TIT THOUGHTS

A Plea to Pray for the Nation

2011-12-06T09:10:00.002+08:00

My dear friends, especially those who still consider Malaysia your home, do you realize that we are at a very critical stage in the history of our nation. The events of the next 12 months will more or less determine the direction of our nation for our children's generation and their children's generation. We either become a basket case or pull back from the brink and start rebuilding again.

20/30 years of pillage and wastage under the UMNO led Govt has done almost irreversible damage. Even if there is a change of govt, the new govt may need more than a term to clean up the mess. What will even be more difficult is to change the mindset of the populace whom are addicted to subsidies and mediocrity. We must not be under any illusions that getting rid of the present govt will solve all our woes overnight. But it will be a new beginning.

However, humanly speaking it is impossible to unseat the current govt. Do you know that because of the delineation of the electoral boundaries BN needs only to win 15.4% of the popular vote by winning in all the small seats to win by a simple majority? (See here). Kapar, an opposition held seat is 7 times bigger than Putrajaya, a BN held seat. Majority of these rural and small seats are held by the BN.

The above is only one example of the non level playing field in our electoral system. Unfortunately, it was not included among those 8 demands made by Bersih. This together with Bersih's 8 areas of concern if not rectified will akin to playing a football match with the no. of players of a basketball team for the Opposition parties.

I do not believe anything will change before the next GE. As such, short of divine intervention, we will still have a govt that is going to continue to mismanage and loot the nation until it is bankrupt. We will still have a govt who will continue to make use of the public institutions such as the police, civil service, judiciary etc to remain in power and passed more draconian laws to stifle dissent. We will still have a govt who will continue to use race and religion to divide us in order to maintain its hegemony.

My dear friends, whatever your religion may be, if you believe in God, can I invite you to just spend 5 to 10 minutes a day to pray for our nation. To pray for justice and righteousness to be established from Perlis to Sabah? To pray for God fearing leaders to be raised up to serve the nation. Thank you.

Band of Brothers and Sisters

2011-07-11T12:40:00.003+08:00

709 will forever remained as the watershed event in Malaysian history. When it was first announced there was going to be Bersih 2.0 rally, I told myself I probably skip it as I have already gone for the first one. Let others go. But as the weeks passed and looking at how the Government reacted in totally unfathomable ways in what supposed to be a democratic country, I began to have second thoughts. Well I guess I don’t have to go into details. Everyone knows what they were. But I guess the final straw for me was when they arrested Dr. Jeyakumar and his 5 other colleagues and decided to detain them under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) without trial. The EO is not any different from the ISA. In fact the ISA is more ‘respectable’ as it is normally used against political activists. But the EO is normally used against hardcore criminals who are threats to society. That for me, is an act of blatant injustice. One of my ex-journalist friend who has interviewed Dr. Jeyakumar describes him as a living saint. For more about Dr. Jeyakumar, you can read it here.

A Personal Account

The plan was to drive two other friends to Asia Jaya LRT and from there alight at KL Sentral to meet up with a bigger group there. We left before 10am and reached the LRT station in less than half an hour. There were few policemen there but they were not bothered with us. Policemen were everywhere at KL Sentral. Groups of Malays with skullcaps were stopped and questioned. We adjourned to the Medan Selera and waited for our other friends. They arrived safely later by KTM Komuter.

We waited until about 12.30pm before we decided to move out. On the way out I saw people were being arrested near KL Hilton. We went down the other way that leads to Jalan Tun Sambathan. It was along Jalan Tun Sambanthan that I began to get quite scared and wanted to turn back after witnessing a police truck stopped on the opposite side of the road and hauled a group of people up. But to go back alone would have been more dangerous. Better to get arrested in a group. When we were about to reach the Klang Bus station, we saw a big group marching towards us. I felt more relaxed now. We joined in and began to march towards Chinatown.

Shouting and chanting along the way. I thought we were going to Stadium Merdeka but we ended up at Puduraya. A huge crowd has gathered by now. Some were beginning to take out their yellow shirts. Not too long after that the police with their water cannon trucks and the FRU came (from Jln Tun Perak I think) and began to shoot chemical laced water at the crowd. There was no provocation before that. Of course, the crowd started jeering. Then the tear gas started to fall and the crowd was running everywhere.

Although I was quite far away where the tear gas fell, because of the wind caused by one helicopter, I got a taste of it. It was terrible. Eyes began to become teary and painful. And it's like someone just shoved some chili powder down your throat. The police didn’t advance towards our side but towards those who were at Jalan Pudu. The crowd gathered again and began to march back into Chinatown. All shops were closed except for one which did roaring business selling mineral water.

It began to rain and soon it poured. We were completetely drenched as we make our way up the slope to Stadium Merdeka. However, we couldn’t proceed further as they have already barricaded the area. For a moment there was an eerie silence and my friend told me he felt uncomfortable about the situation. I was also feeling uncomfortable looking at the surrounding area. We were in a situation where we could have been easily surrounded. We decided to go back to Petaling Street. Along the way, we saw a few friends in MacDonalds that to my surprise is still opened. Went in and had my lunch. About half an hour later another group was marching pass us and we decided to join them. We didn’t get far before being gassed again. By then, my phone battery was running low and I felt that I should call it a day. So I didn’t regroup and join them for a final assault at Stadium Merdeka. Went back to MacDonald’s to recharge my battery and wait for 4pm where we were supposed to disperse. As promised, the crowd dispersed at 4pm. People started to walk back from the stadium to the Pasar Seni LRT station.

LRT station was closed. Decided to walk to KL Sentral. It was a long walk as by now both my legs were cramped. My friend had to carry my bag. Shortly after we arrived, the LRT resumed its operation. Tired and wearied but happy to know that I have witnessed the true 1 Malaysia on the streets on KL that afternoon.

Some thoughts

The awakening of the middle class

It was amazing to see the number of the middle class especially the Chinese on the streets. One of my friends made a very good observation. How to you know they are middle class? Well, half of them have some sort of smartphones especially iPhones. I was surprised to bump into so many friends and acquaintances. Some whom I cannot believe will be willing to risk being arrested, tear gassed or even beaten up.

A multi-racial crowd

Unlike the first rally where the crowd was predominantly Malay, this time I think it was more reflective of the racial composition of the country. There was no hesitation to lend a helping hand irregardless of one’s race, religion and class. All such barriers were torn down when we marched together with a purpose. The true 1 Malaysia was there on the streets of KL that afternoon.

The numbers

Initially I was disappointed as from my from what I can see there couldn’t be more than 10,000. Little did I know that there were big groups from other areas The police prevented us from linking up. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter if it was 6000 as reported by the IGP or 50,000 as claimed by Bersih. Read here as to why. I know for sure I have family members and friends who were not out there but were equally supportive of the cause.

Police brutality

Personally I didn’t witness any. But from video clips and personal accounts, the police has acted in a most brutal way. Imagine firing tear gas and chemical laced water into a hospital. Even in war time, hospitals are supposed to be immune from attack. Video clips I have seen clearly show how tear gas was fired. Not at a tilted angle but directly at the crowd. The canisters can maim and kill. In fact, Khalid Samad MP for Shah Alam was hit at the back of the head and required 6 stitches. Anwar’s bodyguard was hit on the face. They were also shooting tear gas at confined places like the tunnel at KL Sentral that leads to Jln Tun Sambanthan.

All these happened without any provocation. The crowd was peaceful. Yes, we were noisy and loud. But violent, never. No one broke anything. No one burned anything. No one vandalised anything. And yet people were beaten up and gassed by the very people who were supposed to protect them.

Najib and his Govt.

They have completely lost the plot. Even now, they are still in denial mode. Not a few have told me that they didn’t give a damn about Bersih three weeks ago. But because of what the Govt did, they cannot remain silent anymore. Looking at the sheer number of Chinese middle and upper middle class of the streets that afternoon, MCA is going to be wiped out in the next GE.

The Facebook generation

I was very encouraged to see that majority of the crowd consisted of the youth. They are no longer apathetic. I told myself maybe I can retire from such thing already until I saw on the net this lady. In fact, I also saw an old lady with a walking stick helped by a friend walking ahead of me.

Conclusion

I would like to thank my friends who were so supportive and showed so much concern when I was out there treating me like a hero. I am not a hero. There were times when I wanted to turn back and wished I was not there. I was fearful all the time except when we were on the march. To borrow a line from the HBO series, The Band of Brothers, I was not courageous but I walked with those who are. On 709, Malaysians from all races and walks of life became the Band of Brothers and Sisters on the streets of KL. May this spirit spread to every corner of Malaysia.

Dear friends, I hope I never have to do it again. So please go out there and encourage everyone who has not register as voters to register and kick out this evil regime from Putrajaya in the next GE.

Update: How could I left out mentioning my dear wife? She prayed for me before I left the house. She was very concerned for my safety. She went to the hairdressing saloon to release her tension I think and found that the hairdresser is also an ardent Bersih supporter. She smsed me a few times to find out my situation. Thank you darling for allowing me to do what I believed in though it caused you so much anxiety.

Stadium Merdeka?

2011-07-07T09:32:00.001+08:00

I think the decision of Bersih 2.0 to go ahead to assemble at Stadium Merdeka irregardless of whether a permit is given is a mistake. A mistake not such much of defying the authorities. I think the Government left Bersih with no choice. But a mistake as to the venue. The reason given by Bersih is because of the historical significance/symbolism of Stadium Merdeka and its central location. Very cogent reasons. However, if you can’t get even within 1km of the stadium, will your objective be achieved? It is very easy for the police to cordon off the entire area within a 1km radius.

A look at the map of the surrounding areas also discloses 3 police stations nearby and 2 of them are not ordinary police stations. They are Ibu Pejabat Daerah Dang Wangi and Ibu Pejabat Kontijen Polis KL. Basically the whole KL police force is stationed next door.

The previous Bersih rally was supposed to assemble at Dataran Merdeka. The entire area was easily cordoned off and people had to assemble elsewhere and march to the Istana. Now this time there is no longer any destination since the Agong has advised against street demos and Bersih has agreed. I guess Bersih 2.0 will eventually be forced to do that as there is no way anyone can get through to Stadium Merdeka. They will blame it on the Govt for reneging on their promise. But where will they go?

I was elated when the King granted audience to Bersih in an unprecedented speed. I was hopeful that a peaceful solution can be found. However, by evening I got the feeling that the Govt is no going to budge after news of the discovery of Molotov cocktails, parangs and Bersih T-shirts. They are just going to say in view of this, the threat is still there even if there are no longer street demos. The comments made by people and opposition politicians claiming victory and ridiculing the Govt and police didn’t help either. They were anything but gracious. Of course, it’s understandable given what nonsense the Govt and the police have been throwing at us the last few weeks. But the battle has not been won yet. Understandable but not very smart.

As I argued in my last posting, the awareness level for electoral reform has reached a new height given the publicity that was generated in the past weeks. Furthermore, now people are also aware that we have a Govt who is not only highly incompetent but has turned what would have been a non event into a national crisis. People are also aware that we have a Govt who has undermined every public institution in the country in their quest to hold on to power. The latest (well not really, Dr. M has done that long time ago) is the constitutional monarchy.

Is there a need to march anymore? Well I think no, if it’s for electoral reform but yes to reclaim our constitutional right to assemble in a peaceful manner and without arms and to protest against the high handedness of the police. As Art Harun puts it, Bersih is no longer about electoral reform. It has become a movement of people against some sort of tyranny.

Well, I still hope against hope that a last minute compromise will be found though both parties have already ruled out any compromise. Or hope for a miracle that the King will order Stadium Merdeka to be opened and he himself will go there and join the rakyat. But the likely scenario will be within the next 24 hours most if not all the Bersih Steering committee will be arrested together with some Opposition politicians. KL will be locked down. LRT and KTM commuter will be shut down or they will bypass strategic stations. Even telecommunications will be disrupted to prevent marchers from communicating with each other.

Will I be there? I don’t know. All I know is 9^th July 2011 is going to be Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah for the better or the worse.

Kyrie Eleison – Lord have mercy.

To march or not to march?

2011-07-04T10:18:00.001+08:00

That’s the question posed by one of my friends in his FB last week. My response was if we love our country, the answer is obvious. Well, it’s not so obvious now after the Agong issued a statement late last night. Even though the Government would have a hand in drafting the statement, it is still one that came from the King. I think it is a fair statement with the purpose of defusing a very tense situation. It can be used by both the parties to find a solution and to save face although for BN the damage has already been irreparable.

For me, it offers some relief that a solution may be found so as to avoid confrontation. It will be a lie to say that I am not fearful. Those in power has gone mad and are more than willing to use their claws to used the expression of our PM. But I keep telling myself the freedom from fear is a very precious freedom and we have to protect it at all cause. However, fear can works both ways. It can either lead you to do stupid and irrational things like what our Government is doing or it can lead to you deeper reflection to find alternatives protecting you from unnecessary dangers.

I think it will be very difficult for Bersih to continue with the rally without losing substantial support. A look at the comments in cyberworld seems to suggest that many Bersih supporters think well of the Agong’s statement. For those hardcore ones who said the Agong didn’t explicitly prohibit the rally, I think they have missed the point. If the Agong has been explicit as one sultan has done, these people would have condemned him.

For PR, if they push ahead with the rally, they will give ammo to BN/PERKASA to blast them for being derhaka. They will stand to lose support especially from the Malay voters. If they back off, no one can accuse them anymore of disrespecting the royalty. The BN because of their stupidity and arrogance in handling this matter would have lost substantial support from those fence sitters. What more can PR ask for?

The purpose of a rally is to publicize to the whole world your cause. That is why it cannot be confined to a stadium as some people suggested. Stadiums are meant for sporting events. I think due to the overreaction from the Govt, many have come to know about Bersih and their demands for electoral reform. The citizens are being made more aware now of why without electoral reforms, our democracy is a sham one. One party will always remain in power despite how badly they govern. It is even possible for them to win less than 50% of the votes and remain in power through gerrymandering. As such, I feel the objective of the rally has been made. I think no one has the illusion that the rally will going to immediately lead to the fulfillment of all the 8 demands. These will have to wait until BN loses power.

The Agong has called on the Government to act in a wise and just manner. As such, the police should stop their high handed action. Recognize Bersih. Grant to Bersih’s committee an audience with the Agong to submit their memo. Most important of all, immediately release Dr. Jeyakumar and 5 other PSM members. If all that happens, I will be happy to stay at home on 9/7 wearing a yellow T-shirt. Pray that reason will prevail.

Kyrie eleison - Lord have mercy.

Bersih

2011-06-29T12:36:00.003+08:00

I didn’t intend to participate in the first Bersih rally until the last 2 days. I hate crowded areas. I would rather pay for something more than to get a good bargain from those sales that departmental stores hold every now and then. I only decided to march when 2 days before the event, our then PM, Pak Lah threaten the marchers with “Saya pantang dicabar”. I was immediately incensed. What the heck. This guy has been sleeping on the job for so long and now suddenly woke up to threaten the rakyat. I just wanted to tell him he has lost all authority to tell us what to do by his non performance as a PM thus far.

The next problem is I need to find an accomplice. I was not so stupid as to go alone. We also have been warned by the organizers not to go alone. The day before, I found my accomplice. We decided to take the LRT from Asia Jaya. I nearly gave up after waiting for him for more than one hour. He, like everyone else on that day was caught in a traffic jam. By the time we reached Pasar Seni it was nearly 3pm. It was probably the last LRT operating before they shut the LRT down.

When we came down from the station, it was very quiet and raining heavily. I thought either the march didn’t materialize or it was all over. Just when I wanted to tell my friend to go back, we heard shouts from not too far away. A group of people was trying to get pass the FRU. So it was not over yet. The meeting point was at Dataran Merdeka. We went across to the Dayabumi building and when we came out from it, we could see that Dataran Merdeka was already cordoned off and no one was inside it. Again with a heavy heart I thought that’s the end.

Just then, we saw wave after wave of people marching above us (Jalan Kinabalu). I stood there with my friend totally amazed. At first I was not too keen to join them as it was still raining heavily and not too far away a few patrol cars were watching. My friend then said, ‘Let’s go’. Well, the rest was history as they said.

What surprised me was to see a group of people in maroon t-shirts directing and controlling the crowd. They were doing an excellent job. Only later that I came to know they were from the PAS Unit Amal. They were not only there to control the crowd but to protect them as well putting themselves between the FRU and the crowd. I also saw them picking up rubbish after the event. My whole perception of PAS changed after that.

Another prejudice that was buried that day, was one against the Malays. I can’t deny that prejudice and resentment has been built up over the years due to the unfair economic and educational policies. But that day when I walked shoulder to shoulder with the crowd who were predominantly Malays, there was this sense of unity that I felt, like we are one. 1 Malaysia was there. No need empty slogans and rhetorics.

I started to chat with one pakcik who was walking beside me. He asked me where I was from and told me that he was from Kedah. He told me they have been cheated by the Government for so long and don’t want to continue to be cheated again. So that was why he was here. Well, now I came to realize that the Malays have also been victimized. The NEP has failed them. It only enriched and continue to enrich a few. Majority of them are still poor and will remained poor if nothing changes.

10/11 was a historical day. It contributed to the awakening of the rakyat and the dismal performance of the ruling party in the following GE. That’s why they are so fearful about Bersih 2.0. I have hoped that we don’t have to do it again. But after more than 3 years, things have become worse. The cheating has become more blatant as evident from the recent Sarawak state elections. We have a Government who is more interested in bringing about the downfall of one person than to govern. The very institutions that are supposed to protect the people are being used to oppress, intimidate and bully the people. I guess we can go on and on with what's wrong.

The present ruling coalition has been in power for 54 years and it’s about time it retires. We should not use any extra constitutional means to topple the government. The answer is in and through the ballot box. But if there is no level playing field, how can this be achieved? Hence, Bersih 2.0.

My dear friends, I have a family too. Two young daughters. If possible, I would want to stay home and be safe. But seriously, what future do you think our next generation has if there is no change. Well, maybe for some of you, you are able to migrate or send your kids overseas. For many of us who don’t have these options, we just have to make sure that things don’t remain the same.

Unggun Bersih

Semakin lara kita didera bara —

kita laungkan juga pesan merdeka:

Demokrasi sebenderang mentari

sehasrat hajat semurni harga diri.

Lama resah kita — demokrasi luka;

lama duka kita — demokrasi lara.

Demokrasi yang angkuh, kita cemuhi;

suara bebas yang utuh, kita idami!

Dua abad lalu Sam Adams berseru:

(di Boston dijirus teh ke laut biru):

Tak diperlu gempita sorak yang gebu,

diperlu hanya unggun api yang syahdu.

Kini menyalalah unggun sakti itu;

kini merebaklah nyala unggun itu.

* A. Samad Said adalah Sasterawan Negara Malaysia

Sayonara to Titthoughts?

2010-05-13T00:26:00.002+08:00

I don't think I'll be updating this blog anymore. Actually I've intended to stop blogging 10 months ago but because of what happened to Teoh Beng Hock, I just feel that I cannot keep silent. I think things are getting worse by the day. We can rave and rant all we want in cyberspace and mamak stalls, they the Government could not be bothered because they have an electorate that can be bribed. The people deserve the Government they elected.

I also think the popularity of blogs is waning. Some of the avid bloggers are no longer blogging as often. It's actually pretty time consuming. Sometimes I spent more than an hour just to get one post up. Now people are turning to Facebook and Twitter. I'm a bit addicted to Facebook already. But I think besides following a few people on Twitter, I won't be twitting myself. Twitter like sms, in my opinion kills the English language.

