Please check out our new home at http://myshinshin.disagrees.net, and renew your bookmark.

Also setting up blogs in our new server including Arhthoau, Clara, Dr. Zaliha, Emmanuel, Eva, Hafiizh, Kian Keat, Yee Aun, and we are expecting a few more, including academicians as well as politicians.

See you there!

They checked into the presidential suite with jacuzzi in Lovers’ Inn and Health Spa, for the rate of RM 3000 per night.

As they were too eager to enter the room, they didn’t bother to pay at the counter. Instead, each of them took out RM 1000, paid the amount in cash to Menj, the conscierge who showed them the room, and let the conscierge bring the cash to counter.

At the counter, Lyn the cashier being kind and gracious, decided to offer them a discount. Thus she kept just RM 2500 and gave the remaining RM 500 to Menj, asking him to return it to Bob and company.

Menj thought that there’s no way RM 500 can be divided completely among the three, thus, evil Menj decided to pocket RM 200, and just give back RM 100 to each of Bob, Irene and Mini, and he did just that. Bob and company were very happy that they had a discount, and each of them happily put RM 100 back into their wallet.

Each of Bob, Irene and Mini had forked out RM 1000 and took RM 100 back, meaning that they have paid RM 900 each, or RM 2700 altogether. Add that to the RM 200 that Menj has pocketed without permission, it was still only RM 2900. So the question now, where did the remaining RM 100 go ?

p/s: on the good advice of Bob, wish to add a disclaimer that all names and accounts are purely fictional

Sinchew had the mercy of publishing the photo of this demonstration in their Metro supplement, August 11th, 2006, with complimentary mosaics blurring the message on the banner.

So much about press freedom in Malaysia.

Click on the image to see a bigger version.

Tepat pukul 10, CheguBard dah muncul. Nampaknya Bard nak kita revampkan sket website Gerakan Korupsi dan Anti-Demokratik Gerakan Demokrasi dan Anti-Korupsi (Gerak), sebuah NGO anti-rasuah yang diketuai Ezam, yang juga merupakan Ketua Angkatan Muda pusat.

So Ezam, Bard dan I dah adakan sket brainstorming, cuba fikirkan apakah yang kita perlukan untuk memeriahkan lagi website Gerak. Sebenarnya kandungan dah hampir mencukupi, design pon okay jugak, mungkin buleh kita kemaskan sket kot. Selepas meninjau ke web Aliran, PenangWatch, Keadilan Penang dan sebagainya, kita putuskan apakah yang Gerak perlukan ialah satu Content Management System (CMS) Joomla.

Okay, so, kita nak installkan Joomla. Tapi server sucks, cuba upload fail-fail Joomla ke dalam server beberapa kali, sumernya stuck halfway sebab disconnection. Maybe next time baru kita install kot.

Watch out!

Faisal pakai sebiji kerete pacuan 4 roda yang macho. Entahlah saper punya, Amir Sari penyelaras IKD ke kengkawan diorang kot. Acai kata keretenyer masuk bengkel. Instead of pi minum kopi, Acai sebenarnya akan ambik gambaq dalam pertemuan di antara YB Karpal Singh (Bukit Gelugor) dan Datuk Seri Anwar kat umah Karpal nanti, so kita kenalah carikan di manakah umah Karpal dulu.

Kita tiba di Pusat Bandar Damansara (Jabatan Imigresen & HELP Institute), tapi dah buat beberapa bulatan baru dapat cari masuk jalan ke sebelah sana Damansara Heights. Pada suatu ketika, semasa mendaki bukit di Jalan Semantan dekat Bangunan Shell, tetiba kerete kehilangan power. Nampaknya Acai yang tak biasa dengan kerete yang boleh dikawal dengan kedua-dua gear manual dan automatik nie tertekan sesuatu secara silap, dan daripada gear auto kita tetiba jadi gear 1 yang manual pulak. So beliau started kan enjin sekali lagik, dan kita terus mendaki bukit.

Jalan Buloh Perindu, Taman SA… Sukar nak cari. Lagipon di Jalan Damansara lama dan Jalan Jelutong (what a coincidence, memandangkan Karpal dulu MP Jelutong kat Penang) banyak simpang-sampung dan lorong sehala. At one point kita cari sampai dekat simpang masuk Jalan Damansara dari dekat Parlimen, iaitu di mana terletaknya Seri Perdana (kediaman rasmi PM) lama, istana Sultan Kedah dan kediaman Anwar dulu (bila masih DPM)… Kita pusing balek dan cari lagik. Jalan yang bernama Buloh Perindu banyak, ada 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 agaknya. Akhirnya kita jumpa. Kita turunkan tingkap, tanya seorang uncle yang berkemeja logo Dacing, dengan seruan “Undilah Barisan Nasional” tercetak di belakangnya. Si Dacing nie tengah kemaskan laman umah… “Depan sini umah Karpal Singh ke?” Acai tanya. Si Dacing tu jawab, “Betoi!”

