SeaDemon Says

March 22, 2013March 22, 2013

Do Re Mi Fa SODOMY TOO

Here is part two of former Anwarista, Yuktes Vijay’s revelation on Sodomy Two. If you have any question pertaining to the article, ask him. I post it here because I like to read and this is my blog, not yours:

From Yuktes Vijay, via e-mail

It is indeed drama at its very best when a father who sits besides his son when the son swears in the name of God that he was indeed sodomised by the opposition leader, begs the Attorney General to appeal his son’s case when the AG Chambers were in the process of contemplation but somehow somewhat makes a 180 degree turn and accuses his son of making himself a pawn in a political game.

Throw in the name of the Prime Minister and confess that you have been a PKR supporter since 1998, you have a story that can make you millions albeit compromising your dignity, your own son’s integrity and give unwarranted political mileage to the opposition coalition.

I despise gutter politics, even if the person doing it was my idol, hence the reason I have decided to come up in the previous open letter with all the discrepancies that occurred during the course of Sodomy 2.

If all Anwar could conjure is that I was not his lawyer, in an official statement in the PKR website, it lends credibility to my side of the story as to the happenings in Sodomy 2 for the very reason that not even one of my allegations were answered with facts.

Of course, I got the usual bullshit of me being bought by Umno-BN but to be honest that is the least I bargained for knowing the PKR modus operandi of treating their de facto as “Anugerah Tuhan”.

As I had mentioned in my open letter previously, Anwar Ibrahim did not have the guts to take the stand and fight his case. This is the same man who went around the country in the run up to the judgment day on 9/1/2012 to explain his side of the story to the public but did not do it in open court.

Anwar decided to play the Mandela role to gain public empathy and overseas sympathy that he was not offered a fair trial. He ran away from answering questions and that is the truth.

Saiful Bukhari was asked questions in court by senior lawyers such as Karpal Singh and rest of the defence team. He had the guts and courage to withstand the questions that were thrown at him. Why Anwar failed to do the same? He claimed conspiracy from the word go but why so much hesitation and anxiety to take the stand if such an incident never occurred in the first place.

Carefully notice that Anwar hesitates and is afraid to make any statement under oath or in the name of Lord. Something which the guy Anwar claims to be a consummate liar, Saiful Bukhari, has done so. Since he is a tree man now, he loses the charm and popularity that came when he played victim of an alleged Umno-BN conspiracy.

The very court, which he had labeled as a “Kangaroo Court” and a BN tool, has acquitted him. How does he prove his point that BN is behind this saga again?

Saiful’s dad had no role whatsoever in the trial. He played the father who cared about his son until last week and now he claims conspiracy. Why? The answer is simple. Anwar wants to hammer in the point that he is a victim of conspiracy. He is making Azlan his mouthpiece. Saying the things he wants to say through Azlan. Remember that Anwar is the King of deception.

Still skeptical over my explanations? Please ask “Anugerah Tuhan” to answer these questions:

1 Who prepared press statement Azlan read out in the press conference? If you are telling the truth, why pre-empt it? And I know for sure who wrote it Dato’ Seri.

2 Why join PKR and claim that he has been a PKR supporter since 1999 when till recently he has been anything but supportive of their “apparent” and “deceptive” cause?

3 What is the haste and need in having Azlan coming up with such statement and immediately roping him into PKR, that too without the presence of the party president? Does she even have a say in the party?

Anwar’s intentions are simple. He wants to put blame on the government or more precisely Umno-BN for the bisexual image that has been attached to him. For him, it is the case of proving that his assertion of conspiracy is true. But the problem is, Anwar “allegedly” sodomised Saiful, not his dad.

My open letter previously has made many question my integrity. The problem is when wrong things are happening right in front of my eyes, you can’t just keep mum and move on, especially when you feel cheated that the very man you believed is a reformist and an honest man is not what he is. I am willing to take the flak as long as the rakyat know the real man behind the reformist mask.

Attack me all you can. I have put forward questions to Anwar in my previous letters. I have now too. I have documents to back all my claims, even this.

Astroboy no documents pertaining to your trial went without having a “check in” to my e-mail inbox. And this is not even part 2 of my article to your scam in Sodomy 2. Recall the alibi list? Recall the recorder that was passed to me by your brother, Rosdi to record all the conversations in the interview?

My demand is simple. Do not use Saiful’s dad for your political mileage ever again. Fight Saiful like a man.

