Azmi Sharom- The Man with the Tochang and His Ideas ....

(He once mentioned at an anti-ISA gathering at MBPJ (at the height of the "Free RPK" movement, that he hopes that the new complex being built in Kamunting for "Hotel Kamunting" will have a gym ......)

Azmi Sharom, human being
Written by straits-mongrel

Dr Azmi Sharom will speak this evening (Sat, Oct 30) at this month's SABM Dinner Lecture, an event that is sold out. A couple of months earlier, we met the man in his office at Universiti Malaya in the hope of uncovering what makes this soul tick

Candid: A scowl begins to escape when Azmi talks about racism.

YOU know him as the law academic with the semi-tochang hairstyle, those piercing eyes framed in black plastic; eyes that can burn a bigot in a flash. You probably remember his bold pieces in Brave New World, his fortnightly column in The Star (The Real Social Contract, We must never allow the mob to rule, Under Threat? What Threat?).

One of academia's few good men, many say. He's a brave one, echo others.

The man rolls his eyes. "What's so extreme about what I do anyway? Look, the stuff that matter to me - human rights, equality, fundamental liberties - these are values of a human being. I'm just being human. Being human! I don't carry a bomb, I'm not plotting a coup, I don't come anywhere near being a threat to national security."

Welcome to the world of Azmi Sharom, where in crisp humour-laced lines, it's a given that a spade is called a spade. The main question is what are you going to do about it.

"All too often we hear racists stepping up to make announcements - tuntutan ni, tuntutan tu - and we get all flustered," he observes in a frown. "We can't let these types dictate how we feel. If some bigot says 'Go back to where you belong', a whole bunch of us end up moping in one corner and feel all hurt.

"But why should we care?" he asks incredulously, his head slightly cocked.

"It should be 'We're born here. We belong here, equally as much as you. Equal, geddit?' That's how it oughta be. There's just not enough of standing up to these people. Take charge of your lives, folks.

"Sure it's not easy - there're two tiers where racism is perpetuated. One, it's in the institutions - it's embedded in government policies; you've read all about them especially in the alternative news. I needn't elaborate on that; it's boring. Two, personal attitude. This one's insidious. It lurks inside so many of us. The very same people who cry out against racism bear racist tendencies themselves. You just need to listen to conversations to know what I mean.

"We can fight both, and we should. We need to take possession of our lives again. And mean what we say, for crying out loud."

Inspiration for a good fight: Bruce Lee memorabilia tells quite a bit about the man:).

Azmi's office in the Law Faculty of University Malaya reveals an organised person - books and folders have their place yet they sit in spontaneous fashion, not ordered like soldiers. Looking about, you also catch the man's sense of humour and his life's pace - there's a South Park 60's-style alarm clock that shows 11:36 and 46 sec. It's stopped. On the wall above the door hangs another clock. It's stopped too. And Azmi doesn't wear a watch. Time has ceased being a linear arrow, it seems; what's to hurriedly measure about time anyway?

"These changes we seek, they're not going to happen overnight. But as more and more citizens get informed about human rights and equality, we will see that ethnicity doesn't matter any more.

"In my own case, it took me years to burn that away," says the Environmental Law specialist. "Today I don't give a hoot about it anymore. But it took time. I grew up in Penang. My parents are apolitical - there was no politics on the dinner table - but, you know, ethnicity is everywhere. It's always at the back of the mind, a bothersome bug.

"Of course, the good thing about growing up in Penang is you cannot date if you're a racist. I mean, Chinese girls were everywhere," his mischievous side shows.

Just souvenirs: "Hey, they are wrongful only if I use them. Nothing wrong in owning them. You got to know your rights."

The dare-to-think side of Azmi we know today was forged on foreign soil.

"My dad sent me to the UK to do my 6th Form - his personal funds by the way. Two key lessons I learned. I remember the teachers being openly critical of government policies. We were in Economics class, and the teacher was rationally ripping apart Thatcher's tax policies. I learned that there was nothing wrong with being critical. When rational it is, in fact, constructive.

"The second was getting engaged in honest conversations with other Malaysians of different background. A friend, half-Indian ethnicity, basically told me this: 'We just want to be equal'."

Sheffield University, where Azmi would go on to read Law, was also a plough to the young man's newly-tilled mind. "Sheffield was left-wing. There was a lot of discussion about fundamental justice and human rights issues. I was very exposed to different 'right' views with regards to the law. Generally, the premise was there has to be a strong sense of Justice. This I try to apply in my own teaching."

More than an education, Azmi also borrowed other aspects of Sheffield U's bohemian lifestyle. ("Guys, you got to have a life.") He jams in a band.

Loyal buddy: The guitar sits close by his desk, and there's no dust on it too.

"Please, to begin with, I don't have a band. Rather, my friends tolerate me in the group. But yes, music is a good outlet. I still play futsal too," says the man who tried one year of law practice and hated it. "I make space for recreation. Maybe it's easier for me as an academician to find the time, but hey, the lawyers have faster cars. They can get to places faster."

And as an academic in a public institution, might there be boundaries where he's prevented from venturing? "Honestly, I haven't been in a situation where I have to hold back. Of course, you need to know your rights. And your parameters. You need to stay informed."

And a parting advice for the concerned citizen: "Internalise. Really internalise the good stuff. All those questions about equality, they can only be answered by someone who truly lives by it. It's as simple as this, 'If I am a human being, how can I be treated otherwise? Equally so, how can I treat others otherwise?'."

And you realise there's really nothing extreme in what Azmi Sharom is saying. It's all fundamental.

Human being stuff.

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Now a Lawyer cannot do his JOB??!!

RMAF threatens lawyer for defending airman in jet engines theft

Lawyer N Surendran who is acting for Air Force Sergeant N Tharmendran in the jet engine theft case is now being threatened with criminal proceedings by the RMAF Chief.

This is as a result of the position taken by Tharmendran that his service with the air force has ended on 28.5.10.

The air force's own documents show that his service had ended on 28.5.10 and they had stopped paying his salary for several months after June 2010.

The air force now mischievously caims that Tharmendran is a deserter.

By a letter dated 28.10.10 to N Surendran, the air force Chief has threatened him with s.135 and 136 of Penal Code allegedly for abetting a deserter which carries a 2 year prison sentence. (Letter attached)

This is a serious and unprecedented interference with the duties of a lawyer defending his client in a criminal matter.

The RMAF Chief has also made an outrageous demand ordering Surendran to advise his client as demanded by the RMAF.

Surendran has been given 7 days to comply with the demands or face action.

Members of the Malaysian Bar do not take instructions from the Armed Forces as to what to advise their clients. This unlawful threat and demand against Surendran must be immediately withdrawn, and the Minister of Defence must answer for the actions of the Air Force Chief to the public and the Bar.

We will also be raising the matter with the Bar Council.

Released by,

Latheefa Koya
Lawyers for Liberty

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MR. IGP/ HOME MINISTER- WHERE IS K. SELVACHANDRAN?

On July 16, 2009, Teoh Beng Hock died......
Across town in a Sentul police station on that very same day,
another man died as well.
His name was R. Gunasegaran, and I believe he was beaten to death.
Today, 15 months later, I fear that the chain of events that started on that July 16 may endanger the well-being or even lives of another three men.
======================================

Arrested and beaten for testifying against cops?
~Nathaniel Tan

OCT 28 — I try not to hate cops, I really do.

I remember the ones who made an effort to get me better food than what lock-up inmates usually get. I think of those who risk life and limb to protect us every single day on the job.

Very little is to be gained, after all, from hating anyone. Or from trying to lump every member of a group as one monolithic being.

While we avoid hating people, I’m not sure it’s wrong to hate acts.

