Al-Fatiha… Rustam A Sani (Orbituary by Jomo K.S.)

Rustam A Sani (1944-2008）
Obituary: Rustam A. Sani
By Jomo K. S. 4/24/08

I write this in haste from afar without the benefit of any reference material. But I must do so, as I have lost another brother, taken away before his time.

I first met Rustam, soon after joining the UKM economics faculty in early 1977, then still at its temporary campus in Pantai. The crammed facilities in the PKNS flats there forced a certain physical closeness which was, in turn, conducive to generating close personal relations.

Rustam was then in the Anthropology and Sociology Department with Halim Ali, Sanusi Osman, Hood Salleh, Dahlan Hj Aman, Ting Chew Peh, Cheu Hock Tong, Shamsul Amri and others, many of whom had been students of Syed Husin Ali at the University of Malaya in the 1960s.

Struggle for the Nation

Born towards the end of the Japanese Occupation in the Perak border town of Tanjung Malim, Rustam grew up in the shadow of his famous father, Abdullah Sani @ Ahmad Boestamam.

As a mature student at university, Rustam quickly established a reputation in his own right as an essayist, poet and pamphleteer in the Socialist Club and promoting the national language at the University of Malaya. He often joked that if he had agreed to run in the May 1969 election, he would have become Selangor Mentri Besar at the age of 25!

On PPPA – 3. Makkal Osai is back in business, but how about press freedom?

We must congratulate Makkal Osai for getting its publication permit renewed after suspension for a week.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Syed Albar said the appeal against the refused renewal was successful because “they have given an undertaking of responsibility and will ensure they abide by the guidelines and contribute to our nation-building efforts”.

It reminds me of a scene where the poor petty trader is allowed to be back in business after he paid the protection fee.

On PPPA – 2. The Act’s Achilles’ Heel (revised)

Many people wonder if Section 25(1) of PPPA can allow a newspaper exempted by a state government to be circulated nationwide. I believe the answer is yes. Below is my take on the technicality. Not trained in law, I am happy to be corrected by the well-learned amongst you.

On PPPA – 1. Understand How the Law Suppresses Our Press Freedom

After banning Makkal Osai, the Minister of Home Affairs Syed Hamid Syed Albar now talk about reviewing the Printing Presses and Publication Act.

This is a good development, although we must not take it as a promise that will certainly get fulfilled. Concerned citizens should understand how the law suppresses our media freedom so that we may monitor the development well.

Good People in Penang and Selangor are working on Makkal Osai

I understand that some good people in or advising the Penang and Selangor state governments are working on the rescue of Makkal Osai.

Let us hope that history will be made today or tomorrow that the press will no longer fear BN’s bullying: Revoke the publication permit as much as you like, we will turn to the state governments for exemption!

May we celebrate the death of PPPA before the World Press Freedom Day (May 3)!

Guan Eng and Prof Ramasamy, take the lead, free Makkal Osai!

Dear Guan Eng and Prof Ramasamy,

As usual, you and your party have unreservedly condemned BN’s suppression of press freedom, this time in the banning of Makkal Ossai. Kudos!

Condemnation is what the opposition can only do and should do. However, now as the ruling party at the state level, you can and must do more.

PR state governments know well about the opportunity offered by Section 25 of Printing Presses and Publications Act: ““Nothing in this Act shall extend to the publication or making of any documents or periodical by or for the Federal or any State Government or any statutory body.”

Since the coalition is even planning the publication of its own newspapers, why not PR does the most important thing now – offer Makkal Osai to publish for the State Governments?

If the five states have not come to agreement on this, why can’t Penang take the lead?

The opposition and civil society has condemned the suspension of The Star, Sin Chew, Watan (1987), Sarawak Tribune, Guang Ming Daily northern edition, Berita Petang Sarawak, Weekend Mail (2006) and Makkal Osai (2007) but what have all the condemnations achieved?

