You know I do sin' -- in the toilet or in rooms where you drop that "i".
Cowboys' numbers and cowgals' laments are my forte -- they bring out tears in her eyes, and as a gentleman, you get that golden, or Ag, chance to kiss the salty H2O off her cheeks. First timers don't do it rightAway or wrongDway on the eyes becuse that would cause the ripples to run into a torrents. You don wanna bystanders -- or voyeurs -- think you broke her heART, do you. (Some evilminded wans would even think 'This bastard broke her bank!')
Now I just came off Mat Salo's short story -- and so I pen something more creative than usual. Yes, it's based on a cowpoke's heart-broken ditty... Doeth anyone of my ER still remember
Johnny Horton's
The Mansion You Stole?
The mansion I own has captured your heart
You said it was love dear but you lied from the start
I wanted true love but you wanted my gold
Someday you'll be sorry for the lies that you told
You've stolen my heart and you cheated on me
But someday my darling I know that you'll see
A house without love can make you so cold
And you will be lonely in the mansion you stole
I started my real cowboy adventure/abencha if you remember Enid Blyton's with JACK SCHAEFFER's "Shane", both booked and movie-ed. Now if you think High Chapparal was oldie, then Shane was Jurassic. Like Desi as a nu'eshound. There was even a theme song:
+++ To be cuntinude...
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
RPK's warning ... Pakatan Rakyat, Take Heed!
I am reprising an important article written by Raja Petra Kamarudin at his portal, malaysia-today.net which carries a FAIR WARNING. Desi adds that sometimes the danger from within is greater from your enemies' outside.
Are Kedah and Selangor next?
Posted by admin
Sunday, 15 February 2009 09:40
“What is worrying is that the fall-out of this crisis is sullying the reputation and credibility of many legal and constitutional institutions while the root cause – the despicable phenomenon of party hopping – remains unaddressed.” - Dr Shad Faruqi
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
by Raja Petra Kamarudin
Dr Shad Faruqi (read his article below) gives his opinion on what many now perceive as a Constitutional Crisis in Perak. Call it a constitutional crisis or a political crisis if you want, but Perak is not the only state that is going to fall to Barisan Nasional. Kedah and Selangor may be next on the cards.Five Pakatan Rakyat State Assemblypersons from Kedah have already met the higher echelons of Umno and have given their undertaking to cross over en bloc once the numbers enable Barisan Nasional to form the new government in Kedah. RM100 million has been allocated to the Kedah exercise and those crossing over are going to be well rewarded.In Selangor, Hassan Ali has been promised the post of Menteri Besar if he can convince enough of his people to join him in crossing over. This is of course further to the millions he and his gang are going to receive. So far he has only two from PAS and another two or so from PKR who have agreed to join him. So he will need a couple more to finalise the plan.Rest assured it is all about power and money. Hassan Ali wanted to be the Menteri Besar of Selangor way back in 1999. The only problem is that in 1999 the opposition did not win Selangor. He still wants to be Menteri Besar. And if crossing over to Barisan Nasional with enough of his supporters to enable Barisan Nasional to form the new Selangor government is what it takes, then that is how he will do it as long as he can become Menteri Besar.Even Hee Yit Fong, the State Assemblywoman who had been with DAP for 20 years, crossed over for money. She has thus far received RM15 million from Vincent Tan of Berjaya fame. She will probably be paid another RM10 million once the dust settles. It seems she needed the money to bail out her husband who was heavily in debt. This was the same situation with Lee Lam Thye who was forced to leave DAP so that he could bail out his wife from her gambling debts. Barisan Nasional, of course, helped settle all his wife’s debts once he ‘abandoned his cause’ and turned pro-establishment.When we told Pakatan Rakyat that Perak was going to fall, they replied they have things under control. Now we are telling them that Kedah and Selangor too are in a precarious situation and they had better do something about it. Please don’t tell us you have everything under control and then, a few weeks down the road, we see these two states go the way of Perak. Anyway, while Pakatan Rakyat figures out how to defend Kedah and Selangor from the RM200 million onslaught by Barisan Nasional, read Dr Shad Faruqi’s take on the Perak crisis.
************************************************
Legal turmoil over Perak defectionsReflecting On The LawBy SHAD SALEEM FARUQI, The StarTHERE is a constitutional impasse in Perak. The descent into naked and unprincipled struggle for power was triggered by the defection of a Barisan Nasional Assemblyman to Pakatan Rakyat and an immediate four-stroke counter-punch by the BN.What is worrying is that the fall-out of this crisis is sullying the reputation and credibility of many legal and constitutional institutions – the Sultanate, the Election Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the public prosecutor and the police. Despite this damage, the root cause – the despicable phenomenon of party hopping – remains unaddressed. Let’s examine some of these issues.Defections: The “right” to switch parties in midstream is based on Article 10(1)(c) of the Federal Constitution which guarantees freedom of association.However Article 10(2)(c) permits Parliament to restrict this freedom in the interest of security, public order and “morality”.In the 80s the governments of Kelantan and Sabah passed anti-hopping laws to curb this right on the ground of morality.However, in the Nordin Salleh (1992) case, the Federal Court declared that the anti-hopping law was unconstitutional on two grounds. First it was passed by the wrong legislature. Second – and this was most unconvincing – that the term “morality” does not cover political morality.I believe that party hopping by an Assemblyman after his election on a party ticket amounts to a fraud on the electorate.There are three possible ways of taming this turpitude. First, a constitutional amendment to Article 10 by a bi-partisan two-thirds majority should be attempted.A second way could be for Parliament to enact an ordinary Anti-Defection Law and to enforce it immediately.If and when the law is challenged on the Nordin Salleh precedent, vigorous arguments could be proffered to invite the Federal Court to overrule its prior, indefensible ruling.One possible way of expediting the overruling of this bizarre decision is for the King to refer the issue to the Federal Court under Article 130 to seek an advisory opinion on the interpretation of the word “morality” in Article 10(2)(c).A third way of enacting an anti-defection law would be to promulgate an Emergency Ordinance under Article 150. In the case of Stephen Kalong Ningkan (1968), the Privy Council ruled that “emergency” includes “collapse of civil government”.Without doubt, defections bring about the collapse of civil government and an Emergency Ordinance would be legally, morally and politically justifiable.Resignation letters: The legality of the undated resignation letters from the two Pakatan Rakyat defectors is at the heart of the constitutional imbroglio in Perak.The Speaker of the Perak Assembly accepted the validity of the letters and issued a notice to the Election Commission. In favour of the Speaker’s view, it can be stated that in the UK it is part of the privileges of parliament to determine questions relating to casual vacancies in the House.The decision of the House is generally regarded as final. Also, Article 35 of the Perak Constitution permits a member of the Assembly to resign “by writing under his hand addressed to the Speaker”.The problem is that the two hoppers denied that they wrote to the Speaker. There is also a relevant judicial decision. In 1982 the validity of open-dated resignation letters was rejected by the High Court in the Sarawak case of Datuk Ong Kee Hui v Sinyium Mutit.In the light of this decision and the denial by the two defectors, the Election Commission had some basis to make up its own mind and to declare that the seats had not fallen vacant.Perhaps the safest thing was to seek a quick Federal Court decision on the interpretation of the Perak Constitution. The Perak Constitution in Articles 63-64 admirably provides for such a course of action. Regrettably, the parties to the dispute and the Sultan did not adopt this course of action.Dissolution: Under the Federal and state Constitutions, the Sultan has an undoubted discretion, guided by his own wisdom and the broader interest of the state, to refuse a request for premature dissolution. We have examples from Kelantan and Sabah where such requests have been refused.Confidence of the Assembly: Having been appraised that Pakatan Rakyat had lost the confidence of the Assembly, Tuanku Sultan was faced with many difficult choices. First, he could have prorogued the Assembly pending a court decision on the validity of the hoppers’ resignation letters and the question of vacancies.Second, he could have asked the antagonists to face the Assembly and prove their support in accordance with usual parliamentary traditions. I am of the view that if an Assembly is in session, or can be quickly brought to session, it is its right to determine the question of confidence and no one should usurp this power nor should factors outside the Assembly be taken into consideration in determining the question of confidence.Article 16(6) of the Perak Constitution is not crystal clear as to how it is to be determined whether the Mentri Besar has ceased to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the Assembly but there is a 1966 Sarawak judicial decision in Stephen Kalong Ningkan v Tun Abang Hj Openg Tawi Sli that the Governor cannot dismiss a Chief Minister unless he is voted out by the Assembly.In Perak, however, Tuanku took it upon himself to shoulder the lonely burden of determining who commanded confidence of the assembly. He took pains to interview all four defectors and to hear out the Mentri Besar and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak more than once.The Sultan paid heed to the EC decision that there were no vacancies. Undoubtedly he was also influenced by the Speaker’s threat that the Speaker would not allow the defectors to enter the Assembly to participate in the confidence vote.Dismissal of Mentri Besar: The Constitution of Perak in Article 16(7) states that a member of the Executive Council other than the MB shall hold office at the Sultan’s pleasure. This implies that an MB cannot be dismissed except by a vote of no confidence in the assembly.The problem is Article 16(6) states that if an MB loses confidence then he has two choices. First, advise dissolution and second, if that request is denied, then resign. There is a lacuna in the law. What if an MB loses the confidence of the Assembly, is denied dissolution, but refuses to step down?Can the Sultan dismiss him? It is submitted that life is always larger than the law. There are always unchartered territories. If an MB who has lost confidence, and is refused dissolution, is shameless enough not to walk away, then the Sultan would be justified in dismissing him, Article 16(7) notwithstanding.But in Perak this was not the case. The question of losing confidence was not constitutionally investigated. There are many triable issues and the courts must accept the gauntlet.Treason: Opinions are being expressed that to defy the Sultan and to threaten to go to court for defence of one’s legal rights amount to treason and a ground for deprivation of citizenship. There are fundamental misunderstandings here.From day one of Merdeka, the King and the Sultans were open to civil suit for their official actions. They were only immune personally. In 1993 even the personal immunity was taken away.In sum it is not a violation of the Constitution to resort to the courts to seek an authoritative opinion on one’s rights and duties. Where else does one go, what else does one do, if one has a claim?Dr Shad Faruqi is Professor of Law at UiTM.
Are Kedah and Selangor next?
Posted by admin
Sunday, 15 February 2009 09:40
“What is worrying is that the fall-out of this crisis is sullying the reputation and credibility of many legal and constitutional institutions while the root cause – the despicable phenomenon of party hopping – remains unaddressed.” - Dr Shad Faruqi
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
by Raja Petra Kamarudin
Dr Shad Faruqi (read his article below) gives his opinion on what many now perceive as a Constitutional Crisis in Perak. Call it a constitutional crisis or a political crisis if you want, but Perak is not the only state that is going to fall to Barisan Nasional. Kedah and Selangor may be next on the cards.Five Pakatan Rakyat State Assemblypersons from Kedah have already met the higher echelons of Umno and have given their undertaking to cross over en bloc once the numbers enable Barisan Nasional to form the new government in Kedah. RM100 million has been allocated to the Kedah exercise and those crossing over are going to be well rewarded.In Selangor, Hassan Ali has been promised the post of Menteri Besar if he can convince enough of his people to join him in crossing over. This is of course further to the millions he and his gang are going to receive. So far he has only two from PAS and another two or so from PKR who have agreed to join him. So he will need a couple more to finalise the plan.Rest assured it is all about power and money. Hassan Ali wanted to be the Menteri Besar of Selangor way back in 1999. The only problem is that in 1999 the opposition did not win Selangor. He still wants to be Menteri Besar. And if crossing over to Barisan Nasional with enough of his supporters to enable Barisan Nasional to form the new Selangor government is what it takes, then that is how he will do it as long as he can become Menteri Besar.Even Hee Yit Fong, the State Assemblywoman who had been with DAP for 20 years, crossed over for money. She has thus far received RM15 million from Vincent Tan of Berjaya fame. She will probably be paid another RM10 million once the dust settles. It seems she needed the money to bail out her husband who was heavily in debt. This was the same situation with Lee Lam Thye who was forced to leave DAP so that he could bail out his wife from her gambling debts. Barisan Nasional, of course, helped settle all his wife’s debts once he ‘abandoned his cause’ and turned pro-establishment.When we told Pakatan Rakyat that Perak was going to fall, they replied they have things under control. Now we are telling them that Kedah and Selangor too are in a precarious situation and they had better do something about it. Please don’t tell us you have everything under control and then, a few weeks down the road, we see these two states go the way of Perak. Anyway, while Pakatan Rakyat figures out how to defend Kedah and Selangor from the RM200 million onslaught by Barisan Nasional, read Dr Shad Faruqi’s take on the Perak crisis.
