Suara rakyat, suara keramat

It is time the Indians reclaim their dignity. It is time the Indians no longer allow themselves to be taken for granted. It is time the Indians realise that they need not succumb to threats and blackmail and that the Malays and Chinese will stand by them and defend them if they stand up for their rights.



Raja Petra Kamarudin

There is a very old joke that once made its rounds around the time the D.P. Vijendran sex videotapes first exploded onto the scene. The joke went as follows:

Samy Vellu, S. Subramanian and Vijendran decided to have a boys' night out, complete with women and everything thrown in. They checked into the presidential suit of a five-star hotel and after dinner each adjourned to one of the attached bedrooms with the women they had 'booked' for the night. After the fun and games, when the women had gone home, they sat down for a nightcap and compared notes.

“How was your woman?” Subramaniam asked Samy.

“Not very good lah. My wife is better......How was yours?”

“Mine also not that good,” replied Subramaniam. “My wife is also better......And what about yours Vije?”

“Mine also not that exciting. But you are both right, your wives are certainly much better.”

Of course, this is just one of the countless off-colour jokes about those who walk in the corridors of power, in particular involving the MIC. If we compiled all the jokes ever told about Malaysian politicians, we would be able to publish a book, maybe in many volumes.

There is another -- probably more sensitive though because it involves religion and Malaysians are not that tolerant of religious jokes -- about Indian Muslims, Christians and Hindus. The joke went as follows:

The Indian Muslims, Christians and Hindus were attending an 'interfaith' conference and during the tea-break they discussed how they raised funds for their various houses of worship.

“We collect a lot of money during the Friday congregation prayers,” said the Muslim imam, “plus we receive government funding. So we have enough money to maintain the mosque and finance our dakwah activities.”

“We do exactly the same,” said the Christian priest, “and of course this is done during Sunday mass but we do not get any government funding.”

“We are no different,” butted in the Batu Caves Temple committee chairman, “only that we throw the money into the air and whatever God wants He catches and what falls to the ground we hand over to MIC.”

Many a true word is said in jest and this could probably be why the Hindus boycotted the Batu Caves temple this recent Thaipusam. They no longer want MIC to get its hands on the millions that are collected every year. I was told that this year the Batu Caves temple collection dropped drastically compared to previous years.

Actually, the joke is rather unfair. In a sense God does get the money from the Batu Caves Temple collection. Only that this 'God' is named Samy Vellu.

But 'God' Samy Vellu is having a tough time nowadays. His disciples have turned murtad (apostates). The Indians have turned their backs on him. After 50 years, the Indians have awoken to the fact that Samy is not leading them to the 'promised land' after all as promised. All over Malaysia the Indians are up in arms. Samy, his family, and those perceived close to him, are heckled, pelted with slippers and eggs, roughed up, and many times the police had to be called lest the crowd send them home in a body bag.

Barisan Nasional is worried. In the past, Barisan Nasional used to only worry about the Malays and Chinese. The Malays and Chinese are so unpredictable. But there was no worry about the Indians though. In almost every general election and by-election, Barisan Nasional would, without a doubt, get 90% of the Indian votes. It is the Malay and Chinese voters that they have to watch.

The only 'good thing' about the Malays and Chinese is that they never both swing the same way. When one swings one way, the other swings the opposite direction. In the mid-1980s, the Chinese swung to DAP. DAP captured 24 Parliament seats in the mid-1980s general election. But the Malays swung to Barisan Nasional and PAS was practically massacred when it won just one Parliament seat against DAP's 24.

Then, slightly over a decade later, the Malays swung opposition and gave the Malay candidates from PAS and PKR 32 Parliament seats in the Malay heartland plus control of two state governments. They also gave the Malay opposition eight of the 15 Parliament seats in Kedah, more than half and mainly predominantly Malay-majority constituencies. DAP came in with only ten Parliament seats, and even then with the help of Malay voters. In some areas, PAS members were seen wearing DAP T-shirts while marching with DAP flags held high. It was very strange seeing Malay faces dressed in the colours of what many would call a 'Chinese chauvinist' party.

When the Malays swing one way, the Chinese swing the other. But since 90% of the Indians vote Barisan Nasional, and the Malays and Chinese never vote 'block' but vote against one another, this is not a major problem. It does not matter whether the Malays support the government and the Chinese oppose the government, or vice versa. Just make sure they do not unite and oppose the government together. Divide the Malays and Chinese so that if one swings away from you, you still have the other swinging your way. And the Indians can play the balancer, basically the 'king-maker' in this divide and rule strategy.

So the electoral boundaries were drawn up with this in mind. The constituencies must be designed in such a manner that if one race goes anti-government, the other would help balance it. And the Indians would deliver the crucial votes to tip the delicately balanced scales in favour of the ruling party. And that is how the Elections Commission's gerrymandering is done, and with that one purpose in mind. But today, senjata sudah makan tuan.

But heaven forbid that the Indians swing the other way. Heaven forbid that 90% of the Indian votes go to the opposition instead of to the ruling party as has been so for 50 years. And heaven forbid that the Malays and Chinese actually unite and vote the same way instead of swinging opposite to each other. This was what happened in 1969, and if it happens again in 2008, then Barisan Nasional will see its two-thirds majority in Parliament disappear, as it would in states such as Penang, Perak and Selangor, plus in the Federal Territory, while Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis might see opposition-led governments in the State Assembly.

Samy Vellu is now a liability. But Samy Vellu refuses to retire. He still wants his last hurrah. But that may not happen. Instead, this may prove to be his last tango. But the Indian anger must not be against just Samy Vellu. This was what happened in 1999 when the Malay anger was channelled to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. When Mahahir retired and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over as Prime Minister, the voters swung back to Barisan Nasional and gave it the largest majority in Malaysian election history, 92% of the seats in Parliament. Even the mighty Mahathir could not achieve this in his 22 years at the helm of Barisan Naisonal.

Samy Vellu must be declared irrelevant. Whether Sany Vellu retires or continues must no longer be the issue. The Indians must be angry with Barisan Nasional, in particular MIC. The Indians must be made to realise that Samy Vellu is not the problem. The problem is the system and Malaysia's political structure. It does not matter who leads MIC. As long as MIC is part of Barisan Nasional, and all the other 13 coalition members serve Umno, then whoever leads MIC will not change anything.

I remember 20 years ago when the Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry met Samy Vellu at the height of the mid-1980s recession. I was then a central committee member and we lamented about the lack of contracts and how many Malay businessmen were facing bankruptcy. Samy Vellu replied that he is already doing as much as he could by dishing out contracts to Malay companies.

“I am not a Minister for the Indian community,” replied Samy Vellu. “I am a minister for the Malays. I look after the Malays more than I look after the Indians. It is the Malays who vote me into office. Without the Malay votes I would not be in power. So I care more for the Malays than the Indians. What more do you want me to do?”

Samy Vellu uttered this most surprising declaration 20 years ago in front of more than 1,000 Malay businessmen. Ahmad Sebi Abu Bakar, then the CEO of TV3, agreed with what Samy Vellu said.

“We put him in JKR so that he can privatise all the projects to Umno. If we put a Malay as a Minister it would be very sensitive. With an Indian as a Minister the non-Malays cannot say anything.”

Samy Vellu's usefulness to Umno was further demonstrated when he switched portfolios with Leo Moggie. As the new Minister of Tenaga, Telekom dan Pos, Samy Vellu corporatised TNB, Telekoms, Pos Malaysia, etc., and Umno, plus those who walk in the corridors of power, became beneficiaries of the shares and made billions. After there was nothing left to sell, Samy Vellu and Leo Moggie again switched portfolios where until today he remains as the Minister of Works.

Yes, Samy Vellu is there for only one purpose, to make Umno and those who walk in the corridors of power filthy rich. And he has done his job well. He has loyally served his Umno master to the hilt. In Samy Vellu's own words, he serves Umno, not the Indians. And 90% of the Indians gave his MIC and Barisan Nasional their votes every election for 11 general elections.

Sure, I used to look down on the Indians. I never tolerated any Indian 'nonsense'. I would never hesitate to call them 'Keling Pariah'. That was of course very mean of me and extremely racist. But I harboured this attitude not because they are Indians. I am no racist. My best friends in school were Rajadurai and Yim Seng, not Abdullah, Ahmad or Ali. And I hung around Brickfields and the railway quarters of Bangsar, mixing with Indians my entire secondary school years. In fact, that is where I met my wife, in Jalan Thambi Abdullah in Brickfields.

My reason for looking down on the Indians was because they are so stupid. They treat Samy Vellu like God. They give MIC 90% of their votes. And they do this while Samy Vellu laughs at them and tells us, the Malays, that he is a Minister for the Malays and not for the Indians and that his job is to serve Umno.

But that is now all in the past. Two nights ago I went 'home' to Jalan Thambi Abdullah to ceramah after abandoning my 'kampong' since 1974. It took me 34 years to return to Brickfields. But I am now 'home' and I intend to stay home. But if, again, 90% of the Indians of Brickfields give their votes to Barisan Nasional, then I will never again step foot in Brickfields for as long as I live, which may not be too many years left anyway.

I hope the Indians have now woken up. I hope the Indians have finally realised how MIC has sold them to Umno and played them for suckers. I now look at the Indians as my brothers and sisters and no longer as 'Keling Pariah' who allowed themselves to be cheated, yet still became the 'king-maker' by throwing their support behind Barisan Nasional.

It is time the Indians reclaim their dignity. It is time the Indians no longer allow themselves to be taken for granted. It is time the Indians realise that they need not succumb to threats and blackmail and that the Malays and Chinese will stand by them and defend them if they stand up for their rights. Make us proud of you. Show us Malays and Chinese that you are nobody's baruah. And, if you need help, just shout and we Malays and Chinese will be there by the thousands to ensure that no harm comes to you.

Live people's power, don't just shout it. Suara rakyat, suara keramat. Makkal Sakhti.

A chip off the old block

We were on a family outing once and my father pointed to a JKR lorry and asked whether I knew what 'JKR' means. “Jabatan Kerja Raya,” I replied. My mother went into shock when my father replied, “Jaga Konek Raja.”


