Improving Civic Behaviour

While campaign after campaign to improve the civic consciousness of Malaysians appear to bear little fruit, Beijing residents appear to be more civic-minded after the Olympics. Beijing residents are notorious for their disgusting habit of spitting where ever and whenever they like. Other entrenched behaviours include queue jumping, indiscriminate dumping of garbage, littering and refusing to give up seats in public transports for the elderly and ladies. Going by Beijing's list, Malaysia is miles ahead; in addition to those listed, we can add several more for Malaysians: double and triple parking, shouting on the mobile phone, throwing rubbish or fruit skins out of
moving cars, blocking five-foot ways with motor vehicles or goods, peeing onto the floors and rims of public toilet bowls; not flushing after defecating in public toilets, ad infinitum.

We could take a leaf from the Beijing experience to improve our civic behaviour. Although viewed as a bizarre "civic index", it would be instructive to see how this index is used by the Beijing authority to change behavioral patterns. The paper noted that the most significant improvement was in the area of spitting.

Not so long ago Malaysia had a big problem with spitting. Coffee shops used to have spittoons under each table so that customers could indulge in their habit of clearing their throats and expelling their phlegm with gusto. There are still signs, not so common though, advising customers not to spit: "Dilarang meludah!".

The Altantuya Murder

Today's most read news is the acquittal of Razak Baginda by the High Court which declared there was no prima facie case to call for his defence in the Altantuya murder trial.

Whether the acquittal is fair or not, it will further fuel rumours and speculations about the involvement of the Deputy Prime Minister. The latest revelation of a recording of text messages between the Minister and Razak Baginda's defence lawyer, which is posted in Malaysia Today has raised more questions than answers to the Minister's role in the whole affair.

The Malaysian Insider provided a succinct account of the the many twists and turns in the sensational murder trial that has dragged on for two years.

Read here for more.

Not reported in the papers was the clash of two Malaysian princes, from the states of Negeri Sembilan and Johor at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur where it was reported that one of them was hit on the head and face with the butt of a pistol. Read here for more.

End of NEP?

In an interview with Bloomberg Televison the Deputy Prime Minister said that he was ready to withdraw the special privileges of the Malays, but it had to be done gradually. Yes, that's good news...but when? 10 years, 20 or another 30 years? Furthermore, will it be replaced by another? A rose by any other name is still a rose. So it is hardly comforting to hear it from him. Unfortunately for him too, his image has received a battering from an allegation over unethical practice in the award of the Euro-copter deal and his alleged interference with the trial of the murdered Mongolian woman.

Pic from Malaysian Insider. Full report here.

While on another matter, in a sudden U turn, the Foreign Minister has rescinded its directive to University of Malaya not to invite the Nobel Prize Laureate, Shirin Ebadi to give a lecture. How often do Malaysians have the opportunity to listen to a renowned Iranian woman speak on "Islam and Cultural Diversity"? The Foreign Minister had explained that he had no knowledge of the directive advising the university's vice-chancellor not to invite her to avoid incurring the displeasure of Iran. Known for her campaigns against the discrimination of Muslim women and children, she is often at odds with the Iranian powerful clergy.

Now that the government has given the green light for her to come, the question remains if she will accept the invitation.

Malaysian Wrongfully Detained For 11 Months

Today's news, more shocking than the ruckus kicked up by one pompous insignificant UMNO division chief is the wrongful detention of M. Rajeshvari in an immigration detention camp for illegal immigrants for 11 months. All because she forgot her identity card number and unable to speak Bahasa Malaysia. She was six months pregnant at that time and gave birth while in detention. She was freed last Friday.

Pic from Star Online

I just wonder if there is any legal recourse that she could have to compensate for the 11 months' of suffering she had endured in the camp. Couldn't the Immigration people find a Tamil interpreter to determine her status? But the Immigration Department has been known to be less than humane in its treatment of illegal immigrants.

What was it like to be detained for 11 months? Someone should interview her and write an account of her experience on her behalf. She might become the next celebrity after Ahmad Ismail, the hero or racist, depending on what colour your skin is.

Penang Global City Centre

It looks like this RM 25 billion grandiose city centre to be built on the Penang Turf Club is "as good as dead" according to the Chief Minister. The plan in its original concept was rejected by the Penang Municipal Council for not adhering to the council's requirements. The project which was announced with considerable pomp by the Prime Minister last year fell through when the developer and the Turf Club committee were involved in a legal wrangle over terms and conditions that were not fulfilled by the developer, as well as objections from non-government organizations over its impact on the environment. Looks like Patrick Lim and his good friend are stuck in a deep hole over the cancellation of the project.

The Month Of The Hungry Ghosts

The month of the hungry ghosts is nearing its end and the hungry spirits of the netherworld, repleted with food, wine and song will be led through the gates of Hell while the living will have a store of provisions, offerings to the hungry ghosts, to last them for quite some time: canned goods, rice, toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, and every other conceivable articles of use. Even the lowly salt packet is a common item of offerings. That reminds me of the recent news report of a timber tycoon in Sarawak, with concessions of thousands of hectares of timber land, who (to add salt to the wound) gave packets of salt as aid to natives who lost their belongings and longhouses in a fire. That inevitably provoked a national outrage that the company had to apologize and later sent in lorries of food and other supplies. A case of too little, too late.

It is anybody's guess as to how much money is spent in buying hell money, giant joss-sticks to be burnt. It is definitely a thriving industry. Throw in the latest fad in providing the departed souls with paper mansions, plasma tvs, Mercedes Benzes, mobile phones, even laptops, and all the creature comforts of this world, and the wastage is colossal. In the name of preserving Chinese culture, the Chinese burn away millions of dollar every year. How many trees are cut down each year, just to pander to this cultural practice of the by-gone years?

