Terence McKenna - Gnosticism & the Early Christian Tradition (Lecture)

Published 14 May 2017 by Fractal Youniverse

"The Logos is a voice heard, in the head. And the Logos was the hand on the rudder of human civilization for centuries, up until, in fact, the collapse of the ancient mystery religions and the ascendancy of Christianity to the status of a world religion." - Terence McKenna

This lecture is composed of three different audio segments where Terence is talking about Gnosticism. I am not sure where the first two come from but the last segment is the ending of Alchemy, Magic, and the Hermetic Tradition. Enjoy!

Painting: "The School of Athens" by Raphael

John Lamb Lash - Lecture on Pre-historic Stellar Mythology

Published 24 Sep 2016 by Ginny Thwaite

In this rare footage of the great heretic John Lamb Lash, he gives a lecture on Stellar Mythology.
He explains from a Comparative Mythologist and naked eye astronomer's view the real sky constellations, and their connection to humanity's history and pre-historic monuments. The monuments and myths go together, they are coded - he is the ultimate decoder and dot connector.

metahistory.org
gaiaspora.org

Bringing Art History Up To Date (Images courtesy of Medieval Reactions)

These modern interpretations of centuries-old paintings come courtesy of Medieval Reactions, a wryly funny Twitter account that's making people smile with its contemporary take on traditional artwork. And as you can see, it appears that the observations and dilemmas faced by our ancestors aren't that much different to those of today.

16th Anniversary of 9/11 ~ Loose Change (Final Cut, November 2007)

Sixteen years after that fateful morning when the world watched awestruck on millions of TV screens the collapse of New York's landmark World Trade Center Twin Towers - followed seven hours later by the crumbling into a pile of rubble of WTC7, a building that wasn't even hit by any plane - we still don't really know whodunit.

The mass media was immediately fed the "intelligence" that it was 19 Arab hijackers armed with boxcutters, acting on the instructions of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. However, at least 7 of the 19 alleged hijackers subsequently lodged complaints that their identities had been stolen, that it wasn't them on the FBI list of suspects.

When I first heard the news, it was via SMS from a friend glued to her TV in KL. I wasn't particularly shocked because I had been expecting something dramatic to erupt on the geopolitical stage - but I was stunned by the sheer audacity of the ones who had planned this outrageous act of human sacrifice, this colossal false flag operation aimed at injecting terror into the collective psyche, paralyzing the masses into docile acceptance of increased security and surveillance, and sheeplike acquiescence to America's retaliating with a bogus "War on Terror."

By blaming the dastardly deed on Osama bin Laden (who was trained by the CIA in guerrilla warfare) and pinpointing his hideout as "somewhere in the mountainous region between Afghanistan and Pakistan," the Pentagon hawks and the Neocon White House were able to strong-arm a few allies (the Coalition of the Willing) into logistically and morally supporting the military occupation of Afghanistan - followed soon after with a debilitating military offensive against Iraq.

The scope of the whole diabolical plan was so vast and complex it's difficult for anyone who hasn't been researching the sordid history of Black Ops to even begin to grasp the strategic significance of the 9/11 event - what more comprehend the barely concealed ritual symbolism of the entire operation.

With all the evidence that has been gathered by thousands of diligent 9/11 Truth researchers and presented all over the world at packed-out conferences and seminars, it's utterly astounding that so many veteran journalists continue to parrot the Official Version of who stage-managed and funded the 9/11 atrocities.

Since 11 September 2001, the loss of human lives as "collateral damage" numbers in the millions and keeps mounting as the deleterious side-effects of warfare kick in. The only ones who have increased their fortunes through this hellish misfortune are Israeli, U.S. and British defense contractors, private security firms like Blackwater (later Xe Services), and oilfield services corporations like Halliburton (with close links to the Bush family as well as Dick Cheney).

And, for sure, there has been a sharp surge in worldwide demand for high-tech surveillance and security products and services, post 9/11, in tandem with a tightening of borders and an ominous increase of police powers.

