not UMNO".

The famous Kasturi Tuition Center is at the background. Read the light blue signboard.

Some additional remarks dedicated to "Pak Lah & Najib". Central Market is behind the trees.

I do not endorse this act of vandalism. I wish to tell the perpetrators, if they are reading this, not to repeat such act. The main point of this entry is to inform UMNO members (especially of those who are representatives in the parliament) that the dissatisfaction on the ground is quite ubiquituous. UMNO members should think before they speak. Keris waving coupled by less than positive words uttered during a General Assembly had greatly hurt the reputation of the party.

Returning to the original context of the "fable". If that is the way UMNO choose to speak or act for the rest of the 5 years given mandate, I personally assure BN, PRU13 probably will be "more interesting" than PRU12.

Better wake up any Sleepyheads before it is too late. Think about it....