Category: Hishammuddin

The Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has made many outrageous statements and done many outrageous things in his political career, like

• his infamous keris-wielding as Youth Leader for three consecutive years since 2005 until he had to apologise for them when MCA, Gerakan and even UMNO leaders blamed him as one of the causes of “political tsunami” in the March 2008 general election;

• his defence and justification of the insensitive and sacrilegious cowhead demonstration in Shah Alam in September 2009;

• his xanthophobia (fear of the colour yellow) in the run-up to the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9, 2011 when he declared the yellow Bersih T-shirt illegal and a police arrestable offence to wear them and his illogical, unreasonable and unlawful ban on Bersih 2.0.

• his wild, reckless and deplorable allegation that “some parties” wanted serious injuries and deaths at the Bersih 3.0 rally at Dataran Merdeka on April 28, 2012 in support of the Prime Minister’s equally wild, reckless and deplorable allegation that the Bersih 3.0 rally was an attempted coup d’etat to topple the government when the hundreds of thousands, regardless of race, religion, age and gender, who came out were peaceful, armed at most with salt and mineral water to protect themselves from police tear-gas and chemically-lacked water cannons, wanted only to send the message of clean, free and fair elections to the government.

However, Hishammuddin has put all his previous outrageous statements and acts in the shade with the “mother of all outrages” when he made it clear yesterday that there will be no guarantee of security for PKR’s nationwide Merdeka Rakyat tour. Continue reading “Hishammuddin should apologise for his unbecoming and deplorable “No safety guarantee” stance or is he going to apologise only after the next general election like his keris-wielding as UMNO Youth Leader?”

— The Malaysian Insider
Sep 15, 2012

SEPT 15 — Considering the public perception of crime and a number of attacks on opposition politicians, one has to ask the question, is there a home minister in the country?

Is there someone responsible in the current government to ensure that each and every citizen can feel safe and secure in the country?

Is there someone responsible in the government to see to it that politicians of all stripes and hues and from any side of the aisle can move freely and campaign unhindered and unmolested?

Is there someone in the government who can rise above partisan politics to provide internal security for the country and not condone political hooliganism of any sort?

Is there someone in Putrajaya who will make sure that the international trade and industry minister and the foreign minister don’t have to make excuses to foreign investors and diplomats about the state of crime and political violence in Malaysia?

Why? Continue reading “Is there a home minister in the house?”

By Kee Thuan Chye
Malaysiakini
Sept 2, 2012

The occasion could not have been better chosen or timed: The eve of the country’s 55th Merdeka anniversary, two hours before countdown.

The venue could not have been more appropriate: Dataran Merdeka,where the countdown to Merdeka is held every year to commemorate the very first countdown to independence in 1957.

The theme could not have been more telling: ‘JanjiDemokrasi’, a response to the Government’s Merdeka theme, ‘Janji Ditepati’. Sasterawan Negara (National Laureate) A.Samad Said to read his impassioned poem with its powerful ending:

Kita laungkan jerit senyaringnya: “Janji Demokrasi!”

sehingglah janji itu turut menjeritnya sendiri!

(We cry with all our hearts: “The promise of democracy!”

until the promise itself joins in and cries out togetherwith us!)

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein predicted few people would turn up. But, as usual, he was wrong. They came by the thousands – some counted tens of thousands – dressed in yellow, as requested by the organisers. Continue reading “‘Janji Demokrasi’ the Real Merdeka Event”

Some ten days ago, the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein made the shocking admission that the focus on crime-busting was “not seen as a need” for the government, until only recently.

He then claimed that the government has “now got the political will right to the top” to fight crime.

This is an admission of a gross dereliction of duty by Hishammuddin as Home Minister.

I need only cite three reasons to back up such a harsh judgment. Continue reading “Hishammuddin’s recent announcement to make crime-busting “top priority” debunked by his four-day thunderous silence on allegation of fake crime statistics by “whistleblower” police officer”

At last, Malaysians appear to have got the answer to the three-year mystery why Malaysians suffer increasing fear of crime in the midst of official claim of drastic fall in crime rate.

This came in the form of an email from a righteous and patriotic police officer with more than 30 years in service, which I received on Tuesday, 21st August, during the last day of my four-day 500-km visit to Sabah interior.

The email, under the subject “Crime Statistics – Let the truth be told”, had also been sent to other receipients and has since been published widely on news portals and websites.

