Bernama dishonest or hardup reporting?

A letter to Bernama by Cheong Yin Fan
July 24 2010

**********************************

Dear Sir,

I wish to object in the strongest possible terms at your journalist’s dishonest and false reporting of a statement made by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at the MPPP Youth Park this morning on the ‘Little Napoleon’ Nik Ali controversy.

When asked to respond to PM Najib DPM Muhyiddin and KPI Minister Koh Tsu Koon’s criticism of Lim for speaking out at the incompetence of State Development Officer Nik Ali, Lim had replied in a few simple sentences as follows – “I got the message from both Najib and Muhyiddin. That they still want to defend Little Napoleons like Nik Ali. I thank them for the message. As for Koh who was rejected by Penang voters in the last general elections his KPI now is to follow and parrot what the Prime Minister says so Koh has indeed fulfilled his KPI.”

For Bernama to twist this clear but simple response into Lim accepting in good faith the reproach from both Najib and Muhyiddin is dishonest and false.

What is most shocking is the response from that Bernama reporter when I called her up to complain. She replied that she heard Lim Guan Eng clearly say ‘Little Napoleon’ but had left that phrase out so that the story can come out. If she had reported what I said exactly the story would not come out.

I told her firmly that we want a true statement and if that cannot be truthful then don’t publish the story. She then said she would pull out the story. Bernama has pulled out the story but did not give any explanation of the background causing some online news websites like the Malaysian Insider to pick it up and publish the false news. This is most unprofessional and unfair.

And lends suspicions that the mainstream media is out to get and frame up Lim Guan Eng by any means possible.

As Press Secretary to the Penang Chief Minister I hope that Bernama explains fully such unprofessional misconduct.

Cheong Yin Fan

[Cheong Yin Fan is Press Secretary to the Penang Chief Minister]

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It's more than dishonest and false reporting. It's hardup reporting - gian kar seow - real pariah.

Malay unity or 'UMNO' unity?

Malaysiakini - No action against Penang SDO, says chief sec


Nik Ali Mat Yunus, the SDO based in Penang has DISCREDITED himself as a public servant for daring to (1) hold a press conference at an UMNO gathering to attack Penang CM Lim Guan Eng, and (2) insubordinately mouthing uncouthwords to describe Lim.

What a lamentable specimen of a so-called public servant!

Mohd Sidek Hassan, Chief Secretary to the government, has DISCREDITED himself by condemning Lim GE as being ‘excessive’ instead of reprimanding Nik Ali’s violation of the civil service code of conduct in (1) attending a political gathering as an active participant and (2) for behaving in the worst biadap manner in his brazen use of rude words to publicly attack a people’s representative and a state Chief Minister at that.

What a shameful specimen of a so-called public servant!

Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia, has DISCREDITED himself by remaining silent in what is Malaysia’s worst case of civil service insubordination to an elected people’s representative.

What a shameful specimen of a Prime Minister!

Postscript:

Forget about the MCA (Chua Soi Lek, arn chnua ah?) and those BN kutu parties. They are all ball-less where UMNO is involved.

What a shameful hive of gutless politicians!:

Who is biadap?

Malaysiakini – Guan Eng wants SDO to explain arches fiasco

What has the Malaysian Civil Service come to, with this once hallowed service having among its ranks the likes of renown officers like the impeccable late Tan Sri Ghazali Shafie, when today one of its senior officer could make a speech at [heavens forbid!] an UMNO press conference condemning the Penang CM, and worse, unbelievably calling the CM ‘biadap’ [disrespectful], one of the worst insults in Malay vocabulary.

In fact, by so doing, that senior public servant has shown himself to be the one who's 'biadap'! As Penangites would say, pehboe boe kar see [parents failed to teach him manners].

Regardless of the fine point that he was a federal officer, Penang state development officer (SDO) Nik Ali Mat Yunos obviously forgot he was a public servant and felt he had the right to lambast a people’s representative, none other than Penang's Chief Minister.

Worse, against the very heart of civil service policy, he made his attack against a people’s representative at a gathering organized by UMNO, a political party.

I suppose a rude, arrogant and politically biased person like him does not understand protocol, civil service etiquette, basic courtesy and the apolitical nature of the Malaysian Civil Service.

Maybe this bloke has been exactly who former PM AAB had in mind when he termed some public servants as ‘Little Napoleons’.

Technically he should be sacked in ignominy but as it’s obvious he’s allied to UMNO, it’s best not to hold your breath.

Another reason for us not to believe in an UMNO-led government being fair and Truly Malaysian!

Perak Mufti ain't no Saladin

Hundreds of years ago, maybe even a thousand or more, many Indians on the subcontinent, especially those from the lower caste became Muslims because Islam freed them from society’s iniquitous shackles. As Muslims they could give the bird to human imposed social barriers.

For them, for justice, for humanity, Islam was the great social equalizer.

But wait, read The Malaysian Insider’s Perak PAS Youth calls Harussani a racist, which says (extracts):

Perak PAS Youth also rejects Tan Sri Harussani’s racist attitude and his responsibility as a Mufti. While abroad especially in Australia in June 2010 Tan Sri Harussani revealed his hate against other races during his ceramah with Malaysian students there.

Hmmm, what brand of Islam is he practising? Surely not the Islamic Great Equalizer!

If Perak PAS Youth’s accusation has been correct, then the Mufti’s unique brand of Islam has somehow accommodated his bigoted hate of ‘other races’, presumably non-Malays. Within the Malaysian context, the Mufti must have also included Chinese and Indian Muslims? Or worse, Arab Muslims?

Like the religion of the Hebrews-Israelis, his too has a ‘chosen race’ where other races are goyims (kaffirs) to be destroyed.

