Posted on by Kit

CNY Message – Can Malaysians regardless of race, religion or territory share a common Malaysian dream?

Happy and auspicious Chinese New Year of the Ox to all Malaysians.

When Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th and first African-American President, he embodied the American dream rallying bipartisan support with the majority of Americans uplifted by better hopes for the future.

The question Malaysians should ponder on the occasion of the Chinese New Year of the Ox is whether Malaysians regardless of race, religion or territory, can share a common Malaysian dream to build a united, harmonious, democratic, just, meritocratic, competitive and prosperous nation.

The next 12 months will be a very difficult and challenging one, whether on the economic, political or nation-building front.

Two days after Chap Goh Mei on Feb. 11, Malaysia’s human rights record will face scrutiny by the United Nations Human Rights Council, which will investigate and consider the human rights situation in Malaysia as part of the Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of countries.

Malaysia’s human rights record is not going to come out smelling of roses from the Council’s UPR, especially with the recent slate of human rights atrocities, such as:

• Another outrageous death in police custody, i.e. the suspected car thief A. Kugan, 22, held under a two-week remand for investigations into several luxury car theft cases, who collapsed and died at the Taipan police station in USJ, Subang Jaya on Tuesday;

• The victimisation of 21 people, including DAP MP for Petaling Jaya Utara, Tony Pua, DAP Selangor executive council member Ronnie Liu, Kampung Tunku DAP assemblyman Lau Weng San, a Catholic priest Reverend Father Paulino Francesco Miranda of the Church of Divine Mercy, who were charged in the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court yesterday for an illegal assembly in front of the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) building on Oct. 9 last year in a candlelight vigil protesting against the Internal Security Act;

• The tightening of the screws in government censorship, control and manipulation of the mass media as evident in recent weeks; and

• Violation of the freedom of religion in the Home Ministry’s action against the Catholic weekly, Herald, over the continued use of the word “Allah”.

How will Malaysia human rights record fare in this first UPR review of the UN Human Rights Council?

Has the Cabinet met to prepare for the UPR review and should Parliament send a delegation to submit a report to the Human Rights Council for the review?

Deserving thoughts for the Chinese New Year – together with the world’s worst economic crisis and the ongoing political tsunami since the March 8 general election last year.

(Chinese New Year message)

149 Replies to “CNY Message – Can Malaysians regardless of race, religion or territory share a common Malaysian dream?”

  2. Yes Kit,
    I think that it is possible. But sad to say, perhaps not in our lifetime. Needs many more year of Oxes. BN must improve, and so must PR. The present brand of politics ( based on racial parties ) needs a total revamp.
    We must have our dreams, and work towards it.

  4. Klang MP Charles Santiago was reported as saying that statistics revealed in Parliament last year showed that there were 1,535 custodial deaths in the country between 2003 and 2007. That’s more than the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza.

  8. Hope the incoming Year Of The Ox will see a united, better, prosperous and peaceful Malaysia for all its people irrespective of race, religion, colour, culture or creed.

    Wishing all Chinese Malaysians wherever they may be “GONG XI FA CAI” in The Year Of The Ox!

  9. I’m not convinced Malaysians share a dream. It might be more accurate to describe it as a nightmare from which it’s difficult to wake up. Not a politically auspicious message though, is it? “I’m having a nightmare” wouldn’t have got MLK very far. Perhaps its time to remind everyone that the bogeyman in the newspapers and on TV isn’t actually real, and you’re just being told that to make you do as you’re told, like ‘good’ children.

    like the run dmc song goes
    I love that album, my wife hates it. I think LKS’ message is right on time, even if he isn’t “rockin’ the rhyme”. Besides the well-publicised namewee, are young people weaving politics into their music in Malaysia? It must be particularly hard for young people, being denied a vote until they’re old. Today’s teenagers will be able to vote at the next GE, so perhaps Malaysian parents to whom the dream is dear might allow their teenagers some room to enjoy politically-motivated music. Unless it’s Khairy Sings Your Favourites From The 50s, obviously.

  11. To be honest…It is impossible to unite as Malaysians..after more than 30 years race and religion politics..spearheaded by Mahathir and on going by UMNO….supported by BN parties.
    However…..vast majority Malaysians are educated….can see…think and read for themselves…to judge by themselves and these are proud to be Malaysians.
    UMNO have brainwashed their members…mostly government servants to vote for UMNO for their security and so call birth rights..to protect their religion.against what evil doers here…..only Allah knows. They have been brainwashed too long…and need powerful antidote…to heal them wholesome again.
    Again…UMNO and BN infighting..disagreements….plus well respected UMNO …saying ..’Umno is corrupted to the core”…..plus few royalties advising government to change for the better…did help Malays to vote ……change of government.
    Never in the history of Malaysia….hundreds and thousands.. took to the streets…to protest….expose… pray ..peacefully…yet were treated like animals. ..with tear gas and water cannons. These bullying actio0ns.. makes citizens hungry to change the government.
    Until a new government shows …do and have results that Malaysians have yearn for..a…there will not be a Malaysian Malaysia.
    So to unite…we need a new government. The the burden lies in their hands to be medicine to millions of racialists minds…cast them out..be proud as Malaysians.
    This is an easy task for PR. All they need is stop playing politics…..once in power…and start managing the country with intelligence and sincerity.

  12. Not only Japan,Taiwan being resource scarce and its population size of 23 million can give each and every one of its citizens including new born babies the eqivalent of RM360 for shopping and spending.Imagine a family of ten persons can enjoy a windfall of RM3600 for the coming lunar new year and isn’t it this is something that we can only dream here maybe for another 50 years or more.

  13. Where in Malaysia does one enter vertically but exit horizontally?
    A. railway station
    B. post office
    C. police station
    D. airport

    Answer is -http://sloone.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/scandal.jpg?w=260&h=973

  14. I have said this before, and I want to say again. When have you (Sdr LIM) pursued an issue highlighted here to its meaningful end? We are forever shirting around like a bee with nothing to show. One way or another, we need to see the conclusive end to the Kugan’s case. I suggest you forget about the United Nations Human Rights Council. The council is nothing but a club for a group of international civil servants enjoying good life at the expense of global poor.

    This bl**dy nonsense of people dying is the most mysterious ways must stop and those responsible hauled up if proven so. Kugan’s case deserves a separate write up, not hidden under a common Malaysian dream or United Nation Human Rights Council.

  16. k1980 – what would they spend it on? What Malaysian products do Malaysians aspire to own? I suppose we could all decide to renovate our houses this year, but does Malaysia really need more amateur builders? Do my neighbours need that many pillars and balconies around the entrances to their terraced houses?

    About ten years ago the UK forced its telecomms companies to grant access to the ‘last mile’ connections, and a few months later, you could see 1 in 4 vans had “Tom, Dick and Harry, Cable Installers” freshly painted on the side. There was a several-year boom in telecomms upgrades, which seemed to employ every tenth person I met at the time. One of the consequences of that period is that most people in the UK now enjoy very reliable, high speed, cheap Internet access. That in turn allows individuals and businesses to create new products, services and markets built on top of that infrastructure. Malaysians don’t really need a handout from the government, they need opportunity to make the most of their skills and ingenuity.

  18. Orang Rojak, don’t ever compare this country to Britain. 100 British pounds or roughly 500 ringgit per person will enable many to tide over this difficult time of job retrenchments and pay cuts. And I do not mean your neighbours who need to build pillars and balconies around the entrances to their terraced houses. As for reliable, high speed, cheap Internet access, this can never happen under the current BN administration, which fears the effects this opening to the outside world would have on its traditional supporters, the kampung folk.

  19. “When have you (Sdr LIM) pursued an issue highlighted here to its meaningful end? We are forever shirting around like a bee with nothing to show.” Limkamput

    What else can we do other than highlight issues, and pursue them in a court of law ? When the enforcers and the legal system is beholden to the executive, what else is there to do, except to ensure a change of government ?

    The tools are limited when you are in the Opposition. Anyone who’s from Kg Attap should know that.

  20. There are certainly many ills in this country, but Malaysians of all creed, race, religion or political believes can certainly come together to make things better, if only we could brave the once in a life time risk and stop rooting for the devil we know – because right now, the deep blue sea looks a lot more safe than the devil.

    Chinese New Year was never meant to be a season of upsmanship, of showcasing material wealth, or be corrupted by commercialisation like Christmas. It is a season to remind all of us of the hardship of our forebearers and in some cases of our own hardship in the past. It is a time of reflection, of taking stock of things, and to rethink our focus on material wealth instead of family relations and friendship. It is a season of solidarity and of hope.

    Let us all, while taking a break from the hussle bustle of life during this season to contemplate what nation building means, and to put our votes where our hopes lie.