************************************************
Legal turmoil over Perak defectionsReflecting On The LawBy SHAD SALEEM FARUQI, The StarTHERE is a constitutional impasse in Perak. The descent into naked and unprincipled struggle for power was triggered by the defection of a Barisan Nasional Assemblyman to Pakatan Rakyat and an immediate four-stroke counter-punch by the BN.What is worrying is that the fall-out of this crisis is sullying the reputation and credibility of many legal and constitutional institutions – the Sultanate, the Election Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the public prosecutor and the police. Despite this damage, the root cause – the despicable phenomenon of party hopping – remains unaddressed. Let’s examine some of these issues.Defections: The “right” to switch parties in midstream is based on Article 10(1)(c) of the Federal Constitution which guarantees freedom of association.However Article 10(2)(c) permits Parliament to restrict this freedom in the interest of security, public order and “morality”.In the 80s the governments of Kelantan and Sabah passed anti-hopping laws to curb this right on the ground of morality.However, in the Nordin Salleh (1992) case, the Federal Court declared that the anti-hopping law was unconstitutional on two grounds. First it was passed by the wrong legislature. Second – and this was most unconvincing – that the term “morality” does not cover political morality.I believe that party hopping by an Assemblyman after his election on a party ticket amounts to a fraud on the electorate.There are three possible ways of taming this turpitude. First, a constitutional amendment to Article 10 by a bi-partisan two-thirds majority should be attempted.A second way could be for Parliament to enact an ordinary Anti-Defection Law and to enforce it immediately.If and when the law is challenged on the Nordin Salleh precedent, vigorous arguments could be proffered to invite the Federal Court to overrule its prior, indefensible ruling.One possible way of expediting the overruling of this bizarre decision is for the King to refer the issue to the Federal Court under Article 130 to seek an advisory opinion on the interpretation of the word “morality” in Article 10(2)(c).A third way of enacting an anti-defection law would be to promulgate an Emergency Ordinance under Article 150. In the case of Stephen Kalong Ningkan (1968), the Privy Council ruled that “emergency” includes “collapse of civil government”.Without doubt, defections bring about the collapse of civil government and an Emergency Ordinance would be legally, morally and politically justifiable.Resignation letters: The legality of the undated resignation letters from the two Pakatan Rakyat defectors is at the heart of the constitutional imbroglio in Perak.The Speaker of the Perak Assembly accepted the validity of the letters and issued a notice to the Election Commission. In favour of the Speaker’s view, it can be stated that in the UK it is part of the privileges of parliament to determine questions relating to casual vacancies in the House.The decision of the House is generally regarded as final. Also, Article 35 of the Perak Constitution permits a member of the Assembly to resign “by writing under his hand addressed to the Speaker”.The problem is that the two hoppers denied that they wrote to the Speaker. There is also a relevant judicial decision. In 1982 the validity of open-dated resignation letters was rejected by the High Court in the Sarawak case of Datuk Ong Kee Hui v Sinyium Mutit.In the light of this decision and the denial by the two defectors, the Election Commission had some basis to make up its own mind and to declare that the seats had not fallen vacant.Perhaps the safest thing was to seek a quick Federal Court decision on the interpretation of the Perak Constitution. The Perak Constitution in Articles 63-64 admirably provides for such a course of action. Regrettably, the parties to the dispute and the Sultan did not adopt this course of action.Dissolution: Under the Federal and state Constitutions, the Sultan has an undoubted discretion, guided by his own wisdom and the broader interest of the state, to refuse a request for premature dissolution. We have examples from Kelantan and Sabah where such requests have been refused.Confidence of the Assembly: Having been appraised that Pakatan Rakyat had lost the confidence of the Assembly, Tuanku Sultan was faced with many difficult choices. First, he could have prorogued the Assembly pending a court decision on the validity of the hoppers’ resignation letters and the question of vacancies.Second, he could have asked the antagonists to face the Assembly and prove their support in accordance with usual parliamentary traditions. I am of the view that if an Assembly is in session, or can be quickly brought to session, it is its right to determine the question of confidence and no one should usurp this power nor should factors outside the Assembly be taken into consideration in determining the question of confidence.Article 16(6) of the Perak Constitution is not crystal clear as to how it is to be determined whether the Mentri Besar has ceased to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the Assembly but there is a 1966 Sarawak judicial decision in Stephen Kalong Ningkan v Tun Abang Hj Openg Tawi Sli that the Governor cannot dismiss a Chief Minister unless he is voted out by the Assembly.In Perak, however, Tuanku took it upon himself to shoulder the lonely burden of determining who commanded confidence of the assembly. He took pains to interview all four defectors and to hear out the Mentri Besar and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak more than once.The Sultan paid heed to the EC decision that there were no vacancies. Undoubtedly he was also influenced by the Speaker’s threat that the Speaker would not allow the defectors to enter the Assembly to participate in the confidence vote.Dismissal of Mentri Besar: The Constitution of Perak in Article 16(7) states that a member of the Executive Council other than the MB shall hold office at the Sultan’s pleasure. This implies that an MB cannot be dismissed except by a vote of no confidence in the assembly.The problem is Article 16(6) states that if an MB loses confidence then he has two choices. First, advise dissolution and second, if that request is denied, then resign. There is a lacuna in the law. What if an MB loses the confidence of the Assembly, is denied dissolution, but refuses to step down?Can the Sultan dismiss him? It is submitted that life is always larger than the law. There are always unchartered territories. If an MB who has lost confidence, and is refused dissolution, is shameless enough not to walk away, then the Sultan would be justified in dismissing him, Article 16(7) notwithstanding.But in Perak this was not the case. The question of losing confidence was not constitutionally investigated. There are many triable issues and the courts must accept the gauntlet.Treason: Opinions are being expressed that to defy the Sultan and to threaten to go to court for defence of one’s legal rights amount to treason and a ground for deprivation of citizenship. There are fundamental misunderstandings here.From day one of Merdeka, the King and the Sultans were open to civil suit for their official actions. They were only immune personally. In 1993 even the personal immunity was taken away.In sum it is not a violation of the Constitution to resort to the courts to seek an authoritative opinion on one’s rights and duties. Where else does one go, what else does one do, if one has a claim?Dr Shad Faruqi is Professor of Law at UiTM.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Living Dangerously...
And there is always a price to pay for it! Politicians pay a heftier price -- quite righty so because their remuneration is also higher than most commoners, no?
Selangor State Exco Elizabeth Wong is now paying a heavy price for it -- and the trauma continues until the "final" fate is sealed as her "offer to resign" means she has bought herself some time. Is is negative time? Or is it positive? Only she knows. Maybe God too, if you believe in One. If not, do I care?
Others who have paid a price for having lived dangerously, in the same class or league of Elizabeth Wong, but arguable of different degrees, and of course, varying in details.
* D P Vijandran, a once rising MIC Youth chief, felled by the famous -- or if you must hold the opposing view, infamous -- video sex-tapes. He continues to practise law despite clearly having acted as some sort of porn-star, but he god/got away, with a little help from his friends at the AG's office?
** Dr Chua Soi Lek, an almost MCA President brought down -- by internal party goons ambitious for his Post? -- by another confessed sex-tape. But the former Health Minister survived his own party elections, becoming a Deputy and now doing a fox-trot with his Chief for a Ministerial (missionary?) position. Can he overcome his flirting with the first round of living dangerously. time will tell.
PS: ++ A former MCA chief, now a TUN!, says it's actually "OK" (acceptable) for sex escapades as Dr Chua found himself so cozy with, but then "Don't get caught!" was his slimy advice. I guess this philosophy applies to CORRUPTION by MCA goons too?
*** PKR Kedah State Exco and State Assemblyman V. Arumugam resigned just recently as Bukit Selambau State Assemblyman. His "crime" was alleged "bigamy" -- an offence for non-Muslims in NegaraKu -- and flaunting the unofficial wife at a State function, according to the grapevine?
Desi will stop his narration at case number four, and if other SeteemedReaders careth to add to this list of Hall of Fame/INfamy, please use the Comments channel! ~~ TQ you, Desi, knottyaSsusual
**** Ah, one who got away, FOUR in Kantonis sounds like Sei, often expressed as "SeiLoh! Sei-liau-liau! " I think he's waiting furiously in the wings to become a CEO!
Remember Ziana Zain?
Remember Port Dickson?
NO? You can't remember?
Then you aren't Desi's matey, go away!
I am not a grad from INTI, so I can't be intimate with Thee, can I?
YL, Desi, knot....
Selangor State Exco Elizabeth Wong is now paying a heavy price for it -- and the trauma continues until the "final" fate is sealed as her "offer to resign" means she has bought herself some time. Is is negative time? Or is it positive? Only she knows. Maybe God too, if you believe in One. If not, do I care?
Others who have paid a price for having lived dangerously, in the same class or league of Elizabeth Wong, but arguable of different degrees, and of course, varying in details.
* D P Vijandran, a once rising MIC Youth chief, felled by the famous -- or if you must hold the opposing view, infamous -- video sex-tapes. He continues to practise law despite clearly having acted as some sort of porn-star, but he god/got away, with a little help from his friends at the AG's office?
** Dr Chua Soi Lek, an almost MCA President brought down -- by internal party goons ambitious for his Post? -- by another confessed sex-tape. But the former Health Minister survived his own party elections, becoming a Deputy and now doing a fox-trot with his Chief for a Ministerial (missionary?) position. Can he overcome his flirting with the first round of living dangerously. time will tell.
PS: ++ A former MCA chief, now a TUN!, says it's actually "OK" (acceptable) for sex escapades as Dr Chua found himself so cozy with, but then "Don't get caught!" was his slimy advice. I guess this philosophy applies to CORRUPTION by MCA goons too?
*** PKR Kedah State Exco and State Assemblyman V. Arumugam resigned just recently as Bukit Selambau State Assemblyman. His "crime" was alleged "bigamy" -- an offence for non-Muslims in NegaraKu -- and flaunting the unofficial wife at a State function, according to the grapevine?
Desi will stop his narration at case number four, and if other SeteemedReaders careth to add to this list of Hall of Fame/INfamy, please use the Comments channel! ~~ TQ you, Desi, knottyaSsusual
**** Ah, one who got away, FOUR in Kantonis sounds like Sei, often expressed as "SeiLoh! Sei-liau-liau! " I think he's waiting furiously in the wings to become a CEO!
Remember Ziana Zain?
Remember Port Dickson?
NO? You can't remember?
Then you aren't Desi's matey, go away!
I am not a grad from INTI, so I can't be intimate with Thee, can I?
YL, Desi, knot....
Monday, February 16, 2009
An impending doom, but Malaysians must act!
Message from Dr. Lim Teck Ghee and Dr. Azly Rahman
Announcement
Written by Centre for Policy Initiatives
Monday, 16 February 2009 13:37
We are posting here RPK's message to Malaysians. We appeal to the Government not to use the ISA again on RPK. We appeal to all fair minded Malaysians - especially those members of our elites - to urgently raise their voices and concern so that RPK is not deprived of his freedom and the tragic outcome predicted below does not come about.We appeal to the international community to express their solidarity with the country's foremost dissident and to ensure that he is not incarcerated once more on political grounds. Please disseminate RPK's letter as widely as possible.
*********************************************
http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/18155/84/
Written by Raja Petra Kamarudin
16th February 2009
Tomorrow, I will probably be detained under the Internal Security Act. Anyhow, before we talk about that, let me start by giving you my prediction for the two by-elections scheduled for early April.
