Got this email from Malaysia’s hard-hitting journalist and playwright Kee Thuan Chye:

“I hope you can mention in your blog that my book, “March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up”, is now in bookstores.

“I think it will be in the interest of multi-racialism, justice, fairness and a better Malaysia.”

These quotes from the book’s promotion will catch everyone’s attention:”

Quotes

“If the system is flawed, I believe it should be reformed, not blindly tolerated or accepted with a helpless shrug or defended with excuses—by the powers that be, the media, the man in the street.”

- Kee Thuan Chye

Do you think Penang people are stupid enough to support (Guan Eng)? We Penangites are not stupid.

- Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, said before March 8

An army can come but I know how to fight it out….The people in Sungai Siput are with me. They are my strength. I have strived for them and served them.

- MIC President S. Samy Vellu, said before March 8

The Barisan is peaking now. We let [DAP] shoot and finish their bullets. Now we’re the ones with the bullets and we’re chipping away at their arguments.

- Former Gerakan President Dr Lim Keng Yaik, March 7, The Star

Get a copy. More from the promotion material:

ABOUT THE BOOK

The day of the underdogs, the real Merdeka, a political tsunami, the perfect storm — by any name, March 8, 2008, will go down in history as a turning point in Malaysian politics. With their votes, Malaysians dealt a blow to the Barisan Nasional government that had held almost absolute power for 50 years. Denying it the all-important two-thirds majority in Parliament and the control of five states has certainly made the political scenario more vibrant.

Although surprised that there was such power in the vote they cast, Malaysians woke up to the true meaning and practice of democracy. They now face the present reasonably free from fear, free from the spectre of May 13.

This book is about that historic day and the change that came with it — an expression of hope for a brighter future, with many Malaysian voices speaking their thoughts frankly. There are also eyewitness accounts, interviews with key people, and articles never published before, written by fledgling and established writers.

Includes exclusive hard-hitting interviews with:

· Raja Petra Kamarudin,

· Zaid Ibrahim,

· Lim Guan Eng,

· Dr Lim Teck Ghee and

· Dr S. Subramaniam.

HIGHLIGHTS

– “How Big Are Your Balls?”, an interview with Raja Petra Kamarudin

– “The Racial Bias of Utusan Malaysia”, a report by Yip Wai Fong, Centre of Independent Journalism

– “One Hundred-Odd Days After March 8″, a comprehensive record of events

– “Enough of the NEP”, an interview with Dr Lim Teck Ghee

– “Just Call Me Guan Eng”, an interview with Lim Guan Eng