Anyway, the month of August is an eventful one. There was a spate of arrests of high profile people over corruption: the arrest of the Director and Deputy Director General of Immigration for kickbacks for fast-track approvals of foreign workers, the continuing saga of Anwar Ibrahim and his accuser, Saiful, the victim who alleged that he was sodomized, the vociferous disruption by self-proclaimed champions of Islam of the Bar Council of Malaysia's forum on the attendant problems that come with the conversion of a spouse to Islam , Mara University College of Technology students staging a mass protest against the Selangor Chief Minister's suggestion to open up the university to non-Malay students by a mere 10%, the arrest of many officers in PUSPAKOM, centres for the inspection of road-worthiness of motor-vehicles, for corruption, and of course the latest by-election at Permatang Pauh, where Anwar Ibrahim won a thumping victory, despite the sodomy charge hanging over his head. There is even an attempt by religious hardliners to prevent the Canadian singer, Avril Lavigne from performing.

While on the international front, the Beijing Olympics kept everybody glued to their TVs; China displayed her superb organizational skills and flexed her athletic muscles; Phelps won a historic 8 gold medals, Bolt, the lightning achieved a triple first, and minion Malaysia could only manage a silver. It is hard to understand that small countries like Jamaica and Trinidad with small populations could achieve so much. It would do well for us to focus on sports that could win us medals instead of spreading our limited resources to train athletes that have little hope of winning. We have pumped millions into sports schools all over the country and yet we have not been able to nurture talents that can compete at international level. What is happening?

RPK Out On Bail

Raja Petra, the webmaster of Malaysia Today who was detained under the Sedition Act is out of jail on bail, although he initially refused to post bail, eat, drink or see visitors, even his wife. The pictures are grabbed from Malaysian Insider.

A smiling RPK greeting supporters

RPK being hugged by his wife

Read the full report at Malaysian Insider.



Historic ruling: Syariah court allows convert to return to Buddhism

Another significant event was the report on a Chinese Muslim convert who was allowed to renounce Islam and revert to her previous faith.

Read the full report at Malayisan Insider.

Land Of The Hornbills

Source: pics from Sarawak Headhunter

While we are so engrossed in the extent of mismanagement and corruption in Peninsular Malaysia, the Sarawak forests are being carved up by men of power and those allied to these powerful luminaries.

An interesting doctoral dissertation by David Brown which was highlighted by Sarawak Headhunter revealed that hectares of forests were parceled out to the Chief Minister’s family members, his friends and his political allies.

In his dissertation, he claimed that while it was common knowledge that 1.6 million hectares in timber concessions were held by the Chief Minister and his relatives and political allies, he found that almost one million hectares in timber holdings, spread across 20 concessions, were directly held by the Sarawak Chief Minister’s family, friends and political allies.

Tables below show the concessions controlled by these people. I have only included some of these concessions. The full list of concessions, numbering 20, can be viewed at Sarawak Headhunter.

The latest update provides more information on the current state of forest acquisitions in the land of the hornbills.

It seems like the present Rajah and his lieutenants are no less avaricious than the colonial masters.

Malaysia's Last Independent Paper Sold

The last Malaysian independent newspaper has been snapped up by Berjaya Group tycoon, Vincent Tan, the man implicated in the V K Lingam tape controversy. Read here for more.

Lingam Video Clip Controversy

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the V K Lingam video clip controversy has revealed that that august branch of the government has been subjected to interference from the executive branch of the government. The tape revealed how a prominent lawyer was involved in the brokering of judges' appointments. When questioned by the commission on the identity of the speaker on the phone, his reply, "It looks like me and it sounds like me" became the Malaysian quote of the year. The video from www.comedycourt.com.my provides a light-hearted angle on the inquiry that has ended.

People allegedly mentioned in the controversy:

From: www.comedycourt.com.my

The P.O.L.I.C.E have struck again

The misuse of public funds noted in the Auditor General's 2005 report resurfaced again with predictable regularity this year. The reasons?

Poor management of funds

Over-spending

Lax enforcement

Incomplete or outdated data

Corruption

Evasion of responsibility

Read here for the latest.


More reports of cases of mismanagement of funds:

From 'the Straits Times':

1. Auditor-General Ambrin Buang also found that a private company claimed that the cost of building six offshore patrol vessels for the navy had jumped by RM1.4 billion to RM6.75 billion.

2. The police air wing bought two helicopters worth RM117.75 million but could not use them because they did not meet specifications.A further RM15.37 million was spent training policemen to fly the machines, the report said.The helicopters were passed to the fire department, which then spent RM4.37 million to train its officers to fly them.

3. A contractor undertaking the RM10 million marine park project in Selangor received an unexpected "bonus" of RM19.98 million. The auditor-general said another anomaly in the project at Kampung Sg Haji Dorani was that the contractor, Pembinaan Merak Sdn Bhd, did not go through a tender process.

Paying through the nose

There was an interesting online article from 'the star' on the Auditor General's report on how much the government spent on supplying tools to eight National Youth Skills Institutes throughout the country. Read here for more details. So much for the much touted slogan "BERSIH, CEKAP, dan AMANAH".

The Star shopped around and found this set of Stanley screwdrivers. It costs RM32.80 for the RM224.94 set.

Dr Farish on Meng Chee and the Myth of Tanah Melayu

It was refreshing to read Dr Farish's post on the Wee Meng Chee controversy posted on Dr Hsu's Forum (http://hsudarren.worpress.com).

As Dr Farish sees it, rapper Meng Chee is but another manifestation of the virulent malady of the racial and divisive politics of Malaysia. Malaysians not of the Malay race should tread softly and gingerly, speak in mild tone so as not to offend as they are here at the largesse of the Malays:

"Meng Chee’s unpardonable ‘offence’ was to have slighted the pride and identity of one community which claims to be part of Malaysia and yet remains strangely aloof from the rest of us. The great act of treason he is accused of - offending the dignity of a specific community and its creed - rings hollow when we consider the bile and vitriol that has emanated from the leaders of that community itself, ranging from the drawing of daggers in public to the language of blood and belonging that has been repeated, time and again, by its leaders".

