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.

DNA Bill Gets Priority

The picture says it all about UMNO and Barisan Nasional.

But the actions weren't limited to Permatang Pauh where the mother of all by-elections is reaching its climax. At the start of this parliamentary session the new "DNA Bill 2008" was introduced to the Parliament for the first reading.

On the very next day, this bill was then placed on the agenda for second reading and placed 4th out of a list of 6 bills to be debated. The first was the "National Kenaf and Tobacco Bill 2008", followed by the "Education (Amendment) Bill 2008", which is currently being debated.

Next due was supposed to be the much "anticipated" "Universities and University Colleges (Amendment) Bill 2008" to be debated.

However, that has just been changed in the order paper today. The DNA Bill has now been moved up, for reasons on the Government would know, while the UUCA Amendment bill pushed back to 5th on the Agenda. This also means that it may be unlikely that UUCA amendments will get approved by the House this week.

Once again, the Government is clearly in a rush to pass the DNA Bill before the room to debate bills end this Thursday as the Budget will be announced on Friday, followed by debates on the Budget after the puasa and raya recess.

To quote one of my colleagues who just smsed me after being informed of the news, "what the hell are they doing? The ass is more important than the uni."

A Monkey's Last Stand

A picture essay by TV Smith.

Bukit Melawati, 22nd August 2007: Despite his patriotic stand, he will soon be stripped of his citizenship and banished to another country. Perhaps, our monkeys were already doomed when people in authority likened bloggers to them. The Cabinet has literally signed their death warrant by withdrawing protection for the so-called urban monkeys under the Wildlife Protection Act. How can we stand tall as a nation, when we so casually shrugged-off our responsibility to protect the weak and defenseless? Continue reading the monkey's plight here.

MCA: UMNO "Best Partner"

The coverage of the MCA General Assembly yesterday in today's papers in kinda nauseating. Thank goodness for The Sun for giving coverage to the RM4.6 billion scandal at the Port Klang Free Trade Zone. (Yes, you can build nearly 2 new Penang bridges with that amount of money.)

Pak Lah proudly proclaimed that "I want to be fair. I am fair and I will always be fair."

Mohd Said Yusof and Bung Mokhtar gets away with insincere apologies without further action from the Parliament for using unparliamentary language and insulting women. Wee Meng Chee gets threatened with the Sedition, the Internal Security Act, revocation of citizenship, forced extradition, public reprimand and unjust scolding by Ministers. And yet, after the 24 year old student apologised, the Cabinet decides to proceed for legal action. Where's the fairness?

Nathaniel Tan gets detained under remand for 4 days for alleged Official Secrets Act documents which never had, and "official secrets" which had already been published in mainstream newspapers. Raja Petra Kamaruddin gets call in by the police and grilled for 8 hours for allegedly insulting Agung and Islam. Even his wife wasn't spared. But when UMNO supporters websites threaten non-Malays and non-Muslims with blood and murder, when they public published articles which insults other religions, no action is taken. Where's the fairness?

The above are just some simple examples. We can all cite plenty more, and we are seeing it everyday. Just what type of fairness the Prime Minister, Pak Lah is preaching, I have absolutely no clue. The rakyat believed him the last elections. Will they believe him again this time? Is Pak Lah still credible?

Well, MCA thinks he is. In fact, the MCA president, who not too long ago was publicly reprimanded by the Prime Minister on the frontpage of the New Straits Times, asked "party members to stop criticising some statemnents made during hte UMNO general assembly last year". (The Sun)

He said they [MCA members] must accept this reality because there were no other Malay-dominated political parties the MCA could cooperate with.

"We must not lie to ourselves and think that one day UMNO may just disappear. Many Malays still believe that only through UMNO that their rights can be protected and this is the reality."

And as reported in NST:

"Umno is a true ally and our co-builder in the nation’s development, why should we end such a beautiful friendship?"

Yes, birds of the same feather certainly flocks together. A beautiful friendship indeed.

In Solidarity with Wee Meng Chee

Thanks to the hapless MCA and Barisan Nasional Government, my schedule this weekend and next week will turn upside down. We had already planned a general election pre-preparatory committee meeting in the morning tomorrow. We have the Merdeka Dialogue in the afternoon at Crystal Crown Hotel, Petaling Jaya.

And yesterday (Friday), my boss who works us really really hard (for a good cause), called for a Mandarin forum "In Solidarity with Wee Meng Chee" in the same Sunday evening at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. Being part of the organising committee for the above, plus having to speak in the evening as well, will pretty much drive one nutty ;)

(And I'm supposed to finish my weekly column for Oriental Daily tonight!)

For those living in Melaka, the same forum will be held on Monday evening as well at the DAP Melaka State Headquarters.

