With BERSIH's Sdr Wong Chin Huat's arrest yesterday in moving "1BlackMalaysia: 7 May" forward, the role of Bloggers and NGO activists becomes even more demanding and hazardous as there are recent pointers that the Najib regime would become more and more authoritarian by the day. M2day's chief Raja Petra Kamarudin's self exile and the constant harassment of PKR's newspaper Suara Keadilan by suspension and confiscation are demonstrations that the democratisation process and media scene in Malaysia under UMNO are constantly coming under threat and the situation will not get any better. The Rakyat must rise up to show and/or reclaim their Power as asizeable electorate did in the March 2008 General Elections.
I seek you assistance to gather the Bloggers and supporters for the "annual" Brainstorm Session-social event that BUM (Bloggers Universe Malaysia) has evolved into from its inaugural outing at BUM2007. (REF: bum2007.wordpress.com)
Warm regards, YL Chong, Desi, with this message from the BUM2009 Organising Committee.
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""Dear folksy BUMmers, Bloggers and Bloggers2B and friends:
Registration for the Bloggers Event of the Year, BUM2009, has started -- Have you signed up yet?
The BUM Organising Committee hope you -- my dear EsteemedReaders -- will spread the word around and help us meet the target of 200 paying attendees within the next 10 days. BUM2007 and BUM2008 attracted the maximum participation planned, so with your help, we hope BUM2009 will be equally successful.
The Programme Outline and other details can be accessed at the dedicated website at bum2009.wordpress.com.
Hoping to see you soon,
Warm regards,
YL Chong, Desi
012-9702285""
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Bersih calls for “1BlackMalaysia” on May 7
By Lee Wei Lian, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, Bersih, today called on Malaysians to protest the power grab in Perak and put on a show of civil disobedience by wearing black on May 7 in conjunction with the sitting of the state assembly.
In a press conference today, Bersih accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak of orchestrating the political coup in Perak and lambasted him for allegedly failing to keep his promise made under his 1Malaysia philosophy which puts people first, saying that putting people first would mean giving the voters of Perak the chance to determine the state government.
Taking a leaf from other civil obedience movements such as those organised by Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and even Umno’s “berkabung” movement to oppose the Malayan Union, Wong Chin Huat, a spokesman for Bersih, urged Malaysians who oppose the power grab to “let everyone see a sea of black walking into an office, market, mosque, temple, church, college, park, bus... let us be united in one black colour to show the world that the 1Malaysia under Najib Razak is 1BlackMalaysia living in darkness.”
Bersih also criticised the BN for practising “old politics” and trying to clamp down on media coverage and peaceful gatherings.
The Perak government had initially allowed only selected media to cover the assembly sitting. However, the decision was later reversed by Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir.
The police have also warned political parties against organising mass gatherings in front of the state secretariat.
Teo Nie Ching, DAP’s federal legislator from Serdang, says that she was queried by the Police Special Branch after she tried to organise a bus to ferry supporters to Ipoh and expressed her disappointment with the Special Branch.
“Why stop us from going to witness the assembly?” she told reporters.
Lim Teck Ghee, who represented the Centre for Policy Initiatives, urged solidarity despite “a propaganda war” to tar dissenting views as unpatriotic and treasonous.
“It is the duty of Malaysians to oppose illegal and unconstitutional acts of power grabbing,” he declared. “We are the patriotic ones.”
Lim was referring to accusations from BN that Nizar was committing treason by going against the Sultan of Perak’s wishes that he resign as mentri besar.
The political crisis in Perak was triggered by the defection of four state representatives from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to BN earlier this year, giving BN an edge in numbers over PR in the state assembly.
The Perak state assembly speaker however, claimed that three of the representatives who defected had resigned but this was disputed by the latter, who got the backing of the Election Commission.
Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, who maintains he is the rightful mentri besar, then sought permission from the Sultan of Perak to dissolve the state assembly to pave the way for a state election but his request was rejected and he was told to resign instead.
Nizar refused to resign but at the same time, Zambry was sworn in as the new mentri besar by the Sultan on February 6.
Since then, PR and BN have been locked in a struggle over who is the legitimate government of Perak and whether or not to dissolve the state assembly.
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Related article:
UPDATEd @9.29AM:), at thy service ~~ YL
NGOs Call for Public Opposition to Illegal Power Seizure in Perak: Black 7 May 2009
Commentary By Dr. Lim Teck Ghee.
Don't Be Intimidated: Oppose the Perak Power Grab
CPI expresses its strong condemnation of the arrest yesterday evening of Wong Chin Huat for alleged sedition by the police authorities. The police action is clearly aimed at intimidating civil society organizations and the public into passivity and acceptance of the power grab in Perak by the Barisan Nasional.
Earlier on Tuesday morning, a coalition of civil society organizations had conducted a press conference to protest the actions of the BN government. The group which included Wong Chin Huat, Sivarasa Rasiah, Tony Pua, Dr. Dzulfli Ahmad, Teo Nee Ching and myself had called for a peaceful public demonstration of opposition to the takeover through the symbolic act of wearing black on 7 May. More than 20 members of the media were at the press conference. Besides the press release which has been made publicly available, there are tape recordings of the impromptu presentations made by the representatives of the organizations taking part in the event.
