well, it was not me who came up with the word ‘demon’. i read this article by AB sulaiman on malaysiakini entitled ‘perkasa – rebirth of a demon‘, so i borrowed from sulaiman to use it.

why the ‘rebirth’? apparently, according to sulaiman the target, philosophy, idealogoy of perkasa is the same as what the malay leadership had adopted ever since independence and named it ketuanan melayu (malay superiority).  sulaiman also hinted at katak ibrahim ali might have a hidden agenda for starting perkosa. read further what he had to say by clicking on ‘read more’ (for those who don’t subscribe to malaysiakini).

NOTE: pic above is done by witsO, earlier posted at facebook.

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Malaysiakini
Perkasa – rebirth of a demon
AB Sulaiman
Mar 10, 10, 7.31pm

The birth of Malay NGO Perkasa is obviously causing a stir in the Malaysian social, intellectual and political landscape.

It has declared intention of acting as a “shield against those who question Malay rights, the royalty and Islam”, according to its founding head and Independent MP Ibrahim Ali.

The target and philosophy is thereby made clear – to protect and promote the sanctity of Islam, the martabat (dignity and honour) of the Malay people, and the spirit of nationalism. This falls under the ideology and banner of untuk agama, bangsa dan negara (for religion, race and nation).

But hasn’t the same philosophy and ideology been used by the Malay leadership in governing the country ever since Independence in 1957? Wasn’t it adopted in the interests of ketuanan Melayu (KM) after the launch of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1970?

To be sure it is the same. Yet, over the last 52 years, it has not seen much success.

So what’s the idea of creating Perkasa now and making the defence and propagation of religion and race sound like a newfound revelation that must be pursued with such immediacy and enthusiasm? Against what threat is the shield designed to protect? From where does this come from anyway? It is indeed a puzzle.

The truth of the matter is that people today are tired of KM leadership. It is so blatantly racist and theological that even Malays are embarrassed by it. Today’s citizens think, listen, read, travel and demand more – they are better informed and knowledgeable, and reject racism and religious extremism.

They are also more aware of the situation around them. They are aware of the abuse of power, abuse of the NEP, corruption and the breakdown of institutions of governance. Civil society movements are agitating and demanding liberty and respect for universal human rights.

All this does not bode well for KM leadership, considering the realisation that KM has not really fought for Malay dignity and honour. It has been fighting more to fill the pockets of a few and to protect a small number of politically-connected individuals.

The disenchantment was amply demonstrated by the results of the 2008 election, leading to BN and Umno – the latter being the most active front for KM – losing the two-thirds majority in Parliament, and the Opposition gaining control of five states.

The influence of Umno is waning. Malays are running away from Umno, as are Chinese from MCA and Indians from MIC.

In other words, BN is in tatters. This is why Perkasa was hastily created – to stem this erosion of support.

Inherent illusions

This quick analysis and conclusion may or may not be right but, to me, it is entirely consistent with the facts and situations surrounding the formation of Perkasa.

I question why it is re-using the religion, race and nationalism card when this has been proven to be obsolete and irrelevant in bringing progress and change to Malay social and economic development. My scepticism is based on the following observations on KM-based thinking and its inherent prejudices and illusions:

* It claims to hold the monopoly on truth. Such thinking holds the view that Islam is the only religion approved by god and that other religions are false. This perception of exclusivity is, of course absurd, for religion is a matter of faith between an individual and his or her god.
* It caries the illusion that the Malay culture is the world’s foremost culture, with its pristine budi bahasa and sopan santun coupled with a high sense of morality. Again this is an absurd, unilateral claim, for any culture has its etiquette and morality, no better nor worse than any other. It can be seen therefore that the KM norm is decked with hyperbolism – that being Malay and Muslim is the luckiest draw in the lottery of life.
* It can also be arrogant and has little or no tolerance for alternatives. Indeed its parameters have no avenue to realise its own mistakes. In short, it is black-and-white thinking: ‘I am right therefore you are wrong. If you are not for me then you are against me.’
* It is a world of collective delusion of the superiority of the Malay culture and the uniqueness of Islam.

