SeaDemon Says

April 22, 2013April 22, 2013

Liver Poolu

The title is by no means an insult to the Liverpool fans, but the term “sakit hati” came into mind. Since “hati” is “liver“, I will let you Google the rest of the title.

Sakit hati does not translate into heartache, as the latter refers to matter of the heart, while the former is more about the wrenching pain you feel inside as a result of anger or frustration. Patah hati would be more appropriate for being heart broken and so on. But this sakit hati I feel is more because some poolu have been playing the racist card while some poolu have completely forgotten about the racists.

The poolu of the issue here is of what was once said by BN-friendly candidate for the Shah Alam parliamentary seat, Zulkifli Noordin. Zulkifli Noordin was the lawyer for a poolu called Anwar Ibrahim. A falling out later between the two saw Zulkifli, who was from PAS, turned independent, actively attacking his former allies. It was during Zulkifli Noordin’s time in PAS in 2003 that he was videotaped uttering derogatory remarks towards the Indians. He left PAS in 2008 to join Anwar’s PKR in the same year and left in 2010. On 6th March 2013, he was videotaped making another derogatory remark, although was aimed at his former allies, still touched on the Indians. Anyway, Zulkifli Noordin has had a talk to Indians in the area he is contesting where he has apologised to them in public for making those remarks.

Let us now look at the other poolus who have given other forms of liver pain.

Anwar Ibrahim, on 27th March 1998, near the Kampung Rawa mosque, Jalan Pattani on Penang island mentioned that he will make sure the bell at the Sri Raja Raja Muthuraiveeran temple will no longer ring. He has never apologised to the Indian community for saying so.

Ten years later, in 2008, during the run-up to the previous general elections, Anwar Ibrahim promised to the largely Indian community facing the demolition of the Kampung Buah Pala settlement that he would settle the issue within two weeks if the then-Barisan Alternatif (predecessor of the Pakatan Rakyat) was voted into power in Penang. The settlement was demolished in less than 100 days after the Pakatan Rakyat formed the government in Penang. Anwar has never apologised.

Man burns himself in protest of the demolition of a temple in Puchong

What is the picture above about?

This was M.Chakragunasegaran, 52 years old, who burnt himself to protest the demolition of the Sri Srinivasa Perumal temple in Pusat Bandar Puchong in November 2010. He died 22 days later. Has the Pakatan Rakyat government apologised? The answer is NO.

Bulldozing a Hindu altar on 4th Dec 2012

The above picture is of the demolition work in progress of a Hindu altar on 4th December 2012…this was carried out by the Pakatan Rakyat government in Selangor despite being told to consult the Hindu Sangam before carrying out any work. You can read more about it here. Has the Pakatan Rakyat government issued any apology? I haven’t seen one. Let me know if you have.

Then in January of 2013, the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Bangi Lama was served a notice for the crime of ringing the bell after dark by a council in Pakatan Rakyat’s Selangor. Any apology by the Pakatan Rakyat government for that issue? None whatsoever. And I wonder why did the temple committee saw it fit to escalate the issue to MIC Youth Chief, T. Mohan, instead of an Indian councillor from Pakatan Rakyat? I let you come to your own conclusion.

Of course, Salahuddin Ayub of PAS, in a debate with BN’s Saifuddin Abdullah in mid 2012, likened the Hindu celebration of Thaipusam to a street demonstration. This debate was televised live. Still, Salahuddin never apologised. Instead, he claimed he was misunderstood. To add insult to injury, you get other poolus joining in saying they were not offended by Salahuddin’s remark!

Lest we forget, Anwar’s trusted lieutenant, Azmin Ali called former ally, N.Gobalakrishnan, a pariah!

So, guys. Feet firmly on the ground, one poolu has left Pakatan Rakyat, now contest for BN, and apologized for his extremely stupid remarks made during his time in the Pakatan Rakyat, and before given the chance to fight for the rakyat under the BN banner; while the other unapologetic poolus are still in Pakatan Rakyat. It is up to you to decide which poolu to support, and whether you will make a poolu out of yourself later.

