Indian Uprising in Kuala Lumpur

A Indian-Hindu rally organised by HINDRAF (Hindu Rights Action Front) on Sunday was denounced by the Malaysian Government as being violent and damaging to racial relations.

This is even though the demonstration was not actually directed at the Malaysian Government, but in a show of support for the handing over of a memorandum to the British High Commission seeking the Queen's assistance to provide a council to fight for the minority Malaysian-Indian communities rights.

The police had denied HINDRAF a permit to proceed with the gathering, but HINDRAF decided to proceed in the fight for their rights regardless.

However, consider this, the Prime Minister Badawi's son-in-law, Khairi Jamaluddin, who is also supposed to be a respected Deputy Chief of the UMNO youth, had previously held an "illegal gathering" (though we are not sure whether a permit was approved, but can't imagine why it would have been given as it was during the ASEAN summit). Khairi, as shown, fought against the police, shouted what some other people can deem to be "seditious" (depending on who is feeling emotional about it), rallied support from the Mat Rempit (gangster motorcyclists who perform street racing), and best of all, managed to push his way through the FRU (Federal Reserve Unit - Riot Police in Red) and got through unscathed.

Compare that with the recent HINDRAF demonstrations, and you will see the unfairness and preferential treatment that a person gets for fighting for Malay-Muslim rights rather than the minority Indian-Hindus.

A picture speaks a thousand words, watch both videos below and you decide whether there is justice.

HINDRAF Demonstration for Indian-Hindu Rights

UMNO Youth (Led by Khairi Jamaluddin) Demonstration for Palestinian-Muslim Rights

Observe the show of force by Khairi and his gang, and compare that with the Al-Jazeera news report on the Indians. Who made the first aggressive moves?

In the case of the Indians, they retaliated when they were shot at with tear gas and water cannons. Were they the first aggressors? Who's to say? But from what we can see, it's not clear that they drew first blood.

In the case of Khairi, he was allowed to go as far as forcing his way through the Riot Police, and he wasn't even hit once. We suppose that has something to do with him being part of UMNO and also being the son-in-law of the Prime Minister.

In all fairness, how is this a democratic and fair nation? Where one race and religion can be accorded a great deal of preference over any other, where the leaders of that race are given a free hand to do as they please, break the law and not even get repremanded?

In Malaysia, it seems that it is only "seditious" if it is a racial or religious issue that affects Malays or Muslims, but who's to say that it is NOT seditious to accuse the "West" of opressing Muslims (in view of Palestine) and causing an uprising of Malay-Muslims against the West, and in the case above, against the US Secretary of State, when she is in the country? Isn't it potentially dangerous to the lives of Americans and other westerners? Doesn't this cause a certain degree of "hate" towards them? Could that potentially bring harm to them?

I think the answer is Yes to the above. If so, isn't it Seditious?

It is time for this sort of one sided nonsense ends. It stops with the removal of UMNO from power.

If only Keadilan and DAP can get their act together, join forces, leave PAS out of the picture and be a formidable competitor for Barisan votes. The ball rests in Keadilan's park, they need to decide where they stand. Either as a radicalised UMNO type party, or a party that is true to upholding the multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-religious principles that this country was founded on. This is not a country for the Malays only. This country is for everyone.

Some Malays think that this is their country and everyone else can leave if they don't like it. This country was built with the combined efforts of the Chinese, Indians, Malays and all the other smaller communities. We fought for our independence together. Today, some Malays think that the rights of the minorities can be ignored?

We don't think so.

Malaysian Chinese Population Declines to 25%

In a census just beyond 2000, I heard that there were approximately 32% ethnic Chinese in Malaysia. This, at the time was alarming enough as we were closer to 40% in the earlier days. Today, it is reported at as of 2005, there are only 25% and the number continues to reduce.

Why is this? I think everyone knows the answer why. Non Malays in Malaysia are being systematically marginalised to make way for fellow Malays who need not get things like scholarships by merit. It is practically presented to them on a silver platter, regardless if they are deserving or not.

For this, non-Malays who are affluent or can afford to, either immigrate their entire families to mainly Australia or New Zealand or they go West. Many send their children abroad and encourage them to take up the PR/Green Card and they eventually end up settling there. Country's like Australia and even Singapore have repatriation immigration laws to make it easy for one to bring their families over.

Why do people do this? It's mainly because they all feel that they are increasingly becoming third class citizens in their own country. A country they helped build to what it is today, and they are very slighted. Furthermore with the increasingly unbending malay majority government, racial and religious issues are increasing. And since certain leaders in government have been telling the Non-Malays who are unhappy that they can leave, so they have.

Frankly, the Chinese have contributed significantly to the country's economy. However, the government has long forgotten the value of the Chinese hardworkingness and efficiency.

For this, people are leaving and they will continue to leave. Those who leave, really hate Malaysia and leave with a bad taste in their mouths. They would be least likely to ever return or even want to assist or contribute to any part of the Malaysian economy.

But perhaps this is good for Malaysia as a whole. Eventually the chinese population will shrink so much, that to get competant workers, they will need to import them from other countries on an expatriate basis. But to do this and to get the calibre of workers that a country like Singapore can get, you'll need to pay well and the system would definately need to be changed from one that feeds the Malay patronage, to one that rewards based on merit.

This will either have an impact on the Malays in the sense that they will either step up to the challenge and improve themselves or they will be crushed and pushed out by the foreigners.

The Malays should stop thinking that the country owes them a living and that they are going to enjoy these benefits forever. Malaysia is hardly world class, even though we have tall buildings and a national car (that is 3rd rate). Malaysia will never be world class so long as they protect their own agaist competition, either with other races or other nations/nationalities.

As they say, Malaysia - First Class facilities, Third Class mentality...

Sooner or later the Malays will need to wake up and step up to the challenge. There is a reason why all the world's biggest multinationals park their regional offices in Singapore and not Malaysia, it's simply because they will not be forced to take in some lame bumiputra employee who cannot perform and fulfill that quota. So, again, it's Malaysia's loss.

My Singaporean Malay friends say, "Malaysia has so much potential, and so many natural resources - and land. But it is really wasted because the Melayus are so bodoh and slow, that they never move fast to act on things. But it is good for us, because Singapore will benefit on those opportunities that Malaysia is slow to take up."

Extracted from the Straits Times of Singapore:

Make more babies, Chinese in Malaysia told

Malaysia's chinese population should make more babies to arrest the community's falling birth rate, politicians say.

State Urban Development and Tourism Minister Wong Soon Koh said the community's lower birth rate had resulted in the country's Chinese population plunging from 37% in 1957 to 25% in 2005.

"This will slip further to 24% by 2010 and to 19% by 2030," he warned at the United Chinese Association's 30th Anniversary dinner on Saturday.

He did not say what the birth rate was, but there are currently less than 7 million ethnic Chinese amoung the country's 27 million population.

Datuk Wong also voiced concern at the high migration rate of the Chinese to other countries.

He urged the community to boost the birth rate and to enrol their children for tertiary education in Malaysia instead of sending them abroad. "There are good colleges and universities in the country to cater for the local population. There is no need to send our children abroad for further education," he said.

Federation of Chinese Associations in Malaysia president Lim Yuk Tong said that a committee had been set up to study the decline in the country's ethnic Chinese population. He said it was headed by the Federation of Sarawak Chinese Associations, which had raised the matter at the federation's recent delegate's conference.

Tan Sri Lim also urged Chinese organisations to forge greater unity to safeguard and work for the community's interest.

Khairy Calls Himself a Monkey

Khairi Jamaluddin said... "To these people, I call on them to stop going to the streets and behave like monkeys and instead go to the polls if they want to challenge us."

Take a look below and see who the "monkey" is...

Presenting the number one "monkey" in action :

Macam beruk kan? Ketua beruk la tu...

So, what do we say to an UMNO leader like this? One who tells the opposition to not protest in the streets, when he himself embarrassed this nation and all our people with his unruly display at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting where an American delegation was present.

Imagine, he forced his way through the riot police and came through unscathed, he even got into the building.

The video says it all. And now he calls himself among others like him a monkey. What a silly man he is. Someone, please, remove him from politics, he is just a disgrace! Prime Minister's son and all that. What a shame, we all expected more. Even in politics he can put his foot in his own mouth. Silly.

Furthermore, part of his response: "If they want to gather 100,000 people for an illegal gathering just a day after this Umno general assembly, then by right we would want to do the same to confront them."

So what is he intending to achieve? A riot? Civil war? So, when someone unreasonable and unruly confront's you, you do the same? Is this the diplomatic way? Are problems solved that way?

Everyday I pray that this man never becomes any more a leader than he is in UMNO, he is like the road bully behind the wheel of a car, doesn't take well to challenges, and then it's all about whose balls are bigger, and he does this in politics.

