Archive for November 17th, 2007
BERSIH: Yellow Saturdays campaign will catch on like wildfire
November 17, 2007
刘天球（左图）说：Yellow Saturdays launched off today despite of police interference
November 17, 2007
Nov 10: Marching in the rain. We were on the way to the Palace.
I was alomost arrested for distributing the BERSIH leaflets with other supporters of BERSIH this afternoon at the Sentral Monorail Station in Kuala Lumpur.
Some 20 over SB officers from the Brickfields police station disrupted the launching of the Yellow Saturdays campaign. The took our Mykads and wanted us to go to the police station for investigation.
I challenged the police officer to state the reason for retaining our Mykads but to no avail. I refused to follow them to the balai because we have the rights to distribute leaflets and they have no rights to stop us.
After some 15 minutes of stand-off with the police, they finally returned the Mykads to us without the need to go to the balai for investigation.
They have also confiscated some of our balloons and leaftlets without justification.
We managed to read out our statement and distributed some ballons and leaflets to the public before the disruption.
We in BERSIH will continue to promote our Yellow Saturdays campaign all over the country. No amount of pressure from the police/ BN could stop us from pushing for clean and fair elections.
This is the statement from BERSIH today…
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Coalition For Clean And Fair Elections (BERSH) 4A Jalan Sepadu, Taman United, Off Jalan Klang Lama, 58200 Kuala LumpurTel: (03) 79806571 Fax: (03) 79802697 URL: www.bersih.org Email: info@bersih.org |
Press Release 17 November 2007 The Yellow Wave Continues…
Hot on the heels of the highly successful and historic 100, 000 People’s Gathering on 10 November, BERSIH continues on its mission for clean and fair elections with the launch of the Yellow Wave campaign.
As evident in the People’s Gathering on 10 November, we can truly make an impact if we all stand together and speak as one voice. On 10 November, we made a statement that was heard all over the world. And the world took notice, not least because we stood out in YELLOW, the colour chosen to symbolize our protest.
BERSIH believes that our flawed electoral process is a core cause for the exploding political, administrative and judicial rot in Malaysia, therefore we have an obligation to maintain the momentum for change and reform. We need to send a strong, consistent signal to the government, and what better way to remind them of our demands than to wear YELLOW, the colour of 10 November!
BERSIH urges all concerned Malaysians and their friends to wear something YELLOW every Saturday, starting from today. Wear a yellow ribbon on your shirt. Wear a yellow necktie or scarf. Use a yellow umbrella. Tie a yellow ribbon on your car’s antenna or side mirrors. Tie a ribbon on your bike. Wear a yellow armband. Better yet, wear your BERSIH T-shirt!
Our voices must be heard. Our message must get across. Our rights must be restored!
Let us paint the country yellow, starting today!
About BERSIH
Launched in November 2006, BERSIH started off as a coalition of 26 NGOs and 5 political parties. Today BERSIH is supported by over 70 NGOs and 6 political parties. BERSIH’s four immediate demands for electoral reform are:
- The use of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting
- The abolition of postal voting for the armed forces
- A thorough cleanup of the electoral roll to eliminate fraudulent registrations
- Fair and equitable access to the media
| Launch of ‘yellow day’ marred by police harassment | ||||
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Today’s launch of polls watchdog coalition Bersih’s ‘yellow day’ was marred by what one Bersih leader described as police harassment in order to disrupt their campaign for clean and free elections.Several Bersih leaders, including DAP leader Ronnie Liu and PKR leaders N Subramaniam and Faisal Mustaffa, had just begun distributing balloons and pamphlets to pedestrians and commuters in front of the KL Central monorail station in Brickfields. Reading from a prepared statement, Liu called on the public to wear “something yellow” every Saturday as a statement of support for electoral reform and to send a message to the government for clean and free and elections.“Wear a yellow ribbon on your shirt! Wear a yellow necktie or scarf! Use a yellow umbrella! Tie a yellow ribbon on your car’s antenna or side mirrors! Tie a ribbon on your bike! Wear a yellow armband! Better yet, wear your Bersih t-shirt!“Our voices must be heard. Our message must get across. Our rights must be restored!” said Liu when the launch started at 2:30pm a few feet away from PKR’s information office.
Pamphlets, balloons seized The upbeat mood of the activists, however, took a downturn 15 minutes after they started their distribution campaign when several police officers from the Brickfields district police station appeared and ordered them to surrender their identification cards (IC). Leading the operation, district ant-vice division chief Kamaruddin Yusof initially told Liu and the others that they were suspected of violating the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984. About 50 copies of Bersih pamphlets – and 20 of Bersih’s yellow balloons – were seized.