April 16, 2013April 16, 2013

A Reminder To Myself: ABCD

While DAP has been crying UBAH everywhere it goes, nothing about the party has changed much. In my opinion, it calls itself multiracial to cover its true intentions and true colour – yellow. I would now be deemed racist by DAP supporters as this had come from a Malay; but this would have been absolutely alright and should be accepted by the modern liberal society of Malaysia had this been made by a DAP Chinese towards UMNO.

Back in 2008, DAP Supremo and de facto leader, Lim Kit Siang, told Ipoh Timur voters that the 12th General Elections would be his last. Little did they know it would be the last they heard of him. Now, he has (yet again) jumped ship to contest in Gelang Patah, a parliamentary constituency that has 54 percent Chinese voters. And what is his agenda?

Removing the Malay from Malaysia. His Malaysian Malaysia slogan, carried on from his PAP days, now sees support from the younger Malay voters (35 years of age and below) and this I blame on both the education system and the refusal of the soon-to-be-former Minister of Information. The latter is for his refusal to allow the general screening of the movie Tanda Putera that is about the dangers of extremism, fanning of racial hatred, and the efforts put into nation-building post 13th May of 1969. I blame the education system for its eagerness in instilling too much spirit of nationalism that even those who fought for the subjugation of Malaya by Jakarta are now being worshipped by the lay Malays. Wrong heroes were created out of people such as Burhanuddin Helmy, Ibrahim Yaacob, Mat Indera, Samsiah Fakeh et al. We no longer understand the spirit and mood of our history because we simplified and narrowed our scope down to nationalism.

Lim Kit Siang and his cohorts know this, the lack of understanding of the history of the nation by the youngsters (even UMNO people failed to explain because they no longer possess institutional memory) allows him to exploit the growing liberalism, especially amongst the Malays (and Chinese) who do not have the memory of life before the existence of the mobile phones. Which is why Johor, the bastion of Malay politics, is now his main target.

Many Malays don’t understand that a vote for either PKR or PAS, if they don’t support DAP, translates into a vote for DAP. And a vote for DAP translates into the removal of the Malay and Bumiputra rights enshrined in the Federal Constitution. No big deal? Think Malaysia, it means this would affect the Bumiputras of Sabah and Sarawak as well.

A vote for DAP would mean the replacement of the protection of Islam as the religion of the Federation of Malaysia, to simply an official religion of Malaysia. Why do you think DAP has been playing the Allah in the Al-Kitab issue, then allow UMNO and PAS to quarrel over it?

Let me ask you, especially if you are a Muslim, what do you make of the pictures below?

The above is of Selangor ADUN, Xavier Jayakumar giving a talk (ceramah) in a mosque. No big deal, right? Let us see the picture below of Teo Nie Ching, also in a mosque or surau, not covering her hair:

Perhaps this too, is not a big deal for you as she is a non-Muslim and therefore is not required to cover her hair. Of course whether the hair is part of ‘aurat is still being debated as the idea has not attained an ijma’. But let me see if the verse below from the Quran would change your views about allowing non-Muslim politicians to make use of mosques and other Muslim places of worship:

The DAP assembly persons made full use of their subordinates in PAS and PKR to dismantle the unity of the Malays, who form the backbone of Islam in Malaysia. Do you think they will not attack the institution of the Raja-Raja Melayu once they come into power? Think of Day One after GE12 back in 2008. How many DAP state assemblymen throughout Malaysia were reprimanded by the Rajas?

If you think DAP needs the consent of the Agong to change the Constitution regarding the position of the Raja-Raja Melayu, the Malays and Bumiputras, and the position of Islam as the religion of the Federation of Malaysia, you are wrong:

Any bill tabled in the Parliament will go through three processes in the Dewan Rakyat (Lower House): hearing, deliberating/debating, voting. Once all processes have been successfully completed, the bill goes to the Dewan Negara (Senate House) where it goes through the same processes. Once done, it goes to the Agong, who has 30 days to reject the bill or give it a royal assent. If the bill is rejected, it goes back to the A-G’s Chambers again for amendments to the bill, then goes through the same processes as above. The Agong then has another 30-days to give the royal assent, else the bill passes into law.

Some say the military would not sit quietly to this. Maybe not, but what do you think the reaction would be both locally and internationally to a military that reacts against a united DAP supporters’ front that has become a legitimate government?