Anyway, here are the details of the forum, for those who found time to read my blog, as well as those who can make it:

1. Klang Valley

Date: 19 August 2007 (Sunday)
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (No. 1, Jalan Maharajalela, Kuala Lumpur)

2. Melaka

Date: 20 August 2007 (Monday)
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Dewan Rakyat, DAP Malacca State Headquarters (Jalan Pandan, Malacca)

The distinguished panel of speakers includes:

* Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary-General
* Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader
* Josh Hong, Political Analyst
* Yeo Yang Poh, Former Bar Council Chairman*
* Tony Pua, Economic Advisor to DAP Sec-Gen
* Jeff Ooi, DAP General Election E-Campaign Director

Hope to see you there! Below is the forum write up in Chinese.

民主行动党周日举办“明智爱国，声援明志”讲座会

为了表达关注黄明志改编国歌即将被政府对付的下场，民主行动党将在8月19日（星期日）晚上7时30分在吉隆坡与雪兰莪中华大会堂一楼会议室，举办主题为“明智爱国，声援明志”的讲座会。

当晚主讲者包括国会反对党领袖林吉祥、律师公会前任主席杨映波、民主行动党秘书长林冠英、民主行动党全国大选电子选战主任黄泉安、时事评论人唐南发、民主行动党秘书长经济顾问潘俭伟等。

他们将从各个角度谈论黄明志的创作《我爱我的国家》，同时分析这首歌曲所要表达的含意，还有政府及执政党领袖为何要大肆炒作这个课题，包括为何要援引煽动法令或国歌法令来对付黄明志。

由于黄明志所创作的《我爱我的国家》一曲，道尽了许多国人的心声而引起执政当局关注，其目前上载Youtube的录影短片，在互联网上的浏览人次高达100万，甚至名列Youtube十大最受欢迎的录影短片。

随着黄明志通过卫生部长兼马华副总会长蔡细历医生向政府及国人道歉后，政府为何还要采取法律行动对付黄明志，确实令人百思不得其解。因此，民主行动党准备通过各种声援行动，捍卫黄明志的创作自由权。

正值国家庆祝独立50周年之际，国人原本兴高采烈要庆祝这个极具纪念性的重要日子。然而，面对政府采取高压行动抑制异议，包括一方面要黄明志道歉，另一方面又要对黄明志采取法律行动，让人开始怀疑这个国家是否变质了？

民主行动党诚邀所有关心黄明志命运的爱国人士，通过出席上述讲座实际声援黄明志，并表达你们对这个事件的各种看法。让我们以另类的方式来欢庆及反思庆祝马来西亚独立50周年的意义。

Campaign Video for Jeff

Thanks to Malaysia's Top Blogger, Kenny Sia, we now have a Election Campaign video for Jeff Ooi ;)

Thank you Kenny! ;) And check out his post on Clampdown on Bloggers as well ;)

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.

拒绝软骨头政客

In my last week's column in Oriental Daily entitled "Reject Politicians Without Backbone", I wrote in part on Sdr Lim Kit Siang's call for bloggers to "dirty their hands" in politics. I used the examples of Mahatma Gandhi as well as Mandela on politics' ability to make a difference in a country's direction and future.

In addition, I welcomed the new high profile talents joining politics today, such as Jeff Ooi into DAP and Victor Gu into MCA. I noted that despite the fact that Jeff was continuously intimidated by the Government for his blogging exposures, he possessed the moral courage to persist in his fight for justice.

As for Victor, while I don't know him personally, I hope that his motive for joining politics is noble and he is sincere about bring positive change for Malaysians. Hopefully his decision to join politics has not been motivated by other percuniary reasons.

拒绝软骨头政客
潘俭伟

很多人对政治总是抱持冷感甚至反感的态度。俗语常形容政治是肮脏的，但我觉得这个论点太过武断。政治不一定肮脏，我们只能说政治是被害群之马玷污的高尚志业。

环顾国内政坛，总有许多不争气的政客。一旦攀上高职后，他们往往会滥用职权享受荣华富贵，并肆无忌惮使出政治权术来对付政敌，进而忽略他们要履行为民服务的责任。

尽管如此，甘地毕竟是印度伟大的政治精神领袖。其首创大规模的公民不服从运动就是要抵抗暴政，同时为印度争取独立。其行动更启发全球各地推动波澜壮阔的争取公民权利和自由的运动。

作为印度国大党领袖，甘地还积极协助低阶层人民摆脱穷困、争取妇女解放、团结不同种族和宗教，同时终结印度社会根深蒂固的种姓制度。

此外，1993年诺贝尔奖得主曼德拉出任南非总统之前，曾是南非非洲人国民大会及反种族隔离运动领袖。为了坚持斗争，他在监狱内被关了近30年。在1990年获释后，曼德拉通过制订解政策及谈判，带领南非过渡成为多元种族的民主国家。

