Screenshots

UPDATED VERSION. My lawyers, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Messrs. Thomas Philip, argued before the Senior Assistant Registrar (SAR) of Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning in my application to have the NSTP & Others VS Jeff Ooi suit struck out.

Decision will be delivered next year, on January 22, 2008.

Meanwhile, another date has been set for April 23, 2008 for the High Court Judge to hear my application to consolidate my case with the one faced by Rocky. This April hearing will be subject to the disposal of my application to strike out the originating suit, while the pending SAR decision scheduled for January 22 is essentially a part of the entire process.

It is pertinent to note that the plaintiffs were today represented by the same legal assistant, Rishwant Singh, who is now attached with Messrs Zul Rafique & Partners. He was formerly representing the plaintiffs through Messrs Shearn Delamore.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Australia's Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd has chosen first-generation immigrant Penny Wong Ying Yen ( 黃英賢 ), 39, to be the Climate Change and Water Minister in his Cabinet.

She will oversee Australia's role in international climate change negotiations and the development of an emissions trading scheme. Her new career starts almost immediately as she will be Australia's lead negotiator at global greenhouse talks beginning next week.

Rudd has included her and Peter Garrett -- the former rock singer who is minister-elect for environment, heritage and the arts -- to attend the UN climate change conference in Bali, which will kick off negotiations for a treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, Sydney Morning Herald reported today. Quote Rudd:

"Penny will have responsibility for our international negotiations on Kyoto and Kyoto plus, she will have responsibility for the negotiations of our domestic emissions-trading regime," he said.

"She will also have responsibility for the harmonisation of the existing state-based mandatory renewable-energy targets and regimes with an integrated national mandatory target regime."

Adelaide-based Penny became the first Asian-born woman Senator when she won a seat in South Australia in 2002.

She is a lawyer by training, and formerly served as a government advisor for New South Wales.

Penny, a Sabah-born, was a hot discussion topic in Sabah Forum since November 21, before Australia went to polls.

Whereas, October 27, the Sydney Morning Herald ran a profile story on her rise in political career. A new profile story appears in the same paper today, titled: Climate of change: a proud day for Labor's rising star.

Make no mistake

A word of caution just so our deputy minister is not taken for wrong identity.

Make no mistake. She's Penny Wong Ying Yen, the Australian citizen.

She's no Ng Yen Yen (picture left), a Malaysian deputy minister who had badly wanted an Australian PR some time back.

And there's a bidalan in our culture that tiggered my thoughts.

Hujan emas di negeri orang,
hujan batu di negeri sendiri,
Baik juga negeri sendiri.

Think glocal again, O Najib? If not, why did Bernama and The Star have to go to town with Penny's story?

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Whenever a highway concessionaire raises its toll tariff, the company doesn't have to advertise any explanation.

Without fail, a minister will self-elect to be it's PR man to justify all the increases.

Come January, like you, I will be affected whenever I have to use the ELITE highway though I am far from being an elite member of the public that Putrajaya recognises.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Both the anatomic organs are from Penang. It's about Toh Kin Woon 's take on people's rallies.

Oh yes, there's going to be a hotline by Sungai Siput, post Tamil Nadu's concern.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

What money lies in the car number plate? Pahang is frenzied over it.

First, it was exposed that Pahang Youth, Sports and Unity Committee chairman Dr Ahmad Shukri Ismail and State Entrepreneur Development Committee chairman Shahiruddin Ab Moin as having offered RM62,400 each for the CCC 3 and CCC 8 numbers. Taxpayers' money.

It was also reported that they were the second highest bidders, with the first being the Sultan of Pahang, for the CCC 1 plate that fetched RM76,600, said The Star.

Again, taxpayers' money.

The sultan also obtained CCC 2 plate for RM37,000 in an open tender for the CCC series of registration numbers that was opened for 45 days until Oct 25, The Star added.

More taxpayers' money.

Also on the list was Teruntum State Assemblyman Datuk Ti Lian Ker who got the CCC 5 with a bid of RM32,000.

Also taxpayers' money.

Pahang Mentri Besar Adnan Yaakob.later emerged to warn his state executive councillors that they will be given the boot if they are found to have made bids for registration numbers that cost more than RM10,000.

Later, it was finally exposed that Adnan himself had placed a bid for CCC 9 for RM48,000.

Lagi-lagi, taxpayers' money.

Pecah temberang? Not until you hear how he justified it in Umno mouthpiece, Utusan Malaysia:

“Soal membazir tidak timbul, pasal duit itu kerajaan bayar kepada Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ). JPJ pula akan gunakan duit itu untuk membayar gaji.

“Apa membazir pula? Duit itu pusing daripada kerajaan ke kerajaan. Bukan untuk Adnan Yaakob (tetapi) untuk kerajaan,” jelasnya.

TRANSLATION:

“The question of wasting money does not arise as the money is paid by the (state) government to the JPJ. In turn, the JPJ will use the money to pay salaries.

“Where got waste? The money goes from government to government. It's not for Adnan Yaakob (but) for the government."

From government (pocket) to government (pocket)... where got waste? I thought the money could have gone to funding welfare projects for the rakyat.

Just recently, November 17, The Star ran a story titled: Pahang’s deficit to balloon to RM50mil.

As you know, there had been a tribute to MB Adnan for quite some time on YouTube.

Save the taxpayers' money, here's a recycling of the YouTube as our tribute to a state well run. Nan... Neh!

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a dispatch datelined Chennai from The Hindu, a major daily in India, stating that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi yesterday wrote to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to take immediate and appropriate action to end the “sufferings and bad treatment” of Tamils in Malaysia.

Karunanidhi was quoted by The Hindu as saying that the people of Tamil Nadu were disturbed over the happenings in our country and he had conveyed "their concern over the treatment being meted out to the Tamils living in Malaysia for a very long period of time".

In Times of India, Karunanidhi demanded that the Union government take immediate steps to "end the suffering" of Malaysian Tamils.

"I am very much pained at the way in which Tamils in Kuala Lumpur were treated by the police of the Malaysian government on Sunday," he said.

ALSO READ:
- Hindustan Times: Protect Tamils in Malaysia, Karunanidhi urges PM
- CNN-IBN: Karunanidhi urges PM to protect Tamils in Malaysia
- Zee News: Karunanidhi urges PM to save Tamils in Malaysia
- News Today: Protect Tamils in Malaysia: MK to PM
- TamilCanadian: Tamil Disobedience in Malaysia
- The Tribune: Plight of Malaysian Tamils: Karuna seeks PM’s help

Obviously, there are glocal Tamils in this world that many are oblivious to. Let see how the Indian diaspora reacts to this.

