The Church, congregation, sensivities re' politics

2008 and prior years, many Christians were hypersensitive if anything even remotely "political" were to be discussed or events even remotely "political" were allowed to take place in the Church. True or not I do not know, but I heard the pastor of St. Paul's Church in Petlaing Jaya allowed an event where politicians from the ruling Barisan Nasional party and the opposition presented their case so that voters can make informed decisions during elections. It was a bipartisan event with the Church not supporting any side. But I heard the congregation was in uproar to the extend the Pastor had to leave to lead another Church. (The Christian and the General Election: Core Issues)

Fast forward to 2015. 3 Catholic churches opened their gates to welcome anyone needing rest, free food or drink provided by unknown generous donors, portable toilets, showers, medical attention, even prayers if they need it. (BERSIH 4 at St. John's Cathedral)

Prayer Corner at Medical/First Aid center, St. John's Cathedral

And today I read that Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Reverend Julian Leow said Christians had the right to make a stand on matters they were concerned about. "It is their inalienable right as citizens to deliberate, communicate and act on matters of societal concern, be they political, social or economical," said Leow who is also the archbishop of Kuala Lumpur. (Uphold justice, bishops urge Malaysian Catholics in Merdeka Day message)

Selamat Hari Rakyat (Happy Citizen Day) at Putra World Trade Center

Today, 1 October 2008 is Hari Rakyat (Citizens' Day) as well as Hari Raya. It is both a day for celebration for Muslim as well as Malaysian citizens. The People's Parliament led by Haris Ibrahim, human rights lawyer, managed to make a statement at Malaysia Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi Hari Raya Open House at the Putra World Trade Center in Kuala Lumpur when after much trouble and struggle we managed to meet Abdullah Badawi face to face and put our message across - Free Raja Petra (and for me to wish him Selamat Hari Rakyat:

Our group of about 40 activists gathered at Secret Recipe at The Mall opposite Putra World Trade Center at around 11am. At 11.30am we moved to the entrance to the PWTC banquet hall. We were stopped by the Police at the entrance, so we formed a line to make our unspoken statement as the crowd moved past us. About an hour later, we were allowed into PWTC by the police who said he has obtained permission for us to enter. However, we were diverted into a dining hall where we could not meet Abdullah Badawi face to face. So we exited and reentered and after much trouble, we finally get to line up to wait our turns to meet Abdullah Badawi face to face.

Photo curtesy of Malaysiakini

Haris Ibrahim passed the request to Abdullah Badawi ("Please free Raja Petra and the ISA detainees") and I wished Abdullah Badawi "Selamat Hari Rakyat" (Happy Citizen Day) instead of the customary Selamat Hari Raya.

After completing our mission, we gathered for a group photo:

Photo curtesy of Malaysiakini

Funds for SEDC in PR controlled states should not be channeled via MARA

I am greatly troubled by the announcement by Noh Omar of the Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Ministry that the Ministry will stop disbursing development funds to the state SEDCs (Economic Development Corporations) in PR (Pakatan Rakyat) controlled states as reported in Malaysiakini but will now be given through MARA (Majlis Amanah Rakyat}.

A check of MARA's website showed the following:

Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), Agensi di bawah Kementerian Pembangunan Usahawan & Koperasi Malaysia, ditubuhkan pada 1 Mac 1966 di bawah Akta Parlimen sebagai sebuah badan berkanun hasil daripada resolusi Kongres Ekonomi Bumiputera pertama pada tahun sebelumnya.

Adalah menjadi kewajipan Majlis bagi memajukan, menggalakkan, memudahkan serta menjalankan pembangunan ekonomi dan kemasyarakatan dalam persekutuan dan khususnya dalam kawasan-kawasan luar bandar.

Essentially, the above says MARA is for Bumiputera, not for Malaysians in general. However, from some quick enquiries, SEDCs are for all Malaysians, not only for Bumiputras.

So, in my opinion, the decision of Noh Omar of the Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Ministry that they will stop disbursing development funds to the state SEDCs but do it via MARA which is only for Bumiputeras are not appropriate and Malaysians should register a protest.

I hope the PR Member of Parliaments will bring this matter up in Parliament, if not as supplementary question, then submit it for question for next Parliamentary session.

PR (Pakatan Rakyat) to become political party and DAP, PKR, PAS party become component members

I hope Malaysian remember the BA (Barisan Alternatif) fiasco when DAP (Democratic Action Party), PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) and PAS (Parti Islam SeMalaysia) formed a loose coalition to contest against BN (Barisan Nasional). PAS were insistent on turning Malaysia into an Islamic state. For that, Barisan Alternatif paid a heavy price, the heaviest by DAP.

Now the same 3 parties have again joined force against the Barisan Nasional and on March 8, 2008, created history which saw many states falling into the hands of PR Pakatan Rakyat, another loose coalition of DAP, PKR and PAS plus took away the much abused two-third majority of BN in the Parliament. This time PAS wisely played down the Islamic state issue. However, after the successes, again some PAS members started making statements regarding Islamic state and HUDUD. This can derail the loose coalition.

I earnestly do not want to see PR unravel and BN getting the upper hand again the next General Election. For this reason, I am coming up with a suggestion. Turn PR into a real political party with its own symbol for the next General Election (and hope BN will not put obstacles in its path). Call it a different name if they want. A constitution should be drawn up clearly stating exactly what this PR or replacement stand for. DAP, PKR, PAS or any other political parties which subscribe to what is stated in the constitution become component members. Each component members retain its individual political party status. Then if anyone wants to raise issues like for example Islamic state or HUDUD law should do it via their own party and not associate it with PR or alternative. And if they can no longer subscribe to PR or replacement, they can leave that coalition political party and contest the next General Election on their own. Then Malaysians will not be confused and hopefully Pakatan Rakyat or replacement will not meet the fate of that BA (Barisan Alternatif).

