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Why then am I featured and defamed in Tanda Putera’s official Facebook page as having urinated at flagpole bearing Selangor flag at residence of the then Selangor Mentri Besar provoking May 13, 1969 riots?

I am supposed to be assured by the clarification of the director of the May 13 film, Tanda Putera, Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba that I am not even featured in the footage of the film, but I am not.

This is because Shuhaimi has failed to give a satisfactory explanation why I had been featured and defamed in Tanda Putera’s original official Facebook page as having urinated at the flagpole bearing the Selangor flag at the residence of the then Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Harun Idris and provoking the May 13, 1969 riots.

The caption of a photo portraying me being manhandled, which were later taken down, read: “Lim Kit Siang telah kencing di bawah tiang bendera Selangor yang terpacak di rumah menteri besar Selangor ketika itu, Harun Idris”. The photo and caption was posted in the album in the “Tanda Putera” Facebook titled “Peristiwa-peristiwa yang dimuatkan di dalam filem ini” (Events depicted in this movie).

Shuhaimi’s explanation that the creators of the film had received many photographs from netizens which were shared on the Facebook page, including the offending picture, and that it was removed from the Facebook page after complaints were received about the photo, is neither credible nor acceptable.
Continue reading “Why then am I featured and defamed in Tanda Putera’s official Facebook page as having urinated at flagpole bearing Selangor flag at residence of the then Selangor Mentri Besar provoking May 13, 1969 riots?”

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Section 114A and legal presumptions: Are they fair?

By Art Harun | August 15, 2012
The Malaysian Insider

AUG 15 ― Many may not realize this but the law does make many presumptions about the subject matter of its governance, namely, us.

The most famous (infamous?) and perhaps harshest presumption that our law makes is in respect of drug trafficking. Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 stipulates that whoever is found guilty of drug trafficking shall be punished by death.

Making things a lot easy for the prosecution is a legal presumption imposed by Section 37 of that Act that any person who is found in possession of, among others, 15g or more of heroin or morphine or 200g or more of cannabis will be presumed to be a drug trafficker unless proven otherwise.

Without that legal presumption, the prosecution would, regardless of the quantity of the drug being in possession of the accused person, have to prove that he or she is a trafficker. That means, the prosecution would have to prove that the accused person has been doing any of the following acts, namely, “manufacturing, importing, exporting, keeping, concealing, buying, selling, giving, receiving, storing, administering, transporting, carrying, sending, delivering, procuring, supplying or distributing any dangerous drug otherwise than under the authority of the Act.”
Continue reading “Section 114A and legal presumptions: Are they fair?”

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‘Tanda Putera’ doesn’t unite but divides

— The Malaysian Insider
Aug 15, 2012

AUG 15 — The jury is already out on “Tanda Putera” even before the Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba film has hit the silver screen.

From the little scraps of information gleaned from one preview, the script, Shuhaimi herself and chatter within the crew, the movie presents one view of the May 13, 1969 race riot.

A view that is not shared by many, especially those who feel it is an inaccurate portrayal of events on that blood-spilled day in Kuala Lumpur.

And just like the riot, the movie has become divisive, not unifying. Continue reading “‘Tanda Putera’ doesn’t unite but divides”

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Najib to Reassess Malaysian Web Law

By SHIBANI MAHTANI | August 14, 2012, 11:50 a.m. ET
The Wall Street Journal

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak took to microblogging site Twitter on Tuesday to say that he will ask his government to reassess a new law that critics say could restrict online freedoms.

Throughout the day, Malaysians surfing popular blogs and some political websites were greeted by pop-up banners and blacked-out pages prepared as part of a concerted campaign against section 114A, a controversial amendment to the country’s Evidence Act. The law holds owners of Wi-Fi connections or editors of blogs or forums legally accountable for any seditious or defamatory material spread through their accounts or websites.