Posted By: Raja Petra Kamarudin

My first lesson in life was probably when I was seven or eight years old. One day I came home from school with a 'new' eraser and my mother asked me where I got it from. She knew she had not bought it for me. I told my mother I found it in school and my mother went ballistic. “You stole it?” she screamed.

“I did not steal it, I found it,” I protested. “Someone had dropped it, I don't know who, so I picked it up.”

The next day my mother followed me to school and marched me to the headmistress' office. I was made to hand over the eraser and apologise to the headmistress. The headmistress lectured me and told me that the eraser must belong to someone. So the right thing to do was to hand it to the lost-and-found department so that an announcement could be made and the owner could come and claim it back.

I was so embarrassed that I never dared pick up anything again, never mind how worthless it may have been.

When I was about 11, I got into a fight with three Javanese boys. I was then in the Meru Road Primary School in Klang and that was certainly a Javanese-infested area; even till today I think. One of the boys called me “Raja Melayu celup” because I could not speak Malay properly. Well, I had just transferred there from the 'Mat Salleh' Alice Smith School so what would you expect?

I took a swing at the Javanese boy and landed one on his head. It was not that hard a punch really. I think I hurt my hand more than his head but this happened right in the classroom in full view of the rest of the class so he was not about to let me get away with it.

After school I discovered that someone had let the air out of my bicycle tires. I felt a tap of my shoulder and turned around in time to meet the clenched fist of the Javanese boy. The punch got me right in the face and I hit the ground in a total daze. I had never been punched before and the sensation was quite astonishing. It is actually true when they say you will see stars. I did.

I did not dare pick myself up from the ground until the Javanese boy and his two friends had all walked away. Then, with my face throbbing with pain, one eye puffed up, and my mouth swollen like I had been stung by a bee, I pushed my bicycle to town to pump up the tires again.

By the time I got home I was already almost an hour late and my mother was pacing the floor in anxiety. She was shocked to see my swollen face and I explained what had happened, which was why I was late home from school.

When my father came home from work I expected him to rush to my aid but, surprisingly, he took one look at my face and just said, “Hmph.” He did not follow me to school the following day to complain to the headmaster or to insist that action be taken against the three boys who had assaulted me. The message was quite clear: I was on my own. I got myself into it so I will have to get myself out of it.

From that day on I was very careful about getting into trouble. I knew my father would not help me get out of it so I had to make sure that whatever I did there would always be a back door or escape route in case I needed to beat a hasty retreat. That first 'let down' sort of taught me that I need to strategise and size up the situation. I must assess whether the battle I might be taking on is too big for me to handle. The cavalry is not going to come to my rescue if I screw up.

The lesson I learnt from this is: you are on your own. No one, not even your own father, is going to bail you out.

I was always in love with motorcycles but my father would not buy me one until I had a driving licence. Then he made a deal with me. If I pass my LCE exams with an 'A' he would buy me one. I was already on Murugesu's 'least likely to succeed' list so that was a challenge which I considered impossible to achieve. Anyway, I did get an 'A' and my father, though very surprised and quite suspicious as to how I did it, kept his promise and bought me my first motorcycle, a Yamaha 90cc, which I felt then could go as fast as a jet plane.

I was in form four when I first got into trouble with Murugesu. Those who went to VI in the 1960s would probably remember the headmaster we called 'Black Hitler'. It was quite racial really but then that nickname was given by my 'best friend' Rajadurai. So I suppose there was nothing wrong in calling him that if an Indian boy was the one who gave him that 'title'.

Just to digress a bit, Rajadurai became my best friend after I took 'six cuts' on his behalf. Someone had painted graffiti on the toilet wall and a stool pigeon said that 'Raja did it'. Murugesu thought I was the 'Raja' the informer meant and I was summoned to the headmaster's office. I told Murugesu that I did not do it and he demanded to know who did. It was either rap on Rajadurai or take the cuts myself. I was no stool pigeon so I took the six cuts. I was then given a tin of white paint and made to repaint the entire toilet. From thereon, to avoid any further confusion, we called Rajadurai 'Tengku' and I became 'Pete'. So no one was called 'Raja' any more.

And that was probably my next lesson in life: there is no justice in this world and never expect a fair trial.

One day, Murugesu caught me 'racing' in school and he literally ran after me with cane in hand. (He always walked around holding a cane so that he can swing at us whenever he saw us). Actually, I was not really racing. It is just that I only knew two speeds, full stop or full speed, and all I did was ride at my 'normal' speed.

Anyway, I hid in the toilet while Murugesu searched the whole school compound for me. He also asked the head prefect to lock my bike so that I could not escape. Unfortunately, Murugesu finally found me and he swung his cane on my backside with all his might. The impact was so great, like a golfer swinging his golf club, that the cane broke into two. Not satisfied with being able to give me only one 'cut' when he had intended to give me 'six of the best', he then slapped me on my left ear and I heard all sort of zinging sounds in my head. I wonder if that is why I am slightly deaf in my left ear -- or could it be because of too much disco music?

I was asked to report to the headmaster's office to collect the key to my locked bike. I knew that Murugesu had about a dozen or so canes decorating his room so I decided to give the 'invitation' a miss. I then took a bus home instead, much to my father's surprise who thought I had lost my bike or it had been stolen.

I was scared stiff but had no choice but to explain what had happened. He told me to get in the car and we drove back to school. My father marched to the headmaster's office with me in tow and gave Murugesu a piece of his mind. I must say I was surprised as I had expected him to take Murugesu's side.

“I bought my son that motorcycle so it belongs to me,” my father said indignantly. “That is my personal property and it is in my name so you have no right to lock it. Unlock it now or else I am going to sue you for abuse of power and authority and for illegally detaining someone's private property.”

Yes, I was wrong for exceeding the school speed limit. But the punishment I received far exceeded the gravity of the crime. Furthermore, it was unconstitutional for the school to detain my bike. The school rules do not allow for this. And it was not my bike actually but my father's bike since he had paid for it and it was in his name.

I was baffled at what I considered an overreaction by my father. I was, after all, guilty of a crime. It would be many years before I would understand my father's stand on the issue. Just because someone had committed a breach of discipline does not give you the right to do what you like to that person. Punish the criminal by all means but make sure the punishment is legal and befitting the crime. Two wrongs do not make a right and the ends can never justify the means. Furthermore, the constitution must be upheld and just because you are in authority does not give you the right to breach the constitution.

We were on a family outing once and my father pointed to a JKR lorry and asked whether I knew what 'JKR' means. “Jabatan Kerja Raya,” I replied. My mother went into shock when my father replied, “Jaga Konek Raja.”

“Hoosh!” my mother shouted and my father just laughed. “But it's true,” my father protested. “JKR will do anything the Sultan commands it to do so it is 'Jaga Konek Raja'.”

The whole conversation was beyond me as I was then still too young to understand 'politics'. Much later in life would I comprehend what the issue was. My father was opposed to what he considered an abuse of authority on the part of the Sultan. He did not like the idea of the rakyat having to pay for the new Istana Alam Shah in Klang, which was of course built by JKR. That was back in 1960 and I was then only ten years old. When the Sultan died just before the Istana could be completed my father uttered, “What did I tell you? You can't use the rakyat's money like that.” Invariably, the Sultan never got to live in his new palace and my father was convinced this was God's punishment for building the palace.

When I came of age when identity cards were compulsory, my mother took me to the IC office in Klang to apply for one. Being born in England meant I was a 'foreigner' so I was issued with a red IC instead of a blue one. A few months later I went to collect my IC and brought it home to show my father. He hit the roof when he saw it was a red IC. I was bundled into the car and we drove to the IC office. My father marched into the officer's room and threw the IC onto the tabled and demanded that they replace it with a blue one.

The poor officer was visibly shaken and tried his best to explain. “But Engku, your son was born in England and has a British birth certificate so he can't get a blue IC. He needs to get his citizenship papers first. Only then can he be issued a blue IC.”

But my father would hear nothing of it. “My son may have been born in England but that was in 1950 and in 1957 Malaya gained independence from Britain. I brought him back to Malaya in 1956, one year before Merdeka. It does not matter where you were born. When we became Merdeka, whoever chooses to remain in this country, even if they were born in another country, is an automatic citizen of this country. So issue him a blue IC and do it now.”

I got my blue IC. But when it was time for a new one to be issued at age 18, the IC office was at a loss as to how to issue me a blue one when I should have instead been given a red one. Anyway, they decided to 'close one eye' and just issue me a blue one without probing further how I got a blue one in the first place.

I always thought that my father had abused his authority by intimidating the IC office into issuing me a blue IC when I should have been given a red one. Later, of course, when I discovered the meaning of the word 'discrimination' and when I discovered that many Indians and Chinese were denied citizenship though they came to this country before Merdeka, I understood what made my father go ballistic. My father should have been a wakil rakyat. Probably then many Indians and Chinese born in this country before 31 August 1957 would not have had so much problems fighting for citizenship.

But my father did not like politics. He in fact despised politicians. And that was why he was amongst those few Malays from his 'batch', the first group of Malays to go to England immediately after the war, who did not choose politics as their career. All his contemporaries like Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Dr Ismail, Tun Ghazali Shafie, Khir Johari, and many more went into politics.

Towards the end, however, my father did show some interest in politics. That was about four years or so before he died and when Parti Gerakan was launched. After shunning politics his entire life, my father suddenly became so excited and spoke at length about the new party of intellectuals which was non-race based and which was about to take the country by storm. It is sad that Gerakan eventually got reduced to just another Chinese party and ended up nowhere near the 'Malaysian' party like my father had hoped. I think that was the first time my father actually came out to vote, though I can't be too sure, but he proudly declared that he voted for Gerakan, the first true-Malaysian party. My father never once spoke about the earlier elections but would go on and on about the 1969 elections -- so I assume that was the first time he voted.

