Mahathir: 22 fiascos in 22 years of power

Photo by Waziri

This hard-hitting piece by "Batman" was first published in Malaysia Today on 13 April 2008. In view of Mahathir's recent maneuvers to topple Abdullah Badawi and regain control of the country by proxy, I'm prompted to republish it.*

Many of those who worship Tun Dr Mahathir cannot understand why Malaysians blame TDM for the woes of the country. I have compiled excerpts of articles published in the media in past years to refresh the memories of Malaysians, as to why many Malaysians feel TDM did more bad than good for the country in his 22 years.

These 22 fiascos are presented in the form of questions directed to TDM:

1) On clean government
You came to power in 1981 and introduced the slogan Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah (Clean, Efficient and Trustworthy). What did you do to further that? Did you make the Anti-Corruption Agency more independent and effective? Did you ensure that the police and judiciary did their jobs properly and reduce corruption in their ranks? Did you censure ministers and chief ministers who received incomes beyond legal means? How many big guns were prosecuted for corruption during your tenure? What happened to Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah?

2) Press freedom
Your criticism of the government got plenty of coverage in the local media whereas, during your time, criticisms against you by two former prime ministers were muted in the mainstream newspapers. Editors in Umno-linked newspapers too were removed for not toeing the line. What did you do to advance the cause of responsible press freedom?

3) Proton
You went ahead with the national car project in 1983 despite a number of experts disagreeing with you, especially with respect to the lack of economies of scale. Isn’t it true that Proton’s profits over the past 20 years came from the vastly higher prices that the Malaysian public have had to pay to subsidize Proton, resulting in considerable hardship for Malaysians who need cars because of the poor public transport system? Why was it necessary for Proton to buy a stake in a failed Italian motorcycle manufacturer when it could not even produce cars competitively?

4) Heavy industries
Why did you push into heavy industries such as steel and cement in the 1980s, ignoring studies which suggested developing natural resource-based industries instead? They caused major problems and billions of ringgit in losses.

5) Immigration
Why did you allow hordes of people to immigrate, mainly from Indonesia, in such an unregulated way that there are as many or more illegal immigrants than legal ones now, accounting for some two million or more people? Did you not realize that this would cause serious social problems?

6) Operasi Lalang
Why did you have to resort to this move in October 1987, when you used the Internal Security Act to detain over 100 people, close down four newspapers and cause a wave of fear throughout the country? Was it to consolidate your tenuous hold on power then by using an oppressive law?

7) Judiciary
What motivated you to take action in 1988 to remove the then Lord President and several Supreme Court judges from their positions under allegations of judicial misconduct, a move which was heavily criticized by the Bar Council and other bodies? Was it because you needed more compliant judges whose rulings would not threaten your position of power in a number of cases in court? Was this the first step in dismantling the judiciary’s role as a system of checks and balances against the legislature and the executive? What have you to say to repeated assertions by many, including prominent ex-chief justices, who maintain that this led to the erosion of judicial independence?

8) Education
Why did you allow our national school system, which is the ideal place to develop ties among young Malaysians, to become so divisive? Why is it that our local Universities, once the preferred choice of tertiary education, have deteriorated to a level that even students who have gained admission prefer to enroll in local private colleges and universities?

9) Malaysia Airlines System
Why did your government sell MAS (privately) to Tajuddin Ramli who had no knowledge whatsoever about running an airline? Why did your government then later bail out Tajuddin by paying RM8 per share when the shares were trading at only RM3.60 in the open market, costing close to RM 1 billion of the rakyat’s money.

10) Privatization
Why did you allow privatization to take place in such a manner that the most profitable government operations were sold away like Telekom Malaysia, Pos Malaysia and Tenaga Nasional? Toll concessionaires were guaranteed toll increases and compensations in the event traffic projections were not met. Independent power producers had contracts that guaranteed profits at the expense of Tenaga Nasional. What was the justification of privatizing the government medical stores to Southern Task Sdn Bhd, and the resulting increase of prices of medicines?

11) Putrajaya
What is the justification for spending RM20 billion on a grandiose government city at a time when there was a glut of office space in Kuala Lumpur? Could the money not have been put to better use, such as improving educational resources?

12) Indah Water Konsortium
What was the basis of granting Indah Water Konsortium a concession to manage the national sewerage system? Can you explain the RM1.4 billion soft loan to IWK which has suffered irrecoverable losses?

13) Konsortium Perkapalan Berhad
Why did you rescue Konsortium Perkapalan Berhad (then owned by Mirzan Mahathir) and which had debts of RM1.7 billion using funds from Petronas? Was it not your administration which forced Malaysian International Shipping Company (MISC) to acquire the assets of Konsortium Perkapalan Nasional?

14) Time Dotcom Bhd
Why did your administration bail out Time Dotcom Bhd which was saddled with a RM5 billion debt? Why did your government use RM904 million from Kumpulan Wang Amanah Pencen to buy up 273.9 million of unwanted Time Dotcom shares incurring an instant loss of RM280 million?

