Month: August 2013

By Kee Thuan Chye
msn
7th August 2013

What wrong has Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) committed for the Government to hound it so doggedly? Why is it now being investigated under the Sedition Act, the act that has been getting a noxious name of late for the fact that numerous people have been charged under it for apparently displeasing the Government?

According to Suaram secretariat member Cynthia Gabriel, who on August 5 was served with a police summons, the investigation is connected to the dinner the NGO held on July 19 to raise funds for Suaram’s ongoing corruption suit in France.

In the suit, Suaram claims that when French naval defence firm DCNS sold two Scorpene submarines to Malaysia in 2002, it allegedly paid RM452 million in illegal commissions to Perimekar Sdn Bhd, a company partly owned by Abdul Razak Baginda, who was charged with the 2006 murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu but was subsequently acquitted.

Whether rightly or not, the murder came to be linked to the Scorpene deal. And as Razak Baginda was closely associated with Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was the defence minister at the time the Scorpene deal was struck – and who, according to a document found by French prosecutors, allegedly demanded that RM1 billion be paid to Perimekar by DCNS before it could meet with him – Najib is also implicated, again whether rightly or not.

Of course if Najib was not involved, he would surely want the truth to be known. He might even call for investigations to be conducted by our own Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). After all, isn’t such a case of great interest to the Malaysian public?

But has there been any move made by the MACC to investigate the matter? Continue reading “Has Suaram Done Wrong in Seeking the Truth?”

Rom Nain
Malaysiakini
Aug 7, 2013

Every year we are told, certainly incessantly reminded, that it’s a `bulan mulia’, a holy month of reflection, much prayer, of being patient, and a month of respect and forgiveness.

Ramadan indeed is the month when Muslims flock to the mosques and suraus, especially at night, to bow their heads, prostrate even, in prayer and to seek forgiveness from the Almighty.

But, as we end this year’s month of Ramadan, really, much of what we’ve seen around us these past four weeks has run contrary to all that.

It has been a hate-filled month, bringing to shame whatever claims we may have to being spiritual or god-fearing.

Forgiveness? Well, there certainly was very little of that. Continue reading “What holy month?”

– Pope Francis
The Malaysian Insider
August 07, 2013

To Muslims throughout the World,

It gives me great pleasure to greet you as you celebrate ‘Eid ul-Fitri, so concluding the month of Ramadan, dedicated mainly to fasting, prayer and almsgiving.

It is a tradition by now that, on this occasion, the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue sends you a message of good wishes, together with a proposed theme for common reflection.

This year, the first of my Pontificate, I have decided to sign this traditional message myself and to send it to you, dear friends, as an expression of esteem and friendship for all Muslims, especially those who are religious leaders.

As you all know, when the Cardinals elected me as Bishop of Rome and Universal Pastor of the Catholic Church, I chose the name of “Francis”, a very famous saint who loved God and every human being deeply, to the point of being called “universal brother”. He loved, helped and served the needy, the sick and the poor; he also cared greatly for creation.

I am aware that family and social dimensions enjoy a particular prominence for Muslims during this period, and it is worth noting that there are certain parallels in each of these areas with Christian faith and practice.

This year, the theme on which I would like to reflect with you and with all who will read this message is one that concerns both Muslims and Christians: Promoting Mutual Respect through Education. Continue reading “A letter to Muslims on the celebration of ‘Eid ul-Fitri”

I wish all Muslims in Malaysia Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

This is an auspicious occasion for non-Muslims in Malaysia to join their Muslim compatriots to commemorate a national celebration to underline a greater national unity, harmony and solidarity built over 56 years of Malaysian nationhood.

Recent events particularly in the past three months have given rise to valid and legitimate concerns about the success of Malaysian nation out of the diverse races, languages, religions, cultures and territories in the country in the sixth decade of Malaysian nationhood.

Immediately after the recent 13th general elections, Utusan Malaysia bannered a front-page headline: “Apa Lagi Cina Mau?”