My father died when I was about 22 but he lived long enough to leave an impression on me. Of course I am not perfect; nobody is. Some say I am quite eccentric (gila babi or taufung). But my values are what I have been brought up to believe in. Sure, I am opinionated. I am also very abrasive at times. But once I believe in something I will fight tooth and nail to defend it. And I am what I am because I have been brought up to become so. Nothing can change that.

Zul Rafique and Azim Zabidi, PLEASE go to hell!

Let's demonstrate Malaysian Solidarity

This election may end up the dirtiest ever in Malaysian history. But let us the rakyat show the powers-that-be that we shall no longer tolerate the rigging of our elections and the denial of our fundamental right to free and fair elections. We refuse, any longer, to be robbed of our right to determine the government that will rule over us

Posted: Raja Petra Kamarudin

At 3.00pm tomorrow -- Friday, 22 February 2008 -- BERSIH is organising a rally at Batu Burok in Kuala Terengganu. This rally is even more important than before considering the Twelfth General Elections is now upon us and many incidences of fraud have been detected all over the country.

Malaysians love screaming about satu bangsa, solidarity, and all such slogans. Well, let's not confine ourselves to just screaming empty rhetoric. Let's really show solidarity in the spirit of satu bangsa in support of those who are putting life and limb on the line in Kuala Terengganu tomorrow for the sake of a better Malaysia.

Wear yellow tomorrow. Make tomorrow a YELLOW FRIDAY. And at 3.00pm tomorrow, come out from your homes and offices wearing yellow, stand on the street, and make your presence felt. Or you can get into your car, switch your headlights on, and drive around the block while honking your horn. Whatever it may be, just show solidarity tomorrow, in particular at 3.00pm.

Of course, if you can make it to Kuala Terengganu at 3.00pm tomorrow that would be even better. If not, then show your support from afar by just wearing yellow and at 3.00pm do something as a mark of support.

At 11.00am the following day -- Saturday, 23 February 2008 -- we shall be launching the PEOPLES' DECLARATION at the Blog House in Bukit Damansara in Kuala Lumpur. The six political parties who have endorsed the declaration will be invited to attend together with civil society movements, NGOs, and members of the blogging community. Those interested to witness this event are most welcome (address: no: 66, Lorong Setiabistari 2).

Lunch will be served and we have prepared seats for 100 people. If the crowd exceeds that we may have a problem but I am sure you are not coming for the food but to see the birth of a united opposition and a better Malaysia for our children (and as for me, grandchildren).

On Wednesday, 27 February 2008, Blog House will be organising a MEET THE CANDIDATES session. The time has not yet been confirmed but considering it is a working day it would probably be at 8.00pm. This election will see the most number of bloggers contesting, so Blog House would like to introduce all those from the blogging community who will be contesting the election.

Of course, there are 505 State seats and 222 Parliament seats (total 727 seats) up for grabs but Blog House is only focusing on the candidates from the blogging community, which may prove to be quite a number in the end. Never mind if they are Barisan Nasional candidates or opposition candidates. All will be invited and all are welcome. So, if you want to meet the candidates who are also bloggers then stay tuned for further announcements and keep your Wednesday night free.

Then, on Saturday, 1 March 2008 (1 week before Polling Day), we shall be organising a MEET BARISAN RAYKAT function. The time and place have not been confirmed yet. In this function we shall give the members of BARISAN RAKYAT an opportunity to talk to the people and explain their policies and strategies in the event the opposition coalition forms the government, whether at Federal level or in one, two or three of the States. There will also be a question-and answer session for participants to ask the members of BARISAN RAKYAT anything that may be of concern to them. Stay tuned for more details.

Many incidences of fraud have already been detected all over the country and this election may yet prove to be one of the dirtiest ever. A team of lawyers is being set up to gather evidence of fraud/vote-buying and to file an injunction to stop the 8 March 2008 general election. There is still one more year before an election needs to be called so the election should be postponed until the electoral roll can be cleaned up and the phantom voters flushed out. If not, the opposition can garner 60% of the votes but Barisan Nasional will still form the government, and probably with a two-thirds majority as well.

The team of lawyers is offering a reward of RM10,000 to anyone who can deliver evidence of fraud and/or vote-buying that leads to a conviction. I would do it for free but if some of you are more concerned with filling your pockets rather than fight for a better Malaysia -- just like the Barisan Nasional politicians we are trying to kick out -- then this is the opportunity for you to make some money.

If the coming general election cannot be stopped and it still goes on as planned, the team of lawyers will then use all the evidence of fraud and or/vote buying to file election petitions immediately after the election to get the courts to declare that particular seat where the evidence has been procured as null and void.

So, keep your eyes open. Gather as much evidence as your can. Documents will be good but if you saw something but have no documents to support it then your testimony in a signed Statutory Declaration or Affidavit will do. We shall inform you later where to send your evidence or who to meet to get your Affidavits drafted and signed.

Yes, this election may end up the dirtiest ever in Malaysian history. But let us the rakyat show the powers-that-be that we shall no longer tolerate the rigging of our elections and the denial of our fundamental right to free and fair elections. We refuse, any longer, to be robbed of our right to determine the government that will rule over us.

While we go to the polls, they rip us off in our sleep

Practically the whole country is focused on the coming general election due to be held on 8 March 2008. But while we look the other way, distracted by the intense election campaigning, some parties are quietly about to make RM4 billion from a property development that involves a piece of land belonging to the rakyat.


Posted: Raja Petra Kamarudin

Practically the whole country is focused on the coming general election due to be held on 8 March 2008. But while we look the other way, distracted by the intense election campaigning, some parties are quietly about to make RM4 billion from a property development that involves a piece of land belonging to the rakyat. And rakyat here means 26 million Malaysians, 11 million or so who are registered voters. Sadly though, only 8 million who will come out to vote this election while the other 3 million will just stay home to watch television.

But it will not be 26 million Malaysians who will profit from this development. It will be handful of people who walk in the corridors of power. And these handful of people are the man with two Muhammad's in his name who would like to be Malaysia's future Deputy Prime Minister, Anuar Zaini who runs the Malaysian government's propaganda machinery also known as Bernama, and the cronies to the powers-that-be.

In June last year, it was reported that a company owned by Hong Leong's Quek Leng Chan will be taking over the land which the Universiti Malaysia sits and will turn into a new township. The university would then be relocated to Sepang.

There was a big hue and cry and the government flatly denied such a thing was in the cards.

Everything went quiet for awhile. Part of the objection to this proposal was because of the 'sacred' status and sentimental value of Malaysia's first university. But what was even more of an objection was the fact that a Chinese company was going to become the beneficiary to a very valuable piece of government asset.

To quell the outrage, the government quickly denied such a thing was being planned. But the denial was a lie and merely meant to quieten things down for awhile so that alternative plans could be put into place.

Realising that the university land was a 'goldmine', other parties jumped in and last week they announced that the university would sell off 27.5 acres of its under-utilised land for a price of RM312 million or for a value of RM200 million plus a share of the developer's profit, whichever is higher. However, what was not revealed was that the Selangor State Government, which is supposed to be a joint-venture partner, would get only 10% of the deal while 90% will go to Muhammad son of Muhammad and Anuar Zaini. The state government company is merely a front to give an impression that this is a government deal and to avoid any more controversy while in actual fact certain individuals are going to profit from the entire arrangement.

Yes, while Malaysians sleep, while Malaysians get distracted by the 8 March 2008 general election, those connected to those who walk in the corridors of power are going to make billions while the government will get pittance in return. Is this not one more of so many reasons to cut Barisan Nasional down to size by denying it its 92% hegemony in Parliament?

It is time Malaysians demonstrate outrage and shout loudly, “NO MORE!” And this demonstration must come in the form of no longer allowing Barisan Nasional a landslide victory in the coming general election and by denying it its 92% hegemony in Parliament.

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

Shock over township plan for UM campus

Malaysiakini, 13 June 2007

Former academician Dr Syed Husin Ali has expressed shock over news that Universiti Malaya (UM) will relocate its campus from Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur, to a large swath of undeveloped land in Sepang Selangor. “I was shocked and a great number of the UM Alumni have expressed consternation on hearing that there is a plan to relocate UM to Sepang,” said Syed Husin in a statement today

The move is reportedly part of a property developer’s proposal to turn the 300ha campus into a commercial and residential township to complement its RM1.2 billion Damansara City project. According to Business Times yesterday, GuocoLand Bhd - a property developer controlled by billionaire banker Quek Leng Chan - has made a bid for the university grounds. Citing sources, the newspaper said the company intends to develop a commercial and residential township on the area, which has an estimated gross development value of RM10 billion. If the proposal is approved, the university will be relocated to the developer’s 4,860ha land bank in Sepang.

Syed Husin said: “Apparently, the plan aims to kill two birds with one stone, one, to maximise profits from the development of the present university site and, two, the sale of these bungalows and villas to university staff, which it would otherwise face great difficulty to dispose of. Presumably, it hopes to sell these to the university staff, if it succeeds in relocating UM.”

He noted that there is “little or no concern” over the impact of the move. “The intended relocation will certainly (disrupt) the lives of thousands of academic and non-academic staff of the university and their families,” said Syed Husin, a former lecturer at the university and now deputy president of the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

The campus was established in 1959, after the university was set up as an autonomous entity following its separation from the University of Malaya, Singapore. Although there were lobbies to site the campus near Johore Bahru and elsewhere, the location remained even after Universiti Malaya was officially founded in 1962.

“The UM has developed into an institution with a strong historical and academic tradition. It has served higher education well and contributed considerably towards the process of nation building. A large number of its graduates have been and are important political and administrative leaders of the country,” said Syed Husin. “Universiti Malaya and Lembah Pantai are one, the same and inseparable. There should be no attempt to separate them, especially if entirely for commercial purposes that will enrich only a handful few who are already extremely rich.”

GuocoLand's share price gained 87.3 percent six days prior to yesterday to RM3.26. Registered in Singapore, the property developer recently announced plans to invest US$5.4 billion in China. Meanwhile, UM vice-chancellor Rafiah Salim has denied receiving a proposal from Quocoland to develop Lembah Pantai, according to Sin Chew Daily today. The daily also reported Higher Education Minister Mustapha Mohamed as saying there would not be development in the area, describing the university grounds as having significant historical and cultural value.

