Star - working for opposition?

Is The Star now secretly controlled by the opposition now, given that they gave front page coverage to the incredibly idiotic interview given by MACC's chief Ahmad Said?  (The Sultan who awarded his Datukship must surely take it back by reason of display of sheer idiocy by Ahmad Said.)

Displays of Idiocy by Ahmad Said:

1. Asking the media to support MACC "like hell" (yes, the Star certainly is!)

2. Stating that the child pornography found in his son's laptop is not pornography in the face of the pronouncement by the judge in Australia that the material concerned was repugnant and abhorrent.. and this in a country where pornography like Penthouse, Playboy is available at newstands.  The judge pronounced the material as repugnant and abhorrent because it is CHILD pornography! 

3. Stating that most men's handphones will have such videos.  Eh, most men are NOT paedophiles!

Yes, MACC is now officially run by a front page idiot, thanks to the Star!

 

Get with the Chinese, Wee

This appeared in the Malaysian Insider today.  It carries a media statement by Lee Chong Beng, the Chairman of PJ SS2 MCA branch.

MCA’s Wee under attack over Chinese school

By Lee Wei Lian

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — Deputy education minister Wee Ka Siong was strongly criticised today for suggesting squabbles between the board of governors and parent teacher association of the Sin Ming Chinese school in Puchong resulted in teachers and students boycotting a new classroom block officiating ceremony three days ago.

In a statement, the chairman of the board of governors, Chai Yoon Peng, accused the minister of slander.

“The deputy minister has implied that all teaching staff are narrow minded and intolerant,” said Chai in a statement to the media.

“All teaching staff helped in preparation of the event.”

Chai added that the headmaster, Pi Yuan, was instructed verbally by both the Sepang district and Selangor state education department to bar himself, teaching staff and students from attending the ceremony.

It was earlier claimed that the directive came because the board of governors had invited high ranking opposition leaders to the event, including Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Selangor Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

“We are shocked at the directive and regret that Wee made allegations prior to any investigation,” says Chai.

In a separate media statement, Lee Chong Beng, chairman of the MCA’s SS2 branch in Petaling Jaya tried to distance his branch from Wee’s statements, because it has drawn anger towards MCA.

“We would like to mention that many MCA grassroots leaders attended the Sin Ming school function and were disappointed that MCA leaders who are supposed to champion Chinese education did not send a high level representative to give moral support just because it was officiated by the Menteri Besar of Selangor who happens to be from Pakatan Rakyat,” said Lee.

“We members of the MCA SS2 branch would like to sound a word of caution to MCA leaders that if you continue to hold a narrow party view at the expense of Chinese education, then the Chinese community will look toward Pakatan Rakyat for support.”

‘By then MCA will be rendered an insignificant party and useless in the eyes of the Chinese community and to Umno as what the late Tun Dr Ismail said, the party is neither dead nor alive. We hope this prophecy will not come true.”

Wee yesterday denied allegations that he was punishing the school for inviting Anwar by witholding RM120,000 worth of funds.

He explained that the allocation disbursement was based on the merit of individual cases.

He also blasted Anwar for saying MCA was threatening the school, calling it a lie and saying he was willing to swear on the truth of the matter and challenged Anwar to do the same.

HOPE LIGHTS AGAIN

The freeing of Raja Petra hit us like a tsunami.  Suddenly, we realise that there are more defenders of freedom that we are aware of.  The judiciary is supposed to be the last bastion of justice when all else fails and after all the brouhaha on the inactions following the verdict of the Royal Commission of Inquiry, the judgment to free Raja Petra has revived hope again for the institution of the judiciary.  We salute the courage of the judge.  Well done also to the habeas corpus legal team, Malik, Azhar, Neoh, Ashok et al.  Well done also to all those who sold Free RPK tshirts, those who bought them, those who lit the candles at the vigils at the Amcorp Mall Padang.  HOPE IS LIT AGAIN!

We, the MCA74justice, 

• support the release of Raja Petra.
• support the abolishment of the ISA.
  

