BURMA AFTER NARGIS: A Firsthand Report

A LESSON IN CONTENTMENT
By Lakshmi Ganesh

A lawyer goes to Myanmar on a relief mission and learns about contentment

On 2nd May 2008 Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar’s capital city of Yangon and a large portion of the Ayerawaddy delta region. The storm raged for over 10 hours. An estimated 200,000 people died and an estimated 2.5 million others were affected. Although detailed statistics are not available and information not verifiable, I was informed that in some villages the population of 20,000 had been reduced to 500 odd.


As soon as first reports started trickling in, a need for humanitarian aid relief became obvious. Attempts were made by many to apply for visas from the Myanmar Embassy in Kuala Lumpur for permission enter Myanmar and provide medical and other relief. Initial attempts were fruitless.

Meanwhile the media and television were flooded with reports that offers of relief from first world countries had been declined by the military junta in Myanmar while victims were perishing in the rains which were lashing relentlessly.

Efforts to get past the red tape continued. Eventually there was light and I left for Myanmar under the banner of the Sathya Sai Baba Central Council of Malaysia to provide humanitarian aid. In the intervening period between 2nd May and 10th June when I eventually left, I had received all kinds of horrendous reports – villages wiped out, dead bodies of people and animals rotting in the fields, villagers in refugee camps being asked to leave and return to their villages after one week, and so on.

So I arrived in Yangon expecting a nightmare. What I saw and experienced was something else altogether, so much so I began to wonder about the accuracy of the Western dominated media - and whose vested interests they were serving.


I had last been to Yangon in 2003. At that time it was a sad city rotting in every corner. But the Yangon I saw this time was very different. There were new buildings, wide new roads and most existing buildings had a new coat of paint. And the city was rather clean! Has some good come out of Cyclone Nargis, I wondered.


The only signs that suggested that there had been a cyclone were fallen trees. And there were many fallen trees. In every compound, there were fallen trees. Most people had cut the trees that had fallen but were keeping the wood. The huge roots which lay on the surface had not been removed.

I heard from the people that though many big trees fell, few fell on homes and buildings. For some unfathomable reason, they had fallen away from the buildings thereby minimising damage to property. Consequently there was little loss of life.


The Sathya Sai Baba Central Council of Malaysia had been given permission to go into the Delta area to provide aid. The Council was also hoping to be allowed to build a village for the affected people and so we were working on that as well. Towards this objective, we met many people. What we learnt from these people bowled us over. Each and every person was involved in some kind of relief work. Yes the people of Myanmar were using whatever resources they had to provide food, shelter and medicines for their fellow countrymen who had been affected by the Cyclone. And corporations had been allotted areas in which they had to re-build schools and buildings which had been damaged. Every monastry/ temple was also undertaking relief work.

So help was underway. The affected were not perishing as reported in the media. And I later found out that the people in the villages actually caught and ate frogs and snakes which were abundant in the paddy fields!

We went shopping to purchase essential items for a refugee camp in Laputta which was one of the worst hit areas. We took over 2,000,000 kyats with us in a paper bag to the market. At every stall, we took the money out, counted it and paid for our purchases. Everything was done openly. Everyone could see how much money we were carrying. I was terrified of being robbed but our local guide was unperturbed. She said the crime rate was low and there is no fear of snatch thefts. In fact the women wear quite a bit of jewelry. I asked myself when was the last time I felt safe wearing jewelry or carrying money and walking in the streets of Kuala Lumpur?

In the market I found the shopkeepers reducing prices and also donating items for the affected people. It was so very touching. I noticed that the shopowners complement one another rather than compete with one another. Really an attitude of let all survive. Ask them a question and they directed me to the right shop. No one attempted to push his or her wares on to me. There was none of this “come buy from me, I'll give you a better deal than my friend next door” attitude. It seemed to me I had a lot to learn from them – does capitalism make us more selfish?


And the trip to the Delta – oohhh my God! And ohhh my aching back! The distance of 180 miles (yes they haven't gone metric, and rice is still sold in bushels……) was covered in 9½ hours. Yes you read right. It took us 9½ hours. We left at 4 a.m. and arrived at 1.30 p.m. Why did it take so long – because the roads were basically laterite roads. The metalled roads ended about two hours (or 50 miles out of Yangon).

All along the way, again the only visible signs of damage were fallen trees and new roofs. The houses are basically wood/bamboo with thatch roof. Almost every house we saw had a new thatch roof and new “walls.” Some houses had plastic sheets instead of thatch roofs and walls. Otherwise there were no visible signs of damage. And the fields were not inundated.

Along the way wherever we stopped, people slowly came out and stood on the roadside some distance away from our vehicles. They said nothing and asked for nothing but when offered some food items, they quietly accepted. No one even came close enough to our vehicles to look inside.

Just about one hour away from Laputta, there were no more settlements or houses and the fields were inundated. Is this what we saw from the air? We don’t know. But we did from the air see vast inundated areas which looked like flooded paddy fields and which had no signs that there had even been any kind of habitation. We saw no remains of any villages from the air.

It was really pouring cats and dogs when we got to the temporary camp at Laputta. Naked children were happily playing in the rain without a care. There too no one came up to our vehicles to ask for anything. As has been widely reported, everything has to go through the military. We reported to the camp commandant. He looked through our papers and said he would call the community leaders to gather in one tent and we could then distribute our supplies to them. In pouring rain, the men came up to our vehicles and unloaded all our supplies which by the grace of God we had packed in plastic bags (we had purchased an assortment of personal items and packed it into bags - one bag per family. From my experience in Banda Aceh, I knew that people in relief camps need waterproof bags in which to keep their personal effects and so we had provided them with the waterproof bags).


Pampered as we are, we were wearing raincoats and carrying umbrellas while these hardy people were walking around in the rain in their wet sarongs (or lungyis as they are called in Myanmar) with no shirt and sometimes no slippers. It was all just too heart-breaking. By the time the distribution was over, the rain had let up. We walked around the camp and looked into the tents. People welcomed us but never asked for anything. There was also a class in session in one of the larger tents. Within a short while we saw people walking with the bag of ‘goodies’ we had given. The community leaders had wasted no time in distributing the relief items. Only one little boy indicated that he was hungry but we could not give him anything as we didn’t have enough for everyone. This is the really tough part about aid work – not having enough for everyone.

The return journey was just as torturous. I began to vomit by the time we got back. Having made the trip to the Delta and seen conditions first hand I had so many questions to which I had no answers – where were the settlements which had been wiped out, where were the displaced people, where did any one get the statistics from?

No foreigner can undertake any kind of work in Myanmar without the permission of the military. And there is one more condition, all work has to be through a Myanmar registered corporation. And every large corporation in Myanmar has been allotted a village or a small town which they have to rebuild. So rather than depend on foreign aid, they are doing it themselves. Corporate Social Responsibility in action!

