Poloma?

No poli-talk in this post.

grade A 'poloma'

Just a quick query on a Malayan (sorry, not Malaysian) colloquialism, to wit, the word or term 'poloma'.

It could be 'polo-mah' too, but I hope you get the gist of how it sounds, first two syllables like the elite horseback-ball game of 'polo' followed by 'ma', rather than how it would be written - probably I'm the first to put the word into print.

It was a popular (oral) term with people of my father's generation, hmmm, perhaps those in the late 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's.

I am no sure whether it was derived from the Malay language or Indian? I'm sure it doesn't sound anywhere near Chinese, but I have to confess I don't know.

But I recall my late dad, uncles and their mates used that word 'poloma' to mean what we today would say 'bullshit', ie. bullshit as in 'chong', though chong carries a more ulterior meaning, ie. to lie or bullshit with the intention of cheating.

'Poloma' is more innocent where the bullshitting might not have an intention to deceive but more to just boast (show off; gain attention), or lie for the sake of lying, or in more polite terms 'let go' (the bullshit, that is - wakakaka).

For example, in blogging, I might be moved to say "looes74 pandai 'poloma'" or "for god's sake, your god that is, wakakaka, don't 'poloma' lah", wakakaka.

looes has that effect on people

wakakaka

After my dad passed away, I heard mention of the word in KL by one of my teachers, an elderly Chinese man who admonished one of my colleagues not to 'poloma' (bullshit).

Thus it was not a colloquialism confined to only Penang but more likely throughout Malaya and probably Singapore as well - I have no idea whether it was used in Sabah and Sarawak.

However, the word was not confined to use by Chinese only as it was (in my dad's days) used by his Malay and Mamak friends. And yes, it can be used in the English, Malay and Chinese languages, though I am clueless as to its employment in Tamil, wakakaka.

Can anyone throw some light on its etymology?

Are we past PAS?

Malaysiakini - 'Decrease in non-Muslim support for PAS worrying'

INTERVIEW PAS has admitted that the decrease in support of non-Muslims for the Islamist party was “worrying”.

PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kaiat also admitted that something should be done to rectify this.

Suhaizan, in an interview with Malaysiakini, was responding to the decreased support by non-Muslims for the party since the last general election.

“Yes, we admit there is a slight decrease, and this has become a challenge for us.

“We received high support from the non-Muslims in the last general election. Maybe several misunderstandings have occurred since then.”

Huh? Maybe several misunderstandings have occurred ...?

Wow, where has this guy been?

The other big issue is that we must ask, nay, examine carefully is the compatibility of PAS with the democracy we desired.

In my previous post Party presidents I had written:

But far far more importantly for us, the subtext you should be looking at in Tuan Ibrahim's rejection of his nomination for PAS party presidential election is that PAS ulama don't like nor will countenance democratic process as we know it. Mind you, not that we aren't aware of such thoughts, having already witnessed what's happening in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Taliban-Afghanistan (the real or de facto mindset of Afghanistan).

Thus if you vote PAS, that's what you'll be voting for.

Party presidents

PAS Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has rejected the nomination by PAS Kota Baru for him to contest Pak Haji Hadi Awang for the party presidential post. He has been reported by the Malay Mail Online as saying:

"My nomination to contest Hadi as president is a shock that does not help the party’s integrity. In PAS’ history, the post of president has never been contested, especially in the era of ‘ulama leadership’.”

“I worry we are giving a bad signal to the public outside. Although it was to fulfil the requirement under democracy, the position of syura is more noble than democracy.”

“If syura is the best way, then it is appropriate that the leadership of the party is solved through syura.”

The Malay Mail Online added: Literally meaning “consultation”, “syura” refers to the Islamic political concept of administration by consultation of a council of leaders, which PAS also practises through its advisory Syura Council.

South-East Asians in the Nusantara, especially among those untouched or uninfluenced by that newfangled idea called Westminster or even general Western-styled democracy, don't like open debates or policy challenges because of two factors, namely, 'face' (the horror and fear of losing same) and seeming insolence (biadap) from a 'younger' person.