Okay, tempat dah jumpa, masa awal lagik, kita balik minum kat Bangsar Baru dulu. Di tepi Bangsar Shopping Center (dimana Canny Ong yang kemudian dibunoh tue diculik), papan tanda tunjukkan Taman SA jugak, kita pon pusing masok dan tengok kalau sini pon bisa susor masok ke Buloh Perindu. Nampaknya sini lain.

Minum kat kopitiam tepi IKD

Kereta macho dipulangkan kepada Amir. Bila masa hampir sampai, kita naik teksi dari depan IKD terus ke Buloh Perindu. Teksi tu tunggu kat tepi sampai kita abis, sebab sini usah untok cari teksi balek ke bandar. Kita duk kat tepi jalan dulu… Anwar tak muncul bila jam tunjukkan 6:30, tak sehingga 3 minit kemudian. Nurul Nuha turun dari Rover yang berplate WMK 1 tue, kecek dengan orang kat dalam umah memalui interkom di pintu, dan pintu bukak.

Kita pon masuk. Once masuk umah, terdapat tangga spiral untuk turun setingkat ke living room. Aku bingung macam maner Karpal yang naik kerusi roda buleh kuar masok. Kita bertegur ngan Anwar dan Nuha. Mrs Karpal dan anaknya Jagdeep Singh Deo jemput kita kat living room. TV tengah siarkan Shah Rukh Khan kat saluran Astro Prima.

Jagdeep dorongkan Karpal yang naik kerusi roda kuar dari kamar. Beliau baru balek dari Parlimen tadi. Bila Karpal sampai, Acai serta merta bertegur, “Yang Berhormat”. Selepas salam-menyalam dengan kita, sumer orang mula bicara pasal Bollywood. Anwar pula ujar macam manerkah filem Bollywood “is now a hittest thingy” kat dunia syaitan di mana beliau sebok bagi syarahan (pada masa itu). Aku nak tanya Nuha pasal study architecture dia dan sebagainya, aku ingat blogger David Teoh penah bagitau Nuha rakan sekelas dia kat Taylors dulu… Tapi nampaknya Nuha malu-malu kuching je… Takpelah, lain kali je.

Kita cabut selepas sembang-sembang sket dan amik gambaq beberapa keping. Entahlah kalau Nuha rasa sumer citer pasal politik tue memboringkan. Kesianlah dia jugak.

Dalam teksi, cabbie tanya, “Eh yang korang jumpa tadi tue Tan Sri Anwar ke?”… “Tan Sri sehat?” … Dia asyik menyebut Anwar sebagai Tan Sri. Maybe masa tue desas desus pasal sultan nak tarik balik title Datuk Seri yang kasi kat Awnar tu hangat kot. Takpe lah. Kita ikut Jalan Semantan dan Jalan Duta ke KL Sentral dan dari sana aku naik train balek ke umah. Ketika dalam train, aku SMSed Fadlyn… “Baru jumpa Karpal and Anwar…” Lyn balas, “That Karpal and that Anwar ke?” Then aku reply balek, “Yeah, Nuha as well…”

So, what’s the big deal? Aku kenal diorang, diorang tak kenal aku. Aku sememangnya ikan bilis kat hujung sekali food chain.

Time flies. sekejap je dah hampir setahun. Hope everyone’s doing fine. And that, I really wish, includes me.

Date Saturday, 1 July 2006

Venue Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)
27-C, Jalan Sarikei
off Jalan Pahang Barat
53000 Kuala Lumpur
(location map)

Time 9.30 am - 4.30 pm

Speaker Sonia Randhawa, Executive Director, CIJ

Fee None Whatsoever

Equipping yourself with information is one of the best way to protect your rights to freedom of expression. We look forward to your participation in the workshop.

For more information please contact the cute CIJ Advocacy Officer,

Wai Fong 03 4023 0772
waifong AT cijmalaysia DOT org

Bloggers Workshop: Protect Yourself from Legal Pitfalls

It’s His Majesty King’s Birthday today. A day when most Malaysian regard as just another public holiday (less so now that Saturday is already an off-day for many, holiday or not). To promote a healthy discourse on public affairs, I would like to discuss the pros and cons of absolute monarchy vis-a-vis constitutional monarchy, and what day would it be more appropriate than today?

