My experience as a MAFREL election observer at Bagan Pinang

During the recently by-elections in Bagan Pinang, I had the privilege of volunteering as a MAFREL election observer. For someone whose only involvement with elections had been to vote once every 5 years, the experience was very enlightening and educational. Here is what happened:

I first read that MAFREL (Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections) needed volunteers to act as election observers in Zorro's blog, and decided to sign up. I emailed En. Arphan, who is the honorary secretary of MAFREL, and was sent a registration form to fill up and return. This was followed by a Elections Commission (SPR) form applying for observer status. I finally got to meet him when I delivered the form all signed and sealed.

En. Arphan is a gentleman of the old school, of whom there are very few left; he is the epitome of cordiality and good cheer, and always has time to spend with a friend, even one newly made. Here he is:

A gentleman through and through. Even an attack of gout did not prevent him from fulfilling his duty at Bagan Pinang!

Once the required pass was obtained, and we volunteers were instructed to report for a briefing at MAFREL's operations center in PD, on the morning of 10 October, the eve of the elections. I left home early, and managed to conduct a quick recce of the polling station I was assigned to, and made it to the briefing on time.

The operation centre was a modest single storey terrace house in Teluk Kemang (which I believe was lent by a well wisher). Soon, there assembled a very diverse group of Malaysians, with diverse (even opposing) political views, but all dedicated and united in the desire to see free and fair elections in Malaysia. Some even drove all the way from Kelantan!

Tuan Syed starting off the briefing

MAFREL Chairman Tuan Syed Ibrahim Alhabshi began his briefing by welcoming all the volunteers and introducing us to MAFREL's objectives, which are to:

1. Build confidence in democracy
2. Raise awareness and understanding of elections that are truly free and fair
3. Advocate for the adoption of better laws and procedures governing elections
4. Promote orderly elections free of corruption, abuse of power, violence, intimidation, harassment & fear
5. Help detect and report any breach of election regulations and procedure
   

In order for democracy to be meaningful, elections have to be free and fair (for a good definition of "Free and Fair Elections", see this declaration by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Read also their excellent book here). Independent, non-partisan observers can play a vital role in ensuring that, especially when the officials running the elections are civil servants beholden to one of the contesting parties.

Our Mission Leader, Kapt. (B) Maizon, being introduced

One more thing that he made clear was that as volunteers, we were "sukarela" as well as "dukarela", i.e. there were no funds for allowances, reimbursements etc., and we would have to bear our own expenses. However, those assigned to remote polling stations would be provided with a packed lunch. In practice, food was shared generously, and our leaders graciously took it upon themselves to bear the cost of meals together.

En. Arphan explaining the use (and abuse) of the SPR pass

As MAFREL election observers, our authority is of a moral rather than legal nature. Our effectiveness depends on how well we engage with the Presiding Officer (PO) and build credibility and trust.

En. Azmi, veteran MAFREL observer all the way from Kelantan. He shared with us his wealth of practical experience.

En. Azmi, who is a veteran of numerous MAFREL missions, gave us a rundown of the common issues we would face, and how to solve them. What was most interesting was the various tricks to watch out for; after listening to him, we felt qualified to be "Ghostbusters"!

Mission Coordinator Kol. (B) Shaharuddin showing us where our assigned polling stations were on the map

After the briefing was over we took a group photograph, then quickly got into our teams and organised ourselves for the journey to our respective polling stations the next day.

The Bagan Pinang Observers Team ready for action!

Our leaders: (from left) Tuan Syed, Kol. (B) Shaharuddin, Kapt. (B) Maizon, and En. Arphan

Over lunch, I took the opportunity to ask our seniors about their motivation for getting involved in MAFREL. What came through strongly was a common need to help the cause of democracy, without getting into partisan politics. I also perceived a shared realisation that democracy would be best served by a strong adherence to fairness and principles. Something that is being planned are voter registration/education activities. You can read more about MAFREL's plans here.

Having already recced my polling station in the morning, I had the rest of the afternoon free. I decided to trek up to the Tanjung Tuan lighthouse, which you can read about here.

As all campaigning was supposed to cease at midnight, there was the customary final surge of ceramahs that evening. We decided to attend the nearest one, which happened to be one where DSAI would be making a speech. The crowd was big and loud, and the speakers were even louder! One could see people from all walks of life amidst the carnival atmosphere. (Guess who was also there? Zorro, the doyen of the Barisan Rakyat bloggers, and members of the Special Bunch!)

The Grand Finale of PR's Bagan Pinang campaign - just before the 12.00 am deadline to stop!

After the ceramah was over, it was back to our "Markas", with the living room where the briefing was held earlier now doubling as a makeshift dormitory. Word to the wise: bring a tikar and bantal for the next mission!

Next morning, there was a rush for the bathroom, then get into our cars and drive to the polling station!

My partner and I got to the polling station in time, and introduced ourselves to the PO and police officers on duty. At 0800 hrs sharp, the polling began. It was humbling to see before us the exercising a human right that went all the way back to the dawn of democracy in Athens.

Outside the polling station, the excitement was palpable. All sides tried to get away with breaches of polling regulations and etiquette; my partner and I were kept quite busy!

Our final duty was to observe the counting. Once that was done, all that was left was to head back to op centre, and submit our reports for the day.

It was a long and tiring day, but it felt good to have done a little bit for Democracy. I'm looking forward to learning more about our elections, and to participating in the next ones. Let's never forget that "Vibrant Democracy Requires Eternal Vigilance!"

Sincerely,
Malaysian Heart

Today is World March Kuala Lumpur – Street Party!

Today, 10 October 2009, is World March Kuala Lumpur – Street Party! From The World March for Peace and Nonviolence's website (www.theworldmarch.org):

The World March for Peace and Nonviolence was launched during the Symposium of the World Center for Humanist Studies held at the Park of Study and Reflection in Punta de Vacas, Argentina, on November 15, 2008.

The World March aims to generate consciousness of the dangerous global situation in which we are living, a situation marked by the heightened probability of nuclear conflict, a renewed arms race, and the violent military occupation of foreign territories.

The World March is a proposal for an unprecedented social mobilization, advanced by the Humanist Movement through one of its organizations, World Without Wars.

Since its initial proposal things have developed very quickly. In just a few months the World March has received the endorsement of thousands of people, pacifist and nonviolence groups, a variety of institutions, and renowned figures from the worlds of science, culture, and politics, who are sensitive to the urgency of the moment. It has also inspired an enormous diversity of initiatives in more than 100 countries, becoming a rapidly growing human phenomenon.

And

The World March for Peace and Nonviolence is already inspiring various initiatives and activities, and these will multiply in the coming months. One will be the symbolic march of an international and intercultural team whose journey will pass through six continents. It will start on October 2, 2009 -- the International Day of Nonviolence -- in Wellington, New Zealand, and will culminate on January 2, 2010 at the foot of Mount Aconcagua in Punta de Vacas, Argentina. During this time, in hundreds of cities around the world, there will be marches, festivals, forums, conferences, and other events to create consciousness of the urgent need for Peace and Nonviolence. And throughout the world, the campaigns to gather endorsements for the March will multiply this signal beyond what is now imaginable.

For the first time in history an event of this magnitude is being set in motion through the initiative of the people. The true strength of the World March is born from the simple, conscious act of those who endorse this dignified cause and share it with others.

