UMNO: Moving all the way to the right

Viewed these videos from Malaysiakini earlier and couldn't help getting incensed by the kurang ajar (uncouth) attitude shown by the Polis Di Raja Malaysia - little wonder so many call them the "Polis Raja Di Malaysia" and fear Malaysia has become "a police state."



Yet we can hardly put all the blame on lowly-paid personnel in uniform recruited and trained to carry out orders from their superiors without question. Were they ever told - and repeatedly reminded - that their primary task is to serve the rakyat, not the interests of a political party named Umno?

Former IGP Abdul Rahim Noor told an outright lie, denying any knowledge of how Anwar Ibrahim got so badly bruised while under police custody, when he himself assaulted the erstwhile deputy prime minister (and, according to subsequent sworn testimony, had to be held back by his colleagues or he might have beaten the helpless prisoner to death).

How does a person with so little self-control and absolutely no comprehension of the law, not to mention a sense of justice, get to be Top Cop in Bolehland?

Well, why do some people spend so much money buying Rottweilers? This aggressive breed of canine apparently originates from Roman times when they were used to herd and guard livestock. I read with interest what the Wikipedia has to say about Rottweilers:

The Rottweiler is a steady dog with a self-assured nature, but early socialization and exposure to as many new people, animals, and situations as possible is very important in developing these qualities. The Rottweiler also has a natural tendency to assert dominance if not properly trained. Rottweilers' large size and strength make this an important point to consider: an untrained, poorly trained, or abused Rottweiler can learn to be extremely aggressive and destructive and, if allowed to run at large, can pose a significant physical threat to humans or other animals. They can be strong-willed and should be trained in a firm and consistent manner. The owner must be perceived by the dog as the leader. If the owner fails to achieve this status the Rottweiler will readily take on the role. Aggression in Rottweilers is associated with poor breeding, poor handling, lack of socialization, natural guarding tendencies, and especially abuse. [emphases added]

Anyone can see the dangers of allowing an errant police force free rein to bully members of the public they perceive as powerless and harass those named as enemies of their political masters. If your child gets savaged by a Rottweiler, the dog's owner must be held fully responsible. I'm willing to bet money that owners of vicious dogs are themselves nasty pieces of work and have serious issues with abuse of power.

Inevitably we are forced to conclude that rightwing political parties like Umno tend to favor fascistic policing of the general populace. Simply because rightwing politics appeal to the extremely rich who realize that the social status and privileges they enjoy are usually gained at the expense of a docile and ill-informed rakyat.

Truly democratic governments tend to lean to the left, emphasizing community benefits over individual profits. America, for example, started out preaching Athenian-style democracy; but as a small segment of society began to accumulate vast amounts of wealth and property, fascism took root in the form of massive militarization and an increasingly brutal police force.

The CIA was known to recruit most of its officers from Yale University, headquarters of the secretive Skull & Bones fraternity, mainly because the Agency was primarily focused on preventing a worldwide popular uprising against tyranny (which would upset the supercapitalist apple cart). Since a large number of Yale alumni are the scion of well-heeled families, this would ensure that the Agency would always serve the vested interests of the privileged class - and not the American people in general.

We are witness to a massive awakening in Malaysia. Third and fourth generation Chinese and Indians no longer view themselves as immigrants; they have grown a deep root in Malaysian soil. Their grandparents and parents struggled hard to carve a niche for themselves - and now the young Malaysian is plugged into a fast-evolving planetary mind that transcends artificial boundaries. Even the grandchildren of native rice-farmers, fishermen and rubber tappers have been exposed to the world and will no longer tolerate being rudely addressed by public servants, no matter how high their rank - and, of course, the Polis Di Raja Malaysia are really just another branch of the civil service, entrusted with maintaining law and order - without fear, favor or prejudice.


The sort of police misbehavior we have seen in recent times - from the mishandling of public rallies like Bersih and Hindraf to the commando-style arrest of Anwar Ibrahim over a spurious accusation of sodomy - reveals the kurang ajar nature of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional.

Imagine harassing and browbeating a small group of Indian women for attempting to petition the prime minister over a perfectly legitimate grievance. They were merely hoping against hope that their menfolk detained under the ISA would be released in time to celebrate Deepavali, that's all. Why weren't they allowed to hand the Deepavali greeting to an official from the Prime Minister's Department? They would have simply turned around and gone home, mission accomplished. Can't let these Indians get too uppity, I suppose. Loyar buruk semua! Next they'll be demanding equal status as citizens!

Zorro's Fart Chamber is too merciful a punishment for Hamid Albar and his Umno colleagues. They deserve to also be vomited, urinated and defecated on. As home minister, the despicable Potatohead Gestapoman must bear full responsibility for the way his police force is further worsening the Barisan Nasional's already stinking image of arrogance compounded by stupidity. However, for Abdullah Badawi and his deputy to say and do nothing every time something like this happens implies that they are totally aligned with this damning example of Umno's unpardonable pigheadedness and dangerous jingoism.