虽然我国的政治与种族问题，绝不像1940年代的印度或1980年代的南非般严重，但是若没有浩然气节或骨气的政客领导改革运动，我国的情况会愈加糟糕。

从另一个角度看，既然印度与南非在最艰难时期，都能推出有气节和骨气的政客，带动群众引导国家朝民主及团结的大方向和平蜕变，这种情况为何不能在我国出现呢？

我国最近掀起一股"青年才俊闯政坛"的风潮，其中就有民主行动党与马华分别拉拢超级博客黄泉安和电视新闻前主播胡渐彪入党。

过去4年来，我们通过黄泉安的部落格了解其追求司法公正和法治理想的决心。虽然曾被政府动辄以内安法令恐吓，以及被大牌媒体集团通过入禀法庭起诉诽谤等，黄泉安体现了其傲然气节，并且勇者无惧地继续抨击及揭露官场丑态。

虽然我不认识胡渐彪，但我希望其参政绝不是为了飞黄腾达，或是谋得一官半职，而是为国为民竭诚服务。唯有分辨是非黑白并显露无遗个人的勇气、节气与骨气，代表大家呼出心中的那一股闷气，青年才俊参政才会带给国人一股新的希望！

Overwhelming Welcome for Jeff

Well, given the "last minute" nature of this announcement (well, it has to be kept in the bag for a while), and the fact that it was a working day, I had expected a turnout of about 30 people for the welcoming party at Food Foundry today. Even late last evening when a few additional people confirmed, I thought the max turnout will be 50 persons. My 30 pax booking for food and coffee should still be able to cope.

Well, the cafe burst at its seams by 10.30 am this morning mostly from fellow bloggers and many many well-wishers. There must have been at least 120 people squeezed into the cafe, or to put it literally, spilled over to the five-foot way and road side as well (thank goodness for the good weather ;)). Foreign and local press turned out in full force as well, with more then 3 TV cameras. Jonathan Kent from BBC was present to tape the event as well.

There was real excitement in the air. The decision to hold the welcome party at the cafe, instead of the party headquarters, which might have been too intimidating for some certainly was a wiser one albeit, a more costly one for the pocket ;)

At the event, DAP Selangor State Chairman, Sdr Ean Yong Hian Wah gave the opening welcome address followed by the party's Secretary General, Sdr Lim Guan Eng. Jeff then gave his much anticipated address, which he did with much aplomb. Finally, Parliamentary Opposition Leader and fellow blogger, Sdr Lim Kit Siang asked for more politicians to blog, and for more bloggers to join the fray.

Following that, Jeff launched his new blog, Jeff 4 Malaysia, which focuses on politics, distinct from his current Screenshots.

Oh, and a BIG thank you to Lulu who treated us to lunch. Eased the expenses for the day a little ;) Thanks also to the staff of Food Foundry who were extremely patient with us as we "turned" the place upside down for 2 hours. ;)

Well, I won't bore you with more details, but I've taken the liberty to quote Jeff's maiden political speech ;)

Beratnya mata memandang. Berat lagi bahu memikul.

TODAY, on the eve of the month we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Merdeka, I am making a political stand by joining the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Looking back at our last 50 years as an independent country, if Malaysia had been a great nation, we should make it greater in the next fifty.

As a Malaysian, as a parent for a school-going child, and as an advocate of New Media who blogs, monitors, and analyses the trends in digital governance and global competitiveness, I have grave concerns for Malaysia.

It is my wish, in the years to come, to participate in the legislative process of Parliamentary Democracy in Malaysia, to share my ideas and to collectively contribute towards making Malaysia a greater country. I hope you, too, will join our clarion call for MALAYSIAN FIRST through DAP.

THINK “MALAYSIAN FIRST”. Counting on the audacity of hope, Malaysia will be a greater nation if only all of us can come together -- irrespective of race, religions and cultures – and share a common will to forge forward globally. We are Malaysians. In things we do, we should place MALAYSIAN FIRST as the top priority.

FOSTER REAL RACIAL INTEGRATION. However, this is not the case for us. The major portion of our first 50 years of nation building, and more so since 2004, has been discoloured with perpetual race-based politics. The term Bangsa Malaysia is but a rhetoric that is overly verbalized, but seldom practiced. We should break down the devil of race-based politics from this Merdeka.

GIVE US GOOD GOVERNANCE. The 2004 Barisan Nasional Election Manifesto had failed to address corruption and tainted governance as there are no Big Fish being caught; it had also failed to redeem the damaged reputation of the Police as there is no IPCMC. We are also faced with judicial verdicts which were questioned by the legal fraternity, at best, for being religiously divisive, and at worse, for going against the Federal Constitution.

WAKE UP TO KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY. Emphatically, in the last four years, the nation has regressed into the pre-Internet Dark Age where repressive tactics and draconian laws, such as the ISA and the OSA, had been arbitrarily used to intimidate proponents of dissenting –- but not necessarily unworthy – views expressed online and via the traditional media. It’s a state of fear, and it curtails people’s rights to foster collective intelligence which is recognized worldwide as the bedrock for a Knowledge-based Economy.