Some say hate is only one side of a coin away from love; that those who hate at least still care, and that the true attitude to worry about is indifference.

Gunasegaran and Teoh Beng Hock — Two deaths, one day

On July 16, 2009, Teoh Beng Hock died. This is an incident I hope we will never, ever forget.

Across town in a Sentul police station on that very same day, another man died as well. His name was R. Gunasegaran, and I believe he was beaten to death.

Today, 15 months later, I fear that the chain of events that started on that July 16 may endanger the well-being or even lives of another three men.

Gunasegaran was arrested in a narcotics sweep in Sentul. Two hours later, he was dead.

His sister R. Ganga Gowri, who I met for the first time this Tuesday, was understandably shocked and traumatised. She did not believe that Gunasegaran died from a “drug overdose” as reported.

She did not let her malcontent sit idle however; this lady bravely made an effort to locate other individuals who were picked up in the raid along with Gunasegaran, to find the truth about what happened on that July 16.

As you can imagine, it’s not easy to find people who are willing to talk about witnessing any criminal acts by the police (we will soon see why). It took Ganga Gowri a month of tracking down individuals and slowly getting them to talk.

One can only imagine how much work it must have taken to persuade three men, already in trouble with the law, to speak out against the police in open court. This, though, is exactly what Ganga Gowri did.

As a result of her persistence, and in what may have been a first for an inquest into a death in custody, three men finally plucked up the courage to step forward and, in a court of law, openly testified that a policeman beat a suspect.

Witnesses: Gunasegaran kicked unconscious

According to documents provided by M. Visvanathan, the lawyer who represented Gunasegaran’s family, the three men who testified are Ravi Subramaniam, Suresh M Subbaiah and K Selvachandran.

All three men testified that Gunasegaran was beaten and kicked while detained.

Ravi was made by the police to help Gunasegaran take his fingerprints and urine sample, because the latter was in too bad shape to do so himself.

Ravi then helped Gunasegaran to a room with a chair, and was sent back to the lock-up. He then heard a chair fall. When he next saw Gunasegaran, he could not ascertain whether he was alive or dead.

Ravi also testified that a policeman promised him an early release if he would testify that Gunasegaran fell down of his own accord and was not beaten by the police.

All witnesses corroborated this account, and identified one Lance Corporal Mohd Faizal Mat Taib as the policeman who kicked Gunasegaran in the chest and back. There were also accusations of beatings with a rubber hose and wooden stick.

Cops walk free

On Monday, October 25, 2010, coroner Siti Shakirah Mohtarudin gave an open verdict as to the death of Gunasegaran — stating that there was insufficient evidence to prove any cause of death; saying basically that the state had no idea how he died.

This judgment was delivered despite the eyewitness testimonies. According to a lawyer, at one point in the judgment, the coroner speculated that “the injuries could have been caused by efforts to resuscitate the deceased, even though the medical officer testified that no effort was made at resuscitation.”

Unsettled and in tears a press conference on Tuesday (I really hope you’ll take the time to watch the short video), Ganga Gowri said: “Why has there been no action taken, despite there being witnesses who saw the beatings? I have been crying since yesterday, I still cannot understand. I cannot accept what is going on.”

====================================

====================================

The last time I saw someone look so lost, numb and distraught was when I attended a similar press conference with A. Kugan’s mother.

One cannot help but marvel at the irony of Manmohan Singh’s visit. Let’s hope he’s aware.

Selvachandran beaten in front of wife and kids

Ganga Gowri was joined at this press conference by one S. Saraswathy (I have a cousin by that name), wife of Selvachandran.

Selvachandran was one of the men who placed the truth above a fear of the authorities, and decided to do his duty to the late Gunasegaran and his family by testifying in court about what he saw happen to Gunasegaran.

On Monday night, the very same day that the “open verdict” was delivered, Selvachandran would pay the price for his decision to stand up for what was right.

Saraswathy explained that at around 10pm, a group of unidentified men came banging at their door. While Selvachandran was looking for the keys, they became increasingly aggressive and broke the door down.

These men handcuffed Selvachandran, made his wife remove his sarung and replace it with a pair of pants, and then bizarrely asked her to give him a kiss (goodbye?).

They then took him outside and beat him severely in front of his wife and children.

When his poor, confused children tried to ask these men why they were taking their father, the men hurled verbal abuse at both mother and children, and continued beating Selvachandran.

They only then briefly flashed some cards showing that they were police and took off with Selvachandran in tow.

Nobody knows for sure where he is or what he is charged with — early indications suggest that one of the many laws allowing for indefinite detention without trial will or have been used.

continue reading HERE

JUSTICE??? What a farce ....

The Coroner’s Inquest has failed in dispensing justice to Gunasegaran and his family

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Now what, Anwar/PKR/Azmin?

Will Azmin dare lead the PKR charge in Batu Sapi?
~ The People’s Parliament

October 25, 2010

Anwar’s blog carries a post entitled ‘Ansari bawa harapan rakyat Batu Sapi’.

I’m hearing differently from my sources in Sabah.

I’m hearing that on the ground, Ansari is perceived as handpicked to serve, not the people of Batu Sapi, but Azmin’s agenda in Sabah.

What’s that agenda?

“Let Azmin come and tell Sabahans what his plans are for Sabah when he campaign in Batu Sapi, if he dares to.
Many PKR members are going to use this by-election to let PKR HQ know what we think of Azmin. Let him come”, I was told over the phone.

Posted by Haris Ibrahim

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PKR is Begging For a Spanking?

What does Anwar think he's doing?
Does he think he can walk into Sabah and put whomsoever he pleases, wherever he pleases to pusue the PR agenda- when Sabahans don't give a fig about him?
More so, after his actions upon entry of UMNO into Sabah & "Project M"?

Maybe what Zaid said has some truth in it- Anwar seems to be thinking that this whole anti-BN sentiment is about him .... he seems to think that people willrally around him at every turn!!
PKR is fielding Ansari from Tuaran in Batu Sapi, hoping that Sabahans would clamour for his leadership. To say that Sabahans are disappointed would be an understatement. Maybe they're just dumbfounded with the stupidity shown by PKR in Sabah. They seem to be no different from Umno in their early days in Sabah, pushing their weight wherever possible..... and he hopes that people take him in with open arms. WTH- If he was so hard up for a Bumiputra Muslim to contest in that seat, the least he could've done was field Thamrin ....

This time around, I don't think BN needs to do much "buying"- they'll win hands down in both Batu Sapi & Galas (thanks to the destruction of the Orang Asal church).

RPK mooted the idea of a third force- well maybe not exactly, but he has been pushing for it hard lately. Earlier, I thought it may not be a good idea, as it could pull the rug from under the PR agenda to "March to PutraJaya" to displace UMNO.
While I used to be sceptical about the need for a "Third Force" in the past, looking at the way PKR is destabilizing the PR "electoral pact"- I now think that it is imperative that we have this "third force".
If DAP cannot sort out the mess in their own house, if PAS cannot be more consciences in dealing with those who aren't Muslims (more so, the poor Orang Asal), if PKR cannot get rid of their old UMNO ways- let let Anwar's agenda be damned (barring the issue about Saifool's ass), let PKR's agenda be damned, let PR be damned let Malaysians be damned .....
- it wouldn't make a difference anyways!!

Maybe something positive may rise out of the ashes left behind, after UMNO has sapu-bersih this country!!

So Raja Petra Kamarudin/ RPK/ Pete - Go for it!!

The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM)

NO HOLDS BARRED

Monday, 25 October 2010

================================

Here's something from Simon Templer:-

"Anwar, ......... Don't you get it?
The East Malaysians do not trust us West Malaysians
(seriously, can anyone blame them when we have been ripping them off since 1963?)
Let the Sabahans fight their own battle.
Let them keep their own state. "

Anwar, Pack Up And Leave Batu Sapi

Posted by Simon Templar On Monday, October 25, 2010

We rakyat are real suckers.