In 2004, BN won the Bukit Selambau state seat with a majority of 7,695 votes and in 2008 they lost it with a majority of 2,362 votes. (See the chart below). In the coming by-election, I forecast a voter turnout of around 26,000 and a majority of 3,500-4,500 for the opposition.For the Bukit Gantang parliament seat, in 2004 Barisan Nasional won with a majority of 8,888 and in 2008 it lost with a majority of 1,566. (See chart below). This time around, the voter turnout will be roughly 42,000 and the opposition will win that seat with a majority of 5,000-8,000 votes.Okay, I am forecasting this even before I know who the candidates are. Well, I have no choice.
On Tuesday, 17 February 2009, the Federal Court is due to hear the appeal against my release from Internal Security Act detention and I really do not know what the outcome is going to be. Chances are, I have but 24 hours left as a free man and if I do not write this article today I never will. On 7 November 2008, the Shah Alam High Court ordered my release from detention. The government has appealed this decision although it did not see the need to appeal the decision of the Shah Alam High Court acquitting Abdul Razak Baginda of the charge of murder without his defence being called.I was in court last week to witness the performance of the three judges and what I saw did not give me much confidence. First of all, we asked for a quorum of seven judges, or at least five. But the court turned us down and fixed a quorum of only three judges. And two of the three judges appear to be hostile towards us from the word ‘go’. It looks like my fate has been sealed even before the case goes to court.Anyway, I know for a fact that it was not Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who ordered my detention. He was not even aware I had been detained. The order came from Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and since I am bent on making sure he never becomes Prime Minister on 1 April 2009 I really do not blame him for wanting to get me out of the way.
My friends and family want me to leave the country and to seek political asylum in another country. They feel I can still continue with the struggle in a foreign land. But I am against that as much as my wife pleads that I consider this. I am no quitter and I do not run. I shall stay and fight till the very end even if that is the last thing I do.If I have to lose my freedom so be it. That is the price we pay for opposing the powers-that-be. But I shall not go quietly or make any deals to secure my release with those who walk in the corridors of power.I was given an option. Take the money and become rich or go to jail.
I refused the money and instead chose jail. This is my choice and no one can convince me to do otherwise. No doubt I will have to pay for this and it will be a heavy price that I shall have to pay. But this is the price of the struggle and the price does not come cheap.I shall not submit. I shall resist till the end. I stand on right and I oppose what is wrong. Amar makruf, nahi munkar, as Islam would say.
We must uphold right and oppose wrong. That is not only the Islamic way but also the way of all religions. And even atheists believe in this, so you need not believe in God to subscribe to the concept of amar makruf, nahi munkar.Over thousands of years countless people have met their deaths just because they stood on the side of right. What I have chosen to do has been done by so many who are now nameless and faceless. So it is nothing so special that I do which has not been done before.My resistance will continue. But I will have to continue my resistance behind the barbwire fences of the Kamunting Detention Centre.
It will now be up to you, those who are free, to continue where I left off. My resistance, however, will have to take on a new form. I will no longer be able to write or speak at ceramahs. My voice has now been silenced. But I can still speak the words of silence, which will be my new form of resistance.I shall no longer open my mouth or utter one word during my detention. I shall maintain the silence of a mute person. I shall not sign any documents of the so many documents that they make you sign when under detention. My signature is not going to be placed on a single shred of paper.By doing so would mean none of my family members or lawyers would have access to me. Yes, that is the price I shall pay for ‘not cooperating’. I know this and I am prepared for it.I shall refuse all medical treatment and visits to the hospital. I shall refuse to accept any food and water supplied by the Kamunting authorities. I shall refuse to leave my cell or to meet any of the prison authorities.
In short, I shall shut myself out from the world and keep to my own world of my eight feet square cell. This action will mean I shall survive at the most seven to eight days. By the end of that period I shall be dead. I am prepared for that. They plan to imprison my body for the rest of my life. But I shall release my spirit from my body and will again be free. They can keep my body and they can do whatever they want with it. But they will never be able to keep my spirit. I shall separate my spirit from my body and deny them the pleasure of incarcerating me.
This is a decision I have taken and no one can make me change my mind. And this is probably the last article of mine that you shall read if they send me to Kamunting tomorrow. Keep the struggle going. I shall no longer be able to join you in that struggle. The work is far from finished. This country needs major political, economic and social reforms. The next two years are going to be most trying years indeed. And expect a snap general election within 18 months of Najib taking over if he does take over on 1 April 2009.
I lay down my life for this nation of ours called Malaysia. I will sacrifice myself for the sake of the struggle. There is very little left I can give at this point of time other than my life. For those who stood by me all these years, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I go with a heavy heart. But my heart is heavy only because I have but one life to give.Death is not the end. Death is but the beginning. It is the beginning of a new journey that none of us can escape and will one day embark upon.
It is not something to be sad about. It is something to rejoice. Please continue your struggle to make Malaysia a better place for our future generation. This country belongs to them and it is for them that we struggle. For some of us, our time is already almost up. We do not have many years left. Many have gone before us. Many friends who started out with us in 1998 are no longer around. But they left this world in the hope that one day Malaysia will be the country that we dream it would be. And that, too, must be our dream.
I pray and hope that the Putrajaya Federal Court will uphold the decision of the Shah Alam High Court to free me from ISA detention. But if it reverses that decision then we must be prepared for that as well. And if the Federal Court does what I fear it will do, goodbye Malaysians, my comrade-in-arms.
We shall meet again, one day, although not in this world but the next.
Announcement
Written by Centre for Policy Initiatives
Monday, 16 February 2009 13:37
We are posting here RPK's message to Malaysians. We appeal to the Government not to use the ISA again on RPK. We appeal to all fair minded Malaysians - especially those members of our elites - to urgently raise their voices and concern so that RPK is not deprived of his freedom and the tragic outcome predicted below does not come about.We appeal to the international community to express their solidarity with the country's foremost dissident and to ensure that he is not incarcerated once more on political grounds. Please disseminate RPK's letter as widely as possible.
*********************************************
http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/18155/84/
Written by Raja Petra Kamarudin
16th February 2009
Tomorrow, I will probably be detained under the Internal Security Act. Anyhow, before we talk about that, let me start by giving you my prediction for the two by-elections scheduled for early April.
In 2004, BN won the Bukit Selambau state seat with a majority of 7,695 votes and in 2008 they lost it with a majority of 2,362 votes. (See the chart below). In the coming by-election, I forecast a voter turnout of around 26,000 and a majority of 3,500-4,500 for the opposition.For the Bukit Gantang parliament seat, in 2004 Barisan Nasional won with a majority of 8,888 and in 2008 it lost with a majority of 1,566. (See chart below). This time around, the voter turnout will be roughly 42,000 and the opposition will win that seat with a majority of 5,000-8,000 votes.Okay, I am forecasting this even before I know who the candidates are. Well, I have no choice.
On Tuesday, 17 February 2009, the Federal Court is due to hear the appeal against my release from Internal Security Act detention and I really do not know what the outcome is going to be. Chances are, I have but 24 hours left as a free man and if I do not write this article today I never will. On 7 November 2008, the Shah Alam High Court ordered my release from detention. The government has appealed this decision although it did not see the need to appeal the decision of the Shah Alam High Court acquitting Abdul Razak Baginda of the charge of murder without his defence being called.I was in court last week to witness the performance of the three judges and what I saw did not give me much confidence. First of all, we asked for a quorum of seven judges, or at least five. But the court turned us down and fixed a quorum of only three judges. And two of the three judges appear to be hostile towards us from the word ‘go’. It looks like my fate has been sealed even before the case goes to court.Anyway, I know for a fact that it was not Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who ordered my detention. He was not even aware I had been detained. The order came from Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and since I am bent on making sure he never becomes Prime Minister on 1 April 2009 I really do not blame him for wanting to get me out of the way.
My friends and family want me to leave the country and to seek political asylum in another country. They feel I can still continue with the struggle in a foreign land. But I am against that as much as my wife pleads that I consider this. I am no quitter and I do not run. I shall stay and fight till the very end even if that is the last thing I do.If I have to lose my freedom so be it. That is the price we pay for opposing the powers-that-be. But I shall not go quietly or make any deals to secure my release with those who walk in the corridors of power.I was given an option. Take the money and become rich or go to jail.
I refused the money and instead chose jail. This is my choice and no one can convince me to do otherwise. No doubt I will have to pay for this and it will be a heavy price that I shall have to pay. But this is the price of the struggle and the price does not come cheap.I shall not submit. I shall resist till the end. I stand on right and I oppose what is wrong. Amar makruf, nahi munkar, as Islam would say.
We must uphold right and oppose wrong. That is not only the Islamic way but also the way of all religions. And even atheists believe in this, so you need not believe in God to subscribe to the concept of amar makruf, nahi munkar.Over thousands of years countless people have met their deaths just because they stood on the side of right. What I have chosen to do has been done by so many who are now nameless and faceless. So it is nothing so special that I do which has not been done before.My resistance will continue. But I will have to continue my resistance behind the barbwire fences of the Kamunting Detention Centre.
It will now be up to you, those who are free, to continue where I left off. My resistance, however, will have to take on a new form. I will no longer be able to write or speak at ceramahs. My voice has now been silenced. But I can still speak the words of silence, which will be my new form of resistance.I shall no longer open my mouth or utter one word during my detention. I shall maintain the silence of a mute person. I shall not sign any documents of the so many documents that they make you sign when under detention. My signature is not going to be placed on a single shred of paper.By doing so would mean none of my family members or lawyers would have access to me. Yes, that is the price I shall pay for ‘not cooperating’. I know this and I am prepared for it.I shall refuse all medical treatment and visits to the hospital. I shall refuse to accept any food and water supplied by the Kamunting authorities. I shall refuse to leave my cell or to meet any of the prison authorities.
In short, I shall shut myself out from the world and keep to my own world of my eight feet square cell. This action will mean I shall survive at the most seven to eight days. By the end of that period I shall be dead. I am prepared for that. They plan to imprison my body for the rest of my life. But I shall release my spirit from my body and will again be free. They can keep my body and they can do whatever they want with it. But they will never be able to keep my spirit. I shall separate my spirit from my body and deny them the pleasure of incarcerating me.
This is a decision I have taken and no one can make me change my mind. And this is probably the last article of mine that you shall read if they send me to Kamunting tomorrow. Keep the struggle going. I shall no longer be able to join you in that struggle. The work is far from finished. This country needs major political, economic and social reforms. The next two years are going to be most trying years indeed. And expect a snap general election within 18 months of Najib taking over if he does take over on 1 April 2009.
I lay down my life for this nation of ours called Malaysia. I will sacrifice myself for the sake of the struggle. There is very little left I can give at this point of time other than my life. For those who stood by me all these years, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I go with a heavy heart. But my heart is heavy only because I have but one life to give.Death is not the end. Death is but the beginning. It is the beginning of a new journey that none of us can escape and will one day embark upon.
It is not something to be sad about. It is something to rejoice. Please continue your struggle to make Malaysia a better place for our future generation. This country belongs to them and it is for them that we struggle. For some of us, our time is already almost up. We do not have many years left. Many have gone before us. Many friends who started out with us in 1998 are no longer around. But they left this world in the hope that one day Malaysia will be the country that we dream it would be. And that, too, must be our dream.
I pray and hope that the Putrajaya Federal Court will uphold the decision of the Shah Alam High Court to free me from ISA detention. But if it reverses that decision then we must be prepared for that as well. And if the Federal Court does what I fear it will do, goodbye Malaysians, my comrade-in-arms.
We shall meet again, one day, although not in this world but the next.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
TEAser Sundae Offering: BUM2009 in the making...
and something's brewing in SoPo Blogosphere so BIG you can rest assured
BUM2009 will be fully booked a week or two before COB.
Meanwhile, a BUM2007 and BUM2008 star attraction makes interesting reading, published by a mainstream media paper, so who says without a doubt it's 100% justification to have MSM completely boycotted?
And did you notice there is a SCHISM -- ah, Desi likes strange words! -- between once lovers in SoPo blogosphere? Is there no room for ameliorated love affairs -- maybe Valentine can help shoot its Cupid's arrows at SoPo*Phere? (The * stands for Blogo ok!:(
Questions, questions, questions:
Ah, these are some of the issues to be taken up -- mayhaps -- at BUM2009;
art thou kambing? I heard that Three lambs are following Mary around at the
vicinity of the Lake View Club...