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UM land more important than money

Dr Hsu Dar Ren, Malaysikini, 21 June 2007

I refer to the malaysiakini report Shock over township plan for UM campus. According to the report, a prominent developer has made a bid for the Universiti Malaya’s campus ground. The university authority has denied it and expressed shock over the report. I suspect even they may not even be privy to the proposal.

The piece of campus land situated in Lembah Pantai is indeed very valuable, and I tend to believe that there may have been a proposal to shift the university and develop the land, bearing in mind that there is no smoke without fire.

I am not a Universiti Malaya graduate but that is not important because I believe that it is the duty of every single Malaysian to defend the heritage of the country, and one such legacy is the Universiti Malaya campus. Businessmen, politicians, civil servants and indeed everyone of us must understand that there is something more valuable than just money. A heritage ground is one of these priceless inheritances.

No amount of money can be equated with a heritage ground. Money earned can easily be spent, but a heritage will remain forever as a symbol of a nation and it is what nationhood is about. Imagine a proposal to shift the Buckingham Palace in London. Even though it is situated within the one-square-mile golden city centre, the British will defend this building till the end of their nationhood. Imagine a proposal to shift Harvard University from its present campus in Cambridge, US. I think the whole of America will be in an uproar because the American heritage and the pride of the nation will be challenged.

There is a Chinese saying meaning ‘A gentleman loves money but you must earn it in the proper way’. Developers and businessmen, let me appeal to you - there is something more important in life than just making profit. Leave Universiti Malaya alone.

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UM seeks approval to develop under-utilised land

Bernama, 19 February 2008

Universiti Malaya (UM) said today it has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Higher Education to develop under-utilised land of 27.5 acres (11 ha) out of 900 acres (360 ha) of its main campus land. The successful completion of the development project is expected to provide UM with a minimum income of RM312 million or the land value of RM200 million plus a share of the developer's profit, whichever is higher, UM said.

It said in a statement that the Vice Chancellor, Datuk Rafiah Salim, on behalf of the university's Board of Directors (UMBD) and the university, sought the approval of the Minister on Jan 25 for the development project. The project, under a private-sector initiative, will be undertaken by a consortium by the name PPC-MINT-GLOMAC.

PPC-MINT-GLOMAC, a result of a merger of two companies, was recommended by Colliers International Property Consultants Sdn Bhd, which the university had appointed for an independent assessment. The two companies were from the three shortlisted by Colliers International to make presentations to UM Holdings Sdn Bhd Board of Directors (UMHBD) on Sept 27, 2007.

Initially, eight developers were invited to submit proposals for the development but only five submitted proposals. Colliers International was appointed by UM Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of UM that was incorporated in line with the government's plan for public universities to be financially independent.

UMBD has appointed Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Annuar Zaini to the board of UM Holdings and to chair with the aim to fulfil the corporate aspirations of the university. UMHBD also comprises Emeritus Professor Tan Sri Dr Augustine Ong, Annuar Mohamad, Azhar Harun and Professor Dr Muhammad Zakaria.

Among the roles of UM Holdings is to plan, identify, explore, conserve, develop and enhance the university's assets. The university disclosed that UM Holdings had received many proposals for various types of development and projects. Several parcels of land were identified, and the 11 ha of land on Lot 10476 were chosen.

The university said the PPC-MINT-GLOMAC consortium, which made a presentation to UMBD on Oct 9, 2007, drew attention to the presence of the proposed University of Malaya Alumni Association (PAUM) clubhouse and the PALAPES (Reserve Officer Training Unit) camp on the land to be developed.

"This will affect the Master Plan of development of the consortium in relation to the land. UMBD acknowledged the concern of the consortium and recognised the need for UM to obtain optimum benefit to all in regard to the development of the land. With this in mind, UMBD recognised that both the PALAPES camp and PAUM's clubhouse need to be relocated to sites to be identified by UM," it said.

It also said that on 13 December 2007, UMBD said that subject to agreement by PAUM, the site for the building of PAUM's clubhouse and the PALAPES camp will be relocated to sites identified by UM.

"UM gives the assurance that this development will be transparent and all processes and procedures will be observed, and decisions made will be based on independent professional advice. Evaluations and recommendations are made by UM Holdings and UMBD but the final approval rests with the Government," it added.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

Some of you reading this article probably know my Auntie, Raja Fuziah. And those of you who know her probably do so because when you went to university she was the one who gave you your MARA scholarship. Could not my father's own sister who had given out scholarships to tens of thousands of total strangers not also give her own nephew a scholarship?

Posted By: Raja Petra Kamarudin

Malaya gained independence or Merdeka from Britain in 1957. But the British Colonial masters would not willingly grant Malaya independence. It took a decade of haggling before the Union Jack could be lowered and the new Malayan flag that almost looks like the flag of the United States of America could be raised in its place.

One of the issues that delayed the granting of Merdeka was the matter of what to do with the Indians and Chinese once Malaya becomes independent. India had already gained independence from Britain earlier and China had turned Communist. No doubt the British had brought the Indians and Chinese to this country from the mid-1800s to about 1920 to work the tin mines and rubber estates, but there was no way they could be sent back to their 'homeland', in particular the children of the original immigrants who had been born in Malaya.

The British refused to consider Merdeka for Malaya until and unless the Malays, Indians and Chinese sat down and worked out a solution. Merdeka would be granted only when the three races come to an agreement on what to do with the 'immigrants' who after about 100 years were not only third or fourth generation 'Malayans' but had in fact become more Malays than the Malays -- at least some of them like the Mamaks and Babas who no longer spoke their mother-tongue but spoke better Malay than some Malays.

The British knew that a hurried Merdeka without resolving the citizenship issue would just result in a blood-bath when one race, in this case the Malays, would claim sole-ownership of the country and the 'pendatang' get evicted from their land and homes. The religious diversity would also pose a problem as the aftermath of the independence of India had proven when brother fought against brother just because of religious differences. What more when it involves a diverse set of races who were also of different religions.

Finally, wisdom and common sense prevailed and the founding fathers of the nation called Malaya came to an agreement, or maybe a compromise, on what would happen on Merdeka Day. The Indians and Chinese would be granted citizenship, unless they chose to return to their homeland, but the Malays, for 'sacrificing' their 90% or so majority, would be accorded certain rights and special privileges, to be reviewed after 15 years, meaning some time in 1972.

But something happened before 1972, and that was the race riots of May 1969, and to address the discontentment of the Malays who felt they had been left out of the economic race, the New Economic Policy was agreed upon by the leaders of the three component members of the Alliance Party -- Umno, MCA and MIC. Invariably, the rights and special privileges of the Malays were not reviewed in 1972 as originally intended. Instead, the NEP became the new policy which in a way 'strengthened' the rights and special privileges of the Malays even more. But this was supposed to end in 1990 -- which meant that the 15-year review would be reviewed after 33 years instead.

But the NEP was more than just about Malay rights and special privileges. It was a two-prong attack (serampang dua mata) aimed at reducing the disparity amongst ALL the races as well as to reduce the gap between the haves and the have-nots. In other words, the NEP was about helping all the poor and unfortunate, regardless of race. And that was when the term 'Bumiputera' came into being. But Murphy's Law says that anything that can go wrong will go wrong and the Bumiputera issue was exploited to become an Umnoputra policy. And Umnoputra did not just mean Malays but anyone who serves Umno -- Indians, Chinese, Kadazans, Dayaks, etc., included. In fact, as far as the corporate world was concerned, the non-Malays benefited more than the Malays who were reduced to mere 'rent-seekers' and commission agents who earned a small fee for fronting for the non-Malays and for selling their permits and quotas, in particular to the Chinese.

The Umnoputras, of course, did not totally lose out in this 'Ali Baba' arrangement as they still had some meat on the bones that were thrown their way. But the Indians, except for a very small handful, did not even get any bones, with or without meat attached to them. But it was the fault of the Indian leaders actually. Why did they not demand their share? Why did they not demand that at least one or two FELDA settlements be allotted to them like what the Malays got? After all, the Indians were the original estate workers so they would know how to grow palm oil, rubber, cocoa, etc. Instead, while the Malays became estate workers with the help of the government, the original Indian estate workers got displaced as estates got turned into townships and golf courses and in the process the Indians not only lost their homes but their livelihood as well.

It is not that the government did not set up funds and place money in these funds to help the 'retired' Indian estate workers. It is more that those 'elite' Indians entrusted with the task or managing these funds embezzled and misused the money. In short, the Indians had cheated their own kind, as did the Malays and, to a certain extent, the Chinese as well.

No doubt, for being relegated to second- and third-class citizens, the Indians and Chinese are carrying grudges against the Malays. But is it really the Malays who are to blame? Okay, maybe Umno can and should be blamed. But Umno is Umno. Umno is not 16 million Malays. It is not even 6 million Malays. MIC and MCA too have misbehaved. Should we hang 10 million Malaysian Indians and Chinese from the tallest tree just because of what MIC and MCA have done? The Indians and Chinese would get upset if we blame them for the sins of MIC and MCA. What makes the Indians and Chinese think the Malays too would not get upset if they are blamed for the sins of Umno?

If you want to find someone to blame for your troubles, don't look in my direction. Sure, I am Malay, but I am not Umno. I never voted for Umno. I never even obtained a government scholarship to send all my kids to England. In fact, my father, who was then the son of the Governor of Penang and cousin to the late Agong, did not have money to send me to England and he refused to get a government scholarship to pay for my education. I mention this fact that he was the son of the Governor of Penang and cousin to the late Agong to demonstrate how easy it would have been for me to get a scholarship since our family was so well-connected.