Thus the Indons, an even far more class conscious people than Malaysians, with still a vivid recollection of their proud Srivijaya & Majapahit heritage, emphasize on permusyawaratan or deliberation, presumably and especially among community elders.

The Indons even include this social-cultural imperative in their national ideology, Pancasila (title borrowed from the Buddhist 5-Precepts, and which in turn our Rukunnegara was based on, that is, on the Indon and not Buddhist Pancasila, wakakaka) where in its 4th Sila (Rukun), they wrote:

Kerakyatan Yang Dipimpin oleh Hikmat Kebijaksanaan, Dalam Permusyawaratan dan Perwakilan

[Democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations amongst representatives]

Note in particular the word 'unanimity' which implies they (the Indons) don't like open face-losing biadap-ish debate with robust exchanges like the ones in the barbaric West wakakaka. And I presume their 'deliberations amongst representatives' would (in the minds of the pioneering conceptualizers) be behind closed doors, wakakaka.

Aisehman, been chooi mah (face, wakakaka)!

But then Tuan Ibrahim spoiled all of his ('more noble than democracy') syura by concluding his declaration with a “I say thank you for the trust given. But I reject the nomination and urge all other divisions to continue supporting Hadi’s leadership as party president.”

So much for syura, when he has unreservedly deferred to Pak Haji, wakakaka.

But far far more importantly for us, the subtext you should be looking at in Tuan Ibrahim's rejection of his nomination for PAS party presidential election is that PAS ulama don't like nor will countenance democratic process as we know it. Mind you, not that we aren't aware of such thoughts, having already witnessed what's happening in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Taliban-Afghanistan (the real or de facto mindset of Afghanistan).

Thus if you vote PAS, that's what you'll be voting for.

UMNO
Let's take a peep (wakakaka) into UMNO party elections, from which had once led to near irreconcilable splits going the way King Solomon's United Monarchy of Israel finally went, splitting into two separate and mutually hostile nations, namely, the more robust and people's oriented northern kingdom of Israel (of 10 tribes) led by Jeroboam, and the ketuanan southern kingdom of Judah (of 2 tribes*) led by the draconian son of Solomon, Rehoboam.

* according to the bible, written of course by the descendants of the House of Judah, wakakaka, the tribe of Benjamin was with the tribe of Judah in the southern kingdom, a lop-sided union but which sounds so bloody implausible because no Israeli tribe hated the tribe of Judah more than the Benjaminites.

The latter were almost decimated by the Judeans (like Semangat 46 was, politically that was, wakakaka) in a vicious venomous vindictive genocide after David murdered the entire family of Saul following his seizure of the throne.

The near genocidal massacre of the tribe of Benjamin was a la the Chinese 斩草不除根，春风吹又生 (pinyin: zhǎn cǎo bù chú gēn, chūn fēng chuī yòu shēng) to ensure David won't be haunted by subsequent Benjaminite claim to the Israeli throne.

With such a poisonous and bitter relationship between the two tribes, it was more likely those Benjaminites were captives, slaves of or hostages to the tribe of Judah when Solomon's Kingdom split.

Well, there was that infamous coup d'état by Razak against his senior, mentor, partner, supposedly friend and party president Tunku, with all the attendant stories of May 13 being a contrived plot to bring about the forced changeover of power, but alas, that won't fall within our topic of open challenges in party elections in a non-nusantara-ish musyawarat manner wakakaka.

I heard from elders that during Hussein Onn's party president days he was regularly challenged for the party presidential post by an UMNO bloke by the name of Palestine (my uncle isn't too sure about the moniker), though all was done with much humour. It was reported that Palestine said he only did so because he didn't like uncontested elections - if true, kudos to him.

On UMNO party presidential contest, of course there was that humongous one in 1987 which brought about the split of the United Israel UMNO Kingdom where Semangat 46 was then formed by Ku Li, a political entity that was short-lived (and reneged on kau kau by PAS, wakakaka), and which tutup kedai eight years later.

