Permatang Pauh Revisited (Yet Again)

Anwar Ibrahim plays the crowd like a maestro at the Kelana Jaya Stadium, 6 July 2008 (photo by TV Smith)

I salute and thank Sessions Court judge S.M. Komathy Suppiah for releasing Anwar Ibrahim on a personal bond of RM20,000 this morning after recording his plea of innocence. From all reports, the judge performed her duty fairly, honorably, and with all the courtesy due to a Prime Minister elect. There is a glimmer of hope yet in the Malaysian Judiciary.

My heart was heavy last night, pondering the possibility that Anwar might well be detained and forced to contest the Permatang Pauh by-election from behind bars. He himself had steeled his resolve for such a possibility, quipping that in that eventuality his songkok and sarong would have to represent him. So it was a profound pleasure to learn today that Anwar is free to campaign in person and be in the loving company of his family, colleagues, and friends. The pleasure was doubled by the simple fact that the judge acted compassionately, humanely, and wisely by letting Anwar walk out a free man. This is evidence that there are still a few members of the judiciary capable of doing their job without fear or favor and who refuse to be browbeaten into subservience to political puppetmasters.

Anwar & Azizah bask in the glow of his freedom after his sodomy conviction was overturned in September 2004 (photo courtesy of AP)

PERMATANG PAUH DECLARATION REVISITED

Being conscious of the Quranic injunction which urges striving towards betterment;

And inspired by the Asian traditions, which all encourage renewal for the individual and for society;

And acknowledging that Malaysia is in the grip of a terrible crisis and requires recourse to its inner strengths in order to rise again,

We the citizens of Malaysia of all cultural and religious backgrounds are determined to launch a movement for comprehensive reform:

A reform movement shining with a light radiating from aspiring and pure hearts; from the awareness that man is truly noble and free, with rights and responsibilities, that it is a sacrilege to abuse and denigrate any man or woman, to bind and restrict any man or woman without following the due process of just laws;

A reform movement to establish justice for all, the weak and strong, the rich and poor, to preserve the institutions and processes of law from the defilement of graft and abuse of power;

A reform movement to sanctify the power of the people through democratic means, for democracy is an imperative: man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary;

A reform movement that champions economic justice, one that advocates fairness in economic growth and distribution so that the rich do not get richer at the expense of the poor, for the world has enough for everyone, but too little to satisfy everyone’s greed;

A reform movement to eradicate graft and abuse of power, to strip the opulent and greedy clique of their power to manipulate the market;

A reform movement to reinforce a dynamic cultural identity, where faith in our noble cultural traditions is intact, but there is openness to all that is good in all traditions;

A reform movement to launch the Malaysian nation into the information age and the borderless world, encouraging wisdom, self-assurance and openness towards a global friendship based on the principles of truth and justice.

We launch this reform movement as a peaceful movement, in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution and in observance of the principles of the rule of law.

The time has come. Unite for Reformasi.

Permatang Pauh
12 September 1998

[First posted 7 August 2008]

UMNO'S HOUSE OF HORRORS (Part Three)

(Photo courtesy of Howsy)

NAJIB: UP TO MUSLIMS TO DECIDE ON SAIFUL'S ACTION

"According to our system, any individual accused of sodomy can clear his name the Islamic way or through the courts and Saiful has chosen the former. It is up to the people to make their own conclusions.

"I have said from the beginning that this issue is a personal matter between Saiful and Anwar and has nothing to do with the Barisan Nasional," Najib told reporters after meeting Umno's Permatang Pauh by-election machinery in Butterworth yesterday.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Come on, Najib, you gotta do better than that if you seriously intend to try your hand at stand-up comedy after your parole. So, the whole sleazy sodomy affair is, by your own admission, only a sandiwara (puppet show) to dissuade Malay voters from voting against Umno? In effect, it has EVERYTHING to do with Barisan Nasional's desperate fight for survival. The very fact that you were quoted right after you chaired an Umno meeting on the Permatang Pauh by-election makes your statement reek even stronger. If the entire matter were strictly "a personal matter" between Saiful and Anwar, why would every Umno big gun be making stupid, self-incriminating remarks about the ridiculous allegations? From the home minister to the deputy prime minister and even the prime minister himself - all of you have seen fit to stick your fat necks out "to ensure Saiful gets justice." How laudable... I mean, laughable!

Many of us got suckered into believing at first that you, Najib Razak, were personally responsible for orchestrating this pigheaded plot to fix Anwar. After all, you publicly admitted to having given "counsel" to Saiful Bukhari in your own house just before he lodged that mischievous police report. However, our best source of political gossip, Raja Petra Kamarudin, gleefully informs us that the real mastermind behind Sodomy II is Umno legal adviser Shafee Abdullah (pictured left).