I hope this message reach the decision makers of DAP, PKR and PAS and they consider it seriously for I sincerely do want them to continue to make political progress and lead the way to better governance, unity and harmony for Malaysia

Terengganu UMNO assemblymen plan boycott of swearing-in ceremony of Menteri Besar (Chief Minister)

At 5.45pm, state Umno liaison secretary Datuk Rosol Wahid said the assemblymen who attended the meeting would boycott the swearing-in ceremony if Idris, who is also Terengganu Umno liaison chairman, was not appointed the Mentri Besar.

Source:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/23/nation/20730032&sec=nation

This planned boycott was, according to the above report, initiated at Idris’ official residence here for a meeting at 5pm. Idris was the former Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) and the one nominated by the Prime Minister whom some Constitution lawyers said (from memory) has no right in interfering with the perogative of the Sultan to appoint the Chief Minister. Idris is also supported by the majority of the Terengganu state assemblymen.

Now YB Lim Kit Siang got lots and lots of brick-bracks for sugggesting a boycott of the Perak's Chief Minister, but has since apologized. Let us see if those seeking a boycott of Terengganu's Chief Minister swearing-in ceremony are going to get any of the same treatment. Plus I think there are calls for those who boycott swearing-in ceremonies should resign and seek re-election. Let us hope that happens.

Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Malaysia

Got this via an email forward and requested to forward to all Malaysians. I figured the most efficient way is to publish it as an open letter to our Prime Minister, maybe also the Chairman of the "Independent" Election Commission:

TO:-

Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi
Pejabat Perdana Menteri,
Blok Utama, Bangunan Perdana Putra,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan,
62502 PUTRAJAYA
No.Fax: 03-88884333

C:C :-

TAN SRI DATO' SERI HJ. AB. RASHID BIN AB. RAHMAN

Chairman Election Commission of Malaysia

Aras 4 & 5, Block C7, Kompleks C,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan
62690 PUTRAJAYA.
Tel : (603)-8885 6500
Fax : (603)-8888 9117

And to all beloved Malaysians,

March 11 -08

Dear Prime Minister,

First of all, I would like to welcome you in to the new era of Malaysians politics. The old money, racial and UMNO Putera politics is no more valid in this country where people choose freedom of rights and a democratic process. Many reasons have caused the big waves of change in your government. Some of the points are as below. I hope this will help you to restructure your government.

1. The peaceful assemblies being disrupted by the police for your own political gain.
2. The use of ISA on innocent Malaysians.
3. The on going corruption.
4. The failure of the judiciary system.
5. The involvement of government officials in the murder of Altantunya.
6. The federal constitution law is violated especially in the freedom of religion under article 11, example in the case of Subashini, Lina Joy, Holy Scriptures and Bibles banned from entering the country, the movie Passion of Christ being banned in Malaysia and the demolishment of holy temples.
7. The one sight media coverage.
8. Discrimination against the Indians.
9. Most of the government project are given to the UMNO Putera`s and fly.
10. The indecent and racial remarks made by your Ministers.
11. The keris issue by Hishamudin
12. No transparency in the accounts administration.
13. And of course much of the noise made by the empty vessel, Khairy.

What did I do? Did I help set up an Islamic state for Malaysia?

Note: What I consider the most important part of this post is at the bottom of the post.

---

The Malaysia twelve General Election 2008 had been an extraordinary election. For decades, the Barisan Nasional (National Coalition) had ruled the country with a very comfortable two-third majority via divide and rule racial politics, gerrymandering, unfair electoral process including what many considered a non-independent (biased) Election Commission, phantom voters, postal voters which are always 90 over percent in favor of the Barisan Nasional, throttling of development funds to opposition states and Constituencies, etc., destruction of the three pillars of democracy (Executive, Parliament and Judiciary), what in other democracies would consider as bribery by using public funds and facilities for the election process, use of money, unfair detention without trial using the hated ISA (Internal Security Act), etc. They were arrogant, deaf and dumb to the public demands for changes. They believed their own propaganda and got complacent. The voters badly wanted change, and near the end of the campaign period, they finally sensed it and got desperate. The supposedly independent Election Commission reversed their decision on the use of indelible ink to help cut down fraud, many people believed because of directives. But it was too late. The people were fed-up and wanted change. For the first time, nearly all the voters did not vote along racial lines. The Barisan Nasional (BN) only managed to win a simple majority but lost 5 states to non-BN parties which form a loose partnership.

Books on Malaysian Politics

However, today I read a newspaper report "PAS certain it can set up Islamic federal government soon". We now only need over 30 parliamentary seats to seize control.” Its vice-president Datuk Husam Musa was reported to have said at a thanksgiving rally that they now only need over 30 parliamentary seats to seize control.

Source:

http://thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=/2008/3/16/election2008/20663036&sec=Election2008

PAS is the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (Parti Islam Se-Malaysia in Malay or Bahasa Malaysia), who had the objective of turning Malaysia into an Islamic state. When Malaya, then Malaysia, was formed, it was never the intention of its founder that Malaysia should become an Islamic state. Now this might be the mainstream media trying to strike fear in the non-Muslim. True of not, I do not know, but it causes me to be anxious.

In the 2004 election, PAS was very strident in its campaigning to set up an Islamic state and implement HUDUD and as a result did not do well. This round, PAS gave more moderate statements and did manage win over a significant non-Muslim votes. What I am afraid of is that this is only temporary, and that things may change may change as they become stronger in the future. They have the right to amend the Constitution to make Malaysia an Islamic state over the objections of the non-Muslims if they manage to gain control of the Parliament with a two-third majority, which may be possible with the cooperation of other parties.

