leave me a word
a thought
a question
leave me a song
a criticism
a comment
leave me a sulk
a scolding
an expression of dissatisfaction
leave me anything
but don’t leave me nothing…
Don’t Mess With Me!
CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FREE SPEECH ZONE 3
ENTER THE FREE SPEECH ZONE 3 HERE
A space for you to say anything you like
*SUSAN LOONE's Blog* 
When one has given everything
And nothing except human relations matter
What does one give
a word?
a question?
a comment?
a smile …….a vision…..a dream….a duty …a hand…two hands….a fist …….held up ……all for being human……and for seeking human dignity
hi susan , glad your enjoying your work.
Include this website as a link
http://www.ypdnews.info
It a network of young people and I’m a member
Hi there! My name is Jeeu Teck and I came across the link to your blog at Elizabeth Wong’s. Keep up the good work! Do drop by my blog http://jteck.blogspot.com/ too. Have a nice day and nice to meet you.
Thanks for the kind comments. Good to see another outspoken Malaysian abroad. Keep on blogging and always rage against the dyling of the light.
as-94783-sa
very interesting to read. greets.
Very interesting reading – I’ve learned a little bit about Malaysia and your struggles; thank you for that. There is so much unfairness and stupidity in the world. As a U.S. citizen, I can tell you that there’s at least one big reason why, like you, I’m not patriotic: George W. Bush, that selfish, murdering asshole. He is without doubt the worst president we’ve ever had, and it’s embarrassing to confess that I live in the U.S. Good luck with your mission – it gives me encouragement.
Yes, found your site through Jeff Ooi’s on Thai coup.
Amused with the virtual film titles instead. Is that why you are keeping yourself away?
And we shall write of this darkness
And savour the emptiness in our souls,
To know the depth of an ocean
We shall never know.
Take my hand
And walk this distance with me.
For that is all I ask.
What lies in your mind
And
In mine
are whispers
we shall bring to our grave,
unknown and unheard.
And we shall die alone
As we were born.
Quietly and painfully
In the stealth of the night.
Forever gone.
Take my hand
And walk this distance with me.
For that is all I ask.
Ravi.
look at the sky,,,we are looking at the same sun the same moon the same stars,,,,think about it….i like thai ffood,,.
Hi Susan,
I left Bumiland 5 years ago. Was too disillisioned with the country. I reckon it’s best to bring my children outta the place cos’ I don’t see any future for them……
You mention being a feminist. While you’re in Thailand, I’m very sure you see women being exploited in the sex industry. Would like to know your views about it.
Cheers!
dearest susan,
we all are the actor and the actress in this earth..keep on thinking.. enjoy reading you..
hi susan….
we are all malaysians until one man started to feed the malays from ”womb to tomb” just to retain his leaderhip power for 22 years. Thats when we are not all malaysians. But the sad thing is no pure malays who has been his predecessors have done that to their race. So now u know now why they never be able to retain their post for more than two terms? As long as people of malaysia are prejudice to each others race and live in disharmony whether openly or silently, the real benefactors will be BARISAN NASIONAL…..yes thats what they achieved in the recent UMNO general assembly. it is not accidental, it was deliberate….
Hi Susan
Keep on putting up those interesting views. It surely widen my horizons…
Hi Susan,
I chanced upon your blog through another site. I have just read with interest your stories on the Ms. Altantuya’s murder. You have done a good job and with the world watching I hope justice will be served.
I admire your courage, your love for Malaysia and her people and for humanity in general.
NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SAY IT, BUT PHILIPPINE POLITICS SEEM TO BE MENDING, WHILE MALAYSIA SEEM TO BE TORN APART BY GREEDY SALIVATING POLITICIANS. ARE WE SEEING THE NEXT “MARCOS” IN KL ?
Thanks for helping Malaysia !!
Hello Susan,
A Happy New Year to you.
Glad to hear from you after the big gap between the last and this latest posting.
Was starting to worry 😉 since no word was left about you being away.
Cheers
you have all the support in the world from me..!!! Change the goverment now..!!!
I stumbled across your blog on the frontpage and your ‘about me’ is very interesting. I love the quote about trusting no one. I hope you’re having a great day. 🙂
we are all birds with broken wings
kept in a cage with no door
our movements are clipped
our daily existence is full of pains
a golden canary among us
with a clear chirping voice
singing songs of freedom
bringing cheers to all of us
You are the golden canary, keep up with your good work Susan, and the world will be a better place for all the birds with broken wings.
You r …wonderful!
Malaysians owe u. Keep up the good work.
God bless!
A dream, a dream, a dream I had
The world, a theater
The stage, our lives
The actors, ourselves
Our dreams, our plays
Our audience, our souls
Alas, at last, the courtain’s closed
Aplause for dreams
Applause for peace
Applause for us.
Just had a look at your blog, my first time. It’s a nice read, will be back again. Just leaving you something.
Take a look at my blog and my post for today: http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/2007/02/truth-stranger-than-fiction.html
You’ll appreciate it…
A post which I posted sometimes ago in 2006. ( http://taipingcoffee.blogspot.com/2006/05/what-it-takes-to-be-malaysian.html ). I felt that way then, I felt the same now. But I am not anti Malaysia. I still heart brokenly love Malaysia and Malaysians……
My father,
he was born in China.
At young age, he was brought to Malaysia.
Never know much about his younger days,
because he was never good in telling stories…
As a young boy,
my father used to take me to the local cinema,
whenever Malaysian flag was displayed on the big screen
and the national anthem was played,
he asked me to stand straight,
and he stand tall next to me in complete silence.
He was proud that he is a Malaysian.
I remember an incident years ago..
when an arrogant and ill mannered man
shouted at him at the wet market
“ Ah pek Cina, balik tongsan lah !”
(“ Chinese Old man, go back to China !”)
With dignity, he replied with a forgiving smile
“Encik, Wau orang Mah-Lai-Ah. Nenek moyang Lu datang dari mana ? Indonesia kah ?”
(“ Mister, I am a Malaysian. Your ancestor came from where ? Was it Indonesia ?”)
As a true Malaysian,
my father is a very forgiving man,
he was never offended by racial slurs.
However, he did advised me to walk away from ignorant racist.
In his words, “Never pick a fight you did not choose to start”,
“ One less hatred is one less burden and one happiness gained” and
“let the racists carry the burden of their own hatreds till their death.”
He was probably one of the first to join the Home Guard
to defend the security of Malaysia.
He donated his savings generously to worthy causes.
Race, religion, and creed was never his parameters of judgement.
He was never selfish and lived his life with dignity and humility,
he believed in contributing back to his adoptive country.
He held Tunku Abdul Rahman in high esteemed,
in his word, “Tunku is a fair man that care for all Malaysian”
He shed his tears of joy
when Tun Abdul Razak visited China to established diplomatic relationship,
In his words, “Tun Razak now understands not all Mah Wah ( Malaysian Chinese) are communist”
and “for far too long, we have been treated unfairly.”
When the first Proton car rolled out from Shah Alam
He beams with pride that “now there are Malaysian made cars on our roads”
and with the same pride, he told all his friends that “my son works in proton saga”
My father,
he was born a Chinese national,
his wrinkled eyes traced the life of hardship as a Malaysian.
At times his dignity and steely determination to overcome
unfair treatments of his adoptive country tore my heart.
But despite all that,
he standby and stand-up for his adoptive country,
he identified himself with the adoptive country,
he died as a proud Malaysian.
He may be poor,
but he is rich in national prides.
He may not be a religious scholars,
but practiced righteousness and tolerances.
He may not be well educated,
but he is learned on life’s moral principles.
He brought up his children to accept and respect cultural diversities.
He brought up his children to become responsible Malaysians.
I am born a Malaysian,
I may not be the prince of the land,
But I am a true Malaysian.
If any of those selfish mental retards
still wants to question my nationality with ulterior motives,
and attempt to racialize my rights in this land of the blessed,
they are answerable to my father’s “nenek moyang lu datang dari mana ?”
( “your ancestors originated from where ?”)
Be truthful, don’t tell me you don’t know where your ancestors came from ?
With significant progress and development,
Malaysia is what it is today not because she is lucky,
Bur because there are also groups of extremely
hardworking, unselfish, tolerance, and determined minorities,
willing to sacrificed, worked hard, with pride of not accepting on hand-outs,
and refused to live like parasites,
have contributed to the economic miracles of Malaysia.
Don’t let greeds and inferiority complex blind you,
don’t carry the burdens of your misguided hatreds till your death.
Be a man at peace with the environment,
sow no hatreds against other races and religions,
respect the rights of others, play fair, and live a contented life as a peaceful Malaysian.
Rakyat hidup bersatu dan Maju.
Be a responsible and ethical Malaysian.
Well I got off my butt (can i say ass?) and started blogging thanks to you, Rocky and Jeff. Been stone cold sober since….
Hello Susan, I don’t know you. But it’s nice to meet your acquaintance. At least from what I’ve read so far of your blogspot. I must say, this is all new to me. But the attraction is, how shall I say, irresistible. Partly because I think my calling has been all these years – to write. But being a malas Malaysian, I didn’t give a damn. How do I push through the millions of bloggers to be seen and heard? I don’t know. But I can sure try. I guess, from the sifus among the bloggers – be honest and be real. What do I know? I just start my blogspot 3 days ago! If the world was like the series Heroes, I suppose I kinda see bloggers the characters in it. Trying to save the world. But trying nonetheless. I hope I’m in the right company. And I appreciate any support I can get. Something short about myself – media guy, on TV once upon a time, lots of crazy ideas, hates the world somewhat ‘cos of what it dishes out to the disabled like myself, but at last, I’ve found a place to shout! Hooray!
Hello Susan! Keep bumping into you in cyberspace these days, especially since I stumbled into the blogosphere in December 2006 – yup, never too old to begin surfing the digital waves! I’m only perpherally interested in politics – but the boundaries get very blurred anyway – so I’m putting the Bloggers United logo on my blog – but how does one get listed? I couldn’t find any e-form to fill to register with Bloggers United. Would you please add me to the growing list? Thanks! This is the link: http://magickriver.blogspot.com
Hi, I am boh tong,an ex-cabin crew/executive of SIA. I opted for earlyr retirement in 2003 together with 18 of my colleagues when SIA decided to make our position redundant.
Today,I mainly blog about lives in cabin crew and has a little forum page http://bohtong.mywowbb.com to band together people who like to discuss things of interest eg. Ex Chief Stewardess Audra ‘s case with MAS,etc.
