Politics – Page 23 – SeaDemon Says

December 1, 2016

UMNO 70 – Weary Or Youthful?

UMNO is 70 this year.

Whether we like it or not, communal politics shall remain the main feature of Malaysian politics. Although the Federal Constitution places Bahasa Malaysia as the official language and medium of instruction, MCA, MIC and other communal parties including the self-proclaimed multiracial party DAP will continue to fight for the existence of the vernacular schools which is among the reasons this country continues to produce an ever divisive society.

And although the Federal Constitution places Islam as the religion of this blessed nation and although the Federal Constitution also gives the right to for each religion to manage its own affairs, we get BN component parties questioning the Syariah Court (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act amendments which does not affect them and claims that it would lead to double jeopardy – a claim so ludicrous that it makes me wonder how these lawmakers even made it to Parliament not knowing that Article 121(1)(1A) of the Federal Constitution stated clearly that neither the High Court of Malaya and the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak have any jurisdiction in any matters that are within the jurisdiction of the Syariah Court.

And DAP as well as its puppets (PAN, Pribumi, PKR, BERSIH) will hitch a ride on this communal collision course to ensure that the wagon cannot be steered to safety.

The basic question that was raised during the Pemuda and Puteri meetings revolved around the rising cost of living. Ridzuan Ahmad (Pemuda UMNO) from Negeri Sembilan quoted a makcik selling pisang goreng who lamented the rise of fuel prices as well as the smuggling of cooking oil to foreign countries that has caused the removal of subsidies. Norsarfinaz Mohd Azman (Puteri UMNO) of Pahang told the government not to sugar-coat the economic situation from the public.

While the questions above are valid questions, what has the Pemuda as well as Puteri UMNO delegates done to understand and explain things to the masses?

As a layman and a non-UMNO person, I can proudly say I have explained this better to the masses. Therefore, I find it odd that even with a strong Information Machinery, Pemuda UMNO finds it difficult to explain to the masses about the benefits of the withdrawal of subsidies. On the question of hoarding and smuggling of cooking oil, it is not an easy task to prevent smuggling. Nevertheless, one cannot expect the government agencies to achieve success if the public does not cooperate in reporting such activities to them.

I don’t think the government has sugar-coated anything. In his Budget 2017 speech, Najib Razak spoke about the drastic reduction in earnings from the oil and gas industry. This has been made up by the introduction of the GST which saw an increase in the number of businesses having to pay taxes to the government as opposed to them collecting tax from their customers but under-declare earnings to the government previously. Furthermore, household essentials are mostly zero-rated items under the GST scheme thus there is no tax on most food items nor should it affect households.

If it does, then again it becomes the responsibility of the masses to assist government agencies by reporting such occurrence to them. Has this been conveyed to the voters?

We can all whine about the cost of living but what have we, especially those in UMNO done, to actually come up with solutions to accompany the problems that they put forth to the party management? Is it fair that the party management is given the burden to think of solutions but the whole party bathe in all the glory when a solution works without the participation of the grassroots?

Even the non-Malay and non-UMNO Miss Lim Sian See could explain things better than most!

Perhaps, in this final stretch before the 14th General Elections, party wings organise workshops on improving the standards of living rather than go on trips or exclusive makan-makan events.

However, on my Facebook this morning I received a message from a friend asking is the Ringgit really bad and are the rakyat truly suffering? This was the message:

UMNO party members should be more selfless. I watched the commentary by one of the panelists on RTM1 just before Najib Razak delivered his speech and it was an interesting piece when he said the Opposition is more on the ground and stand on the a level platform as do the people in the rural areas, while UMNO members spend more time at high-end coffee places and surround themselves with ‘loyalists.’

Najib Razak also touched on this in his speech:

“Bercakap tentang tanda hormat, acknowledgement and respect terhadap Wanita ini, saya berasa begitu sayu dan tersentuh apabila mendengar cerita tentang wirawati-wirawati Wanita UMNO yang tidak didendang, namun telah berkorban jiwa dan raga demi kepentingan parti.

Kisah tauladan yang saya maksudkan, adalah tentang Puan Saridah binti Ibrahim, Nombor Ahli UMNO 01441342, Ketua Wanita Cawangan Bandar Baru Selayang, juga merangkap Ketua Penerangan Wanita Bahagian Selayang.

Beliau terlibat dalam kemalangan jalanraya sewaktu pulang dari berkempen untuk Barisan Nasional, semasa Pilihanraya Kecil DUN Kajang pada tahun 2014.

Sesungguhnya, saya berasa sungguh sebak dan terharu, melihat keadaan Puan Saridah kini… yang penuh semangat, walaupun dalam keadaan yang uzur, beliau sanggup hadir bersama kita.”

