The Bersih 2.0 Foursome

In a twist of fate the Bersih 2.0 quartet “sworn” fans landed in Delhi. Not to be dampened by having to be absent from the streets of Kuala Lumpur, the Bersih 2.0 Quartet decided to make the difference in calling for a free and fair election from the land of the world’s biggest democracy.

Malaysian government’s ploy of labeling the Bersih 2.0 as a subversive element and a threat to national security (read UMNO security), led to the Bersih 2.0 Quartet to take to the streets of Delhi and then invaded the two most significant sites in India as far as freedom, liberty and democracy are concerned, to display their anger and concern and as a show of defiance to the regime that deliberately dissuade the actual Bersih 2.0 eight point demands for a free and fair election.

The Red Fort in Old Delhi is a famous site built by Shah Jahan where India celebrates her Independence Day year in year out without fail. This UNESCO world heritage site was once occupied by the Mughal Islamic Empire until they were driven out by the colonial British. Every year on the 15th of August, thousands thronged this historical site to hear an address by the Indian Prime Minister. This place is comparable to the Merdeka Square of Bolehland. It was therefore fitting for a quartet to display the Bersih 2.0 signature t-shirts and accompanied by several shouts of demands for a free and fair election in Malaysia and a restoration of all public institutions from clasps of a callous regime with lead by a despot.

According to Wikipedia, The India Gate is a national monument of India that was originally known as All India War Memorial. With the kind of war being waged by Bolehland regime in Kuala Lumpur, what better place it would be to make a noteworthy presence here to air our grievances at the way elections are being handled in Bolehland and the filthy manner which a despot misuse public institutions to ensure his prolonged grip over the people and the country. It was a meaningful occasion in Kuala Lumpur today with freedom fighters walking the streets in peace demanding for a reinstatement of free and fair elections in Bolehland and it was equally momentous, jubilant and peaceful here in Delhi at the India Gate where the fearless foursome chose to organize a “demonstration” of sort with a (gritted) smile and greatly suppressed anger.

Have a look at the foursome with various poses, not to be outdone by the mayhem at the capital city of Bolehland. (Taking a breather from all the ‘tear gases’ and the ‘water spray’…., ooops no such thing here)

(Bersih 2.0 Cause making its presence around Old Delhi)

the RAZAK hypothesis

And now the end is near, the premier faces his final curtain.

The RAHMAN Theory is coming to a close. The last name in the theory is being flushed out from underneath the sea by a floating submarine and a host of other lurid scandals. Shocking it may seems, these juicy scandals are coming to surface one after another edging the last name in the theory closer to his demise.

As with RAHMAN Theory, if it can be called one; it is interesting if we can put forward a new hypothesis. We call it RAZAK Hypothesis perhaps for the namesake was the father of the last name in the RAHMAN line-up. Finishing the 50 year old theory with a fresh hypothesis is like a father handing a baton to the son, or is it a case of the son rushing towards finishing the run?

It is fascinating to note why scandals of the MINDEF keeps on surfacing long after the now famous caretaker left the office. Something fishy but that is what rotten fish smells like, dead fish. We certainly rejoice with more and more such explicit revelations emerge. Is there a pact between the defence minister and the deputy prime minister? Events are certainly pointing in the same direction and more occurrences in the coming months will uncover more that will demonstrate a form of grand design? We certainly hope so.

With the last of the UMNO premier, there will be successions of non-UMNO stalwarts who will helm the nation.

It will come soon enough, the incarceration of the unofficial head of the loose coalition, Pakatan Rakyat. The poor fellow will surely be sent to jail along a plan of removing the bind that holds the coalition together. Will it be as simple as that or will it as always be a case of divine intervention where the Supreme Being is always proven to be the Best of Planners?

With an eventual jailing of the head of opposition coalition, there will be turmoil. This period of unrest and confusion will swiftly subside. But in complete contrast with the May 13, 1969 riot, this period of disorder is peaceful. There will be no bloodshed. Nobody buys the police intelligence unit’s version of blood-curdling and killing-spree people’s power. The great man aka the Hermit of Langgak Golf as the late MGG Pillai used to label the man will rise to the occasion. He will take over leadership of the opposition coalition.

We will see a rejuvenated opposition that will be able to throw out the UMNO-BN regime. UMNO-BN they will for the next half a decade at least remain as a race-based political party. It is highly unlikely that another nationalist party will ever grace Malaysia’s political landscape again.