“You cannot just tell me we’ve done something wrong under the Presses Act. You have to tell me what we’ve done exactly,” said Liu. “Don’t argue with me. Not here. I’m not going to argue with you. Whatever you want to say, say it at the police station,” Kamaruddin responsed. Several minutes later, Kamaruddin also said the Bersih activists were disturbing public order as “we have observed that you have been creating public disorder here.” Also present with him was district public order division head Mohd Khalid Adun. Kamaruddin told Liu and several others that their ICs were needed to record their particulars. A vehicle was called to take them to the district police station. ‘Orders from above’ The 15-minute wait for the police vehicle in the hot sun, however, seemed to to mellow the initially rigid stance of Kamaruddin and other police officers.
“I have orders from above, lah,” Kamaruddin told reporters when asked what the whole affair was about. Speaking to Malaysiakini later, Liu said the episode was a clear example of harassment by the authorities in order to disrupt Bersih’s public education and awareness campaign. It will not, however, dissuade the coalition from continuing with its efforts. “We will continue the campaign. We still want the people to know about the Bersih campaign and to wear something yellow every Saturday,” said Liu. Bersih – made up of 67 NGOs and five political parties – has taken the royal colour of yellow to beseech the King’s hand in calling for electoral reform. Last Saturday, they held a rally and march to the national palace to submit a memorandum to the King’s representative. |
Kamaruddin refused to say, however, what offence had been committed exactly or the relevant section that had been infringed.
“You don’t have to come to the police station. You can have back your ICs. You’re free to go,” said Kamaruddin before ordering the documents to be returned to their owners.BERSIH’s response to the statement issued by Datuk Pengelola Bijaya …
Who’s this fler? Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja Istana Negara, Datuk Wan Mohd Safiain Wan Hasan, IC No: 461214035359, is an UMNO member, membership No: 03728983, from Cawangan Taman Desa Minang, Gombak Setia, Gombak. Aha…
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Coalition For Clean And Fair Elections (BERSH) 4A Jalan Sepadu, Taman United, Off Jalan Klang Lama, 58200 Kuala Lumpur Tel: (03) 79806571 Fax: (03) 79802697 URL: www.bersih.org Email: info@bersih.org |
Press Release 17 November 2007 BERSIH’s response to the statement issued by the Palace
BERSIH wishes to put in on record that we have never said at any time that the memorandum handed over to Yang DiPertuan Agong on 10 November was handed over with his Majesty’s tacit or express approval. The Rakyat of Malaysia are free to petition our King at any time on matters of major public interest, including free and fair elections, a position we are sure His Majesty would surely agree with. BERSIH again thanks the Palace for receiving on Tuesday, 6 November 2007, our written request for the appointment at 5 pm on 10 November 2007 to hand over the memorandum. We also appreciate the request from the Palace for the list of names of the delegation who was to hand over the memorandum to a representative of his Majesty and which we duly submitted on Friday, 9 November 2007. Finally, BERSIH wishes to record again our thanks to His Majesty for receiving the memorandum through his appointed representative on 10 November 2007. As citizens of Malaysia, it is our expectation that His Majesty will continue to play the role that he has been entrusted with under the Federal Constitution, and in so doing, to protect the rights and interest of all Malaysians and to ensure the integrity of our institutions. On our part, BERSIH will continue its struggle for free and fair elections and for genuine democracy in Malaysia. For enquiries, please contact the secretariats; Faisal Mustaffa 019-2232002 or Medeline Chang 012-2192010.
RPK: What the eye does not see
November 17, 2007 
On Nov 4, BERSIH has submitted a letter to the Istana Negara, informing HRH Agong that we will be presenting a memo on a clean and fair electoral system to HRH on Nov 10.
The fact remains unchanged: we have submitted a letter to the Istana Negara by hand before the Peaceful People’s Gathering and the palace authority has asked for a namelist of our delegation the Nov 10 event. This indicated clearly that the palace has wanted to receive the memorandum and look into our demand. We would not be shaken by a statement supposedly issued in the name of HRH and feel rejected or disappointed.
We urge the rakyat to be patient and let us wait for HRH Agong to respond positively.
We respect the views of HRH Agong and we are grateful that HRH has accepted our memorandum for a clean and fair electoral system.
Btw, who’s this chappie?
Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja Istana Negara, Datuk Wan Mohd Safiain Wan Hasan, IC No: 461214035359, is an UMNO member, membership No: 03728983, from Cawangan Taman Desa Minang, Gombak Setia, Gombak.
Do you see the link now?
