The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights from Seth Brau on Vimeo.

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Mahathir's BUM address ....

Recently there was this event called BUM 2009- The event was apparently a runaway hit, especially since they had star appeal in none other than Mahathir, our exPM. Many Malaysians actually "worship" him - much like how Semi Value used to be treated by his minions in the past (There actually is little difference between them, although I must say unlike Semi - Mahathir has polish, brains and some class).
Without a doubt, he is definitely an icon among Malaysians, simply because he ruled for the entire significant lives of many an enslaved mind, and his views are much sought after (even if it is gibberish) by them. Most Malaysians don't realize that we never really needed Mahathir (or his "asian values"/ "strong government"). We just needed good governance and accountability- to achieve the progress we did in the 90s, while riding on the global economic boom (until the bust, i.e.).

However one has to be honest - it must be said without a doubt, that he is a politician par excellence in the Malaysian context (where as a result of his "guidance", we are left with the bums he has left behind in the corridors of power), and (for better or worse) he has carved his place in Malaysian history and the hearts/minds of Malaysians. For that, I would still respect and salute him - despite the fact that I think that he was a very clever dictator, who knew how keep up the pretense of nurturing a democracy and an apparent prosperity.

Malaysiakini, did post the videos - although as expected, there wasn't anything really significant, I somehow liked some of what I heard (not the twisted "truths", though)!!!
Incidently, yours truly wasn't really willing to pay good money to listen to what the man had to say - and hence didn't attend/participate. One reason being, his approach towards Freedom of the Press, which was in total contradiction to the practice of subtle persecution and intimidation during his time at the helm. But of course - it wasn't his fault! It is the MSM that has to blamed for being chicken (or simply infected with the much dreaded illness called Bodekitis) and attempting to "second guess" him, despite the fact that he had never restricted.
Poor guy this, Mahathir fella- apparently he had to "behave according to the sentiments expressed in the media", and it apparently wasn't that the media was sucking up to him!! I suppose one can only have "sympathy" for the predicament which Mahathir was in as a result ...... right? Yeah brother ... "I feel you" - and it breaks my heart!!
No wonder he called them BUMS for listening to his nonsense!! (He "neutralized" it by calling the "VIPs", though .... smart fella this Mahathir - and dumb f%$#s these BUMs are).

Even so, I liked his silly jokes (besides the above joke, i.e.) in the part about how internet porn is peddled on the www. He sure has the makings of a comedian. It is nice to see an old man still having his sense of humour intact, and a very sharp mind (for his age).
Anyway, despite a runny nose, he looked quite well at the BUM 2009, and I wish him good health.
Take care TDM, sir!

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Penanti Run!!!

We will not dance to Opposition tune,
says Najib

The Ahmadiyah Dilemma

I received a link in my email, leading to this YouTube interview:
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Self Righteous Voices of Guilt & Remorse ...... through Walls of Straw

Of late, we had much discussion on 513 - "a day that will live in infamy".
We also got "mixed signals" coming from the most unlikely sources .....

We had some apologists (Refer to Jebat Must Die's -May 13th 1969 – The "Correct" View which comes in two sad parts) attempting to justify the actions of security personnel - by painting the "other side blacker than black" with one broad brush.

On the other hand, we had an element of remorse in the voice of Abdullah Ahmad (The Critical 30 minutes) - an aide to Tun Razak, and a former NST Editor. He implied in this article, that it was because of the delay in communications that the whole event proceeded as earlier planned.
I quote -
"The tragic and vicious incident need not have happened had Tun Razak's message to Datuk Harun Idris, the Mentri Besar of Selangor, reached him 30 minutes earlier or had Tan Sri David Tan Chee Khoon and Tun Lim Chong Eu spoken to Razak 30 minutes earlier relaying their decision not to cooperate with DAP to form the state government of Selangor nor to work together in Perak and elsewhere.
I was beside Razak when he took the calls from them late past tea time on the fateful evening of May 13. I recall clearly what Razak told Harun,"…the good news is you will continue to run Selangor. Chee Khoon and Chong Eu had just spoken to me that they want status quo preserved. So tell the people gathering at your house to disperse."

From the above, it is quite clear that it was within their power to prevent the bloodshed, and as to who the architects of the incident were. That it was "too late" to prevent it from breaking out is I suppose quite another matter altogether, as the intention for the bloodshed, and the "reasons" (as opposed to the excuses of JebatMustDie) were quite clear.
Now - if that isn't a damning indictment (no matter what pathetic "communist excuses" Jebat may bring forward to justify it), I really don't know what is.

