Malaysia-Today Censored?

Update: It has now been confirmed. Malaysia-Today has been censored by the Government and it spells the end of Mahathir's Multimedia Super Corridor. When a Bill of Guarantee deemed sacred is infringed, then there is nothing else credible in it. Let's hope it spells the end of this UMNO-led government as well.

I have received information that the ultra-popular Malaysia-Today website operated by Raja Petra Kamaruddin may have been blocked and censored altogether by the Malaysian authorities, and cannot be accessed via TMNet connections.

You can still access the website via the mirror site @ http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com.

Well, it may look like the end of the Multimedia Super Corridor Bill of Guarantees which has promised no censorship and there may be plenty of truth in the exposé by Malaysian Insider yesterday on the fact that bloggers are being targetted next.

Let's just hope that we are wrong about all this.

Utusan Malaysia: Breeding Extremism?

In my little verbal scuffle with Khairy Jamaluddin a few months back with regards to the civil service being overly unwieldy, there were many letters and articles published in Utusan Malaysia which essentially asked for my head to be checked (well, to put it lightly ;)).

It is however clear to me now that Utusan Malaysia serves critically as a mouthpiece to agitate racial sensitivities as well as promoting the concept of racial supremacy, instead of a "Bangsa Malaysia", or in DAP's terms, "Malaysian First".

Take for example, the recent protest note sent to the Prime Minister's office by Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF). Some of the demands by the group include calls on the government to maintain Malaysia’s status as a secular state, full revamp of National Integration Policy, preservation places of worship as well as affirmative-action plans for the Indian community.

Certainly, the demands aren't earth shattering or by no means "extreme". However, the editors of Utusan Malaysia responded angrily in their column "Bisik-Bisik Awang Selamat". Here's one on 21st August on the demolition of Hindu temples around the country:

Isu tersebut ialah tentang kuil. NGO itu mendakwa banyak kuil telah dirobohkan. Tetapi HINDRAF tidak pula menyebut bahawa kuil-kuil itu dibina secara haram.

[...]

Walaupun kaum India cuma minoriti, terdapat begitu banyak kuil di Malaysia terutama yang dibina secara haram. Membina kuil haram cukup mudah seolah-olah negara ini tiada undang-undang.

Awang harap isu ini menjadi pengajaran kepada kerajaan khususnya PBT. Inilah akibatnya jika kita berlembut dari awal lagi. Akhirnya kerajaan yang ditekan dan menjadi mangsa manipulasi.

[...]

Maka bertindaklah ke atas pihak yang sesuka hati membina dan menyelia kuil haram. Bertindaklah sebelum keadaan menjadi lebih buruk dan membawa mudarat.

Awang – Beralah ada batas.

On the previous day, "Awang" was even fiercer.

AWANG terkejut dengan tuntutan Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF), sebuah NGO kaum India yang mahu hak istimewa orang Melayu dihapuskan dan mendakwa kaum India dipinggirkan oleh kerajaan BN.

[...]

Tindakan HINDRAF hanya akan mengundang gelombang kemarahan masyarakat bumiputera yang sudah begitu banyak beralah untuk kaum minoriti atas nama kontrak sosial.

Sedarkah bahawa masih ramai orang Melayu dan bumiputera yang miskin terutama di luar bandar. Mereka setia menyokong kerajaan sejak merdeka lagi. Kalau diikutkan, mereka lagi berhak membuat pelbagai tuntutan.

Ingatan Awang, jangan sampai orang Melayu hilang sabar dan akhirnya memudaratkan semua pihak.

Dakwaan HINDRAF tentang isu kuil juga, sama sekali salah. Di negara inilah, terdapat begitu banyak kuil seolah-olah orang India merupakan kaum induk. Mahu apa lagi?

Awang – Membara dalam diam.

It is hence not surprising that UMNO possesses a stranglehold over an overwhelming majority of the Malays in Malaysia. Daily perpetuation of half-truths and untruths, presented in an inflammatory manner to the Malay public has resulted in a skewed view towards Malaysia, as a society.

Where then, is the voice of moderation, tolerance and compassion in the Malay vernacular media? Can things change?

Free Press? (II)

Overwhelming support for Wee Meng Chee

The forum "In Solidarity with Wee Meng Chee" held on Sunday evening was an absolute success. The 400-strong standing-room-only crowd was literally roaring and we had to move to a larger seminar room to accommodate the incredible turnout. The turnout is even more amazing in the light of less than 2 days' notice when we decided to hold the forum on Friday.