What's happening in KL? From Pahlawan Volunteers, who are organising and promoting WMKL:

OPEN TO ALL PEACE LOVING CITIZENS OF THE WORLD
Participate in The World March for Peace and Nonviolence.
Be one of the brave and help us to create a new, non-violent global consciousness.

Starting from 2nd October 2009 (the anniversary of Gandhi’s birth) in New Zealand to 2nd January 2010 in Argentina, WMKL is the Malaysian leg of the FIRST EVER World March that will travel the world asking for the end of wars, the dismantling of nuclear weapons and for an end to all forms of violence (physical, economic, racial, religious, cultural, sexual and psychological). More details at http://www.theworldmarch.org/

In Malaysia, five NGOs are joining hands to organize this fun filled event, which will include a Lantern Walk themed “Reclaiming the Night” and Street Festival at Jalan Bangkung, Bukit Bandaraya and Peace Dance at Leonardo’s Wine Loft on 10th October 2009, from 6pm-10pm...

* WAO http://www.wao.org.my/ ,
* NUR SALAM http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38427820909 ,
* VOICE OF THE CHILDREN http://voc.jimdo.com/ ,
* SPCA http://www.spca.org.my/ and
* WORLD WITHOUT WARS http://www.theworldmarch.org/index.php?secc=MSG

Event details as follows:
DATE: SATURDAY, 10TH OCTOBER 2009
VENUE: Jalan Bangkung, Bukit Bandaraya

6:00PM–10:00PM: Street Festival at Jalan Bangkung with performances by Malaysian artists, exhibitions by NGOs, stalls selling food, ethnic items etc.

8:30PM-9:00PM: “Reclaiming the Night” Lantern Walk starting from Jalan Bangkung.
(Bring along your Tanglung and join us for this historic walk for peace and non violence.)

9:00PM-12:00AM: Peace Dance at Leonardo’s Wine Loft.
(Retro dance party. Come dressed in the 60s and 70s style.)
--------------------------------------------------------------

Join us to spread this message of Peace and NonViolence.

1. Spread the word – send out this invitation to all your contacts via email, share on your Facebook, Twitter etc.

2. Come for the event on 10th October – Bring your family and friends and join the Lantern Walk (bring your own lantern) to “Reclaim the Night” and celebrate the world march for peace and non violence. Enjoy yourself at the street festival – there will be exhibitions by participating NGOs, exciting performances, food stalls etc. Then party at the Peace Dance at Leonardo’s.

3. Set up a stall or perform at the festival.
( Contact Ed Soo – h/p no.: 016 280 3321 or email: edsoo@edsoo.com.my )

4. Make a donation to the NGOs.
(There will be a donation booth set up on the day. Cheques can be made out the organizations you wish to support. All donations are tax exempted.)

YES WE CAN make a difference!
--------------------------------------------------------------

Promoted with love by Pahlawan Volunteers
"Negara Kita, Tanggungjawab Kita" - From Conviction to Action

► JOIN Pahlawan Volunteers group @ FB
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33559455073

► JOIN THE CAUSE: Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia
To remind ourselves Who We Really Are and What We Choose To Be
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/80669?h=plvn&recruiter_id=14355129

Will you be there?

P.S. You can follow the World March's progress on their blog here.

Did Hishamuddin Hussein and Syed Hamid Albar lie about Waythamoorthy's passport?

SAD FAREWELL: A picture of Waythamoorthy and his daughter, taken after their breakfast in Singapore,
before he departed for UK yesterday (photo and caption from this Malay Mail report datelined 28/9/09)

One of the standard responses of Umno/BN to any people's power movement that they find threatening, is to to impugn the movements motives and cast aspersions on the honour and credibility of its leaders via lies and propaganda. The Hindraf phenomenon have been (and still are) treated the same: they have been called terrorists, traitors, embezzlers and so on by our government and its mouthpieces. One such smear was the attempt to paint Hindraf leader P. Waythamoorthy, who is in exile in the UK, as a dishonest man who exiled himself just to enjoy a comfortable life in London living on Hindraf's money. Part of that smear is the lie that Waythamoorthy had willingly surrendered his passport to the Malaysian High Commission in London, and lied about it having been revoked by the Malaysian authorities.

These are the news articles that reported what Syed Hamid Albar (the former home minister) and Hishamuddin Hussein (the present one), said:

• Hindraf leader ‘still has his passport’ - 17 May 2008
• Waytha's passport still active: Syed Hamid - 26 May 08
• Syed Hamid: Hindraf chief's passport never revoked: - 26 May 2008
• Syed Hamid: Waythamoorthy free to travel - 27 May 2008
• Hindraf Leader P. Waytha Moorthy's Passport Was Never Revoked: Syed Hamid - 22 October 2008
• Balik-lah, says Syed Hamid: - 28 September 2009
• Home Ministry says Hindraf man's passport not cancelled - 30 September 2009
• Waythamoorthy claim over withheld passport untrue: Hishammuddin - 30 September 2009
• iKDN: P.Waythamoorty Masih Warganegara
  

These are some of the specific things they said:

Hishamuddin showing a copy of Waythamoorthy's passport to the media (photo from here).

Hishamuddin has said the following:

Reported here: "Dia sendiri yang datang serahkan dan bukan kita yang pergi rampas. Bahkan paspot itu masih lagi sah digunakan dan di dalam simpan pejabat Pesuruhjaya Tinggi kita di London," and added, "Beliau sewajarnya berhenti dari menuduh kita macam-macam...beliau boleh ke pejabat kita (Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Malaysia) untuk ambil paspot yang dipulangkan oleh beliau sendiri itu pada bila-bila masa. Mungkin beliau merasa malu sendiri" .

Reported here: “Yes, he was the one who surrendered the passport,” he [Hishamuddin] confirmed. He added that Waythamoorthy should stop claiming that the government is stopping him from getting his passport. “Why should we apologise to him? Would you? Of course, not,” he said. Hishammuddin also added that Waythamoorthy could be too ashamed to go and get his passport because he had surrendered the document himself. “Maybe he received a better offer at that moment, he felt that the grass is always greener on the other side but when he went to the other side, he felt that it was not worth it. "Maybe he was ashamed because he himself surrendered the passport. That is why he claimed that we did not allow him to have his passport,” he said.."

Syed Hamid Albar (photo from here)

Syed Hamid has said the following (reported here):

"In other words, the Malaysian government has never made any cancellation to the mentioned travel document," said Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar Syed Hamid in a statement today.

On 3 October 2009, Waytha's wife Mrs. Shanti, his brother P. Uthayakumar and lawyer N. Surendran held a press conference at Hindraf's office where they (again) presented evidence to prove that Malaysian authorities had informed the British authorities that Waythamoorthy's passport had been cancelled, and had requested them to impound and return it to the Malaysian authorities.

Here is the letter they gave reporters, which you can download in pdf format from the link below:

UK Border Agency Letter to Waytha's Lawyers

I reproduce here the 4 questions asked by Waytha's lawyers, and the answers received from the UK Border Agency:

1. The precise date when the British Embassy in Kuala Lumpur was notified of the cancellation?
A: The letter from the Malaysian authorities to the High Commission was dated 14 March 2008.

2. Which Malaysian authority notified the British Embassy (was it, for example, the Immigration authorities, Foreign Office or Home Ministry, or any other department)?
A: l can confirm that the Home Office does hold information that is relevant to this part of your request. However, we have decided not to communicate this information to you in accordance with the exemption under Section 27 (2) of the Freedom of Information (FOl) A[ct] 2000, which covers confidential information obtained from a State other than the United Kingdom or from an international organisation or international court. I have explained more about this exemption below.