In Australia, there was a “Republic Referendum” in 1999, in which the public was asked whether the Governor General (Queen’s representative in Downunder) should be replaced by a Parliament-appointed President. It was rejected with the ‘no’ side receiving 54.4% of the vote.

That scares the house of Windsor tremendously. At any given time, the percentage of opposers of Monarchy in UK is about 25%, plus or minus, thus seeing 45.6% of Australians requesting a republic is indeed frightening.

Constitutional Monarchy, as we know, checks the power of the government. As in Malaysia, the appointment of Prime Minister is one of King’s discretional power, eventhough conventionally he would choose the head of parliamentary majority. But there’s no law barring the King from choosing, say, YB Ms. Fong Po Kuan or YB Datuk Seri Semi-Value (Perak Boleh!), as long as the appointee is elected into the House of Commons.

On other matters, the King merely acts on the advice of PM. However, that does not mean he cannot advise the PM on certain issues when time arises. HM The King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand has played this role successfully several times, most recently when Thais revolted against ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra and his ultra-facist Thai Rak Thai Party.

In Thailand, PM goes to anyone the members of parliamentary majority deem fit, and unlike Malaysia, it is not chosen by the Monarchy. HM King Bhumibol actually indirectly pointed out that our system is flawed when the anti-Thaksin coalition petitioned to the King to appoint a replacement for Thaksin, when he commented ,

“Asking for a Royally appointed prime minister is undemocratic. It is, pardon me, a mess. It is irrational.”

Constitutional Monarchy is a functioning democracy, where the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary branches check and balance one another, while the impartial Monarchy and public institutions such as army, civil service and free press also play their role.

Compared to Cabinet system Republics (I’m not talking about Presidential system countries such as US of A here), where PM is the head of government but a political figurehead President acts as the ceremonial head of state, such as Singapore and Iraq, where the President is not impartial, certainly I think our system is better, provided our King doesn’t take sides, and, cares about his subjects as the way the King of Chakri Dynasty does.

However, still, there are people who don’t appreciate our Constitutional Monarchy, a full-fledged democracy, and argues that an Absolute Monarchy is equally good if not better. Such madness is advocated by, who else, if not Minishort’s hunny bunny, Rajan Seri MENJadi-jadi?

In a conversation with me soon after the Nepali King revived the Parliament, and Parliament unanymously decided to strip the King of his powers, MENJadi-jadi actually said,

“Had he played hs cards right, he could retain absolute power yet the people still love him.”

He has never hidden his fondness on Absolute Monarchy, and thinks it’s an equally good alternative to democracy. I am not sure if he’s out of his mind and should be sent to Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Tanjong Rambutan (Perak Boleh, again!), but I am very sure this entry would be redundant without some arguments against it.

MENJadi-Jadi’s main argument was, eventhough being an Absolute Monarchy, the King can still be caring and loving, and rule fairly. And I don’t deny that at all. What I want to know is, what if he does not? What if he is corrupt, what if he’s cruel and inefficient? There’s no remedy for the people to save themselves from the cruelty of a undesirable Absolute Monarchy.

In a democracy, we are entitled to general elections, where we can decide whether to opt for Regime Change or maintain status quo. Or we can keep the government in power but send in more Opposition MPs for a greater check and balance. We have (or supposed to have) a free press where all flaws and mistakes of the government is exposed. Do we have the same protections in an Absolute Monarchy?

MENJadi-Jadi cites Negara Brunei Darussalam as a fine example, where the King rules fairly well and there’s no discontent among the people. Therefore, I asked, why is Brunei still under Emergency since the Armed Rebellion 4 decades ago, and why are its Parliament (only re-opened in 2004) still fully appointed by the Sultan, he does not have an answer, as usual. Can a fully appointed Parliament check the Executive branch as effectively as an elected Parliament? They know which side their breads are buttered, don’t they?

Then I asked, who is going to be responsible for the US$ 10 billions of dollars or more Prince Jefri siphoned away in the capacity of Minister of Finance and Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) boss to fund his lavish lifestyle? Who is going to be accountable for this loss, as well as all other government decisions? Again, all MENJadi-Jadi could say was, Prince Jefri has exiled to London… Yes, Jefri is jetting between his prestigeous homes in London, Paris and New York. So what about the money and where’s accountability, and whether Bruneians have a remedy to change status quo?

