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Permatang Pauh by-election watch – three intriguing snippets

Today is no different from the past 11 days – the media awash with news about the August 26 Permatang Pauh by-election battle royale since Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s resignation as Member of Parliament on July 31 to pave the way for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s return to Parliament after the lapse of a decade.

There were three intriguing snippets today.

1. UMNO Youth leader Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s statement that it will be a moral victory for UMNO if the Umno candidate in the Permatang Pauh by-election can keep the deposit! He was commenting on a Parti Keadilan Rakyat boast to make the Umno candidate lose his deposit in the by-election, when attending the Spell-It-Right National Challenge in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. (Sin Chew)

2. Report that Hishammuddin and his Deputy UMNO Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin may be declared “persona non grata” and banned from campaigning in the Permatang Pauh by-election so as not to drive away Chinese votes – the former because of his previous three “keris-wielding” episodes and the latter for his previous allegation that “Malays in Penang have been marginalized”. (Kwong Wah Yit Poh)

3. Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir said in a forum on current challenges faced by the Malay community in Kuala Terengganu that he would rather migrate if Anwar topples the Barisan Nasional and becomes Prime Minister.

Mahathir was confident that Anwar will not become Prime Minister by September 16 although he was sure the Pakatan Rakyat leader and Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser would be victorious in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election this Aug 26. (Mingguan Malaysia)

Continue reading “Permatang Pauh by-election watch – three intriguing snippets”

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Anwar’s Sodomy II – Is Malaysia banking on support of Myanmar/Zimbabwe/Sudan in UN?

The Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim is taking his idea of internationalizing the Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II charge by organizing a series of information sessions by the Foreign Ministry overseas “to give a true picture so there will be no misconceptions that can hurt Malaysia’s image” one step further.

Yesterday, he announced raising the issue to the United Nations level through a letter to the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to explain Malaysia’s view on what it sees as American interference in the Anwar Sodomy II charge.

Is Rais banking on the support of rogue states like Myanmar, Zimbabwe and Sudan by taking the Anwar Sodomy II issue to the United Nations?

Instead of accusing the United States of violating international law and “meddling in Malaysia’s international affairs”, Rais should lead the charge in the Cabinet on Wednesday to demand the dropping of the Sodomy II charge against Anwar especially as a recent opinion survey has shown that only 11% of the respondents believe in the Sodomy II allegation made against Anwar. Continue reading “Anwar’s Sodomy II – Is Malaysia banking on support of Myanmar/Zimbabwe/Sudan in UN?”

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Blackout in Sarawak – Why?

Star Online
Blackout in Sarawak
By STEPHEN THEN

MIRI: A state-wide power cut in Sarawak on Saturday evening saw the blackout affect more than two million people over a distance of 1,000km from Kuching to Miri.

Cities and towns in the state were plunged into total darkness causing massive chaos as everybody was caught by surprise.

The power failure started in Kuching at about 6.30pm Saturday and rapidly spread northward to Sibu then to Miri by 7.30pm.

Deputy chief minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam when contacted by The Star confirmed that it was a blackout that seemed to have affected the main power grid. Continue reading “Blackout in Sarawak – Why?”

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Disruption of Bar Council forum on conversion – adverse reflection on law and order/religious harmony

The police yielding to pressure to disrupt the half-day Bar Council forum on conversion to Islam at 10 am in Kuala Lumpur today is a most adverse reflection on law and order as well as religious harmony in Malaysia on the eve of the 51st Merdeka anniversary.

Malaysia has failed a major test in nation-building to demonstrate that we are shaping up to be a more civil society where sensitive issues of inter-faith problems can be discussed in a mature and responsible manner to promote national unity and religious harmony in the country.

As the Bar Council has made it clear that the forum on religious conversion is not to question the provisions of Article 121(1A) of the Constitution which conferred syariah jurisdiction over Muslims but to address the conflicts of laws facing families caught between the separate jurisdictions of civil and syariah laws, greater understanding, tolerance and sensitivity should have been shown by all Malaysians concerned.

Such understanding, tolerance and sensitivity would undoubtedly have been present in the first four decades of Malaysian nationhood and I have no doubt that if such a forum had been organised ten years ago, there would not have been the insensitive, intolerant and deplorable reaction evident today. Continue reading “Disruption of Bar Council forum on conversion – adverse reflection on law and order/religious harmony”

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Anwar Sodomy II – challenge to MCA, Gerakan, MIC leaders to declare stand

Two days ago, the MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said that instead of development and prosperity, the key issue during the Permatang Pauh by-election would be Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II charge.

