Hero!

Ahmad Ismail is a racist. make no mistake about it. I thought it'd be good if i just came out and say it from the start.

Oxford Advancd Learner's Dictionary defines a racist as one who believes that 'some races of people are better than others'. Ahmad Ismail showed this when he labeled those of the Chinese race in Malaysia as 'immigrants', indicating that they are of lower standing and therefore should not be made the Prime Minister (see here).

Moving on.

How do you describe a hero? One admired for his achievement and noble qualities? One who shows great courage? One who thinks of others first and sacrifices himself for them?

Well, certain people in my country think that a racist is a hero. See here.

Malaysia boleh!

Signs

“The protest in Penang is just Umno playing race politics,” Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chien Jen was quoted to have said (see here).

Not just UMNO but also our racist newspaper, Utusan Malaysia - these people have been criticising the State government in Penang for wanting to put up multi-lingual road signs!!! What was wrong with it?

let me quote you the reason which was reported in the link above:-

The Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry also protested, saying that multi-language road signs had no benefit and would disunite the people.

Riiiiittteee!!!! These roads signs in different languages will cause disunity in our country! What a load of bollocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The hypocrisy of the whole matter has also been highlighted when it was pointed out that certain roads in KL have multi-lingual road signs! Read the report linked above!

Malaysia boleh!

It's only words?

“The word of a minister should mean something,” said Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who resigned as de facto Law Minister following the arrests of the editor of an online news portal, a Member of Parliament and a journalist.

“It is an honourable thing to keep a promise and I kept it. But obviously the present minister thinks otherwise,” Zaid told a press conference yesterday.

Read the full report here.

So there you have it - Ministers who do not do the honourable thing. Or at least, one minister.

As if that isn't bad enough, the same minister even has his facts wrong!!!! Whilst he was not doing the honourable thing and revealing to everyone the amount of ex-gratia payment paid out to certain former judges, he was even reported saying that the judges were allegedly not sacked.

After that, the former PM came out to dispute that. The former should know better being personally and directly involved in the whole debacle. the previous de-facto law Minister also confirms the sacking in the report linked above.


Get your facts right, sir.

Malaysia boleh!

Long live people of our race!

It is sad that when a neighbouring country (which unlike us is a state member of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights) passes a bill aiming to criminalised racial and ethnic discrimination (see here) and the world is still in awe of the historical election results in the USA recently (see here) where a black man is now the President, our country still practices racism - openly and unashamedly!

I had no answer when asked by a student during my International Human Rights Law class recently on how racism is still so blatantly carried out here.

An example can be seen here.

In the first place, there exists such groups like the 'Gabungan Graduan Melayu Muda' which is waiting to be registered. A group which by the sounds of its name is exclusively meant for young graduates of a certain race only. But then again, coming from a country which practices race-based politics, should one be surprised at this?

Then, such a racist sounding group is free to take to the streets and shouts slogans like 'Hidup Melayu'. and all this was done to protest against a decision to have multi-language road signs which was proposed with tourism in mind!

p/s - where were the tear gas and water cannons? Or are those only reserved for people of other races?

Malaysia boleh!

Cops scared of criminals

The headlines read:-

Parliament: Cops scared of crooks, so base closed!

Read the report here.

What the...????

Ah, the statement was made none other than our Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid. Yes, yes Datuk Seri has been appearing a lot in this blog. But he does entertaining us, doesn't he?

So a police beat base was closed cuz the cops feared for their own safety! Datuk Seri said that the presence of criminals posed a threat to the safety of the police officers! But isn't that the reason why the beat base is there? Why have one when there are no criminals around?

What is even more alarming is that the reply given by Datuk Seri was a written reply - it wasn't something he just said at the spur of the moment, being caught off guard and ended up putting his foot into his mouth.

Let me reproduce some of the comments made by the opposition MPs as they reflect my sentiments exactly:-

“The minister has to resign if he is worried about the safety of police in that area. Maybe it would be better to put the beat base in army barracks.”

“The police are there to make a place safe. If they themselves are scared and run away, then how can we hope for others to want to be there? It is embarrassing and that is why the criminals will always be there.”

Cops afraid of criminals. Just like getting a cat which is scared of mice.

Malaysia boleh!

Please sir, can i have some more?

No, i won't blog about the ludicrous statements made by our Home Minister. Instead, lemme describe to you how someone who is detained under ISA is treated. No, better still, let an ex-ISA detainee tell you:-

Murugiah (Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and head of the Public Complaints Bureau under the Prime Minister's Department) said Kok told him during their meeting that she was given bread with cream and Teh-O for breakfast; rice, fried egg and a soupy vegetable for lunch; and two pieces of chicken meat with rice and gravy for dinner on her first day.

The breakfast remained the same but on the second day she was given fish and cucumber with rice for lunch and then boiled eggs and cucumber with rice for dinner.

It was boiled eggs and cucumber for both meals on the third day while on the fourth day the cucumber was substituted with vegetables.

(read the report here)

Only RM5.80 is allocated per person per day. Less than 1 quid a day for 3 meals.

On top of that, Kok was kept in solitary confinement in a 2 m by 3 m cell.

Bear in mind that she was not charged for any crime - and she was released after denying the allegations made against her!

Imagine how they would treat someone who is not a Member of Parliament and who does not have good connections and who doesn't know his/her rights.

Malaysia boleh!

ADDENDUM:- It's not RM5.80 a day. Today (23/9/08), the papers report that it is a mere RM4.50!!!!! See here.

More lies?

When asked if he would meet Anwar if there was a request, Abdullah said he would.

Reported on 16 September 2008 here.

When asked if he would entertain Anwar’s request to have a meeting to ensure a smooth and peaceful transition of power, Abdullah rejected the idea.

"There is no reason for me to meet him..."

Reported also on 16 September 2008 in the same newspapers here.

Malaysia boleh!

