Portrait of a Malaysian Hero: Fan Yew Teng (1942-2010)

Fan Yew Teng in Cambridge, U.K., after a marathon land and sea journey through
India, Afghanistan, Iran and Yugoslavia to join his wife Noeleen (1975)

In December 2010 I was jolted by the news that Fan Yew Teng had succumbed to cancer in a Bangkok hospital. I hadn’t been in touch with the man since the mid-1980s, though I recall bumping into him a couple of times, either in theater foyers or at public forums, but the last real conversation I had with Fan was perhaps when he commissioned me to do a campaign poster in 1984 for his Social Democratic Party which never saw the light of day, apparently because he couldn’t find a printer willing to do the job.

In retrospect the cartoons I did for the poster weren’t all that hot, but it was my first attempt at political cartooning and laid the groundwork for the drawings I did four years later for ADOI!

Fan Yew Teng, the public
intellectual, in 1980

Malaysians were terrified of Mahathir’s secret police – and for good reason. A certain amount of dissent was tolerated but whenever it cut too close to the bone or threatened to make an impact in the public psyche, the full force of the regime’s monolithic power would come into play, making life utterly miserable for anyone who dared speak truth to power openly.

Fan Yew Teng and Mahathir Mohamad are what you might call diametric opposites – not unlike Arthur Koestler’s Yogi and Commissar archetypes, the ultraviolet and infrared ends of the psycho-emotional spectrum. The Yogi, representing inner evolution, envisions a world where every single soul is enlightened, liberated and in a natural state of bliss; while the Commissar, representing external revolution, has wet dreams about lording it over a perfect mechanical anthill colony where every atom knows its proper place and nothing irregular goes unpunished.

The Yogi and Commissar polarity is more or less the same as the Christ-Caesar dichotomy. Is it possible for these polar opposites to align and merge? I would say it’s not only possible but absolute necessary if we are to survive as a tool-using species – however, the only way such a magical fusion can arise from the general confusion is if the Yogi or The Christ is accorded supreme and ultimate power, to be equitably shared with all strata of life and consciousness. What characterizes a true Yogi or Christ is the conscious renunciation of wielding power over others - and loving compassion for each and every expression of life, even apparent enemies.

The Commissar or Caesar types are what we might call younger souls - brash, ego-driven and reckless, but charged with a pragmatic dynamism that can and must be harnessed to loftier goals than crass power-over-others world domination. In the Pentagonian Hawk or Umno Warlord we see a classic example of Little Boys with Dangerous Toys whose playground brawls will inevitably bring about massive carnage and ruin.

Fan at a socialist convention in Paris, 1976

The Commissar or Caesar personality is a jealous, vengeful, spiteful, insecure and malicious Old Testament god who becomes utterly anal and aggressive when confronted with the prospect of having to share power. You can observe this behavior pattern among the Greek gods who were known to devour their own children rather than accept the possibility that one day their offspring will grow strong and take over.

Indeed, you don’t have to go so far back in time – only 18 years ago, Mahathir Mohamad did exactly that to his hand-picked successor Anwar Ibrahim. As usually happens when demented old gods devour their own progeny, the outcome is a gigantic bellyache, followed by violent convulsions, a great deal of vomiting and angry rivers of diarrhea destroying all that we deem decent and honorable.

Well, as one who embodied everything we deem “decent and honorable,” Fan quickly became marked as an “enemy of the state” – and the state took pains to crush Fan’s political aspirations and thwart his dream of an enlightened and liberated Malaysia.

Fan & Noeleen in Salzburg, Austria, 1976

Fan experienced this faceless form of bureaucratic intimidation repeatedly but remained defiant and undaunted. In the 1960s he became active in the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and took over editorship of The Educator, the union’s bulletin. He was among the organizers of the 1967 nation-wide teachers’ strike demanding fairer wages and benefits for this very important profession. The Ministry of Education tried to break his spirit and browbeat him into silence by transferring him to increasingly remote towns and villages. This only served to nudge Fan into full-time politics.

He joined the Democratic Action Party (DAP) in 1968 and was soon appointed Acting Secretary-General and editor of the party organ, The Rocket. In 1969, Fan was elected MP for Kampar and in 1974, for Menglembu. The home ministry used the archaic Sedition Act against Fan for publishing a speech by the Penang DAP Chairman. Although he was never formally disqualified as a Member of Parliament, Fan was deprived of his MP’s allowance, salary and even his pension.

Dynamic young editor of The Educator, bulletin of the National Union of Teachers, in the mid-1960s

Finding himself out of work with time on his hands in 1975, Fan withdrew his meager savings and embarked on an epic land and sea journey from Port Klang to join his wife Noeleen Heyzer in Cambridge via India, Afghanistan, Iran and Yugoslavia. Three years later Fan and Noeleen’s beautiful twin daughters, Lilianne and Pauline, were born.

In Cameron Highlands with twin girls Lilianne & Pauline, 1985

I remember Fan Yew Teng as an affable, contemplative, pipe-smoking man forced into politics by his own passion for noble ideals, social justice and democratic principles; but more so by his extraordinary compassion for all living things.

Fan, Noeleen & their girls in Bangkok

With Pauline in early 2010

Every time Fan came to visit he would invariably have a recently published book in hand as an offering. In the mid-1980s I wasn’t really attuned to local politics and found his books and socialist ideology a mite strident in style – but what he wrote about were certainly cogent issues and he was indeed prolific, churning out four books between 1988 and 1990: If We Love This Country, Oppressors and Apologists, The UMNO Drama: Power Struggles in Malaysia, and The Rape of Law. I believe his last book was published in 1999 – Anwar Saga: Malaysia on Trial. I would really love to get hold of these books, especially the last two titles, and I’m sure they are well worth re-issuing.