He should be removed. Hooliganism is not the Malaysian way, Khairi promotes it, in his most recent statement above, in his efforts to promote the Mat Rempit (hooligan gangster bikers on "scooters") and in his massive rally at the KLCC Convention Centre.

It will be a mistake we will all regret if we allow people like him to continue to harness more power.

Refer to our previous article:

Police Arrested...

See the article published in the New Straits Times:

Party not racist, says Khairy

UMNO is not a racist party and the Malay agenda, which forms the crux of its struggles, is not a racist agenda.

Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin yesterday delivered a fiery reminder to those who accused Umno of espousing racist ideology to look at the reality of the country's multiracial relations to realise the truth about the party's struggles."No one should accuse Umno of being a racist party or label the Malay agenda as being a racist agenda," he said while winding-up the movement's debate over the Youth chief's speech.

Khairy said Umno had accommodated the needs of its partners in Barisan Nasional's power-sharing arrangement as it did not only look after the interest of Malays but of all Malaysians."If we look at the allocations of electoral seats, the truth is Umno could have contested more seats than what it has now but this was not the case as we are willing to give way for our BN partners to be better represented."He said Umno's generosity in such instances should be enough evidence for anyone to refrain from accusing it of being racist."If we are racists, we would not give away (Malay-majority seats such Sungai Siput, Kapar, Kota Raja and Pontian."He added that if any quarter wanted to raise issues of political equality among the races, then Umno Youth would reciprocate by asking for equal economic clout.

(What nonsense, Malays have the most opportunity, if most of them don't want to take it, then it is their loss, what more do you want? The other races to work and be your servants? They already pay for our Mosques and wellbeing, so you want them to do more?")

Praising his boss, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, as being a model of a moderate politician, he said that despite his stance as a defender of Malay rights, he would be the first to defend the rights of other races if they were being infringed upon."I have learned a lot from Datuk Hishammuddin and one of the most important is that it is easier to be an extremist than to be a moderate in this country's political environment."It is difficult because we need to be smart when faced with difficult issues. Nonetheless, I have also learnt from Datuk Hishammuddin that we must do what is right and not what is popular."He illustrated the importance of moderation in facing unreasonable actions by the opposition such as the expected gathering at Dataran Merdeka this Saturday to demand a "clean" election.

"If they want to gather 100,000 people for an illegal gathering just a day after this Umno general assembly, then by right we would want to do the same to confront them.

"But this is not the smart way as it would cause a riot. Instead, we call on the police to arrest the organisers of the illegal gathering.

"To these people, I call on them to stop going to the streets and behave like monkeys and instead go to the polls if they want to challenge us."

Negarakuku... Translated

Following the off tangent report by a widely circulated local Malay language (Harian Metro) newspaper that incited Malay discontent with Wee Meng Chee and his rendition of the Negaraku.

Although we do not support the creation of the spoofed Negaraku, people must not be quick to overreact and throw death threats to the Chinese and to Wee's family. Especially, without first understanding what Wee was rapping about.

Here is an example quoted from a response by a Malay person on Wee's apology letter on his blog:




Kebanyakkan kata-kata dalam lagu dia punya kebenaran.

Tapi dia seorang racist. Fuck you. Siapa respek dia aku isytiharkan kamu juga sebagai racist dan aku akan insytiharkan sumpah seranah 16 keturunan kau. Respek la bangsa/agama lain. Tak kira la kau siapa pon. Respek!

Inilah salah satu contoh Yellow Power di dalam rap!....

Aku tak menyokong mana-mana kegiatan yang maki hamun bangsa lain. Aku Malaysian. Seorang Malaysian seharusnya hormat bangsa dan agama lain.

So... Namewee.... kamu tidak boleh rap.... dan video kamu pun sangat-sangat teruk sama-sekali. DIY my anus...!

Fuck you Namewee! Fuck you... u fucking racist fuck...

semoga kamu mati bersama Rahmat Bahagia. macibai!

got email dari seorang fucker.... fuck u eric yong... kamu seorang bangsat racist yang patut mati!
mari la kita bersama spam email dia... yahhhhhhh!

So... who is the racist now?

Read the full posting here: http://nizam-nuri.blogspot.com/2007/08/namewee-merupakan-seorang-rappers-yang.html

So, before one over-reacts like the idiot above, it's best to first understand what was being said. As extracted from Namewee's blog, here it is:


NegarakuNegarakukuNegarakuNegarakukuNegarakuNegarakuku

Aku cinta Negara aku ada Negara baru ada keluarga
Ada keluarga baru ada aku berdiri disini
Nyanyi dengan engkau engkau jangan takut
Walaupun aku selalu cakap kasar
Lagu aku sama macam durian
Keras dan tajam tetapi
Tengok engkau berani buka ke tidak tengok apa yang ada di dalam
Dia boleh dikatakan busuk dia juga boleh dikatakan wangi
cuma tengok engkau ada macam mana punya hidung


MATAPolis kita panggil ‘mata’ (dlm bhs hokkien)
Ini kerana mata mereka sangat tajam
Apabila raya mereka akan jadi rajin
Pen di tangan tetapi jarang bagi saman

Ini keran mereka dahaga mereka mahu minum teh
Ataupun kopi O nak tambah gula ke tidak
Kalau tambah gula mulut mereka akan senyum dengan engkau
Apabila engkau nak pergi
TATADia akan ucap TATA (maksudnye bye)


NegarakuTanah tumpahnya darahku
Rakyat hidupBersatu dan maju

Gejala ini tidak perlu memperbaikikan
Juga tidak perlu memperkuatkan , kerjasama antara pihak polis dan rakyat
Secawan kopi hubungan boleh kekal
sukaAku memang suka

Sekurang-kurangnya balik rumah tidak akan dapat saman
Ayah mesti geram
Aku mesti kena marah tidak ada kereta untuk aku
Macam mana kali ini memang teruk

Tak de kereta macam mana aku nak keluar main
Tak de kereta macam mana aku nak XXX
Tak de kereta macam mana aku nak tengok ah kua
Negara ini aku memang suka


pukul 5 pagi
morning call
Ada morning call akan suruh aku bangun
Kadang-kadang beberapa ‘buah’ nyanyi sama-sama
macam tengah duet lagu cinta R&B
Suara tinggi rendah macam tengah nyanyi R&B
Walaupun kadang kala sebahagian daripada mereka out of tune
Walaupun kadang kala sebahagian daripada mereka pecah suara
Ada juga suara yang macam kokokan ayam tetapi dia bangun lagi awal dari ayam

Macam ini baru kite tahu mase untuk bersiap ke sekolah dan kerja

Jangan salahkan kerajaan hanya akan jaga rakyat tertentu
Jangan salahkan kami tidak dapat jagaan yang adil
Macam ini baru boleh menunjukkan yang orang cina tidak takut menderita
Macam ini baru boleh melatih kita mencari jalan keluar apabila menghadapi kesusahan
Jangan mengatakan standard ini sangat pelik
Kerana dengan ini baru menunjukkan kami sangat teror

Anak-anak yang tidak dimanja baru akan menjadi tabah
ada orang sampai sekarang masih belum berhenti minum susu


Rahmat bahagiaTuhan kurniakanRaja kita
Selamat bertakhtaRahmat bahagiaTuhan kurniakan
Raja kitaSelamat bertakhta


Pekerja dalam kerajaan lagi teror
Apa yang mereka buat boleh slow slow
Walaupun orang yang beratur marah
Mood mereka tetap rase bebas dan seronok
kuih Kadang-kalag kuih pun mereka ambil keluar kuih
Dia makan nyonya kuih dia
Dan engkau sambung beratur
Walaupun engkau nak marah pun tak pe
Kerana guard kat tepi pun tengah bermimpi
Dia takkan layan engkau


Mereka yang memakai tudung perlahan-lahan melintas jalan
Engkau yang memandu kenalah berhati-hati

Asalkan hidup dengan gembira asalkan hidup dengan selesa
Jangan macam orang cina
Tiap-tiap hari sibuk sangat susah
Semangat ini mesti kita kena kagumi
Kerana ini adalah sikap hidup mereka

Aku bercakap baik-baik dalam lagu ini
Aku percaya orang yang tak suka dengan aku mesti sangat suka
Dunia aman baru ada harapan
Tidak ada orang cedera dan tidak tak tersusun
Engkau suci engkau sopan

Najis wangi tak tahu cakap kasar

Engkau sangat high class tiap-tiap hari main romantic
Dengar guang liang pin kuan (penyanyi malaysia)
Tetapi mereka sudah pergi taiwan

Pelajar Sekolah Cina
Nak masuk local U sangat susah
Dalam kes ini, kita tidak patut geram

Ini cuma satu rancangan yang mulia dari kerajaan
Dia nak kami pergi merata-rata tempat pergi oversea mencari impian
Lepas itu balik negara membalas jasa
Rancangan ini memang bagus memang bagus
Di seluruh dunia mesti nampak malaysia punya rakyat
Macam melarikan dari bencana memang best


2007 ialah tahun pelancongan malaysia
Budaya cina semua mengambil keluar untuk publisiti

Pelajar sekolah cina
Memang tak dilayan oleh kerajaan
Sijil boleh buang ke longkang macam saya
Lepas tamat persekolahan terus pergi Taiwan

Belajar di sana bersedia balik negara untuk membalas jasa
Aku berdiri di tepi Taipei memain guitar
Tetapi Mulut aku tetap menyanyi


Rahmat bahagia
Tuhan kurniakan
Raja kita
Selamat bertakhta


It is best to understand the essence of the lyrics, no matter how racist it may appear and some people need to look within themselves and really assess whether there is any truth in it. Fact is, based on the responses from the Chinese community, many agree that this is what they have been feeling for a long time - nuff said.