Since then there has been no open challenge for the presidential post though there have been mucho guerrilla activities which even brought down a party president (effectively the PM of Malaysia), wakakaka.

But will we be seeing another 1987 soon? Probably, if the guerrilla boss has his ways wakakaka. Hah, that famed Malay loyalty.

MIC & MCA

In the meanwhile, the MIC and MCA have had their regular aerodynamically-inclined party contests which at times allowed us to witness a unique Malaysian exhibition of flying furniture, wakakaka. Hmmm, I wonder if that explains why the MCA boss has always been appointed to be minister of transport? wakakaka.

Dare I say no one cares a fig for MIC in its current death throes. Whatever one may have to say about Samy Vellu, at least in his time he was completely in charge of the party. But if MIC obeys the instructions of RoS, it might just have a chance of being resuscitated if Dr Subramaniam is elected, notwithstanding the party's silly values about caste and whatnot - ain't it just moronic to believe anyone, a human being, could be born as a member of a higher or lower caste? Pordah!

Once the MCA's aerodynamic version wakakaka was so acrimonious and feral that saw the PM (Dr M), worried about the king-making (wakakaka) Chinese votes, proposed an UMNO man to temporarily head (not helm please, wakakaka) the Malaysian CHINESE Association, wakakaka, so as to stabilize the party wrecked by warring factions a la the 3 Kingdoms.

my reward for you, wakakaka

Memang Malaysia Boleh lor, wakakaka, which incidentally with thanks to Gaafar Baba, for one brief instant made the MCA multiracial, wakakaka. But today it's in a worse state than MIC, virtually a political zombie where one day its ministers may possibly be all from the Senate.

Gerakan

By the by, the Gerakan Party, born out of former MCA president Lim Chong Eu's collaboration with Prof Syed Hussein Alatas (head of Gerakan in its inception), Dr Tan Chee Khoon, Dr JBA Peter, V Veerappan and Prof Wang Gungwu was subsequently fortified by MCA's young Turks led by Dr Lim Keng Yaik who were all expelled by Tan Siew Sin in 1973 after Lim and his then-Erdogens (wakakaka) failed in their Reform Movement.

So, we can even argue that the political terms of Erdogens and refomasi wakakaka were respectively not PAS nor PKR originals, wakakaka. The MCA young Turks' versions were drastic (to Tan Siew Sin) and thus probably more genuine, resulting in them being expelled from their Mothership.

As a side note, the Gerakan Party in its inception just prior to the 1969 general elections was a party headed by intellectuals and socialists (workers), and was immensely popular with the rakyat.

I was informed that many middle and upper class Malays had then viewed the party very very favourably. It could have been the first non-UMNO party to form government but alas, Razak kow-tim-rized it effectively by luring the party into BN, where sadly the once-proud and powerful party degenerated into virtual bondage, like what the Benjaminites probably suffered under the Judeans, and the Judeans likewise in turn under the Babylonians.

I suppose an unflattering term for Gerakan in BN would be 'politically castrated kau kau', wakakaka, though to be fair to Lim KY, in his prime he was politically quite feisty.

Back to Gerakan, within a space of 7 years, the former MCA bloke, Lim KY, became the president of Gerakan. Many alleged that was when Gerakan, like the offspring of one of those long-fin swordtail fish wakakaka, reverted back to its original MCA characters.

Gerakan had quite a robust party election in 2005 when Kerk Choo Ting challenged Lim Keng Yaik for the party presidential post, losing by 963 to his 628 votes, a rough ration of a respectable 3:2.

Sadly, as with most Malaysian political parties, losers like Ku Li and Kerk didn't last long. In fact, on losing the party election, he was removed from his post as Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister. The loss for Gerakan was in a man who had very strong grassroot support.

DAP
DAP lost one of its most highly qualified and capable members in Richard Ho Ung Hun who had heroically won the Sitiawan seat in 1969 from Kam Woon Kah of MCA.