Well, thirdly the original purpose of this blog was to document my reflections on theology, investing and tea, hence tit thoughts. But I changed direction in view of what was happening to our nation in 2007. I've written very little on the three topics. I'm still passionate about theology and in the midst of pursuing a degree on a part time basis. I've more or less stopped investing though I'm still maintaining my stock portfolio. Like Warren Buffet, it doesn't bother me if the stock exchange is going to close for the next one year. I'm still drinking tea though I've stopped buying them. I've enough to last me until I am 80.

So I guess this will be the final post. I'll still comment on the socio-political situation whenever possible in Facebook. As I'm still passionate about theology, I've created another blog and have just made my maiden post. But I don't think I'll be blogging regularly. Time is a luxury now with so many assignments to pass up.

Shalom

Datukships - A reflection

2010-04-20T00:10:00.004+08:00

It is generally known that state awards such as Datuk or Dato' can be conferred on someone who has the right connection and money. The rationale for awarding someone with a title is for the contribution that that person has made towards the nation. The contribution can be in any area e.g. public service, sports, arts etc. Well, I guess monetary contribution is still contribution. The problem with this is you will get all sorts of dubious characters who can afford to pay to get such an award. It cheapens the award and puts together those who have really sacrificed for the good of the nation and those who merely contribute to the state coffers.

Now it seems we have a new category of contribution. You can be awarded a Datukship if you have contributed to the fall of a democratically elected government. It's now Datuk Hee Yit Fong. What else did she contribute? O yes, she was also there on that infamous day in May last year in the Legislative Assembly contributing to the shameful and criminal eviction of the rightful State Assembly Speaker. Yes, she was the one with the key chain, no a pepper spray (but it wasn't hers), no she didn't spray only threatened to spray. When I read about her being awarded this morning, I commented in my FB, that the name with the title made me want to vomit.

Later in the day, I came to know that my former school principal, Bro. Vincent Corkery has also been awarded a Datukship by the same ruler. I'm ambivalent about it. I would have been elated if this had happened last year. Certainly, the award has been long overdue. But actually he doesn't need such an award. In fact, in his acceptance statement, he said he is receiving it on behalf of the La Salle brothers and St. Michael's Ipoh as a recognition for their long established role as beacon of excellence.

I don't really know Bro. Vincent quite well. He was my principal for less than 2 years (Lower and Upper Six). He came across as a quiet and somewhat aloof person. But I never doubted his dedication towards his role as an educator and his concern for all the students' welfare under his care. I think to some extent he was overshadowed by his predecessor, the legendary Bro. Ultan Paul. Anyway, no one will deny his contribution towards the realization of the "Michaelian Spirit". I can't help but to think that a recent article on his plight may have played a part in him being conferred the award.

Thank you Bro. Vincent for accepting the award on our behalf. Actually, we don't need such awards and recognition for we know we are great as an institution because of great teachers like yourself who have left an indelible mark (for the good) in our lives as we passed through the hallowed halls of our alma mater.

Same award to one who betrays her conscience and many people and to one who has dedicated his entire life to education of his students and their character formation.

Mr. Guna, please stop working in a brothel

2010-02-24T21:25:00.002+08:00

As mentioned in my post almost 2 years ago, I enjoyed reading Guna's column in the The Edge Financial Weekly. Reading the Edge Weekly now without his column is just different and in fact I've decided not to renew my subscription when it expired in April. He writes without fear or favour and I saluted him in one of my posts.

If I'm not mistaken, he moved to on from the Edge to be the Head of Corporate Communications at Sime Darby. Then, his articles started appearing in the BizStar on Saturdays. By then, I have already more or less gave up reading the MSM. I didn't know he has become the Managing Editor for the Star until now.

It seems his piece in the Star on the caning of 3 Muslims women has angered some religious bigots and they have made several police reports against him and demanded that he resign. The Star has since apologized and removed the offending article. Why should they take such an action if the actions of these religious bigots were not sanctioned by the Government. Will a newspaper puts its reputation on the line because a few people didn't like what they wrote? Only if these few people are backed by the very authority that has the power to decide whether a newspaper continue to print.

RPK has rightly pointed out that there is no difference between prostitutes and our media. Although he singled out the Star in this incident, I think by and large the fourth estate (at least the mainstream ones) in this country has degenerated into a big whorehouse. They are ready to perform any "sexual acts" at behest of their client and master, the Government, from stoking religious and racial sentiments to lying about members of the Opposition. If you still read those papers, then you are just watching all these obscenities. It doesn't matter if you are just reading the comic strips or the sports column. You are still contributing to this most vile sexual union.

So, Mr. Guna, please get yourself out from the whorehouse! The same goes for all those workers there who still have a conscience.

Tunku Zain Al-Abidin Muhriz & the NS Royal Family

2010-02-08T23:14:00.003+08:00

Tunku Zain the founder of Institute for Democracy and Economic Affaris (Ideas) sounds like Raja Nazrin before the Perak debacle. Someone from the royalty speaking out on matters which is close to the heart of the common people. Read what Tunku Zain has written as he honours the legacy of our first PM Tunku Abdul Rahman.

But alas, one year ago the Perak royalty has forfeited whatever goodwill, respect and dignity they have built up all these years. Will the NS royalty ends up the same way? I hope not. And I'm hopeful they will not. Why am I so optimistic? Well, look at the photo below. It was taken shortly after Tunku Zain's father was installed as the Yang DiPertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan. It was a lovely family photo. What was so special about the photo was in the midst of the family members in their best and finest regalia, there was this boy, their son and brother who was strapped to a wheel chair. It's not difficult to see that he is suffering from quite severe celebral palsy.

Many of those suffering from cerebral palsy are kept locked up in their homes and seldom do we meet them in public because some parents or family members feel ashamed of them. I couldn't help but feel the love that this royal family has for this particular member of their family. They inderstand what it is to be broken and they know how to love the broken. That is why I have the confidence that they will be different from the other royalty. Of course, I may be disappointed. But for now I would be proud if I were from NS.

Tunku Zain (top right in the picture) - All the best. You and your family are indeed a gush of refreshing air in the putrid socio-political environment we found ourselves in. Indeed may the legacy of Tunku, our father of Independence guides this nation back to sanity.

How blatant can they get?

2010-02-04T23:17:00.004+08:00

PKR ready to act on Guan Eng. That was the headline on the front page of NST on 3rd Feb 2010. You can read the online version here. I read it during lunch time in a cofeeshop while waiting for my wantan mee. I don't normally read the NST but the copy was on my table and the big bold headline screamed at me. I took the bait. I read and believed what was reported. Ever since what has been happening with Zulkifli Nordin and the Zahrain guy, it seems believable if another PKR fella were to fired another salvo.

I was duped until I read this.

Written by Regina William, The Edge

The attempts by certain parties to bring down the Penang state government will not bear fruit, says Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Commenting on the scathing remarks made against his leadership by two Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) MPs namely Bayan Baru's Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim and Nibong Tebal's Tan Tee Beng, Lim said the attempts to discredit him were also desperate attempts by Barisan Nasional (BN) to divert attention from the ongoing trial of PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"The Penang state government will not fall and they can try all they want as they are attempting to do with all Pakatan Rakyat (PR) states.

"Everything is well and fine between the Pakatan Rakyat leaders in Penang from PKR, DAP and PAS. They are with the state government all the way, in every effort that is being undertaken. It is only one or two who are 'unwell'.

"Their attempts to destabilise the state government won't material as the people know what is happening. These elements in PKR are working with some parties to divert everyone's attention from the trial.

"As PKR leaders, they should be focusing on the trial instead of hitting the PKR worse than they have ever hit out at the BN.

"It is clear that while their bodies are with the PKR, their hearts and souls are already elsewhere and not with the party," Lim said at a press conference after meeting staff of the Penang Development Corporation and its subsidiaries.

He said what was being levelled at him was nothing compared to what Anwar and his family were being put through now, once again, after 10 years, on new sodomy charges.

Saying that the allegations by Zahrain and Tan did not deserve comment, Lim said the state government would not be distracted from its main task of governing the state based on its competency, accountability and transparency (CAT) principles.

He said the attempts to discredit him were the creation of media organisations whom he accused of resorting to printing lies to bring the state government down.

He cited a frontpage media report recently which quoted PKR Secretary-General Saifuddin Nasution saying that PKR would act against him (Lim) which Saifuddin has since denied in a media statement and reiterated PKR's support for Lim and the DAP.

"Is this the standard of responsible reporting? I am beyond disgust and filled with a sense of numbness that some newspapers would resort to such acts.

"Where is your professionalism and integrity as journalists? Journalists are supposed to report facts and let the facts tell the story instead of creating facts," Lim said.

He said certain media also chose to create unrest among the people in Penang by highlighting that only Malays were being targetted during the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) enforcement action, while the facts via statistics showed otherwise.

"In fact, the statistics show that Malays who faced enforcement action under this state government is fewer than during BN's rule," Lim added.

I subsequently confirmed the above after reading Saifudin's press statement

NST MUST CORRECT MISREPRESENTATION

I am shocked with the report of NST today which titled "PKR ready to refer Lim Guan Eng to Pakatan Rakyat".

I deeply regret that NST has maliciously misquoted my statement. Upon reading the news, I called the reporter to seek clarification. Subsequently he admitted over the phone that the line was not written by him and it has been inserted by the editor.

I hereby call on the NST to take immediate action to correct the misrepresentation of PKR's stance on this issue.

In my phone interview, I unequivocally said that YB Dato' Seri Zahrain is wrong to lash out at CM Lim Guan Eng. I stressed that inter-party relations and complaints should be brought up in Leadership Council of Pakatan Rakyat.

I have never said that PKR will refer Zahrin's criticism against Lim Guan Eng into the discussion of Pakatan Rakyat leadership. In fact I maintained that such move is unnecessary and inappropriate.

PKR is fully supportive of CM Lim Guan Eng and our relationship with DAP as coalition partner is strong and solid. We understand that the cooperation and unity of Pakatan Rakyat represnts a great threat to the ruling Barisan Nasional. BN has tried various divisive measures to sow suspicion between partners of Pakatan Rakyat.

I would like to reiterate that PKR's commitment to advance the agenda for democratic reforms is unshakeable. To realise this objective, it is essential to continue strengthen good relationship with DAP and PAS.

SAIFUDDIN NASUTION ISMAIL
Secretary-General

It shows how morally bankrupt this newspaper has become. Have they no shame?

One paper continues to incite racial and religious hatred. Another lied in its frontpage headline. Others may not be so blatant yet but I'm sure much of their journalistic ethics would have been already sacrificed at the altar of fear and greed set up the UMNO led government.

Thank you to my Muslim fellow citizens

2010-01-10T00:52:00.002+08:00

I would like to thank all the Muslims fellow country men and women who stood by us and condemned in the strongest term the dastardly acts of arson of church buildings. ( But not those who fanned the hatred and now condemned those acts. Only one word for them. Hypocrites)

Anyway, on one of the darkest day in our nation, some Muslims have shown us why we still need to believe there is hope for us all in this nation. Some like Dr. Rafick has make efforts to raise fund for the church which was the hardest hit. Some like Marina Mahathir tried to canvass for Muslims to come out to strongly condemn the attacks.

I must also congratulate PAS for making a reasoned stand on the whole issue knowing full well it will cost them many votes among the Malay. That't what I call principle. That's the difference between PAS and UMNO despite the claims by both to champion Islam.

Despite my earlier laments, I now rejoice with all the voices of reason within the Muslim community. Your voices and acts have repaired the image of Islam sullied by those whom RPK calls "munafiks".

The King has spoken

2010-01-09T23:58:00.002+08:00

It is reported in the Star that

“To ensure peace and harmony among the followers of different religions, the meaning and reference to “Allah” in the general context should conform to the description fixed by Islam because this practice has all this while been accepted by Malaysians of other faiths,” said Tuanku Mizan. (emphasis mine)

The judges in the Court of Appeal must be in a quandary now. Dare the judges go against the King? Wait a minute. Don't we have a constitutional monarchy? Well, yes we do but our constitutional rights seem to exist only at the pleasure of those in power or those who can intimidate the most as shown by the events of the past few days. Anyway, is it wrong for the judges in the Court of Appeal to respect the advice from the King?

They may have no choice but to decide in favour of the Herald. After all, "Allah" is always used there in the context of Christianity and never in the general context. So are all the Alkitabs that are being confiscated by the Home Ministry. So are all the Christians publications that use the word "Allah". Clearly the Christian "Allah" is different from the Islam "Allah" or the "Allah" in the general context.

Of course, to some who lack understanding and are easily confused it's not so clear. But the King has spoken and as good citizens we should respect what he say even though he is just a constitutional monarch. For those who lack understanding and are easily confused, the NECF recommends His Majesty Government to educate them "to be mature minded in a progressive democratic society."

Pa, Ku Ma (Auntie)'s church got bombed

2010-01-08T23:31:00.002+08:00

Those words from my 10 year old daughter greeted me when I arrived home from work today. My sister is a regular worshiper at the Assumption Church in PJ which was petrol bombed early in the morning.

I'm wondering what kind of Malaysia my daughters are going to grow in. Are acts of religious and racial violence going to be common occurrences? Are lives going to be as cheap as those in Iraq where you don't know when you are going to be blown up? Are we, the minority going to be subject to the tyranny of the majority?

I don't know. I just know that I got to spend more time talking with my daughters. Not sure where to start. God help me.

A Day of Mourning

2010-01-08T13:04:00.002+08:00

I was supposed to go for a lunch together with my staff to celebrate one of their birthday. Just a minute ago I told them I'm not going as I'm mourning for our nation. I don't want to spoil a happy occasion.

How many more churches are going to be fire-bombed and burnt down? How many more threats are going to be issued to the non Muslims? How many more restrictions are going to be placed on us in the way we worship our God?

How can I eat? How can I celebrate? How can I even smile? When my country is burning. When it is engulfed with so much hatred and bigotry. I can only mourn and weep. Not for myself. But for our next generation.

May Allah have mercy on us.

Is this how you want to be remembered?

2010-01-03T21:46:00.004+08:00

I think it's bad taste to pass negative comments on those who had died. But I shall make an exception. I read in Augustine Paul's obituary today in the Star these words

"I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith" - 2 Tim. 4:7

Perhaps the following epitaph is more apt.

"I have perverted justice. I have sucked up to the Executive. I am finished."

I think I'm already kinder than most of the comments found in Malaysiakini. Even before he is judged by his Maker, the rakyat has already passed judgment. And there was no mercy. You can read his obituary written by the ordinary folks here.

Is it worth it, Yang Arif? I wish you can come back and tell your fellow judges especially those at the appellate courts.

I'll be making another exception when our 4th PM dies.

Update: Read this article just after I've posted. I think it's a fair one. The Relevance of Augustine Paul.

Happy New Year ? (2)

2009-12-31T23:31:00.002+08:00

It was exactly a year ago that I wrote in this blog with the same title. The question mark represented the uncertainties that 2009 would bring. The world then was at the brink of a Great Depression and politically our country was in a transition period. Someone who has no moral authority was going to take over the leadership of the country.

Looking back, the only bright spot was the world didn't sink into a Great Depression. In fact, the recovery was amazing but it has yet to be seen whether it's sustainable. Even our stock market considered to be the regional laggard gained more that 45% this year. Although I'm not a chartist, I can't help but notice from the trading patterns that the local bourse is being artificially propped up.

On the socio-political front 2009 was a disaster for Malaysia. After the euphoria of 2008, the Pakatan Rakyat found governing not as easy as being in the opposition. It doesn't help when the institutions and some people in the country which were supposed to remain neutral conspired to sabotage their work. This led to the downfall of the Perak State Govt and eventually caused the death of a political aide of a Selangor exco member.

The racial and religious tension remain and even became worse with the cow-head incident and the exposure of the indoctrination of young undergraduates by the BTN. These young people from one race and religion were taught to hate people from other race and religion.

I wrote about how unsafe we are from crime in that same post. I didn't know after 10 months my family and I were to become the victims of an attempted car jack. I was beaten up by iron rods. Thank God apart from some bruises and cuts, I didn't suffer any serious injuries. However, my two young daughters were much traumatized having witnessed the whole incident. Even now we are afraid to go out too late at night.

Less than 10 minutes, another year, another decade will come to an end. Even as I type, I could hear the sound of fireworks. As depressed as I was last year, something I read just before writing this post, makes me want to believe that there is yet hope for our nation. Thank you, Candy. I pray that there will be more like you. I'm sure there are many who have not bow down to Baal.

The question mark may remain. But it doesn't matter anymore because in my own insignificant way, I will endeavour to make this country a place where my two daughters will be proud to grow up in.

Semoga Allah mencurahkan rahmatNya ke atas negara tercinta ini.

(Yes, we have won round one. It will take a miracle to win the subsequent rounds)

The winner of Bagan Pinang - Corruption

2009-10-11T22:30:00.003+08:00

The ex-MB of Negri Sembilan has won the by-election with a landslide victory. His win was not unexpected given the size of the postal votes. But what was unexpected was the margin of of the victory. It is more than 2 times the previous majority.

It goes to show that the people does not mind someone who is corrupt as long as he can deliver. Is this true only of Bagan Pinang or it's true for rest of Malaysia? I don't know. What I know is it doesn't bode well for Malaysia. From bribing over traffic offences to approval of projects, corruption has became very much a part of our lives. Now the signs the voters from Bagan Pinang is sending out is that it's OK to have corrupt people representing them as long as he takes good care of them.

A society that tolerates corruption will soon become enslaved. Its people will not only become slaves to corruption but slaves to others as well. When the country is bankrupt, its people will have no choice but to become migrants in other countries, becoming slaves to their host countries.

Of course, one can view this humiliating defeat of PR positively. Hopefully this is a wake up call to the PKR, DAP & PAS to stop all their internal bickerings and to start behaving like a government in waiting.

Do we know our neighbours?

2009-09-07T23:14:00.005+08:00

I was quite disturbed this morning after reading an article in the Sun by Maria J. Dass - 'When herd mentality ruled the day'. What disturbed me was the last 2 paragraphs in her article.

If anything, the encounter has forced some Hindu residents of Section 23 to take a hard look at their neighbours.

One woman said: “We have been close to our neighbours all this while and have looked out for each other, but this incident has shown how our neighbours view us and where we stand.”

Some of the genocides in recent history showed that it was not a invading foreign army that committed these atrocities. The perpetrators were often neighbours and friends whom the victims have known for a long time. This happened in Nazi Germany, Rwanda and Serbia. In fact there is a documentary film, 'My Neighbour, My Killer' that captured what happened in Rwanda.

All it took in most cases were incitement to hate someone from a different race and religion. You will then be slaughtered by ordinary people like your neighbour whom you have known for ages. Somehow this kind of incitement based on race and religion will turn an ordinary person into a monster.

As such, it is extremely dangerous to continue to play this kind of game. We know the ultimate purpose is to topple the Pakatan Govt in Selangor but they don't realize the evil that is being unleashed when inciting hatred against a people group based on race and religion.

Though the decision by the AG to charge all those who took part in the demonstations is to be welcomed, it could take years before the trial will be concluded. At the end of the day, they may be found guilty and just be fined.

We must demand our pound of flesh. But we can only do that through the ballot box. And do that we will and we must.

The 3rd Generation Curse (Updated)

2009-09-03T18:33:00.003+08:00

There is a Chinese saying that wealth cannot last for 3 generations. The 1st generation worked hard to create and accumulate wealth. The 2nd generation seeks to preserve it instead of creating more wealth and the 3rd generation who has no experience of the blood, sweat and tears of the previous generations just squanders it.