He said:

“Permatang Pauh will be a battle of public confidence. The winner will be the side that most convincingly explains the situation surrounding Anwar’s charge.

“If the opposition succeeds in painting a picture that Anwar is a victim of some government conspiracy, then they win. But if the Barisan Nasional can convincingly explain to the grassroots that what’s happening to Anwar is just a criminal justice process, then we win.”

Ka Chuan should not be so fast to jump the gun. Continue reading “Anwar Sodomy II – challenge to MCA, Gerakan, MIC leaders to declare stand”

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Police wants half-day Bar Council forum on conversion to end by 10 am because of protests

[News Flash 2 at 10.02 am: A few minutes ago, a woman participant went up to the floor mike defending the forum, but was met by shouts by protestors demanding the immediate end of the forum – forcing Bar Council President Ambiga Sreenevasan to announce its closure.]

[Flash – Just informed that police accompanied a few of the protestors into the forum to observe proceedings, five minutes before the forum is to have abrupt end at 10 am.]

The Bar Council half-day forum on conversion to Islam is going on now at its auditorium in Kuala Lumpur – in the face of a crowd of protestors outside bearing slogans and chanting Arabic verses and demanding the immediate cancellation of the forum.

It is a test whether Malaysia is shaping up to be a more civil society where sensitive issues of inter-faith problems can be discussed in a mature and responsible manner to promote national unity and religious harmony in the country.

The Police wants the forum to end by 10 am because of the protests.

As stated by the Bar Council Vice President Ragunath Kesavan, the Bar Council forum on religious conversion is to address the conflicts of laws facing families caught between the separate jurisdictions of civil and syariah laws.

It is not to question the provisions of Article 121(1a) of the Constitution, which conferred syariah jurisdiction over Muslims. Continue reading “Police wants half-day Bar Council forum on conversion to end by 10 am because of protests”

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Rais should lead the charge in Cabinet to demand dropping of Anwar’s Sodomy II charge

The 2008 Olympics opens in Beijing today but for Malaysia, we are obsessed with scaling a new Olympian height of national trauma and international infamy – the strangulation of what is left of the rule of law in Malaysia after two decades of judicial darkness in the continued political persecution of Anwar Ibrahim in the Sodomy II prosecution.

Thanks to this special Malaysian official obsession with sodomy, Malaysia was big news in seven continents when Anwar Ibrahim was charged under Section 377B of the Penal Code for sodomising his 23-year-old male aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Furthermore, Anwar’s Sodomy II trial and tribulation will be kept alive in the international stage because of the disgraceful, dishonourable and ignoble circumstances and motivation of the prosecution to the extent that the Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim has made a most unusual and extraordinary decision to organize a series of information sessions by the Foreign Ministry overseas on Anwar’s Sodomy II “to give a true picture so there will be no misconceptions that can hurt Malaysia’s image”.

What is this “true picture” that Rais is going to tell the world in a series of information sessions overseas? Continue reading “Rais should lead the charge in Cabinet to demand dropping of Anwar’s Sodomy II charge”

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Anwar’s Sodomy II – let professionals in AG’s chambers rethink and drop the medieval prosecution

There was not only relief but a sense of vindication all round that Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was released on RM20,000 personal bond without surety after he pleaded not guilty in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court this morning to the Sodomy II charge under Section 377 B of the Penal Code.

The decision of the Sessions Court judge, S.M. Komathy and the stand of the Solicitor General Datuk Idrus Harun in not opposing bail gives hope that the system of justice is not totally condemned and irredeemable if the professionals in the legal and judicial services are fully freed of political pressures and interferences to discharge their duties to uphold the rule of law and dispense justice.

The person who had come out worst from this morning’s proceedings was not in court at all – the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Only yesterday, Abdullah was again justifying the Sodomy II prosecution of Anwar on the ground of according “justice” to the accuser, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, making many Malaysians ask why the Prime Minister has suddenly become the leading spokesman for Anwar’s Sodomy II charge when under the Constitution, the sole prosecution discretionary power is vested in the Attorney-General and not with the Prime Minister or in the Cabinet! Continue reading “Anwar’s Sodomy II – let professionals in AG’s chambers rethink and drop the medieval prosecution”

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Permatang Pauh by-election – Anwar appointed new Parliamentary Opposition Leader

Anwar Ibrahim will be the new Parliamentary Opposition Leader after he wins the Permatang Pauh by-election on August 26, 2008.

