Reflections on Merdeka - 1Malaysia or 1Police State?

As I reflected on the 52nd Merdeka Day celebration and its 1Malaysia slogan that has been championed by Najib, I can’t help but ponder the many inconsistencies and contradictions inherent in our public institutions.

Firstly, the institution of the Royal Malaysian Police has changed its character from a guardian of the people, to one that has become a secret police, whose behaviour is no different from the Gestapo. We are mindful that we are living in a police state, rather than a 1Malaysia State. A grim reminder of this is when Pakatan Rakyat Perak launched a three-day hunger strike from 26 to 28 May 2009 to protest the refusal by BN Perak to dissolve the State Assembly and let Perakians decide the government of their choice through state elections. The scenes surrounding the Perak State Secretariat were reminiscent of a war zone, where instead of battling crime, the police overreacted by channelling all their energy to arrest lawmakers and other democracy loving citizens for wearing black and holding candlelight vigils!

The term police state describes a state in which the government exercises rigid and repressive control over the social, economic and political life of the people. This seems to fit our nation’s state of affairs. The inhabitants of a police state would also experience restrictions on their mobility and on their freedom to express views contrary to the government of the day.

The police had overstepped its authority by the harassment of duly elected representatives, and of peaceful protesters exercising their rights of assembly guaranteed under the Constitution. The police must remain above politics to have any integrity and the confidence of the people. Unfortunately, it has not, with the selective arrests of citizens wearing black and taking part in candlelight vigils. Detaining peaceful protesters who pose no threat to law and order would make Malaysia a 1Police State, rather than a 1Malaysia State.

The people of Malaysia must wake up and see their ideals of a free, democratic and multiracial society that is governed by the rule of law does not generate into a police state. If the Prime Minister is serious about 1Malaysia, then the government must be colour blind and end ethnic profiling for PSD scholarships. Najib’s 1Malaysia dream has been thrown into confusion when thousands of Malaysia’s best and brightest young students had been victims of injustice of the government’s scholarship system.

Secondly, the institution of the judiciary is more of a kangaroo court than a people’s court, when cases concerning the rightful Perak MB, has been suppressed without recourse for the people to decide through the ballot box. The 1Malaysia concept will not amount to anything if the Perak crisis remains stuck in limbo, as it will only mean that we are living in a 1Police State.

Najib’s much trumpeted “1Malaysia” slogan and even a song that goes with it, was openly trampled upon by none other than his Deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who had announced some time ago that UMNO would not impose any conditions for UMNO-PAS Unity government talks and was even prepared to accept whatever terms set by PAS and will discuss it “anytime, no problem”.

After 52 years of Merdeka, should we not be talking about Malaysian unity, instead of Malay unity? Surely the people must be wondering if 1Malaysia is just an empty slogan, as Malaysians are still divided along racial lines. As long as our country is still dominated by the racial politics of UMNO, MCA and MIC, it makes little sense to celebrate Merdeka, with all its inconsistencies and contradictions, when we still have racism and injustice that goes with 1Malaysia.

In memory of Michael Jackson

MJ: The talent, the tragedy and the triumph
Martin Jalleh

You brought back magic into music, leaving an indelible imprint. You gave dance an indescribable grace and showed impeccable mastery of movement.

You merged music and video and brought about a MTV generation. You magnificently and incredibly blended and bridged arena rock, soul and pop.

You moved the world's conscience with your humanitarian spirit and inspired us with your clarion call to care for the hungry, homeless, HIV/AIDS victims and those without hope.

You mesmerized peoples of all races, languages and cultures, in every country, instilling in them the message that what mattered most was love and mutual respect.

You were matchless - you were an original, creative, unique and magnetizing musician and artist.

You were a true troubadour who ruled and "thrilled" the world" and you were also a tortured soul and a troubled life with a tumultuous childhood.

You were the very "Man in the Mirror" who chased after a "Childhood" you never had. You craved to be Peter Pan, and clamoured to be a child forever on Neverland.

You were extraordinary. You were enchanting, exciting, entertaining and enamouring and you were also notoriously eccentric and erratic.

You were the world's greatest pop icon, and an inspiration to countless - and sadly you were also accused of ignoble deeds such as being a child predator and "dangerous" to the young.