At least that's what most of our Malaysian politicians seem to think.

The entire Barisan Nasional politicians think that we are idiots who cannot think. (Ok... Truth is I actually know quite a few people out there who can't think. But... Some other time...)

Then we have our not-so-beloved-anymore PKR who thinks that we enjoy watching their year-round circus acts. Yup, definitely not so loved anymore. And I don't think I am an isolated case. We shall leave DAP and PAS out for now as they are not the subject of discussion here. But mind you, they have their own shit-load pile of dung too.

Now what's with the Batu Sapi fight? Isn't PKR the one who first brought DAP and PAS to the table to discuss how to prevent a 3-corner (or more) fight. Isn't the objective of the entire 'opposition' coalition that to fight the single common enemy i.e. BN? So what is PKR now blardie doing in the Batu Sapi fight?

Some of you may say that why can't SAPP not fight and let PKR field their candidate?

Or some of you may say that well SAPP is not part of the coalition, so why should PR even need to talk to them in the first place.

That will be to miss the whole point of the rakyat's fight. The rakyat is not fighting for Anwar (please imprint this in your mind, Anwar). The rakyat is not fighting for PKR or DAP or PAS. You will be dammed if you think that we really love you. What we want is CHANGE. And you political parties are nothing but our tool to get BN out of power. Well that's how things are. You guys are using us to get to power. So don't complain or call us ungrateful.

It doesn't matter to us if SAPP is fighting BN or PKR is fighting BN. As long as someone is there to fight BN, then we'll be on your side. But if you have PKR, SAPP and BN in the fight, what do you want us to do? To choose who we love more between SAPP and PKR? What are you guys trying to do? Eh wankers... The common enemy is BN. Let's keep it that simple.

Now that we have establish that line of thought, PKR or SAPP for Batu Sapi? SAPP la. Look at the name - Sabah Progressive Party. Sabah dei, Sabah... Let the Sabahans fight their fight. This is why East Malaysians do not like West Malaysians. The West Malaysians are always thinking that they are better and more superior than the East Malaysians. What on earth is PKR trying to do fighting the Sabahan fight? You don't see UMNO (Penang based) Gerakan fielding their candidate in Sabah or Sarawak do you?

Seriously, I cannot understand PKR's objective in the Sabah fight. Do you see Ford aggressively selling cars in Japan? No, they do not. They acquire Mazda and let Mazda do the fighting. The profits still ultimately land on their laps.

Anwar, similarly, you do not need to penetrate Sabah via PKR. Neither will the Sabahans accept that. Don't you get it? The East Malaysians do not trust us West Malaysians (seriously, can anyone blame them when we have been ripping them off since 1963?) Let the Sabahans fight their own battle. Let them keep their own state. But while at that, get them to work together with us to form the ultimate central government. I mean, can you imagine PBS recruiting a Wan Kelantan and field him as a candidate in Galas? Ridiculous isn't it. That's exactly what PKR is doing right now at Batu Sapi.

Continue reading at Anwar, Pack Up And Leave Batu Sapi

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Art's 1st World Summit of AaEF Speech ... ;-D

The following is the transcript (taken from ARTiculations) of a very intellectually stimulating speech by the chairman at the summit hosted by Bolehsia:-

1st World Summit of Everything First

Keynote address by the 1st Chairman.

Ladies and gentlemen, firstly, it gives me great first pleasure to welcome all of you, the first ever delegates to the FWSoEaAF, the 1st World Summit of Everything and Anything First.

I am, as all of you would have firstly noticed, the 1st self elected Chairman of this 1st World Summit.

Allow me to firstly tell you what this 1st World Summit is all about.

Ladies and gentlemen, all of us would remember anything and everything first, wouldn't we? Our first kiss. Our first sexual intercourse. And to an unfortunate few of us - or fortunate, depending on which side, front or back, we are on - our first sodomy. I mean, there are people who do not even bath or do the big business for two days after their first sodomy. That is how important and memorable our first experience is.

Rod Stewart says, the first cut is the deepest. And of course, the first sodomy could be the tightest. I digress.

With full realisation that the first will always be the most memorable and important - and hopefully would never be the last - this summit is organised to celebrate everything and anything first. Welcome therefore to the 1st (ever) World Summit of Everything and Anything First.

Some of you might want to firstly know why my country is hosting this 1st World Summit. Well, the answer is simply because we are trend setting. We hold record after record of the world's first ever this and that.

Consider this firstly.

We are the first to have a fugitive who apparently ran away from our country - allegedly frightened by the misdeeds that he had done - and who nobody apparently knows where he is although he is not in any way hiding from anybody. He is definitely the first ever fugitive who is not hiding.

He could be seen on the internet, in reports and videos, attending seminars and giving lectures. Hotshots have even gone to his house to have dinner with him and his family. However, our authorities are at a lost as to where he exactly is. And this is the same authorities which could track semen from some asses even when there was no "clinical finding" of penetration of the very same ass. That's a world first I am sure.

Speaking of semen, we are also the first country with medical forensic experts who think semen in an ass, without "clinical finding of penetration" constitutes evidence of anal sex.

That means, firstly, there could be anal sex without penetration. Then, it also means that semen from Malaysians could not only swim but also fly upon ejaculation right into an asshole. That, I am sure too, is a first.

In case you all hadn't noticed, we are also the first to have the tallest twin towers. Yes. Not one, but two tallest towers in the world. Speaking of which, we are now going to build another one, which will be taller by 11 storey than the twins.

Which brings me to another first. Yes. We are the first to include an erection into our national budget. This erection is not the government's. It is the private sector's erection. Our Honourable Prime Minister has said it - that it is not his idea but the idea of Permodalan Nasional Berhad. However, it is included in the government's proposed budget. How and why? Don't ask me. I do not have the first clue. Whatever it is, our national budget is the first to include the erection of a building in it.

To top it up, we are also the first country to have come out with a video guide to committing suicide by self strangulation. And we are also the first to propound the ground breaking and earth shattering rule that every forensic pathologist who theorises a death by a fall from high buildings must firstly experience such a fall before making such a theory. Soon, we will pioneer a rule to say every forensic pathologist must first die before making any theory on the death of any person.

While talking about our government initiatives, one cannot miss the fact that our government is the first when it comes to coining acronyms. We have so far had NKRA; GTP: 10MP; ETP; NEM; SRI and finally NKEA. If Minister Idris Jala later introduces the Integrated Key Economics Agenda, I am afraid IKEA would take umbrage and refer the matter to the KLHC, namely, the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Feeling left out, our DPM cum EM had on 20th October 2010 launched the Excellent, Brilliant, Successful, Intelligent, Smart, Youth dan Young (EBSIS 2Y) programme. Yes, EBSIS2Y. The fact that the Bahasa Malaysia word "dan" is infused among the litany of the evil foreign language is also a first in the world, mind you. According to a lady friend of mine, the EBSIS2Y would be in direct competition with the Beautiful, Intelligent, Talented, Clever and Horny - in short, BITCH - movement. Which led a guy friend of mine to quip, WTFDICAAJSMTM, which stands for "What The Fork Do I Care About Acronyms Just Show Me The Money."

In so far as television shows are concerned, we also hold several firsts. Firstly, we have the highest ratio of reality-tv shows per capita anywhere in the universe. Yes, you name it and we have it. We search for anything and everything in our reality tv shows, from footballers, to racers, to boyfriends and girlfriends.

Our annual talent-search show, namely, Akademi Fantasia, holds the award for the 1st talent-search show with the most talent-less participants on Earth.

