Posted on

Three things we learned from: #Merah169

by Zurairi AR
Malay Mail Online
September 17, 2015

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 17 ― Thousands of Malays painted the city red yesterday, purportedly to show solidarity with Malay government leaders who are allegedly under siege from the ethnic Chinese community.

The event was originally planned as at least three separate rallies held by different organisers: martial arts group Pesaka who hosted the official gathering, a coalition of 250 Malay groups, and Felda settlers.

As the day went on, however, it was clear that there was only one event in town, the pro-Malay rally informally dubbed #Merah169, held as a reaction towards the electoral reform rally Bersih 4 that was attended by tens of thousands last month and deemed to be Chinese-driven.

Here are three things we learned about the event: Continue reading “Three things we learned from: #Merah169”

Posted on

Malaysia’s prime minister is a questionable ally

By Editorial Board
Washington Post
September 18, 2015

THE OBAMA administration has made a heavy bet on the Malaysian government of Najib Razak, whose majority Muslim nation collaborates on several key U.S. national security initiatives: counterterrorism, counterproliferation and balancing against China’s regional ambitions. In December, President Obama invited Mr. Najib to a round of golf during his Hawaiian vacation, a rare show of friendship for a foreign leader.

Since then, however, Mr. Najib has been evolving into an increasingly unseemly pal. In February, the country’s opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, was imprisoned on blatantly trumped-up charges, just under a year after the coalition Mr. Anwar led won the popular vote in national elections. That was the tip of a broader campaign to suppress the opposition; key leaders were indicted under a sedition law that Mr. Najib once promised to repeal, and a leading cartoonist was prosecuted for tweets. Mr. Anwar’s daughter, parliament member Nurul Izzah Anwar, was recently told she was being investigated under an anti-terrorism law. Continue reading “Malaysia’s prime minister is a questionable ally”

Posted on

Pak Samad: Malay-centric Putrajaya may put Malaysia into state of emergency before GE14

by Kamles Kumar
Malay Mail Online
September 19, 2015

PETALING JAYA, Sept 19 — Malaysia is headed towards a state of emergency being declared possibly within the next five years if the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) does not fix its overtly pro-Malay attitude in governance, national laureate Datuk A. Samad Said predicted today.

The respected poet and Malay writer popularly known as Pak Samad said the current administration’s tendency to favour the dominant Malay community over that of ethnic minorities will deepen the rift among Malaysians, with a state of emergency possibly declared before even polls can be held.

“At the rate things are going, with the way race issues are played up and we see people being caught for show, it is not impossible that things will peak into a state of an emergency if the government does not keep peace.

“The government is being Malay-centric now, all their speeches are targeted towards the Malays,” he said after launching a book titled “Young & Malay” at Gerakbudaya here. Continue reading “Pak Samad: Malay-centric Putrajaya may put Malaysia into state of emergency before GE14”

Posted on

Time for the subject of “no confidence motion” against Najib as PM to be put on the table as a national agenda for discussion by MPs from both the government coalition and the Opposition as well as the Malaysian public before Parliament meets on Oct. 19

I congratulate DAP Kedah activist Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Shaffee, who is heading the Impian Kedah/Perlis project, as well as Dr. Tan Poh Teng and Nurul Shifa Abdul Manan in the Impian Kedah/Perlis project committee, for their hard work and success in the inaugural three-day Impian Kedah/Perlis medical camp.

This is the second day of the three-day Impian Kedah/Perlis medical camp, which will be in Perlis tomorrow.
The Impian Kedah/Perlis project was announced three months ago and we are now seeing the fruits of this new initiative to promote an inclusive vision to rally all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or class to unite on a common agenda of Malaysian unity, justice and prosperity.

Impian Kedah/Perlis is part of the Impian Malaysia vision and like other Impian Malaysia projects of Impian Sabah, Impian Sarawak, Impian Kelantan and the newly-announced Impian Johor, it is born out of two convictions: firstly, Malaysia cannot be progressive and prosperous if any state continue to be poor and backward in infrastructure development; and secondly, the people and the states of Kedah and Perlis are entitled to the right to development compared to other states and not to be relegated as Malaysia’s poorest states. Continue reading “Time for the subject of “no confidence motion” against Najib as PM to be put on the table as a national agenda for discussion by MPs from both the government coalition and the Opposition as well as the Malaysian public before Parliament meets on Oct. 19”

Posted on

Najib’s “well done” for the darkest hour in Malaysia in 46 years after the May 13 1969 racial riots highlights the widening gulf between ordinary Malaysians and the UMNO/BN leadership

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s praise of “well done” for the darkest hour in Malaysia in 46 years after the May 13, 1969 racial riots – the Red Shirts Sept. 16 Rally – highlights the widening gulf between ordinary Malaysians regardless of whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans or Ibans and the small coterie of UMNO/BN leadership.

Apart from the 45,000 “Red Shirts” who were bused into Kuala Lumpur from all over Peninsular Malaysia in some 2,000 buses, Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, age, gender or politics are ashamed of the Red Shirts “Kebangkitan Maruah Melayu” rally in Kuala Lumpur on Sept. 16, which desecrated the 52nd Malaysia Day when the day should be an occasion for all Malaysians to strengthen national integration and counter the divisive and centrifugal forces seeking the division and disintegration of the nation.

Sept. 16 should be a day of solidarity for the reaffirmation of the unity, integrity and sovereignty of Malaysia at two levels – firstly, of the diverse races, religions, languages and cultures which have come together to make Malaysia their home and an “Instant Asia” and secondly, the union of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak into a new nation in South-east Asia in 1963 by smoothing out the knots and kinks of nationhood in the past five decades – in particular the legitimate grievances felt by Sarawakians and Sabahans about their neglect and underdevelopment in the past half century.

Instead, Sabah and Sabah were virtually forgotten on Sept. 16 as national and international attention riveted on the Red Shirt “Kebangkitan Maruah Melayu” in Kuala Lumpur, and the thoughts of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his Cabinet were on the Red Shirts rally although they were physically in Kota Kinabalu that day – when they should be focusing on the issues and challenges of devolution and decentralization of powers from Putrajaya to Sabah and Sarawak with more autonomy in various jurisdictions for the two states. Continue reading “Najib’s “well done” for the darkest hour in Malaysia in 46 years after the May 13 1969 racial riots highlights the widening gulf between ordinary Malaysians and the UMNO/BN leadership”

Posted on

The mysterious red shirt rally continues to mystify

Aidila Razak
Malaysiakini
17 Sep 2015

COMMENT And so ends a rally which sent many into a tail spin of frenzy, stocking their pantries and whispering warnings of “stay indoors” for fear of a racial riot.

While the biggest mystery of its conception was eventually solved – it is an anti-(DAP) Chinese rally to defend Malay pride after all, and yes, Umno was a huge backer – it ends again in a shroud of mystery.

What on earth is Jamal Md Yunos on about? Continue reading “The mysterious red shirt rally continues to mystify”