Not right

The facts speaks for itself. Something is not right.

Malaysia boleh!

Not very intelligent intelligence?

The cops issued a statement on why the reporter, Tan was detained under the ISA. The Deputy IGP said this:-

When the police decided to invoke the ISA, the decision was based on intelligence and observation that certain acts by the individuals concerned were detrimental to the calm, peace and harmony of the country.

These acts if not curtailed would cause public disorder and be a threat to national security. An arrest under the ISA is only made when the police strongly believes that certain acts by individual can pose a serious threat to public order and national security.

In the case of the Sin Chew Daily news reporter, she was released as soon as the police had verified the intelligence and found no grounds to detain her further.

(Read the full statement here).

So am i wrong in concluding that the police obtained intelligence that certain acts of the reporter 'can pose a serious threat to public order and national security'?

What a departure from the Home Minister's allegations earlier (see here). Someone is lying - as both cannot be the truth!

In any event, the reporter was released after detained for 18 hours - apparently, according to the Deputy IGP, the police 'verified' the intelligence and found no grounds to detain her.

Wait a minute - verified? More like proven wrong, isn't it? Less than 24 hours after her arrest, they managed to find out the 'intelligence' was wrong! The fact that it took them so fast to do so showed the quality of the intelligence that was received! In fact, if they did not take so much effort to get the papers and arrest her under the ISA, the intelligence could have been discarded much faster!

Some 'intelligence' the police has. Scary, isn't it?

Malaysia boleh!

All by myself

Your jedi mind tricks won't work!

Syed Hamid is all alone after his attempts to be a hero and tried to paint the government and police in good light by brilliantly alleging that a reporter was arrested and detained in order to protect her (see here).

The absurdity of such a claim is evident for all to see. No surprise the opposition shot down such ludicrous statement. but it did not stop there. Fellow party members quickly spoke out against it, among others, the Education Minister, the de facto Law Minister, the VP for MCA.

Today, the police issued a statement regarding the arrest - and nothing suggested that the arrest and detention of the reporter was for her own safety! See here.

So what happened? Syed Hamid did it on his own accord? Or he was asked to say it and when the response was bad, he's left standing on his own?

So even the Home Minister has no idea what is going on - and even then, he does not keep his mouth close. It's closed now. His foot is in it.

Malaysia boleh!

Let us protect you!

This is priceless, i tell ya!

The reporter detained under section 73 of the ISA has been released less than 24 hours after her arrest - see here.

Now our Home Minister gave stupid reasons why she was arrested and detained under the ISA (emphasis mine). He said:-

Tan was detained under Section 73(1) of the Act in order to ensure her safety.

He added that police intelligence indicated that there were threats to her life after she reported on Bukit Bendera division Umno chairman Datuk Ahmad Ismail’s allegedly racist remarks.

“We have no intention of holding a reporter as after all she was just taking notes of the comments made by a certain party that led to a public debate."

(Read the report here).

So let's get some things straight.

1. He admits that she did not do anything wrong - she was just doing her job.
2. She was detained FOR HER OWN SAFETY!!!!!! What a load of crap! Does he expect us to believe that???

So the ISA is used to ARREST and DETAIN citizens of the country who did not do anything wrong!!!

Instead of putting her under protective custody as they alleged that there were threats to her life, they decided to ARREST and DETAIN her under ISA!!!!

Now, less than 24 hours later, she is released. Have the police successfully quell the threat to her life? Were those making those threats arrested and put away?

This is indeed brilliant - but not in the good way. i can imagine the reaction of me Human Rights' coursemates when they read about this!!!!

I have heard of situations when citizens are threatened and harassed but the police stand in one side and say they cannot do anything. But in this case, Tan was ARRESTED and DETAINED for her own safety!!!!!

Whoa! Malaysia boleh!

Don't talk about it

This is the way how our government works! When an issue arises, don't talk about it. If people want to talk about it, make them stop.

Blogger blogs against the Government and politicians. He is detained indefinitely without trial (see here).

Newspaper reports on racist politicians, corrupt practices etc. They receive a show cause letter from the government (see here).

Reported does her job (bravely) by reporting an incident where racist and seditious words were made in public by a politician. She is detained indefinitely without trial (see here).

Members of the cabinet disagrees on the timeline set by the PM to step down. PM tells them to stop talking about it (see here).

Malaysia boleh!

Suspended

Umno has suspended its Bukit Bendera division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail of his
membership rights and stripped him of his posts for three years for making remarks which were deemed offensive by the Chinese community.

The decision was made at a specially convened supreme council meeting yesterday(10/09/08).

(reported in The Star here)

The conclusion is that the supreme council made a finding that Ahmad did indeed make remarks which 'were deemed offensive' by the Chinese community. What the....? Crap!

Call a spade a spade. If it was a racist remark, then say it was. But they cannot bring themselves to say so. Now it appears that Ahmad is innocent - it's just that the Chinese community are sensitive or overreacted. They deemed it to be sensitive.

Hello? You do not have to be from the Chinese community to find such remarks offensive as it is racist! Anyone from any community will find it offensive - unless maybe if you are from the Malay community (i'm saying that since the Malay leaders i.e. UMNO could not bring themselves to say they find it offensive and it would be safe to assume they speak for the community?).

Is it any wonder Ahmad remains unrepentant and defiant? (see here).

Furthermore, a 3 months suspension is like a slap on the wrist! He uttered words which were racist in nature. It was against the constitutiion of our country which guarantees equality for all Malaysians. It threaten to harm the unity of the country.

I read this this morning:-

An Australian politician has had to resign after dancing in his underpants at a staff party.

Matt Brown, a state minister in New South Wales, admitted he had made a "mistake" and was "embarrassed".

Mr Brown then admitted conduct unbecoming to a minister, and resigned only three days after being sworn into office as minister for the police.