Speaking of which, we also are the first nation to have a reality-tv show to search for an "imam" (a Muslim who leads prayers in a group). Yes. No other country has done that but us.

Soon we will be searching for our sanity in our reality-tv shows. That will undoubtedly be the first.

Speaking of racers, we should also speak about cars. We are the first country to have, as our national car, a car which come from other nation. This is particularly unique to us. We have a re-badge Mitsubishi as our "national car". Even after 24 years of existence, our national car "manufacturer" still cannot build a truly national car and it still have to re-badge a Japanese car and sell it as its own. And thus Lancer becomes Inspira. It surely is not very Inspira-tional, isn't it guys?

In the legal arena, we have so many firsts as well, Ladies and Gentlemen. We have a person who is caught and charged for sodomy twice! He was imprisoned for his first alleged sodomy and soon after he came out from prison, he was caught yet again and charged yet again.

Amazing! If this happens in other countries, I am sure the people would say, "yea, rite, and semen could fly!". Oh, but then again, here, it has been proven that semen could fly. Oh dear.

Then we have our cyber authority charging the writer of a satire for publishing things which are not true although the content code of that very authority permits satires! LOL! That is definitely a first (and this statement is NOT a satire!). By the way, which satires are true? ROFL!

Speaking of funny things, we are also the first country ever to have banned cartoon books.

Speaking of banning things, we are also the first country to have confirmed that the devil actually looks like the one portrayed in the Manchester United club logo. And so we banned Muslims from wearing any jerseys or whatever which depicts Manchester United logo because we are certain the devil is the one which is portrayed by the logo.

In the gastronomical aspect of things, we are the first country to have held a campaign to eat durians and muttons at the same place and on the same day. And it was at the Parliament House no less. In fact we are also the first to have slaughtered a cow at the Parliament House. Has anybody else ever done that Ladies and Gentlemen? I take your gaping wide mouth as a sign of awe, thank you.

We are also the first country to restructure one of our mega corporations into the biggest plantation company in the world which would then promptly made a loss of about 900 million! It surely looks like small is better in our country.

Speaking of corporations, we also have a corporation which is making billions in turnover and profits over time but is still being "compensated" by our government for not being allowed to raise toll rates. In other countries, people are compensated when they make losses. But we are the first to compensate entities when they are making billions!

Despite being lumbered with the responsibility of paying these "compensations," we rush to extend this corporation's concessions for longer periods of time. By doing that we have to pay them further "compensations" in the event toll rates are not raised.

Then we are also the first country to pioneer this negotiation technique whereby a certain pre-set price would be increased - as opposed to actually decrease - after negotiation. This negotiation technique has been used for the cost of our new palace, for instance, where the pre-set cost was about 450 million but it was increased to about 800 million after employing this new and pioneering negotiation technique. No other country has managed to do this. We are the first!

Socially, we are also the first to have to remind our fellow citizens that they are not immigrants or "pendatangs". Lol!

Over to the south, if a certain former Premier had his way, we would be the first to have built a crooked bridge.

Speaking of whom, that very same former Premier, who had always boasted to everybody that his rule was among the most democratic rule on Earth, had created a first of sorts when recently he expressed his admiration for Communist China.

First class.

Ladies and Gentlemen, a round of applause for everything and anything first.

UMNO's Corporate Cornucopia

Asia Sentinel Written by Our Correspondent

Wednesday, 13 October 2010

The House that Mahathir Built How Malaysia's companies funneled money into the country's biggest political party In the 1980s and 1990s, Halim Saad and Tajudin Ramli were two of Malaysia's brightest stars, picked by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to lead the country's ethnic Malays onto the national stage as exemplars of a new Bumiputera business culture that would catch up with the ethnic Chinese who had dominated commerce as long as Malaysia had been in existence.

When Mahathir took office, insiders say, his plan was to create a cadre of 100 super-rich bumis who in turn would help rural Malays into prosperity under a konsep payung, or umbrella concept routed through the United Malays National Organization, much the way he envisioned driving the country into industrialization through massive projects. But greed intervened. Once the privileged got rich, there was little incentive to share it with the kampongs, the Malay rural villages. Many of the companies eventually collapsed and are being supported by government institutions such as Kazanah Nasional, the country's sovereign investment fund, or the Employee Provident Fund.

Although the Umno connection was widely assumed during Mahathir's 22 year reign as prime minister, today a flock of explosive court documents filed in different Kuala Lumpur courts appear to be breaking open conclusively the open secret that Tajudin and Halim and others were essentially front men for the United Malays National Organization, the country's biggest ethnic political party and part of a class of rentier businessmen who became known as Umnoputras, a play on the word Bumiputera, or native Malaysians, predominantly ethnic Malays.

Nor were they alone. Others included Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary, one of Malaysia's richest men, as well as Yahaya Ahmad, who headed Mahathir's national car project and who tragically was killed with his wife in a helicopter crash, and Samsuddin Abu Hassan, introduced by Mahathir to the government of Nelson Mandela but who had to flee South Africa after being accused of misappropriating millions and evading South African debts totaling about R50 million (US$7.233 million at current exchange rates). Samsuddin left behind his glamorous wife, Melleney Venessa Samsudin, along with a failed Durban bank, and returned to Malaysia.

Samsudin ultimately ended up on the board of directors of Mitrajaya Holdings Bhd., another Umno-linked company that has played a significant role in major national projects including the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, KL's Light Rail Transit System, the CyberJaya Flagship Zone and numerous other projects.

At least 23 of Malaysia's biggest companies (see list below) appear to have been vehicles for Umno to siphon off vast amounts of money in government contracts as Mahathir's plans went awry. The companies and the people who run them are so hard-wired into Umno, the government and its investment arms that de-linking them would probably destroy the party. That in effect makes a mockery of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's widely publicized speech in July in which he promised to root corruption out of his party.

Much of the ownership appears to have been channeled through a mysterious company that emerged in 1993 to stage an RM800 million management buyout of a major chunk of Malaysia's media including the New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd and TV3. Realmild already owned a controlling interest in Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd, which got the contract to develop the massive Kuala Lumpur Sentral transport hub. It also acquired ownership of the Labuan and Sabah Shipyards, which supply the Malaysian Navy, as well as Redicare and Medivest, which were awarded lucrative contracts to supply medical supplies to government hospitals.

In September, Syed Anwar Jamalullail, the brother to the Sultan of Perlis, and others testified in a tangled court battle in a Kuala Lumpur High Court that Daim Zainuddin, the prime minister's close associate, often told Malay businessmen to act as nominees in the management of Malaysia's top companies. The long-running suit was launched five years ago in2005 by Khalid Ahmad, a former Realmild director, who alleged he had been cheated out of a RM10 million payment for five percent of Realmild's shares by Abdul Rahman, thought to be the beneficial owner.

According to the testimony, Abdul Rahman paid out the RM10 million but later reneged after he learned from Mahathir that the shares actually belonged to UMNO. The trustees for Realmild in fact were Mahathir himself as well as former Berita Harian Group Editor Ahmad Nazri Abdullah, New Straits Times Group Editor Abdul Kadir Jasin and Mohd Noor Mutalib. Another witness, Ahmad Nazri, said in a deposition that he held the majority share of 80 percent in Realmild, although 70 percent of the shares were actually in trust for Mahathir.

The companies others ran included Faber Group Bhd, a member of the UEM Group, now involved in integrated facilities management and property solutions sectors; KUB Malaysia Bhd. A holding company dealing in information, communications & technology, property, engineering & construction and food related industries.

The companies have been involved a wide variety of activities including media, property development, construction, toll roads, hospital equipment, logistics and distribution, cellular telephony and other businesses. What they had in common was that most of them benefited from government contracts doled out by the Barisan Nasional, the ruling coalition that has controlled Malaysia since its inception as a country. The other thing they had in common was that at some point most of them were mismanaged into financial trouble of one kind or another and had to be bailed out or bought out by the government.

