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Herald & “Allah” – “Wonderful Christmas present” which is not so “wonderful” after all

The euphoria that good sense and sanity have finally prevailed among those in government whose decisions could adversely impact on inter-religious and inter-racial relations as to aggravate religious polarization in a plural society like Malaysia lasted just four days.

On New Year’s eve on Monday, 31st December 2007, Malaysians thought they saw a silver lining after a whole year of gloomy “annus horribilis” when they learnt that Herald, the Catholic weekly, had been allowed to continue printing its Bahasa Malaysia section with no restrictions on the use of the word Allah for God.

A happy editor of the 13-year-old Herald, Father Lawrence Andrew, said that a representative from the Internal Security Ministry delivered a letter containing the permit to print the paper, dated Dec. 28, by hand at 10 am on a Sunday (Dec. 30) – which was a great and commendable gesture of goodwill.

The letter placed no restrictions whatsoever and included the permit for all the languages, including the Bahasa Malaysia segment, causing Father Lawrence to give effusive thanks to the government and the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok for his assistance.

Bernard described the Herald permit as “good news” and “a wonderful Christmas present” by the government to the Christian community.

This morning, the euphoria that good sense and sanity have finally prevailed among the decision-makers in government on why it is imperative to promote inter-religious goodwill and harmony evaporated after just four days when Malaysians woke up to read headlines like “Herald can’t use ‘Allah’ in its publications” (Star) and “Cabinet: ‘Allah’ for Muslims only” (The Sun). Continue reading “Herald & “Allah” – “Wonderful Christmas present” which is not so “wonderful” after all”

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Najib – teaching baby crabs to walk straight

Today’s New Straits Times carried two intriguing and controversial front-page headlines in the aftermath of the Chua Soi Lek sex video scandal: “LET THIS BE A LESSON” and “’My biggest mistake’”.

The “LET THIS BE A LESSON” headline and NST report (p 6) elicited the common reaction from most readers – “Is Najib the right person to give such a warning?”

The report quoted the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak telling Barisan Nasional leaders and members “to learn a lesson from the resignation of health minister Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek”.

Najib told Barisan Nasional leaders “to behave themselves so as not to embarrass the party”. He said party members must exercise discipline and abide by the code of conduct of the party.

Had Najib set exemplary standards in his political career as to qualify him to issue warning or is he akin to Father Crab teaching Baby Crab to walk straight?

Or was Najib saying that the real lesson to be learnt was not to be caught with the pants down?

The second NST frontpage headline “’My biggest mistake’” – also front page headline of Star “My mistake – Chua blames downfall on hardwork“ and the Sun “Chua’s biggest mistake” – is equally thought-provoking.

Chua attributed his political downfall to his being too conscientious and hard-working as Health Minister and MCA vice president , to the extent that he gave this unsolicited advice to future Health Ministers – “Please go slow. If you go too fast, you will also be subject to speculation. This is political reality, so I agree with some people that it is the Ministry of Hell, not because of the ministry’s work but because of the political system that we have.”

A heart-felt advice by Chua to his successors to be Health Ministers of mediocrity instead of excellence and distinction? Continue reading “Najib – teaching baby crabs to walk straight”

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Ka Ting doubling up as Acting Health Minister – ridiculous, shameful and unacceptable

The proposal that the post of Health Minister left vacant by the resignation of Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek should be left unfilled with the MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting doubling up as Acting Health Minister is most ridiculous, shameful and unacceptable – subordinating the rights and interests of 26 million Malaysians to a world-class medical and health system to the rot and factional infighting in MCA.

It is a reflection of the advanced marginalization, irrelevance and rot of MCA that it has found itself in a dilemma over the appointment of a fourth MCA Minister to the extent there could be the serious suggestion that the post be left vacant until the next general election and that the MCA President double up as Acting Health Minister apart from his portfolio as Local Government and Housing Minister.

The Malaysian public are entitled to know whether the MCA Presidential Council has reached such a decision and whether the MCA President had formally forwarded such a proposal to the Prime Minister – as whether the country has a full-time Health Minister or just a half-time Acting Health Minister is a matter of grave public importance which concerns all Malaysians and not just MCA. Continue reading “Ka Ting doubling up as Acting Health Minister – ridiculous, shameful and unacceptable”

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RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal – Kong Choy should emulate Chua Soi Lek

When Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek left the Health Ministry yesterday morning for the weekly Cabinet meeting, he was confident and upbeat that he had the sex video scandal behind him, as he had the day before made the courageous admission that “I’m the man in the sex video”.