3. Whether any particular reason was given for the said cancellation
A: The passport was cancelled as the Malaysian authorities were seeking your client’s arre[st] to face criminal charges.

4. When was the request made by the issuing authority for the return of the passport and was there any reason given for this request?
A: A request was made by the Malaysian authorities for the return of your client’s passport on 2 July 2008 no reason was given for why they wanted the passport returned to them, Malaysian passports are of the property of the issuing authority and not of the individual holder and therefore this is why we intend to return the passport to them.

Based on this and other evidence, we can draw a timeline of events surrounding the issue of Waytha's passport. I have emphasised our minister's statements in bold:

• 25 November 2007 - Hindraf rally in KL
• 28 November 2007 - Waythamoorthy leaves Malaysia to avoid possible detention under the Internal Security Act and to obtain international support for HINDRAF's cause. He goes to India, then to London.
• 13 December 2007 - Uthayakumar and 4 others detained under ISA
• 14 March 2008 - British High Commision in KL receives letter from Malaysian authorities, informing them that Waytha's passport had been cancelled because the Malaysian authorities were seeking Waytha's arrest to face criminal charges
• 17 April 2008 - Waytha goes to Geneva to brief the United Nations High Commissioner’s office on Human Rights
• 19 April 2008 - Waytha moorthy returned to London from Geneva, but was informed that the Malaysian government had revoked his passport, and therefore refused entry at Gatwick airport. Waytha asked the British authorities to seek a confirmation with the Malaysian government that his passport was, indeed, being revoked. Waytha spent 2 days at Gatwick.
• 21 April 2008 - UK Border Agency British immigration confirmed that Waytha's passport was revoked by the Malaysian government, and they (UK Border Agency) impounded his passport upon the Malaysian authorities' request. It was only then that Waytha decided to seek political asylum, which was duly given by the British authorities.
• 26 May 2008 - Malaysian Insider article: Syed Hamid: Hindraf chief's passport never revoked
  
• 2 July 2008 - Malaysian authorities requested the British authorities (in writing) for the return of Waytha's passport to them.
• 22 October 2008 - Bernama article: Hindraf Leader P. Waytha Moorthy's Passport Was Never Revoked: Syed Hamid
  

What are we to make of this? It seems to me that either the UK Border Agency is lying, or our ministers are. It's sad that some Malaysians have swallowed whole the disinformation and lies of Umno/BN, and parrot them in the online discussions and comments sections without question.

Sincerely,
Malaysian Heart

P.S. The only news organisations (which I could find) had reported the press conference were:
Malaysiakini: Proof of lies, claims Waytha's lawyer
Malaysian Insider: Uthayakumar claims proof Hishammuddin lied

(UPDATED) The Nut Graph had this story on 9/10/09: No pass for Waythamoorthy

What happened to the others? What's the point of paying them RM 1.50 or RM 1.20 every day if they choose not to report the news that matters?

What lessons can Malaysians learn from Mahatma Gandhi and Satyagraha?

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948
photo from here

Today, 2 October 2009 is the 140th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi. In India it is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti, and internationally it is celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence. Besides commemorating the birth of such a human being, what lessons can we learn from his life and struggle, and why would they be of use to us?

In my humble opinion, the Mahatma's greatest achievement was in leading oppressed people to freedom. This is a very difficult undertaking, requiring great courage and ability, physical, intellectual, emotional and moral. The oppressors whom he faced were very powerful and ruled with an iron fist, yet the Mahatma was able to bring about change in a peaceful and ethical way. In a world where "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter", and where the ends are held to have justified the means, the Mahatma stands out as a shining example of how one man can make a difference for the better. As Albert Einstein said of him, "Generations will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth."

What were the personal characteristics that set the Mahatma apart? I believe that he had a very strong sense of values and principles by which he lived and by which he guided the struggle. Among these principles were (adapted from Wikipedia):

• Truth: Gandhi dedicated his life to the wider purpose of discovering truth, or Satya. Gandhi summarized his beliefs first when he said "God is Truth". He would later change this statement to "Truth is God". Thus, Satya (Truth) in Gandhi's philosophy is "God".
  
• Non-violence: Although Mahatama Gandhi was not the originator of the principle of non-violence, he was the first to apply it in the political field on a huge scale. In his own words, "There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for."
  
• Simplicity: Gandhi earnestly believed that a person involved in social service should lead a simple life. His simplicity began by renouncing the western lifestyle he was leading in South Africa. He called it "reducing himself to zero," which entailed giving up unnecessary expenditure, embracing a simple lifestyle and washing his own clothes.
  
• Faith: Gandhi was born a Hindu and practised Hinduism all his life, deriving most of his principles from Hinduism. As a common Hindu, he believed all religions to be equal, and rejected all efforts to convert him to a different faith. Gandhi believed that at the core of every religion was truth and love (compassion, nonviolence and the Golden Rule). He also questioned what he saw as hypocrisy, malpractices, and dogma in all religions, including his own, and he was a tireless advocate for social reform in religion. Later in his life when he was asked whether he was a Hindu, he replied: "Yes I am. I am also a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist and a Jew."
  

These principles became the core of Satyagraha, the philosophy and practice of nonviolent resistance that led to freedom. Gandhi described it as follows:

I have also called it love-force or soul-force. In the application of satyagraha, I discovered in the earliest stages that pursuit of truth did not admit of violence being inflicted on one’s opponent but that he must be weaned from error by patience and compassion. For what appears to be truth to the one may appear to be error to the other. And patience means self-suffering. So the doctrine came to mean vindication of truth, not by infliction of suffering on the opponent, but on oneself.^[2]

"The Satyagrahi’s object is to convert, not to coerce, the wrong-doer." Success is defined as cooperating with the opponent to meet a just end that the opponent is unwittingly obstructing. The opponent must be converted, at least as far as to stop obstructing the just end, for this cooperation to take place.

When using satyagraha in a large-scale political struggle involving civil disobedience, Gandhi believed that the satyagrahis must undergo training to ensure discipline. He wrote that it is “only when a people have proved their active loyalty by obeying the many laws of the State that they acquire the right of Civil Disobedience.”^[11]

He therefore made part of the discipline that satyagrahis:

1. appreciate the other laws of the State and obey them voluntarily
2. tolerate these laws, even when they are inconvenient
3. be willing to undergo suffering, loss of property, and to endure the suffering that might be inflicted on family and friends^[11]

Gandhi also proposed this series of rules for satyagrahis to follow in a resistance campaign:^[8]

1. harbour no anger
2. suffer the anger of the opponent
3. never retaliate to assaults or punishment; but do not submit, out of fear of punishment or assault, to an order given in anger
4. voluntarily submit to arrest or confiscation of your own property
5. if you are a trustee of property, defend that property (non-violently) from confiscation with your life
6. do not curse or swear
7. do not insult the opponent
8. neither salute nor insult the flag of your opponent or your opponent’s leaders
9. if anyone attempts to insult or assault your opponent, defend your opponent (non-violently) with your life
10. as a prisoner, behave courteously and obey prison regulations (except any that are contrary to self-respect)
11. as a prisoner, do not ask for special favourable treatment
12. as a prisoner, do not fast in an attempt to gain conveniences whose deprivation does not involve any injury to your self-respect
13. joyfully obey the orders of the leaders of the civil disobedience action
14. do not pick and choose amongst the orders you obey; if you find the action as a whole improper or immoral, sever your connection with the action entirely
15. do not make your participation conditional on your comrades taking care of your dependents while you are engaging in the campaign or are in prison; do not expect them to provide such support
16. do not become a cause of communal quarrels
17. do not take sides in such quarrels, but assist only that party which is demonstrably in the right; in the case of inter-religious conflict, give your life to protect (non-violently) those in danger on either side
18. avoid occasions that may give rise to communal quarrels
19. do not take part in processions that would wound the religious sensibilities of any community

Why are these lessons relevant to us Malaysians? Isn't our situation in Malaysia in some ways similar to that faced by Gandhi in India? We too live in a multiracial and multireligious country, we too are ruled by what is essesntially a colonial government - one where the hard work and resources of the rakyat are expropriated for the use of those in power and their cronies. We too are denied our basic human rights, and we too are kept in control by law enforcement system that serves it's political masters, not justice (ironically, the descendant of the same law enforcement that Gandhi suffered). Perhaps our most striking similarity is that we too are oppressed because we have not been able to transcend our racial and religious divisions; our oppressors have effectively divided and ruled over us because of it.