Needless to say, everyone was unanimous in their anger towards the Cabinet for the absurd high-handedness in dealing with the issue over a controversial song, which created a political circus. You really had to be there to feel the pulse of the audience. It was quite unbelievable.

Similarly, on Monday evening, our forum in Melaka attracted a 200-strong crowd, again, equally upset with clowns who were in-charge.

The powers that be clearly heard our voices loud and clear, for the all-powerful Publications Control and Al-Quran Texts Unit senior officer Che Din Yusof of the Ministry of Internal Security, once again flexed their muscles to ban all discussion of Wee Meng Chee in the print media. He did the exact same thing on Najib's proclamation that Malaysia is an "Islamic state... and never, never a secular state."

“Yes, the directive was issued today,” he said when contacted. “What more is there for the papers to write? Enough is enough.

However, Che Din said the media can still report on comments made by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Najib Abdul Razak on the issue.

This directive also follows an internal directive within MCA-owned The Star which had blacked out news on Wee Meng Chee earlier last week.

Sdr Lim Kit Siang rightly lamented that:

The Internal Security Ministry ban on mainstream media from reporting the Wee Meng Chee Negarakuku rap controversy marks a quantum jump into the abyss of media control, censorship and blackout completely unthinkable when Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became Prime Minister 45 months ago.

Referring to the MCA Youth executive committee's public relations act of waving the Federal Constitution during the MCA General Assembly, the Parliamentary Opposition leader rightly asked:

Where are the MCA and MCA Youth wavers of the Malaysian Constitution only a few days ago to stand up for the fundamental rights of Malaysians, including freedom of speech and expression to protest at the latest denial of the basic human rights of Malaysians?

Or is this all a plot by MCA to "silence" the damaging leaks in the Malay press which are detrimental to MCA's political fortunes? For example, it appears that the very minister who eeked an apology out of Wee Meng Chee, who at the same time gave him a public nationwide reprimand, was actually in agreement with the cabinet decision to proceed to refer the matter to the Attorney General for possible prosecution!

MCA bersetuju dengan gesaan pelbagai pihak supaya tindakan undang-undang dikenakan terhadap Wee Meng Chee kerana mencipta klip video menghina lagu Negaraku dengan menggunakan bahasa kasar dan lucah.

Naib Presiden parti itu, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek berkata, persetujuan itu selaras dengan prinsip parti berkenaan bahawa perkataan lucah dan yang menyentuh sensitiviti kaum dan agama tidak boleh digunakan semata-mata atas nama kebebasan.

"Kita berharap kerajaan mengambil tindakan tegas kepada sesiapa yang melanggar prinsip ini dan kita serahkan kepada kebijaksanaan Peguam Negara untuk menyiasat dengan lebih terperinci mengenai apa tindakan yang seharusnya dikenakan," katanya.

Why did the Minister of Health pressure Wee's family to make the apology, when he believes that Wee should be prosecuted even if he has apologised? MP for Jasin, Mohd Said "Close-One-Eye" Yusof and MP for Kinabatangan Bung "Bocor" Mokhtar were both allowed to get away from punishment scott free after a qualified and contrived apology.

Why is a 24-year old student treated like he was serial rapist cum murderer?

Free Press?

Check out the Star today, or rather don't. There is absolutely no reports on the Cabinet's treatment of Wee Meng Chee with an iron fist. No response reported from absolutely anybody. If you are English educated, check out Malaysiakini's report as well as all the letters there. If you are Chinese literate, check out any of the Chinese papers.

But no, the issue's just not important enough for the Star. Oh, I forgot that the Star's owned by Malaysia Chinese Association's investment holdings company, Huaren. Oh, it so happens that MCA screwed up big time in handling Wee's case.

It doesn't take a little bird to tell us that a directive was sent down yesterday for all reports relating to Wee gets binned in the Star. I sympathize with the Star journalists who had worked hard to cover and report on the issue. Free press, my little toes!

Oh, and as much as the owners of the Chinese press are friendly to MCA, it appears that the editors and reporters are angry at the complete fiasco. There were unconfirmed reports that the Chinese press reporters "boycotted" Wong Nai Chee, MP for Kota Melaka's press conference yesterday.

The winds of change is blowing. Malaysians are angry, and rightly so. But will it translate sufficiently into votes for DAP and the others? It's all in your hands. Preach not just to the converted, but make sure that those who voted BN the previous elections join the cause as well. You may have only 1 vote, but you can certainly influence 10s of votes.