Did you not force the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to buy 81.6 million unsubscribed public portion of the initial public offering (IPO) of Time Dotcom Bhd at RM3.30 per share when the shares were trading at only between RM1.95 and RM2.10 and in the process incurring an instant loss of RM100 million?

15) LRT
Why did you bail out the light rail transit operators Projek Usahasama Transit Ringan Automatik Sdn Bhd (PUTRA), which belonged to Renong; and Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan Sdn Bhd (STAR) using almost RM600 million from EPF, which still resulted in EPF having to write off RM135 million with a share loss of RM96 million?

16) North-South Expressway
Why did your administration award the North-South Expressway concession to UEM (who then formed Plus) and then provide them with a loan of RM1.6 billion which was half of the tender price of RM3.2 billion. What was the justification for your administration to grant Plus such overgenerous terms, which included annual increment of toll rates and guaranteed traffic volumes?

17) PSC Industries Berhad
Why did your administration in 1998 award a RM24.3 billion contract to PSC Industries Berhad, together with an advance of more than RM2.5 billion to build naval patrol boats? Why were they also given exclusive rights to service the Malaysian navy’s entire fleet? Could you confirm that the first two ships built by PSCI could not even pass pre-delivery trials? How would you answer to the Public Accounts Committee’s revelation that it will cost the government another RM120 million just to salvage the first two vessels nearing completion after seven years?

18) Bakun Dam
Why did you award Ekran Bhd the contract to build the Bakun Hydroelectric Dam in Sarawak? Why did your administration take over the construction of the dam by bailing out Ekran by almost RM200 million for ‘work done’?

19) InventQjaya
What was the basis of inviting Libyan-American Sadeq Mustaffa to Malaysia to set up InventQjaya Sdn Bhd and to also give him a grant of RM440 million? What was the benefit for Malaysia and how has Malaysia benefited? What has happened to InventQjaya now?

20) Forex Losses
Why did your administration dabble in the money market which ultimately cost Bank Negara almost RM9.3 billion in losses?

21) Bank Bumiputra
Why did you allow the mismanagement of Bank Bumiputra, to the extent that it had to be bailed out 3 times, costing the country a total of RM 3 billion? Again, dipping into Petronas’s funds?

22) Perwaja Steel
Why did your administration allow Perwaja Steel to be mismanaged resulting in RM 2.9 billion of the rakyat’s money being squandered?

There you are, 22 fiascos in 22 years. The bad news is that there are actually more than 22! Remember the APs, Maminco, Renong and many more. Those who remember, please add on to this list.

Batman

Flag-waving Mahathir in 1999 (courtesy of John Wishii)

Original cartoons by Antares © 1984

P.S. For me Mahathir's greatest crime was that his megalomanic ambition totally obscured the Horizon of Decency. A lot of young Malaysians growing up during the Mahathir years seem completely clueless about ethics. This is particularly true of a large segment of Melayu Baru (members of Mahathir's Umno Baru, no doubt) - who got disconnected from their original graciousness, patience, and openness of heart - and became arrogant, jingoistic, ruthless and rapacious big-time wannabes. Indeed, Mahathir's influence was so all-pervasive, even minibus conductors and office clerks turned into Little Napoleons during those dark days under the Incurable Dr M!

*I have just been informed that "Batman" may have rehashed his article from an original feature - Question Time: 22 Questions for Mahathir - by P. Gunasegaran, published in The Edge.

Hillary the Dream-Slayer ~ by Steve Bhaerman

HILLARY THE DREAM-SLAYER TELLS US: "NO, WE CAN'T!"

by Steve Bhaerman

It's a Rush Limbaugh dream come true. The two Democratic Party candidates engaged in a deadly gunfight that will leave whichever one is left standing mortally wounded come November. While it would be unfortunate indeed for the Republicans to once again be rewarded with the presidency after maxing out their discredit cards over the past eight years, the shoot out at the I'm Okay / You're Not Okay Corral is likely to have even more tragic consequences - the stillborn death of the dream that things can be different in America.

The Democrats losing one more election is no big deal. That's business as usual for the gutless enablers of empire at the DLC (Democratic Losership Council). Like Lucy pulling away the football at the last minute sending good ol' Charlie Brown on his ass, we've come to expect the Democratic misleadership to disappoint and betray the faithful. But this year, something was different. Instead of the usual Democratic Party platform of "Vote for us, we're not as bad as the Republicans," Barack Obama has offered a proactive, positive message that inspires a new possibility - that working together, we can transcend safe and habitual political positions and find breakthrough solutions to the very real problems we face.


Think back just a few months ago, before Limbaugh got into the act. Republican voters were crossing over to vote for Obama in the primaries because they saw a glimmer of functionality, because they recognized true leadership, and because they were inspired by someone willing to speak truth and optimism at the same time. This, of course, was unacceptable to the powers in power, who require the red/blue divide to make sure the American people don't stand united around the basic moral values 90% of us share in common.