This question should not have been asked, just as questions like “Apa Lagi Melayu Mau?”; “Apa Lagi Indian Mau?”, “Apa Lagi Kadazan Mau?” or “Apa Lagi Dayak Mau?”

It may be understandable for such questions to be asked in the first decade of nationhood, but something is very wrong when such questions are asked in the sixth decade of nationhood.
Continue reading “Let all Malaysians ponder the question: “Apa Lagi Malaysia Mau?””

This is the second day of the week-long period I suggested to give the fictitious “Father Augustus Chen” who allegedly wrote the booklet “The Equity Report (CEC Election Fraud)” which is used by UMNO/BN leaders and the Registrar of Societies (RoS) as authority to invalidate the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections last December to surface and prove he is not a phantom.

I have been told that there is no person by the name of Father Augustus in Malaysia, let alone Father Augustus Chen. But let us give the purported “Father Augustus Chen” the benefit of the doubt for the next five days for him to surface and prove that he is not a phantom.

I for one would like to meet the purported “Father Augustus Chen” or the person camouflaging as “Father Augustus Chen” as he is quite a genius, although an evil genius, for I do not think it is easy to find another person who could pack so many lies and falsehoods into a 12-page booklet, with each page crammed and brimming with lies and falsehoods.

There are easily some 100 lies and falsehoods in “Father Augustus Chen’s” DDD (Demonise/Destroy DAP) 12-page booklet, proving he is quite a “find” for the UMNO/BN “war-room psy-war” campaign against the DAP.
Continue reading “Fictitious “Father Augustus Chen” an evil genius who have packed some 100 lies and falsehoods in his 12-page DDD booklet”

The Malaysian Insider
August 07, 2013

In a book about his years in power, former prime minister Tun Abdullah Badawi makes a startling revelation about how he dealt with Utusan Malaysia, in stark contrast to how the strident newspaper is managed by its Umno backers now.

Abdullah was known for liberalising news media in an attempt to restore their credibility after the severe damage that mainstream media took under the Mahathir years, but Abdullah still kept a firm line on racial and religious issues.

Referring to his appointees, he said, “I did not interfere with their work as I believed that they had a professional job to do and I allowed them the space to do it. But when they abused the openness by playing up racial and religious issues, like when Utusan Malaysia did, then I would call them and warn them.”

He revealed that he made a phone call to the editor-in-chief of Utusan Malaysia and left him with a stark warning: the newspaper had crossed the boundary with an editorial that smacked of racism and he should expect no favours from Putrajaya if charged with sedition.
Continue reading “A time when Utusan Malaysia didn’t get away with everything…”

Carol Ng
Free Malaysia Today
August 6, 2013

What do the Chinese want? It’s pretty amazing after 55 years in the same country that our leaders still have no clue to the answer to this question. And even more amazing is the demand for Chinese to go back to China, and in the meantime, Indians go back to India too. I’m not sure what makes them think China or India would take us ‘back’ in the first place. Both countries are so populated, the governments there would not only deport us, they might ask us to take some of their own citizens back with us while we’re at it.

This is my attempt to answer this apparently very elusive question. I apologise if my views don’t represent those of all Malaysian Chinese, but I believe that for most of us, going ‘back’ to China, even if we legally could, is nowhere on the list. I’m also about to highlight some negative perceptions about the Chinese, which I’m not afraid to point out being a Chinese well, as I believe it’s important to be able to acknowledge when your own people are doing something wrong and not be afraid to criticise it…. Something that quite a few people in this country seem to be unable to do and would rather ignore the wrong others are doing just because they are of the same race or religion.

China may be making a name for itself as a technological powerhouse, but the country is run by a dictatorship. There is no freedom of speech, and there are heavy restrictions on use of the internet, the press, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly. There is a huge disparity between rich and poor in China, social injustices are high and people have become so indifferent to each other that people can walk pass an injured and dying toddler on the road and not be bothered to help. Basically, everything we don’t like about Malaysia, is a lot worse in China.