The Nut Graph

Ah, Malaysiakini had dominated the online journalism scene in Malaysia for almost 10 years now. And when you suddenly find a plethora of other online news sites sprouting very quickly, you know that online news reporting has "arrived". And certainly, one cannot underestimated the role it played in the last general elections.

Many of you would have read The Malaysian Insider by now. Oon Yeoh has written previously on the transformation (sort of) of MalaysiaVotes.com into TheNutGraph.com, and written again on another new site, Project Malaysia.

Well, TheNutGraph is finally launched today. DAP city councillor for MBPJ, and former journalist with The Star Metro, Mak Khuin Weng has his column "Ampersand" kicked off with his thoughts on being appointed a councillor.

I have much to learn as a first-time councillor and newbie in politics. Already, the learning curve is steep, and time has become more precious than ever. But here is an opportunity for me to walk the talk. As a journalist, I was critical from the outside; now I am on the inside, and perhaps can make a difference from this vantage point.

I have also been approached to write for TheNutGraph, which I have agreed to, but probably on a less regular basis due to the many other writing commitments, weekly columns in the Oriental Daily, China Press plus of course, my very own blogs. So watch out for my first article, probably out in the next few days - it's got a little to do one of the most popular FAQs, what do you do in your life as an MP.

And for the many of us curious about the real meaning behind the idiosyncratic name, "The Nut Graph", well, it's now all revealed here. And it's got something to do with nutshells and paragraphs ;-).

DAP Elections - Independence vs Feudalism

Over the next 2 weeks, you'd certainly expect to read more commentaries on the upcoming DAP party elections which have been overshadowed by elections in Barisan Nasional component parties. I've written a piece here earlier, but I thought I'll do a short response to a report published in Malaysiakini today.

A party leader who requested anonymity said that should the party’s "feudalistic" ways be maintained, it would make the new talents uncomfortable and lead to an exodus.

[...]

"Now there are new faces like Tony Pua and Hannah Yeo. Should they face problems in the CEC, it would be interesting to see how long they last. Those capable of thinking independently will not see eye-to-eye with the party leadership," said the leader.

I've got no clue who the party leader who was quoted is. Accusations that the party is run in a "feudalistic" fashion is not new, and I won't go into that. But having been in the party for coming to 2 years, I've yet to see such feudalism in practice. Of course, detractors will tell me (and have been telling me) that "you ain't see nothing yet".

What is however more mind-boggling is the argument that if you are capable of "thinking independently", then you "will not see eye-to-eye with the party leadership". Which also means that if I'm in agreement with the leadership's policies and views, then I lack the capability to "think independently".

Hence since I've been to a large extent been in agreement with the party leadership's views over the past 2 years, clearly, I'm now part of the feudalism. What type of nonsense is that?

To extend the argument further, does it mean that most of our experienced MPs and state assemblymen, ranging from Teresa Kok to Karpal Singh to Tan Kok Wai to Kulasegaran who are sitting in the current 30-men Central Executive Committee are not capable of "thinking independently" because they support and form the leadership's position?

In any committee, there are often likely to be majority views and minority views. And I'm sure that I'll be in the minority for certain views of mine. But that is part of the democratic decision making process. It doesn't always work out for the best, but it's the best system to ensure that the best overall is worked out. All of us will have to respect that principle.

I'm certain this "feudalism" thing will be played up by interested parties and the media over the next week or so. I can only hope that the reporting is fair and it incorporate weighted views from both sides of the equation.

No Debate on Islamic State?

As reported by Bernama, the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak proclaimed on 16th July that “We have never, never been secular... we are an Islamic state.”

Subsequently, as reported in Malaysiakini, the Internal Security Ministry has confirmed that they have given a directive to all mainstream media not to publish any news on the issue of Malaysia being an Islamic state.

Publications Control & Al-Quran Texts Unit senior officer Che Din Yusof said, “Yes, we have given the directive to all mainstream newspapers. Islam is a sensitive issue. They cannot publish any news on whether the country is secular or Islam.”

However, he said newpapers can still publish statements from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Najib Abdul Razak on the country being an Islamic state.

“Reaction from political parties and the public cannot be published especially the negative reactions,” he said.

In light of the seriousness of the above two major development on a 'democratic', multi-racial and multi-cultural Malaysia, and the reluctance of other BN component parties to pick up the gauntlet, the DAP is organising a public forum to discuss the above issues:

Panel of Distinguished Speakers

• Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader
• Ambiga Sreenevasan, Malaysia Bar Council President
• Malik Imtiaz, Human Rights Lawyer
• Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, PKR Treasurer
• Rev Dr Hermen Shastri, General Secretary, Council of Churches*
• Lim Guan Eng, Secretary-General to DAP

* To be confirmed

Venue: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
Date: 25th July 2007 (Wednesday)
Time: 7.30 pm

If you feel strongly about the above issues, please bring friends and turn up in full force! Please forward this post to all concerned parties.