  21. UMNO and BN are beyond redemption, you [deleted]

    PR, please note that talk is cheap. Show us what you can do. If you find it difficult to do now, it will be more daunting when you take control of the federal government. Trust me on this.

  23. UMNO and BN beyond redemption. so PR, show us what you can do. Wait a minute, is PR in control of the federal government ? Instead of asking PR to show what it can do, why not we concentrate of getting them into the federal administration first ?

    Where is the logic, [deleted]?

  24. The tools are limited when you are in the Opposition. Anyone who’s from Kg Attap should know that. godfather

    I cannot buy this. This is not a opposition with limited means. This is an opposition, having tasted some goodies, is turning soft.

    Surely I can’t be more explicit than what I wrote and I expect someone of your intelligence to know what I meant, [deleted]

  25. Listening to your rants clearly show you are out of touch with reality. You want to be head of PKNS and tell me if the people there will cooperate with you ? I can put you in charge of PSC in Penang and then you tell me when it is going to take you to turn this around. One year, 2 years, 10 years ?

    Don’t be an angry old man like Mamakthir. At least people read his blog, but no one reads yours.

  26. 1.2 million civil servants are overwhelmingly behind the bankrupt BN government. When do you think a reasonable percentage (let’s just say 30 pct) can be “turned” to support a PR administration ? 1 year ? Two years ?

  28. When we are not able to do anything, what we need are more excuses and this is what you do on behalf of PR. Yes, sure, we need more time – may be till the next general election. Remember a famous saying in the civil service: When we are not able to do anything, what we need is to go on talking about it! Surely all problems can be resolved in the course of time!

  29. Talking about Malaysia’s human rights record? Since Chinese New Year is coming and the Chinese like to hear good news during Chinese New Year. I think there is a good news so far in relation to the human rights record for the first month of year 2009 before Chinese New Year.

    The good news is that the Home Ministry and the IGP has not insofar invoked the Internal Security Act (ISA) to detain anybody in 2009 yet!

    Wish everybody a blessed and prosperous Chinese New Year!

  34. Taiwan Govt give every Taiwanese (baby included) RM380 each to spend, Msia govt cannot even give RM38/-,
    Thailand can give their unemployed citizen (those who had worked for 18 months or more) half their previous pay up to max. 6 months / RM1550 per month. What can Msia govt offer unemployed Msian?
    Not to mentioned those “Mat Salleh countries”

  35. At this time of the year, it is sad for me to say this, but the Chinese like Limkamput are just about the worst kind of Chinese in the world.

    For 52 years, we were subjected to the BN style of politics: steal in broad daylight, make racist remarks to pacify certain constituencies, kill our education system and corrupt the very systems that were meant to protect us. 52 years. Under a year ago, the rakyat in many states decided that enough is enough, time to make a change. That change only happened with 5 state governments, which are now struggling with the vestiges of the past administration. At every turn, the federal government tries to sabotage these state governments – any success in PR states would only embolden the Opposition movement.

    Here we have a Limkaput who thinks that the Opposition stinks. The Opposition has gone soft. The Opposition never followed through with anything. The fact is the Opposition isn’t in control of the federal government the last time I looked.

    Heck, after 52 years of rape and pillaging, you are not grateful that the process of reversal is taking place ? You want reversal by yesterday ?

  36. Limkamput:

    Why don’t you join the MCA and start telling the rakyat that the PR has failed, that the PR has gone soft, that the PR is no better than the BN administration ?

    Maybe Ong Ta Kut will give you a job as press secretary.

  37. Racial politics always remind us of our differences. We should count our blessings so long as there is prevailing racial tolerance in the country. Improving the quality of our education system, studying and adhering to the Federal Constitution, practising meritocracy in recruiting civil servants and university enrollment,etc, are among measures that will lessen differences among the people. But I’m still very hopeful something pleasant and unexpected would happen that will unite the people of different races or at least led to the prevailing thinking that there is a bright future for us all.
    GONG Xi FA CAI to all.

  40. Godfather, I know all that. We were in the same campaign before March 8, remember? You have put many words into my mouth and that is typical of you – someone who is the grand uncle of hudud and IPPs, what can we expect.

    I believe the opposition is in a position to do something for Kugan NOW, not when it forms the federal government. I want PAS to lead now. So show me the money.

  42. We have a real bunch of hypocrites in our BN dark dens.
    Starting from the very top, we have that sleepy flip flop lame duck guy. See how he went all out with his “heroic” big mouth on the plight of the Gaza human rights issues. A real “hero” indeed.
    And yet we have the same suffering maybe even worst happening in Sri Lanka, he never ever spoken anything on the suffering Tamils. Worst still, at his own doorstep, his very own supposed “law enforcing” PDRM are torturing and even possibly killing of our very own people. What happen to his “heroic” big mouth???. Nothing, I repeat nothing. He kepy mum on it. Isn’t a real hypocrite to the very core??
    Same for for those bums currently running the govenment and that HM pea brain toad in particular.

  43. I urge PR to take up the Kugan’s case seriously. I think most of people are genuinely fed up this time around. I also believe UMNO-BN may do something right for Kugan if they do not want this case to be their coup de grace.

  44. 1. In Malaysia, opposition really can’t do much for most things. However, we can highlight issues to pressure the government to correct things, such as the pressure to reduce petrol price. This is Malaysian politic.
    2. Federal government is victimising the PR states by restricting fund channeling to limit the implementation of change that would benefits the rakyat. That’s why the PR must keep yelling to attract public awareness of the unfair treatment by the BN controlled federal government with the hope to gain support from rakyat to topple BN in the next GE. THe PR just can’t keep quiet just because PR couldn’t carry out certain plan.
    3. Yes, all Malaysians are casualties of the bloody BN-UMNO. Malays hate their high corruption under the pretext of development and NEP. Non-Malays hate them because of the unfair and near brutal treatment; Kugan’s death is only a tip of the ice berg! The case would have gone unquestioned had the MP, ADUN and family members did not check the body by force. This is Malaysia!
    4. Majority of the civil servants had been brainstormed to be racist or religion extremist; this is a big challenge to PR when they take over the country one day! Pray that they would change gradually when they see things are changing.
    5. ‘Allah’ had been used by the Catholic publication for decades, why must Syed Hamid irritate them by prohibiting their use until the court makes the final decision in May? And now criticise the Catholic instead why must they antagonise the Muslim. What kind of pea brain minister?

  46. k1980, I wasn’t comparing Malaysia to the UK. I think the Taiwan and Japan payments are for economic stimulus, rather than for hardship aren’t they? I don’t know, but I suspect that Japan and Taiwan will already have some sort of system to prevent hardship becoming unbearable for their needy citizens. The UK is the only other country I have spent years living in, besides Malaysia. It’s quite often changes in legislation that result in

    It’s not unreasonable of you to ask for a payout from the government, after all it requires no change of policy on their part. Malaysians are well accustomed to waiting, hands outstretched, for something to fall from the table. I have relatives here who have a small specialist contracting company (fewer than ten staff) who do most of their work for a national GLC. One of my brothers-in-law travels twice a month to the state headquarters of the GLC to chase up payments for past projects. He showed me his list last week: several pages of invoices were submitted for work that had been signed off by the GLC between ten months and 3 years ago. They tell him to wait for payment. “Sue them” I said. “Cannot!” he replied “I need the work!”

    A one-off payment for hardship in Malaysia won’t solve the problem of poor Malaysians. They don’t need money, they need opportunities to make money. If you’ve seen me post on this topic before (something about “if I was emperor of Malaysia” recently), you would know I am not totally against the idea of giving poor people money. But my opinion is that the government should give every Malaysian a small amount of money as a Cost Of Living Allowance (my fellow DMC fan above might remember the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy advocating a UN COLA, while rejecting Coca Cola).

    A Cost of Living Allowance can’t be a gift to be hoped for though – that doesn’t help people plan for the future, or make their own choices. If the government was serious about helping Malaysians through hard times, it should commit to a regular payment, available to all.

    I doubt the UN is about to implement a UN COLA any time soon. But even if it did, it would have no effect on Malaysia’s current administration. There are a great list of Constitutional problems that the UN has pointed out in the past for Malaysia. You can read some of them at ohchr.org (look for the ‘human rights by country’ dropdown), though I haven’t yet found an official Malaysian response to them. I suspect the UN is not much more than a convenient excuse for some expenses-paid ‘jolly outings’ for those charged with a duty to care for all Malaysians. It would be nice if someone could convince BN to release an official response to the past UN suggestions, so that we could all see on what basis Malaysia remains a member.