OVERHAUL EDUCATION SYSTEM. The education system, together with the ill practice of talent segregation mooted by imposed discrimination rather than meritocracy, could not help us produce competent human capital that can meet global benchmark relative to the advanced countries. We need a total overhaul of the system, reform the salary structure of the teaching and academic staff, and introduce syllabi that cater for the competitive needs of a globalised economy. We need to nurture professionally-skilled human capital that connects to the outside world, not jaguh kampung.

UPHOLDING DEMOCRACY. Malaysia as a Parliamentary Democracy, Constitutional Monarchy and constitutionally-enshrined Secular State has but eroded over the years. The separation of power that enables the Legislative, the Executive and the Judiciary -- the three pillars of government and governance -- to operate independently is being compromised. The Executive can now nominate candidates to sit on the Bench. This is the recipe for chaos that we should avoid at all costs.

EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF NATIONAL WEALTH. More importantly, national wealth including those generated through Petronas has not been equitably distributed to benefit the rakyat -- comprising the bumiputras and bona fide citizens -- while cronies and parties close to Umno skimmed it for their own benefits. Before the oil wells dry up, it’s time we take steps to ensure the rakyat, the actual stake-holders of this country, become the beneficiaries of our national wealth. We have been hopelessly drowned in an infrastructural-development economic model that overly relies on unskilled foreign labour force. This should stop.

ENRICH THE JOE PUBLIC. The worst financially-hit among the citizenry are the unskilled labour, average wage-earners and low ranking public servants serving in urban centres besieged by escalating cost of living. They are the direct victims of long-term rent-seekers who chipped away their earnings through highway tolls. We owe them an improved quality of life while we allow the AP Kings to take helicopter rides from golf-course to golf-course.

That’s primarily the reasons I have decided to offer my services to DAP, to help them and fellow Opposition Parties to right the wrongs of Barisan Nasional. It’s a tough struggle for all of us as we face the might of Barisan’s 3M – Money, Machinery and mainstream Media.

That’s what jolted me whenever I recall the Malay saying, “Beratnya mata memandang, berat lagi bahu memikul”.

Don’t give up my fellow Malaysians. Let’s bring in new talents and new ideas to run this country.

You may be disappointed if you fail. But you are doomed if you don’t try.

That’s how we should observe this 50th MERDEKA. Hidup Malaysia!

If you share the same feelings for Malaysia, as always, please WALK WITH US!

Yes, please walk with us. You know how to reach me ;).

Jeff Set to Join DAP!

Yes, Jeff Ooi, Malaysia's foremost blogger is indeed set to join the Democratic Action Party (DAP). I believe that it is great news for Malaysia that he has decided to take his battle to the next level. I believe that many critical thinking Malaysians will be more than happy to see Jeff in Parliament after the next elections, jousting with the many incompetent Ministers ;).

We have organised a welcoming tea party and press conference for friends and party members. So, if you are free or if you can curi ayam for an hour or two, feel free to drop by to celebrate the occasion.

At the event, Jeff Ooi is expected to make his statement on his decision to join the DAP to fight for a better Malaysia.

Date: July 31, 2007
Time: 10:30am
Venue: Food Foundry, BG-8 Happy Mansion Jalan 17/13, Petaling Jaya

Above is the Map to the venue. An RSVP will be much appreciated to estimate the amount of food which needs to be made available.

Come join us for a morning of history-making, food, fun and network. We hope to see you there!

Expensive Gifts

As Pakatan Rakyat formed the state government in Selangor, its elected representatives have received increasing demands from corporate entities ranging from property developers to slimming centres to be the guest of honour at their launching ceremonies.

Some of the younger assemblymen have asked for advice as to whether they should accept such invitations. I told them to use their discretion, and by all means, if it is a reputable company with no intent of "using" you to endorse their products, feel free to attend such functions.

Corporations and businesses form the backbone of our economy and it is often useful to hear what are the challenges which they face. If some of the requests are valid such as unreasonable delays in processing normal business applications (whether to approve or reject), then we must certainly play our role to assist them in expediting the process. However, if we are asked to help secure approval for a particular project as they do not fully comply with existing by-laws and guidelines, then by all means ask them to follow proper channels.

I was the Guest-of-Honour at one such function last weekend, to launch a commercial property development project in Petaling Jaya. I was asked to replace one of the state executive councillor at the last minute due to certain urgent matters arising.

While I must say that I'm not at my most comfortable position doing so, I took the opportunity to add in my speech that as a part of the local community now, the developer and its management must have more dialogue and consultations with the local residents to ensure a balance between development and livability. While well-planned commercial development promotes vibrancy, excessive development kills livability.

Typically in such functions, the host will present us with tokens of appreciation, often things like plaques, pens or pewter mugs. But after having reached home and opening the gift parcel, I was taken aback by what was given. Yes, as the picture above shows, I received a Nokia E90 Communicator, worth approximately RM3,500.