This is to take effect from August 27.

This was one of the decisions taken unanimously by Pakatan Rakyat leaders of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, PAS and DAP at a meeting last night.

A joint statement by Pakatan Rakyat leaders would be made at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex before Anwar’s court appearance this morning.

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PM Abdullah abdicating from good governance

By Dr. Chen Man Hin

PM ABDULLAH SHOULD NOT ABDICATE FROM HIS DUTIES OF GOOD GOVERNANCE – REVOKE THE SODOMY II CONSPIRACY IMMEDIATELY AND INSTEAD LEAD THE COUNTRY TO UNITY, PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY

MARCH 8TH – A DEFINING DAY FOR NEW MALAYSIA, A DAY OF GRIEF AND BLOW FOR BARISAN NASIONAL AND UMNO.

The latest Merdeka Center Research report found that only 28 percent of registered voters polled in July felt encouraged by the country’s direction, a severe fall from 68% in late February.

Briefly, the causes for this rapid loss of confidence in the present Barisan government, are outlined below.

UMNO SHOCK DEFEAT ON MARCH 8TH

The prime minister was deeply upset by the poor performance of Barisan Nasional at the elections, when Barisan lost its two-thirds majority in parliament and only obtained 52% of the popular vote.

It was a body blow for Umno, causing it to be embroiled in self recrimination and loss of morale.

The PM was so upset by the loss and the resulting turmoil in Umno that he forgot his duties as head of government, which was to govern and bring development for the country. Continue reading “PM Abdullah abdicating from good governance”

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Anwar’s Sodomy II charge – morality/legitimacy of Abdullah’s premiership under question

I was not surprised when I received a call from Anwar Ibrahim at 11.38 am informing me that he had been asked to appear to be charged in court at 10 am tomorrow.

But the expectation did not diminish one whit the shock and dismay at hearing its confirmation.

For while like most Malaysians, who are not really surprised that Anwar is being dragged to court for the second time on a sodomy charge, we also nurse the hope and wish that sanity will prevail in our land and the country spared another traumatic political trial where Malaysia’s yet-to-be launched judicial reform to restore our international reputation two decades ago where there is just rule of law and a truly independent judiciary would not come to an abrupt end.

Just like Anwar’s Sodomy I trial, any Sodomy II trial is not going to be just about Anwar as the nation and our future will be on trial. Continue reading “Anwar’s Sodomy II charge – morality/legitimacy of Abdullah’s premiership under question”

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Call for RCI on MRR2 Scandal – Samy Vellu’s final folly with Malaysians again made the suckers

In May last year, I said that the old saying “once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is enemy action” could appropriately be modified to “once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is systemic government collapse” in reference to the spate of government mishaps under the Abdullah premiership.

I was referring to the spate of embarrassing defects in new government offices in a matter of weeks, viz:

• the landslide in Putrajaya (Precinct 9) only inches away from three 15-storey government apartments, damaging 25 cars and evacuating more than 1,500 people from Blocks A, B and C in Phase 11 of the government housing complex on March 22, 2007;

• the closure of the Immigration Department headquarters in Putrajaya after water flooded the seven-floor building following a failure in plumbing, turning away and evacuating more than 1,000 people on April 11, 2007;

• the collapse of a ceiling due to a leaky sprinkler system at the Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Ministry in Putrajaya on April 28, 2007; and

• the ceiling collapse in a secretary’s room at the world’s largest court complex at the new Jalan Duta court complex in Kuala Lumpur on April 30, 2007.

This tag “once is accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is systemic government collapse” can again be invoked over the latest government scandal – the third closure with the reappearance of cracks on the Middle Ring Road (MRR) 2 in Kepong, less than two years after an atrociously exorbitant RM70 million repair of the RM238 million project. Continue reading “Call for RCI on MRR2 Scandal – Samy Vellu’s final folly with Malaysians again made the suckers”

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2-Year power transition – “headless government” in Malaysia?