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations ... then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy." - Deuteronomy 7:1-2, NIV.

"... do not leave alive anything that breaths. Completely destroy them ... as the Lord your God has commanded you ..." - Deuteronomy 20:16, NIV.

Hmmm, charming people ... and in the Mufti's relevation to Malaysian students in Australia he showed his thinking were/are not different from those biblical Hebrews-Israelis.

Incidentally, HTF did he became a Tan Sri when he was the man responsible for nearly causing religious-racial violence through a seditious SMS in 2006 ...

... and worse, when the sh*t hit the fan he blamed the whole seditious crime on a woman. F* pathetic!

Read also:
(1) Perak Mufti unusually meek!
(2) Perak Mufti blamed woman; SIS condemns him!
(3) Perak Mufti pointed at Raja Sherina

Who's fighting corruption?

Yesterday I posted He's a bastard, but he's our bastard!, with my title borrowed from Harry Truman’s infamous description of Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza.

Truman was basically acknowledging Somoza was an unmitigated bastard of a dictator but nonetheless required defending/protecting because he was America’s stooge.

We Malaysians (I dare say on both sides of the political fence) know that many officers of our public institutions (Police, MACC, EC, civil servants, and even the judiciary) work NOT as neutral unbiased public servants but as if they are paid staff of the current ruling federal government, effectively UMNO*.

* the rest of BN are insignificant - just look at that pathetic Murugiah desperately looking for a BN component party to join after he was expelled from equally pathetic PPP

We have witnessed and experienced clear indications and cases of these unprofessional and unethical relationships – eg. the tarnished and very biased Perak police and civil servants, police harassment of peaceful and harmless candlelight vigils while UMNO-BN rallies such as the cow head agitation and Perkasa bigoted activities were tolerated, MACC ignoring obvious cases of obscene and ostentatious show of unexplained wealth while harassing DAP politicians for cases involving a couple of thousand ringgits (and unfounded cases as such), harassment of non-BN party newspapers while UMNO mouthpieces have been getting away with gross sedition and reckless bigotry, top judicial decisions that went from white one day to black the next that 'miraculously' were in favour of UMNO, etc.

Worst of the lot, there has been no action on cases involving unexplained deaths in Police and MACC custody - yes, lives of Malaysians were lost while in the custody of these so-called guardians of society - nor will there be any explanation/accountability as I predicted, .....

..... for the reason these institutions are UMNO's 'Anastasio Somoza' which require defending/protecting - to do otherwise would be to cut away the party's own appendages.

Malaysiakini reported that MACC Commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed appealed to the Malaysian public: Don't fight us, fight corruption where he stated “All efforts in combating corruption would only be fruitful if there was continuous awareness and support from society”.

Well, my dear Commissioner, we are in fact continuously aware of the need to combat corruption, the bane of our society. And we are equally aware that your MACC has done nothing substantial to combat REAL corruption (other than to pick on a few ikan bilis for show).

Tell me, my dear Commissioner, are you BLIND? Even blind Malaysians know of the corruption going on, not only in the public institutions, but among the politicians and their supporters. Perhaps you are deaf?

The only significant event that has been ‘achieved’ by MACC thus far has been the unexplained death of Teoh Beng Hock who was in your custody, your care and thus your responsibility. And your organization came up with the ludicrous explanation that Teoh who was to have married the following day, who took the trouble on his wedding eve to ring up his best man to remind him of the wedding, committed suicide on that very wedding eve?

And you want us to work with you? Will we be safer than Teoh was?

Trust has to be earned, cooperation likewise. But how will we achieve these? You see, my dear Commissioner, we don’t see you as an anti-corruption agency, but as an apparatus of the ruling clique to harass, intimidate and bugger non-BN parties and their supporters.

To put it simply, to work with you while your organization is still in its current state of allegiance would be to effectively work against ourselves.

To paraphrase Ralph Nader’s criticism of Microsoft: "If MACC's (and its predecessor’s) long record of deception and untrustworthiness is to be ended, the public remedies must be as bold, sweeping, and effective as the organization's power."

As my previous post suggested, we cannot ever dream of the UMNO government doing so because the MACC is after all its 'Somoza'.

He's a bastard, but he's our bastard!

Extracts from The Malaysian Insider’s DAP vows to fight on for Teoh:

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng ... questioned why the inquest into Teoh’s death had yet to turn up anything conclusive?

“Why after one year are we still searching and groping for answers”, he asked?

"There has to be closure for the family There should be accountability so that those responsible can be brought to justice?”

Last night I expressed my belief to a sweetie that there will be no justice for Teoh Beng Hock, for the reason the UMNO-led government is reluctant to bring to book the perpetrator(s) of the crime of Teoh’s death.

It doesn’t matter whether it was murder or manslaughter, but we may be sure that the authority will continue to push the original cause of suicide.

Teoh was the man who would have marry the day immediately after his so-called suicide. He even sent a message to his best man reminding his matey of the big day “tomorrow”, and MACC would want us to believe he committed suicide.

Then there was also a fallback cause just in case the ‘suicide’ reason was demolished (as it was!) – hey, maybe Teoh was ‘murdered’ by gangsters to silence him from ‘spilling the beans’. There was another suspicious bloke in the building, wasn’t there?

The 2nd one was far more preferable because it would have ALSO implicated the DAP.

But alas, the words on his supposed suicide were already out, so the fallback cause became so dodgy and in fact too close to the truth of Teoh being done in, mind you, NOT by alleged DAP gangsters but other 'gangsters'.

The cover up will continue regardless, for the reason it’s the Malaysian way.

Admitting Teoh’s death is attributable to some or even one MACC officer’s fault, negligence or action would not be acceptable as that would jeopardise the ruling government's unprofessional, unethical and incestuous relationships with the so-called public institutions (MACC, Police, etc).

