Umno Deputy Youth Leader and the Prime Minister's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin has offended Hindus and the Indian community by attacking Indian newsvendors at the recent Umno General Assembly.
We are outraged when Khairy blamed Indians as the cause why Umno President Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's presidential address at the Umno General Assembly was not published on Thursday which is deepavali day and a press shut down day.
It is foolish to blame newsvendors for your own foolishness to fix the Umno assembly on a deepavalli day.
Why were the Umno officers so slack. Everybody knows that deepavali is a pores shut down day and there will be no newspapers. But Umno and Datuk Seri Abdullah when ahead and now blame the poor vendors.
Khairy said "Today is the first time the Umno president's speech is not being read by the masses because a particular ethnic group controls the distribution line of newspapers and they are on holiday."
Yes, true. Who is too blame, Umno or the poor newsvendors.
The holding of the Umno General Assembly during Deepavali, a gazette public holiday, had also upset many Malaysians, both Hindus and non-Hindus, as it seems to point to a growing pattern of insensitivity by the powers-that-be in the country.
If the MIC, MCA or Gerakan had held their annual party assemblies during Hari Raya holidays, it would have been regarded as highly insensitive, offensive and unacceptable – and undoubtedly pressures would have been brought to bear to move such assemblies to another date.
Why wasn't the same consideration given in the case of this year's Umno General Assembly clashing with Deepavali – as the excuse that Abdullah had a "tight schedule" is simply just unacceptable?
Newsvendors wake up at 3am to start distributing newspapers from 5am. They work very hard and their labour should be admired and respected not belittled.
Khairy should apologies to the Indian community for his uncalled-for and most unwarranted aspersions on the Indian community yesterday.
M. Kulasegaran
We are outraged when Khairy blamed Indians as the cause why Umno President Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's presidential address at the Umno General Assembly was not published on Thursday which is deepavali day and a press shut down day.
It is foolish to blame newsvendors for your own foolishness to fix the Umno assembly on a deepavalli day.
Why were the Umno officers so slack. Everybody knows that deepavali is a pores shut down day and there will be no newspapers. But Umno and Datuk Seri Abdullah when ahead and now blame the poor vendors.
Khairy said "Today is the first time the Umno president's speech is not being read by the masses because a particular ethnic group controls the distribution line of newspapers and they are on holiday."
Yes, true. Who is too blame, Umno or the poor newsvendors.
The holding of the Umno General Assembly during Deepavali, a gazette public holiday, had also upset many Malaysians, both Hindus and non-Hindus, as it seems to point to a growing pattern of insensitivity by the powers-that-be in the country.
If the MIC, MCA or Gerakan had held their annual party assemblies during Hari Raya holidays, it would have been regarded as highly insensitive, offensive and unacceptable – and undoubtedly pressures would have been brought to bear to move such assemblies to another date.
Why wasn't the same consideration given in the case of this year's Umno General Assembly clashing with Deepavali – as the excuse that Abdullah had a "tight schedule" is simply just unacceptable?
Newsvendors wake up at 3am to start distributing newspapers from 5am. They work very hard and their labour should be admired and respected not belittled.
Khairy should apologies to the Indian community for his uncalled-for and most unwarranted aspersions on the Indian community yesterday.
M. Kulasegaran
Pilihanraya yang tidak adil dan berat sebelah adalah sama dengan tiada demokrasi kerana system pilihanraya yang berat sebelah hanya akan melahirkan natijah yang serupa dengan sekiranya tiada pilihanraya: pengekalan regim yang serupa.
Dalam dua tiga hari ini kita melihat berbagai2 respon datang dari pimpinan2 UMNO sebagai reaksi kepada Perhimpunan Bersih pada 10 November 2007.
Di sini suka saya memberi komen kepada beberapa komen yg telah dilayangkan oleh pemimpin2 UMNO.
Komen pertama dari Menteri Penerangan Datuk Zainuddin Maidin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4ZTHXn5g7Y&NR=1):
“Demonstrasi tidak perlu kerana kita sudah ada piliharaya di dalam Negara kita”
Respon saya: Mungkin Datuk Zam kurang memahami dan memperlihatkan kurang-cerdiknya kerana tidak celik apa itu demokrasi. Sekiranya kenyataan Datuk Zam ini benar, mengapa di keseluruhan Negara Barat yang mempraktik demokrasi, rapat umum dan demonstrasi dibenarkan? Bukan sahaja Negara Barat, jiran kita Indonesia rakyatnya berhimpun dan berdemonstrasi, jiran kita Thailand, rakyatnya demo sampai berminggu sehingga PM dia terpaksa lari keluar negara. Malah Negara Korea Selatan yang begitu berdisiplin rakyatnya berdemo dengan teratur, siap menyanyi dan berpakaian seragam. Orang London berdemo beratus ribu keluar kejalan raya beberapa hari kerana masalah duit pencen sahaja.
Datuk Zam nampaknya amat dangkal di dalam memahami demokrasi. Demokrasi tidak terbatas kepada pilihanraya semata-mata. Demokrasi juga bergantung kepada kebebasan bersuara, kebebasan berfikir, kebebasan menulis dan menyebarkan maklumat, kebebasan berkumpul dan beraktiviti dsbnya.
Umpama, demokrasi adalah sebuah kereta, pilihanraya adalah enjinnya, kebebasan bersuara adalah tayarnya. Tanpa tayar, walau semana kuat dan bagus enjin, kereta tetap tidak bermakna.
Datuk Zam juga sepatutnya sedar bahawa yang dipersoalkan sekarang adalah system pilihanraya di Malaysia. Sistem pilihanraya di Malaysia adalah berat sebelah, korup, tidak adil dan tidak telus. Bagaimana sebuah system pilihanraya yang tidak adil seperti di Malaysia boleh dijadikan hujjah oleh Datuk Zam?
Komen kedua dari Datuk Nazri Aziz (http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/74681);
“Kami menyokong demonstrasi Myanmar kerana di Myanmar tiada pilihanraya, tiada demokrasi. Di Malaysia, kita ada pilihanraya dan ada demokrasi”
Respon saya: Apa bezanya sistem pilihanraya yang berat sebelah dengan tiada pilihanraya. Kedua2 nya mempunyai natijah yang serupa, yakni pengekalan rejim yang sedia ada.
Pilihanraya bertujuan memberi kuasa kepada rakyat untuk memilih siapa yang mereka kehendaki untuk memerintah mereka. Sekiranya system pilihanraya itu sendiri songsang dan berat sebelah, suara rakyat sudah tiada makna sama sekali.
Keluarlah rakyat kesemuanya untuk mengundi namun natijahnya tetap serupa. Samalah seperti di Myamar.
Komen ketiga dari Khary Jamaluddin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-hU3bHjSIQ):
“That’s why we have seen in the last few elections they’ve been given more access in the media, before there was almost none, of course they would like more in the main stream media but they enjoyed a lot more in their party organs, in their web sites they publish in web sites that supports them. These are all editorial preferences and it’s the same in the West as well”
Komen : Apa yang saudara Khairy Jamaluddin tidak sebut ialah di Negara Barat, sesiapa sahaja mempunyai kebebasan untuk menubuhkan serta menjalankan media mereka sendiri, tidak seperti di Malaysia.
Semua pihak menerima konsep “editorial preference” yang dinyatakan oleh Khairy. PAS sebagai contoh tidak mempunyai masaalah sekiranya akhbar NST hendak menyokong UMNO 100%.
Apa yang menjadi masaalah ialah mengapa Kerajaan Malaysia menghalang kami untuk menubuhkan media kami sendiri. Juga, kes yang sama kepada pihak2 lain.
Sebagai contoh, sekiranya Malaysia benar2 mempraktik kebebasan bersuara, mengapa:
a. Permohonan Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan untuk mengadakan stesen radio sendiri tidak diluluskan sehingga sekarang?
b. Harakah tidak dibenarkan diterbitkan dua kali seminggu
c. Permohonan Akhbar “Purnama” tidak diluluskan sehingga sekarang
d. Permohonan Malaysiakini untuk menerbitkan versi cetak tidak diluluskan sehingga sekarang.
Hakikatnya Khairy Jamaluddin cuba bermain wayang kerana kebebasan media tidak wujud di Malaysia. Dan, antara tuntutan Bersih yang utama adalah supaya kebebasan media diberikan kepada semua pihak yang bertanding dan tidak bertanding di dalam pilihanraya.
Tanpa kebebasan media, tidak jauh bezanya pilihanraya di Malaysia dengan keadaan ketiadaan pilihanraya di Myanmar.
Komen keempat adalah dari Khairy Jamaluddin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FybbGOvvjo)”
“Selama-lama ini mereka bertanding tapi hari ini mereka menutut untuk pilihanraya yang bersih”
Komen saya: Sekiranya pilihanraya benar2 bersih nescaya selama ini pembangkang tidak kalah di dalam bertanding di dalam pilihanraya.
Komen kelima: Dato Azalina kata peserta Himpunan Bersih dayus.....
Komen saya: Kesian saya pada Dato kerana tidak faham makna dayus. Dayus maknanya seseorang yang tidak berani, penakut, tidak mahu dan tidak berusaha untuk melunasi tanggung jawabnya. Contoh seorang suami yang tidak memeberi nafkah kepada isteri kerana malas hendak bekerja. Contoh seorang suami yang juga pemimpin Negara yang biar isteri dia berlaga pipi dengan selebriti. Contoh seorang bapa yang membiarkan anak perempuannya diusung oleh lelaki sana-sini. Contoh orang Islam UMNO yang membiarkan masjid dan surau dirobohkan walaupun ada kuasa. (Samy Vellu lebih berani dan tidak dayus sehingga membatalkan semua hari terbuka deepavali demi membela kuil yang dirobohkan). Contoh ahli UMNO/BN yang takut untuk berhadapan dengan parti” pembangkang dalam pilihan raya yang adil dan telus. Itulah contoh2 dayus sebenarnya Kami yang turun beratus ribu pada 10 Nov meski pun diugut dan dihalang begitu hebat adalah rakyat yang berani, tidak dayus dan bukan penakut macam perwakilan UMNO yang hendak bercakap perkara benar isu semasa dalam perhimpunan agung UMNO baru-baru ini.
Sebenarnya dayus ialah apabila sebuah parti politik menggunakan jentera kerajaan, undang-undang, polis dan tentera dsbnya untuk memenangi plihanraya. Tidak mahu bergantung kepada usaha dan kudrat sendiri, terpaksa bergantung kepada jentera milik raykat untuk memenangkan diri sendiri. Itulah sebenarnya definisi dayus.
Sekiranya UMNO tidak dayus, nescaya UMNO tidak akan menggunakan polis untuk menggagalkan perhimpunan 10 November 2007.
Komen Keenam dari Datuk Johari Baharom:
“Perhimpunan ini adalah perhimpunan haram”
Komen saya : Kalau hendak diikutkan perhimpunan menentang Malayan Union dalam tahun 1946 dahulu pun adalah perhimpunan haram. Mengapa sehingga hari ini UMNO meraikan ulangtahun “perhimpunan haram” menentang Malayan Union?
Dr Lo’ Lo’ Ghazali
AJK PAS Pusat
Dalam dua tiga hari ini kita melihat berbagai2 respon datang dari pimpinan2 UMNO sebagai reaksi kepada Perhimpunan Bersih pada 10 November 2007.
Di sini suka saya memberi komen kepada beberapa komen yg telah dilayangkan oleh pemimpin2 UMNO.
Komen pertama dari Menteri Penerangan Datuk Zainuddin Maidin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4ZTHXn5g7Y&NR=1):
“Demonstrasi tidak perlu kerana kita sudah ada piliharaya di dalam Negara kita”
Respon saya: Mungkin Datuk Zam kurang memahami dan memperlihatkan kurang-cerdiknya kerana tidak celik apa itu demokrasi. Sekiranya kenyataan Datuk Zam ini benar, mengapa di keseluruhan Negara Barat yang mempraktik demokrasi, rapat umum dan demonstrasi dibenarkan? Bukan sahaja Negara Barat, jiran kita Indonesia rakyatnya berhimpun dan berdemonstrasi, jiran kita Thailand, rakyatnya demo sampai berminggu sehingga PM dia terpaksa lari keluar negara. Malah Negara Korea Selatan yang begitu berdisiplin rakyatnya berdemo dengan teratur, siap menyanyi dan berpakaian seragam. Orang London berdemo beratus ribu keluar kejalan raya beberapa hari kerana masalah duit pencen sahaja.
Datuk Zam nampaknya amat dangkal di dalam memahami demokrasi. Demokrasi tidak terbatas kepada pilihanraya semata-mata. Demokrasi juga bergantung kepada kebebasan bersuara, kebebasan berfikir, kebebasan menulis dan menyebarkan maklumat, kebebasan berkumpul dan beraktiviti dsbnya.
Umpama, demokrasi adalah sebuah kereta, pilihanraya adalah enjinnya, kebebasan bersuara adalah tayarnya. Tanpa tayar, walau semana kuat dan bagus enjin, kereta tetap tidak bermakna.
Datuk Zam juga sepatutnya sedar bahawa yang dipersoalkan sekarang adalah system pilihanraya di Malaysia. Sistem pilihanraya di Malaysia adalah berat sebelah, korup, tidak adil dan tidak telus. Bagaimana sebuah system pilihanraya yang tidak adil seperti di Malaysia boleh dijadikan hujjah oleh Datuk Zam?
Komen kedua dari Datuk Nazri Aziz (http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/74681);
“Kami menyokong demonstrasi Myanmar kerana di Myanmar tiada pilihanraya, tiada demokrasi. Di Malaysia, kita ada pilihanraya dan ada demokrasi”
Respon saya: Apa bezanya sistem pilihanraya yang berat sebelah dengan tiada pilihanraya. Kedua2 nya mempunyai natijah yang serupa, yakni pengekalan rejim yang sedia ada.
Pilihanraya bertujuan memberi kuasa kepada rakyat untuk memilih siapa yang mereka kehendaki untuk memerintah mereka. Sekiranya system pilihanraya itu sendiri songsang dan berat sebelah, suara rakyat sudah tiada makna sama sekali.
Keluarlah rakyat kesemuanya untuk mengundi namun natijahnya tetap serupa. Samalah seperti di Myamar.
Komen ketiga dari Khary Jamaluddin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-hU3bHjSIQ):
“That’s why we have seen in the last few elections they’ve been given more access in the media, before there was almost none, of course they would like more in the main stream media but they enjoyed a lot more in their party organs, in their web sites they publish in web sites that supports them. These are all editorial preferences and it’s the same in the West as well”
Komen : Apa yang saudara Khairy Jamaluddin tidak sebut ialah di Negara Barat, sesiapa sahaja mempunyai kebebasan untuk menubuhkan serta menjalankan media mereka sendiri, tidak seperti di Malaysia.
Semua pihak menerima konsep “editorial preference” yang dinyatakan oleh Khairy. PAS sebagai contoh tidak mempunyai masaalah sekiranya akhbar NST hendak menyokong UMNO 100%.
Apa yang menjadi masaalah ialah mengapa Kerajaan Malaysia menghalang kami untuk menubuhkan media kami sendiri. Juga, kes yang sama kepada pihak2 lain.
Sebagai contoh, sekiranya Malaysia benar2 mempraktik kebebasan bersuara, mengapa:
a. Permohonan Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan untuk mengadakan stesen radio sendiri tidak diluluskan sehingga sekarang?
b. Harakah tidak dibenarkan diterbitkan dua kali seminggu
c. Permohonan Akhbar “Purnama” tidak diluluskan sehingga sekarang
d. Permohonan Malaysiakini untuk menerbitkan versi cetak tidak diluluskan sehingga sekarang.
Hakikatnya Khairy Jamaluddin cuba bermain wayang kerana kebebasan media tidak wujud di Malaysia. Dan, antara tuntutan Bersih yang utama adalah supaya kebebasan media diberikan kepada semua pihak yang bertanding dan tidak bertanding di dalam pilihanraya.
Tanpa kebebasan media, tidak jauh bezanya pilihanraya di Malaysia dengan keadaan ketiadaan pilihanraya di Myanmar.
Komen keempat adalah dari Khairy Jamaluddin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FybbGOvvjo)”
“Selama-lama ini mereka bertanding tapi hari ini mereka menutut untuk pilihanraya yang bersih”
Komen saya: Sekiranya pilihanraya benar2 bersih nescaya selama ini pembangkang tidak kalah di dalam bertanding di dalam pilihanraya.
Komen kelima: Dato Azalina kata peserta Himpunan Bersih dayus.....
Komen saya: Kesian saya pada Dato kerana tidak faham makna dayus. Dayus maknanya seseorang yang tidak berani, penakut, tidak mahu dan tidak berusaha untuk melunasi tanggung jawabnya. Contoh seorang suami yang tidak memeberi nafkah kepada isteri kerana malas hendak bekerja. Contoh seorang suami yang juga pemimpin Negara yang biar isteri dia berlaga pipi dengan selebriti. Contoh seorang bapa yang membiarkan anak perempuannya diusung oleh lelaki sana-sini. Contoh orang Islam UMNO yang membiarkan masjid dan surau dirobohkan walaupun ada kuasa. (Samy Vellu lebih berani dan tidak dayus sehingga membatalkan semua hari terbuka deepavali demi membela kuil yang dirobohkan). Contoh ahli UMNO/BN yang takut untuk berhadapan dengan parti” pembangkang dalam pilihan raya yang adil dan telus. Itulah contoh2 dayus sebenarnya Kami yang turun beratus ribu pada 10 Nov meski pun diugut dan dihalang begitu hebat adalah rakyat yang berani, tidak dayus dan bukan penakut macam perwakilan UMNO yang hendak bercakap perkara benar isu semasa dalam perhimpunan agung UMNO baru-baru ini.
Sebenarnya dayus ialah apabila sebuah parti politik menggunakan jentera kerajaan, undang-undang, polis dan tentera dsbnya untuk memenangi plihanraya. Tidak mahu bergantung kepada usaha dan kudrat sendiri, terpaksa bergantung kepada jentera milik raykat untuk memenangkan diri sendiri. Itulah sebenarnya definisi dayus.
Sekiranya UMNO tidak dayus, nescaya UMNO tidak akan menggunakan polis untuk menggagalkan perhimpunan 10 November 2007.
Komen Keenam dari Datuk Johari Baharom:
“Perhimpunan ini adalah perhimpunan haram”
Komen saya : Kalau hendak diikutkan perhimpunan menentang Malayan Union dalam tahun 1946 dahulu pun adalah perhimpunan haram. Mengapa sehingga hari ini UMNO meraikan ulangtahun “perhimpunan haram” menentang Malayan Union?
Dr Lo’ Lo’ Ghazali
AJK PAS Pusat
By Old Sea Dog
Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan, the regional development corridors being proposed by Abdullah Badawi are just media hype prior to the next General Elections. Once the elections are over these development corridors are just not going to happen. This is becoming more obvious.
Firstly the Government cannot even agree on what to call these ‘development corridors’. In the beginning they called it the South Johor Economic Region or SJER. Then on the day of its launching in November last year the Prime Minister called it ‘Iskandar’ – in honour of the Sultan of Johor. But even the Sultan was surprised at his name being used without his prior consultation. Now the SJER is called the Iskandar Development Region or IDR.
Then the PM launched the NCER or Northern Corridor Economic Region covering Perak, Penang, Kedah and Perlis. After this the ECER or Eastern Corridor for Economic Development was launched covering Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan. There is no serious planning about any of these corridors hence even the names are just plucked out of thin air.
The Prime Minister said that he would prefer the name WEPT for the ECER. The Prime Minister dwelt at length on this subject. He said WEPT stood for ‘Wilayah Ekonomi Pantai Timur’ but someone told him ‘wept’ means ‘to cry’. Being a graduate of Islamic Studies the PM was not aware of this before. However, his wife told him that WEPT was ok because even if it meant crying it was in the past tense. The people had wept or cried, now they need not cry anymore. So WEPT was good. At the last minute someone told the Prime Minister that ‘ecer’ in the local dialect meant to divide or share. So ECER has stuck.
Melaka and Negeri Sembilan have been completely left out of the development corridors on the Peninsula. They will not get any ‘ecer’. So Melaka and Negeri Sembilan can weep. Then over in Sarawak the Prime Minister was supposed to launch the last economic corridor today, November 13, 2007. But there is some confusion about the Sarawak corridor.
According to the Borneo Times ‘Sarawak’s regional corridor of development will span from Tanjong Manis to Bintulu.’ It was known as ‘Ricoda’ which stands for ‘regional corridor of development’. Or so everyone thought. However, ‘Ricoda’ has somehow changed name to become something called ‘Score’. Here is yesterday’s Borneo Times:
Monday, November 12th, 2007 : Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is expected to officially launch the corridor, which is believed to be named the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score), soon.
So now it is a 'Corridor of Renewable Energy'. But according to Bernama there is no such launching of either Score or Ricoda today. Instead the Prime Minister will be launching a ‘mega’ road junction near the Kuching airport. After that he will officiate the construction of a hotel, an Islamic Centre worth RM100.0 million and then end up having dinner with the Chief Minister before returning home to Kuala Lumpur.
Unlike Melaka and Negeri Sembilan which have decided to keep mum (they are smarter) about not being included in any of the development corridors, Sabah has kicked up a fuss and demanded their own development corridor. Not to worry. The Prime Minister said that the Sabah development corridor will take off by the end of the year. Here is The Star:
“After six months of planning, the details of Sabah’s development corridor will be finalised in a meeting in Kuala Lumpur this Friday. Speaking at the launching of the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) 22nd congress yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he was happy that there were no obstacles in finalising the corridor’s blueprint.”
As for its name the Prime Minister is pondering ‘Breaking Wind’ to tally with ‘Land Below the Wind’.
These are not real mega projects. They are only ‘mega announcements’. It is not just the confusing names which expose the fraud. The mind boggling numbers that are being thrown out are completely not feasible.
For comparison the North South Highway cost RM4.0 billion. The KLCC Twin Towers project cost about RM2.5 billion. The KLIA was initially costed at RM3.5 billion but went beyond that. Putrajaya is estimated to have cost RM8.0 billion. The Putra LRT system initially cost under RM2.0 billion. The Star LRT cost about RM1.0 billion. The first Penang Bridge was built for under RM900 million. The Sepang F1 Circuit cost under RM350 million. This only adds up to RM22.25 billion. Even allowing a RM10.0 billion margin for error, it could not exceed RM32.25 billion. These projects were built over 22 years of Dr Mahathir’s administration and have helped put our country on the world map.
Now let us look at Abdullah Bodowi’s numbers : The Northern Corridor Economic Region or NCER will require RM118.0 billion over 10 years. The ECER will require RM112.0 billion over 12 years. The first five years of the IDR will involve RM50.0 billion. This already adds up to RM280 billion. We have not heard the numbers for Ricoda (or Score) and Breaking Wind yet. If we conservatively estimate RM50 billion each for Sarawak and Sabah the total amount of investments needed in all the corridors will be RM380 billion, all within the next 12 years. This means there must be an average of RM31 billion being spent on development projects in the country every year for the next 12 years.
To put it into perspective, we must build a KLIA, a new KLCC Twin Towers, a new Putrajaya, a new N-S Highway, at least two LRT systems, a new Sepang circuit and a Penang Bride every year for the next 12 years. This is just not going to happen. The Prime Minister is lying. This is why if we visit the Iskandar Development Region website at http://www.irda.com.my there is no more mention of all these Ringgit amounts anymore. They have all been removed.
According to a senior Government official, at the recent launch of the ECER in Kota Bharu, the Menteri Besar of Kelantan Dato Nik Aziz Nik Mat reminded the Prime Minister that there are two types of development. One is ‘pembangunan yang benar’ or real development. The other one is ‘pembangunan bercakap’ or just empty talk. The Menteri Besar also made known that all the hundreds of billions of Ringgit that were being bandied about were ‘mengkagumkan’ or awesome. In other words he did not believe a word of what the Prime Minister was saying. The Tok Guru was correct on this one.
Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan, the regional development corridors being proposed by Abdullah Badawi are just media hype prior to the next General Elections. Once the elections are over these development corridors are just not going to happen. This is becoming more obvious.
Firstly the Government cannot even agree on what to call these ‘development corridors’. In the beginning they called it the South Johor Economic Region or SJER. Then on the day of its launching in November last year the Prime Minister called it ‘Iskandar’ – in honour of the Sultan of Johor. But even the Sultan was surprised at his name being used without his prior consultation. Now the SJER is called the Iskandar Development Region or IDR.