Reproduced below is the article written by Dr Farish posted on Dr Hsu's Forum:

Malaysia and the Myth of ‘Tanah Melayu’(Part I)

By Farish A. Noor

We are sustained by myths only as long as they are empowering, inspiring, instrumental and serve our interests; yet when those very same myths provide us with little else than the false comfort of an unreconstructed nostalgia for a past that never existed, then they turn into cages that imprison us for life. The myth of a unique European ‘civilisational genius’ has only helped to parochialise Europe even more; the staid discourse of ‘Asian values’ merely denies the fact that Asian civilisations would not have developed as they did without contact with the outside world; and the myth of a pure and uninterrupted development of Indo-Aryan culture has only opened the way for the rise of right-wing Hindutva Fascists in the Indian subcontinent. Notwithstanding their claims to standing proud and tall, the demagogues who utter such pedestrian nonsense remain stunted, as their logic, on the stage of global history: testimony to the claim that those whose confidence is founded in stilts can only remain handicapped for life…

A nation that is grown up is one that is mature enough to realise that it can dispense with such myths, particularly when the honeyed nectar of mythology reveals itself as nothing more than poison. Yet poison has become our draught, and this nation of ours is ailing to the core by now.

The symptoms of the malady are all around us these days and we see them readily enough: As the asinine debate over a rap rendition of the national anthem turns bilious and takes on an increasingly racialised mien, forcing all sides to retreat to the hallowed sanctuary of communal and racial identity, the nation’s attention has been diverted from truly pressing issues concerning the economy and the spate of potentially explosive legal cases currently being fought out in the courts of the land.

The vernacular press assumes the role of champions of each respective community, and racial overtones are clearly seen and felt in the language of national politics. Yet nobody points to the real issue at stake, even if we need to discuss the rap video rendered by the young Wee Meng Chee, which surely should be this: If a young Malaysian has seen fit to deliver his tirade against all that he sees wrong in the country in terms that are racially-determined, is this not a reflection of the racialised and divisive politics that already reigns in Malaysia, courtesy of the ruling National Front coalition led by UMNO in the first place? The racialised logic that rests in Meng Chee’s rap is only a mirror reflection of the racialised politics already at work in Malaysia. So are we Malaysians so ashamed of ourselves that we can no longer look at ourselves squarely in the face and accept the monstrosity that stands before us today?

Yet the editorials in the vernacular press are baying for blood and Meng Chee, they insist, must be brought to book. Amidst this furore of chest-thumping theatrics and protestations of communal insult and outrage, we hear the communitarians among us blare out again and again: ‘Jangan tunduk’, ‘Defend our pride’, ‘kurang ajar’ and so forth. No, reason and rational debate are no longer welcomed in Malaysia that is ‘truly Asia’, and this homeland for some will demand its pound of flesh from others. Meng Chee is not the first and certainly will not be the last to suffer from the slighted sensitivities of those whose comfort zones and essentialised identities are sacrosanct and inviolable. Previously others have also been brought to the village tribunal of the mob for allegedly insulting race and religion as well. (Here I write from bitter experience myself.)

Yet the irony of ironies behind this tableau of flaring tempers and heated emotions is the skewered (and now silenced) appeal for us, as one nation, to remain united and to respect the diversity among us. The sonorous voice of the state trembles and falters as it mouths this language of double-speak that fails to convince: On the one hand we maintain the lie - and it is a lie, let us admit that at least - that this is a happy land of multiculturalism and diversity where every shade of colour in the pluralist rainbow is represented and has its place. On the other hand the very same mouth that utters these sweet platitudes tells us that not far beneath the diversity and pluralism that rests on the scratched surface of Malaysia is the understated understanding that some communities - or rather one in particular - deserves a better place in the sun; namely, the Bumiputeras. Why?

Have we become a schitzophrenic nation blissfully unaware of the contradictions that have become so heartbreakingly apparent to others? Meng Chee’s unpardonable ‘offence’ was to have slighted the pride and identity of one community which claims to be part of Malaysia and yet remains strangely aloof from the rest of us. The great act of treason he is accused of - offending the dignity of a specific community and its creed - rings hollow when we consider the bile and vitriol that has emanated from the leaders of that community itself, ranging from the drawing of daggers in public to the language of blood and belonging that has been repeated, time and again, by its leaders. The soap box orators of UMNO and its Youth Wing in particular have demanded that others respect the special rights and privileges of the Malays, while forgetting the fact that for the past five decades we - Malaysians - have had to put up with their own brand of small town politics incessantly.

Yet this discourse of communal pride and identity is sustained by one crucial myth: that this land of ours is a competed and contested territory where two nations are in constant competition: The nation-state called ‘Malaysia’ and the mythical land called ‘Tanah Melayu’.

Tanah Melayu Revisited

The skin of the demagogue is ever so sensitive, so fragile, in the face of the sound argument. As soon as the mention of a contrary idea is made, it bristles and reacts; the hand reaches for the keris; the foot steps on the soap-box; the mouth opens to utter the word ‘May’ to be followed by the cryptic number thirteen…

Perhaps the sensitivity we see can be accounted for by the fact that the corpus of postcolonial ethno-nationalist politics in this country is sustained by the singular myth that this patch of God’s earth was and is a land that ‘belongs’ to one community in particular. From that myth issues forth the other related claims to special privileges, special rights, special allocations and entitlements.

