oneworldtalk Forum Index oneworldtalk
discussion of world issues - politics, economics, social; and have fun with food, travel and the arts
 
 HomeHome   FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups    CalendarCalendar    RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Welcome
Welcome to oneworldtalk.

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest. This means that you have limited access to our site. By registering as a member, you will be able to post topics, perform searches, communicate privately with other members, participate in polls, upload information and enjoy many other special features. Registration is fast, simple, and absolutely free. So please do not hesitate, join our community today!

Our regular writers are featured on Ezine!

As Featured On Ezine Articles



Malaysia going to the Dogs?

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    oneworldtalk Forum Index -> Southeast Asia
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Kebau



Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 415
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 5:31 pm    Post subject: Malaysia going to the Dogs? Reply with quote

It is time some Malaysian folks are waking up to the follies occurring in Malaysia. Below is a reprint to read for those Malaysians who care much to reflect on the state of Malaysian affairs.

Our Malaysia, Our Folly

Quote:
It is high time that we face up to the fact that Malaysians are paying the price for their folly, and more distressingly, their vanity.

We were fools for believing in political rhetoric that left us divided, distrustful and wholly vulnerable to exploitation. We were having allowed our vanity to persuade us to that cause. As we clamoured and argued amongst ourselves about not very much to begin with, the Government we should have all been watching like hawks - for which government is it that has been capable of refraining from giving in to temptation - was on a frolic all of its own.

I drove into Putrajaya this morning. Once again, I was reminded of the colossal waste of money that Putrajaya was and continues to be. Leave aside the fact that most of us go to Putrajaya not because we want to but because we have no choice. Consider instead how much it cost us. Some speculated, almost reverentially, that it had cost some RM4 billion, a fearful sum beyond imagination. Some said it was far less, others insisted it was far more. Last month, under pressure from a more sizeable opposition presence in Parliament the Prime Minister disclosed that it had cost the nation to date a staggering RM11.83 billion

The Malaysian experience does not allow for any justification for that sort of expenditure. Rural and urban poverty is still a reality just as not having meaningful access to electricity and water is in some parts of the country. Those of us lucky to have access to these utilities are obliged to pay dearly for the privilege, just as we do for a range of other services. Our public healthcare and education systems need a major overhaul to get them to even acceptable levels and so on and so forth. The average Malaysian spends a great deal of time worrying about the fact that there is not very much left over at the end of the month and what that means.

The potential real development and essentials, from schools to dialysis machines to vaccines, that RM12 billion could buy is mind-boggling and the Government spent it all on Putrajaya. Did we need it? I do not think so but then, judging by the pontificating we have been hearing as of late, it would appear that the Government considers an ivory tower a prerequisite to it being able to function.

We are not without blame. We were stakeholders in the Government we voted in, it is what we allowed it to become. We let ourselves be seduced by its pied-piper tune of race and religion, privilege, supremacy and power sharing, stability and prosperity. We clapped our hands gleefully as it stroked our collective ego, some would say lobotomized us, with Malaysia Boleh.

Worlds best, truly Asia, everyone loves us. We are Malaysian.

We cheered as we were told that we were sending a Malaysian into space, even though it was costing a us a great deal of money, directly and indirectly - there were submarines in the mix, after all - and even though we really did not need a man in space, particularly one who was interested in making teh tarik and playing congkak. (By the way, the results of the "scientific experiments" have yet to be disclosed by the "cosmonaut". Perhaps, he could not perform the experiments and were too embarrassed to disclose! The Minister in charge, Jargis Jamaluddin, was recently dropped from Cabinet and was not available to disclose the findings, if any. Tidak boleh!)

We cheered as the petro-ringgits were spent as if they were going out fashion on the trinkets for us, and the big ticket items for a small elite. We cheered as we were told, over and over again, that we were the finest at this and the greatest at that, even as standards across the board were declining rapidly. University ratings, corruption and rule of law indexes, we slid down all of them without discrimination. Did we care? Apparently not, like that Emperor with his new clothes we were more interested in the lies.

The reality is that the Government does not have an explanation for the use of the billions of ringgit of oil revenue that has been generated since 1974. Though some of it has been ploughed back into the nation, a great deal of it has been applied without thought to the future or has been allowed to dissipate through unaddressed corruption, cronyism and sheer incompetence in an orgy of reckless and unnecessary spending. As the Malays say, bagai kera dapatkan bunga.

The question is what do we do about it now that rocketing crude oil prices have allowed us to see how mismanaged this nation has been, still is.

The veil has been lifted. As we stare out at the approaching storm clouds, we must be resolute, firm in our understanding and belief that inflation and hardship do not recognize race and religion, they cut into all of us. And we must recognize that it only as a united force, as Malaysians, that we can do what it is that needs to be done. Demanding our just dues.