Such is one of the selfless acts that UMNO members should emulate. Najib Razak rightfully gave respect to Wanita UMNO which forms the backbone of UMNO – with 1.3 million members from a total of 3.5 million members nationwide. Pemuda UMNO has about 600,000 while Puteri UMNO has close to 400,000.

However, questioning the race of a GLC boss by a Wanita UMNO member, was not something smart. Arul Kanda is not a Malay although he is a Muslim, but it is his expertise that is sought to handle GLCs in the manner that they should be. We cannot just appoint someone just because he is a Malay and expect things to be rosy. Look at FGV, for instance. I shan’t say more.

Najib Razak also pointed out on how the government has provided medical treatment to its people for next to free. Transformation Centres that run daily until 10pm. And for the benefit of Ridzuan Ahmad and Norsarfinaz, the government provides RM200 in assistance per person for the 400,000 small-scale farmers and rubber tappers during the monsoon season. On top of that, the 60,000 fishermen in Malaysia are being given a special allowance of between RM200 to RM300 per month for the whole year. For padi farmers, RM1.3 billion is provided to subsidise the purchase of seedlings, fertilisers and price of rice to make them more competitive.

Yet, people still call the government zalim not knowing what the word really means.

The zalim are the ones who, when in office, make solemn oaths proclaiming Wallahi Watallahi Wabillahi which all literally mean ‘and by Allah.’ When they are sworn into office, in Parliament as cabinet members, they took an oath Wallahi Wabtallahi Wabillahi to protect government secrets and not disclose them to anyone under whatever circumstance; then as party leaders they swore Wallahi Watallahi Wabillahi to protect the sanctity of Islam as the religion of the Federation, and uphold the Malay rights as leaders of UMNO, yet when they fail to fulfil their self-interests, they leave the party and take sides with those who actually attack Islam and the Malay rights.

Those, as Najib Razak mentioned in his speech, are munafiks (hypocrites).

At 70, UMNO is still young. It shall remain youthful for as long as it is able to draw the support of the younger generation and continues to not only listen to grouses but able to provide solutions as well as explain well to the masses. It is those weary ones, who from the start never align their aspirations with that of UMNO’s (putting self-interest forward) who will cause UMNO to feel weary.

These are the people who would just dump everything, leave, and then attack UMNO out of frustration.

As Najib Razak quoted of the national literary figure Usman Awang and the Melayu-Riau literary figure Tenas Affendy at the beginning of his speech:

Melayu itu orang yang bijaksana,

Budi bahasanya tidak terkira,

Kurang ajarnya masih beralas dan bersantun,

Kalau berkelahi biarlah cara Melayu,

Kalau menikam pula, pun dengan berpantun,

Walau menyanggah dikuntum senyum.

Kalau merayu dan meminta,

Hendaklah pada yang kasih dan sudi memberi.

Mencontoh biarlah pada yang senonoh,

Berteladan pada yang sepadan.

Adil menjadi hakim,

Amanah dalam bersumpah,

Sekalipun begitu,… walau watak Melayu menolak permusuhan, setia dan sabar tiada sempadan,…

biar berkecai tulang,… hatta hancurnya badan,…

pantang pendekar, meninggalkan gelanggang!!!

November 28, 2016

Maria Chin Ibarat Isteri Nabi

Maria Chin Abdullah telahpun dibebaskan dari tahanan polis setelah 10 hari ditahan di bawah SOSMA.

Semasa beliau ditahan, beliau telah ditemui pihak SUHAKAM dan telah meminta beberapa perkara untuk beliau perolehi semasa di dalam tahanan, termasuk senaskah Al-Quran.

Beliau juga telah disamakan dengan isteri Rasulullah SAW kerana mengumpul dana untuk menentang kezaliman kerajaan. Sudah tentu balu ‘Tuan Guru’ Yunus Ali ini layak diberi penghormatan tersebut.

Begitulah Maria Chin Abdullah digambarkan sebagai seorang Muslim yang sejati, termasuk dalam suatu gambar yang menunjukkan beliau membawa sehelai ‘sejadah‘ walaupun tanpa telekung.

Setelah Maria dibebaskan, beliau diraikan oleh penggigit kuat Parti Keldaian Rakyat, Tian Chua di sebuah restoran terkemuka yang mempunyai beberapa cawangan di negeri Selangor.

Betapa gembiranya heroine Muslim ini dapat menjamu hidangan yang lazat di Restoran Hou Keng.

Mungkin disebabkan beliau seorang yang beragama Islam berketurunan Cina maka beliau rindukan masakan Cina. Sudah tentu Restoran Hou Keng ini tidak menyediakan masakan-masakan yang haram, dan berstatus pork-free.