Some of you reading this article probably know my Auntie, Raja Fuziah. And those of you who know her probably do so because when you went to university she was the one who gave you your MARA scholarship. Could not my father's own sister who had given out scholarships to tens of thousands of total strangers not also give her own nephew a scholarship? No, my father would not allow it. That is dishonest. That is corruption. It would have been better if my father had not been Raja Kamarudin Bin Raja Tun Uda. Then I could have got a scholarship. Instead, my father sent me to Volkswagen to do an apprenticeship on a starting salary of RM105 a month.

At first Pak Arshad would not take me because I was 'over-qualified' and the pay was too little. But my father insisted and Pak Arshad relented. Sure, that was in 1970. But even in 1970 RM105 was pittance. And I slogged it out for three years learning the trade under a Hakka mechanic whose every second word was a four-letter word. And my 'training' involved the first six months in the washing bay where I had to wash the cars before and after they were serviced. That's right, I started my working life as a tukang basuh kereta.

But I did not mind. My father promised that if I passed my apprenticeship exam he would send me to England to do Automobile Engineering. So I studied hard. I was going to get distinction in my AMIMI exam. Automobile Engineering was kacang (peanuts) for me anyway. I was already tuning my own motorcycle and in 1968, at the age of 18, had participated in my first Malaysian Grand Prix. I could soup up an engine without having to even go to school to learn how to do it. I could make my 100cc motorcycle go as fast as a 250cc. I could ride from Kuala Lumpur to Penang in under three hours even before we had the PLUS Highway. Automobile Engineering was not a career. It was a passion, in fact a 'religion' as far as I was concerned. And I took my religion seriously.

Halfway through my final exam my father died of a heart attack. He was only 46. I got distinction, the only one out of more than 100 students who sat for the exam. The 'second best' student got only a 'B'. I brought my results home to show my mother. She looked at it and broke down and cried. I did not know why she cried but I cried as well. Seeing my mother cry makes my cry and barely two months since my father died I suspected that must have been the reason.

But that was not the reason. My mother cried because my father was not able to see my exam results before he died, and he missed it by only a couple of months. “Your father was worried about you,” my mother explained. “He did not want to send you to England because he was scared you would just 'play the fool' and not study. He wanted you to prove that you are serious about your studies before sending you to England. And now you have proved it but he is no longer around to see it.”

Then my mother cried again. “I have no money to send you to England. But you deserve to go and Daddy promised you if you passed your exam he would send you.”

“I don't want to go to England,” I told my mother between sobs. “I want to stay here and look after you.”

I framed my exam results and hung it on my bedroom wall and then went to work for a company at RM250 per month. RM250 a month is not a king's ransom even back in 1973 but that was all I could get. My exam results were of no use unless I wanted to go back to Volkswagen and become a car mechanic. It was supposed to be my 'passport' to England but my father was no longer around and sometimes plans have to change to suit changing situations.

Two of my 'best friends' went to university though. My Indian friend went to Singapore University and my Chinese friend went to England. But I repaired engines at RM250 a month because my father was the son of the Governor of Penang and cousin to the late Agong and he would not allow me to 'abuse' this 'position' by getting a government scholarship.

Yes, in 1957, Malaya gained Merdeka from Britain and the Indians and Chinese were granted citizenship. Then, in 1970, the New Economic Policy was launched and the Indians and Chinese became second- and third-class citizens. But at least as second- and third-class citizens they went to university. I, the 'first-class' citizen, had to start from the bottom and work my way to the top because I hated being at the bottom and longed to get to the top.

I pity the Indians and Chinese who have to accept being second- and third-class citizens and cannot do anything about it. I certainly know what it is like because that was where I started as well. But I have never grumbled about it. I don't blame the Indians and Chinese for how I have 'suffered'. I don't even blame Umno or the Malays. And I would certainly never blame my father for having too much principles; and maybe pride as well. I just drove from Kedah down to Johor and up to Kelantan, with my baby sleeping in the back seat of the car, to sell my engines so that by the age of 40 I can send all my children to England for a university education without having to run to Umno or the government for financial assistance.

Resurrecting the dead

Posted By: Raja Petra

PAS is contesting only 60 Parliament seats. They need 150 seats to control two-thirds of Parliament. PAS cannot implement Islamic laws even if they control two-thirds of the seats in the State Assembly without controlling two-thirds of Parliament.


“I do not want to send you to jail,” said the judge as he stared at me like he was trying to burn a hole right through my chest. “But I have to.”

“I plead leniency your honour,” was the only response I could come up with in such short notice. “I am, after all, a first-time offender,” I added, hoping that that would 'melt' him a bit.

“It's not that I want to punish you,” the judge replied without flinching and with the same cold stare. “Sending you to jail is not about punishing you. It is about protecting society from people like you. You may be a first-time offender, but what is there to guarantee you will not do it again? Society needs to be protected and that's why I have to send you to jail. If I thought you are repentant then I could give you a suspended sentence and bound you over for good conduct. But thus far you have not even said sorry for what you have done or promised never to do it again.”

I saw this as an escape clause and quickly jumped in. “But I regret what I had done, your honour, and I promise never to do it again. I now realise my mistake.”

“Hah, a leopard never changes its spots. If you did it once how would I know you will not do it again? Sure, you can always say you are sorry and that you regret what you did. But I am not too sure if I were to release you that you would keep your word.”

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No, I did not really go to court. And, no, I was not sent to jail. In fact, the entire dialogue above never happened. I just put that in to dramatise what the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) must be going through in the ongoing 'trial'. For eight years, the Chinese in particular and the non-Malays in general, have been screaming about the Islamic State Document (ISD) that PAS introduced in Terengganu not long after the Tenth General Election in 1999. Actually, long before PAS did that in Terengganu, they had done the same in Kelantan about eight or nine years earlier. But the ISD that PAS launched in Kelantan not long after the 1990 general election and the one launched in Terengganu not long after the 1999 general election both went nowhere. And PAS knew they would get nowhere with it.

Why in heaven's name did they launch them then? This would probably be what many of you would now be asking. Well, it's simple, really. PAS is an Islamic party and it is therefore their 'duty' to launch the ISD. What else would you have expected PAS to do? I would be very surprised if they had NOT launched them.

But PAS had only 27 Parliamentary seats in 1999 and even less in 1990. They would need at least 150 seats to control two-thirds of Parliament before they can implement the ISD and change Malaysia from a Secular State to an Islamic State.

Okay, PAS controlled Kelantan in 1990 and Terengganu in 1999. Maybe PAS did not, on both those occasions, have 150 seats in Parliament or controlled two-thirds of Parliament. But they did, in 1990, control two-thirds of the seats in the Kelantan State Assembly in and, in 1999, in the Terengganu State Assembly. So the ISD could have been implemented in these two states even though PAS would not have been able to do so at Federal level. Why, then, did PAS not do so at state level?

PAS could not do so at state level because, to make constitutional changes at state level, you require the approval of Parliament and PAS did not have 150 seats in Parliament or control two-thirds of Parliament. But this should still not stop PAS from 'pushing' the issue. Whether PAS does or does not control Parliament is not the issue. PAS' job is deliver its election promise -- the implementation of Islam -- and then leave it to Parliament to sort the whole thing out.

We must remember, PAS was under pressure. Umno was calling PAS a liar. UMNO was accusing PAS of cheating the voters by not delivering its election promise. The simple-minded village folks (orang kampong) are not able to rationalise issues the way we can. These people would swallow the Umno propaganda hook, line and sinker. “PAS bohong! PAS tipu! Sebelum pilihan raya janji Islam. Bila sudah menang pilihan raya diam, tak buat.”

PAS had to show that it delivers its election promises, or at least try to deliver even if it does not have the power to do so. We promise, we deliver. If Barisan Nasional blocks it at Federal level because they control more than two-thirds of parliament, then PAS can't be blamed for that.

PAS' job is to try to deliver what it had been mandated to do by the voters who voted for it. And PAS did just that. So it fulfilled its election promise. But Malaysia still remained a Secular State as everyone thought it would, PAS included. That is not PAS' fault though. That was Barisan Nasional's fault. So Barisan Nasional is the chow lang in the eyes of the Malay voters, not PAS.

When Umno challenged PAS to 'deliver its election promise', it did not think that PAS would actually do it. This is because PAS can't act alone but must act in the spirit of the opposition coalition, then called Barisan Alternatif. Umno was calling PAS' bluff. Then, when PAS fails to deliver, Umno can turn around and call PAS a liar and a cheat. Janji tapi tak buat.

Umno was in fact caught off-guard when PAS 'accepted' Umno's challenge and announced the launching of the ISD. Not only Umno was caught of-guard but the other three members of Barisan Alternatif as well -- DAP, PKN (now PKR) and PRM (now merged with PKN into PKR). DAP, PKN and PRM did not agree with the ISD and told PAS so. DAP even left Barisan Alternatif in a huff.

Umno realised that challenging PAS was a mistake. It thought the challenge was safe because surely PAS would not act alone and DAP, PKN and PRM would object strongly to the ISD. But PAS did act alone in spite of the protests from DAP, PKN and PRM. PAS had no choice, really. It was being challenged by the other Malay-dominant party and was being called a liar and a cheat. Either it faced Umno and accepted the challenge or else PAS would become irrelevant and might as well close down just like Semangat 46 before that.

Now it was Umno that was in a bind. Umno never for one minute suspected that PAS would put the opposition coalition in jeopardy by going against the wishes of the other three coalition members. But PAS did and the coalition practically broke up (hidup segan, mati tak mahu). PAS, however, managed to redeem itself in the eyes of the Malays. And Umno responded by hurriedly declaring, on 19 September 2001, that Malaysia is already an Islamic country, so why do we need PAS? PAS can only promise. It does not control two-thirds of Parliament so it can't deliver. Umno, however, through Barisan Nasional, does control two-thirds of Parliament. So Umno does not need to 'promise' like PAS does. Umno can deliver. So Umno, in a way, became Malaysia's new Islamic party, dislodging PAS from that perch.