All the speeches made at the press conference are easily obtainable. All the speakers spoke responsibly of the right of Malaysians to participate in free and fair elections - a central concern of BERSIH, the coalition of over 70 NGOs initiating the 1BLACK MALAYSIA protest event. There were no inflammatory words used; no attempts at incitement or any other action that can be remotely construed to give even a semblance of legitimacy to the police action.
There is not an iota of evidence to charge Chin Huat or any of the other speakers under the sedition or any other law or regulation in the country. The police action smacks of an unreformed and authoritarian political system, desperate to cling to power by whatever means, and utilizing the police and other agencies of the state to coerce and browbeat the Malaysian public into acceptance of its power grab, and other acts of mis-governance.
In my remarks at the press conference, I reminded that it is the right of every Malaysian to question and to oppose the Barisan Nasional's actions in Perak. I pointed out that there is a massive BN propaganda campaign to legitimize its actions and to paint the opposing groups as guilty of fermenting discord and strife. Charges of being treasonous and of being traitors to the country are being levelled against those questioning and opposing the Perak Government takeover. My message to the media journalists gathered there was that "the media owners may pay your salaries but they do not own your mind and your soul" and I urged them to report fairly on this important struggle of Malaysians to exercise their basic political rights.
Finally I warned that this will not be the last of the dirty tricks by the BN to hold on to power, and noted that the " the real enemies of the state are those who condone and cover up arbitrary or illegal acts." The public should regard the arrest of Chin Huat as another round in the salvo of BN dirty tricks and should show that it is not cowed by wearing black on 7 May.
Non Governmental Organisations
Written by Dr. Lim Teck Ghee, Director, Centre for Policy Initiatives
Tuesday, 05 May 2009 09:12
The following is the press release issued by the coalition of civil society organizations protesting against the illegal seizure of power in Perak state. CPI joins in the call for all Malaysians to join in this symbolic but important demonstration of public repugnance and opposition to the BN-instigated move which strikes at the heart of our democratic system. ~~ Dr. Lim Teck Ghee
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May 7th - 1BLACKMalaysia, Democracy First, Elections Now
We the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (BERSIH) call upon all Malaysians to wear black to work, to school, in play or at home the coming May 7th (Thursday) to present “1BLACKMalaysia” to Prime Minister Najib Razak as our strongest protest to the on-going Perak coup he has orchestrated.
Despite the court’s scheduled hearing on the legality of Zambry Abdul Kadil’s legality as the Menteri Besar on May 5th and 6th, a sitting for the Perak State Legislature has been scheduled to begin on May 7th bypassing the speaker V. Sivakumar.A motion has also been tabled to replace the speaker, who has vigorously defended the Legislature’s rights and power throughout the coup, with R. Ganesan, a non-lawmaker from the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC).To prevent the public from knowing what would happen in the assembly, a “media curfew” was imposed whereby only 13 selected media outlets are granted access, on top of a general lockdown of the city of Ipoh, where the Legislature is seated. While the Zambry regime had since retracted the "media curfew" under strong public outcry, the initial move reveals a regime that fears public scrutiny. These latest developments show total disregard of Najib Razak on rule of law and constitutional democracy in Malaysia. He has also ignored the voters’ wrath on unconstitutional means of power grab, as showed in the Bukit Gantang by-election where the margin for the ousted MB Mohammad Nizar increased by over 2000 votes.Najib’s slogan: “1Malaysia, people first, performance now” is now a cruel joke on Malaysians. Is this the old “1Authoritarian-and-CorruptMalaysia” getting worse? What “people first” when people are forced to be blind, deaf, mute and immobile with the media curfew and city lockdown? What “performance now” when the “performance” in law-breaking may never be known?In response to all these, we urge all Malaysians to wear black on May 7th. It will be a peaceful but powerful message of civil disobedience that we the people are politicians' bosses and no politicians defiant of public opinion can escape punishment at the next poll. Civil disobedience is a peaceful act that every citizen can participate and make a difference. In history, civil disobedience led by Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King and the Polish people had successfully ended tyranny and injustice without bloodshed or disruption.Let’s paint every state and territory, every town and village black with our clothes, headbands, hats, turbans, veils, armbands, ribbons and stickers on that day. Let everyone see a sea of black walking into an office, a market, a mosque, a temple, a church, a college, a park, a bus, a commuter or LRT car, a ferry or an aeroplane . Let us be united in one BLACK colour and let show the world that the 1Malaysia under Najib Razak is “1BLACKMalaysia” living in darkness. Let’s show the world that Malaysians will stand up against any invasion of democracy, freedom and peace by unscrupulous politicians. We will not allow coup be the way to power in Perak, or anywhere in Malaysia. No one shall take away our democracy, freedom and peace. Najib may hijack our unelected institutions like the judiciary, civil service, police and Election Commission, but he will never win our heart and mind. And he is no reformist until he dares to face elections in Perak. Let us show Najib in one colour - "1BlackMalaysia!". Let us tell him in one voice for Malaysia: "Democracy First!" Let us pose him the one solution for Perak: "Elections now!".Yes, Mr Prime Minister of Malaysia, and the World, listen to us: 1BlackMalaysia! Democracy First! Elections Now!1. Writer Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI)2. Centre for Orang Asli Concerns3. Citizen Think Tank4. Centre for Independent Journalism5. People's Parliament6. Centre for Policy Initiatives7. Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti, Selangor (Empower)
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