He must be optimistic that he could now move forward politically, as he had met and apologized to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting and his wife and children had forgiven him. This was why he announced in Labis that he had no intention of quitting his government and party posts.

Although Chua subsequently told the media that he changed his mind about quitting his government and party posts after 24 hours because he was wrong in believing that his confession and apology would be accepted by Malaysians, and the “holier than thou” attitude of some Malaysians, I have no doubt that he was made to understand this “political reality” by the other Cabinet Ministers.

Although Abdullah said that the Cabinet yesterday did not discuss the “DVD controversy” as it was a personal matter, I do not believe that many Malaysians would buy this statement. I would not be surprised if the other Ministers had used the Cabinet meeting to convey to Chua the “political reality” on the ground, forcing him to reach the conclusion that he had no choice but to relinquish all government and party posts – ending with the Cabinet making a formal decision that the Ministers had never discussed the issue for the public record.

If so, then Chua’s reference of the “holier than thou” or “ulama” attitude of some Malaysians would also be an oblique criticism of his erstwhile Cabinet colleagues. Continue reading “RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal – Kong Choy should emulate Chua Soi Lek”

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Sudden demise of fastest-rising star in political firmament – was Chua Soi Lek victim of double betrayal?

When I told Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek at the National Christmas Day Open House in Kota Kinabalu last Saturday, informing him that I had to leave early because my sister, Kit Hwa, 82, had passed away in our mutual hometown Batu Pahat, none of us knew that would be our last encounter as political leaders – or that in the next four days, he would be at the vortex of a political maelstrom ending with the demise of the fastest-rising star in the MCA political firmament.

Chua’s announcement of resignation as Health Minister, Labis Member of Parliament, MCA vice president, head of Johore State MCA and Batu Pahat MCA Division 24 hours after admitting that “I’m the man in the sex video” but declaring that he had no intention of quitting his government and party posts has come as no surprise to astute political observers.

This is because after Chua’s Labis statement admitting that he was the man in the sex DVD, he had unleashed political forces in the MCA and Umno which have made it completely untenable for him to retain his government and party posts.

Many questions surround the sudden demise of Chua Soi Lek as the fastest-rising star in recent MCA history, as he appeared to be quite unstoppable until he captures the top prize in the MCA as its President despite many powerful obstacles in his path.

Two immediate questions about the sudden demise of the MCA comet are whether Chua had been the victim of a double betrayal. Continue reading “Sudden demise of fastest-rising star in political firmament – was Chua Soi Lek victim of double betrayal?”

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Beloved Sister lost

I appreciate the messages of condolence from party comrades, supporters, sympathizers, friends and fellow Malaysians on my family’s bereavement over the loss of my sister, Kit Hwa, 82, through this blog, facebook, sms, phone or direct communication.

I felt very keenly the loss of my sister, who passed away peacefully in her home in Batu Pahat, Johore on Saturday, 29th December 2007 at about 1.30 pm after over six years of battle with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), She was the eldest and I the youngest in the family with a 15-year age difference, which explains why we were especially close.

I was in Kota Kinabalu with Teresa Kok, DAP MP for Seputeh on that day in response to a government invitation to attend the Christmas Open House and we were waiting for a very late lunch on 29th December 2007 to be served after several programmes, including a media conference and visiting the Sabah leader of Parti Keadilan Rakyat Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan at the VIP ward of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu who had had a nasty automobile accident.

My daughter, Hui Ming, who was in Penang with the family for the end-of-the-year holidays, phoned to tell me the bad news about my sister. A very distraught and crying Evelyn, my sis’ second daughter, had phoned about her mother’s death and asked her to inform the rest of the Lim family – my other children Guan Eng, Hui Ying and Guan Choon, my brother in Singapore and my elder brother’s family in Batu Pahat.

I immediately phoned Ho Lai Chee, 83, my brother-in-law at home in Batu Pahat, who like other members of the family were crying. In the grief, there was also thankfulness that Kit Hwa passed away when all her five children, Eva, Wyman, William, Evelyn and Ee Yong, and six grandchildren have returned to the hometown for a family reunion from as far as Australia and United Kingdom. Continue reading “Beloved Sister lost”

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Mazu statue in Kudat – allow resumption of construction and official opening before next polls

Former Sabah Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat has said that he is prepared to drop his suit if the Sabah state government allows the construction of the world’s tallest Mazu (Goddess of the Sea) statue at its original location in Kudat.