Liar Liar

On Wednesday, I sat in a press conference with my party boss, Lim Guan Eng as well as YB Tan Kok Wai protesting the instructions given to the various TV stations for banning all footage of opposition leaders.

The next day, NTV7 denied the claims, as reported in Malaysiakini here.

"I can tell you, there is no such directive," a top network source told malaysiakini when contacted.

"Also, our prime time news period is also too short (30 minutes) and it’s impossible to air everything," explained the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"Then again, all media reporters have their guidelines on what to write and what not to write, so it’s the same for our news desk. In the final analysis, it depends on what the politicians are saying," he added.

Well, the journos at Malaysiakini must be applauded for doing their job. They came up with concrete proof today that instructions were issued by Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) under the Ministry of Energy, Water & Communications.

Click image for a larger view

“The government has noted that several private TV and radio stations have been airing speeches by opposition party leaders,” wrote MCMC chairman Dr Halim Shafie in the June 7 letter.

“Your station is requested not to broadcast such speeches in future.”

The one-page letter added that the directive should be implemented immediately.

Hence, very simply, all these denials about discrimination are just lies, as we had known all along. Except now, its in black and white.

Senyum Kambing

Ya, seperti yang ditunjukkan, Utusan Malaysia masih lagi memberi kepentingan kepada "Tony Pua" yang sekali lagi muncul di muka hadapan suratkhabar tersebut pada hari Isnin minggu lalu. ;)

Kali ini, pendapat saya bahawa kerajaan perlu memperkuatkan pihak kakitangan awam, diperlekehkan sebab ada "lima pemuda berkelulusan sarjana dan doktor falsafah (PhD) sanggup menjadi rekrut konstabel polis di Maktab Teknik PDRM Bakri".

Utusan melaporkan bahawa Komandan Maktab Teknik PDRM Bakri, Datuk Zakaria Yusof berkata, "mereka sanggup berbuat demikian selepas permohonan untuk mendapat tempat dalam pengambilan jawatan inspektor baru-baru ini, gagal."

“Kelima-lima mereka benar-benar berminat menganggotai pasukan polis dan mereka bersedia menerima jawatan konstabel dalam pasukan,” katanya kepada Bernama selepas merasmikan Forum Perdana Hal Ehwal Islam, di padang kawad maktab itu malam tadi.

Zakaria berkata, kehadiran kelima-lima mereka yang merupakan antara 500 rekrut konstabel di pusat itu membuktikan profesion kepolisan kini semakin mendapat tempat di kalangan pemuda termasuk mereka yang berkelulusan tinggi.

Ribuan terima kasih kepada Sdr Chow Kon Yeow kerana sanggup membela nasib si Tony Pua yang telah dihentam bertubi-tubi kedekatan ini.

Umm... senyum kambing ;)

Blogs in Vogue

What's the biggest difference this recent election made? In my opinion, it has to be the Government's 180% turn with regards to its attitude towards blogs.

Datuk Abdul Ghapur Hj Salleh of KALABAKAN asked the Minister of Information on 21st May 2008 that

...ternyata media generasi baru khususnya 'blog' membawa pengaruh yang besar ke atas trend pengundian pada pilihan raya yang lalu. Apakah Kementerian merancang untuk menyertai media generasi baru yang teramat berkesan ini.

And the short reply from the Minister was:

Kerajaan melihat perkembangan penyampaian maklumat dan pandangan rakyat melaluik blog sebagai satu perkara positif sejajar dengan kepesatan teknologi informasi. Semua pandangan yang dikemukakan melalui blog juga dilihat sebagai pandangan rakyat yang perlu diberi perhatian oleh Kerajaan.

Pihak Kerajaan sentiasa memantau laman-laman blog yang ada namun tidak bercadang untuk mengawal dan menapis laman-laman web dan blog berkenaan.

This wasn't the first time the question has been asked in this Parliament sitting, and what's more, they have mainly been asked by Barisan Nasional parliamentarians.

The previous Minister of Information, the infamous Zainuddin Maidin was defeated in Sungai Petani, and obviously the current one, Ahmad Shabery Cheek doesn't want to meet the same fate as his predecessor. ;-)

Taking a short walk down memory lane, let's recall how this same administration was just pooh-poohing blogs and of course, bloggers ;-)

• Aug 23, 2006 - "Pengendali Laman Blog ibarat penembak curi", then deputy Minister of Energy, Water & Communication.
  