16/11: What the eye does not see
Category: Articles
Posted by: raja petra
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Now you see it, now you don’t. Yes, people like David Copperfield make a very good living doing silap mata. The English call it magic. Actually it is more a sleight of hand. The hand moves faster than the eye, they always say, so while they make you focus on one hand, the other hand does the ‘magic’ trick. Malays call it silap mata, which translates literally to ‘fault of the eye’. Whatever it may be, and whatever language you are comfortable with, the main gist to the whole thing is: what you see is not what you get — or in ‘computer language’, WYSINWYG.
And today the Government of Malaysia tried doing a David Copperfield on us.
“Tuanku Mizan Regrets Claims He Supports Illegal Rally,” screamed the Bernama headlines. The Malay version said, “Tuanku Mizan Kesal Dakwaan Baginda Sokong Perhimpunan Haram.” Both versions can be read below.
Wow! To the layman this sounds very serious indeed. A very ‘high-ranking’ Istana Negara official named Datuk Wan Mohd Safiain Wan Hasan and going by the title of Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja has issued a statement of behalf of The Agong. Who is this guy anyway?
Well, this guy holds the position that Jeanne Danker used to hold before she dislodged the Raja Permaisuri Agong to become Malaysia’s so-called ‘First Lady’. Actually, the Prime Minister’s wife is maybe the ‘22nd Lady’ after the Raja Permaisuri Agong, the consorts of the nine State Rulers, the four Undangs, the four Governors, followed by the few ex-Raja Permaisuri Agong still living. But the government-controlled media would like us to believe that the Federal Constitution of Malaysia is wrong in placing 21 other ladies above the Prime Minister’s wife.
This Wan Safiain chappie hails from Terengganu and works for the Prime Minister’s Department. In fact, the entire office of the Istana Negara comes under the Prime Minister’s Department. I remember relating an incident which happened way back in November 1999, a few days before the Tenth General Election.
In November 1999, I was tasked with the job of delivering a letter from Barisan Alternatif to the Istana Negara requesting an audience with The Agong then, my uncle. I delivered the letter at noon on Friday and went off to the mosque for my Friday prayers. When I went back to the office around 2.30pm there was a reply waiting for me in the fax machine turning down our request for an audience, with a suggestion that we try again after the general election. Our letter was addressed to The Agong. The reply came from the Prime Minister’s Department. The Agong never got to see the letter and was not even aware that one had been sent. And that was probably the fastest reply ever from a government department in Malaysia’s entire history.
So now we know how the Istana Negara office works. The office comes under the Prime Minister’s Department and the people in that office are planted there by the Prime Minister’s Department to be the eyes, ears and sometimes mouth of the government as well. And today we saw an example of how it has become the mouth of the government. Today’s announcement by the Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja, not the Keeper of the Royal Seal but the Keeper of the Royal Linen a la Jeanne Danker before she became ‘First Lady’, is a prime example of how these plants from the Prime Minister’s Department are the eyes, ears and mouth of the government.
That is why it was not wise to quietly deliver the BERSIH Memorandum to The Agong. If that had been done, then the Memorandum would have been hijacked and would have been diverted to the Prime Minister’s Department instead — and The Agong would have never seen it. And that was also why it was necessary for 100,000 citizens to march to the Istana Negara to ‘escort’ the Memorandum — although only 50,000 eventually got through because they sealed off all the roads into Kuala Lumpur which resulted in one of the worst traffic jams in history.
This Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja chappie is a most unpopular personality in the Palace office. Everyone in the Palace office knows he has been planted there as the eyes and ears of the government. And his job is not only to keep a watch on things and report back to the Prime Minister’s office whatever is happening in the Palace, but he has also been tasked with the job of frustrating every effort of The Agong in interacting with the rakyat (citizens).
Today’s press announcement did not come from The Agong. It did not even come from the Keeper of the Royal Seal whose job it is to make official statements on behalf of The Agong. It came from a glorified chamber maid planted in the Palace as an enemy in the blanket. These are the worst kind of slime-balls and scumbags. They smile and call you friend. Then they stick a dagger in your back.
100,000 rakyat wanted to meet their Monarch that afternoon of Saturday, 10 November 2007. The Agong did not say no. The Agong will never say no to 100,000 rakyat who wish for an audience with His Majesty. The Agong just wanted to know how many people will be representing the 100,000 rakyat and what their names are.
The Agong also realised that the government will certainly try to frustrate the effort of the 100,000 rakyat who wished for an audience with His Majesty. And this did happen. The government said that a police permit would be required and that the organisers should apply for one. So the organisers did, but the application was rejected. And the government warned that if the 100,000 rakyat still insisted on pursuing the march then the government would retaliate with force. And the government did as promised.