Responding to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s statement in Tuaran on Sunday on the government’s hope that the Kudat Mazu statue dispute could be settled amicably without going to court, Chong said he was left with no option except to institute legal proceedings as he had only 28 days to appeal against the decision of the Kudat Town Board (KTB) to withdraw its earlier approval for the Mazu statue on Nov. 15 last year.

He said he had been “patient because I have been writing, pleading and begging with everyone to resolve this matter for one-and-a-half years”.

Najib had said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman was open to negotiation to resolve the controversy over the halted construction of the Mazu statue in Kudat. The Deputy Prime Minister said Musa had given him the assurance that as Chief Minister he is open to solving problems, including sensitive ones.

I for one would not believe Musa and I believe that this would be the sentiment of Chong and Sabahans who supported the construction of the world’s tallest Mazu statue both on the grounds of the constitutionally-entrenched guarantee of freedom of religion as well as to enhance the international tourism competitiveness of Sabah and Malaysia. Continue reading “Mazu statue in Kudat – allow resumption of construction and official opening before next polls”

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No Glitter to Merdeka’s Golden Anniversary Year

by M. Bakri Musa

By right Malaysians should still be relishing the afterglow of their 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations. Alas, the much-anticipated euphoria was short lived; the grim realities of Malaysian life quickly intruded.

Even the mainstream media carry daily headlines of gory crimes. If those were not scary enough, residents now live in fear that their basic freedom is being threatened, not by some external enemy rather by their very own government. Malaysian leaders mistook their electoral mandate for a license to trample on citizens’ basic rights, as in the rights to free assembly and the freedom of conscience.

Those breaches of course did not grab the headlines in the mainstream media; you have to read the alternative media or international publications to get the real news. The mainstream media instead highlighted Prime Minister Abdullah’s “small” wedding to his “downstairs lady.”

The images of Malaysia projected onto the world stage towards the end of the year were not of a modern nation poised for Vision 2020, rather the typical backward Third World state with a stubbornly bumbling warden as its leader.

The scenes on Al Jazeera and CNN were of the police wildly tear-gassing and firing water cannons upon thousands of peaceful citizens who dared exercise their basic rights to a free assembly. If those images were not ugly enough, there was Minister of Information Zam in a fit of latah in front of the television cameras for the whole world to see.

Zam is a poor imitation of Saddam Hussein’s Information Minister “Comical Ali.” At least Ali entertained us with his outlandish bravadoes; Zam nauseated us with his blabber.

Just as we thought it could not get worse seeing that it was already November when Zam was blabbering in front of an international audience, there was Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharum declaring that only Muslims are entitled to use the word “Allah” (God). He threatened banning the Malay version of the Catholic Church publication that dared use the word “Allah.”

The startling observation was that this moron of a minister could get way with such idiocies. By his silence, Abdullah reveals that he is equally moronic.

How did a nation that was so full of bubbly confidence as encapsulated in its “Malaysia boleh!” spirit only a few years ago descended so fast and so far, and with so few of the elite class protesting?

To be sure, Malaysia is still far ahead of Pakistan or Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, far too many, especially the leaders, take comfort in this. Continue reading “No Glitter to Merdeka’s Golden Anniversary Year”

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World’s tallest Mazu statue in Kudat – call for RCI on misgovernance by all 3 tiers of government

I welcome the statement by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday expressing the government’s hope that former Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat will settle the Mazu status issue amicably without going to court.

He said the government is hoping to bring the Mazu statue issue back to the negotiation table instead of going through the court.

I support Najib’s proposal for an amicable settlement of the proposal to build the world’s tallest Mazu statue in Kudat.

It is important however for Najib to understand that the principles and issues involved in the Mazu statue controversy do not just concern Chong as one person, but have become a major public issue of national and even international importance involving not just three million Sabahans but also 26 million Malaysians

I am glad that immediately after my visit to Kudat to visit the site of the Mazu statue, there is now the possibility of a new development.