We call on the MCA President to support the abolishment of the ISA, for at the end of the day, every man/woman deserves a fair trial irrespective of race, religion or creed.

mca74justice.blogspot.com

Free RPK & Abolish ISA

We say that it is not sufficient to just review the ISA or introduce a Race Relations Act.. what is of immediate concern is that draconian laws that provides for detention without trial be abolished immediately.  The reason is simple: such laws are being abused to protect interested parties and its very existence is an affront to every Malaysian citizen.  After 51 years of independence,  it is time we move away from laws that compares our great nation favourably to nations such as Zimbabwe and Myanmar.  Go to this link, it contains an open letter calling for the abolishment of the ISA and the immediate release of Raja Petra and all ISA detainees.

dbwing.com/project1/abolishisa_login...

mca74justice.blogspot.com

Repeal the ISA

Bar Council EGM at MCA HQ

Today, ALL the Bar members who attended the Bar Council EGM  unanimously adopted the resolutions by the Malaysian Bar, with No votes against and No abstentions.  Among these resolutions are the repeal of the ISA and the immediate and unconditional release of Raja Petra.  The Bar Council invited 3 special speakers: Pushpa - the wife of ISA detainee Manoharan, Laila - the wife of another ISA detainee and the just released Teresa Kok.

This indicates that (ironically, given the Ahmad debacle) one thing is clear: those in power abusing the ISA do not discriminate based on race.

Incidentally, we, the MCA7, call upon Ong Ka Ting to clarify his pledge to "champion Chinese causes" in order to win back the support of the Chinese, as reported in Malaysiakini.  How does he propose to do so?  

On our part,  we say that the only way for the MCA to win back the support of the Chinese is to to champion Malaysian causes and not the BN way of each component party championing its own race.  

mca74justice

Malaysia: This Is Only The Beginning

Malaysia: This Is Only The Beginning

Posted using ShareThis

MCA, Walk The Talk

FINALLY, MCA asked for RPK and Teresa to be released.  Two questions:

1. BY WHEN?

2. IF NOT RELEASED, WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Otherwise, it will be empty talk again, but what else is new?

mca74justice.blogspot.com

Wave Your Flag

On Merdeka Day, there was a nary a Malaysian flag being flown, unlike yesteryears when Malaysian flags were stuck on the windscreen of most vehicles.

But on Malaysia Day last night, there was a SEA of Malaysian flags being waved.

We have to keep waving until all the innocent victims of the abuse and mis-use of the ISA is freed, then we can truly celebrate Malaysia Day.  We wave our flags by speaking up, by making our views known to the abusers of the ISA, by telling our elected reps to disassociate themselves from the abusers of the ISA by taking MCA out of the BN, by making known to all that We Are One Nation, irrespective of race religion or creed.

mca74justice.blogspot.com

MCA, QUIT BN NOW

We note that when the Law Minister of the country threatens to resign over the (mis)use of the ISA, then the nation is truly under siege, hence the flying of the Flag upside-down.  It is clear that Zaid Ibrahim wants history to record that he is not part of the process that misused and abused the ISA.

Tell us, which MCA leader was part of the process to mis-use and abuse the ISA?  Usually such a move cannot be made without the involvement of the cabinet.  Such MCA leaders bring great shame to all its members!  We say, if you dare to do it, then Own Up if you are part of it, in order that we, MCA members, can Dis-own you!

If, however, no MCA leader was part of the process to mis-use the ISA, then our dear MCA leaders must resolve for MCA to immediately QUIT the Barisan Nasional!  Take heed of Zaid Ibrahim's example, and find some courage for once to stand up to the dictatorial elements within UMNO!  Don't let MCA members down for the last time!  Because if you let MCA members down again, MCA members will all leave MCA in droves and MCA will be as an empty shell with only its pathetic, gutless MCA leaders with their sorry cronies!  

mca74justice.blogspot.com

MCA "Leaders", Are You Part of This?

To our supposed MCA Leaders: Ong Ka Ting, Ong Ka Chuan, Ong Tee Keat, Chua Soi Lek, etc etc.

What we, the members of the 7 MCA branches in PJ Utara, wants to know is this: were you part of the government process that led to the decisions to initiate the ISA crackdown?

 

If you dont stand up now in this climate of fear sparked by the ISA crackdown,  you can forever hold your peace because you useless lot are then no longer our leaders.

P/S Samy Vellu, stop talking about how you called the PM to tell him to immediately release Ms Tan the Sin Chew reporter.  You can start talking when you have addressed the issue of the HINDRAF 5.

mca7forjustice

Whimpering MCA, Gerakan and MIC Leaders Wilt in Face of Big Brother UMNO!

So, the BN component parties have agreed to allow UMNO to decide on any action to be taken against that unworthy recipient of the Datukship title Ahmad Ismail, for uttering racist remarks against Chinese.

What a useless bunch of leaders we have in MCA and Gerakan and MIC.  This Ahmad goes round openly flouting the ISA and Sedition Act and what not, yet MCA, MIC and Gerakan do not demand at the BN Supreme Council meeting today that such a seditious utterer be charged under the existing laws.  How they can delegate the actions to be taken against Ahmad, to UMNO solely, is beyond comprehension.  Should not the law of the country apply to Ahmad instead?  Should the police not take steps to charge Ahmad instead? How is it that the MCA, MIC and Gerakan leaders do not insist at the BN Supreme Council Meeting that the law be applied to Ahmad, instead, they are preferring internal UMNO party procedures take precedent over the laws of the land?