Actually I got to know about your blog through Tony (Audra’s husband) and must say I am impressed.
My main blog is http://bohtong.blogspot.com
You all are welcome to visit me.
Thank you to “Bloggers United” and Susan.
Saya cendawan paling cerdik di Malaysia, pengemis mimpi-mimpi indah.
Dan saya ingin menyertai solidariti ini!
I am so damn piss at the poor treatment given to the family.
I pray for you and all the strength you and your family need to combat the constant battle you face each day.
I pray for the sunshine and rainbow ; on the road to your path of happiness and peacefulness.
Bloggers United!!!
here my sites:www.MalaysiaBodoh.com
http://www.DurianRoom.com
You Go gal!!!
You are my hero, Nila.
http://www.MalaysiaBodoh.com
Hi! Susan ..
Great Blog & appreciate all the efforts that you’ve put in ..
Have a wonderful day .. 🙂 🙂
Are you for real? Where in the world can one’s find a gal like you who could takes criticisms,dissatisfy expressions or comments,sulking and scolding or anythings! That means you are “perfect”,definitely god-send with those kind of virtues in a human being. I’m not being sacarstic,nor-insulting and ain’t praising you either. Its just that l can’t believe there’s such a really exceptional person exsist in our country. Anyway some of the stories you’ve posted are really intresting and quite suprising indeed. Keep it up gal. “Cheers & Appluase 2 Freedom of Speech”……….with “TRUTH”
Hi, I’m Gloria.
Here’s my blog,
http://ennli.blogspot.com
Nice to meet you all and happy reading.
Hello to all Concerned Malaysian,
I am new in the blogger world. i just created a blog on Malaysia Alternative Voices http://malaysiavoices.blogspot.com/
Malaysia Alternative Voices http://malaysiavoices.blogspot.com is a platform for Concerned Malaysian to voice out their opinions and concerns on news and things that relate and concern to all Malaysians.
All the article are compiled through various sources and means to provoke the thought of Malaysia to voice out their opinions and concerns on issues that concern all Malaysian.
All articles are either the opinion of the author or extracted from various sources (all article sources are quoted). Reader should use their own judgemnent when using information posted in this blog. Readers are welcomed to post their comments on the issues posted, or if readers have any articles or issues concerns that would like to be posted in this blog, articles can be sent to malaysiablogger@gmail.com
Regards
Malaysia Blogger 21 Apr 2007
http://malaysiavoices.blogspot.com/
hi Susan! enjoying your writing & wishing it came with a time machine (as in one that makes a 36 hour day). Don’t usually post own photos but have just done so. Thought you may find one or two of interest. Be Well.
http://typingisnotactivism.wordpress.com/2007/05/14/stencil-art-from-sydney-artists-unknown/
Their way of fixing the problem is to silence the critique!!!
http://www.MalaysiaBodoh.com
http://www.DurianRoom.com
Before the world began, you were on HIS mind, every tear you cry, is precious in HIS eyes, because of HIS great love, HE gave HIS only son, everything was done, so you would come.
Nothing you can do, could make HIM love you more, nothing you have done , could make HIM close the door, because of HIS great love, HE gave HIS only son, everything was done so you would come.
Come to the FATHER, though your gift is small, broken hearts and broken lives, HE can take them all, the power of HIS word and the power of HIS love, everything was done so you would come.
( copied)
Thank you for description MALAYSIA.
Hi Susan Loone, been following your blog but this is the 1st time I ‘fliped’ over to this ‘What about you? column.
Me? Just an ordinary guy working hard to earn a living and ‘upkeeping’ a family.
I just wonder how you could ‘earn enough’ as a freelance writer in Bangkok?
I read somewhere, someone mentioned you are a CIA spy! Ha!hA!Ha! That would be nice, getting paid by the US government.
Do they provide you with a Glock or MP5 btw… just in case…
Susan,
I am addicted to your blog.
A junkie for your views.
Would love to read your views on the new book MAY 13 by Kua Kia Soong.
I leave you a promise. Sooner or later, I’ll be back to read about malaysia and to read your poetry. I liked very much the that simbol: the cross&the sun flower, because it remember me of van gogh.
check to see what comes online
everything so, than how can I contact you… or how will I contact you…
hi susan!!!
love for ur country!!!![:)]
amazing…..
a very zealous individual you are…
sooo leaving a promise [;)]
ill linger around daily
applaudz…!!..!!
sneakpeek in to mine too..!!
Hi Susan,
Cher here. It’s great that bloggers like you, jeff, nat,rocky and the rest of the bloggers, readers I fighting for what they belief in, t o create a difference,no matter how little. Some might look at blogs as a way to break through, to bring some sort of democracy, as a tool to democratize our being. Some might say we are too optimistic. Just shut up or else you will end up being sued, put under OSA,ISA. But how long can we just keep quiet and accept things as they are? Ya, of course we dont have civil wars, we can be considered a very peaceful country, our economy ain’t fabulous but its okey. So just shut up and enjoy what you have and don’t complain. But we have to have some sort of revival, it might take ages to build. With the way the blogosphere is growing I feel very optimistic despite the arrest etc. Just my thoughts. Its an honor to get to know if it is only online, you have certainly made a difference in my life as a blogger and gave me the courage to speak up yet to thread carefully. (learning that part!)hhahhaah…I’m at cherwith.bloggles.info. Drop by, it’s just a simple blog of what I think and what I got from other blogger along the way…
http://bobrdobr.ru/tags/user/videobon/%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%82.html ï ï ÿ ï ÿ ï ï ÿ
netwad88822jul
Came across the site, and wanted to not leave nothing…
Take care,
Brian
hi susan, I ‘ve been following your blogs. Keep on the good work. Cheers
I’m glad for bloggers like you and many others who feed us the REAL DEAL back home.
Dear Susan,
I have been working abroad for the past 8 years and have been following your blog. Thanx for the great articles which are very informative to fellow Malaysians like me, who have been away from home.
Would appreciate if you could do an article on Abdul Razak Ahmad, the great poitician and lawyer from Johor who passed away early this week. Razak always was the “peoples man” who championed the rights of the poor.
Thnx and regards
Jessy
What’s your comment on this.
ITS A SHAME TO BE A MALAYSIAN.
I like your aggressive cat with laser gun. It probably depicts your disappointment of things that happen or did not happen as it should have.
Its amazing when we read about things that were kept away from us by lacy curtains. Will definitely continue to read your articles.
Cheers.
i guess i now know who ‘patrick lim’ is !
OK. I leave something here, it’s almost nothing, but still something.
Hi Susan! Being a Malaysian citizen, I must say that I really love to read your blog very much. Keep on writing and share your humanitarian views. You are a indeed a rose among those flowers!!
Hey Susan. I miss your posts. Why so long no post one?
Hi Susan,
Nice to visit your blogsite. Interesting.
My blog http://jerrymohan.blogspot.com
Hello Susan!
It’s nice to have visited your blog, and it so happens that this is my first time. 😀
Will be returning to read your newer posts.
Hi susan,
wonderful n informative blog you have here.
regards
there’s not any out & out websites on m’sian satire, so i thought i’d start one.
so, take a look and let me know if it got a chuckle or two out of you.
tq
Hi Susan,
Do drop by my blog http://www.xtrweb.blogspot.com too.
Hi susan, I’m Adibah. Where do u reside? If u are in KL, would love to have coffee with you some time :-))
To dwell
Is to live to stay to reside
To dwell, is to be.
I live not stay not reside not in Malaysia
But I dwell.
To blog
Is to write to comment to rant
To blog, is to live.
I write I comment I rant
For I blog, and that is where I dwell.
Is it where you dwell too?
just sort of started here in wordpess myself and chanced upon you.
i can only say i’ve to come back over and over again bcoz there’s plenty of stories with substance here and i’d like to have my coffee while reading em. (u’ve been bookmarked)
it’s nice to have come across you 😉
no bout of doubt about it;all new,new like blue goo am I on wordpress.so all i can say is that i like your writing quite well while my stronger suits are music and art.its all art I tend to typo mostly due to a touch of learning disability autistic range touretz et al. tends ta make more fun rye-tin in an accent . as well wry-tin in parable,symbol and tosssin in the meaning of the word that means words that sound like each other.i hope you write often as you have a gift.
Dear Susan
I need some support here.
It’s regarding the India Ink.
The MP’s are not asking the obvious question in Parliament, i.e.
(1) did the EC & its (in)famous Chief actually place an order with the Indian Govt for 48,000 bottles at RM2.4 million or for any other qty of Ink?
(2) Was the Ink delivered before 8th March to M’sia or was there a delay/screw up?
(3) If the EC cHief answers that the Ink was delivered on time, can we get the Auditor General to issue a certificate of verification & confirmation.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the red-herring about ink smugglers was hatched to cover up either an administrative screw-up or right from day 1, they have been lying to the Public.
I sometimes think even our new MP’s have the IQ of a mosquito in that they seem incapable of making a concerted effort to get to the bottom of matter.
Could you please run a new blog on this issue. Please, Please?
oh ……….”everything passes and everything changes ,just do what ya think you should do…………………..i may come crying to you” from Rammona by bob dylan
Hai Susan ,
just stumbled into your blog ; a good one and keep it up
when the enlightened meet,they know one another automaticaly;thieves need no introduction.there is no way to peace………………….peace is the way.
Sometimes world politics gets me so agravated that I want to just go sit somewhere queit and… read a good book. For example, my wife is a literary novelist, soon to be published by a major publishing house – movie rights, the works. Boy, it sure would be great if everyone here had my attitude and just went to her website and read the first 3 chapters of her soon-to-be best seller. That would be cool… =}
Check her out – and drop her a line if you like: http://www.brandilynnryder.com
or her blog… novelryder.wordpress.com
Thaqnks for your support!! (her husband, Eric)
im totally inspire by that cat shooting with the AK. cat with attitude.
well going susan. regards from Penang.
hi
keep up your writing no matter what brick bats or the kudos you collect. I still love my BolehLand see my blog and there is nothing like home which i choose to park and probably die in BolehLand… Not sure if I can be buried… no land left, ‘free’ land for dead ones like me who belong to a ‘kafir’ religion. Anyways I love to work for an NGO and will pen you a note okay.
Have a great day… keep up yr altruistic, humanitarian work.