Make no mistake, I love the phone and have been looking at it ever since it was first launched late last year. But surely, receiving such a "gift" for attending a launching function and saying a few words is more than a little excessive!

Subsequently, I did find out however, that it's not uncommon for certain elected representatives to receive these gifts, which ranges from luxury cars to Rolex watches(!)

The question then is, do I return the gift to the developer with apologies? Or do I sell the phone and use the proceeds for community purposes?

I wasn't the only party who received the gift. Loh Gwo-Burne of Kelana Jaya received the same item for attending the function. I had a quick discussion with him on what's the next best step.

After pondering over the issue for a short while, we agreed to sell/auction off the 2 phones to the highest bidders and use the proceeds to fund our respective service centres. After all, the financing of our service centres (rental, staff, equipment etc.) comes not from the Government (unlike Barisan Nasional MPs, opposition MPs gets zero assistance to set up such offices), but from public donations and out of our own pockets.

So, for all of you out there who are interested in a (or two) brand new Nokia E90 Communicator at a discounted price, please feel free to email me @ tonypua (at) yahoo (dot) com with your bid. Cheques should be written to "DAP Damansara Branch". Its for a good cause too! ;-)

DAP's Next Big Catch?

When I joined DAP earlier this year, Jocelin Tan of The Star labelled me as "a real catch" for DAP, although, I'm pretty much just a rookie. But now, rumours are running on overdrive that DAP is reeling in the next big catch, the godfather of blogging in Malaysia himself, Jeff Ooi.

All these, thanks to a comment piece by Oon Yeoh which was just published by Today newspaper in Singapore entitled "DAP Gets New Blood".

The first major coup happened in February when Internet millionaire and Oxford graduate Tony Pua joined the DAP as economic adviser to Mr Lim. Although a political newbie, Mr Pua will be contesting in the next general election.

"People like Tony are not the kind of people who you'd normally expect to join the DAP," Mr Lim says matter-of-factly. "This is an indicator of things to come."

In the coming weeks, the party will be introducing a fresh line-up of candidates for the next general election to complement the old guard.

It's widely expected that Mr Jeff Ooi, the country's most famous social-political blogger will soon be joining the ranks of new DAP election candidates. Mr Ooi, who declined to comment, is currently a member of Gerakan, a component party of the Barisan Nasional government. If the rumours prove to be true, a high-profile defection like this would generate a strong positive buzz for the DAP.

Ah... the last time Jeff was queried on this possibility by Jocelin in November last year, "seems neither as willing nor as ready." He insisted "it’s too premature at that point."

In fact during the Ijok by-elections, there were also strong rumours of Jeff joining KeAdilan (PKR). So strong was the rumour that apparently one of the Gerakan bosses contacted him personally to seek the "truth".

This time round however, Jeff appears a little more coy about the "rumour". He even asked, shall I say, cheekily, "You think I have a cause to join them?"

Well, until the day he makes the official announcement and submits his membership application form, anything goes, I suppose. But I would absolutely welcome with both arms (and legs), his entry into politics and in particular into DAP.


One of the recent additions was a Dr Cheah Wing Yin, who does not have the online brand name of Jeff, but is a most respected professional in the medical profession. He was formerly the President of Private Medical Practitioners Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur and the President of the Malaysian Mental Health Association. I have found him to be one of the most prolific party volunteers in recent months.

After having joined the party for a short 7-8 eight months, I've certainly enjoyed my time taking part in as well as organising party activities. Are there shortcomings in the Party? Sure, there are. Many are as bright as daylight. But I'm certainly not going to sit around and whine about the Malaysian opposition parties and their weakness, and not instead play my part in strengthening them so as to better serve the Rakyat.

(Starting a brand new party or standing as an independent as some have suggested, are absolute non-starters, so I wouldn't even dwell into that)

In the little time I've spent with the Party, one of the most acute weakness is the clear lack in talent and human resource. The handful of headquarter staff has to perform everything from statement translations to office organisation to newsletter publications to attending meetings to running political events (e.g., forums) to maintaining a website to yes, even being the occasional drivers. And I heard it was even worse before.

Since I've joined and started working for the Party on a pro-bono full-time basis, and I would like to think that I've contributed a little bit to all of the above to make DAP a better party. And I strongly believe that if and hopefully when Jeff joins, he'll make the party even stronger.

I used to tell all my new recruits during interviews at my ex-company. "Don't let me tell you how the company works or what the culture is, besides the goals that the company sets for itself. Play your part to mold the company into one which you'd like to work in".

Well, I share the goals and ideals of the Party which I have joined - which I've roughly categorised as democracy, equality of opportunities, integrity and social justice.

The party leadership has also played their part in promoting and giving space to the young 'uns. Now, I'll play my part to make sure that the Party can better achieve its goals. And I certainly hope more talented Malaysians will do the same, for only then, will we be able to build a better Malaysia.