If this is the case, then it is best that ISA and Sedition Act be abolished altogether, for it seems that the present government is indulging in selective prosecution yet again.  And in fact, this is our stand, that the ISA and Sedition Act are draconian laws that should be abolished for it is increasingly appearing to be as a tool to be used only when convenient.  If UMNO procedures can take precedence over these laws, then there really is no point in having these laws.  

Utterly Useless Whimpering MCA, MIC and Gerakan leaders!

mca74justice 

Pendatang = Niggers

This is the headline in the Malaysian Insider today:

"Pak Lah: Ahmad is not a racist

By Adib Zalkapli

TASEK GELUGOR, Sept 6 – Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi declared today that Datuk Ahmad Ismail, the Bukit Bendera division chief, is not a racist..."

How is calling the Chinese "Pendatang" not a racist comment, but a mere "historical fact?"? Its just like calling blacks "Niggers".  Or maybe you can make racist comments but not be a racist? Seems to us that's what our PM is saying.  MCA should not hesitate any longer.  MCA must no longer be part of a government that deems people who make racist remarks as non-racists!

mca74justice

A Rare Kind of Courage, Putting Malaysians to Shame

We refer to the news report in Malaysiakini today headlined "Pusrawi's Dr. Osman appears in public".  We are stunned by the courage of Dr Osman to stand by his statutory declaration detailing his medical examination of Saiful, which medical report concluded that there was no sodomy.

It is refreshing that there is a doctor of courage who stands stout in his principles of speaking only the truth and stands firm in his professional ethics.   For most of us, as we are sure it was for Dr Osman, probably the only questioning by police that we have faced in our lives are when we are stopped by the traffic policeman for infringing traffic rules.  Therefore one can only imagine how deeply stressful and distressing it must have been for him to have to face 3 rounds of interview by the police and being made to sign statements in Bahasa Malaysia which he is not fluent in.  Most of us would have buckled under in such circumstances.

And yet stand up he did.  To the extent of affirming a Statutory Declaration and standing by his medical report.  How many of us Malaysians today have the courage to stand up and speak up when the truth is being trampled upon?  And yet it took a Myanmar Doctor to show us courage in a matter that is very much a Malaysian issue.  How shameful for us as Malaysians!

We, the members of 7 MCA PJ Utara branches, applaud the good doctor and his courage in speaking the truth, putting us Malaysians to shame!  If memory serves us right, we believe there might have been earlier reports stating that he has been sacked by Hospital Pusrawi.  If indeed he has been sacked, this would mean that for speaking the truth, he is not just getting regular visits from the police, but also lost his job!  It seems such a thankless task to stand up for the truth, and most of us would not have done such a thankless task. To show that we are not just all talk, if indeed he has been sacked, we will pass the hat around among our MCA members, and then perhaps we can pass a token sum to him as an appreciation from MCA and ashamed Malaysians!

mca74justice

Malaysia Today

When I was overseas, it was easy to access the Malaysia Today website. So I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about the blocking of Malaysia Today.  Then I came home, and I found that the site is indeed blocked.  So it seems that the government is able to block anyone in Malaysia from accessing the blog.  This can only mean that the local ISPs have complied with the government's order to block access to Malaysia Today!

But technology being technology, the government is fighting a losing battle in attempting to block access.  All I needed to do was to google Malaysia Today and quickly found the new address for the Malaysia Today website.  Along the way, there was even another Malaysia Today website called Malaysiatoday.com claiming to be up since 1998.  But anyway to access the real Malaysia Today, please see the following which I copied from the Malaysia Today website:

ALERT

Malaysia Today is being blocked by Malaysian government. To access use the addresshttp://mt.m2day.org/2008/    You can check the site status at http://m2day.org/ or google for "Malaysia Today ".

www.projectmalaysia.org

A site called www.projectmalaysia.org was launched at midnight one hour ago.  One of the founders, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, tells me that this site will run for one year during which 12 core Malaysian themes will be explored through comprehensive no holds barred critical discourse in which all stakeholders have a chance to put measured views across.  The aim is to find solutions for a better nation and craft a blueprint for the future.