Anil Netto wrote a simple but profoundly moving introduction to the December 2010 issue of Aliran, which featured Fan Yew Teng on its cover:

With Lilianne, early 2010

Alas, how often do we only recognize true greatness in people after they are gone forever. Maybe we are destined to do this over and over again because it is only in the vacuum of loss that we can step back and grasp the full impact of a life lived to the full. How true – and even more so – that is in the case of the late Fan Yew Teng. During his memorial in Brickfields on 5 January, speaker after speaker peeled away so many layers of Fan’s multi-faceted personality. Politicians tried to straitjacket him but Fan refused to conform and crossed many real and artificial boundaries. He didn’t need the usual trappings of wealth and status to become a towering Malaysian. Unionist, political activist, dissident writer with his trusty typewriter, global citizen – Fan was well ahead of his time. Long before the Internet shrunk the world into a global village, he was already a global citizen campaigning against war and oppression around the world. Long before our era of climate change, Fan had embraced simplicity so that his carbon footprint was probably minimal. In fact, the environmental component of Fan’s Social Democratic Party manifesto in the 1980s was much more substantive than those of other contemporary parties.

Dr Kua Kia Soong

In a way, Fan has much in common with another cherished friend, Kua Kia Soong. Both perfectly fit the role of clear-minded, articulate public intellectuals lured into politics because they believed real change was possible, but only through dedicated involvement in the public arena.

Fan and Kua both found themselves joining the DAP – and both had personal issues with the party leadership, perhaps because they were first and foremost scholars and humanists, rather than streetfighters and demagogues - and both can be described as fiercely independent-minded individuals who can only toe any party line so far and no further.

Well, Fan Yew Teng has left us to take his place in the pantheon of cult heroes where he can hobnob with the likes of Martin Luther King, Che Guevara, Bob Marley, Rabindranath Tagore, Kahlil Gibran, Bertrand Russell, Frantz Fanon, Leo Tolstoy, and Teilhard de Chardin.

However, former ISA detainee Kua Kia Soong is alive and well and still actively involved in public affairs through the human rights NGO, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) and through his books - May 13: Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969, Questioning Arms Spending in Malaysia: From Altantuya to Zikorsky, Patriots and Pretenders - to name but a few recent ones.

In years to come Malaysians will gain some appreciation of what Fan Yew Teng contributed
to a higher quality of political consciousness

Fan’s widow, Noeleen Heyzer, continues to work through the UN empowering women around the region, while their gorgeous daughters Lilianne and Pauline – now grown into full-fledged incarnations of noble intellect, compassion, ethics and aesthetics – are poised to influence and shape the new world of freedom and joy that’s being born even as the ugly and abusive old world order crumbles.

Lilianne & Pauline: Fan Yew Teng and Noeleen's brilliant and beautiful genetic legacy

[First posted 7 December 2011, reposted 7 December 2013, 13 May 2016 & 12 May 2017.

Fan Yew Teng family photos courtesy of Lilianne & Pauline]

Dean Johns on Sodomy, Godomy and Bodohmy in Malaysia (10th anniversary repost)

Cloned from Malaysiakini for the benefit of those too poor or too cheap to subscribe, this is another hard-hitting, lethally spot-on & punishingly funny broadside from political columnist Dean Johns, published 31 October 2014.

Sodomy, godomy and bodohmy

Oh me, oh my. As you can plainly see from the title of this, my 384th piece on the perfidy of the BN regime, I’m finding it increasingly tough to find or even fabricate appropriate words to decry and deride the activities of this cabal of despicable crooks.

Because just as they seem to have gone as low as it’s possible to go, they sink to depths that are even more difficult than ever to credit or describe. Stopping at absolutely nothing in their project to pervert every possible aspect of Malaysian life, from truth and justice to religion, reason and human intelligence itself, for the sole purpose of perpetuating their monopoly on power and plunder.

As is most painfully evident right this minute in the latest episode of their persecution of Anwar Ibrahim on endless, plainly trumped-up charges of sodomy. Never mind that you’d have to be totally sodumbnised to believe that the whole thing is not yet another criminal conspiracy by this incurably crooked regime.

All the tainted serological evidence and perjured testimony aside, the fact alleged ‘victim’ Saiful Bukhari Azlan not only allegedly had a suspicious tryst with the inspector-general of police in a hotel, but also then-deputy prime minister Najib Abdul Razak at his residence, just days before he reported the so-called ‘crime’, is clear evidence of conspiratorial collusion.

Especially in light of Najib’s initial denial that he had met Saiful, and later his lame admission that indeed he had met him, but that the meeting had been for the purpose of discussing the possibility of a “scholarship”.

“Scholarship” in this case being a euphemism for bribe, no doubt, as years later it seems that Saiful is living comfortably if not outright luxuriously despite having long had no apparent employment or other legitimate means of support.

And while we’re on the subject of fake scholarships, it appears that the regime has showered similar if somewhat less largesse on a group of craven creatures prepared to wear T-shirts and wave signs, all suspiciously professionally printed, no doubt at public expense, proclaiming their desire for justice, not for Anwar, but for Saiful.

Meanwhile, BN’s ever-compliant ‘religious’ authorities keep colluding in the regime’s sodomisation of the Malaysian people by every possible means from murder and massive theft and bodohmisation of the populace by lying ‘news’ media and a dismally dumbed-down ‘education’ system with a programme of godomisation that gets more ridiculously outrageous by the day.

With the self-styled holier-than-thou posing as ‘protectors’ and ‘defenders’ of Islam at every possible opportunity, as in perennial attempts to refuse Christians the right to use the generic Arab term for God, ‘Allah’, and threatening to burn Bibles that offend the ‘sensitivities’ of the ‘faithful’.

And these godomists also go so far as to try and ban the celebration of such allegedly ‘un-Islamic’ celebrations as Oktoberfest, St Valentine’s Day and, as most topical today as I write this column, Halloween.

Every day memorialises a deity

Little aware, apparently, that, in the English language at least, every day memorialises a pre-Islamic, pre-Christian, indeed outright pagan deity: Sunday the ancient sun god; Monday the goddess of the moon; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the old Scandinavian gods Tiw, Odin, Thor and goddess of love, Fria; and Saturday recalls Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture.

In other words, in English and doubtless many other ‘Western’ tongues, every day of the week is arguably as potentially sodomising of the alleged sensibilities and sensitivities of BN’s tame godomists as the regime’s ‘unsolved’ murders, massive thefts and sundry other sodomies on Malaysian society are to the majority of us.

Yet BN spokespersons still have the unmitigated gall to claim that they are on the side of justice, fair play and social harmony, as in Sports and Youth Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s recent attempt to rebut Anwar Ibrahim’s claim that his sodomy appeal is a “litmus test for the government" by claiming that it is “Anwar and not Putrajaya that is on trial”.