Now Saidul's Malay Women in Malaysia published a post 2008 Malaysian Election: What have we done!? which was in roughly the same vein as this post, but against YB Lim Kit Siang's objections over the appointment of a PAS assemblyman as the Mentri Besar (Chief Minister) of Perak. Saidul published various accusations, among which are (from memory as it had been edited out after my comment which was not approved) DAP is anti-Malay and Islamophobic. I requested for proof and mentioned about Lim Guan Eng ending up in jail after trying to help a Malay girl in Malacca who was abandoned by UMNO, and Ronnie Liu getting his skull cracked by the FRU (Federal Reserve Units) while trying to help some Malay squatters. I requested a definition of Islamophobic so I can judge for myself if DAP plus myself, both of which do not want an Islamic state imposed upon us over our objections, would be considered as Islamophobic. In response, Saidul deleted the above accusations but there were other accusations still in the post. Among them are "DAP has always been accused of playing with sensitive issues regarding Bumi Rights and Islam". He commented that they have a third eye which I do not have.

Now with this development, I just wonder if I can be justified in accusing PAS as extremist and religious zealots, just as he accused DAP of many things. I welcome open discussions without acrimony and am going to comment in this post 2008 Malaysian Election: What have we done!?, leave a comment with a link to this post and invite him to comment.

Most of my comments in that post were not approved, but it is unlikely that his comments, if he chooses to do so, will not be approved as long as it is not seditious, etc. (To make it clear, what I am saying is Saidul and his Muslim NGO friends choose to comment, all comments, as long as they do not cause problems for me, them and Malaysia, will be approved irrespective of my own views. However, I reserve my rights to respond to whatever comments they may, if that happen, leave in my blog)

Rebuttal: Abdullah Badawi was fair

From

http://themalaysianinsider.com/mni/abdullah-the-other-story.html

Abdullah: The other story:
Even at his lowest point, he played fair

"Finally, to all intents and purposes the elections were conducted in a fair and clean manner. The phantom voters that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim"

Hey where do you get your news from? I just participated in a roundtable on Independent candidates, and in preparation, I did some research and had 5 pages detailing the postal votes fraud (to show the Independents the unlevel field that non-Barisan parties including Independents have to play in and why they should cooperate"

Hey themalaysianinsider.com, where do you get your news from? Are you also part of the hated main stream media? Don't you do some research before you publish your story?

Yes, in some ways Abdullah Badawi was fair, but only in a very tiny way. I took part in a roundtable on "Independent Candidates" and did my homework. I had 5 pages of reports on postal votes fraud. This was to show the highly unlevel field the non-BN parties including the Independents had to "play" in, and to try to persuade to work with other non-BN parties in the next general election to cooperate to avoid splitting precious votes. Maybe I will summarize in another post on this postal vote fraud in another post.

I myself have stories to tell after acting as polling and counting agent for the 12th General Election, but want to get the legal implication of the "Akta Kesalahan Pilihan Raya 1954" Borang A (Borang Sumpah Kerahsiaan: we had to sign in order to be allowed into the polling and counting centers.

Fair? Dream on. Hopefully next election if BERSIH and other initiatives succeed to help clean up the hugely biased Malaysian election process.

Malaysia like United States?

Hi all,

Got this via an email forward and don't know if it is copyright. But if this had been circulating, then likely it is public domain. In any case, if you happens to be the copyright owner, all you need to do is to click on the "Click here to contact me" and let me know what you want done - delete, apologize, link your website, but please don't demand compensation because I am too poor to pay you compensation. Even if you spend money, take me to court and win, I will be in trouble but I don't think you will get much money as I don't have much of that important stuff to distribute. Better you just give me the above choice. If you are the one who forwarded me this message, and you have no objection to me copy-pasting it or you know who the copyright owner is, leave a comment or email me.

NOTE: Politicians were mentioned in that "forward" and just want you to know I met a long time schoolmate and wanted to introduce him to Tony Pua Kiam Wee, winner of the recently concluded amazing election of my Constituent and a newbie to politics, he declined. I had a chat with him over the table in the coffee shop and just could not persuade him that not every human on earth are the same. Different people have different values, and our country get blessed when we have honest politicians and God help us if our country get saddled with the wrong values. BTW I have an autographed of an election poster with his photo on it and very proud to be in possession of such a poster.

---

WOW THIS IS SOME AMAZING STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is too true to be funny. The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending
YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.

A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans It's amazing what you can learn w ith some simple division

Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number, what does it mean?

A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.

B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.

C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.Washington , D.C .. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??

Tax his land,Tax his wage,Tax his bed in which he lays.

Tax his tractor,Tax his mule,Teach him taxes is the rule.

Tax his cow,Tax his goat,Tax his pants,Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,Tax his shirts,Tax his work,Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,Tax his drink,Tax him if he tries to think.

Tax his booze,Tax his beers,If he cries,Tax his tears.

Tax his bills,Tax his gas,Tax his notes,Tax his cash.

Tax him good and let him know That after taxes, he has no dough.

If he hollers,Tax him more,Tax him until he's good and sore.

Tax his coffin,Tax his grave,Tax the sod in which he lays.

Put these words upon his tomb, 'Taxes drove me to my doom!'

And when he's gone,We won't relax,We'll still be after the inheritance TAX!!

Accounts Receivable Tax

Building Permit Tax

CDL License Tax

Cigarette Tax

Corporate Income Tax

Dog License Tax

Federal Income Tax

Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)

Fishing License Tax

Food License Tax

Fuel Perm it Tax

Gasoline Tax

Hunting License Tax

Inheritance Tax

Inventory Tax

IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)

IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)

Liquor Tax,

Luxury Tax,

Marriage License Tax,

Medicare Tax,

Property Tax,

Real Estate Tax,

Service charge taxes,

Social Security Tax,

Road Usage Tax (Truckers),

Sales Taxes,

Recreational Vehicle Tax,

School Tax,

State Income Tax,

State Unemployment Tax (SUTA),

Telephone Federal Excise Tax

Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax,

Telephone Federal,

State and Local Surcharge Tax,

Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax,

Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax

Telephone State and Local Tax,

Telephone Usage Charge Tax,

Utility Tax,

Vehicle License Registration Tax,

Vehicle Sales Tax,

Watercraft Registration Tax,

Well Permit Tax,

Workers Compensation Tax.