When the first volley was fired on the assembled marchers around the Masjid Jamek-Masjid India area, word was passed down the line that the 19th Brigade of the Royal Malay Regiment or Regimen Askar Melayu Di-Raja (RAMD) was on stand-bye, to move in if there are any fatal casualties. Fourteen armoured cars (kereta perisai) had earlier arrived from Sungai Petani and were parked at the Sungai Buloh military camp, ready to roll at a minute’s notice. It would take them ten or fifteen minutes to arrive at the scene of any violence against the rakyat.
Panic buttons were pressed and alarm bells rung. This had happened once on 13 May 1969 in Kampong Baru. The Royal Malay Regiment is not one to mess around with. The Agong is their Commander-in-Chief and soldiers are trained to obey their Commander-in-Chief at no consequence to their own lives.
The police backed off. They were reduced to traffic control where those positioned at junctions stopped cars to allow the marchers to safely cross the road. The RAMD remained on stand-by and the next morning the fourteen kereta perisai quietly slipped out of Sungai Buloh and went home.
This has worried the government. The Agong did not say he did not wish to meet the representatives of the 100,000 marchers. He in fact asked for their names. And when the government issued threats of violence against the marchers, the 19th Brigade of the RAMD was brought into Kuala Lumpur with fourteen kereta perisai. This was The Agong’s way of saying that if you shoot the marchers, just like you did in Batu Burok in front of The Agong’s palace in Kuala Terengganu, then all hell will break loose.
So the government backed off. They had no choice. The 100,000 rakyat wanted to meet The Agong and His Majesty had said yes. And the 19th Brigade of the RAMD came to town to ensure that yes means yes.
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi issued a decree at the Umno General Assembly the day before the Saturday, 10 November 2007, march. He said he ‘pantang dicabar’. This translates to mean he is allergic to being challenged. And his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, asked the police to arrest all the marchers. Yes, arrest all the marchers. Arrest all 1,000 of them! Arrest all 2,000 of them! Hey, even if it is 5,000, arrest all 5,000 of them. But wow, it is 50,000 with another 50,000 on the way. How to arrest 50,000, or 100,000 if the other 50,000 reach Kuala Lumpur?
Oops, forget about arresting them. 50,000 is too large a number to arrest. There are not enough trucks to ferry 50,000 and not enough jails to house 50,000 people. Instead, close all the roads leading into Kuala Lumpur. Seal off Kuala Lumpur and not allow anyone in. Let it remain 50,000. Don’t allow it to grow to 100,000. Then we will announce we won. We will announce that the march failed and the ‘illegal demonstrators’ were prevented from assembling at Dataran Merdeka.
Shit, now we are told that they never intended to assemble in Dataran Merdeka in the first place. The Dataran Merdeka thing was a decoy, a Red Herring. They wanted the police to assemble in Dataran Merdeka so that they can march unhindered to the Istana Negara. We were tricked. They won. We lost.
Okay, all is not lost. We can still announce that The Agong is not happy with the march. We will announce that The Agong did not agree to the march. We will announce that The Agong did not consent to the march. That will give the perception that we won and the 100,000 marchers lost. And we will get the head of housekeeping to make that announcement. After all, he is our plant in the Palace. He is our man and on our payroll. And, since he carries this very impressive title, no one will know he is just in charge of making the beds and not actually anyone important.
Oh yeah? Well, Malaysia Today knows. And Malaysia Today knows that most in the Istana Negara regard him as a slime-ball and a scumbag. And anything he who makes the beds says does not matter as long as it is not The Agong himself who said it. Try again guys. Maybe you will have better luck next time. And please, don’t ask that slime-ball and scumbag to make any statements if you want us to believe that it is really The Agong who is saying it.
Tuanku Mizan Regrets Claims He Supports Illegal Rally
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 (Bernama) — Yang di- Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin has expressed regret over claims that he and the Palace approved and supported Saturday’s illegal rally in the city.
In a statement issued here today by the Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja of Istana Negara, Datuk Wan Mohd Safiain Wan Hasan, the King also regretted the gathering which was organised by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) and supported by the opposition parties.
Tuanku Mizan stressed that he and Istana Negara had at no time approved or given any support, directly or indirectly, to any quarters that organised or was involved in the illegal assembly or any other activities that contravened the law.
On Saturday, Bersih, which comprises several non-governmental organisations, as well as some opposition parties had gathered their supporters at various spots in the city, including around Masjid Jamek, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and the National Mosque, before marching to Istana Negara to hand over a memorandum to Tuanku Mizan.
The following Monday, PAS secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar said Bersih had decided to submit the memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after the ruler himself approved of it, and that the presence of Bersih at Istana Negara was to hand over the memorandum to the King’s representative.
In the statement, Tuanku Mizan said as the head of state, he was responsible in ensuring that the country’s administration based on the constitutional monarchy system, as enshrined in the Federal Constitution, was respected and adhered to by all.