But when Razak's BN was formed in 1972 he hopped across to join MCA and became one of its rising stars. Not unlike Lim Keng Yaik, in 1982 a mere ten years after he joined MCA, he was elected as MCA's deputy president. Richard Ho had then teamed up with Michael Chen to contest the two top posts in MCA, but Michael lost to Lee San Choon.

It was said that Lee San Choon, the victorious party president, was suspicious and perhaps fearful of his new deputy, and probably on the instigation of his inner circle, dropped him from the MCA list of cabinet ministers. We witnessed this happening again in MCA in more recent times, didn't we?

In that following year, in 1983, Richard Ho, having seen the writing on the MCA wall, resigned from the party. His departure was said to have led to a long series of internecine warring in MCA which continues until today, wakakaka.

Now you may ask me why I have talked about Richard Ho under the DAP section of this post when he became a MCA stalwart?

We need to note Richard Ho was personally a highly qualified and very capable man and demonstrated these personal qualities and also his political ability by rising up like a meteor in MCA, I wonder what might have been if he didn't leave DAP?

Many have accused the DAP especially the DAP of today of its seeming dictatorship, but at the same time we are also witnessing the rise of a younger generational leadership, blokes like M Kulasegeran, Gobind Deo, Anthony Loke, Liew Chin Tong, Zairil Khir, and sweeties like Teo Nie Ching, and newcomers like Mohd Ariff Sabri (Sakmongkol AK47). Yes, there is of course Lim GE.

Karpal has left us suddenly and Lim KS isn't exactly a spring chook, so I wonder what or rather who's next?

You are welcome to add in more information about DAP leadership elections but please avoid bullshit propaganda or silly rants (or I won't publish those).

Re-Bugis Street-kan Georgetown, Penang?

Once Singapore demolished its famed or if you like, notorious Bugis Street. Then it realized that was a bad bad move, one which lost for the famed Lion City its soul.

But being the efficient Sing government it was (is?), it rebuilt Bugis Street, reclaiming a significant part of its colonial heritage.

Is Penang going down that way, following the same track as Sing had originally in demolishing its Bugis Street?

Khoo Salma Nasution, president of the Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) believes so - read FMT's Pakatan Rakyat govt making Penang ‘soulless’, specifically sweetie Khoo ........ citing evictions of residents in Lebuh Chulia, Lorong Chulia, Jalan Kuala Kangsar and the imminent Lorong Cheapside.

PHT said the evictions were taking their toll on the city’s intangible cultural heritage, with a number of artisans affected.

The George Town World Heritage Site: Population and Land Use Change Surveys commissioned by Think City showed a significant drop in the city’s residential population between 2009 and 2013, with the population decreasing by about 800 people to below 10,000.

“We are deeply concerned about the state of the rental market and tenants’ rights within the heritage site.”

“We believe the situation is untenable,” she said, adding, that George Town’s heritage was as much about its people, their daily lives and their livelihoods as it is about architecture.

What do you think?

Different gospels, different stories

(1) “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” - Mark 10:51 (NIV)

(2) His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” - John 9:2 (NIV)

Question: During the time of the Roman occupation of Judea, would it be possible for a rabbi not to be married?

Ask a Jew (descendant of the Judeans) and he'd tell you: "NO, it was NOT possible. And it's still NOT possible today. Rabbis had and have wives."

Ask a Christian and he might possibly tell you: "YES, a rabbi need not be married."

Ask a 2nd Christian and he might possibly say: "The meaning of 'rabbi' mentioned in the (New Testament) bible would have been different from the meaning for the rabbis of Judaism" suggesting Yehoshua ben Yosef (Jesus) was not a Judean subscribing to the religion of Judaism.

The 2nd Christian might even go into lengthy and sophisticated (and sometimes agonizing) explanations on why the biblical (New Testament) rabbi would be different from the Judaic rabbi ...

... in the same he/she might possibly explain why Ruth was not a Moabite, described by Jews and Christians as the bastard race ...