********************** meanW'ILE, hear's aMore education! ******************
Home The Blogs The Corridors of Power
RPK takes on...everybody
window.google_render_ad();
RPK takes on...everybody
Posted by admin
Friday, 13 February 2009 18:34
Instead of toeing the Pakatan line by harping on themes that questioned the Barisan Nasional’s takeover, he highlighted the Pakatan's flaws and weaknesses in Perak that had led to its downfall.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
By NJ AHMAD, The Malay Mail
LIFE is never dull in the SoPo Blogosphere when you have its most famous denizen around – the always-controversial and almost-iconic Raja Petra Kamarudin blasting at full speed and living on knife’s edge. Let’s not get into the back-stabbing.
In the space of less than a week, the man with the country’s most well-known initials, RPK, has shocked and astounded detractors and ardent admirers alike by coming out in support of Perak’s Sultan Azlan Shah, criticised his own supporters, derided the top Pakatan Rakyat leaders and calling for their replacement, challenged a renowned lawyer, spotlighted a triad boss, and made insinuations against various judges and ministers in the process.
The amazing thing is that the 58-year-old Raja Petra did all these while also facing court cases that could see him being incarcerated for an unknown number of years ahead. And this might even happen before February ends, if things go badly against him.
On the national political front, Raja Petra had previously been content to be among the supporting cast of Pakatan since the Shah Alam High Court ordered his release from ISA detention last Nov 7.
Last month, he was the most illustrious member of a group of Barisan Rakyat bloggers who set up camp to help the Pas candidate win the Kuala Terengganu byelection.
He was also in Ipoh on Feb 5 to lend support to the Pakatan, which had just lost control of the Perak State government.
But this secondary mode changed from last Saturday onwards when Raja Petra made a posting that created shockwaves in Blogosphere – especially among the Pakatan leaders and supporters. Instead of toeing the Pakatan line by harping on themes that questioned the Barisan Nasional’s takeover, he highlighted the Pakatan's flaws and weaknesses in Perak that had led to its downfall.
However, it was Raja Petra’s defence of Sultan Azlan – and denouncing those who had blamed the ruler – that had created the biggest wedge with many of his previous supporters. Personal attacks and malicious accusations against him soon poured in at his ‘No Holds Barred’ blog in online news portal Malaysia Today (http://mt.m2day.org) and at other blogs.
In the past, Raja Petra had usually chosen to ignore these; perhaps because of his realising the futility of responding to all the negative statements and speculations that celebrities have to live with. But there was one instance this week where he lashed back at a comment by a reader:
“Mendela, (Nickname of a commentator) I should punch you in the face for suggesting that I ‘sided’ with the Sultan and Umno because of my court cases next week. I am made of better stuff than you suggest. I bet you would never make that statement with your name and address below it. So who is the chicken, you or me?”
So what’s happened to this symbol of the anti-establishment, and whose name is also synonymous with the word “blog” among those who neither write nor read them?
Something that he wrote at the very beginning of his post might actually explain it: “Well, that is because I sudah menyampah.” According to the dictionary, it is a feeling that ranges from mere “dislike” to a venomous “hate”. It is safe to say that Raja Petra’s feelings for Pakatan – and especially towards its leaders – is at the moment stronger than just dislike.
Last Tuesday, a daily reported that he has called for Pakatan de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to resign; saying that the three were out of touch with the people and that they were responsible for the loss of Perak.
This report led to another round of posts on blogosphere; including at Lim Kit Siang’s blog (http://blog.limkitsiang.com) and former Malay Mail editor Ahirudin Attan’s Rocky’s Bru (http://rockybru.com.my).
Ignoring the frenzy of incensed comments from blog readers sympathetic to Pakatan, Raja Petra had also taken on prominent lawyer Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah. Last Monday, he published a post concerning a police report allegedly made by one Low Siew Ley in Subang Jaya over a land deal.
Raja Petra has had to attend court hearings throughout the whole of this week. The Federal Court will decide on a cross-appeal by the government against the High Court decision that had freed him (postponed to Feb 17). Shafee’s civil suit lodged against him last year is also scheduled for an inter-parte hearing on Feb 23.
He is also facing a sedition charge at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court.
But these had not stopped the apparently indomitable Raja Petra from taking on yet another issue and powerful figures with his post last Wednesday titled “Heavenly King: The Story of Kuala Lumpur’s Boss of Bosses”. This is about Datuk Koo Tee Yam @ Ah Lek, who was arrested and detained under the ISA for alleged criminal activities and apparently “mysteriously” released after being detained for a second time.
Love him or hate him but one thing’s for sure – when Raja Petra writes, a good many people will read. Such is the RPK’s reign in the SoPo Blogosphere.
BUM2009 will be fully booked a week or two before COB.
Meanwhile, a BUM2007 and BUM2008 star attraction makes interesting reading, published by a mainstream media paper, so who says without a doubt it's 100% justification to have MSM completely boycotted?
And did you notice there is a SCHISM -- ah, Desi likes strange words! -- between once lovers in SoPo blogosphere? Is there no room for ameliorated love affairs -- maybe Valentine can help shoot its Cupid's arrows at SoPo*Phere? (The * stands for Blogo ok!:(
Questions, questions, questions:
Ah, these are some of the issues to be taken up -- mayhaps -- at BUM2009;
art thou kambing? I heard that Three lambs are following Mary around at the
vicinity of the Lake View Club...
********************** meanW'ILE, hear's aMore education! ******************
Home The Blogs The Corridors of Power
RPK takes on...everybody
window.google_render_ad();
RPK takes on...everybody
Posted by admin
Friday, 13 February 2009 18:34
Instead of toeing the Pakatan line by harping on themes that questioned the Barisan Nasional’s takeover, he highlighted the Pakatan's flaws and weaknesses in Perak that had led to its downfall.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
By NJ AHMAD, The Malay Mail
LIFE is never dull in the SoPo Blogosphere when you have its most famous denizen around – the always-controversial and almost-iconic Raja Petra Kamarudin blasting at full speed and living on knife’s edge. Let’s not get into the back-stabbing.
In the space of less than a week, the man with the country’s most well-known initials, RPK, has shocked and astounded detractors and ardent admirers alike by coming out in support of Perak’s Sultan Azlan Shah, criticised his own supporters, derided the top Pakatan Rakyat leaders and calling for their replacement, challenged a renowned lawyer, spotlighted a triad boss, and made insinuations against various judges and ministers in the process.
The amazing thing is that the 58-year-old Raja Petra did all these while also facing court cases that could see him being incarcerated for an unknown number of years ahead. And this might even happen before February ends, if things go badly against him.
On the national political front, Raja Petra had previously been content to be among the supporting cast of Pakatan since the Shah Alam High Court ordered his release from ISA detention last Nov 7.
Last month, he was the most illustrious member of a group of Barisan Rakyat bloggers who set up camp to help the Pas candidate win the Kuala Terengganu byelection.
He was also in Ipoh on Feb 5 to lend support to the Pakatan, which had just lost control of the Perak State government.
But this secondary mode changed from last Saturday onwards when Raja Petra made a posting that created shockwaves in Blogosphere – especially among the Pakatan leaders and supporters. Instead of toeing the Pakatan line by harping on themes that questioned the Barisan Nasional’s takeover, he highlighted the Pakatan's flaws and weaknesses in Perak that had led to its downfall.
However, it was Raja Petra’s defence of Sultan Azlan – and denouncing those who had blamed the ruler – that had created the biggest wedge with many of his previous supporters. Personal attacks and malicious accusations against him soon poured in at his ‘No Holds Barred’ blog in online news portal Malaysia Today (http://mt.m2day.org) and at other blogs.
In the past, Raja Petra had usually chosen to ignore these; perhaps because of his realising the futility of responding to all the negative statements and speculations that celebrities have to live with. But there was one instance this week where he lashed back at a comment by a reader:
“Mendela, (Nickname of a commentator) I should punch you in the face for suggesting that I ‘sided’ with the Sultan and Umno because of my court cases next week. I am made of better stuff than you suggest. I bet you would never make that statement with your name and address below it. So who is the chicken, you or me?”
So what’s happened to this symbol of the anti-establishment, and whose name is also synonymous with the word “blog” among those who neither write nor read them?
Something that he wrote at the very beginning of his post might actually explain it: “Well, that is because I sudah menyampah.” According to the dictionary, it is a feeling that ranges from mere “dislike” to a venomous “hate”. It is safe to say that Raja Petra’s feelings for Pakatan – and especially towards its leaders – is at the moment stronger than just dislike.
Last Tuesday, a daily reported that he has called for Pakatan de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to resign; saying that the three were out of touch with the people and that they were responsible for the loss of Perak.
This report led to another round of posts on blogosphere; including at Lim Kit Siang’s blog (http://blog.limkitsiang.com) and former Malay Mail editor Ahirudin Attan’s Rocky’s Bru (http://rockybru.com.my).
Ignoring the frenzy of incensed comments from blog readers sympathetic to Pakatan, Raja Petra had also taken on prominent lawyer Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah. Last Monday, he published a post concerning a police report allegedly made by one Low Siew Ley in Subang Jaya over a land deal.
Raja Petra has had to attend court hearings throughout the whole of this week. The Federal Court will decide on a cross-appeal by the government against the High Court decision that had freed him (postponed to Feb 17). Shafee’s civil suit lodged against him last year is also scheduled for an inter-parte hearing on Feb 23.
He is also facing a sedition charge at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court.
But these had not stopped the apparently indomitable Raja Petra from taking on yet another issue and powerful figures with his post last Wednesday titled “Heavenly King: The Story of Kuala Lumpur’s Boss of Bosses”. This is about Datuk Koo Tee Yam @ Ah Lek, who was arrested and detained under the ISA for alleged criminal activities and apparently “mysteriously” released after being detained for a second time.
Love him or hate him but one thing’s for sure – when Raja Petra writes, a good many people will read. Such is the RPK’s reign in the SoPo Blogosphere.
As Tears Go By ... Ooops, As Time Goes By ...
Do you remember Casablanca?
You don't? That's good, becasue you're very young. TOO YOUNG, to be in love. So Yesterday's VD did not bug you!
You did? That's also very de GOoD, because you're very romantic. A little olde maybe, but still YOUNG AT heART.
Yes, Desi spells heART this way because you put on a s-MILE at whatever age thou ART, and mastery of this ART keeps Thee young. You don'tneed to be a doctor -- or rocket scientist -- to know this!:)
So for those stillchasing that ROMANCE defined by Valentine's Day, take tour sweetheart to Morocco, find that bar in Casablanca; learn to play the piano and tenderly hold your loved one in thy arms, and sing along:
A kiss is just a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by
************************* meanW'ILE , hear's some education ***************
Kisses unleash chemicals that ease stress levels
Buzz Up!
Send
Email
Yahoo! Bookmarks
Print
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID,
AP Science Writer Randolph E. Schmid, Ap Science Writer – Fri Feb 13, 6:22 pm ET
Reuters – A couple dances and kisses inside a heart shaped made from candles during a flash mob ahead of Valentine's …
CHICAGO – "Chemistry look what you've done to me," Donna Summer crooned in Science of Love, and so, it seems, she was right. Just in time for Valentine's Day, a panel of scientists examined the mystery of what happens when hearts throb and lips lock. Kissing, it turns out, unleashes chemicals that ease stress hormones in both sexes and encourage bonding in men, though not so much in women.
Chemicals in the saliva may be a way to assess a mate, Wendy Hill, dean of the faculty and a professor of neuroscience at Lafayette College, told a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on Friday.
In an experiment, Hill explained, pairs of heterosexual college students who kissed for 15 minutes while listening to music experienced significant changes in their levels of the chemicals oxytocin, which affects pair bonding, and cortisol, which is associated with stress. Their blood and saliva levels of the chemicals were compared before and after the kiss.
Both men and women had a decline in cortisol after smooching, an indication their stress levels declined.
For men, oxytocin levels increased, indicating more interest in bonding, while oxytocin levels went down in women. "This was a surprise," Hill said.
In a test group that merely held hands, chemical changes were similar, but much less pronounced, she said.