Now that Shafee has been fingered and exposed, the police black ops against Anwar will have been scuttled - hence the decision to appeal to Malay sentiments by getting Saiful to swear on the Qur'an that Anwar Ibrahim forcibly sodomized him. What exquisite timing - right on the eve of nomination day for the Permatang Pauh by-election! Oooh, I can just picture a motley bunch of besongkoked Umno conspirators huddled together in secret conference rooms, drinking kopi-O kau and plotting and scheming Anwar's downfall...

Another influential blogger who calls himself Tulang Besi (Iron Bones) pinpoints Abdullah Badawi's detestable son-in-law and his fatcat capitalist cronies in the media as the ones responsible for this ill-conceived attempt to smear and neutralize both Anwar and Najib with a single scandal. Stands to reason, no prizes for guessing which smirking, slimy jerk once boasted he intends to be PM by the age of 40...

Not a hope in hell, Khairy!

[First posted 16 August 2008]

THE ANWAR PROPHECIES (from Malaysiakini)

[I'm cloning this clearheaded opinion piece by Joe Fernandez published in Malaysiakini for the benefit of those who still haven't subscribed.]

THE ANWAR PROPHECIES DISSECTED

Joe Fernandez | Sep 5, 08 12:05pm

They are still at it everywhere, at the teh tarik stalls, the warongs and kopi tiams, reliving the magic moments of Aug 26 in Permatang Pauh much like in the days when Tambunan in Sabah burst into the national headlines in 1984 and precipitated the fall of the Berjaya government.

Now, the wheels of fortune have turned once more and the worst nightmare of Umno has come true for the brigade of furious nail-biters in the party despite the sodomy II charges, "security" roadblocks on polling day and bizarre attempts to bus in phantom voters and an extended period of vote-counting.

The sons of the opposition MP, Gobalakrishnan, who spotted a phantom busload were even beaten up in public by the overzealous police on duty for their father’s act of public spiritedness.

Now, there are more than a few moments of disquiet these days in the corridors of power over a possibility that the powers-that-be had earlier dismissed as an elaborate opposition spin, even as they went into panic mode and kept pushing buttons at random.

Now, the tables have been turned, and it seems that it’s the spin of the government party machinery which seems to be spiraling out of control at the expense of the economy: savings and investments are down; jobs are slow; and prices, except that for the shares, keep moving north. There’s much to be said for the honest truth, decency, common sense and the realm of the possible in the art of political communication.

PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) Advisor Anwar Ibrahim had prophesized - predict being too mild a term - that he would take his seat in parliament as the opposition leader, opposite the prime minister and look into his eyes. His prophecy has now come true in the aftermath of Aug 26 when he took the Permatang Pauh seat which his wife, party chief Azizah, had kept safe for him through the ten long years when he was a lonely voice in the political wilderness.

What now? Will Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi blink, hang his head in shame or avert his gaze and squirm in his chair. This must be the most uncomfortable seat in the august house for now. From the opposition leader’s seat to the Prime Minister’s chair, it’s just a short hop, skip and jump away when the games of musical chairs begin.

Up to the MPs now

Members of parliament, the whispers along the grapevine goes, can now decide who they want as prime minister: Abdullah, who lost his home state, or Anwar who ironically is from the same place.

There’s already a father-and-daughter team here since eldest daughter Nurul Izzah, Puteri Reformasi, is in parliament as the member for Lembah Pantai. She easily wrested the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory seat on Sat 8 March from Umno Wanita deputy Sharizat who has been given a new lease of life as Special Advisor to the PM on Muslim Women’s Affairs despite an existing Ministry for Women. shahrizat abdul jalil

True, the sodomy II charges – conspiracy is another term used - hang like the proverbial sword of Damocles over Anwar’s head. All this will be academic if and when the opposition alliance, Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Pact), seizes the reins of power in Putrajaya by Sept 16, Malaysia Day, as predicted – prophecy being too strong a term for now - on the reformasi (reformation) theme of "Forgive, Not Forget."

Critics see a contradiction in terms here and forsee an accounting of scores under a Pakatan-led federal government. Anwar has pledged that there won’t be any acts of revenge – "although there must be a proper accounting", he said - but has admitted it was getting increasingly difficult to draw a line between "a proper accounting" and "an accounting of scores," "since the government continued to pursue him with a vengeance."