Then the PM launched the NCER or Northern Corridor Economic Region covering Perak, Penang, Kedah and Perlis. After this the ECER or Eastern Corridor for Economic Development was launched covering Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan. There is no serious planning about any of these corridors hence even the names are just plucked out of thin air.
The Prime Minister said that he would prefer the name WEPT for the ECER. The Prime Minister dwelt at length on this subject. He said WEPT stood for ‘Wilayah Ekonomi Pantai Timur’ but someone told him ‘wept’ means ‘to cry’. Being a graduate of Islamic Studies the PM was not aware of this before. However, his wife told him that WEPT was ok because even if it meant crying it was in the past tense. The people had wept or cried, now they need not cry anymore. So WEPT was good. At the last minute someone told the Prime Minister that ‘ecer’ in the local dialect meant to divide or share. So ECER has stuck.
Melaka and Negeri Sembilan have been completely left out of the development corridors on the Peninsula. They will not get any ‘ecer’. So Melaka and Negeri Sembilan can weep. Then over in Sarawak the Prime Minister was supposed to launch the last economic corridor today, November 13, 2007. But there is some confusion about the Sarawak corridor.
According to the Borneo Times ‘Sarawak’s regional corridor of development will span from Tanjong Manis to Bintulu.’ It was known as ‘Ricoda’ which stands for ‘regional corridor of development’. Or so everyone thought. However, ‘Ricoda’ has somehow changed name to become something called ‘Score’. Here is yesterday’s Borneo Times:
Monday, November 12th, 2007 : Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is expected to officially launch the corridor, which is believed to be named the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score), soon.
So now it is a 'Corridor of Renewable Energy'. But according to Bernama there is no such launching of either Score or Ricoda today. Instead the Prime Minister will be launching a ‘mega’ road junction near the Kuching airport. After that he will officiate the construction of a hotel, an Islamic Centre worth RM100.0 million and then end up having dinner with the Chief Minister before returning home to Kuala Lumpur.
Unlike Melaka and Negeri Sembilan which have decided to keep mum (they are smarter) about not being included in any of the development corridors, Sabah has kicked up a fuss and demanded their own development corridor. Not to worry. The Prime Minister said that the Sabah development corridor will take off by the end of the year. Here is The Star:
“After six months of planning, the details of Sabah’s development corridor will be finalised in a meeting in Kuala Lumpur this Friday. Speaking at the launching of the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) 22nd congress yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he was happy that there were no obstacles in finalising the corridor’s blueprint.”
As for its name the Prime Minister is pondering ‘Breaking Wind’ to tally with ‘Land Below the Wind’.
These are not real mega projects. They are only ‘mega announcements’. It is not just the confusing names which expose the fraud. The mind boggling numbers that are being thrown out are completely not feasible.
For comparison the North South Highway cost RM4.0 billion. The KLCC Twin Towers project cost about RM2.5 billion. The KLIA was initially costed at RM3.5 billion but went beyond that. Putrajaya is estimated to have cost RM8.0 billion. The Putra LRT system initially cost under RM2.0 billion. The Star LRT cost about RM1.0 billion. The first Penang Bridge was built for under RM900 million. The Sepang F1 Circuit cost under RM350 million. This only adds up to RM22.25 billion. Even allowing a RM10.0 billion margin for error, it could not exceed RM32.25 billion. These projects were built over 22 years of Dr Mahathir’s administration and have helped put our country on the world map.
Now let us look at Abdullah Bodowi’s numbers : The Northern Corridor Economic Region or NCER will require RM118.0 billion over 10 years. The ECER will require RM112.0 billion over 12 years. The first five years of the IDR will involve RM50.0 billion. This already adds up to RM280 billion. We have not heard the numbers for Ricoda (or Score) and Breaking Wind yet. If we conservatively estimate RM50 billion each for Sarawak and Sabah the total amount of investments needed in all the corridors will be RM380 billion, all within the next 12 years. This means there must be an average of RM31 billion being spent on development projects in the country every year for the next 12 years.
To put it into perspective, we must build a KLIA, a new KLCC Twin Towers, a new Putrajaya, a new N-S Highway, at least two LRT systems, a new Sepang circuit and a Penang Bride every year for the next 12 years. This is just not going to happen. The Prime Minister is lying. This is why if we visit the Iskandar Development Region website at http://www.irda.com.my there is no more mention of all these Ringgit amounts anymore. They have all been removed.
According to a senior Government official, at the recent launch of the ECER in Kota Bharu, the Menteri Besar of Kelantan Dato Nik Aziz Nik Mat reminded the Prime Minister that there are two types of development. One is ‘pembangunan yang benar’ or real development. The other one is ‘pembangunan bercakap’ or just empty talk. The Menteri Besar also made known that all the hundreds of billions of Ringgit that were being bandied about were ‘mengkagumkan’ or awesome. In other words he did not believe a word of what the Prime Minister was saying. The Tok Guru was correct on this one.
13/11: Goebbels salutes Malaysian news coverage of the Bersih free elections Memorandum to the Palace
Dr. Lim Teck Ghee
Hitler’s notorious Minster of Propaganda would have been proud of the way the Editors of our English and some vernacular national media covered what is probably the most important event the country has seen in relation to public outrage over the way the ruling party has rigged the conduct of elections. The two English papers almost entirely focused on the massive traffic jams and the Government’s version of the historic gathering held to present public concerns on election rigging to the Palace.
Such incredibly biased spinning by our mainstream media of the Istana Negara March on 10 November 2007 – and the further efforts by the Government to discredit the organizers and opposition parties - is an attempt to conceal what almost two generations of Malaysian and international political and social scientists have written numerous books and research papers on: the systematic debasement of the credibility and legitimacy of the electoral process over the last 50 years. Dishonest electoral conduct by the ruling party includes:
1. the manipulation of electoral boundaries
2. the vast disparity of voter numbers among the constituencies
3. the grossly unfair use of the governmental machinery in support of ruling party candidates
4. the growing incidence of phantom, postal and absentee voters
5. various other irregularities and unethical practices
Add to this, the denial of legitimate media space to the opposition parties; silence over the issues that they have raised and minimal if any coverage of their proposals for change; and it is no wonder that the leaders of the ruling party are confident the Barisan Nasional can be in power for the next fifty years.
Readers interested in how the ruling party has manipulated the electoral process to its advantage are spoilt for choice. Reference to any of the following scholars - Sothi Rachagan, Mavis Puthucheary, Noraini Othman, Lim Hong Hai, Wong Chin Huat, Harold Crouch, James Jesudason, John Funston, Rainer Heufers, Bridget Welsh, Ong Kian Meng, Mustafa Anuar, James Chin, William Case, Francis Loh Kok Wah, Andrew Aeria and others - will provide important facts and figures on the truth behind the facade of “free and fair” elections in the country. Unfortunately such analysis and data have been deliberately obliterated – ala Goebbels style - from the national media coverage so far.
Finally, the Malaysian public will be interested to know some of the important ideas on reform and change needed to ensure a free and fair political process that have emerged from the independent scholarship. They include:
• Reintroduction of local elections
• Upholding the principle of “one person one vote”, by restricting the disparity in constituency sizes and prohibiting gerrymandering; or introducing the elements of Proportional Representation (PR) into the electoral system.
• Adherence to the principle of administrative neutrality, by barring ruling parties from buying votes through development pledges and misusing public service facilities and apparatus for electioneering purposes.
• Ensuring free and fair access to mass media by all parties.
• Elimination of polling irregularities by cleaning up the electoral roll, abolishing domestic postal voting and employing indelible ink.
• Repeal of the1962 amendment to the Constitution which abrogated the Electoral Commission’s right to enforce fair delineation of constituencies
• Guarantees to ensure that the Electoral Commission is free from any form of political pressure or influence.
Hitler’s notorious Minster of Propaganda would have been proud of the way the Editors of our English and some vernacular national media covered what is probably the most important event the country has seen in relation to public outrage over the way the ruling party has rigged the conduct of elections. The two English papers almost entirely focused on the massive traffic jams and the Government’s version of the historic gathering held to present public concerns on election rigging to the Palace.
Such incredibly biased spinning by our mainstream media of the Istana Negara March on 10 November 2007 – and the further efforts by the Government to discredit the organizers and opposition parties - is an attempt to conceal what almost two generations of Malaysian and international political and social scientists have written numerous books and research papers on: the systematic debasement of the credibility and legitimacy of the electoral process over the last 50 years. Dishonest electoral conduct by the ruling party includes:
1. the manipulation of electoral boundaries
2. the vast disparity of voter numbers among the constituencies
3. the grossly unfair use of the governmental machinery in support of ruling party candidates
4. the growing incidence of phantom, postal and absentee voters
5. various other irregularities and unethical practices
Add to this, the denial of legitimate media space to the opposition parties; silence over the issues that they have raised and minimal if any coverage of their proposals for change; and it is no wonder that the leaders of the ruling party are confident the Barisan Nasional can be in power for the next fifty years.
Readers interested in how the ruling party has manipulated the electoral process to its advantage are spoilt for choice. Reference to any of the following scholars - Sothi Rachagan, Mavis Puthucheary, Noraini Othman, Lim Hong Hai, Wong Chin Huat, Harold Crouch, James Jesudason, John Funston, Rainer Heufers, Bridget Welsh, Ong Kian Meng, Mustafa Anuar, James Chin, William Case, Francis Loh Kok Wah, Andrew Aeria and others - will provide important facts and figures on the truth behind the facade of “free and fair” elections in the country. Unfortunately such analysis and data have been deliberately obliterated – ala Goebbels style - from the national media coverage so far.
Finally, the Malaysian public will be interested to know some of the important ideas on reform and change needed to ensure a free and fair political process that have emerged from the independent scholarship. They include:
• Reintroduction of local elections
• Upholding the principle of “one person one vote”, by restricting the disparity in constituency sizes and prohibiting gerrymandering; or introducing the elements of Proportional Representation (PR) into the electoral system.
• Adherence to the principle of administrative neutrality, by barring ruling parties from buying votes through development pledges and misusing public service facilities and apparatus for electioneering purposes.
• Ensuring free and fair access to mass media by all parties.
• Elimination of polling irregularities by cleaning up the electoral roll, abolishing domestic postal voting and employing indelible ink.
• Repeal of the1962 amendment to the Constitution which abrogated the Electoral Commission’s right to enforce fair delineation of constituencies
• Guarantees to ensure that the Electoral Commission is free from any form of political pressure or influence.
13/11: Gift from BN
Our twin tower is the tallest
Our airport is among the biggest
Our bridge is among the longest
Our court in Jalan Duta is second largest
Despite being the largest, longest and tallest
The maintenance work is the poorest
Our contractors want to complete the fastest
Fixing pipes that are the cheapest
Buying parts that probably the lousiest
Our government buildings are now the dampest
And some dumb MPs will say we are luckiest
Water flow in the house meaning we are bless the most
Our MPs thought they are the smartest
But in reality they are among the dumbest
By making remarks they thought sexiest
Smoking in parliament is very thoughtless
Shouting in parliament is very discourteous
They are probably bunch of uncultivated ruthless
Even though they thought they are cleanest
But Malaysia corruption index are among the worst
From lowest rank to the highest
Yes the pay rise might be the biggest
But I doubt they are honest
The gift is for BN to remain strongest
Despite all the scandalous cases of dishonest
Voters just being fed with the sweetest
Goverment people driving BMW Merc became fatter,
Rakyat kesian pakai public transport became thinner.
They promise improve this and that infrastructures,
But what we get is still empty containers.
Build more tolls say want to make us better,
In the end the toll we pay getting higher.
Big shots do nothing and gain richer,
Us people work like shit pay tax felt poorer.
We always like to complain about these robbers,
Yet we still vote for these bloody suckers.
Vineeth Menon
Our airport is among the biggest
Our bridge is among the longest
Our court in Jalan Duta is second largest
Despite being the largest, longest and tallest
The maintenance work is the poorest
Our contractors want to complete the fastest
Fixing pipes that are the cheapest
Buying parts that probably the lousiest
Our government buildings are now the dampest
And some dumb MPs will say we are luckiest
Water flow in the house meaning we are bless the most
Our MPs thought they are the smartest
But in reality they are among the dumbest
By making remarks they thought sexiest
Smoking in parliament is very thoughtless
Shouting in parliament is very discourteous
They are probably bunch of uncultivated ruthless
Even though they thought they are cleanest
But Malaysia corruption index are among the worst
From lowest rank to the highest
Yes the pay rise might be the biggest
But I doubt they are honest
The gift is for BN to remain strongest
Despite all the scandalous cases of dishonest
Voters just being fed with the sweetest
Goverment people driving BMW Merc became fatter,
Rakyat kesian pakai public transport became thinner.
They promise improve this and that infrastructures,
But what we get is still empty containers.
Build more tolls say want to make us better,
In the end the toll we pay getting higher.
Big shots do nothing and gain richer,
Us people work like shit pay tax felt poorer.
We always like to complain about these robbers,
Yet we still vote for these bloody suckers.
Vineeth Menon
Link to vid : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzqSddWkxGs
I wasn't there from the beginning.
I had to wait for a friend at KL Sentral, and we were blocked from going to Masjid Jamek at 3 pm. They even shut down Pasar Seni Putra LRT station, and taxi drivers refused to take us there. There were no busses going to Dataran Merdeka either. Having no choice, we decided to walk to the venue instead. Much to our relief, some other protestors, equally foiled by the persistent roadblocks (4 lanes in a highway, they blocked 3 and allowed this small funnel to go, causing unnecessary stress and jam for the whole citizens of KL while they gosspied at the sides) and clamp down of public transport decided to do the same. We, along with a few confused tourists followed along.
A small scattering of us 'lost souls' followed a highway road and miraculously found that a large gathering of people, as yellow clad as we underneath our jacket and sweater were already there. We took said covers off and blended sort of right in. Apparently we accidentally bumped into the already abused protesters (with water cannons and god knows what else by the FRU) blocked by the FRU from going any nearer to the Istana Negara.
What greeted us was a tamarine river of people in various hues of yellows, wearing raincoats, plastic bags, hankerchiefs, kain buruks or carrying umbrellas. At the further front were the formidable blood-red trucks of FRU, and rows of the anti-riot police, equipped with paddings, large shields, nasty looking wooden batons, and so forth that looked like what I saw from the movie Bad Boys. It surprised me a little that I could detect at least 3 different Malay dialects from the protestors, proving that many came from far to protest and call on the Agong to heed our plight. My friend Ralph took as many pictures as we could impeded by an umbrella I was holding and the limitations of a PDA camera phone. Considering our different ethnic affiliations, we probably look a sight.
By the time Ralph and I found a comfortable spot, finding friends new and old to band together in case anything happened, we already started chanting. People came continuously, and we literally grew even though there weren't that many at first, hampered by the obstacles set in our path. The human spirit, it looks to me, is unbeatable in its ingenuity. To be absolutely truthful, when you're in the middle of several thousand or so bunch of people, and I mean at the very midst of things, too young and fresh for your own good, and yet near enough to risk serious harm, you don't really understand what's really going on. Neither did many of the pak cik-mak ciks and their children (the youngest protester looked barely older than 3!) who trailed the furthest behind or the Pak Haji who courtesy of the white cresent moon on the green and blue banner signifies their loyalties are opposition.
You know you're there because of a long list of dissatisfaction that goes on in the current administration. You know you're there because BERSIH fights for clean elections, is against corruption, and every single thing that's wrong with this country except mutual gluttony in nationwide festivals. You know that if the government truly commits towards good governance, they wouldn't condemn it as they did, in these critical months before the next election. You know that the mainstream news is not relevant anymore, and everything else pales in this moment when your fist punches the air and your voice rings loud in the crowd.
Oddly enough, a liberal Malay and an errant Chinese, neither who had voted in the elections, neither who actually bothers with whether we are 'with us or against us' (BN or Opposition) or cared, felt like we belong amongst these alim people who would normally verbally strike me for my Britney Spears-like clothing or find it odd that we both leaned on each other for support for demonstrating is new still, and kind of scary. One thing I found a bit off was that, despite the Agong and Sultan admittedly being more of a Malay's Islamic monarch, I find that our fellow non-Muslim protesters couldn't join in the "Allahu Akbar" and the "La illa ha illawah", and yet they heartily yelled out "Hidup Hidup! Hidup Rakyat! Pilihanraya Bersih!" when they could.
Maybe we can edit a bit our slogans so that our demonstrations can swell more in ranks?
There were helicopters everywhere. Two of them and when they nearly crashed together, we cheered. Many protesters found the helis annoying. We cheered when someone way in front made a speech of defiance. We cheered a man wearing a black and yellow songkok (palace official) came out at last after voicing our demands, all of us shivering in damp smelling air, crouching in a sitting position when we were told. We cheered two other times, I know not why until I read the news when I arrived back home, for Anwar, and for the BERSIH leader. When the palace official received the memorandum officially, we peacefully retreated. It wasn't much really, but what happened next was fun, convincing me that we are doing the right thing.
We followed the crowd to Masjid Negara. The police was troublesome, they were technically surrounding us, so we had not much of a choice but to also walk on to the other highway road to accomodate the swell of our numbers and to avoid provoking the skittish police. We obstructed traffic. Funny thing is, the drivers, minus a few who were probably in trouble for some business meeting didn't mind. Drivers rolled down their windows and greeted us, encouraging us, telling to us "Stay safe." Some said their thanks for doing our part in helping the people keep their liberties. It doesn't matter who they were; Indian lorry drivers, Malay families, Chinese Merc drivers, rich and poor (at least according to the model of their vehicles), hell, even bread lorry drivers waved at us. Many honked, not for us to get the hell out of the way, but grinning and smiling, giving us the Bagus sign.
Several protestors started to become volunteer traffic police. We yelled out whenever a car needed to pass by, made sure no one would be rammed down, and waved the cars through. They thanked us for that too. Apparently they are far more irritated by the unnecessary police road blocks than people just going back home on a weekend after a demonstration. It was a mocing ripe paddy river, all the way. We passed by glaring and fierce looking FRU policemen with wary anxiety and hesitation in their eyes. Here's another moment of lighthearted humour that we saw when we passed by a FRU truck parked at the side of the road. We saw no less than two camera phones peeking from the grilled windows of the said truck. Me & Ralph waved, grinning. The phones flashed.
Finally, we are at the road's end, the mosque in view. Now what? I was tired and my feet were aching, not to mention hungry. Then someone took the center stage, I caught the word 'lawyer' and 'human rights' but not much, it was rather difficult to hear because there was no loudspeaker or hailer. He said that today was a success. He said that we were doing something that was historic. We did it right. I smiled because I wanted to believe it, and because I do believe it. Then an Indian man took over, giving a speech that nobody could hear because the darn helicopted was too close. After that was a simple doa of thanks that all survived relatively unscathed.
It was over, at least for a while.
And yet, as I watched the news on Al-Jazeera, I was aghast. Ralph and I was lucky, we were late enough not to be unjustly sprayed with water cannons and tear gas or chemicals. This demonstration is peaceful. All of us did our best to wave, smile, and be friendly to the police, following their advice (other than don't protest) to the tee. When one policeman waved another route, we followed. When they lined up intimidatingly in full gear on some flyover, I asked them politely whether I could pass so that my parents could pick me up, and they did let me through; I was being respectful. They're doing their job, we're doing this not merely for ourselves, but for them as citizens of Malaysia too. I did nothing wrong, and neither did Ralph, or anyone in the protest.
The people who participated in this demonstration are practically harmless people. They were whole families, grandparents, parents, teenagers, children, heck, even toddlers was here with us yesterday. If all of us protesters are violent ex-Navy Seals commandos then all the measures that was done was justified, but these are people who merely wanted to a) gather at Dataran Merdeka, go chant some slogans, get a bit excited and b) send off a memorandom (or a piece of highly A-Grade and environmentally friendly paper) to the Agong. Sure, UMNO finds what's written on the piece of paper objectionable but that's not why these policemen entered the police force, I am sure.
The official account in 15, but some say up to 30 is in police jail at the moment, taking the fall for the 'we must have a scapegoat to backup our story for our mess up with this water cannon and tear gas' business. I suggest we try to do something about this.
Sophia
I wasn't there from the beginning.
I had to wait for a friend at KL Sentral, and we were blocked from going to Masjid Jamek at 3 pm. They even shut down Pasar Seni Putra LRT station, and taxi drivers refused to take us there. There were no busses going to Dataran Merdeka either. Having no choice, we decided to walk to the venue instead. Much to our relief, some other protestors, equally foiled by the persistent roadblocks (4 lanes in a highway, they blocked 3 and allowed this small funnel to go, causing unnecessary stress and jam for the whole citizens of KL while they gosspied at the sides) and clamp down of public transport decided to do the same. We, along with a few confused tourists followed along.
A small scattering of us 'lost souls' followed a highway road and miraculously found that a large gathering of people, as yellow clad as we underneath our jacket and sweater were already there. We took said covers off and blended sort of right in. Apparently we accidentally bumped into the already abused protesters (with water cannons and god knows what else by the FRU) blocked by the FRU from going any nearer to the Istana Negara.
What greeted us was a tamarine river of people in various hues of yellows, wearing raincoats, plastic bags, hankerchiefs, kain buruks or carrying umbrellas. At the further front were the formidable blood-red trucks of FRU, and rows of the anti-riot police, equipped with paddings, large shields, nasty looking wooden batons, and so forth that looked like what I saw from the movie Bad Boys. It surprised me a little that I could detect at least 3 different Malay dialects from the protestors, proving that many came from far to protest and call on the Agong to heed our plight. My friend Ralph took as many pictures as we could impeded by an umbrella I was holding and the limitations of a PDA camera phone. Considering our different ethnic affiliations, we probably look a sight.
By the time Ralph and I found a comfortable spot, finding friends new and old to band together in case anything happened, we already started chanting. People came continuously, and we literally grew even though there weren't that many at first, hampered by the obstacles set in our path. The human spirit, it looks to me, is unbeatable in its ingenuity. To be absolutely truthful, when you're in the middle of several thousand or so bunch of people, and I mean at the very midst of things, too young and fresh for your own good, and yet near enough to risk serious harm, you don't really understand what's really going on. Neither did many of the pak cik-mak ciks and their children (the youngest protester looked barely older than 3!) who trailed the furthest behind or the Pak Haji who courtesy of the white cresent moon on the green and blue banner signifies their loyalties are opposition.
You know you're there because of a long list of dissatisfaction that goes on in the current administration. You know you're there because BERSIH fights for clean elections, is against corruption, and every single thing that's wrong with this country except mutual gluttony in nationwide festivals. You know that if the government truly commits towards good governance, they wouldn't condemn it as they did, in these critical months before the next election. You know that the mainstream news is not relevant anymore, and everything else pales in this moment when your fist punches the air and your voice rings loud in the crowd.
Oddly enough, a liberal Malay and an errant Chinese, neither who had voted in the elections, neither who actually bothers with whether we are 'with us or against us' (BN or Opposition) or cared, felt like we belong amongst these alim people who would normally verbally strike me for my Britney Spears-like clothing or find it odd that we both leaned on each other for support for demonstrating is new still, and kind of scary. One thing I found a bit off was that, despite the Agong and Sultan admittedly being more of a Malay's Islamic monarch, I find that our fellow non-Muslim protesters couldn't join in the "Allahu Akbar" and the "La illa ha illawah", and yet they heartily yelled out "Hidup Hidup! Hidup Rakyat! Pilihanraya Bersih!" when they could.
Maybe we can edit a bit our slogans so that our demonstrations can swell more in ranks?
There were helicopters everywhere. Two of them and when they nearly crashed together, we cheered. Many protesters found the helis annoying. We cheered when someone way in front made a speech of defiance. We cheered a man wearing a black and yellow songkok (palace official) came out at last after voicing our demands, all of us shivering in damp smelling air, crouching in a sitting position when we were told. We cheered two other times, I know not why until I read the news when I arrived back home, for Anwar, and for the BERSIH leader. When the palace official received the memorandum officially, we peacefully retreated. It wasn't much really, but what happened next was fun, convincing me that we are doing the right thing.
We followed the crowd to Masjid Negara. The police was troublesome, they were technically surrounding us, so we had not much of a choice but to also walk on to the other highway road to accomodate the swell of our numbers and to avoid provoking the skittish police. We obstructed traffic. Funny thing is, the drivers, minus a few who were probably in trouble for some business meeting didn't mind. Drivers rolled down their windows and greeted us, encouraging us, telling to us "Stay safe." Some said their thanks for doing our part in helping the people keep their liberties. It doesn't matter who they were; Indian lorry drivers, Malay families, Chinese Merc drivers, rich and poor (at least according to the model of their vehicles), hell, even bread lorry drivers waved at us. Many honked, not for us to get the hell out of the way, but grinning and smiling, giving us the Bagus sign.