The myth is sustained by the idea put forth that prior to thecoming-into-being of this nation called ‘Malaysia’ there was once this mythical land called ‘Tanah Melayu’. Yet the historian would be hard pressed indeed to find a source to back this claim, for the embarrassing thing about our epic histories and hikayats of old is that there is scarcely a mention of the word. For years - if not more than a decade by now - I have been looking for this mythical land so loved and cherished by the young bloods and hotspurs of UMNO, yet I have never discovered it. The Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa (written in stages between the late 17th to 18th centuries) does not mention it; nor does the Hikayat Patani, the Taj-us-Salatin (Mahkota Segala Raja-Raja), the Hikayat Shah Mardan, Hikayat Inderaputera, Silsilah Bugis, Hikayat Pasai, Hikayat Siak, etc.

And finally one day while trawling through the flea markets and antique bazaars of Europe I came across a dull and worn-out copper coin with the word ‘Tanah Melayu’ stamped on it, dating to the late 19th century.

Having taken it home, I looked it up in the reference books I had only to discover that it was one of those hybrid coins of dubious worth that were used in the trade between European colonial companies then stationed in Singapore and Malacca with Malay traders from the (then weakened) Malay sultanates on the Peninsula. Used as loose coinage in commercial transactions that were at best unequal and at worst exploitative to the Malay traders then, the coins had a decidedly counterfeit feel to them, and while registering the lightness of its weight in the palm of my hand, the thought came to me: That this coin, with the word ‘Tanah Melayu’ stamped on it in Jawi alphabet, sums up the irony of the past and the painful realities of colonialism then. The Malay kingdoms had been colonised, sidelined and diminished, and all that was given back to the Malays was a dull copper coin with the myth of ‘Tanah Melayu’ stamped on it in so casual a manner.

Colonialism had robbed the natives of Asia of their lands, their history and culture; introduced the divisive politics of race and ethnicity as part of the ideology of divide and rule, and had created a plural economy where the colonial masters reigned supreme. In the decades and centuries to come the colonised subjects would be doubly colonised again as they internalised the logic and epistemology of Empire, thereby completing the work of the colonial masters who had colonised their lands, stolen their resources, but not altered their minds.

Today, as race-based ethno-nationalist politics prevails in Malaysia and while our communities remain divided along sectarian race and religion-based lines, we lament the loss of the Malaysian ideal that was perhaps never there in the first place. The hounding of bloggers, activists and students like Meng Chee is a reminder that the frontiers of race, religion and ethnicity remain as permanent scars that have disfigured the landscape of our nation, apparently permanently.

And as the virulent voices in the vernacular editorials of the local press call for vengeance against Meng Chee, perhaps they should ask themselves this simple and honest question: For half a century now the so-called ‘non-Malays’ of Malaysia have been asked to attest their loyalty and commitment to the Malaysian idea and ideal; to relegate their cultural history to the background; to adopt the national language, culture and even dress in an attempt to assimilate to the reality of life in Malaysia.

But tell me, dear reader, how many Malays in Malaysia are truly Malaysian; and how many Malays think of themselves as Malaysian and are committed to that very same ideal of a Malaysian Malaysia? Are the Malays Malaysians who live in Malaysia? Or are the Malays still living in the mythological land of ‘Tanah Melayu’, an idea dreamt of by Orientalist scholars and administrators during the colonial era, as a worthless compensation to a people who had been colonised and whose pride was reduced to the worth of a copper coin?

End of Part 1.

Prof. Farish A. Noor is a historian and political scientist based at the Zentrum Moderner Orient in Berlin and affiliated professor to Universitas Muhamadiyah Surakarta and the Sunan Kalijaga Islamic University of Jogjakarta. He is also one of the founders of the research site www.othermalaysia.org

Mathematics Malaysian Style

While checking out some sites, I came across "Colour-blind" which posted some mathematical questions that will guarantee to sharpen the mathematical skills of Malaysian students.

From "Colour-blind":

Mathematics, Malaysian-style

Thursday, June 28th, 2007

I find it most alarming that Malaysian schools teach our children the wrong things. I mean: can the children really apply what they are taught in school later in life? For example, can you imagine a mathematics question in a recent examination as follows?

“If an egg costs fifty Sen, and if you buy one-eighth of the egg, howmuch would you have to pay?”

Who in heaven’s name will want to buy one-eighth of an egg? The shopkeeper will probably think you are crazy and he will be equally stupid to break the egg and measure one-eighth for you. Yet, this is how they structure the questions in Malaysian schools. Why not pose questions that would be more useful later in life when you go out into the world to earn your living?

To help Malaysia’s Ministry of Education to face the realities of life, we are suggesting some questions they could use in our classrooms.

QUESTION 1
If you drive from Kuala Lumpur to Penang along the PLUS Highway and there are four speed traps along the way, and if each speed trap would cost you RM300.00 in fines, how much in fines would you accumulate by the time you reach Penang?

ANSWER (Choose one)

1. I would not suffer any fines as the oncoming cars would flash their headlights and I would slow down before coming to the speed trap.

2. I would only need to pay a total of RM80.00 as I would pay a RM20.00 bribe at each speed trap.

3. I would not be stopped as I am an UMNO Wakil Rakyat so I am exempted from speed traps.

QUESTION 2

If your Bumiputera company is awarded a RM150 million government contract, and you make a 20% profit, how much profit would be at the end of the contract period?

ANSWER (Choose one)
1. I will not be making a 20% profit as I would have to pay the Minister 10% and UMNO 5%.

2. I would make 30% profit, which is the progress payment I receive, after which I will abandon the project and let the government call for a re-tender.

3. My company will not make any profit at all as I will siphon out all the profits and show a loss to avoid paying corporate tax.

QUESTION 3
If the ruling party obtained 54% of the popular votes the last election and won 151 or 80% of the seats, and if it saw an increase of 10% in votes this election, how many more seats would it gain?