My worry is echoed too by Aeshah Adlina in her blog.

Remember, in May of 2012, DAP Supremo Karpal Singh has made attempts to define the spirit of the Constitution in wanting non-Malays to be allowed to become the Prime Minister. This was not his first attempt at doing so, he first challenged the late Sultan of Selangor in 1987.

Therefore, I am of the opinion that Tun Dr Mahathir is right in his 11th April 2013 article on Lim Kit Siang and the DAP. The Tun is also right when he said, “Melayu Mudah Lupa (the Malays forget easily)“. Those who were born after 1957 hardly have any recollection of what was shouted to the Malays, or what kind of “victory parades” took place after the 3rd General Elections in 1969.

Other possible outcomes if DAP continues to win in Penang would also be as a result of the gentrification of Penang: the removal of the Malays and Indians from Penang island, and under the United Nation’s principle of self-determination, take Penang island out of the Federation of Malaysia, and either become independent, or join Singapore. There is nothing new about having two parts of a country separated by another sovereign country. Ask the Sarawakians about Limbang and you will know what I mean.

The other possibility if DAP controls the government, is the reunification of Singapore and Malaysia. Who takes the lead is anybody’s guess. Does this seem far-fetched? In February 2013, DAP announced that it was eyeing 150 Parliamentary and State seats. In the previous Parliament, the Pakatan Rakyat held 82 Parliamentary seats, 28 of which were held by DAP. The PAP in Singapore holds 80 Parliamentary seats. That makes 162 seats out of a total of 312 seats. That’s about 52 percent of the total seats. DAP is fighting hard to get Malaysia to commit towards meritocracy, and it comes as no surprise as this was the prerequisite set by Lee Kuan Yew as reported by the Manila Standard on Thursday, 26th September 1996.

The DAP has never changed its stripes even if it now mews instead of roars. It is the same DAP as it was after 1965. While every other main BN party has seen a change in leadership since 1969, DAP is still controlled by a dinosaur that does anything in its power to remain in power, even if it means abandoning its voters from a previous constituency. Tell me now who is power crazy, and who should be changed?

Like I said at the beginning of this posting, if this was written by a DAP supporter of UMNO, it would be accepted by liberals. But I am just a Malay and DAP Chinese will deem this posting racist. I don’t care. I do not want the Malays to be sidelined and become the minority again as it once was between 1930 and 1970. Therefore I will not vote any party whose win will benefit the DAP, I will vote the MCA candidate, or any other Chinese for that matter, who will be contesting where I live because the MCA respects the spirit of the Federal Constitution.

Anyone But Chinese DAP!

April 13, 2013April 13, 2013

A Statement by KITA (not Zaid’s SAYA)

I received this from KITA’s Firdaus Christopher:

Revolt & growing discontent by KITA members/ leaders as their Chief Datuk Zaid Ibrahim roots for the loose Opposition alliance instead of own candidates in run up to GE13.

They do not agree with his recent statements seeking for particularly the Malays to vote in Pakatan candidates and no clarification or statement has been forthcoming from Zaid. As ROS has confirmed Zaid as the rightful Chief, they are seeking for his resignation.

For statements & further information, please contact Nik Yahaya Yusoff. AJK KITA 0174817079

April 11, 2013April 11, 2013

This Cannot Be Halal! Then Again This Is PAS!

Just when everyone’s waiting for Papagomo’s final video of Anwar Ibrahim’s “terkam” (pounce) episode and not expecting anything else, out came a video showing Mustafa Ali, the Secretary-General of the “Islamist” party PAS, in a compromising position in a hotel with an unidentified young woman.

Read about it here:

http://t.co/Zr2mCOnx4D

April 9, 2013April 9, 2013

Do Re Mi Fa SODOMY 2 TOO!

“Oh! I haven’t seen your tummy in such a long, long time!”

That is how I would caption the above photo. However, since this is not a contest that I am running, I am here to share with you part II of the Anwar Sodomy Saga as written by a former member of his defence team, Yuktes Vijay. Enjoy your day:

The real story behind Sodomy 2 – Part 2

This article is in response to the claims of Dato Omar Abu Bakar in a video that was shared by Anwar Ibrahim on Facebook.