A jumble of thoughts. A mish-mash of questions.

These describe my feelings when I sat in the cavernous plenary hall of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre for the official opening of the 54th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference this morning.

I made a special point to be punctual as the official invitation card asked all guests to arrive by 9.40 am, with the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi scheduled to arrive at 9.50 am to officiate the opening ceremony.

But Abdullah did not turn up. It was Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who appeared instead.

Najib did apologise on behalf of the Prime Minister for being unable to attend the function but he did not explain what was the urgent business of state which had prevented Abdullah from fulfilling his long-standing engagement which would have been finalized well in advance with the Prime Minister’s Office.

One thought I could not push away at the KLCC this morning was whether we are witnessing a “headless” government in Malaysia – and whether this was the result of the two-year “power transition” plan announced by Abdullah on July 10 that he would hand over the offices of Umno President and Prime Minister to Najib in June 2010. Continue reading “2-Year power transition – “headless government” in Malaysia?”

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Mr. Bean, Death, and Taxes

by G. Krishnan

I can’t help it, but on more than one occasion, it’s been difficult not to have the image of the Rowan Atkinson character, Mr. Bean, come to mind while watching, listening or reading some of the comments of Abdullah Badawi. The most recent instance of this seemed to be during his address to the Malaysian Student Leaders Summit. Apparently, he wasn’t even in tune with the title of his speech! Beyond that, the hollowness of his comments in response to the students’ questions seemed to reflect contempt for the intelligence of the students. (see Malaysiakini)

I will admit, it’s difficult for me to decide if the Badawi I am watching or listening to is the real Badawi or if he’s simply putting on an act. Either way, it’s a rather disturbing and unsettling thought. Could our prime minister really be serious about some of the public pronouncements he makes? And does he really expect that the public is so gullible as to take it all in?

He comments – with seeming naivety – on an on-going police ‘investigation’ of an alleged sodomy case and prejudices the case with bizarre public pronouncements. And despite the nakedly transparent political motivation for this pursuit of Anwar, the prime minister, with a Mr. Bean like persona of artlessness and innocence, in a not so tacit fashion gives his blessings to this seemingly legitimate police investigation. How, in the name of justice can we expect such an investigation, where the political establishment doesn’t even attempt to disguise its prejudice about the matter, to have any ounce of credibility to it? But yet the prime minster, in a Mr. Bean like haze and stupor, seemingly finds noting problematic about the process. Continue reading “Mr. Bean, Death, and Taxes”

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Malicious Mindset and Perverted Priorities

BY: M. Bakri Musa

The continuing furor over a college dropout’s allegation that he had been sodomized reveals the malicious mindset and perverted priorities of the Abdullah Administration.

It is also a gross perversion of justice. Those who would have Anwar swear by the Quran and voluntarily donate his DNA to the police, whose reputation is only slightly less soiled than the criminals they apprehend, have it backwards. It is the norm of the civilized world that one is innocent till found guilty; it is for the state to prove its case beyond any reasonable doubt.

I can excuse law-illiterate Abdullah for not appreciating such nuances, but for his law-trained ministers like Rais Yatim and Syed Hamid not to know that is reprehensible. They are breaching their profession’s ethics and ideals.

Besides, since when has our Quran been debased to a lie detector? If only the truth could thus be readily sought, we would not need expensive forensic investigations! Such naiveté!

What with the economic challenges, endemic corruption, and rampant crime in the country, our leaders’ voyeuristic obsession on this alleged male-on-male khalwat represents gross misuse of scarce state resources, a flagrant perversion of priorities. Continue reading “Malicious Mindset and Perverted Priorities”

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Permatang Pauh by-election – turn it into a mini political tsunami

The voters of Permatang Pauh have a historic opportunity to create a mini-political tsunami in the impending by-election with far-reaching impact to the national political landscape far exceeding the fate of an individual or a constituency.

The stakes involved in the Permatang Pauh by-election is not just about an individual and a constituency but the future of the Malaysian people and nation.

The issue in the Permatang Pauh by-election is not whether Pakatan Rakyat leader and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim can win but whether he can achieve a thumping and landslide victory with a majority bigger than the 13,388-vote majority won by PKR President Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in the March 8, 2008 general election.