Posted by Malik Imtiaz Sarwar
Wed, June 11, 2008

http://malikimtiaz.blogspot.com/2008/06/our-malaysia-our-folly.html
Back to top
Kebau



Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 415
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 5:46 pm    Post subject: Tempering with the Judiciary System Reply with quote

Previously, all Prime Ministers of Malaysia were educated in the common law in Britain, and had held the Judiciary system in high regard. When you have non-lawyers running the country as in the case of Mahathir (an ordinary MD) and Abdullah Badawi (a religious teacher), then the judiciary system can indeed be compromised. Corruption and tempering with the law to ensure the political power to be. These are common affairs that happen in Zimbabwe and other corrupt African nations but sad to say, also happen in Malaysia.

The stunning statement made by High Court judge Datuk Ian Chin of Sabah that judges were pressured into making pro-government decisions at a conference in April, 1997. Chin, 60, who is the most senior of the 48 High Court judges in the country, had on Monday (June 9) made startling allegations against former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad before the start of proceedings on an election petition. Chin made the disclosure in anticipation of a motion for his recusal.

Quote:
Among other things, he said Mahathir had:

> gone to a judges conference "to issue a thinly veiled threat to remove
judges by referring to the tribunal that was set up before".

> expressed unhappiness over Chin's decision on a libel suit and an election
petition, and expressed the view that people should pay heavily for libel.

> had promoted a judge to the Federal Court because he approved of his
suggestion of RM1 million as damages for libel.

Chin also said he was sent to a "boot camp" with selected judges and judicial officers in "an attempt to indoctrinate those attending to hold the view that the government's interest" was "more important than all else when we are considering our judgments". He accused the then president of the Court of Appeal as the one who made the "devilish notion"...
.........
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is not keen to have an investigation, enquiry or commission to probe the latest allegation that judges were pressured into making pro-government decisions, failing which they were threatened with dismissal.

"I can't say that I am surprised (with the latest allegation) as there have been such stories in the past.

"You don't tell judges what to do. That is very important. If you tell them what to do, then there is no more respect for the judiciary and then the decision of the judges will be questioned. If you allow that, the powerful will always have their justice but the ordinary people will not. Therefore, we have to view this very seriously," he said.


"The question now is, how do we remedy the situation? It is just another piece of regrettable information and we have to move on from here.

"Another investigation, enquiry or commission will not reveal anything more than we already know...we need to look at ensuring that such incidents do not recur in the future," he told a press conference at his office here today.

He said the government now was more interested in setting up the Judiciary Appointment Commission and reinstating Article 121 of the Federal Constitution, which was removed in 1988.

Article 121 stipulates that the judicial powers were vested in the High Court, which Zaid said was a very significant principle.


http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=23073

http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/legal/generalnews/zaidnotkeenon
Back to top
Kebau



Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 415
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 2:16 pm    Post subject: Anwar Ibrahim seeks refuge in Turkish Embassy for safety Reply with quote

A mole planted by UMNO has accused Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy. Subsequent death threats and police investigations have made Anwar to decide to seek refuge in the Turkish Embassy. He has decided that UMNO has resorted to dirty tricks in order to prevent him from toppling the government. The accuser has been associated with the Deputy Prime Minister's office and whose office members have also been accused of murdering a Mongolian beauty with a military supplied explosive C4.

For more details, check link below:

http://oneworldtalk.freeforums.org/malaysian-pm-in-waiting-seeks-refuge-in-turkish-embassy-t1341.html#4315
Back to top
Kebau



Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 415
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 3:53 pm    Post subject: Malaysians who care about the future of the country Reply with quote

Malaysians taking to the streets to show their discontent with rising inflation from the recent fuel price hike. Check this link.

http://themalaysianinsider.com/images/stories/2008_may3/1306protest06.jpg

So what's in store for the country...a gloomy outlook!

A reprint of an analysis below which I thought is worth some reading.

ANALYSIS - These are confusing and uncertain days

JUNE 30 - Messy. Uncertain. Gloomy. Pessimistic. This is the Malaysia of today - more than three months after euphoria swept through the country following the Election 2008 and the air was pregnant with talk of reform, change and a maturing democracy.

Now it seems that a controversy or crisis greets every new day. Headlines are dominated by calls for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down; infighting among Pakatan Rakyat partners; gut-wrenching inflation; economic slowdown; an Umno state assemblywomen making racist remarks about Indians; a former prime minister speaking the language of a Malay nationalist; a ruling party in denial; a Barisan Nasional component party seeking the ouster of the PM through a no-confidence motion; Malays growing increasingly spooked by moves by non-Malays and non-governmental organisations to put the out of bound markers on sensitive issues; the flip-flops of the Abdullah administration; the near paralysis of MIC and Gerakan...