So, empire brought out Goliath to slap down this uppity David and bring the body politic back to "reality." Rush Limbaugh's call for Republicans to cross over and vote for Hillary was an important move to re-hypnotize the Republican faithful. Then came Hillary's charge of "lack of experience," and the mainstream media brainwashing machine went into spin cycle to amplify the charge. Just as Obama was hitting his stride in creating national rapport around the possibility of politics as unusual, the usual suspects did all they could to break the rapport.

Once we understand the real meaning of "lack of experience," we can fully grasp the tragedy of "yes we can" dissolving into "no we can't." This experience Hillary talks about has nothing to do with political foresight or wisdom. This is the Hillary who, after all, voted for the war in Iraq at a time when millions and millions of Americans - including Obama - saw through the ruse. The "experience" Hillary talks about is her own, both literal and metaphorical. It means being in bed with politics at its worst.


While Bill Clinton was one of the most charismatic politicians of our time, we can see in retrospect how his potential was compromised by narcissism and personal ambition. But his negative legacy is even worse than that. Instead of holding to the Democrats' traditional role of mitigating the excesses of empire, Clinton gave globalization (in essence, "gobble-ization") the official seal of approval. He sold NAFTA as a boon to the American people, and was as deeply embedded with Enron as George Bush was. In the guise of being a centrist, he made the final payment in selling out the Democratic Party to empire, putting in place the neoliberal support for the neoconservative agenda. Think of it this way: The Iraq war would have been impossible without the "blessing" of the Democratic Party leadership.

Water Bearer or Water-Boarder?

When Hillary invokes "lack of experience" what she is really saying is that politics cannot work without treachery, deceit, manipulation and back room deals, and that Obama is naive to think otherwise. As if to prove it, she has based her campaign on undercutting his positive message and invoking the shadow of fear. The fact that her campaign seems to be working reinforces that contention that in order to be "safe" we must have someone machiavellian in charge. Hillary, the mainstream media machine, and the Republican power structure seem to have the upper hand right now in beating the American public into submission, and deconstructing the most constructive political dream of our lifetime.

Those who insist that "either Democratic candidate would be a good choice" are as sadly brainwashed as the ditto-heads who abandoned their good sense to follow Rush Limbaugh's dysfunctional dictates. Obama represents the possibility of breakthrough. Hillary represents the political approach of Karl Rove, if not his actual agenda. In other words, it's dream vs. nightmare.

There are those who would ask, what about the other dream? What about the dream many women have about finally having a woman President? My answer would be another question: Which woman? How about Condoleezza? Do we want another Margaret Thatcher? The basic problem with this particular woman President is that she's way too focused on proving she is man enough for the job. Hillary seems to have some Democrats convinced of this, but will never convince a critical mass of Republicans or even Independents.

The real question for forward-thinking voters is not whether we need the feel-good symbol of a woman President, but whether we are ready to empower genuine feminine wisdom. For those sixties' relics who wonder whatever became of the Age of Aquarius, I would suggest we must collectively meet one profound challenge before we walk through that door. We must confront the current Age of Nefarious, where the powers that have outlived their uselessness have entrenched and seek to stay in power through the power of fear.

Interestingly, the symbol for Aquarius is the "water bearer," a male figure bearing feminine wisdom. That feminine wisdom represents the power of love, life and possibility. The male figure represents strength and protection in the service of life. Unfortunately, politics as usual represents the protection of the empire - in other words, the predator. This "realpolitik" approach, made real only because we agree to it, tells us we must put aside our moral values in order to protect ourselves. Lying, assassinations and torture? All necessary evils.

Our choice between the politics of Hillary and the politics of Obama is clear: Water-bearer or water-boarder. Would Hillary resort to such nefarious means? Only if she had to. Just like George Bush and Dick Cheney. A vote for Hillary at this juncture is a reaffirmation of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that has brought us to the brink of man-made hell: We the people promise not to ask our government what they are doing "on our behalf," and they promise not to tell us.

(Rhino McCain by Jared C. Wilson)

Yes, protection is needed from very real dangers in the world. However, like the healthy immune system, the body politic must learn to distinguish between real dangers and false alarms. It is telling indeed that the front lines of our defense, the American military enlisted people, have donated the most money to candidates Ron Paul and Barack Obama, in that order - not warmongers McCain and Hillary. They sadly recognize the difference between their ideal role of protecting the nurturers, and their real deal role protecting the predators.

And the thing that provides most protection for the predators? It's the fear-based belief that when push comes to shove, pushing and shoving is more powerful than love. Of course, this goes contrary to everything spiritual teachers have been saying for millennia. We now must choose, individually and collectively, which master we serve: the Golden Rule, or the rule of gold. Do we have enough faith in our faith to empower love, or do we give in to the lowest common dominator and fall prey to fear? We must recognize that war - and for that matter, empire - is no longer a political choice, but a moral one.