We will see a judiciary restored to its former glory and the police force is back policing the country, the MACC will March against Corrupt Community and the Attorney General’s chamber prosecutes without fear or favour.

As with any interim individual, the Hermit of Langgak Golf will rule briefly, being a sensible man he is, he will seek to free the former firebrand student leader who came close to becoming the premier in the late 90s. It is morally right and true to his noble cause of seeing this great nation comes back from the brink of destruction, he will hand over the person once touted the darling of the Muslim worlds the much coveted premiership. After all, the hermit assumes de-facto leadership of the coalition while the Sheikh relinquish in prison.

A period of prosperity resumes. We will see a united Malaysia where everyone lives in true harmony, free from hatred and racial slurs. There is no cow-head’s procession, tear-gassing incidents, church-burning lunatics and certainly nobody will be arrested and persecuted without trial with the abolishment of the archaic and cruel Internal Security Act.

The ageing leader may preside close to two terms and his failing health will ensure a successor comes in to replace him. Perhaps a former de-facto law minister in the days of old will succeed the Asian Renaissance man.

The second name corresponding to the second letter in the Rahman Theory was controversial. His first name matched the letter but not the name he was often called. The third letter in the Razak Hypothesis is likely to be of similar nature. This once renowned cleric who rises to be the Islamic party spiritual leader after serving the presidency for a number of years takes over from a brief premiership of his predecessor. He will be the first and certainly not the last of a capable leader from a religious background.

At the tail end of the Razak Hypothesis, the one-time famous Oxford graduate who once walks the corridor of power in the fourth floor of the premier’s office ascends to the apex of the country’s administration. He becomes the premier at last, but contrary to what many speculates he only achieves this feat at the age of 61. Wisdom after all comes with age. This born again Islamist, founds a new splinter party, joins the coalition drawing to a close a one-time nationalist party.

Even though Razak Hypothesis is short of one candidate compared to the Rahman Theory, the Hussein Hypothesis has seven letters in the long lineage of leaders of the country called Malaysia and certainly not 1Malaysia as some people like to simply coin grizzly term to prop up one’s popularity.

Everyone has a dream. It is from dreams that we aspire to excel and achieve much greatness. Wasn’t it Martin Luther King that once said “I have a dream......” and the rest is history?

Goodnight Malaysia, wherever you are!

Allah by Any Other Name

The Law of Probability of success states that when you are taking actions to increase your level of success what you are really doing is increasing the probability that you will succeed. Simply put, Law of Probability or Law of Success is that the number of chances of winning or succeed increases with the number of trials.

We have to give credit to BN/UMNO for being persistent even though what they are doing is totally heinous. Since “mainstream media” is devoid of alternative views and the only uproar is confined to the cyberspace, BN/UMNO succeeded in inventing a new issue. Now that it succeeds in finding that niche, the whole nation would rally behind these goons. BN/UMNO is the undisputed champion of the Malay Muslims in Malaysia.

Yes, the use of the word Allah by The Herald Newsletters will be a thorn in the PR flesh that will cause great pain. No, it is perhaps wrong to liken the issue to a thorn. A more precise description would be a time bomb that will blow PR asunder.

BN/UMNO let due process of law to happen this time. No need to intervene since presiding judge was a liberal and a non-Muslim too. A judgment would definitely go the Herald way and it did. The BN/UMNO Chief already proclaimed loudly that the “government”, read BN/UMNO would appeal. And by the grace of Allah, we have the Appellate Court after all! We need not worry after all, we will drag and dilly-dally as long as we can, incite the whole nation and by the time we have the nation at its feet, we will reverse the judgment. BN/UMNO is again the champion of Malay Muslims in Malaysia.

Already scores of Muslim NGOs are aligning behind the call for a reversal of judgment. BN/UMNO likened this to an undivided support on their cause. This is definitely bloody dangerous simply because BN/UMNO will capitalise on this!

Zahid Hamidi is a sleazy man but somehow he seemed to mutter some sense this time (Oh My God!). He put it quite simply that people of faith other than Islam may use this to confuse a Muslim. Going by Murphy’s Law, “Anything that can “happen” will happen and when it happens, it will happen at the most inappropriate time”.

Only PAS spiritual leader sees the issue clearly. It is never about religion at all. It is always about BN/UMNO maintaining its rule over this God forsaken land. Many people are simply too emotional about this issue. Even in pagan days, the word “Allah” is used when one referred to the Supreme Being. If you go to Egypt today you will meet Christians who refers to God as Allah. Religions of Abraham have the right to use Allah, the Spiritual Leader opined and the Muslims will always say what the Quran teaches, i.e. that Prophet Jesus (unto him peace is bestowed) is a mere prophet, like others before him.