Adakah begitu hakikatnya?

Berikut adalah menu Restoran Hou Keng:

Anda boleh click di gambar-gambar tersebut untuk zoom in dengan lebih dekat makanan-makanan yang dibulatkan.

Maaf.

Maria Chin Abdullah tidak boleh disamakan taraf dengan Siti Khadijah R.A. Siti Khadijah tidak makan babi dan tidak mengumpul dana untuk menjatuhkan sebuah kerajaan sebuah negara yang mendokong Islam, yang dipimpin oleh seorang yang beragama Islam.

Suami beliau juga bukan ‘Tuan Guru‘ seperti yang diwar-warkan. Sungguhpun berjuang untuk PLO, namun PLO mempunyai satu pergerakan militan di masa suami beliau berada di sana yang diberi nama al-Jabhah al-Sha’biyyah li Tahrir Filastin atau Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

PFLP adalah gerakan militan PLO yang sekukar dan memegang ideologi Marxist-Leninist. Malah Fatah, kumpulan politik terbesar di bawah PLO juga adalah berfahaman sekular.

Janganlah kita menunggang agama hanya untuk menghalalkan sesuatu yang tidak sepatutnya.

Saya telah terangkan betapa sesatnya mereka yang menghalalkan demonstrasi untuk menggulingkan sesebuah kerajaan.

Sesungguhnya, Maria Chin hanyalah keldai tunggangan George Soros dalam misinya untuk menawan dunia secara halus – dan kini menggunakan Islam untuk menghancurkan Islam sambil bangsa lain tepuk tawa.

November 28, 2016

Infidel Castro

A Wikipedia image of a Cuban propaganda poster proclaiming a quote from Castro: "Luchar contra lo imposible y vencer" ("To fight against the impossible and win") — A Wikipedia image of a Cuban propaganda poster proclaiming a quote from Castro: “Luchar contra lo imposible y vencer” (“To fight against the impossible and win”)

When Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz passed on three days ago, the world gave the event a mixed reaction. Today, for the first time in 13 years Cuban dissidents have called off their weekly march, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “one of the most iconic personalities of the 20th century. India mourns the loss of a great friend” while Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto called Castro a friend of Mexico, who had promoted bilateral relationships based on “respect, dialogue and solidarity.”

Although Malaysia has had 41 years of diplomatic relationship with Cuba, it was only in the recent decade that Malaysians have been allowed to travel to the island country.

Fidel Castro officially handed over Presidential power to his brother Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz in February 2008. Raul was made the President of the Council of State in 2006 due to his brother’s illness. Although Raúl sought advice from Fidel from time-to-time, the elder Castro never usurped his brother’s power and was loyal to the government of the Communist Party of Cuba till his death.

That was Fidel Castro, an iconic revolutionary leader and a great orator who stood against the world.

We used to have a similar leader in Malaysia. I call him Infidel Castro, a name I saw coined on social media. While Fidel stood tall for his people (rightfully or wrongfully depending on the side of the fence your perspective is), Infidel is only interested in having power to enrich his family and friends no matter the cost.

Fidel was true to his struggle and principles. Infidel…as the word itself means – one who denounces his religion or in this case, his political beliefs, or adheres to the religion or political beliefs of others. He has no trouble, as the Malays would say, to lick his own spit and do a 180 on his principles. Principles – something other leaders have. Which is Infidel’s way of saying he has not a scintilla of political or personal integrity in any of the unfortunate cells that make up his wretched physical body.

Even his old friend and a former Menteri Besar of Kedah Osman Aroff is saddened by Infidel Castro’s behaviour. Osman related how Infidel once said, “It is because of UMNO that I am the Prime Minister, and don’t leave the party no matter what happens.”

For 22 years he manipulated the system just to stay in power, using the machinery of what was once his party, only to claim that he held on to power without the assistance of that political party but instead due to the bickerings the opposition had had among themselves. In other words, he is now asking the opposition parties to bond so he could remain relevant.

Perhaps there is a reason for his infidelity – the moment he saw Najib Razak tumbling into what seemed to him as a bottomless abyss, he knew that if he was to stay on with UMNO and the opposition forms the government, he would be tried for his abuse of power and as described by writer Barry Wain, the squandering of RM100 billion of the rakyat‘s monies stashed in public funds.

Thus, by forging a political relationship with and being part of the opposition, Infidel hopes that all will be forgotten and forgiven. Such is how a simple mind works.

But all is not forgotten. Infidel and his aboriginal party has not been invited to the DAP’s national convention for 2016. Perhaps DAP is trying to tell Infidel that in the opposition he is nothing and can no longer call the shots. Of course, one who has been slapped in public will never admit to sulk after.