Kin Woon breaks ranks and dissents

Meanwhile, the retiring Penang state exco Dr Toh Kin Woon (picture below) issued a hard-hitting letter to Malaysiakin, saying that instead of condemning public rallies, the Abdullah Administration should look into the people's grievances.

He declared that he "disagreed with the country's leaders" on the issue.

Toh is currently Penang state executive councillor for economic planning, education, and human resources development, science, technology and innovation. To date, he is the highest-ranking BN politician to diseent from the ruling coalition's official stance on the rally. Quote:

In a letter to Malaysiakini, Toh said the country had witnessed a series of protests over the past few months, the latest being the one organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

"These marches drew flak and condemnation from almost all BN leaders. Their criticisms centred on their illegality, potential threat to peace, the possible destablisation of the economy including frightening away foreign investors. I disagree with the views of our country’s leaders.

"Instead of condemning, one would have thought and hoped that they should have been more concerned over the grievances, frustrations and disappointments that have brought so many thousands to the streets in the first place and to seek fair and just solutions to them," he noted.

Commenting further on the Hindraf rally, Toh said the government must look into the grievances, frustrations and unhappiness of the lower strata of the Indian community and other communities pertaining to housing, education, health, jobs, equity and religious freedom.

"Until and unless these and many more issues concerning our country's judicial and electoral systems as well as social justice for the poor are looked into seriously and satisfactory solutions found, the discontent that brought thousands to the streets over several months will remain.

"To me, it is this discontent and unhappiness that will be a greater threat to our country’s peace and stability, rather than marches, pickets and demonstrations," he added.

AK rules

On the other hand, at a press conference held at the Parliament today, M Kulasegaran, the parliamentarian for Ipoh Barat, said the Indian community only controls 1.2% of equity compared to over 20% by the Malays and nearly 40% by the Chinese.

Of the Indian share, he said, one percent is controlled by tycoon Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan. This leaves nearly two million Indians owning less than 0.2% equity in the country.

The MP proposed that a revolving fund of RM1 billion be set up to uplift the economic well being of the Indian Malaysian community.

He suggested that the fund must be administered by a special agency of the government under the purview of a full-time minister in charge of minority issues.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 04:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

Apparently, the Energy, Water and Communications Minister (KTAK) Dr Lim Keng Yaik is switched on to retirement mode and no longer kick asses.

In a Ministerial Directive signed on October 23 and released to day, the Minister has passed the buck to MCMC, the agency headed by tired and retired career bureaucrat Dr Halim Shafie so that the SMS Scammers can road free a lot more longer.

The passing of buck -- over one year after the SMS Scams were exposed -- works like this: The MCMC will now determine a mandatory standard on the provision of mobile content and services, to cover the following imperatives:

1 ) Mode of commencement and termination of different types of SMS services;

2 ) Provision of consent before the charging of subsriber's accounts;

3 ) Maintenance of records and logs of transactions by content providers and providers of public cellular services;

4 ) Comprehensive and dynamic measures to prevent fraud and abuse;

5 ) Mechanisms to allow subscribers to check on the status of their subscriptions;

6 ) Procedures to address consumer complaints;

7 ) Any other matter deemed necessary by MCMC.

It summarily means one thing: All along the MCMC has condoned frauds and abuse by SMS Scammers breaching all of the above.

Download the Ministerial Directive in PDF here.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Malaysiakini editor Steven Gan has come down hard on Abdullah Badawi, who he called the 'accidental prime minister', and the worst PM we ever had.

In an editorial titled: An incompetent, not-so-nice guy, Steven said Abdullah is no Junichiro Koizumi, but at least, he can be BJ Habibie to bring some Indonesian-standard reforms in Malaysia -- that is, if his Son-in-Law allows him to.

Koizumi, if you remember, was the maverick Japanese leader who led his party to one of the biggest electoral victories in the nation's history and decisively sacked party leaders who opposed his reforms. Abdullah can't measure up to him, Steven said.

Whereas, Habibie was the accidental president in post-Suharto Indonesia. In the one short year he was in power, he initiated poll reforms, liberated the media, free political prisoners and let East Timor go.

Already, Abdullah has completed his boring four years as Malaysia's prime minister when November 1 came and went.

In juxtaposition, Steven said, "Abdullah is arguably the most incompetent PM we ever had. He has just sleep-walked his way through his first term."

"it's remarkable that it took this long for some to see the real Abdullah Badawi -- an incompetent, not-so-nice guy," he added. Quote:

Increasingly, Malaysians are questioning his leadership when previously few dared to without ending up looking foolish, as Abdullah is still enormously popular. But it's there for all to see - his sloth-like administration, his flip-flopping in decision-making and his seeming disinterest in state affairs. [...]

Moreover, his dilly-dallying over acting on the Lingam tape and his sledgehammer approach to the Bersih and Hindraf protests are the latest in a string of decisions which have let down many, including those who gave him a huge mandate in the 2004 election.

Four parties have to blame for this, Steven illustrated.

Firstly, it has been the demeanour of Abdullah as a weak, deficient leader.

Secondly, it is his 'American-style spin-doctoring' that pulled enough wool over our eyes'. By now, Steven said, 'the chink in Abdullah's armour is beginning to show, and the prime minister is becoming a victim of his own elaborate ‘spin’.

Thirdly, it's Abdullah's ‘elegant silence' administration that has been hijacked by two self-appointed spokespersons – de facto law minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz and information czar Mr Maidin. "It cannot get any worse than this," Steven said..

Fourthly, and seemingly the most lethal, is Abdullah's real enemies. Quote:

Abdullah should realise that his real enemies are not his critics but his sycophants. Indeed, his Achilles' heel is one of his most trusted confidants, son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin.

The Son-in-Law's Plan

This is where the conspiracy starts, and Steven didn't mince his words on what ails Umno, and by extension, what holds Malaysia ransom to. Quote:

Khairy has openly conceded that he needs his father-in-law to ‘protect' him while he plots to take over the country's top job within the next 10 years. He is painfully aware that the moment Abdullah steps down, he can kiss his ambitions goodbye.

For Khairy's plan to work, Abdullah must hold on to his job for at least another term. That should provide this 30-something politician the ‘protection' he needs to climb up the party hierarchy and shore up his political support.

He has one major problem though - with deputy Umno president Najib Abdul Razak next in line to take the reins, Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein stands out as Khairy's most immediate rival. As Najib's cousin, Hishammuddin is the most obvious successor. This could potentially leave Khairy out in the cold.