Ironically, it was not so long ago that IGP Musa Hassan, oblivious to the difficulties that it caused the man in the street, had parliament cordoned off for a five kilometer area to prevent Anwar from making an appearance. This was after obtaining an unprecedented court order, to arrest him if he appears within the five kilometer limit, amidst swirling rumours that police were hunting him down like a common criminal over allegations of sodomy.

Anwar’s house in Bukit Segambut is within the five kilometer limit and this fact alone must raised serious questions on the professionalism and competence of the police – "among the best in the world, if not the best", according to Musa Hassan - and cast severe doubts on the ability of the judiciary to properly scrutinize any application placed before them.

It is hard to dismiss that August 26 was poetic justice and the run-up may have had something to do with the IGP going into emergency surgery with a heart condition. Had his maker been kinder, he would have been spared the embarrassment and sheer humiliation that is sure to follow in the days, weeks and months ahead.

There was the case of one of his recent predecessors who did a spell in jail for beating up Anwar and giving him the infamous blue-and- black eye – Mahathir then explained that Anwar had punched himself to get public sympathy - which has now become the PKR logo.

If August 26 sealed the fate of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government, after the electoral triumphs of March 8 - when Pakatan took 82 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, four states, one Federal Territory, and retained Kelantan - how will the finishing touches come for September 16?

What next?

What other prophecies are in store for the people?

Is Anwar Ibrahim entering parliament as the opposition leader on Thursday, August 28, the first step towards the September 16 "Revolution", the third political tsunami, that he has been pledging ever since the opposition alliance unleashed the first on Saturday, March 8.

Many Umno leaders, rattled by August 26, are casting nervous glances over their shoulders while others continue to pooh-pooh the idea that an even bigger calamity is in store for them down the road in the not too distant future. Both Umno vice-president Muhyiddin and Kelantan political warlord Tengku Razaleigh are among the former.

There is a distinct divide in the corridors-of-power between those who don’t dismiss the possibility of Sept 16 outright and those who, critics say, continue to be in "a state of denial."

The prime minister, not surprisingly, doesn’t see Permatang Pauh as indicating a trend nationwide. This is the same man who discounted "the Anwar factor" on the eve of the March 8 polls, adding he had forgotten all about Anwar. He spoke too soon. In hindsight, had Anwar qualified to run for public office on March 8, Umno and BN would have been consigned to the dustbins of history sooner rather than later.

Abdullah’s deputy Najib, plagued by continuing controversy, swears that Umno’s two-year transition of power plan is on track and vowed to take office in mid-2010. Is he speaking too soon as well?

Cynics note that there appears to be a lack of warmth in the relationship between the two men and add that anything can happen in two years. "Even a week is a long time in politics," point out the cynics, echoing a longtime truism on politics.. There is a theory making the rounds that both men, in fact, don’t really trust each other at all and work behind the scenes to undermine each other.

"It’s their common fear of Anwar that holds them both back from going for each other’s throats," says a former branch secretary of the Umno Bukit Bintang before it was declared unlawful by Justice Harun Hashim in the late ‘80s. "Najib sees Abdullah as an usurper. Abdullah sees no reason why he must have Najib as his deputy or even less reasons why he must hand over power to that man of all people."

Seven reasons why

In general, seven factors are driving the Sept 16 phenomenon: the Indian community; the Chinese; Malaysian Borneo; the Malay grassroots; BN component parties; the arrival of political ideology; and the desire among ordinary Malaysians to see real political and other changes in Malaysia:

1) The Indian community’s almost total withdrawal of support for Umno. The community is the deciding factor in 67 of the Parliamentary seats in Peninsular Malaysia. The community has belatedly realized that they have been squatted on by the system and the government over the last 50 years.

2) The Indian "desertion" has had spillover effects on the Chinese community. The Chinese have traditionally looked to Indian leadership in trade unionism, NGOs and the law.

3) Malaysian Borneo sees March 8 as presenting them with a historical "window of opportunity" to correct longheld grievances and win a more equitable share of the federal government.


4) Increasing disenchantment among the Malay grassroots over the Umnoputra syndrome, i.e. few among the elite and their hangers-on and fat cats living it up at their expense.

5) Rapidly dwindling enthusiasm among BN component parties for the Umno leadership; the irrelevance of the race-based politics of the BN vs Hindraf’s (Hindu Rights Action Front) emphasis on equal rights, makkal sakthi (people power) phenomenon; PKR’s ketuanan rakyat (supremacy of the people).

6) The call by the Islamists of PAS for the race factor, forbidden by Islam, to be kept out of politics; and DAP’s (Democratic Action Party) call for a Malaysian Malaysia.

