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Dr. Mahathir’s Attempt at Redemption

Koon Yew Yin
29th March 2016

Like many Malaysians who followed the Citizen’s Declaration Congress which was televised live yesterday by our internet media (thanks to our brave independent media for daring to put it out for public viewing!), I thought that the star of the daylong event was Dr Mahathir.

Although the oldest speaker there by a big margin, at 90 years old, he appeared the youngest and smartest of the group of 19 speakers! We could all see that his mind is still sharp; his wit is one of a kind; and his political instincts still intact. His was also the most enjoyable speech to listen to.

Earlier, UMNO’s Secretary General, Tengku Adnan put out a stern warning to UMNO members not to attend the Shah Alam gathering as he saw it as a platform to destroy an institution and create chaos while serving to achieve certain individuals’ goals and agenda.

What silliness coming from someone who is leader in a so-called democratic party. This was a stupid action and shows the extent of desperation and authoritarianism found in the party’s leadership. I am sure despite his warning tens if not hundreds of thousands of UMNO members will have tuned to the websites to view the programme.

And if Tengku Adnan himself and the other apple polishers and “Cash is King” followers in UMNO were also listening to Dr. Mahathir’s speech – as I think many of them would be doing – I hope they not only feel fearful but also feel ashamed for blindly supporting the Prime Minister in this period of our political history. Continue reading “Dr. Mahathir’s Attempt at Redemption”

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The Meaning of A Free Mind

Bakri Musa
29th March 2016

The meaning of a free mind can best be illustrated by this story of Mullah Nasaruddin, a fictitious alim known for his effective use of simple and often self-deprecating stories to drive home a point, illuminate a concept, or challenge conventional wisdom.

He had a neighbor who was fond of borrowing items from him and then conveniently forgetting to return them. One day this neighbor came to the mullah to borrow his donkey. Anticipating this, the mullah had locked his animal away in the barn and out of sight. Upon hearing the request, the mullah confidently replied that his donkey had been taken away earlier by his brother. Just as the disappointed neighbor turned away, the donkey brayed. He turned around and remarked, “You said your donkey was gone!”

To which the mullah replied, “Do you believe the braying of a donkey or the words of a mullah?”

If you can accept that at times a donkey can be the bearer of the truth, and a mullah the purveyor of untruth, then you have exhibited a free mind, minda merdeka. There are many reasons why we continue believing the mullah despite the donkey braying in our face, and I will explore some of these subsequently. Continue reading “The Meaning of A Free Mind”

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Muafakat Selamatkan Malaysia must go back to the fundamentals of the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and 1963 Malaysia Constitution to ensure democratic and institutional reforms especially just rule of law and truly independent judiciary

The launching of the nation-wide Pakatan Harapan “Muafakat Selamatkan Malaysia” campaign tonight is line with the historic Citizens’ Declaration on March 4, 2016 to Save Malaysia by demanding the resignation for Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Prime Minister and the carrying out of meaningful democratic and institutional reforms to stop Malaysia from hurtling down the slope of a failed and rogue state.

The Save Malaysia campaign must go back to the fundamentals of the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and the 1963 Malaysia Constitution to ensure democratic and institutional reforms especially to ensure a just rule of law and a truly independent judiciary.

The Save Malaysia campaign can only succeed if Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation, are prepared to take a common national patriotic stand to oppose rampant corruption, massive abuses of power, undemocratic practices and widespread socio-economic injustices in the country.

For this reason, all Malaysians, whether in the component parties of DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara in Pakatan Harapan, or the 3.5 million UMNO members and one million PAS members, should come together on a common national platform to ensure that Malaysia becomes a world-class nation respected by the international community because of our accomplishments and achievements in various fields of human endeavor – political, economic, respect for human rights, good governance or nation building of a plural society of diverse races, languages, religions and cultures – not because we have become among the world’s top ten countries in corruption. Continue reading “Muafakat Selamatkan Malaysia must go back to the fundamentals of the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and 1963 Malaysia Constitution to ensure democratic and institutional reforms especially just rule of law and truly independent judiciary”

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Will Guan Eng be arrested and charged for corruption in connection with his bungalow purchase to deflect growing national and international attention on Najib’s RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” twin mega scandals?

Malaysia has become a most abnormal country out of sync with both national and international aspirations, trends and developments.

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion twin mega scandals have become the top daily conversational topic of 30 million Malaysians in the warongs and coffee shops, but Members of Parliament cannot ask questions or get answers from Ministers on Najib’s twin mega scandals.

Najib’s twin mega scandals have also become the staple of international news.

Earlier tonight, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in its 45-minute “Four Corners” documentary, “State of Fear: Murder and Money in Malaysia”, revisited Najib’s twin mega scandals. Continue reading “Will Guan Eng be arrested and charged for corruption in connection with his bungalow purchase to deflect growing national and international attention on Najib’s RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” twin mega scandals?”

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Ku Li, you have let the rakyat down

Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
28 Mar 2016

Politicians like Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah cause the electorate to lose faith in politics. Affectionately known as Ku Li, he confirms our suspicions of him. He is all spin and no substance. He joins a long list of sycophants who should have had the interests of the rakyat at heart, but at the critical moment, let down the people and himself. Where are the men of integrity and honour?

Ku Li’s betrayal may not matter now, because a majority of the population still cast their votes. In time, this number will drop because they will see politicians as untrustworthy.

So, was it emotion, or political expediency which prompted Ku Li to sign the ‘Kelantan Declaration’? Continue reading “Ku Li, you have let the rakyat down”