Smile… and have a great day
Lie-Dat Oso-can ah!?
jonathan
mmm for an intro i m just leaving you a “Hi” 🙂
I fell into your blog a few times and have read what I fell into; however, I am sorry to admit that I am very ignorant about your home country. I know only one couple who have lived there and they went there, after we left, so I didn’t learn any more then a bit of info that I followed on her blog and she told me that she could “only say nice things” due to the political climate – which makes me curious, of course!
I am glad that I found your blog, but truthfully, I don’t have enough knowledge about the situation to really “get it”, it would be helpful for me (and perhaps others who are curious but who don’t have the background), if you would make a little blurb along side the “this is me” and “what about you” tabs with something like “a brief history for newbies”.
Just a suggestion – and, of course it is your blog so you can take it or leave it. It would help me out a lot though since I really don’t understand and as a another feminist and writer it bugs me when I don’t get things!
Kindly,
Laura
Canadian
what single event in malaysian judicial history had the most impact on the independence of the judiciary? i think it can be argued that while influence and intimidation of judges played a role, the elimination of juries from the courtroom did even more to undermine the judiciary. it is much harder to confuse, mislead, fool, coerce, intimidate, bribe or otherwise influence the several members of a jury than it is to influence a judge or panel of judges. that is because first, a jury simply consists of more people, so attempts to bribe, coerce, intimidate or otherwise influence have to be multiplied. the more people involved, the more likely someone will resist the pressure or speak to the press, friends or relatives, that is, it’s harder to keep secret such attempt to influence a jury. with a jury, there are more minds to consider the facts of a case and suss out the relevant points. because of that, it is more likely that a decison reached will be based on the evidence presented. a different seperate issue is the supremacy of authority of the court. in the new straits times, it once was said that the court has given it’s opinion, it’s up to the police to decide whether to follow. to be independent, the court has to be in a position to oversee the other branches of government and ensure that the police and other branches of government abide by court rulings.
Dear Susan,
I’m really sorry for pasting your article on my blog without your acknowledgement. Even more horrible, I acknowledge someone else as the author. Please accept my apology, it’s a careless mistake and I have corrected it. I will give my best to avoid it from happening again in future. Anyway, I enjoy your blog and I think you are a brave person. Have a nice day Susan.
Erina(www.dompuranku.blogspot.com)
Hi Susan,
Have been reading your blog. Was wondering what’s your thoughts are on today’s announcement regarding scholarships especially the reaction it got from others to your previous article in June i think.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/National/2293899/Article/index_html
hoping to hear from you.
cheers,
Terence
ive never been a fan of politics.
i did not vote during the last PRU because i have lost faith in the SPR.
i still have no idea of who should i trust.
i feel helpless for not being able to really believe in a malaysian political leader.
so, among the least of things i could do to show that i am still a proud malaysian, is by reading your blog.
i want unbiased views but it seems like neutrality is a rare gem nowadays.
i hope my generation(the 80s babies and 90s) will help instill trust in the goverment.
meanwhile, i am enjoying myself reading your blog and absorbing as much facts as possible from various sources on malaysian politics.
the former politically ignorant ranter,
Nadia.
heard someone in a coffee shop talking. they said would anwar’s dna be found in saiful’s underwear? they wondered out loud whether a sample would come from saiful’s underwear BEFORE or AFTER a sample of anwar’s dna is obtained?
Can we ?
Should we ?
Must we?
He who gives up everything shall receive everything!
Only then can we have back Malaysia!
Just saying hello to you.
I thought stuff like this just happens in the Philippines, but obviously we are all facing the same struggles everyday.
But let’s not lose hope to fight for our lives, for our countries.
Information minister LIES!!!
http://www.malaysia-today.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10146&Itemid=1
Govt Never Meddle In News Selection – Shabery PDF Print E-mail
Written by St Low
Monday, 21 July 2008
KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 (Bernama) — Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the government has never meddled in the selection of news items by the media including those by Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM). He said the media was free to decide on the priority and never directed for certain news to be carried or which should be dropped.
“We want the media to think what is news value. I have never directed on what news to be given priority or not and leave it to RTM and the other media to find decide on the priority,” he said after presenting prizes at the international Mandarin debating competition here tonight.
Ahmad Shabery was commenting on the statement by PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik that the media had given excessive coverage to the sodomy case of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim causing disgrace although he has yet to be proven guilty.
The Kelantan Menteri Besar was disappointed that Anwar’s arrest was given wide coverage while his release was only given brief mention.
Ahmad Shabery said Anwar’s case would have been given wider coverage in a country which practices total media freedom.
“It would have become a lot bigger in a country without media control as the media will opt for sensationalism craved by the masses, just to sell the newspapers.”
He said the media reports were not made on government orders but in the interest of the people who wanted to know the latest developments.
Ahmad Shabery urged the media particularly RTM not to sensationalise the matter and to be fair to those involved.
— BERNAMA
http://indypressmy.wordpress.com/2007/07/03/malaysian-broadcasters-told-to-black-out-opposition-speech/
the igp said the government takes the allegations seriously and will investigate them. if the allegations are found to be false the person who made the allegations will be prosecuted. absent from the statement of the igp was what would happen if the allegations are found to be true.
for a government that truly represents the malaysian rakyat it’s not enough to replace race based political parties with parties based on ideology. it’s also necessary to have the prime minister able to come from any party or race. thus the constitution must be amended or rewritten, to allow a non-malay prime minister.
if only a malay can aspire to become prime minister, then how to claim there is political equality for all races in malaysia?
malaysia aspires to be world class and touts it’s achievements, the petronas towers, F1 races, the multimedia super corridor, KLIA, etc.
of course the above are not totally home-grown, malaysia got a lot of help to make them possible.
when one of malaysia’s own politicians achieves popularity and respect both in malaysia and overseas, showing themselves to be world-class, does the government tout them? no, it does the opposite, when that politician happens to be anwar ibrahim:
“”Whatever others say from outside Malaysia is irrelevant. Ultimately it is the decision of Malaysians that will be counted in this case,” Rais Yatim told AFP.
A close study of the situation in Malaysia shows a rather ballooning popularity for Anwar Ibrahim after the second sodomy allegation. Support is swelling for the PKR even in once forbidden areas such as Johor, Malacca and Pahang where the Barisan National (BN) did better than in other states.
“Anwar may have many friends overseas to prop him up for his image and for his present situation but Malaysia has its own laws and domestic constitution,” he said.”
it’s the typical UMNO flip-flop. Pak Lah says he won’t dissolve parliament, then dissolves it the very next day, to point out one of many examples.
do we want the courts to be used to further the interests of the rich and politically connected? umm, no. do we want corruption? umm, no. do we want cronyism? umm, no. do we want petty immature arguments in parliament? umm, no.
what’s needed now is unity. unity to work towards a truly democratic
and just society, to replace the demockery that has elections and
thus tries to claim it is democratic.
re. the rumours that individual votes can be traced to those who cast
them, due to the serial numbers, it’s true. i was told of a government
servant, a relative of a friend, who was called by their superiors to
explain why they voted for the opposition. the tale disgusted me, the
poor civil servant was traumatised by the experience.
why is anwar accused of sodomy rather than rape?
http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1338&Itemid=35
I am a sixty years old man having entered the blogging scene :Thinking alone blog: Nowadays I am active in the net commenting without fear.I want to make sure that people live honestly without bringing down others.
the way forward in malaysia?:
malaysia may take a lesson from south africa. south africa peacefuly transformed itself from a repressive society into a democracy.
http://news-info.wustl.edu/tips/page/normal/824.html
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107983.html
if malaysia does what south africa did, there is chance for peaceful transition of governement and transformation of society.
following the south african model would mean giving up the ability to punish/exact retribution/revenge against those state officials who oppressed society.
not following the south african model could plunge malaysia into an era of conflict and perhaps bloodshed, as the governement, fearing retribution, tries to hang onto power by any means it can.
if the south african model can be implemented in malaysia, anwar may become known as the “mandela of malaysia”, leading malaysia to peace, prosperity, equality and justice for all malaysians.
it is something to consider, what future do we want for our beloved country and how do we ensure achieveing that future?
i think part of the state of the economy is due to government policies.
when i studied in the usa the currency there was always laku, it did not matter if it was soiled, torn or taped or if someone had written graffiti on it, unlike in malaysia, where such currency is not accepted.
the currency there was never suddenly made without value, once made it remained valid, unlike the RM1 and 1 sen coins.
that the currency in malaysia is treated as above i think reduces the confidence of investors.
my friends in the usa had credit cards. the policies for use of the credit cards there are good. the cards can be used instead of cash, for any amount however small, up to the credit limit and the prices are the same as when cash is used.
in the usa, if there is a fraudulent charge on the card, the cardholder does not have to pay. a friend in malaysia signed up for a card, only upon receiving the card did they receive the complete terms and conditions, which included that they were responsible for all charges, even fraudulent ones.
in the usa, if there is a problem with the merchandise and the vendor refuses to deal with the problem, the credit card company can intervene.
when a friend tried to order things online from the usa, using a credit card, the company refused to accept the card payment, saying there was a lot of credit card fraud from malaysia.
such policies and fraud hamper business and make the economy less competitive.
with the world economy having problems thanks in large part to george bush, malaysia can’t afford to have policies that hamper business.
regarding:
http://w2.malaysia-today.net/content/view/10518/1/
it’s amazing that anwar will be charged even though already proven innocent by the leaked medical report.
in 1998 anwar was proven innocent during the trial, now he is proven innocent even before a trial, yet he will be charged!
and the old dna from 1998 that the government said many times was too old and therefore cannot be used is suddenly good enough to use! alamak!
apa ni?
does it seem that in malaysia the truth is irrelevant?
does it seem that the malaysian courts and police are on trial?
does it seem that the quick wrap-up of the police probe comes as anwar announces plans to stand for election?
or is the timeing just a mere coincedence?