Well, the record of Malay governance has shown fairly conclusively that the religion- and race- based philosophy of governance has not worked. This is hardly surprising for any economics textbook will explain that the factors of economic production (or the creation of national wealth) are land, labour, capital and entrepreneurship. Of late, knowledge has been included. Further factors favouring the development of a civilisation are secularism, materialism and intellectualism.

Of these eight factors, none refer to race or religion. In concept and reality therefore, the KM formula for social and economic success is way off the mark. Indeed it has been a colossal mistake. The failure of the NEP is proof enough of this sobering contention.

I do not share the euphoria surround the formation of Perkasa. I do not see how its claim to protect race and religion can promote Malay socio-economic progress. Ibrahim’s declared intentions show all the promise of repeating the mistake and are an exercise in futility.

Given that this philosophy is no longer viable, it is still a wonder why Ibrahim still resorts to it. Can there be any reason for this? I have a hypothesis explaining his loyalty to a failed philosophy and ideology.

There is a denial syndrome inherent in KM thinking, particularly since it lacks an avenue for self-realisation of mistakes. It will go on thinking that it has been right all along, and that other alternatives are figments of the imagination of anti-Malay elements.

KM brooks no dissent. Liberal and liberated Malays are quickly branded as ungrateful and ‘mudah lupa’ (forgetful). Non-Malays are also branded as ungrateful for not appreciating the hospitality of the Malays in giving them citizenship.

KM then states that non-Malays wish to deprive Malays of their rights, hence the birth of Perkasa.

Hidden agenda

Perkasa has claimed an immediate membership of 5,000, with another 50,000 ahead. It has the direct support of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and incumbent deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin. And barely a week ago, the Home Ministry issued a permit for its newsletter.

Based on all this, the suspicion is growing that Ibrahim may have a hidden agenda. As to what this is, only he can say for sure.

In any event, Perkasa’s future terms of reference are to recapture and nurture yesterday’s status quo:

* Develop a herd mentality among Malays.
* Delay or deny the sense of individual from developing in Malay psychology.
* Promote the prevailing dependence mentality among Malays.
* Nurture the sense of insecurity normally felt by the KM polity, namely political leaders, the ulama, civil servants and officials in government agencies such as the police, military, customs, immigration, and even the police and AG’s chambers.
* Make all of them feel that the Malay ethnic group is still not ready to compete against the non-Malays and the rest of the world on a level plain.

With all this revitalised, Ibrahim can put his secret agenda into action.

All said and done, Perkasa’s birth reflects the real or perceived sense of desperation and paranoia of conservative and orthodox Malay thinking. Or, it is the rebirth of the spirit of ‘Malayness’ that has apparently dwindled over the past few decades due to the process of change.

It is the rebirth of the religion and race-based KM demon that does not know its game is up. And sad to note, in the name of religion and race, the KM does not want to learn from its own mistakes.

* It claims to hold the monopoly on truth. Such thinking holds the view that Islam is the only religion approved by god and that other religions are false. This perception of exclusivity is, of course absurd, for religion is a matter of faith between an individual and his or her god.
* It caries the illusion that the Malay culture is the world’s foremost culture, with its pristine budi bahasa and sopan santun coupled with a high sense of morality. Again this is an absurd, unilateral claim, for any culture has its etiquette and morality, no better nor worse than any other. It can be seen therefore that the KM norm is decked with hyperbolism – that being Malay and Muslim is the luckiest draw in the lottery of life.
* It can also be arrogant and has little or no tolerance for alternatives. Indeed its parameters have no avenue to realise its own mistakes. In short, it is black-and-white thinking: ‘I am right therefore you are wrong. If you are not for me then you are against me.’
* It is a world of collective delusion of the superiority of the Malay culture and the uniqueness of Islam.