The Mazu statue controversy should not only be resolved at the negotiation table, I will go even one step further and call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the mishandling and lack of good governance in all three tiers of local, state and federal government resulting in the Kudat Mazu statue controversy undermining nation-building and inter-religiousl understanding as well as turning Malaysia into an international laughing-stock.

I have just returned from a three-day visit to Kota Kinabalu, Kudat and Sandakan including a 500-km land journey from Kota Kinabalu through Kota Belud to Kudat and onwards to Sandakan through Marudu, with the Kudat-Sandakan journey taking eight hours through some very treacherous stretches (with 25 km of unsealed portion of the Paitan highway after the Nango junction). Continue reading “World’s tallest Mazu statue in Kudat – call for RCI on misgovernance by all 3 tiers of government”

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Ring out 2007 “annus horribilis” and bring in 2008 with hope and change, starting with forthcoming general election

2008 New Year Message

Malaysians heave a sigh of relief at the end of 2007, a year which had opened with such great promise as it is to celebrate the 50th Merdeka anniversary of the nation.

I cannot think of a better term to describe 2007 than to borrow from Queen Elizabeth II in one of her most unforgettable annual messages when she said that the year that had just ended was an “annus horribilis”.

For Malaysians, 2007 had been an “annus horribilis” (a horrible year), a year which Malaysians would not look back with undulited pleasure and pride – but with great foreboding!

This is because 2007, the 50th Merdeka anniversary costing over RM100 million of taxpayers’ money in public celebrations, should be the year where Malaysians can look with pride and confidence into the next 50 years, founded on the fulfillment of the many great pledges which Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had made on becoming Prime Minister and for which he was given the unprecedented electoral mandate of over 91 per cent of parliamentary seats in the 2004 general election.

But 2007 has proved to be one of the most divisive and troubled year in the half-a-century of Malaysia’s nationhood – with religious polarization assuming its most serious dimension in dividing Malaysians, compounding an already difficult problem of racial polarization in the nation-building process. Continue reading “Ring out 2007 “annus horribilis” and bring in 2008 with hope and change, starting with forthcoming general election”

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Landmark achievement of Tawau “Don Quixote” case in defence of open spaces

I commend the Tawau Municipal Council (TMC) for admitting that the Sabindo development and encroachment of Tawau open spaces is illegal and invalid and I call on Sabindo developers, Jeramas Sdn Bhd and Aggasf Construction Sdn. Bhd to emulate the example of TMC to reach an amicable “win-win” settlement for the interests of the people of Tawau.

DAP leaders and I had attended several public meetings in Tawau over the scandal of the encroachment and deprivation of the open spaces in Tawau, subordinating the public interests of the people of Tawau to private profit-making in disregard of the law and public policy.

DAP MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok and I had also raised in Parliament the issue of the lack of municipal good governance as illustrated by the Sabindo open space scandal, with the Tawau municipality teeming with “Little Napoleons” defying the Prime Minister and the Sabah State Cabinet in depriving the fundamental right of the people of Tawau to open spaces and recreational grounds.

I was very uplifted when I was informed last night by Jimmy Wong (alias Tiger Wong of Tawau) – who together with nine other public-spirited Tawau ratepayers had taken the TMC to court on the unlawful Sabindo development project and the encroachment of the Tawau open spaces and recreational grounds – that the Tawau people had achieved a classic and landmark breakthrough in their long, arduous and uphill battle to protect the “open spaces” in Tawau not only for the people of Tawau but also for the people Sabah and Malaysia. Continue reading “Landmark achievement of Tawau “Don Quixote” case in defence of open spaces”

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Pak Lah’s host of great breaches of great promises

This Parliamentary Roundtable on the Special Complaints Commission (SCC) Bill is special for more reasons than one.

Firstly, there should be no need for this Parliamentary Roundtable as there should have been a Parliamentary Select Committee on the SCC Bill – what I had described as the fake Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) Bill – to collect public testimony and undertake public consultation on an important piece of proposed legislation with far-reaching consequences on the quality of life and governance in the country.

Secondly, this may be the last Parliamentary Roundtable for the current Parliament if it is dissolved without reconvening again, paving the way for the next general election.

The IPCMC was one of the great promises of the Abdullah premiership and the SCC Bill one of the great breaches by Abdullah of his pledges to the people and country.

It was almost exactly four years ago, 29th December 2003, that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced the formation of a Royal Commission into the Police. Continue reading “Pak Lah’s host of great breaches of great promises”

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Do Malaysian Muslims understand what ‘Allah’ means?