I believe that if we Malaysians want to bring much needed change to our country in a sustainable, peaceful and ethical way, we need to practice the Mahatma's principles. Where do we start? In the words of the Mahatma himself: "You must be the change you want to see in the world."

Gandhi at Dandi, South Gujarat, picking salt on the beach at the end of the Salt March, 5 April 1930. Photograph from here

Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram, the Mahatma's favourite bhajan

Mahatma Gandhi speaking: God is Life, Truth, Light, Love and The supreme Good

Sincerely,
Malaysian Heart

Justice for Kugan petition to DYMM YDP Agong 26/09/09 - what I observed

This is what I observed at the peaceful assembly in front of the Istana Negara on 26 September 2009, which was called by Hindraf and the Human Rights Party Malaysia to deliver a petition to the the DYMM Yang Di-Pertuan Agong. The petition, which you can download and read here, pleads to the YDP Agong for justice for Kugan and his family. Eight months after his death in police custody, the killer/s of A. Kugan, have yet to be arrested and brought to justice.

I tried to get to the Istana Negara at about 10.30 a.m., but there was a police roadblock where Jalan Dewan Bahasa joins Jalan Istana, and the police were not allowing any cars to get past. I made some calls and found out that the petitioners were meeting at Naga's Restaurant in Brickfields, which is where I headed to.

Members of Kugan's family were already there, including Madam Indra (his mother), sister, brothers and uncle. With them were a small group of Hindraf and MHRP folks; MP for Kapar YB S Manikavasagam, MP for Puchong YB Gobind Singh Deo, and ADUN for Kota Shah Alam YB M. Manoharan were also there. Soon, Human Rights Party Malaysia pro-tem secretary-general P. Uthayakumar and Hindraf coordinator Mr. Jayathas arrived, and the group organised themselves for the trip to the istana.

Some of Kugan's family members waiting for transport to the Istana

I hitched a ride in one of the cars carrying some of Kugan's relatives. We set of towards the Istana, but somehow got separated from the lead cars. We parked before the roadblock at Jln Dewan Bahasa, and began walking towards the Istana proper.

Members of the police manning the roadblock blocked our way and told us that we could not pass.

The police stop us from proceeding

We told them that we were going to deliver a petition to the Istana, and that Kugan's relatives were with us. The policeman asked us to wait while he radioed his superiors for permission. He took an inordinate amount of time doing this.

Asking for instructions, or delaying tactics?

After about ten minutes of waiting with no indication of any permission forthcoming, our group decided not to wait there any longer, but to get back into our cars and try another route. By 11.30 we were walking towards the group of petitioners in front of the Istana.

The petitioners outside the Istana, outnumbered by the police, reporters and cameramen. By what stretch of the imagination could they have been considered a threat to public security?

As I approached this group at 11.33 a.m., a policeman was already ordering the crowd to disperse. This is what I managed to record:

Thus the people's attempt to express their plea for justice to their King was foiled by the police. The people there made their way back, and as you can see in the video above, their frustration and disappointment was evident.

The petitioners leaving the Istana area

The leaders of the petitioners had a quick discussion, and decided to hold a press conference back at Naga's Restaurant.

These are the people who prevented the rakyat from presenting their petition to DYMM YDP Agong. They are supposed to protect and serve the rakyat, but whose interests are they protecting now? Whose orders were they following?

Kugan's mother and other family members waiting by the roadside of Jalan Istana, having been chased away from the Istana area itself. Don't they have a right to plead for justice from their King, when the Malaysian AG and police have denied them justice for eight months? Why must they be treated so?

We got back into our cars and headed back to Naga's, where the impromptu press conference was held. Here are some video clips from it (apologies for the poor audio quality):

YB Gobind Singh Deo

YB M. Manoharan

Mr. Uthayakumar, YB Manickavasagam, YB Manoharan and lawyer Mr. N. Surendran

Madam Indra, with YB Manoharan translating for her. Kugan's mother still grieves.

YB Gobind Singh Deo again pt. 1


Pt. 2


Pt. 3

During the press conference, there were three gentlemen who were hanging about the restaurant, with a video camera. here they are, numbered accordingly:

I cannot verify this, but I was told that they were special branch officers. Here is another shot of them:

Here is number 3 recording the press conference from up close:

According to this Bernama report of the event:

Brickfields police chief ACP Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid said police managed to disperse the gathering without any untoward incidents.

"No arrests were made. Police were on duty in front of Istana Negara to prevent incidents as the group comprised Hindraf members and politicians.

"The public should respect the residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the laws of the country," he said when contacted today.

Reading his statement, and having seen the events unfold for myself, these are the questions and thoughts that come to my mind:

1) What "untoward incident" was he expecting? Was he afraid that Kugan's mother was going to assault him with a deadly petition?

2) Why are Hindraf members and politicians singled out for "special treatment", when the cow head protestors get a free pass? Blatant double standards at work!

3) What did any of the petitioners do there, which can be construed as disrespecting the YDP Agong or his residence? Palace officials had already been informed and were prepared to accept the memorandum. Isn't DYMM YDP Agong the King for all Malaysians, including for Kugan and his family? Wasn't His Majesty's palace built and maintained with their blood, sweat and tears as well? What laws did they break? Why is the Brickfields police chief slandering them?

4) Why aren't Malaysians allowed to exercise their right to assemble peacefully? Were these folks in any way or form a threat to public safety and security? If peaceful assemblies like these are broken up by the police, how else are Malaysians going to express their views and feelings? IMHO, all the while our 1Malaysia government is embarking on a "feel-good" PR campaign, they are severely eroding our rights to assemble peacefully, amongst many others. We need work urgently to re-establish our rights, before we lose them altogether.

5) Why was it that the people who showed up in support of the petition were virtually all Indians? In the past (for example during Kugan's funeral), there was heartwarming and encouraging support from all communities; we must never let such cooperation and understanding die away. Kugan's case, just like Adi Anwar Mansor's and Teoh Beng Hock's, is a serious issue for all Malaysians. If we only fight for justice when our own race is involved, then Umno/BN will win, because we cannot defeat them by ourselves. Civil society and progressive groups must work together to find common ground and strive for change with a united voice. This will require high quality, principled leaders. United we stand; divided, we'll all die with Umno/BN in power for the next 52 years. Please people, we must break down the racial walls that Umno/BN have built between us!