He hoped that the people would act in accordance with the law and not be involved in any illegal action or activity.
“Every Malaysian citizen is responsible for maintaining public order for continued peace and stability in the country,” Tuanku Mizan said.
The King also hoped that the people would together work at preserving unity and harmony to ensure that the country would continue to develop, prosper and be respected.
Meanwhile, Wan Mohd Safiain said that Istana Negara, for the first time, summoned the media to publicise the content of the statement as the King viewed the matter seriously.
“Normally, Istana Negara would issue a statement via facsimile but this time, we had to call the media here to ensure that the King’s message reaches the people,” he added.
Tuanku Mizan Kesal Dakwaan Baginda Sokong Perhimpunan Haram
KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Nov (Bernama) — Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin melahirkan rasa kesal dengan dakwaan kononnya baginda dan Istana Negara memperkenankan dan menyokong satu perhimpunan haram di sini Sabtu lepas.
Dalam satu kenyataan yang dikeluarkan oleh Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja Istana Negara Datuk Wan Mohd Safiain Wan Hasan hari ini, Seri Paduka Baginda juga melahirkan rasa kesal dengan perhimpunan itu yang dianjurkan oleh satu kumpulan dikenali Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH) yang disokong parti-parti pembangkang.
Dalam kenyataan itu, Tuanku Mizan menegaskan bahawa baginda dan Istana Negara tidak pernah pada bila-bila masa jua memperkenankan atau memberikan apa-apa sokongan secara langsung atau tidak langsung kepada mana-mana pihak yang menganjurkan atau terlibat dalam perhimpunan haram itu dan apa-apa jua kegiatan lain yang berkaitan yang menyalahi undang-undang negara.
Sabtu lepas, BERSIH yang disertai oleh badan-badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) dan parti pembangkang mengumpulkan penyokong-penyokongnya di beberapa tempat di sekitar ibu kota termasuk Jalan Masjid Jamek, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman dan Masjid Negara sebelum berarak ke Istana Negara bagi menghantar memorandum kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Isnin lepas, Setiausaha Agung PAS, Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar, berkata dalam satu kenyataan bahawa BERSIH mengambil keputusan menyerahkan memorandum itu kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong setelah Tuanku sendiri memberikan perkenan Baginda, dan kehadiran BERSIH ke Istana Negara pada hari Sabtu itu, adalah bagi menjunjung perkenan Tuanku untuk menyerahkan memorandum itu kepada wakil Baginda.
Tuanku Mizan bertitah sebagai Ketua Utama Negara, baginda bertanggungjawab untuk memastikan bahawa prinsip sistem pentadbiran negara berlandaskan prinsip Raja Berperlembagaan seperti yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan sentiasa dihormati dan dipatuhi oleh semua.
Baginda berharap agar rakyat Malaysia sentiasa bertindak dengan mematuhi undang-undang negara dan tidak melibatkan diri dalam apa-apa juga kegiatan atau tindakan yang menyalahi atau bertentangan dengan undang-undang negara.
“Setiap rakyat Malaysia bertanggungjawab untuk memelihara ketenteraman awam demi menjamin keamanan dan kesejahteraan negara,” titah baginda.
Seri Paduka Baginda juga berharap agar rakyat dapat bersama-sama mengekalkan semangat persaudaraan dan perpaduan demi membina negara yang lebih makmur, bersatu padu dan dihormati.
Wan Mohd Safiain pula berkata pihak pengurusan Istana Negara buat pertama kalinya memanggil media untuk menghebahkan kenyataan ini kerana Yang di-Pertuan Agong memandang serius perkara itu.
“Kebiasaannya Istana Negara mengeluarkan kenyataan melalui faksimili, tetapi kali ini terpaksa memanggil media untuk memastikan ianya dapat dihebahkan kepada seluruh rakyat,” katanya.
Comments
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Mik wrote:
The next time i see sirens with royalty convoy when i m stuck in heavy traffic jam, i will gladly move and giveway without complains.The Royalties has earned their respect and love, i would say. Thanks to malaysia-today for that. IF MT didn’t reveal how UMNO hijacked the Royalties’ power since 1980s, i will never know. Looking back now, i m wondering what are other lies they told us.
The STATEMENT, even if its a spin, i must say didn’t really bother me. 1st the Agung did not condemn the rally. He said he was disappointed his name was mentioned. The statement claims:
“In the statement, Tuanku Mizan said as the head of state, he was responsible in ensuring that the country’s administration based on the constitutional monarchy system, as enshrined in the Federal Constitution, was respected and adhered to by all.”