And now this - an allegation by Saiful Bukhari Azlan that he was sodomised by Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"For a businessman like me, the change in administration (from BN-led to Opposition-led in the state) has had good and bad effects, but, the political scene now is really messing things up," says Salahuddin Ismail, 36, an agro entrepreneur.

Although his business is not government linked, he has felt the changes. This only underlines the fact that business, however unrelated to politics, is indeed affected. "As it is, a quarter of my profits is gone. I don't know what will happen later."

A survey done in recent days by a non-government organisation detects a dark mood in the country. There is great distrust of the BN government and main political players. Not one political leader in Malaysia today commands comfortable support in the country. Not Abdullah. Not Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Not Anwar. Not even the man who ruled the country for 22 years, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Abdullah's approval rating is strong among Malays but abysmal among Chinese and Indians who think that despite all the fine words of reform that flow from his mouth, he does not have the political will to walk the talk. They also believe that it was during his watch that their rights were eroded the most.

Umno also concluded during the recent supreme council retreat that the waving of the keris by Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein, the temple demolition in Selangor and the incendiary language by speakers during the Umno assembly in 2006 were the main reasons why Chinese and Indians supported the Opposition in Election 2008.

In contrast, Indians and Chinese have greater faith in Anwar than the Malays. They like his inclusive message of Malaysia for all and believe that he has the charisma and vision to put the country on a new trajectory of growth and unity.

Not so older Malays, it seems. They wonder whether Anwar's agenda of a new Malaysia will come at the expense of Malay political power and special privileges. So quite clearly if Anwar wants to come to power and stay in power, he will have to downplay his vision of equality for all under the Malaysian sun.

"There is an unhealthy trend breeding in the political environment now because people want, in an act of desperation, to capture stronger support for themselves. Some of them actually resort to the use of dangerous allegations, and even accusations, " says political analyst Khoo Kay Peng.

"The two recent cases are very important. Definitely the allegation against Najib's wife, Rosmah; and secondly, the current sodomy allegation against Anwar Ibrahim. These allegations put the country at very high risk...great risk of losing not only credibility but it could as well descend into...disunity, social anarchy, as my friend says.

"We will have to be very careful about that because the two are very good examples of what people think of as political manoeuvres. And public perception has been formed so precisely that no one party has the majority support of the people. It has never happened before in Malaysia...that support has been so splintered, so fractured."

The survey also suggests that Malaysians are a pessimistic lot. They are concerned about the direction the country is heading, the state of the economy, the ability of the government to protect the interest and rights of all Malaysians.

This sentiment is not surprising given the sense of drift in Malaysia. Despite his good intentions, Abdullah is still in fire-fighting mode. There is little sense that his administration has a well-conceived plan to tackle the economic and social challenges that Malaysia is facing. Tabling the mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan and allocating RM30 billion extra has done little to perk up the sentiment of the business community.

There is also little belief on the ground that he will not be in the hot seat long enough for judicial reforms and other changes to be implemented.

He will be replaced by Najib but the consensus is that the deputy prime minister has no appetite for reform and will have to devote a considerable time fighting off allegations by the Opposition.

Troubling for those caught up in the euphoria of the promise of a new Malaysia after March 8 is the realisation that race is still a major factor in Malaysia. This fact was driven home sharply when Sungai Rapat state assemblywoman (a Malay) Hamidah Osman asked State assembly Speaker V Sivakumar if he agreed or disagreed with the fable on whether an Indian or snake should be killed first.

This fact was also driven home when Umno Youth protested when the Public Services Department increased the number of scholarships given to non-Malay students.

Datuk A. Vaithilingam, president of the Hindu Sangam says, "She (Hamidah Osman) must have been out of her mind at that period. Anyone, not just a politician, must be careful when making such remarks about a race, not necessarily Indian, any race. She has apologised but it is very difficult to understand why she made such an outburst.

"As for the Umno Youth protest ... I don't think these people should protest at this time because they are not being deprived themselves, you see. But it doesn't mean that just because a few people protest that everyone is thinking the same way. Just because some people protest, in my opinion, it doesn't mean the entire community is protesting."

Supporters of the new Malaysia say that the messiness is to be expected, it is part of the transformation of the country from a dictatorial- style of government to a democracy. They also argue that there is more accountability now and that change, though unseen, is taking place in Malaysian society. The public no longer is cowed by authority or willing to put up with the excesses of the past.

The painful process of learning to walk again, and to do it right, is necessary. In a few years' time, Malaysia will be a thriving democracy with strong institutions, they predict.

"I think all this seeming chaos is a result of the open-ness we are all experiencing after March 8. A lot more issues are coming to the surface now and people are airing their views a lot more freely. Just because we disagree with each other does not mean we want to destroy each other. This is democracy in action," said ceramic artist Mumthaz S.