Former Anwarista, a boy privy to all underground happenings in Sodomy 2

Also read: The real story of Anwar’s Sodomy 2 ( Part 1)

March 17, 2013March 20, 2014

Crisis Mismanaged

The Prime Minister recently said that lessons of the Sulu intrusion must be identified. That is only half the battle won. It should also be learnt.

When the Sulu militants began landing at Kampung Tanduo in the Lahad Datu district of Sabah, both the military intelligence and police’s Special Branch knew exactly their numbers, type of weapons, how many more they were expecting, whose house they rendezvoused at and their intention of coming to Sabah. Within hours, elements of the General Operations Force plus the army’s 5th Brigade were deployed to effect a cordon around the area, with combat elements from the Navy, Marine Police and the Maritime Enforcement Agency taking stations offshore. More military conventional and non-conventional forces plus naval assets were already enroute in the ensuing initial hours. Within the first 24-hours, I am in the opinion that we had an overwhelming force to combat the militants. As a former serving officer of His Majesty’s Armed Forces of managerial level, I would have quickly acted in accordance to the Principles of War and the Principles of Crisis Management.

The first Principle of War is the Selection of Aim and its Maintenance. This is the Master Principle that must be established at the commencement of hostilities and followed through and through, and everything else should fall in place. However, we see the pussy-footing of this issue in Putrajaya, in particular the Ministry of Home Affairs, in making decisions. What we saw instead was the downplaying of the seriousness of the matter by the Minister himself. How can we forget his “old men with rusty rifles” response to his appreciation of the enemy’s physical condition, forgetting the fact that these men had been involved in insurgency warfare against their own government, beheading priests and nuns and fellow Muslims, burning churches etc for the past half a century.

This was the same reaction from Admiral Sir Tom Phillips while sailing on board one of the Royal Navy’s most-modern battleships, the HMS Prince of Wales, off the east coast of Malaya. “The Japs can’t see us very well because they have slant eyes,” was his remark when Japanese bombers approached his ships.

In short, never underestimate your enemy, and never take your eyes off them. Margaret Thatcher followed this principle upon being informed of the Argentinian invasion of the Falkland islands. Within the first 48 hours, she mustered the largest modern British armada to repel the invasion.

This is because the seventh Principle of Management is You Have 48-Hours. The first 48-hours is the crunch time. If you are not ahead of the crisis within this time, you will be run over by the crisis. What we saw was more negotiations being done by the police as instructed by their superiors. We see that the enemy have already established their aim in accordance with the first Principle of War, yet we were not acting in response to that aim. While the Minister of Home Affairs was seen making ad hoc comments in between plating trees on the issue, still downplaying the crisis, the Minister of Defence was not yet roped into the whole thing to assist in resolving the crisis. This is against the Ninth Principle of War which is Cooperation – to incorporate teamwork, sharing burden of dangers, risks, and opportunities. This gave time for the enemy to maintain their aim of coming to Sabah, and they dug in, with no intention of leaving.

There was no communication between the authorities and members of the public, a clear failure in crisis communication. Rules five of the Principles of Crisis Management clearly states that there are three key messages to be delivered within the first 48 hours of the crisis, and they are:

We have a plan to deal with….and this has to go hand-in-hand with the first Principle of War,

We regret to inconvenience…show compassion to the people affected by the crisis so that hey will understand their need to be inconvenienced, and,

We have begun investigations into this matter to ensure this does not occur in the future…you need to re-assure the public that you are on top of this.

You need to back this up with action, but after the first skirmish that saw the demise of the first two policemen from the VAT69, there was no follow up. This was not in accordance with the third principle of war which is Offensive Action. This is the practical way to seek to gain advantage, to sustain the momentum and seize the advantage. This never happened. We lost the fifth principle of war: Surprise.

Instead, there was absolute silence, and misleading statements issued such as the attack on the police party at Kampung Simunul near Semporna that caused a huge loss of life. Gunfire could be heard from nearby islands, and in this age of digital wireless communications, word spreads faster than before the last shot was fired that night. Instead, the official communiqué said it was a drug raid and was not related to the events in Kampung Tanduo. Mind you, although Kampung Tanduo is in the district of Lahad Datu it is much closer to the district of Semporna, gateway to the Tun Sakaran Marine Park, home to the tourist-packed islands of Mabul, Kapalai, Mataking and Sipadan. When this event finally hits the fan, and villagers took it upon themselves to dispatch of one of the militants themselves, did the authorities finally admitted what had happen.