For the uninitiated, Prince Jefri owned 2,000 cars and 17 aircraft, the New York Palace Hotel and the Bel Air hotel in Beverly Hills, not to mention a 50 metre yacht called Tits, with lifeboats Nipple I and Nipple II. A small faction of his assets was auctioned to repay the sum, including 8,500 slabs of Italian marble (which was meant to build his new palace), one of his two fire engines, two hundred lamp posts, a US$ 12 million Airbus A340 aircraft simulator, a Formula 1 racing simulator, hundreds of gold plated toilet brush holders, a stainless steel two-door pizza oven, thousands of items of crockery and utensils, many made by the British luxury goods firm Asprey, a Jacuzzi in “white, with gold plated fittings”. The auctioned raised about US$ 7 million, or 0.007% of BIA’s loss caused by Prince Jefri.

Owh ya, to his credit, he did mention that Bruneians can take up arms and rebel against a bad Absolute Monarchy. But that’s exactly why I prefer a democracy isn’t it? Because we are entitled to decide our destiny in a non-violent way.

Until somebody can convinve me that the people are entitled to all the democratic means and protections under an Absolute Monarchy (which won’t be an Absolute Monarchy anymore anyway since democracy is adopted), I don’t see any reason why shouldn’t I shun my door on this primitive regime.

It’s really hillarious, that there are still supporters of Absolute Monarchy in modern world. Anyway, HM The King’s Birthday is a day for reflection and unity. Let’s close ranks, stop criticizing each other and unite as one Malaysian. God Bless Our Queen King! Hidup Malaysia!

Protes di KLCC tadi adalah yang terakhir daripada siri protes kenaikan minyak yang dinamakan “Protes Sampai Turun“, menurut penganjurnya, Dr. Hatta Ramli.

Dua orang penunjuk perasaan mengalami luka parah, termasuk Amran Zulkifli, 38 yang dipukul pengganas Unit Simpanan Persekutuan (FRU) di bahagian kepala dan Lim Ban Teng, 24, bendahari Pergerakan Demokratik Belia dan Pelajar Malaysia (Dema) yang mengamali fracture di tangan kanan.

Amran telah dikejarkan ke Hospital Pusat Rawatan Islam (Pusrawi) dekat sini oleh mereka yang baik hati.

Ketua Polis Dang Wangi, ACP Kamal Pasha mengesahkan 18 orang ditahan, termasuk dua orang wanita. Mereka ditahankan di Balai Polis Hang Tuah a.k.a. Penjara Pudu.

Bantahan yang disertai 2000 orang menurut laporan Harakahdaily, dan, 500 orang menurut Malaysiakini itu bermula dengan lancar. Menurut little bird kita, blogger Eva, bilangan pnunjuk perasaan hari ini jauh melebihi demonstrasi terdahulu pada 10 Mac lepas.

Kira-kira 100 anggota FRU yang bersenjatakan cota serta rifel mengawal di depan KLCC, bersama beberapa senjata sulit rejim BN iaitu trak meriam air, manakala helikopter polis dilihat berlegar-legar di udara.

Menurut Agence France-Presse (AFP), mereka yang menyertai bantahan tersebut melaungkan “protes” sambil membawa sepanduk berbunyi ‘Kroni Kaya, Pekerja Didera’ dan “Rakyat Ditindas, Bolehkah Siswa Buat Tak Tau?” (人民受苦，大專生豈能坐視不理?).

FRU Mengamuk Ketika Dr. Hatta, Sok Swan dan Ronnie Berucap

Dalam ucapan itu Dr Hatta berkata, rakyat terpaksa menanggung kenaikan harga minyak dan terkini diikuti pula dengan kenaikan tarif elektrik. Kata beliau, apabila harga minyak naik semua harga barang-barang ikut naik dan ini telah menjejaskan kehidupan rakyat terutama mereka yang bergaji kecil apatah lagi mereka yang tidak bergaji.

“Harga minyak dunia naik sepatutnya rakyat memperolehi keuntungan dan tidak munasabah rakyat yang terpaksa menanggung,” katanya.

Ketika Dr Hatta berucap, helikopter berpusing di atas kawasan perhimpunan sebanyak tiga kali dan serendah lima kaki. Beliau terpaksa menghentikan ucapan kerana ketika itu akibat angin bertiup kencang menyebabkan daun-daun kering berterbangan dan suasana bising.

Laungan `hidup-hidup, hidup rakyat, jatuh-jatuh harga minyak, turun-turun harga minyak, Pak Lah-pak Lah turun, Najib-Najib turun’. Laungan itu berterusan sehingga helikopter beredar daripada kawasan tersebut.

Wakil Dema, Lim Sok Swan turut mendesak rejim BN menurunkan harga minyak dan tarif elektirk. Ronnie menyatakan penghargaannya terhadap sokongan yang diberikan kepada pembangkang dalam pilihanraya negeri Sarawak baru-baru ini.

Ketika Ronnie sedang meberi ucapan, tiba-tiba pengganas- pengganas FRU yang sudahpun lama bersedia di tepi mula memberi amaran kepada semua supaya bersurai.