There was a guest in the hotel where I was staying who is a Malaysian from Sibu. He had been in Yangon on the day the cyclone struck. He talked about his experience. He said the glass doors in the lobby of the hotel had been shattered by the force of the wind. He had gone out after a few hours and seen the military in action removing the fallen trees. He had also been to the Delta 2 weeks after the cyclone to distribute essential items. He said that the company he worked for had been expected (like all other corporations doing business in Myanmar) to provide aid. He had the same questions I had. So how many people really died? How many villages had been wiped out? We may never know.

One of the Sai Baba devotees I met in Yangon is a doctor. She remarked that the hospitals had been expecting an increase in water borne diseases (diarrhoea, typhoid, cholera, etc) but to their surprise, there was no increase. She said it must be because the people are so uncomplaining. And their basic attitude was one of gratitude – to be grateful for whatever they had.

The other members of the Sathya Sai Baba Central Council of Malaysia left after a week. I stayed on in a meditation centre where I had an introduction to some of the Trustees. I spent one week in the centre called “Dhamma Jyoti.” The trustees were also involved in relief work, as a centre and individually.


I was taken to a village named Pyaw Byi Gyi which is just about one hour out of Yangon. First we took a ferry across the Yangon River. Man was the ferry a moving dustbin. It was so dirty and full of betel leaf spittle - a lot of people chew betel leaf and spit the remnants everywhere. Yecchhh! (In the first version of this story, I thought this habit of betel leaf chewing was as a result of the Indian influence but my niece corrected me. Seems betel leaf chewing has been a practice since the 11th century. Can’t blame the Indians!) Loads of people and their wares seem to travel from one shore to the other. I never found out if it was possible to go by road.

More surprises were in store when I got to the other shore. I got out with a sea of humanity and what do I see – Indian men selling jelebis ( an orange coloured sweet). It was just so ludicrous – the place is wet and slushy, there are people everywhere and no shortage of flies and in the midst of all this, vendors selling an Indian delicacy. And cut pineapples! Luckily I am old enough to not be foolhardy enough to venture to eat anything from a street vendor.

From the jetty we had to travel to the village – there were two options, by jeep or by motorbike. Since it would take time for the jeep to have sufficient passengers, we went by motorbike. To say the least it was quite an adventure for someone who has been on a motorbike maybe twice in all her life. As usual the metal road gave away after about 10 minutes and we were on a laterite road which was full of potholes, actually I should say there was a small road in between the potholes!

Again the only visible signs of the cyclone were fallen trees and new roofs. Almost every house had a new roof. There was at the meditation centre a young man named Kanta (he is of Nepali origin but born in Myanmar) who spoke good Malay as he had been working in Malaysia for 4 years. He was my translator/interpreter as most people speak little English and no Malay.

At the village, I went to a school with Daw Hwtee Hwtee and we gave out exercise books, stationery, raincoats, umbrellas, uniforms, and so on. The teachers had previously been asked to identify the students whose parents were too poor to afford new uniforms. All students received stationery. The school was sitting in the middle of an inundated field. But this was not the work of Nargis. Every rainy season, the fields get flooded. But Nargis had blown off half of the school. And the half that remained was not really in a great condition but again I was told it had already been like this before Nargis. All the students were squeezed into the remaining classrooms.



It was really lovely looking at the kids – most of them come to school with copious amounts of tanaka on their faces. Tanaka is a tree, the trunk is ground into a paste which is then liberally applied on the face to keep the skin smooth and cool. They looked so cute and they were full of smiles and laughter. I walked through the village (estimated population 5,000) but again no one asked for anything. Look into the front door of a house and you can see straight out into the back. They have no possessions, having lost everything in the cyclone. (I was told that to start off with they had very few possessions.) This village had received no aid and people had somehow just rebuilt their homes with whatever money they had and whatever materials they could find. And what they could not afford and any medical aid needed, was trickling in through the efforts of people like Daw Hwtee Hwtee who had been born in that village and still had family living there.

Our return journey was another new adventure. This time since there were no motorcycles available, we had to travel by jeep. Daw Hwtee Hwtee said sit in front, it is very uncomfortable behind. I decided hey I can handle this, I am no softy and got into the back. Two minutes, and I was screaming – stop, stop! I thought my intestines were going to come out through my mouth – the ride was so rough. Tucked in my tail and my wounded ego and got into the front.

I went back to the village two days later. Again ferry and jeep – I sat in front only to find that the jeep had no door! I hung onto some kind of strap for dear life. This time we distributed rice. Daw Hwtee Hwtee’s sisters had identified 140 families who were really poor. Numbers were given out to them and they came one by one to collect their 2 bushels of rice. There was no pushing, no cheating, no disorder, no asking for more... nothing.

People came carrying old lungyis, old bags, small little containers in which to take back the rice. One little girl came in a dress that was made from an old sack. At that point I had to do everything I could to not burst into tears. The little girl was laughing and smiling as were most of the other people. The only person who made some noise was a man who was drunk. Each person received his or her share with much humility and so much gratitude.

I met people who had few material possessions. Yet they were uncomplaining about their lot in life. In fact they were all full of smiles and the joy of life. A cycle rickshaw rider who earns a few cents for each ride, decorates his vehicle with fresh flowers. They still have time to smell the roses. It seems to me that we have forgotten how to be happy in our quest for material possessions. How much there is to learn from them.

The people of Myanmar went out of their way to do things for me. Daw Hwtee Hwtee made puris for me. She is of Chinese descent, born and brought up in Myanmar and yet she knew how to cook puris (deep-fried Indian bread made from wheat flour) and a potato curry to go with it. She must have gotten up really early to cook as we met at the jetty at 7.30 a.m. The cook in Dhamma Joti, a Myanmar lady called Yin (her actual name if I remember right is Rubayah), made thosais for me. She has never been out of Myanmar. Another lady in Dhamma Joti bought tanaka for me. Someone else bought mangoes for me. Yet another person went out of her way to buy yogurt for me as she knew Indians like yogurt. Everyone I met wanted to do something for me or give me gifts simply for the joy of giving. How can I describe this attitude and what it is like to live in an attitude of gratitude?

I came away humbled by the experience. Who are we (by ‘we’ I mean the rest of the world) to interfere with their way of life? And to complain about lack of human rights, and so on? Or about the lack of “development” as we know it? When was the last time we went out of our way to open our hearts or houses to a stranger? When was the last time we felt contented with our lot in life?

Lakshmi Ganesh

The writer practiced law for 25 years and is now a full-time humanitarian aid worker.

Postscript: The Sathya Sai Baba Central Council of Malaysia has been given permission by the Myanmar government to build a village comprising 50 houses (costing USD1,200 each); 1 school and 1 temple (each costing USD5,000) in a designated area in the Ayerawaddy Delta. If you would like more to know more about the project please email the writer.

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

A 20-MIN TALK BY SIR KEN ROBINSON



A must-see for every parent and teacher. Education guru Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. Sir Ken Robinson is author of Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative, and a leading expert on innovation in education and business.

Recorded February, 2006 in Monterey, CA. More TEDTalks at www.TED.com

[Thanks to Lily Fu @ PeakSpeak for bringing this important message to my attention!]

