Malaysia Boleh!

Human rights violated

2011-07-10T12:15:00.000+08:00

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) is regarded as the authority when it comes to the universal standard of civil and political rights in the world.

The substantive rights protected in it are found in Part III (Articles 6 – 27) of the Covenant.

In the past few weeks, Malaysia has violated almost all the rights contained in the ICCPR. Quite an achievement?

Article 6

1. Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.

There were many death threats made against the leaders of Bersih, especially against Ambiga. Perkasa has clearly insinuated that non-Malays will be killed when he made reference to the May 13 incident.

Yet no action seems to be taken to protect the right to life. Najib even endorse the silat group who threatened to wage war against Bersih – war meaning to go and kill.

Yesterday, an individual was reported to have died while trying to run away from the police shooting tear gas in his direction.

Article 7

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The detainees under the Emergency Ordinance have given evidence of how they have been tortured and treated inhumanely while in custody.

Article 9

1. Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law.

Clear example will be again those held under the EO. And the many others arrested today.

Article 10

1. All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.

See Article 7 above.

Article 12

1. Everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall, within that territory, have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence.

91 people including the leaders of Bersih have had this freedom restricted.

Article 13

An alien lawfully in the territory of a State Party to the present Covenant may be expelled therefrom only in pursuance of a decision reached in accordance with law and shall, except where compelling reasons of national security otherwise require, be allowed to submit the reasons against his expulsion and to have his case reviewed by, and be represented for the purpose before, the competent authority or a person or persons especially designated by the competent authority.

This needs to be verified but I heard that a foreigner has been deported due to allegations of his/her involvement in funding Bersih.

Article 14

1. All persons shall be equal before the courts and tribunals. In the determination of any criminal charge against him, or of his rights and obligations in a suit at law, everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.

See Article 9 above – detained without a hearing.

Article 15

1 . No one shall be held guilty of any criminal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a criminal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed.

The government has outlawed the wearing of certain t-shirts!!! How can it be a criminal offence?

Article 16

Everyone shall have the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

This is basically the right to a legal personality – which involves the right to the protection of the law and be equally protected everywhere by law and in practice. See Articles 6, 7, 9, 10, 14 above.

Article 17

1. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on his honour and reputation.

See Articles 6, 7, 9, 10 above.

Article 18

1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.

Bersih has been outlawed.

Article 19

1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.

See Article 18 above.

Article 20

1. Any propaganda for war shall be prohibited by law.
2. Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.

Propaganda for war by the silat groups against Bersih has been endorsed and supported by our PM directly and/or indirectly.

Article 21

The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

The Bersih rally had not been allowed – in fact, the police had threatened Bersih not to go on with their rally.

Article 22

1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Bersih is considered an illegal organisation.

Article 23

1. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

The right to family life of those detained (mentioned above) has not been protected.

Article 24

1. Every child shall have, without any discrimination as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property or birth, the right to such measures of protection as are required by his status as a minor, on the part of his family, society and the State.

The rights of the children of those detained have not been protected.

Article 25

Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity, without any of the distinctions mentioned in article 2 and without unreasonable restrictions:
(a) To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives;
(b) To vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors;

This is the whole purpose of Bersih! But they are not allowed to exist.

Article 26

All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law. In this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

People are discriminated because they agree with the objectives championed by Bersih.

Article 27

In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, or to use their own language

.
Ambiga has been labelled as “anti-Islam” allegedly due to the views she held about the Lina Joy’s case and other things she did when she was the President of the Bar Council.

Rights not mentioned:-

Article 8 which talks about slavery

Article 11 which talks about imprisonment for failure to fulfil a contractual obligation

Not bad - almost a clean sweep! No wonder Malaysia has continued to resist ratifying the ICCPR!

Malaysia boleh!

We facilitate illegal activities!

2011-07-06T20:48:00.005+08:00

The Home Minister* said that Bersih is still deemed illegal in this country (see here).