People say charity begins at home but so do a host of other things. Everything begins at home for that matter and formal and informal education outside helps of course. If a father steals, the children would be thieves. If parents are pious, the children are equally god-fearing. Going by this reasoning, and even Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that “the parents determine the belief/religion/way of life of the children”. One must never fear that his descendants deviate from his religion if he practices a true religion and always pray that they remain steadfast.

The fear that the Muslim have should be equally shared by the Christians for the “migration” (conversion or reversion) can be both ways and not a one way street. Followers of the Christian faith may now be exposed to Allah, the Almighty as the Muslim understands and will you then cry foul only when calamity befall you?

PAS must now go to town to drum some sense into the misguided and misinformed public. Take the bull by the horns. Problems are opportunities in disguise. Do not let BN/UMNO capitalise on this issue and destroy PR into million pieces of nothingness! Get cracking before the other side seize the opportunity and judging by numerous reports in favour of BN/UMNO, PAS has an arduous task at hand.

Roses by any other names smell as sweet. There are 99 names and attributes of Allah the Almighty and the name Allah of the 99 is held most high and much revered. God by any other names but the 99 will not be the One that Muslims worship. It is only understandable that this issue is a difficult one for PR to deal with for BN/UMNO has cleverly seized the opportunity.

If even a career of a sleazy man like Khir Toyo can be revived when the man was suddenly resurrected from his political grave to rant on this issue! This goes to show that the issue has brought a new breath of life into a dying BN/UMNO. Ignore this at your own peril. PR, you have been warned!

Goodnight malaysia wherever you are!

the fighter jet engine that flies away

Fellow thieves and robbers would cry foul only when the other clan did the job either without regards to their profit sharing or the groups were actually at war with each other. The latter was a more likely reason here if an engine of a jet fighter that went missing. The Malaysian Insider said it was a laughable matter if it was not a serious one. I am not surprised at all and it certainly is not a laughing matter.

The gang that smuggled out must be from the other camp that the Crime Minister did not mind a full investigation to bring the perpetrators to “justice”, of their kind at so to speak. He himself made the police report, the chief of looters proudly proclaimed. The story reminds me of the time I was working with a company in Malaysia more than two decades ago. The head of HR of the company stopped culturally positive recreational activities that were going on in the plant simply because what they termed as pilferage. The HR head was raging mad when I reminded him that the English Oxford Dictionary defined pilferage as “petty theft” and I pointed out that since items stolen were huge items that required a bunch of burly men with the help of specialised equipment to move them the incident was a “daylight robbery”.

Daylight robbery indeed this fighter jet’s engine’s disappearance!

In a country governed by robbers, we have to expect frequent lootings and major robberies. A day will not go by without “crimes”. If one’s profession is a robber, he is not expected to do policing work anyway! You have to be idiots to expect that!

There is a theory called the “Broken Windows Theory” that goes to say that “if a broken window is left untended, it will encourage others to be broken and eventually the whole house is in ruin”. In Malaysia, when everything wrong is left untended and unattended to far too long, the ruin is simply widespread and gives rise to a far reaching consequences. The rot begins at the head and now it has reached the bottom. The Crime Minister’s remarks that the incident involves lower down officers is testimony that the cycle is complete.

Now the Crime Minister lamented that he did not intent to cover up the story did not mean that the case would be fully investigated. If a father steals how can he teaches his kids to abide by the rule! Of course he could not cover this anymore since the whole world knew of this misdeed! Also, this was also a perfect excuse to get the masses to forget the bigger sin the he committed. When people focussed on another new fire being lit, the bigger fire blazing the sky is just a flicker in the distance.

So to all Malaysian citizens the world over, do not just let this event goes by and be just another irrelevant incident in our lives. Vote these bastards out for good! Cheers and God bless you, as David Coverdale used to say out loud.

myriad of observations with very little contribution and simply full of hot air

One is indeed appalled by the sheer ignorance of pundits on understanding Malaysian people when commenting on the Pakatan Rakyat Convention. These experts as we come to regard them as chose the aftermath to put forward comments merely to demonstrate their intelligence and their keen observatory expertise on minute issues or shortcomings rather than focussing on the larger agenda. This bid of trying to show off one’s intellect and aptitude with no regards whatsoever to the crux of the matter leaves one to wonder as to their commitment to seeing this nation comes back from disastrous state it is in. The larger issue here is contribution towards bringing in the much needed change for the better. We are not on the brink of disaster but we are smack at the centre of a major catastrophe.