Namewee's explanatory blog posting: http://namewee.blogspot.com/2007/08/hello-semua-orang-melayu-sila-tengok.html


The government should dig deep and look within themselves before going on a witch-hunt for bloggers and people like Wee who are expressing their frustration at years of missed opportunities that are due to the preferencial treatment that the Malay community receives, which, many of them now seem to take as their Birthright!


Afraid not bro... everyone has to earn their keep... shut up, wake up and start moving before the world leaves you behind. Disbelief? Well, just continue like this for another couple of decades...

You should read Wee's blog posting, that is supposed to be an apology cum explanation for his actions.

Nagarakuku... the Good and the Bad

Reluctantly, we decided to post a link to the Negarakuku video on YouTube. This is for fear of further aggrivating the situation with the small readership of this blog. But this one has a translation that is probably worthwhile reading. From there, you can decide whether to believe what the government has said about the video. The translation is hard to follow, so you may want to keep your cursor on the pause/play button.

Reading the responses to the numerous Negarakuku videos on YouTube, you can tell that the Malay viewers are certainly upset.

However, reflective of the majority of the Malay responses that cursed the Chinese and threatened to hunt Chinese down and all that, it reflects how easily agitated they are and the self centredness of only thinking about the insults made against them, rather than trying to understand why this came about and whether there is any truth to it.

Here is one viewer who responded, we are assuming he's Malay...

"http://www.youtube.com/user/Azizulb

kita Melayu rasa prihatin sama u punye perasaan, kita sudah lama mengongkong u punye talent/skill & kebebasan! Jadi, asalkan tak terlambat, pemimpin negara mesti merancang untuk melepaskan hak keistimewaan kami untuk kebahagiaan bersama, tanpa mengira isu perkauman, kerana kita sudah 50 tahun merdeka!! Merdeka!! Binalah Malaysia ikut CLASS bukan ikut KAUM!Kita tak mau Melayu kaya yang tiada CLASS! Kekayaan itu bukan milik sesuatu kaum, ia milik orang2 yang pandai & tekun! "

At least this guy seems to see the light. Actually, apart from all the negative references namewee has made on the situation in the country, the fact is many non-Malays (Indians and Others included) have been thinking and feeling this, but never daring to say for reasons and presence of ISA, Sedition Act and basic morality.

We don't think that the Negarakuku video should be supported, because it does have the potential to incite racial disharmony, and we really don't want another May 13th to come about with the Malays going around abusing the Chinese and raping Chinese women, as they did during the emergency.

But the question now is, what is the government going to do about this? Are they going to be embroiled in the gut-wrenching statements Namewee has made? Or are they going to assess whether there is any truth to the feelings on the ground? Will the government we voted in take a fair assessment of this or will they continue harping on how this person has "insulted Islam" and the "Agong"? (although I don't see where the insult is to the King).

The fact is, many Chinese and Indians feel poorly about the way minority races are being treated and they want something done. They are tired of the arrogant UMNO elected officials enacting laws and making false declarations. Will the government do something about this?

The only thing the minorities can be thankful to Namewee for is that he has said what nobody else has dared say. And hopefully some attention will be given to it. If not, there will rise another Namewee and again there will be a public outcry over such "abuse of internet freedom" and so on.

Frankly in reference to insulting Islam, we believe that the initial statement made by Syed Hamid Albar was a reflection of a Malay over-reaction. There was only one statement made in his song about Islam that could be deemed as derogatory, and that is in reference to the call for prayer and associating that to a rooster crowing. That is disrespectful.

But really, in this one instance of the Muslim call for prayer, one must understand where the dispise comes from. Think about how many Mosques there are, all located in multi-racial housing areas, no matter how rich or poor. All sanctioned to be built by the Federal and State government for the benefit of Muslims. Good and fair. But everybody pays for the Mosque through their taxes - everybody. Also fine. But the government doesn't contribute to building Churches or Temples. People dislike this, but never say anything. Then, 5 times a day, there is a call for prayer, blairing on loadspeakers mounted on the exterior of the Mosque. Regardless, whether it's 5am or 10pm, 5 times a day, everyday. But even then, people try to learn to live with it, in their hearts they are saying "shut-up!".

What is most unfair is that many years ago, the government disallowed Churches from tolling their bells as a call for prayer and weddings and so on. They passed this along to other places of worship as well. However, the mosques are allowed to continue. Isn't that discrimanatory?

Better still, these days, even if you have the money, in the recent cases of the Catholic Church in Shah Alam and the Ma Tzu Statue in Sabah, even if you have the money, getting an approval to build your non-Muslim place of worship can is most likely to be denied. There are many more unpublished cases such as these.

The injustice to all the other races and religions in Malaysia is too much to bear. Hence, you must understand where these negative feelings come from. When you do, you'll see that there is some truth, no matter how wrongly stated (in the song) to what is being said.

Here's a Taiwanese news clip from YouTube interviewing Name Wee...

DPM Najib's Declaration: Malaysia An Islamic State

Horror of Horrors... what do the minorities do now? Everyone, be it Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist or Christian was always under the impression that PAS was the party that intended on setting up the much feared Islamic State. Now, it seems that UMNO has deemed Malaysia to have always been an Islamic State. When did this come about? In every past election that I can recall, UMNO always stressed on the fact that PAS was extremist and in that same breath commented negatively of PAS intentions to set up an Islamic state in Kelantan, let alone the whole of Malaysia.

This was the tactic employed to woo voters to a more moderate Barisan Nasional with a moderate Muslim-Malay party, UMNO. The deterring factor for a majority of Malaysian voters in voting the opposition has always been the fear of PAS and their Islamic State ideology.

But recently, our DPM Najib has declared Malaysia as never being secular (contrary to our understanding) and always being an Islamic State. Shock and awe, the whole country was in uproar, especially the minority races. We didn't vote for this, we didn't agree to this!

Even though the Constitution does not state that we are an Islamic State and specifies Islam as the main religion of the country, people like DPM Najib and Former PM Mahathir, who obviously do not understand the nation's constitution they were meant to uphold, or has never read it. This may be believable in Najib's case, but not likely in Mahathir's, as he is known to be an avert reader - so what was his objective?

It seems that UMNO politicians love to play the racial and religious card in their attempt to win over PAS voters. For most Malays and Muslims these days, the more religious you appear to be, the stronger a candidate you become. A very narrow and shallow reason for choosing a country's leadership. Nonetheless, this is the rural Malay voter, unfortunately the urban Malay is .

Not caring for the impact that their statements have on all Malaysians, and forgetting that it is the Malay, Chinese, Indians and "Lain Lain" (Others) who make up this country and what it is today, they make statements that undoubtedly make everyone nervous.

The Nation's leaders in UMNO seem to think that just because they have been given a firm mandate by the majority of Malaysians, they can say what they like and make things like "Islamic State" policy overnight. Since when?

Furthermore, and more upsetting, people like Najib can insist that their statements are correct and not bother addressing the public's concern. Additionally, a media blackout on the subject had been established, only to allow statements by DPM Najib and PM Badawi to be publicised. Basically saying that "It's our right to say these things, what you believe or feel doesn't matter".

How dare you! Malaysia is made up of many people from many different races. We built this country together. Don't think you can make such sweeping statements and then arrogantly not attend to the public's outcry.

To think that UMNO practically begged for the Chinese vote in 1997 when Anuar Ibrahim formed PKR and went to the elections. BN won by a margin afforded to them by the Chinese vote. It could have easily gone the other way. And this is how you say thank you? Najib should not forget that during that election, he nearly lost his parliamentary seat by a few hundred votes.

If I recall correctly, during that time, UMNO was making remarks against voting for either DAP or PKR on the basis that they are tied up with the extremist PAS, which had the intention of setting up an Islamic State that UMNO knew DAP will never agree to.

