This was scooped from YB Lim Kit Siang's blog: Horror of horrors – BN government wants to put up Internet filter blocking “undesirable websites” in total violation of the MSC guarantee of no internet censorship! Rais’ Ministry had initiated a tender exercise calling for companies to put proposals to assist the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) evaluate an Internet filter.
The Malaysian Insider reported that the tender documents require the tenderer to:
evaluate the readiness and feasibility for the implementation of Internet filter at Internet gateway level, through assessments on the existing infrastructure and existing products in the market.
evaluate and estimate costs for the implementation.
study the existing legal framework in addressing content filtering and no censorship issue, including the impacts that are caused by the implementation to Internet users and the Malaysian economy.
NOTE: It appears that access to MalaysiaToday is quite difficult. Looks like Internet censorship in Malaysia. Access is easier through any of the anonymisers available online. www.ninjacloak.com works well enough for me.TOR/vidalia bundle works too. Alternatively, you could use OpenDNS. To get around, change your DNS in TCP/IP setting to use Open DNS IP Address. They are: 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220. 1...Click Start - Control Panel - Network - Internet Connections - Network Connections. 2...Right-click the network connection that you want to configure, then click Properties. Replace Streamyx DNS 202.188.1.133 & 202.188.0.5 with the above numbers. Good Luck.
########################## “To beguile the time, look like the time; bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue; look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.” -Macbeth I, v ********************************
What we have seen thus far since the last elections of 0308, despite the diarrhoea of applause which have rung out for the "1-Malaysia" project though the MSM, is hardly inspiring and isn't worthy of celebration. Despite not knowing the first thing about what it could mean, the nauseating sloganeering continues. “1-Malaysia is not rigid.... It is a strategic ambiguity.” - so says Najib. As a testament to their ignorance, soon we'll probably be having Umno supreme council members going for "reeducation camps" (probably costing us tens, if not hundreds, of millions) to be "enlightened" of their role. Whether they like it or not, it is definitely an admission of the ignorance that permeates Barisan Nasional government.
**********************************
"They may create too many issues for us to focus on...... At the heart of all this, is the biggest lie told in 50 yrs to the Malaysians - the NEP, sold to the ignorant masses as "Social Contract" - and used as a pretext to plunder the resources of the Nation." -CruzinThots, 19/10/2008, "Social Contracts, Social Betrayals and NEP ...." ***********************************
As we enter the month of August (our "Merdeka month), I can only sit wishing for "a kinder, gentler nation". We'll be getting a plethora of Umno related propaganda on our MSM - on television, radio and the news papers - on the greatness of those pseudo-patriots of Umno who "faught" for "Independence". Just what have we seen that are vivid in our memories, as we "celebrate" Merdeka this year? We have the scandals of yesteryears still hanging like a lodestone around our necks, haunting us - and preventing us from moving on to a more cohesive nation which dreams of a common destiny. From the infamous Tajuddin/MAS issue. to PKFZ, OPV, Petronas accounts, Perak Coup D'etat, Istana Zakaria to Istana Toyol. From 513, to Kampung Medan incident, Altantuya, Mr. MIA Bala, Kugan, to Adi Mansor, and now Gunasegaran/ Teoh Beng Hock.... it shows but one thing - the progressive corruption of "values", which have snowballed from May 13, 1969 and the NEP.
*********************** BTN’s main focus is to indoctrinate Malays with the idea that Malaysia is a Malay country. The Chinese, Indians and ‘others’ are immigrants. After allowing them citizenship status these Chinese, Indians and ‘others’ now demonstrate ingratitude and start demanding all sorts of unreasonable things such as equal rights -- forgetting that they are mere guests in this country and are therefore second-class and not first-class citizens. -RPK *************************
Until today, those who rule the country are still very much the product of a system that was built on the evil perpetrated on that fateful day. They have never made apologies for it, nor have they discarded the ideas that perpetrated the event. In fact, they fight to perpetuate the very evil that is eating into the very fabric of the nation. It is some thing they fight to preserve as "the social contract", not because it is something worthy - but rather because they fear the repercussions of being "found out", upon losing power. What drives them to do the evil they themselves despise, is none other than the evil of the past- when innocent blood was spilled in the streets, with justice being the excuse and the lie. How is that so, one might ask ....
***********************
The spirit of Merdeka has been subverted by racists and the religious zealots over the years, and has been replaced by chauvinism – racial and religious. It all somehow points to the political “coup” that was engineered during the events that led to the May 13, 1969. So we had a social contract, wherein the people themselves didn't know the cancer that was prescribed as a medicine, which was to cure all the ills within. Unfortunately, we are a society so paralyzed by symptomatic solutions and one has to wonder whether we will learn anything from this mindless atrocity.
