During the committee stage debate of the Foreign Ministry in Parliament this morning, I called on the Malaysian government to lead the ASEAN condemnation of the Myanmar military junta for the extension of detention of Burmese Opposition Leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Suu Kyi has been incarcerated for more than 13 years in the past 18 years, with the present five-year detention going back to the Depayin Massacre in May 2003.
At the time, the Malaysian Foreign Minister was in the forefront in publicly calling for her immediate release and the then Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad had even warned that Myanmar might be suspended or expelled from ASEAN if the military junta continued to defy regional and international opinion.
The Myanmese military junta now appeared to have the upper hand, with no condemnation or protest from Malaysia or ASEAN for the extension of Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention, making a complete mockery of the ASEAN Charter and ASEAN’s “constructive engagement” policy with Myanmar to initiate democratization and national reconciliation in Burma, the reason given by Malaysia for spearheading Myanmar’s entry into ASEAN in 1997.
Together with the sham referendum on May 10 and May 24, held when the country was hard hit by the cyclone Nargis disaster, claiming over 100,000 dead, some 250,000 missing and over two million victims, just to legitimize the undemocratic regime of the Myanmar military junta, Malaysia and ASEAN should lead instead of straggling behind international pressure to demand greater democratic change in Burma.
ON SUU KYI
=========
I sympatize with her situation. And Malaysia government must lead other ASEAN countries to condemn Myanmar military junta.
ON BM CHERAS
===========
Malaysians must condemn the BN federal government for allowing Grand Saga to continue to victimize the residents, the previous state government for allowing a company 30% owned by the it to victimize the residents, and the current state government for perpetuating the victimization of the residents by a company which is 30% owned by it.
I dislike BN. Their incompetence is a known fact, hence they can’t claim moral high ground.
PR state government only talks and no actions on the BMC saga. Yet it wants to claim moral high ground. It’s disgusting!!!
The situation
ON BMC ISSUE
===========
PR state gomen, unable or unwilling to deal with Grand Saga, asks us to wait for the court to decide. And then challenges the federal gomen to state its stance (a moral high ground play)
BN, being an incompetent gomen, if they wants to open its mouth, will surely follow PR’s foot step by asking us to wait for court to decide.
And then???
Tomorrow DAP will put up an emergency motion to debate the BMC saga. If debate granted ==> both sides will agree to wait for the court to decide. If debate not granted ==> DAP earns moral high ground.
Hello, YB!!! We residents want solutions, not moral high ground!!!
After 30 people got injured, we want justice, not political wayang kulit passing the ball around!!!
Bro Kit, we can’t even get the Malaysian Parliment to debate the problems we have in Sabah. What chance do you think we have of Malaysia (read: UMNO) leading ASEAN (the most irrelevant Group in the world!) in condemning Suu Kyi’s detention extension?!
A BIG ZERO!
When the military junta ruling Myanmar refused to accept foreign aid in the initial stages apparently because they didn’t want the world to know of the full devastation caused by the cyclone, there was talk in the U.S. Congress about ASEAN being the conduit for such supplies to get to where they are needed most.
Here was an opportunity for Malaysia as an ASEAN member to do something! ASEAN is today not very much more than a cultural association that it used to be.
Condemning the continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi is best left to countries like the United States. We are no better than the junta ruling Myanmar. How many are in incarceration without charge and trial today? Our human rights record is not very much better.
Back to the Saga.
1) Selangor state owns 30% of Grand Saga. And the MB is unable to ask the board to back down???
2) The road block was built on the state land. And the MB / DAP Exco (Ronnie Liu) is unable to direct MPKJ to legally remove it???
(pure incompetence…)
Pity that woman who was senselessly beaten up last night by a group of paid gangster for trying to remove the road block. It’s avoidable, for it’s Pakatan Rakyat’s gomen / MPKJ’s job to remove it, pending court case or not.
We should give Tun Dr. Mahathir the honor to lead the ASEAN condemnation of the Myanmar military junta, for it was his stroke that has plunged ASEAN and the region into this embarrassing situation. Remember he was the one who insisted that Myanmar be allowed to join the regional grouping. Tun, please be our guest … godspeed!
Donated RM50 for each of the three DAP candidates for Serdang Parlimentary seat & 2 state seats. Now that DAP forms the state gomen (and one of them becomes an Exco), they start telling me gomen can’t do anything but wait for the court rulling, can’t remove the road block erected on state land etc etc. And me end up have to live with 45-minute traffic jam each time going in or out of my Sg Long home.
Weeping… not for the RM150, but for a hope lost…
Next time support BN die, support PR also die. Bloody hell……..
Dear YB Lim,
It hurts me to see FRU beating a youth which happened to pass by. The police are supposed to protect the rakyat but why are they hurting the rakyat?
I hope PR MPs can bring this matter up in parliament. It disturbed me very much when YB Lim Lip Eng was being beaten previously.
But it hurt me deeply this time when a passer-by youth was beaten until he has to received treatment in ICU.
Didn’t mean to post a comment unrelated to the title but I can’t stand all this nonsense by our police force.
Thank you
Uncle Kit,
Think should concentrate on home issue, forget about Myanmar lah !
in case you don’t know, uncle kit is hitting at foreign minister and foreign ministry la! he’s interested in making political mileage.
Third world tribal governments everywhere. Tired lah. Communism can not work, dictatorship can not work, liberal democracy can not work, military junta can not work. Undergrad2, what works?
“the reason given by Malaysia for spearheading Myanmar’s entry into ASEAN in 1997.”-Para 4, last 2 lines-By Kit
When Mahathir spearheaded Myanmar’s entry into ASEAN, his motive was none other than to expand the number of countries into ASEAN not because he has any intentions of asserting democratization by “constructive engagement” (does Malaysia itself qualifies to promote Democracy when it’s own is on the lam) but to counter the powerful coalition of the West such as the European Union and the USA.
When the so-called “constructive engagements” clearly failed until today, Malaysia remains reticent and not taking steps to condemn the tyranny and oppression by the Military Junta against it’s own people and the persecution of the “Global Icon For Democracy”- Daw Aung San Syuu Kyi.
The peaceful protest by the monks that resulted them to be murdered and the recent travesty of the National Election which shows the Military Junta winning by over 90% in the aftermath of Cyclone “Nargis” is another example to be compared with the rule of Saddam Hussein who won the National Election by 100% only to have the Iraqis mocked, torn the statue of Saddam during the US invasion.
Y.B. Kit, you did the right thing by charging- “I called on the Malaysian government to lead the ASEAN condemnation of the Myanmar military junta for the extension of detention of Burmese Opposition Leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi.”