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.

We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What happened? Can you spell 'politicians!'

And I still have to 'press 1' for English.

I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times

What the heck happened?????

Malaysia's next election very soon? But make sure it is a real clean and fair election.

Let us have a real clean and fair election

Ever since a newspapers reported that all police leave have been frozen, many have been speculating that the next Malaysia's election will be soon. Now even the controversial Election Commission's chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman who recently accepted to have his term extended by a year just after saying he have not (and may not want to stay on) as election chairman after an amendment to the Constitution to extend the retire age from 65 to 66 years of age, was bulldozed through the Parliament, was reported as saying: "When I say the election is around the corner, you better believe me because it is not a joke."

Source:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/beritamalaysia/message/99556

Lourdes Charles and Mazwin Nik Anis on Sunday January 6, 2008 in theStar online have also quoted the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan as saying that the main reason for the freeze was to conduct dry runs for the next general election. He was reported to have said: "We have several reasons for doing so; the main reason being that we need to have dry runs. There are many things that we need to do when the elections are called. We must be prepared."

theStar online has also reported the Election Commission's chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman as having said: "I purposely said that to remind everyone - voters and political parties alike - to be ready as the elections will be held soon. "I just want to be fair to all. Democracy works when participation by political parties is vibrant on the ground. We would like very much to encourage as many parties to participate in the elections as possible, hence the 'warning' so that everybody can be prepared,"

the Election Commission's chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman was reported to have said the reason for his comments was not to show that he has power, but quoted the above (that he wants to be fair to everyone) as the reasons.

He was reported as having said: "When I say the election is around the corner, you better believe me because it is not a joke. It is definitely not a joke. You don't joke about these things."

theStar online had also quoted him as saying: "I purposely said that to remind everyone - voters and political parties alike - to be ready as the elections will be held soon.

"I just want to be fair to all. Democracy works when participation by
political parties is vibrant on the ground. We would like very much to
encourage as many parties to participate in the elections as possible, hence
the 'warning' so that everybody can be prepared," he said.

Source:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/6/nation/19932119&sec=nation&focus=1

Now if only the MSM (main stream mass media - printed newspapers, radio, television stations) is also prepared to be fair to everyone and give equal access to both incumbent ruling coalition as well a opposition parties. Will he MSM do that?

And also if only the election process is fair to all parties, incumbents as well as oppositions as well as to he electorates and Malaysians by not having ruling like "it is not bribery as long as the funds are not disbursed by the candidates". In some recent by-elections, the public agencies poured huge amount of public funds into the infrastrure and others of the 2 constituencies involved in the by-elections. The road paving machines were literally repaving the roads during the nights just before the by-elections.

Do also read about what the current Opposition Leader Yang Berhormat Lim Kit Siang has to say about fair election: Election Commission Chairman Rashid should implement "caretaker govt" concept to ensure free, fair, clean election

YB Lim Kit Siang says he will seek a meeting with the Election Commission's chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman to ask that a caretaker government takes over after the dissolution of the Parliament before the formation of a new government. This is to ensure that incumbents do not make unfair use of their positions in the election process and use public machinery, resources and funds for any electioneering purposes to benefit any political party or candidate.

He is going to ask that any candidate who benefits unfairly from any "unhealthy" and dishonest practices such as campaigning assistance by the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister or Cabinet Minister through the abuse of their government positions or misuse of public funds and resources, should be subject to disqualification.

An example is the above mentioned by-election. Although the government poured huge amount of funds into the two constituencies in the very short period just before the by-election, the Election Commission's chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman had ruled that "it is not bribery as long as the funds are not disbursed by the candidates". But this is not fair election practice as the candidates who won belonged to the the very ruling coalition then which was responsible for the disbursement of huge amount of public funds, and this can be taken as benefiting the winning candidates, by by YB Lim Kit Siang description of how a fair election process should be, the winning candidate should be disqualified as they have benefited by this use of public funds which was then in control of the ruling coalition to which the winning candidates belong.

Come on Malaysia. Let us have a real clean and fair election. This was what BERSIH had been asking for, and it is a fair request. Let us have equal access to the main stream mass media (printed newspapers, radio and televisions) for both the candidates of the ruling coalition and the opposition parties. Let us not have any abuse of public funds and public machineries for electioneering purposes. Disqualify any candidates who may have benefited from such abuses of things belonging to the public.

Wife of Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek will stand by him

Refer to Practice safe sex

Sex DVD featuring Malaysian Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek

Refer to Practice safe sex

Natural Justice or Natural Law: Does it apply in Malaysia?

From Wikipedia: "Natural justice is a legal philosophy used in some jurisdictions in the determination of just, or fair, processes in legal proceedings. The concept is very closely related to the principle of natural law (latin: jus naturale) which has been applied as a philosophical and practical principle in the law in several common law jurisdictions, particularly the UK and Australia.

According to Roman law certain basic legal principles are required by nature, or so obvious that they should be applied universally without needing to be enacted into law by a legislator."

It was reported in theSun that "The court also paved the way for Saravanan to carry on with his other aims, including to seek custody of the two children and conversion of the second child to Islam, when the court set aside the Erinford injunctions obtained by Subashini previously against Saravanan."

What exactly is natural justice or natural law? I am no lawyer, but a mere layman, and to a layman, it is natural that a child be subject to the authorities of both the father and the mother. In other words, a mother, to me, according to Natural Justice or Natural Law, a mother should have a say over the religious upbringing of her child or children until they grew to adulthood able to make decisions on their own.