I think similarly a family reputation can also be destroyed by the latter generation. I'm thinking of Dato OnnJaafar, the first president of UMNO who dreamed of a united Malaysia, who was colour blind. Alas, it was that dream that caused him his political career and perhaps being the first PM of Malaysia. But his son, Tun Hussien Onn became the 3rd PM of Malaysia. A man of integrity. He was the PM when I was just growing up as a kid and I always remember this kind faced man. His integrity and sense of justice caused him to die outside UMNO.

Now, the 3rd generation, Hishammuddin Hussien who is infamous for drawing out keris in UNMO assemblies. As the Home Minister he is trying hard to be more idiotic than the previous one. Maybe idiotic is not an apt description. Evil. Otherwise how can you explain his support for those cow head protesters of Shah Alam. The 50 or so racist scumbags and religious extremists/hypocrites.

Well, it's not surprising as only UNMO can create such monsters and only a UMNO minister can defend these monsters. But I really feel sorry for Onn Jaafar and Hussien Onn for having a 'bai jia zi'.

Update: In less than 24 hours there is a complete turnaround from Hisham. Is there hope for Malaysia with leaders like that? To redeem his family's reputation he should just apologize and resign. But that will never happen in Malaysia. Never in our history has a Minister resign for being an idiot. Simply because if they do the Government would collapse.

The Unholy Trinity

2009-09-03T00:31:00.002+08:00

If a vote is to be taken as to who are among the most hated Malaysian Cabinet Ministers, I'm sure they would be Muhyiddin, Hishammuddin and Nazri (in no particular order). It amazes me and I'm sure most Malaysians that never in the history of Malaysia has so much nonsense and rubbish being spewed forth from the mouth of our Ministers. Some of the positions that they took for example justifying Utusan seditious articles and now the cow-head protest can only mean that they treat us the rakyat with utter contempt.

Well, we must not forget who is their boss. Don't be fooled by him. It was him that orchestrated the Perak coup and now openly wishing to topple also the Selangor Govt. I will never forget what he did to my state.

31st August 2009

2009-08-31T14:44:00.002+08:00

Muhyiddin - Malaysians' Greatest Nightmare? (Updated)

2009-08-20T09:04:00.003+08:00

Since last night I've been debating with myself whether to write this. I didn't want to be seen attacking a particular individual in my blog. If I go ahead this would be the third time I'll be writing about him within a month. But he is really becoming intolerable. Alright, this will be last time I'll be writing about him, at least for this month. He may become even more intolerable and sink even lower in the days to come. Nothing about him surprises me anymore.

Here's what I picked up from Malaysian Insider that caused me to write.

Muhyiddin, who is in charge of Umno/BN’s campaign, has been particularly embarrassed.

Asked by reporters today about reports Rohaizat had been the subject of numerous complaints and how he had been fined twice by the Bar Council, the DPM likened the fines to parking tickets.

He said the Umno campaign was considering having Rohaizat put out a statutory declaration to clear the air on the controversy.

“But whatever it is the voters will decide and I believe they understand the development BN brings,” said Muhyiddin

Have we, the Malaysians voters sunk to his level, in wanting development at the expense of everything else?

I'm beginning to wonder whether he is being asked to be the fall guy for the Najib's administration given his propensity and consistency in spewing rubbish and nonsense from his mouth these days. If not, God help us if he ever become the PM.

Update: Just read this a while ago.

"I don't think Asians only want development. They want fairness, justice, equal opportunity just like Americans and Europeans." (Kim DaeJung, 1924 - 2009)

Read the tribute from DSAI here.

The solution for UMNO's tainted candidate

2009-08-19T13:24:00.003+08:00

UMNO is going on the defensive to prove the innocence of its candidate for Permatang Pasir. He was a lawyer who was disbarred from the Malaysian Bar for mishandling client's money. He was a 'victim of circumstances' so it seemed. But they conveniently failed to mention that the HighCourt has rejected his appeal against the Advocates and Solicitor's Disciplinary Board 5 days before nomination day.

Well, the solution is simple if the High Court's decision is appealable. Just filed in an appeal today. Get the Court of Appeal to convene and hear the matter tomorrow. The Court of Apppeal will there and then hold that he is not guilty and overturned the decision of the High Court. If the Court of Appeal can hear Nizar v Zambry case within the same day the appeal was filed by Zambry, I don't see there will be any difference here.

A Dumb DPM

2009-08-14T10:46:00.005+08:00

I mentioned before that if our present DPM were to takeover as PM, I'll consider migrating because, we'll be doomed with such a character leading our country. The more he opens his mouth the more it confirms his unsuitability to lead a nation.

His latest attack against Tok Guru Nik Aziz shows that he doesn't know what a rhetorical device is. (For the background of this attack see here. What TGNA was essentially saying was take care of the log that is in your eyes before you condemn the speck that is in the eyes of others). Of course, his only consolation is that he is not alone. The chairman of the Kelantan Umno Veterans Council seems to jump eagerly on to the bandwagon as well in condemning TGNA. Well, at least this is more forgivable for a bunch of senile old men. But not for someone who may takeover the rein of a nation.

Of course there is a possibility that he knows but choose to gain political mileage by condemning TGNA. If that is true, then he is a low class politician. Not someone who can lead a nation to greater heights.

Update: Read here on Zaid Ibrahim's take on this DPM fella. How he is revealing his true character now.

A nation that has lost its soul

2009-08-14T00:08:00.002+08:00

At the end of this month we will be celebrating 52 years of nationhood. Instead of celebrating, we should be mourning. We should be mourning that in 52 years we have become a failed state. A failed state according to my definition is one where the institutions of law and governance including the media have become instruments and tools to keep the ruling elite in power and to silence and oppress those who oppose its hegemony.

We should be mourning not only because we have become a failed state but also our nation has lost its soul. The soul of a nation manifested itself in the vibrant social interaction among its people, celebrating and respecting each other differences whether in terms of culture and religion. Somewhere along the road beginning in the 70's our soul began to be impoverished by the constant refrain by the politicians of the need to defend the rights and religion of a certain race.

The soul has become so sick and departed. But I believe the majority of us still yearn for its revival and return. My belief is based on the responses to Art Harun's beautiful piece, 1Malaysia Dalam Kenangan. For those who are older or the same age as Art, it brings back memories of a time where truly we were 1Malaysia. For those who are younger and are recipients of some of those venomous racist policies and pronouncements, could only wish we were born earlier.

But instead of turning the clock back which is impossible, both the groups can and should channel all their energy towards bringing back the soul of our nation. It begins with me. I will begin to interact with another Malaysian as a Anak Bangsa Malaysia and not as a Malay, Chinese, Indian or dll. I will repent of my prejudices against those who are of a different race or religion.

The soul of our nation is lost but will be found.

Thank you Art Harun for causing me to begin this search.

And to all those who still want to divide us based on our race and religion, I can only say, "F*** Off!". You don't belong in this beautiful land, Malaysia.

Here they go again .......

2009-08-06T22:29:00.002+08:00

Just before Teoh Beng Hock was killed, the civil war within Pakatan Rakyat threatened to undo this new political coalition. DAP threatened to pull out from the PAS led Kedah Govt. Penang's PKR were councillors were unhappy with the appointment of MPSP council president and boycott his swearing in and DAP retalilate by sacking the ringleader from the council. In Selangor, PKR's Azmin Ali condemned his on Exco and thought certain Exco members should go. Then, we have Wee Choo Keong making allegations about DAP's underworld connections. Kit Siang said PR was facing a crisis of confidence.

Then Teoh Beng Hock was found dead at the MACC building. Immediately the 3 component parties within PR closed ranks and started their offensive against the Govt. YeS, TBH's death was politicized and rightly so because politics caused his death. If he was not the political aide to Ean Yong, we wouldn't have been called by the MACC. He wouldn't be called if MACC didn;t practise selective prosecution. The investigations by MACC against some of the Selangor PR's ADUNs is nothing more than political persecution. TBH wouldn't have died if not for this blatant political persecution. (Yes, there are people who thinks his boss killed him so as to stop him from implicating him. If I were his boss and I think he was going to implicate me, I would have made sure he doesn't even reach the MACC building alive).

Hardly one month has passed since TBH's death, we have PAS' Hasan Ali calling for Ronnie Liu to go and fly kite over the beer issue. Immediately, Tony Pua issued a press statement condemning Hasan Ali. I think I've mentioned before, all these open squabbles will eventually led to mistrust and ill-will to the point there is no turning back. Do you see any DAP MPs and ADUNs besides Lim Kit Siang present on the streets on 1 August during the anti ISA rally? Maybe I've missed them, but they were not as prominent as during the Bersih rally. And we know that it was PAS that mobilized its members for this rally.

Kit Siang being the veteran politician warned again that PR may just last one term if they keep on fighting openly. And from some of the comments left in some blogs, PR is really in trouble if these commentors follow up with what they said and didn't just said it at the spur of the moment. There are people who condemned PAS and said they will not vote PAS again. Then there are people who condemned DAP and said they will not vote for DAP again.

Sigh. What choice do we have now? PKR? Well, PKR is the only party who can claim to be multi-racial and it carry almost no baggages unlike PAS and DAP. But for it to move forward it need to be more disciplined and get tough with the likes of Zulkifli Nordin. But it's going to be tough winning over the diehards from PAS and DAP.

Short of a miracle, BN will still be in power after the 13th GE. Sarawak is almost impregnable. And we have these jokers here trying to kill each other. Do we have a 3rd choice? Parti Anak Bangsa Malaysia? Led by Haris Ibrahim and Raja Petra in exile?

I hope Najib will not die in office like his father

2009-08-04T23:48:00.003+08:00

It's not that I like him or think that he is a great leader. Much to the contrary. He will never be forgiven for what he did in Perak. It just that the one who will probably succeed him if he dies in office is much horrible. Yes, I'm talking about Muhyiddin Yassin, the Deputy PM. It just unthinkable for such person to lead Malaysia.

In response to Utusan's highly seditious article, he said that “It is the media’s right to do so, maybe because other parties have started challenging Malay supremacy, Malay rights, Malay rulers, and things that have already been enshrined in the Constitution, definitely the various statements made by those parties cannot be forgotten, and they are more dangerous, the media only responded to the situation,”. And he went on to say he wasn't commenting specifically on the article. I felt like vomiting and stuffing my vomit into his mouth.

I will consider migrating if he ever become the PM.

(If I remember correctly, he was one of the few who thinks a RCI is unnecessary to investigate into the death of Teoh Beng Hock because the police can do the investigations)

Terimakasih Makcik

2009-08-03T18:23:00.003+08:00

Photo taken from http://sagaladoola.blogspot.com/2009/08/bernama-news-on-losses-due-to-anti-isa.html

I'm sure I can run faster than her. Felt even more ashamed.

The quest for justice truly transcends race, religion and age.

There is yet hope for this beautiful land.

I am sorry .....

2009-08-02T23:08:00.002+08:00

I was not down at the streets yesterday. You can say I sort of 'chicken out' the last minute. It was an event which I looked forward to for a long time. Ever since attending those Anti-Isa candlelight vigils in PJ in a small group and often harassed by the police, I had wished that we would have a massive gathering on the scale of Bersih to tell the Govt that ISA has to go. I stopped attending the vigils after a while because I felt we were not making any impact being hidden in some corner of MBPJ out of the public sight.

So I was glad when GMI announced that they will have a massive gathering at the beginning of the year. It was supposed to be held in March/Apr but was postponed to 1 Aug. And when Pakatan said they would support it I knew it was going to be a success. I trust those guys from PAS Unit Amal to maintain order and ensure the safety of the participants. So I began to encourage some of the people I know to go.

Then, this Pro-Isa group announced that they are also going to gather and march at the same time. And from some of the statements they or their supporters made, got me worried. They seem to be a very irrational lot. No rational people would connect the ISA with race and religion. To me they are either calling a bluff or they are serious and bent on creating havoc and chaos on that day. I know our numbers can overwhelmed them but it doesn't take many to create trouble. It was then that I had second thoughts about going.

As the day approaches, it also dawned on me that I have become very unfit physically. For nearly 2 years I have stopped exercising on a regular basis. I have became obese. More than 35kg above my optimum weight. I don't think I can even run 50 m without collapsing. I can't imagine how I'm going to run when the tear gas and water cannons start to rain. I may be a liability to those who go with me. So after struggling for the whole week, I made a final decision on Saturday morning, not to go.

Reading the news and hearing from my friends who went, I can't help feeling sad for not being part of history. I regret for being unable to share the suffering of being tear gassed with my fellow Malaysians. I feel ashamed for not standing together with thousands of patriotic and brave Malaysians shouting for the abolition of ISA. I salute those senior citizens who may be just as physically unfit like me, and yet was there. They made me feel even more ashamed.

I want to say a big thank you for all those who were there yesterday. You made me proud to be a Malaysian. Btw, in one of the videos I saw a Malay couple each holding a poster of Tan Beng Hock. This is 1Malaysia for me. Not the fake version propogated by Najib.

The ISA will continue to remain as part of our laws as long as BN remains in power. To remove ISA, we need to remove the BN first. So let us start working together towards this end.

Hidup! Hidup! Hidup Rakyat!

Hancur! Hancur! Hancur BN!

Mansuh! Mansuh! Mansuh ISA!

Don't Politicize Teoh Beng Hock's death?

2009-07-20T07:42:00.003+08:00

I'm writing this in response to Haris Ibrahim post (Guan Eng, we're going to hold you to your word but only if ...) and certain people's view that we shouldn't turn Teoh Beng Hock's death into a political issue.

We must not only ask how did Beng Hock died. We must also ask why did he had to die.

His death is the proof that Malaysia is a failed nation. This happens when institutions of law and governance are being misused to perpetuate the power of the ruling elites and when the ordinary people no longer trust these institutions.

As much as we want to respect the family wishes, we can’t run away from politicizing it. I don’t think Pakatan need to do very much to score political points. Their opponents are already scoring many own goals.

Leaving aside the question of who actually killed Beng Hock, he would still be alive today if he didn’t walk into the MACC building that day. That came about because of the blatant political persecution of Pakatan’s ADUNs by the MACC.

So I don’t really understand when people say don’t politicize the issue. The whole tragedy is about politics.

STOP TALKING, START ACTING

2009-07-18T23:28:00.002+08:00

This is the title of of RPK's latest article.

And don't forget 1st August 2009

Say No To Inhumane and Immoral Laws

Say No To Inhumane and Immoral Law Enforcement Agencies

Onward Christian soldiers ......

2009-07-18T15:38:00.005+08:00

Bro. Goh Keat Peng, is one Christian whom I have deep respect for though he may not know me. Small in stature but a giant in faith. A faith which I believe has been tested time and again through the years of faithful Christian service. I was sad when he stopped writing in his blog a few months ago. Like me, I guess, he was compelled to speak up again over the death of Teoh Beng Hock. He has to take a stand. Go here to read what he has written.

After reading the comments left on his blog, I left my comment too. This is what I wrote:

Reading the 25 preceding comments so far give us a fairly accurate picture of how Malaysians both Christians and non Christians see the Malaysian church and its leadership. And it isn’t a nice picture. What do you expect when not so long ago you have a Christian leader from the evangelical wing telling us Christians to remain apolitical. We should only be concerned with spiritual matters. I have a dream. That is to see on 1st of August pastors and priests in their vestments leading their congregations to the streets to protest against the ISA and to call of its abolition and to free all ISA detainees immediately or charge them in open court. Well this remains a dream. But everything begins with a dream.

We should ask the Lord to lead us into battle. Not with arms or violence. But with courage, love, mercy and justice.

Lead on, O King eternal,
Till sin’s fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet amen of peace.
For not with swords’ loud clashing,
Nor roll of stirring drums;
With deeds of love and mercy
The heavenly kingdom comes

Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done in Malaysia as in heaven.

I'm angry again. Damn angry.

2009-07-17T00:55:00.004+08:00

It's now 1.00am. I'm still roaming cyberspace to read the latest on what happened yesterday to Teo Beng Hock, the political secretary to Ean Yong, one of DAP Selangor State Exco member. He was called by MACC for questioning 2 days ago and was found dead yesterday, fallen to his death at the MACC building. He was supposed to get married today.

My previous post was supposed to be the last. After reading RPK's article on the above incident, I decided to resurrect this blog for the time being. It's not that I treat everything that RPK says as the gospel truth. In fact, there are things that he wrote which I disagreed. But what he wrote about this incident is not inconceivable. It's harder to believe that a mere witness can be subjected to 10 hours of interrogation. If it's true I dare not think of the fate of suspects in the hands of MACC. A case of assault by MACC officers has been highlighted in the press before.

I don't believe the many deaths that happened in police custody in the past were caused by the police with the intention to murder those suspects. But those were murders nonetheless, when through sheer recklessness the suspects were subjected to inhumane interrogation techniques which death is forseeable by a reasonable man.

Should we continue to tolerate these institutions, PDRM, MACC & RELA who uses disproportionate force to achieve their ends without any regard for the sanctity of life? How many more Kugans must die? How many more Beng Hocks must die? How many more nameless migrants/refugees must die? The answer is blowing in the wind? No. The answer depends on what we, the rakyat, the taxpayers who feed these institutions will do to them. I don't have the answer right now. But you can bet your last cent that I'll not rest nor be silent.

101st and Last Post?

2009-07-13T17:30:00.004+08:00

After much thought I decided to make this my last post. This blog was started as a reflection on theology, investing and tea, hence tit. Nothing pornographic. A friend tried to find my blog by googling and ended up with links to all the porn sites!

After the events of of 10/11 and 25/11 (Bersih & Hindraf rally), I decided to change the direction of my blog. It became more political. It was the most active during the run up to the last General Election. I endorsed 2 candidates, Tony Pua for PJ Utara & Edward Lee for Bukit Gasing. Maybe because of that my blog was listed on one of the websites on the election as a socio-political blog.

Well after the euphoria of 8 March, I slowed down to about only 5/6 postings a month until the coup d'etat in Perak. The situation in Perak remains unresolved. Najib has completed 100 days in office with much fanfare (a great PR exercise - nothing but a PR exercise).

On the eve of the by-election in Kelantan, Pakatan is again fighting among themselves in Selangor after Penang and Kedah. Some may think it's good to fight openly in the name of transparency and openness. But from the way how some people attacked some people, I'll be surprised there will not be any bitterness even after they kissed and made up. How many times can people kissed and made up without doing irreparable damage to the relationship. There should be mutual respect. Frankly, if this go on, there will not be any Pakatan Rakyat comes the next GE.

I'm a lot less angry now compared to those days at the end of 2007. Maybe that's why the motivation to write is no longer there. That doesn't mean I will become apathetic about politics. I will find other avenues to be involved and engaged politically. I guess many have become disillusioned since 8 March. Most of the politicians we voted in didn't meet our expectations. But to revert to the pre 8 March 2008 political landscape is to condemn our future generations to the bondage of racism, religious extremism, corruption and to living in a failed nation.

Well, I would like to thank all who bother to take time to read what I wrote and especially the faithful few. I also know of at least 3 persons who put this blog on their blogroll.(There may be more). Thank you. Well, this blog may be resurrected if the Perak State Assembly is dissolved or at the next GE. That's the reason for the question mark at the end of title to this post.

Shalom

100th Post

2009-07-01T21:48:00.003+08:00

I haven't posted anything for more than a month after my 99th post. Both busy with my part time theological studies and lack of inspiration. I'm still busy and am not inspired. Can't even think of a suitable title for this post. But I told myself I just need to write something. Otherwise this blog will die a natural death.