Several protestors started to become volunteer traffic police. We yelled out whenever a car needed to pass by, made sure no one would be rammed down, and waved the cars through. They thanked us for that too. Apparently they are far more irritated by the unnecessary police road blocks than people just going back home on a weekend after a demonstration. It was a mocing ripe paddy river, all the way. We passed by glaring and fierce looking FRU policemen with wary anxiety and hesitation in their eyes. Here's another moment of lighthearted humour that we saw when we passed by a FRU truck parked at the side of the road. We saw no less than two camera phones peeking from the grilled windows of the said truck. Me & Ralph waved, grinning. The phones flashed.
Finally, we are at the road's end, the mosque in view. Now what? I was tired and my feet were aching, not to mention hungry. Then someone took the center stage, I caught the word 'lawyer' and 'human rights' but not much, it was rather difficult to hear because there was no loudspeaker or hailer. He said that today was a success. He said that we were doing something that was historic. We did it right. I smiled because I wanted to believe it, and because I do believe it. Then an Indian man took over, giving a speech that nobody could hear because the darn helicopted was too close. After that was a simple doa of thanks that all survived relatively unscathed.
It was over, at least for a while.
And yet, as I watched the news on Al-Jazeera, I was aghast. Ralph and I was lucky, we were late enough not to be unjustly sprayed with water cannons and tear gas or chemicals. This demonstration is peaceful. All of us did our best to wave, smile, and be friendly to the police, following their advice (other than don't protest) to the tee. When one policeman waved another route, we followed. When they lined up intimidatingly in full gear on some flyover, I asked them politely whether I could pass so that my parents could pick me up, and they did let me through; I was being respectful. They're doing their job, we're doing this not merely for ourselves, but for them as citizens of Malaysia too. I did nothing wrong, and neither did Ralph, or anyone in the protest.
The people who participated in this demonstration are practically harmless people. They were whole families, grandparents, parents, teenagers, children, heck, even toddlers was here with us yesterday. If all of us protesters are violent ex-Navy Seals commandos then all the measures that was done was justified, but these are people who merely wanted to a) gather at Dataran Merdeka, go chant some slogans, get a bit excited and b) send off a memorandom (or a piece of highly A-Grade and environmentally friendly paper) to the Agong. Sure, UMNO finds what's written on the piece of paper objectionable but that's not why these policemen entered the police force, I am sure.
The official account in 15, but some say up to 30 is in police jail at the moment, taking the fall for the 'we must have a scapegoat to backup our story for our mess up with this water cannon and tear gas' business. I suggest we try to do something about this.
Sophia
12/11: Who is the real Beruk now?
This is in reference to Khairy Jamaluddin's recent insulting remark associating a large swathe of Malaysians participating in the Bersih campaign as "beruk-beruk jalanraya".
Well, the Bersih March is now history and has been widely documented by both national and international media as a successful campaign of peaceful citizens gathering in an orderly manner.
The only primate behaviors observed on this day were from the police force, who randomly attacked innocent bystanders with tear gas and acid-laced water. In fact, the police force descended to such primate-like knee-jerk reaction that they were reportedly reacting in a rather paranoid fashion at anything or anyone donned in the color yellow, even if it was a wristband; much like wild monkeys going ape over a bunch of ripe yellow bananas. And in the fashion of wild gorillas trying to exert dominance over their territory, the police force was also reported to have acted violently by clobbering several foreign journalists covering the event.
But we can't entirely blame the police force, can we? After all, they are obliged to take orders from the head of the Home Ministry, currently under the purview of Chimp-in-Chief Bodohwi.
Despite the recent dire warnings from the Chimp-in-Chief and the family pet kera, the fact that the event was successful only indicates that this family-run circus act of chimps-on-unicycles is running out of political capital and clout. Not to mention that their unsuccessful attempt at crushing the event has bordered on the treasonous, especially when the Agung had given his consent to receiving the Bersih memorandum from the people.
In sum, the people have spoken. And Bodohwi and his pet kera have demonstrated themselves to be on the wrong side of history. It is best if both of them pack up their bags and go join their simian cousin in the treetops of Kebinatangan, and leave the running of the country to fully evolved Homo Sapiens who don't sleep on the job.
And in case Khairy is still confused about what constitutes beruk-ish behavior, he should either look in the mirror or view the above picture.
There are two indisputable facts about the rally on Saturday. The first is that all the chaos on that day was caused by the police. It was the police who set up the road blocks disrupting the movement of traffic all over KL. It was the police who adopted an aggressive stance towards the crowd of demonstrators. It was the police who precipitated all the acts of violence and without any provocation. It was the police who sprayed the extremely well-behaved crowd with chemical laced water cannon and tear gas and it was the police who cannoned sections of the crowd standing inside the gate of Masjid Jamek. I know because I was standing inside the gates of the mosque and got saturated and was left standing in a pool of foaming water.
Sure, the crowd made plenty of noise and there were many fists being shaken at the police but whenever threatened the crowd backed off and took alternative routes to seek their destination. I witnessed no attempt by the police to warn off the crowd using loud hailers even though I was at the front line of the crowd.
In Jalan Tuanku Rahman, it was the police who again used tear gas and cannon and resorted to baton charges, beating their batons on their shields to further break up an already dispersed crowd. And it was the police who were seen to violently manhandle members of the crowd. It was the police who closed off access to the LRT stations within the city area thus causing disruption to many non-participating citizens
I guess because I am a white man I was able to simply walk through the police barricades even though I was wearing a yellow shirt... so I walked over to Dataran Merdeka which was so tightly closed off by police that not even a Malaysian mouse wearing a yellow shirt could have entered.
Had the police offered a protective organisational role the whole event would have gone off without a glitch. They should have realised that they could never have controlled a crowd as large as the one that joined together on that day because they were totally outnumbered. As it is all they managed to do was further destroy their reputation which was previously none too pretty in the minds of most Malaysians.
Fallacy number two. A permit to march was not given to the organisers not because of the chaos and disturbance to the peace. It was not because a few shopkeepers were worried and it wasn’t because of the potential to cause traffic chaos. And it had nothing to do with the perception others have of our society
As pointed out above, the chaos and traffic disruption was caused solely by the police, had they done their job properly the chaos would have been kept to an absolute minimum. The concerns of the few shopkeepers involved is laughable, any good retailer would have taken advantage of the huge passive crowd at his doorstep
The permit was not issued for two reasons: the present government deplores democracy and will do anything to prevent the people from exercising their right to run the country: and the egos of those in power are so massively inflated that they cannot possibly bear the insult associated with the people saying what they think.
I would go so far as to suggest that Malaysia's international reputation has been significantly enhanced through the efforts of the people who were brave enough to stand up to injustices in this country
A braver man than Badawi would have already resigned in the face of the massive insult he has delivered to the people of Malaysia. But in this ego driven country a full apology and an explanation of the reasons why the police behaved as they did is the least that should be expected.
Instead we get him blaming the demonstrators for politicising the role of the King. Maybe someone should point out that as Head of State, the King has a constitutionally defined role in the politics of Malaysia, and as a citizen of a constitutionally defined democracy he also has the right to a political opinion
Yours sincerely,
Dennis Madden aka Densemy
Sure, the crowd made plenty of noise and there were many fists being shaken at the police but whenever threatened the crowd backed off and took alternative routes to seek their destination. I witnessed no attempt by the police to warn off the crowd using loud hailers even though I was at the front line of the crowd.
In Jalan Tuanku Rahman, it was the police who again used tear gas and cannon and resorted to baton charges, beating their batons on their shields to further break up an already dispersed crowd. And it was the police who were seen to violently manhandle members of the crowd. It was the police who closed off access to the LRT stations within the city area thus causing disruption to many non-participating citizens
I guess because I am a white man I was able to simply walk through the police barricades even though I was wearing a yellow shirt... so I walked over to Dataran Merdeka which was so tightly closed off by police that not even a Malaysian mouse wearing a yellow shirt could have entered.
Had the police offered a protective organisational role the whole event would have gone off without a glitch. They should have realised that they could never have controlled a crowd as large as the one that joined together on that day because they were totally outnumbered. As it is all they managed to do was further destroy their reputation which was previously none too pretty in the minds of most Malaysians.
Fallacy number two. A permit to march was not given to the organisers not because of the chaos and disturbance to the peace. It was not because a few shopkeepers were worried and it wasn’t because of the potential to cause traffic chaos. And it had nothing to do with the perception others have of our society
As pointed out above, the chaos and traffic disruption was caused solely by the police, had they done their job properly the chaos would have been kept to an absolute minimum. The concerns of the few shopkeepers involved is laughable, any good retailer would have taken advantage of the huge passive crowd at his doorstep
The permit was not issued for two reasons: the present government deplores democracy and will do anything to prevent the people from exercising their right to run the country: and the egos of those in power are so massively inflated that they cannot possibly bear the insult associated with the people saying what they think.
I would go so far as to suggest that Malaysia's international reputation has been significantly enhanced through the efforts of the people who were brave enough to stand up to injustices in this country
A braver man than Badawi would have already resigned in the face of the massive insult he has delivered to the people of Malaysia. But in this ego driven country a full apology and an explanation of the reasons why the police behaved as they did is the least that should be expected.
Instead we get him blaming the demonstrators for politicising the role of the King. Maybe someone should point out that as Head of State, the King has a constitutionally defined role in the politics of Malaysia, and as a citizen of a constitutionally defined democracy he also has the right to a political opinion
Yours sincerely,
Dennis Madden aka Densemy
By Old Sea Dog
Is the Mahathir Conspiracy at last manifesting itself in full force? What is the Mahathir Conspiracy? One view is that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, Malaysia's fourth Prime Minister and president of the UMNO party for almost 22 years, has never forgiven UMNO for kicking him out of the party most unceremoniously in 1970. After the racial riots of 1969 the young firebrand Dr Mahathir had strongly criticised then Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman for his laid back administration of the country which led to the riots. This resulted in Dr Mahathir being dismissed from UMNO and wandering in the wilderness for a few years. He was only reinstated in the party after Tunku had resigned as Prime Minister.
As Malaysians discovered over 22 years of his rule, Tun Dr Mahathir has great love for his people the Malays and for all Malaysians. However, the same may not be true about his feelings for the UMNO party. Dr Mahathir has never forgotten that UMNO once kicked him out.
Perhaps, to teach UMNO a lesson, Dr Mahathir promoted the less capable and often imbecile to important positions within the party. One such example is the present Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi who is becoming increasingly known among the Malaysian public as 'bodowi'. In Malay 'bodoh' means 'stupid'. Pundits say that it was not possible for Dr Mahathir not to have known Abdullah Badawi's lack of capacity for the top job. Yet he chose Abdullah Badawi to replace him. Not only the present Prime Minister but many of his Cabinet members like Zainuddin Mydin, Syed Hamid Albar, Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Johari Baharom and others are proving particularly inept in their jobs.
The Badawi administration has been bungling and fumbling along for the past four years. Even Dr Mahathir's strongest critics now openly acknowledge the world of difference between his administration and the present Government. Dr Mahathir was well known as a good planner and efficient administrator. Abdullah Badawi on the other hand is frequently caught dozing at official functions.
Responding to Saturday's massive peaceful protest which shut down the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, where 50,000 citizens pleaded for Royal intervention by the King to end vote rigging and manipulating the elections, Prime Minister Badawi warned Malaysia's King and Constitutional monarch Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin to have sufficient wisdom and maturity not to be taken in by 'Opposition parties'.
"I believe the king is wise and mature and would not fall into their (the opposition's) political trap," Abdullah said (NST 12/11/07).
This is a serious breach of etiquette by the Prime Minister. The Malay Rulers are held in much respect and reverence by all Malaysians - irrespective of race or religion. They are seen as the last bulwark of justice and the last bastion of appeal for the ordinary citizenry beset by an oppressive and inept Government.
It is not good etiquette for political leaders to make patronising remarks about the Malay Rulers, especially the King in the media. Certainly the Prime Minister has bungled this one too. But he is not alone. Just a day before his Minister of Information Zainuddin Mydin had shown complete ignorance of diplomatic decorum by declaring on an international news network that Malaysia 'was not like Myanmar or Pakistan'. Obviously the Minister of Information thought that he could downplay the massive citizens' protest by insulting Malaysia's neighbours.
Before this Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar had declared on BBC's Hardtalk news program that in Malaysia, Muslims could not leave Islam without suffering imprisonment because Muslims were a 'tribe'. He was referring to the well publicised case of Lina Joy and Revathy who were facing severe persecution and prosecution at the hands of the Government because they wanted to change their faith.
Syed Hamid declared to the world that in a tribe, if any member wanted to leave the tribe, there were rules to be observed and one had no choice in the matter. The Minister had reduced Islam to uncivilised tribal behaviour.
The media bungles and diplomatic faux pas by the Prime Minister and senior members of his Cabinet are testimony to the malaise and lacklustre performance of the Badawi Administration since taking office four years ago. The economy has no direction and is buoyed by high oil and commodity prices. The country has no new foreign policy initiatives. The education system is in a shambles and universities produce thousands of graduates who are unemployable.
Racial tensions are increasing. Despite the Chief Justice of the country having to leave office under a cloud after video footage implicating him in fixing the appointment of judges were made public, no investigation or indictments have been made. Johari Baharom the Deputy Minister of Internal Security who oversees the Police lodged a Police report against the Inspector General of Police, the nation's top cop for corruption. But soon after this Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi who also doubles up as the Minister of Internal Security extended the Inspector General's tenure by another five years.
Malaysians are becoming increasingly dismayed at all this dysfunctional behaviour that is being manifested by the country's political leadership. No doubt there will be a sea change in the coming polls where much of this dissatisfaction will be vented against the Government.
Is the Mahathir Conspiracy at last manifesting itself in full force? What is the Mahathir Conspiracy? One view is that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, Malaysia's fourth Prime Minister and president of the UMNO party for almost 22 years, has never forgiven UMNO for kicking him out of the party most unceremoniously in 1970. After the racial riots of 1969 the young firebrand Dr Mahathir had strongly criticised then Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman for his laid back administration of the country which led to the riots. This resulted in Dr Mahathir being dismissed from UMNO and wandering in the wilderness for a few years. He was only reinstated in the party after Tunku had resigned as Prime Minister.
As Malaysians discovered over 22 years of his rule, Tun Dr Mahathir has great love for his people the Malays and for all Malaysians. However, the same may not be true about his feelings for the UMNO party. Dr Mahathir has never forgotten that UMNO once kicked him out.
Perhaps, to teach UMNO a lesson, Dr Mahathir promoted the less capable and often imbecile to important positions within the party. One such example is the present Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi who is becoming increasingly known among the Malaysian public as 'bodowi'. In Malay 'bodoh' means 'stupid'. Pundits say that it was not possible for Dr Mahathir not to have known Abdullah Badawi's lack of capacity for the top job. Yet he chose Abdullah Badawi to replace him. Not only the present Prime Minister but many of his Cabinet members like Zainuddin Mydin, Syed Hamid Albar, Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Johari Baharom and others are proving particularly inept in their jobs.
The Badawi administration has been bungling and fumbling along for the past four years. Even Dr Mahathir's strongest critics now openly acknowledge the world of difference between his administration and the present Government. Dr Mahathir was well known as a good planner and efficient administrator. Abdullah Badawi on the other hand is frequently caught dozing at official functions.
Responding to Saturday's massive peaceful protest which shut down the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, where 50,000 citizens pleaded for Royal intervention by the King to end vote rigging and manipulating the elections, Prime Minister Badawi warned Malaysia's King and Constitutional monarch Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin to have sufficient wisdom and maturity not to be taken in by 'Opposition parties'.
"I believe the king is wise and mature and would not fall into their (the opposition's) political trap," Abdullah said (NST 12/11/07).
This is a serious breach of etiquette by the Prime Minister. The Malay Rulers are held in much respect and reverence by all Malaysians - irrespective of race or religion. They are seen as the last bulwark of justice and the last bastion of appeal for the ordinary citizenry beset by an oppressive and inept Government.
It is not good etiquette for political leaders to make patronising remarks about the Malay Rulers, especially the King in the media. Certainly the Prime Minister has bungled this one too. But he is not alone. Just a day before his Minister of Information Zainuddin Mydin had shown complete ignorance of diplomatic decorum by declaring on an international news network that Malaysia 'was not like Myanmar or Pakistan'. Obviously the Minister of Information thought that he could downplay the massive citizens' protest by insulting Malaysia's neighbours.
Before this Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar had declared on BBC's Hardtalk news program that in Malaysia, Muslims could not leave Islam without suffering imprisonment because Muslims were a 'tribe'. He was referring to the well publicised case of Lina Joy and Revathy who were facing severe persecution and prosecution at the hands of the Government because they wanted to change their faith.
Syed Hamid declared to the world that in a tribe, if any member wanted to leave the tribe, there were rules to be observed and one had no choice in the matter. The Minister had reduced Islam to uncivilised tribal behaviour.
The media bungles and diplomatic faux pas by the Prime Minister and senior members of his Cabinet are testimony to the malaise and lacklustre performance of the Badawi Administration since taking office four years ago. The economy has no direction and is buoyed by high oil and commodity prices. The country has no new foreign policy initiatives. The education system is in a shambles and universities produce thousands of graduates who are unemployable.
Racial tensions are increasing. Despite the Chief Justice of the country having to leave office under a cloud after video footage implicating him in fixing the appointment of judges were made public, no investigation or indictments have been made. Johari Baharom the Deputy Minister of Internal Security who oversees the Police lodged a Police report against the Inspector General of Police, the nation's top cop for corruption. But soon after this Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi who also doubles up as the Minister of Internal Security extended the Inspector General's tenure by another five years.
Malaysians are becoming increasingly dismayed at all this dysfunctional behaviour that is being manifested by the country's political leadership. No doubt there will be a sea change in the coming polls where much of this dissatisfaction will be vented against the Government.
12/11: The people have prevailed
Well, it looks that the information Minister will have to eat his own words. He will have to believe what he sees. His eyes are not playing tricks. It is indeed true that concerned Malaysians did turn up in their thousands to demand clean and fair elections.
They were not intimidated by the heavy presence of the police and the FRU; they were not discouraged by the water cannons or the riot police with their shields and batons. These are brave Malaysians who have had enough of the arrogance of the powers-that-be. They are here to demonstrate to the democratic world that there are Malaysians who are prepared to stand up and march for justice.
In his arrogance, the Minister of Information sneered, "Do you believe thousands of people will be coming for the rally? Don't be so silly as to be taken in by them," he said, adding that even the Umno annual meeting could not gather such a number of people.
Well Zam, what have you to say now? These are ordinary people who don't need to be enticed with pocket money, transport and nasi bongkus. When you genuinely walk for justice, you are driven by noble ideals and propelled by sincerity. It is this commitment to the values that we hold dearly that has brought out people in solidarity to raise an issue and to state a point.
What has Nazri to say about this mammoth crowd who braved the rain and faced the risks involved and displayed an indomitable spirit to seek justice and right the wrong? He had haughtily dismissed the crowd of 2,000-odd lawyers who also had marched in an attempt to stop the rot in the judiciary as being in the minority.
Well, Nazri if you had dared to persuade the police to allow the proposed march to proceed unhindered, then you would have witnessed a crowd that would have been bigger than the Kesas Highway gathering.
It is because the Barisan government does not want the people of Malaysia to witness how upset and unhappy many Malaysians are - that is the sole reason that they had brought in their mighty strength represented by the police and the FRU with the sole purpose of disrupting the gathering. In this way they had hoped that Malaysians would not get to witness the truth that exposed their lies and distortions.
What took place today was a peaceful, democratic and legitimate exercise undertaken by concerned Malaysians to seek a remedy for our tainted, lopsided elections. Whatever may be said in defence of the Election Commission or the manner in which elections take place in our country, the truth is that there has never been equal opportunity to fight clean and fair in the general elections. It has been always tilted in favour of the Barisan Nasional, which abuses state facilities and state coffers to entice the electorate - and that must be seen by any impartial observer as clearly constituting corruption.
P. Ramakrishnan
President
Aliran
They were not intimidated by the heavy presence of the police and the FRU; they were not discouraged by the water cannons or the riot police with their shields and batons. These are brave Malaysians who have had enough of the arrogance of the powers-that-be. They are here to demonstrate to the democratic world that there are Malaysians who are prepared to stand up and march for justice.
In his arrogance, the Minister of Information sneered, "Do you believe thousands of people will be coming for the rally? Don't be so silly as to be taken in by them," he said, adding that even the Umno annual meeting could not gather such a number of people.
Well Zam, what have you to say now? These are ordinary people who don't need to be enticed with pocket money, transport and nasi bongkus. When you genuinely walk for justice, you are driven by noble ideals and propelled by sincerity. It is this commitment to the values that we hold dearly that has brought out people in solidarity to raise an issue and to state a point.
What has Nazri to say about this mammoth crowd who braved the rain and faced the risks involved and displayed an indomitable spirit to seek justice and right the wrong? He had haughtily dismissed the crowd of 2,000-odd lawyers who also had marched in an attempt to stop the rot in the judiciary as being in the minority.
Well, Nazri if you had dared to persuade the police to allow the proposed march to proceed unhindered, then you would have witnessed a crowd that would have been bigger than the Kesas Highway gathering.
It is because the Barisan government does not want the people of Malaysia to witness how upset and unhappy many Malaysians are - that is the sole reason that they had brought in their mighty strength represented by the police and the FRU with the sole purpose of disrupting the gathering. In this way they had hoped that Malaysians would not get to witness the truth that exposed their lies and distortions.
What took place today was a peaceful, democratic and legitimate exercise undertaken by concerned Malaysians to seek a remedy for our tainted, lopsided elections. Whatever may be said in defence of the Election Commission or the manner in which elections take place in our country, the truth is that there has never been equal opportunity to fight clean and fair in the general elections. It has been always tilted in favour of the Barisan Nasional, which abuses state facilities and state coffers to entice the electorate - and that must be seen by any impartial observer as clearly constituting corruption.
P. Ramakrishnan
President
Aliran
Wrong For Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi To Give The Impression That Only The BN Government Can Monopolize The King, And Malaysians Who Disagree With BN Or Seeks Fair and Clean Elections Have No Access To The King
The mass Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) gathering on 10.11.2007 is a civil society movement with a single agenda of seeking clean and fair elections that comprises NGOs and political parties. No single organization controls Bersih. For BN to link Bersih to any political party is untrue, unfair and a desperate attempt at diverting attention that this call for free and clean elections is supported by the mass majority of Malaysians as demonstrated by the huge turnout of more than 50,000 people on November 10. BN appears to be shell-shocked at such a huge turnout and the failure of heavy police presence and harsh tactics to prevent the peaceful rally from proceeding.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has attempted to continue such spin-doctoring by claiming that this is an attempt by the opposition to trap the King and drag royalty into opposition politics. Abdullah is wrong for attempting to give the impression that only the BN government can monopolize the King and that Malaysians who either disagree with BN or seeks fair and clean elections have no access to the King.
The King is above politics and the symbol of our parliamentary democracy that protects and guarantees the political and civil liberties of Malaysians, as well as our socio-economic rights enshrined in our Federal Constitution. Any citizen can petition to the King and no one group can “monopolize” access to the King.
Unlike Abdullah, this mature understanding of His Majesty’s role in the Federal Constitution and that Bersih’s call for free and clean elections is no political gimmick as claimed by BN are the reasons why the King agreed to accept the petition from civil society. For this reason the Prime Minister should not try to drag the King into politics by appearing to deny the rakyat from even sending petitions to the King.
DAP regrets Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) for defending the behaviour of police for making arrests and reacting only when they were challenged physically during the protest. Human Rights Commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam has clearly got his facts wrong when he said the police only moved in when the crowd got rowdy. No Malaysian gathering peacefully and unarmed would be so stupid as to challenge police armed with batons, tear gas, water cannons and even firearms.
Subramaniam has insulted his own intelligence by pinning the blame on peaceful demonstrators and failed to note that if they were indeed violent towards the police, police would not have released the 245 arrested immediately on the same day. Some of the demonstrators even came with their children, and no parent is stupid to put their safety of their children in danger by challenging the police.
Suhakam vice-chairman Tan Sri Simon Sipaun had struck the right note when he said that he received complaints that when Barisan Nasional holds a demonstration, no action is taken. It is such double-standards and transgressions of basic human rights to freedom of expression and assembly that Suhakam must address instead of defending the authorities’ action in curbing such fundamental human liberties. If that is the attitude of Suhakam, then they should stop the pretence about promoting human rights but concede that they are actually trying to justify why Malaysia does not deserve fundamental human liberties.