7) The desire among Malaysians everywhere for a reformation of national institutions which have been eroded and compromised over the last 50 years and especially in the last two decades.

In Singghei, thirty minutes by road from Kuching, a weather-beaten old Bidayuh villager sums up: "We no longer want the BN. We want a change. That’s why we support Anwar Ibrahim. He’s standing up against all these big people who have been in power for so long. We have been taken for granted all these years. We need to think of what we are going to leave behind for the future generations."

Permatang Pauh: AN APPEAL TO VOTERS

Statement issued by ALIRAN
Saturday, 23 August 2008, 18:15

We were born as an independent sovereign nation, a secular democratic state on 31 August 1957. In a week’s time we celebrate our 51st Hari Merdeka. Actually, there is very little to celebrate. After 51 years of Alliance/BN rule we have sunk low on all fronts as a nation. It is time to take stock and evaluate intelligently why as a nation we are going downhill in all fields of national endeavour, says our special correspondent, in this message to the voters of Permatang Pauh.

National Unity

Despite the loyalty and patriotism displayed by the rakyat, the Umno-dominated government, despite its platitudes and pronouncements, has made a mockery of national unity, which is so crucial to our survival as a nation. After 8 March, Umno has unmasked itself and shown its true colours as a racist, Islamo-fascist party confirmed by its Ketuanan Melayu, Malay hegemony and Malay supremacy stance. Umno’s ideas of race supremacy and the importance of only one race seems to have been borrowed from defeated World War II western leaders. Their use of Islam apparently to deaden Malay intellect and rationality is what Karl Marx called “the opiate of the people.” It is clear that the Malay rakyat must escape from the clutches of Umno, which for 50 years has exploited and manipulated them, to join other Malaysians to achieve national unity.

Economic development

The economy is not doing well at all because of BN’s screwed-up policies. A rich nation abundant in resources, a multi-talented population and an industrious labour force could have placed us well on the road to economic progress and development - but it was not to be. Lack of international confidence has placed us sixth among 10 Asean nations in attracting FDI. Indonesia and Vietnam have overtaken us. Umnoputras hijacked the NEP to enrich themselves and amass great wealth at the expense of the poor rakyat while the so-called half-past-six PM initiated unsound mega projects, which literally bankrupted the country. Overpriced public projects awarded to the Umnoputras and their cronies without any tender process enriched them and earned huge “commissions” for the decision-makers or their cronies.

Bad governance

The Umno-dominated BN government has been bad, thoroughly bad. Bad governance is everywhere to see – many political leaders at all levels are deemed to be corrupt, unethical and immoral; the civil service is perceived to be, and in many instances, corrupt and inefficient; sections of the police force are not only inefficient and allegedly corrupt but brutal on the rakyat. An armful of draconian laws is used to protect the powers-that-be and there is the scandal-ridden judiciary to provide additional umbrage.

There is a total lack of transparency and accountability in government. For example, Petronas accounts are not subject to parliamentary scrutiny. The privatisation of public utilities such as Telekom, PBA, Tenaga and Pos Malaysia has eroded the wealth of the nation. Some of these entities were grossly undervalued and sold to Umnoputras and their cronies for a pittance. Let me just quote an example – Telekom, a monopoly. Its shares were sold at RM4. When it was listed in the KLSE it went for RM14.50 a share – a clear profit of RM10 per share. We know where the 10 million shares allotted to MIC went. MCA was alloted 35 million and to whom did this go? Umno got 55 million and the Malay rakyat should find out to whom they went. PLUS meanwhile is taking road-users for a ride with exorbitant tolls. The concession agreements are classified as official secrets and the rakyat will never know the terms.

Corruption

The implementation of the NEP created golden opportunities for Umnoputras and their cronies to enrich themselves. The NEP was successfully hijacked by Umnoputras and their cronies who cleverly masqueraded as champions of bangsa and ugama, pulled wool over the eyes of the rural Malays, and exploited and manipulated them to amass great wealth in the name of the Malay community. They ravaged our dear land mercilessly through generous pink form share allocations, APs, generous business and taxi licences, over-priced public projects, and privatisation of public entities.

Voters of Permatang Pauh, indeed all Malaysians, must ask which Umno/BN cabinet minister, MB, CM, MP or State Assembly member is not rich. The relatives and family members of PMs became multi-millionaires. Some of them went into lucrative businesses apparently without knowledge and any business acumen. They took the profits; in many cases, when they failed taxpayers’ money was used to settle their debts! Some borrowed billions from the banks - which they did not repay. A half-past-six PM conveniently got the banks to classify them as NPL (Non-Performing Loans). Bank Negara kept interest rates on savings very low to enable the banks to recover what was borrowed by the thieves. The banks could not recover the loans through litigation and the identities of the borrowers have been kept secret. Bank Negara’s annual report indicates a lump sum under NPL. It is the borrowers – real crooks – who did not perform! The losers – the rakyat.