People want change and a speedy one it must be. It is a question of each and everyone who possesses at least a wee bit of conscience must do to contribute towards achieving this change. Bloggers must come out from being a mere reporter of events. They must write with passion and commitment. If everyone lifts a finger to help, arduous tasks would be easily surmountable. We are not here to demonstrate our ability to spot the smallest of mistakes or hiccups. Do not lose the bigger picture. We are here to bring about change.

It is true that many acknowledge that the positives simply outweigh the negatives on issues addressed at the PR Convention but many amongst them also continue to harp on the infinitesimally tiny and insignificant issues. Where’s the beef? It is there right before your eyes. The cake is beautiful and savoury and you are harping on the lack of icing on it! Let’s face it men! Comparing with the BN/UMNO agenda, we are witnessing an improvement by leaps and bounds if not a leap of a quantum one.

Back on the role of the informed middle class who choose to write, our task is to write with the intention to influence and bring about change and not just for the hell of it! If you are writing just to feel good about it you might as well go fly kites or do bungee jumping. You may get at least something out of these kinds of past time.

People need guidance, motivation and inspiration. They do not need to be confused and bewildered. If they see a sea of naysayers in a possible alternative to corrupt regime of BN/UMNO, how are they going to vote for change, let alone help in propagating further change! They will vote these goons into power again and again and again! Many dread that this should happen and we certainly do not want to see our children and their children and their children’s children continue to live under oppression and distorted justice. The corrupt regime simply has to be brought down. One cannot put it in any simpler term than this!

The good doctor Abdul Aziz Bari has spoken at last. Coming from a calm, composed and thoughtful intellect like him on the state of the reigning regime, one has to be “dumb, blind and ignorant” to not being able to comprehend his reasoning and reckoning. Be that as it may, it is incumbent upon us to put forward our best effort to contribute to bringing about the downfall of the BN/UMNO regime for playing the role of a bystander is tantamount to treason and treachery of the highest order. One has only one chance of living a life on this earth and to throw it to the blowing wind is real waste of time, yours and mine.

Troubadour’s epilogue
God says “My land is expansive and one must never choose to live under oppression”. Maybe I should look up the migration consultant my wife was recommending to me! She said Canada, Australia and Thailand are favourite destinations and here I am in Thailand hunting for food like gazelles on the African plain. Maybe I should remain here for good and only go back home to die and be the dust that irritates the regime’s eyes.

the new mass media

RPK came out strong in demanding an action from Pakatan rakyat State Governments (Selangor, Kedah, Kelantan and Penang) to come up with free access to internet in all the states that they govern. I too am singing the same tune as I see a golden opportunity to fight the mighty UMNO/BN media. Time is the essence and to delay the implementation would prove suicidal and detrimental to PR.

The ground has shifted so much with the advent of the internet here in Malaysia. But, APCO employed by the PM to quell and subdue voices of dissent seems to be able to bombard counter intelligence work in the form of articles from various “alternative news sites” that project positive images and perceived effective works of the federal government and implant images and beliefs of opposition in colossal disarray.

While the cost of providing free internet service expounded by the Malaysian government is immense, everyone knows that this is not so and the fact that it becomes huge is a result of leakages all along the business process and value chain. The cost is definitely within the budget of states the like of Selangor and Penang. Kedah and Kelantan perhaps would be able to tag along to make up the economies of scale.

For a year’s subscription of an access to internet TV comprising of more than 3,000 channels I had to pay only RM500. It is readily available to users in Malaysia and elsewhere. (I may connect you to the promoter but that is not the point here). If you compare this with our bills from Astro, it is definitely a lot cheaper. The only thing one has to worry is adult channels are also readily accessed but responsible parents can always block from being accessed by under-aged children.

The cost of setting up TV channels the likes of that being provided by the Ministry of Education (www.eduwebtv.com) is meagre considering the state government’s reasonable big budget allocation for “communication”. Having a free internet service and backing it up with channels that counter propaganda that national TVs put forward on a daily basis would be taking the whole media matters to a new and much more level playing field and for all you know, it could even tip the scale towards the opposition and fallacies and lies propagated by BN/UMNO would no longer be swallowed by the general public.