Neither has he been forgiven…and he is now likened to a ‘snake’ and ‘pimp‘ by a DAP delegate in Pulau Pinang. Such an apt description for an Infidel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvZ_4hJV5rI

Fidel Castro is dead and gone at 90. Infidel Castro at 91 is still dishing out lies, unrepentantly, and still not afraid of those intangible to him – God, heaven, hell, good deeds and sins.

November 24, 2016November 24, 2016

Opposing For The Sake Of Opposing

This morning I was labelled a ‘Malay supremacist‘ by two non-Malays on Twitter for presenting my views on the Syariah Court (Criminal Jurisdiction) Bill to be proposed by PAS President Haji Hadi Awang. They claim that I was trying to push my idea to them but at the same time ignore the fact that they were pushing their views to me for me to accept.

Then, I saw this on The Star and cannot believe my eyes that this is being said by our very own lawmakers!

A screenshot of The Star on the objection to having two legal systems

Imagine our lawmakers, all born before Malaysia was formed, do not know that the two legal systems have been in place even before 31 August 1957, and was adopted into the Federal Constitution of 16 September 1963 when it was accepted by both North Borneo and Sarawak that entered a Federation with the other states of Malaya to form Malaysia. The Federal Constitution even says that the Attorney-General does not have any jurisdiction over Syariah matters – clearly drawing the line between the two systems.

I have written at length on this matter prior to this. Please refer to the following:

The fear came about when Kelantan state assembly passed its Syariah Offences (II) Enactment last year that includes crimes of theft, fornication and so on prescribing the amputation of limbs, stoning et cetera. Since the punishments prescribed are ultra vires in nature, Hadi Awang sought for the amendments to the Syariah Court (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act, 1965 (Act 355), dubbed by the uninformed as the Hadi Bill or Hudud Bill.

Citing the Bill as unconstitutional, the ill-informed began to attack the Bill at its earliest stage; while the Opposition uses it to mount attacks on UMNO for supporting the proposal to be tabled in Parliament, conveniently forgetting that the Federal Constitution is the supreme law of the land.

What Can Hadi Propose?

The following is the list of items that Hadi can seek amendments to:

Only the ones in red (Enabled) are the ones Hadi Awang could hope to propose in his Private Bill.

Does The Bill Affect Non-Muslims?

Like I mentioned, the two legal systems have co-existed in Malaysia since the formation of Malaysia. Let us see Section 2 of the Act:

Oh! The Act applies only to Muslims! So why are people jumping like monkeys?

And did Hadi Awang seek to include the non-Muslims in his amendments?

It still says 'those professing Islam' as religion. Again, why do people jump like monkeys? — It still says ‘those professing Islam’ as religion. Again, why do people jump like monkeys?

So, no. Whatever you say or think, this law DOES NOT APPLY TO NON-MUSLIMS!

THIS LAW WILL PROMOTE DOUBLE JEOPARDY AND IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Have you no brain?

Hadi Awang merely seeks to increase the penalties, not expand the jurisdiction of the Syariah court! As per the table above, all offences covered by either the Penal Code or by any other law that was made under the ambit of the Federal Constitution cannot be charged under the Syariah law.

So how can there be double jeopardy? Murder, robbery, rape, sodomy, are all offences under the Penal Code of Malaysia. You cannot charge these offences under the Syariah law.

How Is The Process Now? What Does Hadi Awang Have To Do?

Any Member of Parliament not representing the ruling government who wants to table a Private Bill will have to apply to the August House for leave to do so. At the same time the said MP is to submit the Bill with an explanatory statement of reasons and objectives of the Bill.

Every such application will have to be in the form of a motion. Only when the House agrees with the motion will the Bill to have been deemed as being read for the first time.

After the first reading the Bill will then be printed and circulated to all members and the Minister in-charge of the subject of the Bill for scrutiny. Only when the Minister in-charge is done with the Bill will it then be reported to the House. After this report is made, the Bill shall be set down for second reading.

There are more stages and hurdles for the Bill to have to go through before it finally makes it as an approved Act, or thrown into the bin.

We are now still at the first stage – the application.

What Else Does The Federal Constitution Say About Each Other’s Religion?

We have Article 11(3)(a) in our Constitution which states:

Every religious group has the right to manage its own affairs

By intruding, isn’t this right given also to the Muslims in Malaysia being denied by the non-Muslims? Remember, Islam is the religion of the Federation and others are given the rights to practice theirs in peace and harmony.

So, why intrude into our affairs?

November 23, 2016

Berdemonstrasi Itu Sifat Khawarij

Kerajaan bersifat zalim – dan itulah modal yang dihamburkan setiap hari bagi menghasut rakyat bangkit menentang kerajaan yang ada.