In the email, the police officer who said he wished to remain anonymous, wrote:

“The police and Pemandu have feigned ignorance about the crime statistics manipulation. The figures dished out does not reflect the actual crime situation. How the figures were doctored is explained in the attached article. In fact the police and Pemandu knows about the manipulation but unable to undo the wrong.

“The public’s fear is justified. The police are in the wrong track of tackling crime.”

Continue reading “Is dishonest doctoring of crime statistics the answer to the three-year mystery why Malaysians suffer increasing fear of crime in the midst of official claim of drastic fall in crime rate?”

― Koon Yew Yin
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 24, 2012

AUG 24 ― Crime is an issue of great concern to everyone in the country. This is why it is necessary for the authorities to respond as soon as possible to the whistle-blowing letter from a police officer of over 30 years experience and his allegations of the doctoring of the official statistics. The longer the delay, the greater will be the impression that a cover up is taking place.

This disclosure of massaging and manipulation of the official statistics has been the hottest news over the internet media in the last few days and it has now been picked up by the opposition politicians.

To ensure that it does not become a political football and to preserve whatever trust and respect that the public has for the Barisan Nasional government’s statistics, especially related to the Government Transformation Programme, I would like to provide some advice to the Najib administration. Continue reading “Claims of doctored crime statistics need swift answers”

by Eric Loo
Malaysiakini
Jul 26, 2012

After a week’s work in the slums of Chennai, I stopped over in Petaling Jaya for the weekend en route to Sydney. I heard from friends alarming stories of abductions and killings, assaults and robberies in Malaysia.

A week earlier a decomposed torso was found washed up by heavy rains in Jalan SS22/21 in Damansara Jaya – less than five minutes’ walk from where I lived. One might feel safer navigating the urban chaos and mass human traffic in the capital city of Tamil Nadu than wandering in the shopping mall car park and streets of PJ and KL. With each bloodier crime reported in the media, community fear goes up a notch.

Pemandu had urged for more “balanced reporting” to allay the public fear. Crime reporting, however, is fraught with difficulties when headlines are driven by blood and gore. The more frequently crime stories are highlighted, and sensationalised, by the tabloids – the more we feel unsafe. Anxiety and insecurity then breeds distrust of strangers and neighbours, stereotyping of criminality by ethnicity and fear stoking by right-wing populist parties.

Should the media restrain and sanitise its crime reporting? Certainly not. Crime stories follow the crime rates. The higher the crime rates, the more the crime stories. But, journalists should know that for every crime story written, there could be many that go unreported. Pemandu’s statement of a 40 percent decline in street crime from January to May this year doesn’t explain the community anxiety over ‘rising’ crime in the city. Continue reading “Reporting rising crime in the city”

— Proham
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 26, 2012

JULY 26 — Proham notes that it is refreshing to see a High Court decision re-affirming the time honoured principle that an executive decision must be based on a proper interpretation of the law and the application of reasonable and rational consideration of relevant facts.

On July 24, 2012, Justice Datuk Rohana Yusof allowed an application for certiorari to quash the Minister’s order made on July 1, 2001 under section 5 of the Societies Act where he had declared the Coalition for Clear and Fair Elections (Bersih) as a unlawful movement.

The decision illustrates the pitfalls of administrative decisions which are not consonant with provisions of the law and the Constitution but are made relying on faulty appreciation of the law and on unreasonable and irrational considerations of unverified or irrelevant facts supplied normally by aides.

Another important aspect of the case is the re-affirmation of another principle that in a democratic system of governance under the Constitution, the intervention of an independent judiciary able to make judicial decisions affecting aggrieved parties without fear and favour is of paramount importance bearing in mind too, that in our court system the right of appeal is not shut to parties dissatisfied with the decisions. Continue reading “Bersih decision, refreshing and reaffirming”

By Kee Thuan Chye
Malaysian Digest
25 July 2012

THE High Court has declared that Bersih (Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections) is not unlawful. And rightly so.

Although this comes as a blow to the Government, and especially the Home Minister, the Attorney-General (A-G) should not pursue an appeal.

Doing so would hurt the Government’s image even more. It would appear to sensible Malaysians that the Government refused to admit wrong even when the evidence clearly showed it was wrong.

