Dramatic scenes from Independence Square this morning brought to us by Media Rakyat:
Parliament deferred again…
This is unbelievable that Parliament once again has to be deferred. If this goes on, how long more can we call ourselves a parliamentary democracy while keeping a straight face?
Aliran has responded to this. Check out the statement.
#Lawan protest in KL calls for PM’s resignation
Youth activists in Kuala Lumpur are protesting this morning calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Mahiaddin Yasin. Watch the video here.
The shocking lie that could seal the fate of the Mahiaddin administration
A dramatic day for the nation … and it continues. Aliran has just released a statement:
The Agong has never to our recollection so openly rebuked the government of the day.
The whole nation now knows the government misled Parliament and the people on 26 July, when de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan told the House that six emergency ordinances had been revoked on 21 July.
The palace now says the Agong was not consulted before Takiyuddin’s announcement in Parliament.
Aliran is appalled at this shocking turn of events. It means the so-called ‘revocation’ was made without going through the proper procedure stipulated in the Federal Constitution. Full statement on Aliran website
What do you all think?
Alena Murang’s Warrior Spirit showcases Malaysia’s rich cultural heritage
Amidst the doom and gloomily, we have this … a world-class performance by the Borneo-born Kuala Lumpur-based Alena Murang, who also plays the sape, and her team.
A Nelayan Story in Penang Hokkien
This is a video by independent filmmaker Andrew Ng. Subtitles in Malay and English are available.
He also came out with video critique (below) of the promotion of the three islands project to be created under Penang South Islands (PSI) or Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project.
Critics say the acronym should more appropriately be known as Penang South Islands Reclamation or PaSIR (sand – as in sand mining or pouring sand in the fishermen’s rice bowls).
And here’s a bonus video:
Never again should Parliament be suspended!
Dramatic scenes in Parliament today, and Aliran has just issued a response:
Aliran is appalled to learn that the government surreptitiously revoked all six emergency ordinances ahead of the reconvening of the long-suspended Parliament.
The government claims it revoked the ordinances on 21 July. This was apparently done by stealth as there was reportedly nothing in the government gazette at 1pm today to show the ordinances had been revoked.
This revocation appears aimed at pre-empting the requirement under Article 150(3) of the Federal Constitution for the proclamation of emergency and the ordinances to be tabled before the Houses of Parliament for a debate. The government was probably not confident it had enough support to pass the resolutions on them.
The backdoor revocation of the emergency ordinances before they could be tabled in Parliament also suggests that the government is afraid of an examination of its record during emergency rule. Clearly, it has failed in managing the Covid crisis, which has spun out of control during the period Parliament was suspended from 12 January. Full statement on Aliran website
And Mahiaddin just disappears from Parliament soon after. Read this.
What do you make of today’s events? One thing we must all be vigilant about is that we must never allow our parliamentary democracy to be hijacked by vested interests, including lobby groups and corporate interests.
Oi, you think we don’t know?
A silver lining to the grim impact of the ‘full’ and partial lockdowns is the emergence of new, youthful talents almost every day. This emergence of fresh voices – at a time when the entire system has been shaken to its core – gives me much hope for a more vibrant, inclusive nation.
Interfaith effort to help overstretched hospitals
Earlier today, a good friend of mine texted me: “Really very sad to see the situation in hospitals … It’s seriously scary!!! I cry for my country.”
‘Now they are stealing ikan kembung’
Another reason why we should not carry out the Penang South Reclamation.