It explains why the police would never be held accountable for the deaths of Udayappan, Kugan and other Indians in custody.

This lamentable kiasu attitude reminds me of a quote attributed to Harry Truman who said of Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza. "He's a bastard, but he's our bastard!"

I predict with certainty that Teoh’s death will be confirmed as suicide or, at best, to reasons unknown (an open verdict). I pray I may be proven wrong!

Americk Singh is pissed off with Zahrain Hashim

Malaysiakini - Zahrain, you're a blatant liar: Bala's lawyer.

Balasubramaniam Perumal, the amazing private investigator who lodged a statutory declaration (stat dec) asserting he heard from Razak Baginda who heard from Najib who heard from the late Altantuyaa that she liked it in the back, and who subsequently made a second stat dec immediately the day after the first, withdrawing his earlier stat dec, was and is still represented by the equally amazing lawyer Mr Americk Singh …

… though not at the police station where Bala reported to after he was called by the police following the first stat dec – I wonder why and how such an omission (of not being accompanied by his lawyer) could have occurred after Bala made such a devastating stat dec against (at that time) the 2nd most powerful man in Malaysia.

Extracts from my July 2008 post Statutory Declarations - Malaysia's new 'surat layang'?

What had Bala declared originally? I’ll skip his self introductory part and go straight to the relevant portion, as follows:

(a) “When I enquired as to who this Mongolian woman was, Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that she was a friend of his who had been introduced to him by a VIP and who asked him to look after her financially."

Note the ‘… Razak Baginda informed me … yadda yadda ... who asked him to …’

Then:

(b) Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that:

1) He had been introduced to Aminah by Najib Razak at a diamond exhibition in Singapore.

2) Najib Razak informed Abdul Razak Baginda that he had a sexual relationship with Aminah and that she was susceptible to anal intercourse.

I can understand the part about the sexual relationship but why such a salacious tidbit (Altantuyaa’s ass aspect) was even made does make one wonder … at Bala’s motive?

3) Najib Razak wanted Abdul Razak Baginda to look after Aminah as he did not want her to harass him since he was now the deputy prime minister.

And all the while we were fed information from the press (including and especially from MIKINI) that the court proceedings revealed the late Altantuyaa was married to Razak Baginda and had adopted the Muslim name of Aminah.

But thank goodness for Bala’s stat dec (the first one) we then knew that the culprit, as Bala asserted, was not Razak Baginda but Najib Razak. I suppose Najib must have married Aminah (Altantuyaa) wakakaka.

Yes, that must be it - which explains why Aminah-Altantuyaa was harassing Baginda instead of Najib …

…. which is as logical as the USA attacking Iraqis after 9/11 when the perpetrators were Saudis and Egyptians.

Yessiree, Baginda was so stressed by Altantuyaa’s harassment of him that he not only hired Bala to keep her at bay but also told Bala (according to Bala of course) that “…Najib Razak informed him [Baginda] that he [Najib] had a sexual relationship with Aminah and that she was susceptible to anal intercourse.”

That should really screw up Najib … more so (especially) after the 2nd stat dec withdrawing the 1st one, which occurred after a visit to a police station ..… a visit that was unaccompanied by his lawyer (who however was present, together with Anwar Ibrahim, during the press conference held to inform the media about the 1st stat dec)!

In fact, recently Bala even cleared Razak Baginda from any guilt – since Bala knows everything under the sun it’s only right he asserted Baginda was completely innocent .... which naturally makes Najib guilty as hell!

But let’s talk about the MKINI’s headline where Americk expressed his piss-ness with Zahrain. I don’t blame Americk because I too am pissed off with Zahrain. In fact many of us are pissed off with Zahrain.

Incidentally Americk is a very impressive speaker – using very beautiful pukka English when he delivers his articulated speech [not unlike my matey Patrick Teoh and the late Robert Lam].

How do I know this? Well, once I saw a video clip (on YouTube) showing Mr Americk Singh answering (reporters') questions after Bala's stat decs.

On that clip Mr Singh assured everyone listening that he was completely ‘neutral’ in the ‘Najib f* Altantuyaa’ stat dec affair, and was only acting as a lawyer for Bala.

Such a charming disarming man.

Poor Bala - after the 2nd stat dec, PKR and some lawyers condemned him for giving in to pressure in signing it to withdraw the 1st stat dec ..... which of course happened after he was advised by his own lawyer, Mr Americk Singh to be a good citizen and report to the police station as summoned. Yes, that’s good advice by Mr Singh ..... for us to be good citizens!

But when Bala went to the police station, he wasn’t accompanied by Mr Singh.

Then astonishingly, in November 2009, Mr 'neutral' Americk Singh made the following statement as reported by Malaysiakini’s Lawyer: Najib 'linked' to Bala's disappearance:

“… any reasonable person would draw the conclusion that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is somehow linked to the disappearance of P Balasubramaniam.”

"The facts seem to point to the possibility that they wanted him out of the way and delegated this job to others close to them to execute."

Of course now we know Bala is safe and in contact with Mr Singh who’s still representing him. Thank goodness Bala is safe and sound, and did not ‘disappear’ as a result of Najib – phew!

In fact Bala is in Britain together with Americk, RPK and a couple of other lawyers.

On 26 Nov 2009, in Malaysiakini’s PI's lawyer: 'Anwar not behind Bala tapes' dear Mr Singh asserted that “… Anwar had nothing to do with the release of the first SD except to deliver a speech prior to the press conference at the PKR headquarters last July. I have had no communication with Anwar at all, and neither has he or any PKR member tried to contact me.”

* above underlining and bold are mine

I am greatly comforted by Mr Singh’s assurance.

