Beaten to death for owning a horse

NST - Low-caste Indian Dalit killed for owning horse (extracts):

AHMEDABAD, INDIA: A young farmer from India's lowest Dalit community has been beaten to death for owning a horse, which is seen as a symbol of power and wealth, police said Saturday.

Police have detained three upper caste men for questioning after the body of 21-year-old Pradeep Rathod was found in a pool of blood near Timbi village in Gujarat state late Thursday night.

Dalits, formerly known as "untouchables", are among the most marginalised groups in India, where caste discrimination is outlawed but remains widespread.

Rathod's father, who found the body, "has alleged that his son was killed by people of upper caste community of his village because he owned a horse despite being a Dalit," deputy police superintendent A.M. Saiyed told AFP.

"We have detained three persons named in the complaint filed by Pradeep Rathod's father for questioning."

In his complaint, seen by AFP, Rathod's father stated his son loved horses and he had bought him one eight months ago.

"My son's love for horses led to his murder," the father said.

"About a week ago, when I was riding the horse with my son, one of the persons from the upper caste Kshatriya (warrior) community warned us not to ride the horse in the village.

"He said that people of Dalit community cannot ride horses, only Kshatriyas can ride horses. He also threatened to kill us if we did not sell the horse," the complaint read.

I have read of people being killed because of bulls and cows, camels, dogs, pigs, roosters (fighting cocks) and even birds, but this is the first time I have heard of someone being been beaten to death for owning and riding a horse.

This is undeniable evidence India still has an entrenched caste problem.

Anwar back to the front?

MM Online - Anwar: Pakatan will repeal ‘fake news’ law (extracts):

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed disgust at the BN government’s actions in bulldozing through the EC’s redelineation report that was debated for only two hours in Parliament. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 ― Pakatan Harapan (PH) will set up an independent election commission and abolish any legislation against “fake news”, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.

The PKR de facto leader expressed disgust at the Barisan Nasional (BN) government’s actions in bulldozing through the Election Commission’s (EC) redelineation report that was debated for only two hours in Parliament.

“This is not a proper and lawful redelineation exercise, but a blatant and unconstitutional act of gerrymandering,” Anwar said in a statement.

I find it significant that Anwar has now come out to make campaign statements. Perhaps Pakatan has assessed Mahathir has not been very effective in his messages.

For a start, Anwar is more believable and carry less baggage than Mahathir. Then the former PM has an embarrassing performance of now backtracking on all his previous PM policies - who the f**k will believe Mr Belakang Pusing?

BEST political statement 2018 (10)

MM Online - Unite against ‘electoral apartheid’, Guan Eng tells voters (extracts):

“The recent constituency delineation for the 14th general elections is a shocking exercise of not only shameless political gerrymandering but also irresponsible ‘electoral apartheid’,” Lim said in his message ahead of Easter tomorrow.

The DAP secretary-general also accused the EC of violating the “one person, one vote, one value” principle by putting Opposition voters in one seat and spreading BN supporters across many seats.

“In a democracy, voters choose politicians but in a political gerrymandering, politicians choose voters.”

This time the honour goes to Guan Eng for his erudite:

“In a democracy, voters choose politicians but in a political gerrymandering, politicians choose voters.”

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(8) BEST political statement 2018 (8)
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Ah Koon justifiably sneered at Kit Siang

Our dear Ah Koon is back with a sting, for Lim Kit Siang, wakakaka.

Ah Koon reminds us and of course Lim Kit Siang of what Kit Siang said during DAP's Tanjung 2 (not Tanjung Bungah campaign, wakakaka) in 1994 (having failed in his Tanjung 1 in 1986).

KT note: Chinese said Lim Kit Siang was not destined to "chay tian" (sit on the "throne" or become Chief Minister of Penang, wakakaka) but his son is.

Kit Siang had then described Chong Eu, who was 71, as too old to be chief minister of Penang.

Ah Koon reminded us, "Lim (Chong Eu) was only 71 (then) and he (Kit Siang) said, Chong Eu is too old."

"Kit Siang also turned 77 this year, how about the 92-year-old?”

Well, hasn't Lim Kit Siang swallowed his own vomit back a la what Hadi Awang said of Mahathir in my post Hadi Awang: "Maddy licking up own vomit”, wakakaka.

