Is Someone Speaking Out of Turn?

STRANGE THINGS ARE BEGINNING TO RISE UP LIKE FLOTSAM AFTER A TSUNAMIC UPHEAVAL
ON THE MALAYSIAN POLITICAL LANDSCAPE. ARE THERE SOME PUPPETEER/S PULLING DANGEROUS
STRINGS?
And rendering the Sandiwara on the PWTC Stage now a DANGEROUS REALITY PLAYING FIELD?

I'm afraid. Very afraid. Fellow Malaysians must keep alert about some sinister puppeteer/s behind the acts of madhatters Penang Bukit Bendera UMNO chief Ahmad Ismail, one-time coffee-maker now bigtime UMNO youthfool lackey Saiful Bukhari, and some more actors and actresses waiting in the wings before the fateful September 16 and September 16+1, +2, or +3 runs its course?

Pray hard and sincerely the GOoD Lord watch over NegaraKU that its peace-loving citizens prevail over the evil ones lurking behind the bendera or on vacation overseas using the loot syphoned off Petronas' oil dollars by tycoons and now gifted back via some "philantropisssed" UMNO-crony WITH A CONSCIENCE, how lucky can BN BBC get! May God save us from such benevolent philan...deres! I urge my fellow ER to bow our heads in aMore prayers, BUT WITH EYES OPEN WIDE LIKE A HAWK'S!
I:
S:
A: men

From the Star Online:

Wednesday September 10, 2008

Act against those who raise racial issues, says Armed Forces chief
By IZATUN SHARI


KUALA LUMPUR: Armed Forces chief Jeneral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal has proposed that the Government take stern action against those who stoke racial sentiments, the country’s main security threat.

“Racial issues are the most feared by security forces as they can lead to chaos. They are a security threat,” he said at the Wanita Umno Hari Raya contribution event to the Armed Forces and the police at the Putra World Trade Centre here yesterday.

“We are aware of such matters and they should be avoided. I would like to propose to the Government to take stern action against those who raise racial issues.

“That is the reality in our country. When racial issues are raised, it becomes our main threat.”

Speaking at the same event, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said street politics were under control.

He added that the police force was in a state of readiness to face any occurrence.

“We are ready to work day and night, rain or shine, without food or drink to ward off such threats,” he said.

The country’s rapid development would be jeopardised if there was chaos and instability, he added.

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UPDATEd @6.27AM, after Desi had a GOoD rest and remembers there is a need to stress the following point:

While the mainstream media -- I refer to the English newspapers and the TV newtworks and I believe it appplies across the board for other language mediums in MSM -- focused a lot on Ahmad Ismail and Barisan Nasional reactions, I think there was hardly any pickup from the sane voices from Civil Society groups. I spied some coverage in theSun -- kudos to theSun teAm there trying its best to fill some of the void -- that the core issues were not given due attention, and there is danger of the citizenry being fed only certain aspects of the political "noise" which may reside questionable political agenda.

To fill more of the "void" I mentioned earlier, here's an extract from cpiasia.net of what I believe is an important statement that helps us see the forest for the trees. If you know not what this preceding metaphor means, please attend my Sunday's rumination classes. If you ask Where,one of the key 5Ws +1H of press writing, my answer is: Ask the same 5Ws plus wan H-LOL!

Joint Press Statement (WAMI)
Press Statements
Written by WAMI
Tuesday, 09 September 2008 20:03
Written by Writer Alliance for Media Independence ?WAMI?

Joint Press Statement on 9th September 2008



No Sedition Act – Rationality Needs to Prevail in Ahmad Ismail Case

We, the undersigned civil society groups, oppose the use of the Sedition Act on Ahmad Ismail, Chief of UMNO Bukit Bendera for his alleged racist remarks. The use of the Sedition Act legitimizes the draconian act which has long been condemned by civil society and opposition parties. Rather than use it to further curb the freedom of expression – whoever the accused - the UMNO politician and his colleagues who backed him with more racist statements should be made to pay his price politically.

We condemn Ahmad Ismail and Penang UMNO for their efforts to shift the blame for the episode and its aftermath onto the journalist who reported the alleged inflammatory statements. In the process they have aroused ethnic sentiments in the press conferences held on Sept 6 and 8. Most shockingly, Penang Opposition Leader Datuk Azhar Ibrahim was quoted to have said of the journalist, "What was written may lead to a racial riot. If such a thing happens, he is the first person that should be shot." This is a thinly-veiled threat of violence. If the reporting had been wrong, why should Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who was present when Ahmad Ismail gave his speech apologize for a fabricated report? And if there is any doubt of the contents of his original speech, the explicitly racist nature of the subsequent remarks by Ahmad Ismail and his other colleagues in the two press conferences has confirmed their nasty intention.