Well, the record of Malay governance has shown fairly conclusively that the religion- and race- based philosophy of governance has not worked. This is hardly surprising for any economics textbook will explain that the factors of economic production (or the creation of national wealth) are land, labour, capital and entrepreneurship. Of late, knowledge has been included. Further factors favouring the development of a civilisation are secularism, materialism and intellectualism.

Of these eight factors, none refer to race or religion. In concept and reality therefore, the KM formula for social and economic success is way off the mark. Indeed it has been a colossal mistake. The failure of the NEP is proof enough of this sobering contention.

I do not share the euphoria surround the formation of Perkasa. I do not see how its claim to protect race and religion can promote Malay socio-economic progress. Ibrahim’s declared intentions show all the promise of repeating the mistake and are an exercise in futility.

Given that this philosophy is no longer viable, it is still a wonder why Ibrahim still resorts to it. Can there be any reason for this? I have a hypothesis explaining his loyalty to a failed philosophy and ideology.

There is a denial syndrome inherent in KM thinking, particularly since it lacks an avenue for self-realisation of mistakes. It will go on thinking that it has been right all along, and that other alternatives are figments of the imagination of anti-Malay elements.

KM brooks no dissent. Liberal and liberated Malays are quickly branded as ungrateful and ‘mudah lupa’ (forgetful). Non-Malays are also branded as ungrateful for not appreciating the hospitality of the Malays in giving them citizenship.

KM then states that non-Malays wish to deprive Malays of their rights, hence the birth of Perkasa.

Hidden agenda

Perkasa has claimed an immediate membership of 5,000, with another 50,000 ahead. It has the direct support of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and incumbent deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin. And barely a week ago, the Home Ministry issued a permit for its newsletter.

Based on all this, the suspicion is growing that Ibrahim may have a hidden agenda. As to what this is, only he can say for sure.

In any event, Perkasa’s future terms of reference are to recapture and nurture yesterday’s status quo:

* Develop a herd mentality among Malays.
* Delay or deny the sense of individual from developing in Malay psychology.
* Promote the prevailing dependence mentality among Malays.
* Nurture the sense of insecurity normally felt by the KM polity, namely political leaders, the ulama, civil servants and officials in government agencies such as the police, military, customs, immigration, and even the police and AG’s chambers.
* Make all of them feel that the Malay ethnic group is still not ready to compete against the non-Malays and the rest of the world on a level plain.

With all this revitalised, Ibrahim can put his secret agenda into action.

All said and done, Perkasa’s birth reflects the real or perceived sense of desperation and paranoia of conservative and orthodox Malay thinking. Or, it is the rebirth of the spirit of ‘Malayness’ that has apparently dwindled over the past few decades due to the process of change.

It is the rebirth of the religion and race-based KM demon that does not know its game is up. And sad to note, in the name of religion and race, the KM does not want to learn from its own mistakes.

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

The integrity of the judiciary has been badly mauled by a legal lion who does not mince his words no matter how high or mighty a judge thinks he is. He has called a spade a spade and certain members of the judiciary an “incompetent” and even an “idiotic” bunch!

All the Chief Justice (CJ) and the judges in the Palace of Justice have managed to do is remain mum, mute and mumble amongst themselves as N H Chan methodically makes them out for who they really are and the mockery they have made of the law!

The respected, renowned and retired Justice N H Chan is very frustrated, fed-up and furious at how the judiciary which he had served so faithfully has been reduced to a farce run by those who are legal and intellectual frauds or what he has called “imposters”!

With each passing compromised judgment N H Chan unhesitatingly hits out at judges with an increasingly sharper sting. He leaves no stone unturned, no errant judge uncovered. They can “no longer mask their hyperbole judgments with unintelligible garbage”.

“Fools on the bench”

In his latest scathing critique, he said the rakyat is “stunned by the ignorance of our judges of the highest court in the land”, as seen in the recent Federal Court’s decision not to review Anwar Ibrahim’s application to review its previous decision dismissing his application for disclosure of documents for his second sodomy trial.