As Kit Siang is a Christian, may I remind him of Proverb 26:11 which tells us:

As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly - (KJV)

And of course we know Lim Chong Eu lived until he was 91.

At Gerakan's 50th-anniversary celebration at its headquarters in Penang last night, Ah Koon left Kit Siang a sarcastic ending remark in his speech:

"I am not saying Mahathir is too old. But when people ask if I would return to politics, I tell them, let's wait until I am 92, then I would make a comeback.”

Wakakaka, never thought as a DAP supporter I would say this, but at last, Ah Koon finally has a chance to sneer at Kit Siang and justifiably too. And Kit Siang certainly deserves that righteous condemnation from Ah Koon.

well done, Ah Koon, wakakaka 

The Common Denominator

FMT - The feeling is surreal, says Wan Azizah on working with Dr M (extracts):

PETALING JAYA: PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail says it is a “surreal” feeling to now work with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the same person who once removed her husband Anwar Ibrahim from the government 20 years ago.

“It’s a bit surreal. Is this really happening?” the PKR president was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) yesterday.

“But yes it is and of course for me it shows how bad the situation is that the former prime minister who actually hand-picked Datuk Seri [Najib Razak] as prime minister – it has come to this stage where he [Mahathir] actually wants to get rid of the man that he chose himself.”

She said winning the next polls may be tough, but Malaysians had already made up their minds to vote for change.

In 1998, Mahathir sacked Anwar from both the Cabinet and Umno over allegations of moral misconduct.

Wan Azizah herself said "... it shows how bad the situation is that the former prime minister who actually hand-picked Datuk Seri [Najib Razak] as prime minister – it has come to this stage where he [Mahathir] actually wants to get rid of the man that he chose himself".

Doesn't she realise the former PM could NOT work with anyone, having sacked her husband Anwar and subsequently undermined AAB and also Najib in their PM positions.

Yes, Mahathir has always gotten rid of his deputies or successors.

Prior to Anwar, his deputy Musa Hitam left in disgust, and he allowed another of his DPM, Gaafar Baba, to be ousted in a humiliating manner?

And he reneged on a deal with Hussein Onn to have Ku Li as his deputy PM? Ask yourself, what happened to Muhyiddin's previous position as Pakatan's PM, then DPM????

He is the common horrible selfish self-centred denominator. Only his son Mukhriz is suitable.

Aloha Oe MCA?

Star Online - Politics is not all about eliminating your opponents, Teng tells DAP (extracts):

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Barisan chairman Teng Chang Yeow has taken the DAP to task for targeting capable leaders from MCA and Gerakan in the general election.

"Is politics all about eliminating your opponents?

"At the end of the day, it is the community who will be at the receiving end.

"I do not think you can see this kind of culture from Barisan component parties," he said during the party's 50th anniversary celebrations at the state Gerakan headquarters in Macalister Road on Saturday (March 24).

DAP had announced that its Johor chief Liew Chin Tong would take on MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong in the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat.

Its Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming has also been widely tipped to contest against Gerakan president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong in the Teluk Intan parliamentary seat

Wouldn't you say that what Teng Chang yeow has said, is exactly what MCA had also said in the run-up to the 2013 elections, whence MCA vice-president Donald Lim in an interview with Oriental News Daily appealed, “I hope the people will give us some votes. Don’t make us eat egg.”

duck egg - Chinese slang for 'zero'

'Don’t make us eat egg' translated into Penang Hokkien as mai haw wa lang chea arh nui depicts the Chinese colloquialism of arh nui (duck egg meaning 'zero' or 'kosong'), in other words, don't destroy MCA totally.

And in the general election before that, just before the 2008 election, Ong Ka Chuan who was the MCA’s secretary-general had to swallow humble pie and plead: “If you have five people in your household, I plead with you to give one vote to MCA.”

Now, with Teng making his (admittedly more dignified) appeal Politics is not all about eliminating your opponents, I see a repetition of MCA's begging in 2008, 2013 and now 2018, a very shameful leitmotiv.

Of course poor MCA realises this general election may well be its final chapter, as it will be for Gerakan.

Both MCA and Gerakan had distinguished starts, with MCA struggling together with UMNO and MIC for Independence from the Poms, battling for citizenship for Chinese Malaysians, organising vernacular education, etc whilst the Gerakan Party in its victorious debut in 1969 was touted to be the true multiracial replacement for the Alliance Party (BN's predecessor).