But what puzzles me a tad is that despite claiming he had no communication whatsoever with Anwar or any PKR member (except of course for an encounter with Sivarasa Rasiah at ‘The Backyard’ pub and Anwar Ibrahim at the press conference) Mr Singh was able to further assert that “… Many people think Anwar Ibrahim is behind all this. That is absolutely untrue. Anwar has no idea about this whole episode except what he may have read in the blogs and on Malaysiakini.”

I share a somewhat similar position as Mr Singh, where I too “…have had no communication with Anwar at all, and neither has he or any PKR member tried to contact me.” ;-)

Thus I too would definitely not accuse Anwar Ibrahim of being behind Balasubramaniam’s 1st SD ... Absolutely NOT!

But precisely for that very reason, that I am not in communication with Anwar, I wouldn’t be able to claim whether Anwar was involved or not involved.

In other words, I am not able nor entitle to speak on behalf of Anwar Ibrahim on this issue. Thus I would not be able to assert Anwar did or did not do this or that.

Then, in MKINI’s news on 25 Nov 2009, Mr Singh stated “… Bala had anticipated that he would be arrested by the police after releasing the first statutory declaration and he told me so. This is why he had handed over his mobile phone to me for safe keeping before he left my office the evening before as he did not want the police to download information from it.”

“We were therefore preparing for his arrest and then to go to the police station he was being held at to represent him.”

This is very puzzling - despite anticipating Bala's arrest after the (1st) stat dec, Mr Singh still didn’t accompany Bala to see the police!

Yes, this was the guy who allowed his client Balasubramaniam Perumal, immediately after making the most damning stat dec in Malaysian public history against the powerful (then) DPM of Malaysia, to report to a police station ALONE when every Malaysian knows that the most dangerous place in Malaysia was/has been/is the police station. Amazing!

But what the hell do I know about such things - afterall I'm not a lawyer. Thus I must thank Mr Americk Singh for letting us know what he knew or didn’t know.

In today’s MKINI news report, Mr Singh again kindly informed us that he and two Balasubramaniam lawyers - Manjeet Singh Dhillon and Amarjit Singh Sidhu - paid for their respective trips to London themselves.

He wrote in a letter to Zahrain (of whom we’re all of one mind, that is, pissed with the frog): “You may question why we paid all this money out of our own pockets. You may also choose to question why the legal services we are providing Bala are pro bono. The answer is very simple and probably beyond your comprehension. We consider it part of our duty to the nation.”

Hallelujah!

Helen Ang's black dots

As always, sweetie Helen Ang has written a great reading piece in Malaysiakini titled Little red dots and blind spots where she demolished Dr Mahathir’s claim that the country was at risk of being overrun by the local Yellow Peril.

She validated good olde wise Confucius' adage that a picture is worth a thousand words by illustrating via a image taken from the blogsite of Sharifuddin A Latiff the paucity of Chinese Malaysians among the top echelon of Malaysian civil and military servants.

Chinese officials highlighted in red - rest are Malays

Sharifuddin’s image (above) was a slap in the face for the dodgy postulation of Perkasa ultra Ibrahim Ali – many suspect his bigoted scare campaign has the covert backing of UMNO or/and even Dr Mahathir.

Perkasa’s aim and indeed those of other UMNO mouthpieces like Utusan, Berita Harian, Najib’s former aide (the one who said Indians are beggars and Chinese women are hookers), and occasionally the top UMNO guns like Dr M and Muhyiddin, have been to marshal the support of the heartland back to UMNO. Fear is a wonderful motivator, though of course we know the consequences of crying ‘wolf’ too often.

However, much as I love sweetie Helen, I disagree with her on several points in her most readable article.

First is her criticism of Lim Guan Eng. Sweetie slammed Lim for his cakap ta’serupa bikin (no walk de talk lah) as shown in his “… appointment of Mohd Fairus Khairuddin as deputy chief minister – who has since been ousted – smacks of the very same communal approach Lim claims to reject. The incompetent, inexperienced Fairus was given the job for no other reason than he is Malay and to fill the PKR quota.”

And so, argued sweetie, where’s Lim’s ‘Malaysian First’?

Either the darling girl is politically very naïve or ….. quite frankly matey ..... I’m not sure what Helen wants, to wit, ..... who Lim ought to have appointed as DCM in order to avoid accusation of being communal?

There is of course Dr Rama as another DCM – now, would this too be communal, over-favouring the Indians?

The reality is that DAP didn’t alone capture the Penang state in the March 2008 general election. It did so in collaboration with PKR and to a lesser extent, PAS. Surely, sweetheart has heard of ‘power sharing’, where the DAP has to include PKR in its state government?

The DCM position was allocated to PKR and as to whom the party selected to fill the seat was up to PKR (Anwar effectively). And if Fairus turned out to be a dud, why blame Lim GE?

Does Helen have someone else in mind for that post?

Secondly, Helen has borrowed a sneer from blogger Shuzheng to hurl at “DAP people like Ng [who] cast the impression that they think of Muslims every moment of their waking hours”.

I could tell you a little something or more about Shuzheng. But I’ll leave most of it aside for now as I don’t want to digress (which alas I have a habit of doing so wakakaka).

I first came across Shuzheng's name and writing in the Centre for Policy Initiatives website. He ripped into me for my (attempted humorous-sarcastic) poke at Kadir Jasin who wrote an article stating he wishes to remain a Malay (rather than become a Malaysian).

Pak Kadir like Ibrahim Ali and Dr Ridhuan Tee are in the group which doesn’t want the concept of Bangsa Malaysia as that would (horror of horrors) make every Malaysian equal. They want to cling on to their Malay special privileges. I deem Ibrahim Ali, Pak Kadir and Ridhuan Tee as the 3 P’s - respectively the pseudo-pahlawan, propagandist and priest of the Ketuanan Melayu ideology.

