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Free RPK, redoubtable and irrepressible cyber-warrior, under ISA

Tomorrow, 18 justice-and-freedom-loving Malaysians will collectively shave their heads in protest against the unjust, undemocratic and unlawful detention of Malaysia’s most famous blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin under the Internal Security Act.

The event, organised by DAP Selangor, is also to protest the arbitrary detention of the Hindraf 5 and all other ISA detainees currently languishing in the Kamunting Detention Centre.

Although I had intended to be in Penang till tomorrow evening, I am changing my travel plan to be at the KL-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall tomorrow morning for this head-shaving protest – in SSS (support, sympathy and solidarity) with RPK, the Hindraf 5 and all other ISA detainees.

Let us all gather at the KL-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall tomorrow, Sunday, 21st September 2008 at 10.30 am.
Continue reading “Free RPK, redoubtable and irrepressible cyber-warrior, under ISA”

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Race Relations Act – will it enable Barack Obama phenomenon in Malaysia?

When the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hamid Albar announced yesterday that the Cabinet has approved the proposed Race Relations Act to strengthen ties among the different races in the country, I immediately thought of two matters.

The first is the “penumpang” controversy set off by the Bukit Bendera Umno division chairman, Datuk Ahmad Ismail as part of Umno’s most racist and inflammatory campaign in the Permatang Pauh by-election, which was decisively rejected by the voters from all racial groups uniting as a pioneering Bangsa Malaysia to give a thumping victory to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to return to Parliament in triumph after an enforced absence of a decade.

The real fall-out from the “penumpang” controversy was after the Permatang Pauh by-election, where for two weeks, Ahmad was allowed to assume “hero” status among extremists and communalists for his provocative, inflammatory, insensitive and racist reference because of the abdication and bankruptcy of the moral and political authority of the Cabinet and the Barisan Nasional leadership in failing to take immediate action to strike down such divisive and destructive outbursts. Continue reading “Race Relations Act – will it enable Barack Obama phenomenon in Malaysia?”

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Abdullah should convene 929 Emergency Parliament unless his days as PM are numbered after Umno’s “918”

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should reconsider his rejection of the request by the Parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for an emergency session of Parliament to debate a “no confidence” motion latest by Tuesday, September 23.

He should table Anwar’s request at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to secure Cabinet approval to convene an emergency Parliament to end the six-month political impasse – resulting in the deepening and aggravation of the multiple crisis of confidence whether political, economic, nation-building, international competitiveness or good governance – by getting the country moving forward again with a clear-cut parliamentary vote as to who has the parliamentary majority to govern Malaysia.

Abdullah has said that Anwar’s ”916” plan to secure the support of the majority of the 222 MPs to move the country forward to address and overcome the manifold crisis and challenges confronting Malaysia is “a mirage” and “a lie”.

But the actions of the Barisan Nasional government belie these claims, whether it be the sodomy II charge against Anwar, the last-minute panicky “blur blur” agricultural study tour to Taiwan to sequester some 50 MPs from any possible defection, the spate of ISA arrests particularly against DAP MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok – all point to a government unsure of its parliamentary majority and even raising the question whether it is a government in its last throes?

If Abdullah is convinced and confident that he still has the support of the majority of the 222 MPs, why is he running away from the opportunity to prove Anwar wrong by convening the emergency Parliament session for a clear-cut vote to be taken on Anwar’s “no confidence” motion? Continue reading “Abdullah should convene 929 Emergency Parliament unless his days as PM are numbered after Umno’s “918””

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When tomorrow comes

by Azly Rahman

“The only permanent thing is change” – Lao Tzu

During Mahathirism in the 1980s – change management ideology pervaded the psyche of the civil service sector. The ideology was enculturalised by the corporate sector and universities picked up the trend and fashioned it into their mission statement, pedagogical processes, and curriculum. Everybody was taught to speak the language of change.

During that time too, circa 1985-1995, even high school students were taught visioning strategies and how to manage change.

Literature of change management, i.e. to change to corporate culture, to change to a society run on cybernetics/information technology became hugely popular.

Knowledge of visioning strategies were brought to the grassroots and even kampong people were in tune with the basic ideas of change sometimes equating it with the Arabic words “islah” and “hijrah” to denote and connote “reforming oneself” and “pilgrimag-ising oneself”.

The Malay word “perubahan paradigma” became perhaps the most popular word on television, as its use signified a “better level of intelligence” as perceived by Malaysians imbued with “corporatist ideology”. Continue reading “When tomorrow comes”

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Is your life in danger?

IS YOUR LIFE IN DANGER?

Please let us protect you by arresting you under the ISA.

Coverage short term (16 hours for journalists) permanently (for HINDRAF).

Interested parties contact our Special Agent, Syed Hamid Albar for details: Terms and Conditions apply (see below).

Underwriters for this UNIQUE MALAYSIAN SERVICE: PDRM n Min. of Home Affairs.

Special Offer now for reporters, bloggers n Opposition MPs.

Note: UMNO members n those threatened by Ah-Longs n Illegal Immigrants are not eligible.

Who says Malaysians are not creative. The above SMS lampooning the Internal Security Act and the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar is one example of the creativity of Malaysians.

Thanks to Jayaseelam for forwarding this SMS to me three days ago. I read out this SMS to close the Teresa Kok’s ISA release media conference at DAP PJ Hqrs yesterday to illustrate how low and iniquitous the ISA, enacted in 1960 to deal ith “subversion” and “organised violence”, has fallen to be the object of ridicule and contempt of right-thinking Malaysians.

The SMS reflects the disgust of Malaysians at the gross abuse of power by the Home Minister and the Police illustrated by the 18-hour ISA detention of Sin Chew senior reporter Tan Hoon Cheng.

We should probably have a competition for the most “creative” SMS arising from another ISA scandal – the seven-day detention of DAP National Organising Secretary, three term Seputeh MP and Selangor Senior Exco, Teresa Kok Suh Sim. Continue reading “Is your life in danger?”