"I'm a human being and I made a mistake and I'm going to cop the consequences of that mistake," Mr Brown told reporters, without elaborating.

(reported in full here)

He did the honourable thing. He admitted his conduct was not becoming of a minister and he stepped down after he was asked to.

Not in my country. In my country, he would deny he did any wrong and would refuse to step down.

Malaysia boleh!

Turn the tables

I was almost impressed by how the government turned the tables against the media and the reporters - in a last ditch effort to cover their racism. or at the least, the racism of one of those in their ranks.

If you read the previous post - or if you have been following the local news in the past week or so - you would know that a certain politician made racist remarks against the Chinese community.

He then conveniently disappeared - so much so the cops and the PM could not contact him.

Apparently, he was overseas - in neighbouring Thailand. But in our day and age, do you expect us to believe that just because you are there, you cannot be contacted?

10 days after he made those racist remarks, he comes forward and say that he was misquoted out of context. The reporters were all behind it.

The PM quickly changed his tune and stood by his man and pushed the blame on the media and the reporters.

The reporter quickly stood by her story (see here).

So who do we believe?

I dun believe the politician. It is clearly an afterthought - his explanation. It took him so long to come up with this story. If it was indeed the truth, why wait til after 10 days?

Further, what was the purpose of him saying wat he said - he alleged he was making reference to history. Why did he suddenly make a historical observation in his speech? No explanation given.

The PM? He wasn't there so his view is worth nothing.

The reporter? Well, i believe her. Read her explanation - the context of when those words were actually spoken.

But i worry for her. In her bravery to do her job, the right thing, to stand up for the truth and expose contemptuous behavior, she could be made the scapegoat.

Malaysia boleh!

Hard to say I'm sorry

Right. So everyone knows about this man oredi


Unrepentant racist?

Wait. He looks a little familiar, doesn't he? Like a movie star! I think i saw him in a movie very recently! Was it in The Clone Wars?

But moving on.

He called the Malaysians of Chinese ethnicity 'immigrants' who do not deserve equal rights (as reported in a local paper which is linked later in this post).

The DPM apologised on his behalf. He also apologised on behalf of the Malay political party, UMNO (see here).

The PM was of the view that the DPM's action was 'the right thing to do' (see here).

But now, our fren Jabba Ahmad has come out of 'hiding' - and not only does he refuse to apologise, he is demanding that the Chinese community leaders apologise to him (see here)!!!! What the...?????

Further, '...state Umno liaison committee deputy chairman Datuk Abdul Rashid Abdullah said Umno’s 13 divisions in the state supported Ahmad’s decision not to apologise over his remark'.

Oh, it gets better - our former PM who does not know his time is up but still must stick his butt in everything goes public and questions why the Malay leaders should apologise (see here)! His reasoning is that when non-Malays utter racist sentiments, the Chinese leaders do not apologise.

Hello???? In the first place, that is not true. If non-Malays make racist remarks against the Malays, the Malays will take to the streets and riot and perhaps kill. And even if his remark is true - but is strongly denied - does 2 wrongs make a right? Can you justify your wrongdoing by pointing out that others are doing it also?

Is it also not a basic Constitutional law principle that there must be collective responsibility? Should not the political party take a collectiuve responsibility over the wrongdoing of a party member - especially when it was a leader speaking in such capacity?


Doesn't know basic consti principles?

So that's how it is folks. A leader utters racist remarks in public. he refuses to apologise. he demands to be apologised to. His fellow leaders support him. His superiors apologised but their actions are not followed (shows how much respect they have for their party leaders). Former leaders go public and say Malay leaders should not apologise.

Oh, someone was blogging about this and commented what a country we live in. A comment was left asking why he was still in this country. Typical response.

Malaysia boleh!

Emergency

Stae of Emergency has been declared in Thailand. This happened after

"...street fighting overnight between opponents and supporters of the government
left one man dead and dozens of people injured. The violence heightened a
national crisis brought on when anti-government protesters occupied the prime
minister’s office compound Aug 26 and vowed to hold it until Samak (the PM)
stepped down"

Read the report here.

So what does it mean? According to the news report linked earlier, it means this:-

• Bans gatherings of more than five people in Bangkok.
• Bars the media from disseminating any news that "causes panic, instigates
  violence or affects stability.''
• Allows security officials to close or block roads or deny citizens the right
  to use vehicles.
• Allows security forces to evacuate or close buildings and other areas as
  they see fit for maintaining public order.
• Under the constitution, emergency rule also allows security officials to
  hold suspects without charge for up to 30 days if they get permission from a
  court.

Hey, wait a minute? Doesn't this sound familiar? Isn't this happenning in our country now?

The Police Act 1967, section 27 provides that it is an illegal gathering in Malaysia if it consists of 3 (not 5) people or more.

Our media is not allowed to disseminate news that "causes panic, instigates violence or affects stability." Newspapers had been shutdown in the past because of this and a local blog was even blocked recently!

Roads had been closed and blocked in recent times to disallow members of the public to join peaceful demonstrations.

Buildings were evacuated - the forum in Bar Council had to be ended abruptly and those attending had to be evacuated (see post before this).

Hold suspects without charging them for up to 30 days with permission from the court? In our country, people can be held up to 2 years WITHOUT permission from the court!!!!

Are we under a state of emergency? Is there violence that threatens the safety of the country? Are we facing a national crisis?

No? But it appears like we are! At least the state of emergency in Thailand is supposed to be temporal. In our country, it is the status quo.

Proud to be a Malaysian?

Malaysia boleh!

Sensitive

I was shocked and unhappy when i read the article yesterday regarding the Bar Council's forum pertaining to conversion to Islam. The Deputy PM was against the idea of the forum to be held openly!!! What was worse was the Umno Youth exco member Datuk Pirdaus Ismail who was quoted saying:-

“Don’t play with fire! Don’t ever touch on religious and racial sentiments. Whatever the excuses given, the forum still provokes Malay sentiments and creates uneasiness and public disorder, particularly among the Malays.”

