Lies rule in Razakstan
Dean Johns |
Malaysiakini
15 June 2011 | 12:44pm
As long as Dr Mahathir Mohamad is still breathing, Najib Abdul Razak can't be accused of being the world's most pathological liar. But that doesn't stop him striving for the number one spot.
Posing as an enlightened leader of a progressive Malaysia and preaching reform, inclusiveness, integrity and good governance around the world Najib (
right) presides over a corrupt, repressive and outright criminal Razakstan of his own.
He was at it again last week, jetting off to Kazakhstan with 250 of his closest relatives and cronies to treat the World Islamic Economic Forum to a dose of his sanctimonious, hypocritical drivel.
"Good governance should come naturally for Muslim nations," he declared, going on to claim that Muslim nations have long known that "justice, equity, probity and prosperity for all, including women," as advocated by the fourth caliph, son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, "are not merely the preserve of Western democracies."
"Governing as Ali ordered with justice, equity and probity," he continued, was "not about falling in line with Western attitudes, but acting in line with Quranic teachings."
Unfortunately, however, Quranic teachings appear to have little to no effect on the government of any Muslim-majority nation on the planet, very much including Najib's own.
In fact, for all the imperfections of the Western democracies, they are the only source of hope, inspiration and protection for people denied justice, equity and probity by Quran-defying governments from the Middle East to Africa and Asia. Russia couldn't care less, and China is always on the side of its fellow suppressors of the people.
Razakstan-style regimes wreak havoc
So it's the Western democracies that are spending untold quantities of blood, sweat, tears and treasure on protecting the people of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya from the malevolence of their Muslim governments. And it's Western democracies that are exerting political, financial and legal pressure to persuade the rulers of Syria, Iran, Pakistan and dozens of other Razakstan-style regimes to stop robbing and killing their citizens.
In his speech to the gathering in Kazakhstan, Najib tried to excuse the appalling state of Muslim governments, with the disclaimer that "in a world characterised by unbridled political influence, unequal competition and opportunities, strong family ties, unlimited greed, inadequate rules and regulations and poor enforcement, good governance is easier said than done."
Then, ignoring the fact that the aforesaid "unbridled political influence, unequal competition and opportunities, strong family ties, unlimited greed, inadequate rules and regulations and poor enforcement" all-too-accurately describes his own Umno/BN regime, he went on to present Malaysia as a paragon of progress.
"Numerous initiatives and measures to inculcate good values and ethical conduct, integrity and efforts to combat corruption in all sectors of society have been introduced," he lied, given that all of these so-called 'measures' are nothing but cosmetic.
Najib then added insult to perjury by claiming that "in order to provide a healthy mechanism of checks and balances, the government also welcomed comments and views from within its own institutions as well as from religious organisations, minority groups, the media and business."
This glowing portrait of Malaysia as an oasis of reform in a desert of Muslim-government turpitude is simply too preposterous for words, considering that Najib has absolutely no intention to reform what it actually his own Razakstan.
Reality far from expectations
Far from aspiring to the "good values, ethical conduct and integrity" that Najib claims, his regime conceals its financial and other crimes against the Malaysian people with an Official Secrets Act as draconian as any on earth.
Far from combating corruption, the Najib regime employs the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) as its shock-troops, security guards and assassins.
Far from welcoming sundry comments and views from all, it employs the nation's media as its paid propagandists and suppresses free speech by means of its appalling Printing, Presses and Publications Act.
And far from promoting religious and racial unity, as Najib's fake "1Malaysia" slogan pretends to proclaim, the government does its damndest to foment discord through the regime-owned gutter 'newspaper' Utusan Malaysia and through race-hate pressure groups like Perkasa (or, as I prefer to think of it, Pukeasa).
Despite the dire reality of his Razakstan regime, however, Najib had the gall to issue a rallying call to his partners-in-crime at the Kazakhstan conference to join him on "a journey that does not end until good governance truly becomes the mainstream value of all Muslim nations."
And no sooner had he returned from his Kazakhstan jaunt to be in full cry again during the opening of the Wasatiyyah Convention at the First Millennium of Islam in the Archipelago in Putridjaya, calling on Muslims "to set their house in order first before they can become the guiding light for mankind, like their forefathers."
"Why is it that corruption, maladministration, mismanagement and inefficiency are often associated with the administration of an Islamic state when we know that Islamic teachings, as contained in the Quran and the sunnah of the Prophet, can serve as guidance?" he asked.
Precisely the question I've been asking myself, and in fact the entire civilised world has been asking of rulers of Razakstan-style regimes for what seems like forever.
Cruel intentions made clear
Not that Muslim nations are by any means on their own in the gruesome-government department. Buddhist Burma, the Catholic Philippines and Kim-worshipping North Korea, to name just a few, are all as bad if not worse than their Islamic counterparts.
In fact religion or the lack thereof has nothing to do with government criminality - a point Najib is demonstrating by his willingness to extend an ecumenical welcome to two of the world's arch-criminals for the Langkawi International Dialogue on June 19 to 21.
The Muslim president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, has the dubious distinction of being the first serving head of state to be indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, and is now a fugitive from justice.
And Robert Mugabe, the non-Muslim dictator of Zimbabwe, an old crony of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir, is one of the most reviled figures on the international stage, having spent decades destroying his nation's economy and civil institutions.
Consorting with such scum provides the ultimate example of Najib's fraudulent attempts to be perceived as a reformer, let alone a 'religious' one, and once and for all demonstrates the reality of his intention to keep running - and ruining - Malaysia like some kind of Umno/BN Razakstan.
DEAN JOHNS, after many years in Asia, currently lives with his Malaysian-born wife and daughter in Sydney, where he mentors creative writing groups. Already published in Kuala Lumpur is a third book of his columns for Malaysiakini, following earlier collections 'Mad about Malaysia' and 'Even Madder about Malaysia'.
[Cloned from Malaysiakini with thanks. Dean Johns has done it again by coming up with Razakstan to describe the pitiable state of affairs in Malaysia under bandit and pirate misrule!]
However, the road to Putrajaya appears perilously booby-trapped.
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.
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).
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.
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.
No doubt, most despots have blood on their hands (or they wouldn’t qualify as despots, would they?)
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.
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.”
Lies rule in Razakstan