N H Chan said the Federal Court’s approach to Rule 137 of the Rules of the Federal Court 1995 was “inconsistent” and “dishonest” and “those ignoramuses” were talking “utter nonsense”. Those “inane judges cannot even understand plain English”! He put it very plainly and painfully!

Calling the three-member panel of Justice Zulkefli Ahmad Makinuddin, Mohd Ghazali Mohd Yusoff and Heliliah Mohd Yusof “incompetent”, he added “perhaps they were clowns as their statements were laughable”.

His searing criticism was that they “…do not know justice from injustice”, and that “such lowly individuals should never be allowed to sit on the seat of Justice…(and) to be judges at all. And yet there are so many of them in the judiciary today ever since the rot begun.”

He shredded into smithereens the “judicial renaissance” of the CJ: “Our country does not need impostors, who pose as judges, to deceive the common people any longer. The common citizenry can now uncover the impostors hiding beneath the mantle of the judicature.”

He laid bare the judicial sham: “With judges such as these in the Malaysian judiciary where, to them, the principles of the law are not to be consonant with justice to be manipulated by them to uphold injustice, it is no wonder that the errant judges have forfeited the confidence of the people. ”

He left them with a stinging slap in the face: “The general public does not respect such judges anymore! They have put themselves beyond the pale. Just like pariahs. Don’t you think they should be despised?”

On High Court judge Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah’s rejection of Anwar’s application to have the judge recuse himself from further hearing the sodomy trial, N H Chan said that the judge was talking “utter nonsense” and “knew next to nothing about judicial bias”.

He added that the “moral of this unsavoury episode” is this: if you appoint mediocre lawyers to the Bench you will get substandard judges. The solution to this problem is a simple one. Appoint judges from the cream of the legal profession and you will not find me assailing the judges for incompetence simply because I will not be able to do so.”

Such was his cutting conclusion: “It is only when we have fools on the bench that I can point out that what they have decided is not the law.”

“Bunch of idiots in high places”

N H Chan had not spared the judges in the cases related to the Perak constitutional crisis of his very strong language when scrutinising their decisions (with the exception of Kuala Lumpur High Court Justice Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahim whom he had praised).

He highlighted the “bad” and “perverse” judgments, especially those in the appellate courts, the collective written judgements which were “riddled with contradictions” and how the Perak and Federal Constitutions were toyed with and trampled on by the judges!

During the Perak debacle N H Chan had said that there are “many of our judges today especially among those judges in the higher echelon of the judicial hierarchy who do not seem to know the true meaning of separation of powers in constitutional law. This is most apparent.”

He called some of the judges of the cases of the Perak imbroglio:

a) Bad judges – they “seem to think that independence means that they can do what they like”

b) Recalcitrant judges – “they think that words can mean whatever they want them to mean”

c) Humpty Dumpty judges – “they also think that they are independent of the legislature”.

N H Chan has brought to light how beholden the judiciary is to the Umno-dominated Government. He said the “so-called Perak crisis has brought out a host of cases that showed that the judges gave the impression that they were one-sided. The perception of the people is that they sided with the BN government.”

In the “shocking case” of Zambry v Sivakumar in the Federal Court, he called the judgment by the “infamous five” (judges) Alauddin Mohd Sheriff , Arifin Zakaria, Nik Hashim Ab Rahman, Augustine Paul and Ahmad Makinnuddin, a “perverse decision”.

In the case of Nizar vs Zambry he called the panel of five Federal Court judges made up of the President of the Court of Appeal Alauddin Mohd Sheriff, Chief Judge of Malaya Arifin Zakaria, Zulkefli Ahmad Makinuddin, Ghazali Mohd Yusoff and Abdul Hamid Embong, “myopic judges”.
They “were lost in a quagmire of confused thinking caused by their own incompetence. They found themselves deep in the forest unable to see the wood for the trees. Does this mean that we have a bunch of incompetent judges who sit in the highest court in the land?”