  
• March 13, 2007 - MALAYSIA'S tourism minister has sparked a controversy among the local Internet community by reportedly describing bloggers as 'liars' and 'mostly jobless women'. The Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Jit Poh quoted Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor as saying last week: 'All bloggers are liars. They cheat people using all kinds of methods. 'From my understanding, out of 10,000 unemployed bloggers, 8,000 are women.'
  
  
• March 20, 2007 - Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin today asked newspapers not to quote from blog websites when writing news stories as the source of the information cannot be considered authoritative. He hoped newspapers would be more responsible by quoting only authoritative sources as many bloggers were relying on newspapers for credibility.
  
  
• April 5, 2007 - BLOGGERS using locally hosted websites may be asked to register with the authorities, Deputy Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor said. He said registration was one of the measures the Government was considering to prevent the spread of negative or malicious content on the Internet.
  
  
• April 6, 2007 - Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin Friday lent his weight to a proposal to register blog sites, especially those which are politically-motivated. He said the mainstream media were subjected to registration, monitoring and specific laws, and as such, there was no reason why the same should not apply to blog operators.
  
  
• May 05, 2007 - Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said today Malaysia has to classify web bloggers as professionals and non-professionals as a mechanism to prevent misuse of blog sites.
  
  
• July 28, 2007 - "There are no laws in the cyberworld except for the law of the jungle. As such, action must be taken so that the "monkeys" behave," [Khairy Jamaluddin] told reporters after opening the Papar, Kimanis and Sipitang Umno Youth annual delegates conference.
  
  
• July 29, 2007 - The people must wise up to "goblok" (political bloggers) because some of them were willing to become tools of others to destroy the nation, said Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin. He said these bloggers belonged to groups with limited knowledge and had evil intentions.

Now while the above probably doesn't list everything, they certainly brought back 'fond' memories ;-) What a difference a year makes!

Raja Petra Bailed

OK, I must confess I did a little boo boo this morning ;-)

After 15 minutes of circling around, I finally found the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court where the Malaysia Today writer was scheduled to be freed on bail this morning.

I arrived early before 9 and was informed that Raja Petra will only arrive at 9.45 am. Happily, I wandered off with Wan Hamidi, who is rumoured (heh!) to have quit New Straits Times to join my boss in Penang in the coming months, for a cup of teh tarik.

Mana tahu, as I was happily strolling back to the sessions court at 9.40, I saw a group of supporters outside the court from a little distance, and Raja Petra was already being driven off!

Sigh, and I sheepishly joined the crowd, including the media who was present who all looked at me "knowingly" that I missed the "show". And now I need to go back and report to my boss that I umm..., "failed" to represent the Chief Minister of Penang to show his (and my own of course) moral support for the ordeal he is going through.

Readers may be reminded that Sdr Lim Guan Eng was also jailed for 2 years on sedition charges, which resulted in his disqualification as a Member of Parliament (and losing all benefits, including his pension and gratuity), plus the non-renewal of his accounting practice license from the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA). But this things some how have a way of coming around. ;-)

With regards to the sedition charge by the Government, which I've yet to "formally" register my position on my blog - my position is clear, and so is the Party's, that without going into the merits of Raja Petra's allegedly seditious article, the Government's use of the sedition act is a clear cut abuse of an oppressive law.

If the Deputy Prime Minister or his wife so find that the articles published were misleading or factually inaccurate, they should take the necessary civil suit route to resolve the matter, and not clearly using and abusing the state machinery.

DAP leader in Parliament, Sdr Lim Kit Siang made it the number 1 item on his agenda, "The Empire Strikes Back" in his first speech in the 12th parliament. See also the video of his speech here.

World Press Freedom Day

The World Press Freedom Day falls on the 3rd May.

To be frank, while I've been a firm believer in the freedom of the press, and that the printing and publications act in its current form in Malaysia must be drastically revamped, I've never really been an activist in this sphere (well, we can't be everything). I've always focused more on education and economic issues faced by the country as I would regard those as areas in which I have "comparative advantage" ;-)

Therefore, when I'm cited in the latest Economist article, "Getting the Word Out", as one of the newly elected opposition members of parliament (together with Jeff Ooi, who inspired me into blogging in the first place) who forms part of this new wave of "getting the word out" via the alternative media, and an implied role in the events which has overtaken the country over the past 2 months, I feel a little shy-lah.