A NATIONAL DISGRACE

The malicious and illegal attempt of a renegade faction of the Royal Malaysian Police to destroy Anwar Ibrahim's political destiny constitutes a despicable act of treason and has befouled the name of the entire police force.

Why do the Sultans say nothing in the face of such unmitigated evil?

Welcome to Mugabeland!

All those involved in this heinous plot to thwart the will of the rakyat, sabotage Pakatan Rakyat's reform agenda, and hijack the destiny of the nation are accursed beyond redemption. Their fate is hereby sealed. Do you hear me, Bad Bad Bad Awi? Your beloved son-in-law is Evil Incarnate and you have been totally contaminated by his dark influence!

Anwar, you will emerge from this final ordeal unscathed and victorious - and in a matter of weeks the Pakatan Rakyat will form the new government.

If the court refuses to grant bail, let's flock to police stations in vast numbers, demanding to be investigated and charged for anal and oral sex. Imagine 500,000 people throughout Malaysia queuing up to file police reports against themselves for having guiltlessly enjoyed cunnilingus, fellatio, sodomy - and for subscribing to democratic ideals!


FROM RPK ON MALAYSIA TODAY:

A special police operations centre was set up some time ago to coordinate all activities related to the Anwar Ibrahim sodomy crisis. No, the special police operations centre was not set up AFTER the alleged sodomy act took place on 26 June 2008. It was set up way before 26 June 2008.

Why the need to set up a special police operations centre BEFORE the date of the alleged sodomy act? Are they clairvoyant and did they peep into their crystal ball and ‘see’ the crime happen before it actually happened? Was the special police operations centre set up so that they could solve the crime? Or was the special police operations centre set up BEFORE the date of the ‘crime’ so that they could invent the so-called crime?

[Read the entire disgusting article HERE!]

GEORGE W. BUSH, WAR CRIMINAL

Uploaded 31 July 2008 by RupertMurderer

George Bush: War Criminal?

It's not a wild theory any more.

Can Bush pardon himself?

Under US law, sure - and he will.

But he can't pardon himself under international law.

Here's a possible scenario:

1. US recklessness tanks the world financial markets.

2. Standard of living in US declines precipitously.

3. The last remaining 20% of the US that supports Bush (including the corporate news media which made him possible in the first place) finally withdraw their support.

4. War crimes charges filed against Bush by an international body.

5. The US hands Bush over with glee and the same US news media which made him possible now presides over his being publicly torn limb from limb.

It won't be the end of the criminal Bush family dynasty, but their ability to steal and wreak havoc will be greatly diminished.

Unfortunately, Cheney will die of a heart attack before he can be sentenced.

['World War W' and 'Evil Empire' posters by David Dees]


080808 NEWSFLASH!

US-UK INTELLIGENCE READIES TURKESTAN ISLAMIC PARTY TERROR GAMBIT FOR BEIJING OLYMPICS

By Webster G. Tarpley

Washington, August 1, 2008 - Reliable Australian intelligence sources have issued a warning that US-UK intelligence is attempting to mount a false flag terror operation against China, quite possibly featuring a gaggle of patsies calling themselves the "Turkestan Islamic Party," at the upcoming Beijing Olympics, where the eyes of the
world will be concentrated next week. The goal of the operation will be to duplicate or surpass the bloodbaths at the Mexico City 1968 and/or Munich 1972 summer games.

Commandant Seyfullah of the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) claims in a video tirade displayed by a US company's website to represent the Turkish Moslems of Sinkiang province or Chinese Turkestan, where the Anglo-Americans have long sponsored an abortive separatist movement. Patsy leader Seyfullah and his Turkestan Islamic Party have been indirectly mentioned twice over the past two years by Ayman Zawahiri, the veteran British agent who functions as the real leader of al-Qaeda, in effect sheep-dipping the little known TIP in the vast pool of al-Qaeda notoriety. If the planned operation actually takes place, the current Chinese leadership will - in the hopes of the plotters - lose face and forfeit the mandate of heaven, the prerequisites for continued rule.

This could then be the prelude to the installation of a new Chinese government far less committed to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and to cooperation with Russia. It might be a first step towards splitting the SCO and turning Beijing against Moscow, which is the current goal of Anglo-American grand strategy.

An article from the Sydney Morning Herald describing the general outlines of the danger is appended. The Turkestan Islamic Party claims to have already organized serious terror attacks in Shanghai, on the mainland coast opposite Taiwan, in Kunming in southwest China, and in Guangzhou (Canton in south China, near Hong Kong.)

Despite ample international attention to the Beijing Olympics by the controlled media, these considerable terror attacks have scarcely been reported, suggesting that some form of information management regime may be in place, as it was before 9/11.

The threatened Olympic terror event may have a second phase, designed to prevent a wave of world sympathy for the Chinese and other victims of whatever happens. An attempt to disrupt the world-wide operations of the internet may ensue, presented as the retaliation or riposte by the Chinese for what has been done to them by the foreign devils. Logic bombs or more sophisticated means could be used to disrupt the world-wide internet, shutting it down in whole or in part for days or weeks.

International financial transactions might also become chaotic. Someone might begin dumping US Treasury paper, with the controlled western media blaming the Chinese government, even though the prospect of any direct or immediate Chinese government retaliation is remote. The massive hardships that can be inflicted by computer and cyber-based disruption would be used to whip up resentment and hatred in the west against the Chinese, changing the world strategic climate dramatically. Some patsy group calling itself a Chinese secret society might announce that it had finally become fed up with the arrogance, the interference, and the aggression of the Anglo-Americans, and that it had decided to strike back on its own. This would allow the US and UK to demand that the Chinese government hand over these malefactors in a humiliating gesture, leading to an escalating diplomatic and strategic crisis. These are but a few crude hypotheses drawn from the immense pool of possibilities. In many of these we see that the scope of terror could suddenly become much larger, due to immense strategic potential on the Anglo-American and Chinese sides.

The direct terror attack may also be supplemented by large scale provocations, chaos and confusion operations, and mass demonstrations by Falun Gong fanatics, by Tibetans loyal to the feudal latifundist and US-UK intelligence asset who calls himself the Dalai Lama, and/or by democracy and human rights activists assembled by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and various NGOs in the orbit of US-UK and NATO intelligence.

But the vigilance of the Chinese regime may be enough to defeat these plans.

A POSSIBLE PHASE CHANGE OF TERRORISM

If any such attack occurs, it would represent the beginning of a whole new phase of false flag terrorism on a world scale. From the mid-1990s until about 2005-2006, patsy organizations like "al-Qaeda" in many cases received the blame for false flag terror attacks carried out by the US-UK invisible government networks against their own countries or their own national assets abroad, as in the case of the 9/11 attacks in the US and the 7/7/2005 attacks in London. The goal of these operations was to whip up hysteria in the western countries, and to provide pretexts for direct aggression under neocon auspices against Afghanistan and Iraq.