Be that as it may be, much water has passed under the bridge. It would not do for us to hold it against them - provided their actions warrant it in their actions & policies. It wouldn't be right for us to hold it against the culprits (read Umno) should they confess their sins and express remorse - just so that we can move forward as a nation with a common ideal and destiny.

For what it is worth, let us give credit where it is due. It was at least courageous of Abdullah who (probably due to the "haunting spectre of guilt") has come forward with this "veiled remorse" in his winter years. This has to be something that we have to take in the right spirit, should we seek reconciliation, the "Bangsa Malaysia" or "1Malaysia" which we all strive for. So let us refrain from spewing hatred upon the present for the mistakes of the past.

However, there is an element of "fear" in Umno, that they would be subject to a "backlash" should they acknowledge the past. While that may be partly unavoidable, this backlash that they fear cannot be prevented through their denials or their lame "justifications" for the bloodbath. Thanks to the Mahathir years, Umno in inevitably in its sunset years - and as such, this backlash that they fear will in no way be as bloody as in was on 513.
If anything, they'll only lose political power - and nothing more. What is important here is the fact that all communities understand that whoever leads Malaysia would swear allegiance to the Federal Constitution, and that nobody would be sidelined or victimized based on past misdeeds of their predecessors.
Let us then "clean up our cup from the inside" - offer an olive branch just so that we can move on and heal together as one nation.

To those who bear the burden of confusion, hurt and guilt, here is a short message from Ravi Zacharias which is quite relevant to the "illness" that afflicts our nation:-

Guilt Concealed By Fear
Ravi Zacharias

What do we do when we have committed a wrong that we are ashamed of? What can we do with those wrongful deeds that we can’t seem to erase from our consciences?

One way that many people deal with guilt is to cover it up. This can seem almost instinctive at times, as if something inside us says, “Hide it. Forget about it. No one can know.”

But this puts us in a very precarious position, for not only are we dealing with guilt, but now we are dealing with the fear of being “found out.” When we add fear to our feelings of guilt we are adding apprehension to the remorse we are struggling to conceal. Just as a blackmailer is never satisfied, so the one who lives in fear with guilt ends up blackmailing his or her own heart to pay the mind.

But the heart is never consoled, for the mind is never sufficiently paid.

Guilt that is concealed seldom stops with the one who harbors that hurt. Sooner or later that pain of fear and guilt is spread to others, particularly to those closest to us. “Victimless” crimes are an illusion, for deceit is a monster that needs constant feeding. It would be foolish for us to think that we can deal with guilt by somehow covering it up. The moment that we cover our guilt we escalate the tension in our lives by adding the dimension of fear. We may then become people who seem okay on the outside, but inside we are struggling to maintain the facade.

Many used this same ploy with Jesus in his day. They would throw one question after another in order to hide the real struggle beneath them all. He says to those who have tried to cover over their guilt, “Woe to you...for you clean the outside of your cup, but inside the cup is full of turmoil...First clean the inside of the cup so that the outside may become clean as well.” Here Jesus refers to the heart as a cup. What you pour forth will show the condition of your heart, even if the “outside” looks clean.

Carried to a different level, this same tendency underlies all our national preoccupation with one social or economic crisis after another. No one seems willing to admit that at the heart of our malady is a mangled spirituality.

Let us go to God with our “cup full of turmoil,” so that we may not live in fear, but in hope.

The Post 513 "Umno-cracy": Majority or Legitimacy?

"It was the ones we call the prophets who were jailed and driven into the desert."
-Noam Chomsky
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On this 40th anniversary of May13, when bloodlust ruled the streets of Klang Valley, I'd like to state that IMHO, Malaysia isn't a democracy - at least since that day. Malaysia, has since been a racist aristocracy practicing apartheid enforced by the "instruments of state" - more so since the advent of Mahathirism. As a matter of fact, one wouldn't be too far off the mark to say that Malaysia has since, always been, and is still a Police State - albeit, clothed in a Constitutional Monarchy which apparently practices Parliamentary Democracy - in a nation of ignorant, hoodwinked & politically emasculated citizenry (although there has been an element of awakening over the last two years).
The BN - It has always been and is still a government which wastes the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them. Never mind the sin and tyranny of it all - they don't hesitate for a moment enforce to their "gunboat diplomacy" majority, in their pursuit of personal wealth and power.