Thus it would appear to me that it is very unfair that the mother have no say whatsoever over the religious upbringing of her child or children until they are old enough to make decisions on their own behalf. To me, it is also very unfair that children of such tender age should be converted to a religion from which they can have no escape when they reach adulthood. To me, it goes against Natural Justice or Natural Law. But who am I to say such thing. I am a mere layman, not a trained lawyer.

Map to YB Datin Chew Mei Fun's Service Center

Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun is the Parlimentary Secretary to Ministry of Women, Family And Community Development and also the Member of Parliament of PJ Utara (North Petaling Jaya) constituency. Yang Berhormat Datin Chew Mei Fun's Service Center address and phone number are as follows:

No.17A, Jln SS25/41,
Mayang Industrial Park
Kelana Jaya
Petaling Jaya
Malaysia.
(the industrail park beside Football Assocation Selangor, Kelana Jaya)

Telephone: 03-78055282

Rough map (not to scale and position of landmarks a bit inaccurate. Click to enlarge):

Independent Inquiry into VK Lingam tape: Report and outcome

It has been reported that 3 ministers had been tasked with the duty to give legal inputs regarding the reports of the Independent Panel to investigate the VK Lingam tape (click BACK button to get back to this page). They are Home Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim and the de facto Law Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz.

May I be allowed to indulge in a little bit of fortune telling which some of Malaysia's lawyers had been doing - predicting outcome of various cases that goes before some Malaysian judges. May I predict that the de facto Law Minister will come out with a legal opinion - no case because authenticiy not verified and whistle blower did not come forward to testify.

Of course he would not be concerned with the fact that the authenticity of can easily be done by an expert within a very short period of time without knowing who filmed the tape. After all, I don't think he read about CIA experts who can verify if broadcasts of Osama bin Laden without having to trace who filmed the tape used for the broadcast. They can use techniques like voice analysis, etc.

Let us wait and see. However, we don't know if the individual legal opinions will be made known, so I may not be able to tell if I have any chance of becoming a successful fortune teller.

Long March for Justice

The Malaysia Bar Council organised a March for Justice for Wednesday, 26 September from the Palace of Justice to the Prime Minister Department in Putrajaya to petition the Prime Minister for a thorough Investigation of the VK Lingkam tape regarding the fixing of judges and to halt (and reverse?) the rot in the Malaysian Judiciary, the third and very important pillar of democracy. This is the video that triggered the March:



The video showed a person which looked remarkably like a senior lawyer, VK Lingam apparently talking to a judge whom many say is the current Chief Justice, Tan Sri Ahmad Fairuz from the context of the conversation. The person in the video which is said to be taken in 2002 mentioned fixing of judges appointments, award of title. The "coincidences" of the appointments of the judges mentioned plus the fact that Tan Sri Ahmad Fairuz never directly denied he was the judge on the other end of the line, but after days of silence, sent a fax "no comments" to the Bar Council and chose to deny it via his "Minister", (apparently neither of them understand the meaning of separation of power and check and balance) and the rich businessman, Vincent Tan mentioned in the post also did not make any denial, cause one to think that the conversation was genuine. Sometimes, action (or non-action) can speak louder than words.

They chartered 7 buses to take Bar members and I found out from an email from Haris Ibrahim on the night before the planned March that the public can join. I immediately decided I will join the march to lend my support. I started from my house at 7am, took the LRT to Masjid Jamek and walked to Dataran Merdeka. I was the first there. We started off at just after 10am.

There is the first obstacle, a road block preventing the buses from entering Putrajaya:



The leaders negotiated with the police and they allowed us to march (on foot) to Putrajaya, so a short 300 meter march became a long 5 km. plus 300m March for Justice. I don't know if the authorities who ordered the buses to be stopped caused the marchers inconveniences for hardship, but I thank them for this excuse for much needed exercise plus the vital Vitamin D from the sunshine.

Here is a photo of the marchers getting their caps, badges, banners, fans and message "Free the Judiciary" printed on A4 paper to get ready for the unplanned 5 km Long March for Justice:



Here are photos of the banner bearers leading the unplanned Long March for Justice and the procession from head to tail:





I only had on a long sleeve white white plus black pants, but the Bar members (lawyers) had on their heavy black coat. It took us an estimated 1 hour to reach the Palace of Justice where the rest of the marchers were waiting. We received a thunderous round of applause from those who drove in their own cars and their passengers when we arrived at at about 11.30am.

Here is a photo of the 2,000 plus strong marchers in front of the Palace of Justice with the majority of Bar members (in black coats) and supporters in front of the Palace of Justice:



The Chairman of the Bar Council Ambiga Sreenevasan started off with a speech: "Lawyers don't walk everyday. Not even every month. But when they walk, then something must be very wrong," said Chairman of the Bar Council Ambiga Sreenevasan when addressing a strong crowd of more than 2,000 members of the Malaysian Bar and some concerned citizens at the Palace of Justice before the commencement of the walk to the Prime Minister's office to hand over the Bar's memorandum urging the government to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to probe the state of judiciary and memorandum on the establishment of a judicial appointments and promotion commission."

After the speech, the march started off at about 11.45am. Here is a photo of the beginning of the March of Justice to the Prime Minister Department:



There were chants of "Who are we?" and "What do we want?" led by Amer with a loud hailer and these were answered with roars of "Malaysia Bar" and "Justice". The funny one was "We are doing this for the sake of the country" answered with shouts of "correct, correct, correct", mimicking VK Lingam frequent use of the repetitive response in the now infamous VK Lingam video.

There were FRU (Federal Reserve Unit) trucks along the way and here is a photo of some of them with one taking a video of us while I took a photo of them:



There were also plenty of policemen. We were not intimated.

Finally a row of helmeted FRU (Federal Reserve Unit) policemen at the beginning of the staircase to the Prime Minister Department blocked our way to the building when we arrived at about 12.30pm, and we stopped there.