I'm thinking of reverting to just writing about what I intended to write at the outset when this blog was first started i.e. theology, investing and tea. Forget about politics. I'm really disappointed at what is happening to Pakatan Rakyat. I'm not even sure if PR will survive before the next GE at the rate things are going.

Just earlier today, we have PAS Youth intending to hold 'intellectual discourse' with UMNO Youth, what ever that is. This came just days after the party rejected any unity talks with UMNO and reiterated its commitment to PR. Hey, we are not stupid, PAS! Then Hadi Awang said it is not the right time remove the Bumiputera quota. Whatever happened to Anwar's new economic agenda then? Now, I read that DAP Kedah rightly or wrongly has quit the Pakatan government in Kedah. What 's next?

I received an email yesterday to attend the so called 100,000 Pakatan Rakyat mammoth rally in Kelana Jaya stadium. I decided not to go as I know it's nothing but just another round of BN/UMNO bashing. I was right. Only 4,000 turned up despite the presence of PR's big guns. They just need to take the cue that the rakyat is fed up. We don't need any more speeches demonizing BN/UMNO anymore. That they are demons all of us know already. What we want to hear are your plans and programmes for the States under PR and what you will do when you come into power. I think people are tired of telling you to form a shadow cabinet. Shadow commitees are not good enough. Even that, we have not heard of them anymore. As the days go by PR is certainly not becoming a government in waiting. It may not last beyond Anwar.

It sounds like I'm fed up with politics. No, I'm just fed up with politicians. We cannot be afford to be apolitical. In fact, I'm seriously considering joining a political party. It's easy to sit behind a laptop to give my views. But there is a price to be paid for getting involved directly, to get your hands dirtied. Despite my present feelings for some politicians, I still salute some of them for willing to put their liberty on the line for their political beliefs and in order to serve the nation.

God's Chosen Fast

2009-05-26T13:13:00.002+08:00

Isaiah 58:6 - Is this not the fast that I chose;
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,

and to break every yoke?

It's now lunch time. I'm skipping lunch in order to be in solidarity with those who were arrested this morning and are now undergoing a hunger strike in Perak. Earlier Pakatan Rakyat in Perak has planned for a 3 day fast/hunger strike to from today onwards to protest against the illegal power grab in Perak and to plead for the Sultan to dissolve the State Assembly. Earlier this morning 5 workers from an event management company who were supposed to organize the launch of the hunger strike were arrested. Subsequently more were arrested including 8 elected representatives when they tried to walk from the DAP office to the High Court to file a suit.

The events of the past 2 weeks where hundreds were arrested from wearing black to lighting candles confirms beyond the shadow of doubt that the police has become a tool of political intimidation and oppression. It has ceased function as an unbiased law enforcement agency. It has ceased to respect the supreme law of the land i.e. the Constitution. Whilst we live in fear of criminals, the police utilizing their resources to quell political dissent.

We are not very far off from becoming a totalitarian country. What can we do? We can fast physically and during our fast to pray to God for our country. But as the above biblical text shows, we need to move beyond the normal fast. We must think of how to "loose the bonds of wickedness" and to "undo the straps of the yoke". How do we set the oppressed free? How do we break every yoke? How do we follow God's chosen fast?

It's time to think creatively. Time to be as shrewd as serpents and harmless as doves.

NH Chan, a judge from a bygone era

2009-05-22T16:43:00.002+08:00

I was at the 13th May Forum organized by the DAP last week. As one speaker commented, it was not really a forum, but more like a political rally. It was not the first and I'm sure it will not be the last that DAP are going to organized these s0-called 'public forums' turned political rallies. Maybe to them both are the same. Well, they are not. It's also not fair to the invited speakers.

I'm not sure what was told to NH Chan, when they invited him to speak? Did they tell him that he is going to be given 10 minutes only? I'm sure they didn't. He came with a speech nicely typed out and read it word for word, like pronouncing a judgment. He only knew he was given 10 minutes when the moderator started the forum and he was the first speaker. He knew there was no way he could finished the speech in 10 minutes but he soldiered on. Alas, he was literally clapped off the stage by an impatient audience who were more used to political rhetorics than a judge's reasoned judgment. I felt very sorry for him.

It was a well written piece as with all his past writings. It was the way he wrote his judgments. Peppering it with legal stories and anecdotes from the past and quoting from great judges like Lord Denning. But it's not something that an audience who are hungry for fireworks will tolerate for more than 10 minutes.

A written judgment can be a literary work of art, a masterpiece. But alas, now our appellate judges who are tasked with the formation of our law and jurisprudence are now shying away from writing judgments. Maybe it's not surprising, because I think they themselves find it difficult to give reasons to justify some of their blatantly flawed decisions.

Thank you Justice Chan for pronouncing judgments on all who made a mockery of our justice system. If only we have more judges like you. Sigh...

How much is our Federal and State Constitutions worth?

2009-05-17T21:25:00.002+08:00

Not much going by what is happening lately. They are probably worth less than the paper that they are printed on. I'm not sure how much you can sell them to the guy who shouts "Old newspaper"?

Provisions in the State Constitution can be ignored to appoint an illegal MB. Clear provision in the same Constitution can also be ignored by our highest court resulting in the mockery of the concept of separation of powers. This fiction of separation of powers has now become a fact. The fact that there is no separation of powers.

Now provisions in the Federal Constitution which seek to protect civil liberties were blatantly violated by the police and tacitly approved and condoned by the Government. The latest response from Minister in the PM's Dept, Nazri is to put the blame on the victims. If lawyers can be arrested for trying to act for their clients, what other fundamental liberties still remain sacred in the eyes of the police and Government?

Mr. IGP, you want to maintain public security? Can I tell you public security is as much as a fiction as the concept of separation of powers? We are afraid for our family members and ourselves falling victims to snatch thieves who often not only snatched away our possessions but our lives as well. We are afraid of Mat Rempits. We are afraid of break-ins by armed robbers. We are afraid of serial rapists. So don't give me this crap about maintaining public security as a pretext for violating our rights.

I wonder why I'm still paying income tax? I guess rendering to Caesar what belongs to Caesar still stands. But we will need to change Caesar.

My Birthday Wish

2009-05-13T09:39:00.000+08:00

The Dissolution of Dewan Undangan Negeri Perak.

I ain't celebrating yet

2009-05-11T17:29:00.002+08:00

Yes. Nizar has been declared as the legitimate MB of Perak. I know many were surprised with the decision. This only goes to show how low our Judiciary has sunk. Any decision for the BN is expected. Any decision against the Government or BN is a surprise. It shouldn't be a surprise as the judge is merely following the law and precedents which were laid down.

Anyway, I will not celebrate until Nizar manages to get the Sultan to dissolve the DUN. Otherwise, things will get murkier, even now with talks of BN trying to convene an emergency sitting of the state assembly to pass a vote of no confidence.

If the Sultan were to agree to the dissolution of the state assembly, I will erase from my mind all those thoughts I have for him and his son since Feb 5. We are all humans and make mistakes. However, we should be humble enough to rectify our mistakes. If the Sultan agrees, then he will still remain in my heart and mind as a wise ruler that all Perakians are fortunate to have.

But I don't think it will happen. He will probably ask the parties to convene an emergency sitting of the state assembly to decide who has the majority. Well, I hope I'm wrong.

Anyway, today's decision is a moral victory and another slap on the face for all those involved in this coup d'etat.

KEMBALIKAN HAK KEPADA RAKYAT!

Storming the Bastille?

2009-05-08T07:51:00.003+08:00

When I first read RPK's article urging people to gather in Ipoh yesterday and to "storm the Bastille", I knew it was a futile attempt. Malaysia is not France few centuries ago. Although I'm a Perakian and I'm totally disgusted over the illegal power grab in Perak, I was not ready to "storm the Bastille". The most I did was to wear black and to urge those whom I know to do the same.

RPK for all the following that he has, will not be able to muster one thousand of his readers to his side. This was shown during his detention under the ISA. How many actually attended those candlelight vigils? I'm proud to say I attended but gave up after a few rounds because they were just not creating enough impact with a handful of us and exposed us to the brutality of the police. Most of Malaysia Today's readers are educated middle class people who are "kiasi" and will not risk it to participate in this kind of activities. They may rant and scream at the Government, but storming the Bastille? You must be joking.

RPK was disappointed with the turnout of PR's supporters yesterday but this morning he wrote another article espousing another perspective. And I think he is right. PR just cannot afford to go head on with the government right now. Anwar should now better than that. Remember how he mobilized the masses during the height of the Reformasi movement? All they need to do was to go after him and the movement just fizzled out. Look at what they did to Mat Sabu when he tried to call PAS suuporters to congregate in Manjoi for morning prayers.

The images of how the Sivakumar was dragged out from the State Assembly must surely have won over a number of fence sitters and made those who were disgusted more disgusted that they will do everything possible to see the demise of the BN led government in the next GE.

Isn't it better to wait for Bastille to crumble than to storm it? Yes, go ahead and arrest more people for wearing black or lighting candles. Please do us the favour.

Day of Infamy (Updated with Photos)

2009-05-07T19:07:00.004+08:00

(You are not going to see these in the MSM tomorrow)
It's another not so productive day. I was glued to my PC witnessing the events in Perak as they unfolded. Tribute must certainly be paid to Anil Netto with his live reporting from ground zero. What I and many have witnessed today was an attempt to dismantle the democratic institutions in this country and turn this country into a pariah regime where there is no rule of law but only rule by brute power and force.

We may be the only country in the Commonwealth that has the distinction of seeing a Speaker from a state legislature being forcibly removed from his chair in a literal sense and dragged out from the assembly. We are the only country that hold elections and yet bar its citizens from the place where the people representatives who were duly elected by the citizens meet to conduct their business.

In the midst of all these distressing events, I read of a restaurant owner who refused to close his shop when instructed to by the police unless he is being compensated. The police gave up and even buy drinks from him. Yes, reading this story of courage gives me hope to see a better Malaysia. We shall not be cowed.

As suggested by P. Ramakrishnan, let "Remember Perak - Remember the injustice" be our rallying cry. Henceforth, it will be Black Thursday for me every week until the BN government is no more.

1Malaysia? Ptui!

BLACK IT IS! - 7 May

2009-05-05T23:19:00.003+08:00

I just went and bought a black shirt as I was not satisfied with my only other black shirt which has some white stripes over it. My new one is completely black. Yes, 1Black Malaysia.

Just read the news that Wong Chin Huat, the spokeperson for Bersih who launched the 1Black Malaysia campaign this morning was arrested for sedition tonight. That is the latest indication that Malaysia is getting blacker by the day.

I think this should not be an one off event, but designate a working day in a week for wearing black until the Perak State Assembly is dissolved and the people's rights are restored through an election to choose a new state government.

Let's all be seditious on 7th of May. Since asking people to wear black is considered seditious, responding to the call by wearing black must also be seditious.

Fight on RPK!

2009-04-26T22:18:00.003+08:00

When RPK decided to starve to death if he was going to get thrown into Kamunting again after losing in the Federal Court, I thought it was a stupid decision. Leaving aside the ethical issue of suicide, I don't see how his death will accomplish anything. He doesn't have enough fanatical following who can organize mass protests to bring down the government. The few who were ready to do the same with him were equally misguided. The BN led government will be elated if they are gone.

So I was happy to know that he has now gone into exile so that they can't put him away for good. Instead of dying, he has decided to fight another day. Continue to be a source of irritation to Najib and his government. Continue to be the conscience of the rakyat. Continue to write on issues that only he dares to write.

RPK, wherever you may be, stay safe. We will eagerly await your return when the BN led government is no more. Till then, keep on writing.

In My Place Condemned He Stood

2009-04-10T23:33:00.002+08:00

Man of Sorrows! what a name
For the Son of God who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude
In my place condemned He stood
Sealed my pardon with His blood
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Guilty, vile and helpless we
Spotless Lamb of God was He
Full atonement can it be?
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die
It is finished was His cry
Now in heav'n exalted high
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King
All His ransomed home to bring
Then anew this song we'll sing
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Philip Bliss

There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)

The Rice Bowl is no longer our god

2009-04-08T11:53:00.002+08:00

As I read of the overwhelming support given by the Chinese in Bukit Gantang to Nizar during the by-election campaign, I kept wondering whether it will translate into votes. After all, the Chinese were also very supportive of the Pas candidate in Kuala Trengganu by-election a few months back, but that didn't really translate into votes. Of course, various reasons were given. But I cannot help but to conclude that, their (Chinese) rice bowls became the paramount consideration when they voted.

To the Chinese, the rice bowl is sacred. As long as we can 'cari makan'(earn a living), we will not want to 'kacau' (disturb). But woe to those who take away our rice bowls. In fact, the Chinese word for 'rice' is made up of the radical for 'rice' and the word 'rebel' or 'rebellion'. So when the radical 'rice' is removed, all that remains is the word 'rebel' or 'rebellion'. Throughout Chinese history, peasants uprisings were common phenomena. Peasants who literally no longer have anything to eat. Any emperor who took away the rice bowls of the common folks will no longer have the mandate from Heaven to rule.

Well, coming back to Bukit Gantang, I was worried that the same thing could happened. In an earlier post, I mentioned that my friend told me that there were businessmen from Batu Gajah who want PR to give up on its claim to the state government as the political instability is taking a toll on their businesses. Well, I must apologize to the Chinese folks in Bukit Gantang to have second guessed them. I salute all of you for standing up to what is right despite the threats made to your livelihood. (Read about Kuala Sepetang fishermen being harassed here).

Recently, my brother-in-law who has applied to become a Singapore citizen told me that there are more and more Malaysians Chinese giving up their Malaysian citizenship to become Singapore citizens. The waiting period for approval has now stretched to almost 5 months from a few weeks previously. I was really disheartened. Yes, things may not look promising and I'm not even sure when we are going to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But last night we have seen light shining from the two hills. Malaysia is just too valuable for us to turn our backs on as I echoed Zaid Ibrahim. Stay back, stay put.

Remove the rice bowl from the altar of your heart. Continue to fight for a land that will not only flow with milk and honey but justice and righteousness as well.

A Prime Minister who is devoid of moral authority

2009-04-03T17:15:00.002+08:00

Today we witnessed the swearing in our nation's sixth Prime Minister. 81 MPs and 5673 Malaysians don't want Najib. That's the sarcastic headline of Rocky Bru's post today. Yes, I believe the petition initiated by Haris Ibrahim has failed but I'm proud to be part of that failed effort and I thank Haris for his unwavering effort in realizing the idea of 'Anak Bangsa Malaysia' where all of us a treated as equal irespective of race, religion and economic status.

Najib may now be the PM and all the legal authority of a PM is vested in him. But as long as he has not cleared his name on all those allegations thrown at him, he has no moral authority to take on the highest post of governance in this country. I do not expect him to prove that he is innocent as it's trite law that the burden of proof falls on those who alleged (of course, this has not always been the case, re Anwar Ibrahim's 1st sodomy case), the very least he can do is to sue all those who have cast aspersions on his character. So far he has not done so.

Well, whatever doubt I may have about Najib is confirmed by what happened in Perak. Here we witnessed someone who has no qualms in robbing the rakyat of their constituional rights and using all the machinery of the state to ensure that those rights continue to be suppressed and violated. His oath in protecting the Constitution this morning means nothing.

One Malaysia? After all the racial venom that were spewed during the just concluded UMNO General Assembly? Read what Liew Chin Tong's take on this here.

Hopefully he will be the last PM from BN/UMNO.

The bane of emails

2009-03-31T18:48:00.002+08:00

Recently I witnessed a seemingly acrimonious exchange of emails between 2 persons within a google group which I'm part of. None of us in the group intervened until things cooled off with the one who started it asking the other to buy him 2 glasses of teh tarik.

Whilst I think google groups or yahoo groups do facilitate communication, I doubt they can replace face to face communication over a glass of teh tarik. We are all the poorer if they do. In fact, sometimes it may lead to misunderstanding. All we can read are words. We cannot hear the tone of the voice of the sender, neither can we observe his/her body language. Often, I think because of the instantaneous nature of this mode of communication, we tend to react instantaneously too i.e. there is not much reflection when we hit the keyboard.

I still remember I used to spend almost half the day writing 5 pages letters to my friends. I've stopped doing that and I wonder how many of us still write letters to friends and family members who are away. Emails are more convenient. If that isn't enough, there is always sms. I think in time to come, biographers will find it extremely difficult to write biographies of people due to the lack or complete absence of snail mail correspondence.

Perhaps we may need to 'fast' from emails. Normally I do not check my office emails after going home and during the weekends. Maybe I should extend this to my personal emails also. The problem I foresee with an extended 'fast' will be when you break fast you will be inundated with hundreds of mails. Well, I guess that's one facet of modern living that we need to live with. Having said that, I wonder how can people live with a Blackberry? I know some people can't live without one.

Well, I think anything that we can't live without will eventually become our god, how wonderful that thing or even person may be. Pascal said, "There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus". Try filling that vacuum with something else, that's idolatry.

Should Pakatan Perak give in?

2009-03-22T22:50:00.002+08:00

Today a friend of mine told me that he thinks Pakatan in Perak should just throw in the towel and wait for the next general election. He said this after talking to business people in Batu Gajah who feel the same way because nothing is moving due to the on going crisis. Business people are being affected as nobody dares to make any contractual commitments.

Once again, it seems the rice bowl is more important than anything else. But I'm not sure how pervasive is this view even among the business people in Perak especially among the Chinese. If it is, then it will be rather sad. Often, all the Chinese care for is to 'cari makan'. All else are secondary. From a short term perspective and especially during this trying times of global financial and economic turmoil, it would seem to be a good solution for Pakatan to give up the fight, let BN govern so that business can go on as usual.

But I think it's an illusion that business can go on as usual even Pakatan were to call it a day. This coup has opened up host of constitutional issues that cannot just be swept away and ignored. Constitutional issues do affect everyone of us. It's fallacy to think that they are only relevant to academics and lawyers. They may not have an immediate impact but they will surely impact our next generation.

Secondly, giving up will just embolden BN to continue their plans to bring down all the Pakatan state governments. I'm sure the Third Reich would have lasted much longer had not Churchill galvanised the people to fight on the beaches, to fight on landing grounds, fight on the streets and on the hills and never to surrender. No, we cannot surrender to evil.

I'm confident that Perakians will stay the course and are willing to make sacrifices to stay the course. We should read Raja Petra's article today and be encouraged that there are Malaysians who are willing to go hungry and be impoverished rather than to betray one's principles and the cause of justice

We have come a long way since March last year. There is no turning back. Let's us continue and finish the journey.

How then shall we pray?

2009-03-18T15:42:00.005+08:00

"First of all, then I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all who are high in positions, that we may lead quiet and peaceful life, godly and dignified in every way." (1 Tim 2:1-2)

"I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling." (1 Tim 2:8)

Do the above texts teach that we are not to get angry with our leaders but to continue to pray for them no matter how unjust and corrupt they are? That we ought to continue to pray that they will change and govern fairly and justly even when evidences suggest that they will not and cannot be changed?

I'm sure Christians in Malaysia has been praying for its leaders for many many years. We had prayer rallies every Merdeka day to pray specifically for our nation and its leaders. The standard prayer has been that God will grant our leaders the wisdom to govern. This I think is being consistent with the above text.

However, what happens when what we see and experienced is further misgovernance, corruption and oppression? Shall we continue to beg God to change the hearts of our leaders? Must we always obey the authorities since they are instituted/established by God (Romans 13)? Can we not pray for the removal of these corrupted and self-serving leaders? Can we not pray of the dismantling for institutions that oppress the common people?

