Malaysia on International News - ISA, Raja Petra, Teresa Kok and Tan Hoon Cheng

Malaysia made news all over the world.

The incident is international now.

UK, America, Australia, Netherlands, Qatar, France Philippines, Canada, Singapore among the many nations wrote about the arrest of Raja Petra Kamarudin, Teresa Kok and Sin Chew Daily journalist Tan Hoon Cheng were held using draconian law Internal Security Act.

It is advisable for all to read this entry by Nathaniel Tan of Jelas.info : Malaysia’s Moment to Unite .

As a Malaysian, I would say I do not support the use of ISA on anybody.

Using existing laws to deal with the situation is more advisable than internet censoring. However, existing draconian laws should be removed and other common laws should be opted instead.

This is a sad day in Malaysia, especially during the month of Ramadan.

Malaysians, please pay attention to Haris Ibrahim's advice in his post : Don’t fear a dying beast’s last strike, but don’t fall for its rouse either

I would like to call upon all Malaysians to do these:

1. Remain calm

2. Do not do anything rash

3. Do not take to the street

4. Do not be instigated by people to demonstrate

5. Just voice it out in your blog, your comments to the blogs, and inform your friends and relatives about the situation

6. Call your Aduns or MPs and voice out your objection about these arrests and urge your representatives to voice out

7. Members of political parties, sms your leaders to pressure them to voice out

We shall object to these draconian acts by using civility and do not fall into the traps of giving the big brother a chance to declare emergency rule……

There are many other things that we should heed from the posting above.

Malaysians - Malays, Chinese, Indians, Iban, Kadazan.. etc all should stay calm and united. We should love each other as Malaysians ....
_____________________________________________

International News

Malaysia: Free Journalists and Parliamentarian Human Rights Watch (press release) - The Malaysian government should immediately and unconditionally release two journalists and an opposition politician arrested on September 12, 2008, ...

Leading website editor arrested under Internal Security Act Reporters without borders (press release), France - Reporters Without Borders condemns today’s arrest of online journalist Raja Petra Kamarudin, for posing a threat to “security, peace and public order” under ...

Malaysian opposition lawmaker, 2 journalists held International Herald Tribune, US - Police arrested a Malaysian opposition lawmaker and two journalists on Friday under a law allowing their indefinite detention without trial, sparking fears the government was preparing a major crackdown on dissent. Opposition parties denounced the arrests as a violation of human rights and a setback to democracy......

Blogger's detention sparks fears BBC News, UK - By Robin Brant Late on Tuesday night, I spoke to Raja Petra Kamarudin. We were supposed to meet face-to-face earlier in the day, but Malaysia's most ...

Malaysia blogger's arrest creates dangerous precedent guardian.co.uk, UK - Even before his arrest, Malaysia's most political blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin, was attracting hundreds of readers to Malaysia Today, a website renowned ...

Amid arrests and threats, Malaysia cracks down CPJ Press Freedom Online, New York -The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns the arrests today of Raja Petra Kamarudin, founder and editor of the ...

Malaysia Internet Ban on Anti-Government Web Site Draws Outcry eWeek, New York - has pulled the plug on a popular news portal often critical of the government, sparking protests from a resurgent opposition. ...

Malaysia‘s top anti-government blogger arrested Ottawa Recorder, Canada - Police arrested Malaysia‘s top anti-government blogger Friday under a law allowing ...

KL nabs 3 in ISA crackdown Straits Times, Singapore - MALAYSIA yesterday embarked on a crackdown, arresting controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin and a ...

Police arrest Malaysian blogger ABC Online, Australia - A prominent anti-government blogger in Malaysia has been detained under the country's harsh Internal Security ...

Malaysian blogger arrested Aljazeera.net, Qatar - Malaysian authorities have detained a government critic by invoking a colonial-era security law that allows for indefinite detention without trial. ...

Malaysian opposition defers bid for power Gulf Times, Qatar - Malaysia’s opposition alliance has deferred a planned bid to unseat the government, initially set for September 16, although a media crackdown ...

Malaysian bloggers, journalists brace for wider crackdown Inquirer.net, Philippines - AT least two bloggers, a journalist, and one opposition politician were arrested under Malaysia’s Internal Security Act (ISA) on September 12 in what media ...

Malaysian politician, reporters detained under security law Monsters and Critics.com - Malaysian police have detained an opposition lawmaker, a local reporter and a controversial blogger under a draconian law that allows for ...