LIM GUAN ENG
The mass Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) gathering on 10.11.2007 is a civil society movement with a single agenda of seeking clean and fair elections that comprises NGOs and political parties. No single organization controls Bersih. For BN to link Bersih to any political party is untrue, unfair and a desperate attempt at diverting attention that this call for free and clean elections is supported by the mass majority of Malaysians as demonstrated by the huge turnout of more than 50,000 people on November 10. BN appears to be shell-shocked at such a huge turnout and the failure of heavy police presence and harsh tactics to prevent the peaceful rally from proceeding.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has attempted to continue such spin-doctoring by claiming that this is an attempt by the opposition to trap the King and drag royalty into opposition politics. Abdullah is wrong for attempting to give the impression that only the BN government can monopolize the King and that Malaysians who either disagree with BN or seeks fair and clean elections have no access to the King.
The King is above politics and the symbol of our parliamentary democracy that protects and guarantees the political and civil liberties of Malaysians, as well as our socio-economic rights enshrined in our Federal Constitution. Any citizen can petition to the King and no one group can “monopolize” access to the King.
Unlike Abdullah, this mature understanding of His Majesty’s role in the Federal Constitution and that Bersih’s call for free and clean elections is no political gimmick as claimed by BN are the reasons why the King agreed to accept the petition from civil society. For this reason the Prime Minister should not try to drag the King into politics by appearing to deny the rakyat from even sending petitions to the King.
DAP regrets Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) for defending the behaviour of police for making arrests and reacting only when they were challenged physically during the protest. Human Rights Commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam has clearly got his facts wrong when he said the police only moved in when the crowd got rowdy. No Malaysian gathering peacefully and unarmed would be so stupid as to challenge police armed with batons, tear gas, water cannons and even firearms.
Subramaniam has insulted his own intelligence by pinning the blame on peaceful demonstrators and failed to note that if they were indeed violent towards the police, police would not have released the 245 arrested immediately on the same day. Some of the demonstrators even came with their children, and no parent is stupid to put their safety of their children in danger by challenging the police.
Suhakam vice-chairman Tan Sri Simon Sipaun had struck the right note when he said that he received complaints that when Barisan Nasional holds a demonstration, no action is taken. It is such double-standards and transgressions of basic human rights to freedom of expression and assembly that Suhakam must address instead of defending the authorities’ action in curbing such fundamental human liberties. If that is the attitude of Suhakam, then they should stop the pretence about promoting human rights but concede that they are actually trying to justify why Malaysia does not deserve fundamental human liberties.
LIM GUAN ENG
Abdullah’s response to mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering on Nov. 10 petitioning Yang di Pertuan Agong for electoral reforms has become the acid test whether it marks the burial of his four-year pledge to hear the truth showing his true colours of refusing to hear and heed the voice of the rakyat
The negative and irresponsible responses of the government and its leaders to Saturday’s mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering petitioning the Yang di Pertuan Agong for electoral reforms to ensure clean, free and fair elections is most disappointing though not unexpected.
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the BERSIH gathering and petition were “tantamount to dragging the institution of the monarchy, and the king, into politics”.
This is a baseless allegation completely unworthy of the Prime Minister as nothing could be further from the truth.
The Yang di Pertuan Agong symbolizes the fountain of justice in Malaysia, and it is completely within constitutional norms for Malaysians who are shut out from all avenues of redress to seek justice to appeal to the Yang di Pertuan Agong for intervention – and it will be beholden on the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to give such petitions to the Yang di Pertuan Agong serious consideration and not to dismiss them in a most arrogant, cavalier and undemocratic manner.
In this particular case, the mass petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong is all the more pertinent as the government has turned a deaf ear to widespread and legitimate calls for electoral reforms to ensure that there is a level playing field for all contestants so that clean, free and fair elections could be held in Malaysia.
This is why I said during question time that the government should uphold the important symbol of the King as the fountain of justice by giving serious and positive consideration to the petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong supported by the mammoth and peaceful BERSIH gathering on Saturday or the government will be doing an injustice to the system of monarchy.
The Cabinet meeting on Wednesday should give top priority to the BERSIH petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong on electoral reforms and take the initiative to establish a mechanism to ensure that the next general election can be truly clean, free and fair.
In fact, much more is at stake. Abdullah’s response to the mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering on Nov. 10 petitioning Yang di Pertuan Agong for electoral reforms has also become the acid test whether it marks the burial of his four-year pledge to hear the truth showing and we have the Prime Minister showing his true colours of refusing to hear and heed the voice of the rakyat.
This, unfortunately, appears to be the case, with the truculent reply by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz during question time this morning when I posed the supplementary question whether the government would give a positive response to the BERSIH petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong for electoral reforms. Instead of a rational reply, Nazri went into a political rampage!
It is most regrettable that the Barisan Nasional government is suffering from a very serious case of denial syndrome, as evidenced by its refusal to concede that Saturday’s mammoth peaceful gathering was the biggest in the four-year premiership of Abdullah and evidence of the people’s love for peace and commitment to democracy.
It is pathetic to see the official figure for the mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering grudgingly increase from 4,000, according to the Inspector-General of Police on Saturday, to 10,000 according to Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday, when from all eye-witness, photographic and video accounts, the gathering could be numbered without exaggeration as between 40,000 to 50,000.
If Abdullah can speak in the United Nations to commend the “saffron revolution” of the Burmese monks in Myanmar in September, and Burmese workers in the country could assemble publicly to organize public protests in support of the “saffron revolution”, the least the a responsible Prime Minister of Malaysia should do is to acknowledge the legitimacy of the grievances of the mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering and the exemplary conduct of the 40,000 – 50,000 people who conducted themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner despite unnecessary provocations and excessive force by the police in certain instances – including the uncalled-for firing of tear gas and water cannons – and give serious consideration to the calls for electoral reforms.
Lim Kit Siang
The negative and irresponsible responses of the government and its leaders to Saturday’s mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering petitioning the Yang di Pertuan Agong for electoral reforms to ensure clean, free and fair elections is most disappointing though not unexpected.
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the BERSIH gathering and petition were “tantamount to dragging the institution of the monarchy, and the king, into politics”.
This is a baseless allegation completely unworthy of the Prime Minister as nothing could be further from the truth.
The Yang di Pertuan Agong symbolizes the fountain of justice in Malaysia, and it is completely within constitutional norms for Malaysians who are shut out from all avenues of redress to seek justice to appeal to the Yang di Pertuan Agong for intervention – and it will be beholden on the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to give such petitions to the Yang di Pertuan Agong serious consideration and not to dismiss them in a most arrogant, cavalier and undemocratic manner.
In this particular case, the mass petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong is all the more pertinent as the government has turned a deaf ear to widespread and legitimate calls for electoral reforms to ensure that there is a level playing field for all contestants so that clean, free and fair elections could be held in Malaysia.
This is why I said during question time that the government should uphold the important symbol of the King as the fountain of justice by giving serious and positive consideration to the petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong supported by the mammoth and peaceful BERSIH gathering on Saturday or the government will be doing an injustice to the system of monarchy.
The Cabinet meeting on Wednesday should give top priority to the BERSIH petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong on electoral reforms and take the initiative to establish a mechanism to ensure that the next general election can be truly clean, free and fair.
In fact, much more is at stake. Abdullah’s response to the mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering on Nov. 10 petitioning Yang di Pertuan Agong for electoral reforms has also become the acid test whether it marks the burial of his four-year pledge to hear the truth showing and we have the Prime Minister showing his true colours of refusing to hear and heed the voice of the rakyat.
This, unfortunately, appears to be the case, with the truculent reply by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz during question time this morning when I posed the supplementary question whether the government would give a positive response to the BERSIH petition to the Yang di Pertuan Agong for electoral reforms. Instead of a rational reply, Nazri went into a political rampage!
It is most regrettable that the Barisan Nasional government is suffering from a very serious case of denial syndrome, as evidenced by its refusal to concede that Saturday’s mammoth peaceful gathering was the biggest in the four-year premiership of Abdullah and evidence of the people’s love for peace and commitment to democracy.
It is pathetic to see the official figure for the mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering grudgingly increase from 4,000, according to the Inspector-General of Police on Saturday, to 10,000 according to Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday, when from all eye-witness, photographic and video accounts, the gathering could be numbered without exaggeration as between 40,000 to 50,000.
If Abdullah can speak in the United Nations to commend the “saffron revolution” of the Burmese monks in Myanmar in September, and Burmese workers in the country could assemble publicly to organize public protests in support of the “saffron revolution”, the least the a responsible Prime Minister of Malaysia should do is to acknowledge the legitimacy of the grievances of the mammoth peaceful BERSIH gathering and the exemplary conduct of the 40,000 – 50,000 people who conducted themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner despite unnecessary provocations and excessive force by the police in certain instances – including the uncalled-for firing of tear gas and water cannons – and give serious consideration to the calls for electoral reforms.
Lim Kit Siang
Institut Kajian Dasar
48, Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru
Peti Surat 11109
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
12 November 2007
Dear Sir/Madam,
Institut Kajian Dasar (IKD) would like to invite all Malaysians to discuss a critical issue, i.e. How to stop the ROT in our judicial system. We are honored and delighted to invite our Former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas to be one of our speakers. This is the first time he speaks out after the infamous Lingam Tape broke into news.
Several other distinguished speakers are Former Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Shaik Daud, Bar Council Vice President Ragunath Kesavan, and Former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Human Rights lawyer Sivarasa Rasiah will be moderating this forum.
The Details of this program are as below:
How to Stop the ROT?
Public Forum on Judicial Crisis
Date: 16/11/2007 (Friday)
Time: 8 – 10 pm
Venue: Federal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur (35, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur)
Admission is Free. All are welcome
Speakers:
Tun Salleh Abbas (former Lord President)
Datuk Shaik Daud (former Court of Appeal Judge)
Ragunath Kesavan (Vice President of Bar Council)
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (former Deputy Prime Minister, Advisor to KeADILan)
Moderator:
Sivarasa Rasiah (Human Rights Lawyer)
Please invite members of your organization, members of the public, friends and family to attend this important event.
Thank you.
Yours Sincerely,
Khalid Jaafar
Executive Director
Institut Kajian Dasar
48, Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru
Peti Surat 11109
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
12 November 2007
Dear Sir/Madam,
Institut Kajian Dasar (IKD) would like to invite all Malaysians to discuss a critical issue, i.e. How to stop the ROT in our judicial system. We are honored and delighted to invite our Former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas to be one of our speakers. This is the first time he speaks out after the infamous Lingam Tape broke into news.
Several other distinguished speakers are Former Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Shaik Daud, Bar Council Vice President Ragunath Kesavan, and Former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Human Rights lawyer Sivarasa Rasiah will be moderating this forum.
The Details of this program are as below:
How to Stop the ROT?
Public Forum on Judicial Crisis
Date: 16/11/2007 (Friday)
Time: 8 – 10 pm
Venue: Federal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur (35, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur)
Admission is Free. All are welcome
Speakers:
Tun Salleh Abbas (former Lord President)
Datuk Shaik Daud (former Court of Appeal Judge)
Ragunath Kesavan (Vice President of Bar Council)
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (former Deputy Prime Minister, Advisor to KeADILan)
Moderator:
Sivarasa Rasiah (Human Rights Lawyer)
Please invite members of your organization, members of the public, friends and family to attend this important event.
Thank you.
Yours Sincerely,
Khalid Jaafar
Executive Director
Institut Kajian Dasar
By Old Sea Dog
Many Malaysians are not aware that since 2006 capacity in the local fishing industry is being destroyed by the Government's flawed fuel subsidy policy. To cushion poor fishermen from higher fuel prices, Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakop announced a very high diesel subsidy whereby inshore fishermen need only pay RM1.00 per litre of diesel fuel when the market price is RM1.83 per litre. This new fangled subsidy has had some disastrous consequences since implementation in 2006. First a news report from The Star:
"Foreigners manning boats: TASEK GLUGOR: Almost all the 20,000-odd crew of deep-sea fishing vessels in the country are foreigners due to waning interest among locals to take up the job. Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Indus-try Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Shariff Omar said vessel owners had complained of difficulties in hiring local people due to the long period at sea. . . He added that locals were to be blamed for the domination of foreigners in certain economic sectors of the country, including the fishing industry, as they were simply not interested to get involved in the industries or were too choosy looking for other jobs. . . .The country was still importing substantial fish supply for local consumption."
There is some truth in the Minister's statement. However, a more pertinent reason is because many local fishermen have given up going out to sea and have taken up smuggling subsidised fuel and selling it to deep sea trawlers, especially foreign trawlers. Ever since the introduction of the new diesel subsidy the Customs Department and Marine Police have had to expand their patrols to stifle the tidal wave of new diesel smuggling activity that has impacted our shores.
A greater casualty of this flawed policy is the local fishing industry. Since fishermen find it more lucrative to smuggle diesel than to catch fish, a complete way of life is being destroyed. There will not be any more Malay inshore fishermen left soon. Another racial divide in Malaysia will be widened further.
The Prime Minister's son-in-law, however, wants to expand this subsidy disaster on a greater nationwide scale. He wants the Government to have different fuel prices for the poor and the rich. The rich should pay more for fuel and the poor should pay less. Throughout 22 years of his rule, Tun Dr Mahathir did not allow any of his three sons to hold even minor positions in the party or Government. Yet in just four years the present Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi takes complete instructions from his son in law.
No one has any idea how to implement this asinine idea but since the Prime Minister's son-in-law said it, it will most likely be implemented. This will immediately create thousands of instant 'oil traders' in Malaysia. If inshore fishermen can become diesel smugglers, what is going to stop millions of poor Malaysians from buying cheap fuel and selling it to the rich in jerry cans and plastic bottles? How is the Government going to control this inevitable 'domestic smuggling'?
No other country in the world has implemented split fuel pricing for the poor and rich. Only in Malaysia, only in Malaysia.
Many Malaysians are not aware that since 2006 capacity in the local fishing industry is being destroyed by the Government's flawed fuel subsidy policy. To cushion poor fishermen from higher fuel prices, Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakop announced a very high diesel subsidy whereby inshore fishermen need only pay RM1.00 per litre of diesel fuel when the market price is RM1.83 per litre. This new fangled subsidy has had some disastrous consequences since implementation in 2006. First a news report from The Star:
"Foreigners manning boats: TASEK GLUGOR: Almost all the 20,000-odd crew of deep-sea fishing vessels in the country are foreigners due to waning interest among locals to take up the job. Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Indus-try Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Shariff Omar said vessel owners had complained of difficulties in hiring local people due to the long period at sea. . . He added that locals were to be blamed for the domination of foreigners in certain economic sectors of the country, including the fishing industry, as they were simply not interested to get involved in the industries or were too choosy looking for other jobs. . . .The country was still importing substantial fish supply for local consumption."
There is some truth in the Minister's statement. However, a more pertinent reason is because many local fishermen have given up going out to sea and have taken up smuggling subsidised fuel and selling it to deep sea trawlers, especially foreign trawlers. Ever since the introduction of the new diesel subsidy the Customs Department and Marine Police have had to expand their patrols to stifle the tidal wave of new diesel smuggling activity that has impacted our shores.
A greater casualty of this flawed policy is the local fishing industry. Since fishermen find it more lucrative to smuggle diesel than to catch fish, a complete way of life is being destroyed. There will not be any more Malay inshore fishermen left soon. Another racial divide in Malaysia will be widened further.
The Prime Minister's son-in-law, however, wants to expand this subsidy disaster on a greater nationwide scale. He wants the Government to have different fuel prices for the poor and the rich. The rich should pay more for fuel and the poor should pay less. Throughout 22 years of his rule, Tun Dr Mahathir did not allow any of his three sons to hold even minor positions in the party or Government. Yet in just four years the present Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi takes complete instructions from his son in law.
No one has any idea how to implement this asinine idea but since the Prime Minister's son-in-law said it, it will most likely be implemented. This will immediately create thousands of instant 'oil traders' in Malaysia. If inshore fishermen can become diesel smugglers, what is going to stop millions of poor Malaysians from buying cheap fuel and selling it to the rich in jerry cans and plastic bottles? How is the Government going to control this inevitable 'domestic smuggling'?
No other country in the world has implemented split fuel pricing for the poor and rich. Only in Malaysia, only in Malaysia.
Nota ini ditujukan kepada semua anak muda Malaysia yang bakal mewarisi negara ini.
Negara ini perlu segera diselamatkan. Tiga tonggak penting negara; parlimen, kehakiman dan eksekutif sedang mereput perlahan-lahan oleh kerana amalan rasuah dan tidak amanahnya mereka yang dipilih.
10 November 2007 ini, jam 3.00 petang satu perhimpunan aman rakyat akan berlangsung untuk cuba memulihkan salah satu tonggak penting negara kita.
Sebagai pewaris masa depan, perhimpunan ini sangat signifikan dan dekat dengan kita, justeru kita sangat perlu untuk datang ke Dataran Merdeka Kuala Lumpur, jam 3.00 petang, untuk bersama-sama rakyat lainnya menyatakan solidariti dan sokongan menuntut Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya (SPR) melangsungkan pilihanraya yang bebas dan adil.
Perhimpunan 100,000 rakyat yang sedang di buruk-burukkan ini oleh pimpinan Umno adalah sangat penting untuk kita generasi muda dan seluruh rakyat Malaysia. Himpunan ini adalah perhimpunan aman rakyat yang mahukan keamanan. Dan himpunan ini adalah berobjektifkan pilihanraya yang bebas dan adil.
Jelas mereka yang tidak mahu dan membenci perhimpunan ini adalah mereka yang tidak mahu keadilan dan kebebasan tertegak, yang mahu terus berkuasa dengan cara yang jijik dan kotor melalui penipuan pilihanraya berterusan.
Ini juga bukan perhimpunan anti-kerajaan ataupun menjatuhkan kerajaan. Himpunan ini ditujukan kepada Seri Paduka Baginda Yang DiPertuan Agong, bahawa rakyat mahukan pilihanraya yang bebas dan adil.
Pilihanraya bebas dan adil sangat perlu bagi kita memperoleh ahli-ahli pembuat dasar dan pimpinan kerajaan yang benar-benar disokong dan mendapat kepercayaan dari rakyat. Barulah dasar dan hala tuju negara tidak diperkuda sewenang-wenang oleh mereka yang kita lantik untuk mewakili kita di parlimen.
Kita tidak perlu lagi ditipu oleh sistem pilihanraya sekarang yang dipenuhi dengan kecurigaan kecurangan yang sebahagiannya telah dibuktikan di dalam mahkamah.
Anak muda Malaysia, mari kita turun semua ke Dataran Merdeka agar kita tidak dikutuk oleh generasi pewaris kita kerana membiarkan negara ini mereput sistem moral dan demokrasinya!
Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin
Ketua Angkatan Muda
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
POLIS dijangka akan semua jalan menuju ke Dataran Merdeka bagi mengelakkan orang ramai berkumpul untuk menuntut sebuah sistem pilihanraya yang bersih esok. Sekiranya itu dilakukan, penganjurnya Gabungan Menuntut Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih) mengumumkan empat lokasi untuk porang ramai berkumpul sebagai langkah alternatif.
"Tempat-tempat tersebut ialah di Sogo, Masjid India, Masjid Negara dan Pasar Seni. Orang ramai dinasihatkan berkumpul di keempat-empat lakasi tersebut sehingga isyarat bergabung diterima dari pemimpin perhimpunan," kata ahli jawatankuasa Bersih Tian Chua dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.
Walaubagaimana pun katanya, sekiranya Dataran Merdeka tidak ditutup, orang ramai diminta berkumpul disitu seperti rancangan asal.
Selain itu kata Tian, orang ramai juga dinasihati masuk ke Kuala Lumpur lebih awal kerana pihak penganjur menjangkakan polis akan mengadakan sekatan-sekatan jalanraya dikabanyakan lalaun memasuki ibu kota.
Sekiranya kita melalui jalan utama Kangar- Alor Setar, kita akan melihat suatu pemandangan yang akan menyakitkan mata kita. Pemandangan tersebut adalah tapak projek pembinaan bangunan Yayasan Islam Perlis bernilai RM38 juta yang telah dicanangkan pembinaannya lebih daripada sepuluh tahun dahulu sehingga kini masih gagal disiapkan.
Papan tanda yang pada suatu ketika dahulu begitu megah terpampang dengan perkataan "Satu lagi projek kerajaan Barisan Nasional" juga hilang entah ke mana. Kini, kita hanya dapat menyaksikan cerucuk-cerucuk ( piling) sahaja yang ditanam manakala kawasan sekitarnya telah dipenuhi dengan semak samun.
Menurut sumber yang mahu dirahsiakan identitinya, beliau mendakwa bahawa aset Yayasan Islam Perlis dalam bentuk hartanah yang bernilai berjuta-juta ringgit telah dipajakkan kepada bank komersial.
Sekiranya benar dakwaan ini, maka ianya adalah suatu perkara yang perlu diambil perhatian oleh pihak berkuasa yang berkaitan memandangkan ianya mungkin melibatkan unsur-unsur penyelewengan dalam urus tadbir yayasan itu sendiri sehingga menyebabkankan pihak yayasan tidak mampu memiliki bangunan sendiri.
Dalam satu lawatan mengejut yang dilakukan oleh Ketua Wanita PKR Bahagian Kangar, Fauziyah Hamzah bersama jawatankuasa Wanita Bahagian ke lokasi tapak projek pembinaan ini, beliau menyatakan rasa kesalnya di atas kegagalan kerajaan BN Perlis membangunkan bangunan Yayasan Islam Perlis tersebut.
"Sampai hari ini, pejabat Yayasan Islam Perlis terpaksa menumpang di lot perniagaan Perbadanan Kemajuan Ekonomi Perlis di Taman Sena Indah, kata Fauziah.
"Projek yang tergendala lebih dari sepuluh tahun ini adalah sesuatu yang amat memalukan kita sebagai rakyat Perlis memandangkan Yayasan Islam Kedah telah lama menduduki bangunan mereka sendiri.
Beliau menambah bahawa kegagalan ini telah membuktikan kelemahan yang ketara bagi kerajaan negeri Perlis yang masih lagi dikuasai oleh BN.
"Sekiranya rakyat Perlis memenangkan BA di Perlis dalam pilhanraya umum yang akan datang, saya berjanji bahawa projek pembinaan bangunan Yayasan Islam Perlis ini adalah antara projek yang perlu dipulihkan dengan segera, tambah Fauziyah.
Oleh:
Biro Penerangan Wanita PKR Bahagian Kangar
Ahli Jawatankuasa Perhimpunan Aman Rakyat BERSIH memberi jaminan kepada seluruh rakyat Malaysia yang mahukan diadakan reformasi dalam sistem pilihanraya di negara ini diadakan dengan aman dan selamat untuk dihadiri oleh seluruh lapisan masyarakat.
Kaum ibu, kanak-kanak, pelajar dan orang kurang upaya yang ingin turut serta pada perhimpunan yang akan diadakan di Dataran Merdeka pada pukul 3 petang, 10 November juga boleh datang beramai-ramai bagi menuntut pilihanraya yang bebas dan adil.
Perhimpunan yang akan bermula tepat 3 petang nanti digalakkan menggunakan kenderaan awam bagi mengelak daripada tersekat dalam kesesakan lalulintas.
Sekiranya menggunakan kenderaan sendiri, mereka boleh meletakkan kenderaan mereka seperti berikut:
Dari selatan: Orang ramai digalakkan meletakkan kenderaan mereka di stesen Star LRT Bukit Jalil dan turun di stesen Masjid Jamek.
Dari utara: Orang ramai digalakkan meletakkan kenderaan di stesen komuter Rawang dan turun di stesen Kuala Lumpur.
Dari timur: Orang ramai digalakkan meletakkan kenderaan mereka di stesen Putra LRT Gombak dan turun di stesen Masjid Jamek.
Bagi mereka yang khuatir cuaca hujan mereka tidak digalakkan membawa payung tetapi sebaliknya membawa baju hujan serta topi berwarna kuning.
Orang ramai juga dinasihati membawa bekalan air minuman bersama-sama.
Bagi mereka yang berkemampuan, mereka digalakkan membawa sebarang alat rakaman seperti kamera dan kamera video bagi merakamkan peristiwa bersejarah ini dan hantarkan rakaman-rakaman mereka kepada pihak secretariat di info@bersih.org.