Photo by Haris Ibrahim, Human Rights lawyer

Bar Concil office bearers, Ambiga, Vice-President Raguanth Kesavan, Secretary Lim Chee Wee and Treasurer George Varughese then proceeded on to the Prime Minister's office to hand over two memoranda to the Prime Minister's Principal Secretary. The first memorandum called for a royal commission of inquiry to be set up to examine the claims made in the video clip, as well as the state of the judiciary while the second memorandum urged the establishment of a judicial appointments commission for the appointment and promotion of judges.

The rest stay behind chanting away in support of the four-man delegation. Here are some banners to declare what the Bar Council are demanding for:

Clean up the Judiciary	No to corruption	Stop the patronage, stop the rot

A short while after, the sky started pouring. But even the heavy rain did not dampened the spirit. This is a day the Malaysians should be proud of the Malaysian Bar and their members who marched under the hot sun and endured the searing heat of the blazing sun in their black suits plus pouring rain.

When the office bearers returned, the Chairman of the Bar Council, Ambiga Sreenevasan started off with another speech saying the government have started an investigation and should be supported as a first step, but I shouted "I don't agree. They are only investigating the authencity of the tape". Anyway, after the end of the speech, we dispersed and I want to the waiting buses which surprisingly were allowed in to the nearby car park. At least the authorities have some heart.

We were dropped off at Dataran Merdeka, and a kind 70 year-old man from Sabah kindly shared an umbrella with me and we and Tan Ban Cheng, a Penang lawyer who came all the way to Kuala Lumpur to join the march, went to the corner coffee shop in front of the Malaysia Bar Council and Medan Pasar for a drink. We had a nice long chat about various matters.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong: Hope for Malaysia?

If you only have time to do your duty as a citizen of Malaysia, skip the rest and go straight to the bottom of the post.

As I have said in earlier posts before, I set up this blog for the purpose of helping promote Malaysia, the country in which I was born, of which I am a citizen, and in which I will 99% likely live the rest of my life. This post is not a post I like to publish here, but I as a citizen of Malaysia, is concerned at many developments in my country such as the actions and lack of actions with regard to the Port Klang Free Zone fiasco, the huge burden that the tax payers probably have to bear, the squandering of public funds, the lack of actions or the very light penalties imposed after various wrong doings and scandals have been exposed, etc. Port Klang state assemblyman Datuk Zakaria Md Deros got land meant for the poor alienated to his wife Zizah Ngah for a song and build a mansion (palace) on it without first obtaining planning approval, the withdrawal of 37 charges against Datuk Zakaria Md Deros under the Companies Act 1965 by just payment of a RM1,400 fine to the Companies Commission of Malaysia. Very harsh actions are taken against lesser beings. The law says if you build without planning approval, the building will be demolished. Extensions built by ordinary citizens without first getting planning approval because getting approval takes so long, are demolished without mercy. In Datuk Zakaria Md Deros case, his mansion remained and he was only slapped with a paltry (they say maximum) fine. Clearly a case of unequal treatments for different people under the law in the "most developed state of Malaysia". I think I read somewhere that when informed of the situation, Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo was evasive, saying that he would only comment after reading the report. Anything happened after that? They say "no one is above the law". But maybe they are right in some sense (but I still think many people of influence are protected). Most are subject to the law but different people get treated differently according to who they are or who they know.

More crucial, many lawyers and the Bar Council (Bar president Ambiga Sreenevasan: "We have gone from one crisis to another since the 1988 judicial crisis; it is time to confront fully and completely all the issues that have arisen since then with a view to strengthen the administration of justice.") say that since the former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad interfered with the independence of the judiciary in Malaysia, the previously much respected judiciary independence is now in question. This was recently reinforced by the release of a video showing a prominent lawyer speaking to a person who seem to be a senior judge purportedly fixing judicial appointments. Datuk Seri Anwar who released the video named the lawyer and the senior judge during a press conference and said that a report would be lodged with the government-backed Anti-Corruption Agency. We are now eagerly awaiting the outcome, if any.

Update: Many other things are acted upon without having to be studied thoroughly first, but regarding such a highly crucial issue, statements like we have to see if the video is genuine or not, etc., are made. Anyone said that VK Lingam would be questioned? Any comment on the "coincidences" regarding the dates judges were appointed and the time frame mentioned in the video, plus which judges were appointed? Such a video demand a Full Royal Commission of Inquiry, but the Government turned that down as expected. You can view the video at Malaysia Bar Council website at Video links CJ to 'appointment fixing' scandal You can read the transcript of the video at Transkrip Perbualan Telefon VK Lingam (it is in English. I think Parti Deadilan Rakyat also have one in Bahasa Malaysia.

We can use our vote to try to change things, but with the advantages of incumbency, the monopoly on the mainstream mass media by the ruling coalition while denying access to the oppositions, the selective approval for ceramahs, the removal of the 15% limit bias for the rural constituencies and the redelineation of electoral constituencies making a rural vote worth 10 to 20 times more than that of an urban vote (just a guess but which should not be too far off. Anyone with more accurate estimate please comment, will be highly appreciated), doubts in the independence of the Electoral Commission (the Government poured huge funds to improve infrastructures and others in 2 constituencies involved in recent bye-elections to influence the voters, but the Election Commission ruled that it is not bribery as long as the funds are not disbursed by the candidate) and many other issues that I consider as irregularities, our votes will not likely change things.

There had been many complaints of phantom voters in the electoral roll but Rockybru (Ahirudin bin Attan who suprisingly admitted he never register as a voter before) said he had doubts, but not until he tried to register recently. He found that he was already registered in Perak!!! His address in both his old Identity card as well as the new MyKad is in Puchong. His kampong is in Malacca. So how did he got registered in Perak? If you want to confirm regarding his registration, view a screenshot at Phantom voter?. He said he will go make enquires at SPR (Election Commission of Malaysia) and here are the questions he asked and the answers he obtained:

When was I registered?
1999.
How was I registered?
Someone filled up the form.
How come?
Before July 2002, political parties were allowed to register on behalf of constituents who had not been registered.