There was also a parallel track of NATO-backed Chechen terrorist attacks against Russia. Henceforth, patsy groups like the TIP are to be used increasingly against "enemy states" like China and Russia, the two targets who have gone to the top of the list, displacing the earlier focus on the far less significant Iran and North Korea. Any attacks by the TIP on Chinese territory will of course represent acts of war by the US-UK against China, and could easily generate incalculable consequences over time. Under the Brzezinski Plan, the US-UK will be messing with the biggest country in the world, and one which comes equipped with ICBMs and H-bombs that can strike US territory.

Pentagon boss Robert Gates (right), a Brzezinski man going back to the Carter NSC in 1977-79, said this week that irregular warfare and soft power are the wave of the immediate future, and that may be exactly what we are about to get in spectacular form. This speech may well have been a signal that something big and very messy in the irregular warfare department is about to happen at the Olympics. "Al Qaeda," the CIA's Islamic Legion, traces its origins back to the Carter-Brzezinski years, just after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in response to Brzezinski's playing of the Islamic fundamentalism card against them.

A TOTALLY NEW HIT LIST FOR THE PRINCIPALS' COMMITTEE

The new target list is being dictated by the Principals' Committee, which currently rules in Washington. Among the Principals are Rice at State, Gates at Defense, Paulson at Treasury, and Admiral Mullen as head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, plus some others. This group is now running the US government. Bush and Cheney are little better than figureheads, lame ducks who have virtually ceased to influence government affairs as they fade away. The top neocons are either in jail, like Lord Conrad Black, or running for cover. The playbook for the Principals is the Brzezinski Plan, with its focus on working towards a global showdown with Russia and China.

A US-UK attack on Iran is now virtually excluded, but instead large-scale bombing and preparations for a land invasion of northwest Pakistan are proceeding apace. The pretext cited here is the search for Bin Laden and the need to combat the Taliban, but the real goal is to start the breakup of Pakistan into five or six petty states - because Pakistan is a Chinese ally, and all allies and trading partners of China are presently being targeted for regime change, destabilization, and Balkanization, from Sudan to Zimbabwe to Burma to Venezuela to Pakistan. It is time for opponents of false flag terrorism to ditch their maps of the Persian Gulf in favor of much larger world maps, with special attention for the geopolitical features of the Eurasian landmass discussed by Obama backer Brzezinski in his book, The Grand Chessboard.

The atmosphere in Washington today is eerily reminiscent of the final years of Iran-contra, when many personalities who had become too openly compromised in these picaresque operations were liquidated. The Iran-contra networks had to be cleaned up, and many heads rolled. The past weeks have brought word that bacteriological warfare expert Dr. Steven Hatfill, the FBI's former person interest in the October 2001 anthrax attacks, has been taken care of with a $6 million damages award. His former biowar colleague Bruce Ivins was found dead this morning near Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland, in what has been ruled a suicide. The death of Ivins comes in wake of another purported suicide, that of Deborah Palfrey, the so-called DC Madam.

Are these inconvenient persons in fact being suicided to keep them quiet? Tonight there is word that Ayman Zawahiri (left), the MI-6 man at the top of "al-Qaeda" may be either dead or seriously wounded. If Zawahiri is dead or knocked out, this event may be comparable to the execution of Timothy McVeigh on June 11, 2001, which officially closed the era of terrorism under right wing anarchist cover in the US, just before a new phase of false flag operations began three months later, on September 11, 2001.

August 8, 2008, the formal opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing summer games, emerges as a possible date for some attempted action in the context described. In a paper which should be read in conjunction with this article, Gillian Norman makes a case for the occult significance of 8-8-8 in the irrationalist numerology which may be considered meaningful by certain rogue network factions. But the events in question could occur at almost any time over the next several weeks.

Those who mobilized in the spring of 2007 to stop Operation Bite, the planned Good Friday US-UK attack on Iran, or who spread the word of the Kennebunkport Warning in late August 2007, are urged mobilize now on a much larger scale to inoculate world publics against which may now be in the offing. The US, Europe, and Japan need good relations with China, the world's largest country. Peaceful coexistence, not a new round of inter-imperialist rivalry, is required. No band of desperados can be allowed to initiate a Sino-American confrontation under cover of a new false flag provocation.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald of Australia...


MUSLIM GROUP DECLARES WAR ON THE OLYMPICS

July 27, 2008

A CHINESE terrorist organisation has warned it will create havoc at next month's Olympics and has claimed responsibility for a deadly Shanghai bus bombing in May. A group monitoring terrorism threats on the internet said Commander Seyfullah of the Turkestan Islamic Party claimed responsibility for several attacks in China less than a fortnight out from the Olympics. "Through this blessed jihad in Yunnan this time, the Turkestan Islamic Party warns China one more time," Seyfullah said in a video dated July 23, a transcript from a US-based intelligence centre shows. "Our aim is to target the most critical points related to the Olympics. We will try to attack Chinese central cities severely using the tactics that have never been employed," he said. The warnings come just a day after Chinese police claimed they cracked a terrorist cell planning to attack Shanghai Stadium where the Australian men's soccer team will open its Olympic campaign on August 7. Seyfullah claimed responsibility for the May 5 Shanghai bus bombing, which killed three; another Shanghai attack; an attack on police in Wenzhou on July 17 using an explosives-laden tractor; bombing of a Guangzhou plastics factory on July 17, and bombings of three buses in Yunnan province on July 21.

RPK STRIKES AGAIN! (Another Must-Read from Malaysia Today)

CLUTCHING AT STRAWS

Raja Petra Kamarudin | Malaysia Today | 4 August 2008

A couple of days ago, the police wrapped up their investigation on the latest
sodomy allegation against Anwar and handed their findings to the Solicitor-General.

The Solicitor-General was shocked when he read the file. They have absolutely no case against Anwar. Furthermore, the fact that the accuser, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Bin Azlan, met Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) II Mohd Rodwan Mohd Yusof in room 619 of the Concorde Hotel in Kuala Lumpur one day before the alleged sodomy took place makes this highly suspicious indeed. And, on top of that, Anwar has an alibi for 26 June 2008 - the day the alleged sodomy took place.

The police now need a ‘scientific approach’ to nail Anwar. In 1998, the evidence (mattress and chemist’s testimony) was thrown out of court and they had to rely entirely on the testimony of the prosecution’s ‘star witness’ - in spite of him testifying THREE TIMES that Anwar never sodomised him. This time around, mere testimony is not enough. They need to ‘scientifically prove’ that Anwar sodomised Saiful.

But they face a major problem here. In 1998, the problem was the mattress and chemist Lim Kong Boon’s testimony, which eventually had to be both thrown out of court. This time around, in 2008, it is Saiful’s underwear. They are going to ‘prove’ that they found Anwar’s semen stains on Saiful’s underwear. But the problem is, Saiful’s girlfriend went and washed the underwear so how can they possibly find any semen stains on a freshly washed pair of underwear?

To convince the court (the judge who will most likely be an Umno Terengganu man) that they did find Anwar’s semen stains on this already washed underwear, they would need to not only plant fresh ‘semen stains’ but they also need the Chemistry Department to say that they did examine the underwear and they did find Anwar’s semen stains on it. And they also need the doctors at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) to say that they did do a second medical examination on Saiful (which they did not) and that they did find evidence that Anwar had sodomised him.