Kerishamuddin Warns MCA

I know that most of my readers probably don't read the Berita Harian. But here's the headlines on the frontpage of the paper today (yes, for once, go get your copy) - it says: "Amaran Kepada MCA". UMNO Youth Chief, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein fired the warning.

RANAU: Pergerakan Pemuda Umno meminta pemimpin MCA berhenti daripada mengeluarkan kenyataan yang mendakwa Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara sekular kerana tindakan itu tidak membawa manfaat kepada sesiapa.

[...]

“Saya beri amaran kepada pemimpin MCA supaya berhenti membuat kenyataan sedemikian. Ingin saya tegaskan, saya bukan pemimpin naif yang akan membenarkan perkara ini berterusan. Amaran saya ialah berhenti membuat kenyataan,” katanya selepas merasmikan mesyuarat Umno Bahagian Ranau, di sini semalam.

Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein wasn't the only one showing MCA the yellow card. Even political has-been, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib has his say:

“Tindakan pihak berkenaan yang cuba mengungkit semula sejarah dan kedudukan Islam sebagai agama rasmi ini adalah tindakan tidak sopan dan melanggar persefahaman antara kaum yang dibina Perdana Menteri pertama, Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman.

“Pihak yang cuba mempertahankan Malaysia sebagai negara sekular dan menafikan kedudukannya sebagai negara Islam perlu melihat Perlembagaan secara menyeluruh, bukannya mengambil sesuatu fasal atau fakta secara terasing,” katanya dalam kenyataan yang dikeluarkan di sini.

MCA spent tonnes of cash in the last 3 to 4 general elections in Malaysia falsely demonising the Democratic Action Party as supporting an Islamic State, when the party has in fact been the most consistent and vociferous supporter of a secular state.

It waits to be seen if MCA will prove themselves as hypocrites and once again submit to their UMNO masters. We can only conclude that MCA is fully supportive of the UMNO Islamic State as proclaimed by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, if they were to maintain their elegant silence henceforth. The above will only prove that the almighty President of MCA, is subservient even to the UMNO Youth Chief.

I wonder which political party is it that is without principles. What a absolute disgrace.

Opposition Disrespects Women?

A few days ago, a senior member of Wanita MCA made headlines in the vernacular press that "反对党不尊重女权" i.e., the opposition does not respect women in Malaysia.

她今日在马华三春礼堂举办的“雪州马青州分团和雪州妇女组代表大会”联合开幕仪式致词时指出，安华是大马垂帘听政的慈禧太后，还明目张胆和大言不惭地说他才是实权主席。

她说：“这种做法是强奸民主和漠视民主，他们称人民公正党，但却公然对该党党员不公平、对民主不公正、对女性尊严进行严重打击、对女性权力不尊重、丈夫欺压太太，以及把家务与党务公私不分。”

她续说，可笑的是号称民主和标榜女权的行动党却和打击女性尊严的人民公正党抱在一起。

“这如果不是公然挑战人民支会，对民主的最大嘲弄的话，那就证明了民主行动党只是为‘赢取胜利’，而出卖最基本原则的机会主义政党。”

This well-respected member of parliament claimed that Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is a party that does not respect women as Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim acts like an "Empress Dowager" (慈禧太后), he's the hidden hand behind the scenes, despite the fact that Datin Seri Wan Azizah is the "rightful" President of the party. She accused Anwar of failing to differentiate a spousal relationship from party politics, and hence it was an affront to democracy and to women.

Of course, no criticism, logical or otherwise, can be complete without dragging DAP into the picture. ;) She went on to accuse DAP of being motivated by political opportunism (赢取胜利) in our working relationship with PKR. As such, DAP also doesn't respect women. Errr...

If this isn't a clear case of the pot calling the electrical kettle black, then I really don't know what could count as one.

It wasn't too long ago when the nation was riled up over the "bocor" controversy perpetuated by 2 incorrigible Barisan Nasional MPs which insulted women all across the country. As blogged by Sdr Lim Kit Siang, when the censure motion was debated in Parliament, not a single BN MP, male or female stood up in support of womenfolk across the country.

In particular, even the right honourable MP who works in the Ministry of Family, Women and Community Affairs, was deafeningly silent, and very conspiciously absent from the Parliament hall despite being given plenty of notice from the Speaker on the motion. Only in the sanctity of the august house of Parliament can be the true test of her moral courage to represent and defend womenfolk - anything else is just plain politiking.

Which party instead took the issue nationwide, organised a gathering of influential non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as well more than 300 concerned members of the public to pass an unanimous resolution for the two "bocor" MPs to apologise and to be reprimanded, which they eventually did, although in the most insincere manner?

Well, certainly not the Right Honourable MP herself, and not the Party which she represents.

Deja Vu

Anwar has been taken in by the police.

It feels a little like 1998 all over again.