Malaysia arrests blogger, probes 3 newspapers Reuters India, India - Malaysian police arrested a prominent blogger on Friday while authorities probed three newspapers, including a Chinese daily, ...

Malaysian blogger Raja Petra detained ZDNet Asia, Asia - The Malaysian government Thursday lifted its controversial directive to block access to political portal Malaysia Today but ...

Malaysian Blogger Arrested for Anti-Government Comments Online The Inquisitr, Australia - Authorities in Malaysia arrested editor and founder of Malaysia Today Raja Petra Kamarudin for posting anti-govenment comments on his website. ...

Malaysia locks up journalist Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - Malaysian authorities have arrested Malaysian journalist Raja Petra Kamarudin, two weeks after banning his popular news blog, Malaysia Today. ...

Malaysian Blogger Arrested PoliGazette, Netherlands - Raja Petra Kamarudin, a popular blogger-activist in Malaysia, was arrested by government officials Friday afternoon. The government accuses Kamarudin, ...

Malaysia Today Address Blocked, What about Blogs ?

Malaysiakini reported Malaysia Today blocked! Order from MCMC :
Excerpt: In a rare move, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has ordered all internet service providers (ISPs) to block controversial online portal Malaysia Today.

I was definitely shocked by this piece. Being a blogger and a frequent visitor of http://www.malaysia-today.net/ , to be denied entry is a serious bad news for me. On top of that, if the article is true, that is even more shocking, considering the fact that Malaysia is a free country and its citizens granted freedom of speech by the Constitution.

For the time being , Malaysia Today has re-launched its site at a temporary address ( http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com/2008 ). One can never know how long will this address be sustenable. The one thing certain in Malaysia these days is the assurance of uncertainty. Truly ironic but that is the fact.

Further details on configuring notebooks and laptops can be found here :
http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com/2008/content/view/11912/84/

Is it a coincidence that Malaysia-today.net address is blocked right after Anwar won in Permatang Pauh ? Seriously, I do hope it is a coincidence. If it is politically intentional, then there would be a serious cause of concern. I believe it is not necessary to elaborate further on this.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Insider reports : Somebody to target blogosphere next. Should I only write about cooking and shopping next time... ? Certainly, that is not what I like.

Good luck Malaysians ....... Please inform others of the new Malaysia Today address ....

Updates 07 September 2008 11.59 p.m.
Currently, http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com has been blocked.

The new address is http://mt.m2day.org/2008 .

Free Arrested Blogger Penarik Beca @ Bakaq !

Blogger Penarik Beca @ Bakaq, who writes on http://penarikbeca.blogspot.com/ and administers http://www.malaysiakita-bakaq.blogspot.com/ had been arrested yesterday.

As for the exact reasons of the arrest, nothing concrete has been made known to me. It is indeed sad to know the unfortunate has caught on one of the core bloggers who started off his blogs pre-12th General Election.

In the meantime, bloggers from the same generation had assembled amidst heavy rain to lend support to Bakaq. Mahaguru58 wrote the entry Bakaq's Arrest - Bloggers Gathering at Bukit Perdana with supplementary pictures.

Bakaq's latest contribution to the Malaysian socio-political scene is the speculative disclosure of secrets in the recent UMNO-PAS discussions.

My personal encounter with Bakaq is limited to the websphere. From the exchanges of conversation with him, I can say he is a polite, patriotic person dedicated to serving the nation that prompted him into blogging.

Such situation reminds me of other bloggers' arrest such as Nat Tan and Raja Petra. Rocky's Bru wrote Another blogger detained in Malaysia.

As a blogger from the same generation, I am saddened by this episode and would like to call for all bloggers to support the call for his release.

Bloggers, beware of hired hackers

Malaysiakini published my letter Bloggers, beware of hired hackers .

by Sagaladoola
Nov 6, 07 5:22pm

I wish to bring to the attention of all bloggers and concerned citizens Malaysiakini's report, Bersih website hacked ahead of Nov 10 rally.

The hacker posted a message saying that the Nov 10 gathering will be postponed. On the contrary, Bersih had later reiterated that the gathering would proceed as planned. A large number of organisations will be there and various political parties had confirmed their participation in this peaceful gathering.

A few days ago, a famous independent news portal, Malaysia Today, suffered a similar fate. Currently, Malaysia Today is back online. Elsewhere, I have read of another blog by a member of parliament (Ronnie Liu) having a few days worth of articles being removed the same way.