One just needs to look at their lifestyles - their palatial mansions, some indecently standing out like sore thumbs in poor kampung neighbourhoods, their expensive cars, their designer clothes and the overseas holidays they enjoy for confirmation of their crimes. For far too long the rakyat has tolerated the indecent flaunting of wealth acquired at the rakyat’s expense. It is time to kick the whole bunch of them out. The income differential in the Malay community among all Asian communities is the widest. What better confirmation that the Malay rakyat has been mercilessly shortchanged than the Minister for Rural Development (once caught for smuggling currency) promising the rural Malays basic amenities by 2011! Can you believe that this was the same promise made to the same people during the first general election in 1959? Umno politics is seriously money politics and it has become part of the DNA make-up of Umnoputras. Those who hold high office at all levels of government have bought themselves into those positions. This cancer of corruption has spread perniciously into every level of the political, governmental and social fabric of society. The loss to the rakyat is incalculable. Because it is beneficial to those who walk the corridors of power, this cancer is permitted to fester but it will ultimately destroy the nation if no change is brought about.

"INDEPENDENT" INSTITUTIONS

The Judiciary

The judiciary is in a mess, indeed it is a joke by any standards. The Lingamgate affair revealed the corruption within and the horrendous Executive manipulation of the judiciary. An independent judicial commission to appoint judges will not happen unless there is a change of government. The BN leaders realise that an independent judiciary will sound the death knell of many BN politicians from top to bottom.

The ACA

This is another institution that is a great joke because of its ineffectiveness and selective persecutions. It is under the thumb of the Executive and has become a dreaded tool to be used against the opposition and against BN members who fall out of line. BN leaders such as Dr M, the currency smuggler, and compliant ex-chief judges are beyond the reach of the ACA. It has become another BN tool to intimidate and put fear in opponents and critics. If it becomes independent there would not be enough prisons to house these BN crooks!

The Election Commission

The EC and its Chairman behave like imbeciles in asserting the powers granted to them under the Constitution to conduct free and fair elections. They have for a long time been allegedly manipulated to grant the BN unfair, indeed illegal, advantages be it gerrymandering, the use of non-transparent ballot boxes, mysterious postal ballots and the non-use of indelible ink to eliminate phantom voters.

The Police

The BN’s use of the police and now the army to ensure rule by law and not rule of law is frightening. The role of the Inspector-General and other top police officers in Sodomy I, which collapsed in court, is clear proof of this. Now we are witnessing the same thing in Sodomy II. A poor fellow was persuaded to do things like swearing on the Koran, which is haram in Islam! Dr M, who possessed a diabolical talent for apparently ruining the country and is now seen as a discredited and discarded politician, said that Malaysia has become a police state. For once he spoke the truth.


In what way is our police force different from those in other dictatorships that persecute political opponents and their supporters? The police in Malaysia – when they get a whiff of a protest, real or imagined, put up road-blocks hours in advance of the supposed protest, causing massive traffic jams, inconveniencing the rakyat and disrupting business. The opposition is then blamed for all these! Can you imagine putting a police and military ring round Parliament House? Is Malaysia a democracy or dictatorship?

They are supposed to maintain law and order and ensure equality of treatment under the laws. The brutality used on the ‘Bersih’ and ‘Hindraf’ peaceful protesters was appalling and it was there for the whole world to see. Their expertise appears to lie in the cruel use of tear gas and water-cannon on peaceful protesters and opposition supporters, not on crime prevention. The same expertise was not used on the many Umno-organised demonstrations or those organised by Muslim fanatics since 8 March. In the recent episode at the Bar Council forum, those who broke the law were escorted by the police to get the organisers to call off the forum – that was a real disgrace to our country.

Isn’t it a shame that those who tell the truth have to flee the country but those in high places who tell lies and are allegedly involved in all sorts of immoral and criminal activities such as groping a bar-girl live happily ever after. I appeal to the voters in Permatang Pauh to not only save the country from ruin but also heal the many wounds inflicted on it by a power crazy, corrupt and inefficient Umno-dominated BN government.

Education

The education system is rotten to the core. “Education is an absolute disaster” and “racism runs deep” said Zaid Ibrahim, our law minister. The BN claims that our education system is advanced but the UN report on education indicated our low quality with a warning that compared to others around us we are bound to lose our competitiveness. Many children of our BN leaders are overseas, many on scholarship, thus robbing those who really need scholarships.