I won't write in detail because the issue is being discussed right now all over blogosphere ad nauseam.

My little wish:

1. The Royal Malaysian Police with conduct its investigations in a fair, controlled and professional manner.

2. That Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be treated with total respect and decorum as an individual who is innocent until proven guilty under Malaysian laws. We do not need another black eye for Malaysia.

3. That if he is charged, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be given a expedious, fair and just trial under an independent judge of integrity. Justice must not only be served by be seen to be served.

All the political brinkmanship, drama and threats today while superficial, has downgraded the perceived stability of this country which will only result in a further weakening economic situation, especially in the light of the existing turmoil in the global economy.

ADUN Banned from School Reunion (II)

I promised in my earlier posts - here and here - that I will bring up the issue of our state assemblywoman, Hannah Yeoh of Subang Jaya being banned from attending a gathering of school prefect alumni by her school, SMK Subang Utama, in parliament.

Read also her update given on the issue on 25th June on her blog where she wrote that she has "met up with the principal of SMK Subang Utama. An explanation has been sought. They have conveyed to me that they are required to comply with the instructions given by the Education Ministry."

Well, despite a walkout by parliamentarians from the opposition earlier today, I'll be returning to parliament later this evening to deliver the pre-scheduled adjournment speech on the above issue address to the Ministry of Education. There, I'll receive a formal and immediate reply from either the Minister or Deputy Minister (they have about 14 days advance notice to prepare the reply).

The following is the text of my speech, and I'll post the Minister's reply once it's put up in the Hansard tomorrow.

Pada hujung bulan lalu, ADUN Negeri Selangor untuk Subang Jaya, YB Hannah Yeoh dilarang menghadiri satu majlis perjumpaan semula, dengan izin, reunion pengawas Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan, SMK Subang Utama di luar kawasan sekolah.

Apatah lagi, YB Subang Jaya merupakan seorang bekas Ketua Pengawas sekolah tersebut. YB Subang Jaya telah dilarang daripada menghadiri majlis reunion pengawas sekolah asalnya kerana dia kini seorang wakil rakyat bukan Barisan Nasional. Ini adalah satu perkara yang langsung tidak masuk akal.

Perjumpaan reunion bukan majlis yang dianjurkan oleh pihak sekolah dan tidak menggunakan wang sekolah. Kos majlis ini dibiayai oleh wang peribadi pengawas.

Namun, cikgu-cikgu dan pengawas-pengawas sekolah diberi amaran bahawa tindakan tegas akan diambil jika YB Subang Jaya menghadiri majlis tersebut. Mengapakah kerajaan sekarang bersikap begitu kebudak-budakan sehingga memilih kehadiran ke majlis peribadi pelajar-pelajar sekolah?

Apabila ADUN mendapatkan penjelasan daripada gurubesar sekolah, YB Subang Jaya diberitahu bahawa arahan telah diberikan oleh Kementerian Pendidikan.

Ada juga pihak persatuan ibu-bapa guru yang telah meminta peruntukan daripada YB Subang Jaya, akan tetapi pada masa yang sama, secara langsung tidak membenarkan nya untuk menghadiri jamuan malam yang berkenan.

Saya ingin memohon Kementerian Pendidikan memberi penjelasan terhadap keputusan pihak berkuasa di sekolah yang melarang kehadiran wakil rakyat bukan Barisan Nasional menyertai aktiviti-aktiviti sekolah. Malah aktiviti luar sekolah yang tidak dianjur oleh sekolah, seperti prefects reunion pun sama sekali dilarang.

Kementerian Pendidikan telah kerap kali mengumumkan bahawa kementerian tidak mengeluarkan arahan seperti di atas dan hanya memerlukan kebenaran diperolehi dahulu.

Akan tetapi, jikalau kementerian sebenarnya ingin mengecualikan topik politik daripada sekolah-sekolah kita, keluarkanlah pekeliling mengenai perkara-perkara yang dilarang diucap dalam sekolah dan bukannya menghadkan penjemputan mengikut kenamaan seseorang.

Kalau kementerian tidak berniat meminggirkan wakil rakyat daripada Pakatan Rakyat, apakah tindakan yang akan diambil oleh Kementerian ke atas pihak gurubesar yang telah menyalahkan kementerian dalam perkara ini.

Akhir sekali, apakah langkah yang akan diambil oleh Kementerian supaya hal seperti ini tidak akan tertimbul lagi pada masa yang akan datang?

I don't know about you, but frankly, I'm going to expect the typical "BN government is fair and is not discriminating against anyone" reply.