I think it has been Paul's primary goal to see the spread of the gospel (1 Tim 2:4). So, I wouldn't think he will ask the Christians openly to pray for the removal of the Roman Empire despite its corruption. More so, in the early years, the Roman authorities seem to be ambivalent towards Christianity. Paul would not have wanted to invite the wrath of the Roman Empire which will cause the spread of the gospel to be impeded.

I also think 1 Tim 2:1-2 and 1 Tim 2:8 shouldn't be read together to mean that we should never be angry with those in authority, otherwise it will be difficult to pray for them. The phrase 'pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarelling' (ESV) perhaps envisage the reverse situation in Matt 5:23-24. We shouldn't be angry or have a quarrel/dispute with someone (in particular our Christian brothers/sisters) when we pray. It is something personal between me and that person. It has nothing to do with being angry with injustices that we see being perpetrated by those in authority.

Francis Schaeffer says, "God has ordained the state as a delegated authority; it is not autonomous. The state is an agent of justice, to restrain evil by punishing the wrongdoer, and protect the good of soceity. When it does the reverse, it has no proper authority. It is than a usurped authority and as such it becomes lawless and is a tyranny."(emphasis, author) (A Christian Manifesto). He went on to say that at certain point there is not a right, but the duty, to disobey the state.

If we are not angry when we see injustices, then I think we haven't fully grasped the character of God as revealed to us in the Scriptures. So I believe it is absolutely legitimate to be angry with tyranny and pray for its removal. Malaysia is descending into lawlessness and tyranny unless there is divine intervention.

After reading Zaid Ibrahim's plea to the King this afternoon, I think I know how to pray. I will pray for the King to be given the wisdom and courage in making the appointment of the next PM. This power is vested in him by our Constitution. May God guide him to exercise this power for the sake of the people in Malaysia without fear or favour.

Zaid ended his speech by saying this and I quote.

"I am fighting the temptation to give up for one simple reason: Malaysia and all it represents. This is a blessed country, a country too valuable for us to turn our backs on."

Amen. Let us pray.

(Updated/Note: This post came about after reading a comment made by someone who teaches NT in a seminary, "that we should remain calm as Paul says "We pray for kings and those in authority without anger or clamouring (1 Tim 2) (Note that prayer for the king etc and anger is separated by 6 verses, yet in his comment it's taken together) and if we are angry with our leaders then it's hard to pray for them." This was made in response to my litany of complaints against the present regime in his blog. I'm not providing a link to his blog as I've no permission to do so and so far he has not responded to my counter response)

PERAK - A Democracy Smashed, Desecrated and Removed

2009-03-15T16:27:00.006+08:00

(Source of Photo : Lim Kit Siang's blog)

It's now complete. First they smashed the plaque. Then they desecrated it with black tar. Now it has been removed. Isn't this what they are trying to do to democracy in Perak. Smash it, desecrate it and remove it.

But the spirit of democracy is much alive in the hearts of every Perakian. It doesn't matter if the plaque is gone or even if the tree is gone. These symbols have forever being etched in our minds. The enemies of democracy shall bear the full extent of the wrath of the rakyat.

PERAK - A Shattered Democracy

2009-03-14T16:35:00.007+08:00

(Source of Photos: GoMalaysian)

I hope the Pakatan fellas in Perak will leave the shattered and now defaced marble plaque in front of the Tree of Democracy alone. Replacing it with another one will be a futile effort. It will be vandalized in no time. Leave it for posterity to see how democracy in Perak like the the marble plaque has been shattered to pieces and the rights of Perakians like the same plaque are being obliterated.

We can build a monument there after Pakatan retook Perak. For the time being just let it be. I think it's a powerful symbol just like the tree.

One Year - Come On and Celebrate

2009-03-08T23:08:00.003+08:00

It has been a year since Malaysians went to vote and delivered the most crushing blow to BN in the General Election. The euphoria was continued in the Permatang Pauh and Kuala Trengganu by-election. But following KT, this was dampened when Pakatan lost the Perak government to BN through the defection of 3 ADUNs precipating a constituional crisis and is becoming murkier by the day. This latest episode only confirms that the BN governmnent is beyond reform.

As I wrote in my previous post, we are witnessing a failure in our institutions of governance from the police to the judiciary, from the anti corruption agency to the election commision. The doctrine of separation of powers has become a fiction. These all are happening in the face of global economic and financial meltdown. Like a tsunami, all is calm until it hits the shores. And hit the shores, it will and we will be caught wondering why the water has receded.

Though the picture doesn't look pretty, it is still important for us to celebrate. Some may yearn for the good old days of Dr. M but for the majority there is no turning back. The political tsunami one year ago has changed the political landscape. It will never be the same again. What then is there to celebrate?

Celebrate the political maturity of the rakyat.
Celebrate the unshackling of the chain of political patronage.
Celebrate the unity of the 3 major races in the country, Malay, Chinese and Indians for a common purpose in rejecting racial politics.
Celebrate our desire for justice for all.

Come on and Celebrate.

Institutional Failure

2009-03-04T18:52:00.004+08:00

When I first read about the 2nd post-mortem report on Kugan, a surge of anger just overwhelmed me. All along we suspected he was beaten to death in police custody. But when one read the details of those injuries that were inflicted on Kugan, you must be wondering whether those responsible are humans. I have to conclude that they are not. Neither are their bosses, the IGP and CPO of Selangor.

PDRM is no longer a functioning law enforcement institution. I think it ceased to become one much earlier when the ex-IGP Rahim Noor nearly whacked the life out of Anwar Ibrahim. It has now become a political tool of the UNMO led government and to some extent a legalized gangster outfit. Of course, I believe there are still God fearing and righteous policemen and women in PDRM who will now carry on their duties in shame.

PDRM is not the only institution that has failed. We are witnessing a systemic institutional failure of governance in the country. The judiciary has also failed. We had judgments that are so wrong and any lay person can even agree that it was wrong. How can you force a litigant to engage a lawyer who is acting for the other side? That is what it amounts to when the Judicial Commisioner decides that the Perak Speaker can only be represented by the State Legal Advisor who is already representing the illegal MB of Perak and who is the one suing the Speaker. It just boogles the mind. Tommy Thomas is right to ask to be excused from the judge's chambers the other day. This learned lawyer must have felt totally disgusted and can't stand another minute in such chamber of injustice.

Then, we have the MACC, the anti corruption agency which is now being used to harass politicians on the opposite side. The Election Commission, the civil service ......The army? When the crunch comes, I wonder whether they will listen to their Commander-in-Chief? I hope RPK is not wrong.

What is there to say anymore?

2009-03-03T19:02:00.002+08:00

Under a tree, assembly votes for fresh polls

Speaker's lawyers removed

Court declares assembly illegal

The 3 above reports taken from the Malaysian Insider just show how low our country has sank. Nearly all our institutions have become the tools of the UMNO led government to use to cling on to powers.

I'm sure the 'Pokok Demokrasi' was weeping silently this morning even as our valiant assemblymen from Pakatan Rakyat stood beneath her to discharge their duties.

Yes. What is there to say anymore?

Unity Government?

2009-02-27T08:30:00.002+08:00

It was reported by the Malaysian Insider that PAS' president Hadi Awang has called for a unity government in view of the economic crisis. He admitted that the idea was floated even last March when PAS tries to form the state government in Selangor with BN.

To me the idea is so repulsive and repugnant in light of what has happened in Perak where UMNO led BN brought down the PAS led state government in the most undemocratic way. Now to even suggest such an idea of unity government with BN is nothing short of suggesting to sleep with the devil.

Can't he (Hadi Awang) sees that the UMNO led government is turning into a Mafia government? We have the Mafia bosses at the top and their "ma cai"/samsengs in the form of UMNO Youth at the bottom. Didn't he see what happened in Parliament yesterday? A disabled person was mobbed by a bunch of samsengs. Doesn't he realize that efforts are being made to bring down the Selangor and Kedah government through ADUNs buying and/or criminal persecution of the state leaders, and even the gross invasion of a person's privacy. Does Islam condone all these, Hadi Awang? Or the prosperity of the nation comes first?

Hadi Awang should either resign as the PAS president together with all those who share the same idea with him and join UNMO or take the either PAS party out from Pakatan Rakyat if he is able to do so.

Unity Government? More like united for corruption. United to suck the country and rakyat dried. United to end democracy in this country.

Just when I was beginning to get comfortable with PAS .... Sigh.

The same old script

2009-02-19T08:02:00.002+08:00

Police acting on tip-ff, ambushed the criminals. Criminals fired at police. Police shot back. All criminals dead. Sometimes there were slight variations to the script. One or two of the criminals may escaped and usually are never heard of after that. No one is ever taken alive.

It was reported yesterday that 6 armed robbers were shot dead in Kulim after police returned fire. There was another variation to the above script though. 4 women who were alleged to be the robbers' girlfriends were also arrested.

According to the report only two weapons were recovered i.e. a semi automatic Smith & Wesson 9mm and a .38 Revolver. So can we conclude that not everyone of them (robbers) were armed with firearms. So how can they be all shot dead on the ground of self-defense?

Another disturbing fact of the above story is all the dead were Indians. Can we blame the Indians if they feel they were being targeted no matter how much the police deny? MPs of all races from Pakatan is demanding the police to explain the killings.

No doubt, the crime rate is on the rise and we would want to get rid of those who commit crimes. But it must be done in accordance with the law. We cannot allow the police to also be the judge and executioner.

As such, an enquiry ought to be carried out in this case until like what the Chinese says "water subsides, the rock emerges".

The ANWAR prophecy

2009-02-14T01:43:00.004+08:00

Most of us are acquainted with the so-called RAHMAN prophecy where the name of our 1st Prime Minister becomes the acronym for the subsequent PMs. So far it has proven correct though with some manipulations

R - Rahman (Tunku Abdul Rahman)
A - Abdul Razak
H - Hussien Onn
M - Mahatir
A - Abdullah Badawi
N - Najib (almost certain unless he drops dead tomorrow)

What happens after Najib? Well, I hope he'll be the last of the BN/UMNO PM. After that Pakatan Rakyat will take over the Federal Government with Anwar as the PM. So is there going to be a ANWAR prophecy? Well, I can't think beyond N. I only thought of N these few days watching the events unfolding in Perak.

A - Anwar
N - Nizar
W - ?
A - ?
R - ?

Crisis can bring out the best in a person. I believe that's what is happening to YAB Nizar. We are seeing a man who have just lost a state government through a coup d'etat but yet so composed, serene and even humorous at times. Yet beneath the composure and serenity lies a never say die and steely spirit in fighting the great injustice that has befallen the Perak people. "Patik menyembah mohon derhaka". These four Malay words uttered by him to the Sultan of Perak will forever be etched in the minds of the Malays when faced with an unjust decision by their monarchs whom they greatly respect. He disclaimed the comparison to Hang Jebat who rebelled against his sultan for unjustly sentencing his friend Hang Tuah to death. Rightly so. YAB Nizar 'derhaka' for the sake of democracy and to defend the rights of the people in Perak from being stripped and robbed by UMNO. It is not for an individual that he 'derhaka'.

I still remember that I shed a tear reading a newspaper report when he visited the family of victims of the flour mills explosion in Lumut. The sight of him hugging closely the ten year old daughter of one of the victims made me rejoice that Perak has been blessed with a great MB.* Alas, the UMNO/BN thieves have stolen from us this blessings. But soon we shall reclaim it and these thieves and robbers will be punished.

YAB Nizar, our Mentri Besar, we know that "you will come through and you shall return". (to quote Gen. MacArthur). You will return not only as the Mentri Besar of Perak but InsyaAllah one day as the PM of our country. May Allah bless you.

* I know politicians do these publicity exercise from time to time but strangely, I can sensed deep compassion coming from YAB Nizar and the sharing of grief was genuine. Reminds me of some the banners Shahrizat Jalil put up during the last GE showing her with some old folks and children, trying to portray her caring side. What a world of difference!

Total Depravity

2009-02-08T01:14:00.003+08:00

No. This is not going to be an exposition of the first point of Calvinism. 3 days ago before the Sultan of Perak made the decision not to dissolve the State Assembly, I had a bet with someone. I bet that the Sultan will dissolve the State Assembly based on my high regards for him.

When I heard the news of the Sultan's decision I smsed my friend that I've lost. He smsed back, "Sad. My experience with human nature is consistent."

I've learned my lesson. Talk is cheap.

Ku Li. What an inspiring piece. But I will only respect you when you walk away from UMNO. Learned this from Sultan Azlan Shah and his son. All the talk about rule of law, justice, fairness, good governance etc. became BULLSHIT where the rubber meets the road.

Betrayed

2009-02-05T20:28:00.002+08:00

This is how I feel and I know many Perakians share the same feelings. I grew up being told by my father how fearless and righteous Sultan Azlan Shah was during his time on the Bench. When he became the Sultan of Perak, I was so proud to have such a learned, just and wise person to be my Sultan, someone whom I can willingly pledge my allegiance and loyalty. This is especially so when you compared him with the other sultans from other states. I was damn proud to be a Perakian.

I was a bit disturbed and disappointed that in 1988 he didn't speak out during the judicial crisis especially when his successor was unjustly victimised by the Executive and the independence of the judiciary was threatened. Well, I gave him the benefit of doubt. He may have been working behind the scene and given his position it might not be convenient for him to do more in public.

But now, when it is within his powers to right a wrong and to listen to the cries of his subjects, he turned the other way. My heart bleeds. So do many hearts of Malaysians especially anak-anak Perak tonight.

Democracy has been dealt a great blow this day. But it's not a fatal blow. Nay, the rakyat will revive her. The rakyat will make her strong again.

THE RAKYAT WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!

Remember this day

2009-02-05T16:33:00.003+08:00

Perakians. Remember this day. Let us neither forgive nor forget.

Rethinking Cross-overs

2009-02-04T22:24:00.004+08:00

Prior to Sept 16 2008, I have no qualms about BN MPs wanting to switch sides and bring about the downfall of the Federal Govt. See my reasons here. As to the morality of the whole issue, I was persuaded by William Leong's well argued piece that in effect the ability of MPs to switch party is the essence of democracy given our electoral model as long it is not due to monetary and personal gain.

The events that have taken place in Perak within these few days has made me rethink my position. I still think William Leong is right. However, sadly the fact remains that in Malaysia, 99.9% of the time politicians who switched party or intend to do so will be due to monetary and personal gain. So far only Zaid Ibrahim has shown otherwise albeit in a different context.

As such, I'll support an anti-hopping law that will cause a MP or ADUN to automatically lose their seats once they switched party or even become an independent. However, they must be allowed to re-contest in a by-election. This is to take into account the 0.1% of the politicians who switched allegiance because of personal conviction.

Until such law is enacted, Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat especially PKR will do well to remember that enticing MPs/ADUNs to crossover is a double-edged sword. I need to remember that too.

I hope and pray that the Sultan of Perak will do the right thing.

Yes, bring em' on. Perakians, stand up and be counted.

2009-02-01T21:25:00.003+08:00

The Pakatan Govt of Perak is facing a crisis with 2 PKR ADUNs going missing for a week and now tendering their resignations. There are reports that the Deputy Speaker from DAP who is also missing may defect to MCA soon. BN is going all out in orchestrating the downfall of the Perak Govt.

One thing that the Perak MB can do is to seek consent from the Sultan to dissolve the State Assembly and call for a snap election for the whole state. I think that's the best option given the current instability. Let the people decide again.

Although I'm no longer registered as a voter in Perak, as someone born and bred in Ipoh, God willing, I will be back to campaign for Pakatan and will also dig deep into my pockets. I'm sure every Perakian who cherishes justice and thirsts for good governance where ever he/she may be, will also to do the same.

Pray that our wise Sultan will give consent to dissolve the State Assembly.

Let's send BN to its grave. First in Perak, then Malaysia.

Hope

2009-01-24T22:26:00.006+08:00

I've not been updating this blog for a while. The last post which was written on the last day of last year was full of pessimism. Things have not changed much. Yes, Pakatan has won the KT bye-election with a convincing win despite all the goodies and threats thrown at the voters by BN. Although excuses have been made on behalf of the Chinese who have continued to vote for BN (e.g. by RPK), I couldn't help but feel ashamed of my race. In terms of selfishness, looking after our own interest, we are No.1. This has been validated through 5000 years of Chinese history. We will sell our mother, if we have to protect our own interest.

The events of the last few days have been quite distressing. Firstly the gruesome pictures that was first shown in Malaysiakini of the late Kugan, an Indian youth who died in police custody. Torture marks were all other his body. This came shortly after few police officers were arrested over pouring hot water on the body of another Indian youth in police custody. The many similar cases in the past just can lead to conclusions. Firstly, torture is part and parcel of police interrogation. Indians are particularly being targeted.

Due to the public outcry, the AG has classified the Kugan's case as murder. But none of the police officers have been arrested yet. From the photographs of the funeral procession the whole incident is turning into a racial issue. Kapar MP has threatened to repeat the Nov 2007 Hindraf rally. If there is going to be such a rally, I hope other races will join in to avoid it becoming another racial event. I believe now it's time to force the Government to set up the IPCMC (Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission)based on the Royal Commission's recommendation. Otherwise, the rakyat should take to the streets to protest against police brutality, corruption and incompetence.

Then, those who were arrested in the PJ candlelight vigil last Nov, were being charged in court yesterday. Why now?

So, things seem to be getting worse. Why then did I put the word "Hope" as the title of this post?

I must admit that I was the few who has not been really following the American presidential campaign last year. I haven't even listen to any Obama's speech though having read how good an orator he is. So I decided to stay up last Tuesday to watch the Inauguration of the 44th President of the USA and listen to his speech. I was not disappointed. In fact, for a while I wished I am an American. Americans should be proud of having such a leader who can inspired hope in the midst of depressing circumstances. I don't think it was empty rhetoric. We have someone who knows what lays before him. We see him making some fast decisions only 2 days after the inauguration from shutting down Gitmo to appointing experienced special envoy to the two most trouble areas in American foreign policy, the Middle East and Afghanistan and Pakistan. America is going to lead again because in Obama, they have a leader.

Well, many have asked whether Malaysia can have its own Obama? Well, before our Obama comes along, we need "choose hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord." (adapted from Obama's inauguration address). So "hope" is a choice. Hope does not depend on the circumstances. The situation in country may be bleak and may even get worse in the coming days, but it can't destroy hope. Because hope is a gift from God. As we other gifts, we can choose to accept or reject.

Happy New Year?

2008-12-31T23:36:00.004+08:00

In less than 20 minutes 2008 will be gone. What a year! Suffice to say events that happened both in Malaysia and abroad would have left lasting marks in our history books.

Very few people are looking forward to 2009 as everybody is bracing themselves for a difficult year ahead. It may even be disastrous year. If I were to look at the present circumstances, it doesn't give me much hope.

Just few hours ago before we left our office one of my colleagues told me how she is living in fear everyday. She stays in Section 14 Petaling Jaya. She just witnessed a crime committed right in front of her house a few days ago. Two men were trying to rob a man in broad daylight. The victim put up a fight and was badly slashed. She told me nearly every week there is someone will getting robbed in broad daylight in her area so much so that now when she reached her home, she will look around first and quickly dash into her house.

I feel so angry listening to her. Why are we being subject to such fear? The country is descending into lawlessness and yet the very people who are supposed to enforce the law and protect us chose to harass and abuse us. Arresting people who assembled in a peaceful manner, harassing and arresting young people who cycled in their campaign to bring about a more just society, wasting time manning roadblocks to prevent people from gathering in a peaceful manner to express themselves.