Why Anwar was in the apartment?

Anwar at various times claimed that he was in the apartment to meet some economists. However, none of these claims was ever substantiated. Not even one of the economist were brought to court to verify their presence with Anwar in court.

The truth is the defence council did interview 2 of the economists but they declined to take stand to support Anwar. Why? Were they really present there? Ask Anwar. This was indeed baffling as their evidence would have given Anwar a chance to prove to the general public that it was INDEED A BN CONSPIRACY. Anwar claims he was set up but the question is what was he doing in the apartment? Typical Anwar. He puts the blame on one and all but fails to provide the sufficient and relevant evidence to come clean when he has the chance to do so.

Remember China Doll-Omega saga? If only he had shown his Omega watch or denied having one, he would not have the need to flash his tummy in every ceramah or press conferences to prove his innocence. Well, the truth is at that point of time, he did have a tummy which was carefully concealed by a bullet vest which made him look not having a tummy. How I know this? I should thank Anwar for the wonderful tea he served in his house on March 21 2011. What happened on this day? Google it up!

The landlord of the apartment

The landlord, his wife and 2 maids were brought as defence witness’ for interview in KL High Court. Even he declined to be a witness. Imagine this. I have a friend. He gives me his house to have interviews, talks and even negotiations with people but hesitates to take the stand for you. I overheard a lot of disturbing things during this course of interview. For the record, the interview with the landlord was the longest and yet he did not take the stand.

What was spoken here and discussed here? I am privy to the information but I am declining to reveal much for now as I fear for my safety. Not wanting to sound dramatic but I do know the amount of harassing calls I am getting every single day.

All information that I know with regards to the issues that I have highlighted here will be out in my final part. Part 3. I promise to release it on nomination day. Part 3 will include the real story of why the house owner hesitated, alibi list, Anwar’s flip-flop game with the defence counsels, and PM Najib’s name was brought in to smear his credibility.

Cukuplah Anwar. Stop lying. Please.

Yuktes Vijay

This is going to be a very interesting general election.

Farewell Great Briton

At the mention of the phrase Britannia Rules The Waves my mind pictures Margaret Thatcher and the cover of the Newsweek magazine depicting the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes steaming south to liberate the Falkland Islands and the island of South Georgia, invaded by Argentinian forces.

I first knew of Margaret Thatcher when I was 13, so much fanfare was made of her appointment as Britain’s first female Prime Minister. I remember inside a London cab from Heathrow airport on Christmas day of 1980 my father asking the cab driver, “So how’s the Iron Lady?”

The Maggie I remember has always been one tough and no nonsense person. She was nicknamed The Iron Lady by a Soviet journalist when she became leader of the Conservative party. Both in her domestic as well as her foreign policy she was firm and nothing short of that, never to change her mind once a decision has been made.

“To those waiting with bated breath for that favorite media catchphrase, the U-turn, I have only one thing to say: ‘You turn if you want to. The lady’s not for turning,'” she once told delegates at a Tory conference.

If there is a difference between the meaning of the words “leader” and “leading”, both would define her. Despite violent objections and reservations within her own camp, Maggie ordered for the Royal Navy task force to assemble and steam south to liberate the Falklands this month 31 years ago, and the leader lead her nation to war and victory. It was therefore difficult for me to not to compare the leadership of Margaret Thatcher and what we had when we faced the armed insurgents from Sulu, as history is riddled with many failed leadership as a result of perilous indecisiveness. Maggie not only grabbed the bull by its horns and saw that liberating the two-thousand odd inhabitants of the Falklands as being the right thing to do, but most importantly she recognised that it was her responsibility as the leader of the United Kingdom to see the mission through.

When I returned to England in 1983 to further my studies, my respect for her waned at the onset of the infamous Miners’ Strike that came about in March of 1984 as a result of the Conservative government’s decision to close inefficient coal mines in northern England, Scotland and Wales at the cost of over 20,000 jobs. Almost every day our Economics class would see a debate on this subject. Scenes of mounted police charging at picket lines virtually every day clouded my thoughts, and being a young adult and having a dislike for Dr Mahathir, I myself became somewhat anti-establishment. The British economy was hit so bad that the Pound was only at RM2.50 or thereabouts in 1984.