And there is again the notion that the speed of the net is extremely slow to process massive graphics files! Leave it to the experts! For a scanty sum again the same friend supplies a solution he called “broadband viagra” that connects users to huge servers around the globe that make the speed super fast. Trust the Chinese programmers amongst the 1.3 Billion China population! Nothing is impossible! Both products come from the mainland!

These technologies are already here and not seizing the opportunity to “control” the new media would prove to be a disaster for the incoming government, if it comes at all. And if PR gets to rule Malaysia, it would not be a one term affair the like of Terengganu PAS Government circa December 1999 to March 2004.

Restaurants and other social gathering premises can join the fray. I am sure people are sick of those propaganda channels the likes of TV3 and RTM blaring from idiot boxes at these premises and our homes. I would vomit listening to any of their misinformation without even watching and would tune to respectable channels during peak hours for doses of truth and civil displays.

Internet broadcasting is the medium of communication of the future and is already here within our cyberspace. It is something that proponents of civil society should grab to fight corrupt regimes worldwide and UMNO/BN is no exception. In this age of excess of information, only those with credibility would survive and sinister government of the day like UMNO/BN will perish. But then again, like RPK put it, “Ignore this message at your own peril”. Goodnight Malaysia, wherever you are!

stupid mavericks?

No wonder it is a lot easier to run UMNO. The party is full of morons and the handful that has small bits of grey matter inside their craniums rule with great ease.

Pakatan Rakyat on the other hand is blessed with far too many mavericks and true to the meaning of the word, these mavericks kind of undisciplined lot. Just look at what Dato’ Dr Hassan Ali is doing! When cold water was poured over the raging fire he went on to set the stage ablaze again. Now the whole place where we are residing is smouldering. Looks like it is going to be a busy year ahead!

It just baffles us. Don’t they know that it is UMNO that is doing all the subversive work? It is a fact that even in PAS, Muslims are greatly divided as to the way they practice their beliefs. All this while the Wahabis, Shiah and Sunnah-Wal-Jamaah and a host of other sects or mini sects seem to live in real harmony. And all it takes is just a small spark by UMNO to get everyone scrambling to defend his or her faith. Now we are at each others’ throats. Hey you idiots! Wake up! The enemies are out there and not in here!

My father in-law said to me that with the kind of knowledge that we have regarding Islam, we can only classify ourselves as subscribing to ‘the masses’ sect. Even Dr Asri and Hassan Ali belong to this ‘masses’ sect as their Islamic knowledge is insufficient for them to claim they belong to Wahabi and Sunnah-Wal-Jamaah respectively. One simply has to know in great detail of one’s sect to be able to claim to be subscribing or belong to one. My father in-law should know. He is one hell of a religious, pious, and knowledgeable human being. I am sure tons of negative comments would be thrown at me for talking about religion by self-proclaimed ‘guardians’ of the religion.

For me to witness the goings-on on this latest fiasco is simply depressing. I heard Fuad Al-Maliki Friday’s sermon in Ampang that touched a great length on the need to maintain the ‘tauliah’ or accreditation of Selangor religious speakers. His assertion that Rasul Allah s.a.w. was ‘accredited’ by Allah s.w.t. to be the messenger is a bit of a spin I think. To me I believe the prophet was ordained to be the messenger and not given ‘accreditation’ as what the learned Ustaz was insinuating. His argument and his attempt to legitimise the bid by JAIS to continue to use this accreditation approach are too shallow if not down-right moronic.

Then I read a Malaysiakini report of a ruckus in the state legislative assembly on the arrest of Dr Asri again! This time around was between Shaari Sungip and Hassan Ali, both from the same side of the political ideology! What a shame! UMNO indeed succeeded in putting wedges between PAS representatives. Now they are clobbering each other on the heads! Will you guys look at the forest and not the bloody trees!

Just when I thought that these are isolated events, I stumbled upon a report of a bunch of PAS Youth Executive Committee Members bludgeoning the good professor Aziz Bari for coming out strongly in criticising PAS for a number of misadventures after a successful 2008 elections! Their quick 180 degrees turn to call on the good professor later on to make amends was perhaps a little bit too late. It shows the kind of people we have in our own backyards. How on earth do you expect us to continue to back you up? Wake up and get your act together. Does the word teamwork exist in your dictionary or is it just another word that gets repeated without much understanding?

A person’s strength is indeed his weakness. These PAS representatives are men of intelligence and some are real great scholars. But if they continue to behave like goons, I will personally crucify them come next election. That you better bloody count on!