But the strange thing (or to a lot of us, these kind of things are not "strange" anymore) is that he said that if Bersih succeeds in applying to gather in a stadium, "the government would facilitate the gathering".

So putting it together, the conclusion is that our givernment doesn't mind facilitating what it deems to be illegal activities (activities of an illegal group should be illegal activities, no?).

Malaysia boleh!

*Him again!!! Maybe i should make a special label just for him!!!

Living up to expectations!

2011-04-16T23:40:00.007+08:00

Influential and prominent people (who speak the truth fearlessly) from entering the state.

NRICs not issued to the Penans who have suffered much - this way, they cannot vote.

Certain websites were "interfered" with.

Ceramahs cut short.

I won't mention about the postal votes, the money used to buy "stuffs", the threats etc.

Well done, BN. Once again, you lived up to expectations. And the super filthy rich person is once again the CM (one wonders tho how he gets so rich when the State is so poor in comparison despite making billions of Ringgits in timber, timber products, crude oil, natural gas, pepper).

Pic taken from the Star Online

Malaysia boleh!

Oops... i stamped it!

2011-03-18T09:54:00.004+08:00

"(Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein) said his officials had no intention to deface the bibles."

Pic taken from MI

The line is taken from this following article in the MI - Hisham: Alkitab stamping standard move.

I actually read this interview in The Star - but when i looked for it again, it had been amended (see here).

I initially wondered if it was a mistake - or was someone told not to publish it. I am thinking it is the latter.

But this is utter nonsense!!!! No intention???? So is he saying that his officials are so thick that they stamped the Bibles recklessly? But there were over 5,000 copies if i am not mistaken! Negligently? Accidentally????

Malaysia boleh!

Anti-rasuah?

2010-09-21T20:31:00.004+08:00

I hate corrupt cops!!!!!!!

Really?

This is a true account. I was driving home from outstation today. My sister was driving her car and she was directly behind me all the way until this incident took place.

Somewhere along the highway, there was a police road block. I slowed down and the cop signaled for me to go. I drove off, expecting my sister to be told the same thing. But no!!!!! The cop told her to pull her car over to the road side.

Now here is what happened - the cop told her that she was speeding in a 80 km/h stretch along the highway. Now there was no such stretch along the part of the highway that we traveled on. I am sure of it as i kept an eye out for the speed limit all the time. My brother who was in my sister's car also did not notice such a stretch. My sister was sure there was no such stretch too.

But the cop insisted that she was speeding along the 80 km/h stretch. My sister pointed out that i was ahead of her all the time but yet they did not pull me over. He ignored that.

Seeing that there was no way and no point to argue, my sister told him to just issue her the summons. He refused and told her to drive off!!!!!

This is purely my personal take on the incident - my sister was not speeding and the cop was trying to get her to bribe him. Think about it:-

My brother, my sister and i did not notice such a 80 km/h stretch along that part of the highway. I have also driven pass that stretch many times and never noticed it;

If there was indeed such a stretch, and if my sister was speeding, then it would mean that i was too. So why wasn't i pulled over and my offense pointed out? I think it could be because I was driving a car with the license plate of that particular state we were driving in while my sister's car's license plate was from another state. So perhaps, the cop thought he could fool her as she was from out of the state but could not fool me?

If my sister indeed was speeding, then why didn't he issue her a summons when she did not want to argue with him anymore? Was he scared that we would contest the matter in court and he would have to show proof of such a stretch and that my sister was speeding?

My sister was not speeding. My personal view is that the cop was looking for a bribe, thinking that since she was from another state, she would have wanted an easy way out. Well, my sister had principles - but i dun think that the cop did.

This angered me so much - with the high number of crimes reported in our country, policemen appear to me to be setting up road blocks along the highway to try to get bribes instead of doing real police work.

Malaysia boleh!

Interference (?)

2010-09-14T15:31:00.005+08:00

The former Inspector-General of Police of Malaysia (the top cop of the country) said that there was excessive interference in police work. He was quoted saying "All kinds of people interfere. People from the ministry itself, outsiders and people with vested interest who want to do things that are not right". He went on to say "The ministry I mentioned is the Home Ministry, of course".