It would require several volumes to present a detailed summary of all the evidence - and who and what it all points to. Suffice to say for now that I have read almost every independent probe into the 9/11 false flag operation (the "New Pearl Harbor" ordered by the Project for the New American Century) - and I have come to the inevitable conclusion that, for a start, several individuals must be arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy to defraud humanity, and to perpetrate genocidal and ecocidal programs aimed at culling the population and making it more manageable under the New World Order Central Authority.

The better known among these individuals would be George W. Bush (former President of the United States), Dick Cheney (former Vice-President of the United States), George Herbert Walker Bush (former CIA director and President of the United States), Donald Rumsfeld (former Defense Secretary), Condoleezza Rice (former Secretary of State), Philip D. Zelikow (author of Catastrophic Terrorism and executive director of the 9/11 Commission), Larry Silverstein (real estate mogul who signed a lease for the WTC buildings on 24 July 2001 and collected $4.55 billion in insurance claims 6 years later), and Dov S. Zakheim (foreign policy advisor and Undersecretary of Defense under George W. Bush, financial comptroller of the Pentagon, member of the Council for Foreign Relations and the International Institute for Strategic Studies, intermediary between the Pentagon and the Israel Defense Forces, board member System Planning Corporation, supplier of the Flight Termination System used for shooting planes out of the sky and collaborator in the development of Raytheon's Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle ground control systems).

For sure, many, many more individuals and networks are complicit in this monumentally wicked conspiracy. Most rational people would find the idea of so many accomplices in high places knowingly play a part in, going along with, or covering up such a horrendous crime utterly incredible. Therein, as always, resides the sheer banality of bureaucratic and corporate evil.

Please dedicate a couple of hours to viewing Loose Change 9/11 - and then do some research, for a start, at these helpful sites:

9/11 INFORMATION CENTER

Military, Intelligence and Government Patriots Question 9/11

9/11 REVISITED ~ BY TRUTH ROCKER (most precise & succinct summary!)

Those of you who reside in Malaysia will have witnessed how brazenly a gruesome, premeditated murder involving the abduction, torture, shooting and blowing to pieces of a 28-year-old pregnant Mongolian woman can be covered up and buried under a stinking pile of racist rantings and sodomy accusations.

In both the 9/11 and Altantuya Shaariibuu cases, the sheer force of mainstream media spin appears to have bludgeoned the masses back to business-as-usual apathy.

You fall asleep in a speeding bus driven by a drunken maniac at your own peril.

Antares
~^@^~

[First posted 11 September 2013]

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED ON 9/11? 

by Steve Beckow

A TIME FOR MASSIVE CLEANSING AND CLEARING OF PSYCHIC TOXINS (updated)

On June 5th, 2009, I attended an 11:11 Activation Ceremony at a local healing center named "Eagle's Nest" in Sungai Penchala Village. It was a difficult spot to locate but scenic enough once I arrived. There were some really sweet folks already gathered there and it promised to be a memorable occasion.

The ceremony proceeded smoothly enough, though the energy was rather low-key throughout. For me the best part was an extended late night supper with three funky women afterwards.

A few days later, to my utmost surprise, both my legs began breaking out in boils. This was something I hadn't experienced in decades. I couldn't figure out what was happening in my body. Where was all this poison coming from?

It so happened that around this time my second daughter paid me one of her rare visits with an empath and energetic healer named Sandra Sweetman in tow. Sandra is extremely sensitive to magnetic fields and in the course of our conversation mentioned that she had recently been to the Eagle's Nest and felt troubled by what she experienced there. She said it was like the scene of a violent murder - the whole place was unsettled and rife with murky frequencies.

I couldn't say for sure that the toxins in my bloodstream erupting as boils on my legs came from the Eagle's Nest. But I had been walking around barefoot part of the time and might have absorbed some of the unwholesome exhalations from the earth. Nevertheless, I was aware that the area was charged with very primitive magic going pretty far back in time. There must have been a large enclave of bomohs (Malay witch-doctors) residing in Sungai Penchala within the last hundred years or so.