The Other Malaysia
by Farish A. Noor
25 December 2007

At the time of writing this, I am in Cairo in the company of my Egyptian friends who are Muslims, Catholics and Copts. Eid has passed and I attended several dinners and celebrations where Muslims and Copts celebrated together, visiting each others’ homes and ate til we could not eat any further. What is worse, Christmas is upon us and so once again Muslims, Catholics and Copts will be heading for the communal table for the communal feast and there will be much licking of chops, munching of bread, gobbling of sweet deserts and drinking for everyone. It is all simply too pleasant to belive, yet it is real and this is what life is like for many in Cairo, the ‘Mother of civilisation’ and home to more than twenty million Egyptians from all walks of life.

What is most striking to the outside observer like me – though rather banal for the Egyptians themselves – is the fact that in all these celebrations ranging from Eid for the Muslims to Christmas for the Catholics and Copts the word ‘Allah’ is used to denote that supreme and singular divinity, God. Catholics and Copts alike exclaim ‘Masha-allah’, ‘Wallahi’, ‘ya-Rabbi’, ‘Wallah-u allam’, and of course ‘Allahuakbar’ day in, day out, everywhere they go. The coptic taxi driver blares out ‘By Allah, cant you see where you are parking??” as he dodges the obstable ahead. The Catholic shopkeeper bemoans “Ya Allah, ya Allah! You can only offer me two pounds for the scarf? Wallahi, my mother would die if she heard that! Ya-Rabbi, ya-Rabbi!”

Yet in Malaysia at the moment yet another non-issue has been brewed to a scandal for no reason: The Malaysian Catholic Herald, a publication by and for Catholics in the country, has been told that it can no longer publish its Malaysian language edition if it continues to use the word “Allah” to mean God. Worse still, the country’s Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharum recently stated that “Only Muslims can use the word Allah” ostensibly on the grounds that “Allah” is a Muslim word. The mind boggles at the confounding logic of such a non-argument, which speaks volumes about the individual’s own ignorance of Muslim culture, history and the fundamental tenets of Islam itself. Continue reading “Do Malaysian Muslims understand what ‘Allah’ means?”

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Next general election in next 80 days or it will be mid-year or third quarter

MIC Deputy President Datuk G. Palanivel is confident that the Indians will continue to vote for Barisan Nasional because of the hard work put in by the MIC.

“The Indians are loyal to Barisan. They know we have served our constituencies and cultivated the relationship with the people.”

Palanivel was clearly “whistling in the dark” (i.e. keeping the courage up) when the MIC leaders are facing the greatest crisis of confidence and credibility in its party history.

In the past 50 years, the Indian voters were taken for granted by the Barisan Nasional as the unquestioned vote-bank, but there is now a sea-change in the political attitudes of the Malaysian Indians as a result of their political awakening caused by the high-handed and arbitrary disregard of their basic feelings and fundamental rights in their cry of desperation for government attention and action to end their long-standing marginalization as the new underclass in Malaysia.

Nanyang Siang Pau reported that the next general election will be held in the next 100 days. I believe that the polls will be held in the next 80 days or it will be held much later.

A date which had been bruited as given by the Prime Minister’s Feng Shui maestro is March 15, 2008.

I believe if the polling date is not held by the middle of March, we are looking earliest at mid-year or after.

This is because the next Parliamentary meeting is scheduled to begin on March 17, which will be officially opened by the Yang di Pertuan Agong for a 23-day meeting for the Dewan Rakyat till April 23, 2008 to be followed by the Senate meeting.

It would be ridiculous and highly contemptuous of Parliament and the Yang di Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament when it has just been officially opened as there would be no national emergency, like a loss of confidence by the government-of-the-day, to justify such an action. Continue reading “Next general election in next 80 days or it will be mid-year or third quarter”

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Samy “flunked” test 40 months ago – now “rat running across the street”

MIC President and sole Indian Cabinet Minister for more than 28 years, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu announced that the Prime Minister has asked him to monitor all Hindu temples and submit a report on their status periodically.

He said the Prime Minister also wanted the MIC to forward to him and the Cabinet a list of temples that might have to be demolished for various reasons.

In declaring that the MIC “will completely take over” the sensitive issue of Hindu temples, several observations and questions are in order.