Read the article here.

My first response to the said politicians was that it was an insult to the Malay people and the people of Islam faith. Surely they are not so sensitive! Surely they are mature enough to handle it. Surely they are not so insecure!

Well, apparently, i was wrong! They are! Well, some of them, anyway. I'm referring to the group of people who gathered purportedly in the name of Islam and resorted to violence and vulgarity to disrupt the forum. Read about it here.

Let's put things into perspective - the forum was regarding conversion to Islam. It is IMHO of benefit to the Islam faith too. The Islam faith had been getting a lot of bad press in recent times when people who did not fully understand the implications of conversion, converted to Islam and then tried to convert out of it. By having a forum like this, people will be able to make an educated choice when converting to Islam and not change their minds easily later - and no more bad press to the Islam faith.

Instead, the Bar Council is accused of threatening and challenging Islam (see pic). What a bunch of morons - those who protested today.



Furthermore, this is another attack on freedom of expression - can't we not have open discussions freely and in a mature manner? Must we always bow to the whims and sensitivities of one race in this land? Unless the exceptions to this human right are fulfilled, then the forum should be allowed to go on.

Of course people are free to demonstrate - that is another form of freedom of expression. But to threaten violence? No, of course not!

Oh, those protesters who were allegedly defending the Islam faith? Well, these people did so with obscenities and vulgar words. Read the above mentioned news report. Now, does Islam teach its followers that?

But they won in the end. The cops - instead of dispersing the protesters with tear gas and water cannons (like they do to the opposition protesters in the past) - told the Bar Council to end the forum early.

Malaysia boleh!

Transferred!

So a government servant has committed a wrong. A criminal offense, in fact. What will the leaders do?

Depends on which country it happens in. In my beloved land, there seems to be only one solution - transfer them!!!

Remember the pathetic story of the cop who was jealous the other cops were getting more bribe money than he was? (See here) Well, those cops were transferred out! Yup. It was reported that:-

Four policemen from the Gemas police station have been transferred out after a colleague lodged a report alleging that they received “ang pow” running into thousands of ringgit every month from those involved in illegal activities.

Read the entire report here.

And more recently, a teacher spewing out racist allegations and sentiments had the same fate - she was transferred out!!!! Read about it here.

The way to solve problems - to our leaders - is just to send it away. And just hope it won't happen again. Like an ostrich, if it is out of sight, it won't hurt you!!!

Sad.

And the teacher - well, it was reported that she had apologised. Wait a minute, tho. Read carefully:-

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator T. Murugiah, who visited SMK Telok Panglima Garang yesterday, said the teacher regretted the incident and had apologised to the students.

“She also said that she did not expect things to become so serious and has agreed to be transferred to another school,”

It looks to me like what Rihanna described in her latest song - she's not sorry for the act, but just sorry that she got caught.

Malaysia boleh!

Cars

And so the drama with the (locally assembled) Mercedes Benz and the local Proton Perdana cars goes on. Many things has been said about it. It raises many questions, tho.

Like why does it cost so much to maintain the locally made cars? Especially since the car manufacturer alleges that it costs only a fraction of what is claimed to maintain them.

So either the locally made cars are really poor in quality or that someone has made a lot of money servicing these cars. Or both.

But what really irked me was when our wonderful PM allowed them to get away with it. Not even a slap on the wrist. In fact, he stopped short of praising them. He approved of their actions - he was quoted saying “I told them that the state government has not spent extravagantly and the decision to procure the Mercedes cars was done after two years of evaluation”.

However, he tells them to use the cars for foreign dignitaries only.

Yes, RM3.43 million was used to buy these cars which will only be used for foreign dignitaries - and even then, only for official functions (see here).

So 14 Mercs are to be used for that. My question - how often do foreign dignitaries visit the state of Terengganu and how many foreign dignitaries are there at any one point of time? Do we need 14 Mercs for them? Wouldn't this money be better used for other things?

Malaysia boleh!

Everyone is a liar?

SHAH ALAM: A defence counsel contended that several police witnesses in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial appeared to be telling lies because of the contradictions in their testimonies.

But this contention did not go down well with the prosecution.

Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, counsel for accused Kpl Sirul Azhar Umar, was continuing his submissions on the admissibility of Asst Supt Zulkarnain Samsudin’s testimony that alleged his client had led police to recover the jewellery from his Kota Damansara flat.

The lawyer pointed out that each version of the events at the flat on Nov 7, 2006, as given by ASP Zulkarnain, C/Insp Koh Fei Cheow, L/Kpl Kamarolzaman Mat Nor and Kpl Chiam Swee Guan had differences.

With all the contradictions, Kamarul Hisham argued that there was no way of knowing who was telling the truth.

“Everyone seems to be telling lies,” he said.

Read the entire report here.

Every law student (including mine) will know what the prosecution has to do - he has to prove the case on the standard of beyond a reasonable doubt. So the defence counsel is just doing his job i.e. to raise a reasonable doubt.

But what did the prosecution do? Like a small child in a playground who feels insulted, he jumps up and accused the accused person of being a liar also!!! You call my witnesses liars, well, so is your client! Here's wat was reported:-

A clearly unhappy lead prosecutor Deputy Public Prosecutor Tun Abd Majid Tun Hamzah stood up and retorted that all the accused – C/Insp Azilah Hadri, Kpl Sirul Azhar and Abdul Razak Baginda – were also telling lies if that was the case.

Tun, so what if all the accused are lying? In such a situation - where for example, the prosecution witnesses are lying AND the accused persons are lying, what would be the outcome of the case? An immediate acquittal! Tun, you would have failed to prove your case - and the accused persons do not even have to take the stand!