It is certainly ironic that as the days of the rally draws near, several websites are being attacked. Perhaps, there is some greater hidden powers at work - one that may not be comfortable with certain concerned citizens in the form of bloggers and writers expressing their opinions on the Internet. Otherwise, there could be certain parties who are not pleased with calls for electoral reforms for the better.

If the latter is the main reason for such unruly behaviour, the actions of the hacker(s) and the people who gave the orders are indeed strange. After all, if one is patriotic towards the nation, one should always support a move that supports true democracy through a necessary change in electoral processes. Naturally, upon careful thinking, it may not be hard for Malaysian bloggers and citizens to guess who the real perpetrators are.

Online bloggers should periodically back up their work in Word documents or Notepad files to ensure that their hard work are not permanently lost. Bloggers who do not use familiar blogging sites such as blogspot.com or wordpress.com but use their own purchased domains should exercise extra caution by incorporating better security. Personal, purchased domains are more vulnerable to attacks.

P.S. The Member of Parliament mentioned here is Ronnie Liu. His website http://colour-blind.org/ was hacked. Meanwhile, he will be reusing his older blog http://ronnieliutiankhiew.wordpress.com/ for any public updates.

Protest Music and Freedom of Speech

Musicians and Political Protest
I am reading this letter featured in Malaysiakini , Art for political protest will soon be more popular written by an anonymous "Absolute Freedom" on Aug 20, 07 3:28pm. Finally, a chance to write about something that I like, "Music" !

" Remember Bruce Springsteen's ‘Born in the USA’ single? Anyone reading the lyrics will realise that Springsteen was protesting about the selling-out of the American dream - a Vietnam War veteran's alienation by his own country. And recall that iconic album poster with the back view of a man in denim jeans and white T-shirt standing facing the Stars and Stripes?

Notice how one hand could be seen and the other not? Till today, no one has yet managed to convince me that the image cannot be that of a man urinating on his country's flag. Or have we forgotten the Sex Pistol's rendition of ‘God Save the Queen’? Namewee's ‘Negarakuku’ is kindergarten stuff compared to that.

Or Jimi Hendrix's guitar solo of the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ during the Vietnam War years?

Anyone who knows rap, know's that rap language is stark, ‘in your face’ and in extreme cases, outright violent. There is no room for euphemisms in rap - you just tell it as it is from your own perspective. I am not a fan of rap but I acknowledge that is a form of protest music that grew out of the black ghettos of the US where a marginalised community (the Afro-Americans) live. Just as reggae and ska are protest music from the Caribbean. "

Jazz and Rock Musicians Exercise Democracy
To top off on that, there is another article from Dr. Azly Rahman in Malaysia Today, titled " Learn Democracy from jazz and rock " in March 2007. He stated that jazz is a form of "democracy in music". Jazz arrangements can be improvised as it is played rather than constrained by the original decided form as evident in classical music.

This is what I wrote in reply:
" In the history of jazz and blues, there is something called "protest songs".

The most famous of it being the "anti-lynching" song sung by the famous Lady Day, Billie Holiday.

It goes by the title of "Strange Fruit"

Lyrics by Lewis Allen:
-------------------------
Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
-----------------------

The strange fruit mentioned refers to the corpse of those killed by lynching.

"Protest songs" is part of the democracy underline. In the early days of American Independence, racism existed. African Americans were lynched publicly on trees for purported wrongdoings by White Supremacists.

The amazing part is Lady Day, with her limited vocal octave (one and a half) managed to make the song with rather short lyrics work with her legendary "emotional singing" style. The end of the song leaves you with a sense of bitterness. As bitter as the crop described.

Great artistry meets democratic expression.

When this song broke out in public, many did not know how to make of it. After some time, a lot of the listeners applauded her for such bravery to perform. Some Northern Americans (including White Americans) and African Americans gave her the support she deserved.

Another highlight is Lady Day was never arrested for singing that song.

With such impact, this brings to question whether the "anti lynching" activities managed to stop because of this song.

The fact is, it didn't happen immediately. However, the presence of this song managed to help in a nationwide campaign against public lynching. It brought to the nation, the seriousness and evil of such activities.

The engines started to work and the people made aware start to unite and work cohesively against it.

It maybe a long walk towards real democracy but it is certainly worth the effort.

There's a lot more about jazz, such as "free jazz" and "avant garde jazz" and "jazz rock". Jazz came from America and all of these sub-genres represent how 'democracy in music' allows great works to come about. "

Naturally, there would be some quarters who complained that the western world is using music as a propaganda. I made a brief comment to that illogical claim:

" It is unfair to say the jazz and rock 'messiahs' that we mentioned are selling the US propaganda.