Now, i would love to see that happens. That is not a light statement compares to the part “regret”. The statement did not say don’t demonstrate. It asked to UPHOLD the law. Well, the law is above the government or the police. Sadly in our country, we have different versions, one for the rich and another for the layman. Illegal activity? The march wasn’t illegal. It was made illegal by the present government. Well, the statement put it..1st uphold the constitution, then the law, and lastly don’t do anything illegal. Now, i hear that peaceful demos are allowed under the Law of Land, now how can dat be illegal? You mean we can’t overwrite the ban if we bring them to court? Say, if the court is nuetral, without the influence of UMNO. Bet we will win.
His statement again:
“Tuanku Mizan stressed that he and Istana Negara had at no time approved or given any support, directly or indirectly, to any quarters that organised or was involved in the illegal ****embly or any other activities that contravened the law.”
It reads like some legal do****ent. Anyways.. the rally is not legal if the present government had the guts to follow the constitution and allows the march to take place. Isn’t it illegal to deny the march? No? Yes? Leave them to argue.
So why worry guys. I for one, welcome the statement. Of coz i will be more happy if its wrong. still.. Now, we have now a KING!
Daulat Tuanku!
I feel more patriotic now. I bet alot of ppl out there share the same feeling. Now, something occurred to me. There is nothing wrong with this country, alot of things wrong with ruling party. I love Malaysia.
17/11 01:43:22
toolan wrote:
Daulat Tuanku Daulat Tuanku Daulat Tuanku
This is really the stuff where hopes are raised and prayers are finally answered.
This should serve as an inspiration and aspiration to remove any doubts of those who suffer but are unwilling to voice or show their discontentments towards all that are wrong in this country.
Its time for the nation to embrace this wind of change.
17/11 01:33:21
confuseus wrote:
“DAULAT TUANKU”
TUANKU AND the 19th Brigade of the Royal Malay Regiment or Regimen Askar Melayu Di-Raja (RAMD) are indeed the PAYUNG for RAKYAT !!!
THANK YOU, RPK. You make my day !!!
Now I can sleep peacefully.
17/11 01:10:14
stocktube wrote:
well, without this article everyone would have thought that the “chappie” actually represents Agong and the “regret” statement was from Agong and because of the protocol Agong might not comes out and speaks it out but thru this chappie …
but that’s not the point here … the point here is the damage has been done and almost (99%?) everyone who read or hear the news now have a “perception” that it was Agong’s official statement, ****uming what RPK said in the article is true … so how RPK? how to undo the damage(s)?
on the other hand, if this chappie is just a nuttie, then shouldn’t the Agong do something about it? If not does that means Agong is helpless against even a “planted s****bag” who is supposed to be a small-fly?
so what now? what is Agong going to do? or maybe there’s nothing can be done after all and we’re back to business as usual …
cheers …
17/11 00:50:19
miwaki wrote:
BN government will continue to cheat the rakyat just to remain in power.But now they have Malaysia Today to contend with.
Can anyone imagine what is life without MT ? All of us will be ill informed all the time.My suggestion to BN is give up your power and let someone else manage this country for the better.
17/11 00:45:59
malgal wrote:
well thank goodness you set the record straight rpk about the RAMD on standby and ready to pick the erstwhile rakyat up from being trampled to the ground. because i had been quite keciwa to say the least when i heard the agong was not there to see for himself his 50,000 loyal rakyat who risked life and limb to prove their signatures meant business and instead turned out to be at a monsoon cup function. the monsoon cup! wasnt that yet another funnel for misplaced funds…
i have just gotten back from a forum for stopping the judiciary rot and about to iron my yellow tshirt for tomorrow. please let the agong know there must surely be lots like me ironing their yellow tshirts on friday evenings and if he likes, he could really make his Linen Man with the fancy title iron his and join us. nothing like sharing the sentiments right? at least his Linen Man with the fancy title could report to his keepers the bersih linen the agong keeps in his cupboards.
see u in yellow tomorrow and good night.
17/11 00:42:30
Salmah wrote:
Can’t Berseh make a police report about this national lies. TV 3 repeated the lies again on the 12 mig night news.
17/11 00:38:28
Lady wrote:
I think it’s time the Agong should have his own blog. Now, won’t that make things difficult for the powers that be? *chuckles*
17/11 00:37:10
michael wrote:
wiltda13 wrote:
michael wrote:
On the 13th May 1969 incident, the Royal Malay Regiment was reported to have done unthinkable cruel things to the Chinese, in particular.
http://blog.limkitsiang.com…
RPK,
If what I said here is out of line and may get M2day into problem please delete as you see fit.
Thanks
_________________________________________________________________
Thank you for the link, Wilda13. It confirms what I read as a student in Australia years back.