6) We must ensure that the IPCMC is formed. IMHO, the police have become an instrument for the oppression of Malaysian's political expression and aspirations. If we are to have any hope of change in Malaysia, we must reform the police into an organisation that serves the rakyat, and not the political purposes of the party which happens to be in government.

The pain and anguish that our mothers bear for us, transcends time, language, race, and religion. Paradise lies beneath their feet, but all we give them in return is suffering. When our time comes, will God have mercy on us?

Sincerely,
Malaysian Heart

Please read more reports of the event here, here, here and here.

If our politicians are working only for their own interests, it is because we do not make them work for ours!

Dear Readers,

Hope you all had happy and meaningful Hari Raya holidays, because now it's time to get back to the work we must all do: bringing change to our country, beginning with ourselves.

Raja Petra wrote an excellent article, "Me serve the rakyat? Nah!", published on Malaysia Today yesterday. While I can't vouch for the factuality of the specifics RPK reported as going on behind the scene of Pakatan Rakyat Selangor, on the whole it seems plausible to me. However, what struck me the most were these words (bold emphasis mine):

It is therefore not difficult to understand why there is so much chaos in Pakatan Rakyat Selangor. Not only are PKR, DAP and PAS trying to outmanoeuvre each other. Internally, within PKR, DAP and PAS, there are many factions and each is trying to kill off the other.

We have inter-party and we have intra-party wars going on. And it is all because no one is interested in bringing changes or to serve the rakyat. They are only interested in seeking power because politicians naturally lust for power.

So we, the people, need to keep them in check. If power goes to their heads they will very quickly forget that it was the people who put them there. They will forget that they are supposed to work for the rakyat. They will become just like Barisan Nasional in thinking that the rakyat are the slaves while they are the masters.

Never trust politicians. They will use us when it best suits them. Then they will turn on us and betray the trust we gave them. And that is why the need for some of us to remain as political activists and not become politicians. This is so that we can whack the politicians when they forget themselves, which will be as soon as they win the election and form the new government.

Please read the entire article here. I feel that RPK has put it in the best way possible: if we elect a particular set of politicians, and expect that they will automatically do what is right and good for our country because (we hope) that they are good people, then we are in for a big disappointment. While I believe that there are individual politicians who are principled, the prevailing political culture and system, compounded by we Malaysians' apparent apathy to values and good governance, make it difficult for them to make their voices heard over the shrill cacophony of self-interest. As Franklin D. Roosevelt told A. Philip Randolph, who had just given FDR an earful on what direction America should be taking (my bold emphasis):

"I agree with everything that you've said, including my capacity to be able to right many of these wrongs and to use my power and the bully pulpit. ... But I would ask one thing of you, Mr. Randolph, and that is go out and make me do it."

If we want our government and politicians to listen to us, and act to promote our interests and aspirations, we have to make them do it. We have to have press freedom so that what they do behind closed doors is exposed in the open. We need to tell them what we want, keep track of their promises, and hold them accountable when they don't deliver. We need to fight for what is right whenever it is right, not just when it suits us or ours. We need to unite our voices so that when we speak, they sit up and listen. We cannot do this as long as we identify ourselves by our race and religion, as Umno/BN wants us to.

Our end goal must be to establish a new political culture in Malaysia: one where the rakyat's interests come first, and one where only principled leaders have a chance of being elected to office.

I believe that the Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia initiative is an excellent platform from which to make our politicians work for us instead of the other way around. Please read their charter here, read the SABM powerpoint presentation here and see Haris Ibrahim's speech here.

Whatever we want Malaysia to be, it's not going to happen if we just watch from the sidelines. It's time to get involved, people! ARE YOU, YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS REGISTERED VOTERS?

Sincerely,
Malaysian Heart

MUST READ: What does Umno value? Another GREAT article from The Nut Graph

Dear Readers,

The folks at The Nut Graph have done it again! I reproduce here part of another powerful article from there, this time by Ding Jo-Ann. This article is sharp and incisive; it gets to the heart of the matter and drives a stake through it. It lays bare what our ruling party is all about:

"Since the March 2008 general election, calls have been growing for the BN to rethink the race-based politics that has kept them in government for more than 50 years. In the past, Umno has let its partners in the coalition, such as the MCA and MIC, speak up on Chinese and Indian Malaysian issues. This formula is not just lacking in terms of ensuring national unity; it's myopic in protecting the legitimate rights of all Malaysians.

The responses of Umno leaders to recent events prove just as much. They tell us that Umno's main priority is in ensuring that particular interests are protected. These interests, however, don't include those of minority communities such as non-Muslims and the indigenous people.

Additionally, there are many other ethnic groups that are not directly represented in the BN formula such as the Penan. There is no Penan-based party in the BN. With the current model, who then is supposed to speak up for them? Should the Penan have to set up a National Penan Party and win seats in Parliament before their plight is taken seriously by the government?"

If we find Umno/BN's values and priorities grotesque, let us remember that WE are the ones who are keeping them in power! Are we and our families registered voters? Did we vote in the last elections?

Please, please read the entire article here: http://www.thenutgraph.com/what-does-umno-value

If you like the quality of journalism practiced by The Nut Graph, please consider supporting them. Their investors cannot continue funding them, and they will have to close down if they cannot find adequate support.

As far as I know, The Nut Graph is the only Malaysian news organisation to have published a statement of their journalistic principles, that you can hold them to. If we do not support good journalism when we have it, then we have only ourselves to blame when we are left with the likes of Azmi Anshar and the mainstream media telling us what to think.

Sincerely,
Malaysian Heart

The Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia initiative: launched on Hari Malaysia!

On the 46th anniversary of the formation of Malaysia, another endeavour of hope has been launched: the Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia initiative, the goal of which is to actualise the spirit and substance of "One People, One Nation".

It is an initiative by a group of Malaysians who believe that we can, and need to, do better as a nation. The difference between this particular effort and the others that have gone before and that continue to suck our precious resources, is that these folk believe in, and know, what they are doing. They:

• Have identified the things (attitudes, mindsets, policies) that are holding us back as a nation
• Suggested a set of values and guiding principles that (I strongly believe) our nation needs
• Proposed a programme of specific actions to address those needs
• Suggested many ways how we as individuals can help realise the goals, starting with things we can practically do
  

Why is there a need for such an initiative? Because, as events post GE-12 have clearly shown, our political parties (on both sides) have not been able to effectively address our nation's need for a national identity and consciousness; for justice, human rights, freedom and democracy. Even though DS Najib is promoting his One Malaysia, it is vague and undefined beyond platitudes, and seems to be designed to present different faces to Malaysians from different communities. Furthermore, even as our PM goes around the nation promoting it, his cabinet and their mainstream media are working hard to divide Malaysians by race and religion, just so they stand a chance of winning GE-13.

PR on the other hand, have fared no better. As Kg. Buah Pala has shown, they have made election promises which they have seen fit to break, resulting in injustice being done to poor Malaysians.

It's clear (to me) that we need civil society groups to be the voice of the rakyat. We need to educate and empower ourselves to hold our elected representatives and our public servants to account. We need to decide how our nation is going to move forward and progress as a diverse democracy. We have to do this ourselves, for the political parties have let us down.

Who are leading this initiative? A small group of Malaysians led by civil rights lawyer Haris Ibrahim, of the People's Parliament. They are the folks who came up with the groundbreaking People's Voice and the People's Declaration way back in February 2008. Here they are during the launch of the SABM on 16/9/09:

And here is Haris presenting the SABM initiative:

This is a video where he talks about discrimination, social justice, inclusiveness and diversity (apologies for the poor video quality):

Please do visit the SABM website here and please do read the SABM Charter if you can (note: I've also posted it here) . I believe that if we want a Malaysia that is free from all forms of racism, discrimination and inequality, we need to seriously practise its principles in our daily lives.