ANSWER (Choose one)
1. The ruling party will not show a 10% increase in votes, as it will stuff the ballot box with another 20% to give it a 30% vote increase.

2. The ruling party will win all the newly created seats in the delineation exercise recently done.

3. The ruling party has already decided it will win 90% of the seats and the votes have nothing to do with it.

QUESTION 4
If the national petroleum company, Petronas, pays a 5% royalty to Terengganu State and if the amount paid is RM800,000,000 per year, how much should Petronas have in the bank accumulated over the last 25years?

ANSWER (Choose one)
1. Nobody is supposed to know as Petronas need not show its accounts to anyone except the Prime Minister and this information comes under the Official Secrets Act.

2. Petronas earns only 50% of its petroleum revenue from Terengganu so Petronas’ total income accumulated in the banks over 25 years should beRM800 billion.

3. Petronas has nothing accumulated in the bank as all the money hasspent bailing out companies and finance mega projects.

Slaying The Mosquito

The Wee Meng Chee ‘Negara Ku’ controversy is the latest episode to dampen the buildup to the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence. Predictably, the politicos capitalized on the controversy and positioned themselves to milk the situation for what it is worth: UMNO demands his blood, MCA sets itself up as the Defender; DAP of course defends the right to freedom of expression. The strong language used by Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department is intended to send a signal not only to Meng Chee the rapper but to the general public that the government will not hesitate to throw the Sedition Act at anyone who insults the flag, the country, Islam or incite racial hatred. And in the middle of it all Meng Chee has created something bigger than himself. Whether his rap is deemed seditious will be decided by the Attorney General’s office.

But have we really looked at his rap with objectivity, not through the tinted glasses of our spectacles? Which part of his rap revealed his disrespect for the national anthem? Which part of his rap insults Islam? Which part of his rap insults the Malays?

It is funny how two little seemingly innocent words of the same sound could unleash such a torrent of anger and hate comments as well as praise. Two little words: ku ku. Datuk Nazri said that it desecrated the national anthem.

“Malaysia Negaraku ku ku. 'Ku ku' can also mean ‘cuckoo’ so it was insulting. I don’t think this was done out of ignorance. He was a university student and he meant to insult the national song.”

The Webster dictionary defined ‘cuckoo’ as (a) a kind of bird and (b) a cracked-brained person. In the Hokkien dialect, it is used to refer to the genital organ of a male baby or child.

The peppering of foul language has turned many people off, even the Chinese. But those brought up in the exclusively Chinese working class environment would not have given a second thought to these curse or swear words as they are so used to them. There are like a badge of identity to mark them as a separate cultural group. Go the market and carefully observe the exchanges between the fishmongers or the vegetable sellers, and you will be blasted with so much foul language that a person unused to this manner of speech would find his ears reddening with shame. Go to any open-air restaurant where a huge working class group gathers and you will be assaulted with expletives that even neighbouring tables cringed with embarrassment or disgust.

The Chinese working class; these are the underprivileged; they have been denied; trampled upon; despised and manipulated. And the foul language? An expression of their defiance, their pride, their affinity to their group. These are the people who would have to rely on the educated to help them with problems with income tax, official correspondence, traffic summonses, legal problems, school admission problems, language problems with government departments. This is the segment, and it is a very, very large segment of the Chinese community that have struggled fiercely to survive and to provide for their children. This are the Chinese that are apolitical for they know that no political party, neither the MCA nor the DAP can help them with their daily problem of survival. So what’s the big deal about the use of foul language? It is simply that the educated, the refined and the civilized do not use foul language. Meng Wee has even made a barbed reference to the refined, the high class:

“You’re so classy, you’re so elegant. Your shit is fragrant, and you don’t curse. You guys are the most high class, every day it’s just romancing”.

This is the class that having the least education has the most stereotyped perceptions of other races although the educated are not blameless of that either however much they deny it. How do they come to have such skewed perceptions? From the baggage passed down by their parents who themselves had received little or only basic education, and their daily observations and interactions with other races. Why do they label an Indian as one with ‘a forked tongue’? Because he can put you into a spin with his glib tongue. Why do they label the Malays as ‘lazy’? Because they are clock watchers. The sum of their perceptions is the sum of their baggage of the past and their daily contact with the other races.

In no other parts of the rap were words of the national anthem being twisted or distorted.

The heart of the matter is the reference to the morning azan, the call by the muezzin to Muslims to pray, corruption in the police force, the continuous dependence of the Malays on the government and the lackadaisical work attitude in government departments, the preferential treatment of Malays in tertiary education and the discrimination against Chinese graduate students from independent Chinese secondary school.

Are his criticisms legitimate? Rightly or wrongly, these are assumptions widely held by the Chinese youths of this country. It is a known fact that many Chinese parents do not enroll their children in Malay primary and secondary schools. It is a known fact that Chinese independent school graduates cannot enter public universities because their certificates are not recognized by the government. Did not the previous honorable prime minister say that national schools - primary and secondary - have become more Malay and more Islamic? This is the generation of Chinese youths that have felt the crushing weight of discrimination, whether imagined or real. This the generation that have little or no knowledge of the social contract that was hammered out for the independence and the racial harmony of the country.

Did not the previous and present Prime Minister continually exhort the Malays not to depend on the government and to strike out on their own? Did they not continue to remind the Malays that “we have become weak and too dependent; we have to stand on our own two feet”?

Meng Wee implied the same things, but in more graphic and hard-hitting language.

However, it was in his treatment of the azan prayer that really incensed the Malays. Islam is an issue that is so sensitive to the Malays that even a whisper would provoke an explosive outcry. However, it is instructive to note that in a website that identifies itself as the supporters of UMNO, The Christian God is referred to as ‘a fake god’ and a Christian and for that matter a ‘kafir’ or non-believer of Islam is perpetually drunk: “he and alcohol cannot be separated. It's like a drunk sleeping with bottles of alcohol”. Or in 1987 when the UMNO Youth Chief threatened to "soak it (the keris) with Malaysian Chinese blood".