The past few weeks have seen some exciting developments in Malaysia, which despite being a democracy has had a shameful record of muzzling the press. In the general election in March, Malaysians abandoned the plodding, pro-government traditional media in droves and turned to the web—especially to a courageous and highly professional news site, Malaysiakini. Two prominent news bloggers, Jeff Ooi and Tony Pua, were elected for opposition parties. Both have been blogging live from parliament this past week as it convened following the election.

Let me put the record straight, being mentioned in the same paragraph as Malaysiakini and Jeff is certainly an honour for me, as it's like my name being mentioned with Tiger Woods in the same breath. I just hope I can live up to expectations.

This is the second time too, that we were highlighted in The Economist, the earlier mention just after elections - "Internet & Malaysian Politics: The Perils of Modernity".

As I said, expectations are high and I shudder sometimes when thinking about the weight on our tiny shoulders...

Anyway, in conjunction with the World Press Freedom Day, the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) is organising a "Towards Media and Information Law Reform" where Teo Nie Ching, my colleague from Serdang will be speaking.

Venue: The Annex, Central Market
Date: 4 May 2008 (Sun)
Time: 12.30 - 2.00 pm

This forum is part of a series of events held in Central Market by CIJ. For more details, check the Malaysia World Press Freedom Day blog here.

Christmas Present

It's Christmas tomorrow. Unfortunately, I don't feel very “Christmasy”.

Malaysia used to celebrate all religious festivals with zest. We were proud of the fact that we are indeed a multi-racial and multi-religious society both tolerant and respectful of each other.

Of late, you'll only hear such rhetoric in mainstream newspaper headlines as well as tourism promotion advertisements, which now not only rings hollow, it is hypocrisy at its worst.

You may have read the news in Malaysiakini a few days ago, as well as in The Sun today, “The Herald” which is an in-house Catholic newsletter application for the annual renewal of its printing and publications license has been unreasonably witheld.

And the basis provided by the Ministry of Internal Security for witholding its permit? Simply that the newsletter must stop publishing the The Herald in the national language. For those who are unaware, The Herald has 4 language sections within its paper, English, Chinese, Tamil and Bahasa Malaysia.

The pretext provided by the Deputy Internal Security Minister, Johari Baharom was that the word “Allah” can only be used by Muslims! How absolutely arrogant and preposterous!

For those who are not familiar, the word “Allah” originates from the Arabic word “al-Lah” and it was used even in pre-Islamic times in the Middle East. Even Arab Christians today (yes, they do exist) use the term “Allah” om their Arabic bible (and yes, unlike the Bahasa Malaysia bible which has been banned, there is no ban in the Middle East on bibles in Arabic language).

Even the Sikhs use the term “Allah” since the founding of their faith and the world is repeatedly used in their Holy Book. So will the Government ban the Sikh holy book next?

Of course, the fact that many Christian bumiputeras (Ibans, Kadazans etc.) in East Malaysia is educated only in Bahasa Malaysia due to the national language policy is irrelevant to the Government.

By taking the Ministry's logic in its argument further, soon other religions will not be able to make reference to the Supreme being or an omnipotent God because, the only one which exists is expounded in the Quran. Hence any reference elsewhere will not be respectful of the faith of the Muslim majority in this country.

Who, may I ask, is the Minister for this preposterous Ministry? Oh, it can't be! It is the wise and genial Prime Minister himself, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who preaches the virtues of a multi-racial, muti-cultural and multi-religious society – which I'm certain will be the headlines of all mainstream newspapers tomorrow.

We'd like to call upon the Prime Minister, who is also the Internal Security Minister to practise what he preaches and grant the Christian community a simple Christmas present, that is to approve immediately the renewal of the printing and publication license for “The Herald”.

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

Incredulity

(Poster courtesy of Kickdefella)

Pak Lah, you have betrayed the trust of the people. I had plenty of faith in you when you first took over the prime ministership of this country. As I've blogged before, I had hope. Even when I lost faith in your leadership, I had thought that you were a pious and sincere person who lacked the necessary skills as a leader.

I'm sad to say that I was dead wrong. Clearly, many will tell me now that I'm such a terrible judge of character. Not only is our current prime minister a sleeping, absent, incompetent prime minister, his personal integrity and his sincerity in creating a better Malaysia is clearly in doubt.

When the Parliament, the symbol of people's democracy, where its members are themselves elected by the people, becomes a 'forbidden palace' to the people who want their grouses heard, it is the ultimate mockery of "democracy".