Sincerely,
Malaysian Heart

New Nationalism: Freedom with Empowering Peace

Dear Readers,

This is a joint statement made by more than fifty civil society organizations, where they spelt out a framework for a new national discourse which embodies diversity and dissent and the rejection of political violence as the true signs of nationhood.

New Nationalism: Freedom with Empowering Peace

We the undersigned civil society organizations believe that Malaysia must renew our national independence after Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak were brought together to become a new nation 46 years ago.

Following a series of saddening and outraging developments since the last Malaysia Day, we feel strongly the need for a new discourse of nationalism that denounces political violence and pursues empowering peace.

Diversity and dissent are signs of real independence.

We fully appreciate the complexity of Malaysia in ethnic, religious, linguistic, cultural, regional, socio-economical, gender, lifestyle and physical terms. We therefore do not pretend that there is a single Malaysia that would meet the expectation and aspiration of every Malaysian. We are proud with our own vision for the nation and at the same time respect those of others.

We see the differences in preferences and opinion of how this country should move forward as both inevitable and desirable - inevitable because we are free to choose; and desirable because we have plenty alternatives to consider. Diversity and dissent in public opinion are beautiful signs of real independence.

We believe, however, every Malaysian, politician and voter alike, must sign up to one common position: the elimination of political violence.

Political violence threatens our independence

Political violence refers to actions that aim to achieve certain political goals by causing harm to others or subduing them with violence. This must not be confused with legitimate exercise of freedom of speech, assembly and association where violence is not preached, threatened and executed.

More than violation of peace, political violence is exploitation of the physically weak and outnumbered. It deprives the victims of political violence their right to participate in public affairs and prevents the emergence of an inclusive outcome through the use of reason.

In fact, political violence is at the core of colonialism as it was the very means how colonial rule was imposed on us. National liberation is in this sense meaningful only when all citizens are free from further colonization of violence and may exercise freedom and reason in running their public life.

Four principles of Empowering Peace

In this regard, peace associated with fear that inhibits us from full participation in public affairs is but pseudo peace.

True peace must be empowering and inclusive to allow all Malaysians to contribute to and enjoy the national life. True peace requires rule of law and protection of human rights. It is therefore political, but in no way partisan.

We call upon every Malaysian citizen and organization, especially the politicians and political parties, to sign up to the following principles:

1. Zero tolerance for violence as a political means

Civilized life requires restrain and self-control. Conflicts should be solved through dialogues, deliberation, debates or litigation. There must be zero tolerance for the use, threat or incitement of violence as a political means, regardless of circumstances or subject matters.

In this sense, the perpetrators of the cow-head protest should be charged for incitement of violence, not sedition or illegal assembly. The thugs who threatened to rape Rodziah Ismail and to murder Khalid Samad, the elected representatives in Shah Alam, must be investigated and prosecuted for criminal intimidation. The threat of sexual violence, a common trait in many communal conflicts, is especially alarming and absolutely intolerable.

2. Fighting Hatred with Reason

Hatred exists in every society and can only be effectively eliminated by reason, not law. Given a vibrant public sphere, the flaws of hate speeches can be exposed and the perpetrators shamed. Legal suppression only weakens the society’s resistance to hatred by removing the need for intellectual rigour and moral courage to confront bigotry.

The latest harassment of Malaysiakini by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for featuring video-clips of the cow-head protest and the Home Minister’s press conference justifying the act is not only violating freedom of expression, but also protecting violence from public shaming.

3. The State’s Duty to Protect Political Participation

The state which monopolizes the legitimate use of violence should exist only to protect citizens from private violence, not to inflict more violence than necessary. The state’s coercive power therefore must never be used against peaceful political activities. Instead, the state has the duty to protect political participation.

Instead of arbitrarily arresting over 160 1BLACKMalaysia protesters, lawyers on duty, 589 Anti-ISA protestors and bystanders, the anti-PPSMI, Kampung Buah Pala and Hindraf protesters, and using unnecessary violence, the police should have only controlled traffic and maintained order. After all, the validity of the protesters’ causes should be judged by the citizen, not the police or the Executive.

4. Upholding Elected Government

The threat of political violence is greatest when political elites resort to means other than elections to attain power. Democracy is the only guarantee for political stability and peace. Politicians and political parties must therefore do their best to win elections honestly, not usurping power after elections. Otherwise, democratic breakdown may lead to coups or revolutions.

The Perak coup has seen an elected government being overthrown by a host of unelected institutions including but not limited to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the Election Commission (EC), the Judiciary, the bureaucracy and the police. The partisan investigation of MACC in Selangor amidst the Barisan Nasional’s express wish to takeover the state had led to the death of Teoh Beng Hock, the first of a state official in the custody of a federal agency. If there is no firmed commitment from both sides of the political divide to democracy, the next election may see the military being the next unelected institution dragged into political struggle.

On the auspicious birthday of Malaysia, which should have been made a national holiday 46 years ago, let us all vow to make empowering peace the basis of public life of our nation so that all of us may enjoy real freedom.

The signatories:

1. 1BLACKMalaysia Facebook Page and Group

2. Aliran Kesedaran Negara (Aliran)

3. All Women’s Action Society Malaysia (AWAM)

4. Amnesty International Malaysia

5. Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)

6. Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI)

7. Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS)

8. Civil Rights Committee, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (CRC-KLSCAH)

9. Civil Society Committee, LLG Cultural Development Centre (LLG-CSC)

10. Civil Society Initiative for Parliamentary Reform (CSI@Parliament)

11. Council of Churches of Malaysia Youth Network

12. Durham Malaysian Scholars

13. Gabungan Bertindak Mahasiswa Utara(GBMU)

14. Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC)

15. Institut Kajian Dasar (IKD)

16. Institute for Development of Alternative Living (IDEAL), Sibu

17. Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF)

18. Jaringan Orang Asal Semalaysia (JOAS)

19. Jawatankuasa Penduduk Zon 23 MPSJ

20. Justice for Beng Hock Facebook Page and Group

21. Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Youth Section (KLSCAH-YS)

22. Kumpulan Aktivis Mahasiswa Independen (KAMI)

23. Malaysia Youth and Student Democratic Movement (DEMA)

24. Malaysian AIDS Council

25. Malaysian Indian Development Association

26. Middle Eastern Graduate Centre (Magc)

27. Monitoring Sustainability of Globalisation (MSN)

28. Muslim Professionals Forum (MPF)

29. National Institute for Electoral Integrity (NIEI)

30. Oriental Hearts and Mind Study Institute (OHMSI)

31. Pahlawan Volunteers

32. Partners of Community Organisations, Sabah (PACOS)

33. Penang Du Zhong Education Society

34. Penggerak Belia Zon 23 MPSJ

35. Persatuan Alumni PBTUSM Selangor

36. Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower)

37. Persatuan Meditasi Projan KL & Selangor

38. Persatuan Penduduk Taman Muhibbah Seri Kembangan

39. Research for Social Advancement (REFSA)

40. Sarawak Central Region Friendship Association

41. Semparuthi Iyakkam

42. Sisters in Islam (SIS)

43. Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram)

44. Tenaganita

45. The Micah Mandate (TMM)

46. The People’s Parliament

47. TONIBUNG (Friends for Village Development), Sabah

48. Women's Aid Organisation (WAO)

49. Women's Candidacy Initiative (WCI)

50. Writer Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI)

51. Awal Nahdah Resources

Five ISA detainees released - THANK GOODNESS!!! Nine more to go!