Some questions they couldn't answer.
Was it the BN or the Opposition that registered me?
We don't know.
Did I "vote" for the 1999 and the 2003 general elections?
We have no idea.
How did this political party in Taman Rapat Setia register me when I never lived there?
We can't tell.

Malaysia's only hopes is the Monarchy and the conscience of the leaders of the ruling coalition, if they have any. Raja Petra has started an online petition to plea for the Monarchy to use whatever power they have left to help change things. I have signed the petition and hope that you will do so too. You can view and sign the petition at Citizens In Solidarity with Raja Petra and Freedom of Speech !. Raja Petra is of Royal lineage and seem to have very good connections and sources of information. You can read about the latest development at Yes, we are embroiled in a Constitutional Crisis.

I hope you will do your duty as a citizen of Malaysia and sign the petition. The outcome we do not know, but at least we would have done our part.

Pot calling the kettle black: Which politicians are playing up small problems?

Read a report in the Sun today, now my favorite mainstream media newspaper. It featured our Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister with the heading "Politicians playing up small problems, says Najib'. In the report, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was reported as saying politicians (by implications I assume, the opposition) are playing up small problems which then end up as big issues because the various races magnify them.

Negarakuku: expression of frustration of a Chinese educated Malaysian via a rap

by Namewee (Wee Meng Chee). Namewee is only an insignificant Malaysian studying in Taiwan who was used by politicians to draw attention away from other more important issues affecting Malaysia

This is clearly what I would call the pot calling the kettle black. Perhaps not even that because I don't think the kettle (the opposition) are "black". Look at the issue of Namewee (Wee Meng Chee) who made parody calling attention to the real problems that exists in our country by making a Negarakuku rap. The whole government machineries plus the mainstream mass media was used against a small insignificant 24 year old undergraduate in a Taiwanese University which drew calls for him to be recalled for retributions and many politicians screamed for his citizenship to be withdrawn. What crime has he committed? Did he siphoned off huge amount of public funds like what many are suspected of doing but against whom no acton are taken? I suspect this is a ploy to draw public attention away from the much bigger problems like the huge Port Klang Free Zone fiasco, the misuse and mismanagement of public funds plus the lack of action to investigate these scandalous abuse, the Alantuya Shaahriibuu murder case, the Islamic state issue and a whole list of others big issues of public importance.

Worst still, the Speaker of the Parliament who controls the debate and is paid from public fund to facilitate debates on issues of critical importance to Malaysia, seem to be acting in the interest of the ruling coalition. Whenever proposals to discuss issues of great importance, such as the Port Klang Free Zone fiasco, is brought up, the Speaker who is supposed to be impartial, invariable rule the proposal as of no importance or not relevant, and disallow them to be debated. How is Malaysia going to achieve this vision of becoming a developed country with situations like this?

The Islamic state issue is not a small issue because from what I know of a real Islamic state, its citizens are not equal. The people of the Book (Christians, Jews) are dhimmis who have to pay a special tax to the Islamic authorities and have less rights than a Muslim. The Christians who have to pay tithes to the Church (which are not deductable from Income Tax while the Muslim who pay zakat get theirs deducted from Income Tax) will end up paying 3 taxes - the Income Tax (which seem to be squandered), the tithes and the special tax to the Islamic authorities. I don't know about the plight of the non-Muslim who are not people of the Book. I would suppose they would have even less rights than a Muslim. These are real issue which rightly the non-Muslim are concerned about and which they will need to rebut, and yet their right to voice out their complaints are suppressed by the directive that only the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister are allowed to make statements in the mainstream mass media.

So now, who is calling who "black"?

50:44 Malaysia Merdeka Celebration plus a chance to learn how to get hidden or hard to get information

(Note: The information in this post is not complete. I am going down to Pasar Tani now to get the full program so that I can update this post and give you more accurate information)

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Here is your chance to learn ways on how to get hidden or hard to get information. There will be a workshop on that included in the event below, which is organised by Center of Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia:
http://www.cijmalaysia.org/
The event will be from 6-16th September from 11am till 9pm.

50:44 Malaysia Merdeka

There will be 16 days of activities at the Central Market (Pasar Seni) Annexe. The event is called 50:44 Malaysia Merdeka to take into consideration about the sensitivities of the Sabahans and Sarawakians that Malaysia Day is celebrated on 31 August and this is is referred to as the 50th anniversary of Malaysia's independence from colonial rule, when it is actually Malaya's independence anniversary and not the day of formation of Malaysia, which was September 16, 1963.
To get to the Central Market is very easy. Just take the Putra LRT (Light Rail Transit) and get off at Pasar Tani (the stop will be announced before the arrival at the station).

Come, bring family and friends. Visit www.50-44.org for more information about what's happening Sunday, and for the rest of the week from 6-16th September from 11am till 9pm.

Firefly (Gallery A)

A quick basic workshop on how you can shed a light on the hidden or hard to get information that might change the way you make decision. (Contact Sonia soniarandhawa1@ yahoo.com. my for info.)

Day: Sunday 8 September 2007, 11am - 1 pm.

BANned (Gallery A and B)
11am-1pm

Banned

Be entertained by esteemed drama students from around Klang Valley with their short plays on the theme of Banned. (Free entry and seating! Contact Anne rssiva@pc.jaring. my for info)

Location: Pasar Tani Annex Gallery A and B
Time: Sunday 9 September, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm and 5pm.

What does KL mean to you?

What does KL mean to you? I asked the musically inclined folks "they sing me pictures of identities". Catch this experimental documentary premiere screening here!! (Free entry and seating! Contact Effa effa.desa@gmail. com for info)

Time: Sunday 8 September, 8pm.

Enviroment

Monday 9 September, 7 - 10pm.