[Ruth was a Moabite who became the ancestress of King David, and thus also the ancestress of you-know-who]

... in the same way he/she is unlikely to accept that Judas Iscariot was the closest disciple of his master, as the recipient of secret revelations from his master because he alone of all the disciples understood his master's message of salvation, and the one who was instrumental in fulfilling his master's divine mission, and therefore to be honored (rather than condemned) for executing his part of the divine plan ...

... in the same way he/she is unlikely to accept the deliberately marginalized Gospels of Thomas, Mary and Judas ... 

... or the Gospel of Jesus' Wife (see below):

The English translation of the fragmentary lines above is, for the recto (front page):

line 1: ... not [to] me. My mother gave me life ...
line 2: ... The disciples said to Jesus, ...
line 3: ... deny. Mary is (not?) worthy of it. ...
line 4: ... Jesus said to them, "My wife ...
line 5: ... she is able to be my disciple ...
line 6: ... Let wicked people swell up ...
line 7: ... As for me, I am with her in order to ...
line 8: ... an image ...

Anwar a MP? Why the continuing ambiguity?

Remember the case of the ... er ... man biting a policeman during a protest in 2007? Yes, man biting a policeman, wakakaka.

down Rin Tin Tin, someone's already on the job

wakakaka

Tian Chua a PKR politician and currently MP for Batu was charged with and found guilty of the bizarre offence, and fined RM3000 or 6 months jail, but on appeal in 2010 had the fine reduced to RM2000. He paid up.

But Article 48(1)(e) of the Federal Constitution states very clearly that poor Tian Chua would be disqualified from being a MP if he has been convicted of an offence by a court of law in the Federation and sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year or to a fine of not less than two thousand ringgit and has not received a free pardon.

By the letter of the Constitution, he should have lost his seat. I recall reading the then comments of the late Karpal Singh who was very firm that in accordance with the law, Tian Chua was disqualified from being a MP.

In a TMI article titled 'Tian Chua's status remains a contention, with many preferring no by-election' on 22 June 2010, journalist Baradan Kuppusamy had written:

Once again DAP chairman Karpal Singh has chosen to be right rather than be popular by announcing that PKR’s Batu MP Chua Tian Chang should be disqualified and insisting that the Dewan Rakyat Speaker declare the seat vacant. [...]

Karpal took issue with the judgment not only because of the political statements the judge made but also the reasons he gave for reducing the sentence. Karpal said the reasons were irrelevant.

Ghazali [Cha, then the judge in Tian Chua's appeal] said that the reduction in the sentence was for the purpose of avoiding a by-election in the Batu constituency, that it was costly and unnecessary. Clearly a cursory understanding of the law tells us that the judge should not have made those remarks and that such considerations should not have been taken into account in a criminal appeal.

The issue was whether Chua bit the policeman or not and if so what is a fair and just punishment.

That’s why Karpal dares to say publicly that such considerations as cost and suitability of a by-election are “irrelevant” in the case and if Chua has been fined “not less than” RM2000 he stands disqualified according to Article 48 of the Constitution.

The judge’s intentions to save tax payers money is truly “irrelevant” as the sentence has disqualified Chua and his only recourse is to appeal to the Court of Appeal.

Karpal won't let the issue pass on principle.

Karpal had also exercised that same principle in the shameful 916 scandal. Baradan Kupppusamy had written:

The fact is Karpal is the only PR leader on record who opposed the September 16 ploy by calling it immoral and unethical. All other PR leaders either supported or remained silent and by their silence are complicit in the exercise to engineer defections to topple the BN government.

Wakakaka. Indeed, how much we miss the principled pronouncements of DAP's spiritual leader.

Back to Tian Chua's fine, there was in fact a legal precedent on this issue, when in 1975 Fan Yew Teng, DAP MP for Menglembu lost his seat after being being found guilty under the Sedition Act and fined RM2,000 or six months’ jail on Jan 13, 1975.

The amount of fine was exactly the same suffered by Tian Chua 25 years later. Despite subsequent appeals and legal challenges, Fan Yew Teng lost his seat. So why didn't Tian Chua lose his Batu seat?