So I suppose UMNO has a short memory... perhaps it's time to refresh it and to establish the impermanance of UMNO and BN's role in leading the people.

So, years after that episode, and now that UMNO feels that it's clout with the people is secure, it can say whatever it likes for the benefit of the Malays and Islam.

I am surprised that after all that, UMNO can make an about turn and declare that Malaysia is an Islamic State.

What does this mean to the people? Simple, UMNO and BN are now expendable. We tried to avoid becoming an Islamic State and were led to believe that by voting for BN we would be safe from such fundamentalist ideologies. However, since it has been declared that we now are, what difference will it make if we choose to vote for PAS or the opposition?

Some may say, it's Najib's words against all the nation. But I think that there are many in UMNO who support this, and these people are key players in the party and government. In which case, it is a matter of time before UMNO becomes a fundamentalist Islamic party. Slowly but surely, the minorities feel that their rights are being encroached upon. Slowly, but surely, UMNO is becoming more Islamic. It is a matter of time before everyone feels the full force of this change.

Voters can make the change now, if they wanted. A message can be sent to the likes of UMNO that this will not be accepted. Besides, with the many votes that UMNO will receive from either loyalists or those who are afraid to chance their vote to the opposition, perhaps for the many of us who are patriotic enough to attempt to preserve the balance of power and sanctity of our nation, we should vote opposition over UMNO candidates where possible. Perhaps by reducing the number of UMNO seats in parliament, we can eliminate rhetoric by people like Najib, Khairi, Nasir, "blog-hater" Zam and a number of others.

Why do we want to have leaders who go out there, shooting off their mouths without caring about how what they say affects all of us? They should be removed from power and hopefully silenced. Well, at least we are not giving them a pedestal to stand on!

Here's an article extracted from the Today paper, a Singapore publication. The writer has certainly made an accurate analysis worthy of reading - you'll find that it's what you have been thinking, but never verbalised.

14 August 2007
News Comment Section
Malaysia's State of Ambiguity

A TACTIC used by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, in his fight against the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) in 2001, was to declare Malaysia an Islamic state. This, he figured, would take the windsout of the sails of the PAS, whose stated aim is to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state.

While the opposition Democratic ActionParty (DAP) made noise, the general public was hardly up in arms over the matter. The issue was soon forgotten although Dr Mahathir never retracted his declaration.

Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak reiterated the former Prime Minister’s stance, stating that not only was Malaysia an Islamic state, the country had never been secular in the first place.

Mr Najib got support from Dr Mahathir and drew expected criticism from the likes ofthe DAP, lawyers and rights groups.But something else happened: The Information Ministry took the unusual step of telling newspapers not to publish any articles on the issue, on grounds that this could cause“tension” among the public. Only commentsby Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy were allowed for print.This move reflects how much the situation has changed. The bulk of the voting public during much of Dr Mahathir’s era was more compliant, less vocal and, perhaps crucially, did not have the Internet.

Today, Web-savvy, younger voters are more willing to stand up for their rights. Several issues, not just the Islamic-state controversy, have illustrated this point.

Earlier this year, Malaysia’s biggest bank came up with a policy that required its panel of lawyers to have at least three partners, one of whom must be a bumiputera holding a minimum of 50 per cent equity in the partnership. Maybank came under intense fire from the non-Malay community, which led to a quick withdrawal of the policy.

I am of the Internet generation, but I remember a time when both government agencies and private corporations could implement discriminatory (dubbed “affirmative action”) policies with impunity, such as the one Maybank tried to push.

Not today.

Last year, the annual general assembly ofthe United Malays National Organisation (Umno), saw speaker after speaker make fiery speeches. One delegate said they were willing to“risk lives” and “bathe in blood”. Another asked when Umno Youth chief Hishamuddin Hussein was going to use the keris he had brandished at the event.

The backlash from the televised and well-blogged event took Umno by surprise. Shortly after that, the government decided future general assemblies would not be televised, and began to take reconciliatory steps to assuage non-Malay outrage.

Mr Hishamuddin, who is also Education Minister, within months, announced the construction of a new Chinese school and some RM2.1 million ($918,000) in grants for Chinese schools. He also assured the Chinese community that the government would not close down Chinese schools, had no objections to building more and would resolve the shortage of Chinese school teachers as well as raise the standard of Chinese primary schools.

Even Mr Khairy Jamaluddin, the Prime Minister’s fiery son-in-law, has mellowed in his rhethoric. Last year, he called for the government to increase the affirmative action quota for Malays if the Chinese were not happy with the 30 per cent set aside. He made similar outrageous comments throughout much of last year and refused to apologise for them.

This past weekend, however, he denied that Umno was racist. “How can we be racist, when we are defending equality?” he said. He cited the power-sharing agreement Umno has with other component parties as an example.

Mr Badawi, who had kept silent on Mr Najib’s Islamic-state comment, recently came out to say that Malaysia was “not a secular state” but neither was it “a theocratic state like Iran and Pakistan” — his typical “neither here nor there” comment.

It’s also reminiscent of the government’s “strategic ambiguity” approach on the issue of whether Muslims are allowed to leave their religion. While the issue of apostasy is not something that non-Muslims are particularly concerned about, as it doesn’t directly affect them, an Islamic state is something that doesn’t sit well with them.

Lawyers say the Federal Constitution is unambiguous about Malaysia being a secular state — Article 3 (1) states it clearly— but the apostasy cases have shown how murky these things can be in practice. And while it’s true that non-Muslims have freedom of religion and can lead very secular lifestyles, there’s always the danger of the slippery slope.

This is probably why Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Bernard Dompok risked angering his Umno colleagues by saying at a public forum: “I will not agree that we are an Islamic state.” He understands full well that today’s non-Muslim public will not accept any ambiguity on this matter. But does Mr Badawi?

Oon Yeoh is a writer and commentator based in Kuala Lumpur.

Petrol Stations 7-10: Has the Government Lost Control?

Fuel. Fuel is what moves our country's economy. If you have ever travelled on the North-South Highway at night, you will see thousands of cars travelling from KL to Ipoh, Singapore to Malacca, Singapore to KL. These are at least from our observation the main and most frequented routes. This will all soon come to an end. PLUS may see a drop in passenger vehicle movements on their highways at the later hours of the night. Why? Well, unless you are carrying an extra tank of petrol in your car, you won't make it, especially if you are running a small CC car which usually has a 30-40 litre tank. Making those overnight trips from Johor or Malacca to Penang or Ipoh will be a thing of the past.

If you think it stops at passenger cars, think again. Commercial vehicles will be impacted too. How will you now move anything from timber, steel, agro produce cross country overnight? Usually transportation of such goods are done at night until the wee hours of the morning. So, we can expect that in some small way, the economy will be stifled.

Think about it, all your expectations of overnight mail by Poslaju or FedEx or whatever you use will be affected. Hence making Malaysia even more inefficient.

The only benefit that I see coming out of this is that all these Mat Rempits will run out of petrol sometime around midnight after doing all their cartwheels and wheelies or whatever stupid things they do.

This is all thanks to the PDAM (Petrol Dealers Association of Malaysia) that intends to proceed with this new policy without government approval. Has the government lost control?

Now think about what happens when this 10pm closure is enforced. Everyone and their dog will be queueing at the petrol stations to fill up. Creating traffic jams along the main roads these stations are situated on. Not to mention all those commercial vehicles who will do their final fill up. That would make things even worse. Chaos!

Thanks to the PDAM, the economy will suffer, PLUS will lose money and we, the consumers will remain at their mercy. Where is the government in all this? Why haven't they stepped in to say something even after the first statement of intention by the PDAM yesterday? Nowhere!

Are they too engrossed in their Northern Corridor and Iskandar projects to notice and pay attention to all this? Obviously. But, there is a major oversight, the building materials will not transport themselves onto the site just with love and fresh air.

We'd hope to see the government do something about this - and soon.

We don't care if the petrol dealers think that their operating costs are high or that they are afraid of being robbed. There are ways of managing these things. Like the typical Melayu business, they usually have more people than they need to run the station. Usually there are 2 cashiers but only one counter open. The second person is just sitting there doing nothing.

The bigger and more understandable concern is that of security. But really, get with the 21st century - install high grade CCTV cameras that have high resolution and nightvision. Have them placed not only in the convenience store, but also on the outside. I have observed that CCTVs aren't present in many of the vital places and even if they are, the resolution is so bad, you can see nothing. Shouldn't all petrol stations have a panic button alerting the police as well? Most petrol stations don't even have an alarm system.

So, if the petrol dealers can't help themselves, then don't come crying to the media!

As for the police. Yes, the PDRM is useless, they are never around when you need them, and when you call in an emergency, you will probably encounter the following:

1. The officer cannot speak english and takes 1 minute to pass the phone to an officer who can. Usually an Indian person.
2. The officer doesn't seem interested or unphased, no sense of urgency

And then it takes about 30-40 minutes for the police to arrive on the scene, by which time, you would either be injured or dead and definately robbed.