Firstly, is this an election gimmick until the next general election expected in March is over – when the various State Governments will again assert their untrammeled power and authority like the arbitrary, high-handed and insensitive demolition of the of the Sri Mariamman Temple at Padang Jawa in Shah Alam a few days before Deepavali?

Secondly, is there a total moratorium and halt on the demolition of Hindu temples, and if so, for what period – is it only until the next general election?

Thirdly, if Samy Vellu is now given additional responsibilities and powers by the Prime Minister on the question of Hindu temples in the country, he must thank Hindraf and he should ask the Prime Minister to release all the five Hindraf leaders under the Internal Security Act immediately and unconditionally – and they should be charged in court and be given their fundamental right of an open trial to defend themselves to any charges that the Attorney-General wants to prefer against them.

It is moot however that this latest announcement is going to reverse Samy Vellu’s political fortunes, who is akin to the Chinese saying of a “a rat running across the street with everybody shouting ‘smack it’”. Continue reading “Samy “flunked” test 40 months ago – now “rat running across the street””

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Hishammuddin threat – Tsu Koon should requisition BN Supreme Council meeting to stop bullying/intimidation

Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has denied that his statement on what Gerakan Youth deputy chief S. Paranjothy said was a threat.

Hishammudin said he was not threatening anyone nor being emotional when he said that Umno Youth and Barisan Nasional would sever relationship with Gerakan if the Gerakan Acting President Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon could not give a satisfactory explanation and response on Paranjothy’s statement for saying two things:

• that the 30,000 Indians who took part in the Hindraf demonstration in Kuala Lumpur on November 25 did so to express their frustration and anger because the community had been “marginalized, oppressed and ignored”.

• Blaming Umno leaders, particularly the Umno Youth Leader Hishammuddin and Deputy Umno Youth Leader Khairy Jamaluddin for racial posturing and inciting racial sentiments among Malays to gain political mileage – citing as examples the keris-wielding episodes against the former and the public castigation of the Indian news vendors by the latter when the Umno presidential address of Prime Minister and Umno President, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was not carried in the press the next day as the Umno general assembly fell on Deepavali, with the next day an annual press holiday.

Hishamuddin’s denial that his statement on Paranjothy was a threat raises the question what would be Tsu Koon’s reaction if the Umno Youth had issued his “threat”.

Hishammuddin was however denying the undeniable as everyone, except him, would have recognized that he had issued an ultimatum and a threat.

Tsu Koon had issued a plaintive complaint that Hishammuddin should not make statements ”that can mar relationship between component parties within Barisan” when he should have berated Hishammuddin for his arrogance and presumption in threatening that the Barisan Nasional would sever relationship with Gerakan as if all the 14 Barisan Nasional component parties and their leaders, including the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, have no minds of their own and were all at the Umno Youth leader’s beck and call! Continue reading “Hishammuddin threat – Tsu Koon should requisition BN Supreme Council meeting to stop bullying/intimidation”

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Herald controversy – Is Abdullah leader of Malaysian moderates protecting middle ground against extremists?

It is a great Christmas letdown and disappointment that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi did not assure Malaysians that he will not allow the middle ground to be intruded and encroached by extremists in Umno or the civil service by striking down unreasonable, arbitrary and unconstitutional restrictions on Herald, the Catholic weekly.

I was expecting Abdullah to put to rest the controversy over the use of ‘Allah’ by Herald in its Bahasa Malaysia section when he attended the Christmas High Tea Reception hosted by the Christian Federation of Malaysia at Bukit Nanas, Kuala Lumpur yesterday, and I dare say that my sense of disappointment was not mine alone but of the entire audience with representatives from diverse religions in the country – Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikkhism and Taoism.

In his speech, Abdullah reminded Malaysians not to allow extremist tendencies to take root and undermine interracial harmony in the country.

He said the moderates should play a role in ensuring that members of the public were not swayed by extremist propaganda which played on people’s emotions by raising sensitive religious and racial issues.

“I’m really concerned when issues involving religion are brought up from time to time and the attendant problems that all of us would need to address.

“If moderates don’t take centre stage, surely extremist elements will occupy it, making us fall for their extremist approach being touted as a religious or national approach.”