Nice self-potrait…I think you have very good talent to sell your paintings. How about a real photo of you?
just trying to make sense of the facts, rumours and speculations floating around lately re. saiful and sodomy.
trying to see if anything can be fitted together.
here is an attempt to put things together, some of it is speculation, to try to fill in gaps and connect some of the other things, so don’t take it literally, remember it contains speculation:
saiful wanted a scholarship but did not have high enough marks to obtain one. his fiance (wife now?) is related to rosmah who is wife of najib, the dpm. saiful wanted to ask najib for help obtaining a scholarship. because saiful would soon become a relative of najib through marriage, najib agreed to meet saiful. when saiful asked najib for help getting a scholarship, najib asked for some help in return. najib asked saiful to claim being sodomised by anwar. saiful met najib “a few days” before saiful claimed on 28 june being sodimised on 26 june. 26 june is 2 days before 28 june. a few days before 28 june would be before 26 june, meaning saiful claiming the sodomy happened on a date after saiful met najib. so did the idea of sodomy enter saiful’s head when saiful met najib or shortly thereafter?
the above is as i said a mixture of what’s been floating around plus some additional speculation to try to fit everything together. i’m not claiming it’s how things happened.
does a doctor have to be a specialist to examine an anus? or will a general practitioner registered with the mmc do? if a doctor is seeing patients in a hospital, is it reasonable to assume the doctor is registered? the government is saying the doctor who examined saiful in pusrawi was a general practitioner, not a specialist. but the government does not say which particular speciality would be appropriate to examine an anus. does the government not declaring which speciality is appropriate reduce the credibility of the government’s claim that the doctor who performs an examine re. sodomy need be a specialist?
Sawadee Khrap
Sabai dee?
I am Malaysian, used to live in Prakhanong many moons ago.
Keep up the good work, and damn proud of you. I look forward to the winds of change with ANWAR, and God bless all true Malaysians.
Hi Susan,
I blog because I believe I am part of a group of women whose voices were silenced for a very long time – those of women who relinquished children for adoption.
Congrats on being one of WP’s top blogs. I’ve just started posting seriously about a month ago.
I think the freedom of expression on the internet will change the world.
Peace
UM
Love your blog. I blog for my friends in the U.S., but am enlightened by your worldly perspective. Keep telling it like it is.
NoHostBar
Yakima, Washington
what’s in store masa depan? medical reports pitted against each other? pusrawi vs. hkl? isn’t the pusrawi report not a “sodomy exam” because there’s no such thing as a “sodomy exam”? there’s a “rectal exam” but isn’t “sodomy exam” is a term invented by the government so that the court can declare the pusrawi exam irrelevant because it was not a “sodomy exam”? is the idea to convict anwar of sodomy even if there is zero evidence of sodomy, merely to keep anwar out of politics? if anwar is convicted will there be street protests? if street protests will an emergency be declared? will there be a curfew? will people protest by a general strike, nobody goes to work, then petrol stations close, the tnb power system is not fully maintained and breaks down, causing “tiada api” in some areas, traffic lights don’t get repaired, the water and sewerage systems don’t get maintained, stores don’t open, ships don’t get loaded/unloaded, planes don’t get loaded/unloaded, doctors don’t go to work, partly in protest at the misuse of medical reports, etc.? wouldn’t a few days of a general strike paralyse society, cripple the economy and cripple the system keeping the elite in power? if saiful was sodomised on a number of occasions, as i seem to recall some blog claiming, why would saiful keep associating himself with anwar? did saiful come up with the sodomy accusation himself? if not, “siapa sifu saiful”?
reading http://us2.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/10651/84/ one thing about saiful becomes clear!!
saiful reported on june 28 that he had been sodomised 2 days before on 26 june.
but when saiful went to the good doctor in pusrawi, saiful claimed he had suffered pain in his anus for 1 week.
how can saiful have pain in his anus for 1 WEEK BEFORE 28 JUNE when on 28 JUNE he stated he was sodomised on 26 JUNE, ONLY 2 DAYS BEFORE 28 JUNE?
there’s a glaring discrepancy!! 2 DAYS or 1 WEEK?
obviously saiful is saying contradictory things. some consequences follow from that observation:
it looks as though saiful is lying and doing a very poor job of it.
if saiful is so illogical that he can’t see his statements are contradictory, then it’s plausible that saiful is not able to handle university courses, so he’s NOT scholarship material at all.
if saiful can’t even tell a lie convincingly, contradicting his own statements, then obviously saiful did not create the lie himself. if saiful created it himself he would “own” it, he would know it so well he would not contradict himself.
it’s thus obvious saiful was told what to say but can’t remember it well enough to say it properly. (more evidence he is not university material)
because he was told what to say we come to the question of “who told him?”, or to put it another way, “siapa sifu saiful?”
I want to leave here something, but i don’t know what it is.. Because I don’t want to leave here with nothing, so I write this thing..
here are some observations about corruption, reason for power and an example of use of power.
corruption does not only result in inefficiency, wastage and people getting unequal share of the economic pie, it also kills incentive to work hard.
that’s it’s real threat to society. corruption results in people being rewarded out of proportion to the work they do. some people work little but get a lot, others work hard and get very little.
people then decide why work so hard if they won’t get much, thus a corrupt society is less productive than a noncorrupt one.
there will always be unequal economic share in society, even without corruption. there will be some very poor and some very rich. but most will be middle class. but without corruption there is incentive to work hard, thus society benefits.
we would not want a society where everyone is guaranteed to be equal economically, in such a society there would be no incentive to be productive.
the reason power is granted to politicians and authorities such as the judiciary and police is that power is a tool for them to do their job of managing society. if politicians do a good job of managing they get re-elected. a politicians job is not to get re-elected or to covet power, their job is only to manage society.
in my work in various companies and corporations i have had power to manage employess and hire and fire employees. i have also had power to handle financial negotiations in contracts with value up to RM3.3 million.
the power i had was a tool to help me ensure the success of the company or corporation, it was not to boost my ego or enrich my pocket.
before hiring or firing employees, i had to consider the impact on the company or corporation, the employee and the family of the employee. i would try to help an employee improve before firing them.
i always try to help employees develop their skills, i give them a task, i may or may not suggest how to do it, i don’t dictate that the task must be done a certain way, the employee can be creative in doing the task. what’s important is that the task be done and done well, not how it’s done. sometimes employees pleasantly surprise me, by finding an innovative approach to a task that is more clever than my own approach.
in financial matters, i negotiated international and local contracts for goods and services. i rejected any atempts to influence my decisions and rejected attempts of corrupt practices.
for example, one long-time supplier said they could invoice for a higher amount than the actual cost of the goods, trying to entice me by telling me of the extra money i could make.
i told them that i will never do such a thing and they should stop asking me to do it, otherwise i will blacklist them and no longer buy goods from them.
they never asked me again and i continued to purchase from them.
i’m not saying i’m a saint or have cures to all ills of society.
i sometimes hurt feelings with my sharp tongue or make mistakes.
some ills of society baffle me, i wonder how can millions of intelligent people do such stupid things. i feel frustrated that i can’t cure society of it’s ills.
i hope that society will find the cures. first society has to recognise the ills and prioritise them. maybe someday in the future…
in malaysia today, anwar was quoted:
“We have been informed that the Attorney General’s chambers has advised against charging me after having studying the investigation papers. Despite its views, some individuals within the Police have insisted on pursuing this case even though the legal professionals in the AG’s Chambers take a different view.”
the police are to investigate and present findings to the judiciary, for the judiciary to decide if there is a case, rather than the police decide that on their own?
there is a separation of powers of the executive, judiciary and legislative, isn’t there, enshrined in the constitution?
so if the ag’s chambers, part of the judiciary, decides not to charge anwar, but the police and/or the executive decide otherwise, would that be an unconstitutional action taken by the police and/or executive?
is malaysia aping the usa again? a tuesday has been set as the day of the permatang pau by-election. elections in the usa are held on tuesdays.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for your blog. I have added your link to my blog . Your blog comes across as one of the more clearheaded reads in this twisted & unscruplous world of the so called educated who will stoop to anything to stay afloat.
Do drop by to add comments to my blog if you can spare the time.
when the dpp states the “charge is open to interpretation”, is it a hint the charge will be interpreted various different ways from time to time, as suits countering anwar’s defence in court?
isn’t the dpp under control of the ag chambers? so if the dpp says that while the ag chambers says there is no case for anwar to answer, what is going on?
when anwar is summoned to court and charged with sodomy despite the ag chambers saying there is no case, are the police usurping the authority of the ag chambers?
aren’t the police supposed to obey the courts, rather than the police dictate what the courts should do?
why are the police pushing so hard on the sodomy case? do they fear anwar so much or are the police ordered by someone who fears anwar? or both of those?
saiful made a police report, was a copy given to anwar, now that anwar has been charged with sodomy?
will saiful be charged with sodomy?
will the budget be tabled before the permatang pauh by-election, to prevent anwar from taking part in the budget or to try to influence voters to vote bn, by making promises in the budget that supposedly benefit the people?
the voters need to remember where the money in the budget comes from, it comes from the taxes paid by the voters, the income tax, duties and tax on cars, etc.
if the government promises things to the people in the budget, people should remember it’s their money being given to them. it’s like if they gave RM5 to the government and the government gives back RM0.43, does that make it a great generous government? no, it does not, any more than a robber is “generous” by giving some loot back to their victim.
was dr. osman pressured by the police?
did dr. osman disappear?
did the oaths commissioner who witnessed dr. osman’s sd come under police
pressure?
if the police pressure someone to say/not say, write/not write something,
isn’t it criminal intimidation?
is jury trial banned or simply not the usual practice now, because of mahathirs
rape of the judiciary? can anwar request a jury trial?
police altered dr. osman’s statement, according to dr. osman.
isn’t a statement to police a document having some legal standing and it can’t be
altered by anyone other than the person who made the statement?
regarding http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?
file=/2008/8/8/nation/22030583&sec=nation najib says not stopping public
debates but the forum should not be open because it’s on a sensitive issue.
that’s not logical. debates on sensitive issues should be public, because
that’s how to assure that all points of view are heard and nobody feels
slighted or left out. public debates are the best way to avoid mistrust and
conflict over sensitive issues.
in “carnal intercourse against the order of nature”, what is the meaning of
“against the order of nature”? does it mean that we should look to nature for
what is normal? if so, we should note that a number of species of animals
have been observed engaging in homosexual behaviour.
an independent judiciary will result in less cheating and less of various forms of corruption, since people are less likely to get away with it. it will also increase confidence of international business that they can get treated fairly in disputes, thus making international investment more likely.
regarding: “PUTRAJAYA, Aug 8 (Bernama) — Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim Friday called for the creation of an internal council or mechanism to monitor bloggers. He said that in terms of law, the Sedition Act was sufficient but he was worried about enforcement which was not up to the mark and having such a council would help in enforcement.
He said that the arms of the law might not be long enough to reach bloggers outside the country but if the blogger was in the country, something could be done and it was all a question of will.
He told reporters this when asked to comment on a blog posting calling on the people to display their unhappiness with what is going on in the government by flying the national flag upside down.
He said that rather than resorting to such an act, it would be better for them to express their dissatisfaction through the proper channels like writing articles and to speak out on whom they disliked, what was wrong and what was inappropriate.