Apparently, he knew the use of foul language would provoke the kind of reactions that he expects. Whether you wave a keris or use foul language, the purpose is the same: to evoke strong emotions.

Does the end justify the means? Many would say 'yes' but most would say 'no'. Unscrupulous or unbecoming methods to achieve an end is never justifiable.

If the government decides to charge Meng Wee under the Sedition Act, the keris waver and kisser, and the delegates that made inflammatory statements during the UMNO General Assembly in 2006 should also be hauled up for the same offence.

As blogger “Bolehland” quoting from Animal Farm says, “All pigs are equal, but some pigs are more equal than others”.

Storm In A Tea Cup

Wee Meng Chee, a Malaysian student in Taiwan did not anticipate the Malay anger that he would unleash when he rapped about Malaysian life using the Negara Ku or Malaysia's National anthem. Or did he?

His words must have touched on some raw nerves. Were his words so inflammatory? Compare what he rapped about with some of the statements made in the past and in the present, and the histrionics of some politicians and you will know what I mean. some people seem to suffer habitually from amnesia.

Brandishing of the keris (Malay dagger) during the 2005 UMNO General Assembly.

Unsheathing and kissing the keris during the 2006 UMNO General Assembly

Razak Idris, Terengganu Umno Youth Information Chief in the 2006 assembly:

Hashim Suboh, Perlis delegate:

Hasnoor Sidang Hussein, Malacca delegate:





Azimi Daim, UMNO Youth Exco member:





At the 2004 UMNO General Assembly:

In 1987, these words were displayed on banners:

Recently this was posted on a website:

May 13th As Tunku Saw It

30/07: Raja Petra seditious? Hogwash!

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

How much of what Raja Petra revealed is true? Is it really Tunku’s account that he posted in Malaysia Today? Would he have the audacity to falsify or rewrite certain parts of Tunku’s account for his own agenda? It would seem that that would be the biggest sacrilege that he would have committed against a venerated leader and a gentleman prince who was the Father of Independence.

If what he has posted is what Tunku actually said, then it is not only profoundly sad but also highly disturbing that certain leaders in the government of that time had a hand in perpetrating the May 13 incident. Tunku Abdul Rahman related how certain leaders had maneuvered and orchestrated the tense situation so that the May 13 incident would inexorably run its course of bloody mayhem and riots and force Tunku to relinquish his post as the Prime Minister.

Such Machiavellian methods employed by these leaders to achieve their ends would encourage those in power today to resort to the same strategies to manipulate the masses to achieve their political objectives. Knowing what Tunku had said would help us to be more vigilant against leaders who attempt to repeat history.

Reproduced from 'No Holds Barred' is Tunku’s account on the May 13 incident:

The May 13 incident as personally related by Tunku Abdul Rahman, the First Prime Minister of Malaya/Malaysia and Bapa Merdeka.

At his residence in Penang, 1972

“It was clear to me as well as the police that in the highly charged political atmosphere after the police were forced to kill a Chinese political party worker on May 4th, 1969, something was bound to happen to threaten law and order because of the resentment towards the Government by the KL Chinese on the eve of the general election. This was confirmed at this man’s funeral on the 9th May when the government faced the most hostile crowd it had ever seen.

Therefore, when the opposition parties applied for a police permit for a procession to celebrate their success in the results of the general election, I was adamant against it because the police were convinced that this would lead to trouble. I informed Tun Razak about this and he seemed to agree.

Now, without my knowledge and actually “behind my back”, there were certain political leaders in high positions who were working to force me to step down as a PM. I don’t want to go into details but if they had come to me and said so I would gladly have retired gracefully.

Unfortunately, they were apparently scheming and trying to decide on the best way to force me to resign. The occasion came when the question of the police permit was to be approved.

Tun Razak and Harun Idris, the MB of the state of Selangor, now felt that permission should be given knowing fully well that there was a likelihood of trouble. I suppose they felt that when this happened they could then demand my resignation.

To this day I find it very hard to believe that Razak, whom I had known for so many years, would agree to work against me in this way. Actually, he was in my house as I was preparing to return to Kedah and I overhead him speaking to Harun over the phone saying that he would be willing to approve the permit when I left. I really could not believe what I was hearing and preferred to think it was about some other permit. In any case, as the Deputy Prime Minister in my absence from KL, he would be the Acting PM and would override my objection. Accordingly, when I was in my home in Kedah, I heard over the radio that the permit had been approved.

It seems as though the expected trouble was anticipated and planned for by Harun and his UMNO Youth. After the humiliating insults hurled by the non-Malays, especially the Chinese, and after the seeming loss of Malay political power to them, they were clearly ready for some retaliatory action. After meeting in large numbers at Harun’s official residence in Jalan Raja Muda near Kampong Bahru and hearing inflammatory speeches by Harun and other leaders, they prepared themselves by tying ribbon strips on their foreheads and set out to kill Chinese. The first hapless victims were two of them in a van opposite Harun’s house who were innocently watching the large gathering. Little did they know that they would be killed on the spot.

The rest is history. I am sorry but I must end this discussion now because it really pains me as the Father of Merdeka to have to relive those terrible moments. I have often wondered why God made me live long enough to have witnessed my beloved Malays and Chinese citizens killing each other.”

No Holds Barred: Raja Petra seditious? Hogwash!:

http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/holds.php?itemid=6854

"Malaysia Today"

23 July 2007

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno, or the United Malays National Organization has lodged a police report against ‘Malaysia Today’ for carrying comments that are construed to be insulting the King, degrading Islam and inciting hatred and violence in Malaysia's multi-racial society.