So expect Khairy to work overtime to ensure that Hishammuddin not elected as one of the three party vice-presidents in the next Umno polls. With his key rival out of the way, Khairy - who will be installed as Umno Youth chief - will be right on track in his quest for power.

This explains why Abdullah cannot rock the boat too much by rubbing up the party chieftains the wrong way - hence, his uninspired leadership.

Four years after Mahathir

When he took over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Steven said, Abdullah promised Malaysians the sky -- he vowed to wipe out corruption without fear or favour, he asked everyone to tell him the truth even if it hurts, and promised to rid the country of racial and religious polarisation.

"Surely, Abdullah must be kicking himself now," Steven added. "You don't promise what you cannot deliver."

Hoping against hope and with one full year running before his first term expires by April 2009, could Abdullah still be the bureaucrat to bring something akin to BJ Habibe's reforms-in-one-year in Malaysia?

"If his son-in-law allows him to," Steven said.

While people seem not too pleased pertaining to the situation of corruption in the country...

opinion polls conducted by the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Survey say Abdullah's approval rating still reigns high on the thinner side of 70+%.

See Umno mouthpiece for elaborations.

By the way, Steven didn't even wasted a single word on Abdullah's various corridors -- for the East Coast, it's summarised as having WEPT (Wilayah Ekonomi Pantai Timur).

An incompetent, not-so-nice guy Steven Gan Nov 27, 07 12:43pm

It's remarkable that it took this long for some to see the real Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Then again, perhaps not. After all, his American-style spin-doctoring pulled enough wool over our eyes.

Still, the chink in Abdullah's armour is beginning to show and this has given away his game. Indeed, the prime minister is becoming a victim of his own elaborate ‘spin’.

Increasingly, Malaysians are questioning his leadership when previously few dared to without ending up looking foolish, as Abdullah is still enormously popular. But it's there for all to see - his sloth-like administration, his flip-flopping in decision-making and his seeming disinterest in state affairs.

This month, Abdullah reached a milestone - on Nov 1, he marked four years as PM. It passed without much fanfare as there's really little to celebrate.

Abdullah is arguably the most incompetent PM we ever had. He has just sleep-walked his way through his first term.

When he took over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad, he promised Malaysians the sky - he vowed to wipe out corruption without fear or favour, he asked everyone to tell him the truth even if it hurts, and promised to rid the country of racial and religious polarisation.

Surely, Abdullah must be kicking himself now. You don't promise what you cannot deliver.

He should have known that he cannot root out corruption without weeding out the real source - the patronage politics in Umno and its sidekicks within the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

Moreover, his dilly-dallying over acting on the Lingam tape and his sledgehammer approach to the Bersih and Hindraf protests are the latest in a string of decisions which have let down many, including those who gave him a huge mandate in the 2004 election.

He's no Koizumi

When he moved into his official resident, Seri Perdana, four years ago, Abdullah might have hoped to emulate Junichiro Koizumi - the maverick Japanese leader who led his party to one of the biggest electoral victories in the nation's history and decisively sacked party leaders who opposed his reforms.

But he is no Koizumi.

Clearly, Abdullah is stumped by his inability to galvanise his own party, let alone the nation.

To paper over his weaknesses, his minders have seen to it that he does not put his foot in his mouth too often on policy issues. When he does give the rare press conference - and it's getting more infrequent by the day - journalists are told to stay away from 'no go' areas.

Worse still, his ‘elegant silence' administration has been hijacked by two self-appointed spokespersons – de facto law minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz and information czar Zainuddin Maidin. It cannot get any worse than this.

Abdullah should realise that his real enemies are not his critics but his sycophants. Indeed, his Achilles' heel is one of his most trusted confidants, son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin.

Khairy has openly conceded that he needs his father-in-law to ‘protect' him while he plots to take over the country's top job within the next 10 years. He is painfully aware that the moment Abdullah steps down, he can kiss his ambitions goodbye.

The Khairy plan

For Khairy's plan to work, Abdullah must hold on to his job for at least another term. That should provide this 30-something politician the ‘protection' he needs to climb up the party hierarchy and shore up his political support.

He has one major problem though - with deputy Umno president Najib Abdul Razak next in line to take the reins, Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein stands out as Khairy's most immediate rival. As Najib's cousin, Hishammuddin is the most obvious successor. This could potentially leave Khairy (right) out in the cold.

So expect Khairy to work overtime to ensure that Hishammuddin not elected as one of the three party vice-presidents in the next Umno polls. With his key rival out of the way, Khairy - who will be installed as Umno Youth chief - will be right on track in his quest for power.

This explains why Abdullah cannot rock the boat too much by rubbing up the party chieftains the wrong way - hence, his uninspired leadership.

So Abdullah is no Koizumi. But at least, he can be Habibie.

BJ Habibie was the accidental president in post-Suharto Indonesia. In the one year he was in power, he initiated poll reforms, liberated the media, free political prisoners and let East Timor go. Not bad for a colourless technocrat.

Abdullah could still be the bureaucrat to bring similar reforms in Malaysia. That is, if his son-in-law allows him to.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 04:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Ruckus in the Kelantan State Assembly, Nov 26, where an Umno YB launched physical attack on his PAS counterpart. Via YouTube:

News in The Star and HarakahDaily.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 04:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

This privileged photographer -- red shirt perching on top a Police vehicle -- should be able to testify if teargas and water cannons had not been used in Batu Caves Temple.

For context, read this blog entry.

After the public outpouring of dissatisfaction with their plight, it's time we listened to our Indian brothers and sisters.

Dr Kumar of Persatuan Sosialis Malaysia, and Prof Dr Khoo Kay Kim of Suhakam have both spoken up on their behalf. Listen, and listen well, Putrajaya.

ALSO READ: TIME magazine: Facing Malaysia's Racial Issues.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The Personal Dignity of Hindraf Supporters. As late as 11:07pm, November 25, Screenshots received an alert from the Bar Council Monitoring Team for the Hindraf Rally that they needed back-ups of lawyers. Additional help from the lawyers was needed to attend to detainees at Pulapol, Jalan Semarak, and IPK Jalan Hang Tuah, Kuala Lumpur.

"Many arrested. Help 2 mobilise," the SMS read.

Earlier in the day, Bar Council has alerted Screenshots that 69 people were arrested and detained at IPK Kuala Lumpur, about 300 were detained at Pulapol at Jalan Semarak.

The Star today (November 27) reported that a total of 105 people who took part in the Hindraf Rally on Sunday are still being detained. The paper quoted Federal CID director Comm Christopher Wan Soo Kee as saying that those still in custody would be released on bail today.

Here's Screenshots' tribute to those individuals who were placed in temporarily incarceration, standing up for their cause. May you be free if you haven't been.