In fact, there are those from these so-called jazz and rock messiahs who criticised the US government in concerts and their lyrics.

Some artistes are considered by the US government as threat.

Look at Rage Against The Machine, 'Skinny Puppy'...

Listen to Billie Holiday ...

Bear in mind, not all Jazz and Rock Messiahs are White. Not all of them are Americans. "

Future of music as a protesting mechanism in Malaysia
I end this with important excerpts from Art for political protest will soon be more popular from Malaysiakini :

" It's time Malaysians get to grips with the use of art and music to deliver political protest. This latest brouhaha with Namewee's ‘Negarakuku’ should be seen in the broader context of art being used for political protest.

We (Malaysians) seem to have selective thin skins. We are thin-skinned when criticism is directed at our narrowly-defined communities. But we seem to be thick-skinned when the criticism is directed at another community. It also reflects the failure of the BN government, after 50 years of independence, to forge a broader Malaysian identity that overrides our narrower ethnic and religious tribalism.

If you didn't protest when an Umno youth leader unsheathed a kris at an Umno general assembly or when they tore down temples across Malaysia, then you'd be a hypocrite to cry foul at a young man's rap who tells it like it is from his point of view. As I said ‘his point of view’ - it is neither right nor wrong. Just his point of view.

I believe that God put the different communities together in Malaysia so that we'd act as a check and balance on each other: Whenever one community gets too arrogant, the other communities act as a mirror to reflect the true image of that one community - beauty, warts, pimples and all.

Let's not miss the bigger picture in all of this. One of the pillars of our constitution is freedom of speech. The BN government will have us believe that our constitutional freedom of speech is not absolute, that we have to worry about the sensitivities of the various communities.

That is only true when communities feel insecure and threatened - a constant given BN's preference in following their white master's colonial ‘divide and rule’ policy in playing on narrow communal fears in order to secure the vote. If I am secure in my identity (ethnic, religious etc), no person's words can harm me.

Either you have it or you don't. There's no such thing ‘limited freedom of speech’. The more astute of your readers will also note that Umno leaders are able exercise absolute freedom of speech in spouting racial and religious hatred with impunity but insist that the rest of us toe the line of ‘limited freedom of speech’ which the threat of sedition hanging above our heads. Such hypocrites! "

Namewee's criticism is not something new. One year ago (2006) in June, this song titled "UMNO New Theme Song" appeared in YouTube.

The artiste, Hattan sang his interpretation of Negaraku in 2005. Although Hattan is not singing a protest song, the Malaysiakini letter noted these points:

1) " The question of whether the singer had humiliated the national anthem by his singing would not have been a national issue if it had not been raised in Parliament. Such pettiness. "

2) " Surely our members of parliament should raise more important issues which affect their constituencies like rampant corruption, abuse of power by the high and mighty, price increases, all which affect a majority of the common people. Not on whether the NegaraKu was sung off key. "

Do you notice anything familiar between Namewee's and Hattan's cases ?

Namewee has apologised. I am very sure he will exercise more subtlety if he wants to address issues in the future. Perhaps, it is time to carry on with our lives on more pressing matters.

Namewee Should Sue Those Who Defamed Him

Malaysiakini reported: Cabinet rejects apology from rapper Namewee for his infamous (or famous depending on individual preference) rap song Negarakuku.

ISA Which Part?
In the beginning there were calls from many politicians to utilise Internal Security Act on Namewee. Seriously, when those threats were made, I was not surprised. After all, it has become a norm of an abnormal democracy to utilise draconian acts on a common disgruntled citizen of Malaysia. How much of "security" damage can a 24-year old man who has no known links to communist or terrorist organisation do? I recall Internal Security Act was meant to counter such organisations. Namewee is just a dissatisfied Malaysian student completing his studies in Taiwan.

Seditious? Who is Seditious?
Other than that, there were calls for the execution of Seditious Act. It was claimed by several politicians and spunned or perceived by several newspapers that Namewee sang about corruption and insulted Islam. I have seen the Youtube MTV. I do not recall any mention of bribery or illegal transaction of money or materials to settle matters. There was of course, a mention of fostering good relationship between a citizen and the police over a cup of coffee or tea. Is this a form of corruption? Come on, be serious! How much can a cup of coffee or tea cost?