The political fate of America will not be solved by the super delegates, but by the silent sleeping superpower that is potentially more powerful than all the armies in the world: The moral authority that stands firm for war as a last resort instead of a first one, and stands for the real pro-life agenda of protecting life and planet - not protecting those who would exploit those for their own gain.

So ... once again, Obama is hardly the perfect candidate. However, he does represent the highest impulse of functionality America can currently muster. His is a voice that calls for, above all, faith in ourselves. Those who have resigned themselves to Hillary as more "realistic" are casting their vote for the current reality. As Dr. Phil might say, "How is that working for us?"

This is not a call to get behind Obama, but rather a call to get in front of him. Ultimately, it is we the people who set the moral standard for our behavior as a country and a world, not our leaders. Whether we call ourselves religious, spiritual but not religious, secular humanists or ethical atheists, we are at the cusp of the evolutionary choice we must make as a species. Are we adult enough to collectively use our collective intelligence together? Or do we childishly abdicate our responsibility and empower the dominator mentality that has served us so poorly?

What occurs over the next 60 days will be more important to the future of America and the world than what happens in November. Now is the moment we face a clear moral choice: Do we empower the water-bearer or the water-boarder?

Hillary and her gleeful Republican henchfolk are telling us "No, we can't. We can't have government of, by and for the people where the government does our bidding, not the bidding of the highest bidder. No, we can't have a successful regime without machiavellian manipulation. No, we can't be safe in the world unless we dominate."

They've almost convinced us. They've almost manipulated America into falling for the predictable nightmare instead of rising for the possible dream.

Now it's our turn to say, "Yes, we can" and as a wise and united people create the platform of truth and functionality that Obama - or any other candidate willing to speak the truth - can stand on. If we can throw our weight behind sanity and health now, we can indeed live into the reality of our dreams.


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As They Play The Final Curtain

“If Najib wants to take over he must do it before the end of May,” said one Umno veteran who would rather remain anonymous. “Najib must make his move on Pak Lah by next week. If Najib waits and does not do it next week he might as well just forget it because most likely by June Umno will be out of power anyway.”

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

In 1988, Umno was split into two. From the ashes of the old Umno, a party created on 11 May 1946, emerged two new parties, Umno (Baru) and Semangat 46. A few days ago, on 11 May 2008, Umno celebrated its 20th Anniversary. The backdrop in the main hall of the PWTC, however, said that Umno was celebrating its 62nd Anniversary. That is the trouble when you switch to teaching Maths in Bahasa Malaysia. The Umno people no longer know how to count properly.

We can forgive them if they missed the date by one or two years. But 20 and 62 is a very wide miss indeed. Let me repeat that. On 11 May 2008, Umno celebrated its 20th Anniversary, not its 62nd Anniversary, never mind what the backdrop said. Let us not get confused between the figure 20 and the figure 62. Rahim Thamby Chik can be forgiven for thinking that an underage girl is actually 18 judging by the size of her boobs, as what he claimed. After all, 18 and 15 is not much difference when using boob sizes as the yardstick. But to mistake an underage girl for a woman of 62 would not be accepted as a valid excuse, whatever the size of her boobs may be. 62 would certainly be too far off the mark and Umno too can’t be forgiven for celebrating its 62nd Anniversary when the party is only 20 years old.

The Umno Secretary-General is the main man behind Umno’s ’62nd’ Anniversary celebration. And the whole thing was staged to take everyone’s mind off the third Umno split looming over the horizon. 1988 was the first major catastrophe when the old Umno closed down and in its place emerged two new parties. 1998 saw yet another spilt when Anwar Ibrahim was kicked out and sent to jail and the birth of Parti Keadilan Nasional managed to finally unite the opposition into a coalition called Barisan Alternatif. Is it any coincidence that after the 1988 and 1998 splits we are going to see the third split in 2008?

Yes, Umno seems to suffer splits every ten years. And there is no reason to believe that after the 1988 and 1998 splits we shall not see another one this year, 2008. And the Umno Secretary-General’s wayang of organizing a 20th Anniversary celebration disguised as a 62nd Anniversary celebration is not going to prevent the coming split that will happen any time now.

They say a drowning man goes down three times before he goes down for good. If you want to save a drowning man you have to save him when he surfaces the first or second time. If you allow him to go down the third he will never surface for the fourth time. The Chinese say that four means die and after the third time consider him dead. And will the same apply to Umno? Umno is going to go down for the third time this year. Will it be able to resurface and re-emerge for the fourth time? I doubt it. I think when Umno goes down the third time it will be for the final time.

“If Najib wants to take over he must do it before the end of May,” said one Umno veteran who would rather remain anonymous. “Najib must make his move on Pak Lah by next week. If Najib waits and does not do it next week he might as well just forget it because most likely by June Umno will be out of power anyway.”

Read the rest here.