It was also clear that ruthless "development" over the last few decades had all but wiped out the original forest, including a thriving Orang Asli community in Bukit Lanjan, leaving tiny patches of green here and there. Perhaps the small hill upon which the Eagle's Nest had been built was the final refuge of all the nature spirits that had been rudely evicted from their forest home by a massive invasion of chainsaws and bulldozers?


A close friend who had been at the June 5th ceremony complained of acute lethargy and went for a medical check-up. It was discovered that she was suffering from severe bacterial infection and required a massive dose of antibiotics. She later had a session with clairvoyant healers who described her condition as a case of vampire attack. Apparently, her body was infested with astral parasites which had to be pulled out like ticks.

The clairvoyants were assisted by a shaman named Ishtar who told my friend he once lived in Sungai Penchala and on one of his walks around the area had noticed a disturbance in the magnetic field. On closer investigation he realized it was a dimensional crack through which many astral and elemental entities were emerging into the physical world. He immediately sealed the portal the best he could - but it appears to have been reopened since.

I tell this anecdote as an example of what happens when humans resort to primitive forms of sorcery to attain petty objectives, e.g., gaining political influence, securing the affections of a desired lover, or attracting heaps of money.

The entire Malay Archipelago is rife with ancient magic and mysterious phenomena. To attain and retain political power in their own countries, many have relied on occult help from professional mystics-for-hire. President Sukarno, for instance, was known to have consulted an old magician who lived in the Elephant Caves of Bali. Even Mahathir, a medical doctor by qualification, was widely rumored to be in possession of a powerful family toyol (gremlin) who did his bidding and protected him from psychic attacks.


By now it's common knowledge that Rosmah Mansor, the crime minister's larger-than-life wife, is particularly fond of magical talismans and charms and that she herself possesses a measure of witchy powers.


On 7 September 2008 I posted a story on my blog with the following commentary:

Oh dear, what is this country coming to? On the eve of the Permatang Pauh by-election, Malaysia Today featured a statutory declaration by one Thangarajoo a/l Thangavelu, former chauffeur of Datuk Kenneth Eswaran, close personal friend of DPM Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor, attesting that he had "on numerous occasions" driven a Hindu mystic named "Mr Ji" to the residence of Najib and Rosmah for the purpose of conducting Hindu prayer rituals "to ward off evil." Swamiji's magic is clearly potent, which might explain why neither Najib nor Rosmah has been subpoenaed to testify at the Altantuya murder trial, despite glaring evidence linking both to the crime.

As Raja Petra Kamarudin rightly pointed out (before he made a dramatic 180-degree turn in 2011 and became Najib's most reviled apologist), if what Mr Thangarajoo stated is true, it would totally invalidate Najib's widely publicized attempt to declare his innocence and non-involvement in the macabre Altantuya murder by swearing on the Koran before a mosque audience that he had "never met that Mongolian woman."


One cannot claim to be a bona fide Muslim and believe in Hindu ritual magic at the same time.

In any case, I must report that ever since the Permatang Pauh by-election in August 2008, which saw Anwar Ibrahim winning massively to become Parliamentary Opposition Leader, the psychic atmosphere in this country has become progressively denser and murkier. The astral gunk became even thicker towards the end of 2008 when Najib's ascension to power came under severe attack on all fronts.

Shortly before Najib took over as prime minister from Abdullah Badawi in April 2009, it was reported in the press that security personnel had stumbled on a mysterious object with Jawi letters written all over it hidden under the PM's chair. What does that mean? As to be expected, there was no follow-up to these reports.

However, I couldn't help but notice that petty squabbles soon began erupting from within the ranks of the Pakatan Rakyat - and every time there was a minor misunderstanding between PKR, DAP or PAS officials, the BN-controlled media would magnify it a hundred times, thereby creating the illusion that the Pakatan Rakyat was on the verge of disintegrating.