So, Tun, you should therefore focus on proving your case instead of having childish court-room outbursts and theatrics. The learned Judge allowed the defense counsel to proceed and had to remind Tun "...that he would get his turn to submit later".

And apparently, Tun is one of the top prosecutors in the land.

Malaysia boleh!

Bang bang!

I was across the main road when i heard the gunshots. I thought it was a car back-firing. Ironic cuz the last time in London, we thought it was gunshots when it was actually a car-backfiring.

Yes, our trigger happy plain clothes rude and overweight cops were engaging in a shoot-out on a busy road at lunch time in Subang Jaya!!!

Me student and i quickly went up the pedestrian bridge to get a better view - we could not have been better placed. As i took out me camera phone to snap a photo, one of them fat cop spotted me and started shouting rudely (are any of our local coppers able to talk without sounding rude???) at me, gesturing at me to get off the bridge. Stubborn old me refused to budge but just stared back at him. He raised his voice even louder. I gestured back, indicating that i had every right to be there - and he had no right in law to push me around. His fat face turned mad - and me student had to drag me away. As i moved a way, i gave him the typical "apa-la" hand gesture... Yeah, i hate local cops.

What was disturbing was actually wat took place before that rude encounter. Let me retrace me steps.

I was across the road, wanting to withdraw money from the ATM. I heard the shots - easily 5 or 6 shots. It's funny how it sounded nothing like the cool gun-shot sounds you hear in movies like Wanted. It was like some cheap fire cracker going off. I canceled the transaction and went to have a look. I then went back to the machine, withdrew me money and then went onto the pedestrian bridge. Ran up and looked down.

A black car with the driver's seat door was opened and someone lay down flat just outside it. One stood over the body with a shotgun pointing at it while the other cops were redirecting traffic - and being rude. Then suddenly, i jumped cuz another cop who was standing near the body discharged another shot!!!!!

Let me say this was a good 3 to 5 minutes since the first volley of those 5 (or 6) shots were heard. The man was down on the ground. Another cop had a shotgun pointed at him. And this guy was over the body and just fired another shot!!!!

I must say that at that point of time, we did not see where his gun was aiming when the shot was fired. I started asking out loud, "Did he just shot the guy again???" Another Indian man nearby commented in BM something to the effect like how can the cops do such a thing?

My only guess is that the body must have stirred a bit and the rude copper just emptied another shell into him to make sure he was dead. Or was he just negligent and accidentally fired his gun?

It was no surprise that he was pretty mad at us standing on the bridge looking down at him.

Malaysian cops.

Malaysia boleh!

Disrespectful liar

Viewers shocked by MP Bung Mokhtar's lewd gesture in Dewan Rakyat

KUALA LUMPUR, (July 8, 2008) : Those who caught RTM1's live telecast of the Dewan Rakyat question-and-answer session this morning were shocked over a lewd gesture made by Kinabatangan MP and Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BNBBC) deputy chairman Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin during a shouting match.

MP of Kinabatangan Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin said that "It was not a bad sign- i was just showing like this only" during Dewan Rakyat sitting at Parliament House.

The RTM1 camera was trained on Bung Mokhtar who was standing up to engage in a verbal tirade with the opposition camp, with each calling the other bodoh! (stupid).

As he was sitting down, the camera caught the MP, who is no stranger to controversy, making the lewd gesture of slapping one hand over a clenched fist.

(Read the entire report here)

Now, Bung insisted initially that he did not show any "bad sign". When asked by reporters, he showed what he allegedly did in the Dewan:-

What the heck is that???? Hitting the back of one hand with the palm of the other??? Well, since the liar Member of Parliament refused to admit to wat many viewers saw, let me show you what took place and what he actually did:-



Saw that? Well, in case you didn't, here is a still taken from the clip:-

Quite obvious what he did, isn't it?

So what can we conclude?

1. The MP of Kinabatangan, Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin, is a LIAR!!!!!
2. The MP of Kinabatangan, Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin, is disrespectful to the august parliament house;
3. The MP of Kinabatangan, Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin, does not know how to behave himself in a manner expected of an MP - or for that matter, in a manner expected of any civilised respected adult.

So what should be done to someone like that? When the matter was raised on Thursday, guess what happened? Read it for yourself:-

KUALA LUMPUR (July 10, 2008): Attempts by DAP parliamentarians to raise the issue of BN-Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin making a lewd gesture in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday, failed today.

This was because Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee did not allow the matter to be raised under the Standing Orders of the House, saying the incident took place "two days ago".

"It was witnessed by thousands of viewers. Does this mean any MP can get away with making lewd gestures?" DAP-Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng who had raised the issue under Standing Order 26(1)(p), challenged Kiandee.

(Read the entire report here)

So what should be done? Absolutely NOTHING!!!!!

And what about the lying uncouth MP had to say now that video clips and pictures have shown him to be blatantly telling lies to the public?

Asked how he felt about television viewers complaining on the issue, Bung Mokhtar said: "Ah, they only watched it on the TV, not in the Dewan."

What the...?????? You mean the TV stations carry different scenes from what actually takes place in the Dewan???? I've heard of things which get lost in translation but this is more than ridiculous - IMHO, it's downright stupidity and an insult to our intelligence!

What do you think will be done to him?

Yes, absolutely nothing!

Malaysia boleh!

I want more!!!!

GEMAS: A policeman has lodged a report against all his colleagues including his superiors allegedly over dissatisfaction on how the monthly bribes from those operating illegal activities was being distributed.

In retaliation, one of his superiors, a sergeant, lodged another police report against the policeman, a lance corporal, for allegedly selling station property to scrap dealers.

Read the entire report here.

OK - those of us are not surprised to hear about this, put your hands up! I guess not many hands would remain down. Almost all of us know the corrupt state of the policemen in this country. Almost everyone if not all have heard stories of policemen asking for bribes. A lot of us have encountered such "men of law" who had asked us for some "coffee money" - some blatantly too!!!