Furthermore, the Government had responded positively to the Bersih 2.0 rally of July 9, 2011, by setting up a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to look into electoral reform. If it continued to insist on the quibble that Bersih 2.0 is unlawful, it would contradict itself, call to question the sincerity of its PSC move. It would appear to act in bad faith.

After all, is it such a big issue to the Government whether Bersih 2.0 is unlawful or not? Continue reading “A Right and Significant Verdict on Bersih”

Former Home Minister Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar cannot be more wrong when he said his successor, Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein need not apologise when the latter’s ban on Bersih as an “unlawful organisation” was quashed by Kuala Lumpur High Court as Hishammuddin was just exercising his powers as Home Minister. (TMI)

Hamid is not the most qualified to tender such an advice as he still owes a public apology for his gross abuse of powers in September 2008 when he was Home Minister and senior Sin Chew reporter Tan Hoon Cheng was arbitrarily arrested under the Internal Security Act “for her own personal safety” together with DAP National Organising Secretary and Selangor Senior Exco for Investment, Trade and Industry, Teresa Kok.

There can be no doubt that in the present case, right-thinking and rational Malaysians agree that with the judgment of the Kuala Lumpur High Court judge, Justice Rohana Yusof yesterday, the time has come for the Barisan Nasional government to end its petty, vindictive and vengeful attitude to Bersih, with Hishammuddin setting the example by extending a public apology for his irrational, illogical and inconsistent ban of Bersih on the baseless and ridiculous ground of being “prejudicial to public order and security”.

Hishammuddin and the Barisan Nasional should end their irrational attack of Bersih xanthophobia (fear of yellow), with the ridiculous standing instruction to the police at one stage that anyone wearing yellow, and not just the yellow Bersih T-shirt, as anti-national elements to be arrested on sight! Continue reading “Hamid cannot be more wrong, Hishammuddin should apologise for irrational, illogical and inconsistent ban of Bersih”

Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein should initiate action for the government to compensate mechanical engineer Asrul Wadi Ahmad, 27, for life as a token of personal responsibility, remorse and recompense for police violence and brutality in indiscriminately and wantonly firing tear-gas canisters at participants of the Bersih 3.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur on April 28, rendering Asrul “clinically” blind and unemployable.

Asrul, who testified at the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) inquiry into violence at the Bersih rally, gave a most heart-rending account of his plight when he was hit by a tear gas canister during the Bersih 3.0 rally.

Asrul had perfect 20/20 vision prior to the injury but visibility in his right eye has now been reduced to 15 percent. As a result, he may become unemployable as a mechanical engineer though he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn in February.
Asrul has consulted doctors from two private and three government hospitals and been told that the injury to his right eye cannot be reversed via medical procedures.

Asrul recounted at the Suhakam inquiry his horrendous experience at the Bersih 3.0 rally. Continue reading “Hishammuddin should initiate government action to compensate Asrul for life for police violence at Bersih 3.0 rendering Asrul “blind” and unemployable”

Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein deserves more than RM10 salary cut motions in the forthcoming budget Parliament for his “transformation” from a “know nothing Minister” to “all knowing Minister” all in a matter of 24 hours.

This is the transformation of Hishammuddin before the eyes of 28 million Malaysians in his response to the wild and reckless speech by Special Branch’s assistant director of the E2 (M) national social extremist threat division head Mohd Sofian Md Makinuddin to the National Youth Leaders Convention in Parliament last Thursday alleging that Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorists are infiltrating PAS and former communists infiltrating the DAP for the coming general election.

When asked on Friday, Hishammuddin put up the front that he is a Minister who knows nothing, pleading that he was “not sure” about the alleged infiltration of communists and terrorists into Pakatan Rakyat: “I don’t have the relevant information (about the issue) at the present moment. Therefore, I cannot say whether it is true or not. I can only say this much, this topic is very sensitive.”
When Hishammuddin was strongly criticized for his “most cowardly, craven and irresponsible response” to Sofian’s wild and reckless allegations and being “the lousiest Home Minister in the nation’s history”, as “how can a responsible Home Minister claim ignorance when a top Special Branch officer could go public to make the most damning allegations against Federal opposition parties?”, Hishammuddin performed a full somersault in 24 hours and claimed to be a “all knowing Minister”.
Continue reading “Hishammuddin deserves more than RM10 salary cut motions in forthcoming Parliament for his “transformation” from a “know nothing Minister” to “all knowing Minister” all in a matter of 24 hours”

It is the most cowardly, craven and irresponsible response from Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein who is proving to be the lousiest Home Minister in the nation’s history.