Anwar was supposed to have been arrested and charged for sodomy later today. But they can’t do it today after all. They might need to do that later this week. Today, they are going to work on the chemists at the Chemistry Department and the doctors at the HKL to get them to agree to change their reports. Based on the existing evidence they can’t even charge Anwar, let alone obtain a conviction. Only if the chemists and doctors change their reports would it be possible to charge Anwar.

Okay, they might be able to charge Anwar if the chemists and doctors agree to change their reports. But would this be sufficient to obtain a conviction? That does not matter at this stage. They can always get the judge to do an Augustine Paul-like stunt like what happened in 1998. The important thing is to first charge Anwar and then deny him bail so that he can be locked up for five to six years while the trial proceeds. That would dent his effort to win the Permatang Pauh by-election, which will certainly be held over the next 60 days or so. And it will also neutralise Anwar’s efforts to form the new federal government some time next month when not less than 30 Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament cross over.

Today, the chemists at the Chemistry Department and the doctors at the HKL are going to be subjected to immense pressure. They are going to be pressured into amending their reports to implicate Anwar in the allegation that he sodomised Saiful on 26 June 2008, the day after he met Rodwan in room 619 of the Concorde Hotel. Thus far, the chemists and doctors have held firm and have refused to fabricate any evidence. They stand by their report that there is not only no evidence that Anwar has sodomised Saiful but there is also no evidence that Saiful has ever been sodomised.

Will the chemists and doctors continue to hold firm or will they succumb to the pressure and change their reports? We will of course know the answer to that later today. In the meantime, let us hope that these chemists and doctors say: enough is enough, no more fabrication of evidence! We know they are under immense pressure and it is not easy to defy the whims of those who walk in the corridors of power. But if they unite and stand together, the might of those who walk in the corridors of power can be challenged. They can hurt one man if all the others relent. But if all stand together, shoulder-to-shoulder, to defy kemunkaran [transgressions against truth and justice], there is very little the government can do and their so-called case against Anwar will be ripped to shreds.

To those brave souls in the Chemistry Department and the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Malaysia Today salutes you. Come join the ranks of Malaysians who rejected all forms of kemunkaran on 8 March 2008. Stand united. Stand to be counted. Come stand with us as we move forward in an attempt to drag Malaysia, screaming and kicking, into the next era of equality, freedom and justice for all Malaysians regardless of gender, race, creed and religion.

May God give you the strength to do the right thing!

[Read the complete article here!]

DESPERATE TIMES

... CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES! I HEREBY CALL FOR THE IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION OF IGP MUSA HASSAN AND AG GANI PATAIL FOR PUTTING MALAYSIA'S LAW ENFORCEMENT AND LEGAL INSTITUTIONS INTO UTTER AND ABSOLUTE DISREPUTE WITH THEIR GROTESQUE AND OBSCENE PERSECUTION OF PRIME MINISTER ELECT ANWAR IBRAHIM, WHILE MALICIOUSLY AND WILLFULLY INTERFERING WITH INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF THE ALTANTUYA SHAARIIBU MURDER CASE.


AND I POLITELY SUGGEST THAT DPM AND DEFENCE MINISTER NAJIB RAZAK GO ON TEMPORARY LEAVE OF ABSENCE, THEREBY PAVING THE WAY FOR A PRO TEM AG AND IGP TO ACT ON NEW EVIDENCE THAT MAY CHANGE THE OUTCOME OF THE FARCICAL ALTANTUYA MURDER TRIAL.



[Top two images from Malaysia Today courtesy of Shan; bottom image courtesy of Parti Keadilan Rakyat]

Corrupt Politicians & Their Fat, Pushy Wives

The Star | Thursday, July 31, 2008

THAKSIN'S WIFE FOUND GUILTY OF TAX EVASION


BANGKOK, Thailand -- The wife of ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was found guilty Thursday of evading millions of dollars in taxes and sentenced to three years in prison.

I happened to glance at the front page of the The Star (lying on the table at my regular coffeeshop) and was startled by the picture of Pojaman Shinawatra looking tense as she arrived at the courthouse for her sentencing. Whose wife does she remind you of? No prizes! (Answer below)*

Deposed Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojaman (photo by Wasant Wanichakorn/AP)

Deputy PM Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and First Lady Kristiani Yudhoyono on 16 December 2006 (courtesy of AFP/Getty Images)

*Why... Lady Macbeth, of course! :-)

As BN Falls The Rakyat Rises!

Storming of the Bastille, 14 July 1789

Yesterday I received notifications from Blogger that two of my blogs had been locked. I had to laugh, because my first thought was that a BN cybertrooper or some inarticulate injured party had flagged my blogs in fury. "Great!" I said to myself. "My kick in the groin must have connected!" However, the explanation could also be that Blogger's robot patrols mistakenly identified my blogs as spamsites. How ironic! Nobody detests spam as much as I do, and here's some stupid, soulless cyberbot accusing me of spamming.

I know how Anwar must feel, constantly being accused of sodomy and corruption by those who themselves may be the biggest, baddest and most corrupt pederasts on earth.

Anyway, even as Barisan Nasional begins to sink out of sight below the horizon of basic decency, the Malaysian people are swiftly rising to the occasion and boldly speaking their thoughts and feelings - thanks to web portals like Malaysiakini and Malaysia Today - not to mention the thousands of blogs sprouting up every week, run by rank amateurs as well as seasoned veterans.

Because my blogs were locked, I decided to spend some time reading other people's contributions to Malaysiakini and was rewarded by several excellent pieces that resonated so robustly, I simply had to promote them on my blog. So I've cloned one of the essays and provided a few links to the others. The well-crafted essay below (credited only to "Kein") comes pretty close to expressing my own dream and nightmare scenarios whenever I consider the political crossroads Malaysia has reached today...

BETWEEN A DREAM AND A NIGHTMARE...
Kein | Aug 1, 08 4:19pm

Last night I had a dream. I dreamt that it was 2010 and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had handed power over to his deputy Najib, putting an end to his pointless and rudderless rule. Malaysia was now in firmer hands and the country had passed a defining fork in the river of time.

As I dreamt on, time seemed to be compressed into fast changing glimpses of unfolding events. The nascent opposition had failed to take over the federal government in 2008. Anwar Ibrahim was languishing in prison, convicted of sodomy in a scandalous show trial without an iota of credible evidence. The government shrugged off the torrent of international condemnation as ‘meddling in internal affairs’ and carried on business as usual.

Najib stamped his mark on Malaysia as an authoritarian in the mould of Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Democratic space which allowed the opposition to flourish under Abdullah’s rule was severely curtailed. Political blogs were outlawed and control over the mainstream pres tightened. The ISA was liberally used to quell dissent.

Social reforms proposed for the judiciary, the ACA, the police and the AG’s chambers during Abdullah’s time were stalemated and never saw the light of day. The rule of law had broken down with the acquittal of all accused in the murder of a Mongolian lady.