That's a comforting perspective but today Malaysia looks like a mess. The Anwar episode just adds a layer of sordidness to this depressing picture.

http://themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/home/42-lead-stories/1240
Back to top
TT Ruby



Joined: 24 Mar 2007
Posts: 306
Location: Natural Habitat

PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:59 pm    Post subject: Hackers - who's behind this? Reply with quote

We can probably guess why and who's behind this?

www.Malaysia-today.net has been hacked!
Back to top
Kebau



Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 415
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 3:19 pm    Post subject: Police mistakes in dealing with Anwar! What's next? Reply with quote

In Boleh land where the Prime Minister is asking Anwar for fresh DNA sample because the old samples are old speaks volume of the type of administration run by incompetent people. Dinosaur samples are still good for analysis after millions of years even high school science students know that. The PM maybe was interested in Anwar's semen not blood samples so that the semen could be planted on the accuser.

Fumbles by the men in blue

ANALYSIS

Quote:
KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 - One of the early decisions the Abdullah administration made when fresh sodomy allegations surfaced against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last month revolved around the need to win the perception battle.

Many of those in the government today were around in 1998 - when Anwar faced similar charges - and they argued against the pitfalls of using the sledgehammer approach against the former deputy prime minister favoured 10 years ago. Then, every politician from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad downwards commented freely on the police investigation, feeding the perception that the sodomy case against Anwar was nothing more than a conspiracy to end his political life.

His detention under the Internal Security Act, his assault at the hands of the then Inspector-General of Police and the saturation coverage which pronounced him guilty even before he stepped into the dock combined to give the administration and country a black eye.

So, government officials were determined to do it differently in 2008. It was decided that only Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar be allowed to comment on the case - and even then sparingly. Senior editors of the mainstream media were told to go easy and wait for official announcements, and refrain from a trial in the media.

Internally, it was also decided that every attempt would be made to answer each allegation from Anwar and his supporters as speedily as possible, and that would be the job of the lead agency in the probe - the police.

That was the plan.

Nearly a week later, and the administration is finding out that even well-laid plans to win the public perception battle can get tangled up in a knot. Especially when left in the hands of the police - an institution whose best days of winning the hearts and minds of the public are long gone.

Here is a short list of fumbles by the men in blue:

- Blockading parts of Kuala Lumpur and taking out a court order prohibiting Anwar and his supporters from entering within a 5km radius of the Parliament building.

- Arresting him outside his home before a deadline set by the police for him to report to the KL headquarters to be questioned in connection with the sodomy charge. The sight of him being escorted by a phalanx of police personnel was counter-productive.

- Making him sleep on a cement floor while in detention. Sure, every remand prisoner or suspect cannot expect five-star treatment but this is an exceptional case. The man in custody is the leader of the Opposition and in the eyes of some Malaysians, the next prime minister.

- Refusing him or his lawyers access to the police report lodged by his accuser, Saiful Bukhary Azlan, a former aide who claims that he was sodomised by Anwar on June 26.

Little wonder, the government is playing catch up on the international front. The International Crisis Group, of which Anwar is a member, said in a statement: "The allegations against him remain and are clearly a deliberate attempt to smear him. We call on the Malaysian government to drop the charges against Anwar Ibrahim and for its leaders not to improperly use the police and judiciary for their partisan purposes.''

The statement was signed by Chris Patten, former European Commissioner for External Relations; Ambassador Thomas R Pickering, former US Ambassador to the UN, and Gareth Evans, a former Australian diplomat.

Even at home, police action or inaction has been criticised. Tunku Abdul Aziz, a member of the Royal Commission on the Police Force, wrote in the New Straits Times: "The severely-battered police image took another self-inflicted beating, which could have been avoided without sacrificing the object of the whole exercise, which was to take Anwar into custody.''

Privately, government officials concede that Anwar holds the edge in the public perception stakes but believe that the former DPM has also been scarred in the psychological war, namely over his refusal to offer a blood sample for DNA testing.

A government official said: "The police do not like outside interference. They are the lead agency in the investigation and pretty much decide what information comes out and when it does. They decide what action to take and how to execute it. We have decided that this is way we are going to handle the investigation this time.''

As Week 1 of the Anwar sodomy saga showed, the police and the government have a steep learning curve to negotiate if they want to win the confidence of the public and foreigners.


http://themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/headlines/42-lead-stories/2038
Back to top
Moved: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:19 am by Admin
From General : Political Developments to Southeast Asia
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    oneworldtalk Forum Index -> Southeast Asia All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1   

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum

Community Chest


Download our forum toolbar

Powered by phpBB
Hosted by FreeForums.org