(Mat Sah Satray with his son Shuaib. Photograph taken from here)

Mat Sah Mohamad Satray, Dr Abdullah Daud, Mohd Nasir Ismail @ Hassan, Ahmad Kamil Md Hanapiah and Muhammad Amir Md Hanapiah will be released from detention without trial under the Internal Security Act today. En. Mat Sah, who had been detained without trial since April 2002, is the husband of anti-ISA activist Pn. Norlaila Othman, or Kak Laila. She has worked tirelessly with the Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA for the freedom of ALL ISA detainees. I'm really happy that Kak Laila and her family, and the families of all those released, will be able to celebrate Aidil Fitri with their loved one after so long.

But her work (and our work too) is far from over. There are nine people still detained under ISA: four Malaysians and one each from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. Detention without trial is inherently unjust, and there exist enough laws to allow our law enforcement agencies to investigate, arrest, charge, try in an open court and (if guilty) punish anyone who threatens our national security. If our law enforcement claim to be unable to protect Malaysia's security with the just powers they have been given, I say it is time for their leaders to step down and allow those more capable and committed to do the job.

Furthermore, our ISA has been abused to improperly clamp down on legitimate political activity and expression, even to torture and brainwash detainees into providing false testimony for politically motivated trials. This travesty must be eliminated.

(Kak Laila and son Shuaib, after being arrested during the anti-ISA protest, 1/8/09. Photo from here)

Please support Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA. Here are their principles:

GMI berpegang kepada prinsip bahawa tiada sesiapa pun yang berhak ditahan tanpa bicara. Seseorang itu perlulah di bawa ke mahkamah untuk pengadilan atau dibebaskan. Seseorang itu perlulah dianggap tidak bersalah sebelum dibuktikan bersalah (innocent until proven guilty).

GMI memperjuangkan prinsip-prinsip hak asasi manusia seperti yang termaktub dalam Arktikel 5 dan 10, Perlembagaan Persekutuan

GMI berpegang kepada prinsip bahawa penglibatan dan penggemblengan masyarakat adalah penting untuk melaksanakan perubahan

Repeal the ISA! Justice for all detainees! Close down the Kamunting Detention Camp!

Sincerely,
Malaysian Heart

UPDATE: Please read Kak Laila's blog post on their family's Aidil Fitri together here.

Would a British politician stand on stage with a weapon in hand? - Response to an anon

In response to my previous post "MUST READ: Would a British politician stand on stage with a weapon in hand? - Article by Dr Farish A Noor, from the Nut Graph", an anonymous commenter replied as follows:

No need to imagine, violent anti-islam demonstration did happen in Britain
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1205263/Police-arrest-31-demonstration-Islamic-fundamentalism.html

This is my response to him:
@ anon 3:02 pm,

Good of you to bring that to our attention, because it demonstrates the very obvious differences with our cow head incident, and our Malaysian political culture in general. Let's revisit what Dr. Farish wrote:

"Can anyone of us imagine a British politician standing on stage with a weapon in hand? Can anyone imagine a demonstration in Europe against a mosque or a Hindu temple where a pig's or cow's head is dragged out into the streets?

Can we imagine those involved not being arrested on the spot? Can anyone imagine a press conference in any European city where a politician is publicly threatened with rape — and the police do nothing?"

The protesters who claimed to be anti "Islamic extremism" were the so-called "English Defence League". They are the UK version of Pekida and Pewaris: thugs who threaten their fellow (minority) citizens with violence if they do not "toe the line". Just like Pekida, Pewaris and their UMNO inspired friends, the EDL were protesting against a place of worship.

Questions to consider:
1) Even with their disgusting fascist agenda, did the EDL protestors carry the head of any dead animal to insult any religion? No.

2) Did the police stand idly by while the violence went on? No. "A "significant number" of people have been arrested during clashes between right-wing protesters and anti-fascist campaigners in Birmingham." The UK police chief would have been sacked for incompetence if he had stood by and done nothing.

3) Did any UK government minister meet/sympathize with the EDL protesters and/or provide support and justification for their actions, like Hishammudin and Mukhriz did? No, the exact opposite happened. John Denham, the UK Communities Minister unequivocally condemned the EDL. This is what he said (extracted from here):

Right-wing groups who claim to oppose Islamic extremism are trying to provoke violence on Britain's streets, the communities minister has said.

Mr Denham said such right-wing protesters were trying to provoke an "overreaction" from the Asian community.

"Then people blame the people who overreact and the situation gets out of control," he said.

"We know from the recent past that provocation can lead to community division and overreaction unless we nip it in the bud very quickly."

The minister singled out the EDL in particular: "If you look at the types of demonstrations they have organised, the language used and the targets chosen, it looks pretty clear that it's a tactic designed to provoke, to get a response and create violence

John Denham has so accurately described what Umno/BN are trying to do in Malaysia, with their cow-head protest, Utusan headlines and blogger stories. Any UK minister who did what our Hishamuddin and Mukhriz have done would have been sacked.

4) The group which opposed the EDL were the UAF (Unite Against Fascism). As you can see in the video here, and the report here, UAF consists of Britons from various communities and religions, even white people. Their chant is "We are black, we are white, together we are dynamite". The UAF Chairman is Ken Livingstone, a white man. These people there fight for what is right regardless of their race, religion etc. In Malaysia, if a person speaks for justice regardless of race, he is called a "pengkhianat bangsa" by our racist politicians and their newspapers.

We in Malaysia too need to fight for what is right and just regardless of our own race, religion, gender, age, social status, class, selfish interests, etc. For 52 years we have not been able to learn how. I believe that with the "Saya Anak bangsa Malaysia initiative", we can.

Well done. Please provide more such examples, thanks.
mh

MUST READ: Would a British politician stand on stage with a weapon in hand? - Article by Dr Farish A Noor, from the Nut Graph

Dear Readers,

This is a short excerpt from a powerful article titled "Power, politicians and brutality", by Dr Farish A Noor, which was published in The Nut Graph today (bold emphasis mine):

"Southeast Asians tend to adopt a dismissive view of the West. And there are far too many right-wing ethno-nationalist leaders in our part of the world who cannot evolve any further than to continue in their nasty polemics against anything and everything Western.

But let us ask ourselves this simple question, and answer it honestly if we can: Can anyone of us imagine a British politician standing on stage with a weapon in hand? Can anyone imagine a demonstration in Europe against a mosque or a Hindu temple where a pig's or cow's head is dragged out into the streets?

Can we imagine those involved not being arrested on the spot? Can anyone imagine a press conference in any European city where a politician is publicly threatened with rape — and the police do nothing? Perchance, therein lies the difference between us Asians and the so-called secular, decadent, materialistic West."

Perchance we Malaysians have a lot of soul-searching to do?

Please read the entire article here: http://www.thenutgraph.com/power-politicians-brutality

If you like the quality of journalism practiced by The Nut Graph, please consider supporting them. Their investors cannot continue funding them, and they will have to close down if they cannot find adequate support.

As far as I know, the Nut Graph is the only Malaysian news organisation to have published a statement of their journalistic principles, that you can hold them to. If we do not support good journalism when we have it, then we have only ourselves to blame when we are left with the likes of Azmi Anshar and the mainstream media telling us what to think.