For context, please read human rights lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar's blog. He does not quite concur with the way Hindraf leaders espouse their cause, but he fully respects the personal dignity of Hindraf supporters -- the common stand taken by this blogger.

Read on for this 21-image series.

Batu Caves Temple

Jalan Ampang-Jalan Tun Razak Junction

Let us all learn to respect the personal dignity of the Indian community.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

UPDATED VERSION.This is a snippet of how our Parliamentarians -- elected by the people, from the people and for the people -- reacted to the chronic issues of the marginalised Indian community triggered by the Hindraf Rally.

For the Indian legislators in Barisan Nasional, one appears to have heightened Double-Speak of Real-politik.

In less than 24 hours, MIC MP for Cameron Highlands, S.K. Devamany, made a Bollywood U-turn from his pontificating-the-BN over Al-Jazeera to admitting in the Parliament, arguing that the rally had proved the failure of government policies which do not benefit the Indians.

UPDATES: Speaking at a press conference at the Parliament lobby today, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz said Devamany is scheduled to meet BN party whip, DPM Najib Abdul Razak, on Thursday, for breaking ranks from the government over the rally.

S.K. Devamany (MIC) BEFORE:

S.K. Devamany (MIC) AFTER:

I was thinking aloud, instead of skirting the real issues -- and continuing to treat marginalised Indians as purely an Indian issue and not a Malaysian issue -- can we have some concrete ideas to solve a 50-year-old malaise?

Over the last three weeks after the BERSIH and Hindraf Rallies, I have been wondering if the Police have the options of democratic means and approaches in handling mass congregation in public places?

Instead of setting up roadblocks that inconvenienced the public outside rally locations, and launching vehicle-checks by picking on certain race, the Police could

1 ) Issue the police permit in the name/s of the organisers of the rallies solely responsible for the consequences;

2 ) Limit the number of rally participants allowed and agreeable to the rally organisers;

3 ) Close some roads and gather the rally participants in a vicinity close to the destination of the recipient of the petitions -- the Istana Negara for BERSIH Rally, and the British High Commission for the Hindraf Rally -- while the rally leaders are given time to deliver the petitions

4 ) Allow the rally leaders to speak for 30 minutes after they return to update on the delivery of petition, and allow the crowd to disperse peacefully afterwards

As a precaution, I would also suggest that steps must be taken by the Police and the rally organisers to be vigilant against planted moles and agent provocateurs who would infiltrate the crowd to cause trouble and disorder -- we have seen this during 1999 Reformasi and the 2007 Batu Buruk Incident.

More importantly, the Police must be independent in carrying out their duties and take no orders from the Giovernment. The Police survived on salaries paid for by taxpayers' money, they should protect the people who feed them.

If we professed to be practising democracy, then we should be consistent in democratic practices. You can't allow the Son-in-Law one set of law (July 2006), and the marginalised Indians another (November 2007). That is double standard and fundamentally undemocratic. I have raised this live on Al-Jazeera, and Malik Imtiaz has raised it in his blog. You can't say you don't hear us when the whole world knew about it.

Mass civil disobedience

As an advocate of Bangsa Malaysia, I categorically can't agree with the way Hindraf leaders pursue their cause along racial lines. Hence, I couldn't walk with Hindraf leaders but only to chronicle and blog about it using the power of photographs and images.

However, we need to lend the voiceless a voice.

It was the sheer determination of the individual participants of the Hindraf Rally, dominantly our Indian brothers and sisters, in the face of Police high-handedness, that moved me greatly. They vividly tell us that their plights need urgent attention. You simply can't brush them off by saying there are also poor in other communities while the Ministers rob away the APs and squander public funds.

In Hindraf Rally, very rarely do Malaysians see such defiance.

As Malaysiakini has recapped, despite repeated warnings and a court order which allowed the police to 'arrest on sight', they came out in the thousands on Nov 25 into the streets of Kuala Lumpur.

It was, in part, a protest inspired by Indian independence activist and pacifist, Mahatma Gandhi. Quote:

Like Gandhi, the Hindraf supporters were out to show mass civil disobedience and it was prominently shown by a crowd of almost 5,000 near the Hotel Maya at Jalan Ampang.

For at least five times, the crowd would run helter-skelter at each ‘water canon charge’, only to defiantly claim back their original positions, chanting “We want justice!” in both Tamil and English.

When Malaysians took it to the streets juxtaposed against the National Palace or the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, it no longer has forbearance on one to be marginalised or being impoverished.

It's only redeeming the dignity of each individuals who make up this country.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Did the Police used teargas and chemical-laced water cannons on the Hindraf supporters in the Batu Cave Temple?

A simple question but the top cops presented their stories differently -- in the same The Star newspaper over the last 48 hours?

The Star, November 26 Page 8:

Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan said demonstrators broke into the Batu Caves temple compound and destroyed temple property early Sunday morning.

Musa also said no tear gas or water cannons were used at the demonstrators during the incident.

Batu Caves supervisor S. Ratnam said there was minor damage to the Batu Caves' property, but the temples were not damaged by Hindraf demonstrators who had gathered there early on Sunday morning.

Internal Security and Public Order deputy director Senior Asst Comm (I) Jamaludin Khalid contracted his IGP boss admitted that water cannons and tear gas were used to disperse the crowd.

Caveat: "I must stress that police did not fire tear gas or use water canons inside the temple premises to disperse the more than 1,000 gathered there.”

Why the inconsistency? Singapore Straits Times has a take.

Also read:
- Terence Fernandez: Time to listen
- Syed Nadzri: All it needed was a small spark to cause problems
- Ambiga Sreenevasan: Press Statement: Hindraf Gathering

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 07:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

According to Malaysiakini, quoting Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar, police fired tear gas at those sleeping in Batu Caves temple at 4am yesterday. Unconfirmed reports said about 700 people were arrested there, said the online news portal.

The collection of on-site pictures seem to support the story. The crowd were rounded up on all corners, herded into the Batu Caves Temple -- house arrest style.

Then, teargas and water cannons were fired into the crowd locked in the temple compound.

A picture tells a thousand words. I will let the photos do the talking.

Read on for this 23-images series.

Then... teargas and water cannons were fired into the temple compound where Lord Muruga resides.

The morning after...

One never knew if these crowd ever made it to the Hindraf Rally in KLCC. But Gandhi's images of civil disobedience may have taken root in Malaysia.

They needn't carry any partisan political banners.

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 01:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (29) | TrackBacks (0)

This photo series is to be read together with a blog entry by human rights lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, who does not quite concur with the way Hindraf leaders espouse their cause, but fully respects the personal dignity of Hindraf supporters -- the common stand taken by this blogger.