Party information chief of Umno,Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib lodged the report at Tun H.S. Lee police station here Monday.

July 25 2007

The webmaster of the popular political website 'Malaysia Today', Raja Petra Kamarudin, was today questioned for almost eight hours by the police over comments and articles which appeared in his site.

Raja Petra, a nephew of the late King and Sultan of Selangor in his NO HOLDS BARRED, posted a scathing attack on the party information chief of Umno. His intimate connections with the aristocracy and the political elites would seem to suggest that his account of the former chief minister's indiscretions is plausible. Of course, certain events like the ex-chief minister's marriage to and divorce from the late Sultan’s daughter was widely reported; his arrest and subsequent acquittal in the infamous Australian airport incident where he was caught for carrying millions in various currencies undeclared was plastered across local as well as foreign newspapers, causing great embarassment to the government of that time.

Raja Petra's other allegations, well, it is for the reader to decide on their veracity.

Reproduced below is Raja Petra’s account of the once prominent powerful politician, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib who Raja Petra claims, is trying to revive his political fortunes.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

It seems there is a certain ex-Menteri Besar (ex-Chief Minister) who made a police report against Malaysia Today and me. This ex-Menteri Besar who has two Muhamads is his name does not have even half the qualities of Prophet Muhamad S.A.W. let alone twice the qualities although he carries two Muhamads in his name.

This is the Muhamad who started life as a schoolteacher but does not speak a word of English. When caught carrying millions of dirty money into Australia, he pleaded ignorance of the English language and was acquitted by the Australian court the crime of smuggling money. What many people failed to realise is that when he resigned as a schoolteacher to contest the general election, the government made a claim of RM80,000 against him because he was on contract and was bound by this contract to serve the government to pay off what he owed.

You see, Malaysia has this unique system of giving underprivileged Malays government loans to further their studies. They must, however, serve the government for a certain period of time once they graduate and if they refuse to do so or resign before the expiry of their contract then they have to pay back the government the amount of their loan. This ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name therefore owed the government RM80,000 and if he did not pay back the amount then he would be denying other Malays the benefit of this money and therefore would in that same process be denying other Malays the benefit of a tertiary education.

This ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name then appealed to the then Minister of Education, Anwar Ibrahim, for exemption from paying back the government the RM80,000 that he owed and Anwar, being the smart politician that he was (or maybe still is, I am not sure of that), waived the rule so that this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name need not pay back the nation the RM80,000 that he owed and which could have gone to other less-fortunate Malays who needed government assistance to further their studies.

What boggles the mind is how this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name could suddenly have millions in his pocket and which he was arrested for as he entered Australia when just barely a few years before that he could not even pay back the government the RM80,000 that he owed and needed Anwar Ibrahim to exempt him from the rule of paying back the money.

This ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name has made a police report against 'Malaysia Today' and me saying that I insulted the Agong and Islam and that I raised racial sentiments which could probably result in racial conflicts in Malaysia. He was of course acting on behalf of Umno and represented Umno as its Information Chief.

It is mind-boggling that this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name would accuse me of insulting the Agong who is also the Sultan of Terengganu when the Agong is my buddy. When the Agong, who is also the Sultan of Terengganu, was merely the Raja Muda of Terengganu, I used to ride horses with him along the beach in Kuala Terengganu. I also made trips to London to meet the Agong who is also the Sultan of Terengganu when he was still just the Raja Muda of Terengganu and a student in London.

The then Raja Muda of Terengganu who is now the Agong and I would drive around London in his Ferrari and together with my sisters and wife would visit the famous London night-spots such as Longfellows where all the action is. When he was back in Kuala Lumpur I would take him to the then famous Tin Mine where we would just sit and talk as he was not a disco-dancer but preferred to just enjoy the music and talk.

Would I insult my long-time friend who is now the Agong when I sembah and kiss his hand and he would withdraw it and refuse to allow me to kiss his hand as he considered me a buddy rather than a subject? This, the ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name did not realise when he made that police report against 'Malaysia Today' and me.

I will offer to make an audience (mengadap) with the Agong who was my buddy since the days he was merely the Raja Muda of Terengganu and if His Royal Highness is of the opinion that I have insulted him then I will subject myself to any form of punishment befitting a subject who has insulted his Agong. Such a punishment befitting the crime of insulting the Agong can include the death sentence and I will walk to the gallows to have my head separated from my body with the dignity of a true subject of the Agong. An Anak Raja Bugis is loyal to his Agong and a true Anak Raja Bugis looks death in the face with the dignity expected of an Anak Raja Bugis. I am not a descendant of Upu Tenribong Daeng Rilaka in vain and I shall not smear the name of my ancestors by avoiding the punishment of insulting his Agong. The Agong is one of the Raja-Raja Melayu and I am more than just an Anak Raja Melayu; I am an Anak Raja Bugis.

This ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name accuses me of insulting the Agong when he himself insulted the late Agong who was the Sultan of Selangor and my uncle. This ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name eloped with the Sultan’s daughter who is also my cousin and secretly married her in Thailand.

When the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor, my uncle, asked this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name whether he (the ex-Menteri Besar with the two Muhamads in his name) had married his (the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor) daughter, this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name denied it. Marrying secretly in Thailand is a crime and one can be punished for it. Furthermore, marrying a woman without the consent of her father goes against Islam and Malay culture and, being a Menteri Besar, this is even more of a no-no. After all, a Menteri Besar is not a man-on-the-street but the head of government of a state. But this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name denied he had married the Sultan’s daughter secretly in Thailand and swore in the name of Allah that the allegation is a lie.