Surprisingly I find Dr Ridhuan Tee as the sole genuine ideologist while I consider the other two as mere opportunists. If Dr Tee wants to be a Malay, well, constitutionally and by his own practice and personal preference, he is entitled to call himself one. And why should we deny him that, much as we like to tease, torment or tug his tail.

Back to Shuzheng's criticism of me - I accept that as a blogger I am liable to be flayed and I am open to that, including from Shuzheng; mind you, not that I agree with his very well written views. Alas, I don’t have time to debate them in this post. But I’ve observed that Shuzheng has an invincible bias against Christians, more so if they happen to be DAP members ;-)

But more than Christian DAP members, his bête noire is Christian Josh Hong wakakaka. I was informed by a friend that in one of his (Shezheng’s) more recent posts he grouped me together with Josh as Christians. While I consider his categorization of me with Josh Hong as an honour, I find his labelling of me as a Christian as lamentable and lazy scholarship.

According to sweetie’s article Shuzheng made a caustic remark against Lim GE’s aide Ng Wei Aik. This was what sweetie Helen wrote:

Then there is Lim's aide Ng Wei Aik who complained that Najib Razak took a full 12 hours to register his anger at Israeli commandos for boarding one of the Gaza flotilla ships. In contrast to Najib who was slow on the uptake, Ng's quick draw has been interpreted (by a writer calling himself Shuzheng) as his heart touchingly being at one with the Palestinians, and “DAP people like Ng cast the impression that they think of Muslims every moment of their waking hours”.

A crime against humanity as was the case of Israeli commandoes illegally boarding an unarmed civilian ship carrying peace activists and killing 9 of them called for unhesitating and outright condemnation. Even Israel’s normally blind ally, the USA, was horrified enough by the sickening senseless slaughter that both its President and its Secretary of State were compelled to add their unusual contributions to the global outrage.

Thus, does one (the DAP) have to “… think of Muslims every moment of their waking hours” in order to do so?

But that’s the pompous polemical style of Shuzheng. It’s not unlike Dr Mahathir’s and Ibrahim Ali’s scare campaigning of alluding the Chinese would be taking over control of Malaysia [with the armed forces, police, civil services all in Malay hands?], or another irresponsible piece of scare propaganda that Pakatan’s registration of new voters has outnumbered UMNO’s by a preposterous 40 to 1.

In stating that “DAP people like Ng cast the impression that they think of Muslims every moment of their waking hours” Shuzheng has made a disgraceful allusion to trivialise a serious condemnation of Israeli arrogant aggression.

Finally my criticism of sweetie Helen, much as I adore her, has been her adoption of the Uthayakumar Doctrine, of questioning someone’s expression of sympathy or concerns for Party A or B if they haven’t openly expressed such concerns for Indians.

Sweetheart wrote “… about a vagabond found dead in a pool of blood on a shoplot corridor in Georgetown. It was three days before last Christmas that the murder of the 68-year-old mentally unsound Indian vagrant was filmed on CCTV camera. Footage showed the assailant covering the victim's head with a plastic bag and punching him.”

Uthayakumar-ishly, she asked of the DAP: While DAP joins the Umno and PAS chorus that the Israelis must be punished, what about justice for the elderly Indian? The homeless, defenceless C. Veerasamy - who was killed in such a callous and horrifying manner - used to be a Penang municipal council road sweeper.

My dearest Helen, there have been and will be many crimes and injustice in our troubled world. There are some we have to voice our condemnation loudly and immediately while others we just have to leave to the actions of other parties to address, for example, the police. And indeed there had been and will be many others we won't even comment on, for example, the death of three 13-year old boys crushed to death by the collapsed roof of an old abandoned building in a low-cost housing scheme in Changkat Tin, Tanjung Tualang

But it doesn’t mean that we do not care.

However, we need to bear in mind that it’s not a mandatory prerequisite to express sympathies for the marginalised Indians before we may do so for others.

Trot out Shaariibuu Altantuyaa again

Makin lama, makin tambah, or in Penang Hokkien, kair kong kair lemak ...

… in other words, Chinese whispers though the saying has nothing to do with the Chinese, but means that like the fish that got away, the exaggerations get bigger with each telling.

And I am talking about the Altantuyaa-Najib long tale.

If we give it another few more months, we’ll eventually hear of Najib Razak personally plunging his keris into Altantuyaa’s heart while shagging her – yes, that’s what I predict the anti-Najib story will grow into.

When I read Malaysiakini’s Altantuya and PI Bala: A story that won't sink I thought to myself: “Oh no, not another of those fishes that got away!”

For example, the statement “Altantuya's cousin testified that she had seen a picture of Najib together with the dead woman. However, she was quickly hushed by both defence and prosecution lawyers and the picture has not been produced. Why?” has obviously grown from the original report by Malaysiakini’s journalist Soon Li Tsin.

I read Li Tsin's report on what Altantuyaa’s cousin Burmaa Oyunchimeg said and which I posted in Did Najib Razak dine with Altantuyaa Shariibuu?

Extracts of my post:

Burmaa Oyunchimeg

This was what she (Burmaa) said, according to Soon Li Tsin: “I know why she wanted to see Razak Baginda - I have seen pictures of Altantuya with Razak and a government official.”

“She (Altantuya) was having a meal at a round table with Razak (Baginda), a Malaysian government official and other people.”

Najib mentioned? Nope. Just a 'government official'.

It was only when my hero Karpal Singh, who is holding a watching brief for the deceased’s family, posed a question to her on the identity of the ‘government official’ that she replied: “I remember the name Najib Razak, they had the same name, ‘Razak’. I thought they were brothers. I asked her (Altantuya) if they were brothers.”