It is now in the hands of IGP Musa, to get all the billions worth of police cars he asked for on the road and patrolling, not being parked outside mamak stalls for hours.

So, what can we as consumers do about this? Nothing you say? Yes, there is something we can do... To hurt the dealers, we cannot attack them all at one time. We need to single out one petroleum company and boycott its stations.

In this case, it should be PETRONAS. Why? Firstly, it's quasi government. The government will definately react to this. Also, the owners are mostly Malay, which the government will be compelled to protect. Additionally, they have the most stations with possibly a large number of unprofitable stations that should and can be closed (rationalised). One third of the 3000 dealers are Petronas dealers.

Boycott PETRONAS for a start and you can work through the rest in time. But it's likely that boycotting PETRONAS will spark the necessary reaction from the government.

Article from the New Straits Times
So, it’s fill up before 10pm

KUALA LUMPUR: All petrol stations, including those on highways, will close by 10pm within two months.

The Petrol Dealers Association of Malaysia (PDAM) said yesterday that its 3,200 members would only open for business between 7am and 10pm.

PDAM spokesperson Datuk Zulkifli Mokti said this was because the association’s members faced security risks as well as declining profits."The average petrol station is robbed once a year. This happens mostly at night."

He said the station owners were operating under constant fear of being robbed as they had large amounts of cash daily."Just two weeks ago, an owner was robbed on his way home. Dealers, too, have been shot and killed, kidnapped and threatened at gunpoint."Zulkifli said that reducing work shifts from three to two would help petrol stations bring down operating costs, which had been rising over the years.

On Monday, former PDAM president Alang Zari Ishak had said that stations along highways would remain open 24 hours a day. Yesterday, Alang was removed as president after 51 out of 65 council members voted against him at a meeting.

In announcing his removal, Zulkifli said many decisions made by the council had not been properly enforced."Certain decisions were not followed up (by Alang).

"Major (R) Wahid Bidin, who was formerly the deputy president, will act as the president until the association holds its election next year.

Badawi: "Muslims who want to convert to other faiths should be allowed to do so"

We recently uncovered an article published by the Today paper, a Singapore publication on a very surprising statement made by the PM. Strangely, this was not carried in the local Malaysian newspapers.

Has the local media boycotted this important statement made by the Prime Minister? Why else was something as important and sensitive as this not carried in the local media? Or was it too much against the grain of further enforcing Malaysia's "new" Islamic State status?

But this statement by the PM is a significant milestone for the nation and should be made known to the nation and made into policy. There are so many extremists in prominent government positions, and this clarion call for moderation and sensibility is something that needs to be heard by all. Perhaps it will breathe new hope into the hearts and minds of the non-Muslims of Malaysia.

But the question is, why was it never carried in the local media? To us, it is obvious that this was not something that was in line with the so called "mainstream" UMNO view.

UMNO leaders, Religious Departments, read this and understand it well, this is the voice of moderation. Heed in his footsteps and take the balanced and fair approach. People are entitled to make their own choices in what they believe - it is every individuals birthright!

Read on... Badawi's brief statement says a lot.


July 10, 2007
Allow Muslims to convert if they choose to: PM Abdullah

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has said that those who want to leave Islam should be counselled by the religious authorities, and, if they still choose to convert, they should be allowed to do so.

Mr Abdullah made it clear later that he was making these comments in his personal capacity.
"Religious officials should be ready to listen to the problems of those people who want to leave the religion. They should not torture them but they should counsel them," said Mr Abdullah, speaking to reporters after opening an Islamic conference in Putrajaya.

Asked about the growing number of religious disputes dominating news headlines, the Prime Minister proposed that Muslims who want to convert to other faiths should be allowed to do so.
"This is not something that cannot be done. For those who don't want to be Muslims anymore, what can you do? If they want to leave the religion, what are you going to do? You might as well let them go."

Under Sharia or Islamic law in Malaysia, it is the duty of religious authorities to determine whether a Muslim can leave the religion or not.

Just last week, a 29-year-old Indian woman who wanted to renounce Islam was released from a rehabilitation centre run by the state's Islamic authorities. Ms Revathi Masoosai (picture), also known as Siti Fatimah, has said her mother was a Hindu and her father a Christian, but both subsequently converted to Islam, AFP reported. She told reporters she had been ill-treated while at the centre. She was separated from her Hindu husband and 18-month-old daughter for six months.

Ms Revathi had expected her bid to be a Hindu to be approved after her period of detention. — Channel NewsAsia
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/199167.asp

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black, UMNO Youth Gives Credit Where It Isn't Due

Tian Chua of Keadilan did a very politically and morally stupid thing by doctoring a picture of DPM Najib, Razak Baginda and Altantunya and posting it on his blog. It's obvious that it was done as a practical joke of some sort, and some kind of dark and sick humor. Now, politicians in the Barisan Nasional have taken this as an opportunity to politicise the issue and discredit Keadilan and it's leaders. Frankly, one could easily say that it is Barisan, and not Keadilan that is "distracting the people from (Barisan's) own weaknesses" (as quoted from Khairi) and the real issues the country is facing.

The question is this, as slanderous as Tian Chua's picture was, it is clear that it was doctored in such a manner that depicts it as more comical in nature which equates to mischiviousness. Why then, does Hishamuddin and the rest of BN have to react so strongly towards it? A simple remark that it was mischevious and defamatory would suffice. Subsequently a court injuction can be easily attained and that being the demand that Tian Chua remove it. If they wish, they can sue him for liabel.

Saying so many words in the media does not only highlight the stupidity of Tian Chua, but also the eagerness and opportunistic leadership of Barisan to take a swipe at the opposition. It benefits neither.

Hence, the pot (Hishamiddin) is calling the kettle (Tian Chua) black. Both are equally silly in the latest drama that has enveloped Barisan Nasional.

On Hishamuddin's remark, “Such a deed will then be accepted as a culture and practice in the country".

Hishamuddin, do you really think that the Malaysian people are so stupid to simply adopt "cultures" and "practices"? Doctoring a picture of someone is definately not something that can be associated with any culture. As a litigator, you should know that such things are better associated with juvinility, rather than culture.

Perhaps, for the Malay community, they are easily impressed and influenced by the negative bits of western culture. Some examples are, immitating the black "gangsta rappers", dressing as neo nazi facists (and acting like them - not realising that Hitler would have gladly murdered them all - not only the Jews), performing in home pornography (u-tube has plenty), performing daredevil stunts on the road ie. Mat Rempit... and the list goes on.

But for Malaysian's in general, we don't think so. Again, this has nothing to do with Tian Chua setting the stage for Malaysians to take advantage of our democracy and it being an abuse of freedoms of expression. Not many will follow in the footsteps of a lesser politician, barren of charisma and the ability to speak eloquently. Hishamuddin, Malaysian's are not so stupid, do not insult us.

In this case Barisan has blown the subject matter out of proportion by saying that if these acts are not curbed, then it will become a norm and we will have people going around defacing the name and pictures of the Prophet Mohammad. Such ridiculousness is surprising, coming from Hishamuddin. He was one of the more promising leaders and many had great hopes that he will lead the country over and above Najib. This being a preference voiced by many. However, over time, Hishamuddin has shown himself to be less and less worthy of the people's hope and support. It started with the keris weilding - to which he might as well have said that he wanted "to bathe the keris in Chinese blood" as his predecessor Najib Tun Razak once said in a 1986 rally. (Ref wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najib_Tun_Razak)

In summary, less words and drama would have sufficed. Perhaps UMNO and Barisan have played into the hands of Keadilan. Perhaps the objective was to sow the seeds into people's minds that Najib had something to do with it and that there is a conspiracy to be conjured. If this is the case, then stupidly, Hishamuddin, Khairi and the rest of the BN goons have played into the opposition's hands by glorifying a very poorly doctored picture of the Deputy PM with Alatantunya - which again, is stupid in terms of drawing even greater public attention to such matters and making something out of nothing and thereby, in a way, giving it credibility.

Hisham: Punish Tian Chua to stop such acts

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth is concerned that if Tian Chua’s act of doctoring a photograph that implicated the Deputy Prime Minister is not stopped, more people will go overboard in their actions in the name of “freedom and democracy.”

Its chief, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, said if the authorities did not reprimand the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) information chief, this would mean his deed had been legitimised.
“Such a deed will then be accepted as a culture and practice in the country,” he said on the doctored photograph posted in Tian Chua’s blog that depicted Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and a look-alike of Altantuya Shaariibuu at the same table.
Abdul Razak is one of three people accused in the murder of Altantuya, a Mongolian translator.
“The day might come when they use transparency and freedom as an excuse to insult the Prophet Muhammad, just as what has happened in the West. “This is how it starts so we need to curb it. I am not equating the Prophet to our leaders but if the act is not stopped, it will become a norm,” he said in reference to caricatures of Prophet Muhammad carried by a Danish newspaper that led to an worldwide protests by Muslims.