You would have read it here in Malaysiakini, where all roads to Parliament are blocked, preventing the people from handing their petition to the people who claim to represent them. Worse, Pak Lah ordered the leaders of BERSIH, the very people asking for clean and fair elections, arrested for attempting to hand the petition to the Parliament.

Pak Lah, you have declared in your BN mouthpiece, The Star, that you have ordered the arrests because "public safety above all". Pak Lah, do you bloody think that we are 3 year old kids? Are you trying to tell us that the rakyat, armed only with a few sheets of paper, approaching the Parliament on the edge of the city, is threatening the safety of Malaysians?


Pak Lah, please stop telling lies to our fellow Malaysians. You lied to the world when you declared that your cabinet comprised of 50% non-Malays.

Pak Lah, you promised us a less corrupt nation when you took over. Instead, we are more corrupt than ever, dropping a spot in international rankings for each year of your reign to 43rd this year.

Pak Lah, you also promised no more mega-bailouts, yet this year, you approved the biggest bailout ever in the history of Malaysia, attempting to rescue the unrescuable Port Klang Free Zone project with RM6.7 billion. And yet, the culprits for the fiasco has not been brought to book.

Pak Lah, you promised and boasted of greater press freedom, but interference in the mainstream media has never been more apparent! Malaysia crashed to its lowest ever press freedom ranking at 124th!

Pak Lah, most of all, you told us you wanted to hear the truth, no matter how much it hurts, but instead, you had your Minister of Misinformation, Datuk Zainuddin Maidin, tell the press editors that he'll only listen to Barisan Nasional component parties and not the media or the public. What's worse, there was never a denial that the instruction came from you!

Pak Lah, you said you were a Prime Minister for all Malaysians, but you declared Malaysia an Islamic state and concurred with your deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak that Malaysia was "never, never a secular state", a clear-cut defiance of the Federal Constitution, and discriminating against Malaysians' fundamental right to freedom of religion.

Pak Lah, you have clearly lost control of your administration. You have only demonstrated your utter incompetence, your lies and hypocrisy. Now, not only have I lost faith in your leadership, I have also lost faith in your integrity and piety.

Pak Lah, you are rubbish and you are a absolute disgrace to the nation.

Sarah Palin: Video Spoofs

Like it or not, political campaigning in the United States can be rather innovative and ingenius. Even famous personalities make spoofs, and let their views be known.

The above is a video by P. Diddy, posted on his blog and had more than half a million views. In it, he "massacred" vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin over her "intelligent" answer over a simple question posted by a TV journalist - "what magazines or newspapers do you read to know what's happening in the world?" (Sounds familiar?)

In Malaysia, while we are certainly catching up in terms of making "political videos", and spreading the message via Facebook (I can't believe that one of my ceramah videos on YouTube, shot by Malaysiakini has received some 115,000 views!), I certainly look forward to the day when our students, and the public are able to come up with more creative and entertaining political video and satires in future elections. ;-)

Here's another one by college students, a la High School Musical ;-)

For more, check out the Top 10 Sarah Palin Spoofing list compiled by Time.

Oh, and in the mean time, while I'm the National Publicity Secretary for DAP, we are looking out for creative talents who would like to join us on our video broadcasting team. Write in to daprocket(at)rocketmail(dot)com.

Tony Pua "Slams" The Star?

Thanks to the Star for carrying my statement today, but I must say the headline "DAP slams PAS outburst over bumi equity issue" was certainly made to incite controversy. If you read the report, and my actual statement blogged here, it's criticism yes, but "slam"?

I've "slammed" BN and the Government many times in my statements, I've never read a report entitled "DAP slams the Prime Minister...". Sdr Lim Kit Siang has "slammed" BN, it compoment parties and many of the Ministers, e.g., over the recent Eurocopter and ValueCap controversy cases, but no, no such report of "DAP slams Minister of Finance..."

But giving constructive criticism to our Pakatan partners, it's "slam". Sigh. Well, beggars can't be choosers, The Star gives you publicity, we'll just have to look at it on the bright side ;-)

Would you like a scholarship worth RM3,000 for a certified Video Journalism course at Malaysiakini?

Course Details:

• Practical workshops held every fortnight (weekends) for 2 months - 10am till 6pm
  
• Workshops will focus on reporting skills & the production of video news content
  

Benefits:

• Learn principles required to become a Citizen Journalist or a better blogger
  
• Earn side income as a part-time video journalist at Malaysiakini.tv
  
• Fellowships will also be given to the best trainees
  

The first intake is on the November 8, 2008, & the maximum number of students per intake is 25. Please Email your CV & contact details to surindraj (at) seacem (dot) com or call 03-22843367 ext.111

The Star Still Shine?