Orang ramai terus mengamalkan hak mereka untuk berdemonstrasi seperti termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan, dan lima minit kemudiannya, tembakan meriam air dilepaskan ke arah mereka.

Walaupun basah kuyup sepenuhnya, sebahagian besar orang ramai masih enggan berganjak dari situ, dan sejurus kemudian, anggota pengganas berpakaian awam masuk membuat tangkapan.

Sewaktu orang ramai beredar untuk mengelak terkena tembakan meriam air itu, pengganas FRU menyerbu ke arah mereka, menyebabkan ramai, termasuk wanita dan kanak-kanak bertempiran lari mencari perlindungan.

Dari klip video Dema yang dipaparkan di Merdeka Review, ramai pemuda terus dipukul kuat sekali dengan cota oleh FRU sungguhpun kumpulan pemuda itu suda setuju untuk beredar dan menjerit “Jalan, jalan…”, sehingga ada yang dipukul sampai jatuh dan terbaring di lantai.

Bagi rakyat Malaysia, senario sebegini lazimnya hanya ditonton di kaca TV dalam berita warga Palestine berhadapan dengan IDF Israel.

Amran dan Zahid Menjadi Mangsa Pengganas

Menurut laporan Malaysiakini, para saksi ternampak pengganas FRU bertindak ganas terhadap mereka yang menyertai bantahan tersebut, termasuk terhadap Timbalan Setiausaha Agung, Zahir Hassan, yang disepak terajang berulangkali termasuk sekurang-kurangnya 2 kali di bahagian belakang dan sekali di bahagian perut ketika tertiarap di atas jalan.

Zahir sedang beredar dari tempat bantahan tersebut bersama dua orang anak perempuannya apabila dia ditolak berkali-kali dari belakang oleh seorang pegawai FRU dengan perisainya.

Pengganas FRU berkenaan kemudiannya cuba menyentuh dan menolak dua orang anak perempuan Zahir yang kedua-dua berusia dalam linkungan 20-an. Zahir cuba melindungi anak-anaknya itu daripada pengganas berkenaan.

Sebaliknya, Zahir dibelasah oleh beberapa pengganas FRU. Dia ditolak ke lantai, dipukul dengan cota dan sekurang-kurang disepak sebanyak tiga kali,menyebabkan kedua-dua anaknya itu menjerit dan menangis secara histerikal.

Dalam kejadian tersebut, beberapa orang anggota FRU menarik Zahir keluar daripada kepungan isteri, anak dan peserta protes lain. Dua orang FRU memapah Zahir untuk terus ditahan.

Menurut Ketua Penerangan, Tian Chua, Zahir telah dihantar ke hospital untuk berubat dan mengambil gambar X-ray sebelum dihantar ke Penjara Pudu.

Dalam satu lagi pertengkaran, penunjuk perasaan Amran Zulkifli yang berusia 38 tahun dikerumuni 10 anggota FRU.

Beliau memegang seorang pegawai polis untuk melindungi dirinya daripada pukulan, termasuk satu hentakan daripada pelancar gas pemedih mata.

Kesan darah juga dapat kelihatan bertaburan di pintu masuk Suria KLCC di mana beliau dibelasah pengganas FRU.

Amran yang berusia 38 tahun mengadu kepada wartawan, “Ini bukan pukul, nak kasi mati!” memandangkan pengganas terus membelasah beliau dengan memupul terus di bahagian kepala.

Seorang pegawai polis yang bernama Yusuf pula mendakwa, daripada 500 orang yang berhimpun, cuma seorang sahaja yang dizalimi, itu kebetulan terkena sahaja.

Anak perempuan Nashita, wakil Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI), juga menangis dengan kuat sekali kerana menyaksikan kekejaman pengganas rejim BN.

Ketika ditanya wartawan mengapa polis mengganas, ACP Pasha mendakwa anggotanya terpaksa bertindak demikian untuk mempertahankan diri kerana kononnya para penunjuk perasaan melawan balik untuk elakkan ditahan.

Orang ramai pula menyindir pengganas dengan laungan “Anjing” dan “Masuk kandang” apabila pengganas FRU balik kandang selepas menzalimi rakyat.

Dibebaskan Akhirnya

Beratusan protester berhimpun di luar Penjara Pudu untuk menunjukkan sokongan. Para ppemandu yang lalu bunyikan hon untuk menunjukkan solidariti. Bantuan undang-undang oleh para peguam dinafikan oleh pihak polis.