Even as spiritual leader of PAS Tok Guru Nik Aziz's health deteriorated, his deputy Abdul Hadi Awang began to push his personal agenda of elbowing out the progressives (who unanimously endorsed Anwar Ibrahim's candidacy as PM-in-waiting) and strengthening his own power base among the rural constituents by renewing the Hudud agenda. Shortly after Nik Aziz died, Hadi Awang's true colors were exposed; he threw out all the progressive leaders in PAS and went all out on Hudud  (with Umno's apparent support). This inevitably led to the break-up of the promising opposition coalition called Pakatan Rakyat - the only hope Malaysians had of booting out the utterly corrupt and reactionary Barisan Nazional.

In the last few years the situation has further deteriorated with the onset of the annual smog caused by oil palm plantations (mostly owned by Malaysian tycoons and their cronies in Umno/BN). I myself have had to make a conscious effort to maintain my emotional equilibrium against a strong tendency towards general irritability, alternating with bouts of despair as I see the forces of darkness and injustice regain ground within the national psyche.

Dzulkifli Ahmad, Umno's new Gestapo Chief

The fact that ever since the obscene Perak power grab people have mostly given up on the Malay rulers as bastions of justice and wisdom doesn't help either. Look around and you will notice that every public institution has been corrupted beyond redemption: first on the list, of course, would be the Polis Di Raja Malaysia, closely followed by the gestapo-like Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Judiciary (especially the so-called higher courts), and even the Malaysian Medical Council whose director-general, Ismail Merican, has shamelessly revealed himself as a political pawn of the ruling party, particularly over the controversial Saiful and Kugan cases.

Things came to a head in mid-July 2009 with the grotesque death-in-custody of Teoh Beng Hock, a fresh-faced young political secretary with the Democratic Action Party, who was hauled in for "questioning" by the MACC - and never left their premises alive. The inquest is ongoing, albeit at snail's pace.

 Newly appointed Police Inspector General Fuzi Harun

One can easily conclude that the entire nation is now being mismanaged by black magic, just as Haiti was with the entry of the Duvalier family - or Uganda under Idi Amin and Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe.

What can we do to neutralize this extreme negativity?

The most effective method would be to pay close attention to our own personal integrity. Rid your hard drive of corrupted and useless files; uninstall programs you never use; and clear your computer system of any spyware that might have embedded itself in your root directory. In short, cleanse yourself of useless fears, prejudices, and antiquated beliefs.

If you fall ill, look upon it as the body's way of cleansing itself of toxins. I allowed the sores on my legs to run their course in order to rid my body of all the bacteria that had infiltrated my defences. I chose to view it as a special service I was performing for the residents of Eagle's Nest, helping them clear the space for healing.


Awaken the shamanic potential in yourself. Each of us is endowed with a certain amount of psychic sensitivity and the ability to heal ourselves. Now more than ever, these natural gifts are urgently needed - if we are to free ourselves and our beloved land of malignant and vicious parasites that have fattened themselves off our vital energy for generations.

[Originally posted on this blog 13 August 2009; reposted 19 August 2014 & again on 3 July 2015 because of its specific relevance to the present situation]

Mariam Mokhtar on what happened to Umno after Tunku Abdul Rahman (repost)

The happiest PM in the world

Tunku Abdul Rahman (1903-1990)

The Tunku once described himself as “the happiest prime minister” when he was interviewed in 1983, by Peter Hastings, the foreign editor of the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH).

Today, as we read about Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, and the tactics used against the rakyat, NGOs, civil liberty groups and the opposition, we see a man who resorts to foul play, even breaking the law if necessary, to prolong his political career and that of his party, Umno.

Perhaps, what the Tunku possessed and what his successors lack is a sense of humour. Behind the calm purpose of his jokes, Tunku was able to show his spirit of tolerance.

Tunku laughed when Hastings reminded him of the time an Islamic group had sought the Tunku’s support for adulterers to be stoned to death and he had replied: “There are not enough stones in Malaysia.”