The economy went into free fall under the onslaught of massive corruption and the implementation of unproductive mega-projects which did not benefit the rakyat but were vehicles for enrichment of a small group of elite. Foreign investment dried up, the ringgit depreciated drastically, the gap between rich and poor widened and people’s lives became harder.

When the time came for the 13th general elections, the ruling party pulled out all the stops to win. Free and fair elections were impossible with the total control of the mass media by the ruling party and the use of threats, intimidation, vote-buying, repression of the opposition and massive cheating. The ruling party won with a handsome majority in parliament..

Meanwhile, the shrinking economic pie led to a resurgence of Malay nationalism instigated and nurtured by Umno leaders. Chinese, Indians and other non-Malays faced a slew of racially-based polices which imposed new limits on their education, employment and economic opportunities.

The best and brightest of human capital fled overseas to escape the racial discrimination. On their heels were to come maids, labourers and other unskilled workers seeking work overseas as unemployment soared.

But for the ordinary Malays themselves, life did not improve. They were deceived by the nebulous notion of Ketuanan Melayu, Malay special rights and NEP which did little for them except to benefit a ruling oligarchy. They had begun to realise the deceit but it was too late to turn back the clock. A pseudo-democracy had replaced real democracy in a political system which the ruling party could never lose.

Deteriorating economic conditions led to widespread social discontent but suppression of public demonstrations had become more brutal. I watched as intimidating-looking red-helmeted FRU men armed with clubs and shields beat a defenseless crowd demonstrating over a surge in inflation.

The air was thick with the acrid smell of tear gas and a short distance away, a water canon was spewing a powerful gush of chemically-laced water as the crowd ran helter-skelter. Amid the noise and the commotion, I heard a sharp crack and an old lady fell in front of me, her weary face lined with pain as I woke with an abrupt start with her scream of pain reverberating in my ears.

Moonlight filtered through the windows and rain pattered on the roof with a steady rhythm as the wind howled outside. I was drenched in cold sweat with a feeling of extreme disquiet. The alarm clock read 2 am, it was too early to get up so I had a drink of water before settling down again to try to sleep.

I thought of Malaysia, the future of the country and the reality that social injustice and authoritarian methods always lead to economic decline. I drifted off again and was soon again in the dimension of dreams.

It was a sitting of parliament and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was addressing the lawmakers in the presence of the King and Queen. He promised a new Malaysia where all races were equal partners in the economic and social life of the country while the special rights of the Malays guaranteed under the constitution will remain protected.

Corruption will not be tolerated, social justice upheld and emphasis given to reviving the economy. His first act was to lower the price of oil to assist the wheels of economy which he asserted Malaysia could afford as an oil-exporting country.

Under the new government, wide-ranging reforms were made to repair severely damaged democratic institutions. The judiciary, the police and the ACA benefitted from reforms which accorded them true independence from the executive. An independent police complaints commission was set up, the powers of the attorney-general clipped and good men were appointed to helm all these institutions. A host of oppressive laws such as the ISA, OSA, UUCA and PPPA were repealed.

On the economic front, open tenders were conducted for all government contracts and non- productive projects which do not benefit the rakyat were cancelled. Unfair one-sided agreements with toll concessionaires and IPPs were re-negotiated. The billions saved were used to subsidise oil prices and spent on projects with real benefit for the people.

Foreign investments flooded in following open market policies without race-based restrictions and the ringgit appreciated.

In the new climate of meritocracy and equal opportunities, the ‘brain drain’ which had afflicted Malaysia for decades reversed itself. The country no longer bled its best and brightest youth to foreign shores and local professionals and specialists who had gone overseas made a beeline back to the country they still called home to contribute their energies and skills.

The much abused NEP was replaced by the Malaysian Economic Agenda which channels affirmative action based on need instead of race. Help flowed to those who really needed it..

With proper economic management, foreign inflows and a stronger ringgit, the per capita income of the people increased and poverty was drastically reduced.

The end of race-based policies and racial politics brought the various races closer together. In schools and colleges, in work places and entertainment outlets, people of all races mingled and interacted in the spirit of genuine friendship. Malaysia became a shining beacon of democracy where the various races lived together in harmony and a true ‘Bangsa Malaysia’ began to emerge.


The cheerful sound of big band music sliced through the clear morning air as Malaysia celebrated its Independence Day. It was a joyous occasion which saw an endless parade of colourful uniformed bodies marching proudly past a spellbound crowd.

At the grandstand, Prime Minister Anwar lifted a ceremonial keris high in the air to shouts of ‘Merdeka!’ as trumpets blared and a shrill ringing became louder and louder until it cut through the reverie to wake me from my slumber.

Outside, the rain had given way to a cool breeze rustling the leaves outside my window. Night was slowly receding to the pale light of a new day, a full moon looked down while the faint barking of a dog could be heard in the distance. I looked at the new dawn breaking above the horizon and dared to hope.

More juicy contributions by Malaysiakini subscribers:

DID THE POLICE COVER ALL THE ANGLES?
Aug 1, 08 10:33am

MR PM, PLEASE ANSWER MY DAUGHTER
True Malaysian | Aug 1, 08 4:05pm

WAN AZIZAH, A TOWERING MALAYSIAN WOMAN
Richard Kamalanathan | Aug 1, 08 4:16pm

"Let the Polis Investigate." Har har har har har!

Saiful Bukhari Azlan's lawyer, Zamri Idrus, could do with a crash course in holding media conferences. His whole demeanor, body language, and evasiveness mark him as somebody with a hidden agenda - and those tinted glasses hardly help to dispel the impression that we're looking at a somewhat "shady" character. All the man can say is:

"Let the polis investigate."

"It's under polis investigation."

"No need to go into this issue."

"I can't comment on that."

Asked about the first medical report by Dr Osman Hamid of Hospital Pusrawi, Zamri's ridiculous reaction is that nobody knows what "the so-called report" is all about. Hey, bodoh... it's about Saiful Bukhari being a goddam liar, making up a wicked story about being sodomized eight times by a guy with a bad back.

The reporters want to know why Saiful is under polis protection. "He requested it," Zamri says. Boy, the Malaysian polis are ever so accommodating, always eager to serve the rakyat. Does Saiful think Anwar's supporters will hunt him down and hang him from a lamppost? Obviously, these Umno thugs believe everybody else thinks just like them.

Not only Zamri Idrus, but every Umno mouthpiece that has commented on this repulsive piece of chicanery - from Badawi (PM) to Botak (home minister) to Moh Choon Toy (health minister) - has used this phrase, "Let the polis investigate," like a magic mantra. Indeed, the phrase seems to be interchangeable with "Leave it in God's hands!"

And Malaysia is NOT a polis state??? Well, whatever it may be, Malaysia is definitely in a totally psychotic state - or, at least, the hoodlums are that have been misruling this poor country for decades. Now that Umno is facing its own imminent demise, panic has broken out and is causing it to sink deeper and deeper and deeper, with every move it makes, into a stinking quagmire from which it will never be able to extricate itself.

Glub glub glub. Good riddance, Umno.

Another Juicy Scoop From RPK!