It was at this juncture that my views on politics changed when I had a discourse on this matter with one Adam Bachek, then a police officer who was reading law at the University of Buckingham who said, “It is always easy to make popular promises and become a popular leader, but no democratically-elected good leader would make an unpopular decision if it isn’t good for the nation.”

As with other Empires that had existed before the British, the great Margaret Thatcher was fell not by the voters, but by people in the Conservative party that she led. It started off with the dissenting move by long-time lieutenant, Michael Heseltine, over the Westland affair, and ended with her resignation over the Community Charge (also known as the Poll Tax); but she went down as a true fighter, fighting.

A true fighter to the end, after suffering from countless bouts of stroke beginning in 2002, the Iron Lady was never seen attending public functions in a wheelchair. True to her character, she walked aided as she left her private home for the last time to take up residence in the Ritz Hotel as she found it getting increasingly difficult to walk up and down the stairs at home.

As the international media show an image of her on a recent visit to 10 Downing Street, waving at pressmen while she wore blue as in the picture above by Alan Davidson, I cannot help but remember the image of her waving outside the same door 34 years ago, also in blue and thought to myself, “Her presence there surely have made 10 Downing Street great again.”

And as a part of me struggles to understand visiting a Thatcher-less Great Britain again next month for the first time in 33 years, I remember what she told naysayers after winning the Falklands War:

“We knew what we had to do and we went about it and did it. Great Britain is great again.”

Farewell, Margaret Thatcher. Farewell, Great Briton.

April 3, 2013April 3, 2013

Undilah Kita Semua

This afternoon the Prime Minister announced the dissolution of Parliament to make way for the long-awaited 13th General Elections. For those who never watched black and white television, this is the second time that we have called for the General Elections after the dissolution of state assemblies. The first was in 1974. So, this is nothing new.

In the last General Elections, Barisan Nasional lost badly compared to its 2004 sweep simply because it got big-headed and complacent, and its leaders felt over-confident in another landslide majority. This complacency was evident in the BK5 and K10 machineries that performed its task to gauge the voters by not actually going down to the ground. This act was dubbed “Ops Tiarap” or doing something while lying on one’s stomach. This time around, I cringe whenever someone from Barisan Nasional announces that he is confident that so and so state would be won back by Barisan Nasional.

Najib, as Prime Minister, had inherited a badly-beaten Barisan Nasional from his predecessor a year after the elections. His predecessor seemed reluctant to step down, and was viewed by many as being in a state of denial of captaining Barisan into the biggest slap it has ever received. Therefore, Najib had four years to transform the image of Barisan Nasional into one that is respected by many again.

As for the Pakatan Rakyat, it started off well in a way, even Lim Guan Eng, as the Chief Minister of Penang had offered Barisan Nasional representatives to help out in managing state-related affairs. However, after a while you see the true colours of the loose coalition, especially in the states of Perak, Selangor and Penang. You see the ones who are actually in control of these states are from DAP. DAP ruled Perak and Selangor by proxy, and this is the manner in which Malaysia would be governed should the Pakatan Rakyat win this election. You can read more of this in one of my previous postings, Taken For A Ride. DAP’s attempts to portray itself as a multiracial party fell flat on its face when all the Malay candidates who vied for a seat in the party’s Central Executive Committees were rejected by the Chinese-majority delegates. Declaring there was a problem with the Excel sheet it used for the elections a month and a half later, DAP declared that the Malays actually have an elected representative in the form of one Zairil Khir Johari, who is not even a Malay.

PAS has its own set of problems when it is seen as not being able to overcome its fear of Big Brother DAP, so much so that many of its reps blatantly kowtow to the demands of the DAP. This is even more evident when PAS did nothing to condemn the efforts by Christians to proselytise Malay Muslims.. It is no secret whatsoever as to who are the non-Christians among the DAP leadership. And it is not difficult to amend the Federal Constitution when it comes to the special position of the Rajas and Sultans, the Malays, and Islam as the religion of the Federation. I shall explain this in the next paragraph.