From here I gather two things:

(1) She remembered the name ‘Razak’, and I suspect, probably not 'Najib'. To her, Razak Baginda was with a ‘government official’. If she remembers the other man as ‘Najib Razak’, surely she would have said so in the first place.

(2) Her testimony was only hearsay ("I heard from Altantuyaa …"), in as much as the SD’s were all “I hear from … who was told by ... that she told him she liked it in the back ...” or “I have been reliably informed …”.

Well, was Najib Razak involved?

Was there a French dinner for the three?

Did Najib screw Altantuyaa in her belakang as alleged by Balasubramaniam in his SD (Najib’s masuk belakang suspiciously/coincidentally after Anwar had a 2nd charge of sodomy lodged against him)?

Frankly, I don’t know because there is yet nothing substantial to provide some form of support for the above allegations.

In fact, Bala’s post-SD reporting to the police station, most implausibly without a lawyer for such a momentous event following the PI’s lodging of a scandalous incriminating SD against the nation’s DPM about the latter's sexual involvement with the murdered Mongolian model, etc …

Hey man, you lodged a SD against the nation's No 2 most powerful man, alleging you've heard he was giving it to the murdered Altantuyaa's in her behind, and you went to a police station all ALONE to answer police queries about your flaming SD?

… his 2nd SD withdrawing the first SD, implying he was under pressure from the Najib camp (real or staged) and …

… his subsequence disappearance ...

… have made Najib look really bad.

All together, they seemed just too neat, too convenient, too suspiciously finger pointing at Najib …

… which has been why I wasn’t convinced of its halal-ness (kosher-ness)

To summarize, the report in the French newspaper Liberation has nothing new on the murder other than, as I mentioned, the (alleged) grubby details of the tragic moment during the shooting and how Altantuyaa had allegedly pleaded for her life … but nonetheless still hearsay.

But try telling that to the G.A.N or PKR supporters ;-)

As I have oft written: I am against fabricating lies to attack someone politically, whether it’s the ’50 dalils mengapa Anwar boleh menjadi PM’ or the Tian Chua fabricated photo of a ‘French dinner’ or a salacious extrapolation of a photo of one sleeping sweetie ADUN, or embroidering the story of Altantuyaa in her so-called relationship with Najib when it’s obvious Razak Baginda was her lover or husband, and Baginda was the man she was harassing.

Related: Murdering Altantuyaa Shaariibuu Again

HRP lost for ideas

Malaysiakini’s Disappointed HRP leaves memo at palace gates reported (extracts):

HRP members, some wheelchair-bound, gathered at the palace gates holding banners calling for the Agong to intervene and redress the problem of marginalisation of Indian students.

Besides requesting the King to set up a royal commission of inquiry on the problem, the memorandum also called for the abolition of the higher secondary school STPM examinations and their replacement with a single pre-university course for all regardless of race.

So HRP wants the nation’s education system to go DOWN to the lowest denominator?

The HRP also called for a United Nations official to head the selection committee for the allocation of public service department (PSD) scholarships as well as matriculation and university placements for the next five years.

“This UN official will ensure that the allocation process is done equally,” said Uthayakumar

I have never heard a more stupid proposal. Can you imagine any country using a UN official to head its committee for awarding government scholarships?

The point is Uthayakumar knows that it’s unlikely so it’s just his usual bravado grandstanding – all talk to gain attention as if he’s doing something, but in reality nothing useful on this issue had been done.

Kampung jaguh's, global jesters

The following have been a mere 2 examples of Malaysia’s f*-up fumbling in the international arena, where its Boleh-ness had been laughed at and disdainfully dismissed:

(1) Our Pasar Malam-ish stand at the World Expo in Shanghai – see Malaysiakini’s M'sia puts in 'pasar malam' effort at World Expo.

It didn't even have a Mandarin speaking Malaysian on duty there when it's known that the majority of visitors would be Mandarin speaking Chinese.

I can tell you there are at least 50 Melayu Malaysians who would be fluent in Mandarin, so if the Tourism Ministry doesn't want to use Chinese (Mandarin speaking) Malaysians, then they should have recruited Mandarin speaking Malays.

And the b* joke doesn’t stop there. Now Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia is no doubt deciding how to avoid a motion to refer Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen to the Rights and Privileges Committee for allegedly misleading the House over the cost of the Malaysian pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo. It was RM35 million but she said it was only RM20 million. Maybe she couldn't count?

(2) Losing Pulau Batu Puteh to Singapore, where Free Malaysia Today published a damning indictment on the Malaysian legal team at the World Court, where they were ill prepared, had brazenly and shamelessly attempted to mislead the World Court and thus were made mincemeat by the Singapore legal team – read FMT’s Pulau Batu Puteh - a tale of miscalculated strategy.

Those clowns in the Tourism and Foreign Minsitries have been a national disgrace. They may be jaguh's in our kampungs but outside in the open world, they have been nothing more than jokers, clowns, jesters.

Arn Chnua ah, Mah Hua?

Two years ago I posted Quo Vadis MCA?

Then two months later in that year I posted MCA at a crossroad where I wrote essentially the same dismal depressing dirge for the MCA – extracts as follows:

… the MCA vis-à-vis UMNO has been generally in 'hidup segan, mati ta'mahu' mode, akin at times to a mute being stung by hornets! […]

In 1969 it was confronted with a major crossroad; today in 2008 it has arrived at another, where its decision will be scrutinised by a more discerning community.

So … Mah Hua, arn chnua ah? ... meaning ‘So MCA, what now?’