You dared us to look at the "Man in the Mirror" - and you would also literally deface and deform what you saw in the mirror, with three decades of plastic surgeries.

You sang "We are the World". You moonwalked all over the earth. But often you waked alone - like a lonely lost comet spinning out of control, a sullen solitary sorry sight.

You wanted to "heal the world" - you, a "wounded orphan", a masked man with a "washed-out dream" and a weary worn-out soul of make-believe marriages, a King of pop finding peace in painkillers.

You were so free and yet so "addicted" to the adulation and adoration of your fans which in the end annihilated you. You were alienated from a normal life, a man of undisputed fame made to look like a freak.

You were a "beautiful boy" who tried so hard to bounce back and to "beat it" when you realized you were near-barren of creativity and bankruptcy. You were a blessed soul who died of a broken heart.

You were a superstar scarred. You were a very human hero - frail and flawed - and yet, the finest and "simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived".

You were tainted talent with transcendent creativity - musical magnificence of immeasurable magnitude. Goodbye Michael Joseph Jackson. May God grant you peace.

We will remember you - a man who made HIStory.

By Martin Jalleh

Two party system is better than unity govt

Nik Aziz denounces unity government advocates as ‘Umno puppets’ (Malaysian Insider)

KOTA BARU, June 11 – PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat today rapped party members who defended the proposal for a unity government mooted by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and described them as “Umno puppets”.

He also disagreed with the party’s central election director, Datuk Mustafa Ali, who had called on all PAS leaders and those in the Pakatan Rakyat to cease issuing statements on the proposed unity government to avoid confusing party members.

“I cannot run away from the decision made at the PAS assembly in Ipoh last year ... the decision was to support the Pakatan Rakyat. Those who support this unity (government) are Umno puppets, clear and obvious.”

“The unwarranted call from PAS to form a unity government is (by) Umno puppets,” he told reporters at his official residence, JKR 10, here today.

When put to him that the idea of the unity government came from Abdul Hadi himself, Nik Abdul Aziz said the statement did not reflect PAS’ desire.

“The president is a leader of an organisation, and (since) the decision is not made by the organisation, then it is his personal statement,” he added.

On Mustafa’s call for all leaders in the Pakatan Rakyat to stop issuing statements on the issue, Nik Aziz said there was no reason why they should do so.

“The differences in opinion do no come from PAS, but certain people in PAS who are now feeling the heat and want the matter to be closed. How to close people’s mouth?” he added. – Bernama

Yes, how to close my mouth? I'm upset with this Unity Govt talk, after all the hardwork done by Pakatan Rakyat. How to pakat now? Now certain quarters in PAS want to pakat with UMNO. It's sad that they don't seem to learn their lessons from past history..

In the midst of darkness, the light of justice will shine on...

I've seen judges and lawyers wear black to Court. Does that mean others who wear black are law breakers? The police paranoid fear of black shirt protesters mourning the death of democracy in Malaysia near YB Teresa Kok's office yesterday seems to indicate that they are more fearful of black shirted protesters than criminals who continue to roam the streets threatening the lives of ordinary people.

It also shows that the police are incompetent and answerable only to their BN masters and not the people nor do they respect the sanctity of the Federal Consitution which provides the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech.

They are swift in punishing Pakatan leaders but painfully slow when it comes to other ordinary citizens. Take for example the following crimes which has been dreadfully slow in their investigations: Kugan, Altantuya, cases of missing kids, snatch thefts, robberies, rapes, etc.

So what is going on??? Why the senseless and needless arrests over elected reps and others who don't even pose a threat to national security but only because they were wearing black to get their messages across. I thought mourners wear black in funerals. Are the police prepared to arrest them too???

I wear black too and black is the colour of justice. That's why lawyers wear them. Come arrest me too and make my day!!!

Where are the grounds of judgment?

It has been reported by Malaysian Insider today that lawyers for several cases involving the Perak political crisis are still in the dark over the grounds of judgment and are urging the judges to write them down for the sake of public interest.

The lawyers for Datuk Seri Nizar had written to the Federal Court requesting the grounds of judgment for the March 23 decision of the Federal Court to send their lawsuit against Datuk Seri Zambry back to the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Their request for grounds of judgment was rejected with the reason being that the Federal Court had allowed the preliminary objection.