Eventually, this ex-Menteri Besar with the two Muhamads in his name divorced the Sultan of Selangor’s daughter, my cousin, and paid her RM12 million as a divorce settlement. This upset the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor, my uncle, who made a photocopy of the RM12 million cheque. The late Agong and Sultan of Selangor, my uncle, was not upset that his Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name had divorced his daughter, my cousin. He did not mind this. The late Agong and Sultan of Selangor was upset that his Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name had paid his daughter RM12 million as a divorce settlement. The late Agong and Sultan of Selangor then made a photocopy of the cheque and showed it to the Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and demanded to know how a mere Menteri Besar could afford to pay RM12 million as a divorce settlement to his daughter, my cousin. This proves that Selangor has a corrupt Menteri Besar, said the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor, my uncle.

And this is the ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name who made a police report against Malaysia Today and me. This ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name is corrupt, a liar who married the late Agong’s and Sultan of Selangor’s daughter and denied it, and who insulted the Malays and Islam by secretly marrying someone’s daughter in another country without the permission of her father.

But this man is not a mere man-on-the-street. This man was then a Menteri Besar. And this man had two Muhamads in his name. And the woman is not a mere woman-on-the-street. This woman is the daughter of the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor. So this crime of the ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name is ten times worse. And any other man would have been arrested and convicted of the crime of marrying a woman secretly in Thailand. But this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name was not arrested and put on trial. He was also not arrested and put on trial when he paid RM12 million as a divorce settlement and could not explain where he got the money from and how he could afford to pay such an amount on his meagre Menteri Besar’s salary.

I understand that this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name can’t speak English. This is what the Australian court said and this is why the court acquitted him of the crime of smuggling dirty money into Australia. This means he also can’t read English. How this ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name managed to figure out that I insulted the Agong in my article is beyond me when I write in English and not in Malay. Umno should have chosen another man who can speak English to make that police report against 'Malaysia Today' and me.

Many people from the media phoned me today to ask me my comments on the police report against 'Malaysia Today' and me. Well, this is my response to that police report against Malaysia Today and me. I would just like to say: go to hell Muhamad the son of Muhamad. You are a disgrace to the Muhamad name. And let me tell you Muhamad the son of Muhamad: you should thank your lucky stars that this is 2007 and not 1907. If this was 1907 instead of 2007 I would challenge you to a duel. It would be a man-to-man, one-to-one duel. It would be a duel to the death with kerises.

But no, I don’t think you would accept my challenge to a duel with kerises. You may have two Muhamads in your name but you have no class. You eloped with the late Agong’s and Sultan of Selangor’s daughter and secretly married her in Thailand. Then you denied it when the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor asked you about it. Only someone with no balls would do this. A man with balls would not deny it. So there is no way you would accept my challenge to a duel with kerises.

I know that when the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor, my uncle, found out that you had in fact married his daughter, my cousin, and that you had lied about it, you arranged for Umno Youth to organise an anti-Sultan demonstration. The late Agong and Sultan of Selangor was very hurt and he cancelled his birthday celebration that year. So that year no datukships were awarded and you had to return the money to all those who had paid you for their datukships.

This act of yours, Muhamad the son of Muhamad, is treasonous. If this was 1907 instead of 2007 you would have been put to death. And you accuse me of insulting the Agong? You committed treason. You can send me to jail if you wish. You would have been put to death if this was 1907 instead of 2007.

But I know why you made that police report against 'Malaysia Today' and me, Muhamad the son of Muhamad. You want to make a political comeback. You want to contest a parliament seat in the next general election. And you want to be made a federal minister when you win that parliament seat. You hope that the present Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak, will fall and that you can take his job. That is why you made that police report against 'Malaysia Today' and me, Muhamad the son of Muhamad.

Muhamad the son of Muhamad, see you in hell. And if I go there first I will wait at the gates of hell to greet you on your arrival, Muhamad the son of Muhamad...

No Holds Barred 23/7/2007:

http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/holds.php?itemid=6714

Freedom in Malaysia: A Malay Perspective

Why are you kicking up such a ruckus about Malaysia being proclaimed an Islamic state? Are your freedoms threatened? Aren’t you allowed to wear what you want? Aren’t you allowed to operate entertainment outlets that sell alcohol and consume it openly? Aren’t you allowed to consume pork even though pork is haram to Muslims? Aren’t you allowed to erect temples and churches and worship in these places freely? Aren’t you allowed to set up vernacular schools to send your children to? Aren’t you allowed to work where you please and go where you please? Aren’t you allowed to do conduct or operate businesses as you please?

In which Islamic country are gambling and the sale and consumption of alcohol condoned and legalized? These are abominations in the eyes of Islam. In which Islamic state is prostitution outlawed but continues to thrive?

Malaysia is the only Islamic country that allows you to do all these things even though some of the practices are offensive to us. You may hug or kiss in public although these acts are disagreeable to Muslims. We have never tried to stop you from doing all these. So the fact that these are allowed has shown how remarkably tolerant the so-called Islamic government has been.

So leave the Muslims alone. Let them live their lives as they see fit. If one amongst us decides to leave our faith, it is for us to decide on his or her fate. It is not for you to interfere. If one amongst us violates the dress code for Muslims, it is for us to decide on the form of punishment. If one amongst us is caught for khalwat, it is for us to mete out the appropriate punishment. If one of you is caught for khalwat with a Muslim, you cannot be brought to the Shariah court. So what’s the fuss?

If we want to set up a moral police force to safeguard the morals of the Muslims, that is our right. If we want our Muslim women to dress and behave according to the precepts of Islam, that is our right. If we want to set up centres to rehabilitate wayward Muslims, that is our right. A Malay is born a Muslim and so a Muslim cannot abandon his or her faith without the sanction of the Shariah court.

We have not demanded that all those behaviour considered abhorrent to Muslims be eradicated. Instead we allow them simply because that is what you want; that’s how you want to live your life. So don’t encroach upon what is not your concern.