Is it me, or is it a fact that after a mini-Prague Spring post the March 8, 2008 elections where The Star demonstrated greater balance as "The People's Paper", the blooming period is all but over? It appears that we have now entered the period of "normalisation".

Reading The Star (yes I know it's difficult reading the paper, but it's part of my job) these few weeks has been more often than not, a little (understatement) nauseating, especially with the editorial slant and direction.

What happened to the lessons learnt after the last elections? Quickly forgotten obviously. The Unbearable Lightness of Being no more... Sigh.

Of course, it'll now also become the key vehicle for it's shareholders to launch its "rebranding" exercise. Maybe they'll come up with a new name for MCA... (or a new tagline for The Star).

Update: Interestingly, this report was published after I wrote the above post - The Star is expected to suffer first contraction in 10 years.

Malaysia's Misreporting Media

Guys, if you want to know how the local mainstream media reports activities by the DAP, then there is no better example than what happened last week with regards to the case of Nurin Jazlin Jazimin who was brutally assaulted and murdered.

See the image of the basket of flowers published on 19 September (Wed) on page 4 of The New Straits Times (NST) below?


Well, the caption says "One family's message, one nation's grief for the brutal death of an unknown child."

That for your information is an outright lie by the NST editors. The basket wasn't placed there by "one family" but by a delegation led by the DAP Secretary-General, Lim Guan Eng.

Not only did they lie about the origins of the flower basket and its message, they also doctored the photo. On the top right hand corner of the message card is the telephone number of the florist (where the flower basket was bought) printed in large fonts (see picture of by The Sun below). It "disappeared". What I'm less certain about is the fact that at the bottom right corner of the message card, "Democratic Action Party" both in English and in Chinese was written. This may have been blocked by the bear, although whether it could have been blocked in its entirety is the question.

The following is another picture on the same page, with 2 ladies who work for the DAP Rocket publication.

You can see Sdr Ronnie Liu, myself and YB Teresa Kok in the background. NST has very responsibly captioned the picture as "A bouquet and a soft toy are left where the girl's body was found." Clearly, it was too much to ask for NST to publish pictures of the key DAP leaders placing condolence basket but is it ethical for NST to avoid crediting DAP members, even when they are not key leaders?

If something as non-political as placing a condolence bouquet and expressing the anger of Malaysians at such brutality can demand such clearcut distortion of the truth in our venerable newspapers, then what can you expect when we raise other more "sensitive" issues such as ministerial and governmental corruption, abuse of powers and incompetence. For your information, the Chief Editor of NST was notified of the misdeed, but no response, apology nor correction was issued.

The Sun too, placed the picture of the flower basket on its front page on Wednesday last week, headlined by the contents of the message card itself - "Malaysians will not let you die in vain."


Again, there was no credit to the photo and no context provided. At least the paper didn't print a blatant lie or attempted to doctor the picture. However, credit must be given to the Sun for printing the context to the picture the next day, Thursday, after belatedly realising the mistake made, although no pictures were reprinted.


And what about the largest circulating English daily, the Star? Well, a reporter was certainly assigned to the story, but unfortunately for her, since the story will place DAP in a positive light, her work went straight into the thrash can. I am actually highly sympathetic to the English press reporters who do turn up at our press conferences (not all, but some) but who would find that their efforts to file a story completely wasted. The only consolation? At least the Star didn't attempt to capitalise on the picture or tell a lie. They just pretended that it wasn't important enough to publish.

Hence it is not surprising that many members of the public, particularly those who read either just the English or worse, the Malay dailies, think that the opposition parties like the DAP doesn't do much til election day. I can tell you with confidence that the party does a great deal throughout the year, all around the country. For the unbelievably limited resources that we have, we are clearly punching way above our weight. Unfortunately, our reach has been limited, with the exception of reaching out via the Chinese press which provides a little more room for us to publicise our views and activities.

So, if you want positive change, let the newspapers and the Government know by writing to them, or voting "correctly" in the next general elections. Or even better, do your part by helping out with DAP's party activities or if you are in the Klang Valley, help me out. You know how to reach me ;)

Tell Me The Truth!

Thanks to whatalulu for reminding me of what our dearest Prime Minister, or more affectionately known as Pak Lah said (and reported in The Star) just less than 2 weeks ago!

The media must not be afraid of honest reporting while upholding truth and justice, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

He said the media should also not feel apologetic when reporting the facts.

Yes, and your reward under his adminstration will be a stint in Kamunting. What a [fill in your own expletives here] liar and hypocrite.