Trengganu MB crisis: Follow the money trail

 Posted by on 24 March 2008  31 Responses »
Mar 242008
 

I spent a couple of years in Trengganu when I was a kid. I have fond memories of a tranquil and rustic state, wonderful childhood neighbours – whom I have recently been reacquainted with after all these years – and family picnics at Pantai Chendering. So the high stakes battle in Trengganu over the choice of Mentri Besar is of special interest to me. While much has been said about the constitutional position, there is more to it than just the letter and spirit of the law. There is more to it than that – and it is essential that we consider this dimension in any discussion of the political situation in Trengganu. Follow the money trail. One of the key issues, I believe, is how the Petronas oil royalties due to the state amounting to some RM1 billion annually should be spent – for the benefit of the people [Read more]

Why did they put Jesus to death?

 Posted by on 21 March 2008  16 Responses »
Mar 212008
 

Good Friday service at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Penang Christians believe Good Friday is the day Jesus was crucified and died for our sins. But that doesn’t answer the question – if he was a good man, even a prophet or claiming to be divine, preaching love, compassion and forgiveness, why did the authorities at that time put him to death – and that too, not any kind of death, but the harshest punishment possible under the Roman Empire: scourged, stripped naked and nailed to a cross in a public space as an example to everyone. Crucifixion was reserved for those who rebelled against the Roman Empire or for slaves who defied their masters. Both were considered a serious threat to public order. Jesus’ passion for the kingdom of God that would raise up the oppressed and the downtrodden inevitably brought him on a collision course with [Read more]

What now after NEP?

 Posted by on 19 March 2008  11 Responses »
Mar 192008
 

If the NEP goes, what will replace it? The Malaysian Economic Agenda? Unlike the NEP, the MEA calls for providing assistance to all those who need it, irrespective of ethnicity. Fine, but PKR, DAP and Pas leaders must realise that the people voted for more subsidies and greater government social spending. This is what they were promised. They did not vote for “free market”, “business friendly” policies. Neither did they opt for neoliberal policies (privatisation, corporatisation and policies favouring the corporate elite), which have actually widened the gap between the rich and the poor. Voting for greater democracy does not mean support for “free-market” policies. Actually, what we often have in Malaysia is a situation, as economist Charles Santiago puts it, “where you had subsidies for the rich and a free market economy for the poor. While you subsidise the rich on one side, the debt of the country is [Read more]

Jubilation in Sungai Siput as Samy rides into the sunset

 Posted by on 9 March 2008  27 Responses »
Mar 092008
 

Photo credit: PSM Operations Room, Sungai Siput [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45dZZdOV_W8&rel=0] So Jeyakumar Devaraj of Parti Sosialis Malaysia has finally triumphed over S Samy Vellu. When I spoke to him early this morning, he sounded tired but happy. It had been a long, long struggle – more than nine years. “I think the victory was largely due to the nationwide swing to the opposition,” he said, modestly. I told him that that alone would not have been enough to unseat Samy Vellu, who once famously defeated the DAP titan P Patto in an epic battle. “It was your dedication, commitment to the cause and perseverance on behalf of the people over the years that saw you through,” I said. “I think that shone through, making it impossible for the people of Sg Siput to ignore you. “Plus you had an incredible team of supporters who gave their all in campaigning for you.” He [Read more]

Roses for PM day – updates

 Posted by on 16 February 2008  5 Responses »
Feb 162008
 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMUy8BQveEg&rel=1] It looks like it is going to be another eventful day. Before going further, check out Subramaniam Pillay’s piece Hindraf rally: A plea of the dispossessed? on the reasons for the emergence of Hindraf and Makkal Sakthi. 9.02am – Receive a phone call informing me that a group of people from Penang heading to KL has been stopped at Selayang and armed police have taken away their ICs. The group apparently has been detained since 3.00am. All the stuff they brought – T-shirts, badges – have been confiscated. They were asked to give statements. Police took down their personal particulars. 10.05am – Massive jam around Dataran Merdeka. A group of Indian Malaysians are displaying a banner “No to ISA”. Tear gas has been used and traffic is being diverted. 10.12am – About 100 demonstrators including those detained at Selayang have been brought to Pulapol in Jalan Semarak, KL. Those [Read more]