“The government did not force Anwar to do what he is accused of on Saiful,” Khairy declared, thus begging the burning question as to whether the government made the whole thing up, “so why make it a trial about the government’s credibility?”

As one of the world’s least evidently successful and thus also least credible ministers of sports, surely it’s time for Khairy to realise that the majority of us are not so godomised or bodohmised as to believe a word that he or anyone else in the rotten BN regime says about anything.

And that we’re also very well aware that if the government is not on trial, it surely should and someday will be. For a catalogue of crimes so enormous that it would take a column far longer than this to list them all.

From the sodomy of Malaysian society by Abdul Razak Hussein, second prime minister and father of the current incumbent, by his alleged fomenting of the May 13 1969 riots, through the shafting of the judiciary in the 1980s by Dr Mahathir Mohamad through all the countless extra-judicial killings and obscene financial killings by regime members and their cronies in all the years since, the list of indictable offences is endless.

Continuing unabated

Literally so, as they’re still continuing unabated through massive un-repaid ‘loans’ as in the notorious National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) fiasco, embezzlements as in the RM12-billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal, the vastly-overpriced new ‘low-cost’ KLIA2 airport and terminal, and currently both KL’s plunder-riddled MRT project and the so-called ‘sovereign wealth fund’ 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), and “losses” like that of MAS flight MH370.

Not to mention outright thefts like that of much of the timber from Sarawak by regime crony Abdul (‘The Termite’) Taib Mahmud, whose lawyers are currently threatening legal action against the publishers and distributors of the book Money Logging: On the Trail of the Asian Timber Mafia.

And as if to add insult to Taib’s sodomy of his state’s natural resources and the laws of the land, his shysters are predicting “substantial” damages due not only to the “extreme seriousness of the allegations,” but also “given the wealth of our client”.

This supremely arrogant attitude is not particular to Taib Mahmud, but characteristic of Malaysia’s entire ruling regime. And so, whatever the verdict this gang of crooks engineers for Anwar this time around, it will keep getting away with its sodomies on the country until enough honest citizens finally decide to stop taking it lying down, and revolt against BN-style godomy and bodohmy for once and for all.

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DEAN JOHNS, after many years in Asia, currently lives with his Malaysian-born wife and daughter in Sydney, where he coaches and mentors writers and authors and practises as a writing therapist. Published books of his columns for Malaysiakini include Mad about Malaysia, Even Madder about Malaysia, Missing Malaysia, 1Malaysia.con and Malaysia Mania.

[First posted 1 November 2014]

Two Leo birthdays I'm celebrating today... (updated)

Best Selfie Ever! 💖

My rainbow crystal child in August 2009 (taken on a miniature Sony)

The first, of course, is my #2 daughter Belle's. She's a proud mother of three gorgeous kids, Max Alexander Lüer (24), Reiya Sunshine Lüer (18) and Ryder Lee Lankhorst (10).

When Belle was 13 she and I went on 3-nation trip together - Thailand, Burma and Nepal - and we became more like buddies than father and daughter.

On that vacation Belle had a great deal more fun than her Daddyums, who spent a lot of time wondering where she had disappeared to and with whom. After all these years that still holds true!

I "pinched" the photo of Belle at right from her facebook album. It was taken after a makeover for an Estée Lauder modeling contest she participated in when she turned 40. Too bad she lost out to a 24-year-old!

Belle has a broad range of innate talents (cartooning, acting, photography, filmmaking, painting, cooking, martial arts and selfie-taking, to name a few) - but she opted to focus on producing and nurturing three astoundingly beautiful and brainy kids. She also has a wacko sense of humor (not to mention a predilection for fart jokes).

With Hot Granny Lily in 2022

Chinese New Year 2020 (with Reiya Sunshine missing)

Fooling around with Reiya Sunshine

Belle & her brood in 2017

The second happens to be Anwar Ibrahim's - my favorite candidate for Malaysia's next prime minister. Anwar has been prime-minister-in-waiting for too long. Why? Simply because he's our best bet and nobody else in Malaysian politics can come close to playing the all-important role of unifier and reformer.

After decades of parasitic misgovernance by a succession of UMNO prime,  I mean, crime ministers, the task ahead of the Pakatan Rakyat cabinet is nothing less than Herculean. Fortunately, from all four parties in the Pakatan Harapan coalition, experienced, courageous and honest administrators can be found in abundance. They simply haven't been given a chance to prove their mettle. But we the people are determined to give them that opportunity as soon as possible. [Well, it finally happened in 2022!]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BELOVED BELLE & ANWAR, MY STEADFAST CHOICE FOR 8TH... OKAY, 10TH MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER! HERE'S TO A TRULY AMAZING FUTURE!!!

[First posted 10 August 2011. Reposted 10 August 2018]

ANWAR IBRAHIM'S KEYNOTE ADDRESS IN SINGAPORE, 20 MAY 2008

(Courtesy of anwaribrahimblog.com)

MALAYSIA’S DEFINING MOMENT AND THE NEW ECONOMIC AGENDA

Keynote address by Anwar Ibrahim on 20th May 2008 at the CLSA Corporate Access Forum in Singapore, a high-profile gathering of corporate decision makers of the region’s most interesting companies and investment bodies.

Ladies and Gentleman.

On the 8th of March, with fortitude and conviction the people of Malaysia sent a clear message to the powers that be they would not continue to tolerate a corrupt and incompetent government. With resoluteness hitherto unseen they voted the Barisan Nasional out of office in four states and terminated their stranglehold two-third majority in Parliament. In the final toll, the Pakatan Rakyat, that is, the People’s Alliance, now controls five states accounting for about 60% of the nation’s GDP. Additionally, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur is almost entirely represented by Pakatan representatives in Parliament. After being in power for five decades, the Barisan Nasional meanwhile is still in comatose under this knock out defeat while its dominant and dominating anchor party UMNO is in utter turmoil.

In this defining moment of Malaysia’s history, the courage and singularity of purpose of the people has been extraordinary. Having suffered the slings and arrows of an outrageous regime that had become very cozy with the culture of corruption, wastage and misuse of power, the people marched headlong into the battlefield and took the bull by the horns.

