for Malaysia
By Melissa Chi
June 25, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has deemed the July 9 Bersih rally as politically-motivated and a threat to national security as well as the country’s reputation.
Apart from calling in the organisers for questioning next week, police also insist they will not issue permits for at least three rallies planned on the day. Continue reading “Muhyiddin insists Bersih political, threat to security”
by Farah Fahmy
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 24, 2011
JUNE 24 — In all the furore surrounding the Bersih 2.0 rally, I couldn’t help noticing that all the things and events used to scare us are being dragged out yet again, presumably so that we would all be scared of history repeating itself and therefore stick to the status quo.
First up is of course the spectre of May 13. Time and again self-serving politicians bring this up to remind us to toe the line. You know what? I was born after 1969. I didn’t live through those events, and all I know about May 13 I learnt through my own endeavours.
If May 13 is so important to us, and if we’re always exhorted to remember it, then why, if we so much as try to discuss what happened then, are we told NOT to do so because it may be detrimental to our racial sensibilities? Continue reading “Another day, another bogeyman raised”
Malaysiakini Your Say | Jun 24, 11
‘Who are the pariahs here – those calling others demeaning and insulting names or those who put up a fight for our democratic rights?’
SMS death threat against Ambiga making its rounds
TehTarik: I hope that Malaysia doesn’t sink to the level where we see political assassinations. Unfortunately, we seem to be rapidly heading in this direction, particularly due to inaction and selective prosecution by the police and the judiciary.
As many have said, some of the leaders of Perkasa should have been arrested a long time ago under the ISA and interned in Kamunting. Perkasa appears to be similar to the ‘brown shirt’ of the Nazi Party which was formed by Adolf Hitler, and was responsible for political threats and violence, and even assassinations.
Continue reading “Death threat: We shall not be cowed”
by P Ramakrishnan
President Aliran
23 June 2011
Today, at around 1.00pm, I received an sms from +601119732179. The message conveyed to me was in Bahasa Malaysia and read:
Members of the Bersih steering committee at the launch of Bersih 2.0
Korg ni buta hati ke?? buat apa sokong ambiga keling paria haramjadah tu? dia ni kapir laknat. korang tau tak dia ni jadi alat anjing2 politik untuk musnahkan keutuhan melayu. dia kata je nak BERSIH kan SPR. bersih kepala bapak dia.
Puak2 PAS n PKR pun buta tuli n pekak badak.. kalau SPR tak bersih, boleh ke diorang menang kat Sgor, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan n perak dulu? DAP cina sial tu pulak lagi haram jahanam. dia tengok je melayu bertekak. hujung2 dia perintah negara ni dan kristiankan kita semua. aku nak kasi amaran kat korang semua.
Kalau perhimpunan ni jadi, aku dan org2 aku akan bunuh ambiga dan korang2 keliling dia satu persatu, termasuklah orang2 politik bangang yg bersekongkol ngan kafir laknat tu.. ini amaran aku. Korang tengokla nanti. Continue reading “Evil stalks the brave and threatens the peace”
Terence Fernandez
The Sun
23 June 2011
BAD things happen because good people do nothing. How often have we heard this phrase and how many of us have been motivated enough to get off our butts to do something when others are trying to cause chaos and confusion?
At the rate things are going, it seems we are content to let things slide or sweep them under the carpet – a child’s logic: close your eyes and it will go away.
History has taught us that the worst atrocities were actually committed by the minority. But they were emboldened and abetted by a silent majority who at first laughed them off as a bunch of raving lunatics but to their horror, later discovered that this same group of madmen had taken control of the country’s social and political structures. Continue reading “Apply the law equally”
By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 23, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders are bracing themselves for a possible repeat of the infamous 1987 Ops Lalang crackdown when election watchdog Bersih 2.0 stages its mass protest in the capital this July 9.
The leaders, many of whom were among those arrested during the crackdown, told a press conference today that they feared the government would again flex its muscles and embark on a spree to detain all leaders participating in the rally.
“As former Ops Lalang detainees, we must ask if they are preparing for an Ops Lalang 2,” said DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang, one of the 1987 detainees. Continue reading “Seeing crackdown, Pakatan battens down hatches”
By Yow Hong Chieh
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 23, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — Lim Kit Siang has reminded Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein that his grandfather, Datuk Onn Jaafar, pioneered peaceful protests in Malaysia, and called on the home minister to ensure the smooth running of Bersih 2.0.
The DAP parliamentary leader pointed out that Umno was born in 1946 out of non-violent anti-Malayan Union protests helmed by Onn, and asked if Hishammuddin thought his grandfather’s actions constituted illegal assembly.