Such silence only fuelled rumours, as stated in the sixth principle of Crisis Management: Beware of the Court of Public Opinion. The Opposition rumour-mill was quick with this, and the government was slow to react, relying on the service of contracted and non-contracted bloggers to do the public relations, while the Ministry of Communications was also slow in its response and did nothing to explain to the masses about the cession agreement so on and so forth, just a response made in passing by the Minister during an ad hoc interview. I often wonder if it was done in such a manner for self-promotion or that Radio Televisyen Malaysia, as an arm of the Ministry of Communications, did not have the time nor resources to come up with fillers to educate the general public on the crux of the issue in Lahad Datu.

In the end, the public wanted action. And finally, the Minister of Defence was roped in. He went back to KL to brief the Prime Minister on what needs to be done. Subsequently, the Prime Minister ordered the police and military to work together and do the necessary to end this. Only now we see a more structured concentration of force and economy of effort by the joint-military-police action against the militants. And finally, press conferences are handled by senior police and military officers who give hard, no-nonsense facts, rather than by politicians who are more familiar with sugar-coating facts.

And as the tenth principle of Crisis Management states: Every Crisis Is An Opportunity. Smart leaders would know that in the midst of a crisis, there is an opportunity to be seized. The government has announced an increase in the defence budget to support the formation of the East Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM). However, the decision to place this command under the Chief Minister of Sabah instead of the National Security Council could be erroneous.

Trust me, there will be more trouble. If there is a lesson to be learnt from all this, it is to leave defence and security matters in the hands of the professionals. Not politicians.

March 16, 2013March 16, 2013

The Darker Shade of Grey

My pro-BN friends may not like this post. Just when they were having it good with this:

Then they decided that since they have the ammo to attack, they might as well use them all up:

In my opinion, it is good when you have all that ammunition and firepower, but it would also be equally good to know when to use what.

The Manila Times and Reuters articles linking Anwar Ibrahim to the incursion by Sulu militants, coupled with the death of nine of our servicemen in action against them, caught Anwar off-balance and was on the verge of falling down. His signature reactions of denials and threats to bring to court local mainstream media over the allegations, but not sue the foreign ones, underscore his guilty-conscience. Both the mainstream media and pro-BN websites were already all over him.

There was a brief attempt to divert the attention of all when the father of his purported sodomy victim made an about turn and announced that his son (the victim) has been part of a conspiracy to have Anwar found guilty of the act in order to deny him the chance of becoming the next Prime Minister of Malaysia. However, events in Lahad Datu proved overwhelming; and for a moment it seemed that it was almost game over for Anwar, as far as they eyes of those labelled as “the grey voters”. There was nothing more infuriating than having a Parliamentarian being instrumental in the act of aggression towards His Majesty’s security forces.

Then, before the public could grasp the gist of the whole situation in Lahad Datu, pro-BN websites started putting up screen captures of someone who looks like Anwar Ibrahim, in an intimate act with another male inside a hotel room.

To me, it is not even an overkill. It is rather like letting loose your ammo a la John Rambo, hoping to strike something. Instead, only the cheerleaders cheered while some other pro-BN supporters retorted. For the pro-Anwar, the standard-issue answers came out, ranging from the usual “it’s not him” to “this time they have found a much slimmer actor to match Anwar’s tummy.”

For the grey voters, this is a proof that both sides embark in gutter-politics. It is also a sign to them, although it may not be true, that the government cannot find a strong link between Anwar and the Sulu militants that the government had to resort to punching below the belt to get at Anwar before the next general election.

I don’t know why this issue was brought forth. Anwar’s sexual preferences is a foregone conclusion. you can find legal documents affirming this. At this juncture the pro-BN sites should just focus on the efforts of the BN government in assisting the people, instead of playing the same game that the pro-PR sites are playing. The saying “If you can’t beat them, join them” does not apply in this situation. You do not simply join those who swim in filth to prove that you could do it too. For those who support Anwar will continue to support him, just as those who attack him are staunchly BN. Not one person from either side is going to change his or her mind just because they see the clips of two men fondling each other.

But…the Grey ones might react negatively.