In his biography, ‘Tunku: His Life and Times’, the Tunku is described as looking resplendent in his morning coat and top hat, when he posed with Think Big, the race horse which won the Melbourne Cup in 1975. Just before he went up to receive the winner’s trophy, Tunku swopped his top hat for a black songkok and as the cup was placed in his hands, said: “I thank God for our victory”, a phrase which he repeated later that night at the Victory Cup Ball.

Those who knew Tunku would remember that most of his dinners ended-up on the dance-floor. He revived the Ronggeng (a Malay dance) and foreign dignitaries were invited to dance with their Malay hostesses. With this method, he succeeded in diplomacy, both foreign and domestic, something which would be impossible to replicate in today’s intolerant Malaysia.

The current crop of Malay leaders would never dare emulate Tunku by pursuing their hobbies openly, or even attribute gambling successes to God. They’d rather lie, for the sake of political expediency.

Many Malays of today are two-faced. The pious façade they present to the public is only to advance themselves in politics or to gain commercial advantage. It is widely known that prominent Malays including high-ranking members of the civil service, including the judiciary and police, have private poker sessions. The only time they don’t hide from the public eye, is when they are abroad.

So, why is gaming in casinos and betting on horses prohibited, but corruption allowed? Why should politicians be allowed to play Russian roulette with taxpayer’s money but individual Malays prevented from gambling with their own money?

In the SMH interview, Tunku was asked his views on the Look East policy of the prime minister of the time, Mahathir Mohamad. Tunku said: “Look east? Why should I? I have always liked to look in all directions.”

‘I like people to be happy’

At a birthday party in Kuala Lumpur in 1987, Tunku abandoned his prepared text and towards the end of his speech repeated his scorn for Mahathir: “Whether we look East or West, we shall always be friends with England.”

Tunku told Hastings (SMH) about the influence of the Islamic traditionalists and drinking mores of the Malaysian politicians of the 80s: “It is changing. I used to provide scotch, brandy and champagne at my banquets. The people did not mind. They are tolerant, but Tun Razak, my successor, never liked it. He feared the political consequences. I like people to be happy.”

The Tunku comes across as a normal human being, one the rakyat feels comfortable with. He did not hide behind the veil of hypocrisy, unlike his successors.

Perhaps, the Tunku’s “what you see is what you get” attitude endeared him to the public, rather than the sham public face which many of his successors wear.

When Tunku was advised to stop drinking alcohol at one of the earlier Umno meetings, he said: “People must accept me as I am: my bad habits and my virtues. At the age of 48, I cannot change them.”

Like other prominent Malay families, Tunku sent his daughter to study as a boarder at the Light Street Convent in Penang. Today, church halls have to remove crucifixes and other emblems of Christianity when Umno leaders are present. Umno expects people of other faiths to respect Muslims and Islam, but thinks nothing of trampling on the rights of other faiths, or accusing them of taking over the country, simply to rile the Malays.

Mahathir exploited the vulnerability of the Malays and gave the Umno Malays legal protection, in the same way that wildlife organisations protect endangered plants and animals. Mahathir made it an offence for anyone to threaten the Umno Malays by changing the environmental, or other parameters, in which the Umno Malays would thrive.

Two weeks ago, Najib argued that successful Malaysian women risked making men “an endangered species”. He is wrong. What he meant was that Umno Malays are the world’s most protected species.

Didn’t Mahathir and Najib learn in school, that if you take an animal from the wild and domesticate it, the animal soon forgets to fend for itself?

Bred in captivity

Successive generations of Umno Malays have been bred in captivity and have become dependent on the food from their keeper. If released into their natural settings, Umno Malays will die. Like most caged animals, they have become lazy and obese. Their mental processes deteriorate because they lack the stimuli necessary for survival. Umno Malays could be weaned off their bad habits, but Umno will never allow that to happen.

If the zookeepers (Umno leaders) have no animals (Umno Malays) to take care of, then they are out of a job.