Realmild unloaded Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd onto the Employee Provident Fund in late 2005 as part settlement for an outstanding Rm500 million loan. Putera Capital Bhd, is threatened with bankruptcy. It formerly owned the Putra World Trade Center, Umno's headquarters, which rents out office space to businesses. UEM Builders Bhd, an offshoot of United Engineers Malaysia (UEM), along with UEM World Bhd, was dumped onto Kazanah Nasional, the investment holding arm of the government and the government's strategic investment vehicle.

Kazanah Nasional now also owns PLUS, which held the tollway contract for the national north-south highway, as well as Pharmaniaga, a former UEM subsidiary dealing in hospital supply and other services. Court documents show that MAS, then the state-owned flag carrier, was taken over and privatized by Tajudin Ramli only to lose an estimated RM8 billion (US$2.77 billion at current exchange rate), with a major part of that being funneled into a Frankfurt, Germany cargo logistics company whose directors were closely connected to Tajudin.

According to the website Malaysia Today, Tajudin's lawyers revealed that Tajudin had only been a front man for Umno and that Umno "not only has to protect him from prosecution but that they also had to ensure that the government bought back the shares at the same price that they were sold to him although the shares were only worth a portion of the real value."

Other depositions made available in recent weeks have listed a long series of documents detailing misdoings in UEM/Renong, once headed by Halim Saad, which has long been accused of looting the government treasury through vastly overpriced construction contracts. Halim told the press in September that he had left the UEM/Renong board in 2001, saying authorities wanted Kazanah to take it over "to prevent a systemic risk to the banking system in Malaysia and to enable a sustained restructuring of the group."

UEM itself is still at it. The government-linked company was given the contract to build a second bridge from the mainland to the northern city of Penang at a price estimated in 2007 at Rm2.7 billion. It has since climbed to RM4.3 billion without figuring in a variety of ancillary costs including compensation for fishermen and project development costs of RM285 million, with the total now nearing RM5 billion.

Other documents show how completely the country's press was in the thrall of UMNO. Media Prima Bhd, a listed company, apparently took over the ownership from Realmild of TV3, 8TV, ntv7 and TV9 as well as 90 percent of the equity in The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Bhd, which publishes three national newspapers; the New Straits Times, Berita Harian and Harian Metro. It also owns three radio networks, Fly FM, Hot FM and One FM. Other cross media interests of Media Prima include content creation; event and talent management.

It also owns outdoor advertising companies Big Tree Outdoor Sdn Bhd, UPD Sdn Bhd, Right Channel Sdn Bhd, Kurnia Outdoor Sdn Bhd and Jupiter Outdoor Network Sdn Bhd. It is online through a digital communications and broadcasting subsidiary, Alt Media, with the Lifestyle Portal gua.com.my and the newly launched TonTon, a cutting-edge video portal with HD-ready quality viewing experience that offers the individualism of customized content and interactivity of social networking.

The companies:
Faber Group Bhd
KUB Malaysia Bhd
Malaysian Resources Corp. Bhd
Media Prima Bhd
New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
Putera Capital Bhd
UEM Builders Bhd
UEM World Bhd
PLUS
Pharmaniaga
Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd (partly owned by Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, another Mahathir crony and one of Malaysia's 10 richest men according to the Forbes List
Renong Bhd
Realmild Sdn Bhd
Mahkota Technologies (Also a partnership with Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary
Malaysian Airlines
Celcom
Malaysian Helicopter Service
Temasek Padu Sdh Bhd
Sabah Shipyard
Labuan Shipyard
Redicare
Medivest

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Watch- The Trojan Cometh ....

Who is Evelyn Salt in PKR?
by YB William Leong

COMMENT Four PKR divisions postponed their elections due to fighting and disruption. Losing candidates called press conferences accusing the party headquarters of complicity in fraud and irregularities. The Deputy President aspirant Dato’ Zaid Ibrahim’s comments drew a retort from incumbent Deputy President Dr Syed Husin Ali, sparking an exchange between senior party leaders.

The mainstream media lapped at the fracas and accusations. The public mourned in grief while BN leaders gleefully pointed out that disharmony were not confined to their political parties. Anwar Ibrahim said there were Trojan Horses out to cause chaos and disruption.

Who are the Trojan Horses? Adopting the tagline in the movie, “Who is Evelyn Salt in PKR?”

Angelina Jolie is a CIA agent, Evelyn Salt who swore an oath of loyalty to her country, the United States of America. She turns out to be a Russian spy, a sleeper. She is a spy embedded in America having infiltrated the CIA. She waits for decades before being activated to carry out her mission, to assassinate the Russian President visiting the USA thereby wreaking chaos and discord. The latest action in the Keadilan Party elections has turned out to be just as exciting as this blockbuster movie. Are the events unfolding in PKR an indication of PKR imploding or is this the work of a sleeper that has arisen to wreak havoc?

The public is rightly concerned whether the party has lost its direction with infighting reported amongst the leaders. The present discord and disruption is an unfortunate but necessary growing pain PKR must undergo and overcome it, if it is to lead the way to Putrajaya. The party is made up of members from diverse ideologies and backgrounds. It needs to be bound and cemented by the common goal of removing racial politics, injustice and corruption and to articulate its policies in concrete terms.

Although there are many selfless and tireless activists and reformists, it also has its share of ineffectual and indifferent members as well as opportunists. The party needs to clean up the deadwood and flush out the Trojan horses. The party acknowledges its weaknesses. It has hitherto a comparatively small membership. There is a lack of depth and quality in its leadership, both at the senior and middle level.

One of the criticisms made against Keadilan is the weaknesses of some of its elected representatives. It has suffered the ignominy of having the highest number of turn coats crossing over to the other side. It is imperative that the party take steps to improve the quality and quantity of the members, machinery and leaders.

Advocates of intra party democracy argue that political parties using internally democratic procedures are likely to select more capable and appealing leaders, to have more responsive policies and as a result, enjoy greater electoral success. Further, it is believed that political parties that “practice what they preach”, strengthen democratic culture generally. The party made two major decisions. The first was to embark on a membership drive. The second to amend its constitution to allow for direct election of party leaders by grass root members at a special congress on 26 February 2009.

The reason for the first decision is that the party must improve the quantity and quality of its members. The reason for the second decision is that if the party is to fight for democracy then it must lead in the practice of democracy. A democracy needs strong and sustainable political parties with the capacity to represent citizens and provide policies that demonstrate the political parties’ abilities to govern for the public good.

Since the Mahathir era, there has been a disconnection between the citizens and the elected leaders of our country. This is due to a deliberate design to keep the people in the business of seeking a livelihood separate from the people seeking to maintain themselves in the business of politics. From students to businessmen and housewives, the people have been cowed to stay out of politics. Keadilan seeks to change this and to re-establish the connection between the people and government. A government of the people must be by the people and not by a select few.

The direct election is part of the transformation Keadilan seeks to create in re-establishing this connection. Keadilan seeks a more open political environment in which citizens can actively participate in the democratic process. No ordinary UMNO member has ever voted to elect his president. The UMNO President is elected by the handful of delegates and becomes the Prime Minister. No ordinary MCA member voted in the recent contest for the President. No ordinary MIC member voted even once for Samy Vellu to be President in the thirty-one years since he took over on September 13, 1979.

By these party elections, every Malaysian who is a member of Keadilan has a right to vote for its President. Every Malaysian who becomes a member will be able to participate in the abolishing of unjust laws and formulating the new agenda for the nation in Keadilan’s division meetings. The ordinary citizen will be an active participant in determining the direction and policies of the nation.

