WAMI: More Freedom To Ensure Greater Harmony in 2008

WAMI’s 2008 New Year Message

More Freedom To Ensure Greater Harmony in 2008

 

Writers Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI) wishes all Malaysians a great year in 2008, with greater freedom to usher in a more representative polity, a more vibrant economy and a more harmony society.

 

Malaysians’ lives have unfortunately deteriorated in various aspects in 2007, making the Government’s grandiose celebration of 50 years of Independence superficial and hollow. Politically, the heads of the Judiciary, the Police and Anti-Corruption Agency were all tainted by allegations of corruption, adding on to the list of unaccountable ministers and misbehaved legislators. Socially, ethno-religious relations have fallen to its low when families and marriages are torn apart by religious zeal and judiciary passivism. Economically, the nation’s productivity and competitiveness continue to be curbed by red-tapes, corruption, discrimination and protectionism while ordinary citizens of all ethnic backgrounds pays higher fees to rent-seeking private operators of public goods like highways.

 

In 2008, Malaysians must put a halt to our national decline. We must reclaim our freedom to choose and decide in our political, economic and social life. The problems that haunt Malaysia now are all linked to one single cause: a government that is unaccountable, inefficient and incompetent but wants to control almost everything in the country.

BERSIH: More Democracy and Happiness in the New Year

BERSIH’s 2008 New Year Message:

Looking Forward to More Democracy and Happiness in the New Year

 

The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (BERSIH) wishes all Malaysians a very happy, prosperous, peaceful, safe, and clean new year in 2008.

 

Happiness, prosperity, peace, safety and cleanliness however requires a democratic system in which the will and desire of Malaysians can prevail. We invite all Malaysians to resolve to push for clean and fair elections so that we may achieve greater happiness and prosperity.

A Catholic Priest’s New Year Message

Feeling the need to be spiritual, I walked into a Catholic church this morning. It’s a sweet surprise to listen to the sermon of the priest who also happened to be a holiday-maker.

He led the congregation praying to the loving Allah for, amongst others, that the government-controlled and owned media will give fair coverage to the opposition parties especially when elections approach; that the Prime Minister who has broken quite a few promises will at least keep one, that to set up the IPCMC; that the immoral ISA be abolished.

How Americans vote over the years

This evolving map by Princeton University shows how the Americans’ electoral choices change over time from 1960. It was originally linked to Hungry Hungry Hippos, an American discussion group I have just come across by chance. Thanks to the Hippos and enjoy.

FLASH MOB AGAINST SPIN-DOCTORING

This is a fun activity for people who would stay in KL on New Year Day: collectively throwing mainstream newspaper into dustbin at KLCC in a flash mob fashion. Reader Namewee1 posted this notice (see below) in a comment yesterday.

The measure of success, to my mind, is whether the police will support it by sending FRU to KLCC or guarding every dustbin there. That would surely make it to international news. If you have a uncle or friend working at PRDM, please warn them how dangerous it can be to national security when young people show in-your-face insults to our newspapers.

Taiwan Opposition Leader Cleared Of Corruption and BOT Charges

A good news from Taiwan. The presidential candidate for Taiwan’s opposition party Kuomingtang (KMT), Ma Ying-Jeou has been cleared of corruption and breach-of-trust charges. If Ma, widely seen as a Mr Clean, is convicted and sentenced for more than ten years, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) which is now trailing in opinion polls will likely to win hand down in the election next March.

DPP has ruled Taiwan for eight years and is now deeply unpopular for corruption scandals surrounding President Chen Shui-Bian and incompetence in economic management.

The charges against Ma for misappropriating special allowances were widely seen as politically-motivated. The court now confirms the practice to treat the special allowances as supplementary income for public office holders. Other politicians especially those from DPP had not been subjected to the same standard with regards to the use of special allowance.

Ma’s innocent verdict means that the future of Taiwan’s politics will be decided by the electorate, and not by the public prosecutors or the judges. Ma who has just apologized for an inappropriate remark on the indigenous people may still loose to DPP candidate Hsieh who has the reputation as the comeback kid.

The people will decide who should be Taiwan’s captain. That’s the good news.

Taiwan acquits opposition leader (BBC)

Ma Ying-jeou had always claimed his innocence

An appeal court in Taiwan has acquitted opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou of corruption charges. The ruling clears the way for him to represent the nationalist Kuomintang party in the presidential election due to be held in March.