  47. Oops, comment so big I forgot to finish it!

    …changes in legislation that result in new sources of income opening up for people in the UK, in my experience. I have friends who I met while working for the software industry in the UK. When that contracted, they went to work in the booming financial services sector. When that slowed down and the telecoms industry was opened up, they became ‘cable guys’. When every business was as fully connected as they could be, they took evening classes and became builders and plumbers! Some of those opportunities were a direct result of changing legislation. The government didn’t have to make any payments, just give citizens a new opportunity to pay their own bills.

  48. In Australia, the Rudd govt took 1 billion to stimulate the economy.
    All retirees and unemployed received Aud1,400 each for X’mas shopping…not bad er? The balance of money was spread to all those were in need of help. The labour govt is now planning the second stimulus…
    Those Katuanan Melayu in UMNO asked us to leave if we are not prepared to serve them…yes I did, with no regrets!

  63. ///…whether Malaysians regardless of race, religion or territory, can share a common Malaysian dream to build a united, harmonious, democratic, just, meritocratic, competitive and prosperous nation.///—Kit

    Malayans had that same dream at independence in 1957. This is doubtful now.

    The word “just’ means different things to different people now when half the population has been moulded by TDM to think that for non-Malays to be accepted as equal, they had first to forget their language and culture, and to have severed their link to the land of their ancestors. They have to be NEWMalays. To TDM’s followers the word ‘just’ would mean special position because they are classified as Malays based on the definition in the constitution. They have rationalised the inclusion of article 153 as their birth right, rather than a form of assistance to the community as seen by the late Tun Ismail who said that the Malays would voluntarily give it up when it was no longer required, out of pride.

    The NEP as implemented by TDM not only robs the minority to pay the majority, but the country coffers as well. It cannot be just when someone has to pay a few percentages more in the price to buy a similar housing unit merely because he is not Malay, and that has nothing to improve the level playing field in terms of trade or occupation. A person proved to be capable of handling the job as a manager of a corporate body was not allowed to hold that post because she is not Malay. NEP was to be for 20 years, and the target of 30% corporate equity ownership by Malays was stated. While the ‘failure’ to achieve that percentage was given as the reason to continue with NEP, the BN government never fail to lie with the statistics in question. PM AAB and his Deputy denied the accuracy of the ASLI report, produced two years ago, which stated that the 30% target has been achieved and surpassed, and they declared that the EPU would reveal within a month the methodology and official data to disprove ASLI’s findings. That revelation never occurs. At about that time, UMNO leaders claimed that if the 30% target had been achieved, then they would move the target to 60 %. In other words, NEP as implemented will continue irrespective of the situations on the ground. UMNO leaders in one General Assembly threatened another May 13, as though it was the greatest achievement UMNO has done for its community, rather than a sad incident which they would prefer not to have happened. UMNO leaders are clearly not interested in having a harmonious nation if they cannot have their way.

    The recent Trengganu BUY election shows that the Chinese there voted BN out of fear that the Mentri Besar of Trengganu might make good his threat that he would be ten-times ‘tak baik’ if the people did that once. So the election in Trengganu was not free and fair, and how can one say that the country ever practice democracy? Had that same statement been made for election in India, it would have resulted in a court cases there. But the election commission in Malaysia had no problem with that pronouncement. The Chinese who voted out of fear in Trengganu are either said to favour government policies which were unfair to them, or to have no backbones.

    Meritocracy has stopped to be in practice when 92 per cent of the teaching staff in the universities, numbering 12,000 persons are from a community of less than 65%. One would expect that the top brains are employed in the universities, and when no race can claim to be smarter or more stupid than the others, and the education attainment rates are not different between races, the employment in the universities among nationals should reflect the racial composition. The above argument fails if Malays are indeed more intelligent than other communities in the countries, and they have disproportionately more highly qualified academic personnel. In that case…..

    The government claimed since a few years back that they have stopped applying quota system and have adopted competitive system in university admission. The government created matriculation classes of one year course based on internal examinations conducted by the institutes, and take the results as equivalent to that of STPM, a two year course. The matriculation courses once wholly for Malays have now opened 10% to non-Malays to promote competition within. That is the competitive experience the students in Malaysia are exposed to. They would one day claim that the purchasing power of Ringgit should be the same as Singapore Dollar, one to one; Singapore did offer that as promotion in some entertainment establishments.

    When the people are not treated as equal citizens, how can we expect them to be united? When the people are not trained to accept meritocracy and competition within the country, they cannot be expected to be competitive outside. When the people are not made of the stuff ready to work hard, work smart, work with the benefits of acquired knowledge, the country cannot be expected to become prosperous. Wishing alone would not make it happen; what’s more when a group do not even wish others well when they do not follow their leader TDM to severe their ties with their ancestors.

    With UMNO in power, Malaysians will not have the same dream

  67. Pity, we all come with super ego
    Thinking that this is the way to go

    Most know what they know
    But know not what they don’t know

    That is the tragedy
    Which has no remedy

    It is good to know what we know
    It is better to know what we don’t know

  73. Its ok to share common dream about democratic, just (etc) nation but we can’t make dream our master and have to do something about this problem of custodial torture & deaths.

    To understand this phenomenon is important. Firstly this kind of thing does not only occur here. It is worldwide. This is because of total domination & power police have over suspect when he is in custody. Part of culprit is the law that gives police maximum discretionary power and latitude in detention and investigations.

    And how much do constables and lance corporals have by way of education or salary? Wielding power and having its reaffirmed by bashing a vulnerable suspect, esp when one thinks he is guilty and in possession of vital information, provides psychic compensations. People lose moral judgment when they are in group think or group action.

    Whatever said here would apply to other uniformed services such as RELA or Immigration officers in their treatment (different in methods and degree) of powerless migrants/foreign workers)

    There is a total of 1535 custodial deaths in the country between 2003 and 2007. Some of the more dramatic instances are carpark attendant B.Prabakar alleging police personnel abusing and pouring hot water on him; Sanjeev Kumar, arrested on 28/17/07, alleged he was assaulted, made to drink his own urine 3 –4 times, eventually left (14/04/08) in a wheel chair paralysed.

    Kugan Ananthan, the detainee who died had advantage of a video footage of his body circulated on the Internet with severe marks on his body, deep cuts on his wrists and bruises on his legs, blood/froth oozing from his nose.

    Submit this distressing video material to UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review Commitee and it is hard to see how Malaysia’s human rights record will be that well reviewed!

    It is a positive step for AG to classify th e case as murder, as investigations f rom Bukit Aman are launched. However success in prosecution depends on evidence, evidence depends on rigorous impartial investigations, investigations are carried out by other members of the same force or another section thereof. The problem is that Esprit de Corp will (generally) prevent any member of the force incriminating or seriously investigating the other.

    There is therefore merit in the demands from various quarters (Anwar Ibrahim & MIC’s G Palanivel included) for an independent committee of eminent persons to investigate. You can tell our leaders that since they are urging Obama to shut down the torture facility – Guantanamo prison – they should have no problem in having an independent committee to probe Kugan Ananthan’s death in our own Guantanamo back yard here.

    Yet it hard to see why the powers-to-be would accede to such demands. The last widely publicized Lingam Video Clip enquiry contributed to them losing 5 states to Pakatan Rakyat!

  74. If truth be known, the nation has reached a stage when even top BN leaders have no control over downline. Top down instructions are circumvented, if not ignored.

    Specific examples: a lot of govt departments, GLCs, and uniformed services have their own “little Napoleons” ruling their fiefdoms like vassal lords, exercising power, making money, collecting tithes from areas demarcated their own spheres of interest. They don’t care what the top leaders tell them. In part it is due to the latter’s poor example : downline says toi the top, “if you can make money at the top, why can’t I? I won’t disturb your sphere and you don’ t, mine! “

    Hence as far as police force goes, they even resist Premier’ s call for IPCMC.

    Think they would be afraid or deterred by AG’s classification of Kugan Ananthan’s death as murder precipitating an investigation?

    In the case of land offices, they are not giving approvals if their palms were not greased even if applicant were a GLC supported by patronage of a top BN politician.

    You can see that in Pakatan Rakyat controlled state of Selangor : PKNS bureaucracy could rebuff Selangor MB (PKR’s Khalid Ibrahim )’s appointment of Low Siew Moi as acting general manager!

    Things were going in this direction for some time but Mahathir could, by sheer force of personality keep the lid on things so th at they didn‘t spill.

    But now things tend to fall apart, and the Centre does not hold, to borrow the phrase from Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe from the title of his famous 1969 literary masterpiece/novel “Things Fall Apart”.

    Back to specific problem :What shall be done to check custodian deaths?