It certainly has not stopped BN from suspending Makkal Osai again!

Is politics “business as usual” after March 8? Is Makkal Sakthi too weak to protect press freedom?

You have done the brave thing by stopping the abuse of NEP in Penang. If even a scarce cow like NEP has not stopped you from changing Malaysia to be better, how can PPPA compare to NEP?

By offering a state government’s authorization for Makkal Osai to print – nothing in the law will stop its circulation outside of Penang or the PR states – you will effectively pronounce the death of PPPA.

You will be remembered in history as the heroes who free the Malaysian media, which no amounts of press statements and press conferences condemning BN’s suppressive nature can do.

We can see no justification of the PR state governments now holding back the opportunity to rescue Makkal Osai and later publishing its own newspapers or rescuing Oriental Daily (the Chinese daily whose publication permit has not been renewed).

Holding back the power to free Makkal Osai is not only a great let down to the media freedom movement in Malaysia – suggesting that the opposition is not genuinely interested to dismantle the barrier of entry into print media – but also one for the Makkal Sathi movement, without which the Pakatan Rakyat would not have comed into power outside of Kelantan.

Your Right Honourable Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Penang, the power is in your hands.

Malaysians need Action, not words, to free its press.

So, take the lead, offer Makkal Osai a hand, free the Malaysian press now!

Just Change it!

Makkal Sakthi!

Reformasi!

Yours,

Chin Huat

***

Malaysians who treasure press freedom, you are cordially invited to jointly endorse this letter by putting your name below.

PR State Governments – Make Makkal Osai Permit-Free now!

One wonders how stupid the BN government can be . It has just rejected the application of the outspoken Tamil daily Makkal Osai to renew its publication permit.

It’s an old trick that Mahathir and Abdullah have played in the past.

We must now declare its death and organize its burial.

We now have the weapon to make such threat futile. (We have had it since 1990 but we just did not realize it or choose not to use it.)

The weapon is Section 25 of Printing Presses and Publications Act which states that

“Nothing in this Act shall extend to the publication or making of any documents or periodical by or for the Federal or any State Government or any statutory body.”

We can see Makkal Osai tomorrow back on the news stand if any of the PR State Governments will issue an authorization letter today for the daily to publish for the state. And no newspapers from now on shall be afraid of withdrawal of publication permits.

PR state governments should do this at once as (1) a principled act to uphold press freedom; (2) a repaying of favour to the Makka Sathi movement that sweeps them (especially in Penang, Perak and Selangor) into power.

Be the hero to rescue Press Freedom now – Guan Eng, Khalid, Nizar, Azizan and Tok Guru Nik Aziz!

All readers of Makkal Osai and supporters of Makkal Sakthi, please join this call of national service for the CM and MBs!

** Would anyone care to start an online petition to PR state governments? There is no reason why Malaysians can teach MIC a lesson but fail to save Makkal Osai!

Who will be Anwar’s DPMs?

Since Anwar is so impatient to come into power, Malaysians – whether approval of party-hopping – deserve to know what team he will form to run the country.

Anwar should announce his shadow cabinet before further talks on cross-over.

A New Malaysia, Saudara Anwar?

Unlike many liberals, I do not have much problem of Anwar’s past as an Islamist and Malay-nationalist. I never think that politicians need to be saintly to do good things (by whatever standards). All they need is just the right incentives.

To me, the right incentives are the prospect to power and the prospect to loose it. Before the polls, I told Anwar-skeptics that if they didn’t trust Anwar’s sincerity to carry out the reform he promised, they should give him power for an Anwar without power would only be more likely to abandon the cause for reform.

In that sense, I have never doubted Anwar’s ability to do great things. For the very least, he has the ability and credential to bridge Malaysia’s communal divide, greater than any other politicians.

Why good rulers should let bad politicians be

If we recognise democracy as a system in which the people make the final decisions, then a good monarch must accept the legitimate right of a bad politician to govern if the electorate so wish.