If Anwar can win the Permatang Pauh by-election with an even greater majority won by Azizah five months ago, despite an even more massive onslaught by the whole weight of the Barisan Nasional juggernaut, it would have a special import in shaping the development of the Malaysian political landscape. Continue reading “Permatang Pauh by-election – turn it into a mini political tsunami”

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2 notorious cases challenge Malaysia’s modesty

International Herald Tribune
By Thomas Fuller

Friday, August 1, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: Government censors in this majority Muslim nation uphold an ethos of modesty by snipping sex scenes from films and ordering entertainers to avoid outfits that reveal too much on Malaysian stages – bare belly buttons and figure-hugging outfits are off limits.

But these days Malaysians looking to avoid R-rated content might be advised to read past news reports about their own leaders. Top politicians are embroiled in two scandals involving accusations of sodomy and the gruesome murder of a Mongolian mistress.

Reports on the finer points of a rectal examination and revelations about the sexual preferences of the dead mistress make other sex scandals that once shocked people here – such as Monica Lewinsky and her blue dress – seem almost Victorian.

This is not the first time that sex and politics have publicly collided in Malaysia. The trial of Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister, for sodomy in the 1990s featured, among other highlights, a blood-stained mattress being hauled into the courtroom.

This time, wider use of the Internet has helped disseminate documents, facts and rumors that would otherwise have been filtered out of mainstream news media tightly controlled by the government.

The two scandals encompass much more than just sex. They are part of a broader clash between two men vying for power: Anwar is facing new allegations of sodomy at a time when he is vowing to unseat the governing party, while the other scandal involves Anwar’s principal political rival, Najib Razak, the deputy prime minister and anointed heir to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

What is worrying for many Malaysians is that the gloves appear to have come off in the high-stakes fight between Anwar and Najib. Continue reading “2 notorious cases challenge Malaysia’s modesty”

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Drop Anwar’s Sodomy II persecution – 1st step to end Abdullah’s freefall of public confidence in PM

“Abdullah: We do not fear Anwar – ‘Govt won’t stop him from contesting but due process of law cannot be ignored’” – this Star headline today is symptomatic of what is wrong with the Abdullah administration, that it is terribly obsessed and mortally worried about the Anwar factor in Malaysian politics.

Otherwise, why should Abdullah be dwelling on the subject of Anwar in the past two consecutive days, as if he has nothing more important to fret about – with the grave political, economic and nation-building crisis faced by 26 million Malaysians as well as his possible legacy to go down in history as the worst Prime Minister of Malaysia despite his glorious electoral mandate in 2004.

Instead of being haunted by the Anwar factor, Abdullah and his Cabinet should focus on the latest opinion poll of the independent Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research, conducted between July 4-16 from 1,030 Malaysians, which found among others the following:

1. For the first time, Abdullah’s popularity has plunged from a record high of 91 per cent in November 2004 to 61 per cent in January 2008 (just before the March 8 general election), down to 53 per cent in April 2008. With the unchecked free-fall in the past three months, Abdullah’s popularity rating has crashed below 50% in the latest survey to 42%.

2. The popular “satisfaction” quotient with the Barisan Nasional federal government has also fallen below 50%, with 54 per cent either “somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with the Barisan Nasional government, while 44 per cent said they were either “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied”. Continue reading “Drop Anwar’s Sodomy II persecution – 1st step to end Abdullah’s freefall of public confidence in PM”

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Anwar’s Sodomy II – has it become Abdullah’s personal crusade?

I am flabbergasted.

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi seems very determined to provide examples to illustrate the continuing crisis of confidence in his administration.

Yesterday, in an interview with Associated Press, Abdullah went public on the Sodomy II allegations against Anwar Ibrahim in a manner which could only mean that he was in the thick of the decision-making process as to whether Anwar Ibrahim, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser would be hauled to court for a second sodomy charge in a decade, when the Prime Minister has no business to be involved in the exercise of the discretionary power by the Attorney-General on matters of prosecution or otherwise.

How else could one interpret the following remarks by Abdullah yesterday:

“This man pleads for justice. We care about (Anwar) more than we care about this man? That is very odd. He needs justice; that is what he is crying for. We cannot ignore that.”

I am verily surprised that Abdullah had today repeated this obsession of “justice for Saiful” when he returned to the same subject today. Continue reading “Anwar’s Sodomy II – has it become Abdullah’s personal crusade?”