There were valid concerns that the two decisions will lead to trouble in the party. The first is resistance from incumbents threatened by the new blood. The second is the opening of floodgates to opportunists and infiltrators into the party. There is no doubt that by opening its doors and in allowing direct election, the party earned the ire of ineffectual leaders and allowed infiltrators to slip through to wreak havoc; spreading misinformation and disinformation, sowing dissent and discord among the rank and file. Evelyn Salt was embedded or slipped in during this process.

With full cognizance of these concerns and dangers, the party leadership and grassroots took the brave step to unanimously approve the amendments to the party constitution. It was decided that if the battle for a better Malaysia is to be won, it would only be by Malaysians standing up for justice and freedom. It would be by Malaysians rejecting injustice and corruption. In the same vein, if the party is to transform and lead the fight, it can only do so if the members choose good leaders and not be misled by infiltrators, moles and Trojan horses. The party put its faith in the grass roots’ ability to make the right choice, reject deadwood and not be misled by the Trojan horses.

Evelyn Salt has been activated in these party elections.

Is Evelyn Salt the persons who assaulted the members in the division meetings, attacked reporters and destroyed the ballot boxes? No! There is a method to the madness. The goons and louts were agent provocateurs. The party disciplinary committee will take appropriate action against them. They were instigated by Evelyn Salt.

Is Evelyn Salt, Janapala a/l Perumal, the former assistant secretary who suddenly took upon himself the role of being a gadfly like Socrates did in ancient Athens. He started to hold press conferences to disclose the party’s alleged wrongdoings during these elections. The Athenians executed Socrates by ordering him to drink hemlock. Janapala too will have to answer for his deeds. But no, he is not Evelyn Salt. His allegation that he was wrongfully prevented from contesting in the party elections cannot hold water. He had been sacked more than a year before for forming a new political party. Sacked members cannot stand for elections. He has further admitted that he is an undischarged bankrupt. Bankrupts cannot hold party posts. In any event, the Official Assignee will be interested to find out how an undischarged bankrupt is able to afford holding a press conference in a hotel. Students having difficulty in learning Science and Mathematics in English should ask Janapala for tips as to how he improved his English overnight. He not only spoke the Queen’s English but used verses that will turn William Shakespeare green with envy when he read the prepared text at the press conference. He sounded more like an Englishman looking up to the figure of the famous admiral in Trafalgar Square and not the Malaysian English he used in the party meetings in Merchant Square.

He is not Evelyn Salt but Evelyn Salt gave him misleading information such as claiming 800 immigrants with false identity cards were allowed to vote in the Kudat division. Records confirmed that only 268 members attended and voted. The claim of 800 illegal immigrants voting is false and a complete fabrication.

Is Evelyn Salt one of the candidates for senior party positions, making public statements in the mainstream and alternative media? No! Candidates making speeches and comments that the party will be doomed if they failed to be elected may have said or wrote things in the heat of the campaigning. They are more likely to have acted out of impetuous exuberance. Dr. Molly Cheah, Chairman of the Party Election Committee is there to keep their fervour in check. However, if despite the warnings candidates persist with rhetoric that burnt bridges within the party then the members will have to be wary of them. The candidates cannot adopt a slash and burn tactic in an internal party election. Such candidates even if they win will end up with pyrrhic victories. One who is sincere in seeking the job to look after the house cannot in the process of seeking that job burn down the very house one he is aspiring to manage. None of the candidates is Evelyn Salt but some may have been provoked and baited by Evelyn Salt to embark on a misguided scorched earth strategy.

So who is Evelyn Salt? He or she is not acting out of naïve exuberance. He or she is carrying out overt actions for a covert design. The members and public will be able to detect Evelyn Salt as the elections move to the next phase. The running dogs and the sleepers will reveal themselves eventually. He or she is the one who spreads misinformation, disseminates disinformation and instigate agent provocateurs to sow dissent and discord.

Misinformation is incorrect information. One of the most popular forms of misinformation on the internet, especially email is the passing along of urban legends. Urban legends are untrue stories that are passed along by sincere people who believe them and feel the need to inform others. The allegation that the headquarters is involved in irregularities in the party elections is an example of this misinformation. Due to weaknesses in previous administrations, the list of members for each division is incomplete. The Secretariat instructed each of the divisions to check the accuracy of the members’ list for the 2009 annual general meetings in preparation for these 2010 party elections. However, because there were no division elections, there was a lack of interests by both division leaders and the members to confirm the accuracy of the list then. As a consequence those whose names were not in the list of members were not able to vote at the present elections.

Disinformation is the lowest of the low. Never underestimate the evil intentions of some individuals or institutions to say or write whatever suits their particular purpose to the extent of deliberately fabricating false information. Propaganda is generally an appeal to emotion not to intellect. It shares techniques with advertising and public relations. Propaganda seeks to change the way people understand an issue for the purpose of changing their actions and expectations in ways that are desirable to the interest group. Propaganda is part of political warfare. Psychological warfare is one of its weapons.

Propaganda can be classified according to the source and nature of the message. White propaganda generally comes from an openly identified source. Information provided by openly identified BN biased blogs and media is white propaganda. Black propaganda is identified from one source but in fact from another. This is most commonly done to disguise the true origins of the propaganda. Black propaganda and disinformation is fabricated by organizations purporting to convey information in a neutral or impartial manner but is in fact propaganda slanted insidiously towards its own interest group and its personal agenda.

Many associate the special branch as the men in black monitoring opposition party members. It must not be forgotten that the special branch is acknowledged as one of the best agencies in the world. Its ability to infiltrate the Malayan Communist Party (“MCP”), feed false information back to the MCP and to have a special branch agent not only infiltrating the MCP but elected as the second highest ranking official are legends in the world intelligence community. It is the special branch that taught the Americans in the Vietnam War the tactics now known as “Winning the Hearts and Minds of the People”.

The infiltrators into Keadilan have taken the playbook from the special branch manual in spreading misinformation, disinformation and black propaganda.

Democracy depends on a sufficient portion of the electorate having adequate and reliable information so that they can make well informed decisions. The crucial key to a successful democracy is not the quantity but the quality of information provided to voters. Little attention has been given to the role of misinformation, disinformation and propaganda in a democracy. There is misinformation, disinformation, propaganda and finally censorship. The withdrawal of Suara Keadilan’s license by the Ministry of Information, the sacking of radio and television broadcasters for airing news unfavorable to Barisan Nasional speaks volumes on the use of these tactics in Malaysia.

Winston Churchill said:

“A lie travels half way around the world before the truth puts on its shoes.”

A television broadcast or a newspaper article with misleading or even false facts can be seen by millions long before a statement countering the false allegations can be printed in some remote alternative media. Malaysians must be aware that the country is now in the midst of a political war. Barisan Nasional and its supporters are not fighting according to Queensberry Rules. Deception disinformation and propaganda are not new subjects in politics. As early as the 16th century Machiavelli concluded that there were two means for a nation to gain its objective from an unwilling adversary; force or fraud. Since the application of force entailed expending resources and taking serious risks, Machiavelli strongly recommended that a ruler should “never attempt to win by force what he might otherwise win by fraud”. The Chinese strategist, Sun Tzu wrote in the 4th Century B.C.E. that all warfare is based on deception and devoted an entire chapter on the use of spies. Do you expect Barisan Nasional to ignore Machiavelli and Sun Tzu in their attempt to retain control of their political powers?

An example of the disinformation and black propaganda is the story of the Keadilan leadership being undemocratic and that the headquarters is manipulating the party election by fraudulent means. The Headquarters appointed 120 volunteers to supervise the division elections. The volunteers are from a different state from the divisions holding the elections. They have no interest in the particular division elections and do not even know the members of that division. The allegation of fraud made against these volunteers who man the polling booths from 10.00am to 4.00pm and then count the votes for the 3 senior division posts and 15 committee positions and the same number of positions for the Women and Youth Wings would only be completed by 3.00 am or 4.30 am. This accusation is the unkindest cut of all.