Menurut Merdeka Review, Ronnie Liu menjadi tahanan pertama yang dibebaskan. Semua tahanan akhirnya dibebaskan pada pukul 3:30 petang, menurut Harakahdaily, dan lebih kurang pukul 4 petang, menurut Malaysiakini.

Ketua Penerangan, Tian Chua pula berkata, bahawa PM Encik Nice Guy Badawi ini langsung tiada bezanya daripada Tun, memandangkan polis masih diperalatkan untuk menzalimi penunjuk perasaan yang berdemonstrasi secara aman.

Naib Presiden Pas, Mohd Sabu berkata, daripada sebuah demokrasi, negara kita sedang berubah menjadi sebuah kediktatoran.

“Syarikat yang hutang TNB berbilion ringgit tidak dikenakan tindakan, rakyat biasa seperti kita pula dihukum untuk membayar tarif elektrik berlebihan. Menurut penyelidikan Kongres Kesatuan Pekerja Se-Malaysia (MTUC), perbelanjaan makan di kawasan bandar adalah sekurang-kurangnya RM 14 sehari. Mereka yang mendapat kurang daripada RM 1000 semakin susah nak terus hidup di Kuala Lumpur!”

AJK Pas Pusat, Mahfuz Omar berkata, kerajaan yang gagal menguruskan kewangan bukan sahaja tidak menurunkan harga apabila ditentang rakyat, malah membelasah rakyat dengan zalim, dan ini mencerminkan keangkuhan BN.

“Kalau scenic bridge boleh dihentikan selepas bantahan rakyat, kenapa tidak harga minyak? Kerajaan memang dah jangka rakyat akan memprotes, itulah sebabnya kenaikan tarif elektrik diumumkan hanya selepas Pilihanraya DUN Sarawak!”

Menurut blogger Shagadelica, senarai para tahanan adalah seperti berikut:

1. Zahir Hassan, Timbalan Setiausaha Agung
2. Cikgu Badrul Hisham Shaharin, Timb Ketua Penerangan Angkatan Muda
3. Kak Nora, aktivis Reformasi
4. Ronnie Liu, Ketua Perhubungan NGO DAP
5. Salahuddin Ayub, MP Kubang Kerian
6. Dr. Wardah Abdullah, AJK Lajnah Pengguna Pas Pusat
7. Zulkifli Nordin, peguam
8. Yap Weng Keong
9. Lokman Redzuan
10. Rakhima Hamid
11. Ahmad Shakir
12. Azahari Kadir
13. Fauzi Ibrahim
14. Abu Said
15. Md Nadir
16. Mohd Shafil
17. Khairul Anwar
18. Mohd Razduan
19. Shamsul Hashim
20. Zainal Abidin Napi

Sumber Rujukan:

1. KeadilanRakyat: Kenaikan Minyak: Malaysians Hit The Street, FRU Hit Malaysians
2. Malaysiakini: Brutal End to Fuel Hike Demo
3. Harakahdaily: Protes harga minyak: FRU, polis belasah peserta perhimpunan
4. Merdeka Review: 镇暴队警棒直往集会者头部打 528双峰塔和平集会血迹斑斑
5. Shagadelica: Pak Lah’s response to 3-month Fuel Hike Anniversary

Galeri Foto:

1. Malaysiakini Gallery: Bloody Sunday
2. anak’s Fotopages: Protes Harga Minyak Naik di KLCC

Video:

1. DJ Novin: Video Demo Minyak 28/05/06
2. Merdeka Review: FRU Mengganas 镇暴队暴力殴打人群 (courtesy of Dema)
3. Asia 427: Anime Wawancara bersama Swee Seng (Suaram), Hong Siang (Merdeka Review) etc

Photo copyright: Malaysiakini

Pas, Keadilan, DAP and PSM together with Non-Governmental Organizations will hold a big scale demonstration and protest against the recent extraordinary fuel hike, as well as the impending electricity tariff hike effective 1 June, at 10am, 28 May 2006, KLCC (facing Jalan Ampang).

All are welcome. Let’s exercise our freedom of assembly as guaranteed by UN UDHR and Federal Constitution to speak up against injustice and mismanagement of the country by the Barisan Nasional (BN) regime.

Queen-controlled DPM Datuk Seri Najib tells us to change our lifestyle, let’s tell them, we want Regime Change!

For more info, please visit Fuel Hike Protest blog by Dr. Hatta Ramli, and don’t forget to download Fuel Hike issue leaflet (pdf, 3 MB).

To see more photos of the previous fuel hike protest on 6 March 2006:

I really love this song, 李彩樺的我愛雨天。 It recharges my tired self, day in day out. I feel energitic after listening to it. Those who wish to grab the Music Video please contact Menjadi-jadi.