Read on for this 13-images series.

The crowd that braved the chemical-laced water cannons

Uniformed personnel and plain-clothes at work

This Indian lady struggled as hard as she could, resisting to be handcuffed by the Police

A rally participant picking up a teargas canister to lop at the FRU who shot it at the crowd

Police! You are under arrest!

Posted by Jeff Ooi at 12:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Despite massive Police clamp-down, over 10,000 people still turned up for the Hindraf Rally -- amidst a head-count of over 30,000 reported by Malaysiakini.

However, the Police clamp-down, using roadblocks and firing teargas and chemical-laced water-cannons at the protesters, had prevented the organisers of the rally from delivering the memorandum to the British High Commission.

Pictures by Screenshots reader AidaMarie via Blackberry

Hindraf announced that it has indefinitely called off the handing over of its petition as it could not get to the British High Commission after gathering for about seven hours.

At 1pm, after negotiations with the police, Hindraf leader P Uttayakumar emerged to give a short speech and urged the crowd to disperse peacefully. The crowd responded and began walking back down towards Jalan Sultan Ismail, away from the High Commission.

Stunned by heavy-handed police action

According to media reports, the police fired a volley of tear gas at Jalan Ampang as early as 7.40am today to disperse a large crowd who had gathered there. The area has been declared a curfew zone by the police, who have issued an ‘arrest on sight’ order.

Chemical-laced water was also used to disperse crowds in three areas in Kuala Lumpur, namely Batu Caves, Jalan Ampang and the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC).

There were allegations of unprovoked violence against the civilians who participated in the rally. Screenshoits is helping to compile the pictorial evidence, some termed as bloody, for a review by a select group of people.

Meanwhile, a source from the Bar Council Monitoring Team updated Screenshots that, at the time I blogged this, 69 people were arrested and detained at IPK Kuala Lumpur, about 300 were detained at Pulapol at Jalan Semarak.

Lawyers were dispatched to both the detention camps but access were denied.

Human rights lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar -- who does not concur fully with the way Hindraf espouses its cause, has had two urgent blog updates -- here and here. He talks about the personal dignity of Hindraf supporters

Meanwhile, another human rights lawyer Haris Ibrahim, a proponent of Bangsa Malaysia, articulated why he could not and would not walk with the Hindraf Rally.

Haris Ibrahim, Edmund Bon and members of Bar Council Monitoring Team

Nevertheless, Haris volunteered his energy to participate in the 10-member Bar Council Monitoring Team led by Edmund Bon to get a first-hand account of police handling of the crowd. He told the AFP that he was stunned by the heavy-handed police action against the protesters.

Scapegoating ethnic groups

If BERSIH Rally is labelled as a Malay-PAS Rally, while Hindraf Rally is labelled as an Indian (Ethnic Minority) Rally, what then is in store for the Chinese and Kadazandusun, soon?

Scapegoating ethnic groups is not a constructive approach to achieving change in Malaysia, so said Anwar Ibrahim.

MORE!

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Australians write a new page in Australian history. The centre-left Opposition has taken over the government in Australia.

There has been a 4.5% national swing against John Howard's coalition -- coming from New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

SOURCE: The Australian Nov 25, 2007

SOURCE: The Age Nov 24, 2007

After 11-and-a-half-years in office, Howard lost the government, the premiership, and probably his own Bennelong parliamentary constituency which he has won in 13 straight elections since 1974.

Should Howard lose, his slayer would be former journalist Maxine McKew.

Watch the video of Howard's speech conceding a defeat.

When the Parliament convenes to elect the new prime minister, it will be Opposition leader, former diplomat Kevin Rudd, of the Labour party (ALP).

Already, Rudd promised changes in environmental, education and workplace policies as Australia's new prime minister. Watch the AP video on CNN. Quote:

"I will be a prime minister for all Australians," he told the cheering crowd. "Let us be the generation that seizes the opportunity of today to invest in the Australia of tomorrow. That's the mission statement we have as the next government of this country."

He added, "I want to do it with all of us working together."

Australia may also get its first female deputy Prime Minister in Julia Gillard, 46.

Read how Labour Party crawls back to power after 11 long years in the doldrum.

Too much arrogance, a little too much self-satisfaction

In an early analysis, The Age suggests that when an increasing number of voters looked at John Howard and his senior colleagues during their fourth term, they saw too much arrogance and a little too much self-satisfaction.

Significantly, many of Howard's ministers have lost their seats.

SOURCE; Australian Financial Review, Nov 24-25

Food for thought for Malaysia. It's more than Dubya losing his sheriff.

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MIC information chief M Saravanan slammed the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) for allegedly being "the stooges of DAP and to a certain extent, PKR.

However, veteran journalist K. Baradan observes that Hindraf rises due to the failure of MIC, resulting in the emergence of "a new generation of oppressed and suppressed Indians, in whose view all current Indian leadership is discredited". They now rise to demand their rights. Quote:

Hindraf, not a political party and not even a full fledged organisation, and without proper finance, has managed to capture the hearts and minds of the marginalised among the Indian community and is trying to fill the leadership vacuum.

The only arsenal on their side seems to be a willingness to risk all to organise and fight.

And MIC can't tolerate that. It wants its monopoly over the future of Indian-Malaysians to continue to be placed in its hands.

RM14 trillion class action suit against UK

In a nutshell, Hindraf aims to fire the imagination of the Indian-Malaysians to take stock of their fate in the nation. It has filed a claim against United Kingdom to seek RM14 trillion damage for bringing indentured labourers to this country and exploiting them for the last 150 years.

Hindraf promises that every Indian in Malaysia will get RM1million if it won in the class action suit.

Read on for Baradan's article in Malaysiakini to get the larger picture.

Hindraf - a new force is born Baradan Kuppusamy Nov 23, 07 2:56pm

Sunday's saffron rally by ethnic Tamils, mostly Hindus, could be a watershed event in the short 150-year history of Indians in Malaysia.

For the first time, religion, that is Hinduism, is the rallying cry, not ethnicity or class.

For the first time too, the organisers, the aptly named Hindu Rights Action Force or Hindraf, are challenging the Ketuanan Melayu (Malay hegemony) of Umno and condemning the unbridled anger shown towards Hindus and their cherished temples by local authorities, which they see as extensions of Umno.

The authorities are showing the big stick to cow Hindraf and Hindus from massing outside the British High Commission ostensibly to urge Queen Elizabeth II to intervene to end discrimination against Indians.