Alas, with the help of N H Chan the public especially those in Perak were able to see for themselves how members of the judiciary had left behind a dead constitution, “bad” and “perverse” decisions, dubious declaratory orders, judgments devoid of reasoned grounds, and disgraceful double standards.

Blind and Biased Judges

N H Chan has “judged the judges”. He considers them, especially those in the appellate courts’ “ignorant”, “inane”, “incompetent” and even “idiots” (which he has strongly inferred).

The public shares his view. In their eyes the judiciary has allowed itself to be intimidated, its independence and impartiality interfered with, and its integrity reduced to ignominy.

In the light of the severe criticism of N H Chan of the judiciary (which is quite unprecedented by a retired judge), surely the Chief Justice cannot stand idly, silently and stoically by – unless Zaki Azmi strenuously, staunchly and solemnly agrees with him!

Further if Zaki continues to remain silent the public will assume that he shares N H Chan’s searing criticism of the judiciary. Logically he would have to resign for he has allowed the reputation of the judiciary to be sullied irreparably.

The judicial shenanigans whom N H Chan has criticized and castigated should also resign for having shamelessly sacrificed justice on the altar of political expediency.

N H Chan’s comments on members of the judiciary have no doubt been bold, blunt and blistering. He has accused judges of being blind, biased and being a bunch of “idiots” and “fools”. He has thrown the gauntlet down.

If the CJ disagrees with N H Chan’s criticisms he should haul the former Court of Appeal judge into court and demand that the latter shows cause for why he should not be cited for contempt! Does Zaki have the guts to take up the gauntlet or will he prefer to allow the judicial circus to go on?

N H Chan has made no bones about it. His blitzkrieg on the judiciary will continue. “Bad guys” had better beware! He will ensure that their names remain in infamy for generations to come unless they recant the wrongs that they have done! He will even write their obituary and if they outlive him there will be others who will take his place!

N H Chan sees the next general elections as the only solution to an unsalvageable judiciary viewed by the public with greater suspicion, skepticism and even scorn. He once commented: “At the present time and judging by what we have experienced so far from the Perak takeover cases, the quality of most of our judges is suspect”.

“In the meantime what should we do with so many bad apples in the barrel? If only there could be a change in government in the next general elections with the opposition winning by a landslide. Then we could get rid of all the bad apples by Act of Parliament.”

10 March 2010

spotted this story from harakah daily via shamsul iskandar’s blog.  true or not? judge for yourself.

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PM, wife told to come clean on RM50m defection fund

Wong Choon Mei

KUALA LUMPUR, Mac 5: Pakatan Rakyat has slammed Prime Minister Najib Razak for using “unprincipled methods” to regain a two-thirds majority in Parliament, urging him to come clean on accusations that he was using taxpayers’ money to set up a RM50 million fund to lure opposition lawmakers to the Umno-BN coalition.

“We strongly condemn any unprincipled means such as these to regain the political upper hand,” PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa told Harakahdaily.

“It is no use and the people will see through it. It is better for Umno to try and beat Pakatan through free and fair elections rather than using unscrupulous defections and gerrymandering exercises.”

Two-thirds craze to shore up sagging prestige

Indeed, Najib has intensified a campaign to rock the Pakatan in a bid to shore up his sagging prestige in Umno. He must call for the next general election before March 2013 and fears are high within his own coalition that he will not be able to help them regain voter confidence by then.

The Pakatan has been gaining ground on a multitude of issues including the non-payment of oil royalty to heartland Malay state, the trumped-up sodomy charges against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and the abuse of federal institutions such as the police and the courts to stamp Umno’s will on the people.

“Why is he crazy for a two-thirds majority in Parliament? Barisan Nasional has enough seats to pass law easily,” PKR senior leader Zaid Ibrahim said to a press conference on Friday.

“He should not resort to this. It will only destroy his credibility and Umno’s even more.”