It is quite simple actually - we are a society that seeks symptomatic remedies to the perennial diseases that plague us - from the politicians. There is always just one more Act of the Federal Constitution that needs to be compromised/amended, just one more wayang kulit to show the people that they work, just one more racist agenda to "unite" the people, just one more bogeyman to harass, one more project to squander, one more legal scam to operate, one more death to cover up, ..... just one more evil that needs to be covered up - and it will all be okay again. This is done by those whose hands have been dirtied by their previous misdeeds, and so they cover for each other while they go on to perpetrate evils ever bigger than the last- and so it goes on ad infinatum, eating at the very fabric of our society, until the nation dies of the corruption within. They become slaves to their political master, the criminals that walk the corridors of power, unto each other and become partners in crime. All these, while they reap material the benefits which come along with it - which in turn dulls their senses and conscience. These crimes are commited in full view of the general public, and it is spun by the propaganda machinery as being in the interest of the "people". Evil then, has a pretty face under the guise of progress, and wouldn't be so difficult to perpetrate any longer - especially when innocents have eaten the fruits of the blood spilled a generation ago ....
The events that have transpired of late, will soon, once again come to head. These events highlight none other than the lack of respect for words that could be alien to many - the will of the people, legitimate authority, rule of law, accountability, honour, justice, and most importantly, respect for life itself. Although once again the price will be paid in blood, this time, it will be with a difference. Despite bedeviling of the "Chinese/kafir bogeyman" and the much heard calls of "Ketuanan Melayu", they who perpetuate these evils will be their own victims - and they will eat into the lifeblood their own people at first, until the day comes when blood needs to be spilled on the streets, to feed the hunger of evil.
The factis, it has already begun, and it can only get worse - only thing is, many(especially the Umno hordes) don't know what they are being fed on ...... at least not enough, as yet.
***************************
This "May 13" is however, used time and again by certain quarters to intimidate, threaten and rule, like it is a "feather in the Cap", an "achievement" to be proud of - when it should be a day of shame - to rally their unthinking followers into "asserting their rights" (which are actuality, only 'privileges' with an expiry date). Merdeka Day as we know it, is "celebrated" as the achievement of one party, the BN/Umno/MCA/MIC - and not that of the people, which includes the Opposition....This is the shadow of May 13, under which we live.It is the flawed foundation/philosophy upon which our politics, economy and country was built, for the past 38 years.If the foundations be flawed, is it too surprising to see Umno and its core BN allies become the schizophrenic Frankensteins that they are today?I guess not.This is the "Merdeka" we celebrate - or is it actually "May 13" that we celebrate? -"Merdeka" & The Haunting Spectre of May 13.
***********************************
"What you applaud you encourage, but beware of what you celebrate." -Peggy Noonan. *********************************
******************************* FROM HARIS IBRAHIM'S THE PEOPLE'S PARLIAMENT: We are here, not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers – Emmeline Pankhurst
Malaysianinsider reports that, following upon the anti-ISA rally on Saturday, Minister Nazri Aziz said that ‘As long as Barisan Nasional is leading the government, the ISA will not be abolished’.
Well, Nazri, some 5,000 of those who rallied and who were able to make their way to the PAS headquarters at Jalan Raja Laut had this to say to you and your colleagues :
Hidup Rakyat! Mansuhkan ISA! Mampoi BN!
Again and again they chanted this, even as the call came from the Pakatan leaders assembled just outside the PAS HQ for the rally participants to disperse.
Hidup Rakyat! Mansuhkan ISA! Mampoi BN!
And if you think this was a PAS crowd, Nazri, I’d urge you to take a closer look at the photos here and the numerous other blogs that are carrying the news of yesterday’s people power gathering.
Yes, Nazri, as long as BN is in government!
Get your boss to call for a fresh general election a month from now if you dare!
_________________________________________________
Nanda was going to take up an initial position at the Masjid Jamek station whlist several others and I were going to head to Sogo.
At 9.51am yesterday, got the following sms from Nanda :
Cops assembled in the parking lot in front of central market
Nanda sent the following sms at 10.08am :
Road in front of bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad blocked. SBs around with video cameras.Spotted some PAS people.
At 10.14am, Nanda sent the following :
Cops n SB around asjid Jamek area. Spotted at least 1 truck.
Lil Hummingbird alerted me of the following at 10.18am :
Heli flying overhead @ sogo
Nanda sms’d again at 10.58am :
Arrest at Masjid Jamek. A guy. Cops asked him to open his bag n found t-shirts. I think its unit amal t-shirts
Lil Hummingbird sent this sms at 11.59am :
People being arrested near sogo
At 1.23pm, Nanda sent the following :
Pasar Seni more arrests. Masjid Jamek effectively dispersed I would say
Nanda sent this at 1.29pm :
Reporters are saying they’ll also be moving to Sogo shortly. Masjid Jamek effectively shut down id say
Lil Hummingbird sent this sms at 1.38pm :
Checking ID n contents of bags for related materials n arresting at Nat Mosque
This sms from Nanda at 1.39pm :
Cops standing by in front of Masjid Jamek waiting for people to come out after prayers
Angel, Danny, Teh and I arrived at Sogo at almost 1.45pm. This is the state that we found awaiting us.