    Take a leaf from Karpal Singh. He has urged the authorities to charge the doctor who conducted the first post-mortem on Kugan for issuing a false report. Karpal said that the doctor could be charged under Section 197 for knowingly issuing a false post-mortem report claiming that the cause of death was due to ‘fluids in the lungs’. “Had it not been for the family and friends entering the Serdang Hospital mortuary and taking pictures, the bruise on Kugan’s body would not have come to light.”

    The moral of the story is to look at direction of independent medical check – not to allow medical check up and post mortem be done by the normal medical channels, coroner, doctors with whom over the years police refer cases and have an “understanding”.

    Have in place, in every case of complaints of torture or custodial death, independent medical assessment and determination. One can’t obliterate this problem but one can mitigate it. What sadistic abusers fear most is disclosure from independent medical investigation that produces evidence to implicate their evil deeds.

  75. Malaysia is a country with a harmonious and peaceful living environment where various ethnic races intermingle amicably with one another through mutual understanding and tolerance fostered through the many decades of togetherness….No unity means no harmony…

    Racial tolerance is something we can’t ignore, but instead of tolerating each other, we must learn to respect each other……The effective formula to endure is….not to raise sensitive issues that might trigger hatred & anger among Malaysians. Just a note ponder…Why question others privileges & SUPREMACY whilst expecting others not to touch on our community’s interests & rights?

    If we deliberately accept the fact….agreement made by the country’s founding fathers in the constitutions, we cordially able to work hand in hand & sustain racial integration among Malaysians.

    A blessed Gong Xi Fa Chai to all… May the year of the ox brings fortune & prosperity to Malaysia.

  76. In the wake of Obama mania, there are many unworthy people who are jumping on the bandwagon of “change”. These people who do not understand what the word “change” is all about are rushing out with their own versions of change. We have seen people such as Najib, Muhiddin and other politicians from the BN fraternity sprouting out saccharine, syrupy and wordy tomes of an idea that is so foreign to them. To them it only fashionable to be associate with something that is spreading like raging fire lest they might miss out on it.

    In fact, even before Obama came out with his iconic clarion call for change the people of Bolehland has preempted the corrupt leaders of BN with their demonstration for change. The 2008 tsunami, the Pematang Puah and Kuala Trengganu buy-elections have sent strong signals from the people to these pretenders of change but it seems they have not heeded the warnings. They become more arrogant and drunk with power. Their usual swang song of development, ketuanan Melayu and “be grateful” lyrics have all become so stale and worn-out that the people have become blasé and rejected it wholesale.

    Do these clowns understand that whether they change or not, their time are over? Now the people’s roar for change will bury them for good, whether they like it or not.

  77. @k1980 – 500 ringgit per person
    I have to be honest – I thought that figure looked low, but on reading SUHAKAM’s last (November ’08) UN report I see the following figures:

    Urban household income increased at 3.3 per cent per annum from MYR3,956 in 2004 to MYR4,356 in 2007 while the corresponding rural household income increased at 6.8 per cent from MYR1,875 to MYR2,283. Mean household income among Malaysians has increased from MYR3,249 per month in 2004 to MYR3,686 per month in 2007, registering an average annual growth of 4.3 per cent.

    I’ve often wondered what Malaysian National Average income might be, so this was a handy find. I hope that’s useful for anybody else who reads it.

  79. For the period between 2003 and 2007 Deputy Home Minister Wan Fairuz Wan Salleh said:

    1. There were 1,535 custodial deaths recorded in police lock ups, prisons, drug rehabilitation centres and detention centres for illegal immigrants.

    2. Out of 1535, 85 deaths occurred in police custody, 77 was due to diseases including HIV/AIDS, septicaemia, pulmonary tuberculosis, cancer, heart failure, asthma and other infectious diseases, 7 due to suicide and one due to fight in the cell – leaving none due to unexplained causes!

    Since all 77 deaths in police custody werre blamed to diseases, it underscores the importance of looking into the veracity of medical examinations and reports – whether they are constantly made with certain hospital/doctors working closely with the police, whose professional independence of view may be questioned.

    Get outside doctors, make sure they are allowed by the rules to visit and provide all suspects/detainees in remand/ check – ups on weekly basis (if necessary at expense of the suspect‘s family). Or if not feasible, at least once on the first or second day of detention to establish on record his state of physical wellbeing at the incipient point of time of being detained.

    The other way to stop abuse is straightforward : change the rules and install CCTV in all interrogation rooms to monitor and record all interrogation proceedings.

  83. Ignore me, I’m tired, didn’t see the ‘per month’ on those incomes! Where I come from, figures like income are always per hour or per year. Anybody know what the figures are for per-capita income? I’m struggling to imagine what ‘household’ income means here – I suspect an average household may have more earners here than I’m used to.

  85. Hey Mr/Miss Moderator!

    What happened to freedom of speech?? Asking my friend limkaput for his blog address so I could visit and read is offensive??

    This was what I posted:

    Could you cut and paste your blog address here so we could visit your blog?

    Please define what is ‘offensive’ so I don’t need to waste my time here.

  86. what is ‘offensive’
    It was probably judged inflammatory, rather than offensive. My wife has told me to stop asking her what all the rude chinese phrases mean. I’ve learned a lot today! I think we’re all in ‘respond to the article detention’ until we can play nicely together.

  87. YB, wishing you and all, Gong Xi Fa Cai. Regarding your write-up, it would be good if we cab spell out our Malaysian dreams. Firstly IMHO, is to restore civic rights to the citizens. Right to speak, to associate, and to fair treatment for ALL citizens. Next, government policies must be fair and not racially biased. Then, the civil service must implement all policies and laws fairly. In the last generation, severe imbalances have been intentionallly created by the previous government, an example, representation in the civil service. This must be corrected first before we have any hope of seeing fairness and improvement.

  88. This must be corrected first
    For me, I would just like to see a newspaper say “Busted!” with a photo of one of Malaysia’s rich and famous on the front page, preferably a government minister caught with their hand in the till. Allowing free rein to the press would help Malaysia get started on all its other problems, I think.

    I guess there might be any number of ‘first steps’ on Malaysians’ wishlists for “First Day At Work” for PR. Any chance of choosing a few likely candidate tasks and running a poll? I haven’t seen a poll on your blog before. wp-polls or wp-survey might be the way to go.

  89. Until this second, I cannot see any fairness in the civil service. There are 1.2 million civil officers out there. There will be some who will be purposely forgotten. The reason is not because they cannot function. The reason is political. It could be because of political power that there is neopotism, cronyism etc. etc. If this is the case, you guys cannot forget about the civil service being competitive and being world class. If the process of correction is going to take years, some good officers would have retired by then. What sort of sweet memories will they have of the civil service they once served ? There is no common dream if one race insists on having everything to itself. Common means if you can have this, I can have this too. Or what about a Chinese for the Prime Minister post of Malaysia ? Or an Indian ? Or a Orang Ulu ? Or a Orang Asli ? Or a Buddhist believing politician ? Or a Christian believing politician ? Or any other religion ? Or may be this is all just too sensitive. Wishing you all a better Chinese New Year.

  91. “On reading SUHAKAM’s last (November ‘08) UN report I see the following figures:

    Urban household income increased at 3.3 per cent per annum from MYR3,956 in 2004 to MYR4,356 in 2007 while the corresponding rural household income increased at 6.8 per cent from MYR1,875 to MYR2,283. Mean household income among Malaysians has increased from MYR3,249 per month in 2004 to MYR3,686 per month in 2007, registering an average annual growth of 4.3 per cent.” (OrangRojak)

    The mean household income of “MYR3,686 per month in 2007” seems to be a questionable figure. My mathematical instinct tells me that it may be a typographical error and the correct mean household income figure among Malaysians should be MYR3,686 per annum in 2007.

    Assuming a typical Malaysian household has 6 members on average. With a household income of MYR3,686 per annum, it can be translated into a maximum daily disposable income of MYR10.10 (MYR3,686 / 365 days per year) per household per day or MYR1.70 per person per day. Giving the spending power of MYR1.70 per person per day, an average Malaysian person can only afford a piece of Roti Canai (MYR1) plus a glass of Teh “O” (MYR0.70) when he/she has to take meal at a Mamak Restaurant nearby his/her workplace.

    It is estimated that Malaysia was quite likely unable to sustain a mean household income level of MYR3,686 per annum in 2008 as that in 2007. This was because the main cash crop commodity prices in Malaysia had dropped drastically during the second half of year 2008. For instance, the price of rubber latex dropped significantly from MYR4.60 per kg in 2007 to MYR0.80 per kg in 2008. Oil palm Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) also dropped drastically from MYR530 per tonne in 2007 to MYR230 per tonne in 2008.