The first couple and the former sec-gen

In the past four weeks, Najib has enticed three PKR MPs – Zahrain Mohd Hashim, Tan Tee Beng and Mohsin Samsuri – to become Independents friendly to the BN. Another two, including problematic Kulim Bandar Bharu MP Zulkifli Noordin, are expected to follow.

Top PKR leaders believe that the PM and his wife Rosmah Mansor had zoomed in on former secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim for his in-depth knowledge of party members and their strengths and weaknesses. They sought his help to ‘persuade’ his party mates to quit.

“Najib and Rosmah met with almost all of them, those who could be used, enticing them with all kinds of reward,” said PKR deputy president Syed Husin.

“It is not impossible that Salehuddin used his six years in PKR to dig out the secrets of his colleagues and used the information to his advantage,” PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Harakahdaily.

Taxpayers’ money

Accusations are also buzzing that Najib had granted a federal government power deal to his cousin so that commission of RM50 million could be churned to raise funds to finance the defections.

“We have enough evidence to show that this was something that was orchestrated some months back. It is very difficult to obtain hard evidence but we have enough information about these meetings and offers,” Zaid said.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has been urged to probe the scandal immediately.

“These are very serious allegations involving the very top leadership of the country. The MACC must restore confidence by immediately initiating an investigation,” PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin told Harakahdaily

once again, you are telling us you only act against the opposition (of federal govt) or against the pakatan rakyat (PR).

once again, we see clearly ‘double standard’ being plaster all over your face.

once again, we find out you are not very partisan.

that’s our polis raja di malayisa for you!! oops. i mean polis diraja malaysia.

on 6 march, they stop a dinner and ceramah organised by DAP kepong.

the following day, 7 march, they stop a pakatan rakyat (PR) rally at kelab sultan sulaiman. gosh, the police even sent in water canon truck.  well done, police! so hardworking eh. not much work for you to do i see when perkasa protested or when the infamous cow-head incident happened as we don’t see you stopping them or bringing in water canon.

it was also reported that the police were violent – beating people!

apparently, it seems that at both incidents, they were stop because they were not allowed to give political speech. huh? how silly can the police get eh?? they were political parties so naturally their speeches will be of political nature. you don’t expect them to talk about the sun and the moon or the forest and the trees.

earlier, on 4 april, it seemed that the police were questioning penang CM, LGE and some other state reps for illegal assembly and speeches with seditious contents. my ADUN (sim tze tzin) was questioned too!  even chinese new year open house organised by PR was consider illegal in the eyes of the umno police!!

this is really terrible!! such obvious double standard from the police!! grrr!! 

note: to read more about double standard, please go to the 2malaysia facebook group. invite your friends to join!

Come and Join International Women’s Day Celebrations this weekend March 6 & 7, at Town Hall in  Esplanade. The Penang state Women, Family and Community Dev is organising a month long International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration. This year marked the 100th year of IWD. Attached is the detailed program schedule.

MARCH 6 (SAT) , Town Hall, Jalan Padang Kota Lama, Esplanade
9am-5pm: Ground Floor, Town Hall

WCC/PPW Single Mothers and children Event.

40 single mothers and their chidren are invited for a special session of being given a family portrait and self portrait volunteered by Help Portrait Penang, Malaysia – an international movement of of volunteer photographers taking portrait for the underprivileged. This is the first time it is happening in Malaysia and Penang marks the first place it is taking place! Besides taking photographs, the families will be treated with food and games.