For my Indians friend, it’s pretty much a similar case in India. If we did leave the country, why go to a country where life would be more difficult? If we migrated anywhere, we’d rather go to Singapore, America, Australia, United Kingdom, which may not be perfect, but there is more equal opportunity, more freedom, higher pay and a good chance at a better livelihood. But for a lot of us, we’d rather stay in Malaysia, simply because most of our happy memories, friends and family are here. Plus the food here is just too good. Continue reading “What the Chinese want and why we wouldn’t ‘balik’ China”

I have said that “Father Augustus Chen” whose booklet “The Equity Report (CEC Election Fraud)” is used as authority by Umno/BN leaders and the Registrar of Societies to invalidate the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections last December is a fictitious figure and a total figment of imagination of the Umno/BN “war-room psy-war” campaign against the DAP before and after the 13th General Elections.

Today there is further confirmation that the lies and falsehoods about election irregularities in the DAP CEC elections last year has become fodder in the upcoming UMNO party elections when Utusan Malaysia reported that the UMNO MP for Kuala Pilah and Minister for Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Datuk Hasan Malek has confirmed that he would be contesting for the UMNO Supreme Council elections in October this year.

It was Hasan Malek who over the weekend quoted the fictitious figure “Father Augustus Chen” as authority for the decision by the Registrar of Societies director-general Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman directing the DAP to hold CEC re-election.

Two dubious records are set here –firstly, it is the first time in the 56-year history of public law in Malaysia where Cabinet Ministers and public officials are depending on a fictitious character to justify their decision, and secondly, relying on a scurrilous publication which is no different from a “poison pen letter” which is published against the law as it does not carry the required identity of the printer and publisher.
Continue reading “Fictitious “Father Augustus Chen” given seven days to surface and prove he is not a phantom – failing which would RoS reconsider his decision?”

Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
Aug 5, 2013

“Malaysia is more dangerous than South Africa,” were the parting words of a retired couple who returned to Johannesburg after a failed attempt to live in Malaysia under the ‘Malaysia My Second Home’ (MM2H) programme. Friends of the couple said they had feared for their own and their family’s safety.

Unlike this South African couple, ordinary Malaysians are trapped in a vicious cycle of emboldened criminals, an inept police force and a government in denial. Few have access to guns like the Tan Sri who recently shot dead a thief at a clinic in Kuala Lumpur.

Owning a gun is not what Malaysians desire. We want a police force which is committed to tackling crime and not being the lapdog of Umno Baru. Cabinet ministers deny that a state of lawlessness exists. They issue statements and are then trapped by their own spin.

Former home minister Hishammuddin Hussein, more noted for his incompetence than his achievements in office, had complete disregard for the concerns of the public. He ridiculed the rakyat after they complained about rising crime levels and told them that increased crime was only a “perception”. Continue reading “Trapped in a vicious cycle”

— Anas Alam Faizli
The Malay Mail Online
August 05, 2013

AUG 5 — Back in 2008, the Malaysian government concluded the signing of a US-Malaysia FTA with 58 red lines or “red stops”, which discontinued the two-year negotiation. Among leading protagonists was then Agriculture Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who mentioned that he would not compromise the livelihood of local farmers. He was even quoted as saying “over my dead body” by some quarters. Khairy Jamaluddin even led a protest, citing that the FTA would take away Malaysia’s sovereignty, while patent protection would deny access to generic medicine. Question is, what has changed in the past five years? One thing for sure, it is definitely not the content of the FTA.

Why Trans Pacific?

We can imply that TPPA is called Trans Pacific because of the geographic locations of the countries taking part in the negotiations, and between whom the agreement aims to conclude among. TPPA is unique in the sense that it is open-ended agreement. Any country interested to join can join in as long as they agree with the concluded text and other countries agree to the entry.

Every country participating in the TPPA already has an existing FTA with America except Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia and Brunei. Japan and New Zealand are developed economies with very large trade sizes with other countries in the world, and Brunei is a resource-rich nation with a less significant trade size. That leaves Malaysia, which has most at stake as a developing nation and a new entrant to an FTA with America.