I suspect BN didn't have the stomach for another monumental loss in yet another by-election. The Batu seat has been a Pakatan stronghold and naturally Tian's notional successor would have won easily by a landslide, but the humongous demoralizing effect on BN in such a by-election cannot be dismissed, and that on top of wasted resources in mounting a futile challenge to the Pakatan candidate in the tiger's lair.

But far far far worse, the expected humongous loss would have influenced the thinking of many fence sitters, wakakaka

Hence unlike the Fan Yew Teng's case, Tian Chua escaped being disqualified from being a MP, which might have possibly also disqualified him from standing in 2013.

Let's now look at the 5-years imprisonment of Anwar Ibrahim, a conviction which renders his disqualification as a MP for Permatang Pauh.

He did not apply for a royal pardon; his family did; and we have been informed that a petition for a royal pardon must be filed by the convicted person him/herself, and not by concerned family members. Hence, to all intents and purposes, he has not filed a petition for a royal pardon.

So why is there this lingering ambiguity about his parliamentary status when he has been, by fact of law, disqualified from being a MP?

But okay, let's give him the benefit of the doubt and say he has filed for a royal pardon.

Article 48(4)(c) of the Federal Constitution states the disqualification shall take effect immediately upon the petition (for royal pardon) being disposed of.

So knowing the remarkable BN, one wonders why hasn't the petition been disposed of (on advice from the Pardon Board of course)?

Why are they allowing Anwar Ibrahim an ambiguously continuing status as a MP, one which doesn't allow him to participate in parliamentary proceedings, but which may endure for years because a petition for a royal pardon may possibly take considerable time to be processed?

Would it be the same fear that BN was scared of in Batu in 2010, namely, the humongous demoralizing effect on BN following a Permatang Pauh by-election loss (which will indirectly further enhance the mythical iconic position of Anwar Ibrahim), apart from wasting resources in mounting a futile challenge to the Pakatan candidate in such a current acrimonious atmosphere, one which is immensely adverse to BN's prospects in Permatang Pauh?

And convincing the as yet unconvinced Heartland voters to go all out for Pakatan?

Is the BN then planning to drag the entire twilight zone of Anwar Ibrahim's status until GE-14, which by then will automatically extinguish his MP-ship, or awaiting a more early GE where one may well be theoretically within a month's time, though I don't think this is a viable option as the BN will be massacred kau kau.

Or, is there something afoot that we are not aware of, yes, something like UMNO on the cusp of a new coalition, in sealing a merger or alliance with one or even two new partners, where thereafter, the Permatang Pauh constituency can be kow-tim-rized (taken care of) by a non-UMNO but Malay candidate? Wakakaka.

Sh*t man, I just love conspiracy theories, wakakaka.

So my other theory is, I know this one is rather ridiculous but hey man who says I can't speculate ridiculously wakakaka, is Ah Jib Gor hanging on to Anwar as a potential 'friend' to neutralize another 'force' who hates Anwar and whom Anwar hates? wakakaka.

Anwar has gotten what he wants

Malay Mail Online - Anwar warded in prison’s hospital reported:

cozy!

Malaysiakini reported that Anwar’s family and lawyers were worried that the conditions in his prison cell could exacerbate his spinal injuries. His cell was reportedly equipped only with a two-inch foam mattress on the floor, a bucket for bathing and a squat toilet.

Anwar’s lawyers had insisted he should be given a “medically appropriate mattress”, a chair, a table, a shower and appropriate toilet.

“Anwar cannot bend over or stand up from sitting on the floor without pain and aggravation of his condition,” his lawyers were quoted as saying.

Glad he has finally got what his family wanted for him and his bad back.

Next stop, Parliament, Putrajaya and PM-ship?

Wakakaka.

Shameful cradle snatching

Julius Yapoo, a Sabahan rubber tapper, was shocked and cried when he saw his 16-year old daughter in a tudung. He is Christian and so has been his daughter ...

... well at least until she went to stay at a school hostel where the the school warden made her embraced Islam without any prior knowledge of, let alone consent from her parents.