As I type I can hear the sound of fireworks ushering in 2009. What is in store for our nation? Fireworks means celebration but is there really anything to celebrate? Despite the heroic effort of the rakyat in pushing for change through the general election in March, we are still stuck with a government who doesn't listen to the rakyat and in 3 months time we are going to have a Prime Minister who doesn't inspire any confidence. Leaving aside his personal baggages, he is as intellectually deficient as Pak Lah based on his pronouncements on certain issues. It may be OK if he comes in during times of economic prosperity but he is coming in at a time where some experts tell us the current economic situation may be as bad or even worse than the Great Depression. We don't need someone who only can tell us to change our lifestyle or if something is not right all we have to do is just change our perception.

I'm in no mood to celebrate and don't feel like wishing people a Happy New Year. Instead I would like to wish all the people I know, stay safe in 2009 and may God protect them and watch over them.

(The fireworks didn't last very long. I guess not many are in the mood to celebrate or is it they just got the royal decree from RPK)

PPP - Salvage whatever dignity you still have.

2008-12-10T19:10:00.004+08:00

As someone who is born and brought up in Ipoh, I'm much acquainted with places like Taman DR Seenivasagam and Jln SP Seenivasagam (that's where my beloved school St. Michael's Institution is situated) from young. I know too the influence the Seenivasagam brothers and PPP had on Ipoh. Since the death of the Seenivasagam brothers, the political fortune of PPP has been going downhill and it's an understatement to say that it is a pale shadow of its heydays.

In recent years it has been humiliated again and again by big brother UMNO. The latest is the call by the PM for PPP to quit BN if it insists on the ISA being amended/reviewed. There is not going to be any amendment or review. Period. Sadly some of its leaders like its Youth Chief are still in denial mode. Though shocked, T Murugiah thinks Pak Lah didn't mean what he said because he is a nice guy.

Well, PPP, do the right thing and quit. Salvage whatever dignity you still have. Otherwise, in another generation the only memory left of PPP is a park and a street. (That is also provided the politicians do not change their names). Gerakan should do the same too.

I didn't speak out

2008-11-28T00:05:00.005+08:00

When they ban lipstick and high heels, I also didn’t speak up because I’m a man

When they ban yoga, I didn’t speak up because I'm not a Muslim and I don't do yoga

When they ban alcohol, I didn’t speak up because I don’t drink

When they ban gambling, I didn't speak up because I don't gamble

Then they started to ban things that affected my way of life. I tried to speak up but it was too late. They are now all powerful and they even ban me from speaking up.

Rethinking Candlelight Vigils

2008-11-26T18:35:00.003+08:00

So far I’ve participated in 5 out of the 7 candlelight vigils held in PJ including the one that were forcefully dispersed by the police. The following day I received an email from a friend sharing his thoughts on this.

You know I have been debating with myself for some time now about whether I should do more or less action, heavy or light, loud or quiet, alone or with others.

When I was young and idealistic, fresh out from that school of light called LaSalle, I would have donned protest gear and distributed pamphlets at every door or some such action.

Now I am not so sure that is a good payload.

I have seen from close quarters how this regime brooks no dissent, 'nipping in the bud' subtly and not-so-subtly.

Not that I have not done my share of protesting and I suppose I am a coward but I can't help thinking that the only effective way to prevail is through cunning. Not dissipating energy through protest after protest, petition after petition and vigil after vigil. Sometimes, I see what is done now is not impactful at all. Futile even. Mostly activity by a few hard core activists, perhaps a few hundred, joined by many just paying lip service. A far cry from the Nov 10 2007 big one. Not concerted at all. Not even noisy with each striking out on its own. Like Lilliputians shooting at Gulliver.

We become sitting ducks, watched and tagged. We can be picked off at any time should our activism heat up. Of what use then are good fighters if wiped out by the Orcs before the war starts?
Look at the sympathisers of the Bali bombers. 50 to 100 of them visit the bombers’ village and swear revenge etc. Stupid to show emotions and write on the forehead for everyone to see. If you were on the opposite side, what do you think you would do? Of course, mark them and pick them off.
The fight should be done covertly, focused and organised as one, with well-timed moves that pre-empt pre-emption. Quiet engagements within government, by-election work, fact-finding, evidence collecting, corrupt people watch, dissemination of information in a concerted way, fund raising, subterfuge that will bring a bigwig down more effectively than banging drums on the street corner.

AI could have been the Obama to lead this. Will he? While I still have hope of change to come, I feel a bit let down at this stage.

I replied

Agree with you. That was why I stayed clear last night as it became obvious they were going to make arrests. You know it when the Black Maria came in. No use being a fallen hero. Live to fight another day.

I heard news that the Abolish ISA movement is planning a big protest next March (maybe to coincide with 08/03 anniversary). It’s going to be something along the line of Bersih. PAS which played a significant role in Bersih has agreed to be involved. Hope 100k will be mobilized.

Even then, I’m not hopeful that ISA will be abolished. If they refused to listen to 50K what makes you think they will listen to 100k or even 500k. Millions have spoken on 08/03. Did they listen? As I see it the only way ISA is going to be abolished is through the change of Govt.

Yes, we need cunning and creative ways to bring down this evil regime.
Having said that I participated in the vigils not so much as to make an impact (I know it doesn’t) but to stand in solidarity with like-minded citizens. What happened on Sunday will make me rethink about this.

After skipping one Sunday because of fatique, I was there last Sunday probably because my OT lecturer the Reb was going there also. He stood up and spoke about his passion in seeing ISA abolished as it is an unjust law based on his understanding of Scriptures.

Recently I spoke to one of the Selangor ADUNs from DAP and he shares similar view with my friend. Though he agrees that the law relating to police permits is unjust, it is the law nonetheless and by disobeying it, it puts people into jeopardy. If we want to protest, then do it in a big and proper way. He said he will be the first one to lend his support as in the Bersih rally.

Well, I think I’ll still go. I want to stand in solidarity with my brothers and sisters who share the same passion in seeing the end of this heinous piece of legislation. But I’ll not stick around and get arrested if the police want us to disperse. Of course, if the police want to arrest without giving warning like what happened on the 9th Nov., then so be it. I take the view that unjust laws are still laws. If I am ready to face the consequences, then I have the choice to disobey them.

No unjust laws were ever repealed without someone willing to face the consequences and paying the price for disobeying them or working for their abolition.

They can take our candles away but they can never take away the light in our hearts. It only takes a spark to get a fire going. May the light in each of our heart light another and soon roll back the darkness that is engulfing our beloved nation. Amen

Opposed Palm Oil as Cooking Oil - Threat to National Security

2008-11-19T18:23:00.003+08:00

Do you know that you can be arrested under the ISA for opposing palm oil as cooking oil in favour of oil derived from soy beans? This was what an ex-ISA detainee arrested under the infamous Operasi Lallang said;

One charge was that I was alleged to be pro-Iran and against Saudi Arabia. The second charge was that I opposed cooking oil from oil palm as preferring cooking oil derived from soy beans of the US. All the other charges were even more ridiculous and had nothing to do with the security of the country.

Perhaps the Government thought by so doing our oil palm industry will collapse which ultimately may lead to the collapse of our economy and therefore threaten our national security.

Read his letter to Malaysiakini for the account of his arrest and what he thinks was the real reason for his arrest.

One may be tempted to laugh at such a ludicrous charge, but to lose your liberty for eight months is laughing matter.

I hope more ex-detainees or their family members will come out and speak and write about their experiences and the gross injustice that they were being subjected to.

Ya Allah, segeralah hancurkan makhluk yang zalim itu ....

2008-11-10T23:33:00.002+08:00

This was the prayer of the wife of a ISA detainee against the Home Minister after yesterday incident where the police & FRU charged without warning at peaceful citizens who were trying to finish singing our national anthem.

To read more on her blog you can go here.

Repay them sevenfold O Lord

2008-11-09T23:03:00.009+08:00

I attended a course on the History and Theology of the Exile from Wednesday to Saturday. Among other things we considered the place of imprecatory psalms and prayers in our prayer life. Some of us were uncomfortable with praying such prayers after being told for many years to love our enemies.

I think is completely legitimate for Christians to pray such prayers in the face of injustice and oppression. Maybe not to the extent of wishing for Syed Hamid Albar's children to be dashed against the rocks and bless the one who carried out such action. But it's certainly legitimate to ask God to pour forth His wrath on this scum. Our lecturer pointed out that the psalmist never took revenge himself but left it to God. The psalmist merely prayed. After all God said 'Vengance is mine'.

We must be careful not to use it as a personal vendetta. We only pray such prayer against those who misuse their power to oppress and commit unjust acts. As a result, the people suffered. I would hesitate to pray such prayers against those who have wronged me personally.

I just returned from what supposed to be a peaceful candlelight vigil against the ISA and to remember the 1st anniversary of the Bersih rally. Unfortunately very early on all the roads leading to Amcorp Mall were sealed by the police. We parked our cars at a distance and walked in. To cut the story short the FRU and police charged at the crowd while they were singing 'Negaraku' and arrested some people, among them MP for PJ Utara Tony Pua.

Those cowardly bastards came with batons, shields and tear gas cannisters against citizens who were armed only with candles and the sense of justice in their hearts. Yes, LORD repay them sevenfold for the evil that they have done tonight. They include those who carried out tonight operation, the one who ordered it, the IGP, the Home Minister and the whole evil BN Govt. May your righteous wrath, O LORD consume all of them. Amen.

Update: I should include that blatant liar, CPO of Selangor Khalid Abu Bakar. May his lying tongue be cut off and his lips be sealed forever.

The fight goes on ...

2008-11-07T20:15:00.002+08:00

Today we have won a battle with the release of RPK by the order of the Shah Alam High Court. The war is still on going. We will only rest when the ISA is abolished. The weapons of our warfare will be hope and perseverance.

Lest we forget ....

2008-10-27T23:29:00.003+08:00

Today marked the 21st anniversary of Operasi Lallang where 106 people from various political parties, NGOs and even Christian pastors were arrested under the ISA. I'm sure many who were present at the Amcorp Mall candlelight vigil last night were not even born then. Ever since the nation has been carrying this scar and it will still remain and I believe should remain. A scar remind us that something painful has happened. Before a scar, there was a wound.

The wound that has been inflicted on this nation 21 years ago has not been entirely healed. Whenever someone is arrested under the ISA, a fresh wound would appear. The people of this nation has been living under the woundedness of fear. The fear of the midnight knock on the door. The fear that I may be the next one.

Thanks to the events that happened within a year, the Bersih rally, the Hindraf rally and the 8 March political tsunami, many have overcome their fear. Thanks also to many individuals who have been the trailblazers, among them Raja Petra Kamarudin who has now fallen victim to this evil law.

I have resigned to the fact that the ISA will forever remain as law if there is no change of government. As long as BN remains in power, ISA will not even be reviewed let alone be abolished. Look what happened to MCA and Gerakan. None of their MPs signed the memo to the PM to call for a debate on the ISA in Parliament.

Last night at the candlelight vigil people talked about the middle class overcoming their fear. Yes, to a certain extent I surely agree with that. But I'm not sure how long this vigil thing can carry on before the middle class revert back to their comfort zone especially with the global financial crisis worsening each day. The middle class will be more concerned about their money than the issues of justice. Am I being pessimistic? Maybe.

What if there is a round of crackdown, Operasi Lallang II? Will the middle class take to the streets? These are the questions that I'm asking myself as I'm part of the middle class. I believe we will only take to the streets when we are angry enough. Are we angry enough with evil?

21 years. I hope it doesn't have to take another 21 years to abolish the ISA. Malaysia cannot afford that. It's either cosigning the ISA to the rubbish bin of history soon or cosigning Malaysia to the rubbish bin of history as a failed nation. A nation that silence its people without just cause will not last long.

ISA Candlelight Vigil Opp. Amcorp Mall

2008-10-12T22:43:00.006+08:00

This was second candlelight vigil I attended. The first one was after Teresa Kok was arrested under the ISA. The crowd was over 200. I went with 2 other church members, John Chung and Han Meng. When we arrived slightly before 8pm there was already a crowd about 100 and many candles were already lighted. But there was quite a number of people crowding round on the pavement. Free RPK T-shirts were snapped up like hot cakes. After about 15 minutes Marina Lee gave a short speech. Couldn't hear what she said as I was too far away. This was followed by one of RPK's counsels, Gobind Singh, the Panther of Puchong. Next were Bernard a.ka. Zorro and Haris Ibrahim. Upon someone's suggestion, Haris asked us to be there every Sunday until ISA is abolished and all detainees are freed. He encouraged us to bring a friend the next time and to bring another, another time until one day the whole field will be filled.

Kit Siang also made a brief appearance and gave a short speech. Again I couldn't hear what was said but it's about bringing something up in Parliament next week. I forgot whether it was Haris or Bernard that said he was encouraged to see so many new faces. Yes, those were the faces of middle class Chinese who before 8/03 don't give a damn about politics much less the ISA. All we care for is to make money. How things have changed. What about the middle class church, I wonder? Tonight, there were only 3 of us from the same church. I hope by next month there would be at least 30. Is it asking too much to light a candle?

Make a stand against evil.

At the PJ Sessions Court (Day 4 of RPK’s trial)

2008-10-09T12:48:00.003+08:00

I reached the court at about a quarter past 8. I was there on Monday but didn’t manage to get a seat inside. Few minutes later a van with RPK inside arrived. The crowd about 30 plus clapped when he stepped out from the van. I managed to get a seat in court next to a lady who is RPK’s neighbor. She fetched Marina and the daughters to court and has been there every day without fail. Good neighbor. (Update: I didn't even know she is blind. But I thought she told me she fetched RPK's family to court. Must have heard wrongly) Before the trial started, I managed to shake RPK’s hand and wished him well. Nurul Izzah and Ronnie Liu were among the Pakatan leaders who were there this morning

The trial started punctually at 9am with the prosecution calling its 5th witness, one Chinese police officer. I think the prosecution was totally inept and was ticked off by the judge a couple of times. The DPP actually wanted to tender a document as an exhibit when it was clearly marked on the document that it was not supposed to be used in the court proceedings. A few times the DPP tried to show the witness the police reports he has made without even questioning the witness first on the reports. The judge asked why are they (the prosecution) in such a hurry. She remarked that there is no shortcut to justice.

When the DPP finished with his examination-in-chief, the judge asked for a 15 minutes break before continuing with the cross-examination. I came out to go back to office. There were plenty of people outside to take my place. No wonder RPK is in high spirits. He has not been forgotten.

Update:

11:20am, October 9, 2008: The prosecution just admitted that the exhibit which forms the foundation of the charge against RPK was not originally taken from Malaysia-Today but was a police cut-&-paste job.They also did not deny that a large part of the original article is true.

11:30am: The prosecution is seeking to stand down the trial, and decide what to do as the charge may be defective. The judge is alarmed that the exhibit to the charge is not the original but a police's cut-and-paste article.

11:35am: Prosecution is in a quandary as the trial appears to be scuttled since charge may be held to be defective midway through the trial.

Court is adjourned to Monday, 13/10/2008.

The above was taken from MT.

Ha ha ha .... How I wish I had not taken leave earlier.

A financial nuclear winter?

2008-10-06T18:26:00.003+08:00

While George Bush was looking for Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq as a pretext to invade the country in 2003, Warren Buffet issued a warning on what he termed as the 'Financial Weapons of Mass Destruction' i.e. derivatives.

5 years later as predicted by the sage from Omaha, these weapons exploded taking down financial giants which have more than 100 years of history.

In came the white knight (vulture to some) from Omaha with USD 5 billion to the rescue of Goldman Sachs. Well, in return this white knight will get preference shares giving 10% interest and warrants to buy up to $5 billion of new Goldman Sach's shares at $115 per share at any time the next 5 years. Goldman shares rose to $133 per share following the announcement earning the white knight a notional profit of of $783 million

'Forecasts may tell you a great deal about the forecaster; they tell you nothing about the future.' (Warren Buffet)

Yes indeed when the forecaster is none other than Warren Buffet himself. You may profit greatly from reading the recently released authorized biography of Warren Buffet. Authorized in the sense, he actually opened himself and given complete access to the author unlike previous biographies where he neither encouraged or discouraged. So grab hold of a copy 'Snowball - Warren Buffet and The Business of Life'

What, where and how to invest at such a time as this?

2008-09-27T15:32:00.003+08:00

Yesterday a subsidiary of my company organized an Elementary Investing seminar where I was one of the speakers. Besides my Chairman who was an ex-banker, there were 3 other speakers, two are Head of Private Banking, one from a local bank and the other from a bank in Singapore. The other guest speaker is a MD of an asset management company. So I was the odd one out. I'm a lawyer by training. But since my Chairman knows I'm passionate about value investing and has achieved some decent results, he asked me to speak on value investing. Personally, I dread public presentation but can't say no when the boss told you to do it.

I guess the seminar was timely in wake of the financial turmoil in the world following the collapse of Lehman Bros. Financial giants would have fallen like a house of cards if not for the bailouts by the Fed and rescue from investor like Warren Buffet. During lunch with the 2 private bankers, I realized that the impact of the collapse of Lehman Bros. is huge. They told me and those attending the seminar that they have almost nothing to sell to their clients now. I guess everyone now is paralysed by fear.

My topic was Value Investing - The investing philosophy adopted by the richest man (for a while) in the world. The words in the brackets were added in last week because when I started preparing for the talk, Warren Buffet was the richest man in the world. Last week, the ranking was revised and he has dropped to 3rd place.

I told my audience that what I was about to present is nothing original. My approach was to let Warren Buffet speaks for himself. My presentation will be peppered with quotations from him. Some of those are real gems. Where appropriate I will give my comments and illustrations. But sometimes there will be nothing to be added to wisdom.

From the feedback, I guess I did not do too bad though I felt I've rushed through the whole presentation because of time constraint. Some things were left unsaid.

We had a panel discussion after everyone has spoken. The speakers were asked for their opinions on certain issues and there were some questions from the floor. One of the questions for discussion was 'What is your outlook and what trends do you see? E.g. market, currency, interest, commodity, prices, inflation etc.'

I was the last to respond and I said it was a wrong question to ask me as unlike the other speakers I'm no expert of the financial markets. Secondly as a value investor I really don't care about the outlook and trends because I follow what my sifu, Warren Buffet's approach. I quoted him

'If we find the company we like, the level of the market will not really impact our decisions. We decide company by company. We spend essentially no time thinking about macroeconomic factors. In other words, if somebody handed us a prediction by the most revered intellectual on the subject, with figures for unemployment or interest rate or whatever it may be for the next two years, we would not pay any attention to it. We simply focus on the business that we think we understand and where we like the price and management. If we see anything that relates to what's going to happen in Congress, we don't even read it. We just don't think it's helpful to have view on these matters.'

If you ask me where to put my money in these turbulent times? I would say stocks because they are one of the asset class of investments I understand well. Invest in things that you understand. Don't invest in products that you don't understand even if they are capital guaranteed. After all, the guarantee is only as good as the guarantor. After what we witnessed in the financial markets in the past weeks, can anyone really guarantee someone's capital?

I end with 2 quotes from Warren Buffet

1.Investment must be rational. If you can't understand it, don't do it.

2.Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing

ISA - A Muslim's perspective

2008-09-24T08:01:00.003+08:00

Last night at a forum 'Abolish the ISA' organized by the DAP, Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, the chairperson of the working committee of the Abolish ISA Movement or GMI (Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA) said this at the conclusion of his speech. (I'm quoting from my recollection so it's not word for word but I think it's 95% accurate)

'Sebagai seorang Muslim saya berdosa jika saya biarkan ISA terus bermaharajalela.' (Trans: As a Muslim I sinned if I allow the ISA to continue its tyranny)

That is the public stand made by a Muslim on the ISA.