Many may have not noticed this, but since the 2004 general election, when PAS lost Terengganu, almost lost Kelantan, and saw its 27 Parliament seats reduced to just nine, PAS has stopped talking about the ISD. DAP knows this. Talk to people like Ronnie Liu. He can tell you that PAS wants to treat the ISD as an embarrassing mistake that should be buried in the past and allowed to remain buried. But people would not allow it to remain buried. They kept resurrecting the ISD issue even though PAS themselves, those who gave birth to it, would like it to remain buried. It was no longer PAS that was talking about the ISD. It was those who would like this stigma to hang over the head of what could be the most successful and powerful opposition party.

Okay, PAS made a mistake in the past. They have learned from this mistake. But do we want to keep harping on the past? How far back into the past should we go? Is there any cut-off date? Should we continue killing every Japanese we see in Malaysia because of what they did to us during the Second World War? In 1834, the Chinese in Lukut massacred Raja Busu and his entire family plus hundreds of Malays. Raja Busu was a member of the Selangor Royal Family. Should I still hold that against the Chinese, in particular the Chinese from Lukut? Or maybe I am entitled to avenge the death of my ancestors by 'teaching' the Lukut Chinese a lesson?

Sometimes the past is better left in the past, especially when all has been forgiven, though not quite forgotten. What the Chinese in Lukut did to my family in 1834 and what the Japanese did to Malayans during the Second World War is now a footnote in history. What PAS did two elections ago is also a footnote in history. Should we condemn the Indians for giving 90% of the votes to Barisan Nasional (MIC) in the recent Ijok by-election or should we instead support them and stand by HINDRAF because of what they are doing today rather than because of what they did a few months ago in Ijok?

Today, PAS is talking in another nada or tone of voice. That is what counts. Yesterday is yesterday. Today is what matters. And if today we still want to talk about what PAS did yesterday, then I too should condemn the Chinese for what they did yesterday to my family in Lukut and what the Indians did yesterday in Ijok. By the way, do you know we eventually lost Lukut, Linggi and the areas surrounding it because of this massacre? The British stepped in on the excuse of 'restoring law and order' and to protect their business interests. Negeri Sembilan would not exist and today it would still be part of Selangor if the Chinese had not started a 'war' down there.

Yesterday, 100 pro-government Malay Islamic groups led by ABIM announced that they want the government to Islamise this country. I need not go into details as you can read it here (Pro-government Islamic groups demanding stronger role for Islam ahead of polls in Malaysia) and here (PEMBELA declaration & press statement ).

Let us look at the track record.

Was it not PAS that summoned the Kelantan Hindus for a meeting and offered them a site for a Hindu temple even though they did not ask for one? Umno, however, during the time it was ruling Kelantan, blocked the building of a Hindu temple. Was it not Umno that declared Buddhist statues haram and blocked its construction in the state of Sabah? The court case is pending even as you read this. Was it not Umno that demolished Hindu temples in Selangor? Was it not Umno that shot tear gas and water cannons into the Batu Caves temple grounds? Was it not PAS that allowed pigs to be slaughtered in Kelantan while Umno, during the time it ruled Kelantan, forbade it? Look at the track record. Let the track record speak for itself.

Take a drive to Kelantan these next few days before the general election. Go visit the Kota Bharu market. See for yourself all the women selling at the Kota Bharu market. Yes, the women control the market. The women monopolise the economic scene. The batek and songket manufacturers are mostly all women. The signboards carry women's names. If you trade with them, you trade with the women. The women negotiate with you and the women handle all the money, not the men.

Where are the so-called 'separate check-out counters'? The men and women stand in the same line and the women serve you and you pay the women at the check-out counters. There are only separate toilets for men and women. The rest are all men-women mixed.

Go stay at the state government-owned Perdana Hotel in Kota Bharu. They have only one swimming pool. And you and your wife both swim in that same one pool. There are no two swimming pools, one for men and another for women.

You want to drink, fine, order a beer and send me the bill. Yes, you can get drunk in Kota Bharu if you want to, as you could in Terengganu when PAS was ruling that state from 1999 to 2004. Okay, Terengganu banned gambling when PAS was running that state. But that was because the PAS Menteri Besar had a meeting with the non-Muslims and they agreed that gambling is bad and should be banned. Some argue that gambling is Chinese culture and should not be banned. Well, why did the non-Muslims then ask the Menteri Besar to ban gambling? Anyway, I have made about ten trips to China thus far and have travelled the length and breadth of that country and none of the Chinese I met in China say that gambling is their culture. In fact, the Chinese government bans gambling and will not allow casinos on its soil.

If just because you want to gamble you would rather have Barisan Nasional rule Kelantan and Terengganu, then the Chinese are even shallower than I thought. But if it is really that important and really Chinese 'religion' that you gamble, then make this point clear to PAS. And if gambling is more important than a good future for your family, I am sure PAS will accommodate the Chinese and not interfere with Chinese 'religion', as it has promised. But please do not ask PAS to legalise child prostitution so that you can sell your children to the pimps for a profit as much as in some societies this is acceptable and very rampant.

Let me put it to you again in plain and simple English. PAS is contesting only 60 Parliament seats. They need 150 seats to control two-thirds of Parliament. PAS cannot implement Islamic laws even if they control two-thirds of the seats in the State Assembly without controlling two-thirds of Parliament. PAS is not pursuing the ISD any longer. Malaysia will remain a Secular State unless two-thirds of Malaysians demand this country be changed into an Islamic State through a referendum -- but then the referendum can only be called by Barisan Nasional and never by PAS because only Barisan Naisonal controls two-thirds of Parliament.

Now, are we still worried about Malaysia being turned into an Islamic State? If we are then we had better watch Barisan Nasional closely because only Barisan Nasional can do that. Look at this news item again (Pro-government Islamic groups demanding stronger role for Islam ahead of polls in Malaysia) and here (PEMBELA declaration & press statement ). See who is crying out for more Islamisation? Is it PAS? Or is it the Umno-led organisations? And who will control two-thirds of Parliament come this election? Will it be PAS when it is contesting only 60 seats and may end up winning only half or so? Or will it be Barisan Nasional as most of you believe will happen? Is it wise, therefore, that Barisan Nasional be given two-thirds of the seats in Parliament? You decide come 8 March 2008 when you go to cast your votes

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Pro-government Islamic groups demanding stronger role for Islam ahead of polls in Malaysia


By Eileen Ng, The Associated Press

A call is going out for a stronger role for Islam in Malaysia.

A group called the Defenders of Islam wants the government to declare Malaysia an Islamic-majority country and reject any attempt to make it a secular state.

The Defenders of Islam is a loose coalition of about 100 conservative organizations representing students, professions and others.

Among other things, it is also calling for wider powers for Shariah courts and stricter enforcement of religious and moral doctrines ahead of general elections next month.

The National Front coalition, which has governed Malaysia since 1957, is led by the United Malays National Organization. It draws support from Malay Muslims and espouses a generally moderate form of Islam.

About 60 per cent of Malaysia's 27 million people are ethnic Malay Muslims. The rest are Christians, Buddhists and Hindus from the Chinese and Indian communities.

Yusri Mohamad, president of the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), which leads the coalition, says recent racial and religious tensions in Malaysia stem from efforts by certain groups to challenge Islam's role in the multiracial country.

"We want to remind all Malaysians to preserve and maintain the status quo," he said. "The formula may not be perfect but it has worked reasonably well. It is acceptable and sustainable."

The Islamic groups' demands follow a campaign by Malaysian churches urging Christians to choose candidates in the March 8 polls who champion religious freedom.

There are growing concerns among religious minorities that their rights are being eroded by a rise in Islamic fervour, which many blame on overzealous Muslim bureaucrats in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's government.

The fears have been fuelled by a recent government ban on the word "Allah" in Malay-language Christian literature, the demolition of Hindu temples, and court judgments favouring Muslims in disputes with non-Muslims.

Yusri said the Islamic demands, which will be distributed to all candidates and political parties, were aimed at highlighting Muslim needs, not countering the Christian campaign.

The groups' statement called for asserting "the significant role of Islam in the state."

It also called for the power of Islamic Shariah courts to be strengthened and new laws to block the propagation of other religions among Muslims, especially in states with large minority populations.

The groups also seek more Islamic studies in schools, increased scholarships for Muslims and the implementation of Islamic practices, such as prayers during school assemblies.

Television stations should ban western entertainment programs such as reality shows and promote Islamic programming.

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PEMBELA declaration & press statement


MALAYSIA’S 12TH GENERAL ELECTION: ISLAMIC NGOs ELECTION DEMANDS

In view of the upcoming general election, Malaysia’s Islamic NGOs exercise their democratic right by calling upon political parties, election candidates and the future state and federal government to address issues concerning the interests of Islam, Muslim society and the nation.

The calls for a responsive government which is receptive to the aspiration of the people and the Muslim majority contained in a document called “Malaysia’s 12th General Election: Islamic NGOs Election Demands”. The document is a product of a consensus reached through a series of consultation among Malaysia’s main Islamic NGOs including Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), Jamaah Islah Malaysia (JIM), Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association (MACMA), Syari’e Lawyers Association of Malaysia (PGSM), Allied Coordinating Council of Islamic NGOs (ACCIN), Wadah Pencerdasan Umat (WADAH), Muafakat Masyarakat Malaysia (MUAFAKAT) and Muslim Lawyers Association (MLA), Persatuan Ulama’ Malaysia (PUM), Teras Pengupayaan Umat (TERAS). (See the full list below).

The document comprises a host of demands which fall under six main items, namely the special constitutional position of Islam; Islamic education and da’wah (call to Islam); good governance; democracy and civil society; inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations; and Islamic faith and morals. Following are the summary of the demands:

1. Special Constitutional Position of Islam

• Defend the position of Islam as the Religion of the Federation under Article 3 of the Federal Constitution.
• Assert the significant role of Islam in the state and rejects the notion of Malaysia as a secular state.
• Defend and strengthen the position and jurisdiction of Syariah Courts under Article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution.
• Legislate laws controlling the propagation of non-Muslim religions among the Muslims in Sabah, Sarawak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang and Federal Territories as provided by Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution.
• Enhance the level of professionalism among the staff of Islamic agencies.
• Legislate Halal Food and Processing Act as a means to govern halal industry and enhance the enforcement of halal requirements.
• Take stern action against employers who prevent employees from practicing their Islamic religious duties at work.
• Prosecute those who cause religious disharmony, especially by making offensive remarks against Islam, under Section 298A of the Penal Code.