Today, new development takes place. Minister of Homely Affairs, Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, who happens to be also Umno Secretary-General, announced that the issue would be brought up to Umno Supreme Council meeting in June.

According to him, the excuse for him to exercise his discretionary power in banning the movie, which was approved by Censorship Board and Special Branch, was “Umno members’ sentiment during Umno’s 60th anniversary in the month of May“.

For the record, Umno Baru recently celebrated 60th birthday of Umno Lama on 11 May 2006, eventhough it has been declared unlawful by Justice Harun Hashim on 4 February, 1988.

Datuk Seri Radzi also told the press that the public sentiment around National Day, 31 August, also need to be considered.

We definately welcome this new development. We just wish to alert Umno Supreme Councillors of the public sentiment on the following 12 dates,

20 Jan 1874: Signing of Pangkor Treaty, resulting in foreign intervention;
23 Feb 1950: Commies attack on Bukit Kepong police station;
10 Mar 1909: Signing of Anglo-Siamese Treaty, Patani Darussalam fell to Thailand;
01 Apr 1946: Formation of Malayan Union;
11 May 1948: Umno was established;
16 Jun 1948: Commies killed 3 Britons in Sungai Siput, triggering Emergency;
31 July: Hari Pahlawan, King pays tribute to the dead faded in National Monument;
24 Aug 1511: Downfall of Malacca into the hands of Portugese;
16 Sep 1963: Malaysia Day;
22 Oct 1924: LKT the man Chin Peng’s birthday;
26 Nov 1939: The nation celebrates PM Badawi’s birthday;
02 Dec 1989: Signing of Haadyai Peace Accord between KL, Bangkok and Commies.

You get the joke ? Fadlyn and Atok got it, while smart ass Menj need more tutorials on how to crack it.

The Malaysian blogging public reacted passionately on this. Menjadi-jadi, now under fire, decided against my good advice to block Malaysian visitors’ access to his blog. To show solidarity to my fellow countrymen, I decided to self-impose a ban on visiting Menjadi-jadi’s blog, eventhough my Internet Protocol (IP) was not among the range he banned.

I hate to let this Menjadi-jadi dude occupy too much of my space. Yet, I need to discuss it slightly, from the perspective of equality among all religions, as well as the attitude of some extremists.

Mahaguru58, financier of Menjadi-jadi’s nonsensical hate sites, commented so,

Apologise he will not for to him it was all a game. If Malaysian blogging community weren’t up to his standards, well they are just too lame.

So MENJ has decided ; ‘Enough of this BS! I won’t succumb to such pain. Apologising for nothing is just in vain.

So they sincerely believe it was just a satire or a game, and those who didn’t go so low to his standard were all just too lame.

First of all, let me state that I strongly oppose to any intervention by law enforcers. However, honestly, would any Malaysian in his / her sound mind think that, had a Christian blogger called for destruction of Islam in a satire, our Muslim brothers would accept it as a game, and let this kafir go unharm? Or you were criticized by zealous bigots for something totally legal while exercising your civil liberty, so you decide to call their nonsense BS? Chances are, you will find yourself in the toilet newspaper headline, be greeted by police officials and religious officials, if not suicide bombers.

These extremists (I don’t mean you if you are not one) hold the exclusive right to ridicule the rest at will, as it’s part and parcel of their freedom of expression. On the contrary, if you emulate them and let them have a taste of their own medicine, you insult God, you are a a trouble maker who stirs the hornets’ nest and a threat to national security.

The only satirical part, if any, is that the satire has claimed that Christianity is a blind faith, while Islam is a faith of logic and rationality. Isn’t it simply ridiculous? While not denying that Islam could have been a faith of logic and rationality, the current dominant interpretation reinforces our belief that only the opposite makes sense.

p/s: I am sorry I didn’t feel like linking any of the concerned party or related graphic eventhough it seems to be against common journalism ethics.

p/s2:Menjadi-jadi claimed that I was too harsh in this entry. I didn’t mean to, really. I have exercised a lot of self-restraint and toned down very much. To his credit, he apologised finally. Let’s then put the issue to rest, thank you very much.

Peace be with you and Good day.

A workshop on blogging, “Blogging as a means for political communication“, organized by Frederick Naumann Stiftung Foundation, will be held on Sunday June 11th, 2006, from 7pm - 9pm in Hotel Micasa, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

Famous bloggers Nizam Zakaria & Jeff Ooi will be the resource persons in the workshop, which moderator will come from Frederick Naumann Stiftung Foundation. The workshop will be conducted in English.

Those who wish to find out more, and those who are interested please RSVP via email to … Places are limited, please register as soon as possible. The workshop is free-of-charge. All are welcome.