Pic obtained from UMNO online

The Home Ministry interfering with the police?

Well, dun take my word for it - the top cop should know best! Read the news report here.

The Secretary General of the Home Ministry has denied this in a later news report (see here).

OK. Something is not right here. I do not know what is the real story but it HAS to be one of these:-

1. The former IGP is a liar; or
2. The Sec-Gen of the Home Ministry is a liar; or
3. The Sec-Gen has no idea of the interference that is going on; or
4. The former IGP had been mistaken.

I can't think of any other possibilities. Can you? Let me know - it'll be appreciated.

The first 3 possibilities are worrying. The last one? Well, worrying too - the IGP has been serving all this time under the impression of there being interference by the government?

Malaysia boleh!

Learning = anti-constitution?

2010-09-10T17:36:00.005+08:00

Kelab Belia Graduan 1Malaysia lodged a police report recently against the Bar Council. It was regarding its MyConstitution campaign and distribution of the accompanying Rakyat Guide (RG) booklets that describe the Constitution in simple, layman terms.

There was a comment about it in today's newspaper - "The Citizen and the Constitution". You can read it here. here is an excerpt from that article:-

"Its (the Kelab) secretary-general Ezaruddin Abd Rahman said they were concerned the RGs that were being distributed to the public and available over the Internet (www.perlembagaanku.com) touched on ways to amend the Constitution".

Ezaruddin (taken from the club's website)

Yes, that's true. So what is wrong with that?

Worse still, how is it "inciting hatred and feelings of being “anti” the Constitution and rejecting it as being irrelevant today"?

I only want echo the writer's last line - "A campaign giving people knowledge and helping them to think for themselves is certainly not sedition".

Are they afraid that people will start learning their rights and begin to exercise it? Is that not a good thing - or do they feel threatened by it?

It appears then that this Kelab think that helping people learn their rights under the law is sedition.

Oh, go to the Kelab's website and see who is the Club's patron:-

Malaysia boleh!

A lawyer?

2010-08-26T23:38:00.003+08:00

Is it any surprise that the witness asked if he was really a lawyer (see here).

But apparently, he is. He is a Deputy Public Prosecutor with over 20 years of experience!

Malaysia boleh!

Forced patriotism

2010-08-25T12:03:00.000+08:00

It's gonna be the Independence Day celebration here in Malaysia soon. You'll be seeing the Malaysian flag all over the place, giving the impression of the spirit of patriotism.

Pic taken from The Star

But does it really reflect how the people feel? I would think most of the people who fly the flag are doing so not because they are patriotic. I have my reasons to think so. I for one will have to admit and confess that in all my adult life, i never felt the urge to fly the flag.

But there is now proof that some people are forced to fly the flag. Traders were told to fly the flag or lose their trading license!!!!! No kidding. You can read the report here.

I am told that this ~~threat~~ directive has been withdrawn. If it has, it still does not change the fact that we've got leaders who think in this manner!!!

I have to say that with all due respect, the Ipoh mayor has really lost the plot. What is the purpose of flying the flag? There are things which you cannot force people to do - for it would lose its meaning and be pointless. Like you cannot force someone to love you.

Missed the point!

But this is how it is in this country. If the leaders want the people to show their love for the country, they threaten the people!!!!!

Malaysia boleh!

Bullet

2010-08-17T01:59:00.004+08:00

PJ Utara MP, Tony Pua received a death threat recently:-

Pics taken from The Malay Mail online

"Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said police believed the threat could be over Pua's statement calling for the abolishment of the bumiputra discount for houses costing more than RM500,000 and commercial property costing more than RM2mil" (taken from The Star newspaper - read the report here).

If the police are right, then it is really sad. Such discounts are clearly acts of discrimination - some may say racism as it (arguably) considers people of a race more superior.