Ada yang menyamakan kebangkitan orang Melayu menentang pentadbiran British pada tahun 1946 dengan demonstrasi BERSIH. Malah ada juga organisasi bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang bertopengkan Islam yang menyamakan perbuatan Rasulullah SAW membebaskan kota Makkah dengan demonstrasi BERSIH menentang korupsi, kezaliman dan penindasan. Ini adalah merupakan suatu fitnah terhadap Rasulullah SAW.

Pertamanya, pada tahun 1946, kebangkitan orang Melayu menentang pentadbiran Malayan Union jelmaan British adalah di atas arahan para pemimpin orang Melayu itu sendiri untuk mempertahankan kedudukan agama Islam, raja-raja Melayu Islam, dan tanah air dari penindasan dan penjajahan kafir.

Keduanya, pembukaan Kota Makkah (Fathu Makkah) oleh Rasulullah SAW adalah sebahagian dari peperangan tentera Islam yang berpusat di Madinah menentang Bani Quraisy Jahiliyah dan membersihkan Kaabah dari patung berhala dan segala perbuatan syirik.

Rasulullah SAW bukannya bersekongkol dengan Kafir Quraisy untuk menjatuhkan Islam. Jauh sekali bekerjasama dengan puak-puak berikut untuk menjatuhkan pemimpin beragama Islam:

Apabila menyebut perkataan zalim saya nak bertanyakan beberapa soalan:

Zalimnya kerajaan Malaysia adakah para Raja Melayu dan Perdana Menteri telah meninggalkan syiar Islam dan mengisytiharkan diri mereka kafir?
Adakah masjid-masjid yang diperintahkan tutup atau dirobohkan?
Adakah mana-mana orang Islam yang ditangkap atau dilarang dari melakukan sebarang bentuk ibadah?
Adakah mana-mana orang yang mati atau kebuluran akibat kemiskinan?

Saya yakin yang paling hampir boleh dijawab adalah solan saya yang No.4. Namun kerajaan telah menyediakan pusat-pusat pungutan zakat. Kemiskinan dalam masyarakat adalah merupakan masalah Fardhu Kifayah. Sekiranya masyarakat sekeliling gagal melaporkan mana-mana anggota masyarakat yang layak yang memerlukan bantuan maka kesalahan itu terjatuh di atas bahu masyarakat tersebut.

Sekiranya tiada sesiapa di kalangan masyarakat tersebut membantu menghantar makanan kepada orang yang memerlukan dan meletakkan beban tersebut di bahu kerajaan sebab “makanan aku untuk keluarga aku sahaja” maka orang itu yang menanggung dosa membiarkan anggota masyarakatnya menderita.

Firman Allah SWT:

“Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, taatilah Allah dan taatilah Rasul dan para pemimpin di kalangan kamu.” (an-Nisaa’ 59)

Sabda Rasulullah SAW:

Sesiapa yang taat kepada pemimpin maka dia telah taat kepadaku. Dan sesiapa yang derhaka kepada pemimpin maka dia telah derhaka kepada aku (Bukhari 2957)
Kamu wajib patuh dan setia walau dalam keadaan susah atau senang, suka atau duka, dan walaupun merugikan kepentingan mu (Muslim 1836)
Sesiapa yang dipimpin oleh seorang pemimpin lalu dia melihat pemimpinnya berbuat maksiat kepda Allah, maka hendaklah dia membenci perbuatannya namun jangan dia lepaskan ketaatan kepadanya (Muslim 1855).

Selagi pemimpin itu tidak syirik kepada Allah, menentang agama Islam, maka wajib kita mentaatinya.

Pada tahun 2015, kerajaan telah memperuntukkan RM488 juta untuk memakmurkan masjid di seluruh negara. Jika ini satu kezaliman, maka tentanglah kerajaan.

Dalam Bajet 2017 yang dibentangkan baru-baru ini, sebanyak RM30 juta telah diperuntukkan untuk melahirkan tahfiz yang berdaya saing dalam pasaran pekerjaan melalui Dasar Pendidikan Tahfiz.

Malah 1MDB yang menjadi bahan kutukan warga kota selama ini jugalah entiti yang telah memperluaskan dan menjadikan Masjid Kampung Baru suatu tempat beribadah yang amat selesa untuk mereka-mereka yang mengutuk 1MDB menunaikan solat mengurangkan dosa kemunafikan mereka sendiri.

Soalan saya, kenapa berdemo dengan mereka-mereka yang ingin menyesatkan dan mengkafirkan umat Islam di negara ini? Saya sendiri pernah duduk bertanya kepada mereka-mereka yang telah dimurtadkan oleh golongan ini.

