The news of the sudden death of Deputy Education Minister Datuk Razali Ismail just now is most shocking and I would like to convey to his family my deepest condolences for the loss of a sober-minded and even-handed Malaysian.

Razali had always impressed me with his rationality as he is a rare Umno MP who is not only well-read and very passionate about education and life-long learning but would have no truck with ultra sentiments and unparliamentary antics and outbursts.

There is going to be a major by-election with the vacancy arising from the death of Razali.

DAP will go all out to work for Mat Sabu’s return to Parliament, as the PAS National Vice President lost narrowly to Razali in the 2008 general election in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary constituency by a razor-edge 628 votes.

Razali secured 32,562 votes, Sabu 31,934 votes while independent candidate Maimun Yusuf polled 685 votes.

(Speech2 at the DAP Penang 13,000-People Victory Dinner at Han Chiang School on Friday, 28th November 2008)

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I find the complacent attitude of the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan in his speech in Penang yesterday claiming that “Malaysia is still a safe place”, coming on the heels of the recent remark by the Deputy Home Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung that the worsening crime in the country was a “misperception” of the people, most irresponsible, deplorable and unacceptable.

It makes a mockery of the Police Royal Commission set up five years ago by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to create an efficient, incorruptible, professional world-class police service to keep crime low.

I have just returned from Xiamen where “a safe city” was one of its best-selling assets. During my first night in Xiamen, I was struck by the confident assurance given by the local guide that visitors can go about the town at night as it is very safe from crime.

This selling point was again highlighted in my short visit to Gulang Islet, the scenic and alluring tourist isle with a small population of over 10,000 people but which attracts more than four million tourists a year. Visitors were assured that crime against tourists was virtually unheard-of on the island!

My disgust at the IGP’s complacent and irresponsible attitude about galloping crime in the country is all the more pronounced after my visit to Xiamen and Gulangyi. MORE…

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Pakatan Rakyat MPs will have to decide whether to collectively move a motion of censure against the Chair if Opposition MPs are constantly subject to trigger-happy suspensions from the House while recalcitrant and renegade Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs are allowed with impunity to disgrace Parliament with gutter, racist and sexist language, again and again, with ever-increasing offence.

The kid-glove treatment of the obstreperous and obnoxious BN MP for Pasir Salak, Datuk Tajudin Rahman on Wednesday, when he scored a disgraceful and dishonourable hatrick of hurling the racist remark of “keling” against DAP MP for Ipoh Barat, M. Kulasegaran, the gutter language of “boil” (dumb) against PKR MP for Gombak, Azmin Ali and the revolting sexist innuendo (see video above) during the debate on DAP Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching’s motion to cut the Education Minister’s salary by RM10 for failing to meet his promises on Chinese and Tamil primary schools, qualifies as the “black mark” of all “black marks” of Parliament.

Tajudin’s disgraceful “hatrick” is all the more outrageous and unforgivable after his November 5 “blot” in using the completely unacceptable and unparliamentary language of “bastard” and “bloody bastard” which he got away with utter impunity – not having to tender any apology or suffer any penalty.
MORE…

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By Farish A. Noor

Since I became an activist at the age of nineteen, I have spent more than two decades of my life defending Muslims and the image of Islam. During my twenty-two years of living in Europe, I must have attended hundreds of conferences, seminars, public debates and lectures where I tried my best to dissuade people from the negative image of Islam that is so prevalent in the international media of late.

But there were moments when it seemed as if this was an uphill struggle where every battle won was soon followed by a string of defeats, thanks to the actions of Muslims who took it upon themselves to ‘defend Islam’ on their own parochial and short-sighted terms; and whose actions and words did untold damage to the image of Muslims. I recall one particularly bitter episode when I was asked to speak about the universalism of Islam – that took place just when the Taliban were occupied with the task of blowing up the Buddha statues of Bamiyan in Afghanistan. It seemed pointless to continue then, and despair has been my lot for the past few years.

Now I find myself again in such a situation, after it was announced that the Fatwa Council of Malaysia has just issued a fatwa declaring that the practice of Yoga is haram and thus forbidden to Muslims. Overnight I was bombarded by emails and sms-es from my Islamist friends in Indonesia where I teach at two Islamic universities, who asked: “What is wrong with you Malaysian Muslims, and haven’t you got anything better to do?” How do I reply to such a question when I am forced to ask it myself? MORE…

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What struck me most in my first night of visit to Xiamen, Fujian is the confident assurance given by the local guide that visitors can go about the town at night as it is very safe from crime.

When can we say the same to tourists in Malaysia?

Dare we tell the same thing to visitors in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru, Penang or even in the main towns in the country?