Things went all wrong along their way to 2018.

How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.

- 2 Samuel 1:25 (KJV)

Hadi Awang: "Maddy licking up own vomit”

FMT - Hadi raps Dr M over promise to abolish UUCA (in full):

SERDANG: PAS today hit out at Dr Mahathir Mohamad over his promise to repel the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) should Pakatan Harapan (PH) come to power.

Using a Malay expression, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said Mahathir’s pledge was like “licking up one’s own vomit”.

He said at one time, students and lecturers were free to air their political opinions and take part in political activities..

“I lived in the era after the country achieved independence. There was no law then to bind lecturers and students. Political leaders could go to campuses and at that time, the government was not worried about our activities on campus,” he told a gathering of university students here today.

But Hadi said this was no longer the case in the eighties.

“We don’t know who was the prime minister at that time, who introduced a law prohibiting lecturers and students from getting involved in politics,” he said, in an apparent reference to Mahathir.

Mahathir was the education minister when the UUCA came into force in the 1970s, which among others prohibited students from becoming active in political parties. An amendment tabled by the government in 2012 lifted the ban, but was criticised by student activists as superficial.

On Mar 21, Mahathir said the Act would be abolished by PH but said it was enacted to ensure students did not neglect their studies.

Though PAS has never come to terms with the man they saw as the oppressive Pharaoh (Mahafiraun), what Hadi has said is true, that the man responsible for the draconian oppressive measures against university students is now singing a hypocritical bullshit song. 

Chinese saved Mahathir in 1999; after elections he accused them of being communists

From the Chinese press:

“Suqiu”, what are you waiting for?:

In 1999, the Chinese guilds and associations rallied 90% of Chinese support and submitted a memorandum of appeals called “Suqiu” to the Mahathir regime before the general election. Why I say 90%? It is because DAP did not support the move and also the Chinese still made up 26.7% of the Malaysian population.

The 1999 Suqiu was an extension of the 1985 Joint Declaration of the Chinese Guilds and Associations. Actually, Suqiu covers not only Chinese issues but also issues of different races in Malaysia. Thus, it can called an appeal by all people rather than just the Chinese.

At that time, Deputy Prime Minister Anwar was sacked by the Mahathir regime which triggered a series of domino effects and Malay voters were divided. The Chinese guilds and associations then in Aug 16, 1999 came out with the memorandum of appeals covering political, economic, cultural and education issues and calling on the government to respect democratic and human rights, restore judiciary independence, press freedom, rout out corruption and attend to the marginalized groups. The memorandum was signed by 2,098 Chinese guilds and associations all over the country.

Mahathir pretended to support the appeal and won the general election with the support of Chinese guilds and associations. But he made a denial after the election and lambasted the Chinese campaign, comparing the promoters with the Communists and Al-Ma’unah Islamic extremists.

This triggered a backlash from the Chinese community. The dictatorial and bullying Mahathir immediate assigned radical elements threatening to burn down the Selangor-Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall. The Chinese community who have experienced the May 13 incident and Operasi Lalang became fearful.

The 14th general election will be held in 2018 and the Chinese population has shrunk to 22.7%. As Chinese birth rate is shrinking, it is projected that by the 15th election, the Chinese population will go down to a mere 19%.

Is the 1985 Joint Declaration of the Chinese guilds and associations and the 1999 Suqiu still relevant for this age and time? This writer would not dare to speculate. But they can certainly be used as a reference to draft the 2018 Suqiu. The Malay votes are divided among UMNO, Pribumi Bersatu and PAS. It is absolutely a good opportunity for the Chinese guilds and associations to submit its Suqiu again.

I suggest striking a deal in black and white with legal obligations with whichever party that offers the best and fulfill at least half of the appeals before the election.

What are you waiting for if you don’t do it now? Wait until our population has shrunk to 19% or even less than 10%?

Original Source: 还等什么？大诉求

Nurul Izzah in peril

As posted several times, my prediction seems to be coming true, that Nurul Izzah will be changing seat from her Lembah Pantai to somewhere safer.

Mind, not that requires a rocket scientist to foresee her plight in GE14, but it seems from news report that Raja Nong Chik has been investing much time in the Lembah constituency and he now stands a good chnace of wresting that parliamentary seat from Nurul.