Sekiranya anda tidak puas hati dengan apa yang telah dilakukan oleh kerajaan, atau bencikan kerajaan hanya disebabkan beg tangan Rosmah, maka apabila tiba masa mengundi, undilah pihak lawan. Dan jangan berikan saya alasan bahawa sistem pilihanraya kita tidak adil. Kalau tidak adil dan berpihakkan kerajaan Barisan Nasional, masakan DAP boleh mentadbir Pulau Pinang dan Selangor (menerusi boneka mereka – PKR)?

Tepuk dahi tanya diri: aku nak ikut agama atau telunjuk kafir?

Mari sama-sama kita hayati video yang telah dikongsi oleh Dr Aznil Hisham berikut:

November 21, 2016November 21, 2016

The Pleb Versus The Noblemen

Whoever is familiar with the study of the Constitution would know Walter Bagehot, an editor, economist and political analyst who also wrote a book called ‘The English Constitution.’ There is one apposite quote of his that I thought befits the current situation and that is:

“Nothing is more unpleasant that a virtuous person with a mean mind.”

The above quote refers to that man who claims to be virtuous but really is the epitome of evil; so evil that Pharaohs would have sought help from God’s Prophets to free them from this person – Mahathir Mohammad.

We have had noblemen leading this country, shining a light upon the path in which this nation walks even through its darkest hour. Tunku Abdul Rahman was the son of the 25th Sultan of Kedah, Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid. Tun Abdul Razak was the son of the 9th Orang Kaya Indera Shahbandar of Pahang, Dato Hussein bin Mohd Taib. Tun Hussein Onn was the son of UMNO founder, Dato Onn Jaafar who was the Menteri Besar of Johor.

I was priveleged some time back to a chat with Professor Anthony Milner, a researcher from the Australian National University, an Emeritus Professor, School of Culture, History & Language of the ANU, on the topic of the Malays. We were discussing the origin of the Malays and the ‘Rajas Melayu.’ Interesting to note that our paths converged when we both agreed that the Malays refer to a collection of people of the Nusantara spanning from the borders of Polynesia and Melanesia to Sumatra, who pledged allegiance to the Rajas whose respective dominions were all that they could survey. It was only when political boundaries were defined in a clearer manner that the Malays were defined according to the nation that they lived in.

The antonym of a nobleman would be a commoner. The fourth Prime Minister was not born into the aristocracy like his predecessors, or a prominent religious family like his successor. In short, I would term him a pleb: a low-born, uncultured, coarse, rude, undistinguished – and a personal favourite: scum. His grandfather, Iskander Kutty hailed from the southern Indian state of Kerala. His father was from Pulau Pinang, a school principal.

Mahathir had nothing to show. He had nothing compared to his predecessors. This probably shaped the way he managed this country: through the rule of iron fist, autocratic, dictatorial, enriching cronies and nipotes to prepare him for the end of days. A man who has nothing has nothing to lose. Therefore, it was always his way, or the highway. He had this habit of making enemies everywhere, including the members of the royal households. And as James A Baldwin once said, “The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose.”

One would have thought that this nonagenarian would spend the twilight moments of his miserable life repenting for the wrongs he had done, alas no! His perfervid hatred for the man who stands in between him and his undying ambition to ensure that his family would be remembered as an aristocratic bunch rather than the descendants of the evil-smelling Kutty whom had just gotten out of the stowage of a slave ship, has caused him to make a reciprocal turn on all his words, often filled with delusional tales to cloud the minds of those too young to remember anything bad about him. He has nothing to lose.

In 1867, Bagehot asserted in ‘The English Constitution‘ that the Constitution needed two parts: the dignified – to excite and preserve the reverence of the population’ and the other, the efficient – to ‘employ that homage in the work of government’. The monarch was the prime example of dignity in this sense and the Prime Minister and his cabinet of efficiency. Therefore, the monarch, while lacking executive power, had an important constitutional role.

But in 1993, Mahathir, being a pleb and an undignified one too, decided to encroach into the realm of the dignified. Mahathir amended the Federal Constitution with the aim of removing legal immunity of the royalty.The amendments were made at a time when the Malaysian monarchy witnessed a deteriorating relationship with the government (specifically Mahathir). Before the amendments were made, the Constitution granted rulers who have violated the law not to be prosecuted by the criminal court unless he voluntarily wishes to surrender his legal immunity.

This laid the royalty bare and are now subjected to public scrutiny, bringing the royalty and monarchy close to becoming irrelevant. As a result, members of the royalty have been seen to assiduously court public opinion after prolonged years of subservience to Mahathir’s rule (Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, Muhamad Takiyuddin Ismail (2013)).