Orang ramai tidak digalakkan membawa sebarang objek tajam dan membahayakan tetapi membawa kain rentang yang menjurus kepada tuntutan BERSIH, bendera Malaysia serta kain-kain kuning yang boleh dikibarkan.
Keselamatan Terjamin
Pihak jawatankuasa telah pun menghubungi Persatuan Bulan Sabit Merah (PBSM) dan St John’s Ambulance untuk menghantar petugas-petugas mereka sekiranya sebarang kecelakaan berlaku.
Pihak jawatankuasa juga telah mengumpul seramai 600 sukarelawan bagi mengawal keadaan orang ramai.
Seramai 30 pemantau dari Majlis Peguam akan hadir memastikan hak orang ramai yang berhimpun dijamin.
Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia (SUHAKAM) juga telah dimaklumkan dan akan menghantar pegawai-pegawai mereka semasa perhimpunan ini nanti.
Beberapa ahli parlimen dari Kanada yang berada di Malaysia juga akan menjadi pemerhati sepanjang perhimpunan ini nanti.
Perarakan Menghantar Memorandum
Perarakan ini nanti akan bermula di Dataran Merdeka dan kemudiannya berarak menuju ke Istana Negara dengan menggunakan jalan bersebelahan Masjid Negara dan terus menuju ke Istana Negara.
Upacara pelepasan belon juga akan diadakan di perkarangan Istana Negara pada jam 5 petang selepas memorandum ke DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang diPertuan Agung diserahkan.
Dikeluarkan oleh:
HAJI MOHAMAD SABU
Pengerusi Perhimpunan Aman Rakyat BERSIH 10 November
Harakahdaily melaporkan bahawa polis telah menolak permohonan permit perhimpunan di Dataran Merdeka kepada Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH). Ketua Polis Kuala Lumpur, Dato' Zul Hasnan Najib Baharuddin berkata, tindakan itu diambil bagi menjamin keselamatan dan ketenteraman awam terus terpelihara.
"Kita tidak akan mengeluarkan permit kepada mereka (BERSIH) untuk mengadakan perhimpunan seperti yang dirancang. "Jika mereka ingkar, kita tidak teragak-agak untuk mengambil tindakan tegas,"katanya yang dipetik daripada laporan akhbar.
Pihak polis tidak seharusnya menolak permohonan permit yang dipohon oleh BERSIH hanya berdasarkan spekulasi.
Polis perlu memahami bahawa hak rakyat berhimpun secara aman dijamin oleh Perkara 10 Perlembagaan Persekutuan, undang-undang tertinggi di negara ini. Hak tersebut mesti dihormati oleh pihak polis.
Kes-kes Mahkamah dan Laporan Suhakam telah mengesahkan hak tersebut harus dihormati dan dlindungi. Polis jangan jadi golongan yang buta dan pekak yang sengaja tidak mahu peduli laporan-laporan dan kepurtusan-keputusan Mahkamah tersebut.
Polis perlu memahami bahawa kuasa mereka di bawah seksyen 27 Akta Polis 1967 tidak mutlak. Seksyen 27 digubal bagi tujuan memastikan sebarang perhimpunan di tempat awam dikawal selia oleh polis bukan dinafikan terus.
Alasan bahawa perhimpunan yang belum berlaku pada 10 Nov ini akan mengganggu keselamatan dan ketenteraman awam adalah bersifat spekulatif dan polis tidak wajar bertindak sebagai Pak Nujum dalam perkara ini.
Rakyat menghormati polis yang profesional bukan polis yang bertindak seperti Nujum Pak Belalang. v Berasas anggapan Ketua Polis Daerah Dang Wangi (OCPD) dalam kes ini menolak permohonan permit yang dipohon oleh Bersih maka Bersih diberi hak di bawah Akta Polis 1967 untuk merayu kepada Ketua Polis Kuala Lumpur, Dato' Zul Hasnan Najib Baharuddin di atas keputusan OCPD tersebut.
Oleh yang demikian Ketua Polis Kuala Lumpur, Dato' Zul Hasnan Najib Baharuddin tidak seharusnya membuat apa-apa kenyataan jauh sekali amaran kerana beliau seharusnya menilai rayuan Bersih tanpa sebarang unsur prejudis dan sikap berat sebelah.
Persoalannya dengan kenyataan yang tidak bertanggungjawab yang beliau telah keluarkan bagaimanakah beliau boleh bertindak secara rasional, objektif dan tidak memihak dalam meneliti dan memproses rayuan Bersih tersebut.
Untuk rakyat teruskan berhimpun dengan aman jangan takut dengan gertakan polis atau mana-mana pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab kerana kita tidak berhajat melawan sesiapa pada hari tersebut dan buktikan bahawa kita adalah rakyat yang cintakan kedamaian dan keamanan meskipun berhimpun 100,000 di jalan raya.
Dikeluarkan oleh:
Mohamed Hanipa Bin Maidin
Pengerusi Lajnah Guaman Dan Undang-Undang Pas Pusat
Sebarang pertanyaan, sila hubungi sekretariat; Faisal Mustaffa 019-2232002 or Medeline Chang 012-2192010.
09/11: Bersih Rally
The voice of the people will return to Dataran Merdeka this Saturday as thousands of Malaysians will exercise their democratic right to peaceful assembly to demand reform of the electoral system.
Our appeals to the government for these reforms have fallen on deaf ears and as such it has abdicated its responsibility to safeguard the democratic institutions of the nation. The people are therefore appealing to the Constitutional leaders to request the Malaysian government to adopt the basic characteristics of transparent and fair electoral practices that are practiced by modern democracies around the world.
The evidence of fraud is comprehensive and it is damning. The latest judicial scandal involving former Chief Justice Ahmed Fairuz shows that the entire mechanism of the government has been abused to illegally protect and preserve the position of UMNO leaders.
The independent media has published in depth analysis of the impact of the fraud including the systematic use of phantom voters and voter intimidation. As many as 40,000 illegal votes have been cast in the Parliamentary elections for a single state, Selangor, in 2004. In the last twelve months, we have documented proof of opposition votes being shifted out of districts where UMNO support is weak.
If the Electoral Commission is confident in the integrity of its management of the electoral process then why not allow international monitors into the country to observe and report? Why have the offers of assistance by regional and international bodies been ignored or rejected?
I urge the authorities to respect the people's democratic right to peaceful assembly.
I commend Bersih (the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections) for organising this peaceful assembly and I urge all Malaysians to participate in this historic event. We Malaysians deserve a democratic government that we are proud of and for that we must be willing to fight.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Ruj Kami: BERSIH/DANGWANGI/071107/fm
7 November 2007
Yg.Bhg. Datuk Zulhasnan Najib Baharuddin
Ketua Polis Kuala Lumpur
Ibu Pejabat Kontinjen
Kuala Lumpur.
Datuk,
Salam Sejahtera
PER: RAYUAN TERHADAP PENOLAKAN PERMIT UNTUK PERHIMPUNAN/PERARAKAN RAKYAT AMAN BERSIH
Merujuk surat Ketua Polis Daerah Dang Wangi, Kuala Lumpur, no. rujukan 61/17 bertarikh 6 November 2007 yang diterima pada 4.30 petang.
2. Dengan ini, Gabungan Pilihanraya Bersih dan Adil ( “BERSIH” ) merayu kepada YBhg Datuk supaya menimbang semula keputusan Tuan Ketua Polis Daerah yang tidak meluluskan permohonan permit untuk Perhimpunan/Perarakan disebut atas.
3. Respon BERSIH terhadap alasan-alasan diberikan oleh Tuan Ketua Polis Daerah adalah saperti berikut:
a) Permohonan permit telah dibuat oleh BERSIH sebagai satu Gabungan yang dianggotai oleh 67 badan-badan berdaftar termasuk badan-badan bukan kerajaan ( non-governmental organizations ) dan lima parti politik. Senarai semua pertubuhan ini telah pun dikemukakan. Tambahan pula, tiga orang individu, iaitu Anuar Tahir, Sivarasa Rasiah and Liew Chin Tong sebagai ahli jawatanjuasa induk BERSIH telah pun menandatangani permohonan tersebut.
Walaubagaimanapun, bagi memastikan perkara ini tidak menjadi satu halangan untuk permohonan ini, salah satu pertubuhan dalam Gabungan BERSIH iaitu Parti Keadilan Rakyat sanggup menggantikan BERSIH sebagai pemohon. Kami melampirkan di sini surat pengesahan daripada Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
b) Berkenaan dengan alasan bahawa tidak ada surat kelulusan daripada tuan punya tapak, BERSIH berpendapat bahawa Dataran Merdeka adalah satu tempat umum yang diakses oleh orang umum pada bila-bila masa. Ia tidak boleh disamakan dengan bangunan atau dewan yang dimiliki oleh Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur. Tambahan pula, Dataran Merdeka adalah hanya kawasan bagi mengumpulkan orang ramai sebelum berarak ke Istana Negara. Pihak BERSIH juga telah maklumkan program ini kepada Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur secara bertulis dan ini adalah dalam pengetahuan pihak polis.
c) Berkaitan dengan alasan bahawa ada program lain di tapak itu pada hari itu, pihak BERSIH dimaklumkan bahawa program lain itu pada 10hb November hanya akan mula pada 4.30 petang. Ini telah dimaklumkan kepada pihak polis dan pihak kami memberi jaminan bahawa perhimpunan kita akan beredar keluar dari Dataran Merdeka sebelum 430 petang. Dengan kerjasama pihak polis trafik kami akan memastikan bahawa kehadiran peserta kami di persekitaran Dataran Merdeka tidak akan mengganggu apa jua program yang akan bermula pada 430 petang tersebut. Kami juga dimaklumkan bahawa program tersebut ( satu progam kebudayaan ) adalah terbuka kepada orang awam dan peserta kita juga berhak menyaksikan dan menhayatinya.
d) Alasan yang keempat adalah ”Dari maklumat yang diperolehi oleh pihak kami terdapat kumpulan tertentu akan mengambil kesempatan menimbulkan keadaan tidak tenteram dan tidak selamat kepada orang awam yang menyertai perhimpunan tersebut”.
BERSIH telah memberi jaminan kepada pihak polis kami telah sediakan 300 petugas ( atau ”marshals” ) yang akan memastikan peserta dalam perhimpunan aman kami akan berhimpun dan berarak secara aman dan teratur tanpa menggangu ketenteraman dan keselamatan kawasan itu. Kami mengalukan kehadiran pihak polis berpakaian seragam dalam jumlah yang sesuai supaya bersama dengan kami dengan jarak yang wajar bermula dari Dataran Merdeka sehingga ke Istana Negara. Sekiranya ada kumpulan tertentu yang ingin melakukan kekacauan, kami anggap adalah tanggungjawab dan tugas polis untuk mengawal keadaan dan memastikan mana-mana orang atau kumpulan ini ditahan daripada melakukan perkara yang tidak diingini.
Sekiranya polis ada maklumat dalam tangan mengenai kumpulan tertentu ini, polis harus mengumumkan nama dan identiti mereka dan memberi amaran kepada mereka bahawa polis akan bertindak sekiranya mereka melakukan kekerasan atau tindakan yang menimbulkan kekacauan.
e) BERSIH berpendapat bahawa alasan kelima yang diberi iaitu perhimpunan kami akan menimbulkan gangguan laluan lalulintas tidak wajar dan perlu dikaji semula. Adalah ternyata bahawa mana-mana perhimpunan dan perarakan baik sederhana atau besar boleh sedikit sebanyak menganggu laluan lintas. Jadi sekiranya, ini digunakan sebagai alasan, ini akan memusnahkan hak berhimpun.
Sepertimana yang disebutkan di atas, BERSIH akan pastikan perarakan ini teratur dan aman. Gangguan kepada laluan lalulintas mampu dikurangkan setakat yang boleh dan memerlukan kerjasama pihak polis trafik sepertimana yang kita lihat dalam kebanyakan perarakan besar di luar negara kita.
Pendekatan ini boleh menjamin perlindungan yang perlu bagi hak asasi berhimpun dan berarak secara aman sambil memastikan gangguan yang minima kepada penggunan laluan lalulintas.
f) Alasan keenam yang diberi oleh Tuan Ketua Polis Daerah adalah bahawa perhimpunan kami akan menjejaskan keselamatan dan ketenteraman awam. Alasan ini tidak memberi apa jua butiran dan tidak berasas. Kami mengulangi dengan tegas apa yang disebut di atas di perenggan (d) dan (e).
Kami merayu kepada pihak YBhg. Datuk dalam melihat kepada aspek hak asasi manusia yang mana orang ramai berhak untuk berhimpun dan juga bersuara.
Isu ini ialah perkara asas dalam amalan demokrasi di Negara kita dan juga masa depan politik.
Sekiranya tiada reformasi sistem pilihanraya dilaksanakan, maka rakyat negara ini akan hilang kepercayaan dalam sistem politik dan akibatnya akan bertambah buruk.
Kami berharap agar pihak polis akan membuat keputusan berdasarkan sifat latarbelakang badan profesional dan tidak bersebelah ke mana-mana pihak. Sekiranya, gagal, imej polis akan tercemar dan pihak polis akan dilihat sebagai alat kepada parti-parti pemerintah.
Kami berharap pihak YBhg Datuk menimbang semula keputusan berdasarkan fakta-fakta yang kami kemukakan.
Sekian, terima kasih.
Yang benar
..............................
Sivarasa Rasiah
Annuar Tahir
Liew Chin Tong
Oleh Herman Samsudeen
Perhimpunan 100 ribu rakyat pada 10 November bakal menjadi sejarah dalam tawarikh demokrasi Malaysia. Pelbagai kaum akan muncul, pelbagai ideologi akan hadir, pelbagai agama dan kepercayaan akan berhimpun. Himpunan ini kerana satu perkara yang kita semua sama-sama perlukan iaitu Pemulihan Demokrasi yang telah korup dan tercemar oleh kuku-kuku besi berwarna ‘Biru Tua’. Oleh itu bagi melancarkan perhimpunan ini, pihak kami mengeluarkan satu garis panduan yang diharapkan dapat membantu anda dan kami diperingkat penganjur dalam memastikan perhimpunan ini dapat berjalan dengan lancar dan semua masalah dapat diselesaikan secara bersama.
Perkara yang perlu anda bawa/sediakan
• Pakaian atau riben, topi, arm band berwarna kuning.
• Bendera Malaysia atau negeri masing-masing.
• Kad pengenalan.
• Air mineral, sedikit makanan atau gula-gula.
• Sedikit garam-ia penting dan boleh dimakan sedikit bagi mengembalikan tenaga terutamanya jika pihak Polis sembur air dari Water Canon atau Gas pemedih mata.
• Kain tuala kecil untuk lap peluh atau tutup mata dan hidung untuk elak terkena gas pemedih mata.
• Payung kecil untuk elakan hujan atau cuaca panas.
• Lampin, jika bawa anak.
• Sila bawa beg plastik sampah kecil bagi mengelakkan anda membuang sampah merata-rata.
• Sila bawa pen dan kertas (mini note pad) bagi mencatat nama & no. pengenalan Polis atau perkara-perkara yang mencurigakan.
• Jangan lupa bawa kamera, video cam atau handphone berkamera bagi merakamkan suasana himpunan – gambar-gambar atau klip video boleh dihantar kepada kami selepas himpunan di himpunanrakyat@yahoo.com untuk rekod dan disiarkan.
Perkara yang tidak dibenarkan dibawa
• Jangan bawa sebarang bendera atau logo parti atau organisasi anda bagi NGO.
• Jangan bawa kad matrik pelajar bagi student atau pass kakitangan bagi pekerja Kerajaan dan Swasta.
• Jangan bawa terlalu banyak wang atau barang yang tidak perlu.
• Jangan bawa sebarang benda tajam kecuali pen.
• Jangan bawa bahan-bahan yang boleh meletup atau mudah terbakar seperti molotov cocktail dan mercun.
• Jangan bawa sebarang senjata seperti kayu, besi, rantai besi, pistol dan yang merbahaya.
• Bagi yang membawa anak-anak, anda tidak dibenarkan membawa permainan yang berupa seperti senjata seperti pistol, senapang atau pisau mainan.
• Jangan bawa anak-anak yang berumur 5 tahun ke bawah bagi mengelakan sebarang masalah.
Perkara yang perlu anda lakukan
Sebelum perhimpunan
• Servis kenderaan dan periksa peralatan yang perlu dibawa.
• Jangan makan atau minum terlalu banyak sebelum perhimpunan.
• Pastikan anda telah menunaikan ‘hajat’ sebelum memasuki perhimpunan.
• Lakukanlah solat taubat dan hajat, semoga Allah berkati perhimpunan ini.
• Pastikan anda telah mengunci rumah atau meninggalkan pesanan-pesanan penting kepada keluarga atau jiran anda yang tidak pergi.
• perhimpunan. Maklumkan mereka tujuan anda keluar.
• Maklumkan mereka nombor telefon sahabat lain yang bersama anda jika handphone anda tidak dapat dihubungi nanti.
• Jangan lupa charge bateri handphone dan kamera.
• Pastikan anda berniat kerana Allah (bagi yang muslim) sebelum keluar rumah.
• Pastikan anda tahu arah tuju anda iaitu tempat berkumpul yang ditetapkan; Sogo, Masjid Jamek, Pasar Seni atau Masjid Negara.
• Pastikan anda datang awal untuk elakkan kesesakan jalan raya atau terpaksa berbaris panjang untuk beli tiket tren LRT atau Komuter.
• Datang secara berkumpulan, jangan bersendirian
• Sekiranya perjalanan anda dihalang dari memasuki pusat bandar anda boleh meletakkan kenderaan dan berjalan kaki ke arah Dataran Merdeka.
Semasa Perhimpunan dan perarakan
• Berkumpul di tempat pertemuan yang ditetapkan (Sogo, Masjid Jamek, Pasar Seni atau Masjid Negara) dan berarak beramai-ramai ke Dataran Merdeka.
• Ikutilah arahan dari Unit Amal atau pimpinan BERSIH sepanjang program.
• Jangan berganjak dari tempat perhimpunan melainkan dengan arahan pimpinan.
• Rakamkan suasana himpunan – gambar-gambar atau klip video boleh dihantar kepada kami selepas himpunan di himpunanrakyat@yahoo.com untuk rekod dan disiarkan.
• Kalau boleh rakamkan sekali wajah-wajah polis yang bertugas atau tragedi-tragedi penting seperti keganasan atau provokasi Polis jika ada.
• Laporkan pada Unit Amal bertugas jika terlihat sesuatu yang mencurigakan.
• Jangan tolak menolak sepanjang perhimpunan dan perarakan.
• Elakkan mencerca atau memaki hamun semasa perhimpunan berlaku.
• Raikan perhimpunan ini dengan aman dan harmoni.
• Maklumkan sahabat anda jika anda ingin keluar dari perhimpunan disebabkan hal kecemasan atau kerana ingin ke tandas bagi mengelakan masalah lain.
• Pastikan anda dapat duduk semasa pimpinan berucap.
• Pastikan anda tidak bersembang semasa pimpinan berucap kerana kemungkinan bunyi sound system akan tenggelam dengan suara ratusan ribu peserta.
• Ikutilah laungan pimpinan jika perlu.
• Pegang bendera Malaysia atau negeri anda sepanjang perarakan.
• Jangan buang sampah merata-rata sepanjang perhimpunan.
Selepas Perhimpunan
• Pastikan anda bersurai secara perlahan-lahan dan dengan aman selepas diberikan arahan bersurai.
• Jangan tinggalkan apa-apa sampah ditempat perhimpunan. Pastikan semuanya dibuang ke tong sampah atau dibawa balik dan dibuang dirumah.
• Berikan ucapan terima kasih kepada pasukan Keselamatan bertugas jika perhimpunan berjalan lancar.
• Jangan lupa sebarkan gambar dan berita perhimpunan kepada semua sahabat-sahabat terutamanya yang tidak hadir. Segala info dan maklumat bolehlah diemailkan kepada kami di himpunanrakyat@yahoo.com.
Apa anda perlu buat jika Polis buat provokasi dan serbuan.
• Jangan lari atau keluar dari perhimpunan melainkan dengan arahan pimpinan, anda akan mudah ditangkap jika keluar dahulu.
• Jangan bersendirian, pastikan anda bergandingan tangan dan berdiri rapat-rapat bila Polis acah nak buat serbuan atau tembakan water canon.
• Duduk jika pimpinan arahkan.
• Basahkan tuala anda dengan sedikit air, dan tekup dimuka bila gas pemedih mata dilepaskan. Basuh muka anda dengan air dan makan sedikit garam jika terkena air water canon berwarna kuning.
• Jangan melawan atau cuba bertikam lidah dengan Polis bila mereka provoke…hanya diamkan diri.
Apa yang anda perlu buat jika ditahan
• Jangan banyak cakap dengan Polis. Diamkan dan tenangkan diri.
• Minta nama dan nombor polis yang menahan anda dan tanya dia sebab anda ditahan, seksyen berapa yang digunakan.
• Berikan maklumat asas sahaja jika diminta seperti nama, no kad pengenalan, alamat rumah (berikan ikut alamat dalam IC sahaja).
• Jika mereka tanya soal pekerjaan, jawap yang ringkas sahaja. Jangan bagi maklumat yang lengkap.
• Bagi pelajar, jika mereka tanya anda masih belajar atau tidak, anda hanya perlu jawab “Masih tengah cari kerja” atau berikan jawapan lain yan sesuai. Elakkan mengaku sebagai student. Biar mereka siasat sendiri jika mereka perlukan maklumat lanjut.
Jangan jawab soalan yang tidak perlu.
• Minta berjumpa dengan penguam sebelum beri apa-apa keterangan. Peguam akan menunggu diluar Balai jika anda ditahan.
• Kalau boleh jangan beri terlalu banyak keterangan, anda hanya perlu jawab “saya akan bagi keterangan di Mahkamah sahaja”. Ingat! Apa yang anda cakap di Balai Polis boleh dijadikan bahan bukti di Mahkamah.
• Semasa ditahan, jangan pedulikan provokasi Polis atau jangan mudah cair bila mereka berlembut.
• Pastikan anda ingat semua yang berlaku, termasuklah pegawai polis yang tahan dan soal siasat anda.
• Jangan terlalu risau kerana, diluar balai telah disediakan orang-orang yang akan jamin dan bela anda.
Apa yang anda buat selepas dibebaskan
• Buat pemeriksaan kesihatan jika ada kecederaan.
• Buat laporan Polis jika anda dikasari semasa perhimpunan atau semasa ditahan.
• Ceritakan pada peguam dan media jika anda dianiaya polis.
• Jangan lupa catatkan semua yang anda ingat bila balik ke rumah untuk memudahkan anda mengingatinya bila dibawa ke Mahkamah kelak.
• Pastikan anda ingat dan ambil nombor perhubungan orang yang jamin anda dan juga peguam yang terlibat.
• Serahkan pada peguam segala maklumat dan gambar yang anda ada tentang himpunan bagi memudahkan pembelaan.
• Jangan lupa solat sunnat syukur selepas dibebaskan dan kembalilah bertemu dengan sahabat-sahabat seperjuangan.
• Jangan menyepi dari perjuangan selepas melalui pengalaman ditangkap kerana itu secara semulajadi akan menyebabkan motivasi anda akan menjadi lemah dan anda akan rasa keseorangan.
• Teruskan perjuangan bersama sahabat-sahabat lain.
• Sesungguhnya anda akan rasa lebih hebat dan berani lagi selepas ditangkap kerana tidak semua orang berpeluang merasai apa yang anda lalui ketika ditahan.
Secara keseluruhannya, kita berdoa semoga Perhimpunan ini dapat berjalan lancar tanpa adanya sebarang masalah atau tangkapan. Kita berharap agar dengan sedikit usaha dan kehadiran kita ini akan dapat memberikan tekanan kepada perosak Demokrasi dan memberikan laluan untuk Agong mempergunakan kuasa yang ada untuk memperbaiki kelemahan sistem demokrasi negara kita.
Pastikan anda mengikuti arahan-arahan yang diberikan. Sebarang masalah anda boleh rujuk kepada Unit Amal yang bertugas pada perhimpunan ini
Ingatlah, peristiwa ini adalah peluang untuk anda sekali seumur hidup dan ianya akan kekal menjadi sejarah yang akan menjadi sebutan kepada anak cucu kita. Jangan lepaskan peluang untuk menjadi sebahagian dari sejarah ini.