A series of prominent websites, including those of the Malaysian Bar Council, the opposition Democratic Action Party, and news portals Malaysiakini, Free Malaysia Today and BFM Radio, were either blacked out voluntarily or featured a pop-up message: Stop 114A.
Continue reading “Najib to Reassess Malaysian Web Law”

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‘Childish, extreme’ to stop Muslim backing for DAP

Malaysiakini | 3:15PM Aug 14, 2012

Perlis mufti Juanda Jaya has described Islamic teacher Abdullah Sa’amah’s claim that it is haram for Muslims to support DAP as “strange”, “extreme”, “childish” and “outdated”.

In an email interview, Juanda said such views should not be taken seriously because they are not reflective of Islamic teachings, and are not in line with the federal constitution and democracy.

“Thus, those who highlight and give room to such extreme and anti-democratic views, and who are inclined towards causing arguments in a peaceful country like Malaysia, have an attitude that is very disappointing,” he said.

Juanda was replying questions on whether Abdullah’s comments have any basis and if these could have any impact on society.

He said Malaysia is a plural society and Muslims should vote for those who fulfil the needs of Islam and who can bring stability to the country.
Continue reading “‘Childish, extreme’ to stop Muslim backing for DAP”

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Does it takes a blackout, sir?

— Jaleel Hameed
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 14, 2012

AUG 14 — Thank you, Mr Prime Minister, for realising the effects of the Internet Blackout Day today.

But, sir, how did this come about? Why does it take an uproar for your ministers and government to snap into action.

Well, not the government. Only you, sir, and a few other lawmakers, figured it out but that too way after Section 114A of the Evidence Act was passed.

Is this People First, Performance Now?

Because tonight, sir, you reaffirmed that people come first.

“I have asked Cabinet to discuss section 114A of the Evidence Act 1950. Whatever we do we must put people first,” you said on Twitter.

See, sir, you have to watch what’s going on now within your government and supporters, including the sycophantic cybertroopers who support anything done by your colleagues without thinking about it. Continue reading “Does it takes a blackout, sir?”

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Historic triumph 4Msian online democracy

Tweets @limkitsiang

12:01am
Historic triumph 4Msian online democracy – 24hr Internet Blackout Day initiated by CIJ 2demand repeal of repressive S114A Evidence Act 1950

12:02am
“I have asked cabinet 2discuss S114A” – Najib acknowledges power of solidarity of online Msian community w sea of black on Msian cyberspace

12:02am
Law needed 2deal with slanderous offensive incendiary postings lies falsehoods 2incite hatred illwill agnst individual group race religion

12:03am
But NO 2any law which acts as internet censorship 2violate responsible legitimate freedom of expression online n persecute innocent ppl

12:03am
Outcome of historic “Internet Blackout Day” – Online community should be fully involved/consulted in framing any internet legislation

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Internet Blackout Day on 14 August gaining momentum

CIJ Release
13 August 2012

Kuala Lumpur — Malaysian civil society’s latest effort in campaigning against the newly introduced Section 114A to the Evidence Act 1950 — Internet Blackout Day – is gaining momentum and has received more endorsements from prominent websites, Netizens and politicians.

Bar Council has confirmed taking down their website (http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/) to support this while the Democratic Action Party (DAP) is shutting down all websites administered by them and will not be updating their Facebook and Twitter accounts all day on 14th August, 2012. Tech-savvy DAP politician Lim Kit Siang and lawyer/avid Twitter user Edmund Bon have both vowed to go offline for 24hours.

Bloggers who have pledged to support a pop-up to promote the Stop 114A campaign include Marina Mahathir, Hishamuddin Rais (Tukar Tiub), Uppercaise, Nat Tan, Niki Cheong, Anil Netto, Juana Jaafar, Sarawak Bloggers, Fahmi Fadzil, myasylum etc.

Internet Blackout Day pop-up is also being supported by news sites Free Malaysia Today, Malaysiakini, Digital News Asia, The Nut Graph, bfm, Merdeka Review, and party organ news sites Harakah Daily and Keadilan Daily. Supporters from commercial/entrepreneurial sector include lelong.com.my, entrepreneurs.my, nexusmediaworks and MOL. From the online resources & community sector, cari.com.my, anixekai.com, LoyarBurok, mobile88, jbtalks and edu.joshuatly.com Continue reading “Internet Blackout Day on 14 August gaining momentum”

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Why is Shafie Apdal telling bare-faced lie that UMNO does not use religion for politics when it is so easily debunked by UMNO/ Utusan’s “Sokong DAP Haram” campaign in past 6 days?