I have been driven into reminding MCA again of its ineffectiveness in asserting itself within BN when I read of MCA Youth lodging a police report against Suara Perkasa for inciting for the arrest of MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong under the Internal Security Act, but which the Home Minsitry dismissed with just a sweet sayang tap on the wrist of the publication’s editor - see Malaysiakini's 'Suara Perkasa' let off with slap on wrist.

Contrast that to the harassments of the Home Ministry against the PKR publication, Suara Keadilan.

But Perkasa gets away with it, no doubt as suspected by almost every Malaysian, because it’s a mouthpiece of UMNO.

We have been aware of UMNO’s tactic to farm out its racist component to Perkasa, pretending to distance itself from 'habits' which proved to be damaging to its standing during 08 March 08, and to lend some ‘face’ to Najib’s 1Malaysia.

But it’s a worthless tactic because no one especially among the Chinese is buying it.

But what it has done is to lamentably bring home the sad fact of the inefficacy of MCA as a voice in the BN.

… hence my post title ‘Arn Chnua ah, Mah Hua?’

Gerakan Party insults Chinese

Malaysiakini - DAP not behind senior citizens heckling Gerakan!

Kedah Gerakan secretary Tang Hing Lye accused Penang CM Lim Guan Eng for allegedly treating the Malay community better, obviously to char koay teow Chinese feelings with a naughty eye on their votes. He attempted sinisterly to show that Lim had set aside RM24 million for the bumiputera (Islamic affairs) welfare fund when the non-Muslims were given a smaller amount.

But the local Chinese would have no bar of his UMNO-Perkasa style of divisive populist propaganda. One of the senior citizens even threw a batu at this shameful batu api.

Indeed his racially pathetic provocative propaganda would have turned many of the Gerakan founding fathers in their graves.

And talking about 'graves' we note how a desperate and virtually decimated (in March 2008) Gerakan Party had balls-ed up any chances of political resurrection in Penang by saying a very hurtful comment against the Chinese.

Just a quick intro to what I have to say about Gerakan's hurtful words - The second most hurtful comment against a Chinese is ‘boe kar see’ or kurang ajar, because that reflects on the person’s parents for not bringing up the person correctly. And a typical Chinese most certainly doesn't want his/her parents criticised in that manner.

As Confucius instructed: The superior man, while his parents are alive, reverently nourishes them; and, when they are dead, reverently sacrifices to them. His thought to the end of his life is how not to disgrace them.

But the most hurtful comment against a Chinese is - as I have been informed; unfortunately the term is in Cantonese so I call on Cantonese readers to correct me if I have erred - the terrible term ‘harm kar ch’arn’, a curse meaning (words to the effect) that ‘may your family line be extinguished forever’.

Recently Gerakan’s condemned Penang State's RM100 senior citizen appreciation award as nothing more than phek khim* or 'funeral expenses'.

* I would write it differently from my matey sweetie Susan Loone as ‘peh kim’, literally meaning ‘white gold’ – ‘white’ implying something connected to death, hence ‘peh kim’ means a donation or gift of kim (money) contributing to funeral expense.

As a Chinese I couldn't but feel utterly horrified at Gerakan's unbelievable insult. I wonder whether such an insult would fall just a wee less hurtful than the ‘harm kar ch’arn’ curse, but I know it's certainly worse than that for a ‘boe kar see’ reprimand?

But if it is so in the latter case (worse than 'boe kar see') why then did I claim that 'boe kar see' is the second most hurtful comment that could be made against a Chinese? Shouldn't 'boe kar see' be the 3rd most hurtful?

No, because no Chinese had thought or would ever think of using the curse of giving someone who's still alive a 'peh kim'. No one, that is, until the incredibly insensitive Gerakan Party!

But as reported by Malaysiakini, Gerakan had done the unexpected and termed the senior citizen appreciation award as precisely that, ‘peh kim’.

No doubt Gerakan had wanted to badmouth or belittle the policy of the Penang Pakatan government, but in its moronic and uncouth utterance has instead unforgiveably insulted (not the DAP but) both the recipients and their families, implying that those senior citizens are about to die or have died, or worse as it could be so interpreted, the Gerakan Party curses them to die.

Now, hasn't that been insensitive and politically moronic for a Chinese-based party to say to a Chinese community? Wasn't the Gerakan Party once the party of Chinese intellectuals and scholars? So its 'peh kim' insult has been virtually (politically) suicidal if not ‘boe kar see’.

If the Chinese voters in Penang (and indeed elsewhere) are filial to their parents and ancestors, they must teach the Gerakan Party a severe lesson in ethics and etiquette in the coming general election for its 'boe kar see', even unto ‘harm kar ch’an’ for the party.

Ezam's Gerak becomes Gertak

Malaysiakini - Ezam wants gov't to probe Malaysiakini, Star

Newly minted Senator Ezam Mohd Nor wants the Home Ministry to investigate Malaysiakini and English daily Star for "devious motives to undermine the royal institution" and not just that, but also for anti-Malay reporting in their news reports that "…many of the 1,000 foreign workers hired by 130 sub-contractors at the construction site of the RM800 million palace had not received their salaries for three months."

Ezam’s assertions are like those of the Israelis, who would condemn anyone pointing out their (Israeli) faults as being anti-Semitic. The aim is of course to intimidate the critics into silence.

So Ezam’s screwball logic is that if you report the dodginess of contractors who so happened to be working on the construction of a palace, you are being anti-Palace.

I wonder what Senator Ezam has to say about UMNO MPs condemning the rulers in Parliament on 10 December 1992 - see my March post this year The down and up and down of Hang Jebat.

In that Jebat-ish Parliamentary session, after PM Dr Mahathir had pulled out the royal fangs, Dr Affifuddin Omar (UMNO-Padang Terap) jumped on the PM’s band wagon to say:

"How can we continue to uphold rulers who are known to be robbers, adulterers, drunkards and kaki pukul (thugs)?"