Auditorium, Town Hall; Sharing Life Experiences
9-1pm ( Mandarin Session)
Family and Career: Ms Hong Ying Chieh, Kwong Wah Jit Poh Press
Women Rights and Society in Politics: YB Chong Eng, Bk Mertajam MP
Life of a Career Woman: Ms Joan Cheong, Consultant Management
Audience participation

2-4pm: Sharing Life Experiences (contd) English
Family and Career: Dr Khoo Seok Wah, Vanessa Diamonds
Women’s Rights and Society in Politics: Dr Cecilia Ng, Visiting Professor, Kanita, USM
Business and Career Women: Ms Daisy See, Group Managing Director, Hunza Properties.
Audience Participation

8.00-9.30pm: Auditorium
Performance Show: Gamelan Music USM
Drama: by Belia Dramatis Pulau Pinang

Mar 7 (Sun), Auditorium, Town Hall Forum
Forum & Seminar Memperkasakan Golongan Wanita”
10am-6pm: The day long event will have multimedia presentation, women’s rights and presentation on role of state and ways to empower women. ( see attached program for details)

Date: Sunday, 7 March 2010
Time: 8.30am
Venue: Kompleks Masyarakat Penyayang, Penang
Organiser: Penang Forum Working Group

The call in 8 March 2008 was for change. The Pakatan Rakyat has ruled Penang since then. Two years later, what has changed? What has the new Penang State Government achieved or has it lost its way? Are there obstacles we don’t know about? How has the State Government responded to calls from civil society, not least the Penang Forum, for changes in the Penang Agenda? Where are we up to and what can we map out for ourselves and for the State Government?

The Penang Forum Working Group cordially invites you to participate in this timely stock take and make suggestions for the betterment of Penang.

(for further details, please visit its website).

“I am sure we all share this same dream – to achieve unity, harmony and prosperity – but we may take different paths to get there. Sin Chew may take a different path, Utusan Malaysia may take a different path but what is important is that we must converge and reach that final destination.

he is sanctioning what utusan malaysia had been doing! ‘take a different path’. sure we all know what path utusan had been taking – the very racist path!! and PM is hinting to us, it is okay.

bah!! another of the PM’s stupid speech at a non malay function. why didn’t he speak of such thing at a malay function, particularly to perkasa or the newly formed malay consultative council (or MPM – majlis perundingan melayu)??

speaking of which, why is the MPM allowed to be formed? why is the MPM so easy to be form? why, why when we speak of forming the inter-religious council, they were so scared and get all jumpy, even to the extend of protesting but when they formed MPM, nobody’s protesting or nobody barged into their meet when they formed it?

bah!! MPM members are all over-grown babies. over-grown babies who still need to be fed, who wants to continue crying for what is rightfully theirs (as in the constitution), thinking (no doubt like the mind of a baby) that their privileges are threatened by non malays.

actually i’m already too mild to call them over-grown babies. in the 2malaysia facegroup, one person refer to them as ‘weaklings’ and another, a malay himself refer to them as ‘pemalas’.  speaking of which, please go to malaysian unplug to read on how a malay spoke up, asking “is it true the rights of malays are threatened?” (it’s in bahasa).   (including another good post about the MPM too).

read from the malaysian insider, see, lim kit siang mocked the circus!

3 speakers suppose to speak but only 1 turned up. what a laugh.
the seminar was suppose to be ‘on record’ but suddenly turn to be ‘off record. haha.
malaysiakini was barred from taking video of the seminar. huh?
nazri, malaysian law minister (pic),  did not want malaysiakini to report on his response in regards to sodomy II trial. eh?
only about 40 persons were in attendance. .

also read how nazri lied.

the 2 speakers, attorney general, patali and MACCC  advisory panel chairperson abdul hamid  which everybody expected and look forward to did not attend but instead we heard of  that the 2 rebel PR MP was there – wee choo keong, wangsa maju and zahrain, bayan baru. oops!! that zahrain guy!! correction he’s no longer in PR now. so i should say instead “1 rebel PR MP and 1 rebel ex PR MP). although he is still MP of bayan baru, my constituency, i wouldn’t want to refer to him as “my MP”. as i had stated i don’t want an independent as my MP.

so what were wee and zahrain doing there at the forum???

ok here is the report in malaysiakini, for those who do not subscribe to malaysiakini.