2. Islamic Education and Da’wah

• Increase the learning period of Islamic subjects in national primary and secondary schools.
• Set up Islamic higher learning and research institutions in specific fields such as education, technology and management.
• Guarantee academic and intellectual freedom by giving autonomous status to the universities.
• Re-instate and increase the per-capita aid to People’s Religious Schools (Sekolah Agama Rakyat, SAR) and provide free textbooks to students of these schools.
• Re-introduce the teaching of Mathematics and Science in Malay at national schools.
• The Ministry of Education to allow excellent students from private religious schools to enrol in boarding schools under the supervision of the ministry and the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA).
• Extend the provision of government scholarships, which are currently enjoyed by Malay students, to non-Malay Muslim students.
• Increase the number of recipients of the Public Service Department’s scholarship award to Muslim students to further their studies abroad.
• The Ministry of Education to continue encouraging Islamic practices in schools.
• Provide special allocation to Islamic NGOs to carry out Islamic educational activities.
• The Ministry of Information to be sensitive toward the feelings of Muslim majority in devising broadcast policies; prioritize television programs that contribute to the development of a moral society; increase the number of Islamic education programs; and stop airing entertainment programs that promote hedonistic culture.
• Private television stations must adhere to the National Culture Policy and the National Education policy in selecting their programs.

3. Good Governance

• Step up the efforts to curb graft and abuse of powers among public officials.
• Appoint public officials among those who are free from graft, abuse of power and immoral conduct.
• Foster the internalization of Islamic values among civil servants.
• Public officials to make public declaration of their assets.
• Appoint senators among the leaders Islamic NGOs to oversee the implementation of Islamic policies and promote the welfare of Muslims.

4. Civil Society and Democracy

• Ensure that elections are clean, free and fair.
• Select election candidates among those who are of high integrity, good conduct and able.
• Ensure that the government exercises its powers in accordance with the rule of law and the constitution.
• Widen the democratic space in order to allow civil society institutions to contribute to social empowerment and nation building.

5. Inter-Ethnic and Inter-Religious Relations

• Enhance commitment to religious and racial harmony.
• Reject political parties and politicians who disregard special position of Islam in Malaysia and those who advocate the secular understanding of absolute religious freedom.
• Strictly enforce laws on the building of houses of worship irrespective of religions.
• Ensure that the sensitivities of local residents be taken into consideration before a house of worship is built in the area.
• Form a special committee comprising the representatives of Muslim organizations and local authorities to deliberate on applications to build non-Muslim houses of worship in Muslim-majority residential area.

6. Islamic Faith and Morals

• Reject the notion of religious pluralism which claims that all religions are the same.
• Reject the use of specific Islamic terms like “Allah”, “Ka’abah”,”Baitullah” and “Solat” to refer to certain dissimilar concepts in non-Muslim religions.
• Increase the number of religious enforcement officers and their level of professionalism.
• Strictly enforce the existing laws on religious and moral crimes.

The full document can be accessed at www.MYISLAMNETWORK.NET

The Islamic NGOs Election Demands are endorsed by the following organizations:


PERTUBUHAN-PERTUBUHAN PEMBELA ISLAM (PEMBELA)*ALLIED COORDINATING COMMITTEE OF ISLAMIC NGOs (ACCIN)*AKADEMI AIDIT*AL-HUNAFA*AL-ISLAH, BANDAR BARU SUNGAI BULOH*ALUMNI KOLEJ ISLAM KELANG (ALKIS)* ANGKATAN BELIA ISLAM MALAYSIA (ABIM)* BADAN NADWAH ISLAMIAH PAHANG*BADAN UGAMA & KEBAJIKAN MARA*DARUS SYIFA’*FORUM BERTINDAK ANTI MURTAD *FUTURE GLOBAL NETWORK (FGN)*FORUM PENYELARASAN UMAT [15 NGO GABUNGAN PULAU PINANG]*GABUNGAN MAHASISWA ISLAM SEMENANJUNG (GAMIS)* GAPETA*HALUAN* IKATAN INTELEKTUAL MUDA ISLAM (IIMI)*IKATAN MUSLIM MALAYSIA (ISMA)*IKATAN PENGKAJIAN ISLAM PAHANG (IKATAN)*ILMUAN*INTERNATIONAL MUSLIM IMAN NETWORK (IMAN)* MUSLIM WOMEN UNION (IMWU)*ISLAMIC INFORMATION AND SERVICES FOUNDATION (IIS)* ISLAMIC OUTREACH ABIM (IOA)*ISLAMIC PROPAGATION SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL, PENANG (IPSI)*JAMAAH DAKWAH & ISLAH (JADID)*JAMAAH ISLAH MALAYSIA (JIM)* JARINGAN SISWAZAH MUSLIM MALAYSIA (JASA)*KELAB AL-QURAN AL-KARIM, BANGI*KELAB HARAPAN, YAYASAN HARAPAN*KELAB REMAJA ISLAH MALAYSIA (KARISMA)*KESATUAN PELAJAR ISLAM JOHOR (KPIJ)*KESATUAN PELAJAR ISLAM PERAK (KPIP)*KHALIFAH INSTITUTE*KEPENTINGAN BANGSA (KKB)*MADRASAH HIDAYATUL MUSTAQIM, SELAYANG BARU*MAJLIS TINDAKAN INDIA MUSLIM MALAYSIA* MARKAZ DAKWAH AL-ISLAMIAH AL-ANSAR, KUALA SELANGOR*MASJID BUKIT INDAH* MASJID JAMEK PAKISTAN*MUSLIM BROTHERS, SHAH ALAM*MUSLIM CARE* MUSLIM PROFESIONAL FORUM BERHAD (MPF)*NGO ISLAM CASMARIA, BATU CAVES*PEGUAM PEMBELA ISLAM (PPI)*PERKIM*PERSATUAN AL-HIDAYAH*PERSATUAN DARUL FITRAH MALAYSIA*PERSATUAN FALAK SYARIE MALAYSIA*PERSATUAN KEBAJIKAN ISLAM MALAYSIA (PERKIM BANGSAR)*PERSATUAN KEBAJIKAN PEKERJA ISLAM, TNB (PKPI-TNB)* PERSATUAN KEBAJIKAN PELAJAR ISLAM SARAWAK (PERKEPIS) PERSATUAN KEBAJIKAN PELAJAR ISLAM W.P (PERTIWI)*PERSATUAN KEBANGSAAN PELAJAR ISLAM MALAYSIA (PKPIM)*PERSATUAN MAHASISWA AKADEMI PENGAJIAN ISLAM UNI. MALAYA*PERSATUAN MAHASISWA ISLAM UNIVERSITI MALAYA (PMIUM)* PERSATUAN PEGUAM MUSLIM MALAYSIA*PERSATUAN PEGUAM SYARIE MALAYSIA (PGSM)*PERSATUAN PELAJAR ISLAM KELANTAN (PPIK)*PERSATUAN PEMBIMBING ISLAM PUALAU PINANG (PEMBIMBING)*PERSATUAN PEMBIMBING PELAJAR ISLAM KELANTAN (PPIK)*PERSATUAN PENDIDIK INSAN NEGERI SEMBILAN (PPINS)*PERSATUAN PENDUDUK PENDUDUK KAMPUNG BATU MUDA TAMBAHAN*PERSATUAN PENGUSAHA RESTORAN MUSLIM MALAYSIA (PRESMA)*PERSATUAN SERUAN ISLAM SELANGOR DAN WP (JAMI’YAH)* PERSATUAN ULAMA ISLAM (PUM)*PERTUBUHAN AL-NIDAA’*PERTUBUHAN CINA MUSLIM MALAYSIA (MACMA)*PERTUBUHAN KEBAJIKAN & DAKWAH ISLAMIAH MALAYSIA (PEKIDA)*PERTUBUHAN MUAFAKAT SEJAHTERA MASYARAKAT MALAYSIA (MUAFAKAT)*PERTUBUHAN SINAR DAMSYIK MALAYSIA (PSDM)*RESEARCH & INFORMATION CENTER ON ISLAM (RICOI)*SURAU AL-AMIN, BANDAR TUN HUSSIEN ONN SURAU AL-ANSAR, TAMAN SRI RAMPAI, SETAPAK*SURAU AL-IKHWAN BANDAR BARU SUNGAI BULOH*SURAU MUHAMMAD AL-FATIH KG BATU MUDA TAMBAHAN, KL*TERAS PENGUPAYAAN MELAYU (TERAS)*WADAH PENCERDASAN UMAT (WADAH)*YAYASAN BASMI KEMISKINAN (YBK)* KAJIAN & STRATEGIK MELATU (YKSM)*YAYASAN MUSLIMIN* YAYASAN PEMBANGUNAN UMMAH (YPU).

Two's company, three's a crowd

Posted By: Raja Petra

The opposition has a very good chance of winning a good number of seats. The opposition also has a very good chance of denying Barisan Nasional its two-thirds majority in Parliament. Furthermore, the opposition has a very good chance of forming the Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang and Sabah state governments. And if the opposition fails to do all this it is not because Barisan Nasional is strong but because the opposition is shooting itself in its own foot.


Umno says it is not Malay culture to use blogs and internet websites to whack the government. Umno further says blogs and internet websites are irrelevant and insignificant because Malaysians go to the internet only to buy cheap airline tickets and for entertainment purposes. Granted, the internet is not going to swing the elections. Other factors will. But the internet can play a role in more ways than one which those who walk in the corridors of power do not seem to appreciate.

Let us not speculate. Let us instead look at the track record and real statistics in arriving at our assumptions. Only then can our assumptions be regarded as credible and believable. And using your own children as the example and then saying that this is reflective of what the other 26 million Malaysians do and think, like what our Minister of Information did, does not hold water. After all, your children are products of your sperm cells, at least we would like to believe that. So, if you are a nut, chances are your children will equally be nuts.