Herman Samsudeen adalah moderator Web Himpunan Rakyat : http://10nov.himpunan.info
Risk of Misuse of Force by Authorities Against Peaceful Protestors
(New York, November 9, 2007) – Police in Kuala Lumpur should permit a public rally and march organized by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (known as Bersih) to proceed as planned on Saturday November 10, Human Rights Watch said today. New elections, although not mandated before May 2009, are expected to take place early in 2008.
“The grounds for refusing the rally are nonsense,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “If Malaysia wants to count itself a democracy, it can begin by upholding constitutional guarantees of free speech and assembly. The way the system works now, only the ruling coalition can get its messages out.”
Current Malaysian law bans public gatherings of more than five persons without a permit. Kuala Lumpur’s police chief has warned the public that they risk arrest, fines and jail if they participate in the Bersih rally and march, adding that roadblocks and road closures would be in place. Police plans also include the deployment of some 4,000 officers and checks on all cars coming in from outside Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia’s inspector-general of police took the unusual step of reiterating the warnings.
“Organizers of the Bersih rally only want to create a level playing field for all in the coming elections, yet they are being denied the basic right of expressing their concerns in a peaceful demonstration,” said Adams. “Prime Minister Badawi claims to be a reformer, but when it comes to holding onto power, he and his party make one set of rules for themselves and another for everyone else.”
Approximately 70 nongovernmental organizations and opposition political parties have asked the government to implement a series of reforms to address widespread election irregularities. Bersih’s initial request to assemble in Merdeka Square in downtown Kuala Lumpur to march to the national palace to deliver a memorandum to the king was denied on the grounds that the organization was not a registered body, that City Hall had not approved use of the square, that the square would be otherwise occupied, that the march would inconvenience drivers, and that the march could affect public order.
The organizers disputed each of these points. Although Bersih is not a registered organization, the participating groups are registered. Organizers have pledged that Merdeka Square would be cleared in plenty of time for the subsequent event, and said that they chose this long holiday weekend to inconvenience as few drivers as possible. To address public safety concerns, organizers have asked participants to refrain from carrying anything that could compromise the organizers’ peaceful intent and have assured the police that 600 volunteers in addition to those from participating political parties would be on hand to ensure a nonviolent and safe event. Observers from neutral organizations have also been recruited.
Malaysia’s parliamentary elections have been characterized by vote buying, the use of public resources by the ruling parties, and gerrymandering. The Election Commission has been accused of bias. Bersih has asked that indelible ink be used to prevent voters from casting more than one vote, removal of alleged phantom voters from the electoral rolls, elimination of the widespread use of absentee ballots by government workers, and access to state-controlled media by all political parties. To date, the Election Commission has only agreed to using indelible ink.
“The government should not be afraid to allow Malaysians to raise very basic issues about the fundamental right to vote in Merdeka Square,” said Adams. “What is a democracy without public rallies by all involved, including civil society and opposition parties?”
For more information, please contact:
In New York, Mickey Spiegel: +1-212-216-1229; or +1-917-968-9937 (mobile)
In Washington, DC, Sophie Richardson: +1-202-612-4341; or +1-917-721-7473 (mobile)
In London, Brad Adams: +44-20-7713-2767; or +44-79-0872-8333 (mobile)
A mass rally, called the BERSIH Peaceful People’s Gathering, will take place in the heart of Kuala Lumpur at 3pm on 10 November 2007 to demand for clean and fair elections. The Gathering is organized by BERSIH, a coalition comprising political parties and civil society groups, and is expected to draw supporters from all over the country.
The leaders of the three main opposition parties in Malaysia -- KeADILan, PAS and DAP – as well as key non-governmental group (NGO) leaders will address the rally. Among them is former Deputy Prime Minister and KeADILan advisor, Anwar Ibrahim. A political prisoner for 6 years (1998-2004), he is barred from holding political office or contesting in an election until April 2008, but is generally perceived to be spearheading the challenge to the long-standing Barisan Nasional (National Front) domination.
The rally will start at Dataran Merdeka in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and proceed to HM Yang DiPertuan Agong’s palace, where a memorandum will be submitted.
On the same day, similar rallies will be held in front of Malaysian embassies and high commissions in various cities worldwide. To date, the confirmed locations are London (2pm), New York, Jakarta, Bangkok (2pm), Manila, Delhi, Seou l (2pm), Colombo, New Delhi and Ulaan Baatar. A protest note will be submitted to the Malaysian ambassador in the said cities.
In the run-up to the rally, a 10-day ‘Yellow Wave’ campaign was launched at the Annexe of Central Market on 1 November 2007. It was meant to encourage the people to wear yellow – be it clothing, armband, hat or a ribbon -- the colour chosen to represent this pro-democracy movement.
Using the theme “Save Malaysia: Restore Our Rights”, BERSIH sees the flawed electoral process -- which virtually guarantees the perpetual rule of the governing Barisan Nasional -- as the core cause of the exploding political, administrative and judicial rot in Malaysia, with far-reaching implications on the economy and society at large.
BERSIH expects the Gathering to draw tens of thousands from all over the country. The event will serve to drive home the urgency of its four immediate demands for electoral reform:
• a thorough cleanup of the electoral roll to exclude fraudulent registrations;
• the use of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting;
• the abolition of postal voting for the armed forces;
• fair access to the media.
A memorandum to be submitted to the Yang Dipertuan Agong (the Federal Ruler) in conjunction with the Gathering includes calls for an end to gerrymandering, demands for the reintroduction of local elections, and replacement of the first-past-the-post system which results in unbalanced representation in Parliament.
So far, the government-controlled Election Commission (SPR) has only agreed to the indelible ink demand. The Prime Minister, Dato Seri Abdullah Badawi, whose coalition controls 91% of parliamentary seats after a landslide victory in 2004, has so far chosen to keep electoral reform out of his agenda. He is expected to call a General Election any time between now and March 2009.
In his response to an unprecedented march of 2,000 lawyers and Malaysian citizens in late September, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi reckoned that the action had affected business confidence. The march was held after the Government tried to downplay a secretly-taped video clip which exposed a prominent lawyer VK Lingam as having ‘fixed’ the promotion of the current Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim.
BERSIH stresses that only electoral reform can stop the widespread corruption and power abuse in Malaysia. In 2006 and 2007, Malaysia ranked 44th and 45th in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
In the latest Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index, Malaysia's position fell from 92nd in 2006 to 124th in 2007. Without a doubt, the complacency and arrogance that comes with a 91% parliamentary majority -- despite having just 64% of popular support -- has led to PM Abdullah all but abandon his anti-graft platform and reform promises.
Apart from the judiciary, allegations of corruption have also tainted the police force and the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA). The top policeman overseeing commercial crimes Datuk Ramli Yusoff was recently charged by the ACA on more than 20 counts of corruptions. Previous investigations of top police officers by the ACA, and vice-versa, have so far not resulted in prosecution. Both institutions are under the PM's portfolio.
It is for all these reasons that BERSIH, a coalition supported by over 60 civil society groups and five political parties, is taking the 10 November protest internationally. It is our wish that public protests and global solidarity will draw the Government's attention to the pressing need for political democratization, starting with electoral reforms.
BERSIH urges all concerned Malaysians and their friends worldwide to support this urgent and necessary action, for a better future for all Malaysians.
About BERSIH
Officially launched on 23 November 2006 at a press conference in the lobby of the Malaysian Parliament, BERSIH was formed to campaign for broad electoral reform, as the electoral process has become increasingly marred by blatant abuse, unfair practices and a lack of transparency and accountability -- therefore depriving the Malaysian people of their right to information, preventing them from making informed choices and hindering the check-and-balance process.
For more information, please contact the Secretariat at 03-79806571 or email info@bersih.org, alternatively call 019-2232002 (Faisal Mustaffa) or 012-2192010 (Medaline Chang). Information about the event is also available on www.bersih.org.
Nota ini ditujukan kepada semua anak muda Malaysia yang bakal mewarisi negara ini. Negara ini perlu segera diselamatkan. Tiga tonggak penting negara; parlimen, kehakiman dan eksekutif sedang mereput perlahan-lahan oleh kerana amalan rasuah dan tidak amanahnya mereka yang dipilih.
10 November 2007 ini, jam 3.00 petang satu perhimpunan aman rakyat akan berlangsung untuk cuba memulihkan salah satu tonggak penting negara kita.
Sebagai pewaris masa depan, perhimpunan ini sangat signifikan dan dekat dengan kita, justeru kita sangat perlu untuk datang ke Dataran Merdeka Kuala Lumpur, jam 3.00 petang, untuk bersama-sama rakyat lainnya menyatakan solidariti dan sokongan menuntut Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya (SPR) melangsungkan pilihanraya yang bebas dan adil.
Perhimpunan 100,000 rakyat yang sedang diburuk-burukkan ini oleh pimpinan Umno adalah sangat penting untuk kita generasi muda dan seluruh rakyat Malaysia. Himpunan ini adalah perhimpunan aman rakyat yang mahukan keamanan. Dan himpunan ini adalah berobjektifkan pilihanraya yang bebas dan adil.
Jelas mereka yang tidak mahu dan membenci perhimpunan ini adalah mereka yang tidak mahu keadilan dan kebebasan tertegak, yang mahu terus berkuasa dengan cara yang jijik dan kotor melalui penipuan pilihanraya berterusan.
Ini juga bukan perhimpunan anti-kerajaan ataupun menjatuhkan kerajaan. Himpunan ini ditujukan kepada Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, bahawa rakyat mahukan pilihanraya yang bebas dan adil.
Pilihanraya bebas dan adil sangat perlu bagi kita memperoleh ahli-ahli pembuat dasar dan pimpinan kerajaan yang benar-benar disokong dan mendapat kepercayaan dari rakyat. Barulah dasar dan hala tuju negara tidak diperkuda sewenang-wenang oleh mereka yang kita lantik untuk mewakili kita di parlimen.
Kita tidak perlu lagi ditipu oleh sistem pilihanraya sekarang yang dipenuhi dengan kecurigaan kecurangan yang sebahagiannya telah dibuktikan di dalam mahkamah.
Anak muda Malaysia, mari kita turun semua ke Dataran Merdeka agar kita tidak dikutuk oleh generasi pewaris kita kerana membiarkan negara ini mereput sistem moral dan demokrasinya!
Oleh Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin
Ketua Angkatan Muda
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
I refer to the posting by "Deep Throat" on the Malaysia Today website dated 6th November 2007 entitled "Skandal Marina Gugat Institusi Kehakiman".
The posting did not disclose the true and complete facts and in fact contained outright lies in respect of the said 13 titles.
I am one of the Directors in the said Brinchang Farms Sdn Bhd ( wrongly called Brinchang Sdn Bhd in the posting) and I am writing here to set out the true and complete facts.
Firstly it is NOT TRUE that the Power of Attorney given to Hassan Jumadil by the landowners had been confirmed as a forgery. The truth is that the Sandakan High Court has on 23rd May 2006 dismissed the landowners' claim that the said Power of Attorney is a forgery after a trial lasting 24 days. There was NO APPEAL filed against the High Court Order. This can be easily verified in the Sandakan High Court.
Brinchang had lawfully purchased lands measuring approximately 6394 acres divided into 32 tltles ( which includes the 13 draft titles referred in your posting) under an agreement dated 21st November 1984 made between Brinchang and the landowners through their said attorney Hassan Jumadil.
The total purchase price came to RM1.16 million which was paid in full in 1985.
Secondly it is also NOT TRUE that the premiums for the 13 draft titles were paid by the landowners. Brinchang had through their solicitors paid the premiums totalling RM298,648.00 for the 13 draft titles as far back as 1997 for which official receipts nos. 14849125 to 14849140 from the land office had been given in the name of the solicitors.
Brinchang had also paid a futher sum of RM448,445.00 on 17th August 2007 for the quit rent for the 13 titles due as from 1997. Official receipts numbered 01200708000972, 01200708000974 to 01200708000985 was issued by the land office in the name of Brinchang.
The landowners therefore have no more interest in the lands under the 13 titles.
Therefore the title deeds were rightfully to be delivered to Brinchang as confirmed by the Director of Lands & Survey by his letter dated the 15th August 2007. For the purpose of collection the 13 titles deeds, a letter of authorization had to be issued by Brinchang's solicitors as was the normal procedure. Since the 13 titles deeds had been sent up to Tuan Hj Dahlan's office and was being kept there, the letter of authorization from Yap Chin & Tiu had had to be addressed to Tuan Hj.
Your previous posting therefore gave a very distorted and false picture of the facts. If required we can provide copies of the court order and receipts of payment mentioned. Feel free to contact us for clarification. We hope that this will be put up on the comments section to provide a fair and true picture of the matter.
Chan Kam Keong
Brinchang Farms Sdn Bhd
Released by:
Wong Chin Huat
President
Writers Alliance for Media Independence
V. Gayathry
Executive Director
Centre for Independent Journalism
The Writers Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI) and the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) stresses that electoral reforms are the key to press freedom. As one of the short term demands of the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) is to free the media, journalists have the moral duty to support the rally at the Dataran Merdeka this Saturday (November 10) beginning 3 pm.
WAMI and CIJ urge all members of the media community to put on a yellow ribbon or other yellow items as a sign of solidarity. They should also ensure that the readers and audience are correctly informed of the electoral reforms movement.
WAMI and CIJ stress that, the freedom of expression and freedom of information require democracy which itself is threatened by electoral corruptions. The encroachment of press freedom is in fact the consequence of flawed elections.
When the ruling coalition defend the restrictive media-related laws such as the Internal Security Act, Printing Presses and Publications Act, Sedition Act, Official Secrets Act, they often claim that such laws were enacted with popular mandate.
However, would the Parliament be dominated, now at an unprecedented height of 91%, by one party, had there be no phantom voters, no postal voting, no multiple voting, no electoral targeting in development plans, no vote buying? And without a one-party-dominated Parliament, would the Executive dare to intervene and suspend media organizations at whim?
As a matter of fact, the fourth short-term demand by BERSIH is fair media access for parties. In other words, tens of thousand Malaysians will meet this Saturday amongst other to liberate the press. If lawyers can walk for justice, how can journalists stay away from its own cause?
WAMI and CIJ point out that the freedom of peaceful assembly, together with freedom of speech and freedom of association, are the most fundamental civil liberties and guaranteed by the Article 10 of our Federal Constitution. The battles for all these freedom is therefore not separable.
When the authority tries to mislead the public with technical issues like permit for the gathering, reporters and editors have the duty to correctly inform to the citizenry of their rights.
WAMI and CIJ stress that, a profession is more than an occupation or a craft to earn a living. It has its moral purposes. For journalism, the mission is communication of truth.
Beyond the pursuit of press freedom, journalists should also support social reform and be the agent of changes. When the citizens march on the street this Saturday, journalists must consider themselves no lesser citizens than anyone else.
Journalists must be part of the movement to democratize the nation and change her politics and bring democratization. WAMI and CIJ hopes all members of the media community would put on a yellow ribbon, the sign of Malaysia's press freedom movement since 2001, or other yellow items from today onwards. Those who are not duty should themselves join fellow Malaysians at the gathering at Dataran Merdeka.
WAMI and CIJ are amongst BERSIH's 26 NGO members when the coalition was formed in 23 November 2006. Today the coalition consists of 70 NGOs and 5 parties and it is still growing. BERSIH's other three demands are the clean-up of electoral roll, the abolition of postal voting for military and police personnel, the employment of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting. BERSIH's long term demands cover administrative neutrality, campaign finance and electoral system amongst others.
07/11: Kasihan bangsa Melayu
Kasihan Bangsa Melayu, apapun dibuat serba tidak menjadi. Yang dikendung keciciran, yang dikejar tak dapat-dapat. Selalu pula disaran dengan nasihat-nasihat yang mengelirukan. Kebingungan menyelubungi bangsa hingga keliru ia akan identiti, jatidiri, halatuju dan matlamat sebenar hidupnya.
Lebih setengah abad kemerdekaan bangsa kita dari Inggeris malangnya tidak berupaya dimenafa’atkan. Malahan Bangsa Melayu hari ini menjadi anak dagang di tanah air sendiri, menghadapi krisis kehancuran agama, moral, sosial dan identi yang cukup parah di tengah-tengah arus ’pembangunan pesat’ dan kemodenan yang serba canggih kononnya.
Mengapa tenat benar kemelut Melayu hari ini?
Jawapannya ialah kerana kita telah lama benar berpaling daripada fitrah dan akar umbi bangsa, iaiitu memebelakangkan ADAT dan SYARAK pegangan leluhur kita. Kita juga telah membelakangkan tonggak bangsa dan agama iaitu Institusi Raja-Raja Melayu, serta Institusi Ulamak yang BERHAKIKAT. Maka terputuslah rahmat Illahi dari bangsa kita, turunlah murkaNya. Inilah bahana musibah dan barah yang sedang melanda bangsa kita.
Sesungguhnya HAKIKAT perlu dikembalikan pada Raja-Raja Melayu dan Alim-Ulamaknya, barulah ADAT dan SYARAK kembali bersemadi ke dalam lubuk jiwa Bangsa Melayu. Barulah kita tidak lagi keliru akan siapa kita dan apa sebenarnya matlamat hidup kita. Barulah keampunan serta rahmat Illahi dapat kita gapai semula. Barulah kesjahteraan, ketenangan dan kecermerlangan bangsa dan agama kemabali ke pangkuan masyarakat kita.
Apakah itu HAKIKAT? Apakah kaitan ADAT dan Syarak pada Bangsa Melayu? Apakah penyelesaian pada kemelut Melayu?
Lapangkanlah dada, buangkanlah segala prejudis, baca dan hayatilah buku MELAYU ISLAM BERAJA – MENGGALI HAKIKAT LELUHUR.
(Sila ke http://bacabuku.fotopages.com/ untuk keterangan lebih lanjut)
"DAULAT TUANKU - TUANKU PAYUNG RAKYAT "
Ampun DYMM Tuanku-Tuanku sekelian, beribu ampun!
Pejuang Bangsa yang Prihatin
Our Dearest Malays' Rights Protector,
UMNO has been emphasizing that as long as it is in power, rest assured that Malays' Special Rights are protected. How far have it achieved?
To literate younger generation, Malays' Special Rights should be construed as sustaining the wealth and land as inherited from the Malay ancestors who had founded, explored and developed Tanah Melayu. In the era of Dr. Mahathir, the "Malays" was mis-defined as Muslim who lives in the Malays' culture. Such definition was put up to serve selfish purpose and aimed at concealing the fact that he was not from the Malay origin.
If, today, a Chinese or Indian simply joins Islam and his younger generation will have the identity of being a Malay and enjoy the same benefits, then what are Malays' Special Rights? Today, UMNO is full of "Non-Malay" leaders and who can guarantee that when one of these leaders climb up the political ladder one day and become PM, the Malays' Special Rights are still in consideration.
I would say Dr. Mahathir was pretty wise in playing the political game to impress the Malay community that he has done much to protect, but in actual fact, manipulated to serve personal interest. He actually trimmed down the Malays' Rights, especially the Special Rights particularly conferred to our beloved Malay Rulers. If the Malay Rulers' Rights keep deteriorating, one day Malaysia will be a presidential nation and that time these "Non-Malays" will take control ultimately.
I wonder why Pak Lah and others like Hishamuddin and Nazri never realized this. It's time for a change to rectify, re-define and stay intact.
Yours sincerely,
Jamiliah Kassim
Kenyataan angkuh Naib Ketua Pemuda UMNO yang juga menantu Pak Lah bahawa mereka yang bakal mengikuti himpunan aman anjuran BERSIH pada sabtu ini umpama beruk beruk jalanraya tidak ubah seperti mengata dulang paku serpih. Umum dapat melihat gelagat beliau semasa Pilhanraya kecil Ijok yang lepas yang nyata tidak banyak beza dari apa yang disebutkan. Ternyata satu hakikat yang beliau lupa bahawa golongan tertentu tidak akan mengatakan sesuatu melainkan apa yang dekat dengan mereka, atau apa yang serupa dengan mereka. Dan ternyata juga beliau begitu berminat sekali menggunakan perkataan beruk ini.
Sebagai seorang yang berkelulusan Universiti Oxford, amat malang jika beliau hanya seolah olah hanya pandai bercakap tentang beruk. Mungkin beliau rajin membaca al Quran yang menempelak sesetengah golongan bani Israel, jadilah kamu seperti beruk. Barangkali agak sedikit terungkai persoalan minat menyamakan dengan beruk bila dikaitkan dengan kaum Yahudi ini. Mengambil peringatan tersebut seharusnya Khairy tidak condong untuk berkenalan dengan Yahudi Zionis yang terkenal dengan kejahatan dan kezaliman mereka, apatah lagi menyebut nyebut tentang beruk ytang sedikit sinonim dengan mereka.
Andai kata jalan itu juga dipilih, maka lebih layaklah digelar beruk beruk pilhanraya, yang sudah semestinya bukan tandingan parti parti politik lain kerana bahasa politik beruk beruk ini tidak serasi dengan bahasa demokrasi berpalimen yang diamalkan di Malaysia. Beruk beruk sebegini merosakkan demokrasi seperti beruk yang mendapat bunga. Mereka tidak reti menilai harga kemerdekaan dan hak demokrasi apatah lagi hak asasi manusia. Persoalan berkaitan amanah dan dosa pahala jauh sekali.
Jauhlah lagi negara menuju kemajuan dengan kefahaman sebegini. Semoga rakyat dapat menilai antara sandiwara dan kenyataan, antara berpolitik nasional yang sempit dan amanah kepimpinan yang ingin melihat semua manusia dan makhluk Allah mencapai kesenangan dan kebahagiaan hidup di dunia hingga ke akhirat.
Dr Rosli Allani Abdul Kadir
Pengerusi Lajnah Antarabangsa
Dewan Pemuda PAS Pusat
This is to announce that leaders and members of DAP, led by Secretary-General Sdr. Lim Guan Eng, will take part in the BERSIH People’s Gathering on this Saturday, 10th November at Dataran Merdeka.
Parliamentary Opposition Leader Sdr. Lim Kit Siang will also attend the gathering.
As an endorsee of BERSIH, DAP supports the key immediate demands of BERSIH,
viz:
• The use of indelible ink to prevent double-voting;
• The abolishment of postal votes;
• Clean-up of the electoral roll;
• Equal and fair access to national media.
DAP also supports BERSIH’s demand for a longer campaign period (minimum 21 days) to provide the citizenry sufficient time to choose the government and representatives they prefer.
As I understand, members of the BERSIH Steering Committee have met with the Chief Police Officer of Kuala Lumpur and, separately, briefed the Special Branch Chief of Dang Wangi Police District on the event.
We commend the sensible responses of the Police thus far, including the KL CPO’s denial in issuing a statement which said that a permit would never be granted.
DAP urges the Police to herald a new era by adopting a paradigm shift that will see the Police cooperating with participants of public gatherings to safeguard their fundamental freedom of expression.
To put it crudely, if Burma, the most repressive regime in the world, tolerated public gatherings for two consecutive weeks before the harsh crackdown, it is hard to see why the Malaysian authorities cannot stomach a four-hour peaceful gathering.
I invite members of public who are concerned about the state of democracy of the country can turn up in full force to support a worthy and noble cause, i.e. electoral reform.
As yellow is the designated protest colour, participants are encouraged to wear yellow items of clothing, armband or a ribbon from today until Saturday, 10 Nov.
Teresa Kok
Written by Herman Samsudeen
Sumber : http://10nov.himpunan.info
Bagi memudahkan rakyat menyertai Himpunan Aman 100 ribu anjuran BERSIH, dilampirkan peta lokasi dan pengangkutan awam ke Dataran Merdeka.
Para peserta digalakkan menggunakan pengangkutan awam seperti, Bas, LRT Star, LRT Putra dan komuter. Berdasarkan maklumat yang diterima, jumlah penyertaan dari seluruh negara pada masa ini telah melebihi 100 ribu. Oleh itu pengangkutan awam amatlah sesuai pada hari berkenaan dan segala kenderaan dari luar bolehlah di letakkan di stesen-stesen pengangkutan awam dipinggir Kuala Lumpur.
Para peserta Perhimpunan yang masuk ke Kuala Lumpur sebelum pukul 3 petang, boleh berkumpul di tempat-tempat berikut;
1. Kompleks SOGO : Berhenti di Stesen Bas Sogo @ Stesen Komuter Bank Negara @ Stesen LRT STAR Bandaraya
2. Masjid Jamek KL : Berhenti di Stesen Bas Masjid Jamek @ LRT STAR @ PUTRA Masjid Jamek
3. Masjid Negara : Berhenti di Stesen Komuter @ Stesen Kereta api Kuala Lumpur
4. Pasar Seni : Berhenti Stesen Bas Bangkok Bank @ LRT Putra Pasar Seni
Disetiap tempat ini akan ada pmpinan dan sekretariat BERSIH yang akan menunggu. Pada pukul 3 petang semua akan berkumpl di Dataran Merdeka.