Freedom of Information Act (FOI) for Malaysia

What is a Freedom of Information Act?

According to Wikipedia, such laws define a legal process by which government information is available to the public. A basic principle behind most freedom of information legislation is that the burden of proof falls on the body asked for information, not the person asking for it. The requester does not usually have to give an explanation for their request, but if the information is not disclosed a valid reason has to be given.

How many countries have a Freedom of Information Act?

, Again, according to Wikipedia, were seventy countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of information legislation. Many more countries are working towards introducing such laws.

Should Malaysia have a Freedom of Information Act?

The information in this section is taken from a pamphlet entitled "No More Secrets. Freedom of Information (FOI) Campaign) I obtained in a gathering Bangsa Malaysia Merdeka Get-together (click BACK button to get back to this page) I attended just hours ago at the newly opened Blogger House about which I will write more about tomorrow. Here is what the pamphlet says:

Do you know what you are breathing? What is in your water? What's really in your food and drinks? Who are getting the scholarships?

The Government, the companies making and testing products like your food, or providing you with water supply? Don't you think you should know what they're doing?

Malaysia National Coalition for a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act

Let us introduce ourselves. We are the National Coalition for a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, formed in early 2005 following from a two-day conference on FOI legislation for Malaysia and the formulation of a statement of principles endorsed by over 32 organisations. We are a loose network of civil society organisations -ranging from human right's groups to environmental organisations to women's NGO's - coming together to campaign for a legislation that allows access to information, pave the way for an end to secrecy law in Malaysia.

We think the (Malaysian) Government has too secrets. We aren't allowed to know how they spend our money, yet our taxes an petrol prices go up to subsidise them. We aren't allowed to know why our water companies are being sold, yet our taps run dry and our water stinks. We aren't allowed to know about contracts, bridges, or hospitals, yet we're expected to pay for them, even as the roads are falling apart, as the bridges are not built and the hospitals are likely to make you more sick rather than get better.

Isn't it time we had some access to some of these "secrets"?

What can you do to help?

Hold a talk on No More Secrets. Call together some friends and have a teh-tarik (boiling hot tea made cooler by repetitively pouring from a container held high into another container held lower) sessions. Contact us, the FOI coalition, through the website given below.

1. Sign the petition. Visit the Info Cafe to sign the petition. The website is given below.


2. Whether you are a lawyer, doctor, accountant, salesperson, clerk or home-maker, contact us. We need you and there are many things you can do to help us.


3. Talk to local government and get them to adopt some of the ten principles in their dealings.


4. Write letters to people you know who are doing a bad job, and ask them for information. Show up their answers (or lack of answers) on the Info Cafe website, or write to the newspapers and tell them.


5. Come up with your own ideas, and we'll try and help you make them real.

I want to know more....

That is what this is about! For more on the FOI campaign, pop into Info Cafe for debates, articles, opinions and experiences.

You can also contact us at

Center for Independent Jornalism
29-C, Jalan Sarikei
off Jalan Pahang
53000 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia.
(behind Tawakal Hospital)

Tel: 603-4023 0772
Fax: 603-4023 0769
Email: infocafe.cij@gmail.com

So, We're saying that....

Maximum disclosure

We would like to be told important details relating to our society. Government information should be public information. We want to have access to all information, unless there is a good reason to keep it from us. That is principle one, the principle of maximum disclosure.

Routine Publications

We want to know when we want to know, not when the Government wants to tell us. Facts about water quality, minutes of meetings, criteria fo appointing local councillors, these should always be made available. It's principle two, the principle of routine publication.

Independent Administrative Oversight Body

The Government (or any self-appointed censors) don't get to day what we want to know. Somebody who's not going to benefit from the failures or corruptions in Government should decide. This is principle 3, the principle of setting up an independent, administrative oversight body.

Open Government

Rather than hiding their mistakes, the Government should be open about their mistakes and learn from them because each mistakes costs the public dearly. There should be a move towards making as few mistakes as possibles. Principle four, the principle of open government.

Exceptions

Some things can be kept secret. This isn't about stopping the police from catching criminals, or betraying military secrets. But there should be good, tight reasons for having secrets. It should be about protecting us, not protecting corruption. Hence principle five, the principle of exception.

Keeping costs Low and processes simple

We shouldn't have to pay. This information is important for all of us to contribute to society. Costs should be kept low. We shouldn't have to spend three days filling in ten forms to find what is in the air we breathe in. See principle six, the principle of keeping costs low, processes simple.

Open meetings

We should be able to see what the government is up to. When the local government is changing plans, we want to be there. When a new factory is being approved, we want to be there. When a hill is being destroyed to build more houses, we want to be there. Meeting, whether about education or advertising billboards, should be open because these are decisions that affect us. This leads us to principle seven, the principle of open meetings.

Reviewing other legislation

There is a need to ensure that the implementation of the FOI legislation will not be impeded by existing laws. Thus principle eight. the principle of reviewing other legislations.

Protectin whistleblowers

If you expose corruption, you should be rewarded, not punished. Principle nine, the principle of protecting whistleblowers.

Reviewed regularly

Periodically check to see if the FOI legislation is still working. What's good tody might be not so good tomorrow. Think principle ten, the principle requiring the FOI law to be reviewed regularly.

Yes, but... what about privacy, you ask?

This falls under the principle of exception as mentioned above. If it is about my body, my health, any personal information about me, sorry, but you wouldn't get near them, even if the information is in the hands of the Government.

Our country's security?

Again, this falls under the principle of exceptions. When unsure if something should be kept 'secret' by the Government, use the 3-stage test. For examples

1. Is the information about our national security?


2. Does releasing the information harm the national security?


3. Is there an overriding public interest for the information to be made available?

Even if the answer to the first two questions is YES, then the information should be withheld. However, and affirmative to the third question means we have a right to the information, even if it harms our national security in the short-term.