To my mind, the 8th of March, 2008 is the metaphor for the birth of a new era where the millstone of race and religion which had been our burden to bear for the last fifty years has finally been shattered. With one stroke of the mighty pen, notwithstanding the overwhelming forces of electoral fraud and collusion of the organs of state, the people transformed the political landscape of the nation.

This will be a new chapter indeed for Malaysia indeed as it was for Indonesia not too long ago when the waves of reformasi swept the country taking it out of dictatorship to democracy. In a way, it was also for Myanmar though tragically the iron hand of military oppression proved far stronger than the earnest cries for justice and liberty.

A New Economic Agenda has been crafted borne of a long-term strategic vision to develop Malaysia into a prosperous and dynamic society competitive not just in the region, but in the world. We are not talking about knee-jerk reactions or strategies calculated to gain political mileage. This Agenda is a comprehensive program that we earnestly believe is sustainable in the long run.

According to a recent survey, young Malaysians are now open to more multi-racial socio-economic policies as opposed to race-based ones. The general consensus is that affirmative action should be given to the poor and the marginalized regardless of race or religion. Notions of social dominance and racial superiority find no resonance among the people except for those diehards still bigoted over ancient and archaic forms of political ideology.

Anwar at the Freedom Rally, 14 April 2008, moments before the police interrupted his speech 

(photo courtesy of BigO)

That is why our New Agenda is not purely economic. Its viability depends very much on observing the principles of democracy, socio-economic justice, equal economic opportunities and religious freedom. There is no contradiction in talking about affirmative action while waving the banner of equal opportunity because a level playing field can never be level unless and until the poor and the marginalized are taken out of the vicious cycle.

The broadest platform that forms the bedrock of this New Malaysian Agenda rests on policies formulated to bring maximum benefit to the people across as broad a spectrum as possible in order to uplift the living standards of the ordinary Malaysian. Ostentatious projects will be shelved. Public expenditure will be focused on infrastructure such as transportation, health and education. There is no doubt that we will be pro-business but the New Agenda will redress the social inequities unleashed by the forces of the free market. Rent-seeking activities, for example, must be kept at bay. Predatory marketing will be outlawed. A more comprehensive regulatory structure will be crafted with the bulk of the input from people actually in the business. All this may raise the alarm that this is populist agenda which encroaches upon free market principles. On the contrary, the New Agenda aims at taking Malaysia to the status of a developed nation that is built on the people’s trust with accountability, transparency and good governance.


Let us first of all answer the question: What is Malaysia’s status today? We hear for example politicians talking about how rich Malaysia is compared to some of her neighbors and how we have recovered so well since the Asian financial crisis of 1997. The truth, however, says otherwise: South Korea and Taiwan were much poorer than us in the 1970s but today their per capita income is US$19,200 and US$15,270 respectively. Our per capita income is only US$6,240. And we haven’t begun to talk about Singapore, a city-state of four million inhabitants. At US$30,810, it is five times that of Malaysia’s. The enormous difference becomes all the more glaring if we consider that just 30 years ago, Malaysia was neck and neck with Singapore.

If we analyze deeper we will realize how even more troubling the numbers are. The per capita income scenario paints only a partial picture. What we don’t see is the gross inequality in income distribution. In 2005, Malaysia registered the most glaring GINI coefficient in Southeast Asia, worse than Indonesia and Thailand. As you know, being the most effective measure of income disparity, at 0.47, Malaysia was number two in Asia losing only to Papua New Guinea.

This is a devastating indictment of the failure of the New Economic Policy, crafted almost four decades ago. In the area of the urban-rural gap, this policy has also been a complete fiasco. In 1999, income in rural homes was 55% that of urban homes with the highest poverty in mostly Bumiputera majority states such as Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, Perlis, Sabah and Sarawak.

Of course there has been some development in the country but we do not see anything impressive in the numbers unless we still want to compare ourselves with African countries. Incidentally, Malaysia’s poverty reduction statistics are unreliable because our base rate is unrealistic.

By far the most damning case against the NEP is that it has been hijacked by the ruling elite to satisfy their lust for wealth and power. No doubt this was a multi-racial rip-off of the most systematic kind: the leaders of the component parties of the ruling coalition working hand in glove with UMNO to deprive the deserving Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans and Kadazans of the benefits that were to be derived from the NEP.

Tender procedures, transparency and independent evaluation in privatization issues, equity distribution, all these were swept aside in the name of the NEP on the sacred ground that this was all for the benefit of the Bumiputeras. But the numbers stack hard against the hype. Just compare the money spent on scholarships with say the tens of billions expropriated by the select few in equity awards, Approved Permits, contracts to companies controlled by families and cronies, and the billions in profit reaped on account of privatization projects and schemes. There is also a high economic cost to this gross abuse of the policy. The people have to pay higher costs for energy, water, highway tolls. The people’s protest falls on deaf ears.

The decline in FDI as well as private domestic investment is serious. This collapse has led to serious underperforming by Malaysia in the region. India in the last five years saw its investment/GDP ratio rise from 22% to 34% and Brazil’s ratio shot up from 15% to 27%. Malaysia’s ratio, on the other hand, plunged to 9% last year from 30% in 1996. In terms of FDI over GDP, Malaysia plummeted from 8% to 4% for the same period. This is one of the steepest declines anywhere in the world. What these numbers signify is the plunge in the level of competitiveness and the degree of profitability of companies and there is no reason to imagine things will improve for the better barring a drastic change in circumstances. As a matter of fact, for the World Competitiveness Index for 2007/08, Malaysia dropped two notches from last year’s standing.

Yet the authorities are touting Malaysia’s so called impressive current account surplus which increased from 8% in 2002 to 14% in 2007. But what it means really is that investments have fallen and hence a decline in the import of capital goods. Even Malaysia’s growth rates for the last five years will show that private consumption is the main driver for the increase. What has not been highlighted, however, is the fact that our economic growth is essentially fuelled by borrowings to such an extent that individual indebtedness is now the highest in the region. Just last year, I spoke about the lessons of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Once again, the question is: have the Malaysian authorities learned anything?