The education system has adversely affected Malaysians, especially the Malays. Umno has brainwashed many Malays into thinking that meritocracy is disadvantageous to them. Competition is discouraged. The behaviour of the UiTM students opposing a 10 per cent non-Malay student enrolment is proof of what Umno can do to destroy quality. The mere mention of the word “meritocracy” sends Umnoputras into a paroxysm of fear. Under globalisation, we need to produce global professionals to ensure economic survival. The Malays will be left behind if they do not wake up to what Umno is doing to them.

Dear Permatang Pauh voters, there have been some important by-elections before but none as important as the one on 26 August. The Constitution has been amended about 600 times to take away the most precious provisions to ensure life, liberty, freedom and the rule of law. A vote for Pakatan Rakyat is a vote for change. Help the nation to reclaim its birthright – its inalienable rights destroyed by the Alliance/BN government over the last 51 years. A massive vote for Anwar will put this sad nation on the right path to unity, development and respectability among the proud community of nations.

In Greek history, there was the Oracle of Delphi which was consulted before anything of national importance was undertaken. The Oracle always equivocated and those who consulted it had to interpret the prognostication correctly. Failure to do so would result in disaster. A man decided to prove the Oracle wrong on the spot. He clutched a little bird in his fist with only its beak showing between his thumb and forefinger and asked the Oracle, “Is the bird dead or alive?” If the Oracle answered “Alive,” he would squeeze the bird dead; if the answer was “Dead” he would let the bird fly to prove it is wrong. The Oracle’s answer was, “The bird’s life is in your hands.”

Dear voters in Permatang Pauh, the life of the nation is in your hands. Never before and, I believe, never again will such a great honour, indeed such a great responsibility, be accorded to a single constituency to decide the political future of our nation. I hope and pray that the voters in Permatang Pauh will rise to the challenge and not let a hopeful nation down. A very huge vote for Anwar will be the best mandate for change.

The Epic Battle of Permatang Pauh

Astonishing that a tiny place like Permatang Pauh has become the battlefield that will decide the destiny of the entire nation. One is reminded of the Battle of Kurukshetra that constitutes a large part of the Mahabharata narrative - where generations of accumulated karma are resolved over the span of 18 days.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Pandava Arjuna is troubled on the eve of the Battle of Kurukshetra by the moral dilemma of having to slaughter his own relatives.


Lord Krishna, disguised as Arjuna’s charioteer, explains the karmic and cosmic ramifications of physical warfare, and reveals to Arjuna his divine form, thereby reassuring the warrior king that his actions are just and integral to clearing the way for the ongoing evolution of human consciousness.

These are some of the mythic resonances surrounding this pivotal by-election, and I just wanted to provide a larger metaphorical context for the battle royale that began on 31 July 2008, with Wan Azizah resigning her parliamentary seat to make way for her husband, Anwar Ibrahim - and culminating on August 26th, 2008, when the voters of Permatang Pauh shall decide the fate of the nation.


I feel a profound gladness that so many good, decent human beings are out there right now - honest Malaysians like Anil Netto, Lucia Lai, Susan Loone, Haris Ibrahim, Isham Rais, Bernard Khoo (Zorro), even Raja Petra (the one-man demolition squad behind Malaysia Today) - camped out in Permatang Pauh to offer support and report on this watershed political event.

Thank you and bless you all for contributing so much to a glorious outcome for the forces of necessary change.

More Grist For The Kill-BN Mill

Bits and pieces of titillating information for the discerning voter, gathered from miscellaneous sources...


Flashback to 17 May 2005. An item in the International Herald Tribune. The report is well worth revisiting!

Reuters report on the Permatang Pauh by-election.

AH SO... ARIF SHAH ALMOST GOT HIS DOCTORATE FROM THE EDISION UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY...

Arif drops out of 'bogus' PhD study

Kuek Ser Kuang Keng & Wong Teck Chi | Malaysiakini | Aug 22, 08 10:51am

Barisan Nasional Permatang Pauh candidate Arif Shah Omar Shah has stopped pursuing his PhD degree after questions were raised over his academic credentials.

“The PhD is not recognised, so I have quit. I am finding a paper that is recognised,” he told Malaysiakini when met at the sidelines of his election campaign on Tuesday.

He was asked to respond to questions raised on the Internet, asking how he could pursue a doctorate degree when he possessed only a diploma and no other intermediating qualification.