    In view of the high possibility for majority Malaysians to suffer mal-nutrition problem due to earning an insufficient household income, it is no wonder that the MCA Vice President and Health Minister, Dato Liow Tiong Lai, had to make a proposal to the cabinet recently in order to table a bill in the Parliament which, when enacted, requires the wheat flour manufacturers in Malaysia to add iron as the basic nutritional element into the wheat flour. This is because Dato Liow Tiong Lai also realizes that during 52 years’ under BN Administration, majority Malaysians could only afford to eat Roti Canai in view of the fact that it was probably the best available food the average Malaysians could afford with their relatively low spending power.

    If there is really a common Malaysian dream which majority Malaysians can share regardless of race, religion or territory, then it will probably be the dream of getting a good government which will provide a good governance that helps to upgrade the spending power of the average persons from the miserable level of only a piece of “Roti Kosong” (plain roti) plus a glass of Teh “O” per day to a higher level of at least a piece of “Roti Telur” (roti with egg) (MYR2) plus a glass of Milo chocolate hot drink(MYR1.20) per day.

    Shall we all unite and gather together and harness our will power and strength in order to make the dream come true in the future?

  92. I have never seen so many messages deleted in one post.
    I guess CNY eve….no foul words..no hatred from the heart…for few days at least…is the order by LKS. I am checking everything are all clean and tidy.. .before reunion dinner..this evening.
    Many will gamble away happily…….with their angpows..amongst relations….given after dinner.
    Togetherness with loving kindness…with so many..meeting only during this time…once a year…is what CKY reunion dinner is all about. Old folks…seeing their children and grand children….cannot help feeling so happy.

  93. I guess it is OK to have flames and fire crackers for the Chinese New Year.

    I have no doubt that Kg Attap is still intact and will keep returning fire in this 100 year old war. Good for the economy – keeps the moderator busy and employed :)

    Cintanegara – Only those that are disadvantaged need help and assistance. Supreme beings do not need special privileges.

    Happy New Year.

  96. limkamputs poem

    Pity, we all come with super ego
    Thinking that this is the way to go

    Most know what they know
    But know not what they don’t know

    That is the tragedy
    Which has no remedy

    It is good to know what we know
    It is better to know what we don’t know

    ————————————–

    you sound so pensive…
    it sounds like you need to drown your sorrows
    lah!
    don’t flame me lah!
    :D

  98. I have dwelt a little longer on this subject of custodial death in particular reference to Kugan Ananthan’s case because we all note that YB’s Kit’s wish list – and Happy Chinese New Year Message for the year of the Ox – was addressed not just to Chinese Malaysians but all Malaysians of whatever race.

    And the question raised here which Kit says Malaysians should ponder on the occasion of the Chinese New Year of the Ox is whether Malaysians can share a common Malaysian dream on the wider issue of building “a united, harmonious, democratic, just, meritocratic, competitive and prosperous nation”, we should ask the more immediate and limited question – whether we can get simple justice – whether the family members of Kugan Ananthan can get simple justice…

    They were not given the simple courtesy of any information when he was detained more than six days ago. He just ‘disappeared’.

    They had an inkling of what happened only when Kugan’ s aunt, S Renuga received an “anonymous” phone call informing her that Kugan had been arrested without details about where he was detained. The family searched from one police station to another to no avail. Parents could not sleep. Their worst fears were confirmed only when police informed them on Jan 20th that Kugan had died under police custody.

    Family members were not immediately allowed to see the deceased. They had to barge into the Serdang Hospital Mortuary to see him. They found to their horror that his body had severe marks, deep cuts on his wrists and bruises on his legs, blood/froth oozing from his nose.

    Family members were informed that the post mortem showed he had ‘fluid in his lungs’ as if suggesting of illness. Knowing he had no medical condition, family members wanted a second post mortem to ascertain if there was foul play. Imagine their dismay when authorities’ first reaction was that whilst they were entitled one, the police would not allow it! What have they got to hide?

    It is only after much public clamor that authorities finally relented to allow Universiti Malaya Medical Centre doctors to conduct the second post mortem today at 9am with preliminary findings expected within eight to 10 hours.

    This can happen to any average Malaysian family whose member is detained.

    What has happened to Kugan and his family will arouse the deepest indignation of all Malaysians of good will and common decency.

    Which is why I ask : will Malaysians dare think of “common Malaysian dream to build a united, harmonious, democratic, just, meritocratic, competitive and prosperous nation” when the more limited entitlement and aspiration of simple justice seems to elude us?

    This is something we are forced to ponder on the eve of the Chinese New Year of the Ox…..

  99. Jeffrey – I agree with what you’ve said in your posts on this thread. The last one though: Are their rules governing arrest in Malaysia, allowing the arrested person to notify someone of their arrest, access to a solicitor, time limits? Do Malaysians have access to a ‘duty solicitor’ at all – a publicly sponsored legal safety net – if they don’t have their own solicitor?

    I’m not sure on what basis the police could have ‘not allowed’ a second post-mortem. Presumably the family could have taken Kugan’s body, once released to them, to any hospital to have a post mortem performed – could they? I’m not presuming very strongly, I’ve had one extremely surprising experience with a post-mortem in Malaysia already, so I understand there’s little in the way of common sensible practice around death.

  101. \Can Malaysians regardless of race, religion or territory, can share a common Malaysian dream?\

    Yes, we can, but first we have to remove BN from power and second de-register all race based political parties.

    As long as BN is in power there will be no Malaysian dream, only individual, bigoted and selfish UMNO dreams.

    Without civil liberties, justice, good governance, human rights, transparency and integrity there will never be a Malaysian dream.
    Without equal distribution of wealth and political power there will be no Malaysian dreams.
    If the civil service, universities and police force are monopolized by one race, there will never be a Malaysian dream?

  102. Onlooker Politics, I look forward to reading your editorials in the Finance section of The Racket when it hits the news-stands. The people need to know these things! So k1980’s RM500 was bang-on target, was it? One iron-enriched Roti Canai plus one Teh Tarik, six times a week (no need to eat on rest days), for a whole year. It all makes sense now.

  103. I agree with Mr Smith that the prerequisite to a better Malaysia must be the removal of the BN from power.

    It is an imperative for Malaysia to develop further that any other coalition be given the chance to lead Malaysia so that the BN can spend time on proper and basic reforms.
    Only then will we get the 2-party system that the nation deserves where our talents can be properly utilised for the good of all.

    The two recent cases of torture and one death in police custody is a good enough reason to get rid of this government that had more than 3 years to reform the PDRM with the IPCMC.

    Kong Hee Fatt Choy to all Chinese Malaysians and DRIVE SAFELY.

  104. Decades of bad leadership and narrow, short sighted and damaging politics of race and religion had a permanent, long term and far reaching consequences on our country….there is no quick fix.

    Bring back the fire crackers….it will drive away bad and evil spirits – Happy Chinese New Year to all!

  105. On AngPauhs from Gomen, our neighbour just showed their planning by getting s$20.5 B from their reserves to spend to help directly the botom % of their population plus other stimulants. If we just put the rm$7 B on projects, how long would its multiplier effects get to those who need help immediately.
    Even Cities in China had decided to give some red packets to help out. Oh! I forgot the timing just isn’t right! It is the year of the OX! We should wait another 10 months or so for the more meaningful festive season to come along.
    On talking about people got caught and suffered torture under custody, the Police should have called for 3rd party’s report to avoid all accusations. At the same time, we find the criminals all over the place still acting like they have no fear of anyone.
    Though a community may like to shout criminal act against the Enforcers, yet many in the public feel that they are working together because of such rampant occurrences.
    On the one hand, we can blame the Gomen for the imbalance of opportunities to get employment, at the same time one must reflect on the internal set-up of the community to address the situation.
    For example, the wanton desire to act against what the average public would not do is a clear manifestation of such behaviour. The strong desire to beat the traffic lights thus endangering other road users is such a common acts in Klang and Port Klang. Do you think this is in defiance of the Police or they are endangerly other innocent road users?
    Or the case of snatch thief, where the victim is hit on the head?
    In the court, it is snatch thief but the victim could have died. So when such issue is highlighted, I wonder the number of such victims who actually felt sympathetic. This is especially so when our Police seldom catches the offenders or unable to bring them to justice.
    On the question of availability of employment, it must be admitted that many are choosy; if you have no special training, for example why is house painting such a bad job? Foreigners get paid $70 to $100 per day. The only reason is they get the job done hence they are employed.
    Our ‘tidak apa’ gomen had created a group of Malaysians just like them, looking for ‘rent’ to collect.
    In Singapore, I have seen adverts for ‘maid agency’ costing as low as s$80 per staff! Here, you are talking of more than 10 times the figure! If we look around, we have indeed built circle around our Bolehland, basing on the % concept!!
    May the Year of the hard working Ox brings some common sense back to our society!!