Then there was a mention that he insult Islam by his descriptions on azan:
" Pukul 5 pagi, Ada morning call akan suruh aku bangun
Kadang-kadang beberapa ‘buah’ nyanyi sama-sama
macam tengah duet lagu cinta R&B
Suara tinggi rendah macam tengah nyanyi R&B
Walaupun kadang kala sebahagian daripada mereka out of tune
Walaupun kadang kala sebahagian daripada mereka pecah suara
Ada juga suara yang macam kokokan ayam tetapi dia bangun lagi awal dari ayam
Macam ini baru kite tahu mase untuk bersiap ke sekolah dan kerja "

I wonder in which sense did he insulted Islam? He is merely describing azan as how he views it. Indeed azan is around 5 a.m. in the morning. Due to the timing, when "azan" is being broadcasted through the speakers, the non-Muslims would have heard it and know it is time to wake up and prepare for the day. There is nothing negative about this statement. When "azan" is recited, it can be heard that there are certain accompanying melodies, rhythms and tempo. He is merely describing how azan sounds like. He did not say azan is bad or Islam is evil. Which part of the lyrics is insulting Islam, may I ask?

As for insulting Malay, so far I have only heard people making this claim this but could not pass a proper argument to stake it.

Then there are those who say the word "Negarakuku" is negative. The basis is "kuku" means "cuckoo" and the nation was said to be insinuated by Namewee as "gila" or crazy. I did not read it anywhere that Namewee agreed to this interpretation. Why didn't the mainstream media mention that "kuku" can mean "nails" in Bahasa Malaysia? The song is sung in rap, the mixing hip hop, a popular song genre among the young these days. There are times when the word "ku" which is an abbreviated form of "aku" is repeated twice. So, the title can also be perceived as "Negaraku,ku".

The rap, hip-hop single of Chingy's Right Thurr peaked at #2 on the U.S. Hot 100 and #17 on the United Kingdom pop charts. The song is a good example of the fur-fair merger (merging "there" and "thurr") that is becoming prevalent in African American Vernacular English. It is also an exaggeration of AAVE accents in St. Louis where Chingy is from. Another song in the single is titled "Mobb Wit Me". Now, what was that supposed to mean? Frankly, I do not see anything negative with Chingy's usage of words.

There are those who say "kuku" also means "penis". Shahnon Ahmad, a famous author who released the famous book "Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan". The book is not banned. Can we perceive the word "Ranjau" as "penis"? I do not find that logic or applicable in law.

Perhaps, Namewee should sue politicians and papers who slandered him under the Defamation Law in Malaysia.

A police report can also be lodged if Namewee finds the slanders made by those people are seditiously disrupting to national harmony.
_____________________________________

Negaraku or Mamula Moon?
Finally, almost after a week of intimidating calls to use draconian acts, some so-called "great minds" have changed their decision. Instead of ISA or/and SA, National Anthems Act would be used. How come? I thought some people screamed and shrieked of those "powerful" ISA and SA laws?

A search through the net landed me in this spot. This is what National Anthem Act is all about. Endorse it:
http://www.agc.gov.my/agc/oth/Akta/Vol.%208/Act%20390.pdf

The public now is waiting in bated breath on how the government is going to persecute Namewee as some quarters in the internet claimed that Namewee is using the Mamula Moon melody instead of national anthem "Negaraku". This is what I get after a search through Google :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG96eaqfra8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPcNnHEsFM0

Mamula Moon is a Hawaiian song sung by Felix Mendelssohn and the Hawaiian Serenaders

You can buy Felix's CD in CD Universe online. There are other Hawaiian songs beside Mamula Moon. Songs recorded before Merdeka (between 1939 to 1947).
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=2035578&BAB=E
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Apology and double standards
In a tolerant move, Namewee apologised to the nation for those who feel offended by his rap song. I support Namewee's move. We thought the issue would be laid to rest. No, the cabinet is not ready to let him go with that.

What about these? The government should pay attention to these matters first. To date, there are no official apologies from KPMU yet:
Malaysia, a land of double-standards
http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/index.php?itemid=7324

KPMU's (U of UMNO) Shocking View on Christianity
http://sagaladoola.blogspot.com/2007/08/kpmus-u-of-umno-shocking-view-on.html

Dr. Ng Seng's Seditious Posting on Office of the Prime Minister's Office Site
http://colour-blind.org/?p=715

In terms of politics, Khairy Jamaluddin also hasn't apologised for his racial slurs he made against the Chinese last year [incidentally, Rustam Sani mentioned KJ's refusal to apologise in his posting; read here]. Leadership should be "by example".