The first hint of things to come
The early croowd at Sogo
Nanda sent in this sms at 1.57pm :
They charged they beat up they arrest. Tear gas fired
I called Norlaila of GMI, who I was to meet at Sogo. She told me that she had been arrested and was being held in a FRU truck in Cheras.
Not good.
Then a sudden flurry of activity on the side of Sogo where the side road linked to Raja Laut at the back.
This group of ladies started to make a beeline for somewhere
It only dawned on some of us later that this move by this group of ladies might have been intended to draw away attention to what was to be the first push by many of those at Sogo to begin the march to the Istana.
The rally, for those at Sogo, it seemed, had started.
People starting to mve down Jalan TAR
The cops quickly moved in.
The first move to get to the palace was brought to a halt.
The rakyat's surge forward halted
For a while, confusion seemed to set in.
Then, suddenly, without any sound of gun fire, tear gas filled the stretch of Jalan TAR where we were.
Danny later said he suspected that this tergassing was probably done by a plant. Plausible.
Doesn’t matter how may times you’ve been hit by tear gas, you just never get used to it.
Your throat singes, and your eyes burn.
Ordinary folk started to share rock salt and water with the many who, it seems, came unprepared.
Najib, if you chance to read this, this is our version of 1Malaysia, something you and your cabinet will probably never, ever understand.
Then the brute force kicked in.
And then arrests.
And just as some of us started to feel as if, like Masjid Jamek, the crowd at Sogo, too, had been beaten by the cops, a second push to get to the istana took off.
Allah Akhbar rings through the air!
Strangely, though, upon reaching Coliseum, they stopped and, after a while, started back in the direction of Sogo.
Baffled, I asked a pakcik why. He replied that someone in the crowd had given instructions to do so.
My immediate concern was whether this was the work of a plant.
I needn’t have worried.
As this group headed back in the direction of Sogo, another large group, seemingly appearing from nowhere, and also starting from Coliseum, also started to move in the direction of Sogo.
At some point, the two groups merged.
And from this merged group, leadership emerged.
YB Nasir Hashim leads the charge
Lil hummingbird sent this in at 2.18pm :
Anil reports big time confusion for police now. Thousands instead of moving to Istana r now face to face with police at Jln TAR
The crowd continued in the direction of Sogo.
What was going on? Wasn’t the istana the destination?
Word slowly filtered back.
Destination ‘Istana’ aborted.
The crowd had now reached the junction of Jalan TAR - Jalan Dang Wangi. Unit Amal proved once again to be invaluable in controlling the crowd
The crowd now negotiated into that part of Jalan Dang Wangi that leads into Jalan Raja Laut, whilst the police there could only watch helplessly.
The crowd was now feted to fiery speeches and were told that the rally would not be proceeding to the istana.
YB Salahuddin Ayub
...followed by GMI's Syed Ibrahim
...and lastly YB Tian Chua
It was now about 2.30pm.
Amal unit boys readied the crowd to turn into Raja Laut in the direction of Dataran Merdeka.
to face sheer brute force.
Without any prior warning to disperse, they went to work.
The chemical-laced water cannons were the first despatched out
Even if you were not hit by the water, the remnants on the road emitted a nauseating odour
Then it was time to unleash the teargas.
Volley after volley was fired in the direction of the crowd
The crowd dispersed.
At 2.42pm, a commentator to this blog sms’d me :
This is historic. Bersih’s not the record any more
I caught up with Danny. We’d heard that the order was out to arrest the Unit Amal boys.
We saw it first hand as we headed back to Sogo.
Arrested in Sogo
Also arrested in Sogo
At 3.05pm Nanda sms’d this :In front of pejabat Agung PAS
Nanda again at 3.07pm : Anwar on his way.Road is blocked, bus also stuck
Danny and I caught up with Angel on Jalan TAR and decided to head out to the PAS HQ.
Nanda at 3.24 : Anwar, Hadi etc juz arived in front of PAS HQ
We reached the HQ about 3.30pm, just in time to catch the tailend of DSAI’s speech.
Lil Hummingbird sent this in at 3.25pm : Sivarasa just arrested at Sogo
____________________________________________
My estimate of the crowd at Sogo : 10,000 – 15,000
However, it was not so much the size of the crowd that got to me.
Firstly, the number of youth who turned up and were passionate about the issue. This was encouraging.
And contrary to what I had expected, this was not a predominantly PAS crowd. It was a good mix.
I spoke to some of the youth in the crowd.
This was one Malay youth’s response, which typified the views of the others I spoke to.
“Tak boleh buat tak tahu lagilah, bang. Kerajaan zalim. BN dah tak boleh caya, dah”.
This was a response from a young Chinese lady.
“If we don’t want the ISA, we have to fight, lah. Who else is going to fight for us?”.
There is hope yet for our nation.
Najib, call for fresh general elections next month if you dare!