Abdullah cannot be more right that the greatest threat to inter-racial and inter-religious understanding, goodwill and harmony stem from religious extremists hiding in religious groups, political parties and the civil service who have been intruding and encroaching into the middle ground, edging out the moderates from the centre stage.

This is the main reason why religious polarization has surfaced in its most serious and dangerous form in the past four years in the 50-year history of the nation, gravely undermining national unity and the nation-building process. Continue reading “Herald controversy – Is Abdullah leader of Malaysian moderates protecting middle ground against extremists?”

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Man may not solve man-made problems

I have taken the liberty to copy from the letter Remove the “national security” straightjacket! by Azly Rahman which appears in this blog, in particular the summary of the nine challenges called “The Way Forward-Vision” spoken about by TDM. That was said to be a culmination of TDM work throughout his tenure. I like to make some comments on some of the nine challenges summarized by Azly Rahman.

1. Establishing a united Malaysian nation with a sense of common and shared destiny

Any nation where the citizens enjoy equal rights would automatically wish for the well beings of the country which would determine their own destiny. Unless the government acts contrary to the equal rights expectation of the citizens, that the nationals have a common and shared destiny is given. However, when the government chooses to implement its divide and rule policies, the nationals would not share a sense of common destiny for the nation. TDM was the main actor in highlighting the differences among different ethnic groups in the country. Whatever intentions he harboured in the name of making his race dominate in political and economic life, he has set the people who benefited from his reign on the path of get-rich quick, and grounded with the mindset of entitlement and supremacy. He would not be able to return the genie into the bottle, however hard he tried, if he was sincere in seeing a united Malaysian nation with a sense of common shared destiny.

Modern science and technological developments make easy changes to mountains and streams, but it is almost impossible to set right human thoughts which have gone haywire. It takes decades to develop cultured human beings who internalize the noble quality of modesty, politeness, righteousness, reasonableness, fair play and justice. These noble values are set aside when morally wrong actions are legalized, for the powerful and connected, and even for beneficiaries of state institutionalized corrupt and unfair practices, in the name of affirmative actions. The belief that moral values could be temporarily suspended to be returned later, to experiment with some social engineering work for leveling playing fields, proved futile. The temporary indulgences turned out to be permanently temporary, where the all powerful emperor TDM was not able to end NEP in 1990. Or did he choose to be politically correct, or worse, pretended that the 30% equity target were yet to be achieved. The lesser ruler PM AAB is simply gutless to examine whether the ASLI’s calculations truly confirm that the targets had already been achieved. He promised to reveal the methodology a year ago. The methodology adopted by EPU only tells half the story, the other half relates to what have and have not been correctly included in the computation of the single most important economic figures, when the results of which should have been acted upon to end the most important obstacle to returning to Malaysia a future where the people share a sense of united and common destiny.

It is the government’s active social engineering experiments which have now made the country deviating from the path where the people automatically share a sense of united and common destiny. Continue reading “Man may not solve man-made problems”

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Tsu Koon puts foot in his mouth once again

Just left the Christmas High Tea Reception hosted by the Christian Federation of Malaysia at Bukit Nanas, Kuala Lumpur when I received an irate call from Penang.

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who attended the Christmas Reception with his wife and a retinue of MCA Ministers and Deputy Ministers (unlike last year, when he sent the Deputy Finance Minister, Ng Yen Yen instead – causing great annoyance all-round) had left and guests could leave.

I was in DAP MP for Seputeh, Teresa Kok’s car when I got the call. It was 5.06 pm.

At first I could not make head or tail why the caller was so indignant – something about what the new Gerakan No. 1 and Penang Chief Minister, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon had said in his Christmas message and which appeared in New Straits Times.

I had read the Christmas messages of the Prime Minister (and blogged about it) and those of Ong Ka Ting, Samy Vellu and Lim Keng Yaik but missed Tsu Koon’s message.

The caller, a leading Penang NGO activist, poured out his fury and asked how Tsu Koon could say in his Christmas message that Malaysians, while celebrating Christmas, must respect Islam as the country’s official religion.

He said he was calling from a Christmas party and all who attended were very angry with Tsu Koon’s Christmas message, as what has celebration of Christmas got to do with Islam as the official religion.

I tended to agree but I said I had not read Tsu Koon’s Christmas message and it would not be fair for me to comment until I have read his Christmas message in its entirety. He asked me to check with New Straits Times. Continue reading “Tsu Koon puts foot in his mouth once again”