“Rather than bashing the flag, it’s better for them to take it out on the person concerned or the leaders that they don’t like,” he added.”
isn’t it censorship of the internet to take action against bloggers? didn’t the government give a guarantee it won’t censor the internet in malaysia? and isn’t blogging precisely what dr. rais suggested, by suggesting writing articles?
http://us3.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/11029/1/
asian governments sometimes dismiss human rights and democracy as “western concepts”.
at the same time, those asian governments embrace “western inventions” such as computers, telephones, lasers, motorcars, aeroplanes, etc.
those inventions were made possible by societies in which innovation could occur.
innovation made possible by the freedom of a democratic society, where people were allowed to think, freely communicate and collaborate.
innovation also motivated and made possible by capitalism, where profit is a goal and companies compete for customers.
democracy is not a perfect system of government, but it is the best system of government people have been able to invent.
democracy requires more than elections that are free and fair. democracy requires government to be transparent, accountable and unbiased towards any particular race or socio-economic class of people.
let’s hope that enough people are tired of life in a police state that they are motivated to create a democracy that is almost within grasp already.
malaysia already has some of the elements of democracy, with the addition of an independent judiciary and unbiased media, plus a few other things, malaysia can join the democracies of the world in making life better for people.
can anwar have a jury trial, with a jury comprised of several members of the rakyat, chosen to be unbiased, with the jurors not under pressure from any quarter?
if anwar tries to get the case/charge dismissed, particularly after he is elected, will he face a possible corruption/abuse of power charge?
will the population of permatang pauh swell with new voters, voters from other areas, coincidentally registered with bn/umno? or voters registered pkr who are umno/bn plants who vote umno/bn?
why is the government saying anwar will win in permatang pauh?
more importantly, why is the court date for anwar’s sodomy trial set for so long AFTER the permatang pauh by-election?
i think the government has a very sly plan.
it knows it can’t prevent anwar winning in permatang pauh. in fact, the government WANTS anwar to win.
it knows it can’t convict anwar on the sodomy charge.
so what’s the government got to do to try, convict and jail anwar to keep him out of politics?
wait. yes, just wait.
wait for anwar to be elected and enter parliament.
wait for anwar to repeat his demand for the sodomy charge/sodomy case against him to be dropped.
then the government makes it’s move.
it arrests anwar, alleging abuse of power (or corruption?), because he is a government official asking for the charge/case against himself to be dropped.
the government has then an airtight case, anwar is tried, convicted, jailed and removed from politics, only a short time after his return to politics and before he can institute reforms in the government.
checkmate.
score: umno 1, rakyat 0. unless of course anwar plays a better game than the government.
“The Foreign Ministry will send a letter to United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to explain Malaysia’s view on what it sees as American interference in the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim case. ”
“There will be a series of meetings with foreign governments to explain what is going on, and the first will be in Washington, DC, at the end of next month. Then we will move on to European countries.”
Now, we have a minister who has this sence to do this.
He really has the people feelings in his heart.
All the other countries will have the opportunities to participate and listen to you….. right up to the court room with their pressmen and they would help you to disseminate the event world wide for you.
Wonderful.
Thanks to the US for indirectly instigating and making this possible, or otherwise the said minister would but keep silent.
Cheers to the foreign minister for this move. At least you are able to voice out now…very loud indeed…your true feeling for the country.
Please make sure you have the blessing from your boss.
Please also tidy up your court room and make sure you have sufficient seats for these guests of honour.
Cheers again tho the said minister.
…and at the same time please advise your tourism minister to prepare for the “welcome to Malysia” for this world “special event” (only every 10 years)……much better than the Olumpic Game (every four years)…….
These people from UN, to EU USA, China, Japan, all over the world would be coming in large groups…100s of thousands….
Good Invisible income comes in handle at this time.
If the time is too short, ask the Home minister for the court date postponement…….to, say, November 10th 2008.
Spirit of Atantuya, please come out,
Spirti of Atantuya, please come out,
Spirit of Atantuya, please come out.
In this month of Hell……..(Hell gates Open)
To save your Razak/Najis
To save your Razak/Najis
To save your Razak/Najis
physics is a set of beliefs and practices.
in physics there are various schools of thought, the copenhagen
interpretation of quantum mechanics, the everett many-worlds interpretation
of quantum mechanics.
some physicists think space has 4 dimensions, the 3 dimensions we experience
and the one dimension of time. other physicists think space has many
dimensions, up to 10, with most of the dimensions very small and thus hidden
from our view.
some physicists think the universe is “open” and will go on expanding
forever, some think it is “closed” and will eventually collapse.
physicists are in active disagreement with each other on the above competing
points of view. even though they disagree, they don’t accuse each other of
“insulting physics”.
islam, as is any religion, is a set of beliefs and practices. there are
various schools of thought in islam, such as sunni and sufi. islam or any
other religion can’t be insulted any more than physics can be insulted.
so why do muslims say those with alternate views “insult islam”?
If not now, When?
If not us, then Who?
If not, why Not?
If not not, Why?
Dear Susan
I am still having problems getting my posts published here.
Just checking, are there others who are having the same problem as me? Any idea why?
I have a problem with all wordpress blog sites such as kit, anil etc. Emailed wordpress, but no answer yet.
http://donplaypuks.blogspot.com
hello susan…
http://kentuthalus.blogspot.com/
Susan,
i am rajraman,u ask to leave a comment.
I leave this comment.
I started blogging either from u or haris first.(maybe 250days ago)
No nuts about Politics.Can understand english well but cant write well.someone by the name donplaypuks very highly educated email to u and rajraman talk like drunk with 15 guinesss stout.
Can u please tell him i am learning and i dont know why he personally so “kepoh” about raj raman.Ask him to teach me but dont insult me.
donplaypuks u begging sloone to write about idible ink,so i begg u sloone please pass this message to donplaypuks.
Please tell donplayspuk i dont drink alcohol.
So i will buy him the 15 guiness stout in return to see whether he is the Malaysian SHREW SQUIRELLS – (can drink high content of alcohol but not sober)
This for you sloone.
‘MAY THE SERENE SMILE OF BUDDHA BLESS U”
i keep posting this like hutchrun – ask donplaypuks to reply here.
If donplaypuks dont know about wordpress – i am not well educated but make it in life.
Its a process of learning i will learn how to write my views.IF donplaypuks have a issue with me,ask him why he insult me like a gettleman in here.
‘MAY SERENE SMILE OF BUDDHA BLESS U” – if u dont know what i mean than read “why does the buddha have a serene smile” in haris ibrahim blog.
sorry hutchrun,i drag u into my temper.(very very sorry).
Hutchrun i have nothing personal to attack u but just make a blunder as usual when i am angry.
donplaypuks – you also learning i believe (altou u are 55 years old accountant with no manners),so please allow me to learn.YOU want to insult me,get my email from sloone.U email me.set a date i belanja u the 15 bottles guiness stout.
rajraman
This is me sloone.
This my real character when people insult me (backstab me)
But as usual i only throw my anger for a moment.
Doest involved in any gangsterism.
Drinks once tiger beer – yuck- but i always teach people in many ways if i am good on certain thing.
Now i am teaching donplaypuks – dont be smart alex UK train accountant – u also begging sloone for advise – than u should teach me to but not backstab me – Raj Raman – final no further comment until the childish donplaypuks oldman have guts to tell me his vision why i am drunk with 15 bottles?.
The always a tail and head my friend donplaypuks.
I truly feel your pain. The struggle for good will never end, but also it should never falter.
on the eve of the election, what will bn/umno do?
will the old folks in pp that najib spoke to vote? or be phantom voters or vote multiple times? their advanced age may make them forget they voted, so they will vote again…
umno/bn are not really against anwar, they are against reform.
anwar is just the present face of reform.
many people want reform, there will be many people to take anwar’s place and bring reform if anwar cannot bring about reform.
umno/bn should realise that reform is inevitable. reform can be delayed, but not prevented. the people have had more than enough of umno/bn and won’t be satisfied until there is true reform.
will the present government try to delay reform by dissolving parliament and/or declaring an Emergency?
umno/bn are desperate, desperate to prevent reform. but they can no more prevent reform than they can prevent the tides of the ocean.
will the rats of umno/bn leave their sinking ship? will they raid the banks such as bsn and cimb and raid coffers of GLC’s before leaving, to ensure themselves a life of luxury in exile while malaysians continue to suffer from the mess the rats have created? where are the hungry cats?
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/8/26/nation/20080826144457&sec=nation
looks like the present bn/umno plan, get a statutory declaration from nalla, charge anwar with corruption, then arrest, jail and convict anwar, all in the name of bn/umno continuing their sick charade of democracy.
seems to be a pattern, people close to anwar come forward to claim anwar has done something wrong. the latest such person is nalla. why the pattern? to lend credibility to the claims. why nalla? because nalla was tormented by the police a decade ago, nalla has only to be threatened with a repeat of the torment to get him to make a claim against anwar. is the dalang of sodomy 1 the dalang of sodomy 2? who would have an interest in eliminating anwar from government? could it be najib? if najib is forced into retirement, what will najib do? become a farmer? what would he grow? wheat? no, wheat is a C3 plant. corn? yes, corn is a C4 plant.
Cool blog. Good writing. Support you!
Yes. Very. Cool.
thanks
tmnet blocking malaysia today?
no problem lah!
put 117.120.1.155 into the address bar of your web browser, click go,
terus boleh jalan!
regarding the malaysian government’s present and proposed actions against bloggers and websites, i have to ask why the different treatment when comparing the ISP’s and bloggers with telephone companies?
when someone makes prank telephone calls to the bomba or someone telephones death threats or ransom demands, the telephone company is not held responsible, as it is merely a passive channel through which calls travel. it is the caller which is held liable.
when blogger’s sites have comments made by readers of the blog, the blog is merely a passive channel and the blogger should not be held responsible.
ISP’s are merely passive channels of the information flowing through them, whatever sites their customers view, the ISP should not be told to block the site.
the telephone company does not block calls to pizza hut but allow calls to
burger king, or block calls to kfc but allow calls to 7-11, so why should an
isp such as tmnet block surfing a news or blog website such as malaysia today
but not block surfing a news website such as http://www.bernama.com?
on rtm1 there was this morning a guy pushing hard to promote the dna bill,
saying how it is used in america to convict people of crimes. what he did not
say was that a number of innocent people in america were freed from jail
based on a dna test. if dna testing is done properly in malaysia, and it’s
doubtful malaysia will do it properly under the present government, there may
be many innocent people released from malaysian jails. syed hamid albar keeps
saying the dna bill has nothing to do with anwar, but the timing of the dna
bill makes it appear a “get anwar” bill.
let’s hope the good people who are still left in bn will shortly jump out of
their sinking ship and swim to the friendly shore of pkr
why do malaysian ISP’s still insist on providing service on a “best effort”
basis when the multimedia commission has issued clear guidelines regarding
service levels?