Her 2013 victory in Lembah Pantai was only with a majority of 1,847 in a total ballot of 61,048 cast. Thus effectively Raja Nong Chik lost by only 924 winning votes. I heard some EC sakti-ness will occur under the current re-delineation process, so poor Nurul could possibly become another politically moribund Snow White. Where then are the bloody 7 dwarfs (can also be spelt as 'dwarves')?

MM Online today publishes Tipped to replace Nurul Izzah, Fahmi tempers expectations in Lembah Pantai which tells us clearly that Nurul will abandon the sinking ship.

Fahmi Fadzil PKR Comm Chief

As she is a precious princess (of Anwar Ibrahim and the so-called PKR Reformasi) she must be given a safe safe safe seat. But which PKR seat will be safe now that PAS will be playing spoiler in Permatang Pauh and elsewhere (as it did in GE13 in Kota Damansara).

I don't think she'll be safe in Perlis, Kedah, NS, Malacca, Johor, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, which leaves us Selangor, FT, Penang and Perak.

But she has mucho enemies in PKR Selangor which is ruled by Azmin Ali. 

Currently PKR holds the following seats:

Selangor

P097 – Selayang – William Leong Jee Keen
P098 – Gombak – Mohamed Azmin Ali
P099 – Ampang – Zuraida Kamarudin
P100 – Pandan – Rafizi Ramli
P104 – Kelana Jaya – Wong Chen
P105 – Petaling Jaya Selatan – Hee Loy Sian
P107 – Subang – Sivarasa Rasiah
P109 – Kapar – Manivannan Gowindasamy
P112 – Kuala Langat – Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid

Federal Territory

P115 – Batu – Tian Chua

P116 – Wangsa Maju – Tan Kee Kwong
P121 – Lembah Pantai – Nurul Izzah Anwar

Penang

P044 – Permatang Pauh – Wan Azizah Wan Ismail

P047 – Nibong Tebal – Mansor Othman
P052 – Bayan Baru – Sim Tze Tzin

Perak

P071 – Gopeng – Lee Boon Chye
P074 – Lumut – Mohamad Imran Abdul Hamid

I doubt Azmin's inner core will surrender any of their Selangor seats, though mind you, Azmin himself is quite unsafe in Gombak.

And with Rafizi claiming arrogantly that PKR will win Pandan even if its candidate is a cat, miaow, will Nurul chance herself in the Pandan seat, bearing in mind the Pandan DAP, a typical source of support for PKR, had closed shop earlier this month, shifting their loyalties now to PRM and possibly Jenny what's-her-name?

I will be brave and politically incorrect to say that Nurul will be most safe in a Chinese majority constituency, that is, if she wants to be very very very comfy in GE14, from both BN and her intra party enemies.

The safest seat for a Pakatan person in Peninsular is P.122 Seputeh (to be renamed Sri Petaling). It's currently held by sweetie Teresa Kok who won her seat in 2013 with the biggest majority in Malaysia, to wit, 51,552 votes in a total turnout of 71,859.

Sweetie Teresa crushed her MCA opponent Nicole Wong Siaw Ting who somehow managed to secure 13.9% of the votes. Call it a landslide or tsunamic victory, sweetie did it since 1999.

Nicole Wong 

I heard sweetie Teresa may be part of the DAP Kamikaze Division in GE14 and thus move out of Seputeh. Princess Nurul can put in a bid for P.122 Seputeh (to be renamed Sri Petaling). Be quick or a grumpy 93-year old man who too wants to be safe may appropriate it, wakakaka.

Racial-religious extremism is ironically 'colour-blind'

As I informed my FB matey Mandy Ping, there are always extremists in every society. How society and its law and guardians deal with such extremism would be the difference.

The following is an example in Hindu India, the land of Sakyamuni Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa.

FMT - 11 lelaki Hindu dipenjara kerana bunuh orang Islam sembelih lembu (extracts):

NEW DELHI: Mahkamah India menjatuhi hukuman penjara seumur hidup terhadap 11 lelaki kerana membunuh peniaga daging Islam yang disangka mengangkut daging lembu, dalam sabitan pertama yang dikaitkan dengan “vigilantisme lembu”.