Unfortunately, there is no sense of shame or failure whether among the Home Minister, the Deputy Minister or the Inspector-General of Police at the galloping crime index in the country in the past five years of Abdullah premiership that it is even being criticised by former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad when Abdullah had started his administration trying to demonstrate the big difference with his predecessor by establishing a Royal Police Commission to create an efficient, incorruptible, professional and world-class police service to keep crime low. MORE…

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BY R

While I agree with Benjamin in general, I have some points to add:

Quote from Benjamin:

“Therefore, to change the fate of our nation is to change the mentality of the Malays. This is the ONLY solution!”

I think this is off course, because out there, there would be Malays (like an independant MP and some Bukit Bendera UMNO members) who would talk about resolving the problem by changing the mentality of the Chinese and Indians. Some of these articles talk about assimilation, for example.

This problem could only be resolved by dissolving ethno-centrism and moving towards a true “Malaysian Malaysia”, not a “Malay, Chinese and Indian Malaysia”. The change has to be in the mindsets of every Malaysian, regardless of race or religion.

For e.g. every Malaysian of any background should care about the condition of every other Malaysian who is poor and in true need of help, in order to compete in a level playing ground. This way, those who are disadvantaged, will not try to isolate themselves into a group that is fighting for their own rights, and caring for no one else, or worse, pretending to care for others in front of the camera. This doesn’t just apply to races, but also any disadvantaged group e.g. the disabled, single parents etc. MORE…

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BY Eddy

Dear Benjamin,

Thank you for forwarding this email of yours.

Although there is no doubt that my sympathies lie with the DAP. I need to clarify that I am not, and was never a member of any political party. I did once toy with the idea of signing up, but that was about as far as my political ambitions went. Nevertheless, I never stopped admiring Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang and his son, Guan Eng given their courage, honesty, selflessness, sacrifice and tenacity

The arguments contained in your email are persuasive and interesting. To be fair to DAP though, I think the party has already embarked on the very path that you are advocating. After all these years, I believe they are quite aware of the political landscape.

With the benefit of hindsight, I think Kit Siang - more idealistic than politically savvy at that time - overstretched himself in wooing the Malay votes. He paid a high price and almost led his party to the wilderness after attempting to forge a united front with PAS during the 1999 general election. Ideologically, the two parties were much too far apart. The unholy alliance merely served to rouse the fear and distrust of DAP traditional supporters. Besides, floating Chinese voters throughout the country deserted DAP in droves during the subsequent election, and the party was badly trounced.

From my personal observation of the recent general election, I think the DAP have finally got it right this time. The party stalwarts made a very wise (and strategically correct) move in throwing its full support behind Anwar Ibrahim’s Keadilan. Despite their bad experience with PAS, they still managed to convince members to once again put away personal and party’s interests to form a united opposition front with Keadilan and PAS. To achieve that, I believe the DAP made significant electoral concessions (far more than PAS was prepared to give in return). I would therefore be surprised if anyone would accuse DAP for lack of trying. MORE…

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By Mr. Loi Bih Siang Benjamin
Political Scientist

The majority of the Malays support UMNO; and UMNO has plundered and mis-managed the wealth of this country with impunity. Therefore, to change the fate of our nation is to change the mentality of the Malays. This is the ONLY solution!

Without doubt, DAP has struggled and fought fearlessly and tirelessly over the past 4 decades aspiring to build a democratic and progressive Malaysia regardless of race and religion. However, I can only conclude that over the past 4 decades, DAP has completely failed to fight against the UMNO hegemony in the country.

DAP had never prepared itself to be the alternative of BN until 08 March 2008. And we have to acknowledge that DAP had been dragged and manipulated by UMNO to become or at least seen to become a Chinese-Chauvinist political party. The fact is that without PAS or Anwar Ibrahim, DAP will NEVER be able to engage the Malay electorate. The leadership of DAP has long been luxuriating in being recognized as the ‘Chinese Hero’ or ‘Non-Muslims’Rights Defender’.

Since DAP’s inception in 1966, the Party has failed to recognize the basic and simple fact that it is the Malays who decide the sort of leaders they want and they have voted UMNO in for 12 consecutive General Elections. MORE…

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Irene Fernandez has finally triumphed and been vindicated after a 13-year ordeal with the Sword of Damocles of a disenfranchising prison sentence hanging over her head for doing her duty to uphold truth and justice – the publication of the memorandum “Abuse, Torture and Dehumanised Conditions of Migrant Workers in Detention Centres” in 1995.

I had highlighted Irene’s expose of the torture, ill-treatment and deaths in the immigrant detention centres.

Instead of thanking her for revealing the truth of the shocking conditions in the detention centres, Irene was arrested and prosecuted under Section 8A (1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 for publishing “false news”.

Irene’s acquittal is not the result of any change of heart or reformist impulse in the system of justice, whether involving the Attorney-General’s Chambers or the judiciary, but because of sheer incompetence and ineptitude in the system of justice after a grave miscarriage of justice in the charging of Irene 13 years ago. MORE…

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