In our country, when someone speaks out against discrimination, they get a death threat.

Maybe i may get one too...

Malaysia boleh!

A note, a statement and many questions

2010-08-10T15:12:00.008+08:00

How are you gonna justify this? (Pic taken from online)

I have reproduced here the statement made by the Attorney General and published in The Star today. I have also asked certain questions which i hope - but doubt - will be answered satisfactorily.

IN Teoh Beng Hock’s death inquiry today, the officers representing the Public Prosecutor, in assisting the said inquiry, intended to put in a note found in the deceased’s sling bag which contains an indication that may throw some light regarding his death.

However, the existence of the note was disputed on the grounds of delay in disclosure, failure to furnish a copy of the said note to the counsel representing the deceased’s family and suppression of evidence by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers vehemently denies any suppression of evidence (and) instead was equally startled when the discovery of the note was made known and thereafter caused further investigation to be carried out.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers was informed of the discovery of the note by the investigating officer, ASP Ahmad Nazri bin Zainal, on Oct 7, 2009, some two over months after Teoh Beng Hock’s death.

So at their own admission, they knew of this note for around 10 months (around 300 plus days) but only decide to reveal it NOW!!!! Why??????

According to the investigating officer, it was not found when he first searched the deceased’s sling bag after the incident.

Not found???? So how did it mysteriously and miraculously appear then? Why should we even bother about it?

The note was immediately translated and there was sufficient cause to send it to be analysed by a document examiner of the Chemistry Department.

The said note was sent on Oct 9, 2009 and subsequently on Oct 20, 2009.

The document examiner prepared his reports and they were considered by the Attorney-General himself where the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, was not convinced of the authenticity of the note due to insufficient samples to verify the handwritings, in particular the Chinese characters.

So if he was not convinced then, why is he trying to tender it now?

In addition, the note was said to be discovered some two over months after the death and that this would raise suspicion over its authenticity and discovery.

I FULLY agree with this statement! Very, very suspicious. So again, why??????

Having considered these factors, Tan Sri Abdul Gani was of the view that the note should not be tendered until and unless the investigating officer could provide satisfactory explanation as to its discovery.

So by wanting to tender it now, can i conclude that the IO provided a satisfactory explanation? Still, if he did, then why wait til now???? Did it take him SO LONG to come up with an explanation? More suspicious...

As regards the note, the Attorney-General’s Chambers was earlier briefed by the investigating officer that he conducted a thorough search after being advised by the psychiatric (sic) that ordinarily there would be a note left in a suicide case.

However, recently, the investigating officer owned up by admitting that he did in fact find the note when he searched the sling bag on July 17, 2009 but did not realise the significance of it as there were other documents found and that they were written in both Chinese and Roman characters.

Wait a minute - so he discovered it when he searched the bag? Teoh's body was found on the 16th June 2009. Why was his bag only searched by the IO 1 MONTH LATER??? If this was not the first time he searched the bag, i asked the same question i did earlier - how did the note suddenly appear?????

And the IO did not realise the significance of it????? Why??? The AG's statement said he did not realise it "as there were other documents found". WHAT?????????????? And the IO did not realise it could have been significant because it was "written in both Chinese and Roman characters"?????? So? Is it because he did not understand it? How and why could he have not bothered with it????????

As a result of this, the Attorney-General decided to put the note in and directed the investigating officer to explain this in court to avoid any repercussion in future and let the coroner decide on its weight after considering the explanation by the investigating officer and the document examiner’s report.

Therefore, there is no suppression or withholding of evidence and that the decision for not tendering it earlier was made based on the document examiner’s report as well as the discovery of the note which gave rise to suspicion.

If the decision not to tender it earlier was for those reasons, so WHY is the AG tendering it only NOW?????? What has happened since then????????

The Attorney-General’s Chambers will tender a document as evidence only and until it is satisfied that any shroud of suspicion surrounding it is lifted.

Unfortunately, all this only raises more suspicion.