The experiment was conducted in a student health center, Hill noted. She plans a repeat "in a more romantic setting."
Hill spoke at the session on the Science of Kissing, along with Helen Fisher of Rutgers University and Donald Lateiner of Ohio Wesleyan University.
Fisher noted that more than 90 percent of human societies practice kissing, which she believes has three components — the sex drive, romantic love and attachment.
The sex drive pushes individuals to assess a variety of partners, then romantic love causes them to focus on an individual, she said. Attachment then allows them to tolerate this person long enough to raise a child.
Men tend to think of kissing as a prelude to copulation, Fisher said. She noted that men prefer "sloppy" kisses, in which chemicals including testosterone can be passed on to the women in saliva. Testosterone increases the sex drive in both males and females.
"When you kiss an enormous part of your brain becomes active," she added. Romantic love can last a long time, "if you kiss the right person."
Lateiner, a classical scholar, observed that kissing appears infrequently in Greek and Roman art, but was widely practiced, despite the spread of skin disease at that time by facial kissing. And there was a potential for social faux pas by kissing the wrong person at the wrong time.
Overall, the science of kissing — philematology — is under-researcherd, Hill concluded.
___
On the Net:
AAAS: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_sc/storytext/sci_romance_unraveled/30961060/SIG=10ljfoc99/*http://www.aaas.org
Related Searches:
stress hormones
science of love
Video: Honey, I love you with all my medial insula AP
**********************************
LYRICS FOR ''AS TIME GOES BY''
This day and age we're living in
Gives cause for apprehension
With speed and new invention
And things like fourth dimension
Yet we get a trifle weary
With Mr. Einstein's theory,
So we must get down to earth at times
Relax relieve the tension
And no matter what the progress
Or what may yet be proved
The simple facts of life are such
They cannot be removed
You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by
And when two lovers woo
They still say, I love you
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by
Moonlight and love songs
Never out of date
Hearts full of passion
Jealousy and hate
Woman needs man
And man must have his mate
That no one can deny
It's still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.
You don't? That's good, becasue you're very young. TOO YOUNG, to be in love. So Yesterday's VD did not bug you!
You did? That's also very de GOoD, because you're very romantic. A little olde maybe, but still YOUNG AT heART.
Yes, Desi spells heART this way because you put on a s-MILE at whatever age thou ART, and mastery of this ART keeps Thee young. You don'tneed to be a doctor -- or rocket scientist -- to know this!:)
So for those stillchasing that ROMANCE defined by Valentine's Day, take tour sweetheart to Morocco, find that bar in Casablanca; learn to play the piano and tenderly hold your loved one in thy arms, and sing along:
A kiss is just a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by
************************* meanW'ILE , hear's some education ***************
Kisses unleash chemicals that ease stress levels
Buzz Up!
Send
Yahoo! Bookmarks
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID,
AP Science Writer Randolph E. Schmid, Ap Science Writer – Fri Feb 13, 6:22 pm ET
Reuters – A couple dances and kisses inside a heart shaped made from candles during a flash mob ahead of Valentine's …
CHICAGO – "Chemistry look what you've done to me," Donna Summer crooned in Science of Love, and so, it seems, she was right. Just in time for Valentine's Day, a panel of scientists examined the mystery of what happens when hearts throb and lips lock. Kissing, it turns out, unleashes chemicals that ease stress hormones in both sexes and encourage bonding in men, though not so much in women.
Chemicals in the saliva may be a way to assess a mate, Wendy Hill, dean of the faculty and a professor of neuroscience at Lafayette College, told a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on Friday.
In an experiment, Hill explained, pairs of heterosexual college students who kissed for 15 minutes while listening to music experienced significant changes in their levels of the chemicals oxytocin, which affects pair bonding, and cortisol, which is associated with stress. Their blood and saliva levels of the chemicals were compared before and after the kiss.
Both men and women had a decline in cortisol after smooching, an indication their stress levels declined.
For men, oxytocin levels increased, indicating more interest in bonding, while oxytocin levels went down in women. "This was a surprise," Hill said.
In a test group that merely held hands, chemical changes were similar, but much less pronounced, she said.
The experiment was conducted in a student health center, Hill noted. She plans a repeat "in a more romantic setting."
Hill spoke at the session on the Science of Kissing, along with Helen Fisher of Rutgers University and Donald Lateiner of Ohio Wesleyan University.
Fisher noted that more than 90 percent of human societies practice kissing, which she believes has three components — the sex drive, romantic love and attachment.
The sex drive pushes individuals to assess a variety of partners, then romantic love causes them to focus on an individual, she said. Attachment then allows them to tolerate this person long enough to raise a child.
Men tend to think of kissing as a prelude to copulation, Fisher said. She noted that men prefer "sloppy" kisses, in which chemicals including testosterone can be passed on to the women in saliva. Testosterone increases the sex drive in both males and females.
"When you kiss an enormous part of your brain becomes active," she added. Romantic love can last a long time, "if you kiss the right person."
Lateiner, a classical scholar, observed that kissing appears infrequently in Greek and Roman art, but was widely practiced, despite the spread of skin disease at that time by facial kissing. And there was a potential for social faux pas by kissing the wrong person at the wrong time.
Overall, the science of kissing — philematology — is under-researcherd, Hill concluded.
___
On the Net:
AAAS: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_sc/storytext/sci_romance_unraveled/30961060/SIG=10ljfoc99/*http://www.aaas.org
Related Searches:
stress hormones
science of love
Video: Honey, I love you with all my medial insula AP
**********************************
LYRICS FOR ''AS TIME GOES BY''
This day and age we're living in
Gives cause for apprehension
With speed and new invention
And things like fourth dimension
Yet we get a trifle weary
With Mr. Einstein's theory,
So we must get down to earth at times
Relax relieve the tension
And no matter what the progress
Or what may yet be proved
The simple facts of life are such
They cannot be removed
You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by
And when two lovers woo
They still say, I love you
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by
Moonlight and love songs
Never out of date
Hearts full of passion
Jealousy and hate
Woman needs man
And man must have his mate
That no one can deny
It's still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Fridae's Childe is Full of Loving and Giving...
SO today's Post turns its sentiments on two Blogger mateys, Raja Petra Kamarudin who -- for fighting a blue-blooded caring, conerned Malaysian battle for Truth and Justice -- has to be in many courts but he's not alone; and a sharing from one of my early "blogger-soulmatey" conversationists, Capt Yusof Ahmad, whose salty writings I often pluck as flowers off a gardnern of knowledge and l've. Sea food,anywan? Sometimes he's awe at sea wit' secondmatey MindfoolMariner and DesiWanFOOLofErrata!:):):), raretimes eROtica2:(:( -- YL, Desi with thanks in his heART and a prayer of peAce in his offerings.
From The Malaysian Insdier:
Senior cop accused of being a ‘compulsive liar’ in RPK trial
By Debra Chong
PETALING JAYA, Feb 12 – A key witness in the sedition trial of controversial Malaysia Today blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin was accused of being a “compulsive liar” in court today.
The chief investigating officer, Superintendant Gan Tack Guan, who had made a police report against Raja Petra last year after reading the latter’s online article, “Let’s Send The Altantuya Murderers To Hell” which sparked the charge, returned to the witness stand this morning.
Gan was subjected to a barrage of questions by defence lawyer Gobind Singh Deo over his findings about the claims made by Raja Petra on the alleged role played by Abdul Razak Baginda in the sensational murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Razak Baginda is a political analyst and said to be a close friend of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. He was charged with abetting two police officers with killing Altantuya. The Shah Alam High Court acquitted him of the crime last October.
Last Tuesday, Gobind had cross-examined Gan in an attempt to establish that the sedition charge against Raja Petra — popularly known by his initials RPK — was “politically motivated”.
Picking up from where he left off, Gobind continued to question the former along the same vein.
However, Gan appeared to have difficulty in answering to Gobind’s satisfaction, particularly when the latter pressed him on his investigation regarding a photograph said to feature Najib together with the murder victim at her birthday celebration in a hotel in Singapore.
“I put it to you, you are in no position to say Najib Tun Razak did not attend Altantuya’s birthday party at the Mandarin hotel in Singapore as alleged,” Gobind suggested.
“I disagree,” Gan replied.
“You agree with me it would have been easy for you to confirm this by merely asking Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak?” Gobind asked.
“I disagree,” said Gan.
“Why disagree? Is it difficult to ask Datuk Seri Najib questions?” Gobind pushed.
“This issue arose on the website on April 25 and the witness that gave the testimony did not show the picture on the issue,” Gan, who is the Interpol National Centre Bureau assistant director based in Bukit Aman, countered.
“But you never asked her for a copy of the photograph, Superintendant?” Gobind asked, referring to a Mongolian witness in the Altantutya murder trial, Burmaa Oyunchimeg who had supposedly produced the visual record.
“We did ask but she did not produce,” Gan answered.
“Did you personally ask her?” Gobind interrogated.
“I can’t remember because it was not brought up in the case,” Gan replied, before adding: “I think yes.”
Gan’s slow response and cumulative vague replies to Gobind’s blunt interrogation seemed to annoy the defence lawyer, leading to a minor outburst.
“Make up your mind. You remember or not asking her?” Gobind thundered.
“Yes,” said Gan.
“I put it you, you are lying that you asked the witness for the photograph. You are a compulsive liar,” Gobind asked pointedly.
“No,” Gan stated.
Gobind’s inquisition was halted for the day before he could obtain an answer to the significance of the controversial photograph said to feature Najib and Altantuya together.
He had sought permission from Sessions Court judge Justice Rozina Ayob to introduce several documents from the Altantuya murder case into Raja Petra’s sedition trial.
But the judge ordered him to validate the documents first and adjourned the trial to April 23 and 24.
Meanwhile, Raja Petra, who has been slapped with multiple lawsuits, will return to the dock at the Kuala Lumpur High Court tomorrow for his criminal defamation charge.
***************************************************
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Derhaka?
By Capt Yusof Ahmad
I have never been in awe of royalty since they are only human and not quite infallible.
During my school days in MCKK, there were a few rajas and tengkus from the country's royal households amongst the good mix of blue bloods and peasantry in prep school and many are still my friends today. As a member of a proud Bugis clan from Linggi myself, I can trace my ancestral lineage direct to the legendary Bugis warrior/sailor prince Raja Haji, son of Daeng Chelak, one of the Daeng band of brothers from Sulawesi who went on to found what are now the royal houses of Selangor and Johor. No big deal here perhaps, but this makes me as 'royal' as I want to fancy myself to be.Charges of derhaka (treason) or lese majeste or whatever to the Sultan of Perak levelled against Perak MB Mohd Nizar by members of the Barisan Nasional for refusing to step down are to my mind pretty silly, if not downright bloody stupid. (Read the Malaysiakini report, here). It is simply a matter of the rule of law and the country's top legal minds are still debating the issue in cyberspace. Our history books are also full of accounts of mighty emperors, kings, Marcoses, Idi Amins et al having been unceremoniously booted out for failing to heed the call and committing derhaka against the rakyat, the final arbiter of things.The government of the day should be wise to try and learn from history. Logged by The Ancient Mariner
From The Malaysian Insdier:
Senior cop accused of being a ‘compulsive liar’ in RPK trial
By Debra Chong
PETALING JAYA, Feb 12 – A key witness in the sedition trial of controversial Malaysia Today blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin was accused of being a “compulsive liar” in court today.
The chief investigating officer, Superintendant Gan Tack Guan, who had made a police report against Raja Petra last year after reading the latter’s online article, “Let’s Send The Altantuya Murderers To Hell” which sparked the charge, returned to the witness stand this morning.
Gan was subjected to a barrage of questions by defence lawyer Gobind Singh Deo over his findings about the claims made by Raja Petra on the alleged role played by Abdul Razak Baginda in the sensational murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Razak Baginda is a political analyst and said to be a close friend of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. He was charged with abetting two police officers with killing Altantuya. The Shah Alam High Court acquitted him of the crime last October.
Last Tuesday, Gobind had cross-examined Gan in an attempt to establish that the sedition charge against Raja Petra — popularly known by his initials RPK — was “politically motivated”.
Picking up from where he left off, Gobind continued to question the former along the same vein.