What does this mean? It means that for countries with existing FTAs with America, the TPPA will probably just result in minor additions to status quo. But for our small economy, the TPPA will entail a much bigger impact. Continue reading “A guide to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA)”

By Kee Thuan Chye
Yahoo
August 1, 2013

If Umno Cheras division chief Syed Ali Alhabshee thinks he’s reaching out to the Chinese by asking them to tell Umno why they did not support the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) at the 13th general election (GE13) and what they are unhappy about, he’s still missing the point. The rejection of BN at GE13 is not about the Chinese. It’s about governance.

Good governance and an end to corruption are among the things every caring and intelligent Malaysian wants. Why does he single out the Chinese?

True, many Chinese care about the country and therefore want it to do well, and they don’t think that under BN rule, it will, so they voted for a change of government. But then so did a few million others comprising Malays, Indians, Kadazans and Ibans who also care about the country and want a better government.

If Syed Ali can grasp this basic idea, he should instead be telling his own party’s leaders that they need to do much, much better to deserve being in government – in fact, to change. And change drastically. He should be telling them to stop playing the same old politics they are still playing, like exploiting the issues of race and religion to divide the people.

He should tell Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to take back what he said on July 31 and even apologise for it: “Muslims do not insult the religion of non-Muslims such as Christianity and Hinduism. But non-Muslims are insulting our religion.” That’s the kind of inflammatory remark we can expect from an extremist, not from a deputy prime minister. Continue reading “It’s Not About the Chinese, Syed Ali!”

The statement yesterday by the Minister for Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism and Umno MP for Kuala Pilah Hasan Malek quoting the fictitious figure “Father Augustus Chen” as authority for the decision by the Registrar of Societies director-general

Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman to direct DAP to hold re-elections for the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) has taken the Umno/BN conspiracy to invalidate the DAP CEC elections last December to the realm of the absolutely bizarre.

This is because “Father Augustus Chen”, who allegedly wrote a booklet alleging irregularities in the DAP party elections last year, is a total figment of imagination of the Umno/BN “war-room psy-war” campaign against the DAP before and after the 13th General Elections.

The allegations of DAP election irregularities by the fictitious “Father Augustus Chan” in his booklet is nothing more than a regurgitation of the many lies and baseless allegations which had been published in the some 400 anti-DAP reports and write-ups in the Umno/BN controlled media since January, particularly in Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times. Continue reading ““Father Augustus Chen” is a total figment of imagination of the Umno/BN “war-room psy-war” campaign against DAP”

The DAP National Legal Bureau headed by DAP MP for Puchong Gobind Singh Deo should comb through the over 200 Utusan Malaysia reports and articles targetting and character-assassinating DAP since January to file multiple defamation suits against the Umno newspaper.

In these reports and articles, Utusan Malaysia have ad nauseum repeated lies and falsehoods against the DAP and DAP leaders, particularly over the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections at the DAP National Congress in Penang last December, in utter disregard of the basic canons of journalism with regard to ethics, honesty and truth.

This campaign directed by the Umno/BN “war room” to demonise and destroy the DAP reached its peak in April just before the 13th General Elections, and although its tempo slowed down immediately after the general elections in May, its momentum was accelerated in June and July, culminating in the directive by the Registrar of Societies to the DAP on CEC re-elections.

Although the Registrar of Societies did not give any reasons to the DAP for its directive on CEC re-elections, two false allegations had been prominently canvassed in the Utusan media offensive in the past six months to justify any RoS invalidation of the CEC elections last December:

1. That 753 DAP delegates had not been notified of the DAP Congress and denied the right to vote for the new CEC.

2. That there were 547 phantom delegates, primarily from Penang, who voted at the DAP Congress last December.

Continue reading “DAP National Legal Bureau should comb through the over 200 Utusan reports targetting and character-assassinating DAP since January to file multiple defamation suits against the Umno newspaper”

By Allan CF Goh

Hari Raya Aidilfitri
To all our Muslim compatriots

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Ramadan is seeking Allah’s blessing,
From evils are the souls set free.
This day marks the end of fasting.