I am astounded by the growing frequency and the increasing number of instances of Umno/Barisan Nasional leaders abandoning principles, scruples and elementary ethics just to score political points with the approach of the 13th general elections.

The closer the approach of the next general elections, and the more uncertain and even more desperate UMNO/BN leaders feel about their electoral prospects in the next general elections, UMNO/BN leaders have shown their preparedness to be even more unscrupulous, unprincipled and unethical than in the past in their attempt to remain in power.

Yesterday for instance Umno vice president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal was caught red-handed telling a bare-faced lie when he said in Kota Belud that UMNO does not use religion for its political interests.

How could Shafie make such a preposterous claim when it could be so easily debunked by UMNO and Utusan Malaysia’s irresponsible, seditious and anti-national “Haram Sokong DAP” campaign in the past six days? Continue reading “Why is Shafie Apdal telling bare-faced lie that UMNO does not use religion for politics when it is so easily debunked by UMNO/ Utusan’s “Sokong DAP Haram” campaign in past 6 days?”

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Isu haram undi DAP: ‘Utusan tak serik’

Zairil Khir Johari
Malaysiakini
Ogos 9 2012

ULASAN

Walaupun sudah dua kali didapati bersalah oleh mahkamah kerana menyiarkan laporan-laporan yang berunsur fitnah terhadap ketua menteri Pulau Pinang merangkap Setiausaha Agung DAP Lim Guan Eng, akhbar Utusan Malaysia tampaknya masih tidak serik.

Dengan tajuk sensasi, “Haram sokong DAP” pada muka hadapan serta laporan susulan di muka surat dalaman, Utusan Malaysia telah menyiarkan beberapa tuduhan liar seperti yang dipetik di bawah:

Adalah haram dan berdosa untuk umat Islam menyokong DAP yang secara terang-terangan menentang penubuhan negara Islam serta pelaksanaan hukum hudud.

Beliau berkata, agenda perjuangan DAP berbeza dengan MCA dan MIC dalam Barisan Nasional (BN) yang digolongkan sebagai bukan kafir harbi iaitu tidak membawa kemudaratan kepada kedudukan Islam dan umat Islam.

“Perjuangan DAP tidak terima Perlembagaan negara, mereka mahu sama rata Islam dan bukan Islam, kuil dan masjid juga mahu sama rata…”

(Dipetik daripada “Haram, berdosa undi DAP”, mukas urat 5, Utusan Malaysia 8 Ogos 2012.)

Adalah jelas di sini bahawa laporan tersebut bermotif politik dan bertujuan untuk menabur fitnah dan implikasi bahawa:

1.DAP merupakan parti yang haram.
2.DAP tidak menerima Perlembagaan Persekutuan.
3.DAP merupakan parti kafir harbi. Continue reading “Isu haram undi DAP: ‘Utusan tak serik’”

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Utusan’s “Haram Sokong DAP” campaign conceived by Umno anti-national extremists who are prepared to repudiate the legacy of the first three Prime Ministers

Utusan Malaysia is completely unrepentant of its “Haram Sokong DAP” campaign launched five days ago, continuing today to carry commentary and reports to justify its campaign.

It is clear that Utusan’s “Haram Sokong DAP” campaign is conceived by UMNO anti-national extremists who are prepared to repudiate the legacy of the first three Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein.

This is because those behind Utusan’s “Haram Sokong DAP” campaign cannot be so naïve politically as not to know that the next target of the “Haram Sokong DAP” campaign will be the first three Prime Ministers, as the DAP’s stand that Malaysia is a secular state with Islam as the official religion is exactly the stand taken by Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein in the first 24 years of the nation’s history from 1957 – 1981.