Sincerely,

Malaysian Heart

The magpie barks propaganda: How to read partisan blogs 5

For this fifth instalment of HTRPB, we'll be looking at a post by blogger Pasquale of Barking Magpie. In the past, he has posted entries titled "When will the Malays learn!!! The Chinese will and can never share power once they ARE in power!", and "CPM stands for Chinese Party of Malaya and they failed to form a Chinese entity in Malaya...cept for Penang!". The post we will be looking at is more recent, and titled "A short note on Anwar Ibrahim by a commenter using the handle "Deacon1957".

In it, Pasquale reproduces in its entirety a comment left at his blog, which accuses Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (DSAI) (inter alia) of being:

1. A CIA agent working to destabilise Malaysia;
2. Responsible (through "his Indonesian network") for the current Indonesian "hatred for Malaysia"; and
   
3. Of working to "discredit traditional Islam and plant one of two of America's version of Islam in all Islamic states..."

If the commenter (or Pasquale himself) had any evidence for these accusations, it was not shared there. You can read the entry for yourself here, but what I want to focus on are the propaganda techniques used by Pasquale when he uses a photograph to reinforce the accusations against DSAI.

The above photograph is placed at the beginning of the article, captioned as follows:

Flanked by former US President George Bush's most right wing Jewish-Zionist American cabinet members (Cohen and Wolfowitz), and the man in the middle will sell his soul (or already sold) to the Devil, and already betrayed the Malays and will betrayed his mother, and at all cost, even destroying the country just he thinks he can be the next PM! This picture was taken in 1997 in Penang.

What we see here is a classic example of propaganda, i.e.:

"...communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda." (bold emphasis mine)

In just this photograph and its caption alone, Pasquale has managed to use the following propaganda techniques:

• Reductio ad Hitlerum (in this case, ad Bushum)
• Labelling
• Appeal to prejudice
• Big lie
• Half-truths
• Transfer
• Name-calling
• Appeal to fear

Let's see where and how he uses them. First, Reductio ad Hitlerum: Since George W. Bush is the most reviled US President in Malaysia, if not the world (imho, quite rightly so), by identifying Cohen and Wolfowitz as members of his cabinet, disapproval is cast upon them.

Second, labelling and appeal to prejudice: By labelling both Cohen and Wolfowitz as Jewish, and relying on prevailing stereotypes and prejudices against Jews, again a negative light is cast upon them.

Next, the big lie(s), which I debunk below:

1. William Cohen was never in George Bush's cabinet. He was in Bill Clinton's cabinet, as Secretary of Defense.
2. He is not Jewish. His father was Jewish, his mother was Protestant; he went to a Jewish school, but he is a Unitarian.
3. In 1997, Paul Wolfowitz was Professor of International Relations and Dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University; George W. Bush was not elected President until 2000.

Next, the half-truth: Are Cohen and Paul Wolfowitz Zionists? Yes, especially Wolfowitz. Was George W. Bush a Zionist? Yes. How about Barack Obama? Not as much as Bush, but basically yes. Can you get elected or appointed to public office in America if you do not support Israel? Probably not. Given longstanding US foreign policy, it's safe to say that the vast majority of American public officials (with a some rare exceptions) are pro-Israel. Is it uncommon, unusual or somehow sinister for Malaysian leaders to have been seen with Zionist American officials? Certainly not; scroll down to the end of this post to see who else has been photographed in their company.

Next, transfer: By presenting an image of the target (DSAI) with Cohen and Wolfowitz (identified as "George Bush's most right wing Jewish-Zionist American cabinet members"), the propagandist wants to project their supposedly negative qualities onto DSAI. Note that the context of the photograph (besides when and where it was taken) has not been given.

Finally, name-calling and appeal to fear (in bold): "the man in the middle will sell his soul (or already sold) to the Devil, and already betrayed the Malays and will betrayed his mother, and at all cost, even destroying the country just he thinks he can be the next PM!"

There you have it: just take a photograph, neglect to mention it's context (what was the occassion, what was said), neglect to mention that others have been in similar situations, add some outright untruths, half-truths, racial prejudice and fear; uncritical readers will irrationally adopt a negative attitude towards the target, in this case DSAI.

So, what should critical readers bear in mind when reading anything:

1. Independently verify the "facts" presented. Propagandists like Pasquale never let the truth get in the way of a good smear.
2. Look for the half truths and selective presentation of facts, ask if any relevant information that could reframe the situation has been left out.
   
3. Be aware of any irrational, emotional response they feel; is it the result of a specific propaganda technique being used?
4. Most importantly, ask where is the evidence for the message being pushed? Without solid evidence, it is merely a smear.

Although Pasquale denies this, Malaysians Unplugged Uncensored have made (what I believe to be) a convincing case that Pasquale is actually Rusdi Mustapha (or Rosdi Mustafa). Furthermore, according to Dato' Ariff Sabri of Sakmongkol AK47 (in his post of 16/5/09), this Rosdi Mustafa "works in the PM's outfit and one of the media handlers". This is how Dato' Ariff describes Rosdi (these words were probably written in anger, so please read with a pinch of salt. I've underlined the parts I feel are relevant):

I see him loitering around Dato Najib's office engaging in whispers with other officers prompting us to believe he is privy to some top state secret. These are all symptoms of juvenile childishness. It is just his way of urinating to mark territory. I am here, you are out there kind of thing.

What do you make of someone who works in the PM's office saying the above? I can only say, this is someone who shamelessly exploits his official status to excoriate others just for the fun of it. He mistakes vile and abusive remarks for forthrightness. I am afraid that reflects his deficiency in moral and intellectual fibre.

If Pasquale is indeed a civil servant, my question is this: are Malaysian taxpayers paying for (or subsidising) a propagandist at the PM's office? While all civil servants must be free to pursue their own political beliefs on their own time (although the present DG of PSD seems to think otherwise), it is wrong for government leaders (and civil servants) to use their offices, staff and other government resources for party political purposes (even though Umno/BN seems to do otherwise). Pasquale's post was posted on Thursday, 10 September, 2009, at 11:23 am; that is well within standard Malaysian civil service working hours. Did he use a Government issued PC and internet connection? These are reasonable questions for Malaysian citizens and taxpayers to ask.

When Damian McBride, then special advisor to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown was caught discussing the setting up of a website to smear the Labour Party's political opponents, public outrage forced him to resign. From Wikipedia:

"...he [McBride] and another prominent Labour Party supporter, blogger Derek Draper, had exchanged emails discussing the possibility of disseminating rumours McBride had fabricated about the private lives of some Conservative Party politicians. The emails from McBride had been sent from his No. 10 Downing Street e-mail account."

Gordon Brown had to apologise, and was called to account in Parliament, for his subordinate's shenanigans.

If Pasquale is a civil servant in our PM's office, shouldn't we be demanding the same of him and DS Najib?

Sincerely,
Malaysian Heart

Note: This photograph (from here) of Tun Dr. Mahathir (TDM) and George W. Bush was taken on 14 May 2002, during TDM's visit to the White House. Just obtaining an invitation for TDM to visit Bush cost RM 4.4 million (US$ 1.2 million), which was paid to lobbyist Jack Abramoff. For the record, Abramoff (who was later convicted of fraud), "diverted 'money meant for inner-city kids' to Jewish settlers occupying the Palestinian West Bank in order to help them 'fight the Palestinian intifada'", AND is Jewish. Was taxpayer money used to buy TDM's invitation? Read more about the issue here.