  106. PAS is to protest against Rihanna Concert. May I know when is this going to end? If you do not want to watch, you can always stay away. Nobody is forcing you. But please don’t force other to follow your way. Why are you always concerned with form rather than substance?

    You demonstrated so passionately the atrocity against the Palestinian people, but have you looked into what is going on in our own country? PAS, I urge you to take the lead in Kugan’s case. Show me you are truly humanitarian, not bigotry.

  107. Unfortunately it will still be a long long way to go before we can even think of having Malaysians united with a common dream.

    The UMNOputras and MCA would not allow it as that would defeat their entire purpose of existence. Even in PAS, PKR and DAP there are members who only clamor for positions and goodies for particular races, rather than thinking for the good of the nation.

    In Malaysia, the non-Malays are told they are only ‘pendatangs’ and should not bring up ‘sensitive’ issues. In a society with mature responsible individuals we would be able to differentiate the difference between sensitive but reasonable issues that are relevant for discussion versus insulting remarks made only to incite emotions.

    Calling people ‘pendatangs who don’t deserve equal rights’ falls into inciteful remarks as such statements exists in an era 50 years ago and is no longer relevant in today’s globalized world.

    Questioning the effectiveness of NEP and Malay special priviledges is relevant as these programmes have a deep impact on the economy and society of Malaysia as a whole and the fact that NEP and Malay special priviledges should have already been either abolished or at the very least reviewed years ago.

    However, the mentality of Malaysians (Malays and non-Malays both) are still stuck in a bygone era where each one is only concerned with the benefits enjoyed by their respective races rather then for the good of the nation as a whole.

  108. Bet this was the song sung by the police to Kogan (tune of “When the Saints come marching in”)

    Oh, when the cops come marching in,
    Oh, when the cops come marching in
    Lord how Kogan feels thirsty
    When the cops come marching in

    And when the blows start falling on him
    And when the blows start falling on him
    Lord how Kogan wants a glass of water
    And when the blows start falling on him

  109. It will be almost impossible for Malaysia to rise again with unity among all races and religion unless UMNO and BN is toppled. UMNO is nothing more than an apartheid government and police state. Hamid is more interested in prosecuting those who go against the police state against the selfish and corrupted interest of UMNO. The real murderers go scot free. Go figure.

  110. The day when Pakatan Rakyat takes over the helm of this country, all the corrupted and merciless UMNO and BN ministers and politicians must be brought before a tribunal for crime against humanity and all forms of corruption. We know whom they are.

  111. Common malaysian dream ? you kiddding me, How can there be a common Malaysian dream when the moronic UMNO Gomen has installed in us that everything about us is uncommon, like malay-non malay, muslim -non muslim , and other non this and non that bullshi t.,

    Umno has overv the 50 yrs has created a deep wedge between the different races here by all these. Wake up , commondream can only be possible after removing all these categorizations, the morons up there are still in deep snooze , the chief snoozer being buduwhi.

  112. ///Two deputy ministers are likely to face action if they are found to have broken the law in the incident where a crowd raided the mortuary of Serdang Hospital in Selangor on Tuesday, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar. ///— http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Frontpage/20090125120354/Article/index_html

    This is the first comment by the minister on the death of Kugan in police custody, and he was more concerned about what happened at the mortuary than the suspected murder by police personnel.

    The deputy ministers happen to be of the wrong race, and would therefore face action for obstructing cover-up to abuses of power by government servants.

  113. We are blessed with a country full of rich natural resources.
    We are blessed with so many rich cultures and races…loving peace and happiness.
    We are just 27 millions…and mostly all are educated….can think…can learn to change for the better.
    Can we share a common Malaysian dream…LKS asked.
    Why not….when there are so much wealth to enrich the country…and with a loyal sincere dedicated non corrupted team of political leaders….seriously thinking as Malaysians themselves…show leadership by examples..the task is not that hard.
    If China …so much bigger than Malaysia…with 53 types of races…all united as one…as Chinese….what is so hard to unite as Malaysians?
    No government can please every citizen……but their actions and deeds…must prove to be beneficial for all ….with no favoritism applied…gaining respect and full trust from citizens…laying the foundation for a Malaysian dream come true.
    Vast majority citizens of Malaysia have infact make the Malaysian dream coming true…by thinking and seeing everything..by themselves….not like before.
    Malaysia…will have the Malaysian dream…..come true..not contributed by UMNO government at all……but by Peoples Power….to recognized .in UMNO … most politicians are evil…and certainly all their leaders are for past 30 years..are disuniting us..impossible to have a Malaysian dream.
    Our Malaysian dream will become a reality..through Peoples Power…giving PR a chance to lead us.
    From that time onward….Peoples Power will dictate terms to governments….not to fool around and apply divide to rule methods.
    HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TO… ONE AND ALL!!

  114. ///Two deputy ministers are likely to face action if they are found to have broken the law in the incident where a crowd raided the mortuary of Serdang Hospital in Selangor on Tuesday, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.///

    Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar is the son of Jaafar Albar, the one time lion of UMNO. Jaafar Albar organised religious procession and caused the first riots in Singapore in 1964. Read Lee Kuan Yew’s memoir for more details.

    The virus of the nation live on.

  115. Najib is going to get it

    Datuk Nasarudin Hashim, Umno Perak’s assemblyman for Bota, has quit the party with immediate effect and crossed over to PKR, citing the interests of his constituents.

  117. Well spotted k1980! Is that NST’s shortest ever article?

    Starting from today, Bota state assemblyman Datuk Nasarudin Hashim will be leaving Umno and joining Keadilan. Pakatan now has 32 state seats in Perak while BN has 27.

  118. limkamput Says:

    Today at 11: 38.55 (7 hours ago)
    PAS is to protest against Rihanna Concert. May I know when is this going to end? If you do not want to watch, you can …”

    I’m with you on this one i.e. PAS telling us what to see, what to say and hear and write. The lunatic fringe of UMNO would like to do no less and has succeeded to a significant extent. Who needs PAS to do all that?

  119. Today it is the appeal of ideology which is attractive to some if not many because it simplifies rather than complicates. In our search for an identity for ourselves and our country as a member of the world community, wouldn’t it help to know where we stand? The Bush Doctrine of ‘either you are with us or against us’ helps. It helps us to know if you’re an Ox or a Dog.

    In the 50s and 60s a large majority of the Malays rejected PAS for its parochialism among others. Today their leaders being more educated and broader in outlook may have changed how it feels like to be associated with the party but their core values are the same. What does this mean to the other members of the political coalition seeking to unseat a corrupt regime if not an opportunity to rise above ideology and allow pragmatism to guide each and every step.

    I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the other members of the coalition are on a collision course. Rather I would take strength in the knowledge that the stars are aligned which don’t happen very often.

  120. “And the question raised here which Kit says …. whether Malaysians can share a common Malaysian dream on the wider issue of building “a united, harmonious, democratic, just, meritocratic, competitive and prosperous nation”, we should ask the more immediate and limited question – whether we can get simple justice – whether the family members of Kugan Ananthan can get simple justice” Jeffery

    Kit is merely framing the issue in a broader term.

    The issue of police brutality and deaths of detainees while in police custody is an old one. We know ‘what is’ and what ‘should be’. In recent years more and more of their senior officers have received training in law. It is our hope that a few of them would look at police tyranny in the eye and say “Enough is enough” and the era when a top cop could beat the daylight out of a former deputy to the Prime Minister is over.

    The gap between ‘what is’ and what ‘should be’ should be narrowed if not altogether closed.

  121. To all blogger friends,

    Wishing you a Happy Lunar New Year of the Ox. May this year be blessed with happiness, prosperity, health, business stability and accomplishment. May everything we do go on smoothly & well as the Ox does.

    ???, ???, ?????????
    ??????????????????????????

  122. Only the Cabinet Ministers share one dream because Cabinet reflects racial composition of country. All other government and government linked companies do not want to share this one dream. Our politicians have been sleeping on the job. They have allowed this multi racial country as stipulated in the constitution to become what it is. Wake up and make the micro adjustment before it too late.

  128. “Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar is the son of Jaafar Albar, the one time lion of UMNO. Jaafar Albar organised religious procession and caused the first riots in Singapore in 1964. Read Lee Kuan Yew’s memoir for more details.” Loh

    Imagine if Jaafar Albar had his way of incarcerating Lee Kuan Yew under ISA, the great nation of Singapore will never be born. God has His way and time of bringing justice, and we pray that justice and peace will come soon to Malaysia.