There Must be 100% Trust between the Royalties and ALL of their subjects. The subjects must also have total and complete confidence in the Royalties that the Royalties will exercise their responsibilities under the Constitution when they are called for. And when they do exercise their powers they do so in accordance to the Constitution. This means protecting all regardless of their race or religion.
If the Malay Regiment was under the direct command of the Agong on 13th May 1969, isn’t it correct to ****ume, without disrespect, then that the former Agong has failed his subjects terribly. His army was the biggest culprits in the murder of many innocent people, the every people they were suppose to protect. Till today there has been no official acknowledgement that this has happened, let alone explanations, of the atrocious actions of the Malay Regiment, and sadly so no closure on this subject, possibly for a very, very long time too.
I recall as a child in Johor Bahru, there was generally “Peace” in the Johor State. I understand from my parents then that it was because the Sultan of Johor sent his personal army up to the northern part of Johor to prevent the racial violence problems from spreading down his State. This very act has always given me confidence in the uprightness of the Royalties because of Sultan Ismail. I will always have this deep respect for the late Sultan Ismail of Johor. For me he will always be the exemplary King.
I feel the non-Malays have no problems with honoring and respecting the Malay Royalties. However, there are many who are suspicious of the infighting going on between UMNO and the Royalties because they view this as a Malay Power issue, and that they are just going to be the scapegoats at the end of the day. The memory and lack of closure of the actions of the Malay Regiment on 13 May 1969 racial riots doesn’t help at all.
I am asking questions on the Malay regiment, not to create doubts on the integrity of the Royalties. On the contrary, I want 100% subjects’ respect for OUR Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin. All I am requesting is that the lessons of the Malay Regiment be learnt, instituted and never ever be allowed to be repeated again. The Malay Regiment must be impartial when exercising their duties to protect the Agong, the Rakyat and the Constitution.
Honestly, the Royalties do not have many opportunities to gain Real respect from the Rakyat, especially in the political system such as in Malaysia; and when they do, they will be judged and remembered for their Actions or Inactions taken.
RPK has already done wonders in reviving the Trust and Need for the Malay Royalties which has so cleverly been dismantled by UMNO over the years. His royal blood links, his integrity and his steadfastness in fighting for a better Malaysia has given many people hope and confidence in what royalties are and can do. The Royalties must now take all the steps that they are empowered to do so under the constitution to save this beloved country Malaysia.
That UMNO has the guts to put words into the Agong’s mouth to deceive the public is simply just too unbelievably shocking for me to believe that it can be allowed to happen in our country. If this isn’t an act of treason, what is?
Daulat Tuanku! X3 X3 X3
17/11 00:36:51
atsanee wrote:
I say it agin.
Pray for Palace support,and as it will not be so openly given,prepare to stand alone.
Just dont lose sight of your objectives and mission.
Dont get bogged down on whether this or whether that is true.
Just carry on in the worse case scenario.
17/11 00:15:10
Farish A.Noor: Rehab for whom?
November 17, 2007Rehabilitation for whom?
By Farish A. Noor
He’s trying to make me go to rehab;
I said no, no, no.
I ain’t got the time
And if my daddy thinks Im fine…
He’s trying to make me go to rehab;
I said no, no,no.
– Amy Winehouse, ‘Rehab’ (2007)
So now its ‘political rehabilitation’, is it? As a corrective measure for
kids who go to demonstrations and who have been ‘bad’ in the eyes of the
government? That Malaysia’s leaders can even suggest such a thing speaks
volumes about the extent to which the space of alienation between the state
and the nation has grown over the years, and points to the lack of contact,
communication and understanding between the powers-that-be and the real
Malaysian nation made up of the rest of us.(1)
But are we surprised? After all this is the same country whose geography is
now cluttered with a smattering of ‘faith rehabilitation centres’ that have
been set up under the auspices of an Islamist project said to promote some
skewered vision of a modern, pluralist, democratic Islam that is benevolent
and accommodative: So accommodative in fact that it can accommodate dozens,
if not hundreds, of Malaysian citizens deemed ‘immoral’, ‘deviant’,
‘apostate’ and out of the ordinary according to the norms set by an
invisible and unaccountable cabal of Islamic experts in the pay of the
state. We already have rehabilitation centres whose job it is to ‘turn over’
these alleged deviants and misfits and force them to conform to the
normative praxis of Islam that is deemed correct by the state, so should we
be surprised if the leaders of UMNO and the government can go one step
further and call for the rehabilitation of children as well?
From the viewpoint of an academic who studies the development of modern
postcolonial states, Malaysia seems to be a textbook example of postcolonial
development turned awry. What began as a country with so much promise – its
plural racial and ethnic composition, blessed with plentiful resources that
was also strategically located at the cross-roads between East and West –
has been squandered for the sake of one ruling party that seems to cater
primarily to the needs and demands of one specific ethnic-religious
constituency.