“Would Hishammuddin have arrested his grandfather Datuk Onn Jaafar for organising peaceful mass rallies and meetings resulting in formation of Umno if the latter had been alive today?” he asked in a statement today.
Lim also slammed Hishammuddin for putting electoral watchdog Bersih on the same footing as Malay rights group Perkasa by announcing yesterday that the police would summon Bersih, Perkasa and Umno Youth for planning separate rallies on July 9.
He said while Bersih has declared its commitment to peace, the Perkasa counter-protest was “a different kettle of fish” that was “born to create strife and unrest”. Continue reading “‘Would Hisham have arrested Onn Jaafar?’”
By Kow Gah Chie | Jun 23, 11
Malaysiakini
Bersih 2.0 today slammed the “cowardly” move of those behind the death threat SMS targetting its chief Ambiga Sreenevasan, in relation to its planned July 9 rally.
“This is unacceptable, the SMS is not only life-threatening, but also has connotations of racism,” said Maria Chin Abdullah (centre in photo), a Bersih 2.0 steering committee member.
“Let’s be brave enough to come out and talk, instead of being so cowardly as to send threatening and racist SMSes. Let’s talk,” Maria told a press conference after lodging a police report at the Travers police station in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.
Maria also urged the sender to stop such moves.
Continue reading “Bersih: Death threat the work of cowards”
It offends all notions of good sense and fair play of rational Malaysians for the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to put Bersih on the same footing as Perkasa when he announced yesterday that the Police would summon Bersih, UMNO Youth and Perkasa for planning separate rallies on July 9.
Bersih is planning a Bersih 2.0 rally to call for free, fair and clean elections with the organizers repeatedly, unreservedly and unqualifiedly declaring their commitment to ensure that the rally will be a peaceful expression of the deeply-felt wishes of Malaysians transcending race, religion, gender, age and political affiliation for an a free and fair electoral system which would make all Malaysians proud in the world.
The Perkasa counter-protest is a different kettle of fish altogether – born to create strife and unrest. Its President Ibrahim Ali even declared himself a “war general” for the July 9 counter-protest to the peaceful Bersih rally, invoking provocative and inflammatory images of chaos bloodshed and May 13 – even threatening the Chinese community by warning the Chinese to stay home and stock up on food during the planned Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9.
Continue reading “Would Hishammuddin have arrested his grandfather Datuk Onn Jaffar for organizing peaceful mass rallies and meetings resulting in formation of UMNO if the latter had been alive today?”
By Clara Chooi | June 23, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders expressed determination today to press on with their participation in the upcoming Bersih rally despite the SMS death threat to Datuk Ambiga Sreenavasan.
PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, after chairing the pact’s presidential council meeting at the Parliament building here this afternoon, described the threat as “deplorable”, saying that this should further inspire Malaysians to take a stand.
“We are clearly disgusted. But what is worse, it is not only about the purveyors but the fact that this system seeks to condone, allow and publicise this.
“So, all the more reason why members of the public must take a position — enough of this racist rhetoric and nonsense… we have to speak up,” Anwar (picture) told a press conference.
Continue reading “Pakatan to march on with Bersih”
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal | June 23, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — Bersih chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan has received a death threat via text message which was also sent this morning to reporters and some members of the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih).
The text message warned Ambiga as well as PAS and PKR leaders from going ahead with the July 9 Bersih rally, and said her life would be in jeopardy should it (the rally) proceed.
“Korg ni buta hati ke?? buat apa sokong ambiga keling paria haramjadah tu? dia ni kapir laknat. korang tau tak dia ni jadi alat anjing2 politik untuk musnahkan keutuhan melayu. dia kata je nak BERSIH kan SPR. bersih kepala bapak dia. puak2 PAS n PKR pun buta tuli n pekak badak.. kalau SPR tak bersih, boleh ke diorang menang kat Sgor, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan n perak dulu?
Continue reading “Ambiga receives SMS death threat”
By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 21, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — After a similar threat from Perkasa’s Datuk Ibrahim Ali Sunday, the Chinese community was yesterday warned against participating in next month’s Bersih rally via an email thread making its rounds to several media organisations here.
The email, sent by a self-proclaimed nationalist and blogger with the pseudonym “Panglima Perang Cyber” (cyber war commander), came with an attached video found on Youtube.com of the infamous May 1998 racial riots in Indonesia that caused the deaths of hundreds.
“Are the Chinese in Malaysia willing to accept the same fate as their brethren in Indonesia if our country goes into chaos?
“So let us 1 Malaysia Malay, Chinese and Indians reject the Bersih demonstration for the good of our grandchildren. Watch the video below,” the email read. Continue reading “Blogger warns Chinese away from Bersih”