Ramadan tests men’s steadfastness
In accordance with God’s grace:
Full of forgiveness and fairness,
Purged of all the satanic trace.
Continue reading “Hari Raya Aidilfitri”

Jonathan Rogers, IFR Chief Analyst
IFR 1995 3 August to 9 August 2013
IFR Asia

MALAYSIA’S 1MDB CERTAINLY knows how to pull off a surprise. The strategic development company has no shortage of critics, from Asia’s DCM bankers who have so far missed out on a share of its no-doubt lucrative debt market mandates, to ordinary Malaysians who bought into the opposition’s argument prior to May’s general election that 1MDB lacks transparency.

Previous surprises for the DCM community came in the form of two gargantuan private placements of US dollar bonds totalling US$4.75bn, a combined size that could normally only be achieved through the depth of liquidity available in the offshore public markets.

The size and the private placement approach raised eyebrows, but the fact that all of the business went to Goldman Sachs simply added to the bitterness quotient. Ignoring the fact that few international investment banks can deliver private placements in that size and – I believe it’s fair to say – no Malaysian investment bank can, it just didn’t seem fair play. Not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue the US house is rumoured to have walked away with thanks to winning the business.
Continue reading “1MDB’s Japan move raises more eyebrows”

Malaysian journalism in Umno/BN country has reached new international “heights” where lies become truths and fiction transmuted into fact.

The Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia gave an illustration of this “transformation” of Malaysian journalism yesterday when its official commentary “Bisik-Bisik” by Awang Selamat, which is the pseudonym of the Umno-Utusan propaganda/psy war command centre, launched another attack on the DAP for its response to the Registrar of Societies asking for reasons for the RoS’ decision to direct the holding of DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) re-elections.

Awang Selamat commented:”Awang teringat desakan orang politik termasuk bekas orang DAP sendiri yang mahukan DAP mengadakan semula pemilihan CEC ekoran dakwaam berlaku penyelewengan dan manipulasi undi membabitkan 547 perwakilan.”

The lie of 547 phantom delegates at the Penang DAP Congress in Penang last December, with the even more ludicrous allegation that all the 547 ‘phantom’ DAP delegates came from Penang, is one of the despicable falsehoods concocted and conjured up by the Umno/BN psy-war journalists when there is no shred of evidence whatsoever, but which Umno/BN propagandists hope can be accepted as fact by gullible Malaysians by implementing the Goebble doctrine that if a lie is repeated a thousand times, it could become a fact.
Continue reading “Umno/BN journalism reached new “heights” when lies become truths and fiction transmuted into fact”

By Frankie D’Cruz | July 31, 2013
The Malay Mail Online

JULY 31 — Amid the outpouring of widespread public spleen over public security, gun violence is running riot and fuelling the explosive tone of rising crime.

After a brutal stretch of 15 shootings since April – the most high profile involving Monday’s assassination of the founder of Arab Malaysia Bank Hussain Ahmad Najadi, you’d have expected the incidents to bring notice to an epidemic of gun crimes.

Sadly, the gun crisis hasn’t prodded the authorities to come together to contain the culture of violence and the easy availability of firearms in Malaysia.

Gun crime isn’t a new and distinct issue but the recent cases suggest that carrying of a firearm has become increasingly common place.

We speculate criminals get their guns from a neighbouring country. We theorise observable patterns to gun crime. What we know for sure is that gun crime is a sign of collapsed civil life.
Continue reading “Shooting police into isolation”

– Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
August 01, 2013

Readers may be interested to read an abridged version of an interview I had with The Malaysian Insider, here.

I spoke freely about a number of issues. One of these includes the future of Malays and what Mahathir is doing to imperil the social structure in Malaysia by distorting the issues.

If I may expand. Najib will fail in his glasnost style of politics because he hasn’t got the ground troops in the support power structures. He has the institutions, the means which are given legislative muscle- but the people to implement his ideas are not there.