Malaysia lags behind other emerging economies in spite of a diversified economy with commodities and manufacturing and a relatively good physical infrastructure. Our competitiveness suffers because of the failure to develop and keep innovative human capital. Our brain drain problem is legendary. This reflects foundational weaknesses in our educational infrastructure as well as a policy of mismanaging the vast human resources. The traditional mindset of bolstering the manufacturing sector as a key driver for economic growth must also be changed in an age where information and knowledge provide the bedrock for growth and competitiveness. We suffer also because of the high cost of doing business, a cost which is reflective of the failure to observe the basic standards of good governance and to fulfill the demands of accountability. At the end of the day, these principles will continue to be compromised when those who hold the trust of the people succumb to the temptations of power and fall victim to the cancer of corruption.

The report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the V.K. Lingam scandal has fully vindicated our earnest efforts to expose the corruption that has beset the highest institutions of power. The Malaysian judiciary once touted as one of the best in the world has been severely compromised. Judge fixing, ghost written judgments, horse trading in judicial appointments, these are the symptoms of a judiciary ravaged by executive influence and interference and corruption by the rich and the powerful. We cannot overemphasize the importance of an independent and competent judiciary to realize the objectives of the New Agenda because bereft of such an institution, the rule of law itself hangs in the balance. When justice can be bought and sold, the economic implications are extremely far reaching. Foreign investors want impartial and fair hearings in trade and commercial disputes. The fact that most international contracts executed in the region choose Hong Kong or Singapore rather than Kuala Lumpur as the forum for arbitration speaks volumes about the level of confidence of the international business community in Malaysia’s judiciary.

From one corridor to another, with pledges of billions of ringgit to be poured into infrastructure and other projects, the Federal government is still trying to foist on the people undertakings of such a gargantuan scale that make the mega projects of the previous administration look rather tame. This lavishness in spending is symptomatic of the Barisan’s conventional responses to the economic woes of the nation. They have given supply-side economics a new meaning, predicated on the assumption that the supply of money has no limits.

History has already shown what dire consequences such a philosophy can bring. Forged on the anvil of greed and self-interest, these projects can only see the light of day if and only if the main beneficiaries are cronies, family members and conglomerates connected with the ruling elite. Hence, projects which were in the pipeline before the elections suddenly become unviable now that they would be in the States governed by the Pakatan. Perhaps this is the silver lining to the clouds that hang over the Pakatan-controlled states because we want no part in the plundering of the people’s wealth by the UMNO-controlled Federal government. They must be held accountable.

In spite of these concerns we will honour commitments already made, excepting for gross abuse and corruption, and will seek new ways of engaging with the international investor community under the principle of responsible competitiveness that would encompass conservation, sustainability and fair labour practices.

The New Economic Agenda recognizes the multi-ethnic composition of Malaysia and therefore is fortified with a policy to foster and nurture a plural and tolerant society. After all, that was the catalyst for the formation of our nation pursuant to a social contract to build a nation that is harmonious, just and fair. That cannot be realized without a New Agenda relevant and just to all. The Bumiputera community is ready for this change because it will continue to be firmly grounded on affirmative action to help the poor and the marginalized.

The fear that such an agenda will erode the rights of the Bumiputera is but the consequence of the racist chanting of some UMNO leaders who will stand to be the biggest losers in the new agenda. So, fearing the prospect of their corrupt sources of income being reduced if not altogether eliminated they resort to stoking the fires of racist sentiments through the mainstream media controlled by them.

Our policy is simple and straightforward enough. We do not intend to do away with the affirmative action principles outlined in the NEP, but we will apply them across the board making them available for all races on a needs basis. The question is: Should we condone the abuses of a policy which make the rich richer and the poor poorer or should we not support a policy that provides equitable assistance to all needy Malaysians?

Again, to the detractors who will continue to distort the new agenda as an anti-Bumiputera policy, let me reiterate that the interests of the Bumiputeras will never be compromised because we are committed to building a new system that is just and fair. In this new order, no one will be left behind on account of race or religion. Unlike the current scheme of things, the New Agenda will put in place mechanisms to ensure that economic aid goes to those who most need it. For example, small traders who form the bulk of the Bumiputera community in business enterprises will therefore be better off than they ever were under the NEP.

Certain detractors have pointed out the road to a more deregulated free market economy will lead to the abandonment of social instruments. We would answer this by saying that we have no intention of abandoning of our electoral promises among which is the promotion of social justice. We advocate no doubt Hayekian free enterprise but we don’t think Adam Smith’s invisible hand will be that responsive to the changing times. Hence, whenever necessary, to paraphrase John Kenneth Galbraith, we temper free market with an appropriate dose of state intervention to rectify the social inequities attendant on the interplay of pure market forces. We don’t think that we need to apologize for advocating a policy on fuel, health care and education which is calculated to ease the burden of the rising cost of living. We call this humane economics.

Bearing in mind our diagnosis of the Malaysian economy and the state of our nation, the New Agenda will set in place the drivers that will take the country out of the doldrums to greater heights.

In other words, measures will be in place to ensure that private investment as well as FDI will return with a vengeance. The conditions precedent for Malaysia to regain its status as an attractive destination for investors must include the rule of law, a regulatory framework, and incentives to develop our human capital. At the same time, with the implementation of more prudent macroeconomic management, growth will be stimulated without getting out of hand. The State economies under the control of Pakatan Rakyat will become more robust and vibrant. In spite of the efforts of the Federal government to derail development projects, we are confident that these state economies will be able to forge ahead. The SMEs too will benefit from a policy that recognizes the role that they play in an economy that will be increasingly more globalized. Take care of the head and the tail will take care of itself. With transparency and accountability in place, cronyism and corruption will die a natural death thus immediately lowering transaction costs while enhancing improvements in service delivery.


If I may conclude with an apology to Shakespeare: Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by the sun of Pakatan’s New Economic Agenda. Victory lies in courage and conviction to replace the old with the new, the obsolete with the functional. Without this paradigm change, Malaysia will be adrift in an ocean of uncertainty at the risk of being marooned on the island of oblivion. We must take the current when it serves or forever lose our venture.

Thank you.