"The rulers must be reminded that they were not reincarnations of dewa-dewa (deities). They were put in their position as rulers by the people."

"The immunity gave the rulers the status of 'half-man and half-god' and allowed irresponsible rulers to commit serious crimes which tarnished the image of the institution."

"It was about time that the 'false sense of political power' associated with rulers in this country be abolished."

"They (the rulers) must be made to realize that they do not own this country. They are not Superman but placed on their thrones by the people. "The real power did not lie with them, but with us - the representatives of the people."

"The 'syndrome of religiosity' associated with the rulers was only to cloud the people's view of who the rulers actually were."

Ho ho ho ho ho! Of course today's political expediency (think Perak!) has converted those Jebats now into Hang Tuahs.

In UMNO new brave Tuah-ish world, anti-Royalty is a convenient label to intimidate and silence critics, a devious sinister tool which is no different to those of the Israeli's bullying, hypocritical and perpetual cries of anti-Semitism.

BTW, are the contractors Malays? If not, then how would the Malaysiakini and Star reports be anti-Malay?

Whatever, Senator Ezam wants these complaints of foreign workers not being paid to cease IMMEDIATELY or else!!! Yes, YOU MUST SHUT UP!!!

… so said Senator Ezam, once the leader of the so-called anti-corruption NGO Gerak. Just see what a prefix like ‘Senator’ could do to his so-called (once upon a time but claimed) values, where his once Gerak posturing has now become Gertak (bullying) threats.

Anwar Ibrahim's Hounds & Hare

In Malaysiakini Terence Netto wrote Crucial to know the difference, mildly chiding Anwar Ibrahim for his poor judgement but generally or indirectly sympathetic to his political volte face on issues related to the Israeli notorious attack against the recent peace flotilla.

To discuss this, I will leave aside Anwar’s revelation of Najib’s PR consultant Apco, also considered by some as an attack by Anwar against Israel, though Netto's article attempted to clarify this as not. I feel that Netto’s article has added confussion by including the Apco issue, so I won't in this post.

I want to discuss the dilemma Anwar Ibrahim now faces, following his (initial) public raging against Israeli aggression against the peace flotilla including leading a demo against the US Embassy in KL for the American’s blind support for a vicious criminal Israel.

Anwar was of course making political hay then. That by itself is okay, and in fact expected of any politician except for the very glaring fact that Anwar subsequently apologised to neo-con Zionists in Washington for his seemingly anti-Zionist or anti-Israeli conduct in Malaysia.

* note that a Zionist needn’t necessarily be an Israeli or Jew but may well be a gentile or a goyim (kaffir)

Apparently the event (Anwar’s apology) was reported by The Washington Post. Additionally, his matey Paul Wolfowitz told American neo-cons to “cut Anwar some slack” because he (Anwar) was facing humongous persecution in Malaysia.

Wolfowitz was a deputy secretary in the 1st Bush Administration who urged the US to attack and invade Iraq. Even before the dust from the Twin Towers had settled he was already calling for attacks against Iraq. He was also asked to vacate his post as chairperson of the World Bank in disgrace, a scandalous episode in which Anwar's name was involved.

Apart from Anwar's volte face (belakang pusing) regarding his original condemnation of Israel & the USA but subsequent apology to the pro Zionists in Washinton, which has been very damaging to his credibility with the heartland at home, Wolfowitz has NOT help Anwar at all because UMNO will (if they haven’t yet) seize on his call to “cut Anwar some slack” as a clear indication of Anwar’s close ties with those the heartland considers as ‘ungodly’.

I admit that I haven't been very sympathetic to Anwar though in March this year I did defend him against KJ's jeering of Anwar dancing with the daughter of Lim Goh Tong, the late boss of the Genting Highland group - see my post Defending Anwar Ibrahim - wakakaka.

But on Anwar’s current predicament I am not as sympathetic as Netto has been for him.

The truth is Anwar has politically (vis-à-vis Israel & the USA) hunted with the hounds and ran with the hare.

Of course UMNO people have done the same.

So … does that make Anwar as bad or as good as an UMNO leader?

What if? Chinese government of Malaysia?

Malaysiakini’s article Khairy dismisses Umno Youth's 40:1 claim tells us that Hishamudin Yahya, Umno Youth membership and voter registration bureau chief, warned of the overwhelming new non-Malay voters ... gulp ... golly gee ... by a frightening ratio of 40 nons (probably Chinese) to only 1 Melayu.

Yup, nothing motivates the heartland to register a.s.a.p (kalau extra permitted, also can) than the fear of the yellow peril.

But Khairy Jamaluddin came out to virtually say Hishamuddin was bullsh*tting.

But suppose Khairy has been wrong while poor Hishamuddin Yahya is correct?

Alamak, the next election could see what Ibrahim Ali has warned the heartland. There may well be a new Chinese government of Malaysia – mind you, not just a Chinese-dominated government but a completely Chinese government.

Hmmm … let’s forecast who will be in the new cabinet and important senior position (to be filled after the post election ‘purge’).

PM = Ang Wah

DPM = Kah Pah Seng

Finance = Kah Lee Heem

Defence – Nee Sah

Home = Ah Min Lee

Foreign = Har Dee Wang

Trade = Lee Chuan Tee (wakakaka – by then he'll be Chinese again)

Law = Sai Bah Heem

Sports = San Tia Goh

Religion = Ali Wong - the only non-Chinese minister ;-)

Chief Justice = Goh Bing Teo

IGP = Gigi Tian Chua (wakakaka)

Chief of Armed Forces = Nah Soo Ding


Keong Hee Keong Hee wakakaka