Mahathir had nothing to lose. These were the Rajas Melayu. He need not show any allegiance to anything Malay as he is not truly one. UMNO was just a vehicle for him to have power in order to make riches. When UMNO went against him he had UMNO declared illegal in 1988. Then he created a new UMNO where playing fields were no longer level and he had automatic nominations as the President of UMNO. What is UMNO to him but just another Malay institution where he, the soupçon Malay felt no allegiance to.

Finally, the Sultan of Johor told Mahathir to shut up. Not once, but twice.

And Mahathir is never concerned about the people of Malaysia. Politics, to him, is what serves only him. Therefore, his call for the people to overthrow the government is a total reciprocal from his way of dealing with demonstrations against him during his premiership. And how was it during his time?

During his time, when people demonstrated against him, he appealed to the participants to use the ballot box to bring about their desired reform. What is his stand now? He incites people to force change undemocratically!

You can watch a video to see how Mahathir had Anwar Ibrahim arrested and the way he had the police to handle those who demonstrated against him when he was the Prime Minister.

As Lord Acton wrote in his letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton on the 5th April 1887:

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”

And in the case of Mahathir he is not just a bad man, but a pleb and a scum.

November 20, 2016November 20, 2016

Much Ado About Nothing

I remember waking up on a Sunday, 9th March 2008 it was, thinking how different life would be thenceforth. The Barisan Alternatif, the precursor to the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat had managed to wrestle the state of Srlangor where I live from the clutches of the Barisan Nasional, which also lost three other states, Pulau Pinang, Perak and Kedah. It was a situation difficult to fathom but I though to myself the voters had spoken and that the Barisan Alternatif had won these states fair and square and that democracy works.

Just four months before that, the Gabungan Pilihanraya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH) organised a rally demanding the clean-up of the electoral roll, use of indelible ink, abolition of the postal voting for military and police personnel, and free and fair access to the mass media for all political parties. Between 10,000 to 50,000 protesters attended the rally. On that note, the victory of the Barisan Alternatif in the four states underscored the fact that the election system and principle of democracy work in Malaysia.

Since then, BERSIH has seen their numbers dwindling. BERSIH 2.0 saw between 10,000 to 20,000 people attending this rally. BERSIH 3.0 again saw about 20,000 people attending while BERSH 4.0 saw between 29,000 to a peak of 50,000 people attending. With over 13 million registered voters in Malaysia those who attended the BERSIH rallies made up on 0.38 percent of the total number of voters – hardly a significant number.

Prinumi founder, Mahathir Mohammad, attended BERSIH 4.0, and declared his support for the movement. This is funny considering that when he was that capricious potentate for 22 years, he banned all protests and assemblies and locked away those who opposed him without any chance of a trial.

In an effort to bring Najib Razak down, Mahathir undertook an effort to get the people to sign his Deklarasi Rakyat and in May of this year declared that the declaration had gotten the signature of 1.27 million individuals. This is a significant number since it represented 9.77 percent of the number of total voters in Malaysia.

It was funny that Mahathir had chosen to make a grand entrance to join the BERSIH 5.0 participants – using a private jet. For someone whose battle cry include the fight against GST and rising cost of living, blaming government austerity drive for all that, he surely knows how to show those whom he lead the meaning of prudent spending.

One would have thought that with Mahathir’s participation, at least a million people would flood the streets of Kuala Lumpur, but that never materialised. only 15,500 participants attended the rally. That was all that Mahathir could muster – a meagre 31 percent of the previous BERSIH attendees. This is because people could see how big a hypocrite Mahathir is, and many stayed away because of his support.

Mahathir should realise that people can see through his lies and know better than to join in the farcical struggle to fight corruption. After all, he is the Father of Corruption. I did not say that. Anwar Ibrahim did. And Mahathir fighting against corruption is as hypocritical as having Lim Guan Eng, who has been charged in court for corruption, join BERSIH to fight corruption.

Let us face it. The only way to change a government democratically is through the ballot box. The 2008 and 2013 General Elections have proven so. Why demonstrate when it is much ado about nothing?

November 17, 2016

The Swedish Kroni

BERSIH seems to have changed their tactic to get the support of the masses from having sexy girls wearing their t-shirt to having an old man donning the latest t-shirt.

For all the hype that Mahathir’s done in support of his friends at BERSIH, the fossil will not be attending the rally on Saturday. Instead, he will be flying off to Sweden. And it won’t be the first time that he leaves the country after causing something bad.

19th November will also be the 31st anniversary of the Memali tragedy. Mahathir left the country a few days after that while his then-deputy Musa Hitam took all the flak for the mishandling of the event.

But why Sweden?

I found this. Perhaps he’s gone to get outside help again to run this country down.