Ten years ago, in 1998, there were only 280,000 internet subscribers opposed to about eight million registered voters. Even then the internet did have some impact on the election results and the more than 100 Reformasi websites managed to disseminate 'alternative' information far and wide. The 1999 general election saw the ruling coalition get a beating that resulted in Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad handing over the government to his successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Mahathir knew that the next election in 2004 would be even worse so he did what the opposition prayed he would not do -- he resigned and allowed Abdullah to lead Barisan Nasional in the 2004 election. Mahathir played his cards well. He handed over just a few months before the elections so that Abdullah would have the advantage of the 'honeymoon' period. If he handed over too early and there was a too large a gap between Abdullah taking over and the elections being called, then the 'honeymoon' effect would wear off.

So the 2004 general election should not be the yardstick. Those were abnormal conditions. People were overjoyed that Mahathir had left and even if a donkey took over the people would support it, as long as it was not Mahathir -- and Abdullah is certainly slightly better than a donkey. So the people gave this slightly better than a donkey a landslide win and 92% of the seats in Parliament.

The 8 March 2008 general election must therefore be compared to the 1999 general election, not the 2004 general election. What prevailed back in 1998-1999 prevails today. Both situations are the same.

Over the last ten years, the eight million voter population has increased to almost 11 million. And more than half of them are youths, which can be translated to internet users. In terms of internet subscribers, the mere 280,000 has increased to about 15 million according to international statistics. (Internet World Stats). Some say it is not that high and maybe only about half that. Nevertheless, whether it is really 15 million or just 7.5 million, it is still a large increase from just 280,000 ten years ago considering the voting population increased a mere 35% or so.

What should be of concern is not how many people go to blogs and internet websites to read what is published but how people are aware of the information that goes onto the internet. Articles, commentaries, analysis and news items are forwarded via e-mail to mass recipients, they are printed out and photocopied and distributed to those who do not have access to the internet, in particular in the rural areas, and they are translated into Malay and Chinese for those not too proficient with English.

This is almost like a direct-selling operation. As it goes down-line, the network of agents and distributors gets larger and larger. One 'unit manager' could be controlling a network of 10,000 agents and distributors five or six levels down. And that is how the unit manager makes money, not by personally selling anything because he or she would be too busy by then to do any personal sales, but by controlling the down-liners so that they do all the selling for you.

The late MGG Pillai was surprised to discover that when he went to the rural villages (kampong) they knew who he was. He then found out that they knew him because they had read everything he had written. But these people who knew him and had read what he had written do not own a computer or have internet access. They do not even speak, read or write in English. They had read the Malay translation of his pieces in 'hard copy'. Certain people were translating all his English pieces from the internet into Malay and had photocopied them and distributed them to the Malay-speaking people in the villages.

And that was almost ten year ago and MGG Pillai left us a couple of years back.

As a rule of thumb, I normally work on the 35:35:30 ratio. 35% of the voters support the government and there is nothing you can do or say to change their minds into voting for the opposition. 35% of the voters support the opposition and there is nothing you can do or say to change their minds into voting for the government. The balance 30% are atas pagar or fence-sitters, the undecided.

Based on the statistics of the last 11 general elections, about 75% of the registered voters come out to vote. This means about eight million Malaysians will be voting this coming election. Three million people will just stay home and will not bother to come out to vote.

Out of this eight million, about 5.5 million have made up their minds who to vote for, split almost equally between the ruling party and the opposition. Therefore, 2.5 million Malaysian are still undecided who they want to vote for. And if you add this 2.5 million to the three million voters who will not come out to vote, this means there are 5.5 million 'virgin' voters who have not yet committed themselves to any political party.

Look at the figures again. 5.5 million have already decided who to vote for, and it is about half-half for the government-opposition. 5.5 million have not yet decided who to vote for or whether to even bother coming out to vote.

Forget about the first lot of 5.5 million. They are already 'taken'. Concentrate on the second lot of 5.5 million. They may not even come out to vote or, if they do, they can still be swayed to vote either for the ruling party or the opposition even on Polling Day itself. And many within this second lot of 5.5 million do have computers and internet access and do go to blogs and internet websites to read the 'alternative' news. And many of those within this second lot of 5.5 million have never voted before, did not even bother to register to vote until quite recently, will be coming out to vote for the first time, and will definitely vote opposition. If not they would not bother to vote or to register as a voter.

And these people are not kids. Some are in their forties and fifties. Many are professionals and are in the upper-middle class group. This should have been their fifth or sixth election, not their first. But they never bothered to vote or even to register as a voter until quite recently because they have no wish to vote for a government they despise and they do not see any alternatives who they can vote for. So they do not vote or register to vote merely because they do not like what they see on both sides of the political divide.

But that has now changed. They still do not like the government. But they now feel that it was a gross mistake giving Barisan Nasional 92% of the seats in Parliament the last time around. Barisan Nasional has grown arrogant. Success has gone to its head. Barisan Nasional needs to be cut down to size. Granted, Barisan Nasional will still form the government, maybe even still with a two-thirds majority. But at least send as many opposition candidates as possible to Parliament. And, if in the process Barisan Nasional's two-thirds majority can be taken away, then well and good. That would be the bonus.

So, no, blogs and internet websites can't touch the first lot of 5.5 million 'committed' voters. But, yes, it can influence the second lot of 5.5 million undecided voters and those who normally will not come out to vote. And if the opposition can win over two million of them, leaving one million for Barisan Nasional while the 2.5 million still stay home and do not come out to vote, Barisan Nasional will still be ruling this country but without its two-thirds majority in Parliament and minus a few states like Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang and Sabah which will see opposition governments.

But the extra two million voters will not come cheap. It will come with a price. The three main opposition parties -- PAS, DAP and PKR -- have all announced that they are launching their individual election manifestos. This is a major disappointment. We had hoped that the opposition parties would not launch their own individual election manifestos but instead adopt the Peoples' Declaration or Deklarasi Rakyat as their manifesto. At least this would demonstrate to the voters that the opposition is united. But, alas, this is not going to be so.

Nevertheless, the Peoples' Declaration will be officially launched at 11.00am on Saturday, 23 February 2008, at the Blog House (No: 66, Lorong Setiabistari 2, Bukit Damansara, 50490, Kuala Lumpur). All the political parties that have endorsed the Peoples' Declaration -- PAS, DAP, PKR, MDP, PSM and Pasok -- will be invited for the launch, as will representatives from various civil societies and the internet-blogging community. In fact, all members of the public who feel strongly about this matter are also invited.

Equally important is; there must not be any three-corner fights. The last two elections saw quite a few three-corner fights in spite of the existence of an opposition coalition called Barisan Alternatif and the electoral pact that was agreed upon. Threesomes are great when it comes to sex but in an election it will be disastrous.

In some seats, the votes the two opposition candidates garnered were more than what the solitary Barisan Nasional candidate got. This means, if it had a been a straight fight, the opposition would have won that seat instead of Barisan Nasional. In other seats, because of the three-corner fight, the opposition candidate lost his deposit. One hapless opposition candidate in Kampong Medan actually borrowed money from an Ah Long (loan shark) thinking he would be able to refund the money after the election. The poor fellow disappeared after that and I am not sure whether he had gone underground to escape the Ah Long or the Ah Long finally caught up with him and dumped his body into a mining pool.

It is not like these three-corner fights were because of renegade members who went into the fray against their parties wishes. They had Surat Watikah from their parties. This means their parties endorsed the three-corner fight. And when a complaint is raised with the parties concerned, they just offer excuses like it was a mistake (tersilap), but no action was taken against those concerned.

This time around we must punish those parties that perpetuate three-corner fights. If your voting constituency is subjected to a three-corner fight then we must vote for the Barisan Nasional candidate. Let both the opposition candidates lose their deposits. It must be a straight fight or nothing at all. The people must send this very strong message to the opposition parties.

DAP, PAS, PKR, MDP, PSM, PRM are all guilty of this. This is because there are many egos at play here. Everyone thinks that they are terra. Azmin Ali of PKR and Hassan Ali of PAS are quarrelling as to who is going to be the new Menteri Besar of Selangor. Aiyoh. Boleh menang ke tidak? You are not even sure you can deny Barisan Nasional its two-thirds majority in the Selangor State Assembly. Try that first if you can. Taking over the state and forming the next government and throwing tantrums because you want to the next Menteri Besar is pure bullshit. Nak cerita pun malu!

Last election, DAP and PAS engaged in a three-corner fight in Puchong. This election, Karpal Singh's son will be contesting that seat and PAS has graciously agreed to withdraw to allow DAP to have that seat -- and he has a better than average chance of winning the Puchong seat. But just as we thought the Puchong matter is already settled, PKR jumps in and says it wants that seat. Aiyah! Apa ni? PKR does not even have a candidate yet. They just want that seat and if they get it they will be frantically looking around for someone to field in Puchong. Why not DAP, PAS and PKR all contest in Puchong and we make it a four-corner fight instead? Semua kepala tak betul.

Thus far I have only touched on the inter-party quarrels. If I start talking about the intra-party quarrels like what we have seen in Batu Gajah, Penang, Sarawak, and many more places, you would probably decide to just stay home and not bother to come out to vote. We settle the problems between parties and problems within parties raise its ugly head.

Anyway, I do not want to depress you more than necessary. These are just some of the seat-tussle problems plaguing the opposition. The point I would like to make is if there are any three-corner fights we must punish BOTH opposition candidates by voting for Barisan Nasional in that particular constituency. This is the era of Peoples' Power. The people must decide, not the political parties. We accept the opposition, but on our terms, not theirs. If they turn their backs on us then we must turn our backs on them as well.

The opposition has a very good chance of winning a good number of seats. The opposition also has a very good chance of denying Barisan Nasional its two-thirds majority in Parliament. Furthermore, the opposition has a very good chance of forming the Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang and Sabah state governments. And if the opposition fails to do all this it is not because Barisan Nasional is strong but because the opposition is shooting itself in its own foot.