The story of infighting amongst leaders such as Tian Chua with Chua Jui Meng is another piece of disingenuous disinformation. Disinformation can be detected when one compares the story with known and reliable facts. When a story is inconsistent with the known and established facts it must be viewed critically. This story is irreconcilable with established facts. Anwar who was imprisoned for more than six years for an offence that he did not commit, Dr Syed Husin Ali who was incarcerated in solitary confinement for eight years under the ISA, Tian Chua and others who have been detained without trial, can it be conceivable that they would all suddenly changed from waging a struggle for justice and freedom to a struggle for personal power? Chua Jui Meng has not declared any interest in vying for an elected position, so how can there be any disharmony between Chua Jui Meng and Tian Chua?

Malaysians need to be able to discern true information from propaganda, disinformation and deception. This means that one must learn to read, hear or view articles and information from the mainstream media, alternative media and even emails critically. We must analyze the stories with a clear awareness of the point of view they embody, recognizing the attempt to influence our thinking and beliefs. One must be vigilant that one sided presentations are not the truth. We must seek viewpoints that are dismissed or ignored. One must always ask oneself who is the author of the story, whether the article identifies the source of the information or whether it is from an anonymous source, the purpose for the statements and whether such a story is consistent with the known and trusted information on the person or subject matter of the story.

In this information age, it is vital to know how one can be manipulated if one is not sensitive to verifying sources, determining quality, assessing plausibility and apprehending “effects”.

The same tactics used by Barisan Nasional against PBS in Sabah are now employed against Keadilan. It had turnover PBS leaders and lured them to cross over with offers of Ministerial positions and the establishment of new political parties. The most effective tactic of overcoming a strong opposition is to use the trusted method of “divide and conquer”. The people of Sabah were split when the PBS leaders established new political parties. In the end PBS loss control. It was rendered impotent by defections and establishment of what was deemed as third forces. Sabahans live to regret it to this day.

Those who proposed the formation of a third force on the excuse that Keadilan and Pakatan are weak or ineffective or are purporting to expose its weaknesses to champion the formation of a third force are in fact employing the same tactics used against PBS. These tactics are part of political manipulation. This tactic is commonly referred to as creating a “controlled opposition”. This is where the opposition to a party is infiltrated and manipulated until it is taken over and used as a foil to the benefit of the subverting party. It operates either by making a caricature of the opposing party through antics and scandals or by channeling popular opposition to an ultimately futile and demoralizing direction.

The people must remember the saying:

“Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.”

The people must not be fooled again. The people must have faith that the majority of the Keadilan members will have the wisdom and the acumen to choose the right leaders. The people must believe that Keadilan is a rough diamond that will be polished in the crucible of fire by these party elections. It has started its detoxification process. It will overcome its shortcomings and mature into the party needed to lead this nation to a new dawn.

Just like our computers, we must install in our minds anti-virus programmes to filter the information received and block disinformation. It is when the people can detect the lies and deception would the Evelyn Salts and Trojan horses be neutralized and wiped out. The American propaganda failed in Vietnam and those who try the same tricks in Malaysia should fail too. Keep the faith.

* William Leong Jee Keen is a Member of Parliament for Selayang and treasurer-general of Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

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Happy Birthday, RPK: Do What is Right

My Friend and Brother RPK – Planting the Seed of DISSENT and HOPE

by Din Merican

“But what I can leave them would be a legacy that we must always fight for justice and freedom and rise to the defence of the downtrodden.” - RPK (Raja Petra Kamaruddin)

Portrait of RPK by London Artist, Lina–Fitting Birthday Tribute to a Malaysian Hero

On September 27, 2010, Raja Petra Kamarudin, that Fugitive Blogger, more famous by his initials, RPK, posted a very touching article “Thank you so much”. Many may have read it, but many may also have missed it because of the rather “misleading” title. If RPK had referred to that day or that article as his birthday message, probably thousands if not millions would have jammed his blog. But that is the classic RPK I know, who would not draw attention to his own plight or sorrow, to his own pain or tragedy. The RPK I know is bigger than life, and I don’t mean it in a demeaning way.

Malaysia above Self: RPK is a symbol of “Critical Loyalty”

The RPK I know and respect does not talk about his life, his family or his personal difficulties. If he does, it is for a purpose – to convey a message to all, about all and for all. The RPK I know wants to help foment disobedience, not in the “biadap” or “kurang ajar” way, though it may seem like that to the establishment, but in a civil disobedience sense following the traditions of all great civil rights movements whether of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Madiba Mandela. RPK wants to provoke critical thinking and make the case for dissent in its most constructive manifestations.

RPK wants to inspire confidence so that one can call a spade a spade and not recoil against the wrong that one sees. Since Malaysia is proud to be a predominantly Muslim country, RPK thus teases Muslims with their own Islamic maxims like “ A mukmin must firstly prevent a wrong with his hands, then with his mouth, then in his heart. And the weakest amongst you is he who disapproves of a wrong in his heart”.

RPK expresses disgust at what he sees as the hypocrisy of Muslims albeit in such strong words. Does the majority of us not feel the same way? And yet how many of us dare say it? He does, and for that he had to suffer the consequences!

Hata Wahari Who?: A Stooge for MACC

I am therefore perplexed when the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Malaysia President, Hata Wahari, asked the AG Gani Patail to prosecute RPK for exposing the MACC’s hypocrisy in handling big corruption cases including the Khir Toyo investigations. Since Monday, RPK started publishing official MACC documents marked ‘Rahsia’ (classified). RPK claims to have in his possession “hundreds of official MACC documents and said he would publish them in his blog to “punish” MACC for its failure to investigate ex-Malaysia Airlines chairman Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli for his alleged role resulting in massive losses for the airlines. Quite obviously, the documents were handed to him by frustrated MACC officers, officers of the AG Chambers or politicians from within the establishment who want MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed to take action or resign. Until now, AG Gani Patail and Abu Kassim have remained mum.

The Attorney-General (with the double-chin in two-tone shirt) and Tajuddin Ramli (white skullcap and hand on his chin) both arriving at Shahidan Shafie’s home

Ramli Yusuff and Lawyer Rosli Dahlan: Their Plight ignored by the Mainstream Media

This is in tandem with my own approach in highlighting the persecutions of Dato’ Ramli Yusuff and his Lawyer Rosli Dahlan. Many have asked why I choose to champion their cases more prominently than say, the murder of Teoh Beng Hock (TBH) or Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II. The answer is simple enough. The attempt to cover up TBH’s case is already covered by the mainstream media in their reports of the Coroner’s Inquiry. It is just a matter of time that Malaysians see the idiocy of the MACC in the form of the suicide note and the ”self strangulation” demonstration by that fat buffoon Razak Musa.

The attempt to cover up TBH’s case is already covered by the mainstream media in their reports of the Coroner’s Inquiry. It is just a matter of time that Malaysians see the idiocy of the MACC in the form of the suicide note and the ”self strangulation” demonstration by that fat buffoon Razak Musa.

As for Sodomy II, Anwar is already a big name and the world media has already descended in Malaysia to report on it. Even Virgin Air billionaire, Richard Branson, would mention the case to the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, which prompted Muhyiddin’s widely reported response agreeing that Sodomy II is a waste of time and a mistake.

The founder of the Virgin Group is positive about Malaysia's investment outlook. But he said the ongoing sodomy trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is damaging the country's reputation.