"In the running of a democracy, we cannot allow the tyranny of the minority to decide for the majority."

Those were words of Zambry who was speaking as a faithful henchman and spin-doctor to "certain quarters" who were bent on acquiring power for themselves even if it meant destroying the very institutions they claim to defend. This is the guy who at one time challenged some journalist or other and asked him if they knew what democracy was -or something to that effect.

While Zambry proceeds with his attempt at subverting democracy on the pretext of defending the rule of the majority, little does he seem to understand the reason for democracy as a system of governance. He appears to be ignorant of the fact that democracy lives on "Legitimacy".
Majority or not, he has forgotten (or is ignorant) that the people are the ones who decide in a democracy - and not the rulers.

Jefferson once characterized the people (Notes on the State of Virginia) as the "safe depository of the government" and that "governments degenerate when trusted to the rulers" . As such, he said that "the true corrective of constitutional abuses, is to return it (the mandate) to the people who can make "informed choices" through education, as opposed to taking it away from them. This however wouldn't gel with Zambry's (or PDRM's) notion of a "democracy".

Incidentally, what the BN bunch (epitomized by the above statement) advocated since the time of Mahathir - the Asian Values cum Nanny State - is diametrically opposed to this concept of democracy which they claim to defend. The BN argument is this - as long as they have a majority in a parliament, they are "democratic". The methods of achieving it does not count in their brand of democracy - hence the "Asian Values".
For BN, the ends justify the means. It is quite possible that if they have to intimidate, harass, kill or even possibly sell their mothers to gain that majority- in their eyes, it is perfectly legit & democratic - or else it is "the tyranny of the minority".

Let's forget the ISA/ Police Act/ EO and what not for a moment - to date, one political party squandered billions on the PKFZ and OPV, Sukhois and Scorpenes, gang-raped the Federal Constitution, gambled on oil futures, MISC, Forex. Then manipulated and humiliated the Monarchy, sacked judges, arrested lawyers out to defend constitutional rights of citizens, banned civil society groups and candlelight vigils, arrested bloggers and peaceful civilians, got court orders to declare certain colorful fashion statements seditious, dragged out the speaker like a sack of potatos, arrested joggers or patrons of eateries for having roti canai ... and the list goes on ad nauseaum, ad infinatum.

It is but a futile effort for us to try educating these bunch of goons - in fact, they have despised the intellectuals ever since the infamous days of Ops Lalang under Mahathir. Just like any gangster would, they do not see intellectuals as "prophets", but as a nuisance. They would despise Tun Dr. Ismail's words warning of an uprising of the people, should they abuse the constitutional process. Sadly however, reason was thrown out of the window among the "mutineers of 1969". They would wholeheartedly probably agree with Mao Ze-Dong's convictions that "power comes from the barrel of a gun", and nothing more - therefore the infamous May13. (Who knows what Altantuya or Rosmah might say to this, right?)

In keeping with Mahathirist "traditions", any attempt to educate them on the need to respect Law or the Federal Constitution in it's original form is met with much scorn (for more, feel free to browse through CheDet.com entries of August 2008). Judges and Lawyers are only good to serve them- and not the law. The same goes for all other institutions and intellectuals/ academics/literati - and the vacuum is filled by installing highly decorated, incompetent & glorified pretenders/ puppets, so as to hoodwink the masses with their imbecility. To justify and facilitate this travesty, the sectarian agenda is played out for an unsuspecting public. Just like the prophets of old, they (the deserving intellectuals) are "discarded" or persecuted if they don't toe the line and serve the political masters.

They have failed to understand that "extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, and that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue" (Barry Goldwater). The rulers of Malaysia do not see that it is sinful and tyrrannical to "compel a man to subsidize with his taxes, the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors"(Jefferson).
BN understands the human spirit (which is often dulled by sectarianism and brute force), but have yet to see its fury unleashed through whatever means available, when all avenues are exhausted. That being the case, should the mandate for the legitimacy of rulers not be returned to the people, (just as TDI predicted in the sixties while debating the ISA) the backlash by the common man will come to pass - sooner or later.

To Zambry I say -
"In a Democracy, more than the majority, it is about Legitimacy! It isn't just about majority rule, but also about the means of achieving that majority that grants you that legitimacy."
To BN I say - don't "kill your prophets"!
Listen then if you have ears - and grey matter ......

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"The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
and tenements halls
and whispered in the sounds of silence."
-Paul Simon

Perak Chicken Run!