Jabatan Peguam Negara
9 August 2010

I teach my students every year that it is only in the movies that you see lawyers tendering important letters late in a court case, catching everyone by surprise. From next year onwards, i will have to tell my students this only happens in movies AND in Malaysia.

Malaysia boleh!

A slap on the wrist

2010-07-28T13:54:00.005+08:00

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!

1805

2010-07-20T00:08:00.001+08:00

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!

Jail is the safest place

2010-07-19T23:39:00.005+08:00

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!

Endorsing racism?

2010-07-14T13:09:00.006+08:00

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!

Yes means no?

2010-07-06T09:29:00.004+08:00

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!

Why? Well, why not?!

2010-05-30T22:09:00.005+08:00

Prof Ramlah Adam from UiTM asked “Why challenge the NEP which was working so well?” You can read about it here.

Well, why not, i ask? After all, isn't the NEP unfair? Isn't it based on principles of discrimination? Doesn't it offend basic human rights principles? I would answer all these in the affirmative - and think that that itself is good enough reason to challenge it.

Furthermore and/or in the alternative, i would like to ask the learned prof what makes her think it is 'working so well'? Is it because it benefits the people of the Malay race and she is from that race? Perhaps she is not in a position to make such a decision then. (Altho some think that altho it attempts to help the Malays, it doesn't in reality. Not for all of them).

Anyways, if it really has been working so well, why do we need to keep it anymore? If it worked so well, it should have achieved its goals long ago.

Malaysia boleh!

Promises fulfilled

2010-04-29T08:42:00.003+08:00

So the promise has been fulfilled. What promise? "Najib made a pledge to approve the allocation (of RM3 million) for the school (SRJK (C) Rasa)a day after the by-election on Sunday, provided the Barisan won".

You can read about it here.

Wait a minute - he promises before the b(u)y-election that he will give the voters RM3 million if his party wins???? I dun have to have comment much. Res ipsa loquitor - the facts speak for themselves.

When some innocent person heard about this, she immediately asked if they can do such a thing. It sounds so wrong. I agree. Doesn't it sound so wrong?

If BN is truly concerned for the people there, they would give the money irrespective whether BN wins or not. BN is after all the ruling government.

What kind of ruling government do we have? They will only help the people if they win. If they dun, NO HELP (like the RM3 million) would be given!

A lot have told me that this is politics. Yeah, i know. And i'm glad i'm not involved in it.

The MCA (a component party of the BN) President (Dr. Chua) was quoted in the aforementioned news report to have said that "the Prime Minister’s action proved that the Barisan had not dangled the allocation as a 'bargaining tool' to fish for votes in Hulu Selangor".

I'm afraid i cannot comprehend his allegation. Sure, the PM kept his promise - but how does that not prove it was not used as a 'bargaining tool' (some might even say a bribe)? Doesn't it just confirms it?

Malaysia boleh!

Reckless

2010-02-19T21:33:00.002+08:00

It was reported today that Road Transport Department (JPJ) director-general Datuk Solah Mat Hassan was 'shocked' at the 'lawless behaviour of motorists'.

You can read the news report here.

I was curious as to what are the terrible things the motorists are doing to shocked Datuk Solah. As i read the article, i was shocked myself - but more at Daruk Solah's reaction!!!

Among the things that were allegedly shocking were drivers overtaking along double lines or jumped queue using the emergency lane or the road shoulder.

Among other things pointed out were failure to stop at traffic lights, drivers using their handphones and failure to buckle up or motorcyclists who failed to put on a helmet.

I was like 'Hello????' I see these things happen on almost a daily basis!

It is surprising that Datuk Solah was shocked - and it is really sad that drivers in Malaysia drive in such a reckless way.

Malaysia boleh!

Caned for what?

2010-02-18T10:03:00.004+08:00

Malaysia made it to BBC News Online again - and as usual, it was not in a flattering light. The headlines read "Malaysia Canes Three Women For Extra-Marital Sex". You can read it here.

It was reported in the local papers here.