Speaking at the opening of the Gombak Umno Youth divisional meeting yesterday, he said that Tian Chua’s action and that of PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who defended him, showed their true character.

Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin said the act by Tian Chua was to distract attention from the party’s weaknesses. “His refusal to apologise, although it is slanderous, shows that he is rude and arrogant. Stupid people don’t know how to say sorry because they do not understand the meaning. “We will show them in the next general election. We will bury PKR and make sure there is no place for Tian Chua or other PKR leaders,” he said at the Bukit Bintang Umno Youth divisional meeting yesterday.

Meanwhile, Tian Chua insisted there was nothing for him to say sorry for. “No one has told me exactly what I have done wrong. If the authorities think I have committed a crime, they should investigate me,” he said.

Islamic Department Religious Officers Harrassing Innocents

Women's rights in Malaysia are fast being diminished. Would you or anyone else consider the lady pictured below "exposing her body"? Siti Noor Idayu Abd Moin (pic), 22, was singing at an entertainment outlet in Sunway City, Ipoh when Religious Officers from JAIP raided the place.

Firstly, it's obvious that the lady is not "exposing" her body. To think that wearing long pants and a sleeveless top is indecent exposure is absurd. Frankly, she appears to be dressed normally and much unlike performers in most other countries where they wear gowns with plunging necklines and body hugging clothes.

But really, is that bad? Why would people say that it's a bad thing to see the outline of a woman's body? Islamic Religious Officers in Malaysia seem to think so. They say it's "lucah" or pronographic. There are those who say that a woman who doesn't wear a "tudung" or headscarf is also "lucah". The only reason why it's pornographic to them is because they have unclean thoughts, uncontrollable lust and desire for what they cannot have. Because of this most Muslims believe that it's better to keep the women covered up so that the men are not tempted.

What utter nonsense, if the men have a problem, they should confine it to themselves, learn to see things differently or if it's that hard, just castrate themselves.

So, in Siti's case, even more offensive and greater intrusions were made. The officers called her IC (Identification Card) "Najis" or Shit (as in Biological Waste) and refused to touch it! Isn't that amazing! The newspaper has quoted it as unclean, but Najis really means Shit.

They were then put in a small room where the officers sadistically turned down the temperature and the officers said "let them freeze". Isn't that quite inhuman? And against people's basic human rights?

Siti was also detained overnight until 10am the next morning and had to suffer the intrusion of the male Religious Officers constantly photographing her. Perhaps they haven't seen a pretty woman before and because they are so used to seeing women wrap themselves up, this is something new to them. Perhaps they will use those pictures to "relieve" themselves later on.

The officers were also scheming to frame her for alcohol consumption, as per her observation of them being disappointed when her test returned a negative and the objection of one officer.

Further to that, JAIP director Datuk Jamry Sury said he was confident that his officers had not acted outside of their jurisdiction in issuing the notice. And said “According to Islamic laws, a Muslim woman is not allowed to serve or entertain a man who is not her husband in a place where immoral activities usually take place,” he said.

How on earth is Sunway City an immoral place.? Is this man out of his mind? It's obvious that he knows nothing of the world and what immoral is. Besides, the lady was singing in a public place in front of men and women and possibly children. So saying she was entertaining men suggests that she was in a strip club doing lap dances, which is hardly the case. Sunway City should file an injunction against this man and his department because what he suggests promotes a negative image of the company and can bring about a potential loss of business.

It is this sort of stupidity that is brought about by poorly educated people who are unable to get jobs in the private sector fresh out of the local Malaysian Universities. At which point, our government says, we must hire them so that they have jobs. Thereby increasing the number of civil servants and costing the taxpayers more money year on year. Mostly and sadly, Malay, who are given preferential treatment in exams from Form 5 through their varsity years. This had bred the stupidity as exemplified by such actions.

In the words of YB Minister in the PM's Department - Nazri,"Bodoh, Bodoh, Bodoh".

So, this is what our tax money goes to. Little bastard Hitlers who impose their brand of Islam upon us, who intimidate us and we pay their salaries and bonuses. I say, the BN and federal government should either sack them or we should remove the BN from power. Many of us thought that because we vote for BN, we save ourselves from PAS, but over time, it's becoming more apparent that BN leads a government and government organisations that are intolerant, backward and filled with Malay Ultras and Islamic Extremists.

So, why should moderate Malays and minority races vote for BN? What is the incentive now?

Sure, the Federal Government will now announce that there are overzealous officers who are just executing their duties.

We say not.

This is harrassment, infringement of human rights, bigotry (gender biased) and improper. In which part of the law does it state that Religious Department officers can detain people overnight, and if so, for what reasons? For wearing a sleeveless blouse? Also, in which part of the JAIS procedure manual (if one does exist) does it state that officers can go about harrassing the detainee by photographing her? Also, in where are the procedures and guidelines that ensure that detainees are properly treated and the handling officers remain true to the cause and not become part of the problem?

No more excuses BN leaders. You either take responsibility and shape up or we, the people, will ship you out!

There have been problems with the bastard Hitlers of the Islamic Departments for a very long time now. People are stopped in the streets just for holding hands and kissing. Aged foreigners have had their rooms intruded into by such officers who in one case accused them of "Khalwat" or close proximity.

Malaysia is fast becoming like the Arabs they adore so much. Soon, we will be living in a South East Asian Saudi.

Since the government is not doing much to change this, perhaps it's time to change the government. But we all know that people will still vote for BN. By voting the opposition, we ensure that there are voices that will speak for us as well and we will give them a bigger voice in parliament.

The aim for this election is to REDUCE the BN Majority in Parliament, in the hope for a better Malaysia and hopefully, this will help teach certain government leaders like Khairi, Nazri and their close associates that there is no place in the people's hearts for extremists or ignorance.

The Article:

The Star
Singer held over dressing

IPOH: The Perak Religious Department (JAIP) has ordered a singer to appear before the Syariah Court for “exposing her body” during a performance and “encouraging immoral activities”.

However, an indignant Siti Noor Idayu Abd Moin, 22, said she was wearing a sleeveless top and long pants when JAIP officers raided an entertainment outlet in Sunway City where she was performing on Tuesday.

“Our band had just finished and it was a little past midnight when they came in and rounded up all the Muslims.

“They asked to see our MyKad but one officer refused to touch the cards, referring to them as najis (unclean),” she said.

Siti Noor Idayu said the JAIP officers later detained seven people, including four employees of the outlet, and brought them to the department office.

“They put us in a tiny room and turned up the air-conditioner. I heard one officer tell the other: Bekulah dia orang (Let them freeze),” she said.

Siti Noor Idayu also said the male officers kept taking photographs of her, adding that she was made to stay overnight in that room until 10am.

She said the officer who finally came to record her statement at 8am, accused her of consuming alcohol and drugs, being involved in immoral activities, and that her MyKad was a fake.

“I took the breathalyser test twice and when the reading remained at zero, the officers looked frustrated.

“I heard one tell the other: Tapi dia tak minum lah (But she did not drink),” she said.
Siti Noor Idayu said an officer even told her that the money she earned working in the outlet was duit haram (illicit money) and that her parents, children and future generations would all be tainted for using such money.

“They finally wrote me a notice accusing me of dressing sexily and encouraging immorality just because I sang there,” she said.

The notice ordered her to appear before the Syariah Court here on Aug 6.

When contacted, JAIP director Datuk Jamry Sury said he was confident that his officers had not acted outside of their jurisdiction in issuing the notice.

“According to Islamic laws, a Muslim woman is not allowed to serve or entertain a man who is not her husband in a place where immoral activities usually take place,” he said.

UMNO's Election Strategy: Cyberspace Combatants and Debates on the Streets

...and who else better to do the job but... Dato' Azalina Othman!

The very same person who made stupid and embarassing remarks in the global media regarding Singapore's entry into hosting the Formula 1 race. She said...

"(The) region should have one F1 race. Singapore should not compete with Malaysia,"
(Really? So like the NEP, you feel it's your God Given Right? Afraid the commercial world doesn't work that way)

"I am not worried. I have no concern with Singapore hosting the F1 race," she added.
(If you're not so worried, then why remark in the first place?)

"I think Malaysia has one of the best tracks. We host the hottest race in the world. I don't think Singapore can challenge the F1 race in Malaysia,
(Are you trying to make yourself feel better now? Poor thing!)