Ironically they want her help to win a case filed against her own government seeking trillions of pounds, more then the combined value of listed stocks in the London Stock Exchange!

But the real intention seems to be to embarrass the Malaysian government into ending its discriminations against Indians and to treat them fairly and humanely and share with them some of the resources which Indians have also laboured to achieve.

Losing their fear

I interviewed P Uthayakumar, the main force behind Hindraf, yesterday for nearly three hours and he listed a litany of woes the community faces - poverty, lack of scholarships, losing jobs to foreigners, discrimination and destruction of temples, just to name a few.

“Being poor and powerless and at the bottom of society we are the natural victims of Ketuanan Melayu,” he said. “We have had enough of it.”

Uthayakumar, for whom moderation seems anathema, is bristling with anger and is prepared to face any eventuality after Sunday.

(Uthayakumar was arrested under the Sedition Act this morning)

“I am myself surprised by the huge groundswell among poor Indians to fight for their rights. A few months ago hardly a dozen will stand by us but now thousands turning up for our rallies,” he said.

“They are losing their fear,” he said. “It is their weakness that everybody has exploited. Now they are breaking their shackles.”

My own observation in recent months confirms the trend among poor, discriminated Indians to speak out, to show their anger in a spontaneous manner.

Where did this anger originate from? It could have been sparked by the ill mannered way the body of Everest climber M Moorthy, a hero the marginalised Indians claimed as their own, was snatched from his wife and buried as a Muslim in December 2005.

For many Indians that incident symbolised Ketuanan Melayu at its worst.

“It was a defining moment for us,” said Uthayakumar. “Everybody failed his wife – the politicians, the courts, and the constitution.”

Hindraf itself was born after that episode and since then has successfully tapped into real and long-standing economic grievances that are now welling up wearing the saffron attire of Hinduism.

Lack of credible leadership

Hindraf is also taking advantage of a massive vacuum of credible leadership among Indians by making outrageous claims, by confronting Umno and the local authorities, and by not fearing, even inviting arrest.

By this manner it is gradually winning over the marginalised, powerless among the community.

The powerless in society naturally and emotionally gravitate towards any power that seeks to champion their cause and Hindraf is doing just that.

That is why thousands of people attended their rallies across the country in September and October demanding an end to discrimination and a fair share of the national wealth.

The heavy police presence at the rallies only deepened the sense of anguish and heightened the urgency to make sacrifices.

Poor individuals emptied their purse at these rallies where in one place RM18,000 was collected from the audience.

MIC's failure

The failure of the “moderate, pro-Umno” leadership of S Samy Vellu and the MIC to address many of the grievances of the Indian working class has also turned them away from moderation.

In Parliament this week, Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang described MIC as “slaves of Umno” a description that is not far off the mark for the Indian poor.

The mere mention of MIC president S Samy Vellu at Hindraf rallies invited boos and jeers from the audience. It is that bad. Besides, Samy Vellu has been around since 1979…that’s simply too long for any community to put up with.

For some years MG Pandithan gave hope to the underclass. Using the Indian Progressive Front, he rallied the poor, and gave hope. Thousands rallied to his cause and voted against the Barisan Nasional in 1990 badly shaking some top Umno leaders who won by narrow majorities.

But eventually he let them down by embracing Samy Vellu again.

The Indian poor see him now as having “betrayed” their cause and his departure has added to the leadership vacuum.

The failure of the long-time MIC number two S Subramaniam, to fill the vacuum added to the leadership morose.

For many years, Subramaniam laid low adhering to a strict 'I hear nothing, see nothing, speak nothing' philosophy that has isolated him from the Indian poor, which had long and in vain looked for a rebellious streak in him and found none.

Nothing much can be said about the Indian leadership in the DAP or the PKR. They have not displayed the political acumen, the stature or the willingness to battle and suffer to win the hearts of the Tamil masses. Very few can even read or write Tamil.

They can't fill the leadership vacuum and walk a thin line sandwiched between condemning the MIC but not joining up with Hindraf, which they see as a potential threat to their careers.

Smart, sneaky strategies

Hindraf, not a political party and not even a full fledged organisation, and without proper finance, has managed to capture the hearts and minds of the marginalised among the Indian community and is trying to fill the leadership vacuum.

The only arsenal on their side seems to be a willingness to risk all to organise and fight. It is also aided by smart, even sneaky, strategies like suing Her Majesty for trillions and on Sunday rallying to ask her to appoint a Queen’s Counsel to defeat herself in her own law courts!

But then such intricacies don’t matter anymore nor can many minds grasp them.

What matters is that a new generation of oppressed and suppressed Indians, in whose view all current Indian leadership is discredited, is rising to demand its rights.

That’s why Sunday could potentially be a watershed event for Indians because thousands of aggrieved people want to turn up and show their anger.

That can only mean a new force is born. Only time can tell how it will fare.

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Kee Thuan Chye, who created a record in the 36-year-old The Star by running the shortest-lived column in the newspaper he serves -- just two articles before it got killed -- gave a two-part interview to his former colleague who now freelances for Malaysiakini.

In Part 1, he talked about Kerishamuddin and the 'de-sensitising' of non-Malays by raising the Malay keris; the fallacy of Abdullah Badawi being the 'Prime Minister for all Malaysians'; the astronaut aka space traveller; the 'paean to Bumiputeraism called Putrajaya', among other things.

In Part 2, Kee played fool on the culture of fearing the truth: BERSIH Rally; non-Malay support for the incumbency and gerrymeandering; the Chinese who fear PAS and continue supporting the BN; the Son-in-Law's posturing on his Father-in-Law's so-called contribution in implementing electoral reforms post-Mahathir; about the de facto law minister who is "less brainy" and often proved to be deficient at debating, and when running out of argument, who resorted to arrogance; AND free media and Mr Maidin, which can 'only be expressed in unladylike language'.

It's a gem... only that there is a caveat: (The views expressed here are strictly the interviewee's own and do not reflect the stand of any organisation that he is with)

Part 1:

Kee to deciphering Umno semiotics
Helen Ang
Nov 15, 07 12:51pm

Helen: You’re someone who works intimately with language and having broad experience of the mass media – which in Malaysia is the channel for communicating the dominant narrative. As such, I’d like to get your reading on the ideas behind some of the things said and done at the recently concluded Umno general assembly.

Let’s start with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi saying: "The act of unsheathing and kissing a keris is part of our cultural heritage but its meaning has been twisted to spread fear among non-Malays, and the image of Umno and Malaysia has been smeared overseas."