Please do not get me wrong - i am NOT blogging to comment about the Syariah Law. I am merely commenting on what Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein was quoted saying regarding this matter in the local news article linked above.

Here is what was reported:-

Hishammuddin said he decided to bring to public attention the punishment meted to the three women because there had been "too much hype" over Kartika’s sentence.

"People are saying that no woman has been caned before and that Kartika should not be caned.

"Today I am announcing that we have already done it."

Pic taken form The Star Online

Earlier in the news report, it was said that the 3 women "...were the first women in Malaysia to receive such punishment under syariah law".

Wait a minute. It seems to me then that these unfortunate 3 women were caned so that people cannot complain against Kartika's sentence (who has been sentenced to caning for drinking beer). Now, according to the Home Minister, no one can say that 'no woman has been caned before'.

When i teach my students on the purposes of punishments imposed by law, it is never a reason that it is to prevent others from complaining about another's sentence!

Malaysia boleh!

Condemned for following the law

2010-02-16T21:09:00.004+08:00

A huge banner put up by the country's ruling party which had a photo of the current PM was removed by the council workers. The reason is simple - they did not obtain a permit to put up the the banner.

You can read the entire news report here.

Pic obtained from The Star

So what was the response? The local council was condemned for following the law! Even the headlines of the report read as 'Removal of Klang Banner Condemned'.

The State Government (which happens to be run by the opposition party - this has probably nothing to do with the condemnation...???) has been accused of 'overreacting'.

Datuk Ti Lian Ker (pic left, obtained from his blog) alleged that their act was one of 'arrogance' and a 'display of power'.

My question to the learned Datuk is since when does the adherence of the law amount to arrogance? Do we not as Malaysian citizens believe in the 'Rule of Law' (Kedaulatan Undang-Undang)?

The learned Datuk alleged that "... the act was not in the spirit of cooperation between the local, state or federal authorities". Does this mean that the spirit of cooperation involves not enforcing the law or disregarding the law? Does this apply to everyone or just the federal government?

The learned Datuk Ti went on to talk about things like spirit of peace, harmony and so on, and promotion of respect, understanding and tolerance of the Chinese culture, tradition and practices etc, etc. Does this mean that the law can be broken or disregarded? Would there not be anarchy in our country if people started to not follow laws?

Please pardon me if my understanding of this is wrong.

I just wonder would it have made any difference if the positions were reversed. And would the headlines still read the same.

But the local council enforcing the law has been roundly condemned.

Malaysia boleh!

So emotional

2010-02-06T18:02:00.005+08:00

So many things have been going on in this country that i have given up talking about it.

But i think i'll start again.

It's about a report i read in today's papers entitled "Protesters burn effigy of Lim" (read the report here).

Pic taken from The Star

I have much to say about this - but i will refrain. Save for one matter. The report quoted Penang deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm (1) Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah saying that "no arrests were made at the scene as emotions were running high among the protesters" (quote from the papers, not a direct quote from him).

Tun Hisan on the left (Pic taken from The Star)

I was like "What....??????"

So no one was arrested because the police were perhaps afraid??? Is that a proper basis to decide whether or not to arrest anyone???? Should it not be based on whether the person has committed an arrestable act???

Well, here is a tip for people in Penang who are planning to commit crimes - when cops come, just let yr emotions run high - and u may end up not getting arrested!

Malaysia boleh!

Thou shalt not question (Part 2)!

2009-05-27T18:19:00.004+08:00

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin has called on all parties to stop questioning the status and position of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)... .
“Thus I would like to urge, let there be no one who question the status and position of UiTM”.

You can read the whole report here.

For those who do not know, UiTM only allow people of a certain race to be students in that institution. This of course has been a major complaint of a lot of people! Does this not appear to be blatant discrimination?

In the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, racial discrimination is defined in Article 1 as:-

any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.

So clearly on the international level, this is racial discrimination. What is the justification? In typical Malaysian fashion, none is given and instead, his majesty, the King of the country simply tells us all not to question.