In today’s Malaysia, the fund for maintaining the Umno zoo is running low. The keepers have siphoned off most of the takings from the zoo. With food stocks running low, portions are small and feeding is erratic. The animals are distressed. They have been used to large meals, at any time of day, not just at feeding times.

These are dangerous times. The animals are waiting to pounce. One wrong move and the keeper becomes their next meal. Those of us watching from outside the cage would then be happiest. If Umno Malays refuse to be mentally liberated now, they run the risk of extinction.

---

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak', this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

[Published 15 October 2012 in Malaysiakini. Posted here 16 October. Thanks, Mariam! You are indeed a precious gem.]

The shameful truth about Burmese refugees in Malaysia (repost)

MEDIA STATEMENT FROM HEALTH EQUITY INITIATIVES:

The Realities of Refugees and Asylum Seekers from Burma in Malaysia

Malaysia is currently host to one of the largest refugee and asylum seeker populations in Asia. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are more than 90,000 registered refugees in the country. Both UNHCR and the refugee communities estimate that the actual number of refugees is much higher, given that thousands have yet to be registered. 92% are Burmese who escaped persecution in Burma, where political turmoil and ruthless military domination have persisted for decades. However, Malaysia has continued to refuse to recognise them as refugees.

Malaysia has not ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention nor the 1967 Protocol. Under the Malaysian Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155), refugees and asylum seekers are designated as “illegal migrants” and may be subject to arrest, detention, punishment (including whipping), and deportation. Historically, the focus has been on reducing the number of irregular persons through large-scale (and often violent) ‘crackdowns,' where the aim is to arrest, detain and deport undocumented migrants and refugees. Arrested refugees are often unable to understand the charges read to them and secure appropriate legal assistance.

Life for refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia is extremely difficult. Unable to work legally in the country, and with limited access to basic services (health care, education or legal services), they are vulnerable to poverty, exploitation and health problems. Refugees and asylum seekers scrape by on earnings from work in low paying, unskilled and often part-time/casual jobs in the plantation, construction, manufacturing, or service sectors. Even amongst those who are employed, poverty and indebtedness are endemic. Many earn far less than the government-determined poverty-line income (PLI) of RM800 per household per month.

Forced labor and human trafficking are serious concerns for this community. Moreover, without the protection that legal status provides, refugees and asylum seekers are afraid to come forward to authorities because they fear arrest and detention. At one time, Malaysian immigration officials were even implicated in such activities: it was found that they had trafficked refugees from Burma up to the Malaysia-Thai border where they were handed over to human smugglers/traffickers who held them for ransom. Those who could not pay were sold to Thai fishermen, brothels or private owners.

Refugees’ and asylum seekers’ dire living circumstances, coupled with aggressive, punitive approaches by the state as well as everyday experiences of discrimination by non-state actors, creates an extremely poor environment for refugees in Malaysia. Furthermore, these adverse life events, combined with the persecution they faced in Burma, increase their vulnerability to a number of health problems, including infectious diseases, psychological problems and under-management of chronic conditions.

Refugee Health

Mental health problems among refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia are a serious concern. Health Equity Initiatives’ (HEI) analysis of the scores of 578 refugees and asylum seekers who were screened in April and May 2011 using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales 21 (DASS21) indicated that 19.9% experienced either moderate, severe or extremely severe Stress. Almost half (48%) experienced either moderate, severe or extremely severe Anxiety, and 38% experienced either moderate, severe or extremely severe Depression. An earlier analysis of HEI’s mental health clients showed that 22% presented with symptoms that required psychiatric care. A separate study conducted by HEI revealed that, among those with a high level of need for psychosocial services, 77.1% reported they could not afford the services.

In principle, government hospitals in Malaysia are open and available to refugees and asylum seekers, but evidence collected by HEI shows that refugees and asylum seekers experience substantial barriers accessing health care in Malaysia.

