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10 Reasons Why You Should Bother To Protest

By Thomas Fann

It was soon after the Bersih 3.0 protest on 28th April, 2012 that I chanced upon a posting on a social media network by someone I knew. Commenting on the huge protest and violence that followed, he said that it is not that he doesn’t support the demands of the protesters but he doesn’t believe protesting is the way to go as it doesn’t solve anything.

It is very likely that many a Malaysian echoes the same sentiments and asks the question – Why bother to protest? Can anything good come out of a protest? Some may even agree with the Prime Minister who said this is not our culture.

I want to suggest ten reasons why we should bother to protest:

Reason 1 – It’s our constitutional right

Did you know that the supreme law of our land, the Federal Constitution in Article 10(1)(b), states that all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms (weapons)? Unfortunately, subsequent laws passed like the Police Act (Section 27) and its new incarnation, the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012, restricts that right.

It can be argued that such restrictions are not in keeping with the intent and spirit of the Constitution which allows us to assemble peaceably. In such cases of inconsistency, we revert back to our supreme law, the Federal Constitution. As law-abiding citizens, our courage and confidence come from knowing this fact. Continue reading “10 Reasons Why You Should Bother To Protest”

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Education The Sacred Torch

A Poem
by Allan CF Goh

Education starts from birth’s yell
To teach the young survival skill
Stories that all parents will tell
Enhance the infants’ growing trill
It is found in the lilting song
Or the constant loves that surround
Or the voices heard all day long
As well as all the things around.

School and ‘formal education’
To many are one and the same
That’s a narrow definition
That strives to bring the child to fame
School should be a knowledge centre
To fund children’s curiosity
Allow good values to enter
With proper generosity Continue reading “Education The Sacred Torch”

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Najib-Taib “love fest” in Bintulu for Malaysia Day celebrations camouflaged the fact that Taib has won hands-down his political tug-of-war with Najib

The 49th Malaysia Day Celebrations in Bintulu on Sunday witnessed a “love fest” between the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Sarawak Chief Minister, Tan Sri Taib Mahmud, with each crooning the greatness of the other.

Najib praised the co-operation and support for the Federal Government from Taib and the Sarawak state government, and even alleged that “certain states” are not as developed as Sarawak because other state governments “prefer to politicise issues instead of working with the Federal Government”.

On his part, Taib gave his blessings to Najib as the Prime Minister when he said that it would be a loss to the nation and people “if we lose the continuity of the good government in the form of the Barisan Nasional government”.

Taib added that “there is no political newcomer that can produce miracle to say they can do better than Barisan Nasional government which has run the country so well for more than 50 years”.

But what the Najib-Taib “love fest” in Bintulu camouflaged was the clear victory “hands-down” by Taib in the political tug-of-war with Najib. Continue reading “Najib-Taib “love fest” in Bintulu for Malaysia Day celebrations camouflaged the fact that Taib has won hands-down his political tug-of-war with Najib”

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We are all gay…

By Azrul Mohd Khalib | September 18, 2012
The Malaysian Insider

SEPT 18 — Let’s see.

I often wear fitted, V-necked T-shirts. I can’t lay claim to having a muscular body but I am working out at the gym and lifting weights so that’s a work in progress. I did have to fight it out with a girl over a really nice bag this one time.

Ergo according to the Ministry of Education-endorsed (yes, despite their denials) guidelines/awareness material, I must be gay.

This latest move by the Yayasan Guru Malaysia Bhd (Teachers’ Foundation of Malaysia) and the Putrajaya Consultative Council of Parents and Teachers Associations is quite simply steeped in ignorance, bigotry and clearly homophobic.

Lest we forget, back in April this year, the Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) had announced a nationwide campaign to 30 schools to campaign against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender minorities utilising an awareness module targetting students. They misused their positions as parent-teacher association members to gain access to schools for this purpose.
Continue reading “We are all gay…”

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Charges against Bersih supporters thrown out

By Hafiz Yatim | 11:45AM Sep 18, 2012
Malaysiakini

Twenty-one people, including federal and state lawmakers, were acquitted and discharged by a sessions court today for illegal assembly and not abiding by a police officer’s order.

The prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case against the accused and police failed to show the roles played by the participants in the candlelight vigil in support of Bersih in 2008, the court in Petaling Jaya ruled.

“There is a gap in the prosecution’s case following the inconsistent testimony of the witnesses (from the police).

“The witnesses were inconsistent in stating the time for the crowd to disperse as some were saying 9.45pm and others 10pm and 11pm. This affects to their credibility and also the credibility of the order isued by the police to disperse.
Continue reading “Charges against Bersih supporters thrown out”

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Topless photos save Najib

Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
Sep 17, 2012

Since the day Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak got embroiled in the Scorpene scandal, the stench of corruption has clung to him like a cheap, musky perfume.

Last week, on the first day of the Jubilee trip for Prince William and Kate Middleton, Najib was basking in the expectant pleasure of playing host to the royal couple. In an article in the Huffington Post, Najib was effusive about Malaysian-British ties.

By the second day, the world reverberated with news about a magazine which intended to publish topless photos of Kate. Instead of reporters writing positive things about Malaysia, all focus was on the the couple’s next move.

Najib’s chance to improve his reputation, both locally and abroad, were scuppered. In the run-up to GE13, political interference, religious strife and institutional violence were playing havoc with Najib’s image. How ironic that the publishers responsible for the attack on the Duchess of Cambridge were French. The pictures were of Kate on holiday, in France.

It must have been galling for the PM that the French magazine is called ‘Closer’. Najib might have felt the French are getting too close for comfort, for he has already been unsettled by the French investigators into Scorpene. Continue reading “Topless photos save Najib”

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Two popular request ignored in the Education Blueprint 2013-2025

– Toh Boo Huat
The Malaysian Insider
Sep 17, 2012

SEPT 17 – The just released Education Blueprint was touted to be very comprehensive as it took into account the views and desires of Malaysians who were given opportunities to provide input during dialogues held in major towns across the country.

However, if the responses and loud cheers from large section of the crowd during the dialogues are any indication of popular support and demands by the people, then two such requests are missing in the blueprint i.e. calls for Science and Mathematics be taught in English and, for a non-politician Education Minister.

In my humble opinion, the blueprint ought to address the desire of many ordinary folks who would like their children to learn Science and Mathematics in its lingua franca i.e. English while fully supporting maintaining MBMMBI policy for those who want it. Interestingly, the rich who can afford to attend International schools and those Mara sponsored students are enjoying this privilege that is gradually being denied to those attending national schools. Continue reading “Two popular request ignored in the Education Blueprint 2013-2025”