My Anthem

Thursday, September 03, 2015

CITIZEN NADES: Always a GOoD and Inspirational Read...

DESi will take substantial "Leave" -- hopefully wit' thy permission, OK! -- from writing/writHing his own articles after six months of hard/heART LABour focusing on the 1MDB culminating in the great BERSIH4.0 GATHERING OF CONCERNED MALAYSIANS over the wickedend and now awaiting the impending PERFECT STORM to break.  
 
I need to find personal time to write a book still in slow progress. BUT being a media man all my live/love, I Will scour for GOOD WRites and republish here/hear for thy benefit because what every little morsel benefit I Do with my resource/time, I Believe I touch a grateful heART Somewhere!
 
TOday's is another great write from a fellow SCRIBE who is  truly a dedicated Journalist -- the type crucial in helping NEGARAKU grow and thrive better as a nation, across colour, race and creed.
 
MEanwhile, you keep wellA; don't be knotty like DES!
CHOW!
 
which can mean:
 
"SEEya later" OR "LET's makan!"

CHOW< which can mean
Thu, Sep 3, 2015

Citizen Nades - The cure is within

MORE than four weeks ago, this column highlighted the uncontrollable spread of a contagious disease called the "truth deficiency syndrome". The government (spin) "doctors" paid little heed to the warning. The con-sultans were more interested in collecting their "royalties" (pardon the pun) for their loyal but wrong advice.
In wanting to control the spread, the government has been carrying out costly experiments, hoping it will find a remedy for this crippling disease. However hard it tries, the government is not going to find a cure or an antidote for this confidence-sapping disease.
The cure is within itself and can be found by some soul-searching. As Abraham Lincoln said: "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time."
Newly-minted Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Reezal Naina Merican did no favours when he announced that the identities of Malaysians taking part in the Bersih demonstrations abroad "will be handed over to the authorities for action".
What crime have the protesters committed? Reezal said their actions could tarnish the image of the country at the international level. Really? The people who are tarnishing the image of the country are not the protesters but politicians who come out with preposterous and ridiculous statements.
Perhaps, Reezal made the statement without the knowledge of his boss, Datuk Anifah Aman. Many years ago in London, I watched him go to the picket lines and engage with the protesters which won him much admiration and fame. He never indulged in such unwarranted threats which hold no water.
Those who watched the reports over international TV news channels will confirm that the protests drew worldwide attention. Instead of addressing the issues that were raised, someone pressed the accelerator for more antics which fed the hungry journalists.
From the Singapore-based Today to the UK's Daily Mirror and Bloomberg in New York, the international media carried reports on the absurdity of banning yellow T-shirts with the word "Bersih 4".
Was it legal in the first place to use the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA)? The preamble to the Act defines "publications" as:
(a) a document, newspaper, book and periodical;
(b) all written or printed matter and everything whether of a nature familiar to written or printed matter or not containing any visible representation;
(c) anything which by its form, shape or in any manner is capable of suggesting words or ideas; and
(d) an audio recording.
Former Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Sri Ram Gopal delivered the ultimate epitaph for this hilarious and momentary lapse of intelligence: "Wearing a yellow Bersih T-shirt could be an offence in other legislations but not under the PPPA. Those adversely affected could apply to quash the order and that the enforcement authorities who arrested participants could also be liable. If the order was quashed, any unlawful arrest will result in the litigants getting constitutional compensation."
However loosely the clause is interpreted; this piece of legislation is meant to cover newspapers, books, banners, flyers and posters – not apparel like T-shirts.
So, can the protesters or ordinary citizens be faulted for contaminants that ooze out of the self-inflicted damage that result in the tarnishing of our image?
A month ago, thumping their chests as if they had impeccable evidence of a conspiracy to overthrow the government, the police issued a warrant of arrest for Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown and sought Interpol's help to track her down.
But Interpol doesn't work on a abang-adik relationship which our police had hoped for. Jago Russel, the director of fair trials, meted out the ultimate retort which yet again tarnished the name of the country.
"In line with our standard operating procedure a review was conducted and on 9th August the request for the red notice was refused. All 190 member countries were informed of the decision and advised not to use Interpol's channels in this matter and also requested to remove any data from their national databases."
So, whose fault is it that every utterance, action or remark is being viewed as if a slap-stick comedy is being beamed live to an international audience?
There are so many other instances when common sense and logic was thrown out of the window when some of our bird-brained politicians opened their mouths without engaging their brains in gear.
Their continued gaffes could go unnoticed or applauded by the rent-a-crowd audience, but for the rest, it is nothing but a pure exhibition of ignorance, sometimes bordering on stupidity and for a good measure, punctuated with idiosyncrasy.
So, this disease is the root issue of all the problems. Please find a cure before the problem becomes aggravated. I'm not alone on this line of thinking.
Former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that "numerous quarters believe that the government is facing a serious trust deficit".
In his Merdeka Day message he said: "The people's trust in the government has eroded."
R. Nadeswaran has no intention of bad-mouthing the country, but when the truth has to be told, there will no mincing of words. Comments: citizen-nades@thesundaily.com

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