As of now, DJ Novin from Ipoh is the first registered participant.

All the opposition wards fall within urban limits. As Advisor of Sarawak Solidarity Front (BBS), former Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Daniel Tajem pointed out, it is indeed ironic that, those who benefitted the most under BN’s “Politic of Development” rejected BN the strongest, while areas that have never gained anything under BN’s “Politics of Development” instead voted favorably for it.

~ Full story to follow ~

Keadilan = Pas = Islamic State ? Nonsense…

Photo credit: blogger mataKuching ~ Thank you very much !

Keadilan, Sarawak National Party (SNAP) and Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC) have formed a Sarawak Solidarity Front (BBS). Thanks to an election pact, BBS components and DAP will not fight against each other, as disclosed by Wan Zainal, Keadilan Sarawak Liaison Chief in a press conference that I’ve attended, on Dec 23, 2005 in Hotel Istana, KL, on the sideline of 2nd Keadilan National Congress.

Meanwhile, Pas is also given a seat to contest in Beting Maro, and surely we must thank them for saving Keadilan from one more defeat. Maybe we don’t need to go that far, but a blogger just told me, “Hope they hilang deposit!”

So what’s the focus for this election? When we asked ourselves the same question prior to Pengkalan Pasir by-election last year, I knew what we want. We have to defend Malaysia’s only non-BN state government, which was a difficult challenge, given Pas’ mediocre track record, but we wanted to choose the lesser evil, and the keyword was “Democracy”. What about this time?

Sarawak politic is a battle without ideology. For ages we’ve seen BN legislators of different camps, usually divided along ethnic lines, fighting against each other for larger share of cake, in the forms of government construction contract or logging consessions, among others. The Ming Court Power Struggle Affair had nothing to do with democracy, mind you.

One case in point is the construction of a new State Legislative Assembly in Petrajaya. Let’s quote from The Edge Daily’s news, Bina Puri secures RM230m S’wak state assembly complex job directly,

Bina Puri Holdings Bhd is believed to have clinched a RM230 million sub-contract for the construction of the proposed Sarawak state assembly complex in Petra Jaya, Kuching.

The main contract of RM296.50 million had been awarded to Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd’s (CMS) 51% subsidiary PPES Works (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd and its joint-venture (JV) partner Naim Cendera Holdings Bhd.

Development is BN’s selling point. Every time I pass by the winding Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP) with sharp curve every 500 metre, or the unintegrated Masjid Jamek LRT stations with one elevated and another underground, the numerous empty and abandoned new primary schools, or read in paper about the new home for virus - Hospital Sultan Ismail in Johor Bahru, or news about aborigines displaced for construction of dams yet our tap water is still brownish, I wonder, if these are the type of development we need.

To show how “politics of development” works, let’s illustrate the case facing Kampung Pinang Jawa Ujung. Located in the heart of metro Kuching, it is still deprived of water supply, even the pipes were all ready. What the government wants is simple, return the corrupt regime to power, else you will continue to live without water. Is this the kind of government that we wish to have in a free and fair society ?

Native Customs Rights (NCR) Land is another focal point. The land belonged to natives, where they can sustain their living by farming, hunting or logging. However, in the name of development, the government set up joint ventures comprising the natives and crony companies for plantation, in which the natives are often denied the already low profit of 30%. Why would anyone need this kind of development, unless you are the crony ?

Why in a state with rich oil and gas deposit, there are still many wide rivers only crossable with old and dangerous ferries ? George Chan Hong Nam the Deputy Chief Minister claimed that it was Anwar who rejected the request for an increment in oil royalty, so I supposed, after Anwar the stumbling block was sacked from government, everything becomes much rosier ?

We have been talking about bread and butter issues and haven’t got into human rights and democracy yet, but I guess it’s already sufficient to distinguish the evils from the rest. I am not sure if banking on seasoned politicians is the way forward though, but surely they are better than this Tunku’s contemporary who overstayed his welcome and ran the state as his own fiefdom and his cronies. To dismantle the network of patronage and corruption, regime change is the only way. And I believe this is exactly the sentiment that is boiling on the ground.

Let’s hope the voters will make a bright decision come this May 20th, 2006. Feel free to visit Keadilan’s dedicated Sarawak website for more stories. Salam Reformasi!

Reference

Sarawak milik Taib, keluarga dan rakan-rakan

Sarawak Native Customary Land Rights Network (TAHABAS) Press Statement

The ‘Politics of Development’: To Deprive Kuchingites of Water 国阵“发展政治”之下，古晋巧妇难为无水之炊

Salahkan Anwar, George Chan Pengecut 李文材医生：怪罪安华，陈康南乃懦夫也