The Dato’ Ramli and Rosli Dahlan’s case is unique and very significant because the mainstream media has refused report on it. The mainstream media wants to bury it. The mainstream media is party to a conspiracy with rogue elements within the government. It is these rogue elements within the government that RPK and I are exposing to give a chance to the government to disavow and distance itself from them. To give the government a chance to purge these rogues if indeed the government is not involved, and a chance to redeem itself. If the government is indeed involved, then we leave it to the masses to decide at the next general elections if these are the leaders that the people want to give their votes to at the ballot box.

Overthrowing a government through the ballot box is legitimate.

The Dato’ Ramli’s case and Rosli Dahlan’s are important because never before has a top ranking Police Commissioner been fixed by his own IGP who conspired with the AG and the MACC to eliminate him just when the trail of the crime syndicate was leading up to the IGP. Never before has an IGP been denounced in court as a liar by a presiding Judge.

Malaysians want the IGP to break PDRM away from being one of the Unholy Trinity that it once was with the AG Gani Patail and the MACC.

Never before has a prominent lawyer like Rosli Dahlan been brutally arrested on a trumped up charge just because he assisted the Police and a Deputy Minister of Home Affairs in the detention of an Emergency Oridinance (EO) detainee and a known underworld operator, Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku Goh. Never before has the public a chance to see that all that was just a smoke screen to prevent a bigger revelation of the plundering of the national airlines, MAS, for RM 8 billion by the very custodians and people entrusted to protect it.

My heart goes out to the MAS employees! Their innocence was stabbed daily with the way BADAWI and Tajuddin raped MAS like there was no tomorrow. So called father figures running the Country's National Airline were actually economic murderers and thieves.

Former Prime Minister Badawi and MAS: The Hypocrisy of It exposed

The MAS case is a chance to expose ex-PM Abdullah Badawai, touted to be religious and “Mr Clean”, who waxed poetry over Al Shafie and Al Ghazali, for the man that he really is. A chance to ask why Badawi is still made MAS Adviser after being party to its plunder and refusing to take action against Tajudin Ramli and his cohorts despite being briefed by Ramli and Rosli. A chance to ask AG Gani Patail why he is seen consorting with Tajudin and Shahidan Shafie in pictures posted by RPK. A chance to expose the masks that people wear and false oaths that people swear.

A chance to ask AG Gani Patail why he is seen consorting with Tajudin and Shahidan Shafie in pictures posted by RPK. A chance to expose the masks that people wear and false oaths that people swear.

Now, can Malaysians understand why RPK and I will not relent on this? Can Malaysians now see the connection of the Rosli Dahlan’s case and the revelations that RPK is making daily on the failures of the MACC? Can Malaysians see how ridiculous the MACC is by not withdrawing the charge against Rosli whereas the principal suspect, Dato’ Ramli, has been acquitted not once or twice but three times! Yet, the MACC is so unwilling to prosecute the real crooks and rogues and instead skew their investigation recommendations to suit certain evil objectives. WiIl Abu Kassim now resign since his pledge is shown to be a munafiq (hypocrite’s) oath? Or should the whole MACC be disbanded and abolished?

Rosli Dahlan with his wife, Misni Aryani- Behind every strong man is a stronger woman ( look at her arms around his neck ! )

We deserve the Leaders we get: Our Apathy is perplexing

RPK’s courage in making all these revelations is to remind Malaysians that we deserve the leaders that we get. The days of lore where rulers demand obedience by invoking divine right is long gone. The European kings have been deposed with the emergence of new republics. If royalty exists, it is not by divine right but because we the people wills it so. In Japan, even the Meiji emperor recognises that and members of the royal household behave themselves. In Malaysia, if anyone were to question it, we could be charged for sedition or treason. Thus, it is only befitting that when RPK raised it, none could say he is anti royalty or anti kesultanan Melayu. Amongst the ranks of the dissenters, none can have a bluer blood than RPK.

Not Ketuanan Melayu, Ketuanan Rakyat

A Clear and Present Danger: Racist Politics

RPK articulates that if there is no such thing as rulership by divine right, then no politician can demand obedience based on just race or colour rights. Have you noted the subtle shift of PERKASA’s slogan from Raja Melayu to Ketuanan Melayu? Have you wondered why that is so? It is to suit Ibrahim Ali’s political flight of fancy. It is to elevate the politicians to the same level as the hereditary rulers such that disobedience to the politicians can be equated to disobedience to our Sultans.

Police Commisioner Datuk Ramli Yusoff is now a 'free man', after having been suspended from the police force for over two years.

Thus, RPK asked why is he being charged for sedition when all that he had maligned, if he did, was just Rosmah Mansor, the wife of a politician who seeks to elevate herself as the First Lady of Malaysia. Perhaps because Rosmah is from Negeri Sembilan, she thinks her adat pepatih gives her matriarchal rule over Malaysians. That is how frivolous things can be in Malaysia. The illusion of grandeur can never be removed from the Malay psyche. “You can take the Malay out of the kampong but you can never take the kampong out of the Malay” (Bakri Musa).

“You can take the Malay out of the kampong but you can never take the kampong out of the Malay” (Bakri Musa).

It is this critical thinking that RPK attempts to imbue amongst Malaysians. It is this civil courage that RPK wants to inspire. And at what personal cost? RPK suffered personal persecution, disowned by his own royal cousin, the Sultan of Selangor and is now a fugitive. During Musa Hassan’s time, the police fixed his son on trumped up drug charges and petty theft, then beat the boy up in the hope of luring RPK back to Malaysia. The conduct of Musa Hassan as IGP is anything but that of the son of an Ustaz. Even his own Aide De Camp (ADC), ASP Azizul, swore a Statutory Declaration to denounce him as a “Pengkhianat Bangsa”. If that was not true, why wasn’t that ADC hauled up and charged like the other six policemen who were charged for fabricating evidence against Musa?

The courage RPK displayed and the personal retribution inflicted on him by the powers that be is what has turned him into a Malaysian Hero. That is indeed a befitting status. His fight for ideals can be clearly seen in his writings and especially from the following passage of that article:

“But what I can leave them would be a legacy that we must always fight for justice and freedom and rise to the defence of the downtrodden. That, I believe, are virtues which even money cannot buy.”

This is exactly what is the crux of RPK’s – ”Thank you so much” article which touched my heart and made me feel very sad. It is the sincere outpourings of a man in reflection as he considers his birth and unavoidable death away from his home and family. RPK is younger than me and although our styles may differ, our ideals are not. I would quote another passage from RPK’s article :

“ …even if I go tomorrow I would go knowing that I have helped plant the seed of dissent and have been able to teach Malaysians that we must never fear the oppression perpetuated by the government but rise and oppose oppression and make the government fear us instead.”

Truly, that is not inconsistent with the Malay peribahasa “ Raja adil raja disembah , Raja zalim raja disanggah”. That was how Hang Jebat understood it and thus duelled Hang Tuah to uphold those values. That was also why in the 1970’s former DPM Musa Hitam suggested that the Malays “ harus belajar menjadi kurang ajar”.

“ Raja adil raja disembah , Raja zalim raja disanggah”.

Just replace the word “Raja” with “Kerajaan” and it would aptly apply to our modern day government of the day, which is how that peribahasa is meant to be understood. Those in the establishment and holding the reins of power, should not look at dissenters as enemies of the state. Dissenters are a check and balance to excesses and abuses. Dissenters are the voices of the masses.

Happy belated birthday ,RPK and thank you so much for helping us to learn to dissent and to do it in a democratic way! Let there be peace, justice and prosperity. We deserve none more liberating than that. Here is to you, Marina and Malaysians: be of good cheer as there is light at the end of tunnel.

Happy 6oth Birthday, RPK, from all of us in Malaysia

Technorati Tags: RPK, Civil Society, Disobedience

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