(Syed Ibrahim is also the vice-president of the Muslim NGO Jamaah Islah Malaysia which has issued a condemnation on the use of ISA on Teresa Kok, RPK and the Sin Chew reporter)

Where is the Christian voice against this immoral and evil piece legislation? I wonder how many Christian leaders in this country think they have sinned if the remain silent on injustices perpetuated by the ruling party. No, they only think it's immoral to topple an evil government (to be fair this is probably not their view of the present government) through the backdoor.

Please talk to Kak Laila whose husband now is at his 7th year of detention under the ISA. She is one strong lady but I cried when I first heard her testimony on how the ISA has destroyed her family life. She has set up her own blog recently. Please go and read. Yes, talk to and listen to many more testimonies by ex-detainees or family members. ISA does not only impact the detainees but thousands of others who are related to them. Each of us in way is also impacted as no man is an island.

Yes, after you have been 'informed', only then shall we discuss again the morality of crossing over.

For another Muslim's perspective read here

A Time for Politics and a Time for Tea

2008-09-22T18:31:00.005+08:00

I've just read the blog of a local theologian whom I respect arguing that it's unethical for Pakatan Rakyat to try to get BN MPs to cross-overs. It is not difficult for me to rebut him point by point as there is nothing new that I've not read about the whole issue of cross-overs. But what's the point? I'm getting tired. I just need to accept that people even people whom I respect have different views. Anyway, whether Pakatan Rakyat succeeds in forming the Federal Government, there is no turning back. I wrote about the new wine that cannot be kept anymore in old wineskin. This was confirmed on 916 as I stood with 20,000 other Malaysians of different races and religions in Kelana Jaya Stadium singing our national anthem 'Negaraku'. I've never felt so emotional singing our national anthem. The journey for me started with the Bersih rally in November last year. As I walked shoulder to shoulder with my Malay countrymen and women I was overcame with a great sense love and respect for them. Whatever former prejudices I had towards the Malays because of the injustice and unfairness I felt due to the NEP was immediately melted away. At that moment I felt one with them.

The days ahead may be chaotic and full of troubles, but then, who say giving birth is easy. OK, I should stop writing about politics for now. It's time for tea.

Recently I think I got some very good bargains. The Puer market has undergone a severe correction last year. The older and more vintage teas are still able to maintain their prices but the newer teas have taken a severe beating. I bought 2 tongs (7 pieces in one tong) of Menghai 7352 (2008) raw puer tea for RM140 or RM20 a piece. New Menghai raw tea were sellling for more than RM100 per piece last year

I've not actually tasted it. But I guess RM20 is not too much to pay for a good brand. The other 2 that I bought was even more value for money. Xiaguan 100g raw tuocha (2006) and a 250g ripe Puer brick (2008) for just RM8 each. I've tasted them and they are not bad especially the brick tea. According to the vendor though the tea was produced this year, the raw material (mao cha) is much older

The Morality of Crossovers

2008-09-20T00:20:00.005+08:00

Whilst it is accepted by most that Pakatan Rakyat's effort in getting BN MPs to crossover is legal and very much within our constitutional framework, people are generally divided over whether it is moral to do so. Many have given their views including yours truly (one of the best arguments I've read for the crossovers is William Leong's piece found in Malaysiakini despite his political affliations) and the latest to jump on the bandwagon is Rev. Wong Kim Kong, the executive adviser of NECF a body which supposedly represents one million evangelical Christians in this country. He made the following statement in the Star today

“Using the back door to form the government is not credible and is an undignified way of creating a governing authority.

“No doubt the personality and individual’s track record are important but voters are also choosing you based on what your party represents, its principles and manifesto,” said Rev Wong.

Should an MP no longer have faith in the party he represented, Rev Wong said the honourable thing to do would be to resign and seek a fresh mandate from the voters.

Incidentally the other person who agrees with Rev. Wong in the same report is the Muslim Consumers’ Association of Malaysia secretary-general Datuk Dr Ma’amor Osman. That is the same guy who lodged a police report against my MP, Teresa Kok after she was detained under the ISA. He supported the Government's decision to arrest Teresa. Now he talks about morality.

I'm sick and tired of people telling the MPs to resign and seek a fresh mandate from the voters. Don't they know our present law doesn't allow that. Any MP who resigns will be barred from contesting for a period of 5 years (if I'm not mistaken).

Rev. Wong, we have enough of MPs and State Assemblypersons who fear their own Party Whip more than they fear God. We have enough of those who dare not vote according to their conscience and to do what is right and just. But they tell us they do agonised over their decision and cry on their knees in the comfort of their own home. Thank God some of these Christian MPs and ADUNs got booted out on 8/03.

I think it has come to a point where it is untenable for a Christian MP to remain in the BN so as to perpetuate the UMNO led Government. Is perpetuating a morally bankrupt government a Christian virtue, Rev. Wong?

Rev Wong, did you or NECF protest and say it was immoral when BN engineered the crossovers of ADUNs in Sabah in 1994 leading to the collapse of the PBS government?

Lastly Rev. Wong, didn't I hear something about the 'using the back door' recently. Ah yes, now I remember. Chandra Muzaffar has also slammed Anwar for using the back door way. Seems like you are in good company.

A Prayer for a new Malaysia

2008-09-20T00:20:00.002+08:00

O Mighty and Sovereign Lord
We come before Thee to pray for our beloved nation
A nation which is currently experiencing birth pangs

Deliver to us O Lord a new Malaysia
A new Malaysia that is free from racial politics
A new Malaysia that is free from evil laws such as the ISA
A new Malaysia that is free from evil people who uses evil law such as the ISA
A new Malaysia where the poor and needy irrespective of race or religion is taken care of
A new Malaysia where justice and righteousness is established
A new Malaysia where the interest of the rakyat is always paramount

Hasten O Lord the delivery
Remove anyone who plots to impede the delivery of this new Malaysia
May Your righteous anger burn against them and reduce them to dust

Grant to us O Lord the joy of a mother caressing her newborn
Finally O Lord as your people, the church, may we be faithful in bringing to maturity this newborn, this gift whom Thou will bestow on us

In the Name of the One who is before all things and by whom all things hold together, Amen.

What is your stand?

2008-09-17T23:37:00.002+08:00

Someone emailed me today an article by Goh Keat Peng - What it takes to turn the national agenda around. Very well written. But I'm actually going to blog about his previous article, My Stand written the day after 3 people were arrested under the ISA.

I don't have the privilege to know Keat Peng personally (only heard him speak once at a FES function) but from the little I know he was a respectable and well known Christian leader until he decided to join the Reformasi movement in 1998 and became one of the founding members of KeADILan. He came under severe criticisms by other Christian leaders for taking part in partisan politics. After he left KeADILan, I haven't heard much about him until now.

What struck me about the article was its stark contrast to the response of the current Christian leadership in Malaysia to injustices and evil governance as illustrated by the press statement from NECF and a lack of one from CCM which I wrote about yesterday.

Here we find a man who has drawn a line in the sand. A line dividing good and evil. A man who is willing to make his stand on the side of justice irregardless of the consequences. A man who calls his fellow Christians to come down from the fence and make a similar stand because he knows our decision at this point in the history of our nation will affect the coming generations.

Please read another article 'Moving on Neutral' written last month. The following is an excerpt from the article.

In fact, the Christian leadership in the country has been so pronounced and prolonged in their silence that the signal is sent out LOUD & CLEAR to Malaysians of the various faiths and communities that the Christian Church is uninterested in the affairs of state, in lending its voice to issues of good governance.

In fact, other Malaysians have noted that the Christian churches are only interested in looking after themselves: their places of worship, building renovations, their rights, their bibles, what words they can use, and their burial grounds.

In fact, in pleading its understandable non-partisanship in politics, Christian churches have seemingly also held its peace and would not care to speak on critical matters concerning the equitable distribution of the nation’s resources, the status of state institutions, the state of the judiciary.

Bro Keat Peng, you are no small fry. To me you are a giant in times such as this. I pray you will continue to play your prophetic role within the Christian community in this country. I know. Prophets are often not welcomed in their own community.

A Pathetic Evangelical Response to ISA

2008-09-17T19:14:00.005+08:00

NECF the organization which supposedly represents 1 million evangelicals in Malaysia issued a press statement yesterday which I'm reproducing below

As a national body that represents some one million evangelical Christians in Malaysia, NECF Malaysia is deeply concerned over the use of the ISA and printing laws against newspapers and individuals who are performing the vital duty of bringing critical issues to the attention of the Malaysian public for constructive debate.

While the release of journalist Tan Hoon Cheng is welcomed, NECF believes that the ISA should not have been used in the first place to arrest and detain Tan, Raja Petra Kamaruddin and Seputeh MP YB Teresa Kok. The denial of due process occasioned by preventive detention under ISA is unfair and a violation of the constitutional rights of citizens.

If there are grounds to suspect that any of the three citizens detained under ISA on 12 September 2008 had committed any wrongdoing, they should be charged in court and be afforded the opportunity to defend themselves. If they are found guilty of any wrongdoing after the due process of a trial, there can be no complaint to the appropriate punishment being meted out against them.

NECF therefore calls upon the government to guarantee the safety and well-being of Raja Petra Kamaruddin and Seputeh MP YB Teresa Kok by immediately releasing them unconditionally.

NECF is also concerned that the show cause letters issued to Sin Chew Daily, The Sun and Suara Keadilan for reporting on matters, which rightfully belong to the public domain, has the undesired effect of stifling press freedom and journalistic integrity. NECF believes that the results of the March 8 elections have demonstrated the maturity of the Malaysian populace and their desire to interact on various issues confronting the nation. Freedom of information is vital to this process. The eagerness to use the penal sanctions of the printing laws will undermine the process of constructive debate and the maturing of the citizenry in participating in nation-building.

NECF therefore calls upon the government to confirm their recent public commitment to greater press freedom by withdrawing the show-cause letters issued to the three newspapers and the Catholic’s newspaper, Herald. (emphasis mine)

To say that I disappointed would be an understatement. Hey, I'm not deeply concerned. I'm outraged! The ISA is only unfair and violation of constitutional rights of citizens?? ISA is immoral, evil, unjust and has no place in a civil society! It's not only violation of human rights, but gross violation of human rights. Unfair? Are we playing some games here?

Where are words of condemnation? Is NECF afraid to offend the Government?

I feel more ashamed when I read ABIM's response which I'm also reproducing below

The Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) strongly affirms that Malaysia is a country of laws not of men. We are a country which respects the rule of law and its equal application to all citizens under our Constitution and our guiding Islamic principles. At no time should a person be detained without undergoing due process of law, in which the right to fair hearing is of utmost importance, and criminal prosecution initiated for unreasonable purposes. Such an action, regardless of the initiating party, goes against the principles of natural justice and the Syari’ah which mandates impartiality, justice and fairness.
We strongly condemn the detentions of blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok under the draconian law of the Internal Security Act (ISA). ISA is a draconian instrument that goes against all tenets of fairness, justice and demoting the rule of law. It promotes cruelty and injustice by denying its detainees the right to be heard and a fair trial. In addition, the ISA is also prone to political abuse and there have been instances where the detainees have been mistreated. (emphasis mine)

Muslim Youth strongly condemns whereas evangelicals are only deeply concerned. I'm afraid words like 'justice' or 'injustice' is no longer a part of evangelical vocabulary. Whereas people now know the Syariah mandates impartiality, justice and fairness, we got no clue as to what the Christian Scriptures has to say about this issue.

Another Muslim NGO JMI has also released a statement saying ISA is un-Islamic. We are not sure whether this ISA is un-Christian. NECF was silent on this. JMI also said that the arrest of Teresa Kok was an injustice based on the facts that she has denied the allegations made against her and her denial was affirmed by the supposedly wronged party. Finally JMI is against detention without trial as it goes against the principles of justice. I wonder what is NECF's position on the ISA?

The mainline churches didn't fare any better. In fact it's worse.A check at CCM (Council of Churches of Malaysia's website) didn't mention anything at all about this issue. What was immediately noticeable was the fund raising for their building fund. RM8.2 million is needed. Gosh that 's a lot of money.

At least our Roman Catholic brethren are more vocal. 'Penang Cathedral denounces ISA before 800'. I don't think I'm going to read this kind of headline in the media, MSM or blogs, 'Calvary Church condemns the use of ISA before 2000'

Whither the Old Testament prophets?

NECF, I don't think you represent me anymore.

Praying the Imprecatory Psalms

2008-09-13T13:51:00.001+08:00

May his (Badawi's) days be few;
may another take his (Badawi's) office
(Psalm 109:8)

And to all those who are involved in this ISA operation, I pray

Pour out your indignation upon them,
and let your burning anger overtake them (Psalm 69:24)

It is darkest before dawn

2008-09-13T00:12:00.005+08:00

That's what we are told. I hope it's true too for Malaysia. Within less than 12 hours 3 people have been detained under the ISA including my MP, YB Teresa Kok. I wonder how many more will be arrested before dawn tomorrow.

So are we still going to argue about the morality of BN's MPs crossing over to PR. Please do not give me the 'two wrongs do not make a right' kind of shit. It is not wrong to topple an evil and immoral government through peaceful and legal means.

Words just fail to described the outrage I feel at this moment particular in the case of YB Teresa Kok. A victim of malicious falsehood is now arrested while nothing has been done to the perpetrators.

916 - A New Dawn or A Descent into Chaos?

2008-09-06T23:07:00.005+08:00

It's only 10 days away from the date Anwar Ibrahim set to takeover the Government through the defections of BN MPs. I'm sure we all have been asked whether that is possible. I too have been asked many times though I'm neither a political analyst or a political pundit. My answer has been, I've scoffed at Anwar before the last GE during one of his interviews where he claimed that the Opposition would win 5 states (not the 5 that were actually won) and denying the BN 2/3 majority was not a problem and they were even close to winning with a simple majority. That to me was the view of a politicain and not a realist. Well, I can never be sure now about 916.

Many including those from civil society (Kua Kia Soong) and those have been critical of BN's governance (e.g. ex executive editor of the Edge, P Gunasegaram) have questioned the morality and ethics of pursuading the BN MPs to cross-over to PR. Some fear that the country will be torn apart given the high stakes that are involved. For some (like one of my CG member), they wish Dr. M is back to give us another 22 years of 'peace and prosperity'

For me the events of last year starting from the lawyers march in Putrajaya, the Bersih and Hindraf rally which culminated in the March GE are very much like new wine. They can never be kept again in the old wineskin of race based politics of BN. Let me deal with some of the objections raised against defections.

1) It betrayed the mandate given by the voters. The voters voted for the party and not the individual. I will use another argument i.e. 'why is PR in a hurry to takeover the Federal Govt. They have 5 states in hand and if they govern well, surely they will be voted in the next GE' to counter this objection. Well, if the MP really betrays the voters, can't they wait for the next GE to kick him/her out. (Our election laws disallow an MP who resigns to recontest the seat again. So going back to the voters is not possible)

2) Why can't PR concentrate on governing the 5 states well? The Federal Govt doesn't allow them to. Fundings are being cut off. Not every one is like the Kelantanese who doesn't mind non development. Trengganu was denied its oil royalty when PAS took over. The next GE it was defeated. People especially in Penang and Selangor will be impatient when there is little or no development. Without Federal funding, it's difficulet for a state to continue to develop.

3) The same corrupt politician will be brought into Pakatan and we will have the same problem all over again. This may be true but the corrupt politicians need to know that whether they are in BN or PR, their end will be near as the people will kick them out at the first opportunity. The March GE and the Permatang Pauh by-election are not the victory of the PR and Anwar respectively. It's the victory for the rakyat. We are no longer fooled and henceforth will make politicians our servants and not our masters.

4) BN will not sit down and let Anwar take over. They will create chaos and this political instability will be bad for the economy of the country. I'm sure they will do whatever they can to prevent Anwar from taking over. Anyway, another few more years of Badawi's/BN's management of the economy, the damage done will be irreversible. And about chaos and violence. Here is where as Christians we need to discharge our duty to pray for the nation. Pray to our Sovereign God that He will restrain evil and evil people will be removed.

Why I have no moral or ethical issues over the defections?

1) BN in particular UNMO has shown it is unable to reform itself after the last GE. In fact it has become worse
2) A few years under a racist party like UNMO and racist machineries like the BTN, national unity will forever remain an illusion
3) Another few more years of flip-flop policies, Malaysia will become a basket case to foreign investors
4) We have an immoral Government that refuses to abolish an immoral law
4) We have a PM in waiting who have repeated that all children irrespective of race are his children and has given us hope by ushering a new dawn and make Malaysia into a great nation. Dare he fail us?

Let us pray .....

2008-08-25T19:53:00.002+08:00

On the eve of the polling day for what now has become the dirtiest of all electoral contests, the only thing left for us who love this country to do is to pray.

Pray for a new dawn to break forth

Pray for the curse of racial politics to be broken

Pray for righteousness and justice to be established in this nation

Amen Amen Amen

At last, the silence has been broken

2008-08-13T22:29:00.002+08:00

Our PM in waiting has at last broken his silence over the disruption of the Bar Council forum on Saturday. I particularly like the following statement made by him as reported in Malaysiakini.

"I have tried to get Muslim leaders to appreciate the fact that we must allow a discussion (on religious issues). If you're not confident (to discuss the matter), then there's something wrong with our belief and faith. You must be confident to express, counter and argue."

If only all Muslims in this country heed his advice there wouldn't be such ugly episode in the future. That applies to us non Muslims as well. If I tell you your religion is a fraud, are you going to bash me up or engage me intellectually to persuade me it isn't. Even if I can't be persuaded you can just leave me alone and let your God or gods deal with me.

Yes, express, counter and argue. And not asking some species to go back to China or other races to go to hell.

ISA and Pakatan Rakyat (Updated)

2008-08-13T08:18:00.003+08:00

It was my belief and hope that if PR were to come into power, they will abolish the ISA. There is always the lingering doubt that they may not do so or just drag their feet. Now a DAP state assemblyman from Senawang and state deputy chief P Gunasekaran has come out with a statement that those demonstrators at last Saturday Bar Council forum should be arrested under the ISA.

So now we have a DAP leader who thinks using the ISA is OK. I'm sure there may be more who have the same opinions especially if the ISA can be used against their political opponents from UMNO & MCA. ISA is always a convenient tool for the ruling party to stay in power. Would you deprived yourself of such a powerful tool?

Unless the DAP leadership condemns and take disciplinary action against their assemblyman, I'm not convinced that PR will have the political will to abolish the ISA once they come into power. Whilst what was said by that assemblyman may not reflect the position of DAP, it's certainly saddens me to see more and more leaders of the PR behaving like the other side.

Update
Gunasekaran has denied that he made such statement as reported by The Star. Can you trust what you read in the papers anymore?

Deafening Silence and Political Expediency

2008-08-11T22:18:00.004+08:00

It has now been more than 60 hours since the forum organized by the Bar Council was disrupted by a bunch of extremists. One of the leaders happened to be a PKR MP, Zulkifli Nordin who threatened to storm the Bar Council building if the forum continue to carry on.

60 hours and not a single reaction from our PM in-waiting other than a statement by PKR's deputy president that he agreed with de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim’s view that the dialogue session should have been organised behind closed doors “in view of the sensitive reactions and wrong perception among a section of the Malay-Muslim population”.

I thought only Pak Lah knows how to remain silent.

For the sake of political expediency, courage fails our PM in-waiting.

It's also reported in Malaysiakini that Penang CM Lim Guan Eng said;

"We should understand the pain and suffering of a Malay Muslim family if their child whom they had so lovingly brought up as a Muslim, suddenly converts out of Islam and becomes a non-Muslim, as they say, "like cutting out one's own flesh".