CROSSOVERS AND BN'S BAG OF DIRTY TRICKS

Sarawak has been part of Malaysia since 1963. Yet each time I visit it feels like a very different world than Peninsular Malaysia. For one thing, the girls of Sarawak are not only delightfully friendly, they're also impossible to resist. The tribes have mingled genes over the centuries - not only amongst themselves, but also with a wide spectrum of European adventurers. And Chinese genes are evident almost everywhere one goes - testimony to the far-reaching influence of the Ming Emperor in the 15th century when master navigators like Admiral Zheng He commanded enormous fleets that sailed more than halfway around the world, establishing diplomatic, economic, and genetic links wherever they dropped anchor.

However, until the political paradigm shift of March 8th, 2008, I noticed that few Sarawakians were inclined to openly discuss politics. The impression I got was that their long-reigning Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud, had inherited the mantle of quasi-divine power established in 1841 by James Brooke (right), the young English sea captain who planted the Union Jack in Borneo and crowned himself King. In effect, political power has been jealously guarded by the Chief Minister, his family, and his close business associates for decades. Anybody who wasn't happy with the situation had only three options: keep their mouth shut, go to jail, or leave the island.

Since GE12, however, things have changed dramatically. I noticed that almost everybody I bumped into in Sarawak was subscribed to Malaysiakini - or else was an avid reader of political blogs like Malaysia Today. Although no one expressed any rebellious views, they all seemed a great deal more relaxed and ready to embrace inevitable change. The general feeling was that Taib Mahmud's time was almost up - and that what Sarawak needed wasn't more of the same old feudal patriarchy and its politics of patronage but a quantum jump into participatory democracy.

There's been a great deal more political gossip after the March elections than ever before and one juicy morsel I picked up during my recent stay struck me as something I ought to blog about. I can't disclose my source, but I have no doubt that the information is reliable. Apparently, a great majority of Sarawak politicos are keen to realign themselves with the Pakatan Rakyat - and the Barisan Nasional is acutely worried about this. To deter Sarawak MPs from crossing over, BN has resorted to blackmail.

Recently, the Attorney-General (left) was despatched on a secret mission to dissuade potential party-hopping frogs from taking the leap. He was armed with incriminating evidence culled from years of Special Branch dossiers on a few prominent Sarawak politicos. They were told: "Hop and you will land yourself in hot water!"

Now this is bad news for everybody, no matter how you look at it. First, it only reinforces the popular perception of politics as a truly dirty business; and reveals the SB and the AG as totally partisan tools of the BN (which is evident anyhow to any impartial observer). Secondly, it indicates that BN will use any and every means at its disposal to cling on to power indefinitely. No trick is too foul, no crime too dastardly, and no option too outrageous - BN simply will not accept defeat!

So the only recourse left is to declare a blanket amnesty on the political past of any BN leader who crosses over to Pakatan Rakyat. No matter what accusations of corruption or scandal the BN throws at them, the Rakyat will offer them the Chua Soi Lek option - that is, admit your past misdeeds, apologize for them, and declare your willingness to start on a totally clean slate. Nobody I know thinks ill of Chua Soi Lek (pictured right) because he handled his sex scandal with aplomb and dignity. He acknowledged that the guy in the video was indeed him, apologized, and resigned. By so doing, Soi Lek successfully maintained his integrity and established himself as one of the all-too-few honest BN leaders. If Chua Soi Lek chooses to revive his career in politics, he would do well to quit the moribund and meaningless MCA and join either DAP or PKR. Everybody I've spoken with has only positive things to say about his track record as Health Minister.

Speaking of Soi Lek, I picked up an interesting tidbit about the people behind the sex video sting. Apparently, they had links to pharmaceutical and medical suppliers who used to enjoy lucrative wheelings and dealings with Soi Lek's predecessors. However, Soi Lek took over the Health Ministry and decided to put a stop to the hanky-panky. Obviously, there are lots of sore losers around whose knee-jerk reaction is to resort to dirty tricks.

Folks, we really are left with no option but to dedicate our efforts to accelerating BN's demise as a political force. To allow such unevolved and unenlightened entities to continue to misrule Malaysia for even another six months would be entirely ruinous to our national destiny.

WHEW! WHAT A WEEK!

Aya Honda (Oma Sound's manager), Isao Suzuki (bass-player extraordinaire), and Antares at the Miri International Jazz Festival, 9-10 May 2008 (photo by Yong Pik Sieng)

Just got back from Miri, Sarawak, after a full-on few days at the Miri International Jazz Festival as its new Artistic Director. This being my very first time getting involved with organizing a major music festival, I had to learn the ropes pretty damn quick. As the bands began arriving, followed by media guests, preparations went into full swing and the excitement began to build up. It was during the first sound check that the magic began. Watching 75-year-old Isao Suzuki coax the most passionate melodies from his cello bass, accompanied by some of the youngest jazz virtuosos I've ever seen, I knew this was going to be a memorable event. And, for sure, it was!