November 16, 2016November 16, 2016

When God Is Not Lord

Oh! Here goes a Muslim trying to teach Christians about Christianity. I don’t see the wrong in doing so when I see Christians in the form of DAP politicians quoting the Quran teaching Muslims what ‘true Islam’ is. They even do so within mosques and suraus.
I was reading the Malaysia Outlook’s article on a Catholic activist telling Catholics to stay away from the BERSIH gathering on the 19th November 2016. The activist, Joseph Sta Maria has irked fellow Catholics by asking them to refrain from participating in Saturday’s gathering. Among the condemnations against Joseph include the following:

I find it amusing that some people think that Catholicism was borne out of politics. It wasn’t. Catholicism is the earliest form of Christianity that predates the First Council of Nicaea by 325 years! Followers of Jesus of Nazareth believes that Jesus is the son of God which is part if the Trinity concept. After Jesus was crucified and rose from the date, he appointed Peter as the leader, hence the very first Pope.

Joseph Sta Maria is the head of the Melaka Portuguese Community and was appointed as a representative of minority ethnic communities under the state Barisan Nasional’s social service unit (Pembela), an effort by Malacca Chief Minister Idris Haron to address the needs, and include the views, of minority communities.

Mixing religion with politics started when Anthony Bernard Paul, the Bishop for Melaka and Johor, openly made a statement in support of BERSIH.

The call by Bernard Paul for Christians to participate in the BERSIH rally invited the criticism by Parti Cinta Malaysia’s Vice President Huan Cheng Guan.

As a Bishop, said Huan, Bernard should focus more on church matters rather than meddling into political matters that were irrelevant to religion.

“Don’t bring religion into politics. It’s unwarranted. I think this is a half past six Bishop. Why urge the people to participate in Bersih rally?”
“A religious figure like him should not encourage the public to go for demonstration or rally. A highly respected religious figure, but he talks like an idiot,” blasted Huan.
I personally find Bernard Paul’s calling as an invitation to anarchy. He gave his reasons for his support of BERSIH which goes along the thinking of Christian supporters if gun rights in the US and Christians might wrongly twist these into excuses for disrespect and disobedience to authorities which is forbidden by God as given in the Bible.

“Every person is to be in the subjection of the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those in exist are eatablished by God.” (Romans 13:1)

The commandment is addressed to all mankind, without exception. Every person is included in this instruction—both believers and unbelievers. Every person is required to be in subjection to the governing authorities. Subjection certainly includes obedience, but it implies even more. Subjection focuses on the spirit or attitude of the individual, which leads to obedience. It recognizes an authority over us to which we are obliged to give not only our obedience but our respect. Whether democratic or autocratic, heathen or God-fearing, every government which has the power to rule over its people has been granted that power and authority by God.

Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

Of course there would still be thise Christians who would believe in Bernard Paul’s calling to the BERSIH rally more than God’s Bible. Given that Christians like Tony Pua, Hannah Yeoh and a few others who continue to lie despite calling themselves Christians, how many Christians actually believe in the Bible?

And how many would remember 2Corinthians 11:14?

“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

November 14, 2016

The Malay Barua

PKR’s habitual liar Rafizi Ramli has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for being in possession and publicly disclosing documents that have been classified under the Official Secrets Act, 1972. Rafizi, who is known for repeatedly dishing out lies for the public’s consumption, had been warned on several occassions that he would be committing an offence under the said Act if he chose to disclose the contents of the 1MDB audit report.

Rafizi likes to portray himself as a hero and whistleblower when all his employed methods have been going against the various respective laws. He probably felt invincible when in two previous cases involving the Prime Minister and wife, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister, he got away after the plaintiffs let him off provided he removed slanderous postings from his social media. Two weeks ago he was told to pay RM200,000 to the Chairman of the National Feedlot Company and to the Company for defamation. This time around, he has been found guilty in a criminal court and is therefore a convicted criminal.

Firdaus Azil of BERNAMA pointed out on Twitter that there are five Opposition lawmakers who have the same report in their possession – two from the DAP, two from PKR and one from PAS, yet none of them have disclosed anything. The five Opposition lawmakers include DAP’s hot-air balloon, Tony Pua, whom, as a member of the Public Accounts Commitee, has been very vocal on the 1MDB issue. Yet Tony has revealed nothing from the audit report. Firdaus asked his followers why hasn’t Tony Pua revealed any of the information he is privy to? The answer he gave is that Tony, as air-head as he may be, is not stupid.

Therefore my conclusion is simple: Tony creates all the hullabaloo and lets someone as drama queen and dumb as Rafizi to do his dirty job for him.

What then is Rafizi if not a Malay barua?