  129. I do not know what Obama can do. But him being elected as president of USA, I know what the American people can do. It is this that make America special. They can live their dream. To have the best to rule for them, the best that life can offer and the best for their future.

    THE AMERICAN HAD CREATED FOR THEMSELVES THE DREAMWORK DEMOCRACY BUT I CANNOT SAY FOR ANY OTHER DEMOCRACY. FEW DEMOCRACY COME CLOSE OR WISH TO COME CLOSE, PREFERING TO BE CALLED IN NAME BUT NOT IN KIND

    MALAYSIA IS ONE OF THOSE IN THE NAME OF DEMOCRACY BUT NOT IN KIND

  130. The second post mortem report on Kugan has been delayed. All the major political parties have demanded for an independent investigation into his death, EXCEPT UMNO. Go figure. Anwar Ibrahim is pushing for a royal commission of enquiry into police brutality, and he rightly said that this is a national issue, not racial. The police brutality is worse than Guantanamo and Israel! Our home minister is still barking on the mortuary issue to divert the public from the real issue. What a shameless person!

  131. If all Malaysians want to share a common vision and goal, we need to be able to communicate with each other effectively – quarrel or not. Then work out a solution on how to improve things but then again, there are sly foxes around that are distracting all of us from the real issues so that we cannot communicate at all.

  132. The raising by Loh in his posting at 17: 30.34 above of the subject of 2 deputy ministers likely to face action is interesting as it highlights the kind of contradictions that are weighing down the ruling coalition, and accelerating its political decline.

    BN is traditionally structured upon dominance of UMNO with other component parties playing second fiddle. It works as long as UMNO could maintain its dominant position by securing support of Malay ground by traditional communal policies.

    However once the appeal of communal policies begins to be superseded by concerns about corruption and abuse of power, it causes the BN to lose ground in the GE 308, Permatang Pauh, KT By- Election, and brings to the fore internal contradictions to which the BN coalition is subject and may in time be un-ravelled by.

    The first example of contradiction: Within BN’s framework of communal politics, component parties now realise, after beating at the polls, that their survival in elections cannot be assured if they continue playing second fiddle to UMNO – without being seen to champion their communal constitutencies’ interests. So Gerakan & MCA begin to speak up more against government’s policies. The two deputy ministers from MIC went along with Kugan’s family to Serdang Hospital’s morque. Hamid tries to reassert UMNO’ s control by saying that they could be taken to task. If this were done, it will be widening the rift between MIC and UMNO. Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam of MIC is now indirectly taking the side of his two other MIC colleaques by saying that the police must interrogate suspects in a professional manner. In short, component parties, whether Gerakan, MCA or MIC are beginning to try change their subservient image, and as UMNO resists this change to re-assert it’s traditional dominance, conflicts within BN will undoubtedly ensue.

    Another (second) example of contradiction: BN has developed its strength from harnessing and tapping the country’s rich natural resources. It secures loyalty and allegiance from both office bearers, delegates, members as well as contituencies by ability to distribute largese, patronage of contracts and licences : in short, Money Politics. However GE 308, Permatang Pauh, KT By- Election show that Malaysians in general and the Malay ground in particular are turning against the BN on grounds of corruption. This implies BN has to be seen re-inventing and shedding of its image of being identified with Money Politics and Corruption. So it enacted/ established the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (“MACC”) and to demonstrate that it has bite, they have charge a few of their own (even a Supreme Council member) for corruption under MACC.

    Money Politics is raison de etre – the very reason of BN ‘s existing. To charge its very own albeit selectively for corruption – in order to be seen “clean” – is to dissolve the very glue that has held the seamless web of allegiance and loyalties that kept BN together…If they don’t take action against corruption of its members, rakyat will boot it in next election for wanting resolve and sincerity; if it takes action, it will only shoot its own foot, dissolve the glue that holds it together, and undermine the very foundation of it s strength based on ability to manipulate with abundant money resources. Either way, it faces a dilemma.

    Bota assemblyperson Nasarudin Hashim has quit Umno to join PKR, resulting in Pakatan Rakyat now controlling 32 state seats in Perak.

    These may well be the early birds. More may defect to the perceived “ winning” Opposition side if they think the BN Titanic is sinking from the weight of its own contradictions rather than the attraction to Pakatan Rakyat’s ‘cohesiveness’ strained by PAS’s fanatical pursuit of its theocratic agenda.

    The problem the BN faces is that no leader has yet emerged from within its ranks who evinces a strategic vision and capability to grasp, grapple and resolve these internal contradictions and dilemmas accelerating its own political decline.

  133. The Ox is the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. This powerful sign is a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. As one might guess, such people are dependable, calm, and modest. Like their animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint.

    The qualities of the OX deserves our thoughts rather than the human rights trespasses mentioned by Kit. ;)

  134. The problem the BN faces is that no leader has yet emerged
    I’d say it’s worse than that. BN are living in the shadow of Malaysia’s first black president. Having beaten the USA in the one-drop mixed singles, they’re buckling under his legacy. BN inherited “1st World Infrastructure / 3rd World Mentality”. Mahathir worked his magic and sealed the spell with “it was perfect when I left, if it’s not working for you, you must be stupid”.

    BN cannot point at their first world infrastructure, as I point at it, and protest “but it doesn’t effing work!”, because that would instantly demote Malaysia in the World league tables, and the rakyat will wonder what BN have been doing these past few decades. They can’t even admit it isn’t actually very good, because they don’t reap quite the same amount of adulation as the old geezer among their dwindling voters. People would naturally suspect that his successors have a problem with their mentality if they call the glorious infrastructure into question.

    I think the rakyat are beginning to suspect there’s nothing wrong with their own mentality. They can go online and see they have similar abilities, interests and desires to people the world over. They can also see that their first world infrastructure (telecomms, transport, laws, welfare) is a pig in a poke. There’s nothing wrong with Malaysians – people are first world people the moment they choose to be, and Malaysians are making the choice in increasing numbers. I think we’re seeing “Malaysia boleh!” finally bear fruit: Malaysians can change Malaysia for the better.

    I’ve got the fireworks outside, I was hoping for a bit of orchestral music for that last bit.

  135. The hindrances to a Malaysian dream are..
    1….UMNO and PAS using race and religion politics…creating a sizable amount of Muslims that needs to depend on these parties for survivals.
    2. MCA ..MIC declaring they are champions of their own race…and because they cannot use religion so effectively……supporters are getting lesser and lesser. Only MIC…play same game like UMNO.
    That’s why MIC was so strong in the past….no more now….all exposed as hypocrites.
    3.The smart Malaysian Chinese voters will swing their votes…and mostly favour …for peace and harmony..for their children.
    4. There were no logical strong oppositions against UMNO and BN…in the past.
    The wind of change started….the day..Anwar was released from jail…and his speeches…all touches the hearts of Malaysians…strengthened by Lim Kit Siang usual great speeches too. Now there are two…not one….and representing the majority races. A real strong alternative is set.
    Malaysian dream will come true…by changing the government….and guiding the extremists…of all the races…to be logical and practical…..to be proud of Malaysia as Malaysians….which leave all these to the day by day actions and work…….to a new government to do that.
    like I said…it took China 25 years to unite the country and we all know what they are today..what is so hard with Malaysia?
    Most important of all….do not allow those dirty politicians using .. Islamic politics get into the upper hands.

  136. That’s the spirit comrades,way to go fellas! I love you pipple! That’s the Malaysian dream LKS has been alluding in this blog. Forget about the quarrels above and the kwai lan kia(little cocky rascals) and go ahead with our Malaysian dream of a new Malaysia!
    “You can’t be a kwai lan kia if you are educated,
    You can’t be educated if you are a kwai lan kia.”
    Yes we can , and have a Malaysian Malaysia dream when we are in one spirit.Go , go, go pipple! Happy Niu(Ox) Year to all Malaysians!

  137. Its possible to built a common Malaysian ideal BUT can Malaysian do it is another issue. Certaintly the politicians and leaders are NOT capable of building a common Malaysian ideal. Can Malaysian despite their politicians and leaders do it? Not likely either. Whether it does happen or not depend on like much of our history on external events and ironically the failures of our mediocre leaders to perpetuate anything permanently.

  138. “ BN are living in the shadow of Malaysia’s first black president. Having beaten the USA in the one-drop mixed singles, they’re buckling under his legacy.” – OrangRojak

    Quite true. Well Malaysia’s first black president had the opportunity during his long 22-year administration to take the nation to heights but he didn’t. Indeed quite the opposite!

    One cannot do so if by temperament, one treated his fellow countrymen and their mentality with supercilious condescension as evinced by an involuntary and perpetual facial sneer and vin tag e sarcasm.

    The nation’s biggest resource is its human capital, the mental infrastructure.