The PM was referring to Youth chief Hishamuddin Hussein who at the wing’s assembly in 2005 started his so-called ‘tradition’ of brandishing the keris. He has since said he expects non-Malays to eventually become “de-sensitised” to his waving this ‘symbol’, and in fact pronounced that naysayers should get used to it.

Deputy PM Najib Abdul Razak believes the act should be celebrated by all races. What do you make of the semiotics of the Umno keris? Is it a “symbol of protection for everyone” as Hisham and the local media would have us think?

Kee: I certainly don’t think it is a symbol of protection for everyone. This kind of talk is typical of Umno politicians who often twist semantics for the purpose of fooling the people. Well, it can fool those who are easily swayed by superficialities but not the intelligent public. Many Umno politicians appear to be pretty superficial themselves and therefore tend to misperceive that the thinking of the rakyat is mainly of the lowest common denominator.

The keris is a striking visual image. When it was first brandished in 2005, it naturally sent fear waves among the non-Malays. The body language of the person wielding it and the words uttered in accompaniment and, more significantly, the tone in which they were uttered combined to even more dramatic effect.

In 2006, the second time it made its appearance, the event looked choreographed – with Hishammuddin raising the unsheathed keris heavenwards and his Umno Youth brethren raising their fists in unison alongside him, in rows of solidarity. It was fearsome, like a military phalanx. All the signs pointed to aggression.

Hishammuddin was theatricalising a moment, and it was theatre with a powerful message – all the more effectively communicated because it was televised ‘live’ and it went out to millions of viewers.

And when you unsheathe a keris and hold it in that way, you’re bound to incite certain sentiments among your followers and to provoke them to ask when you are going to use it, as Hashim Suboh did. This inevitably recalls the moment of a day 20 years ago when Najib reportedly wielded a keris and vowed that there would be Chinese blood on its blade by the end of that day.

In Hishammuddin’s theatrics, the context was clear. It was an Umno Youth assembly, which is a strictly Malay gathering. The aggressive stance, the iconic Malay keris and the invocation to uphold the Malay struggle – all these pointed to an ethnocentric concern.

Other races were certainly not being defended; on the contrary, they were implied to be the enemy.

With weapon in hand, Hishammuddin was unequivocal in his assertion that Umno Youth wanted the return of policies favouring the Malays and would take action against those who opposed the movement’s proposal to revive the NEP. He later said that the keris represented Umno Youth’s “renewed spirit in empowering the Malays”.

So now for Hishammuddin to say that he would use the keris again in 2007 as a protector of all Malaysians – not just Malays – is disingenuous. Any intelligent Malaysian can see through the doublespeak.

What is even worse – and insulting – is what he said about “desensitizing” non-Malays to the issue of the keris. Only a person with a supercilious attitude would behave that way. What he implies by that statement is that non-Malays must accept what he does, no matter how revulsed they are by it. It’s like slapping someone in the face and then slapping him again and again, and telling him that he has to tolerate it each time until he gets used to it. What arrogance!

The arrogance surely stems from the idea of ketuanan Melayu that has been the focus of Umno’s propagation the last few decades. One could read into that “protection” doublespeak an implicit statement of Malay supremacy lording over the other races. This is the same kind of arrogance exhibited by Puteri Umno in its recent criticism of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). A mere wing of Umno had the gumption to tell a partner of the Barisan Nasional to “stop making noise”.

This is the same kind of arrogance exhibited by Hishammuddin when he issued a warning to the MCA leadership last July to stop saying that Malaysia is a secular state. The leader of a Youth wing had the gumption to tell a senior partner of Umno’s in the BN to shut up. On an issue of national significance, to boot.

In supporting Hishammuddin’s keris antics, Abdullah reveals himself to be contrary to what the mainstream media have hailed him as – “a Prime Minister of all Malaysians”.

It undoes what he had been trying to do throughout this year’s Umno general assembly, which was to be conciliatory towards the other races by not bringing up issues that would be sensitive and threatening to them, particularly religion. No doubt Abdullah knows he cannot afford to alienate the non-Malay voters in light of the upcoming general election. He could have reminded the Umno delegates about this on the eve of the assembly when he briefed them on what issues to avoid. He could also have advised Hishammuddin to take that soft approach with the keris this time.

It was all rather predictable. Umno is inadvertently transparent that way!

In any case, how could Abdullah be considered a PM of all Malaysians when he was the one who stopped any further discussion of Article 11 of the Constitution; did little to clear the air about whether Malaysia is not a secular state; did nothing to quash a proposal by none other than the Chief Justice (then) to replace common law with Syariah law; rejected a proposal to set up an inter-faith council; told ministers within his own Cabinet to withdraw their memo to him calling for a review of laws that affect the rights of non-Muslims? One could go on.

Well, to go on to next in the hierarchy, Najib’s address this year was themed ‘Reaching for the Stars – Elevating a National Civilisation’, doubtless to ride on the “Malaysians walking a few inches taller” hype generated by the first Malay to go into space. I note a resolute semantics when one man’s ‘space tourist’ is another man’s ‘angkasawan’, while a cynic’s ‘joyride’ is the administration’s ambitious ‘space programme’.

The use of 'angkasawan' is blatantly deliberate; I find the English papers parroting this Malay word too. I’d read earlier that Nasa does not see Dr Sheikh Mustaphar Sheikh Abdul Shukor as an “astronaut” but rather a “space participant”. Is the ‘angksawan’ another case of Boleh creative accounting (adding and subtracting)?

Given the political reality we are in, a reality that has evolved under a campaign of institutionalised racial discrimination over the last 30-plus years, very few Malaysians would have expected the candidate for space to be other than a Malay. The non-Malay contenders were, to put it brutally, merely tokens. The final selection came as no surprise then.

The more cynical among us would also have deduced that it was all part of the Malay agenda of creating “towering Malays”. And there was not only one candidate, there were two. The second is now a spaceman-in-waiting, and to all intents and purposes, he will get his day in the stratosphere, because he will add to the list of “towering Malays”.

(I like the use of the term “spaceman” to describe each of our two aspiring angkasawan; as my dear friend Azmi Sharom pointed out astutely in his column for The Star recently, Sheikh Muszaphar is a man and he was in space.) More important, however, are the questions on a lot of people’s minds: What did our spaceman really achieve? And what has our nation achieved? Did we build our own rocket? Did we find a new way of going to space?

I would say we found a new ‘leng chai’ poster boy to set women’s heart aflutter … but in any case, to look back, there was the less than enthusiastic reception of the Everest conquerors that were Indian. Whereas a Malay man swimming the English Channel was rewarded with a Datukship – a feat that even a 12-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy (Thomas Gregory / 11 hr 54 min in 1988) accomplished minus the sort of state support and sponsorship given our Malaysian ‘hero’ Abdul Malek Mydin (17 hr 40+ min).