Mr Ma had resigned as head of the Kuomintang Party following the indictment but denied any wrongdoing.

A blogger was arrested for two hours on Christmas Eve

Here is another bad news. This time from home.

Apparently when a big part of the world, Christians and non-Christians, were busy preparing for their Christmas celebration, a Pahang-based blogger, Cucu Mat Kilau (“a grandson of a Pahang Malay nationalist hero”) was arrested by the police at about 10 am on Christmas Eve and released around 12.30 pm.

His release was on the ground that he was negative in the urine test (for drug addicts) but during his arrest, the special branch officers were interested on his blogs, ironically one warning about Malaysia becoming a Police State.

Read his own account and Jeff Ooi’s take with links to Pak Ron (with update) and Rocky Blu.

What shall we do? How shall you feel? Feel panic because there will be another crackdown, and this time on bloggers? No, your fear will only invite more arrests. Feel angry every time something goes wrong. You anger makes the wrongdoers  think twice – your resistance and counter-move may not be what they look for in the first place.

It’s the choice since time immemorial: Fight or Flight. Fear prepares one for flight while anger get one ready for fight. Your choice and their choice are inter-dependent. When one party chooses to flight, the other party will likely choose to fight and pursue the flighting party.

The choice is yours: fear or anger?

Petition for the release of HINDRAF 5

Hindraf is initiating a one-million signature campaign to urge the government to release Hindraf 5.

Whether agreeing with the Hindraf cause, every Malaysian who does not want himself to become a victim of detention without trial under ISA should support this.

Unfortunately, there is no soft copy of the Hindraf petition. Here is one initiated earlier by a Hindraf supporter.

http://www.petitiononline.com/31081957/petition.html

To:  Malaysia GovernmentHINDRAF legal adviser P Uthayakumar, lawyers M Manoharan, R Kenghadharan, V Ganabatirau and organizing secretary T Vasanthakumar are the FIVE top HINDRAF leaders arrested today 13 December 2007 under ISA for unfounded charges.

Detention without trial under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) of the Five Lawyers is unlawful who just struggle for the mere 8\% ethnic minority Indians in Malaysia who have been marginalized and permanently colonialised by the racist, malay supremacist and Islamic fundamentalist UMNO controlled Malaysian Government. This is as a last resort as the said UMNO led Malaysian government, the Prime Minister, Ministers and Deputy Ministers are going all out on a crackdown on peaceful and lawful HINDRAF supporters and their lawyers. The UMNO controlled print and electronic media are publishing and broadcasting almost daily over the past two (2) months and mostly on their headlines false, racial and religious hatred news against HINDRAF.

We now urged the government of Malaysia to release the TOP five HINDRAF Lawyers and 31 peaceful assemblers/ worshippers, which detain on 06 December 2007.

MAKKAL SAKTHI !!
WWW.POLICEWATCHMALAYSIA.COM

Mourning for Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan

I felt so compelled to write something when I got two text messages that Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide attack. (At the time of writing, I received the third sms.)

(Photo: Benazir Bhutoo – R.I.P. from Not Goth)

Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani opposition leader, killed in suicide attack
By SALMAN MASOOD AND GRAHAM BOWLEY

Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack at a political rally being held near Islamabad on Thursday, according to Pakistan’s state news agency. (IHT)

I am deeply saddened by the news. I do not know Ms Bhutto personally. But I do know that she was no Aung San Suu Kyi. I am aware of the corruption allegations against her. If I were a Pakistani, I would probably be very critical of her.

I am sad because I believe politics should be the substitute for violence in resolving human contests for power and other resources. As Mao Tze-Tung put it, “Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.”

No one should die for politics.

Who fund US elections?

These are the figures for the presidential race so far:

What’s Included Here?

Summary

Contributions Individual $372,517,276 PAC $2,884,431 Party $22,690 Candidate $18,765,108 Transfers-In $20,376,166 Disbursements $262,388,764 Cash On Hand $153,804,579

Size of Donations

$200 and Under $76,100,896 $200.01 – $499 $15,698,149 $500 – $999 $23,843,215 $1000 – $1999 $60,955,719 $2000 and Over $202,006,796