Malaysia boleh!

Thou shalt not question!

2009-05-24T19:06:00.000+08:00

BTN course teaches disunity
AS parents we are glad that our grown up children attend the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) course, which is compulsory for government servants. They are all mature professionals.
But what angers me is that, instead of talking integrity, unity and harmony among the various races, participants are taught about disunity and racial hatred. Is this what our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib wants for 1MALAYSIA?

Throughout the five days of the course, participants are repeatedly told not to question Malay rights and so on. The course coordinators keep talking about social contracts and telling non-Malays not to question Malay rights and so on.

Many participants, including my Malay friends, are upset.

Are we still living in a primitive age? If the BTN course is to be conducted in this manner, it is better to abolish it or let it concentrate on only one ethnic group.

The course is not bringing unity but only arousing anger and hatred.

As it is handled by the Prime Minister’s office, please do not say that they do not know what is going on.

DISAPPOINTED,
Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

Reproduced from here.

Malaysia boleh!

Biased Bar

2009-05-23T14:53:00.003+08:00

The Bar Council’s actions seem to be slanted and their position on certain issues does not seem fair lately, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.

He said for instance, the call by the Council for the Human Rights Commission to conduct a public inquiry into the arrest of five Legal Aid Centre lawyers at a police station recently seemed inappropriate.

Read the full report here.

So the DPM is accusing the Bar Council of being biased. So shall we listen to the views of a politician or do we trust in the independent body made up of the legal minds of the country? Just because the Bar Council does not agree with the actions taken by the government does not mean that they are not acting fairly. If the government wants the Bar Council to agree with their actions, perhaps the government should act fairly in the interest of justice and righteousness.

The Bar is biased? Yes, i think so. It is biased towards justice and fairness.

Malaysia boleh!

Hero!

2008-11-15T08:30:00.003+08:00

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

2008-11-11T21:50:00.003+08:00

“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?

2008-11-11T21:38:00.004+08:00

“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!

2008-11-08T11:20:00.001+08:00

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

2008-10-19T22:03:00.004+08:00

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?

2008-09-22T22:41:00.005+08:00

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?

2008-09-16T23:02:00.004+08:00

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

2008-09-15T23:16:00.004+08:00

The facts speaks for itself. Something is not right.

Malaysia boleh!

Not very intelligent intelligence?

2008-09-15T23:00:00.002+08:00

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

2008-09-15T22:52:00.002+08:00

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!

2008-09-13T17:36:00.001+08:00

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.

He admits that she did not do anything wrong - she was just doing her job.
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

2008-09-13T00:13:00.002+08:00

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

2008-09-12T10:41:00.005+08:00

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

2008-09-08T01:26:00.002+08:00

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

2008-09-06T10:35:00.004+08:00

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

2008-09-02T13:06:00.005+08:00

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

2008-08-09T20:10:00.006+08:00

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!

2008-08-06T20:02:00.003+08:00

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

2008-07-27T23:27:00.003+08:00

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?

2008-07-26T17:43:00.005+08:00

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!

2008-07-22T21:37:00.004+08:00

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

2008-07-12T01:29:00.004+08:00

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?

The MP of Kinabatangan, Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin, is a LIAR!!!!!
The MP of Kinabatangan, Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin, is disrespectful to the august parliament house;
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!!!!

2008-07-11T08:52:00.004+08:00

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

2008-07-08T20:31:00.004+08:00

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?

2008-07-05T21:09:00.005+08:00

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

2008-07-05T20:46:00.006+08:00

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

2008-07-05T20:16:00.005+08:00

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*

2008-07-05T19:10:00.006+08:00

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!

2008-07-03T10:11:00.003+08:00

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!!!

2008-07-01T21:34:00.006+08:00

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?

2008-06-29T20:46:00.003+08:00

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!

2008-06-29T20:35:00.004+08:00

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

2008-06-28T10:58:00.006+08:00

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

2008-06-27T22:48:00.001+08:00

"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!