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All Present And Accounted For PDF Print
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Wednesday, 17 September 2008 10:44

Like many others, I stopped breathing last Friday evening as I saw my worst fears begin to materialize.

For some time now, talk of a crackdown similar to the 1987 Operasi Lalang had been intensifying, in part due to the Government’s unapologetic stance as to its readiness to use the Internal Security Act when it thought it necessary. This had not given much comfort to those who remember the dragnets of 1987 and 2001. If history had taught us anything, it was that in a world where politics determines so much, “when necessary” is a heavily nuanced and very subjective notion. We cannot be faulted for assuming that UMNO will employ the ISA to its convenience if it is in its political interests to do so.

As the events of the weekend have shown us, our assumption has some basis.

READ MORE HERE: http://malikimtiaz.blogspot.com/2008/09/all-present-and-accounted-for.html

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written by asguard, September 17, 2008 10:49:04
As we know already.. UMNO is capable of anything (in malay word is apa-apa sahaja)
that is their motto...anything will be use against just to remained in power by all means...
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written by samesamemam, September 17, 2008 11:49:16
Dear Malik Imtiaz,

I`m not sure if this may help explain the situation. I was oso quite confused, afraid, not sure if it was a repeat of 1987 and 2001. So, confused that I am, I did what I usually do when troubled...I watch some of the video recordings I had done on documentaries from natgeo, discovery channel, etc Then I saw this one documentary on primate behaviour...and it made sense to me.

I`d like to call it the patriarchal and primitive psychology of primate politics and policing, or 6 Ps...By 'pratriarchal' I mean a show run by men; by 'primitive' I mean that characterized by simplicity or crudity or unsophisticated; I should think you know what I mean by primate, politics and policing. If neuroscience and psychology can teach us anything about politics, it's that we should approach the sport with a sense of irony and an appreciation for contingency. Yes, crucial issues are at stake - let's not forget that - but the political process is rarely about these issues. Instead, it's about reaffirming an irrational identity and tickling those gut feelings that operate at a very subterranean level.

We shouldn't be surprised when every transition in politics - even that between two or three political personalities committed to some vague post-partisan future - veers into identity politics and the culture war. I can't help but watch these conventions through the lens of Jane Goodall, as a gathering of social primates affirming their role within the tribe. Politics is an emotional sport, defined by teams with visceral identities, and not some rational arena in which issues and analysis take center stage. Of course politics always degenerates into some version of Us versus Them: that's just human nature.

Politics is a primate sport. We're used to marveling over the fact that the taller man usually wins, that commanding, alpha-male jock toughness is de rigeur for successful political postings. Sometimes even political females' appeal drives home the perhaps inevitable but nevertheless regrettable fact that female political success is at some level going to be grounded in primate appeal, too. But even if it does not, these alpha-male primates keep attacking the threatening male as well as target the females whom they perceive as showing allegiance to the threatening male. But I don't want to push too hard on the biopsychology of this. Biology is heavily strained through through the filter of contingent culture and identity.

Yes Malik, humans behave politically exactly like monkeys. We can even learn from them about ourselves. Important research is being conducted nowadays on that topic. But pay attention: it seems it's not the taller or the stronger ape who always wins, but the one who succeeds in mastering the social relations and building a larger net of allies. James Scott wrote about the Malay peasantry in his Weapons of the weak...but that was then. Brechtian modes of resistance in everyday life in order to appreciate the full range of possibilities and limitations under conditions of inequality are things of the past, at least in Malaysia. Many, many Malay, Indian, Chinese and all poor of every ethnic group now know about weapons of the strong....they know it because we have moved into the 21st century, whence political criminals like the Milosovics, the charles tailors, the Pinochets, the Marcos' and tha Radavan Karadicks get hounded by a global citizenry no matter how long it takes...they will be brought to account for their actions, the money they stole and place in so-called safe banks will be returned, the people they unjustly tortured or killed will have their voices heard...even if it is done posthumously...

But the politics of patriarchal, primitive, primate politics in Malaysia is having its last fling...at least I hope so…it will help them if they can learn that they have to change and embrace the reality… So, I learnt, its not you or me who is confused…it’s the monkey politicians who’s trying to do a tightrope between maintaining the primate politics and giving the appearance of doing politics and policing in 21st century Malaysia and against those who are breaking ranks with the alpha-male. I`m banking on the new alpha-males with the alternative agenda…but please remember lah…we are in the 21st century now…so, enough of the monkey politics.
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written by cheekhiaw, September 17, 2008 12:10:21
You may learn a lot from monkeys but the reverse may not be true to the same extent.

The answer lies beyond biology.

xxx
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written by Hitenwolf, September 17, 2008 21:57:18
Badawi decried Anwar's claim of getting the required numbers as lies but he should say that for himself. Remember the Jeanne's lies to the press, his deny of dissolving parliament for the GE12, his promise of no fuel price hike and his denial of not knowing the ISA detention of RPK, Teresa and Hoong Cheng. The PM could lie without a blink of an eye and could be so naive as to ask Anwar for the number of defectors and to blame Anwar for the nation's ills when his beleaguered state, dissent within UMNO, Mahathir's and Mukhriz's incessant calls for him to step down and his own incompetency in economic and political management of the country are the reasons why the nation is so sick today.

When the rakyat can openly see that he has made no effort to change for the better and favourably turn the nation around, obviously they won't trust the PM ad his UMNO-led BN. If Mahathir is a menace to the nation, then Badawi is a stimbling block to Malaysia's advancement.
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