His world is full of tenured sycophants. Tenured in the sense that as far as these people get bits and pieces of economic and business entitlements- they sing like canary of Najib. In order to make his ideas take root, he needs the manpower with enough zeal, dedication, honesty and commitment to carry out the ideas.

Sadly, he has a modicum of talent and even then, the talented ones like KJ, Nurjazlan are viewed with suspicion and envy. Najib has got two chances – slim and none. Look at what happened to Gorbachev. Najib has old man Boris Yeltsin in the form of Dr Mahathir hovering around him. Old man Boris would very much like to put a Putin with enough aggression to control the politics. He is cultivating several- Muhyiddin, Shafie Apdal, and eventually the son. Yes, Mukhriz is now being trained to take over.

The Umno ground stands in opposition to Najib. What he has is, perception that is media created mostly that his policies are working. The Umno ground isn’t buying his Glasnost style. They want assertiveness and power talk. This is where, the man who can walk on water – Dr Mahathir – comes in.

What Dr Mahathir has done is to set the tone and the theme for the coming Umno elections. His message: – In order to check and balance the emergence of an assertive Chinese community, the next batch of Umno leaders must be the most Malay of Malays. They must be aggressive, strident and bellicose. Continue reading “The Boris Yeltsin to Najib’s glasnost”

From Aneesa Alphonsus
FMT LETTER
August 1, 2013

Chetz Togom or Maznah Mohd Yusof is my best friend. Today, she’s being harassed, hounded and harangued for a video she made three years ago on how she spent that particular Hari Raya with her dogs. I was there when the video was shot and since TV stations are not taking the trouble to find out why she made that video, I’m going to tell them and all the others who are screaming for Chetz’s blood why she made that video.

It was late morning when she took her dogs for a walk. When she came home, Chetz cleaned herself, then she washed the dogs’ paws as she planned on bringing them into the house for some treats. When I asked her why she did it this way, she said, “No special reason, I just want people to know that having dogs isn’t a dirty thing. We clean them and we clean ourselves well.”

That was it. It has nothing to do with all the fuss about “ambik air sembahyang dengan anjing” (taking abolution with the dogs) that some irresponsible media quarters are harping on as are some bloggers who don’t know head or tail, pun not intended, about the situation.

Then there is the question of the takbir Raya. Chetz put it in the video because it reminds her of her late grandmother who raised her, plus the fact that it is significant to Hari Raya. What is the harm in that? How does this show disrespect to Islam? Continue reading “Why my friend Chetz made that video”

– Shenaaz Khan
The Malaysian Insider
August 01, 2013

The arrest of dog trainer Maznah Mohd Yusuf is appalling and reflects the flimsy fabric of the Malaysian Muslim faith.

The contention that the act of walking a dog past a mosque and washing its paws are akin to burning the Quran is ludicrous and displays a dreadful disposition towards dogs.

The chorus of outrage led by seven NGO’s i.e. Pertubuhan Martabat Jalinan Muhibbah Malaysia (MJMM), Selangor State NGO Secretariat, Malay Army Veterans Association (PVTM), Badan Amal Tarbiah Sejagat Malaysia (BATAS), Pak Long Nusantara, Cahaya Haluan Amanah Insan Malaysia and Ikatan Rakyat Insan Muslim Malaysia (IRIMM) exhibits the abysmal ignorance of Muslim “champions” in this country.

This clan have clearly vacated their minds of knowledge and dogged it with doctrine.

Hitherto the video, these sinless soldiers have remained silent on almost all other un-Islamic practises. They appear to not be “insulted” by some Muslim men collecting wives as if they were stamps, leaving many women and children in a state of destitution.

They are certainly not “insulted” by how corporations and hotels have turned the humble act of fasting into a feasting fiesta of gluttony! And rape and incest by their brethren is mere kitchen matter, unworthy of their divine intervention.

Yet, this harmless video has compelled them to don their guerrilla garbs and Ray bans and start their pilgrimage up the pavement of righteousness! Continue reading “In the dog house for being kind”