[First posted 20 May 2008]

In Memoriam: ALTANTUYA SHAARIIBUU (reprise)

(From Asia Sentinel)

The Altantuya Murder Trial has dragged on aimlessly for a whole year with the anticipated effect that most spectators have dozed off in their seats. To anyone with more than half a brain cell in their skulls, it certainly appears that Malaysian Justice is as elusive as the legendary Big Foot. Especially in view of the latest postponement of the trial on the very day Dr Shaariibuu Setev, the murdered woman's father, arrived in Kuala Lumpur to look in on the so-called trial's progress (or lack thereof). As a result, Dr Setev has decided to return to Mongolia - after giving a press conference at which he stated that his government is on the verge of severing all ties with Malaysia. The fact that the Malaysian Prime Minister has failed to acknowledge and respond to a formal letter addressed to him from his Mongolian counterpart is an utterly deplorable and disgraceful lapse in manners and reflects very badly on all Malaysians.

As a Malaysian I'm absolutely embarrassed and appalled that such a blatant charade has been permitted to drag on and on for so long while everybody pussyfoots around the thorny question of the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister's involvement in the whole sordid affair. A man who has long been under a thundercloud of suspicion - not only over spectacular irregularities in defense expenditures but also over the gruesome murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu - has been anointed as the next Prime Minister of Malaysia. This same man is on record as having unsheathed a keris during an Umno assembly in 1987 and called for Chinese blood! And yet the Malaysian media remain mute on the obscene grotesqueness of the situation.

By way of sincere apology to Dr Shaariibuu Setev and the Mongolian people, I dedicate this blogpost to the memory of a brave and beautiful woman who had the misfortune to fall into very bad company.

ANWAR TO NAJIB: "Nothing personal!"

(Courtesy of MalaysiakiniTV April 25 2007)

ANWAR TO NAJIB: "Explain photo with Altantuya Shaariibuu!"

(Courtesy of MalaysiakiniTV 29 June 2007)

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has been asked to explain the claim made in a court testimonial today that he had been photographed with murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu. PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said it was all the more compelling for the deputy premier to explain since he had previously denied having met her.

THE MONGOLIAN PM WROTE TO THE MALAYSIAN PM BUT NEVER GOT A RESPONSE...

(Courtesy of MalaysiakiniTV 24 April 2008)

All ties established between Mongolia and Malaysia may be severed if the courts do not reach a fair decision in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial. Altantuya's father, Dr Shaariibuu Setev, told a press conference that this has been communicated to the Malaysian government.

UITM student Adli Syahril's "modern issues" assignment - the murder scene (28 April 2007)

NAJIB'S DENIAL

Day 10 of the Altantuya Trial (29 June 2007)

Altantuya Shaariibuu's cousin told the High Court here today that in August 2005, Abdul Razak Baginda and Altantuya were still having a relationship as they traveled to "Europe, France and Italy" together. Burmaa Oyunchimeg, also known as Amy, 26, in reply to a question from the prosecution, said Altantuya had shown her a photograph of her with Abdul Razak and Malaysian government officials. Later, when asked by Karpal Singh, who is holding a watching brief for Altantuya's family and the Mongolian government, Burmaa said the photograph was shown to her in Hongkong, on Altantuya's return from France.

Burmaa: There was a picture of Altantuya having a meal on a round table. Altantuya having a meal with Razak Baginda and Malaysian government officials and other people.

Karpal: Who were the government officials in the photograph?

Burmaa: Najib Razak. I remember the name Najib Razak. I remember Razak is the same name. I asked her (Altantuya) 'are they brothers' because they have same name.

[Originally posted 25 April 2008]

BLACK EYES ALL AROUND (repost]

EX-CID BOSS CRIES 'BLACK-EYE' CONSPIRACY
Malaysiakini | 28 May 2009, 6:40pm

Former Kuala Lumpur CID chief Mat Zain Ibrahim, who was declared a bankrupt, has claimed that several 'powerful hidden hands' wanted to destroy his credibility.

And their reason for doing so - "to paralyse my capabilities and prevent me from giving evidence against Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail and Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan for fabricating evidence in the Anwar Ibrahim 'black-eye' case."

In a statement emailed to all media organisations today, Mat Zain said his friends and relatives were wondering why his case, which is a non-issue and not worthy of publication, was given tremendous prominence by the media.

The issue was reported in the media today.

"I was just a common retired senior assistant commissioner II who went on optional retirement some eight years ago. I am not a member of any political party and have no intentions of being one.

"Surely you too are curious to know the reasons why the news on me had to be played up as such," he said.

"No ordinary person can influence the entire media (radio and TV) to run this sort of news simultaneously. I say with certainty there are very powerful hidden hands that wanted it so," he added.

The former CID chief was the investigating officer of the black-eye incident, and pledged that the probe was done "professionally without fear or favour."

On July 7 last year, Anwar filed a police report accusing Gani, Musa and one Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof and Mat Zain of falsifying a medical report.

The matter was also investigated by the then Anti-Corruption Agency (now renamed Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency).

Commenting on the corruption watchdog's probe, Mat Zain said: "My detailed statement was recorded no less than five times by the investigating officer."

"I made full disclosure and provided the MACC with documentary evidence which I believe,was more than sufficient to proof criminal wrongdoings on the part of Gani in particular," he added.

MACC board clears Gani and Musa

On March 1 this year, MACC chief Ahmad Said Hamdan (left) announced that a three-member independent panel appointed by the solicitor-general to scrutinise the investigation papers had cleared Gani and Musa of any criminal wrongdoings

"Ten days later, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Aziz repeated that Gani and Musa are both cleared of any wrongdoings except with regards to Gani, where one of the panel members dissented, leaving Dr Rahman’s and my position in jeopardy," said Mat Zain.

"In view of this, on April 15, I submitted my appeal to the chairman of the advisory board of MACC and extended copies of the same to all committee members as well as to the chairmen of the other panels, including all members of the select committee to review the above findings.

"I provided the members with detailed arguments and attached supporting documentary evidence that I believe would be sufficient to proof that Gani and Musa were involved and/or abetted in the falsification of the medical reports on Anwar and that they should not have been cleared.

"I have yet to receive any response from the board but believe it is still under their consideration," he added.

On May 5, Mat Zain said he followed up on his appeal and extended copies to the solicitor-general as well as to the solicitor-general II.