“The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission monitors and
regulates the performance of Network Service and Application Service
providers by setting Quality of Service Standards.
The quality of Service Standards is created to ensure that consumers are
given satisfactory level of services that meet minimum and acceptable
standards, as well as to protect and enhance the rights of consumers in
obtaining quality services. The Quality of Service Standards also gives
consumers clear and specific criteria through which the quality of services
received or used can be gauged.
Failure to comply with the Quality of Services Standards may results in
penalties imposed under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
The four Quality of Service Standards were registered on 28 June 2002 and
came into operations on 1 January 2003.”
for broadband, there must be at least 70% of the rated speed at least 95% of
the time. source: http://www.skmm.gov.my/what_we_do/qos/Qos-table.asp
multimedia commission determination number 5 of 2003 states the broadband
quality of service determination comes into operation on 1 january 2004.
“Service providers licensed by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia
Commission are required to submit reports and declaration forms.”
Hi ya, Ms Loone! Hey, great ‘ground zero’ blog-portin’ back there in Permatang Pauh, Susan 😉 Never knew you had such an incredible photo-journo’ blog till a couple of days ago. I could imagine it must have been a hell of a tiring coverage.
Ain’t it all well worth the beat, eh? We (from outside of M’sia) owe you a big one, Susan! You deserve a well-earned break now. Whatever you do, have loads of FUN! Take care and be good! Please do drop by my boring no-frills weblog http://peacelovekindness.wordpress.com anytime you are free, Mademoiselle Loone 🙂 I am blog-illiterate, so simply ignore my simpleton blog. Cheers!
Mr PeaceLoveKindness
finally, the END of internet censorship?
http://www.linuxpromagazine.com/online/features/openvpn_counters_censorship
http://www.linuxpromagazine.com/online/features/set_up_openvpn_in_four_steps
Pakac says: don’t forget to use zonealarm firewall and a good regularly updated anti-virus/anti-spyware/anti-trojan/anti-malaware program also. internet censorship is so 20th century!
most easy and most effective way to get around block of malaysia today seems to be not use any
malaysian isp dns, use open dns, primary server 208.67.222.222 and
secondary server 208.67.220.220
assuming you’re using windows, (most people use it) in network
connections enter those dns choices under tcp/ip properties in both
local area connections and in the thing you click to connect to your
isp.
those open dns servers are in the usa.
whatever address malaysia today goes to, open dns automatically
redirects there within a few seconds.
open dns has lots of good features, so switching to it permanently
would be a good choice.
of course, you also can put the malaysia today (or it’s mirror) numerical ip address in the browser.
i just want to add that OpenDNS is not only for Streamyx users, users
of the other ISPs can use OpenDNS also. the above instructions are
valid for all ISP and all operating systems, windows, linux, mac…
Gmail is encrypted but not quite all the time. “cookies” are not
normally encrypted, thus there are moments, such as when logging in, a
“cookie” could be captured, by someone nearby at a wifi hotspot. if
they capture a “cookie”, they will then have access to your Gmail
account.
go to settings in Gmail, tick “always use https” if it’s not already
ticked. then click save.
it’s also good to use normal precautions, password protect your wifi,
use a good firewall such as zonealarm and use an up to date antivirus
software.
happy emailing!
from malaysia today:
written by ganbing, September 01, 2008 | 12:27:24
The DNA bill is specially designed to convict an innocent man without any shred of evidence and leave him defenseless. The first target will be Anwar Ibrahim.
Take note of these 3 clauses:
1) The police will take charge of the DNA database.
2) The DNA evidence cannot be challenged and the accused cannot appoint his own experts to challenge the evidence presented.
3) The court must consider the DNA evidence as conclusive, overriding all other evidence.
This means that without any real evidence such as Anwar’s sodomy case, the police can plant some of Anwar’s sample on Saiful’s underwear and convict him with this law.
Even if Anwar produce 5 alibis, it is no use as the court must consider the DNA evidence conclusive.
This is the most evil law to come of of BN politicians. It is specially designed to get Anwar and leaves you flabbergasted as to what evil they are capable of.
Susan suru cerita pasai kamu lah bukan blog di sini-Mangkuk.
ME,, I am a godloving and fearing -Person.Would like to see racist exterminated by Rentokill.
Have a nice Life ,You all.
malaysia is such a scandalicious nation. it’s wonderful how things remain on the net, even after 10 years:
http://www.malaysia.net/lists/sangkancil/1998-09/msg01319.html
Click to access 5000264.pdf
http://adrianhoe.com/adrianhoe/2008/08/30/a-disgrace-to-malaysian-tertiary-education/
http://forum.mykmu.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=204827&highlight=#204827
http://www.opinionasia.org/ContinuingFuroreoverMalaysiasRacialPolicies
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/2/business/1930610&sec=business
the merdeka parade: were the polis horse unit, polis dog unit and fru water cannon in the parade to remind
people of what they will face if they don’t be docile and obedient to the government?
recently umno/bn members were asked to take an oath of loyalty to the party/coalition. loyalty oaths are
undemocratic. loyalty, like respect, must be earned. loyalty is based on behaviour of the thing/person one is loyal
to. loyalty should not be confused with blind allegiance, which is what umno/bn is doing.
the budget:
RM20 road tax for buses and taxis. i hope the savings the operators gain from the reduction will be spent on
maintaining the buses and taxis in a safe roadworthy condition. there are too many crashes caused by bad
suspension (shock absorber rosak), bad tyres, etc.
looks like the government may be backing slowly away from blocking websites, judging by their statements about the blocking of malaysia today.
makes me wonder if they will slowly back away from the dna bill also.
it’s cheap and easy to make a baby, difficult and expensive to take care of it.
maybe the government will realise that if some minister gets a young girl pregnant, she could use the dna bill to prove who is the father of her kid, then demand payment for living expenses.
maybe the government will realise that if they pass the dna bill it may one day be used against them.
seems this dismisses nalla’s allegation…
http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/12107/84/
https://sloone.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/nalla-turn-about-face-and-the-rm60-mil-to-anwar/#more-2414
re the block of mt, http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/12137/84/
“Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the block was justified, as Malaysia Today was publishing offensive content. He told reporters Thursday: “We do not intend to curtail people’s freedom or right to express themselves. But when they publish things that are libelous, slanderous, or defamatory, it is natural for the MCMC to act.”” “Everyone is subject to the law, even Web sites and blogs,” Syed Hamid said, adding that the commission was only exercising its power in ordering the ISPs to block the Web site.
are libel, slander and defamation crimes under the law or private civil matters? if not a crime, Syed Hamid cannot refer to a law as an excuse for the block. isn’t Syed Hamid a lawyer, doesn’t he know the law?
the recent BN announcment that BN MPs are to surrender their passports and go on a “study trip” sounds like the “boot camp” Justice Ian Chin and other judges were forced to attend while Mahathir was PM.
Justice Chin’s statement can be found in:
http://malaysianunplug.blogspot.com/2008/06/justice-ian-chin-former-pm-mahathir.html
Susan, if their passports are to be surrendered, how can they possible go overseas? maybe the “study trip” is really to some secret malaysian location?
will malaysian government become self-cleaning like usa government?:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2008-09/11/content_7016420.htm
the government has a strange notion of censorship. they think blocking a website is censorship, but arresting a blogger regarding the content of their blog is not censorship.
they are very wrong.
it is censorship, with the addition of an attempt to intimidate bloggers into silence.
will the bloggers be silenced?
no, the bloggers will become even more vocal than before and take a strong stand against the latest move by a tyrannical government.
if islam is a religion of peace, not violence, then does a purported muslim promising to bathe the kris in chinese blood insult islam by their threat of violence against the chinese?
is transfer of anwar’s case from sessions court to high court to block chance of appeal later? if convicted in sessions court can appeal to high court isn’t it? if convicted in high court where can appeal?
Let’s face it, whether you like Anwar or not, will he be a savior to
Malaysia, is Malaysia going to be better off with him, are not even the
questions. Opportunity like this happens in countries like ours probably
only once in a blue moon. If Anwar were to get arrested under the ISA, and
Badawi is getting away from this whole episode. We can kiss the whole
country goodbye, including democracy. On the other hand, if he were to
succeed (assuming he has the numbers), democracy is alive and well. The implication of this whole episode is not just power struggle between two people, it is much higher and important than most people seem to realise. Either way we are sending a message to all which direction we are heading.
This is more significant than even the Merdeka from the British, it is a
whole new chapter for the country. I surely hope Anwar suceeds.
Just sharing my thoughts.
A concerned citizen,
YCW
Dear Susan
I am terribly disappointed that kittykat46 has posted my identity in the comments section under the article Next target : Anwar Ibrahim .
kittykat46 (09:53:37) :
Chaptokam @ Tan Khai Beng is an MCA operative , one of those directed to hang out in blogs to counter opinions critical of the BN, promote pro-MCA views and also cause trouble to blog owners if directed to do so.
There are plenty such agents for UMNO, fewer for MCA, but they exist alright.
——————————————
wits0 (10:52:44) :
“Chaptokam @ Tan Khai Beng is an MCA operative” – Kittykat46
Good sleuth work Kittykat46. That he was trying the impossible made that obvious but nothing like a sound confirmation.
He only manages to prove the irrelevance and substandard pretention associated with all things MCA. He can now FOAD quietly or stay on here and be royally flayed.
——————————————————–
Should anything happen to me or any members of my family be threatened or physically touch by this exposure which I deem it as a personal vendetta or personal infringments of my privacy , I will do whatever is necessary to rectify the situation .
I hope you should delete all the comments !
Thank you .
very interesting blog…
I am benjamin Loi.
i blog to express my sadness over many things that have happened in our country…
http://benjaminloi.blogspot.com
Independent Committee into Dismissal of Judges in 1988.
INTRODUCTION
“The myth about existence of only things scientists can find and only things theories predict, is just that a myth. Out of an infinite number, diversity and variety of myths made possible by the mystery of existence, atheists arbitrarily choose to believe in one pessimistic myth about existence of only things scientists can find; and only things theories predict” (Kevin M. McDaniel).