Namewee's apology should be accepted and the case should be closed if the government intends to preserve the "honour" of the country.
_____________________________________

Additional links
Namewee's rap song "Negarakuku" with English translation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyiBvJtJ5Z4

Namewee appears on Taiwan TV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thxvvLnhSMc&NR=1

Namewee: a song on his potential arrest : Green, Green Grass
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s7dw7jmTo8&NR=1

Apology Announcement & Metro News : KENYATAAN MEMINTA MAAF OLEH WONG MENG CHEE ATAU NAMEWEE
http://namewee.blogspot.com/2007/08/apologize-announcement.html

Negarakuku Lyrics Script by Namewee
http://namewee.blogspot.com/2007/08/hello-semua-orang-melayu-sila-tengok.html

False Blogs to Frame You and Police Reports

2007 is truly the grand year of Political Police Reports . As we are on the way to arrive at the 50th Merdeka this 31st August, which will be celebrated in a "controlled" way, the massive "orgy" of reports is alarming.

After nearly 2 months, the reports "orgasm" is not stopping yet. Still attempting terribly to blog all of them, another 2 more was just lodged.

REPORT 1: Malaysia Today: NGOs lodge report against Umno info chief

Charles Santiago, the coordinator of the Group of Concerned Citizens, led about 10 people to lodge the report in the district police headquarters here at about 10.30am.

"His statement is highly irresponsible as it is suggestive and creates fear and disharmony among citizens," Santiago told theSun.

In a press conference after the Kelana Jaya Umno meeting on Sunday, Muhammad said he was concerned that a RIOT could erupt if no action is taken against bloggers and people who posted information or opinions on the Internet which humiliate religion or other races.

The News Speculator blogger extracted another NGO name that goes by the name Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet).

Malaysiakini as reported by Andrew Ong & Hon Yi Wen on Aug 14, 07 3:43pm : Mat Taib inciting ‘explosive' racial riots?
Is Umno information chief Muhammad Muhd Taib inciting the recurrence of racial riots on a scale not seen since May 13, 1969? Two NGOs certainly believe so.
-> Comments after Umno meeting
-> ‘Listen to critics’

Indeed, such a statement about "riot" is not surprising if it comes from the mouth of UMNO Information Chief, Muhammad Muhammad Taib. After all, Ronnie Liu made a police report about Dr. Ng Seng's seditious posting on Office of the Prime Minister's Office site . Tony Pua lodged another police report about KPMU's (U of UMNO) Shocking View on Christianity. Tihs blogger has yet to hear any statements in reaction from component parties of Barisan Nasional (led by UMNO), MCA and MIC on these reports.

Speaking to reporters later, Madpet representative urged the police to take immediate action against Muhammad in view of their speedy investigations and eight-hour marathon interrogation of blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin.

Police responded to Muhammad Muhammad Taib's reports against Raja Petra within two days. This blogger has not received any news updates on police's responses on Ronnie Liu's report against Office of the Prime Minister's Office and Tony Pua's report against KPMU ( U of UMNO ) even though more than two days have passed.

No action was taken on Raja Petra as he had not written any article on 11th July.

If there is any truth in the allegations by the 2 NGOs claiming the "Incitement of Racial Riot by Muhammad Muhammad Taib", the police and Internal Security Minister should take immediate action.

Since the instalment of Internal Security Act (ISA) is made to curb such riots, the right time to exercise it would be during "an incitement on racist basis". Otherwise ISA should be abolished. No exceptions or special treatment should be given to any political affiliation.

I am trying very hard to be optimistic that double standards do not exist in Malaysia.
__________________________________________

REPORT 2: Datuk Ruhanie Ahmad: Police Report on "Bloggers will be put to sleep" SMS Lodged

On 1st August 2007, Monday, Datuk Ruhanie received a set of SMS from an anonymous person using the nickname "Hamba Allah".

Linked 1/2:
Just 4 bloggres whoever there ard w’ever shall be given stern warning drastic. Bloggers must realise they successfully been identified even will be put to sleep.
Sender: +60163929760
Sent: 1-Aug-2007, 15:53:29

Linked 2/2:
... Watch ur step take a good rest, good sleep, maybe after this u will be helpless, hopeless.
Sender: +60163929760
Sent: 1-Aug-2007, 15:53:54

To illustrate his point, Datuk Ruhanie reformed the statement into a more comprehensible form without changing its original meaning:

Linked 1/2:
Bloggres whoever and wherever they are shall be given stern warning and drastic action. Bloggers must realise that they have successfully been identified. They even will be put to sleep.