Free Malaysia Today

Julius Yapoo had allowed his daughter to stay at the hostel because their home is 15 km from the school where the gravel road made travelling time even longer. To top that, there is no available public transport between his home and the daughter's school.

FMT reported Penampang MP Darell Leiking commented: “Once in the hostels, the schools bear full responsibility for looking after the children. The school concerned has not respected the sanctity of the family. They have not arranged a meeting between the parents and the child until today.”

Sadly, it has been a conversion of a minor by stealth. 

The school teacher claimed the kid converted to Islam voluntarily. Yes, and I am the Emperor of Shambala.

Pray (excuse the unintended pun) tell me, what glory has this illegal conversion of a minor without her parents knowledge or consent brought for Islam, which is probably the world's greatest SOCIAL religion, one which promotes the compassionate social objective of zakat, the emphatic empathic* discipline of fasting and the supranational (non-racist) Ummah Wahida (which originally embraces all the people of the book)?

* a wee typo but one which changes the intended meaning of 'empathic' altogether into an irrelevant 'emphatic'

But today Islam stands in its greatest danger from some of its own followers, as we Malaysians only know too well.

Note: my respect for Islam is qualified from being automatically extended to its priesthood caste (wakakaka) nor to those of its so-called practitioners who kill, murder, steal, plunder, rape, lie, oppress, cheat (including politically) by the disrespectful misuse of the name of Islam.

My term for an illegal conversion of a minor by stealth is 'cradle snatching'.

This reminds me of another case in 1986 when a Malay school teacher supposedly eloped with his underage Chinese student, Susie Teoh. Her father discovered she was missing from home and learnt of her conversion to Islam.

From the Aliran Monthly 2004, we read:

Susie Teoh was 17 years and 8 months when she became Muslim. Her father Teoh Eng Huat, a Buddhist, could not locate her and he took the Jabatan Agama in Kelantan to court. He applied for a declaration that, as father and guardian to the infant, he had a right to decide her religion, education and upbringing and that her conversion to Islam was invalid. The case was covered by the Guardianship of Infants Act, 1961, a federal law of general application, Art. 11 (1) (freedom of religion), and Art. 12 (3), (4) (right to education) of the Federal Constitution.

The High Court ruled that the father's right to decide the religion and upbringing of the infant (under 18) is allowed "subject to the condition that it does not conflict with the principles of the infant's choice of religion guaranteed to her under the Federal Constitution." In other words, the infant has a right to choose her own religion if she does it on her own free will.

With respect to the last line above, what a lot of crock as we will see shortly when we visit the judgement of the Supreme Court.

It's almost akin to saying having sex with a minor is statutory rape UNLESS the sexual act was consensual, or in the pseudo-immortal words of our Appeal Court in 2012, sex without force, cohesion or violence.

Yes, it had happened here in Boleh Land, that is, having sex minus force, cohesion or violence with an underage girl of 13 and then escaping imprisonment for statutory rape, for a lucky f* someone who was said to have a "bright future", but not for f* him who presumably hadn't been deemed to have a "bright future". Both are f* maggots!

What more, in the Susie Teoh case, the High Court's rule about "... subject to the condition that it does not conflict with the principles of the infant's choice of religion guaranteed to her under the Federal Constitution" was quite amazing considering the minor, Susie Teoh herself, was not even in court to testify if she had voluntarily become Muslim. So then how lah?

Continuing with the Aliran Report which saw the father taking the case to the Supreme Court:

The Supreme Court overruled the decision of the High Court and held that "in all the circumstances and in the wider interests of the nation no infant shall have the automatic right to receive instruction relating to any other religion other than (her) own without the permission of the parent or guardian".

Shouldn't this obvious point be f* clear in the first place? But wait, then didn't we have the bullshit about the bloke who was allowed to statutorily rape an underage 13-year old and escape unscathed because he has a "bright future" when even we laypeople know what the term statutory rape means?