    However to Malaysia’s first black president, the verbal reflex to the word “infrastructure” was “physical”: roads (North South Highway, skyscrapers (Twin Towers), airport (KLI A), ports, (Paya L epas). Other things were added to this category as time went by – electricity (Bakun) communication (Maxis & Multi Media Super Corridor) – but they all have one thing in common: tangibility measured by their physical manifestations.

    Like Nigeria and very unlike red dot in South, the blessings of crude oil, the manna from heaven, spoil rather than elevate us. It makes possible the rapid development of physical infrastructure at the expense and neglect of social and mental/intellectual infrastructure.

    By “social infrastructure” I mean the laws, social institutions and agencies, social stratification, demographic elements and other social structures, formal and informal root of the mentality of the people; by “mental infrastructure” I mean the education, and more particularly the “type” of education that mould/shape outlook fundamental beliefs and philosophies, which in turn determine our attitude to life, politics and public office.

  139. Continuing ..

    To retain power, mental infrastructure was deliberately kept at the level that is parochial, insular, tribally communal and feudal – with mouths agape in awe at and vicarious pride in these wonderful physical manifestations of national achievement/progress – to facilitate obedience to political elites and their corporate appendages. English, which is gateway to Global Community and exposure to more inclusive attitudes, access to new knowledge of technology and commerce and (generally) a more questioning temper of mind was put in back burner of nationalism: in its place religious education was given great emphasis.

    Collectively a more open and the more self-checked political /bureaucratic system has never germinated nor got beyond embryonic stage.

    A system has developed and is now entrenched that bestows the fewer, with power, influence and connections to exploit the opportunities for personal gain by abusive means in an unsupervised positions wit h plenty of discretionary powers within the system.

    Although many think that the panacea to our national ills is in the displacement of the moribund BN by the Opposition PR, I suspect the solution is not simple by replacing people who took bribes with others who may also be potentially bribe-taking.

    It is overhauling the system/institutions so that corruption will eventually be stemmed because it is now not just the people who corrupt the system, but the system that corrupts the people….
    To change the system, one has to overhaul mindset and allow flowering of the mental infrastructure.

    I wonder whether that is possible now – whether we have already passed that point of no return. Changing system piece -meal by gradual evolution is not promising when the system corrupting people is faster and overtakes it as every point.

    Looking at the alternative (PR) and its component party PAS tries to stop concerts and implement Hudud – without any strong demurrer in voices stentorian from the other two – you can’t blame me for being less sanguine.

    Notwithstanding, here’s wishing YB Kit and all a Happy CNY.

  140. ///Quite true. Well Malaysia’s first black president had the opportunity during his long 22-year administration to take the nation to heights but he didn’t. Indeed quite the opposite!///–Jeffrey

    Yes, he could have been proud to be a Malaysian of mixed parentage serving as PM, but he declared that pure Malay blood run in his veins.

    His 22 years rule was a disaster for the country, and the country was hoping for a revival with PM AAB. That explains why AAB achieved the unprecedented 2004 win. But PM AAB has to leave within a year of winning the generation election because the first black president of UMNO worked on it. TDM could not work for the good of the nation, but he was successful in getting rid of leaders who can do so. Until TDM leaves this world, or migrates from Malaysia, the country would not recover.

  141. It tooks MLK 40 years to realise his dream of nation of equality. We, Malaysians have realised this, many of my Malay brethren also agree. It’s a start that the “Rakyat” have decided to change the political wind of the nation.
    We the people also have to share the blame, as majority of us voted out of sentimentality, fear, ignorance,loyalty forsaking truth, justice, equality, rightousness.
    It will take time, i shall say, but the change that is happening cannot be rolled back. The “Rakyat” want to have a greater say & determination in the nations future.
    We, the Rakyat want to consulted, instead of being ignored, want to bnefit instead of being an after thought, want action instead rhetoric, most of all respect instead denigation by politicians.
    This change will continue, and it can serve as a “REMINDER” to all politicians that the days of hoodwinking us are long gone.

    “Hidup Malaysia”

  142. “The question Malaysians should ponder on the occasion of the Chinese New Year of the Ox is whether Malaysians regardless of race, religion or territory, can share a common Malaysian dream to build a united….” KIT

    This is best pondered on independence day.

  144. Yes, carry on dreaming.
    Meanwhile, the country has two sets of rules and laws – one set for the untouchable Umno and BN, and another set for non-Umnoputras.
    Just look at how Kugan’s death and the subsequent events arising therefrom unfold right in front of our eyes. As usual, Umno and the police are the wise ones, who dictate and twist. Trust us. Don’t listen to the devils and evils.

    The only way for our political dreams to come true is to get rid of the BN. This we can and we must (as Obama always says).

  145. DEar Loh and Limkamput,

    Yes. Non Malays are not black like that many citizens of USA. Way back 40 years ago, blacks were not allowed into many puiblic areas such as gardens or share same toilets with white.

    But non Malays did not suffer the same fate. At independence, they ( through agreement between malay Rulers and British Crown) had been accorded citizenship status. As what said by Dr Chandra, the scale of magnaminity is unprecedented by world standard. Of course, DAP hates to accept this.

    DAP is quick to attack anything that BN does for the Malays but choose to be silent when unfair treatment to the Malays. Kua from DAP blamed UMNO for May 13 but is silent on what some Chinese exremists did to Malays in Kg Baru or even to ladies of Menteri Besar of Selangor household.

    I told my Chinese friends about this. The usual answer were given. They were all red faced. Are you sure about this? Yes. i said. I offered them to listen to live witnesses . They politely declined. The truth is too much to stomach.

    As for Kugan, it is not racial issue. It is about a thief who died under custody. As such, investigate minus the racial undertone. Please do not make hero out of him. JUstice must prevail but do not make it as malay-Indian affair.

    As for Jeffrey, well Dr Mahathir is of Indian-Malay parentage. There is no need to be embarassed about it. Whatever said about him, nobody can deny his contribution.

    He stands by what he said. He sacked Anwar on sodomy charged and lost Trengganu for it. PAS condemed him and challenged him to sack Anwar( check MOhd Sabu’s tape) . When he sacked Anwar, PAS changed its tone.

    I respect him for having the guts to say plain truth about Anwar.

  146. the scale of magnaminity is unprecedented by world standard
    What are you talking about? Not all Malaysians were Malay before Independence. The scale of your hubris is unprecedented by modern standards. The race problems in Malaysia run far deeper than the pages of your Constitution, but you cannot expect to tackle flagrant habitual bigotry (for examples, please see a depressingly high proportion of other posts on this blog) while there are more heinous examples in the nation’s official documents.

    My children are Malaysians, but through no fault of theirs, they have not been fortunate enough to have an ancestor of the right colour to be awarded the full patronage of their government. If their parents had been citizens of any reasonably modern society, they would have been accorded full and fair citizenship without questioning their heritage. In Malaysia, they are discriminated against* by your incomprehensibly halfwitted laws when they are hardly old enough to speak, let alone take part in the bigotry that appears to be Malaysia’s highest achievement.

    *Malaysia appears to have had its laws written by a bright 5-year old. Your constitution explicitly forbids discrimination against citizens on the basis of race, so all the discrimination in your laws is for a race. Word games! Any reasonable person would be embarrassed into silence.

    nobody can deny
    You are clinically in denial.

  147. ///As what said by Dr Chandra, the scale of magnaminity is unprecedented by world standard.///– Shamshul Anuar

    If that Dr Chandra is the one who was born an Indian, and then became NEWMalay, or Malay as he claims himself to be, then I wonder whether he said it when he was an Indian, or when he was a Malay.

    Well said, OrangRojak.

  149. Dear Loh,

    Exactly that is the problem. You cant accept reality that UMNO , despite its dominance, has repeatedly shown its magnaminity. In the past, it has ample opportunity to sideline non malays if that is its intention. What is stopping UMNo from declaring then Malaya as Malay country when at independence it controlled almost 70% of Parliamentary seats.

    Does it matter that Dr Chandra is a Malay or an Indian. Dr ridhuan Tee is a Chinese but he also can accept the fact.

    Many non Malays seldom ( or never) read Utusan Malaysia. As such when I told them that Muslims are very upset over Christian priests insist( or rather playing religious war) on usage the word “Allah” in its publication. Again, the same respnse given. Is that so.? We thought UMNO played the issue.

    Muslims objection to Christian using the word Allah as it affdects the very foundation of Islam. Muslims( and Malays) may not be particular in some issues but religion is one very affair to them. Muslims in Malaysia cant see the reason on Christians insistence on using the word “Allahg” when every Christian whom I asked said that they refer Jesus as their God. They never use “allah” as their God.

    So what does it show?

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