Yet, we are not allowed to talk about it openly (i may get into trouble but the readership of this blog is kinda small - like nil?? - so no worries there) and i read once in the past that local movies are not allowed to depict policemen asking/taking bribes!!!

Anyways, when i skimmed thru the first few lines of the aforementioned report, i was thinking to meself - ah... finally, a good cop who can't stand the corruption that is going on around him. A hero?

Then i read it properly and the real picture came out:-

A source said the lance corporal, in his 40s, was dissatisfied with his superiors for allegedly taking the lion’s share of the bribes while the rank and file received very little.

“In fact, the complainant claimed that he did not get a sen,” the source said.

So he lodged the report cuz HE WAS NOT GETTING A SHARE OF THE BRIBES!!!!!!

So what does this tell us?

1. Accepting bribery is happening among the policemen in our country;

2. In some places (at least in this particular one in Gemas), it is so rampant and common that they have a system of how it is "distributed"!!!! It's like the tips waiters receive - it is shared at the end of the day among all waiters.

3. There are policemen who are so thick that they have a gall to lodge a report because they are not getting a share of the illegal bribes!!!!!

Malaysia boleh!

Ragging

OK - i'm sure we're all sick of the political scene. Let's talk about something else. Ragging!

"Ragging means the doing of any act which causes, or is likely to cause any physical, psychological or physiological harm or apprehension or shame or embarrassment to a student, and includes:

(a) teasing or abusing of playing practical joke on, or causing hurt to any student. or Any disorderly conduct whether by words spoken or written or by an act which the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness any other student, Indulging in rowdy or indisciplined activities which causes or Is likely to cause annoyance, hardship or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in a fresher or a junior student or asking the students to do any act or perform something which such student will not do in the ordinary course and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of a fresher or a junior student; or

(b) asking any student to do any act, or perform any thing, which he/she would not, in the ordinary course, be willing to do or perform."

February 2008 Newsletter of the Society Against Violence in Education

A fren was telling me how she had to stay up chatting with her cousin who was crying on campus during orientation week. I wasn't surprised. I've heard countless of stories of how freshies - esp girls - end up crying themselves to sleep every night during orientation week - that is if they get any sleep at all.

The horror stories i hear are aplenty. Of course, things are not so bad as they were 2 decades ago - when the infamous "Serdang Hele" was reported to the authorities. This was where the seniors would tie one end of a string to a junior's penis and the other end to a ceiling fan blade. The fan would be turned on - low speed first and then higher. the poor guy would have to run around the room to keep up with it!

It's not so bad now - unlike how it is in some other countries where death results from over-zealous ragging. Still, the freshies are treated badly. They are humiliated, scolded, deprived of sleep (which is considered a cruel and inhuman and degrading treatment under the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights) and are subjected to great physical exertions. Most of the freshies come from close knit families from outstation. They are probably away from home and loved ones for the first time in their lives - and this is what they face in their first week of Uni life.

Why???????????

Is it a Malaysian thing? Or a third world country mentality? Funny how in Wikipedia, countries like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are specifically mentioned to practice ragging (see here).

I did both my under-graduate and post-graduate studies in a UK institution. Let me tell you that things are so different there!!! During the orientation week, we have the Freshers Fair! It is so fun! Societies set up stalls to publicise their activities. It's almost like a carnival atmosphere. There'll be activities all over campus. Tours will be organised. At UoE, we conducted tours to town - and i was a tour guide! :-) It was fun! And i got paid too!

Proud member of the Freshers Squad!

At the end of the week, there'll be a big party.

Shouldn't that be how an orientation programme is organised? Make the new students feel at home, welcome them, be of assistance to them. To most of the freshies, it is a scary experience. Some are from far away - perhaps from a different country. It is a totally new experience for all. They need all the help and support they can get during the initial stage.

Unfortunately, here in Bolehland, the orientation week is prolly the worst time in their entire Uni life. So much so that when it comes to their turn to organise the next orientation week, they will do the same thing which they suffered in the past. A vicious cycle.

Malaysia boleh!

Overnight celebrity?

I first saw this photo in the Sun papers. Unfortunately, i couldn't find it online. Until just now. I got it from this blog - Omong. Check it out!

This is an interesting photo - you have just told the entire world that you have been a victim of sodomy. You go to the police station to do the unpleasant task of reliving every single detail of the alleged sodomy.

Then you leave the station and are greeted by a barrage of reporters - you put on a wide smile and raise a clenched fist - like yes, i did it!

Strange, don't you think?

Malaysia boleh!

Less equal than others

KUALA LUMPUR: A recent statement by Pasir Salak MP Datuk Tajudin Abdul Rahman in Dewan Rakyat has sparked the ire of some and the MCA will be sending a complaint letter to the Deputy Prime Minister seeking disciplinary action.

MCA Youth secretary-general Dr Wee Ka Siong said the movement, together with Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Youth and the Federation of Malaysian Clans and Guilds Youth Associations, condemned the statement by Datuk Tajudin that all non-Malays were descendants of immigrants to Malaysia.

Read the report here.

Tajudin*

People like Six-Million-Dollar-Man Tajudin and Hamidah Osman must be glad that the news these days have been distracted with allegations against Anwar and Najib - and their racist statements have taken a back seat.

Tajudin was quoted saying that not long after it was reported that he is not agreeable "...to increase the ratio of scholarships to non-bumiputra students" (see here).

So do "descendants of immigrants" have lessor rights? Aren't all Malaysians equal? Or are some are just more equal than the rest? After 50 years of independence, the racial divide is still pronounced. We are still Malays, Chinese, Indians etc., not Malaysians.

Here's something said by a BN MP (of which i am in full agreement with):-

Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn (BN - Alor Gajah) said the initiatives outlined in the Ninth Malaysia Plan to counter socio-economic imbalances among the people should not be ethnic-based.