In the process of the enactment of law, a Minister will draw a bill with the help of the Attorney-General’s Department. This bill is then passed to all Members of Parliament (MPs). This bill will go through three readings and a study by a Dewan Select Committee. On the first reading, a Minister reads a brief subject matter of the bill to the Dewan Rakyat and the House Secretary. On the second reading, this bill is debated extensively, after which the Dewan Select Committee will study it further and make amendments where necessary. On the third reading, this bill is voted by the MPs. If it attains a 2/3 support, it is considered as passed.

This bill is then read in the Dewan Negara through the same number of reading and process. Upon passing the bill, it is then given to the Yang DiPertuan Agong (Agong) for His Majesty’s consent. His Majesty has 30 days to give consent or reject the bill. If the bill is rejected by His Majesty, then the Dewan Rakyat will have to debate the bill again and pass it. His Majesty will have another 30 days to give his consent. If His Majesty does not give consent to the bill during this second round of 30 days, the bill automatically becomes a law.

Therefore, the fear felt by Muslim Malays do not come unfounded, as evident in the pictures below:

And the most worrying part about the politics of hate advocated by the Pakatan Rakyat is this:

As for the PKR, in my opinion it will fare worse off as compared to the previous elections, that its de facto leader, has announced abandoning his voters in Permatang Pauh, to contest in Perak instead.

Among the three parties that make up the loose coalition, DAP will reign supreme. PKR will emerge as the biggest loser.

How would the states fare?

Kelantan: despite the BN gaining more seats, it is in my opinion that Kelantan will remain in PAS’s hands.

Terengganu: it will be a close call as in the previous elections, with BN still holding on to it.

Pahang: Pahang will still remain a BN state.

Sabah: with Yong Teck Lee going around telling voters how Anwar Ibrahim tried to subjugate the state, and the Pakatan Rakyat links to those behind the Lahad Datu armed incursion, Sabah will still be in BN’s hands. But the local parties will give Barisan a run for the money.

Johor: DAP will make a few more gains here, especially in the urban seats, but BN will still retain this state.

Melaka and Negeri Sembilan: will remain in the hands of the Barisan Nasional.

Selangor: despite the efforts of the Barisan Nasional, I opine that it will remain in the hands of the Pakatan Rakyat. However, I believe that DAP will have a Menteri Besar-designate from their ranks this time instead of having to rely on rulingbthe state by proxy again. PKR will lose badly in this state.

Perak: this will be another state that will have a close call. The jury is still out on this one, and the same goes for Kedah.

Penang: with the gentrification of Penang, the half-island state will remain in DAP’s hands. And when I say DAP, I mean the other two parties will not fare well this time.

Of course, the above is just my opinion, and I stand corrected. The outcome may be different.

However, do not experiment with your children’s future. Your decision this round will determine the course for their future.

Be careful and be wise with your choice. If you snooze, your children lose.

Marilah Kita Mengundi.

March 30, 2013March 30, 2013

ESSCOM ERROR

When the government announced the formation of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), I said to myself, “About bloody time!”. I imagined security sectors formed from Kudat to Sandakan to Lahad Datu to Semporna and Tawau, mirroring what we used to have along the Malaysian-Thai border during the Communist insurgency such as Kota Alfa, Kota Bravo, Kota Charlie and Kota Delta spanning Kuala Perlis to Tumpat. The initial aim was to combat the communist guerrillas and stopping their infiltration from Southern Thailand. After the treaty in December 1989, we had elements of the Unit Pencegahan Penyeludupan (UPP) or the Anti-Smuggling Unit operating in these areas in a supporting role, to curb the smuggling of contrabands and also human trafficking.

Instead, I find it rather amusing when the Ketua Setiausaha Negara announced that Datuk Mohammad Mentek has been appointed as the Director of ESSCOM effective April 1st. What is wrong with this appointment? Mohammad Mentek is the Director of Immigration for the state of Sabah, the agency that, in my opinion, has failed badly in curbing the in-flow of illegal Filipino and Indonesian immigrants into that state.

The New Straits Times ran a story on Mohammad Mentek’s appointment and a statement by the KSN that was complemented by Mohammad’s curriculum vitae; citing even that Mohammad would be very experienced in the field of security and public order.