Mr. CM, will you also understand the pain and suffering of families whose bodies of loved ones were forcibly snatched away by Islamic authorities? Will you also understand the grief of a mother whose right over her own child were taken away from her?

Well, I guess I understand Mr. CM. It's has to do with the coming by-election in Permatang Pauh, right? You just want to be politically correct. If the by-election were to be held in PJ Utara, I guess you will ask us to understand the pain and suffering of non Muslims families.

Hymns, Hymns & More Hymns

2008-07-22T19:00:00.005+08:00

This post is inspired by the sermon by Peter Rowan last Sunday. Though I was not in church I heard it over the church’s website. He has been doing a series on worship for the last 4 weeks. Last week was the finale.

Of course one of the things he said which inspired me to write is we should not neglect the great hymns. Singing those hymns written centuries ago from various traditions will indeed help us to understand the meaning of the communion of saints. I always feel that this neglect (the singing of hymns) in contemporary worship service has greatly impoverishes us spiritually. We are neglecting such a rich heritage bequeathed to us from the saints of the past.

Some hymns not only help us to worship God but provide us with theological truths that are rarely taught in church nowadays. No hymn manages to capture the wonder of Chirst’s redemptive work than Charles Wesley’s ‘And Can It Be’. Wesley may be an Arminian but some of his hymns are more 'reformed' than he realized.

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Who can surpass the 2 hymns by Issac Watts in displaying God’s glorious, marvellous, wondrous grace through the suffering and death of Christ

Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I

Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.

But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give my self away
’Tis all that I can do.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

O how much we need to agree with Luther that our God is A Mighty Fortress in times of much turmoil in our nation.

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

I could go on and on. Starting a worship service with a hymn like O Worship the King as compared to some mushy contemporary praise and worship song from Down Under does makes a lot of difference I believe. Or how about Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise. At least it makes us quickly realize who is the center/focus of our worship service.

O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space,
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish—but naught changeth Thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
But of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart
Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.

All laud we would render; O help us to see
’Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee,
And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart,
Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.

Sunday worship should be a celebration of the Triune God’s redemptive work by His redeemed community. The Father is praised, Chirst is preached and the Spirit strengthens/revives the believers and to those who are yet to believe He applies and accomplishes the work of redemption. Sunday worship is never meant to be a privatized hour of 'shiok sendiri' (enjoying oneself).

Finally this is what William Temple the famous Archbishop of Canterbury has to say about worship:

“Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God.
It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness,
Nourishment of mind by His truth,
Purifying of imagination by His beauty,
Opening of the heart to His love,
And submission of will to his purpose.
And all this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of human expressions of which we are capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self centredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.”

Descending into anarchy?

2008-07-17T23:34:00.004+08:00

No not really. According to Oxford English Dictionary, this is what anarchy means.

"Absence of government; a state of lawlessness due to the absence or inefficiency of the supreme power; political disorder."
"A theoretical social state in which there is no governing person or body of persons, but each individual has absolute liberty (without the implication of disorder)."
"Absence or non-recognition of authority and order in any given sphere."

In the Bible, the last verse of the Book of Judges has this to say, 'In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.' (Judges 21:25)

Well, we still have a Government. Laws are still being enforced. However, how many people still have faith in our Government and law enforcement institutions namely the judiciary and the police. How many of us still have faith in our criminal justice system where the Attorney-General is supposed to play a major role? Events of 10 years ago and recently must have certainly eroded any faith we have in those institutions and the people who are involved. I'm not sure there is a word to describe this kind of situation. Not quite anarchy but close. People do not have respect for authority anymore.

A friend over lunch told me that he heard from sources that Anwar did commit sodomy. Now this friend of mine is no diehard supporter of UMNO or our 4th PM. In fact he contributed financially to the Opposition campaign during the last election. I still remember one of my reactions upon reading Anwar's sodomy case few Sundays ago was, 'If he really did it, nobody would believe it.' Not after what they have done to him 10 years ago. Not after how the prosecution screwed up its case and yet got the conviction.

The events of the last few days only convinced more and more people that Anwar was also set up this time. Unless he confesses, not many will believe no matter what evidence is produced against him. As mentioned earlier, people have lost confidence in the system which is supposed to administer justice but is now viewed by most as a merely a tool to perpetrate injustice.

So do I believe Anwar did it? No, not at this point of time. Hopefully I still can be objective if there are new evidences that surface. But I admit it's going to be difficult when I have absolute no confidence at all with the present criminal justice system. It's also going to be difficult when I think Anwar is the only leader that can lead us out of our present mess.

I guess at this moment, we can only humble ourselves, pray and seek God, turn from our wicked ways with the hope that God will heal this nation. (2 Chron 7:14). Above all, pray for truth to be revealed.

When even the 'F' word fails...

2008-07-15T18:59:00.003+08:00

I just got admonished by one reader that it is completely unChristian to use the 'F' word. Read the his comment and my response here.

I'm not going to use the 'F' word against the 'botak' as he is now known in blogsphere for the event of the past few days especially yesterday. I was one of the lucky ones to work a few km away from home. But for those who were affected, I'm sure the 'F' word will be considered mild to use against him. Some were late for their CLP exam s and failed to sit for the very first paper. We are talking about someone's future here. (Please read update here. At least this has been resolved)

Can you believe the blockade was ordered due to postings on 2 blogs and sms and a supposedly meeting between Pakatan top leadership to discuss the holding of demo on Monday. This has been denied and challenged by DAP leaders.

We have been told to be wary of the lies spewed by bloggers. Now it seems the Govt is taking the postings on blogs so seriously that warranted it to take such a drastic action.

Responding to the call to apologize to the named DAP leaders who were supposedly at the meeting, Botak said that he will only apologize if they talk nicely to him. What bullshit is this. You apologize if what was said was untrue and not whether people are nice to you.

I'm not sure how much was lost in economic terms the last few days. Surely the fuel increase would have compounded it. This is the BN Govt for you. I used to question the ethics of MPs jumping ship. But the way we are being governed, it may be immoral for BN MPs not to jump ship. The whole country is sinking in deep shit.

F**K You Syed Hamid Albar!

2008-07-11T18:08:00.007+08:00

It may be uncharacteristic for a Christian to use the 'F' word. But sometimes only the 'F' word can convey the utter disgust and indignation over someone or issue. I may be using ** here but rest assured that in my mind there are no asterisks.

Please read Rocky Bru here and you''ll know why I'm so angry.

An ISA detainee who has been detained for 7 years failed make it on time to see his dying daughter. He was told that his daughter was dying after one day and it took 26 hours to release him from the time the daughter was admitted to the hospital. Another 4 hours and 45 minutes before he reached the hospital in Kajang from Kamunting. He was 3 hours 25 minutes too late. The authorities couldn't release him earlier because they need the f**king Home Minister's f**king signature.

As I mentioned before the ISA is an immoral law used by an immoral Government.

May the Lord forgive me for using the 'F' word. I'm only trying to follow the Micah Mandate.

"He has told you, O man what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)

pics (A father's heartbreak & Aina, right)

A Failing Nation or A Failed Nation?

2008-07-08T23:37:00.002+08:00

I was talking to a old friend who is now residing in Singapore yesterday. He called me last week and asked excitedly about what is now known as the '1st SD' by Balasubramaniam, the PI. As I was attending a seminar, I didn't know what has happened and referred him to Malaysiakini or Malaysia Today. I called him yesterday and he asked me what is happening in Malaysia. From the way things seem to be heading, he was thinking of giving up his citizenship. I told him, go ahead. It was said out of utter frustration of what is happening to our beloved country after the euphoria of 08/03/08.

We are facing a crisis of confidence and credibility on a tsunamistic proportion. Very few have confidence in our leaders and institutions anymore. For the simple reason, they ain't credible. The PM has the cheek to warn bloggers about spreading lies in cyberspace. If we, bloggers are liars, then he must be the primus inter pares. There is not even a single iota of credibility left in him after Parliament was dissolved less than 24 hours after he said there will be no dissolution. And whatever happened to the IPCMC and the formation of a Commission for Judicial Appointments? So, Mr. PM, please do not preach to us about truth.

In the very first Leaders from the latest issue (July 5th -11th) of the Economist on how outdated are some global institutions, I read the following:

Supporters of Mr. McCain's League of Democracies suggest it could be like NATO - a useful democratic subcommittee in the global club. But Mr. McCain needs to define his democracies. (Will Malaysia count? How about Russia or Iran?) ....

Well, talk about perception.

I guess our journey to make this nation a great nation which was started on 10/11/07 will have to go on until we reach our destination. Along the way, we will enjoy the peaks of 08/03/08 and endure the valleys of gutter politics, racism & religious extremism.

Haris Ibrahim is spot on. We cannot afford to look away.

May God have mercy on 'tanah tumpahnya darahku.' God forbid that it should become a failed nation.

Though God may be sovereign, each of us, Anak Bangsa Malaysia has the responsibility to make Malaysia a great nation.

ISA - Abolish or Amend

2008-06-18T20:46:00.002+08:00

Last night I attended a forum on ISA, ‘Diantara Mansuh & Pinda’(Between Abolish or Amend). The panelists were Ambiga, the Bar Council Chairlady, Tian Chua, MP for Batu, Syed Ibrahim, the chairperson of GMI (Gerakan Mansuh ISA – Abolish ISA Movement) and Norlaila Othman, wife of an ISA detainee for 6 years whose detention was extended for another 2 years a few days ago.

The program started off with the simple launching of a book written by Norlaila with 2 other ladies, ‘Dunia Tanpa Suami’ (World Without Husband).

Basically, the question posed last night was should the ISA be repealed or should it just be amended to make it more humane as advocated by some parties within the Government.

Ambiga started off with the legal background of the ISA and concluded that the ISA should be abolished as it goes against the rule of law. The very basis of ISA i.e. detention without trial is incompatible with the rule of law which requires that a person should only be deprived of his freedom after being convicted for a crime following the due process of the law. The due process of the law will require the prosecution to furnish evidence for convicting the accused and for accused to defend himself in open court. She gave the example of the Hindraf 5 where they were accused of terrorism even though not a single shred of evidence was produced. There were sufficient provisions in the Penal Code to convict a person up to 30 years for terrorist activities. Why then were they not charged?

Tian Chua gave an interesting argument for the ISA to be abolished, one that I’ve not heard before. He said the ISA and other preventive detention legislations will only perpetuate the inefficiency of our police force and hence increase the crime rate. This is because they don’t have to do any investigations before they arrest people under these preventive detention laws and from the experiences of many former ISA detainees, the purpose of their interrogation is not to elicit evidence but to break them down or turn them over. So our police will continue to have poor investigation skills. That is why sometime ago, some judges ticked the police off for their shoddy investigative work and they have no choice by to acquit some of the accuseds.

Tian Chua added that everyone knows that even though the Government has used the ISA against its political opponents, it was futile as people would continue to oppose. He being an ex-ISA detainee is a good example. So are many of the Opposition leaders today. So the ISA is also ineffective when used mala fide.

Syed Ibrahim said that basically there are 3 responses to the ISA. Abolish it. Retain it or Amend it. He showed us some of the statements made by some politicians. It was most interesting to note that Rais Yatim criticised the ISA in his doctoral thesis during his time in the Opposition but defended it when he joined back UMNO and became a Cabinet Minister. So much for academic integrity. We were also told that people were arrested under the ISA for various reasons e.g. cloning of handphones to counterfeiting moneys. Whatever the reasons, there are always sufficient provisions in our criminal legislation to convict these people if there were evidence. Evidently, the police or the Government has none.

Norlaila shared her heart rending experience as a wife of a ISA detainee. She was one tough lady and was able to control her emotions until the end despite the fact that her husband was told that his detention was extended for another two years a few days ago. There was no reason given for the extension. All her hopes of reuniting with her husband just a week ago was completed dashed. She shared how the Special Branch threatened her to stop her from her anti-ISA campaign telling her that if she persist, her husband will never be free. She said that she will continue her struggle after receiving blessings from her husband and reasoned that those wives who choose to remain silent, their husbands also were not free. So the decision to extend her husband detention cannot be due to her anti-ISA activities. The hardest part for a wife of an ISA detainee is when the children asked, ‘Where is daddy?’ or ‘When is daddy coming back?’.

All the panelist and I think everyone in the conference room agreed that the ISA has to be abolished. It can never be amended to make it more humane. As Lim Guan Eng pointed out, that is like trying to make Satan good.

Someone asked during the short Q & A time whether if Pakatan Rakyat were to come into power, they will be committed in abolishing the ISA. Tian Chua, as a representative of the PR gave the assurance that, there is no doubt that the ISA will be abolished together with other laws which are incompatible with a civil society.

Not long ago a colleague spotted me wearing the anti-ISA badge and scornfully said that he believe Anwar will never abolish the ISA if he comes into power. Well, maybe given a choice he may not want to. But after 8 March 2008, he has no choice. He wouldn’t last very long if he refuses to listen to the voice of the rakyat.

Come let us make our voice heard on 28th March 2008. Come to the anti-ISA Rally at Stadium Malawati, Shah Alam. For more info, click here

An Immoral Law and An Immoral Government

2008-06-15T22:17:00.002+08:00

Years ago I learned in jurisprudence that you can't equate law with morality. E.g. some may consider abortion and prostitution to be immoral but there are countries which have legalized them. On the other hand jaywalking may be amoral but you may be fined for so doing. Well, for someone who nearly flunked jurisprudence, I'm going to argue here that there are such laws which are immoral. Those laws are the ones which violate our basic human rights. And the consequence is not limited to the individual whose rights are violated but very often it extend to that individual's family.

Today is Father's day. Yet in our midst there are children whose fathers cannot be with them today because their rights were violated and are currently incarcerated in Kamunting. The psychological and emotional damage done to these children may be irreparable. Read the account of the wife of T Vasanthakumar, one of the Hindraf 5.

Who is responsible? The immoral Government that is keeping the immoral law in our statute book and does not intend to review it let alone abolish it. The same immoral Government which feel threatened by a group of children intending to give teddy bears to our fountain of justice, our king.

In the case of YB Manoharan, this immoral Government does not only deprives the YB's children of fatherly love, but also deprive the thousands of citizens in Kota Alam Shah of their representative. What kind of democracy is this?

As long as the ISA remains the law in this land, freedom is illusory. Freedom from fear. This immoral law not only deprives us of our right to defend ourself in an open court, but its more sinister nature is to strike fear in us. Fear in being fully human. A law that dehumanizes is not merely immoral but evil.

There is a forum this Tuesday on the ISA organized by GMI (Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA) & the Bar Council's Human Rights Committee. For more info click here. I understand there is going to be rally later this month in Shah Alam also.

Many many years ago a trade that dehumanized, slavery was made illegal through the effort of one man and small group of like-minded individuals. Now I'm sure based on the turnout last week at the candlelight vigil at Kamunting, we have thousands who think the ISA should be cosigned to history. Well, I think not only the ISA but the present Government too must go.

We shall overcome!

The first thing we do, let's kill all the economists!

2008-06-07T22:29:00.004+08:00

If you have been reading what people say about the recent fuel hike, you'll notice that most economists are in favour of the Govt's move. They feel that the eventual removal of subsidies is beneficial to us in the long term and subsidies are no longer sustainable. Though some feel the increase has been too drastic, others applauded the PM for doing a brave thing.

I wonder how many of these economists are struggling just to make ends meet even before the fuel hike. I'm sure they are affected like everybody else but I doubt they will really feel the pain. Honestly, I won't too because I hardly spend more than RM200 on petrol every month. Even then, that is being paid by my company. I may have to do away with a few luxuries if I want to maintain my current rate of saving and be financially free when I retire. But to really suffer, no. But I know a large segment of the rakyat will. A large segment which doesn't even own a car and hence will not benefit from the RM625 rebate. This is because everything else will go up.

Economic theories are only as good as the Government we get. For nearly 3 decades we have an irresponsible Govt. One that is corrupted. One that has treated the wealth of our nation as though it belongs to their grandfathers. One that is truly incompetent. Only trying to think of measures after the event. (I have very little confidence over whatever measure this incompetent Govt is going to take.) One that lied to its people. We were promised a better transportation system with the RM4 billion saved on the last fuel hike. Nothing materialized.

It's has been a while since I've been so angry. As I said earlier, not that I'm going to be adversely affected. I'm angry because I know many are going to be in dire straits whilst some who caused it will continue with their opulent lifestyle.

No wonder economics is a dismal science.

The only bright spot this dismal week was I sold my Tenaga shares after holding it for just over a month. The realized profit should be enough to cover my electricity bill for the next 6 months based on the new tariff.

The Problem of Evil and Suffering

2008-05-25T23:36:00.003+08:00

The above is the title of today's sermon in response to the catastrophes that had happened in Myanmar and China recently. Pastor admitted that he cannot deal with it exhaustively in an hour sermon especially in relation to the theological and philosophical aspects of theodicy. However, what is more important is to elucidate the pastoral aspect of this problem. You can listen to the sermon here. Basically, how can we as a community respond to suffering faced by those within and outside the Christian community. We may never be able to provide an answer and any answer will not be adequate for those who suffered. What we have is hope. What we can give is hope. Hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (...that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures ...1 Cor 15:3,4).

The problem of evil and suffering raises the question of God's love and omnipotence. If there is a God, he is either not a loving God or not a powerful God. Otherwise, how can he allow such natural disasters to happen and bring about so much human suffering.

I've not read all those arguments on theodicy. All I know is I believe in a God who has chosen to suffer, to be humiliated and to be condemned to the most cruel death by those whom he created and by those who have been questioning his love or omnipotence. Even though, 'for by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together' (Col 1:16-17), yet he willingly took upon the cup of suffering. At the cross, the One who hold all things together cried out 'My God, my God. Why has Thou forsaken me?'.

At the cross, our right to question God on evil and suffering no longer exist. Our right to question God on evil and suffering is extinguished 'when Christ the Mighty Maker died, For man the creature's sin'. (Issac Watts)

The response then in face of evil and suffering whether on a national or personal level, is for the redeemed community to walk alongside those who are suffering, offering practical assistance and the hope of the Gospel.

Edward Shillito wrote a poem called 'Jesus of the Scars' after witnessing the carnage of World War I.

Jesus of the Scars

If we have never sought, we seek Thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow;
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.

The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars we claim Thy grace.

If when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know today what wounds are; have no fear;
Show us Thy Scars; we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong, but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.

May the wounds of the One who hold all things together speak to our own woundedness.

13th May & Turning 40

2008-05-13T22:27:00.002+08:00

I turned 40 today. There is a Chinese saying that man starts to blossom at 40. I will not go on to say what happens to a woman at 40 as it's pretty degrading. For me, assuming I can live up to 80, I'm starting to think of what I'm going to do for the 2nd half of my life. Mid-life crisis? Maybe.

Had a quiet family celebration. I guess it must have been pretty quiet celebration also on my 1st birthday. Despite the situation at that time, I think there was still a celebration. Come to think of it, I never asked my parents or my older sisters about what happened that day. Did I had a birthday party? I was only told of my mum risking her life cycling more than 2km from home to buy me milk powder despite the curfew. Nothing beats mother's love.

Has the ghost of 13th May being exorcised from our collective memory by the political tsunami on 8th March after 39 years? I hope so. At the same time we need to work towards a Malaysia which is free from race based politics. A Malaysia where all, irrespective of race, religion and economic status, will be free from want and fear. Where the freedom of expression and belief are upheld and protected. This is my 40th Birthday wish.