The cost of health care is unaffordable for many. This is particularly the case if treatment costs are high and the individual is an asylum seeker (asylum seekers cannot take advantage of the 50% discount off the foreigner rate that registered UNHCR refugees receive). Concerns around arrest and detention are another problem, as refugees and asylum seekers are afraid to travel to seek medical services. Many refugees live outside the city, some in jungle sites, so transportation and security concerns are significant.

Language differences and a lack of information about health services also impact refugees’ ability to access services. Refugees have also cited the poor quality of treatment and discrimination they experience at both public and private health facilities as reasons for not seeking medical treatment when needed. Evidence also showed that refugees delayed seeking medical treatment until the situation became serious, thereby risking their health and increasing their need for hospitalization.

Forced Labor

Forced labor is a situation currently affecting 12.3 million people worldwide. It is defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as “all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily.” Simply put, there are two elements to forced labor: 1) the work or service must be exacted under menace of a penalty; and 2) it is undertaken involuntarily.

By making the public aware of research on forced labor in Malaysia, HEI wishes to highlight its prevalence. Although almost 9.5 million people are trapped in forced labor in the Asia-Pacific region, the phenomenon of forced labor is not well understood in our societies. Frequently, forced labor operates in a manner closely connected with local context and is therefore less noticeable for most members of that society. In Malaysia, a combination of shortcomings in both immigration and labor laws has created dangerous circumstances, exposing this vulnerable population to forced labor.

HEI’s research on Burmese refugees and asylum seekers in the Klang Valley revealed that one third of the research sample population has experienced forced labor. Playing into their fear of authorities because of the lack of documentation, employers and agents have used the threat of reports to the police and/or immigration as a way to force them into underpaid and exploitative labor. The negative impact on their well-being is demonstrated by more than 60% of the sample population who display symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. This is more than twice the rate of the general population.

The graveness of the situation cannot be underemphasized. In Malaysia, practices of forced labor can last for years without being detected. Survivors rarely report their experience for a variety of reasons: they don’t know where to go; they are too afraid to speak out; they fear deportation or imprisonment; or they are simply resigned to accept forced labor as a norm rather than a violation of their fundamental human rights. One man HEI interviewed said simply, “I can’t sit around waiting for the good one. I don’t want to wait for the job.” Basic survival - the need for food and shelter for themselves and their families - has left them with little choice but to take up dismal jobs, often entering into situations of forced labor fully aware of the risks and dangers.

Through our campaign we are seeking to shed light on their experience, and to understand their plight as persons - not just as faceless workers. Our ignorance of forced labor situations has undoubtedly contributed to the continuation of these practices. This is why public awareness is essential. We hope that the witness accounts will show that allowing refugees and asylum seekers to work legally will protect them, improve their well-being, and demonstrate that the recognition of their status as refugees will make a whole world of difference.

Health Equity Initiatives on Facebook

[First posted 1 November 2011]

For Your Merdeka Reading... (repost from 7 years ago)

An excellent essay that brilliantly summarizes and puts into clear focus the geopolitical circumstances that led us into the present political morass...

The Origins and Evolution of Ethnocracy in Malaysia

Geoff Wade

The Malaysian government has 28 federal ministries. If one examines, for example, the staff of the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage (Kementerian Kebudayaan, Kesenian dan Warisan) as provided on the Malaysian Government official portal website, one arrives with the following figures for officers (pegawai): Malay: 351 (96%) Other: 14 (4%) Total: 365 (100%)

The Minister of Defence (Kementrian Pertahanan) administration officers website details staff of the Ministry (excluding armed forces staff). Of the 692 persons listed, 670 or 96.8 percent of the total are Malay.

The Malay-ization of the entire public service and defence forces was apparently the aim of the Mahathir government, as complete control over the public administration is an important aspect in achieving and maintaining Malay ethnocracy.

Mahathir went further than this. He strove to create a completely Malay capital, by moving government departments to the administrative capital at Putrajaya, where today only civil servants (Malay) and their servicing economic partners (mainly Malay) live and work. It is today an essentially Malay city.

[I recommend that you read the entire essay here.]