If the UMNO strategists who approved and launched the Utusan’s “Haram Sokong DAP” campaign did not realize that their attack on DAP could be extended into an attack on the first three Prime Ministers on the very same grounds, then these highly-paid UMNO strategists are not worth their money and should be sacked immediately. Continue reading “Utusan’s “Haram Sokong DAP” campaign conceived by Umno anti-national extremists who are prepared to repudiate the legacy of the first three Prime Ministers”

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Utusan Malaysia front-page headline “Haram sokong DAP” torn to smithereens Najib’s 1Malaysia signature policy

Utusan front page 8 Aug 2012

With 23 days to go before Malaysia celebrates the 55th Merdeka Day and 39 days the 49th Malaysia Day, patriotic and nationalistic Malaysians find it most sad and heart-rending at the appearance of more and more evidence of powerful and divisive centrifugal forces out to divide instead of uniting Malaysians.

Today the UMNO newspaper Utusan Malaysia’s front-page headline “Haram sokong DAP” provides the latest evidence, tearing into smithereens Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s signature 1Malaysia policy to create a Malaysian nation where every Malaysian would regard himself or herself as Malaysian first and race, religion, region or class second.

Utusan Malaysia’s scandalous and outrageous screaming headline “Haram Sokong DAP” is a multiple indictment – of Utusan Malaysia, UMNO and the Najib premiership!

Is Utusan Malaysia trying to foment and incite religious conflicts in Malaysia? Continue reading “Utusan Malaysia front-page headline “Haram sokong DAP” torn to smithereens Najib’s 1Malaysia signature policy”

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The tyranny of the Umno media

— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 06, 2012

AUG 6 — I haven’t watched TV3 for a very long time. During the weekend I found myself without my laptop and I don’t own any iPad either. So with nothing to do, I found myself having to watch the propaganda mouthpiece of the Umno/BN government.

What I saw confirmed what I have been saying for a long time. It’s a one-sided communication means whereby the government of the day, because it can, by virtue of controlling the federal government, spread lies and deliberate disinformation and cuckold the minds of the public.

Immediately you are bombarded with what Umno and BN is doing. It is clear Umno/BN does not want an enlightened and informed public. What it wants is to glorify what little achievements the PM accomplished —distributing zakat from the bank the government owns (meaning if PR wins, it can do the same), frying murtabak here and distributing the delicacy to seemingly starving people. Are we not ashamed to see so many people are poor in the PM’s backyard and then we are subjected to his hypocritical speech about what Allah likes and doesn’t like. It is just an elaborate PR exercise extolling the form rather than substance. Continue reading “The tyranny of the Umno media”

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No more NST for Aliran!

By Aliran, on 1 August 2012

P Ramakrishnan explains why Aliran has terminated its subscription to the New Straits Times.

As of today, Aliran has stopped subscribing to the New Straits Times. It is a decision that was postponed several times because we felt we had to monitor the mainstream media’s coverage. But the one-sided reporting and the biased coverage have been hard to stomach; indeed it has upset thinking and caring Malaysians.

It does not mean we are now going to subscribe to The Star. We discontinued The Star and Utusan many years ago for the same reason. The Star’s reporting has been even worse than the NST. (But some might dispute this!) We shan’t even talk about Utusan…

Of late, both The Star’s and the NST’s coverage of the political situation has been nauseating. There is a commonality in blatantly misleading the public. Malaysians are misinformed, told to keep their eyes only on one side of the coin and kept in the dark about the other side.

The Opposition is deliberately denied space in their coverage. The Opposition is misquoted and words are added when they were not even uttered. Repeated and strenuous attempts by the Opposition to rebut misleading reporting are totally ignored, unfairly and unjustly.

Journalistic ethics and adherence to truth are no longer sacrosanct. They have gone with the wind. Spinning stories and inventing lies to distort the truth are no longer antithetical to respectable journalism. Continue reading “No more NST for Aliran!”

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Reporting rising crime in the city

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”

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‘I Choose Malaysia’ – selling a feel-good image

Clive Kessler
Malaysiakini
Jul 25, 2012

Congratulations on noticing and commenting upon this new promotional exercise by “the old national management team”.

I noticed it some days ago, and wrote to some friends about it.