Para peserta dinasihatkan untuk membawa sedikit makanan dan minuman beserta anggota keluarga kerana Perhimpunan Aman ini juga adalah untuk semua. Kita datang dengan aman dan kita berkelah beramai-ramai di Dataran sambil mendengar amanat pimpinan BERSIH sebelum berarak ke Istana Negara.
Bagi peserta muslim, dinasihatkan untuk bersolat Zohor lebih awal atau melakukan Solat Jamak bagi mereka yang datang dari luar Kuala Lumpur.
Sumber : http://10nov.himpunan.info
Bagi memudahkan rakyat menyertai Himpunan Aman 100 ribu anjuran BERSIH, dilampirkan peta lokasi dan pengangkutan awam ke Dataran Merdeka.
Para peserta digalakkan menggunakan pengangkutan awam seperti, Bas, LRT Star, LRT Putra dan komuter. Berdasarkan maklumat yang diterima, jumlah penyertaan dari seluruh negara pada masa ini telah melebihi 100 ribu. Oleh itu pengangkutan awam amatlah sesuai pada hari berkenaan dan segala kenderaan dari luar bolehlah di letakkan di stesen-stesen pengangkutan awam dipinggir Kuala Lumpur.
Para peserta Perhimpunan yang masuk ke Kuala Lumpur sebelum pukul 3 petang, boleh berkumpul di tempat-tempat berikut;
1. Kompleks SOGO : Berhenti di Stesen Bas Sogo @ Stesen Komuter Bank Negara @ Stesen LRT STAR Bandaraya
2. Masjid Jamek KL : Berhenti di Stesen Bas Masjid Jamek @ LRT STAR @ PUTRA Masjid Jamek
3. Masjid Negara : Berhenti di Stesen Komuter @ Stesen Kereta api Kuala Lumpur
4. Pasar Seni : Berhenti Stesen Bas Bangkok Bank @ LRT Putra Pasar Seni
Disetiap tempat ini akan ada pmpinan dan sekretariat BERSIH yang akan menunggu. Pada pukul 3 petang semua akan berkumpl di Dataran Merdeka.
Para peserta dinasihatkan untuk membawa sedikit makanan dan minuman beserta anggota keluarga kerana Perhimpunan Aman ini juga adalah untuk semua. Kita datang dengan aman dan kita berkelah beramai-ramai di Dataran sambil mendengar amanat pimpinan BERSIH sebelum berarak ke Istana Negara.
Bagi peserta muslim, dinasihatkan untuk bersolat Zohor lebih awal atau melakukan Solat Jamak bagi mereka yang datang dari luar Kuala Lumpur.
By Old Sea Dog
This week started off with a bang. Important financial events have taken place around the world that will impact us negatively or positively. How our country will fare depends on how we react to these events.
Firstly, the sub-prime credit crash in the US is taking its toll. As of this date, no one knows what the real impact of the sub prime crisis is. As far as we can see, this crisis is just beginning to yield dead bodies. Citigroup Inc. (Citibank) has lost USD17.5 billion because of the sub-prime crisis. This may be the end of Citibank as we know it. Here is a report from AP:
NEW YORK (AP) -- Citigroup Inc. shareholders may have finally gotten what they wanted -- the resignation of Chairman and Chief Executive Charles Prince -- but Wall Street's worries are far from over. At an emergency meeting of the Citi board Sunday, the nation's largest bank announced Prince’s widely expected departure, but also estimated it would take additional losses of $8 billion to $11 billion. In the third quarter, it already took a hit of $6.5 billion in asset mark-downs and other credit-related losses.
Other than Citigroup, Merrill Lynch has suffered losses of $8.4 billion in the third quarter for losses in the credit and leveraged loan markets. As can be predicted in the American way of doing things, the Board of Directors has started squabbling. As more American financial houses start reporting their quarterly results, the effect of the sub prime crisis is deepening. America is bad news. The US Dollar is still going down
At the same time over at the good side, PetroChina became the world’s first company worth more than $1 trillion on Monday, surging past Exxon Mobil as the Chinese oil producer's shares nearly tripled in their first day of trading in China.State-owned PetroChina Co., a unit of state-owned China National Petroleum Corp., is the country's biggest oil and gas producer. Its Shanghai initial public offering of 4 billion shares raised $8.94 billion -- a record for a mainland bourse.
PetroChina’s total market capitalization ballooned to just over $1 trillion, compared to Exxon Mobil Corp.’s $488 billion.
The crash in the US reflects fundamental flaws in the American financial system where speculative fervour fed by greed has brought them to this debacle. This is the same greed which finances American arrogance around the world. No amount of American thievery of foreign oil is going to save the US this time around.
The same logic applies to our country. Thievery does not make success. It brings disaster - sooner or later. Taking things that does not belong to you will cause your demise - sooner rather than later.
06/11: Important notice
In spite of the announcement, many of you appear not to have read it. Please note the following:
1) We have frozen the old Blog and are now using a new one.
2) You have to register again to post comments in the new Blog.
3) To register, send a short introduction to: mohrin_rhsm@hotmail.com
4) If you have previously registered and would like to retain the same ID and password please indicate your choice of ID and password.
Now, please note this other very important message. We shall soon be migrating to another server. This means we shall have a new IP address so many of you will not be able to find our site. Note this IP address and if you can't find Malaysia Today by using www.malaysia-today.net then type http://98.131.12.240/ instead to find us (try it out now).
Alternatively, send an e-mail to mohrin_rhsm@hotmail.com to ask how to get onto Malaysia Today if you still have problems.
Gabungan Pilihanraya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH) akan menghantar satu surat bagi memastikan temujanji bagi upacara penyerahan memorandum diRaja BERSIH, 10 November nanti di Istana Negara.
Berikut adalah butiran sidang media:
Tarikh : 6 November (Selasa)
Masa : 11 pagi
Tempat : Pintu masuk belakang Istana Negara, 50050 Kuala Lumpur.
Delegasi BERSIH akan diwakili oleh:
1. Dr Zulkifli Ahmad
2. Dr Syed Azman Nawawi
3. YB Teresa Kok
4. Sdr Sivarasa Rasiah
BERSIH juga akan memaklumkan perkembangan terkini dan persiapan terakhir menjelang Perhimpunan Aman Rakyat 10 November di Kuala Lumpur dan beberapa kota di seluruh dunia.
Diharapkan Tuan dapat menghantar wartawan/jurugambar untuk membuat liputan.
Sebarang pertanyaan, sila hubungi sekretariat Faisal Mustaffa 019-2232002 atau Medeline Chang 012-2192010.
Sekian, terima kasih
SEKRETARIAT BERSIH
by Old Sea Dog
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said that the Malay brain requires 54 years to fully develop. To make sure that this will happen by 2057 the DPM has advised Malays to start focusing on two year olds as saviours of the race.
In the meantime while waiting for these two year olds to reach 54 years, Najib says that all the tongkat policies will be maintained for the next 50 years at least until 2057.
The Star's headlines today which says 'Start them young' quotes Najib saying that education is important for a talented 2057 generation.
2057? This means that all the past 50 years of Merdeka and 37 years of the New Economic Policy has resulted in no brainers.
"Malays must place emphasis on starting their children's education early to produce a talented 2057 generation to steer the nation to greater achievements," said Najib. Perhaps Najib was also hinting at young children suspected to be born out of wedlock to powerful politicians dallying with their Indonesian maids.
DPM Najib has a plan to increase the retirement age to 85 by the year 2057 so that when the Malay brain finally reaches full maturity at 54 years, the Malays will still have another 30 years of productive contribution before retiring at age 85.
In the meantime, most other non Malay human brains will mature and start functioning fully by age 25 or even earlier. Thus, these non Malay brains will have a 30 year headstart over the Malays who will mature at age 54 years. This will most likely widen the racial gaps and barriers.
But Najib has a secret plan to overcome this little oversight. Hence the UMNO Assembly this week will curse the Malay Rulers for trying to interfere in UMNO's grand design to create the Malay super race by 2057. They will also curse the Chinese and others who will also be blamed for all of UMNO's problems. There is a proposal to rename the Malay language as Bahasa Melayu. What was it before? Bahasa mamak mydin ke?
It will be another hilarious three days at the PWTC.
Dewan Pemuda PAS Wilayah Persekutuan (PemudaWilayah) akan mengadakan siri pengedaran poster, banner dan handbill bagi mempromosikan Himpunan Aman 100 ribu rakyat anjuran BERSIH. Sebanyak 10,000 poster telah diedarkan pada minggu lepas. Walaubagaimana pun, pihak PemudaWilayah mendapati hampir sebahagian besar poster tersebut telah ditanggalkan oleh pihak-pihak yang cuba membatalkan perhimpunan ini.
Sepanjang minggu ini, PemudaWilayah akan meneruskan pengedaran poster ini bersama dengan banner dan juga 250, 000 handbill.
Poster dan Banner ini akan ditampalkan di semua kawasan Parlimen, manakala handbills ini akan diedarkan ke Masjid-masjid utama di sekitar Kuala Lumpur.
PemudaWilayah juga telah menyusun jadual bersama dengan Jawatankuasa BERSIH untuk turun ditempat-tempat awam bagi mengedarkan handbills ini. Berikut adalah maklumat tempat dan tarikh-tarikh program;
5 Nov 07 - Masjid Jamek KL - Berkumpul di Masjid Jamek
6 Nov 07 - Puduraya - BerkumpulTangga Depan Puduraya
7 Nov 07 - KLCC - Berkumpul di Depan Suria KLCC
8 Nov 07 - Bukit Bintang - Kumpul di McDonald Bukit Bintang
9 Nov 07 - Masjid-Masjid Utama di setiap Kawasan Parlimen
Kepada semua rakyat yang berada di Kuala Lumpur, anda dipelawa untuk menyertai kami. Semarakan warna kuning, untuk meraikan soladariti dan hak demokrasi anda.
10 November adalah hari untuk anda menyatakan hak dan tuntutan anda. Ayuh sertai kami dan 100 ribu rakyat Malaysia yang akan berarak dari Dataran Merdeka ke Istana Negara.
Kamaruzzaman Mohamad
Ketua
Dewan Pemuda PAS Wilayah Persekutuan
Oleh : Mohd Ezli Mashut
LL.B (Hons)
ezli007@hotmail.com
‘Kuasa Rakyat Adalah Kuasa Keramat’. Kuasa ini cukup digeruni dan ditakuti oleh semua rejim kuasa pemerintah di dunia. Ianya berlaku jika rakyat melihat kerajaan semasa sudah hilang wibawa, kredibiliti dan amanah, institusi penting negara tidak berfungsi dengan baik dan pincang, individu-individu yang memegang tampok kuasa tertinggi negara persoalan amanah dan integritinya dipertikaikan rakyat kebanyakkan. Rasuah, penyelewengan kuasa dan kezaliman dilakukan oleh pihak pemerintah secara jelas dan terus menerus. Maka di saat itu kedaulatan rakyat menjadi Ketua Hakim Negara yang akan menjatuhkan hukuman kepada rejim pemerintah semasa.
Senario semasa negara kini menyaksikan krisis terbesar telah berlaku apabila krisis keyakinan rakyat terhadap kerajaan dalam pelbagai isu penting dan utama. Ianya meliputi isu krisis badan kehakiman negara apabila pendedahan menerusi klip video perbualan di antara seorang peguam dan hakim kanan negara, rasuah yang melingkari hakim-hakim, pasukan polis, kastam, pihak berkuasa tempatan dan sektor korporat. Isu pembunuhan kejam warga Mongolia iaitu Altantunya dengan bahan letupan C4 yang melibatkan individu penting negara dan pasukan polis serta cara penghakimannya menjadi perbincangan hangat. Keganasan penjenayah dalam kes-kes yang semakin meningkat daripada pembunuhan kanak-kanak sehingga kepada pihak anggota polis menunjukkan ada sesuatu yang tidak kena. Kenaikan harga barangan dan perkhidmatan yang semakin menjadi-jadi mutakhir ini amat memeritkan rakyat.
Tambahan pula Laporan Audit Tahun 2006 memperlihatkan banyak kepincangan di sana-sini. Isu kebocoran bangunan milik kerajaan yang mencecah ratusan juta. Kelemahan pentadbiran negara dalam menangani isu murtad dan toleransi agama. Keganasan pasukan polis menggunakan peluru hidup di Terengganu. Perobohan setinggan, surau dan kuil tanpa toleransi daripada PBT dan kerajaan negeri. Isu pembangunan mega koridor-koridor ekonomi yang dijalankan mencecah ratusan billion Ringgit Malaysia. Malahan banyak lagi isu yang saban hari dipaparkan dan didedahkan tidak lain menambahkan lagi krisis keyakinan rakyat terhadap kerajaan semasa yang semakin hilang wibawa dan kredibiliti dalam menangani dengan baik dan bijak masalah negara dan rakyat.
Kes penangkapan dan dakwaan rasuah yang heboh diperkatakan di media-media utama bagaikan mengulangi apa yang telah berlaku sebelum pilihanraya umum ke-11 pada 2004 dahulu. Pada ketika itu Perdana Menteri yang baru mengambil alih pemerintahan cuba membawa imej bersih dan serius dalam soal peperangan rasuah. Tetapi lihat selepas hampir empat tahun tiada sebarang perubahan drastik dalam soal menangani rasuah malahan ianya semakin teruk , parah dan kritikal.
Penangkapan dan dakwaan rasuah terhadap individu-individu tertentu yang giat dilakukan kini sewajarnya diteruskan pula kepada dakwaan-dakwaan yang sudah dilaporkan kepada pihak Badan Pencegah Rasuah (BPR) yang melibatkan ‘jerung-jerung’ yang didakwa melakukan rasuah melebihi ratusan juta Ringgit Malaysia dan lebih. Bukti yang dikemukan juga cukup konkrit dan boleh dijadikan asas untuk pendakwaan. Tetapi kini peperangan rasuah ditumpukan hanya melibatkan ‘bilis-bilis’ pemain rasuah tetapi yang melibatkan ‘jerung-jerung’ senyap daripada sebarang tangkapan dan dakwaan. Bukannya tiada laporan yang dikemukan kepada BPR tetapi ke mana hasilnya selepas laporan di buat.
Terbaru dakwaan daripada hanya satu kenyataan media oleh Menteri Besar Kelantan yang berkata pernah cuba diberi rasuah lebih 15 tahun dahulu cuba diperbesar-besarkan mengapa beliau tidak membuat laporan. Tetapi kita mempersoalkan kembali akan kredibiliti dan professionalisma Badan Pencegah Rasuah di mana dakwaan, siasatan dan tangkapan sudah dilakukan apabila pertubuhan NGO iaitu GERAK membuat laporan dan menyerahkan bukti 600 mukasurat terhadap kes rasuah seorang menteri kabinet. Ke mana juga penyiasatan terhadap penyelewengan dalam kes pembalakan yang berlaku yang melibatkan sehingga bilion Ringgit Malaysia. Ke mana juga dakwaan dan siasatan terhadap ‘komisen’ ratusan juta dalam kes pembelian 2 buah kapal selam jenis Scorpene dan 18 buah jet pejuang jenis Sukhoi MKM-30. Ke mana juga perginya siasatan dan pendakwaan rasuah terhadap menteri-menteri kabinet, ahli-ahli parlimen , menteri- menteri besar , tokoh-tokoh korporat, dan banyak lagi dakwaan yang senyap sunyi sehingga kini.
Malahan rakyat masih ragu-ragu lagi apakah selepas pilihanraya umum ke-12 ini soal dalam memerangi rasuah tanpa mengira pangkat dan kedudukan masih menjadi agenda penting BPR dan kerajaan. Kita tidak hendak melihat ianya nampak bersungguh-sungguh dalam menangani rasuah apabila sedar PRU-12 akan berlaku bila-bila masa sahaja sekarang. Tidak lain dan tidak bukan hanya untuk menagih populariti dan memancing undi rakyat tetapi melupakan fungsi sebenar dalam soal peperangan terhadap rasuah.
Selagi Badan Pencegah Rasuah tidak diletakkan di bawah bidang kuasa Parlimen dan mendapat arahan terus daripada YDPA maka persoalan kuasa dan pendakwaan BPR akan terus menjadi keraguan kepada rakyat kebanyakkan. Sewajarnya Badan Pencegah Rasuah ini mempunyai tambahan kuasa di mana boleh bertindak untuk membuat siasatan, tangkapan dan dakwaan kepada siapa sahaja tanpa rasa takut dan bimbang sehinggakan mampu dan berani untuk menangkap Timbalan Perdana Menteri dan Perdana Menteri jika ada dakwaan rasuah yang dikemukakan. Ini sebenarnya keberanian yang ingin rakyat lihat kepada kuasa BPR yang mampu dan betul-betul serius dalam peperangan memerangi rasuah dan penyelewengan dengan ‘without fear and favaor’.
Menyentuh soal krisis badan kehakiman negara, penubuhan Suruhanjaya Bebas dilihat hanya untuk menjadi penyelamat daripada terbongkarnya skandal besar-besaran yang heboh diperkatakan dalam soal perlantikan hakim dan penghakiman yang dibuat dalam beberapa kes individu terbabit yang mempunyai kepentingan. Apakah juga suruhanjaya bebas ini akan menutup kes ini sepertimana juga kes-kes besar yang melibatkan orang-orang besar sebelum ini. Jika benarlah spekulasi ini, maka kemarahan rakyat yang sedar terhadap betapa teruknya senario dalam negara akan mencapai tahap yang belum pernah berlaku dalam sejarah.
Kita cuba bayangkan jika kes-kes yang berlaku ini berlaku di luar negara sudah pasti ceritanya cukup berbeza. Kita lihat di Korea Selatan, Jepun , Pakistan ,Bangladesh , Indonesia ,Thailand, dan banyak negara lain lagi sehinggakan Presiden dan Perdana Menteri mereka sendiri tidak terlepas daripada dikenakan dakwaan dan dipenjarakan. Ini disebabkan keberanian yang ditunjukkan oleh rakyat mereka sendiri yang cinta dan sayang kepada negara untuk menyelamatkan negara daripada dijahanamkan oleh penyelewengan dan rasuah.
Kita sebenarnya perlu belajar daripada rakyat Thailand dan Indonesia iaitu jiran terdekat kita yang pandai untuk ‘mengajar’ pemimpin utama mereka jika melakukan penyelewengan dan rasuah. Malahan bekas-bekas pimpinan mereka yang didakwa kini adalah hasil kebangkitan berani rakyat mereka untuk turun ke jalan raya selepas pilihanraya tidak mampu memberikan satu bentuk pemilihan yang benar-benar telus.
Tidak keterlaluan juga kita perlu belajar dengan keberanian yang ditunjukkan oleh sami-sami di Mynmar yang sanggup menjadi perintis kepada kebangkitan rakyat untuk turun ke jalan-jalan raya apabila berdepan dengan kerajaan junta tentera yang didakwa tidak demokratik. Di Malaysia kita juga berharap para ulama ,imam dan ustaz berani untuk menyatakan pendirian dan mampu untuk memimpin rakyat dalam soal berhadapan situasi serius yang berlaku di negara ini. Para pensyarah yang mempunyai PHD dan kebijaksanaan yang hebat juga wajar mencetuskan keberanian dan kebangkitan mahasiswa terhadap situasi genting yang berlaku kini.Kuasa kedaulatan rakyat perlu dimobilasikan dengan sebaik mungkin untuk menjadi kuasa pengimbang kepada kerajaan semasa yang dilingkari dengan rasuah dan penyelewengan.
Kita tahu bahawa rakyat Malaysia secara umumnya belum mencapai tahap keberanian yang luar biasa seperti yang berlaku di negara luar negara. Tetapi kita yakin suara senyap ini jika sudah terpendam terlalu lama maka kesannya umpama gunung berapi yang ratusan tahun senyap tetapi jika aktif akan memberikan kesan yang cukup menakutkan. Apa yang cuba dinyatakan di sini ialah rakyat akan turun ke jalan-jalan raya di masa hadapan jika kerajaan yang dipilih dalam sistem demokrasi yang tidak adil sudah tidak dapat membela kebajikan rakyat kebanyakkan.
Bahana rasuah amat memeritkan rakyat keseluruhannya. Yang pasti kenaikan harga barang yang sekarang menjadi-jadi juga adalah disebabkan oleh rasuah yang masih menjadi api dalam sekam kepada sistem ekonomi Malaysia. Pihak sektor swasta dan korporat juga masih tidak terlepas daripada persoalan rasuah kerana sistem yang ada di Malaysia cukup kritikal sehinggakan para pelabur asing masih menaruh kesangsian dalam aspek menangani rasuah yang berlaku di negara ini.
Kita percaya sebenarnya rakyat Malaysia ramai yang sedar namun masih belum bersedia untuk menyatakan secara terbuka. Tetapi tidak bermakna diam mereka bersetuju dengan apa yang berlaku sekarang. Perjalanan pilihanraya di Malaysia juga masih menunjukkan kualiti yang rendah dalam soal keadilan dan professionalisme kepada semua parti yang bertanding. Soal ketelusan dan kewibawaan SPR juga masih dipertikaikan oleh ramai pihak. Malahan PRU-12 ini juga rakyat umumnya masih ragu-ragu lagi akan kredibiliti SPR dalam menjalankan perjalanan pilihanraya yang adil dan saksama.
Pilihanraya Umum adalah cukup penting kepada sesebuah negara kerana di sini permulaan masa hadapan negara ditentukan. Jika sistem pemilihan wakil rakyat itu sendiri dipertikaikan . Ia juga akan mempertikaikan kerajaan yang dibentuk kelak. Apakah acuan demokrasi yang cuba diterapkan di Malaysia sudah cukup hebat berbanding negara-negara dunia lain sehinggakan sebarang rombakan besar-besaran dalam struktur Suruhajaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) dirasakan tidak perlu. Kita menegaskan bahawa satu rombakan besar-besaran perlu juga dilakukan terhadap perjalanan pilihanraya itu sendiri untuk lebih demokratik, adil dan telus kepada semua pihak.
Kita ingin mencadangkan bahawa sudah tiba masanya jawatan Perdana Menteri Malaysia di buka untuk pencalonan dan diadakan pilihanraya umum . Biar rakyat diberi kebebasan untuk memilih siapa untuk bakal menjadi Perdana Menteri Malaysia. Walaupun perkara ini memerlukan beberapa pindaan terhadap Perlembagaan Negara namun mengapa tidak. Jika ada pilihanraya memilih Perdana Menteri Malaysia ianya sudah pasti satu langkah kehadapan dalam perjalanan Malaysia menjadi sebuah negara maju dalam erti sebenarnya.
Jika PRU-12 ini, kerajaan yang memerintah tidak bertukar polisi dan pembelaan kepada rakyat daripada apa yang ada sekarang. Kita sudah merasakan bahawa trend kenaikan harga barangan yang sukar dikawal dan teruk dalam sejarah negara 50 tahun ini akan berlaku dan inflasi akan meningkat. Kenaikan harga minyak di pasaran dunia akan menjadi alasan utama untuk menaikkan kesemua harga barangan dan perkhidmatan. Akan berlaku kenaikkan harga petrol, gas, tol , tarif air , eletrik, makanan dan pelbagai lagi yang tidak munasabah.
Jalan terbaik untuk mengekang daripada perkara ini berlaku salah satu tindakan berani gelombang kedaulatan rakyat ialah dengan memberikan undi kepada Barisan Alternatif dalam membentuk kerajaan baru. Jika perkara ini berlaku seperti yang sudah diumumkan oleh Ketua Umum Pari Keadilan Rakyat iaitu Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim untuk menurunkan harga minyak jika memberi kemenangan kepada Barisan Alternatif adalah satu tawaran yang cukup hebat untuk rakyat Malaysia.
Kita tidak mahu rakyat Malaysia menyesal nanti, kerana kerajaan yang ada sekarang seolah – olah sudah memberikan mesej jika satu kemenangan besar mereka perolehi dalam PRU-12 ini hadiahnya adalah keperitan dalam soal kenaikan harga yang mereka akan berikan kepada semua pengundi mereka dan rakyat Malaysia. Sedangkan dalam keadaan hampir untuk pilihanraya umum ini sendiri dengan kenaikan beberapa keperluan penting makanan rakyat mereka langsung tidak menunjukkan sebarang pembelaan kepada rakyat apalagi selepas PRU-12 ini tiada jaminan langsung akan pembelaan mereka berikan. Kenyataan yang akan mereka keluarkan sudah dijangka iaitu ‘kenaikan harga barangan ini tidak membebankan rakyat’.