Linked 2/2:
... Watch your step, take a good rest and good sleep. May be, after this you will become helpless and hopeless.

This blogger thanks Datuk Ruhanie for being courageous. Datuk Ruhanie is not only worried about the safety of himself and people related to him. He was concerned of the security of thousands of Malaysian bloggers @ Citizens of Malaysia. Extension of gratitude to President of AllBlogs Ahiruddin Attan (Rocky's Bru) for accompanying and advice. Social service for netizens, nations and citizens well done !
__________________________________________

POTENTIAL POLICE REPORT: Hamizi Hamdan: Victim of False Blog
Another person with the nickname "hamba Allah" (ironically) created a false blog using the e-mail of Hamizi Hamdan. Hamizi Hamdan has this to say:

" Seorang hamba Allah telah membina sebuah blog dengan meggunakan nama saya sebagai alamat blognya yang dinamakan PENDENDAM. Alamat blog baru itu adalah http://hamizi-hamdan.blogspot.com/ / hamizi@yahoo.com .

Di dalam blog itu dipaparkan foto saya yang telah didownload dari blog-blog saya sendiri untuk memberikan gambaran seolah-olah blog baru itu adalah milik saya. Hamba Allah tersebut juga menggunakan alamat e-mail hamizi@yahoo.com sebagai cara menghubungi penulis blog berkenaan.

Penyalahgunaan nama dan gambar saya seperti ini boleh membawa implikasi negatif kepada diri saya jika blog berkenaan memuatkan sebarang bentuk posting mengandungi unsur-unsur hasutan, provokasi atau perkauman. Kandungan blog itu juga berbahaya kepada saya jika memuatkan maklumat-maklumat yang dilindungi oleh Akta Rahsia Rasmi (OSA). Ini semua boleh menyebabkan saya dipersalahkan oleh pihak berkuasa. "

Sagaladoola's note:
Calling All Malaysian Bloggers to be cautious !

I see this as an experiment to evaluate whether Malaysian bloggers who 'do not toe the line' can be framed and ISA-ed, OSA-ed or SA-ed. Malaysian bloggers, I am sure you know who are your friends and your enemies.

Do not hesitate to lodge a police report when you notice something fishy going on in your mails.

Such an underhanded tactic to destroy someone. All he / she needs to do is open up a blog, make the interface to look like his / her enemy, post some offensive and seditious messages, make a police report. Voila, your enemy lands you in jail.

I will urge Hamizi to lodge a report even though "hamba Allah" may remove the false blog later .

Be careful Malaysian Bloggers ! This is a dark day for all of us .... but every cloud has a silver lining .....

Police Reports and Hamba Allah's Phone Number

IPD Dang Wangi is very busy and famous (or infamous) these days.

First, Nathaniel Tan was wrongfully arrested under OSA. 2 Candlelight vigils followed. Even Anwar Ibrahim and various political leaders and NGO leaders came by. Then there were 2 UMNO's police report against Raja Petra of Malaysia Today by its Information Chief, Muhammad Muhammad Taib. Famous bloggers such as Ahiruddin Attan, Zorro Unmasked was there to lend support to Raja Petra.

A few days after, Ronnie Liu made a police report about Dr. Ng Seng's seditious posting on Office of the Prime Minister's Office site. A few days later, Raja Petra's wife was called in for questioning. Marina Mahathir came. While bloggers are painstakingly blogging about all those events, Tony Pua lodged another police report ( Malaysiakini ) about KPMU's (U of UMNO) Shocking View on Christianity.

Not even Malaysians in overseas were spared. A student landed himself in trouble for YouTube rap. The person studying in Taiwan that goes by the nickname, Namewee wrote a song based on the national anthem and named it "Negarakuku". There was an intention to lodge a police report. It is not clear whether it will be in IPD Dang Wangi.

Discounting all the police reports, bloggers @ Malaysia citizens were called all sorts of names by politicians. Goblok, bodoh, monyet, unemployed women among a few. There were even mentions of draconian laws such as ISA to be employed. UMNO recruited cybertroopers. Forums run a plenty.

All that happened in less than two months. Imagine most bloggers having a day-time job and struggling to write blogs and participating in all these events ! If one say the election is not near, this blogger and I believe a number of others will find it hard to believe.