I said: I saw an amazing new political ad on TV yesterday: an ad, I suppose, for the government, its re-election.

But interestingly, it provided no sight, sign or mention of Umno or BN or the “government” or “kerajaan”, no sight or mention of PM Najib Abdul Razak, nor of any of his cabinet ministers.

And no sign, sight, or mention either of any specific national government projects, no mention of government transformation plans, KRA, KPI.

None of that.

Instead just faces, most speaking rapidly, earnestly, with apparent conviction and quite authoritatively, even demandingly.

All set against a plain white background. Continue reading “‘I Choose Malaysia’ – selling a feel-good image”

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Najib’s 1Malaysia Social Media Conventions to raise an army of over 10,000 UMNO/BN cybertroopers most anti-national in their utter disregard of 1Malaysia objective to create an united, harmonious and ethical Malaysian society

In November last year, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched the 1Malaysia Social Media Convention at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur, anointing 2,000 social media practitioners who attended it as the new army of UMNO/Barisan Nasional cyber-warriors.

Since then, about 10 social media conventions had been held in different states as part of the programme to raise an army of over 10,000 UMNO/BN cybertroopers in advance of the 13th General Election.

As the Minister for Information, Communication and Culture, Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim exhorted at the launch of the Selangor edition last month, the Umno/BN cybertroopers should “counter all the slander that has been happening on line”.

He continued: “If people keep tweeting that ‘Bersih is bersih’, people will believe that the movement is genuine. Tweet back and start saying that Bersih is ‘kotor’ (dirty).”

Najib should explain why public funds should be spent to help raise an army of over 10,000 UMNO/BN cybertroopers in advance of the 13th General Election, whether through the Biro Tatanegara (BTN) or the 1Malaysia Secretariat.

Malaysians taxpayers are also entitled to know how much public money had been spent on each of the 1Malaysia Social Media Conventions since November last year to help raise the army of over 10,000 UMNO/BN cybertroopers, particularly under the guise of the Prime Minister’s Jelajah Janji Di-Tepati programme.

Malaysians are equally concerned that Najib’s 1Malaysia Social Media Conventions to raise an army of over 10,000 UMNO/BN cybertroopers have proven to be most anti-national as they are held in utter disregard of the 1Malaysia objective to create an united, harmonious and ethical Malaysian society. Continue reading “Najib’s 1Malaysia Social Media Conventions to raise an army of over 10,000 UMNO/BN cybertroopers most anti-national in their utter disregard of 1Malaysia objective to create an united, harmonious and ethical Malaysian society”

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Day of infamy for Malaysian journalism – Utusan Malaysia defending the indefensible instead of apologizing for being foremost “Lies-paper” in Malaysia

Today is a day of infamy for Malaysian journalism – with the UMNO publication Utusan Malaysia defending the indefensible instead of apologizing for being the foremost “Lies-paper” in Malaysia in the past three years under the premiership of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

At a forum on social media organized by Biro Tata Negara (BTN) of the Prime Minister’s Department and the 1Malaysia Social Media Convention secretariat, Utusan Malaysia’s deputy chief editor Mohd Zaini Hassan claimed that media practitioners are allowed to spin the facts to paint a “desired picture” to the reader and to launch a “gentlemanly attack” against the Opposition.

Claiming that there are three categories of “fact, spin and blatant lies”, Zaini purports to distance himself from “lies” but gives his approval to “spin”, saying: “Spin we can; no matter how we spin a certain fact to be biased in our favour, that’s okay.”

Zaini is insulting the intelligence of Malaysians in trying a “spin of all spins” attempting to pass off lies and blatant lies as mere “spin”!

Spin must clearly be delineated from lies and blatant lies. Spin occurs when facts are linked in a deceptive way that attempts to portray an individual or organization in the best or worst possible light.

But what Utusan had been most guilty off in the past three years is not just deception through “spinning” certain facts while omitting other facts, but the retailing of downright lies and falsehoods. Continue reading “Day of infamy for Malaysian journalism – Utusan Malaysia defending the indefensible instead of apologizing for being foremost “Lies-paper” in Malaysia”

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Perceptions and deceptions

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”