What the pro-BN sites should remember is there is no use in trying to change those who are Black into White; but rather change the Grey into a lighter shade. Unfortunately, this is not how some see it. It is their loss as they may find a high turnout in the next elections but still with a high number of protest or spoilt votes.

It would be an interesting election-results night.

March 11, 2013March 11, 2013

Do Re Mi Fa SODOMY 2

I received this a few moments ago and went through it. The author and I had had a heated discussion once upon a time and I passed him off as a hardcore Anwar Ibrahim supporter. However, his about turn took me by surprise, and I am very sure he must have realised that he, like other former Anwaristas, have been had by Anwar. I am just glad that he has realised Anwar’s ploy.

Let us read what he has to say:

The real story of Anwar’s Sodomy 2 ( Part 1)

I read with anger the news that Saiful’s dad has joined PKR. I knew from day 1 that the party was devoid of any integrity but for it to scoop to this extent is just mind boggling. Now
I was working with one of Anwar’s long time lawyers during the whole course of Sodomy 2 and was involved in A-Z of the trial itself, And when I mention A-Z, it means from meeting the forensic and DNA experts to reviewing of the documents to finding case laws for his submissions, I was involved in everything. I do not wish to mention the name of the lawyer here as I revere him as my mentor and I do not wish to drag him into this frustration and anger pouring of mine.

Why Anwar never took the stand?

Anwar claimed that he was never offered a fair trial. The truth is he was never brave enough to take the stand. He was never going to withstand the questions that were about to be put forward to his now ally Datuk Yusof. If you Pakatanians have doubt, why not ask him to these questions and get valid, acceptable and not logically challenging answers for it.

a) Why did Anwar personally and specifically requested his Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Yaakob to send Saiful to the apartment carrying documents when there were other staffs there ;

b) How come Saiful was aware of the code name to enter the apartment which was “Mokhtar”, the name of Anwar’s security chief and brother-in-law? ;

c) Video evidence that was send to Gandhi Labs in New Delhi confirms the presence of the Saiful in the apartment so how can Saiful’s presence in the apartment be refuted ;

d) Why was Saiful afforded special treatment ie he was given his own room, privilege of following Anwar for overseas trips though he was a new staff ;

e) Anwar’s current aide, Najwan Halimi had previously e-mailed Anwar and told him about Saiful apparent afflictions to BN, why was the call not heeded by Anwar?

Fearing that Anwar will not be able to withstand the onslaught by the Prosecution, the defence team then decided to ask him not to take stand in the pretext that he was not offered a fair trial. Anwar excelled in conning, deceiving and cheating the public by assuming a Mandela like persona. He is no Mandela, merely a good con artist.

Fund for the overseas experts

The surprising factor here is why no one has ever questioned the fees that were involved in paying the forensic experts, Dr Brian Macdonald and Dr David Wells. Contrary to what people of the general public have been made to believe, they were paid hefty sums to defend him. When they were here, they stayed in Shang-ri La Hotel for a number of days.

Where did the money to pay the hotels come from? Did Anwar pay from his own pocket? No, he does not even pay his lawyers. So, he had very rich Datuks funding him. I do know the name of the Datuk, but for the reasons known close to me I will not disclose the name.

The problem is if PKR can throw questions as to the wedding expenditure of the Prime Minister, why not question where the money to pay these experts came from? If a former convict and a mere Opposition Leader can have Datuks funding his legal expences, what is wrong in having Datuks funding the wedding of the PM’s daughter?

Saiful

I don’t know much about Saiful. The only thing I can say is that the reason he was denied justice is that the Investigating Officer, Jude Perreira ignored the protocols told to him by Jabatan Kimia and decided to do his things his own way.

There were traces of Anwar’s DNA in his rectum. The only thing that stopped the judge from convicting Anwar was the “break in the chain of evidence”. I will write a full piece on this soon. This drama itself deserves a full piece write up.

In a nutshell, there were evidence of Anwar’s semen in Saiful’s rectum. However, due to a break in chain of evidence and the question mark over the integrity of the samples, the evidence was not used.

So the judge had no other way of corroborating Saiful’s evidence.

Conclusion for Part 1

Anwar is a consummate liar. He is using Saiful’s dad to play up his victim role in order to garner votes. We all know for a fact that since he got acquitted he has lost that bit of “charm” about him as he has nothing to yell about anymore. I really hope he sues me so that I can prove in Court what I have just mentioned.