Doing My Little Part

I've been granted a short weekly column with the Chinese newspaper, Oriental Daily which will be published on every Monday. ;) This has started since they "revamped" the paper into tabloid size last week. Yes, it's a Chinese paper, and I wrote in Chinese, although whatever I wrote goes through "heavy" language editing by colleagues. I'd post here my columns a week after they have been published ;)

So, here's my debut piece, a little introductory piece on doing my part for the country ;)

虽千万人吾往矣！
潘俭伟

人家时常问我：既然您的条件这么好，又何苦要加入政界呢？我所给的答案很简单，就是马来西亚是个资源丰富及人口充满生气的国家，但是我们却无法释出最大的潜能，而且还浪费许多宝贵的机会。当中的最大因素就是执政当局无能！

近年来，我国所拥有的最珍贵资源，即人文资本相继流失到国外去。我国最优秀的人才，不论哪一个种族，从12岁开始就给其他国家吸引去了。譬如，新加坡每年提供数百份东协奖学金，给我国学生到新加坡顶尖学府及大学深造。我有好多朋友如今都在新加坡落地生根。他们当中计有专科医生、大学讲师，有些甚至进入新加坡顶尖公司的管理层。

至于其他人有些则移居香港、伦敦或纽约，而他们的技能、智能与才能一般都受承认及获得赏识。像我这种要返回祖国并为国家贡献者，可说是少之又少。

近几年来，我国的人才相继离国，外国投资者亦对马来西亚趋之避吉。我国曾经是个最吸引外商投资的据点。1996年，我国外来直接投资额高达73亿美元。然而在短短10年内，这个投资额遽跌45.6%至39.7亿美元。若跟新加坡相比，新加坡同一时期的外来直接投资则从97亿美元增加超过一倍至209亿美元。

正当我们的邻国及竞争者相继茁壮，反观我们却一直被抛落人后。早前，我们能够很骄傲地跟新加坡、香港、韩国及台湾相比较；如今，我们则只能苦苦地跟泰国、越南及印尼相互竞争。

两周前，欧盟驻马来西亚大使蒂里·隆梅尔(Thierry Rommel)发表如何加强马来西亚吸引外商投资的建设性意见，尤其是有必要消除保护性及歧视性的政策。我国政府领导人不但没有感激隆梅尔所发表的逆耳忠言，反而还警告他别干涉我国内政。

追根究底，这个问题又再一次扯到人文资本的基本问题。随着越来越多人才对马来西亚失望而离国，我们是否还有具备足够资格的人才领导马来西亚呢？

We Live In Interesting Times...

For the past year, politics in Malaysia has been turned pretty much upside down. Hollywood scriptwriters probably couldn't have penned a more incredible story. No fortnight goes by without something significantly exciting or controversial taking place. There's probably so much twists that Malaysia's founding fathers must be turning in their graves. Even those who stand neutral on Malaysian politics must be enjoying the new spectator sport.

Some of the more significant events which I can remember off my head includes the explosive Lingam video clips, the Bar Council march, the BERSIH rally, the Hindraf rally, the on-off-on-off indelible ink, Barisan Nasional's shocking loss of 4 additional states as well as losing 1/3 of the Malaysian parliament. That was of course followed up with Anwar's proclaimation that he has more than enough Members of Parliament who will "cross over" to form a new Malaysian government.

More recently we had the electricity and shocking petrol price hikes. And all this against the backdrop of the literally explosive Altantuya murder mystery (and 1001 conspiracy theories) that ebbs and flows in and out of the national consciousness.

And now, we face the shocking allegations by a 23 year old aide that he has been forcefully sodomised by his employer, who remains the man-of-the-moment, for better or worse, in Malaysian politics. Uncertainty, conspiracy theories, denials, legal suits, counter allegations and brinkmanship will be the order of the day in the next few weeks.

It's an adrenaline pumping roller-coaster ride so far. And it's certainly one hell of a time to have chosen participate intimately in Malaysian politics. I could actually deal with a slowdown in excitement. What else is in store for Malaysian politics? We are certainly in a moment of transition, but transition to what?

It might be worth noting that the KLSE Composite Index closed at 1174 points, marginally above what was recorded immediately post March 8th elections. Bumiputera Commerce Holdings Berhad (BCHB), helmed by Datuk Nazir Abdul Razak, and one of the most exciting stocks in the market for the past year, sank to its lowest levels since December 2006.

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.

Yup! We're Responsible!

When I saw the above picture in the Star (and later the real thing on site) two days ago, I had a great laugh. The Star captioned it "General Elections Coming...", but I thought it was an open admission that they are the parties responsible for the unreasonably high toll rates Malaysians have to pay to pass the toll booths, which in this case is located at the SPRINT Highway. ;)

It'd be a real joke when BN actually decides to put up their election banners around the highways and toll booths - "Satu Lagi Projek Barisan Nasional". ;)

Oh, and in case you are wondering, the posters were put up by Masterskill College of Nursing & Health, apparently to celebrate the nation's 50th birthday. But for those living in the Klang Valley, particularly in the Damansara area, you'd find that this college has a tendency to "curry favour" the nation's leaders with banners with their faces across the town.

How these banners reflect the quality of the college is of course, anybody's guess ;)