I think this is an excellent "Merdeka" project.  We all need to find our identities as Malaysians.  Ours is a nation in transition going through tremendous changes as the GE2008 and PP have shown us.  A large part of the political tsunami can be attributed to the power of the alternative media affording Malaysians today the chance to access alternative, honest, truthful and critical news and discourses on the state of the nation.  In Indonesia, the press is enjoying real editorial freedom, and this freedom of information is propelling the democratic changes in Indonesia that we can only dream of in Malaysia (For example, do you know that there are direct elections in Indonesia for the Governors, Bupatis (district administrator?) and Walikotas (Mayors)?).  We all know that there is no editorial freedom in Malaysia.  For example, at our Press Conference on 29 July 2008, the reporters from the Star and NST and other major newspapers agreed with our stand, but they tell us frankly that they do not know whether their editors will allow our press statement to be published.  Well, it was worst.  The NST totally twisted the reporting on the press conference.  Ultimately, our press statements had to be carried by the foreign press (BBC News and The Straits Times Singapore).

Where we as a nation ends up depends very much on our willingness to stand up and speak up.  Therefore, we urge all to extend your support to Project Malaysia, for Malaysia belongs to us.  The first topic is The Politics of Race.  I say, let all races have a common Malaysian identity.  We in the MCA supports the notion of Ketuanan Rakyat!  MCA Leaders, its time to rename MCA the Malaysian Citizens Association. Begone, UMNO, with your divisive racial politics!

Peter Chen

Legal Adviser

MCA74justice

No Evidence? Just Swear!

A word to Saiful, Tajol Rosli, Najib on all this swearing business: It is patently obvious that when all else fails (i.e. when you DON'T have evidence), you SWEAR!  

mca74justice

Devolution Not Advancement (DNA) Bill!

Permatang Pauh shows that it is not about DSAI anymore.  It is about realising that we as a nation is standing on the cusp of a new identity as a nation of Malaysians.  It is about realising that we the citizens of Malaysia want justice to be done. It is about realising that the democratic institutions, and the people we elected into Parliament, do not abuse the powers entrenched in the system to victimise a single person.  It is about realising that if the DNA bill gets passed in its present form, it is not just DSAI's human rights that will be trampled upon, but ANY of our human rights can be trampled upon willy-nilly by the supposedly democratic institutions that were set up to protect us!  And this includes the human rights of any UMNO or MCA or MIC MPs or Senators that have run afoul of the elitist few that holds the power to yield the DNA sword!

Think: how incredible it is that the BN Government is so fearful of one man that they are willing to create a new law in an effort to snare him, after failing to get him to submit his DNA!  Syed Hamid's denial that this is so despite it being so painfully obvious, once again makes the BN Government the laughing stock of the international community, lurching Malaysia towards Mugabe-style (mis)leadership!  

Yes, this DNA Bill have shown that the Malaysian Parliament has Devolved Not Advanced ("DNA") as a transparent and accountable democratic institution!

mca74justice

Bravo!

Bravo Hang Cheng Peng! http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/88770

Chor Chee Heung, we invite you to follow the example of the brave MCA FT Youth Chief Hang Cheng Peng, and have the dignity and courage to stand up to your UMNO master! 

mca74justice

"Fooled!"

On 25 August, the Deputy Home Minister was quoted to have said this in Parliament:

"I hope voters in Permatang Pauh will not be fooled by Anwar Ibrahim’s campaign," said Chor, the Barisan MP for Alor Star. Balloting for the by-election begins tomorrow, Aug 26.

Well, it certainly looks like the voters in Permatang Pauh have been "fooled".  The MCA voters in Permatang Pauh have been "fooled".  In fact, the whole country have been "fooled".  We have all been "fooled" by DSAI that he can bring about real change to the nation, for that is why the people of Permatang Pauh voted the way they did.  

Therefore we, the members of the seven MCA branches in PJ Utara, call on our leaders to take MCA out of BN NOW for the people of Permatang Pauh have shown to us that they would rather be "fooled"  by DSAI than to remain as parrots and puppets in the BN coalition. 

Church with four spires, reflecting 4 different religions

Menteng Pulo war cemetery

The brochure states that this war cemetery is dominated by a beautiful 'Simultaan' church.  At each of the 4 corners of the church tower, there is a spire: one is a cross symbolising Christianity, another a Star of David (Jewish), another a Yin Yang symbol and another a Moslem Crescent.

In this cemetery, the graves of war heroes of different races and religions are laid side-by-side, united as they are in fighting the Japanese in WWII and for independence of this country.  The different headstones reflect the different religions: Moslem, Christians, Catholics, Eastern Religions, Jewish (Star of David).

Believe it or not, this war cemetery is not in some enlightened Western country, but is in our neighbouring Jakarta, Indonesia.  

mca74justice, just back from Indonesia.