Remember Anwar Ibrahim, I grew up adoring you. I know your modus operandi and I aspired to be you. Sue me please. Let the public watch Anwar vs Anwar clone (which is me) in action.

And remember the e-mails, Astroboy? I have all of them saved. Come get me!

Yuktes Vijay
A former Anwarista, worked in Anwar’s Sodomy 2 trial for defence council

March 6, 2013March 6, 2013

Lahad Datu: Why Pakatan Rakyat Does Not Deserve To Be Briefed

Today, Lim Kit Siang of the Democratic Action Party, a member of the loose coalition calling themselves the Pakatan Rakyat, has called upon the Prime Minister to brief the Pakatan Rakyat ~~lawbreakers~~ lawmakers on the operational updates of Ops Daulat that is being conducted by the PDRM and the Armed Forces.

However, apart from being total idiots, the Pakatan Rakyat side cannot be trusted with national secrets. And my friend, OnDaStreet, whom sides neither he Pakatan Rakyat nor the Barisan Nasional, has explained why beautifully.

MilOps Lahad Datu: Now Every Critique Can Fly…Kites

Those with keyboard military experience playing Command & Conquer et al are now asking why are our troops being flown using Air Asia aircraft. Lots of criticisms fly here and there accusing the armed forces of not having the capability to support such an operation…and this coming from the same group of people who questioned military and police purchases of new equipment.

First of all, it is normal for the military to utilise civilian aircraft to support operations, even if there is no critical operations taking place. The military has been using Malaysia Airlines for as long as I can remember, even when I was still a serving officer. Now, Air Asia is being contracted to ferry military personnel.

In this operation for Sabah, you need to move two infantry battalions from the Peninsula to Sabah, and move them in the quickest and fastest manner. All war materiel will be transported using the RMAF’s C-130 transport aircraft. You cannot transport armoured personnel carriers, artillery pieces in large numbers if the C-130 is filled with infantrymen. Logistically, an army has to arrive with its firepower at around the same time. You cannot deploy an army that is still waiting for its equipment.

Look at the picture below of our men leaving for Lebanon. What aircraft do you think carried their equipment?

And what did the British use to transport their men and materiel to the Falklands?

And what do the Americans use for deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan? The soldiers below are not at an Air Force base:

And how did they fly?

Come on, people! Most of you are learned lawyers and what-nots, but the way you think is just like a fourth grader. Use your brain if you actually have one. Stop whining, push politics aside and start supporting our men and women in blue and green because the closest you have been to going to war is only when you shout buckets-of-political-shit rhetoric and you are nowhere near the tenth percentile of being as brave as these men and women are.

So, just shut your trap if you have nothing good to say about them! Because you all sound like yeast-infected whiny old hags.

March 4, 2013March 4, 2013

Sabah: Revisit 1950

We enter the fourth day of skirmishes with eight deaths on our side without any long-term solution. Fighting an almost endless stream of battle-hardened enemy along a porous coastline. Like it or not, we have to face the facts and hit it head on, and stop living in denial.

With Nur Misuari, leader of the MNLF, already giving a stern warning to Malaysia over the recent firefights, and the growing sentiment in the Philippines in support of their people fighting our forces on the eastern part of Sabah, we have no choice but to be firm. And when we fight an enemy that abides by no rules, we will have to make up our own as we did back in 1950.

The latest skirmish that cost the life of six police officers and men goes to show that there are sympathizers amongst the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos earning their living here – most calling Sabah home instead of the Moro region.

In view of this, I would like to suggest to the government to revisit the Briggs’ Plan not only to ensure that the militants do not get support from sympathizers, but also to ensure that those who are genuinely here to make Sabah home are well taken care of in terms of provisions and medical treatment.

I leave the mechanism to the authorities but this is no time to be pussy-footing. The Sabah coastline that is exposed to infiltration stretches from Kudat and all the way southeast to Tawau. Even if we deploy all 300,000 men of the police and Armed Forces, we would be stretching our resources film-thin.

Give it a thought, but please don’t take another 23 days to decide.

March 3, 2013March 3, 2013

An Appeal To All Social Media Practitioners

Tolong pesan dgn orang lain..tolong jgn update dekat facebook kalau ternampak ATM tgh buat roadblock dekat mana dan kereta dekat mana..percuma Penceroboh dapat info!! Senang2 diorang serang..btw ada apa2 simpan dalam hati..mereka sedang memerhati!!