This April 1st appointment has to be an April’s Fool joke with an extremely bad taste. Surely the KSN should know the functions of the Immigration Department like the back of his hand. If I may provide a memory-jogger for all, the. immigration Department’s functions are:

1. Issuing of passports and travel documents to Malaysian Citizens and Permanent Residents.

2. Issuing of visas, passes and permits to Foreign Nationals entering Malaysia.

3. Administering and managing the movement of people at authorised entry and exit points.

4. Enforcing the Immigration Act 1959/63, Immigration Regulations 1963 and Passport Act 1966.

If you think I made the above up, read it here. How much of an expert do you think the Sabah Director of Immigration would be in the field of counter-insurgency warfare, joint-command operations and public order? Other than the pen being mightier than the sword, I doubt if the person’s handled anything more than the butter knife, let alone deploy battalions of soldiers and policemen in combat situations.

This is another example of the government missing out on a good opportunity to make things better. Obviously, the main concern when we talk about Sabah right now is its defence from foreign elements. With the heavy presence of our security forces there, we can only see illegal immigrants returning to their homeland, and not the other way round. Therefore, the government should have had a clear aim (again, quoting from the Principles of WAR) in ensuring its strategies in making Sabah more secure conform to this aim. A concept called Defence-in-Depth should have been adopted instead where the Army and Police’s General Operations Force occupy the peripheral islands off Sabah, as being done in Ops PASIR, supported by the Navy, Marine Police and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. These are the front-liners that will be meeting armed militants head-on. Onshore, defence and security should be effected by the Army and Police. The Immigration Department will just stick to its supporting role, weeding out illegal immigrants.

Therefore, in my opinion, the ESSCOM should be jointly-directed by the Deputy Commander of the Army’s 1st Division, one of the deputies of the Commissioner of Police, Sabah, and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency’s Head of Regional Enforcement for Sabah and Labuan. The reason is because they are in-charge of the combat and combat-capable units operating in this region, not the Immigration.

In conclusion, the choice of the Director of Immigration for Sabah as the Director for ESSCOM is a grave mistake. I respect the person for who he is, but if the government wants to be seen serious in protecting the Malaysians in the state of Sabah, leave the job to the professionals. Not someone who holds a Master of Science (Statistics) degree and a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) degree from the University of Minnesota, United States.

March 28, 2013March 29, 2013

The Chinese Navy “Visits” Beting Serupai

Mention the name Beting Serupai you might get frowned upon by many. Mention the name James Shoal, and it may raise a few eyebrows. To most Malaysian, they would not be able to pinpoint where James Shoal is, save for some avid fishing enthusiasts, but this 22-meter deep shoal 80 kilometres off Bintulu, Sarawak, has been “visited” by elements of the People’s Liberation Army – Navy (PLA-N) or simply referred to as the Chinese Navy, yesterday.

In its report on the 26th March 2013, the Associated Press wrote:

The official People’s Daily online said Wednesday that one destroyer, two frigates and an amphibious landing ship took part in the drills around Chinese-controlled outcroppings. They involved hovercraft, ship-born helicopters, amphibious tanks, and land-based fighters and bombers, and were followed by a ceremonial visit Tuesday to James Shoal farther south.

The Beting Serupai has always been part of China’s claim, lumped together in the Spratlys, as its southernmost territory. Prior to this “visit” the PLA-N visited the shoal in 1993 and 1994. In April of 2010, its vessel, the Marine Surveillance Ship-83 placed a sovereignty stele into the water area of the shoal.

When Malaysia enhanced its relationship with China in May 2011, it was looked at as a step further towards harnessing a greater economic relationship. The Malaysian Opposition was quick to excoriate the act as political pandering. But in retrospect, it was strategically a good move as it relives the act by the Sultanate of Melaka with the Chinese. China is not a country one could just ignore. As in the 15th century, an alliance with China not only provides economic benefits, but also from a military standpoint.