It was understood that lawyers for Perak Speaker V. Sivakumar had also written to the Federal Court requesting the grounds of judgment pertaining to the declaration that it has the jurisdiction under the Perak constitution to hear the case concerning the three frogs who had defected to Barisan Nasional as well as the case where the speaker had suspended Zambry and his six state executive councillors.

As the cases are of public interest, it is important that the public are able to examine for themselves the grounds of judgment in order to understand how the judgment came about in the current political crisis in Perak.

Are the Courts willing to be transparent on this issue?

Shocking arrest of peaceful activist

The shocking arrest of Bersih activist Wong Chin Huat may be an indication of how Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's administration deals with criticism with an iron fist.

Let us mourn the "death of democracy" when BN took over Perak from the Pakatan Rakyat government through illegal means with a bunch of frogs. Wong's call to wear black is simply a democratic right as a citizen of this country to voice his dissatisfaction over the status of the Perak State Govt.

Will this be a start of a major crackdown on dissenting voices through the use of the ISA, even when it was announced that it will be reviewed, instead of being abolished. The Sedition Act is a convenient tool to instil fear in the rakyat's minds. But we must not be cowed by the intimidation of the authorities through the use of the police to crackdown on dissent. We will be no better than Myanmar in terms of human rights abuses in this country.

As the dark clouds loom over the horizon as I write this, can't help but feel that this is an omen on what is to come under the 1Malaysia slogan championed by Najib. Will this inevitably lead to a One Umno Malaysia? Only time will tell as to who the dictator is.

For now, I will be wearing black on May 7 and will stand in solidarity with the oppressed like Wong Chin Huat..

Anwar Ibrahim crediting my article in his blog

The above title will link to Anwar's blog. Below is the transcript of it.


Ashvin Raj menulis pandangannya di laman Malaysiakini:

I would like to highlight a main difference between Anwar’s attempt of Sept 16 to form a new government and what’s going on in Perak. Anwar said that he had the numbers. He did not say that he ‘bought them’ for a price.

Anwar only gave a call but no money was offered. In this Perak case, a statutory declaration made by a PKR member strongly alleges that money ranging in the millions was offered to Pakatan YBs in order to entice them to crossover.

In this sense, money is the main difference here. I doubt PKR offered any sum of money to BN reps to join Pakatan, as they don’t have access to huge federal funds, unlike BN which has millions of ringgit as the federal government of the day.

What has happened in Perak is cowardice to say the least. The people’s mandate had not been given to BN to rule Perak, but to Pakatan.

I don’t blame the Sultan of Perak, but Najib and his cronies for enticing politicians from Pakatan to join them. This is most shameful and cowardly in that they used a bait of millions of ringgit to lure them.

Were there any monies offered by Pakatan to any BN rep before Sept 16 to join Pakatan and form a new federal government?

Of course, it is ethically wrong to hop from one party to another. But my point here is this, who has the stronger bargaining power when it comes to enticing YBs to crossover?

Certainly it is the one with the most funds and assets accumulated over the past 50 years and that is none other than the corrupt BN regime led by Najib.

—-

Terima kasih saudara Ashvin kerana prihatin sekali. Malah saya sedia meneliti hujah pengunjung meskipun kritikal terhadap pendirian kami. Sayugia diulangi peringatan mengenai singgungan lucah, fitnah dan rendah akalbudi. Saudara-saudari dipohon mengenepikan saja luahan sengsara dan bebal seperti ini dengan mempertahankan akhlak dan budi pekerti.

Percubaan meleset para soldadu tua dan muda yang mendakwa mirip persamaan adegan “lompat” UMNO-BN dengan saranan saya sebelum ini! Dan sepertimana yang dihebah oeh TV3 umpamanya ternyata hambar kerana mempertahankan adegan ala penculikan, rasuah dan ugutan dengan arahan Dato’ Seri Najib.

Pelawaan saya adalah secara terbuka dan sambutan juga harus telus. Tidak ada yang dilari atau disembunyikan dari keluarga sendiri, diugut atau disogok. Kalangan yang memilih untuk menyertai Pakatan Rakyat harus akur dengan agenda perubahan serta menolak kerakusan kuasa dan rasuah.

ANWAR IBRAHIM