How can a responsible Home Minister claim ignorance when a top Special Branch officer could go public to make the most damning allegations against Federal opposition parties as claiming that Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorists and communists are infiltrating PAS and DAP respectively to stand as candidates in the next general election when there is no basis whatsoever?

All that Hishammuddin has got to say on the serious allegations by Special Branch’s assistant director of the E2 (M) national social extremist threat division head Mohd Sofian Md Makin is that he was “not sure” about the alleged infiltration of Islamist terrorists and communists into Pakatan Rakyat, that “I don’t have the relevant information at the present moment.Therefore, I cannot say whether it is true or not. I can only say this much, this topic is very sensitive.”

Would this be Hishammuddin’s response if Sofian had publicly alleged that terrorists and communists have infiltrated into UMNO, MCA, Gerakan, MIC, and the BN Sabah and Sarawak parties to stand as candidates in the next general election?

Of course not!
Continue reading “Most cowardly, craven and irresponsible reply from Hishammuddin who is proving to be lousiest Home Minister in nation’s history”

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammmudin Hussein should explain why they are “scraping the bottom of the barrel” in giving the green light to the Special Branch to go public with the “cock and bull story” of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorists and former communists infiltrating Pakatan Rakyat parties and trying to be fielded as candidates in the coming general election.

The Bernama report yesterday of the “revelation” by the Special Branch assistant director of the E2(M) national social extremist threat division head Mohd Sofian Md Makinuddin at the National Young Leaders Convention in Parliament yesterday, claiming that JI elements were trying to infiltrate PAS while the communist elements were trying to infiltrate DAP, would have been laughed off and dismissed as the most sick and top political joke of the year if not for the gravity of having such wild, scatter-brained and crackpot ideas influencing and determining policy making at the highest government and security levels in the country.

With the resurrection of the Islamist terrorist and communist bogeys infiltrating the Pakatan Rakyat parties, is the stage being set for a special operation against the Pakatan Rakyat parties to remove the democratic and legitimate threat posed by Pakatan Rakyat to continued UMNO/Barisan Nasional hold on federal power in the 13th general election? Continue reading “Najib/Hisham should explain why they are “scraping the bottom of the barrel” in giving greenlight to SB to go public with “cock and bull story” of JI terrorists and communists infiltrating PR parties as candidates”

The Cabinet yesterday set up a special Cabinet Committee over the looming water crisis in Selangor.

The question that is uppermost in the minds of Malaysians is why no Cabinet committee has been set up to deal with the worst and most palpable fear of crime haunting various parts of the country!

This question becomes even more poignant following reports of the latest high-profile victim of crime – Puan Sri Faizah Shuib, 67 the widow of former Cabinet Minister Tan Sri Megat Junid who was Deputy Home Minister for more than a decade from the mid-eighties to mid-nineties and major implementer of the infamous Project Mahathir in Sabah in the early nineties.

It is reported that Faizah’s house was robbed by three men, believed to be Indonesians, who escaped with jewellery and watches worth RM50,000 and she was tied up during the robbery.

There is a very serious disconnect between one the one hand, repeated assurances by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the police of a declining crime rate in the country and on the other, lack of public confidence and credibility even among foreign investors in such assurances, with rising and undoubtedly the worst palpable fear of crime haunting Malaysians in various parts of the country – not just at shopping malls, but in the streets, public places and even the privacy of the homes! Continue reading “Why no Cabinet committee to deal with worst palpable fear of crime in country’s history?”

By Ong Kian Ming
Malaysiakini

The issue of crime, especially in the urban areas, has once again surfaced as a hot political issue. The Home Minister, Hishamuddin Hussein, was quoted as saying that the fear of crime is a result of ‘public perception’ while the CEO of PEMANDU, Idris Jala, was reported as having asked the media to focus more on the crimes that have been solved rather than those which have been committed. Meanwhile, DAP MP for PJ Utara, Tony Pua, seems to have been given conflicting sets of crime data on Selangor and has called for PEMANDU and the Home Ministry to released detailed crime statistics by the type of crime and the places where they were committed.

It is very difficult to question the validity of the crime statistics since this data is collected, compiled and later disseminated to the various ministries and later the public at large by the police. An in-depth audit is required in order to get a better handle on the veracity of these statistics.
Continue reading “Malaysia safest country in Southeast Asia. Really?”

