Wednesday, July 28, 2010

A slap on the wrist

Last year, a group of men did something totally disrespectful and utterly disgusting - they brought a cow's head to protest against the relocation of a Hindu temple.


Pic taken from Malaysian insider

To most of us, it would not be so bad. Furthermore, everyone has a right to voice their opinion - but it was the manner they went about doing it. A cow is sacred to Hindus. what they did was surely contemptuous.

Rightly, they were charged under the Sedition Act. Eyzva Ezhar Ramly, 31 was charged under the Section 4(1)(a) of the Sedition Act 1948 for “inciting racial animosity with carrying a cow-head”. Mohd Azmir was also charged under the same act for carrying and stepping on a cow-head with “the intention to create racial tension” (see here).

They both pleaded guilty. Therefore, Azmir admitted that he INTENDED TO CREATE RACIAL TENSION.

When i heard the news, i asked some of my students how much they would sentence these people if they were the judges, bearing in mind the charge involved 'intention' and not a strict liability offence. Most said around 5 years in prison. They were all shocked to hear that Eyzva only got one month while Azmir got off with a fine of around 600 quid!!!!

WHAT??????????????????????????????????????????????

This is a serious offence!!!!! They INTENDED to offend and provoke racial tension. A lot of people were asking if it would have been the same a group of Indians or Chinese were to offend the sensitivities of the Muslims. Do you think they would be let off this lightly. i doubt it.

The learned(?) Judge even had the cheek to say "In a multiracial country, we need to take care of the sensitivity of others" (see here). But then she lets them off lightly? Do you think this will serve as a lesson to them? Yes, it's a lesson that if i want to offend and cause racial tension in Malaysia by provoking the Hindus, i will get off lightly.

This is all the more a mockery of our justice system when one considers that Eyzva has got a criminal record and not a first time offender.

Furthermore the rest of those involved were let off. It was reported as follows:-

Defence counsel Afifuddin Hafifi, in applying to the court to acquit and discharge the four, said: “The culprits (Eyzva Ezhar and Mohd Azmir) have pleaded guilty, hence there is no reason for the prosecution to pursue the case.”

Right!!!! So if 10 people went and murder a family, killing them all, and 3 of them has been found guilty, it is ok to let off the rest. There is 'no reason' to pursue the case. What bullsh*t. if they are guilty of a crime, they should be punished accordingly.

But the judge agreed. It was reported that they were all hugging each other in joy (see here) - celebrating no doubt that in Malaysia, you can get off for certain offences!!!!

Malaysia boleh!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

1805

Today, we know from a ministerial reply in Parliament and subsequent cases that, between 2003 and 16th July 2009, there were 1805 deaths in custody. This translates into an average of 3 deaths every 4 days. And if the trend continues, even as you are reading this, another body is probably being sent to the morgue and with formalities dispensed with, it becomes yet another body packed up, wrapped up and buried, never to be seen or mentioned again.
(Excerpt taken from here).


The memorial which was held last Saturday

3 deaths in custody every 4 days!!!!!!

Malaysia boleh!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Jail is the safest place

So what happens if your safety is threatened? If you believe some people are going to abduct you? You have a very good reason for believing that. After all, you have accused their people for torturing you (see here).

So what can you do?

Lodge a police report.

Done that.

Go to the courts to apply for a protection order.

Done that.

The results? The police apparently haven't finished their investigations. the court apparently has no power.

So for N Tharmendran, the only option is for him to to go jail!!!!!! You can read all about it here.


Pic obtained from The Star
Malaysia boleh!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Endorsing racism?

So Malaysia has a racist association (meaning it is legal!!!!) - Perkasa. Everyone know about them - and both government and opposition MPs have been speaking out against them.

Perkasa basically tries to champion the rights of the Malay race. This is blatantly discrimination and even racist!

So it was shocking that when a suggestion to for an association to champion the rights of the Chinese race, the Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin said that the people are free to do so!

“We can have Chinese Perkasa and even Indian Perkasa,” he was quoted to have said!!!! You can read about it here.

Shocking! The DPM allowing people to form racist associations. Surely this is against what the government has been saying all along - 1Malaysia. Why segregate the people further? Are we not all Malaysians? Should not everyone then have equal rights? Why do we need associations to fight for the rights of particular race groups?

In fact, in the article linked above, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz has been quoted to say that such a suggestion is “ridiculous,” saying a Chinese Perkasa would only fan racial tension.

He said also that it does not gel with the PM’s 1 Malaysia concept.


Sir, you just endorse something which is ridiculous, will fan racial tension and which does not gel with the PM's view!
No, i din say that - one of your ministers did.


So a minister is contracting the Deputy Prime Minister, saying that the DPM is endorsing something which is ridiculous, will fan racial tension and did not gel with what the PM has said earlier. The funny thing is that i dun think he know wat he did!!!!! He was just criticising the idea without knowing the fact that the DPM endorsed it.


Did he say that what our DPM said is ridiculous and does not gel with what the PM wants?

Malaysia boleh!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Yes means no?

The Bible Society of Malaysia had a shipment of Al-Kitabs (Bibles in the Malay language) held at Port Klang.



On the 17th June 2010, I have been informed that they received a letter from KDN (The Home Ministry) which translated reads as follows:

"This is to inform that after due consideration given to your request, the KDN Putrajaya has made the decision to release the said publication."

However, when they went to KDN Port Klang on the 24th June 2010 to collect the bibles, they were told that the bibles are to be released only to be returned to the exporter. The writer of the letter, Encik Suniranto said that another letter will be issued.

Malaysia boleh!