Lawyers likewise have settled upon us this pessimistic myth as a rational default position. And there are those who insist, a belief in such a pessimistic myth is necessary in order to be rational, law abiding, fair, just or simply sane.
However because the truth is that, a myth is a myth, it is also perfectly reasonable therefore to choose the most optimistic myth about their ( a lawyer’s) version of the law as a rational default position.
Such a rational default position when pushed hard enough with other well worn urban myths, anecdotal evidence of corruption (and perceived dominance by one person, in this instance their bette noir Dr. Mahathir Mohammed former prime minister of Malaysia) it leads inevitably to belief in the myth about the law and the Malaysian Bar’s interpretation of it; that lawyers can find things that legal conventions and theories predict; and everything else that enables us to have the highest esteem in their beliefs and their purposes.
I will refrain from quoting or adapting any further from the writer. Although the impact and the dimensions of his thoughts as expressed are critical to understanding at the introductory level, an analysis of the Report of the Panel of Eminent Persons to Examine the 1988 Judicial Crisis in Malaysia (“the Report” and the “Panel”) a proper analysis can be undertaken without embellishment or adornment of the facts.
The Myth of “Terms of Reference”
The Panel of its own material is a self serving forum. The composition and the authority by which it came into existence is equally a manifestation of the same self serving interests of the sentient mind behind it at all times, the Malaysian Bar.
In an effort to lend legitimacy, a cosmetic semblance of dimension and depth to the Panel and its purpose, the Malaysian Bar had pulled together a raft of loosely knit interest groups referring to these as ‘various other groups’ in support of its star chamber.
However on closer examination it could hardly be said that these various other groups were in any way representative of the broader community in Malaysia or independent or impartial to legitimise such an exercise. And finally for good measure in its list of cohorts the Malaysian Bar adds the media, but is careful to be non specific of this fourth estate.
By the Malaysian Bar’s involvement in this inquiry, the Panel and its findings are deprived the character of independence it craves. Not that the removal of the Malaysian Bar’s involvement would in any way have necessarily cured that defect when one considers the political complexion and the position the Malaysian Bar and the other named groups involved had already taken against the subject of the Panel’s real objectives, Dr. Mahathir Mohammed .
More important, one wonders what the real purpose of the exercise was, considering the Panel lacked any judicial or quasi judicial authority, legal or moral coercive force or any force at all for that matter that could in its wake prescribe or enforce the desired remedies the Malaysian Bar claimed to be pursuing by the Panel.
The Panel is and was incapable of recommending prosecution or referring its findings to a higher tribunal capable of reviewing the events of 1988. It had no capacity or coercive force or influence to effect its desired outcomes, whatever these may have been, obscured by the heat of revenge, though not quite stated in those terms in its objectives. In short the Report is of little legal, jurisprudential, legal or moral significance.
More damaging to the credibility of those behind the idea to set up this Panel are the statements of the Malaysian Bar through its president. Her statements ridicule the Malaysian Bar’s claims to uphold the virtuous principles of fairness, equity, justice and transparency in its endevour to bring closure to a matter otherwise long dead and buried.
The Panel it seems turned out to be nothing more than a tool designed to exact vengeance from an individual not of their ranks, who it appears made mockery of their professional incompetence and the arrogance of their ignorance.
BALANCE
This challenge for the Malaysian Bar should have been found in the dichotomy of the perceptions of law and justice held by them as legal practitioners and officers of the courts on the one hand and those same concepts as understood by consumers of legal services including the executive on the other.
The problem though for the Malaysian Bar appears to have arisen from their inability to draw the distinction between justice as a process and justice as an outcome.
The absence of a consultative process to include opposing points of view may forever remain a blemish on the credibility of the Malaysian Bar unless of course its members who understand the flaws in the proceedings speak up about it sooner rather than later.
The Panel’s outcome appear to have been pre determined judging from the selective nature of evidence put before and accepted by it from one party alone. And in the absence of any countervailing evidence or dissenting views by any other party to or the subject of the Panels Inquiry either in terms of submissions or other contribution to the Panel, the terms of reference or the process of selection of the Panel the whole process was conceptually flawed from a legal, constitutional and moral standpoint.
A fatal flaw in the integrity of the Panel and its findings lay in its composition. It was an appointment by one side. A kangaroo court or star chamber if you will.
THE ISSUES
It is yet to be determined (20 years on form date of the event of 1988 and from publication of the Panel’s Report in 2008) what grevious offence so vital to the integrity of Malaysia’s judiciary or its constitution occurred, so radically different to similar events in other commonwealth jurisdictions, for that event to be so doggedly pursued by the Malaysian Bar and its allies.
There are three branches of government recognized in the traditions of the Westminster system of constitutional government. The executive, judiciary and the legislature, like the father the sun and the holyspirit are not three gods but three persons in the one godhead. And as it occurs in that other holy trinity, the trinity in government vests much power in one of the three.
Standing between these like a geographic border, an imaginary line between two states is the equally imaginary doctrine of the separation of powers. As fictional as any other doctrine (or law) is, the fact remains that these doctrines and laws are fundamentally recognized more in the breach than for their observance at anytime anywhere.
So in 1988 a powerful and impatient executive, sick of the ‘cap in hand’ sub culture so inimical to a rapidly developing Malaysia burdened by the sycophancy and obstructive nature of a bunch of interlopers in the civil service and judiciary, took on the perceived omnipotence of the judiciary.
Not laid before the Panel however, was the missing and critical evidence that certain elements of the judiciary then, attempting encroachment into the role of the executive and legislature through other forums, were discovered and challenged.
The legislature by its chief chose to rise up to the challenge, call the bluff of the seemingly irrelevant doctrine and crossed the line. Interestingly no one died as a result. Malaysia went on to attract record foreign investment and rid itself of much of its third world status (except in the minds of those who blindly worship the west and all of its institutions even though they understand little of it or its application and consequences to them).
In examining the relevance, the importance and the impact of this incident which has farcically grown into a modern day Spanish inquisition, one has to take a closer look of the conventions, doctrines and laws that government the conduct of the three branches of government.
It would then be useful to compare these in the context of the doctrine of the separation of powers, and the individual powers of each of the other branches of government, the legislature and the executive to assess its impact arising from any breach of convention of the nature complained of, then examine the Report and reasons for the Report to make better sense of it all.
BACKGROUND IN BRIEF
In this whole saga there are two protagonists. One being a former Prime Minister of Malaysia, unrepresented at the inquiry and without any input to controvert or to contribute to the terms of reference The terms of reference broadly speaking in this instance is a roadmap created by the other protagonist, prominent members of the Malaysian Bar.
To add to the farce, neither the Panel nor its Report were either independent or impartial evidenced by a statement attributed to the president of the Malaysian Bar following release of the Report.
The president of the Malaysian Bar Datuk Ambiga Srinivasan unfortunately and perhaps recklessly appears to confirm what has long been suspected as bias in the minds of elements of the Malaysian Bar as protagonist either on its own or acting as a conduit for the frustrations of the former Lord President Tun Salleh Abbas and other disgruntled elements in government to exact a form of revenge against Dr. Mahathir Mohammed.
That part of Ambiga’s speech that seeks to convey the Malaysian Bar’s settled position prior to the appointment of the Panel and its Report appears to be contained in the following quote from her speech;
” the bar has been steadfast in supporting the judges whom we knew had suffered a gross injustice in 1988”.
The operative word in that statement above being “we knew”. By what means and how Dato Ambiga knew she clearly fails to establish. Any evidence to support such a bold prescient statement and the claim behind it should have been placed not before the Panel but a properly constituted tribunal or court within Malaysia for it to have been examined in light of all other “evidence” later presented to the Panel.
It is easy to draw the inference by reference to that particular element of Datuk Ambiga’s speech, that an element of perceived bias can be said to have been present within the minds of the Malaysian Bar (and by implication their stalking horse the Panel) prior to empanelling the so called assembly of Eminent Persons. And by virtue of that element of perceived bias, now confirmed in her speech which turns out to be actual bias, participation by the Malaysian Bar into the whole process at any level has clearly tainted the integrity and independence of the Panel. It appears conclusively that the Panel was clearly stacked.
Which therefore now begs the question; “should the Panel have continued with the process, in the absence of any input from any other party to its proceedings? perhaps a party that could have validly represented the interests of Dr. Mahathir or the government or a party that could have validly challenged the inquiry or provided evidence to controvert the assumptions laid before the Panel?
And finally was this a witch hunt by an interested party such as the Malaysian Bar and for what reasons was the Malaysian Bar seeking to proceed with the Panel 20 years after the event, considering the distinct possibility that with the death and ageing of many of the witnesses, the quality of the evidence available could have well been eroded if not rendered unreliable and compromised for those very same reasons?
REMOVAL OF JUDICIAL OFFICERS
There is ample evidence and a plethora of material from all over the commonwealth including nations from wherein members of the Panel were selected to show clearly that removal of judicial officers is not as sacrosanct or rare as is made out to be by the Panel and the Malaysian Bar in their findings.
In fact a lack of understanding of the conventional doctrine of the separation of powers appears to be perhaps where the problem actually lies.
Examples of Breaches of Doctrines and Conventions
In 1975 the popularly elected government of Edward Gough Whitlam in Australia was sacked by the then governor general of Australia the late Sir John Kerr on the advice of members of parliament with the concurrence and written opinion of a judge of the High Court Sir Harry Gibbs.
There was much debate that followed at every level of Australian society. Recriminations followed. But the debate remained at a mature and although emotional level relevant where valid arguments given the opportunity to be ventilated, controverted and argued fairly won the day. The winner was in the end a more politically mature Australia.
The incident it was later discovered with the benefit of some research by scholars not to be unprecedented. A previous government in the 1930’s in the state of New South Wales had also been sacked in similar circumstances by the governor in breach of a convention.
INTERFERENCE IN THE OFFICE AS OPPOSED TO THE EXERCISE OF POWER
Interference in any of the three arms of government by the other is generally perceived as being detrimental to the independent and efficient functioning of government as it has the potential to erode not just the independence of each of the three arms of government producing potentially undesirable outcomes that in theory could lead to a dictatorship.
There is an attempt and a convenient one at that to re cast the events of 1988 into an act that was illegal or unlawful perpetrated by one individual, that being the Prime Minister of Malaysia during that period, an event for which its is implied there were disastrous consequences for the integrity of the judiciary and the doctrine of separation of powers.