An English daily had carried a profile of Arif Shah’s educational background, reporting that he was a diploma holder in civil engineering and currently pursuing a PhD at the ‘Edison University of Technology (off-campus programme).'

The report sparked debate among bloggers who could not verify his academic credentials as they could not find his university name on the Internet.

The 52-year-old Seberang Jaya state assemblyperson clarified the university should be ‘Edision University of Technology’, a university registered in the British Virgin Islands offering distance learning courses.

Registered in British Virgin Islands

After checking the Internet and a local industry expert, Malaysiakini found the university has been accused of being a bogus diploma mill.

The local expert, who asked for anonymity, pointed out that the address of the university’s international distance learning centre is shared by hundreds of other companies.

It is believed the address belongs to a company secretary.

[Read the rest here. "Bagus/Bogus" graphics from Zorro Unmasked.]

GOOD REASONS FOR NOT VOTING ARIF SHAH

From MarGeeMar (22 August 2008)

MALAYSIAKINI reported that PERMATANG PAUH by election candidate from BN, Arif Shah Omar Shah has stopped pursuing his PhD degree after questions were raised over his academic credentials.

The big question here is if Arif still continued to pursue this bogus Phd. up till April 21, when did he stop then? Did he decide to stop because of the heat coming from Bloggers? First and foremost, how can someone with just a Diploma go on and pursue a Phd. The so-called International Distance Learning Centre of Edision University of Technology is a mailbox office:

International Distance Learning Centre
2nd Floor, 145-157, St. John Street
London EC1V 4PY, UK. / Tel:0845-8790040

If you do a Google search on the above address, you will find hundreds of companies using the same mailbox address.

This clearly proves that it is a Bogus University.

Edision University of Technology is accredited by WORLD ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES (WAUC). The WAUC is global accreditation association founded to establish and promote global standards in higher education among colleges and universities worldwide."

The "accreditor," WAUC, is owned by Dr. Maxine Klein Asher. (Her own degrees are real.) She also owns American World University, which, according to Wikipedia, sells degrees.

You can also find some "ripoff report" articles if you Google her name or WAUC. With just US$1,699 anyone can register a business entity in the British Virgin Islands under the name of university.

Two things bother me about this guy Arif Shah: one, if he knew the PhD from Edision was bogus but yet continued to pursue it, he must be a person of the lowest level of integrity who would be willing to deceive the Rakyat (People) with his phony Phd. If Arif Shah got into the PhD program without checking the University's background (remember, you have to pay a lot of money to get a PhD), then, he must be the biggest oxymoron around. In other words, he is not fit for public office, i.e. State Assemblyman or Member of Parliament.

However, The Scribe has other reasons why Arif Shah should never be voted in as Permatang Pauh MP let alone be the Seberang Jaya Assemblyman for the following reasons:

1. He was the most notable Indian Muslim who claimed himself Malay and participated in the illegal protest at Komtar against YAB Lim Guan Eng and the newly installed Pakatan Rakyat State Government in support of Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy). A man who forgets his origin just because of his religion, calling himself another can never impress me and any right minded person. The Permatang Pauh Indians need to take note of this.

2. The BN had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to put up Arif Shah as the BN candidate because Arif Shah is the ‘least-hated’ of the five warlords of Umno Permatang Pauh so they hope that with him as the candidate this would reduce the possibility of internal sabotage. Never before had Umno needed to have an Assemblyman to stand for elections as an MP as well.

3. Arif Shah is the brother of Tan Sri Amin Shah Omar Shah who is in now in self-imposed exile in the UK. He shuttles between London and Dubai but would never dare come close to Malaysia because there are criminal breaches of trust (CBT) allegations he may have to answer to. Amin Shah’s company, PSC Industries Berhad, was awarded more than RM24 billion in naval contracts around 1998 at the time Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was already the Defence Minister. The government paid him billions in upfront money but Amin Shah’s company never fulfilled its side of the bargain. Billions of Ringgit of Malaysian taxpayers’ money went down the drain in the biggest fraud in Malaysian history. Amin Shah’s brother, Azlan Shah Omar Shah, was the Managing Director of the company.This guy (Arif Shah) is obviously lying when he says that he did not know his university is a bogus one. If he can lie about this, can you believe him when he says that he has no interests in his corrupt brother's business? In other mature democracies, Arif Shah would not even be considered as a candidate.

4. Arif Shah was the Indian Muslim Malay wannabe who made the call as Seberang Jaya state assemblyman to rename George Town “Bandar Datuk Abdullah Fahim”.