Non-Malays who have accomplished greater feats tend not to be lionised as much. As you rightly pointed out, the Indians who scaled Mount Everest got short shrift. This also happens in the field of sports.

The Sidek brothers were elevated to legendary status for their success in badminton, totally overshadowing the non-Malay greats who had led the way long before them (Wong Peng Soon, Ong Poh Lim, Ooi Teik Hock, Eddy Choong, Tan Aik Huang, Tan Yee Khan, Ng Boon Bee, etc).

When Mohd Hafiz Hashim won the All-England singles title in 2003, he was rewarded with a car, land, money and a hero’s welcome home. When Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong won the All-England doubles title last March, they were rewarded with only a fraction of what Hafiz got. Not that such rewards are necessarily good. Sadly, Hafiz hasn’t outdone himself since 2003.

Lack of a maintenance culture.

I have a theory that our performance in sports started to decline with the inception of the NEP. Before that, we had great athletes like Jegathesan, Rajamani, Ishtiaq Mobarak and Nashatar Singh, and our football team was as good as South Korea’s. But from the ’70s onwards, things took a turn for the worse. I put it down to the decline in national morale. And of course also to the team selection criteria.

Where does it all lead?

It all leads to further superficiality. That’s what our leaders are good at – creating the myth of Bolehness by resorting to the accomplishment of superficial ‘feats’. These would include having the tallest flagpole in the world, at one time the tallest building in the world, the paean to Bumiputeraism called Putrajaya (which now appears to be a white elephant), etc, etc. Is there a biggest ketupat in the world too?

Most certainly, but could have been eaten by now.

But what it amounts to realistically is spending millions and billions of ringgit, which you and I contribute to whether we like it or not. To the movers of the cause, it doesn’t matter what the cost is as long as it serves the Bumiputera-building exercise. I think that’s unfair. Non-Bumis also deserve an even chance. We contribute too. I was disgusted when I visited Putrajaya at night a few weeks ago – all that money spent on maintaining it, all that energy to light up the streets and the buildings, and all for what?

To blink at spacemen in Russian stations? But do go on …

I’ll tell you what disgusted me even more recently. When I visited the Independence Memorial in Malacca last May and looked at the exhibits (pictures, write-ups, etc), I found almost everything centred on the efforts of the Malays. The contributions of non-Malay nationalists were blatantly neglected or marginalised. A handful of Chinese and Indian leaders got mentioned in passing, but that was about all.

Unless I missed it, I didn’t even see a single portrait of Tun Tan Cheng Lock in there. And he was the leader of the MCA at the time. Not only that – his record shows that he was a true nationalist who was president of the All Malaya Joint Council for Action (AMCJA) which, together with Pusat Tenaga Rakyat (Putera), rallied for Merdeka long before Umno got wise to the idea.

I don’t buy that ‘National Civilisation’ hogwash. “National” is just another abused word for “Bumiputera”. But many non-Malays have been conditioned into believing the Umno propaganda, first from having their mindset programmed in school, then from being exposed to the spin-doctoring of the mass media daily and the grand-scale theatrical extravaganzas staged by the BN government occasionally.

When the general election comes around, they will probably vote like they have been doing over the decades.

Part 2:

A culture of fearing the truth
Helen Ang
Nov 22, 07 12:45pm

Helen: Let's examine the nuances of non-Malay support for the incumbency. Pundits are predicting that disgruntled Chinese will swing to the opposition this time around. So it may actually turn out that a large percentage of the community will indeed buck the status quo.

What I think is that while Chinese are prepared to secretly (they will refuse to tell anyone who they voted for) cast their once-every-five-years ballot in favour of the opposition, their mindset in the remaining four years and 364 days will remain as you say, conditioned: fearful, refusing to engage and self-centred.

But given the uneven electoral playing field and lack of proportional representation, popular disenchantment may nonetheless not translate into a diminished BN influence. Sadly true?

Kee: The gerrymandering that has been done has really made it harder for the Chinese to swing votes in many constituencies. I was in Balakong a couple of weeks ago and the residents there told me that their constituency used to be opposition-controlled, but lately with the redemarcation exercise, the BN has been winning.

There used to be about 70 per cent Chinese in the constituency but that has been diluted to about 50 per cent. The other 20 per cent has been moved to another constituency. They don’t foresee the opposition winning it back this coming election unless a huge majority of the remaining 50 per cent vote for them. Many Chinese, however, tend to vote BN.

Surely they can see that BN is a gross disservice to their community? Who are those still so blinkered?

Those in business, those who fear PAS, those who think BN will provide the peace and order to allow them to pursue their livelihood, those who don’t want to rock the boat, those with vested interests and enjoy the patronage of the ruling establishment – these are the Chinese who will stand by it.

The BN needn’t worry about not winning. It would be a great shock if they lost. But I think BN’s greatest fear – more so Umno’s, really – is not getting a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Without that, they can’t have things their way. The Ketuanan Melayu agenda might not be so easily promoted. They will also find it difficult to settle for anything less when they’ve had it so good since elections were introduced in this country. A loss of the two-thirds could spark the beginning of a decline, which in the long term could result in Umno going through what the Indian National Congress or the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan have gone through.

I agree about the two-thirds majority being a matter of standing and ‘face’ for Umno. But what helps BN keep face is the thick layers of make-up that the mainstream media are prepared to paint on the coalition. The Bersih rally is the most recent example of the MSM’s cosmetic enhancement to conceal the heavy-handed and unwarranted approach by the authorities.

We can note that one of the reforms called for by Bersih is that opposing views have free and fair access to the mass media. Isn’t an impartial media the essence of a democracy?

Yes, that’s the essence of a democracy. This should have been one of the cornerstones of the ‘101 East’ forum on Al-Jazeera TV last week featuring lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, the Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz and Umno Youth deputy leader Khairy Jamaluddin. The forum discussed Bersih’s Nov 10 march ending in the handing over of their memorandum to the King calling for fair and free elections.

Yet for all that Khairy said on the show about the reforms that have been made by the Elections Commission such as the use of indelible ink, transparent ballot boxes, etc, he still ignored the main plot – how can elections be fair if the opposition is virtually blacked out in the media and the usual airing they get is when something negative is reported about them?

I’m sure he’s smart enough to know that free media access to all parties is the key issue, but he also appeared smart enough to deflect it by bringing up the cosmetic improvements.

Nazri, on the other hand, was far less brainy. In fact, he proved to be deficient at debating. And when he ran out of argument, he resorted to arrogance.

He said, ostensibly without