The last statement was the most stupid one. Azalina assumes that just because she thinks that the Sepang F1 race is "Hot" that Singapore can't challenge Malaysia? Besides, who was talking about Singapore vs. Malaysia? All Singapore was doing was minding it's own business and looking at a potential commercial deal. Azalina was better off shutting her mouth and letting the market decide. Now, we look stupid and because of her stupidity and being "gung ho" about "Malaysia Boleh", you end up looking like the spoilt brat and "Malaysia Bodoh". And now, people who didn't think of comparing which is better, will think to do so, which is kind of... worse for Malaysia. Coz, we are good and building new things, but never maintaining.

And now, this Minister of Youth and Sports who has very little to show for in her success in promoting and building the Youth and Sports... unless you deem Mat Rempit's being a success (and I bet Malaysia is.. in that department)... is going to lead a cyber-war against Bloggers.

Fantastic. The Bloggers will have a field day with you and your team of proposed "writers" (to which you have no idea how to deploy).

Dato Azalina's strategy like your rattling your mouth off on the F1 Singapore, is greatly FLAWED.

Do you think that by having a team of UMNO writers battling some tenths of thousands of Blogs will be possible? Do you think it's going to change people's mindset? Words are worthless, actions from the government we voted in is what is needed. So, your writers can keep on writing, and they will be continuously bombarded. In the end, you probably didn't change hearts and minds, you probably create more resentment by those actions.

The part which is even more shocking is when she proposed that UMNO members be confrontational in coffeeshops when evesdropping on people's conversations.. ie. speaking poorly of UMNO and the government.

What kind of stupid strategy is that? It has the makings of turning into an argument, which will escalate into some racial remarks and eventually people might even trade blows. So, UMNO's strategy is to start riots to change people's mind about the government (we'll bet Khairi will be the front runner of that). WOW... this is truly mind blowing.

Also, on the part about being concerned that UMNO members might be swayed by what they read on the Blogs, look, people have minds of their own and they make their decisions and take sides based on what they see and know. If they are not taking your side, then perhaps UMNO and the component parties need to really start looking within themselves to see what is wrong and what they need to make good on.

Do you think fighting tenths of thousands of people head on is going to solve the problem? Think again.

Frankly for a Minister of Youth and Sports, she is neither wise enough to lead the youth and neither physically fit to be a model for a Sports Ministry.

We'll be looking forward to these so called writers, I'll bet the respondents on Lim Kit Siang's website and people like Marina Mahathir will gladly chew them and spit them out. Bring it on!


Umno recruiting team of writers to fight ‘cyber war’

KOTA KINABALU: Umno is set to do battle in cyberspace ahead of the anticipated general election by assembling a team of writers from every state to counter allegations about the party and its leadership on certain websites. Umno supreme council member Datuk Azalina Othman Said said she had been recently tasked by party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to take charge of this “cyber war.”

“This is among our key strategies in preparation for the elections. The other is getting our members to register as voters,” she said yesterday after opening the Kota Kinabalu Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri meetings. Azalina, the Youth and Sports Minister, said all state Umno liaison committees would be asked to identify writers willing to assist the party in this cause.

However, she declined to explain how these writers would carry out their duties nor did she name the websites that had purportedly spread the allegations. Earlier, in her speech when opening the Youth, Wanita and Puteri meetings, Azalina said certain websites appeared to be stepping up their attacks against the country’s leaders. “We need to counter these blatant lies. If we remain quiet, our worry is that some of our members and civil servants will be influenced by all these nonsense,” she added.

Azalina said she was aware that many party members liked visiting certain websites and could end up believing what was posted there. On the other hand, she said, there was a tendency among opposition party members not to believe any negative report about their leaders. “We want Umno members to support and defend their leaders. If they are sitting in a coffeeshop and hear others talking badly about the party leaders they should counter those lies immediately,” Azalina added.

In a related development, she said the opposition had resorted to moving their members and supporters to seats they were confident of winning in the coming polls.

Freedom of Religion in Malaysia a Fallacy Part 2

Malaysia Truly Asia... My Ass!

With reference to Lim Kit Siang's Blog to the article "Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puchong - why from freehold to 60 yrs lease?". This is an outrage. To see the outrage expressed by Malaysians of different faiths, please refer to the link above.

This isn't the first time this is being done to the Non-Muslim citizens of our "great" nation. You can refer to a previous article that we published on this site with regards to the "Goddess of the Sea". Actually apart from these two recent incidences, there have been others that have gone unpublished. There is a reason for that. One, the media can be biased and this may seem like stirring up racial sentiment. Two, the people affected, being compassionate buddhists/hindus and good Christians, just keep silent and not do anything, for fear of being arrested for sedition or because they don't see the extent of what these precedences mean for our young and the future of Non-Muslims. In summary, they are too Chicken Shit to do something about it.

If we were part of the Malay Muslim community, there will be riots led by people like Khairi as he has clearly shown what he is capable of in the past year, rallying against US Govt Officials. While people like Minister in the PMs department Nazri, tell the rest of us not to aggrevate the Malay community (or else...).

So, what do we do? Be good Christians and turn the other cheek, or perhaps be compassionate Buddhists and meditate on it?

There comes a time when a response is required, one that puts the government in check.

Here is what R had to say:

Even as the PM was talking overseas telling about love and peace and harmony in our multireligious country, there are many fundamentalists trying to derail his statements and prove him wrong.

I am a Catholic. I was informed that our new Church in Puchong, Our Lady of Guadalupe, suddenly faced a “crisis”. This church is in Selangor and you must remember what happened to our application for a church in Shah Alam over 20 years ago. Whether the Selangor govt or just the over-zealous local authorities are behind that problem, I don’t know. But now, it’s happening directly aimed at our church in Puchong.

This Church was actually an old chapel which was asked to relocate owing to housing development and the developers promised to give back a piece of land to rebuild a church. For many years we have been operating from temporary buildings including shifting from shophouse to shophouse. Finally a Church was built on a funny V-shaped piece of land in front of some shophouses just before an industrial area. It looked like remnant, left-over vacant land but beggars can’t be choosers?

The land in the whole area including the land over which the Church is built is freehold land. Now, suddenly out of the blue, we are told that the land on which the Church is built is alienated to a 60 years leasehold whilst the surrounding area is still freehold! Is this not discriminatory?

R has sent a follow-up email:

I just checked with someone. It’s getting complicated here. When SP Setia took over the chapel land (near Tesco Puchong), they promised to give back freehold land. When they finally gave the land for the Church to be built, they said that it was freehold land. Either SP Setia “pulled” a fast one over the first committee who were mostly very trusting estate people or the State government took the opportunity to alter the status.

In the recent May 15, 2007 copy of the “Reach Out” magazine issued free to residents of Puchong by IOI Properties, there is a write-up about the Selangor State Exco, YB Tang See Hang, presenting the approved land title documents to the parish priest.

The tenure of the land was stated as 60 years when all the while the Church was under the impression that the land is freehold. At which stage did the status of the land turn from freehold to leasehold?

By the way the surrounding area is freehold. Right in front of the church is a fenced up freehold land which is earmarked for our community building. Recently we had some banners regarding our activities draped on the fence of this place. MPSJ staff in a MPSJ lorry came in the evening and took away those banners. Why?

- end quote -

All this talk about freedom of religion and Malaysia being a model for the world in terms of multireligious and multi ethnic society living in peace and harmony is a whitewash. Frankly, it's only because the minority races are the tolerant ones. It is the minority races and religions of Malaysia that ALWAYS turn the other cheek. They don't riot or make such matters into big political issues. However, try to shut down one mosque and see what happens, not even that, just talk about it and see the harsh and violent backlash from our Malay Muslim friends.

People, you have a choice. You can make your dissatisfaction known to the government by voting the other way. Many of us were raised to be Barisan supporters, however, times has changed the people in government and they have become more fanatical than before. UMNO increasingly is becoming arrogant and very much like PAS with such policies, MCA is ball-less and clue-less, while MIC is led by Samy, who will lead for another 20 years - we all know what that means.

Barisan was good to us in the days of old. But these days, the Malay Ultras are fast becoming no different from their competition in PAS. It's time for a change, or at least to balance the power in parliament. As of a few weeks ago, it seemed that Nazri owns the place, using inappropriate language and name calling - shame shame Nazri.

Here are some quotes:

"And where is the source of money used to build mosque? - Gambling tax, sales of alcohol tax, ……well it is not Haram business activities?… But it seems to be alright to build the mosques from Haram source of money…..
If they really care about haram or halal, it it holier to built the mosques from their own worshippers’ donation.:

"In PJ,within less than a square kilometre ,there are at least 10 mosques big and small.Can you imagine that?"

"Churches, buddist and hindu temples get built only through begging…whether for money or favours, whilst mosques get built under Malaysian plans and national budgets. What freedom…its a joke and as a result we lose our image through the eyes of potential investors. Any country which has a negative undercurrent will drive away investors..don’t these idiots know that."