Rom Nain
Malaysiakini
Jul 12, 2012

Our political leaders evidently have a not-so-smart-ass response for everything under the hazy Malaysian sun.

Some – the few who can read – probably would have read that story about the French queen, Marie Antoinette, apparently saying `Let them eat cake’ upon learning that the French peasants had no bread.

Yes, perhaps that is why our home minister, upon hearing that the ISA detainees were on a hunger strike, twittered that it was the choice of the ISA detainees to hold the hunger strike, just as it was his choice to have lamb chops.

Not very sensitive of him, it could be argued. But then, neither was the French queen who, history tells us, was later executed by guillotine. Yes, she had her head chopped off.

Many of our politicians, I think, share this misconception that they are so darn smart and can deliver flippant comments, inane lines and get away with it. Continue reading “Perceptions and deceptions”

— Ali Kadir
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 04, 2012

JUNE 4 — “Actors” are running amok in Malaysia these days, with their mouths and actions.

First there was the sometimes DPM (sometimes because sometimes he behaves like the PM) Muhyiddin Yassin saying that that the skirmish at Bersih 3.0 was a precursor to violence by Pakatan Rakyat once they lose the elections.

Today, Information Minister Rais Yatim said that Anwar Ibrahim must behave like a gentleman and accept the election results and not riot, etc.

It is interesting till today Najib Razak has not given his word that the BN will leave Putrajaya peacefully if it loses the election. You know why he is silent? Because his party has already unleashed the troublemakers and they are called Perkasa, Pekida, the petty traders association and the Rempits.

In fact, not one senior Umno leader has said that they will accept the people’s verdict. Continue reading “Stunt-man politicians”

After prolonged silence, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has given the assurance that the authorities would maintain peace and order at all costs should there be attempts to create chaos during and after the next general election.

He said the police would act impartially and according to the law to maintain order, declaring “Anyone who violates the law will be prosecuted to ensure the safety of the innocent. The safety of the people is of paramount importance.”

However, Hishammuddin’s statement failed to achieves the effect of giving full assurance to Malaysians for two reasons, viz:

• The inaction/indifference of the Prime Minister, Home Minister and the police authorities to the recent escalation of the political culture of aggression, thuggery and violence targeting Pakatan Rakyat and Bersih 2.0 leaders, including Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng, Nurul Izzah, Datuk Ambiga Sreenivasan, Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin and most recently, the vicious attacks on DAP Selangor State Committee member V. Ganapathirao and his brother Papparaidu in Klang last Wednesday.

• The threat by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak when invoking the language of “crushed bodies, lives lost” for UMNO to defend power at any cost in Putrajaya at the 2010 UMNO General Assembly. Continue reading “Hishammuddin’s assurance of “order during and after GE” quite meaningless if not coupled with public pledge by Najib and key UMNO Ministers that BN will leave Putrajaya peacefully if it loses election”

As Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussin should give personal attention to escalating cases of political thuggery and violence in the country like the vicious attacks on DAP Selangor State Committee member V. Ganapathirao and his brother Papparaidu in Klang on Wednesday night instead of propaganda concerns like the official video compilation on Bersih 3.0.

Yesterday, Hishammuddin said that a video compilation, containing footage of what transpired during the Bersih 3.0 rally last April 28, would be ready within two days and would be uploaded on the ministry’s website once it was ready.

He said it would contain “the good, bad and ugly” visuals received from many parties throughout the rally.

Would the official video compilation on the Home Ministry website contain all the available “ugly” videos of all the cases of brutality and violence which happened on Bersih 3.0, regardless of whether the victims were police personnel, media representatives or peaceful protestors or would it only be a very selective compilation as the latest in the official campaign of vilification and demonization of Bersih 3.0?

Malaysians are very wary of this official campaign of demonization of Bersih 3.0, both over government television channels and the Internet in the past month, completely ignoring the fact that Bersih 3.0 was a great historic awakening of a quarter of a million Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, class, region, age or gender, gathering peacefully for a common national cause but which was marred by incidents of brutality and violence involving a small number of police personnel and peaceful protestors. Continue reading “Hishammuddin should give personal attention to escalating cases of political thuggery and violence like the vicious attacks on Ganapathirao and Papparaidu instead of propaganda concerns like official video compilation on Bersih 3.0”