Closing the first night's program was Oma Sound, led by the immortal god of music, Isao Suzuki who is a true wizard on his instrument. Isao told me he was in New York in the early 1970s and performed with Sun Ra (left) who really liked his approach to bass-playing. The admiration was mutual and Sun Ra became a major influence on Isao Suzuki. Although a few in the audience seemed initially bemused by Oma Sound's "free jazz" they were soon spellbound by the pure musicianship, especially the expressionist piano stylings and sublime bass solos. During the encore Oma Sound transported the hushed crowd to a entirely different dimension - it was a truly a sublime and transcendental experience!

RPK: FREE AS A BIRD!

How can you free a man who’s already free? RPK has always been free. Do you think a few pathetic iron bars can encage a Man of Steel? Once you have overcome all your fears - even your fear of death - you are forever free. And Raja Petra Kamarudin, at age 58, has certainly achieved that, going by his last blogpost before he was hauled off to Sungai Buloh Prison on May 6, after refusing on principle to pay bail.

Freedom is a spiritual condition. Physically, RPK may not be free to drive around town and have a beer with his mates. Perhaps RPK the self-made Master of his own Destiny is taking this golden opportunity to journey within and take a break from the incessant fray raging in political circles.

Going into self-chosen seclusion and deep silence may be his way of detoxing, recharging and renewing himself. It will be an ascetic retreat sponsored by the federal government - but he will emerge glowing with even greater luminosity.

Remember, Gandalf the Grey wrestles the Balrog and they both plunge into the fiery abyss. When Gandalf reappears he has become even more powerful as Gandalf the White. The Balrog perishes.

Only, in the case of RPK, the Balrog is a monster of infinite darkness called BN.


[RPK portrait courtesy of Malaysiakini. Balrog illustration by Ted Nasmith]

A LETTER TO RPK, MY BRAVE WARRIOR BROTHER

Raja Petra Kamarudin and his wife Marina in front of the Dang Wangi Police Station (photo: T.V. Smith)


Dear RPK, brave warrior brother,

I'm sorry I could not be physically present today at the Jalan Duta Court to lend you moral support. I know full well you are doing what you do on behalf of all Malaysians who have had it with the ongoing charade that passes for "justice" in this fair land that has been made unfair by those who have mismanaged it for decades.

I fully empathize with the powerful feelings that prompted you to go out on a limb and court trouble by blogging so outspokenly about the deafeningly unspoken facts surrounding Altantuya's murder. You have certainly provoked the hidden hand of the invisible puppetmasters to hit out at you. We thank you for heroically taking the blow and sacrificing your personal time and energy for the ultimate good of the nation. As a warrior for Justice and Truth you have won a permanent place in the hearts of all honest Malaysians and deserve recognition as a national hero.

Now is the time every Malaysian must ask: why have the police not taken any action to arrest those who stole public property when they lost their jobs after the elections? I hear that confidential files, official records, computers, printers, fax machines, etc. were criminally removed from the premises of state government offices within hours of the elections. As far as I know the incoming state governments have lodged police reports on this outrageous theft and shameless attempt to destroy incriminating evidence. I've been waiting patiently to read that the police have called in the ex-Chief Ministers of Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Penang for questioning about the missing files and office equipment.

RPK, you have committed no offence against anyone but those who have been trying to hide behind the privilege of high office and who believe their misbehavior cannot be questioned. There isn't a single honest citizen who believes you deserve to be thus harassed by the police. Instead, we wish to see the police take immediate action against the REAL criminals, many of whom continue to form the government of the day.

Even the current prime minister is guilty of complicity in a grotesque cover-up. In November 2006 Abdullah Badawi had the opportunity to distance himself from being tainted but he chose to protect his deputy from investigation. That decision may have won him Najib Razak's apparent loyalty - but only at the cost of his own credibility. By that action he has condemned the entire BN administration as one that habitually conspires to cover up even the most heinous crimes committed by ministers. This constitutes an indelible stain on the legitimacy of the BN government and has put the nation in serious crisis.

(Courtesy of Jeff Ooi)

A campaign to restore Malaysia's dignity and ensure justice - not only for Altantuya but for all who have been wronged - has been initiated on Facebook. This virtual group only serves as a rallying point to raise public awareness and mobilize when necessary against further injustice. We fervently hope the need to organize another mammoth rally on RPK's behalf will not arise. But if the BN administration remains stubborn and arrogant and unable to read the writing on the wall and in the sky... friends, we know what we must do!

A WORD OF GENTLE ADVICE TO THE POLICE AND THE JUDICIARY: THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE CARRYING OUT ILLEGAL ACTIONS AGAINST THE INNOCENT AS ORDERED BY THE CORRUPT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.


IN A FEW MONTHS THE BN WILL NO LONGER BE IN POWER... AND YOU WILL BE ANSWERABLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS AGAINST JUSTICE AND THE RAKYAT!

How They Came Up With The Logo For The Beijing Olympics

[Forwarded by Praemeenah]

Raja Petra Kamarudin: TO HELL AND BACK!