Continuing with the Aliran Report - The Supreme Court, however, did not proceed with the declarations sought by Teoh Eng Huat as these were "only of academic interest" as Susie Teoh had reached the age of majority by the time the case was heard in the Supreme Court in 1990. 

Thank you, High Court.

But a legal commentary said of the Supreme Court ruling, that the judgment remains fundamental in seeking a balance approach between a child’s right and parental authority and to provide basis for further argument should the same problem arise, in other words, forming a legal precedent ... which helps us understand the frustrated plight of Julius Yapoo and the illegal misappropriating of his rights as a parent in the insidious conversion of his daughter, a minor, by stealth.

Let me express my concerns of unscrupulous proselytizing of minors (not necessarily by religious authorities but by individuals acting on his/her own) by paraphrasing Pope Leo X's notorious statement "What profit has not that fable of Christ brought us!" as follows:

"What profit has not that fable of parental authority over minors vis-à-vis the latter's illegal conversion brought us!"

Yesterday TMI reported that The teacher allegedly responsible for the conversion has been transferred to another school in Sabah and was not faulted for any wrongdoing after claiming that the student had wanted to embrace Islam voluntarily.

... was not faulted for any wrongdoing ...! Haven't we seen this f* bullshit before, time and time again?

I leave you with TMI's report that Kula Segaran, who is also the Ipoh Barat MP, said that in the case involving the Sabah schoolgirl, by nature of the fact that she was a non-Muslim and a minor before the alleged conversion took place, the Shariah court had no jurisdiction over her.

"Furthermore, no right-thinking Malaysian would buy the story that the girl went to school and converted willingly.

"The state education department should stop pretending as though this is not an issue, they should haul up and discipline the person who converted her."

Amin!

Agong having tea with Anwar?

You are going to hate me for this, wakakaka:

Rakyat Post - Anwar must be allowed to attend parliament, said a PKR leader Nurul Izzah

Malaysiakini - Let my father have tea with Agong, said a PKR leader Nurul Izzah

Malaysiakini - Public can pressure Agong to pardon Anwar, said a PKR leader R Sivarasa

Note: for more about YB Sivarasa Rasiah, read my posts:

(1) The missing man in the Altantuyaa story

(2) Malaysia's goosey goosey gander story

Wakakaka.

No doubt Anwar's family has sought a royal pardon for him (which incidentally he himself refused to do), but hasn't he been found guilty by the Federal Court and is now a convict?

Alas, no appeal is available after the Federal Court has passed its judgement.

Seeking a royal pardon is NOT an appeal. In fact, the application for a royal pardon will have to go through the Pardon Board on which the AG and (if crime was committed in any of the federal territories) the Minister for Territories sit with 3 other members appointed by HM.

Did you know that Lim Kit Siang had once received a royal pardon during the period following 1969?

Wikipedia says: Lim was first elected as an MP for the Bandar Melaka seat in 1969. His election was initially held to be void, however, because the law prohibited an election agent who had previously failed to discharge his duties from standing for election in the future. The Pirne Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak moved a motion in Parliament to prevent Lim from serving as an MP, granting him instead a period of time to request a royal pardon from the Yang di Pertuan Agong (King). After receiving the royal pardon, Lim was allowed to retain his seat.

Thus a royal pardon is possible but not automatically given nor guaranteed as that remains the prerogative of HM.

But until the royal pardon has been granted ........?

So why is Pakatan ignoring the fact that until Anwar is actually pardoned he is a convict and remains a convict, and therefore by law and logic would/should be denied privileges such as sitting in parliament and having tea with HM.

Whether we agree or disagree with the Federal Court's ruling is a separate issue from the elephant sitting in the room, namely, Anwar is now a convicted criminal.

No doubt you'll be accusing me of your usual 'vengeful blogging against Anwar' paranoia, wakakaka, and you can go ahead and conjure up whatever silly grudge against me you believe in. I am more concerned about the preposterous ridiculousness of the ongoing nonsense in having a convict sitting in parliament and having tea with HM.

Go get Anwar a royal pardon first!