That Malaysia’s leaders still cannot understand and appreciate the extent of
dissatisfaction, frustration and cynicism among the Malaysian public points
to a state that has concentrated all power – including educational and
mediatic – in the hands of an alienated ruling elite. Since the 1980s
practically every institution of the state has undergone a serious
compromise thanks to the dominance of the Executive at the expense of all
other arms of the state apparatus: The emasculation of the judiciary, the
tighter and tighter controls on the press, the depoliticisation of the
universities (and the educational system in general), the promotion of a
sectarian divisive politics based on race and religious communitarianism,
the politicisation of institutions like the police, etc. have all created an
increasingly small and narrow political arena that has come to be dominated
by a small clique of power-hungry politicians and ruling families.
Worst still is the fact that the ruling elite of the country – made up as it
is by a handful of key families of the UMNO fraternity – has come to believe
its own rhetoric and the story they have spun for themselves: that they are
the protectors of the Malay community and identity, that they and they alone
are responsible for the fate and future of the Malaysian nation. Their
continued reliance on the state-controlled media to disseminate this inbred
propaganda they have invented for themselves fails to note the fact that the
very same Malay community they purport to represent is now fragmented,
hybrid and plural, and that the younger generation of Malay youth, like
their other Malaysian counterparts, no longer buy the stale and insipid
narrative of a cohesive united nation led by a handful of Malay ruling
families.
Dismissive accounts of demonstrations as being ‘un-Malay’ and ‘un-Malaysian’
have clearly fallen on deaf ears, as the younger generation of Malaysians
could not care less about courtly protocol, the symbolism of UMNO and its
nationalist rhetoric, the appeals to racial superiority and unity, etc.
Despite the now tiresome brandishing of the keris and frothy speeches about
Malay unity at the recent UMNO assembly, many of the thousands of
demonstrators who took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur last weekend happened
to be Malay: the very same community that is no longer beholden to UMNO and
immune to its fanciful appeals to racial cohesion and unity.
So what does the future hold for Malaysian society and where will the events
of 10th November lead us? It is clear that the Bersih demonstration had
managed to do the one thing that the leaders of the Barisan Nasional dread
above all: to bring together Malaysians from all walks of life and cultural
backgrounds on one neutral issue that unites rather than divides their
interests. The fact that the Islamists of PAS and the secular leftists of
DAP could come together along with the activists of PKR and the NGOs
suggests that the civic spirit of Malaysians is not quite dead, despite all
attempts to squash any attempt at multi-racial and cross-communal political
activism in the country.
Unable and unwilling to accept the new realities on the ground the political
elite of Malaysia has resorted to the same worn out clichés and the call to
rehabilitate the younger Malaysians who were present at the demonstration
reveals the extent to which this ruling elite is so thoroughly bankrupt of
ideas. No, it is not the younger Malaysians who are in need of
rehabilitation- In fact the activist in me would say that activism and civic
responsibility should begin from our school days and that every young
citizen should be made aware of her and his rights and responsibilities as
early as possible, as a rite of civic membership.
If anyone is in need of rehabilitation, it is the politicians and ruling
elite of Malaysia themselves, who should learn that this diverse and plural
society of ours happens to be a complex nation undergoing a slow democratic
transformation and that the future of Malaysian politics should reflect this
multicultural diversity. So I strongly suggest that the right-wing
communitarian leaders of Malaysia sign up for their own rehab courses as
soon as possible, for their and our own good, and learn the following:
That Malaysian citizenship, and not race or religious identity,
should serve as the basis of political participation and political rights;
That the language of racial superiority and racial exclusivism is
not only morally repugnant, racist and dangerous but outdated and has no
resonance with the Malaysian public today;
That the fundamental duty of all citizens is to demand that the
state serves the interests of the nation as a whole and not just a coterie
of landed elites living in their comfortable and alienated paradise of
select privileges and luxury;
And that the right to speak one’s mind and to demand that the state
carries out its fundamental democratic functions are among the basic rights
of all citizens, and not some outrageous demand by anarchists, mobsters and
unruly nihilists.
And while taking these basic lessons in democracy, do leave the kids alone.
At least they don’t go on the stage brandishing weapons and screeching about
racial superiority… They are too matured to do such stupid things!
End.
Note: (1): ‘Detained Children to be ‘Rehabilitated’- NST, 14 Nov 2007.
Dr. Farish A. Noor is a Malaysian political scientist and historian based at
the Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin; and one of the founders of the
www.othermalaysia.org research site.
Colour-blind 