However, Gan appeared to have difficulty in answering to Gobind’s satisfaction, particularly when the latter pressed him on his investigation regarding a photograph said to feature Najib together with the murder victim at her birthday celebration in a hotel in Singapore.
“I put it to you, you are in no position to say Najib Tun Razak did not attend Altantuya’s birthday party at the Mandarin hotel in Singapore as alleged,” Gobind suggested.
“I disagree,” Gan replied.
“You agree with me it would have been easy for you to confirm this by merely asking Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak?” Gobind asked.
“I disagree,” said Gan.
“Why disagree? Is it difficult to ask Datuk Seri Najib questions?” Gobind pushed.
“This issue arose on the website on April 25 and the witness that gave the testimony did not show the picture on the issue,” Gan, who is the Interpol National Centre Bureau assistant director based in Bukit Aman, countered.
“But you never asked her for a copy of the photograph, Superintendant?” Gobind asked, referring to a Mongolian witness in the Altantutya murder trial, Burmaa Oyunchimeg who had supposedly produced the visual record.
“We did ask but she did not produce,” Gan answered.
“Did you personally ask her?” Gobind interrogated.
“I can’t remember because it was not brought up in the case,” Gan replied, before adding: “I think yes.”
Gan’s slow response and cumulative vague replies to Gobind’s blunt interrogation seemed to annoy the defence lawyer, leading to a minor outburst.
“Make up your mind. You remember or not asking her?” Gobind thundered.
“Yes,” said Gan.
“I put it you, you are lying that you asked the witness for the photograph. You are a compulsive liar,” Gobind asked pointedly.
“No,” Gan stated.
Gobind’s inquisition was halted for the day before he could obtain an answer to the significance of the controversial photograph said to feature Najib and Altantuya together.
He had sought permission from Sessions Court judge Justice Rozina Ayob to introduce several documents from the Altantuya murder case into Raja Petra’s sedition trial.
But the judge ordered him to validate the documents first and adjourned the trial to April 23 and 24.
Meanwhile, Raja Petra, who has been slapped with multiple lawsuits, will return to the dock at the Kuala Lumpur High Court tomorrow for his criminal defamation charge.
***************************************************
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Derhaka?
By Capt Yusof Ahmad
I have never been in awe of royalty since they are only human and not quite infallible.
During my school days in MCKK, there were a few rajas and tengkus from the country's royal households amongst the good mix of blue bloods and peasantry in prep school and many are still my friends today. As a member of a proud Bugis clan from Linggi myself, I can trace my ancestral lineage direct to the legendary Bugis warrior/sailor prince Raja Haji, son of Daeng Chelak, one of the Daeng band of brothers from Sulawesi who went on to found what are now the royal houses of Selangor and Johor. No big deal here perhaps, but this makes me as 'royal' as I want to fancy myself to be.Charges of derhaka (treason) or lese majeste or whatever to the Sultan of Perak levelled against Perak MB Mohd Nizar by members of the Barisan Nasional for refusing to step down are to my mind pretty silly, if not downright bloody stupid. (Read the Malaysiakini report, here). It is simply a matter of the rule of law and the country's top legal minds are still debating the issue in cyberspace. Our history books are also full of accounts of mighty emperors, kings, Marcoses, Idi Amins et al having been unceremoniously booted out for failing to heed the call and committing derhaka against the rakyat, the final arbiter of things.The government of the day should be wise to try and learn from history. Logged by The Ancient Mariner
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Perak Constitutional Crisis: CPI columnist Helen Ang...
has written a column peeping at what the ADUN-protagonists -- some less kind souls said "prostitues" -- did last March:
http://english.cpiasia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1403:you-know-what-the-3-aduns-did-last-march&catid=198:helen-ang&Itemid=156
You know what the 3 Aduns did last March?
Columnists
Written by Helen Ang
Thursday, 12 February 2009 20:30
In tandem with the rapid fire developments in Perak, the media itself is also being cast an intriguing role. Even whilst it reports, it has become a topic reported about too. The Home Ministry seized almost 20,000 copies of Suara Keadilan which frontpaged the Perak constitutional crisis, PKR information chief Tian Chua told a press conference yesterday.
Copies of Harakah bearing the banner headline ‘SPR memihak BN’ (Election Commission sides with BN) were seized in a few states as well. Malaysiakini reported that distributors have been warned not to sell the PAS bi-weekly newsletter. The Home Ministry confirmed that it launched an operation to seize the publications – a move questioned by Tian Chua who challenged: “Tell us why. You can’t just go around confiscating from distributors”.
Media watchdogs would be similarly keen to hear the official reasons given on why Suara Keadilan (Feb 4-11) and Harakah (Feb 6-8) warrant seizure. If the ministry could provide an explanation as to what content was deemed unacceptable, then the same set of criteria might be applied to the less than satisfactory mainstream media.
As it is, the authorities’ high-handed ban only deprives Malaysians of their right to information, and comparing news coverage with mainstream spin. No informed citizenry ‘Perak cabar SPR ke mahkamah’ (Perak challenges EC to court) was the front page story in the Suara Keadilan issue confiscated by the authorities. The newsletter’s other articles touched on a range of issues arising from the Umno takeover, which the federal government does not care to have Malaysians – the PKR party organ claims a circulation of 150,000 – learn more about.
Police ban on political ceramah in Perak is another obstruction to information dissemination as Pakatan Rakyat has been going on roadshows to clarify how it was toppled, seeing as the coalition has little access or avenues through the much vaunted ‘proper channels’ for their say.
Malaysiakini conducted a straw poll asking, ‘Do you agree or disagree with Sultan Azlan Shah in the transfer of power in Perak?’ The survey drew some 40,000 respondents; 88 percent were against the Sultan’s decision. Interestingly enough, 2.4 percent or 932 individuals answered: ‘Don’t know’. The ‘dunnos’ could have been better informed to hold an opinion if our country harboured a freer media climate.
Harakah – February edition seized – contained two articles illuminating on a factor that provides food for thought. One was a full page interview with Perak PAS head of information Ustaz Misbahul Munir Masduki who is political secretary to embattled Menteri Besar Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin.
Misbahul revealed that the two PKR and one DAP state assemblymen (Aduns) for Behrang, Changkat Jering and Jelapang respectively had in March 2008 signed a pledge of loyalty to Nizar upon the insistence of Perak Crown Prince Raja Nazrin Shah as a pre-condition for the ruling house installing a Pakatan state government, following the closely fought 12th general election.
A page two story in the same Harakah paper quoted Perak PAS state commissioner Ustaz Ahmad Awang as accusing the defecting Aduns of ‘treason’ to the Sultan when they broke their oath of loyalty to Nizar (as contained in the March 2008 written pledge submitted to the sovereign).
Raising this moral point throws an ethical dimension into the current debate of legalities and technicalities hotly contended by legal experts and political pundits.
BN and Pakatan in Perak are deadlocked at 28 seats each, with three held by the newly declared ‘independents’ – Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu and Hee Yit Foong – tilting the balance of power.
Only 10 months ago in their undertakings to Raja Nazrin, the trio had promised their support to Nizar and Pakatan. What is to say the same crossover-three’s-company might not present themselves before the royals in, say, 10 months from now with another change of heart?
Furthermore, two of the ‘independent’ Aduns are presently dancing a tango with the court on corruption charges and the possibility of having to vacate their seats if guilty still hangs in the air. It is indeed a strange definition of ‘independence’ if these Aduns throwing their lot with BN have assured the palace that they would vote along the ‘dacing’ party line on all occasions.
But in any case, blessings had been given Umno to proceed to form a new state government on short order and Umno’s Zambry Abdul Kadir sworn in as Menteri Besar at equally lightning speed. Election lessons from Israel In this Perak episode, Malaysians have earned ourselves the distinction of being far, far more efficient than the Jews, and this is truly something to shout about.
Israel held its election on Tuesday and as I write this, nearly all the votes have been counted. Kadima, the party led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, won 28 seats. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party Likud won 27.
Well, what do you know? In a previous column in Malaysiakini, I did say Malaysia is somewhat like Israel in some ways.
Kadima snagged the largest number of seats but Livni may miss the cut to be appointed Prime Minister. Just like how DAP won the biggest seat total under Pakatan colours (Umno held the most seats as a single party) but its state chairman Ngeh Koo Ham did not get to become Chief Minister. The post of Israeli PM may go Netanyahu’s way instead if he can cobble together a coalition from the right wing bloc, and commanding the Knesset majority plus the confidence of president Shimon Peres. Peres will give the leader of the party he believes has the best chance of success up to 42 days to form government. A month-and-half to work out a solution when the opposing parties are evenly tied seems a reasonable period of time.
In Perak, its monarchy upholds “the principles of justice based on the sovereignty of the law, emphasising solidarity, cooperation, consensus and consultation”. In Perak’s quicksilver democracy, the Umno state government was formed in a mere day and apparently without the said ‘cooperation, consensus and consultation’, as evidenced by the immediate political fallout.
In Perak, the residents have been suffering roadblocks and an intimidating police presence. In the rest of Malaysia, we suffer mental blocks when discussions are clamped down by threats of ‘treason’ from Umno and its redoubtable keris-waving Youth wing.
http://english.cpiasia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1403:you-know-what-the-3-aduns-did-last-march&catid=198:helen-ang&Itemid=156
You know what the 3 Aduns did last March?
Columnists
Written by Helen Ang
Thursday, 12 February 2009 20:30
In tandem with the rapid fire developments in Perak, the media itself is also being cast an intriguing role. Even whilst it reports, it has become a topic reported about too. The Home Ministry seized almost 20,000 copies of Suara Keadilan which frontpaged the Perak constitutional crisis, PKR information chief Tian Chua told a press conference yesterday.
Copies of Harakah bearing the banner headline ‘SPR memihak BN’ (Election Commission sides with BN) were seized in a few states as well. Malaysiakini reported that distributors have been warned not to sell the PAS bi-weekly newsletter. The Home Ministry confirmed that it launched an operation to seize the publications – a move questioned by Tian Chua who challenged: “Tell us why. You can’t just go around confiscating from distributors”.
Media watchdogs would be similarly keen to hear the official reasons given on why Suara Keadilan (Feb 4-11) and Harakah (Feb 6-8) warrant seizure. If the ministry could provide an explanation as to what content was deemed unacceptable, then the same set of criteria might be applied to the less than satisfactory mainstream media.
As it is, the authorities’ high-handed ban only deprives Malaysians of their right to information, and comparing news coverage with mainstream spin. No informed citizenry ‘Perak cabar SPR ke mahkamah’ (Perak challenges EC to court) was the front page story in the Suara Keadilan issue confiscated by the authorities. The newsletter’s other articles touched on a range of issues arising from the Umno takeover, which the federal government does not care to have Malaysians – the PKR party organ claims a circulation of 150,000 – learn more about.
Police ban on political ceramah in Perak is another obstruction to information dissemination as Pakatan Rakyat has been going on roadshows to clarify how it was toppled, seeing as the coalition has little access or avenues through the much vaunted ‘proper channels’ for their say.
Malaysiakini conducted a straw poll asking, ‘Do you agree or disagree with Sultan Azlan Shah in the transfer of power in Perak?’ The survey drew some 40,000 respondents; 88 percent were against the Sultan’s decision. Interestingly enough, 2.4 percent or 932 individuals answered: ‘Don’t know’. The ‘dunnos’ could have been better informed to hold an opinion if our country harboured a freer media climate.
Harakah – February edition seized – contained two articles illuminating on a factor that provides food for thought. One was a full page interview with Perak PAS head of information Ustaz Misbahul Munir Masduki who is political secretary to embattled Menteri Besar Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin.
Misbahul revealed that the two PKR and one DAP state assemblymen (Aduns) for Behrang, Changkat Jering and Jelapang respectively had in March 2008 signed a pledge of loyalty to Nizar upon the insistence of Perak Crown Prince Raja Nazrin Shah as a pre-condition for the ruling house installing a Pakatan state government, following the closely fought 12th general election.
A page two story in the same Harakah paper quoted Perak PAS state commissioner Ustaz Ahmad Awang as accusing the defecting Aduns of ‘treason’ to the Sultan when they broke their oath of loyalty to Nizar (as contained in the March 2008 written pledge submitted to the sovereign).