- end quote -

Also found a link to the Church website... http://www.olgpuchong.org/.

Christians, Hindus and Buddhists, it is time for you to respond. There is no place for religious opression in Malaysia or for these "little napoleons" (or rather little bastard Hitlers) to impose their own brand of governanace upon us.

If you're not going to rally and protest, then, it's time for you to think about where and for whom you cast your votes. We are not opposition supporters, but we seek to attain our basic human rights, and in our case, voting the opposition gives a greater voice to those who will speak for us and NOT against us.

Threats to Society, Rapists: The Faces of 3 ANIMALS

These are the 3 GODLESS BASTARDS who rammed a couple and their Proton Iswara off the road at approx. 10.30pm around Gelang Patah (near the Second Link to Singapore). They continued to chase the couple until their car broke down near Tampoi. They then abducted the couple, took them to a quiet place in Bukit Indah and brutally gang raped the girl after slashing her boyfriend's legs and forcing him to watch them rape her.

Burn these faces into your memory. You may encounter them at some point.

Only one of the above is named, on the left, Shahabdeen Haq SK Mohammed Ariff, the other two remain un-named. Apparently, the police claimed that they caught 14 people involved in the rapings. The public has yet to be shown their pictures.

It has not been formally published, however, rumour has it that they have all been released on bail. If this is true, then the Police really needs a slap up their head, releasing such predators back into society. The bastards should be castrated and whipped.

Shouldn't the police show these faces to the public? Isn't it our right to know what kinds of Animals lurk out there? Shouldn't we have the right to protect ourselves? In order to do so, don't we need to know what these bastards look like? Or is it because these crimes of brutality towards women are more frequently done by a particular race and you are embarrased? Yes, perhaps you may want to slap the sedition act against us, but isn't it true? Most news reports that we read of incest are usually Malay and occassionally Indian. Is it something that is troubling the community that is causing them to go in this direction? Surely, the government and the police don't know what to do or just can't be bothered. Yes it is embarassing, maybe it's time you try to understand the root cause of the problem because it's becoming more frequent and it affects all of us.

Don't attend to this, and in a matter of years, the once peaceful and beautiful country of Malaysia, blessed with all its culture and heratage will be just another Cape Town or regress and suffer a similar fate such as Manila.

Are these the people we are putting in place to lead our country? Yes. Can we do something about it? Yes. By voting for the opposition, we create a balance of voices in Parliament. Right now, Barisan has the majority in Parliament, so there is little that the opposition can do. For example, Lim Kit Siang's attempts to table these issues on Johor in Parliament last week failed, because it was of no interest to them. See link: Rampant crime and lawlessness - I apologise to JB people that Parliament has failed them

This is why we need to restore the balance of power in government. Because this is the price we pay for not voting or succumbing to Barisan Nasional's threats that should Barisan fall, the people will suffer under an Islamic extremist opposition... blah blah. However, doutful that even if the silent majority votes for the opposition, that they will take over the governance of our country. But there will be more of them in Parliament, and believe me, they will be eager to prove that they can do the job and have public interest at heart. BN has become complacent and over-confident with characters like Nazri (Nazri acting as Super-ACA and Super-AG to declare Johari innocent of RM5.5 million corruption allegations) and Khairi (Police Arrested Participants of a Peaceful Protest... ) running around. Both have made comments towards other races basically stating their "Malay Dominance" or Ketuanan Melayu.

It's time for change...

Johor Today: 2 More Rapings - Now they're underaged girls

Six hours apart and in the midst of a public outcry over the brutal and outrageous violent rapings in Johor, 2 more rapings took place, only 6 hours apart from each other.

One 16 year old schoolgirl was abducted at a park in Taman Tasik Dahlia by Mat Rempits (quoted in the newspaper as 4 men on motorcycles, safe to assume as Mat Rempits move in groups and are involved in sex and vice). She was taken to a secluded spot at Tanjung Langsat where they took turns at raping her.

Another 15 year old schoolgirl was kidnapped at Tampoi, taken to a sewerage plant in Taman Teknologi Skudai and raped. The rapist is a man claiming to be a police officer who duped her into getting into his car when she couldn't produce her IC. The girl was brutally raped at knifepoint, while the man punched, slapped and bit her. He even ripped off her school uniform.

And what is the government and the police doing about it? Well, now that there is a growing petition and the public has shown it's anger and dissatisfaction in front of MB Ghani's house, the government has stepped up and approved the setting up of more police stations, police cars and police officers. So this is what it takes to get our government to get off their butts and serve public interests. You should have been more pro active in the first place and maybe these poor innocent women won't be suffering for your inattentiveness to public safety and security. After all, this isn't something that happened overnight. Johor Bahru has been a crime infested ghetto for years, and it's only been getting worse.

So, what the government is going to do (as quoted in the papers):
- 400 additional police personnel
- 3 new temporary police HQs in Seri Alam, Nusa Jaya and Kulai (RM6 mil has been approved for this)
- 200 more Proton cars for patrolling

However, here's what's wrong with this picture.

- IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan said that the 400 additional personnel will be sent to patrol the streets of Johor Bahru over the next few days.
Don't you think that crime in JB can happen anytime and just putting people there over the next week won't really help things in the long run
- 11 new police stations will be set up soon
What does soon mean? When will there be a definate answer as to when?
- The 3 new HQs will be good, but the problem is not going to be solved just by putting a new building there.
The problem are the police officers, they need to be put on a schedule and be made to patrol the streets and neighborhoods properly. Everyone knows that although the government has purchased a few billion RM worth of cars for the Police, we never see them patrolling or waiting around street corners and so on. We only see them when they want "duit kopi" at roadblocks or when they are escorting some Minister.
- Tan Sri Musa Hassan, quoted as saying “These 400 policemen will help those presently doing crime prevention rounds."
Really? Where? I have hardly seen the cops patrolling in their new and fancy Wajas. IGP Musa must be dreaming or clearly not in control of his own police force because this is typical, the top brass have a wonderful view of what his captains are feeding him, and is completely unaware of what's happening on the ground. Perhaps he sees the police patrolling his neighborhood (because he lives there) and thinks, "Oh yes, I have made this country safer". Bullshit! IGP Musa, get off your ass and open your eyes, live like one of us and realise what is really happening.

What the police really needs is a proper house cleaning. Processes need to be revamped and controls need to be put in place to ensure the officers are doing their jobs. I believe that the intentions are good, with having more patrol cars, but what's the point if there is no system to ensure that the patrol cars are actually being fully utilised and maximised? It cannot be more obvious that the Johor police at Larkin doesn't need more cars, just see for yourself when you pass by the massive station with all the cars. But they are just sitting there, doing nothing.

Perhaps the government approved the budget to buy the cars but not the budget for petrol? I wouldn't be surprised. Because if it were budgeted for and not utilised, then naturally an internal query will take place on the underutilisation when they are audited. Ops, or are the auditors being paid off too?


The NST article:

JOHOR BARU: Two girls, one 15 years old and the other 16, yesterday became the latest victims in a rash of brutal rapes over the past two months.

In the first incident, a 16-year-old was abducted by four men on motorcycles from a park in Taman Tasik Dahlia about 1am. The men, in their 20s and 30s, took her to a secluded spot at Tanjung Langsat, some 20km away, where they took turns to rape her. They then sent her back to the park, where she caught a taxi and went home. She lodged a report the next morning, police said.

About five-and-a-half hours later in Senai, the 15-year-old was taken to the sewerage treatment plant in Taman Teknologi Skudai and brutally raped.The Form Three student and her 13-year-old brother were waiting in Jalan Ledang for their bus to school when a man claiming to be a police officer stopped and asked for their identity cards.When the pair told him they had left them at home, he told them to get in the car to go to collect them.During the drive, the suspect, in his 30s, began asking the girl inappropriate questions about herself. When they arrived at the children’s Tampoi home, he told her brother to go into the house and get the ICs. He then sped off with the girl.

At the plant, he held a knife to her neck and brutally raped her. Her school uniform was ripped off and she was slapped, punched and bitten. After forcing himself on her, the man gave her his jeans and T-shirt and took off, said police.

The girl was picked up by two women on the main road who took her home after calling her mother on a mobile phone.

It is learnt that the girl’s mother had called the school to check whether her daughter was there. It is said the teacher took more than half-an-hour to call the mother back. And when it became clear the girl was missing, the teacher did not immediately call the police, but went to the girl’s home to ask for more information.

A police report was lodged at the Tampoi police station several hours later. The girl said the man had curly hair and tanned skin.

The two rapes come on the back of a demonstration on Sunday, in which residents voiced their anger over a rash of robberies and gang rapes over the past two months.

In response, police have said the public should alert them to suspicious behaviour or crimes through their hotlines or via text messaging.