"Once again, I provided them with arguments and submissions which I believe could show that Gani not only falsified one medical report as alleged by Anwar, but three, with Musa believed to be involved in at least two of them. I hope this too is being looked into seriously," he said.

Pak Lah was not told the entire truth

Mat Zain also believes that former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was never told the truth or the entire facts concerning the case.

Should the truth have been told, the former police officer was certain that Abdullah would have taken the appropriate action.

As for his bankruptcy case, Mat Zain said the notice was issued on April 21, 2009 while the order was issued on May 14.

"Why was it only publicised yesterday?" he asked. "I have reason to believe that the notice was obtained about a week after I filed my appeal to the MACC board on April 15 after Anwar vowed that he would provide a tough defence in the sodomy charge against him fixed to be heard beginning July 1."

"I have reasons to believe that the prosecution team anticipated that Anwar would certainly raise at a certain point of his trial the issue of fabrication of evidence in the black-eye case. My evidence would be vital at this stage. Their only option was to destroy my credibility," he said.

Although conceding that the news about his bankruptcy would affect him and his family, Mat Zain however said that he took it as a blessing in disguise.

"It would only enhance my resolve to disclose the whole truth of the 'black-eye' episode. Believe me, that this is not the only case the duo (Gani and Musa) had their fingers in. There are others which are as sensational. The truth shall prevail," he added.

With regards to the bankruptcy matter, Mat Zain said he has instructed his lawyer to look into the matter which came as a surprise to him "especially when I was never served personally of any notice of the hearing."

[First posted 28 May 2009]

EXCERPT FROM THE CRUMBLING EMPIRE STRIKES BACK! (repost)

Things that resemble overfed maggots have been stirring within Umno. The hidden hand of Mahathir can be seen behind fractious factional splits (he’s not exactly a subtle despot). He is rumored to be quietly funding ultra-rightwing Malay rights groups like Perkasa. Indeed, the Malaysian billionaires’ club has rallied behind Brand Najis, mainly to protect their own vested interests.

In our jubilation at the prospect of seeing a Pakatan Rakyat government with Anwar Ibrahim as PM, we have overlooked a particularly influential segment of society – the moneyed, privileged class (in effect, the Sadduccees, for those biblically inclined). 

These are the ones who live comfortably insulated from the nitty-gritty world in their gated cities and superluxury condos. Most have benefited from lucrative contracts or clever investments made during the Mahathir era – so they were never too bothered about silly things like the ISA, OSA, police harassment, tear gas and water cannons. 

So why should they bother now? One despot behaves pretty much like another – whether his name is Herod Antipas, Constantine, Napoleon Bonaparte, Mahathir Mohamad, Saddam Hussein, George Bush, or Najib Razak. In any case, despots are known to throw lavish parties – they’re certainly funkier hosts than semi-ascetic leftwingers like Nik Aziz, Karpal Singh and Lim Kit Siang. As Hindraf co-founder P. Waythamoorthy recently declared: "It doesn't matter whether Rama or Ravana rules, so long as Indians get a fair share of the money." 

Most despots have blood on their hands (or they wouldn’t qualify as despots, would they?)

You and I may rankle and rant at the idea of a moral degenerate ascending to power as PM – but morality, as the privileged class knows full well, is all so very... relative, isn’t it? No vegetarian, non-violent contemplator-of-navels ever attained the world-conquering status of a Genghis Khan, as far as I know. So why make such a big fuss about a few billion ringgit vanishing into this or that offshore account, a few troublesome mistresses snuffed, a dozen greasy Indian heads bashed in by police truncheons, and a few hundred loudmouths locked away in dungeons of iniquity?

Well, I see these turbulent days as the build-up to a quantum shift into a whole new octave of being wherein our hardwired survival programs and reptilian fear conditioning will no longer apply. If you’re a devout Muslim or Christian you’ll probably call it Khiamat or Judgement Day. A Hindu might think of it as the end of the Kali yuga and the arrival of Maha Avatar Kalki (or perhaps the conclusion of the 7th manvantara); while a Buddhist may anticipate a Maitreya incarnation that will facilitate planetary enlightenment.

The more eclectic and esoterically inclined will call it the dawning of the Aquarian Age, the advent of the Water-Bearer - who symbolizes dissemination of true knowledge, leading to the decentralization and democratization of sovereignty and power.

In short, Ketuanan Rakyat as preached by Anwar Ibrahim.

Astrologer Stella Woods reports that Pluto moved into Capricorn on January 26th, 2008 – and will remain there until 2024. She believes “there will be a backlash and rebellion against [authoritarian] control, with people refusing to conform, leaving the system and insisting on the ethical use of power. 

Scandals and corruption in government and large corporations will come to light and the reputation of many of our cherished institutions will be tarnished. In fact many old forms of government and ways of doing business are likely to disappear altogether.”

Go on, Pluto, move your ass, good dog!

[First published 22 October 2008. reposted 28 April 2013]

THE CRUMBLING EMPIRE STRIKES BACK! (reprise)

The euphoria that swept across the nation one day after the 12th general election created a ripple effect of unmitigated optimism that carried us through Anwar Ibrahim’s triumphant return to Parliament as Opposition Leader right after he trounced Arif Shah at Permatang Pauh on August 26th.

However, the road to Putrajaya appears perilously booby-trapped.

September 16th came and went and suddenly the political atmosphere just got denser and duller and heavier. How did I feel about 916? As an unabashed and unapologetic admirer of Anwar Ibrahim’s extraordinary intelligence, political savvy, oratorical skills, effortless charisma and, above all, his amazing wife Azizah and their lovely children (though I’ve only met Nurul Izzah thus far), I would have rejoiced wholeheartedly at Pakatan Rakyat’s successful takeover of the federal government – along with, I think, at least 25 million other Malaysians.

The actual date was immaterial. I believe Anwar came up with September 16th to emphasize and include our brothers and sisters in Sabah and Sarawak. As a meme, 916 has undeniable power because of its association with 22-karat gold, the purest form in which it can retain its solidity; the number also reads the same upside-down.