Raising this moral point throws an ethical dimension into the current debate of legalities and technicalities hotly contended by legal experts and political pundits.
BN and Pakatan in Perak are deadlocked at 28 seats each, with three held by the newly declared ‘independents’ – Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu and Hee Yit Foong – tilting the balance of power.
Only 10 months ago in their undertakings to Raja Nazrin, the trio had promised their support to Nizar and Pakatan. What is to say the same crossover-three’s-company might not present themselves before the royals in, say, 10 months from now with another change of heart?
Furthermore, two of the ‘independent’ Aduns are presently dancing a tango with the court on corruption charges and the possibility of having to vacate their seats if guilty still hangs in the air. It is indeed a strange definition of ‘independence’ if these Aduns throwing their lot with BN have assured the palace that they would vote along the ‘dacing’ party line on all occasions.
But in any case, blessings had been given Umno to proceed to form a new state government on short order and Umno’s Zambry Abdul Kadir sworn in as Menteri Besar at equally lightning speed. Election lessons from Israel In this Perak episode, Malaysians have earned ourselves the distinction of being far, far more efficient than the Jews, and this is truly something to shout about.
Israel held its election on Tuesday and as I write this, nearly all the votes have been counted. Kadima, the party led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, won 28 seats. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party Likud won 27.
Well, what do you know? In a previous column in Malaysiakini, I did say Malaysia is somewhat like Israel in some ways.
Kadima snagged the largest number of seats but Livni may miss the cut to be appointed Prime Minister. Just like how DAP won the biggest seat total under Pakatan colours (Umno held the most seats as a single party) but its state chairman Ngeh Koo Ham did not get to become Chief Minister. The post of Israeli PM may go Netanyahu’s way instead if he can cobble together a coalition from the right wing bloc, and commanding the Knesset majority plus the confidence of president Shimon Peres. Peres will give the leader of the party he believes has the best chance of success up to 42 days to form government. A month-and-half to work out a solution when the opposing parties are evenly tied seems a reasonable period of time.
In Perak, its monarchy upholds “the principles of justice based on the sovereignty of the law, emphasising solidarity, cooperation, consensus and consultation”. In Perak’s quicksilver democracy, the Umno state government was formed in a mere day and apparently without the said ‘cooperation, consensus and consultation’, as evidenced by the immediate political fallout.
In Perak, the residents have been suffering roadblocks and an intimidating police presence. In the rest of Malaysia, we suffer mental blocks when discussions are clamped down by threats of ‘treason’ from Umno and its redoubtable keris-waving Youth wing.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
humans the worlde o'er...
share some common base traits:(
From news.com.au cometh:
News
Looters accused of trying to steal from dead Victoria fires victim
By John Ferguson
Herald Sun
February 11, 2009 12:01am
Image 2 of 2
Heartless ... Steve Lackas's property may have been subjected to looting shortly after his body was taken away. Picture: Gary Richardson
Keep out ... a resident warns looters to stay away from his property at Devon North. Picture: Great Southern Star
80 people missing, 181 dead
There are fears the bushfire toll could exceed 300 as more remains are uncovered. 2/09 Sky News
Video: Kinglake refugees count the cost of deadly bushfire Video: Taskforce to investigate possible arsonists
Looters stalk dead man's home
Map: Where the fires are burning now
Support: Send your condolences
Full coverage: Victoria fires latest
Help: The Red Cross Bushfire Appeal
CALLOUS looters have been accused of trying to rob a dead Victoria fires victim's few remaining possessions after the weekend inferno.
Heathcote Junction fire victim Steve Lackas's brother said looters had attempted to steal from the only assets spared in the inferno. Paul Lackas said at least one of two sheds was tampered with after his brother was killed, the Herald Sun reports.The family's concerns were backed up by a close friend of the victim, who was forced to secure the victim's remaining possessions after the body was removed. Mr Lackas said young, suspicious-looking people had been travelling through the fire-ravaged area, about 50km north of Melbourne, and a workman had discovered one of two large sheds had been interfered with.
Related Coverage
80 people missing as heroes battle onNEWS.com.au, 11 Feb 2009
Those we have lostHerald Sun, 11 Feb 2009
Kylie, Dannii 'plan bushfire benefit'NEWS.com.au, 11 Feb 2009
Survivors: Tales of pluck and luckNEWS.com.au, 11 Feb 2009
Toll 181: Fire battle rages on
Adelaide Now, 11 Feb 2009
Looters were to blame, he said. "They are vultures," he said. Mr Lackas said a corner of one shed had been tampered with. "They've already attempted to get into the shed," he said. "There (are) young, suspicious people going past. "I don't understand (them)." His concerns were backed up by a close friend of the victim, who rescued remaining valuables on Monday night for fear they would be stolen. The Lackas house and virtually the entire farm was one of many properties razed in the bushfire in the hills above Heathcote Junction, near Kilmore. Mr Lackas, 37, a well-known speedboat racer, had worn a fire retardant suit to beat the flames. His wife and son Bailey, 7, had fled to the bottom of the mountain and were saved but he died trying to save the family's horses. Bruce Champion, a close friend of the victim, said at least one lock had also been damaged on the sheds, adding that a tool was used to attempt to gain entry. Mr Champion said Heathcote Junction had been overrun with people trying to look at the fire damage. "I just think all those rubber neckers need to f... off," he said. He had rescued an expensive boat and other valuables and stored them for the Lackas family. He had also told police of his concerns and noted the appearance of a suspicious Holden Commodore with a trailer, driven by two outsiders, who looked like there were "from the city". Police said they were aware of community concern about looting but they had not detected a burglary offence. "We are aware of (community concerns) and are patrolling in relation to possible looters," an officer said. Resident Jason Brincat said locals were on the lookout for thieves.
DESIDERATA: YESTERDAY, when most of my troubles did not go away unlike the luckysome Beatles, I bumped into a long LOST friend (to Down Under, whereelse, methinks Sdr Sua HS owes me one as I alerted him about migration to Australia option as a Science teacher!) at the Men Kee hwakers centre down furong way, where all the men are purportedly generous and the ladies are charitable and chirpy... I don't know about gay!
After we fed on the bestA ji kuok sheen plus nga boh kai, Sua's sister left earlier to visit their dearest MUM; I phoned another mutual friend Sdr LooH who kaypohish joined us for drinks 20minutes later. Looo is the LINK man to most of our Seremban contacts as he's the JurassicParker in such matters as far as Furongknights are CONc. (Work out the last word before this brackted challengiA is thrown...DDC remember!:)
CONversation soon turned to one KenDressen, a former Peace Corps Chem teacher who came, saw and conquered a Malaysian Chinoserie missie, so once every few CNY, he's back to knock on olde doors. An earlier tea party randywoo with Ken, I the usual politikus kaypoh, told him of all the Vitamin M flowing around in Berak, ...oops, Perak!...which brought down the Pakatan Rakyat government. "Vit M? you dare aRsEk?" MONEY POLITIKUSES-lah, you low IQ-ed -- too much eating BBqued long nyuk the 15daes of niu year, izzit? e-readers!
Ken offered it's the same in the great United States of America-lah! Except these greAt whites, joined now by the equally greAt Blacks, are more sophisticated and smooth in hiding their offerings on millions of Greenback -- I'm getting a li'l greeneyed now! -- in their political journeys to the top, or very top.
So vvvvvvve -- yes, seven v, my fave number, remember, though 'tis not september! -- bloody Malaysians and the blardy Americanoes share a beautiful trait of survival in the politikuses worlde of surtribal, no?
***********************************
Back to Sdr Sua (I can address Thee as saudara, yes? though I know you're more biznurse than politikal kaypoh2!), after vvvvvvve updated each other on our public statuses (private wans bestA left alone so nobody can sue us, or vvvvvvve sue them for spreading the rumours...), I chauffered our honoured guest from Perth -- where all the Who's Who of NegaraKu like semi-valued and foolvalued PM and SIL are humoured wit' mansions o'er the Ripper Swine...ooops River Swan -- for a small tour of Furong.
Just along the one-way Jalan Temiang to get back into Templer Road --where Sua's destination is CMH, while mine's spiriteDEStiNATION, wheresle? --here cometh a chinoserie car (No-lah, the vehicle is non-racist, the 'ahmad' behind the wheels, I mean!) directly in my path threatening me to give way when this bas.... (NO EXPLETVIES ALOUD hear! I have many 17 SYTs like johnleemk peeping ooouch!) ) was going against the main flow of flow .. and it's a blardy flow like that blardy dreber's wife's period mayhaps hence need to go against the JALAN SEHALA! to rush to the hospital, izzit?)
I pulled down my window screen, autoway,not manual BTW, I am not jurassick when it cometh to using Malaysian made cars -- which were once rumoured to have been commended to Toys'R'Us by an American Prez on appeal by a vsiting Malaysian PM -- and this monlogue went on for a loud, 20 seconds: "Hey, buddy (closer to blardy!), you know this is a one-way street, don't you! (The opponent by now realised Desi wasn't going to gift way, and has moved his car to the roadside...)
The guy was trying to gesture that "it was just a few ten metres and he'd get to where HE WANTED TO GO as if his father owns the road...)
"Hey, mister, you are damed blardy a niusense driving the wrong way up a one-way street, are you in your ninth month of PREGnancy are?" (NO, this line is jest cooked up to entertain my esteemed readers by by now steAmed driver that's Desi up,or down, the one-way street lust night...)
Moral of de story: Yeah, homo sapiens throughout the wide, wild world, have some common base instiints -- this includes at the www... abodes they nick Blogosphere where you reap the most honourable sounding expletives -- rich and humbling2 -- to describe She Yeh Foong, or izzit Hee Hii Hee A*Camry froggie? -- "worse than prostitute, dear LooH, you said?" ...). VVVVVVVe are still huaman after, after all the civilizational eon years of schooling. Not many GOoD teachers like mGf Coww and Liew Snr around, whose students without fail still visit during the chinoserie niu year with kum and an ang-pow. Blardy mousey writHer Desi didn't even receive wan, but I had a few kambing sessions at Lingam's, without the CJ, OK! Now after reading this rant, bank in a cheque to my PB account can? I need to arrivedesi at that 20million home so-ON!:):):):):):):)
From news.com.au cometh:
News
Looters accused of trying to steal from dead Victoria fires victim
By John Ferguson
Herald Sun
February 11, 2009 12:01am
Image 2 of 2
Heartless ... Steve Lackas's property may have been subjected to looting shortly after his body was taken away. Picture: Gary Richardson
Keep out ... a resident warns looters to stay away from his property at Devon North. Picture: Great Southern Star
80 people missing, 181 dead
There are fears the bushfire toll could exceed 300 as more remains are uncovered. 2/09 Sky News
Video: Kinglake refugees count the cost of deadly bushfire Video: Taskforce to investigate possible arsonists
Looters stalk dead man's home
Map: Where the fires are burning now
Support: Send your condolences
Full coverage: Victoria fires latest
Help: The Red Cross Bushfire Appeal
CALLOUS looters have been accused of trying to rob a dead Victoria fires victim's few remaining possessions after the weekend inferno.
Heathcote Junction fire victim Steve Lackas's brother said looters had attempted to steal from the only assets spared in the inferno. Paul Lackas said at least one of two sheds was tampered with after his brother was killed, the Herald Sun reports.The family's concerns were backed up by a close friend of the victim, who was forced to secure the victim's remaining possessions after the body was removed. Mr Lackas said young, suspicious-looking people had been travelling through the fire-ravaged area, about 50km north of Melbourne, and a workman had discovered one of two large sheds had been interfered with.