He added that the Government should instead tackle the problem of socio-economic inequalities in areas where the problem persisted.

“The Government should do away with ethnic-based poverty eradication programmes and focus directly on the target groups such as the poor in the rural and urban areas, where the majority comprised the Malays and bumiputras in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.

Dr. Fong*

That makes so much sense - help those who are really in need!!!

Oh, by the way, the Malays were not the original inhabitants of this land. They too were descendants of "immigrants", aren't they?

Malaysia boleh!

*Pics taken from Wikipedia

Anytime you need a friend

Well, well, well - we've got a really nice and caring DPM!!!

KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan met with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the latter’s home to seek his view a few days before he lodged a police report against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

In disclosing this yesterday, Najib who described Saiful as traumatised, said he listened and was sceptical about the accusation at first.

...

“There’s no conspiracy. Actually, this boy came to me to complain that he was sodomised by Anwar.

“I saw him as genuine because he looked so frightened. His hands were cold.

“I advised him to make his own decision, and he decided to tell me everything on what had happened.

...

Asked what Saiful had told him, Najib said: “A lot. The stories are many."

Read the report here.

Wow!!! So if you are having any problems, or are traumatised, and have no one to talk to, just call on our DPM. Don't worry if you think you are a nobody and that he doesn't know you personally. He'll make time for you! After all, as was stated in the above report, our DPM said “He [Saiful] just came for help and he never met me when he came to the office...”.

He'll take time off his busy schedule and listen to all your sad stories. And he'll even hold your hand (i guess so since he could say that Saiful's hands were cold)!

Of course there'll be some who pour scorn over this and doubt the genuineness of our DPM. They'd ask why would Saiful want to talk to him over this matter? Perhaps the DPM had a part to play in the allegations? Well, which is more believable?

No matter how busy he is, he'll take time to listen to a stranger's problems - and hold his hand! (Pic taken from the Star)

Malaysia boleh!

Drama Minggu Ini*

If someone were to try to submit a screenplay based on the events in the past week or two, they would be thrown out. Too unbelievable.

But then again, life can be stranger than fiction. If only we knew what is going on in the background, i'm sure it would make an even much more interesting story. As it is, conspiracy theories abound.

In case you have been living under a shell in M'sia for the past couple of weeks - or you are not in Bolehland - and have no idea what i am talking about, i'm referring to the events that have rocked our nation in recent times. Allegations against 2 men who are in the running for the position of Prime Minister are coming fast and furious. They are implicated for crimes - and of course, sex is involved. Every day, new matter surfaces - i was almost disappointed this morning to wake up and find that nothing new or juicy made the headlines.

The latest however is that Bala has disappeared!!!! Yes, the very PI who dropped a bombshell by implicating the DPM in a statutory declaration which basically says that the DPM is a blatant and outright liar and suggest bigger involvement in an on-going murder case. Less than 24 hours later, he appeared in the news again, this time retracting his earlier SD, alleging it was made under duress.

So the conspiracy theorists are at it again - yes, the first SD was just a pack of lies and made under duress. No, the second SD was made under duress. Well, the nature of the SD are such that one is clearly a full of bullsh*t. Which one? Anybody's guess.

Take a look at these 2 photos (taken from the Star).

The first was taken when the 1st SD was made public. The 2nd was taken after the 2nd SD was announced to the press. From these 2 pics, which SD do you think was made under duress? I have my own private views, which shall remain just that - private!

In any event, we can't be 100% sure for now, can we? What we are sure of is that Bala is screwed. It is no wonder he has 'disappeared'.

If only we could have witnessed what took place in that short span of time between the first and second SD - now that would make an interesting movie. Was he so racked with guilt that he decided to come clean? The thought of destroying an innocent man's life, reputation and career really ate him up? Or was he pressured and finally gave in to threats and acted out of duress? Perhaps the 'dossier' on him which was kept under lock and key (and retina eye-scan) was summoned immediately after the first SD and used?

In some ways, i pity him - he is just another victim in this whole drama. Or is he?

Malaysia boleh!

*Literally translated as "This week's drama", this used to be the title of a local TV drama.

How rude!

LAST week, a burglar broke into my home. Fortunately, my scream sent him fleeing. I called the police station to report what had happened.

Two policemen arrived about 15 minutes later. I informed them that the burglar had taken my bunch of keys. They looked around and then asked me to go to the police station to file a report.

Since I live alone, I reminded them that the burglar stole my bunch of keys and that he could return at any time.

The policeman called his superior and, after a short conversation, handed me the phone and asked me to talk to his superior.

His superior rudely informed me that the policemen couldn’t wait at my house till daybreak and told me to get a new padlock, and then go to the police station. Where on earth could I find a new padlock at 3am?

I’ve heard tales of unhelpful, rude and inefficient policemen. What happened that morning proved that there is truth in all those tales.

It’s little wonder that the PDRM has such a bad reputation. They’re insensitive and unhelpful. Aren’t they trained to handle such situations?

MAZLIZA OTHMAN,

Seri Kembangan.

Letter sent to the Star and published here.

Well, this is only one side to the story and the cops involved should be given an opportunity to giuve theirs. However, i believe that many reading this letter would not be surprised. I for one have encountered many a rude cop. When they see me in simple clothes, they will not show any respect at all. It doesn't help that people say that i look like a student. When i was a practising lawyer, they would be all polite and friendly when they see me dressed up in court - but i see the very same fellas being rude to the poor and uneducated who had the misfortune of having to appear in court.

I could go on and on with stories of rude cops. I know a lot of people who have encountered rude cops. So much so that when one actually meets a polite cop, it is such a huge and pleasant surprise and it really makes one's day! But that's quite sad isn't it?

Malaysia boleh!

Do not interfere!!!