Kepada Rakyat Sabah..Tolong jangan sebarkan maklumat di fb atau dimana2 sekalipun apa yg anda nampak Polis dan ATM lakukan di Sabah… Apa yg anda nampak itu adalah rahsia pertahanan negara…Tolong jangan merasa bangga dgn maklumat yg anda sebarkan… Anda hanya akan mengeruhkan lg keadaan…Secara tak sengaja anda hanya membocorkan maklumat kepada pengkhianat negara…

Sekarang anda juga memegang amanah negara dgn tidak menyebarkan maklumat… Pegang amanah itu erat2…

TOLONG SEBARKAN!

rasanya update pasal info berapa yg terkorban itu tiada masalah.. atau update info agar semua orang lebih berhati-hati itu tiada masalah.. cuma jangan update info yg berkaitan dgn gerakan PDRM dan tentera diluar sana.

Terima Kasih

February 25, 2013February 25, 2013

Apology? Not Accepted

At the Shah Alam Convention Centre today, the Pakatan Rakyat announced its manifesto for the upcoming General Elections that covers the socio-economic as well as political plans should it succeed in wrestling power from the Barisan Nasional. Among the points included inside this manifesto is that “the Federal Government to release and apologize to all ISA (Internal Security Act) detainees from the past to the present.”

This seems to be the thing Lim Guan Eng has been pushing for all this while. First, we need to understand that the ISA was an Act that served its purpose for the time it was appropriate for. It gave the authorities the time needed, or to curb clear and present dangers that threatened the public morale, security and the economy of the country. In short, the ISA was without which would not have allowed us to prosper the way we do now, draconian or not.

Among those detained under the ISA included communist terrorists and their agents, potential terrorists who are only potential terrorists by virtue that they had not managed to blow something up yet when they were nabbed; foreign agents, counterfeiters who would have sabotaged our economy. And most importantly, it was used during the “Ops Lalang” of 1987 in order to diffuse a potentially explosive racial riot where a fair share of people from both the Barisan Nasional and the Opposition got held under that Act, and the nation was once more saved from disaster.

Apologising to former detainees is a form of exoneration from all wrong-doings for the former detainees. Maybe this fits the agenda of allowing communists abroad home, like what the elements in DAP and their stooges inside PKR and PAS have been championing. There must be more than meets the eye here as Chin Peng’s origin is Setiawan, Perak. Anyhow, this is probably the reason some quarters from the Opposition have ben seen frequenting the Peace Villages of Yala. Freeing potential terrorists with known connections would also be detrimental not only to our security, but also to our neighbours’ security. Perhaps, there is a camaraderie between them that terrorist acts will only be conducted abroad. Hey, I’m on a roll here, but I know I am warmer than warm! But face the fact, releasing these people would do more harm than good.

The irony is, the Prime Minister, whoever that would be, will also have to apologise to Tun Dr Mahathir, arch-nemesis of the Prime Minister-designate, or so the latter thinks he would be. Tun Dr Mahathir was once held in detention under the same Act for criticising the government of Tunku Abdul Rahman in his book. Mind you, the Tun was the last person to be held under that Act for political conflict with the government. Lest we forget that the same Prime Minister-designate also had both Ummi Hafilda Ali and Azizan Abu Bakar nabbed under that Act to try get them change their statement concerning an act of sodomy by the Prime Minister-designate. Would the latter apologise to them as well having abused the ISA to serve his political interest?

To sum it all up, this latest manifesto by the Pakatan Rakyat is not a feasible one. In its point on releasing and apologising to ISA detainees and former detainees will do more harm to everyone than good. Having a manifesto is good, but I see a lot of missing points in this new manifesto. For example, the 15 percent oil royalty for Kelantan and Terengganu have not been included, so we know how important the welfare of these two states is to the Pakatan Rakyat, taken or a ride. Or whatever happened to the RM500 assistance to teachers as promised in the infamous Buku Jingga?

In the end, a Pakatan Rakyat manifesto, in my opinion, will remain just another unrealistic and unachievable manifesto like the one issued before the previous general election. Of course, the Pakatan Rakyat already has a script ready for that in case anyone asks…

February 22, 2013February 22, 2013

Take Sabah Away, Mr Sulu

When the late Gene Roddenderry wanted an Asian character to be part of the crew of the Federation Starship USS Enterprise, he wanted a surname that does not represent any particular nation. George Takei, an actor in the world-renowned TV show recalled how Roddenderry opened up a map, looked at Asia and saw the Sulu Sea and exclaimed:

“Ah! The waters of that sea touch all shores!”