I have long suspected that Raja Petra Kamarudin aka RPK aka Uncle Pete is an escapee from the Marvel Comics Universe. His true life exploits equal or surpass any to be found within the paneled layouts of those hallowed (and often yellowed) pages inhabited by a pantheon of wondrous beings spawned by the feverish imaginations of Jewish creator gods with names like Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. RPK's latest adventure takes place in the Null Zone Fortress known by the code name "Peace Hill." He had been accused of saying nasty things about Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and his gross wife in connection with a sensational Mongolian murder case. Below is RPK's dramatic "Tale of Two Rajas" told in his own inimitable words...

The police officer told me that a police report had been made against me but when I asked to see a copy of the police report they could not produce it. The police officer walked around the room pondering what to do and then sat down again and said he does not know where the police report is. In fact, he had never even seen it.

I then told the police officer that I too had made a police report against the CID Director, Bakri Zinin, after he assaulted me in March 2001. What happened to that police report, I asked him, and why was nothing done about it?

He replied that he does not know anything about that police report and I told him that we are not going to discuss this new police report made against me until we first settle the matter of the police report that I made in March 2001. That was seven years ago, I said, and nothing has been done about it. I do not wish to talk about a police report made against me just a few days ago.


I then asked under what section is my statement going to be taken. Is it under Section 112? When the police officer replied ‘yes’, I then asked him whether he was going to read me my rights under this cautioned statement? Before he could reply I replied, “Never mind. Let me teach you some law. Let me tell you the terms and conditions of Section 112.” By then my lawyer, YB William Leong, looked rather lost. He had absolutely no idea where this whole thing was leading to.

“Under Section 112, I must reply to all questions, right?” The police officer nodded and I shot back with, “Well, I refuse to make any statement.” He gave me a blank look so I repeated, “I am not going to make a statement. I refuse to make a statement.”

I saw the police officer’s mouth open as if he wanted to say something but the words just seemed to elude him. “Look,” I said, “Under Section 112, I can’t refuse to make a statement. If I do then you have to arrest me. So arrest me now.”

By now he was completely disoriented and did not know how to react. “No, we are not like that,” he said. “We don’t want to arrest you. We just want to record your statement.”

“Well, I refuse to give my statement so it is now your duty to arrest me. That is your job. If you don’t arrest me your boss will fuck you. So arrest me now.” I held out my arms so that he could cuff them.

The police officer gave a very nervous laugh and looked at YB William with a ‘please help me out’ look on his face. YB William shrugged his shoulders and pointed to me in a ‘that is between you and him, I am not involved’ gesture.

“You are not giving me any alternative,” lamented the police officer.

“Hey, don’t say that. I am giving you an alternative. We can either both walk out of here and I will buy you a beer or you can throw me in the lockup. This is Friday evening so I will not be brought before a magistrate until Monday morning. That means you have me for two whole nights.”

“I don’t drink,” the police officer replied.

“What? You don’t smoke and don’t drink? What’s become of the Malaysian police force? It has certainly gone downhill from the old days. What sins do you have anyway? You must have at least one.”

“I think his sin must be that other one,” YB William butted in with a twinkle in his eyes, the first sound he had made in all that time.

"No, no, that one also no,” the police officer quickly clarified lest he receive an invitation to adjourn to Jalan Alor for some merriment.

“Look,” I said. “You either arrest me or else in five minutes I am going to stand up and walk out of here. Once I walk out of here I do not want to see your face again. I tak mahu tengok muka you lagi. Either arrest me or leave me alone for the rest of my life. Don’t disturb me anymore. And if you come to my house again I will refuse to open the door. You will have to shoot the door down to get into my house.”

“No lah. Don’t talk like that. I just have to take your statement, that’s all, or else my boss will screw me.”

“Okay, I don’t want your boss to fuck you. You look like a nice guy and we Rajas must support each other (yes, the police officer was an Indian named Raja). So I will give you five minutes to go talk to your boss to ask him what you should do while I go smoke a cigarette. In five minutes I am out of here and you will never see me again.”

Raja put me in the ‘smoking’ area of the office while he went to see his boss. In a short while another three police officers joined us and we went through the entire process again for the next two hours. Eventually they had no choice but to let me walk out of Bukit Aman without recording my statement.

Rest assured, though, this is not the end yet. They will be coming back for round two so we shall have to see what round two is going to be before we decide what is going to happen. The bottom line is, either they get off my back or they throw me in jail and throw away the key. I could not be bothered one bit what it is going to be. I am prepared for the worst. My objective is plain and simple. Altantuya’s murderers are going to be sent to hell. And I don’t mind going to hell myself to see this happen.

Good night, Bukit Aman, wherever you are.

Signing off, Raja Petra, now operating from a cyber café…… sigh.

Read the entire story here.

[Illustrations courtesy of Marvel Comics]

HELLO, IGP! WHY DON'T YOU ARREST US ALL?