What are you really celebrating on Merdeka?

By Steve Oh
Monday, 30 August 2010

"This coming Merdeka will you be writing something about our country?" the unexpected question came in an e-mail from an old friend I hadn't seen for awhile. "Do e-mail me a copy if you do," he wrote.

I feel ambivalent writing on Merdeka. Between the mainstream and online news lies the balanced truth, as Malaysians today go through the angst of political change. The one who uses the pen instead of the sword must draw blood without destroying. And like the surgeon who heals, he or she has to make the incisions.

Malaysia is a young nation. It is still a work in progress. And young nations need the discipline to focus on the vision of the founding fathers and the genesis of their existence even as they adapt to changing times. The danger of not changing is fossilization. And fossilization is the result of being regressive.

"In many counsellors there is victory," says an old proverb. The late President John F. Kennedy had the knack of tapping into the brains of those in his cabinet and committees. He always listened and weighed carefully what others said. That according to some observers was his forte.

It is something we all need to do. It is something governments need to do.

There is conventional wisdom that if you want results employ those who are smarter than you. Sadly fear makes people do the opposite. And it is fear that makes people treat their neighbours shabbily and governments take a hard approach when they should be more understanding.

A non-muslim goes to a surau with an olive branch and good intentions. But the Pharisees pick on this hapless politician. A Malaysiakini report says she is going to apologize to the Sultan. Why? What has she done wrong? This is an example of a regressive approach and political opportunism: the nit-picking and making a mountain out of a mole hill to score political points. Sadly there's too much of it.

We reflect on the past that we may be wiser now and in the future.

And as I reflect on the past I am hopeful there is a silver lining in the cloud. Sometimes people can't learn except from their mistakes. It is a painful way when prevention is better than cure. And sadly, some people never learn from past mistakes. Thus the saying 'those who don't learn from history are wont to repeat the mistakes.'

[The rest of this essay is no longer found in the Center for Policy Initiatives online archive, sorry!]

[First posted 31 August 2010]

Umno's Mat Rempit Regime Must Go!

I was outraged by Darlene Bridget Luis's account of her nightmare experience with Mat Rempit as reported by Malaysiakini. It would appear that the PDRM are ever ready to intimidate, harass and arrest Abolish-ISA vigilers and young cyclists riding for justice - but when it comes to investigating serious crimes, they are worst than useless. Such appalling incompetence reflects extremely badly on Police Inspector General Tan Sri Musa Hassan (promoted by Mahathir for his complicity in the conspiracy to fix Anwar in 1998). Under Musa Hassan's watch, the PDRM has degenerated into a gang of uniformed thugs little better than their Mat Rempit cousins. The police no longer seem to serve the public interest - only their criminal bosses in Umno. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi abysmally failed in his avowed mission to reform the PDRM when he backed down from implementing the recommendations of the 2003 Royal Commission on the Police Force. Now the only way we can clean up the PDRM is to get rid of Umno/BN - the party of overaged Mat Rempit.

Darlene Bridget Luis recounts her ordeal at the hands of Mat Rempit



Two days after Deepavali, Darlene Bridget Luis returned from Singapore to spend some quality time with her family after being away for almost a month.

But the holiday turned into a nightmare the night she drove back home alone along the elevated highway of Jalan Ampang after attending a dinner.

The 25-year-old corporate manager was assaulted by Mat Rempits and sustained severe head and facial injuries and a broken leg. She also lost all her belongings.

Producer/Editor: Indrani Kopal
Camera: Shukri Mohamad

Khairy Jamaluddin, are the Mat Rempit still on your payroll?

[First posted 6 January 2009]

BREAKING NEWS ~ GOD IS ON FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE & TWITTER!

This is the happiest day of my life, folks. I just found God on Facebook. Yup, no kidding. He's also got his own YouTube Channel... and you can follow God on Twitter!

Glad the Old Guy's decided to get on the internet like the rest of us. Great sense of humor, that's for sure...

[First posted 26 August 2012]