Not having time to blog every single police reports, Datuk Ruhanie Ahmad of Gerbang Ruhanie stated that he will be making another one. Perhaps, IPD Dang Wangi?

It is indeed serious and I support his move to lodge a report. Read Here for more and HERE on Datuk Ruhanie Ahmad's Blog, "Gerbang Ruhanie".
" Someone using the hand-phone (60) 16-3929760, calling himself/ herself as "Hamba Allah" sent an SMS to Datuk Ruhanie Ahmad, with a threatening message, "BLOGGERS WILL BE PUT TO SLEEP" "

Malaysians Unplugged Uncensored echoed a call for help to track down this person with the aforementioned handphone number.

I hereby call all bloggers to inform Datuk Ruhanie if any useful information is obtained.

Malaysia Today, What is 50th Merdeka?

Dr M: Gov’t wants to curb cyber dissent (Malaysiakini Jul 24, 07 12:21pm)
Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes that there is an attempt by the government to curb voices of dissent on the Internet.
-> Failed under his rule
-> Report against Malaysia Today

Umno lodges report against Malaysia Today (Malaysiakini)
Jul 23, 07 2:46pm
Umno has filed a police report against political website Malaysia Today for allegedly publishing disparaging remarks against the King and Islam.

Sagaladoola: Who's Next? 1st Nat? 2nd RPK? Cyber-Axe Cometh?

The Straits Times: Umno files report against webmaster
Raja Petra said yesterday he had no idea which article about the king made Umno leaders upset. 'I am also not against Islam. I am just against the conduct of some Muslims,' he told The Straits Times, saying he believes the government wants to shut down his site and arrest him.

Malaysia Today: Press statement/Letter to the Editor by Dr. Lim Teck Ghee
I am writing in defence of Raja Petra Kamarudin and his writings in his website, Malaysia Today. ... I hope good sense will prevail - and Raja Petra and Malaysia Today can be allowed to continue unhindered in their good work aimed at achieving a better Malaysia.

Jeff Ooi: E-mail from Dr. Helmy Haja Mydin
And if UMNO is so concerned about the lies that is being spread at the website, perhaps it would be more appropriate for them to bring up the various issues of corruption that has been highlighted by Raja Petra. I am sure Muhammad Muhammad Taib, who led the lodging of the report, would want to publicise the issue and clear his name as Raja Petra can't possibly have evidence to back up his rhetoric, can he? If the issues were brought to an open, impartial court and the man be given the opportunity to present his evidence (or lack thereof) then we would have justice. To deny justice, after all, is the ultimate insult to Islam.

My words: What is Merdeka? by Sagaladoola

What is there to celebrate on the 50th Anniversary of Merdeka?

What is Merdeka?

What is Merdeka when people cannot speak?

What is Merdeka when we have a sense of fear on the net?

What is Merdeka when we have a sense of fear walking on the street?

What is Merdeka when we have draconian laws "watching" us?

What is Merdeka when there is no transparency and accountability?

What is Merdeka when we do not know where our hard-earned money went?

What is Merdeka when corruption is killing my country?

What is Merdeka when my citizens cannot talk about the "State" of my homeland in public?

What is Merdeka when my media is not free?

What is Merdeka when I remain suspicious of my leaders, ACA and police?

What is Merdeka when I am not sure if my interests are being safeguarded?

What is Merdeka when certain businesses are "systematically" monopolised?

What is Merdeka when my country is benchmarked against underdeveloped nations of Africa?

What is Merdeka when my citizens cannot be sure of their own future?

What is Merdeka when my citizens are divided and ruled?

What is Merdeka when my citizens are leaving my homeland out of disappointment?

What is Merdeka when my leaders are sleeping through it all?

What is Merdeka when my leaders are not respecting the Constitution?

What is Merdeka when my voice is not heard?

What is Merdeka when my fellow citizens and virgin forests are being raped?

What is Merdeka when I can only complain and see Malaysia "go down"?

What is Merdeka when we are not free to celebrate as how we like?
( Patriotisme tidak boleh dimonopoli , Sambutan ambang 31 Ogos hanya di Dataran Merdeka ? )

What is Merdeka when I fear that I will be caught for writing this?

What is Merdeka when all I can do is to ask but have no courage to tell the answers?

What is Merdeka when all I can do is forcing myself to write out of fear?

I weep for Merdeka. I weep ... that is all I can afford to do to celebrate Merdeka.

That's me Sagaladoola.

Regards ........