5. The BN controlled MSM keeps on spinning that Arif speaks Mandarin and Hokkien and can read and write in Chinese as well. I hope the Permatang Pauh Chinese will remember that this same Arif Shah marched to Komtar with the rest of the Umno racists chanting "Ketuanan Melayu" with the perceived fear that the Chinese have taken over the State. Do you want this racist as your MP? Don't fall for the pictures of Arif Shah reading Chinese newspaper and speaking in Chinese in the local BN controlled MSM.

6. Arif Shah joined the rest of his racist pals from Umno to pressure the Federal Government to scrap all Mega Projects in Penang as punishment to Penangites for voting Pakatan Rakyat. Do we need to add another Umno racist who punishes Penangites to Parliament.

This Scribe hopes that whoever reads this will print and pass this blog posting around. This Scribe gives consent to fellow Bloggers to reproduce this Blog Posting in their own Blogs. If possible, share this by word of mouth with those who have no access to the Internet. Let's expose Arif Shah for what he really is!

A Fragrant Flower Blooms on the White Tree

ON THE PERMATANG PAUH CAMPAIGN TRAIL...

During his hour-long visit at the hawker centre this morning, Anwar was greeted by hawkers and residents. Camera & editing: Ng Kok Foong | Malaysiakini.tv

From Anil Netto's blog:

Something remarkable happened near the UiTM campus

Umno supporters unfurl a banner supporting the Malays-only status quo of the UiTM college on Nomination Day (Photo: Abang Benet)

At around 9.45 last night, Anwar bravely addressed a crowd of close to a thousand people on a service road outside the UiTM Permatang Pauh campus. Nearby apartment dwellers and students from the hostel, mainly Malay, poured out to listen to him. Some of these students must have been among the reported crowd of 5,000 who had demonstrated here against Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim’s suggestion that the university open its doors to non-bumiputeras.

Anwar stressed to the crowd the importance of multiracialism. He would be a prime minister that would be fair to all Malaysians and it would be his responsibility to make sure he took care of all ethnic groups.

“Orang Melayu anak saya… (pause) … orang Cina anak saya … (pause) …. orang India anak saya,” he said in poetic and dramatic fashion.

Applause broke out from the largely Malay crowd which included the Malay UiTM students.

“All it takes is for the right leader to tell them the right thing and they will support it,” marvelled a newspaper editor who witnessed the scene.

For the first time since Tunku Abdul Rahman proudly proclaimed Merdeka on 31 August 1957, people are experiencing a powerful surge of genuine patriotism, founded on profound love for their homeland - and not just as a state-funded flag-waving public relations exercise.

Anwar's dramatic political career spanning 40 years - with its ups and downs and its moving, human dimensions - has touched the core of our collective hearts and replenished it with fresh optimism and belief in a glorious future under a clean and just government.

This intense feeling of joy, hope, and spontaneous cooperation amongst the various races is very real. When Anwar expresses a fatherly love for the Malays, Chinese, and Indians, what he has accomplished is to restore an essential, hitherto missing, ingredient to our political life... and that is the POWER OF SOUL.

Viewing this newly uploaded video from Malaysiakini.tv, I was reminded of that poignant moment in Peter Jackson's Return of the King when a single flower is seen to bloom on the long dead White Tree in Minas Tirith, even as Aragorn son of Arathorn leads the charge against the Black Gate of Mordor, signaling the end of Sauron's evil reign in Middle Earth.

What a blessed time this is for all loyal Malaysians who truly love their country and who refuse to migrate just because the government has been infiltrated by liars, crooks, and hypocrites for so many decades. Now is the time to reclaim our birthplace from those who only know how to rape, pillage, and lay waste to our once and future paradise!

PERMATANG PAUH IN PICTURES

Pic © TV Smith (click on link to view original!)

Pic © TV Smith (click on link to view original!)

Pic courtesy of Din Merican

Pic courtesy of Din Merican

Pic courtesy of Din Merican

I was there in spirit, yelling "Reformasi!" along with Nurul Izzah - and (some say) 100,000 Anwar supporters. So far, the eye-count for the Reformasi crowd on Nomination Day at Permatang Pauh, 16 August, ranges from a low of 15,000 (Reuters) to a high of 150,000 (PKR sympathizer). But most reports concur that the BN crowd numbered at most 5,000 - not counting 3,000 police and riot squad personnel. Thanks to my old pal, T.V. Smith, for the inspired images; and also to Din Merican, PKR Program Director, for capturing the excitement of the moment. Can you feel the winds of change, people?

Courtesy of Anwar Ibrahim's YouTube Channel

PKR’s Gobalakrishnan wears an Anwar mask at Permatang Pauh on Nomination Day (photo courtesy of Anil Netto)