Makkal Sakthi drama at Penang CM’s office

 Posted by on 12 February 2008  24 Responses »
Feb 122008
 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nD0T-N9CTI&rel=1] Some 300 Indian Malaysians from the Makkal Sakthi (“People Power”) movement, many of them clad in their trademark orange, gathered at Komtar this morning in an attempt to meet Penang Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon at his office. With them was five-year-old Vwaishnavi Waythamoorthy, the only daughter of one of the five detained Hindraf leaders, who brought along roses and a memorandum for Koh. The memo was to seek Koh’s intervention to ensure the safety of the crowd – that the police would not take action against them – at the planned gathering at Parliament on 16 February. The group intends to hand over “Valentine’s Day” roses to the Prime Minister and to seek the release of the Hindraf Five. Apparently, the group chose to see Koh because he is the “only non-bumi chief minister” in Malaysia. I feel Makkal Sakthi should not look at the world solely through [Read more]

Makkal Sakthi fever hits Penang

 Posted by on 26 January 2008  5 Responses »
Jan 262008
 

“Makkal Sakthi (People Power)!” thundered speaker after speaker. “Valga (Long live)!” roared back the crowd. I thought I would check out the atmosphere at the DAP ceramah at the Penang Chinese Town Hall in George Town tonight to gauge the mood among voters. The theme: “Bebaskan Hindraf 5 (Free the Hindraf Five).” When I arrived at the hall at around 8.00pm, it was full. More people were arriving and soon they were spilling out of the hall, where two screens had been put up for those outside to watch the proceedings. The total turnout was around 3,000, including the few hundred outside the hall. This was not your typical DAP ceramah. I had covered ceramahs in Penang, including those held at the Chinese Town Hall, for some years – but this was unlike anything I had seen. Instead of an 80 per cent ethnic Chinese crowd, this time Indian Malaysians [Read more]

BN’s give-and-take policy

 Posted by on 6 January 2008  3 Responses »
Jan 062008
 

Seems to me the BN has mastered the art of “give and take” in administering the nation. Give: Letter officially approving the new publication permit of The Herald Catholic Weekly – without any condition, allowing it to publish in all languages. (Hooray!) Take: Cabinet decision to bar The Herald from using the word “Allah”. (Alas, the earlier unconditional approval letter was too good to be true. So much for good sense prevailing; I should have known better.) Imagine, the Cabinet is now dictating to the people what name they should use to refer to the Almighty. That name has now become a source of division. How sad that they want to divide people of the Abrahamic faiths over the term used for the Almighty! The Herald’s rationale for its usage of the word “Allah” in its Malay-language section was based on a point of language, but the Cabinet appears to [Read more]

2,000 gather in Penang to call for release of Hindraf Five

 Posted by on 2 January 2008  1 Response »
Jan 022008
 

Some 2,000 Indian Malaysians gathered at the Waterfall Temple in Penang on New Year’s Day to pray and call for the release of the five Hindraf leaders held under the ISA. A barber was in attendance at the temple premises to shave the heads of about 50 people, including one woman, who decided to go bald to emphasise their call for the release of the Hindraf Five. One of those present told me that about 200 devotees carried paal kodum (milk pots), again as a sign of solidarity with the detained leaders. A group of them later carried a banner with the words “PUBLIC NEED the TRUTH ANSWER direct from our beloved king. Release or charge the five ISA Detained Lawyers!” Those present vowed that they would not give up until a solution was found. My source tells me that similiar gatherings and prayers were also held in other temples [Read more]

Herald permit: Divide-and-rule rears its ugly head?

 Posted by on 24 December 2007  7 Responses »
Dec 242007
 

Publication permit in doubt: The Herald has provided prominent coverage of recent demonstrations and other human rights issues even as the mainstream media abdicate their responsibility Four years ago, Christian Malaysians were overjoyed when Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi sent Christmas greetings to their various churches and congregations. It was an astute gesture that touched many Christians, and many of them voted in droves for the BN in the 2004 general election. How times have changed. Now, as we observe Christmas 2007, the mood in many churches is decidedly sombre. The Catholic Church has not yet received its new publication permit for its weekly Herald newspaper for the coming year, ostensibly because of its use of the term “Allah” to refer to God in its Malay-language section. As a columnist for The Herald, I am deeply disappointed. The Herald’s use of the term “Allah” is nothing new; it has been using [Read more]

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