RPK, what would Malaysia do without you? This latest juicy scoop from Malaysia Today deserves the widest possible dissemination. That's why I'm reproducing it in full on the Magick River blog. Thanks again, Pete! :-)

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

THE MALAY UNITY SODOMY CONSPIRACY

Actually, there is a lot more sodomising going on in Malaysia than most people realise. The question is: who is sodomising whom? Or are they taking turns to sodomise each other?

The sad thing is, all those involved are Malays who profess the religion of Islam. And some are even from an Islamic political party. They talk about Islam until they foam at the mouth. They say that all Muslims are going to heaven, even bad Muslims who will of course have to serve a short term in hell to pay for their sins before they get transferred to heaven after their ‘sentence’ has been fully served. Good non-Muslims like Mother Teresa, never mind how good they may have been, will all end up in hell because they do not profess the religion of Islam.

Yes, this is the Malay mindset. Do good and you go to heaven. Do bad and you still go to heaven. And if you do bad all your life and repent a day before you die then you will go to heaven. Just make sure you repent at least a day before you die. Then you can escape hell.

Everything about the Malay mind revolves around heaven and hell. They will have this ‘little book’ like a weight-watcher’s book of calories and they measure their deeds with debits and credits. Sure, you can do bad. But just make sure you ‘balance’ your bad deeds with some good deeds. You do a bad deed and you get one debit. But if you know how to work your way around the system, then your good deeds can earn 27 credits. So one good deed can wipe out 27 bad deeds, depending on the degree and ranking of these good-bad deeds.

Yes, it’s all about balancing. And it’s all about punishment and rewards. Malays will avoid bad and do good only if there is a reward system. And the good is done only so far as it can help balance or wipe out the bad deeds. Conscience does not come into play here. In fact, there is no proper or precise word in the Malay vocabulary that is equivalent to the word ‘conscience’. The closest ‘description’ to conscience would probably be hati kecil or suara hati. Even then this is more a description rather than a translation because hati kecil or suara hati can describe other things as well and may not necessarily refer to conscience.

And that is why, of late, we have seen many acts perpetuated by people without any conscience and who feel that one bad deed is not a big deal when one can always go to Mekah to pray in front of the Kabah after the deed is done and this will wipe out all traces of the bad deed. An atheist is good because he or she is good by nature. A ‘religious’ person is good not necessarily because he or she is good by nature but because he or she is a coward and is too scared of hell or he or she wishes to be ‘bribed’ with heaven.

The Malay unity talks between PAS and Umno are not something that just sort of happened. They were carefully planned way ahead with the objective of restoring Malay political power and to ensure that the non-Malay ‘immigrants’ would not become the dominant political force in Malaysia. Part of this plan involved ensuring that PAS would lose confidence in Anwar Ibrahim to the point they would see that their future lies with Barisan Nasional rather than with Anwar.

Anwar is, after all, a traitor to the Malay race (he espouses Ketuanan Rakyat instead of Ketuanan Melayu and he is opposed to the New Economic Policy and wishes it to be replaced with a new, more-equitable, policy) and an American agent (reinforced with the US’ recent statements condemning Malaysia on this latest sodomy allegation against Anwar). So Anwar, the traitor that he is, needs to be destroyed for the good of the Malays.

Did it not make you wonder why it was Saiful’s uncle (or was it his auntie?) and not his father who called the press conference asking Anwar to swear on the Quran that he never sodomised the young man? Why the uncle/auntie? Why not the father? Anyway, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak too swore in front of 900 Umno national and grassroots leaders that he never met and does not know Altantuya. Are the people convinced that since Najib has sworn an oath then he is telling the truth? Or has his oath not changed the people’s minds one bit?

Actually, Saiful hardly knows his father. His father abandoned his mother soon after he was born and the mother remarried. When his mother died, his stepfather also disappeared and Saiful was subsequently brought up by his uncle (or was it his auntie?). And one important aspect in this whole episode is that Saiful’s ‘God Mother’ is Mumtaz Jaafar - who is Rosmah Mansor’s nominee and ‘bag lady’ in all their clandestine business deals.

[Even more intriguing, I've read in one blog that Mumtaz Jaafar's daughter is Janna Syariza,who happens to be engaged to Saiful Bukhari (although Saiful has flatly denied that Janna and Mumtaz are related. Will somebody who knows the facts enlighten us on this score? It's an important detail, because if this were true, it further reinforces the link between Najib Razak's wife and Saiful Bukhari.]

Now does that explain why Najib agreed to meet Saiful? Many just could not understand why a busy and important Deputy Prime Minister would want to waste time meeting a university dropout. It is because Saiful is Mumtaz’s ‘God Son’. That was why Najib met him.

Looking at Saiful’s uncle, who looks and acts like his auntie, you can now begin to understand what makes that young man tick. Did the doctor find Saiful’s uncle’s semen specimen in the young man’s sorry butt and that is why the police are not able to charge Anwar? That may explain why the police released Anwar on police bail after the dramatic Hollywood-style arrest just a day earlier.

Saiful’s father is a member of the Malay unity ad hoc committee that was set up to engineer the PAS-Umno talks. Another committee member is the Sapura Managing Director, Rameli Musa, an Anwar ‘crony’. Yes, little did Anwar realise that his ‘best friend’ was setting him up for a fall. Heading this committee is someone from Military Intelligence who I shall not name at this stage.

Yeap, Military Intelligence again. Now can you see why Military Intelligence leaked the information about the official report on Rosmah Mansor’s involvement in the Altantuya murder? It was meant to bring Najib down. And these same people are involved in the PAS-Umno unity talks, which has, amongst its ranks, committee members like Saiful’s father and Anwar’s so-called best friend, Rameli Musa (right).

Okay, recently, Saiful’s father, who had abandoned the young man way back when he was born, came back into his life. Why, after riding off into the sunset 20 years or so ago, does this father suddenly appear on his son’s doorstep? Simple. He wanted to send his son to meet Najib. Yes, that’s right. Najib thought he was sending Saiful to Anwar as a Trojan Horse. What Naijb did not know is that, in the first place, this young man was sent to him as a plant. Najib thought the young man was God sent and the weapon he could use to destroy Anwar. Actually, he was not God sent. He was sent by the committee to engineer the PAS-Umno Malay unity talks. Najib swallowed the bait - hook, line and sinker.

And that is why Saiful’s father did not want to appear in public, especially on camera. If his face were to appear on TV then many would probably remember seeing him all over the place. He is not employed of course. His job is ‘brokering’. He is what we would call a Mister Fixit. If you want something fixed, if you want to win a government contract, if you want to set someone up, if you want to meet a Minister or the Deputy Prime Minister, then call Mister Fixit and he will fix it up for you.

The deal is simple. Conjure new sodomy allegations against Anwar. This will get PAS worried and they will start having second thoughts about Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat. Get PAS and Umno to sit down and talk about Malay unity. Let PAS see that their political future lies with Umno and not with PKR, which is going to be brought down by the latest sodomy allegation against Anwar. Tell PAS that Umno agrees to the implementation of Islamic laws in the states they control and that Umno agrees PAS shall be the Menteri Besar (whereas PKR is opposed to Islamic laws just like their other partner in Pakatan Rakyat, DAP).