It is no secret that after China’s warnings to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan in 2012, the United States was actively looking for bases in this region. Among the countries where bases are sought include the Philippines and Vietnam. However, no other modern naval base offers the best proximity than Malaysia’s own Teluk Sepanggar just north of Kota Kinabalu. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the carrier battle group of the USS John C Stennis decided to make a port call there in early October 2012. Before that, in the month of April 2012, the RMN base was visited by the US Navy Secretary, who brought with him the submarine-tender, the USS Emory S Land, and the Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine, the USS Louisville.

The only factor that is stopping the US Navy from getting naval base facilities in Sabah is probably not having a Malaysian government that would kowtow to them. Therefore, the outcome of the next general elections would be important to them. Little wonder that Sabah has been the aim of a certain party. However, this writer hopes that this dangerous effort would not come to fruition.

That the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines has asked Filipinos to stop referring to Sabah as Sabah, Malaysia three days ago, citing Memorandum Circular No. 162 issued by Malacanang back in 2008. The DFA has also begun referring to Filipinos fleeing Sabah as “displaced persons” instead of “evacuees” or “returnees.” This is the Philippines government doing a 180 on its previous position re the Sabah claim. The fact that the US Navy and Marines have begun deploying its assets in the Philippines comes as no surprise. On Tuesday the USN and US Marine Corps offloaded more than 270 tactical and amphibious assault vehicles in Subic Bay, Zambales.

American troops from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, III Marine Expeditionary Force, offloaded a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle from the container and roll-on, roll-off ship USNS 1st Lt. Jack Lummus on March 21. Some 8,000 troops from both the US and the Philippines will commence its Balikatan exercise on 5th April. And the US has yet to offer an explanation on why its minesweeper, the USS Guardian, could run aground on Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea near Palawan, two weeks before the incursion by the Sulu militants. And suddenly, Jamalul Kiram III who hardly has enough money to cover the bills for his twice-weekly kidney dialysis, could find the financial resources to send hundreds of armed militants across the Sulu Sea to Lahad Datu.

Perhaps, the Chinese naval exercise in the South China Sea and its “visit” to the southernmost part it claims comes as a warning to any party that plans to upset the military balance in the region. China, I would expect, would want to protect its interests; and the 180 by the Philippines in the Sabah issue could be seen as an attempt to de-stabilise the region. Having Sabah not only allows a nation to dip its fingers into Sabah’s oilfields but also increases its EEZ reach into the Spratlys.

Whatever the intentions may be by all the related parties, the Malaysian government should seriously look into increasing its naval and aerial assets. A country that is weak militarily will only see its soil trampled by foreign forces. The government should also make sure Sabah is not lost to another nation, and act against the Quislings who have caused the emergency in Lahad Datu.

March 23, 2013March 23, 2013

Why Is Rais Not Showing Tanda Putera?

I refer to my previous postings on the same matter: Show Tanda Putera and Screwing History.

Tanda Putera is probably the only film that has received the green light from FINAS but not allowed to be screened by a Minister, or so I was told. I wonder what is so sensitive about the film that is so sensitive that it has received protests from both sides of the political fence.

Every day as the general election draws nearer we see lots of efforts in spreading disinformation especially about the nation’s history to people of a certain race, and younger adults whom have never seen a Malaysia without the Internet, highways and colour television sets.

Worse is when the disinformation by irresponsible politicians creates blind hatred towards one target group, and is never being countered by the Ministry of Information.

I was asked tonight whether it is true that the Malays burnt 6,000 Chinese houses during May 13 incident. I asked as to where one gets such erroneous information. The answer was, “It’s on Wikipedia on the History of Malaysia. Read the modern part of Malaysia. The distortions begin there.”.

No doubt Chinese racists have been re-editing Malaysian history to create a hatred for the BN Government in preparation for PRU 13.

And since the Ministry of Information has done nothing to counter these lies, the answer is in that movie called “Tanda Putera.”

Some people will jump at the moment this posting is published. They will start labeling the movie names their dog-masters wish them to bark. I wish they would watch the movie first before they come to whatever conclusion their limited brain can conjure. I have, and so should you.

As we all rot down the political sewers of GE13 which is not even here yet, I can only ponder at the ever-widening rift that awaits us all after the elections. If only the Ministry of Information does its actual job.

And I have only one person to blame: that dinosaur they call Rais Yatim.