Kini gelombang kedaulatan rakyat besar-besaran perlu diterjemahkan dengan sebijak mungkin. Kita perlu memilih pemimpin yang membela kebajikan rakyat. 120 kerusi parlimen perlu kita beri kepada Barisan Alternatif yang selama ini menunjukkan pembelaan yang konsisten terhadap rakyat dan reformasi sistem di Malaysia. 120 kerusi ini yang diberikan akan mengubah satu landskap politik dan ekonomi Malaysia. Kita perlu memberikan mereka peluang untuk menunjukkan prestasi mereka. Jika sesebuah negara kerajaan yang memerintah tidak berubah maka kita akan lihat banyak masalah yang akan ditimbulkannya. Umum mengetahui kerajaan di dunia sudah banyak berubah. Terbaru di Turki kemenangan PKK walaupun berhadapan dengan ancaman campurtangan tentera wajar dijadikan contoh kebangkitan rakyat mereka.
Kita sudah tiada pilihan lain lagi, adalah diramalkan jika PRU-12 ini parti pemerintah yang sudah memerintah lebih 50 tahun itu tidak dipencenkan atau dipersarakan. Maka keperitan dan kesengsaraan ekonomi yang amat akan dirasai oleh semua lapisan rakyat Malaysia sepertimana berlakunya krisis ekonomi 1998 akan berulang lagi pada 2008 ini. Putaran ekonomi selama 10 tahun akan bermula semula kerana kita tidak memerangi rasuah dengan bersungguh-sungguh di samping pucuk pimpinan yang tidak bijak mengurus sumber ekonomi negara dengan sebaik mungkin untuk kebajikan seluruh rakyat Malaysia.
Akhirnya semoga rakyat Malaysia berani dalam soal menyelamatkan negara daripada pemerintah yang rasuah dan penyelewengan. Ingatlah sudah ada rakyat Malaysia yang berani ke angkasa lepas. Mengambil iktibar ini sewajarnya minda rakyat Malaysia juga maju supaya bijak memilih untuk masa hadapan negara. Ayuh rakyat Malaysia kesemuanya gelombang kedaulatan rakyat kita nobatkan untuk menghukum kepada rejim pemerintah yang sudah banyak merosakkan sistem ekonomi , sosial, keselamatan dan keadilan di Malaysia.
Semoga Malaysia selepas ini lebih merdeka, makmur dan aman dalam konteks yang sebenarnya. Pemimpinnya adil dan membela nasib rakyat. Rasuah diperangi habis-habisan tanpa mengira pangkat dan kedudukan. Pasukan polis yang lebih professional. Badan Kehakiman yang bebas daripada pengaruh Badan Eksekutif. Dan juga semoga ekonomi Malaysia lebih makmur dan rakyatnya dapat menikmati kemakmuran dan kekayaan negara.
BN Government Should Not Mislead The Public That The Consumer Price Index (CPI) From January To September 2007 Has Risen By Only 2% When In Reality It Has Risen By 20%!
The BN Government should not mislead the public that the CPI from January to September 2007 has risen by only 2% when in reality it has risen by 20%. In actual fact in the last four months alone, prices of basic food-stuffs have risen by around 10%:such as rice (5-8%), chilli sauce (5-10%), beehoon (5-10%), biscuits (10-15%), chocolate malt drinks (10-18%), UHT milk (10-15%) and milk powder (10-20%). Many Malaysians have been complaining that everything from toll rates to instant mee noodles have been going up except their salaries.
However the government has been in a state of denial at the adverse impact of food prices on working families. The government continues to pretend that rising fuel prices with the international oil price hitting a record US$ 96 per barrel and rising commodities prices world-wide has not affected prices in Malaysia. This dangerous pre-occupation with denial is irresponsible and unprofessional management of our economy that will only cause suffering to low and middle income working families.
Only a CPI that is accurate and gives a reliable “virtual reality” of the escalating prices of basic commodities throughout the country can give confidence that the government knows how to manage the economy responsibly for the benefit of the people. Clearly such false and misleading picture of a CPI of only 2% when the reality is ten times worse shows the extent of dirty tactics employed by BN in the run-up to the general elections to win at all costs, by hook or by crook.
Even the English daily “The Star” in today’s front-page report, cited 20% increase in CPI from January to September 2007 as a more accurate reflection of the true situation on the ground than the government’s official 2%. It said, “Bread now costs 20 to 30 sen more per loaf, and toll charges may be raised again next year. All over the country, Malaysians are paying more for popular local fare like char kuay teow and roti canai.”
DAP calls for a complete review of the CPI to reflect reality and not give a false picture that Malaysians are still maintaining their standard of living. The time has come for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Datuk Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to wake up and deal with escalating inflation and how to help Malaysians maintain standard of living. As most firms are also struggling with rising prices, forcing companies to raise salaries beyond their capabilities or labour market forces of demand and supply would not be fair. A fairer method would be to share Petronas oil profits with Malaysians.
RM 6,000 Annual Bonus For All Working Malaysians And Senior Citizens With Incomes Of Less Than RM6,000 Monthly.
There is grave concern that with the expected increase in fuel prices and toll rates in the North-South Highway next year, the situation will only get worse for working families. Further the government has indicated that it can no longer provide subsidies especially fuel subsidies alone that cost RM 27 billion. Whilst it may be economically unrealistic to expect any government to perpetually subsidise petroleum and gas without limit, it is socially unrealistic to expect the poor to survive without any assistance once the subsidies are removed. What is economically justifiable can not be socially justifiable if the poor are not given any financial assistance to counter inflationary impact from removal of gas subsidies.
DAP reiterates its proposal that the government gives an annual RM 6,000 Malaysian First Bonus to all working families and senior citizens who earn less than RM 6,000 a month which would enable all Malaysians to deal with rising food prices and inflation at the most efficient level. After all, if Singapore can give poor working families a yearly sum of S$ 2,500, why can’t Malaysia do the same with our oil resources and revenues that earned Petronas RM 76.3 billion last year?
LIM GUAN ENG
by Old Sea Dog
The Second Finance Minister has been going about announcing that the increase in oil prices will not cause inflation. He is on record saying that inflation is around 2% and will remain so into next year.
It is difficult to understand why the FM2 would want to make such ridiculous statements when every Malaysian housewife who goes to the market knows better than him that prices of food and groceries have skyrocketed. The Star headlined the skyrocketing prices in Malaysia on its front page. Here is the report from The Star:
Price rises hurting the wallets of Malaysians
By JOSEPH LOH and RASHVINJEET S.BEDI
PETALING JAYA: Bread now costs 20 to 30 sen more per loaf, and toll charges may be raised again next year. All over the country, Malaysians are paying more for popular local fare like char kuay teow and roti canai.
Prices are increasing across the board for items and commodities essential for a modern lifestyle. Toll on the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP), for example, has increased this year from RM1 to RM1.60.
While this may be a worrying situation for Malaysia, it is hardly a localised phenomenon but one that is happening globally.
The immediate concern to Malaysians, however, is the effect on their wallets. According to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI), prices have increased by 2% from January to September. The highest increase was in alcoholic beverages and tobacco (7.3%) and food and non-alcoholic beverages (2.8%).
The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), however, feels the CPI does not reflect the true situation. “The CPI deals with averages but most consumers will dispute this figure.
“Consumers can tell you prices have gone up by more than 2%,” said CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris.
Razak Hamzah, 43, and his wife Siti Ruhayu, 37, who have three school-going children, know for a fact that the price of their purchases has gone up significantly. They, like many other families, really feel the pinch when it comes to basic necessities like Milo, milk, flour, cooking oil and chicken.
“I can remember getting two chickens for RM13, but today I can only get one,” said Siti.
So, for the couple, it is all about juggling expenses and keeping strictly to a budget – which remains at RM300 per month for groceries despite higher prices.
“We try to make do with less. Our income hasn’t gone up so we have to be smart and adjust our needs,” said Siti, who runs a business with her husband. Those in the middle and lower middle income groups will feel the effects of the price increases most painfully as food is one of their core expenses.
Fears that the salary increases for civil servants of between 7.5% and 42% effective July 1would result in price hikes despite government controls have come true. Hence, the call by MTUC for a cost of living allowance (Cola) for private sector workers; and Cuepacs' nationwide boycott campaign against rising prices of essential goods.
Dr Yeah Kim Leng, group chief economist at Ratings Agency of Malaysia (RAM), attributes the price increases to the rise in commodity prices like wheat, milk, corn, soya bean and rice, which are at a 10-year high. There are also energy commodities such as petrol and gas to take into account. Oil is currently selling at US$92 per barrel.
“The revision of control prices of commodities has exerted domestic price pressures,” he said. A price increase in petrol will result in higher transportation fees, and is relayed to the consumer – and this trend is occurring all over the world. Other factors include the growing of crops for bio-fuel and animal feed instead of for food.
Even global warming is in the picture. The rising price of wheat due to drought and reduced harvests in Australia caused the price of flour to rise: in Jamaica it’s up by 30%; in China, the price of a packet of instant noodles jumped an average of 20% and by as much as 40% in some cases in July - rest truncated
It is true that just six months ago RM13 could get you two chickens of over a kilo weight each. However, the same size chicken costs over RM10 now. People with fixed incomes like wage earners and Civil Servants are particularly feeling the pinch - quite severely too. Retailers and suppliers are reporting much lower Hari Raya and Deepavali sales.
The Finance Minister 2 seems to be lost in the 'feel good' hype wished upon a star by his boss the 1st Finance Minister cum Prime Minister. But for such a high official to go about spreading untruths contrary to the real situation on the ground is tantamount to lying.
The Government must realise that a hungry man who cannot feed his wife and children is an angry man. This is what is happening in the country but the Government has adopted the 'close one eye' approach and hopes that all this irritants will magically go away. Not enough food and clothes can cause protests and riots. A new university graduate hardly gets RM1200 a month starting salary. The bulk of unemployed graduates are of course Malays. There is a time bomb ticking but the Government seems to be blissfully ignorant.
If a crisis breaks out and people protest in the streets does the Cabinet have the smarts to handle the situation? We cannot depend on the Finance Minister 2 to handle any crisis. The 1st Finance Minister does not even know if he is coming or going. The 2nd Finance Minister is akin to a Black Midas - everything he touches goes bust. He has a dubious record of running things into the ground. He bankrupted Bank Negara during his tenure there. He then helmed Abrar Berhad which went bust. During his term in Abrar they bought over Mun Loong Berhad which also went bust. Now he is running the economy.
WHY WALL STREET IS SO SCARED NOW, MORE THAN EVER AND WILL GO FOR BROKE IN THE COMING MONTHS
This was what I wrote on the 28th October 2007:
“Bernanke to the rescue again. Rates will drop by at least 25 basis points to stimulate another Dow Rally. Dow will rise beyond 14,000 for a week or so followed by a massive collapse.”
A critic jumped at the fact that Dow did not surpassed the 14,000 points, after the Fed reduced rates on 31.10.2007 and screamed, “Matthias, you are wrong. You’re Bullshit!”
This particular critic (I have a feeling he is one of those bloggers that never cease to abuse me with profanities, always avoiding rational arguments whenever my article appears in the internet) can never see the big picture. He is what I called a real asshole, a man in perpetual state of denial.
A Blessing In Disguise
Hence, my title to this article: “How I Can Be Wrong And Still Be Right.”
I was wrong on account of Dow shooting past the 14,000 points after the Fed reduced both the Discount Rate and the Fund Rate by 25 basis points on 31.10.2007. In fact the Dow rallied to 13,930.01, just 70 points shy of the magical 14,000. So there was a rally but it ran out of steam sooner than I thought. I surmised that Wall Street and the Plunge Protection Team would keep the momentum going for at least a week. They were pumping additional billions into the system. But it did not work. They ran out of gas!
The next day, 1.11.2007, the Dow plunged 362.14 points, bringing the Dow back to reality at 13,567.87.
We should in fact be happy that people have not bought into this con game perpetrated by the Fed and Wall Street, tried as hard as they could. This is a most significant event as we enter the final 4th quarter of 2007. The first quarter of 2008 will be a nightmare!
This means that the “blood transfusion” (i.e. pumping money into the system by the financial doctors – the central banks) is not working. Up to 30th October 2007, the Fed and European central banks have pumped an estimated US$1 trillion into the system and yet the banks and other financial institutions are still bleeding. The blood bank may be soon running dry.
There is but one conclusion to the recent rescue efforts to shore up the global stock markets - a stock market rally grounded on a reduction of interest rates by the Fed cannot and will not be an effective tool to address the underlying financial mess that has gripped the world’s financial markets. The reduction of interest rates will also not resolve the banking crisis triggered by the collapse of the CDOs and the commercial paper markets.
More Con Games Exposed
As stated in my previous Alert, Merrill Lynch has written off US$8 billion for the third quarter of 2007. It is now expected to write off a further US$4 billion in the next quarter. Its CEO, Stan O’Neal has been sacked!
Citigroup, the global banking giant and the biggest bank in the US, has announced that its CEO, Mr. Prince would resign from the bank after an emergency meeting in the wake of a $5.9 billion write-down and sharp drop in profits. The fourth quarter for the bank will also be gloomy.
How big will the write offs be in the 4th quarter for Citigroup? And who will be next to fall, Goldman Sachs? JP Morgan Chase?
The Economist observed the unfolding of the above events and commented:
“The most striking (and overlooked) aspect of this was that it involved mostly securities that only a few months ago had been considered platinum-plated: collateralised debt obligations (CDOs), or tranched pools of mortgage-backed securities, that were not only rated triple-A, the highest level, but had also received extra credit enhancement, making them “super senior”. Until recently it was assumed that such well-protected paper could not lose its value. No longer. Worryingly, hundreds of banks, insurers and hedge funds around the world hold such securities. Fooled by false alchemy, they face a trouble reckoning.”
The Economist also warned that those insurance companies that insured corporate bonds and structured products such as MBIA will be the next to fall. MBIA the largest of these has just reported its first ever quarterly loss after it had downgraded the value of its own mortgage holdings and setting aside money to pay clients who had wisely taken out cover on these toxic CDOs. If such insurers are to set aside massive amounts of monies to pay their clients, they will lose their triple-A ratings, and these will in turn affect the ratings of the securities which they have guaranteed – as securities cannot have a rating higher that the company insuring them. When these insurers collapse, the guarantees would be worthless, and investors who purchased such “covers” will be stark naked, holding on the toilet papers. They gambled and lost. Period.
Paulson’s Scam – “Master Liquidity Enhancement Conduit”
You will recall that I had mentioned that the crook Paulson in collusion of some leading US banks have set up a US$100 billion fund – called the “Super-SIV” to buy securities from failing Structured Investment Vehicles (SIVs) which are off-balance sheet entities (many of which are owned by banks) that are stuck with “marked to model” securities.
Some of these securities have been estimated to be worth only between 20-50% of their par value i.e. 20 - 50 cents to a dollar. So if they are unloaded at their true market value, there will be a huge write off. So Paulson and his accomplices came up with their so called bright idea. If the “Super SIV” with a fund of US$100 billion “purchased” these securities, say at 90% of par value (90 cents to a dollar), then maybe the market will accept this “market price”. Pure magic – a worthless paper is now worth 90 cents to a dollar because Paulson has decided to buy such papers from his accomplices at the pre-determined rigged price!
The fact that they are not willing to purchase at the full par value (dollar for dollar) have exposed their modus operandi. Therefore, these scum bags have absolutely no faith in their own securities, yet by this scam, they hope to seduce some unwary investors from the third world to buy into these worthless securities, now priced artificially at 90 cents to the dollar or whatever price they deemed fit.
Paulson is really insulting the intelligence of the investors. How can he possibly get away with an artificial “market price” created between his gang of looters and the failing SIVs ( accomplices) and then tell the investors that these securities are no longer “marked to model” but are now “marked to market” albeit a false market. What a scam.
To lend credence to this scam, the Fed has given its full support to this con. In a statement of 2nd November 2007, the Fed has even given a special exemption. I quote:
“The credit conversion factor that would apply to the notional amount of the MLEC (Master Liquidity Enhancement Conduit) would have a capital treatment that is ten times more favourable than if the assets were placed on the bank’s balance sheet.”
In simple language, what this means is that banks that are part of this scam (MLEC fund) and purchase risky mortgaged related assets from failing SIVs will need only one tenth of the capital they would need if they were to take their assets on to their own balance sheet. The Fed by this exemption is but of this scam. Paulson, Bernanke and the CEOs of the leading banks participating in this scam must be indicted and hang out to dry for fraud, money laundering and racketing and whatever other offences that can be slapped on them.
This is a global scam to try to pass off toilet papers as having some residual value, such value being established by the purchase price (previously rigged by Paulson and his co-conspirators) as being reflective of their market value. Why are they so desperate and blatant?
Just pause and think about the problem.
Hundred of banks and institutions around the world were conned by the scum bags to invest in CDOs, ABCPs etc. allegedly worth a global value of US$20 trillion (marked to model, and triple-A rated and as explained by the Economist). Some analysts have given a higher figure in – in hundreds of US$ trillions. Whatever is the figure, your average Joe six-packs will not be able to visualize or fathom the meaning of all these zeros! It is obscene that when half a billion people are surviving on less than US$2 a day, the looters are gambling and plundering in the US$ trillions.
When Bear Stearns’ two Hedge Funds collapsed after these “securities” were shown to be worthless in June/July 2007, those banks and financial institutions that were left holding papers (supposedly worth in the US$ trillions) whose values are now debatable or of zero value, had a massive heart attack! These banks are all in the financial ICUs and receiving massive amount of blood transfusions.
If these banks were to right off these “investments” they would be insolvent, there will be runs on these banks. This is the nightmare scenario and that is why the scum bags are trying to cover up this global fraud – the biggest fraud in history.
We are talking about banks such as JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citi Group, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Bros, Wachovia etc. Then there are the big European Banks, such as Barclays, UBS, Deustche. HSBC etc.
Yet, back home in Malaysia, our Bank Negara Governor is still saying Malaysia will not be affected by this global financial meltdown and that inflation is under control and other nonsensical statements.
Crude is reaching US$100 and other commodities and metals have risen in tandem, with Gold having hit the US$800 mark, the last time it happened was in 1980. The dollar has plunged to all time lows. Our dollar reserves’ purchasing power must likewise be reduced by the equivalent in the depreciation of the dollar. But we are told, we need not worry and that we will be able to weather the coming storm.
To my critics, let me say this. Thank God that Dow did not shoot past 14,000 after the Fed rate reduction as that would have lulled people further into believing that the worst is over. I hope that after having lived through the Fed’s September rate reduction and its failure to stimulate an artificial rally, and now in October, having experienced the Fed’s second attempt to get us back into the Ponzi scheme, you will be wiser and be able to take stock of the rapid unfolding of events and start to make preparations (if you have not already done so) to survive the inevitable wipe out.
I have been spot on since 2006, way ahead of the crowd and unlike others writing with hindsight (some wiser after the event), I have been giving you analysis always one step ahead of the unfolding events. I have been exposing their lies and deceit.
If they can lie so readily about the economy and do not give two hoots about our economic survival, do you really think they will ever be truthful about their war agendas?
Paulson, Bernanke and the bankers are no different from Bush, Cheney and the neocons. They are the two sides of the same coin. The former are masterminds of the economic wars, while the latter are the masterminds of the hot wars. This is a global war and it engulfs every segment of our society. No one will be spared.
Matthias Chang
05/11: Chua Soi Lek and Tongkat ali
I read with dismay the Minister of Health Chua Soi Lek's seemmingly official recognition of tongkat ali as an aphrodisiac (The Star Nov. 2, 2007).
Some years ago when tongkat ali received wide publicity as a sex stimulant, it was reported (in the Star) that students from the Universiti Sains Malaysia carried out experiments to verify if tonkat ali did increase the libido. They fed tongkat ali to a number of rats in a controlled experiment and found that there was NO increase in sexual activity among the rats. Instead they found damage to the kidneys of the rats.
It is strange that in spite of the findings, tongkat ali continue to flourish as an aphrodisiac and even the Minister of Health giving the thumbs up to actually increase the tongkat ali in drinks, instead of debunking the dubious claims made by unscrupulous people out to exploit the ignorance of the public. The authorities should take steps to ban tongkat ali in food and drinks until proper research is done.
We should be reminded of an extract of a local "vegetable" , cekor manis which was sold to the Taiwanese as a slimming medicine, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Taiwanese girls!
There are whole industries out there looking to take advantage of gullible people by making dubious claims about harmless "herbal" medicines which can lead to harm and even death. The Ministry of Health should play a more pro-active role to protect the people from these predators.'
Thanking you.
Yours faithfully,
Kam Eng Huat
Himpunan 100k semakin menerima tekanan hebat dari Kerajaan BN. Mereka berasa amat tergugat dengan kebangkitan rakyat. Seperti kata Mat Sabu, ini hanyalah satu permulaan dan akan ada lagi selepas himpunan ini….
Himpunan mega ini bukan sekadar satu himpunan politik tetapi ianya lebih kepada himpunan massa bagi melaungkan kembali gema suara rakyat yang selama ini dipulas-pulas oleh tangan-tangan provokator dan konspirator negara. Hakikatnya rakyat Malaysia bukannya bodoh, rakyat boleh berfikir seiring dengan capaian massa.
Uniknya rakyat Malaysia adalah sikap mereka yang pantang dicabar dan diperbudakkan. Kita sentiasa mahu jadi yang terbaik. Membina masyarakat dan demokrasi yang berkualiti.
Tekanan Kerajaan BN ini sedikit pun tidak akan mengurangkan jumlah penyertaan. Semakin dilarang, semakin jadi program ini. Bila Kerajaan diam pula, rakyat akan lebih bersemangat untuk datang.
Inilah cogan hidup rakyat Malaysia. Ternyata perkara ini bukan gurauan. Lihatlah keadaan jalanraya bila ada kemalangan kecil berlaku, walaupun Polis Trafik suruh jalan, tapi ramai yang perlahankan kenderaan nak tengok apa berlaku. Makin larang makin jadi kesesakkan lalu lintas.
Lihat pula kenaikkan harga barang, makin larang, makin jadi pulak kenaikkan harganya…para peniaga peduli apa sama Kerajaan BN. Mereka paksa turunkan harga barang, tapi Kerajaan BN juga yang naikkan harga Minyak. Peniaga tersepit, rakyat terhimpit, kerajaan BN juga dapat duit. Mula-mula Kerajaan BN jimat kerana tak payah tanggung subsidi minyak banyak-banyak, kemudian mereka dapat duit lagi dari saman yang dikeluarkan kepada peniaga engkar untuk turunkan harga, lepas tu mereka ambil lagi macam-macam cukai dari peniaga dan rakyat. Siapa untung….mereka dan kroni mereka.
Sebab tu makin larang makin jadi…sebab rakyat tak tahu nak buat apa lagi.
Begitu juga dengan masalah jenayah dan sosial…Kerajaan Larang tapi makin jadi pulak. Apa tidaknya, Tangan kanan tegah orang buat kemungkaran, tangan kiri sokong orang buat kemungkaran. TV1, TV2, TV3, NTV7, TV8 dan TV9 banyak program hiburan, tiap-tiap hari ada sahaja programnya. Konsert sana sini, kelab malam dibuka merata-rata, pesta dan keraian sentiasa ada…. macam mana rakyat nak jadi baik…
Makin larang makin jadi, semuanya berlaku sebab ada penyebabnya….
Begitulah yang akan berlaku pada 10 November nanti…Kerajaan Laranglah lagi…bagitau kat semua channel TV dan radio…iklankan wasiat beramaran yang terakhir Kerajaan BN di surat-surat khabar…InsyaAllah akan ramai lagi akan turun 100K….bukan takat 100k, berjuta pun akan turun…laranglah lagi…kami tak akan takut…
Rakyat tak akan duduk diam….Kerajaan BN hanya tahu nak larang, tapi rakyat juga yang susah..rakyat tiada pilihan…Walaupun dilarang…kami akan turun!!!
Herman Samsudeen
Koordinator
Laman Web Rasmi Himpunan Rakyat Aman Bersih : http://10nov.himpunan.info
SAVE MALAYSIA
Restore our rights!!
Event: International gathering to hand in memorandum for a FREE AND FAIR ELECTION!
Venue: Malaysian Students Department (MSD), London, UK
Date: 10th November 2007
Time: 2pm
Contact:
Farhash -- 07874222857
Anwar -- 07769554266
Julailey -- 07889125195