It’s been a little more than a month since the mammoth Malaysia Day Rally at Kelana Jaya stadium on the eve of 916. The seeds of hope and a powerful desire for genuine reform were undoubtedly planted amongst the 30,000 who attended – and the millions more who viewed the speeches on YouTube or read the blog reports. Anwar says he requested a private meeting with Abdullah Badawi to negotiate terms of a peaceful Pakatan Rakyat takeover but was refused. Instead we witnessed a spate of ridiculous and infuriating ISA arrests. Raja Petra, Anwar’s most outspoken ally, was forcibly removed from the scene, while 50 Barisan MPs were shipped off to Taiwan to experience earthquakes and typhoons.

Anwar then requested, as Opposition Leader, that the incumbent PM convene a special parliamentary session to establish if the Pakatan Rakyat had enough MPs to form the next government. Again, Anwar was rebuffed. All hopes now revolved on Anwar being granted an audience with the Agong. That didn’t happen. Instead, there was talk that the Agong was doing an umrah in Mecca.

October 13th was the day Parliament reconvened after a long break. We waited to see if anyone would propose a vote of no-confidence against the PM. Nobody did and Anwar himself opted to focus on Badawi’s 2009 Budget, criticizing it as irrelevant in the face of ongoing tectonic shifts in the financial world. At a press conference, Anwar insisted he still had the numbers to form a new government, but added that the Pakatan Rakyat had decided to move slowly rather than risk triggering a violent reaction from Umno loyalists who have mastered the martial art of pre-meditated mengamuk (running amok).

Anwar’s detractors would like us to believe “the moment has passed,” and that the window of democratic opportunity is once again shut tight. Just ban Hindraf and Makkal Sakthi will fade away. Arrest RPK and resistance to tyranny will wilt. This is the first time I’m doing it in print but I just have to go bwahahahahaha.

Meanwhile, things that resemble overfed maggots have been stirring within Umno. The hidden hand of Mahathir can be seen behind fractious factional splits (he’s not exactly a subtle despot). Former finance minister Daim Zainuddin is rumored to be quietly funding Najib’s bid for Umno presidency. Indeed, it’s safe to speculate that the Umnoputera billionaires’ club has rallied behind Najib, to protect their own vested interests.

And, going by the inscrutable utterances issuing from the Conference of Rulers, the monarchs, too, appear to be wary of radical change. After all, apart from having some of their constitutional powers pared down by Mahathir’s amendments, they have all been fairly comfortable under Umno/BN. Most of them have directorships in a variety of businesses and they never have to pay a single phone bill. Even so, they aren’t entirely immune from the vicissitudes of life. One was recently faced with bankruptcy proceedings.

The fact that the Agong meekly confirmed Zaki Azmi’s appointment as Chief Justice hardly reassures reform-minded Malaysians that any significant changes are about to occur. After all, Zaki is up to his eyeballs in Umno business - which doesn’t necessarily disqualify him from doing a laudable job as CJ, but given the murky circumstances surrounding Lingamgate and the absolute refusal of the grotesquely compromised Attorney-General to hang his head in shame and resign – this is yet another indication that “business-as-usual” is the only reality some folks know.

In effect, it would appear that the crumbling Umno Empire has struck back, and that the future is now bleaker than ever.

Is it? I’m not buying that perception at all. I’ll concede that the joy of witnessing a national rebirth and transformation may have been delayed somewhat – and the most painful aspect of this postponement is having to endure our feeling of helplessness and frustration over the fact that the ISA detainees and their families will be unable to celebrate Deepavali this year, perhaps not even Christmas, who knows about the Lunar New Year?


In our jubilation at the prospect of seeing a Pakatan Rakyat government with Anwar Ibrahim as PM, we have overlooked a particularly influential segment of society – the moneyed, privileged class (in effect, the Sadduccees, for those biblically inclined). These are the ones who live comfortably insulated from the nitty-gritty world in their gated cities and superluxury condos. Most have benefited from lucrative contracts or clever investments made during the Mahathir era – so they were never too bothered about silly things like the ISA and police harassment and water cannons. So why should they bother now? One despot behaves pretty much like another – whether his name is Herod Antipas, Constantine, Napoleon Bonaparte, Benito Mussolini, Saddam Hussein, George Bush, Idi Amin, Robert Mugabe, or Najib Razak. In any case, despots are known to throw lavish parties – they’re certainly funkier hosts than semi-ascetic leftwingers like Nik Aziz, Karpal Singh and Lim Kit Siang.

No doubt, most despots have blood on their hands (or they wouldn’t qualify as despots, would they?)

You and I may rankle and rant at the idea of a moral degenerate ascending to power as PM – but morality, as the privileged class knows full well, is all so very... relative, isn’t it? No vegetarian, non-violent contemplator-of-navels ever attained the world-conquering status of a Genghis Khan, as far as I know. So why make such a big fuss about a few billion ringgit vanishing into this or that offshore account, a few troublesome mistresses snuffed, a dozen greasy Indian heads bashed in by police truncheons, and a few hundred loudmouths locked away in dungeons of iniquity?

Well, I see these turbulent days as the build-up to a quantum shift into a whole new octave of being wherein our hardwired survival programs and reptilian fear conditioning will no longer apply. If you’re a devout Muslim or Christian you’ll probably call it Khiamat or Judgement Day. A Hindu might think of it as the end of the Kali yuga and the arrival of Maha Avatar Kalki (or perhaps the conclusion of the 7th manvantara); while a Buddhist may anticipate a Maitreya incarnation that will facilitate planetary enlightenment.

The more eclectic and esoterically inclined will call it the dawning of the Aquarian Age, the advent of the Water-Bearer - who symbolizes dissemination of true knowledge, leading to the decentralization and democratization of sovereignty and power.

In short, Ketuanan Rakyat as preached by Anwar Ibrahim.

Astrologer Stella Woods reports that Pluto moved into Capricorn on January 26th, 2008 – and will remain there until 2024. She believes “there will be a backlash and rebellion against [authoritarian] control, with people refusing to conform, leaving the system and insisting on the ethical use of power. Scandals and corruption in government and large corporations will come to light and the reputation of many of our cherished institutions will be tarnished. In fact many old forms of government and ways of doing business are likely to disappear altogether.”

Go on, Pluto, move your ass, good dog!

[First posted 22 October 2008]