Tertuduh, termasuk seorang kakitangan parti pemerintah Perdana Menteri Narendra Modi, didapati bersalah membunuh Alimuddin Ansari di timur negeri Jharkhand pada Jun 2017.

Ia merupakan salah satu siri serangan yang berkaitan dengan lembu, yang dianggap suci oleh penganut Hindu.

Lelaki-lelaki terbabit didakwa membunuh, melakukan rusuhan dan kesalahan lain di bawah Kanun Keseksaan India.

“Mahkamah menjatuhi hukuman penjara seumur hidup semalam,” kata Rajesh Kumar, pegawai kanan polis di Ramgarh kepada AFP melalui perbualan telefon pada Khamis.

But those perpetrators' punishment is a lesson for us to remember that our respective religion would not have condone such evil acts of killing in the name of religion or praying for death unto our political foes.

BEST political statement 2018 (9)

Editorial from TMI (extracts):

... as pundits and his critics discussed and debated his age and fitness to be prime minister again at 93, the former prime minister calmly walked in and sat in the front row.

The organisers were surprised. Sure, they did invite him but no confirmation came through that he would turn up to listen to the panellists made up of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) academic Dr Kamarul Zaman Yusoff, psychologist Dr Mat Saat Mohd Baki and fitness coach Kevin Zahri Abdul Ghaffar.

Even his wife, Dr Siti Hasmah Ali, came for the forum and sat next to him while listening to the surprised panellists.

There are several phrases, polite and crude, to describe Dr Mahathir's attitude. In polite circles, he showed testicular fortitude or scrotal gumption.

As we know, The Malaysian Insight (also TMI) is likely to cease operations next week in the same way as its rumoured predecessor The Malaysian Insider (TMI) did.

But I am in a way delighted that just prior to its close-down after a year's worth of news (including GST-ed kembong and kerang, wakakaka), its editor Jahabar Sadiq has endowed us with a parting gift, that of another BEST (9th) political statement 2018 for kaytee to add to the collection here, to wit:

In polite circles, he showed testicular fortitude or scrotal gumption.

I use this opportunity to wish Jahabar Sadiq and his staff the best for the future.

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Stop blaming others for your faults

Malaysiakini - Mukhriz: Dr M foresaw the start of Umno's rot (extracts):

Mahathir's son, Bersatu Pribumi deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir, who is more willing to tackle the past in a frank manner, acknowledged that issues such as patronage had begun to manifest since Mahathir's time and worsened under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (photo) and Najib.

However, Mukhriz did not blame his father but attributed the problems to circumstances, which he said Mahathir had also expressed worry about when he was prime minister.

He pointed out that Mahathir, in his speech to the Umno general assembly in 1995, had made comments that he found "rather strange".

Worried about Umno's direction

"But now we understand where he was coming from. He said he was worried about where Umno was heading.

"He said he saw that Umno was changing from a party that had members coming from the teaching profession to become a party that has more corporate members.

At the time, Mukhriz said, the transition was not necessarily bad as it was due to the booming economy but there were concerns how it would affect the future.

"Perhaps this was a sign of the times, the economy was doing well, the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) was booming, everyone was making money and there were lots of investments coming to the country.

"He (Mahathir) said this in his speech as if it was a concern of his. He was afraid that this will have a certain impact on the party and that the party will change and maybe lose its identity or principle of struggling for the people."

It was also the same year in which Mahathir had read the poem, ‘Perjuangan Belum Selesai’ (The fight is not over), said Mukhriz.

"I remember really well, even then people were talking about 'what is wrong with this old man? Why is he lamenting when we were all doing well?'. Then, he was breaking down when he was reading this poem.

"Now we see that's exactly what happened. Umno changed into a party that was made up of corporate types who weren't putting the interest of the rakyat ahead of everything but had more self-interest.

"They were going up and down ministries, vying for projects, direct awards, closed tenders, using whatever cable they may have to get projects and contracts and that is what Umno is now," said Mukhriz.

Mukhriz claimed he also witnessed this during his time in Umno Youth.

"I saw it with own eyes in Umno, I was there for quite some time. You can see how people can change.

If so, then why didn't your father do something about it, when he was still PM and at the height of his power, a power so great that he could de-fang the royals, unseat the judiciary and reconstruct the Dewan Senate to his liking?

Why blame his (claimed) two successors?

Stop blaming others and start accepting responsibilities and his wrongs.