Breaking news on Malaysiakini, 2 May 2008


I will attest that since November 2006 when the explosive news of Altantuya Shaariibuu's grisly murder stunned the nation and raised eyebrows around the world, there hasn't been a single person I've met and discussed the case with who has not expressed disgust and incredulity at the grotesque cover-up that has protected Defence Minister and DPM Najib Razak and his wife from being included in the police investigation and trial.

There have been a few who, not wishing to jump to hasty conclusions, have stopped short of accusing Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor of complicity in Altantuya's abduction, killing and "burial" by C4 explosives. Nevertheless, I doubt there is a single justice-loving Malaysian who does not desire to see an end to high-level cover-ups of serious crimes in this country, involving the Attorney-General's office and the Royal Malaysian Police.

This is, in fact, one of the key factors of voters' unhappiness with the Barisan Nasional administration that led to its virtual annihilation at the recent elections. Until and unless we stop playing political games by harassing whistleblowers and truthspeakers and clean up the criminal excesses that have characterized decades of BN misrule, Malaysians will not let the present administration off the hook.

I hereby publicly declare that I fully support Raja Petra Kamarudin's cyber-campaign to see justice done in the Altantuya case. Although all evidence uncovered and revealed thus far points conclusively at the Defence Minister and his wife's personal complicity in the crime, I will not say so in print. However, I would like it on the public record that I vehemently feel that Najib Razak and Rosmah Mansor must be included as key witnesses in the trial. Otherwise the public's current perception that the Altantuya trial is indeed a time-wasting merry-go-round and a travesty of justice will remain unchanged.

All talk about cleaning up our tainted judiciary will be just that and nothing more - unless something significant changes in the conduct of the Altantuya trial. Judicial reform must begin here and now with this high-profile and pivotal case.

May I suggest that the police launch an investigation against everyone in Malaysia who has publicly expressed the opinion that Najib Razak and Rosmah Mansor ought to be summoned as key witnesses and cross-examined. They would have to arrest the whole population to silence us on this issue!

Antares
~^@^~

Al Qaeda is an American Sponsored Bogeyman

And here's the concrete proof...




[Forwarded by Judy Mezen]

A LEGAL QUESTION...

WHAT DO YOU CALL THIS SORT OF OFFENCE?


STATUTORY RAPE?


NOPE... STATUARY RAPE!


[Forwarded by Aqiylamoose]

TOO LATE LAH, UMNO!

Umno General Assembly 2007 (from The Star)


I had a good laugh reading this report in Malaysiakini. All these belligerent and blustering Umno warlords clamoring for Abdullah Badawi's resignation seem to believe the present PM bears all the blame for Umno's fatal injuries in the recent elections.

The truth is that a vast majority of Malaysians across the racial and cultural spectrum voted against the dead-end feudal mindset in which these Umno diehards are trapped. To them, replacing Dollah with someone "ferocious" (read "intimidating") and prepared to re-establish Umno's dominance by every means available - including authoritarian rule - will salvage the wreckage of Umno's pride. They forget that the original Umno effectively died in February 1988 during the battle of two Umno titans - Mahathir and Ku Li - and that the current Umno (Baru) was a hastily slapped-together sham of a political party that has no agenda, ideology or vision apart from serving to enrich its leaders at the public expense.

These dinosaurian and parochial Umno minds only understand a world that's already passing - a neo-feudal paradigm in which the elite feed parasitically off docile and ignorant serfs who applaud their every emptyheaded utterance.

3D Map of the WorldWideWeb

Too late lah. The rest of us have already shifted into the digital age which mimics the fractal, self-replicating nature of the internet - a technological quantum jump that, more effectively than any form of indoctrination, democratizes virtual reality... and then actual reality itself. In cyberspace the center is nowhere and everywhere and decentralization is how memes spread at lightspeed along optic-fibre networks - the same way thought travels through neural circuits within us and modifies our behaviors and perceptions.

When Rehman Rashid (left) of the NST ranted against the rising tide of uncouth and "unqualified" bloggers - whom he despises for their ability to reach a worldwide readership despite shortcomings like a semi-literate command of English or outright naïvety, gaucheness and even immaturity - he was really lamenting the transition from traditional hierarchies to an embryonic egalitarianism wherein somebody like Lilian Chan with strong personal opinions - but whose writing style marks her as the woman-in-the-street - can blog about whatever she damn well pleases and attract a massive cult following.

Take the legendary blogger Jeff Ooi (right) for example: even with his less-than-elegant command of English, Ooi not only succeeded in making a career out of blogging but actually used the publicity generated by NST's lawsuit against him to launch his new career as a Pakatan Rakyat MP. That's kungfu for you!

In any case, such myopic and noisome outbursts from the remnants of Umno - apart from their entertainment value as slapstick political comedy - can only strengthen the Pakatan Rakyat government-in-waiting by making their vision of a de-ethnicized and democratized management style all the more appealing. So let's have more of it, please.