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will issue a note to the United States embassy to protest the country's statement warning against any "politically-motivated" investigation into PKR de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said this was because the statement was tantamount to an attempt by the United States to meddle in the country's domestic affairs.

"This is a statement which I perceive as an attempt to meddle in our administration. We have our own government, our own laws and our own enforcement.

"We know what we will have to do to ensure all due process in the law is implemented fairly and nobody is ill-treated or threatened. This is our objective and our practice.

(Emphasis added)

Read the entire report here.

Nobody is ill-treated or threatened? As i remember, the last time Anwar was accused of a similar crime, he ended up being beaten while under custody!!! By none other than the highest ranking police officer of the land at that time!!!

All due process of law is implemented fairly? In a country where judges can be brokered and arranged???

Anyway, here is what was reportedly said by the US State Department:-

Tom Casey, spokesman for the US State Department, is quoted as saying:

"The main point for us is that the rule of law needs to stand above politics. And we would certainly oppose any use of law enforcement or judicial procedures for anything other than legitimate purposes of the law."

Adding that Anwar had faced similar charges in the past and his conviction was overturned, Casey added, "So, we would hope that there's not a pattern here.

"But, certainly, we would be concerned that anything that is done be done in a way that is appropriate, that is a legitimate investigation of charges that might exist under Malaysian law, and would not be anything that was a politically motivated investigation or prosecution."

Taken from here.

You judge for yourself - are these statements tantamount to an attempt to meddle in the our country's administration ?

Not to be outdone, the Deputy PM also had to comment about it - and not any better either. Here's what he said (source: the first article above):-

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the police probe into the newest police case against Anwar "was never politically motivated".

"It has never been politically motivated at all. Washington had better get their facts right," he said.

Well, if i read it correctly, Tom Casey used these words:- "...would not be anything that was a politically motivated investigation or prosecution". No, my learned DPM, he did not say it was politically motivated. Who is it that must get their facts right?

Malaysia boleh!

Who's the boss?

WHO is the boss in Parliament? That is the question on many people's mind now.

No one seems to know who ordered the ban on media access to the Parliament lobby on Tuesday, which prompted print, TV and online media to immediately unite and boycott lobby news coverage.

The ban not only caught journalists off guard but also Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abd Aziz, who is in charge of parliament affairs.

Both said they were in the dark about the ban.

Read the entire article here.

This took place last - in fact, it was one of the many incidents which prompted me to start this blog.

It is ridiculous! Reporters being banned from the Parliament lobby!!! Last week, it was allege that the reporters were apparently a threat to the security! What the...???

Now, no one wants to take the responsibility. There was a ban but no one is owning up to it. It is clear that on hindsight, it was a stupid decision. On top of that, it also caused embarrassment to the ruling party when its own members started bickering - very publicly, mind you - over it! The Minister-in-Charge of Parliament Affairs is having a war of words with the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BBC) chairman (read about it here).

Besides wondering whose brilliant idea it was to impose the ban, one wonders what prompted it in the first place. Is it because the press have not been too favourable in its reporting? It surely cannot be because they have been smuggling in weapons and bombs into the Parliament lobby.

As stated by Nanyang Siang Pau group chief editor Chong Tien Siong, “This restriction does not show respect for the work of journalists, especially in Parliament” (see here).

Malaysia boleh!

Here we go again!

Police in Malaysia say they are investigating renewed sodomy allegations against the opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim.

A 23-year-old aide to Mr Anwar is said to have filed the complaint.

Mr Anwar has denied the claim, saying it is designed to block his political resurgence after success at the polls.

The ex-deputy PM was jailed in 1998 on sodomy and corruption charges he has said were politically motivated. The sodomy conviction was later overturned.

You can read the entire report here.

The BBC News Online reported it first before the local paper, The Star did.

Well, we do not know if the new allegations are true or not - but you have to admit that the timing of it is just way too convenient... for certain people!

Malaysia boleh!

Racist politicians

Yes, this will definitely be a recurring theme on this blog. You'll see a lot of our politicians are racists. But most if not all are from one race - this is because if you say anything against them, you'll could be jailed. But if they say anything against other races, they are champions of their race.

Wait, was my statement racist? Is it still racist if it is true?

Anyway, here's what took place at the Perak State Assembly yesterday:-

One by Hamidah Osman (BN-Sungai Rapat) particularly earned the wrath of the Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen when she asked whether Sivakumar “agreed to disagree” with the well-known fable of whether a snake or a man from a certain racial community should be killed first.

Nga Kor Ming (DAP-Pantai Remis) and other Pakatan assemblymen demanded Hamidah retract her words but she maintained she was merely asking if Sivakumar “agreed to disagree” with it.

Sivakumar (The Speaker) let her off with a warning and told her not to bring up anything sensitive.

Barisan whip Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali (BN-Pengkalan Hulu) then asked her to retract her words, and she did.

Taken from here.

YB Hamidah
(Pic taken from Perak Legislative Assembly website)

Malaysia boleh!

I want your body

"The Islamic authorities in Malaysia are in dispute with the Hindu family of a man who committed suicide - with both sides claiming the body for burial.

The 34-year-old man, Elangesvaran, hanged himself on Sunday.

His Hindu family have been prevented from collecting his body from the hospital.

They say the Islamic religious department informed them that Mr Elangesvaran had converted to Islam without their knowledge and therefore must now be given a Muslim burial.

But the family says the conversion certificate is just a letter with some scribbling on it that is allegedly by Mr Elangesvaran but could be anything because there is no signature or thumbprint and no witnesses."

Read the entire report here.

So again, in Bolehland, the religious authorities don't give two hoots about you when you are alive but when you are dead and your soul no longer is around, they fight over your body!

It's bad enough that Elanesvaran's family members have to deal with his death. It's bad enough that they have to come to terms that he took his own life. At this time of grief and sorrow, the religious authorities come and add to their woes.

Malaysia boleh!