The architects and engineers of the PAS-Umno Malay unity talks realise that offering PAS the Menteri Besar post and agreeing to the implementation of Islamic laws alone is not enough. They need to also destroy Anwar’s credibility to prove to PAS that its future lies with Umno and not with PKR. Is it any surprise then that the ad hoc committee for the PAS-Umno talks is also the ‘committee to get Anwar’ and that Saiful’s father together with the Military Intelligence are crucial players in this whole thing?

As I said, Malays don’t have a conscience. There is no precise word in Malay that means conscience. Anything goes as far as Malays are concerned. Okay, so they commit the sin of fixing Anwar up on sodomy charges and they sell out the voters who voted for them. But these sins can be washed clean by just going to Mekah to pray in front of the Kabah. And if you repeat these sins after your return to Malaysia you can always make another trip to Mekah and repeat the repentance scam in front of the Kabah.

Sigh... I just wonder why those Indian Muslims are insisting that the government recognises them as Malays.

IT'S LAUGHABLE... NOT LOVABLE!

RAIS vs RICE ROW OVER ANWAR

Friday, 25 July 2008 08:54

(TODAYOnline) - The war of words between Malaysia and the United States over the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim affair, which began in a letter earlier this month, continued yesterday as the two countries' top diplomats defended their governments' respective stands.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US would never stop speaking on human rights and political cases while Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim accused the US of meddling in Malaysia's domestic affairs.

The two had earlier met for 15 minutes on the sidelines of the 15th Asean Regional Forum where Rais told Rice that police investigations into the sodomy case involving Anwar were not politically motivated.

At her press conference, Rice dismissed Malaysia's claim that the sodomy case is an internal affair.

NOW WHO TO BELIEVE - UNCLE PET OR UNCLE PETE?

"What has happened... has happened but we have to go on with our lives. And we are confident Allah will come to our aid. [Saiful] is my nephew and I trust him." - Saiful Bukhari's "Uncle Pet" (left)

“I refuse to respond to the plea on grounds that the charges are both defective and mala fide. I'm in the mood to fuck the government. What more do you want me to say?” - Uncle Pete aka Raja Petra Kamarudin (right)

SHUT THE FUCK UP, PAK BLAH!

You lost all credibility with me in November 2006 when you chose to cover Najib's arse instead of doing what any credible leader would have done, that is: tell your deputy to go on temporary leave of absence so that police investigations into the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder could proceed unhindered and undistorted by a morally condemned Attorney-General and a self-aggrandizing IGP. By failing to do so, you have become tarred with the same despicable brush as all the other sleazebags and slimeballs in Umno - and therefore your neck is no longer worth saving, nor are any of your banal utterances worth publishing.

Infamous stained mattress displayed during 1999 Anwar Trial (Photo courtesy of Malaysiakini)

Each time you open your mouth to comment on the braindead sodomy accusation you only sink deeper into the slimy mud of contemptibility. Do the intelligent thing and rescue an iota of your dignity as prime minister by instructing the police to drop the case at once - because it has seriously damaged Malaysia's international reputation - more so than a million tattooed and transgendered sodomites staging an anal sex carnival on live TV could blemish our image as a civilized nation.

Only thing you have going for you is the fact that Mahathir hates your guts. That alone makes you a lot less obnoxious than most of your benighted colleagues in Umno. Your avuncular aura and gentlemanly stance also ensure that people tend to spare you the worst insults. However, your hands are just as dirty and bloodstained as Najib's since you are fully complicit in the Altantuya cover-up - don't kid yourself that anyone believes you're Mr Clean!

I challenge you to prove me wrong. Sack Musa Hassan and Gani Patail for falsifying evidence to ensure Anwar's conviction in 1999. Then order Najib to go on leave while you investigate how many generals he has bought off with lucrative contracts. After that you can stun us all by hauling up Mahathir, Tengku Adnan, V.K. Lingam, Vincent Tan and Ahmaid Fairuz for a thorough grilling - before charging them with manipulating the appointment of judges and influencing the outcome of trials. Do that today and tomorrow I'll say something really nice about you. Promise!

Too Expensive To Blog From A Cybercafe (But How To Stop?)

I've been at this dimly lit cybercafe for the last two hours, catching up on the local news through Malaysiakini and Malaysia Today. Never a dull moment. Anwar released after being subject to major harassment, indignity and extreme discomfort. RPK roped in, only to be released on bail within a couple of hours. Now I can leave the cybercafe with a much lighter heart. For the last 48 hours I have endured genuine anxiety on behalf of Anwar and RPK. I care deeply about the well-being and freedom of these two national heroes who are doing what I myself would gladly do if I had chosen the political path. The bullshit they go through for our sake and that of our posterity may seem mild compared with what others have been subjected to in countries like Cambodia, Burma, Zimbabwe, Palestine, Chile, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Nonetheless, I thank such public figures every single day for their heroic acts, because they keep the idea of freedom, justice and truth alive even through the darkest night of authoritarian misrule. I know we must be thankful that Malaysia is relatively less violent than some countries where political dissidents face arrest, torture and summary execution by hooded death squads. But why can't we compare ourselves with countries like New Zealand, Australia and Norway instead?

Anyway, July 16 will remain embedded in my memory as among the darkest days in recent memory. The totally unwarranted and unjustifiable arrest of Anwar Ibrahim came close to shattering all my hopes of a peaceful transition for Malaysia from the stinky and stupid BN era to a new political dawn with Pakatan Rakyat administering the country. The sheer insanity of a country that sends a UTK (Special Action Unit) team out in terrorist-style balaclavas and a convoy of police vehicles to nab a guy whose only crime is that he has set his sights on the nation's top post! Come on, let's grow up, people.


Only a not-happening no-hoper like Mukhriz Mahathir would stand up in Parliament and foam at the mouth like Shabery Cheek about "unnatural sex acts" - as though there are no worse crimes that occur at any given moment. In the first place, whoever labeled anal and oral sex as "punishable crimes" requires immediate psychological counseling and deep emotional therapy. Rape is a no-no, that's for sure - but that Saiful fella certainly didn't look like somebody who had just been repeatedly raped when he smiled for the press photographers soon after lodging a police report against Anwar. Indeed, he looked like some dimwit kid who can't get over the fact that he has become an overnight sensation across the nation and that thousands were Googling his name and even visiting his girlfriend's inane blog.

The prime cause of BN's inevitable downfall may well prove to be a 28-year-old Mongolian beauty who found herself in extremely bad company and got blown up trying to collect her rightful share of ill-gotten gains. No matter how many formal denials issue from the pink lips of Najib Razak or his reprehensible spouse Rosmah Mansor, ugly rumors will persist until the murder case is finally resolved to the public's satisfaction. And the only way that can happen is for the DPM to take temporary leave and allow himself and his wife to be summoned to court as key witnesses.

UMNO'S NEW IMAGE?

Where's Frodo when we need him to deliver the Ring of Power to Mount Doom... and destroy it forever?