We should however realize that exclusivist and hate speech - whether targeted on the basis of ethnicity, religion, gender, lifestyle or other grounds - is inevitable in any society and cannot be eliminated through laws. Unless we are in an emergency situation and confronted by individuals or groups inciting violence on racial grounds, there is no justification for legally policing and penalizing speech and expression. The only remedy to hate speech is the use of reason and to uphold the freedom of expression. When the society is mature, bigots like Ahmad Ismail – and their party if it refuses to penalize them - will be automatically punished by voters.

We urge Malaysians to be rational and to confront ethnocentric politicians by engaging them with rigorous and open debate. Resorting to legal means to censor speeches is unwittingly playing into the hands of those in the Government who seek to manipulate the "sensitive issue" paradigm to curb public discourse and political participation. It will also show that we as a society are intellectually incapable of refuting flawed rhetoric whatever the source.

Our stand on the case of Ahmad Ismail is consistent with that we have taken towards recent similar cases impacting on our freedom of speech and expression, notably the cases relating to forum disruption, book banning and website blocking. We reiterate the need to form a Parliamentary Select Committee to reform all freedom of speech and information and media-related laws including the Sedition Act. This is the only way we may mature as a society and fend off bigotry. We urge all Malaysians who oppose ethnic politics to endorse the 2008 Memorandum for Media Freedom at www.benar.org.

Through our measured and rational response, Malaysians can expose the political opportunism and the use of distorted history and other lies by the alleged inflammatory speaker and many others. Ahmad Ismail and others of the same ilk do not define our nationhood. His statement in no way affects the constitutional and socio-political reality that Chinese Malaysians – and other majority and minority communities - are equal citizens with similar rights as other citizens in this country.

If anything, Ahmad Ismail has stirred a lively debate that has brought out to public attention the deep and irrational well of UMNO's communalism. The apology by UMNO Deputy president and the affirmation of the equal rights of minority communities by UMNO President are the steps in the right direction. However, now that Ahmad Ismail and UMNO Penang have openly snubbed their top leaders, UMNO must take stern disciplinary action to demonstrate its ability to censure its extremist and racially bigoted elements and regain the trust and confidence of, not only the non-Malays and non-Muslims, but of all Malaysians.

Endorsing Groups:

1. Writer Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI)

2. Aliran Kesedaran Negara (Aliran)

3. Bus Users' Group, Penang

4. Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)

5. Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI)

6. Civil Society Initiative for Parliamentary Reform (CSI@Parliament)

7. Civil Rights Committee of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (CRC-KLSCAH)

8. Empower (Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti, Selangor)

9. Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC)

10. Malaysia Youth and Students Democratic Movement (DEMA)

11. Penang Watch

12. Research for Social Advancement (REFSA)

13. Save Ourselves (SOS), Penang

14. Sister in Islam (SIS)

15. Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)

16. Women's Aid Organization (WAO)


This joint statement is initiated by Writer Alliance Media Independence (WAMI).

Issued by Mr Wong Chin Huat, Chairperson, Writer Alliance Media Independence (WAMI)



For futher info, please contact:

Mr Chan Kim Ming 03-22746645

Mr Wong Chin Huat ( chinhuatw@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

________________________________

WAMI is a group of writers for the Chinese media in Malaysia, which aims to defend and promote media independence for freer public discussion and wider democratic space. It was formed by about 90 writers who quitted writing for the mainstream Chinese media in May 2001, in protest of the coerced takeover of the non-partisan Nanyang Press by the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a ruling coalition member party.


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And here's a GEM which must be shared as widely as possible in blogosphere, so feel free to pinch from here, but attribute it to mGf Bernard Khoo, resident host at zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com:)


"I leave you all with this true story and also with a final reminder. Stop giving Ahmad Ismail press time. His family is sizing him up too:

The following scene took place on a BA flight between Johannesburg and London. This is a true story.

A White woman, about 50 years old, was seated next to a Black man. Obviously disturbed by this, she called the air Hostess.



"Madam, what is the matter," the Hostess asked.



"You obviously do not see it then?" she responded. "You placed me next to a Black man. I do not agree to sit next to someone from such a repugnant group. Give me an alternative seat."



"Be calm please," the Hostess replied. "Almost all the seats on this flight are taken. I will go to see if another seat is available."



The Hostess went away and came back a few minutes later.


"Madam, just as I thought, there are no other available seats in Economy class. I spoke to the Captain and he informed me that there are also no seats in the Business class. All the same, we still have one seat in First class."



Before the woman could reply, the Hostess continued: "It is unusual for our company to permit someone from Economy class to sit in First class. However, given the circumstances, the Captain feels that it would be scandalous to make someone sit next to someone so disgusting."



She turned to the Black man and said, "Therefore, Sir, if you would like to, please collect your hand luggage, a seat awaits you in First class."



At that moment, the other passengers who were shocked by what they had just witnessed stood up and applauded.


"When you're down to nothing, God is up to something."


THINK 916, 917, 918, 919, 920


A BIGOT-FREE NEW MALAYSIA. "