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DPM and PM are both liars

by Richard Teo

How could god fearing leaders perpetuate a lie in order to further their agenda of remaining in
office?

For DPM, Najib to label Hindraf as a violent and extremist group is doing a great injustice to the marginalised miniority Malaysian indians. This is a blatant lie that honest, fair minded citizens cannot accept as the truth.

How could a peaceful group of Hindraf supporters who participated in a peaceful assembly just two weeks ago suddenly being transformed into a terrorist group is beyond the comprehension of Malaysians of all race and creed.

Quite obviously, Najib was merely parroting what the Attorney-General Gani Patil was arguing in the courts to deny bail for the 31 Hindraf supporters. (They were denied bail.) On the basis of a flimsy Police report without proper investigative measure he surmised that Hindraf was a terrorist group with contacts with the Tamil Tigers, LTTE.

How could any one classify Hindraf as a terrorist group when their only crime to date was to participate in a peaceful assembly to articulate their grievances? An assembly that was deemed illegal because of the govt’s decision not to issue them with a permit.

If at all it was accused as a terrorist organisation then it must be the world’s most harmless
group of terrorists because it had not fired a single bullet, it has not caused any violence, it has not professed the destruction of any instituition and yet beyond the imagination of fair minded people they were called an extremist terrorist organisation. Continue reading “DPM and PM are both liars”

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A Legacy the Country Can Do Without

by M. Bakri Musa

When the Council of Rulers did not even entertain former Chief Justice Ahmad Feiruz’s request for an extension of his tenure, it went beyond royal rebuff. It was a very public and equally royal repudiation of Prime Minister Abdullah’s judgment.

The Council went further. Traditionally it does not even announce details of its meetings, but on October 31st, 2007 the Rulers specifically stated that the item was not even on their agenda. Presumably they went out of their way to declare this fact openly to pre-empt anyone from “spinning” this royal snub into something else.

The immediate consequence was that Feiruz left office unceremoniously the next day, with no end-of-term “photo ops,” elaborate dinners, or the obligatory farewell tours. There was not even a parting interview or any dispensing of words of wisdom. It was the body language of someone drummed out of office rather than a dignified farewell of someone proud of his legacy. It was the image of a guard dog turned renegade, desperate to escape for fear of being shot, with its tail between its legs after it was found snatching one of the lambs it was supposed to protect.

On this point, Ahmad Feiruz had read the situation well; his legacy is not one that the nation should be proud of; neither should he.

Has Prime Minister Abdullah learned anything from this disgraceful saga? Sadly, no! In elevating recently appointed Judge Zaki Azmi to be President of the Court of Appeals, the number two slot and thus potentially in line to be the next Chief Justice, Abdullah has again demonstrated his incompetence as well as inability and unwillingness to learn from his mistakes.

This is the same Zaki Azmi who before his elevation to the bench grabbed headlines with his attempt to have his second marriage in South Thailand annulled. Press reports alleged that he might have instructed his bride to destroy their wedding certificate, potentially an act that could be construed as obstruction of justice, a serious charge especially to an officer of the court.

Nonetheless he had the personal integrity then to withdraw himself from UMNO’s Disciplinary Committee investigating “money politics.” Thus we have the specter of a man who earlier felt himself unqualified to be in UMNO Disciplinary Committee being appointed by the party’s leader to be next in line as Chief Justice. The mockery of this appointment is lost on the judge as well as the Prime Minister. Continue reading “A Legacy the Country Can Do Without”

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Abdullah – listen to Musa Hitam and step on the brakes for a major Ops Lalang crackdown

I call on the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to revoke the “green light” for the mass arrests and prosecutions and to pull back from the brink of the precipice of a major crackdown on human rights and democracy which will push back democratization and liberalization for decades.

Many are asking whether the country is on the eve of a second Operation Lalang when there was a major crackdown on human rights, fundamental freedoms and democracy in 1987 with mass arrests under the Internal Security Act and the closure of four newspapers which was followed by the “mother” of all judicial crisis in 1988 causing irretrievable damage to the independence and integrity of the judiciary.

Abdullah made the promise to protect and promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law when he became Prime Minister just four years ago and I call on him to step on the brakes to prevent the country from careening down the slope of a major assault on human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

Former Deputy Prime Minister and the first Suhakam Chairman, Tun Musa Hitam, has provided a solution to prevent the country plunging down the slope of a new “dark age” for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

In an interview with New Sunday Times, Musa has made an eloquent call for Malaysia to be one of the first developing nations to show respect for the human right of freedom of expression by allowing peaceful assemblies and demonstrations.

Asked “Is Malaysia ready for peaceful assemblies”, Musa gave the refreshing and confident reply: “Yes, Come on, we have been independent for 50 years.” Continue reading “Abdullah – listen to Musa Hitam and step on the brakes for a major Ops Lalang crackdown”

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Abdullah’s Black Sunday for human rights on International Human Rights Day

I have this morning given notice to the Parliament Speaker, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah to move an emergency motion in Parliament tomorrow on Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s Black Sunday for human rights on International Human Rights Day yesterday – with mass arrests of peaceful Human Rights Day marchers, lawyers and BERSIH leaders.

My urgent motion reads:

“That the House gives leave to Ketua Pembangkang YB Lim Kit Siang to adjourn the House under S.O. 18 (1) to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance – the police mass arrests on the occasion of International Human Rights Day on 9th December 2007.

“International Human Rights Day on Sunday 9th December 2007 turned out to be a Black Sunday for Malaysia with mass police arrests including lawyers and peaceful marchers to mark human rights day, Bar Council Human Rights Committee chairman Edmund Bon and two leading lights of BERSIH, Pas vice president Mohamad Sabu and Parti Keadilan Rakyat information chief Tian Chua showing utter contempt and disregard of human rights by the police and the government.

“The arrest of the eight persons on Sunday morning, including five lawyers, N Surendran, Latheefa Koya, R Sivarasa, Eric Paulsen and Amer Hamzah, and human rights activists Anthony Andu and Norazah Othman in totally unprovoked circumstances is a blot on human rights in Malaysia, as the some 100 people who had gathered for the march in Kuala Lumpur clearly posed no threat to anyone, let alone national security, public order or peace.

“The arrest and manhandling of Edmond Bon at the Bar Council premises in connection with Human Rights Day banners were clear abuses of police powers, excessive use of force and public display of police contempt for human rights. Continue reading “Abdullah’s Black Sunday for human rights on International Human Rights Day”