That was how the character Hikaru Sulu got his name.

And how true it is that the Sulu Sea has now touched on the raw and sensitive parts of the shores of both Malaysia and the Philippines.

I wrote some days back on the current stand-off in Lahad Datu and it is today Day 11th since a group of armed men claiming to represent the Sultan of Sulu landed in Lahad Datu, Sabah in Malaysia, asking for the return of Sabah to the Sultanate of Sulu. When the Philippines government worked a peace deal with the Muslims in the country’s deep south via the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement, the Muslims and their Filipino brethren embraced it as finally a way forward after decades of impasse. The framework allows for the creation of a single and autonomous entity called Bangsamoro replacing the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

The framework agreement was signed at the Malacanang Palace on 15th October 2012 in the presence of President Beningno Aquino III of the Philippines; Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, the Chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front; Najib Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia; and Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Countries.

Absent was Nur Misuari, leader of the Moro National Liberation Front. Nur Misuari had called the BFA irrelevant claiming it was cloned by President Aquino and Najib Razak. The MILF is a breakaway group that was part of the MNLF back in the 1970s. Disagreement in the way Nur Misuari handled issues led to the group breaking away.

Also absent was the Sultan of Sulu. The alienation of the Sultan probably led to the Lahad Datu stand-off. The Sultan admitted to have been prompted by the alienation to send some 400 men across the sea to Sabah, as the BFA had seen not only improvements in the lives of the Bangsamoro that he played no role in, but also in the intimacy between the Philippines and Malaysia as neighbours. And as mentioned in my previous posting on this issue, Nur Misuari’s MNLF supports the Sultan. And this recent posture is to display its relevance again to the Moro people.

But why was the Sultan alienated in the peace process? Simple – there are now ten people who claim the throne. The Philippines government cannot be dealing with ten different Sultans with ten different basic ideas on how to bring peace and development to the Bangsamoro. Nur Misuari himself did not attend the signing as he fears that there is an ongoing warrant issued for his arrest for waging war against the Philippines government.

As the militants are bogged down into their second week in Lahad Datu surrounded by the Malaysian security forces, Nur Misuari was quick to threaten Malaysia saying “if one drop of blood is spilled then we will be forced to come to their aid.” Nur Misuari also said the following:

This should be handled by cooler heads…that it would also be good to await the Malaysian general election to see who will be the new Prime Minister…

And who has Nur Misuari implied by that? None other than his old friend, Anwar Ibrahim. It was reported by Reuters and confirmed by Philippine military sources that Anwar had traveled and met Nur Misuari to discuss land claims in Sabah, a few months before the Lahad Datu incident happened. Anwar has vehemently denied this, but the photo below shows otherwise:

Now, Anwar Ibrahim seems a dubious character himself. In a recent open letter, his former legal counsel member, Yuktes Vijay, asked about the former’s links to Islamic fundamentalists as well as known terrorists. Therefore, it is not impossible for him to have met Nur Misuari to discuss the matter, and then deny it like he denied ever being conferred the title of Huguan Siou although people from his own political party had announced that on Facebook, complemented by photos of him.

The Philippines government has sent six naval vessels to stop people from the Moro region from entering Malaysian waters as this stand-off continues. And although the Malaysian government has an upperhand and the firepower to end this stand-off, it is probably of best interest to the Bangsamoro, the government of the Philippines as well as Malaysia, to not allow anything to jeopardise the BFA that is still in its infancy. Perhaps, the MILF and supporters of the BFA in the Moro region should lend their support to both governments to try end this madness.

In the meantime, while treading gently on this issue, both governments should get to the root of this and probe Anwar Ibrahim’s role in facilitating or prompting this incident. For it would not have happened had it not been for someone from the Malaysian side advocating and encouraging it to happen. It is something close to Sabah, and we know Sabah is being wooed by Anwar’s party. Get the support of the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut community by being recognised as their Paramount Leader (Huguan Siou), you will get support from the Christians in the west side of Sabah. Get a deal with the Tausugs in Sulu, you will get support from the Muslims especially in the eastern part of Sabah.

But at what cost? That remains unanswered. But maybe Gene Roddenderry would frown had he known the Sulu Sea is one of the volatile areas of the region.