Gov’t DC charm offensive goes behind closed doors

Maran Perianen
Feb 25, 10
3:09pm

A high-profile seminar on the Malaysian government and judiciary in Washington DC by a prominent international think-tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) was strangely turned into a closed-door event.

The seminar titled ‘Governance and Rule of Law in Malaysia’ featured prominent Malaysian government officials before an audience of US government officials, activists, diplomats and Malaysian expatriates.

In the CSIS announcement sent out last week, it stated that the two-hour seminar was “on the record”. But organisers made a U-turn on the matter.

Law Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz (right) was the sole Malaysian representative.

Attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s advisory panel chairperson Abdul Hamid Mohamad were also invited speakers but were absent.

Instead, Nazri’s entourage included an unsual mix of government and opposition federal lawmakers along with Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Ronald Kiandee.

The MPs present were Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (Umno – Pasir Salak), Wee Choo Keong (PKR – Wangsa Maju), Zahrain Mohd Hashim (Independent – Bayan Baru) and Jamaluddin Jarjis (Umno – Rompin), who is also the Malaysian ambassador to the US.

Expectedly, the US audience and press were particularly keen on questioning the government’s handling of the on-going Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial and was thus disappointed with Abdul Gani’s absence and the organiser’s request for the seminar to be kept off the record.

Ex-envoy: Strange seminar

Before the seminar commenced, senior adviser and director of the CSIS Southeast Asia Program Ernest Bower barred attempts by Malaysiakini to record the session on video.

When told that the invitations for the seminar did not specify that the seminar was a closed event, Bower brushed it off by saying that it was quite normal for CSIS seminars to be kept off the record.

Seminar participant and former US envoy to Malaysia John R Malott told Malaysiakini that the seminar was the “strangest” that he had attended in Washington DC.

“I found it unusual that the session was off-the-record. This is very rare for a Washington think-tank,” he said.

“The seminar was very strange because there were supposed to be three speakers, but throughout, only one person, Minister Nazri, was there. Abdul Gani never came at all.”

Malott (left) said he had hoped Abdul Gani would be present because he had specific questions regarding the conduct of the prosecution team in Anwar’s sodomy trial.

He said that the prosecution is required by law to give the defence team whatever evidence necessary for the accused to mount a defence but prosecutors are doing the exact opposite.

“How can they convince us (that it is a fair trial) when they withhold vital information needed defend someone. In America there is no question about this. It will be certainly hard to convince us that this trial is fair,” he said.

Seminar cut short

During his 40-minute speech, Nazri spoke about laws in Malaysia which promotes good governance and how he was instrumental in the formation of the National Integrity Plan, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and other instruments to curb graft.

Nazri also lauded Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s commitment towards combating graft and promoting good governance. He added that he would resign if Najib ever interferes with the MACC.

Before the question-and-answer session began, Amnesty International representative T Kumar urged the seminar organisers to open up proceedings to the press.

“That is the right thing to do,” said Kumar, who is the Amnesty International’s Asia and Pacific advocacy director.

Despite Nazri’s nod of approval, Bower replied with a firm “no”, adding that he will not backpedal on his decision.

Following this, Nazri was quizzed on the sodomy trial, the Internal Security Act and the controversy surrounding the use of the term ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims.

Before he answered the question about the ‘Allah’ controversy, Nazri told the Malaysiakini reporter not to report his answer before his lengthy reply.

Bower abruptly ended the brief 20-minute session after Nazri answered the third question. According to Bower, the Malaysian entourage had to rush off to another engagement.

PKR MP’s participation not unusual

Meanwhile, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution described Wee’s presence at the event as nothing out of the ordinary.

“I do not think that it is peculiar because it is very normal for MPs to go on delegations, whether the opposition or the government. In fact, my last trip to Japan was with Parliament speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia and other MPs from BNBC (Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club).

“We cannot stop CSIS from inviting us. But we do have our stand on the speech given (at the seminar). However, the participation by our MPs is not against Pakatan Rakyat’s stand. So I think that it is perfectly normal for Wee to attend the event.”