What’s not understood or clearly explained is the fact that even if Dr. Mahahtir did sack the judge, his actions in doing so was neither unlawful, unprecedented nor one which the Prime Minister (assuming he did it alone) did not have the legal power at his disposal to carry out.
Even if he did sack the judge and failed to follow procedure as laid out in the constitution there is nothing to suggest that he may not have cured the procedural defect subsequently of retrospectively.
The fact remains that the power did lie with his government to remove members of the judiciary even if that meant doing it without an address to both houses of parliament.
50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER
There are instances where judges have been removed by the executive simply making their tribunals or positions redundant. In a particular case which High Court judge Michael Kirby in his contribution to Tun Salleh Abbas’ book May Day makes reference, a judicial officer of the Industrial court was practically removed from office in this way. There was no reference to both houses of parliament no tribunal to inquiry into his conduct, simply a redundancy of his position.
In doing so the executive and the legislature had simply overcome the burden of having to carry out the task through the conventional means of having to proceed through the cumbersome exercise only after an address to both houses of parliament.
COMPOSITION OF THE TRIBUNAL
More recently of course there was the case of the sacking of the chief justice in Pakistan which resulted in rioting and mass hysteria by the bar in that country and by supporters of opposing political parties.
One notes that Pakistan has had limited experience as a democracy and the events referred to occurred under a military dictatorship in a fractured lawless society which Malaysia is not.
The Panel member from Pakistan therefore may not have been a good choice considering her limited exposure to the conventions, the rules and the workings of a bench and a government in a democratic environment.
The notorious case of the sacking and jailing of former Queensland Chief Magistrate Di Fingleton is another case in point. Australia has had a number of high profile cases involving judicial misconduct wherein those (apart from Fingleton and Vasta) resigned rather than face the prospect of an ignominious trial by media and government.
The Di Fingleton matter is so radically different from any other and can draw no comparison or analogy to the Salleh Abbas matter. It is perhaps an example of where the judiciary in their arrogance were so fundamentally wrong and ignorant of the basic law and the doctrine of the separation of powers that they ended up shooting themselves in the foot at the expense of a fine chief magistrate.
And from the ranks of Australia’s hallowed legal profession is selected a representative to the Panel to judge not the merits of the events of 1988 but to hang Dr. Mahahtir instead.
THE EVENTS OF 1988 AND THE BERTHELSEN AFFAIR
It is said that the Berthelsen affair was a catalyst in the whole affair of the sacking of the judges in 1988. Berthelsen a foreigner on a visa to remain and work in Malaysia had his visa revoked and was asked to leave the country.
It is further alleged (a matter unfortunately up held by the appeal courts then) that Berthelsen was denied natural justice in that he was not afforded the opportunity to be heard in appealing the decision of the Director General of Immigration.
It is well established in law that the physical presence of a defendant before a court in any jurisdiction including Malaysia is not a necessary pre requisite in order for that party to be heard. This is particularly so in matters involving immigration law where the appellant is abroad.
Of paramount importance when weighing up the right to be physically present for a hearing and the danger of the presence of the ‘offender’ in the circumstances for whatever reason, is the opinion of the Director General of Immigration as was in Berthelsen. There is no reference to this point and whether the appeal courts dealt with such a point in considering the matter.
There was no right to Berthlesen to remain in Malaysia. The grant of a visa to a foreigner (a non citizen) is a privilege granted at the discretion of the host nation not an absolute right of the non citizen as Berthelsen is and was at the time.
The denial or revocation of his visa was a discretion at the hands of the Director General of Immigration who exercised that discretion. And contrary to what the court of appeal by implication decided in that matter it was not the right of Berthelsen a non citizen in the circumstances to be present in Malaysia (onshore) to be heard in his appeal against the decision of the Director General of Immigration.
It appears the court of appeal not just erred but may have been negligent in arriving at its decision, perhaps fuelling the fire of a conspiracy theory which Dr. Mahathir then may have acted on.
As an example, Australia has excised many of its territorial outlying islands in an effort to deny refugees landing on these islands the right to appeal ‘onshore’ in order to establish their rights to remain in Australian as political refugees.
Regardless of the hue and cry raised by every human rights groups and the legal fraternity worldwide at the time, the High Court of Australia in its wisdom upheld the right of the Minister for Immigration to exercise the powers he possessed to do what he did in this regard.
The matter was decided in the ministers favour inspite of Australia being a signatory to the Human Rights Convention and the Refugee Convention. The fact remains that unpopular decisions can be and often are not illegal or unlawful.
JUDICIAL MISCONDUCT AND JUDICIAL MISBEHAVIOUR
Having considered the Berthlesen matter and the decision of the appeals court, one wonders whether or not it is necessary to labour the point that the other case of United Engineers could well have suffered the same fate of judicial incompetence in the hands of an anti Mahathir coalition of judges. And if that were the case, would it have constituted judicial misconduct or judicial misbehavior?
Sallman in his paper on this subject refers to a number of cases of judicial misconduct, judicial misbehavior on and off the bench which would be worth a read by the Malaysian Bar. The fact of removal of judicial officers and the legality or morality of the issue depends much on a number of factors including the legal and social environment in which they operate. Nothing happens in a vacuum.
Salleh Abbas chose to make an issue out of the events of 1988 and to demonstrate his abject lack of understanding of the process by not resisting the Malaysian Bar’s conduct in empanelling the so called Eminent Persons Panel. It was a self serving Panel appointed to prepare a report he Salleh Abbas so desperately saw necessary to vilify the former prime minster which act has served to reinforce the former chief justices apparent ignorance of how the system operates.
This is just an abridged version of what I chose to communicate on this matter which is a sorry saga in the legal profession, an indictment of the profession on its ignorance of the law and its unrelenting efforts to embed itself in the politics of destabilization of a country whose rank and file workers have achieved so much in such a short time under the leadership of Dr. Mahathir and his government.
Gopal Raj Kumar
Susan,
real wise man says
“don’t cross the river if you can’t swim the tides”
but you’ve cross the river
cos you’re a good swimmer
you’re on your way to the peak of your life
I wish and hope, one day
you’ll meet
the real true soul and spirit
the real true heart and mind
the real true guardian
the real true defender
the real true knowledge(hakikat ilmu sebenar)
cos ” knowledge is the real true power”
susan lonely,
you cannot reach the peak
no matter how you try
cos you are working for the puppets
the real true liars
the real true arrogants
rumah kata….. pergi
kubor kata……mari
so goodbye forever.
“It takes two of us to discover truth: one to utter it and one to to understand it.”
Kahlil Gibran
hello susan…. im quite new into blogging, was previously a zine editor…
and i think ur blog’s awesome…
Did you ever do a zine back then?
http://elfcentric.wordpress.com/
[…] Here’s one person’s blog which I found very note worthy, and if you have the chance, you should read it. I’m going to put the link right here where your iddy, biddy finger can just tap the mouse. This blog is written by Susan Loone. Check it out. WHAT ABOUT YOU […]
http://www.kentuthalus.blogspot.com
born to die!!!
SMK Says:
December 2, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Susan, I find your website interesting with thought-provoking articles but the grey text on black background gives me a pain in my eyes.
I had wanted to write the same to you – I have dry eyes problems and astigmatism – coming to read your blog makes it worse – I see darkness and my eyes need to re-adjust evrytime I pop by. Why not use the previous pages you had done before??
wanted to let you know about a documentary that deals with human rights and civil liberties in America.
The End of America, directed by Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern,(The Devil Came on Horseback and The Trials of Darryl Hunt) is an expose of the significant policy changes initiated under the Patriot Act.
Based upon the best-selling book of the same name by Naomi Wolf (author of The Beauty Myth), the film makes the case that American democracy is being threatened. Wolf investigates parallels between the state of our civil liberties and those of dictatorships, fascist regimes, and other once-free societies. Wolf discusses a number of deeply unsettling similarities — from the use of unofficial paramilitary organizations and secret prisons to the targeted suspension of the rule of law.
The End of America details the ten steps a country takes when it slides toward fascism. The film follows Wolf as she takes a historical look at trends in once-functioning democracies from modern history that are being repeated in America today, and puts the recent gradual loss of civil liberties in the U.S. in a historical context. “The average American might not be alarmed at AT&T selling our private information to the Bush administration, but when this action is seen as part of a larger series of erosions and events, a pattern emerges with unfortunate consequences that become disturbingly clear.”
The film’s style is similar to that of An Inconvenient Truth in that Wolf presents a lecture, filmed with multiple cameras, to an interactive audience. Break-away segments featuring both talking-head and “fly on the wall” interviews demonstrate the historical echoes and present-day consequences of the erosion of America’s Constitution. These interviews are from a diverse collection of individuals, including intelligence community top brass, who are willing to talk on camera about the uselessness of “intelligence” gained through torture. The film also features grassroots political leaders, military generals, and victims of undermined civil liberties.
Here is the official web site:
http://www.endofamericamovie.com/
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Catie
Hi,I am from Bangkok but staying in Penang. If you do need any info, I mean any info on Bangkok or surrounding provinces in Thailand, please let me know. I will be more than happy to help.
Really enjoy reading your blogs. keep up the good work.
Sawadee.
BAH, all politicians are the same. they lie, make promises and only keep those that benefits them. HAHA. basically, there’s no country for anyone. its the same everywhere. Its a one man/woman world. now thats reality.
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tidak ada kebebasan mutlak.setiap kebebasan ada tanggungjawab.kekalkan ISA untuk keamanan negara!!!…
Always nice to read your stuff – keep it up.
I often remind myself of one quote whenever I feel down about the way our country is going, being led by corrupt, greedy people… I wanna share it with you…
Only actions of the just
Smell sweet and blossom in the dust
James Shirley.
Yours leave a lingering, Chempaka-like smell, I’m sure 🙂
passing by and i stumble upon ur blog. i enjoyed it very much. Keep writing../yob
Susan, can u dig up more info on Mr Jeff Ooi, our Mr. DAP man in Penang who was a former famous blogger? His blog seems to have stalled and his ego getting inflated, i am starting to wonder, did this guy write/blog with Parliament in his sights and now that he has achieved his goal, he has forsaken his blog. This could well be a very clear sign this man is a fake.
I am glad to be one of several visitants on this outstanding internet site (:, thanks for putting up.
nice 2 read u’r blog otherwise in my country if u bring that kind of u’r idea(freedom of speech, liberty of living condition u can’t live at least un month the killed u categorically