Related Coverage
80 people missing as heroes battle onNEWS.com.au, 11 Feb 2009
Those we have lostHerald Sun, 11 Feb 2009
Kylie, Dannii 'plan bushfire benefit'NEWS.com.au, 11 Feb 2009
Survivors: Tales of pluck and luckNEWS.com.au, 11 Feb 2009
Toll 181: Fire battle rages on
Adelaide Now, 11 Feb 2009
Looters were to blame, he said. "They are vultures," he said. Mr Lackas said a corner of one shed had been tampered with. "They've already attempted to get into the shed," he said. "There (are) young, suspicious people going past. "I don't understand (them)." His concerns were backed up by a close friend of the victim, who rescued remaining valuables on Monday night for fear they would be stolen. The Lackas house and virtually the entire farm was one of many properties razed in the bushfire in the hills above Heathcote Junction, near Kilmore. Mr Lackas, 37, a well-known speedboat racer, had worn a fire retardant suit to beat the flames. His wife and son Bailey, 7, had fled to the bottom of the mountain and were saved but he died trying to save the family's horses. Bruce Champion, a close friend of the victim, said at least one lock had also been damaged on the sheds, adding that a tool was used to attempt to gain entry. Mr Champion said Heathcote Junction had been overrun with people trying to look at the fire damage. "I just think all those rubber neckers need to f... off," he said. He had rescued an expensive boat and other valuables and stored them for the Lackas family. He had also told police of his concerns and noted the appearance of a suspicious Holden Commodore with a trailer, driven by two outsiders, who looked like there were "from the city". Police said they were aware of community concern about looting but they had not detected a burglary offence. "We are aware of (community concerns) and are patrolling in relation to possible looters," an officer said. Resident Jason Brincat said locals were on the lookout for thieves.
DESIDERATA: YESTERDAY, when most of my troubles did not go away unlike the luckysome Beatles, I bumped into a long LOST friend (to Down Under, whereelse, methinks Sdr Sua HS owes me one as I alerted him about migration to Australia option as a Science teacher!) at the Men Kee hwakers centre down furong way, where all the men are purportedly generous and the ladies are charitable and chirpy... I don't know about gay!
After we fed on the bestA ji kuok sheen plus nga boh kai, Sua's sister left earlier to visit their dearest MUM; I phoned another mutual friend Sdr LooH who kaypohish joined us for drinks 20minutes later. Looo is the LINK man to most of our Seremban contacts as he's the JurassicParker in such matters as far as Furongknights are CONc. (Work out the last word before this brackted challengiA is thrown...DDC remember!:)
CONversation soon turned to one KenDressen, a former Peace Corps Chem teacher who came, saw and conquered a Malaysian Chinoserie missie, so once every few CNY, he's back to knock on olde doors. An earlier tea party randywoo with Ken, I the usual politikus kaypoh, told him of all the Vitamin M flowing around in Berak, ...oops, Perak!...which brought down the Pakatan Rakyat government. "Vit M? you dare aRsEk?" MONEY POLITIKUSES-lah, you low IQ-ed -- too much eating BBqued long nyuk the 15daes of niu year, izzit? e-readers!
Ken offered it's the same in the great United States of America-lah! Except these greAt whites, joined now by the equally greAt Blacks, are more sophisticated and smooth in hiding their offerings on millions of Greenback -- I'm getting a li'l greeneyed now! -- in their political journeys to the top, or very top.
So vvvvvvve -- yes, seven v, my fave number, remember, though 'tis not september! -- bloody Malaysians and the blardy Americanoes share a beautiful trait of survival in the politikuses worlde of surtribal, no?
***********************************
Back to Sdr Sua (I can address Thee as saudara, yes? though I know you're more biznurse than politikal kaypoh2!), after vvvvvvve updated each other on our public statuses (private wans bestA left alone so nobody can sue us, or vvvvvvve sue them for spreading the rumours...), I chauffered our honoured guest from Perth -- where all the Who's Who of NegaraKu like semi-valued and foolvalued PM and SIL are humoured wit' mansions o'er the Ripper Swine...ooops River Swan -- for a small tour of Furong.
Just along the one-way Jalan Temiang to get back into Templer Road --where Sua's destination is CMH, while mine's spiriteDEStiNATION, wheresle? --here cometh a chinoserie car (No-lah, the vehicle is non-racist, the 'ahmad' behind the wheels, I mean!) directly in my path threatening me to give way when this bas.... (NO EXPLETVIES ALOUD hear! I have many 17 SYTs like johnleemk peeping ooouch!) ) was going against the main flow of flow .. and it's a blardy flow like that blardy dreber's wife's period mayhaps hence need to go against the JALAN SEHALA! to rush to the hospital, izzit?)
I pulled down my window screen, autoway,not manual BTW, I am not jurassick when it cometh to using Malaysian made cars -- which were once rumoured to have been commended to Toys'R'Us by an American Prez on appeal by a vsiting Malaysian PM -- and this monlogue went on for a loud, 20 seconds: "Hey, buddy (closer to blardy!), you know this is a one-way street, don't you! (The opponent by now realised Desi wasn't going to gift way, and has moved his car to the roadside...)
The guy was trying to gesture that "it was just a few ten metres and he'd get to where HE WANTED TO GO as if his father owns the road...)
"Hey, mister, you are damed blardy a niusense driving the wrong way up a one-way street, are you in your ninth month of PREGnancy are?" (NO, this line is jest cooked up to entertain my esteemed readers by by now steAmed driver that's Desi up,or down, the one-way street lust night...)
Moral of de story: Yeah, homo sapiens throughout the wide, wild world, have some common base instiints -- this includes at the www... abodes they nick Blogosphere where you reap the most honourable sounding expletives -- rich and humbling2 -- to describe She Yeh Foong, or izzit Hee Hii Hee A*Camry froggie? -- "worse than prostitute, dear LooH, you said?" ...). VVVVVVVe are still huaman after, after all the civilizational eon years of schooling. Not many GOoD teachers like mGf Coww and Liew Snr around, whose students without fail still visit during the chinoserie niu year with kum and an ang-pow. Blardy mousey writHer Desi didn't even receive wan, but I had a few kambing sessions at Lingam's, without the CJ, OK! Now after reading this rant, bank in a cheque to my PB account can? I need to arrivedesi at that 20million home so-ON!:):):):):):):)
Monday, February 09, 2009
Hee,Hii, Hee -- SomeOne Gets A*Camry!
and the ilks of Desi keep on cursing! Sour grapes!
But mine tastes like summer wine, so sublime
If only someone's head goes into that pot
Along wit' kepala ikan ala Mantin Kong Heong, hot
Ah, someone is getting to become a superB shot!
Hee gets her Camry
Monday, 09 February 2009
By Lee Wei Lian, The Malaysian Insider
For the past few days, speculation has been mounting whether Barisan Nasional will reward Jelapang assemblywoman Hee Yit Fong with an executive council post in the Perak government. Umno souces today confirmed she is among seven confirmed in the executive council.
Three more will be decided later, possibly after the first seven are sworn in tomorrow by Perak ruler Sultan Azlan Shah. Two of the execo members will be Chinese with the other being Chenderiang state assemblyman Dr Mah Hang Soon, who is also MCA Youth deputy chief.
Hee, possibly the most hated woman in Malaysia right now, has been the subject of ridicule and abuse in and around her Ipoh hometown as welll as in cyberspace, far more than the other three Perak state representatives who switched support from Pakatan Rakyat to Barisan Nasional.
She was the deputy state speaker in the Pakatan Rakyat government and was in DAP for some 20 years. The clerk-turned-politician was said to have been upset with the state party leadership and for not getting a new official car when the Pakatan Rakyat chose Toyota Camrys over Proton Perdanas.
Another woman who has been appointed to the exco is Sungai Rapat's Hamidah Osman, who was rumoured to be upset over losing the menteri besar post to Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir. Umno sources denied she was upset, saying she is supportive of the 47-year-old BN menteri besar.
The tricky task of determining of the exco line-up is one of the first tests that Zambry has to face apart from handling a hostile Perak electorate upset over the manner the state government changed hands.
"To head off dissatisfaction, he explained that there are only 10 exco positions but 31 candidates," a source told The Malaysian Insider.
"He emphasized to them that the major thrust has be to win the hearts of the people and cannot be on Camrys and houses. He also told them to speak their minds and not just be yes-men which they found refreshing."
Several names were nominated for each exco portfolio based on their skills and abilities. Discussions were made with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is widely credited for the Perak takeover, until early hous of this morning.
The swearing in ceremony is expected to take place at 10 am in the Istana Iskandariah in Perak's royal town of Kuala Kangsar tomorrow.
But mine tastes like summer wine, so sublime
If only someone's head goes into that pot
Along wit' kepala ikan ala Mantin Kong Heong, hot
Ah, someone is getting to become a superB shot!
Hee gets her Camry
Monday, 09 February 2009
By Lee Wei Lian, The Malaysian Insider
For the past few days, speculation has been mounting whether Barisan Nasional will reward Jelapang assemblywoman Hee Yit Fong with an executive council post in the Perak government. Umno souces today confirmed she is among seven confirmed in the executive council.
Three more will be decided later, possibly after the first seven are sworn in tomorrow by Perak ruler Sultan Azlan Shah. Two of the execo members will be Chinese with the other being Chenderiang state assemblyman Dr Mah Hang Soon, who is also MCA Youth deputy chief.
Hee, possibly the most hated woman in Malaysia right now, has been the subject of ridicule and abuse in and around her Ipoh hometown as welll as in cyberspace, far more than the other three Perak state representatives who switched support from Pakatan Rakyat to Barisan Nasional.
She was the deputy state speaker in the Pakatan Rakyat government and was in DAP for some 20 years. The clerk-turned-politician was said to have been upset with the state party leadership and for not getting a new official car when the Pakatan Rakyat chose Toyota Camrys over Proton Perdanas.
Another woman who has been appointed to the exco is Sungai Rapat's Hamidah Osman, who was rumoured to be upset over losing the menteri besar post to Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir. Umno sources denied she was upset, saying she is supportive of the 47-year-old BN menteri besar.
The tricky task of determining of the exco line-up is one of the first tests that Zambry has to face apart from handling a hostile Perak electorate upset over the manner the state government changed hands.
"To head off dissatisfaction, he explained that there are only 10 exco positions but 31 candidates," a source told The Malaysian Insider.
"He emphasized to them that the major thrust has be to win the hearts of the people and cannot be on Camrys and houses. He also told them to speak their minds and not just be yes-men which they found refreshing."
Several names were nominated for each exco portfolio based on their skills and abilities. Discussions were made with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is widely credited for the Perak takeover, until early hous of this morning.
The swearing in ceremony is expected to take place at 10 am in the Istana Iskandariah in Perak's royal town of Kuala Kangsar tomorrow.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Hii guy is superB!
she's one super B!
In the wilde wilde west, they put such people on top of the highest tree in the land strung from more than a G-string.
In Perak, they reward her with an exco position, so-ON!
At Desi's place, i used to compliment mGf by slapping on the back:
You are a BITCH!
and vve raise a cuppa, or goblet, or a glass, of tehtarik, rut bir or Puerh, my dear aMore,
and laugh as the liquid travels smoothly down the throat, via large and small intestines and emits via that orifice as urine. Harmless and natural order of things.
To a "Beraka" native, named in Mandarin form "She Yeh Foong", I call her:
"You are a super B!"
You will choke to death, slowly but surely, on depreciating RM called ringgit, USD-tainted oil money, and 2.4SIN$ and ill-gotten UMNOputera$$$$, yes, four times. Four in Kanonis is Sei!
In plain chinoserie, She Yeh Foong, you sei-liau-liau-liau-LOH! During this oxpicious Chinese Niu Year, most Chinoserie happily LOH-SANG.
You, She Yeh Foong, are superB! YouWANDANkeluarga, do the opposite, you SEI-LOH, SEI-LIAU-LIAU-LIAU-LOH!
In the wilde wilde west, they put such people on top of the highest tree in the land strung from more than a G-string.
In Perak, they reward her with an exco position, so-ON!
At Desi's place, i used to compliment mGf by slapping on the back:
You are a BITCH!
and vve raise a cuppa, or goblet, or a glass, of tehtarik, rut bir or Puerh, my dear aMore,
and laugh as the liquid travels smoothly down the throat, via large and small intestines and emits via that orifice as urine. Harmless and natural order of things.
To a "Beraka" native, named in Mandarin form "She Yeh Foong", I call her:
"You are a super B!"
You will choke to death, slowly but surely, on depreciating RM called ringgit, USD-tainted oil money, and 2.4SIN$ and ill-gotten UMNOputera$$$$, yes, four times. Four in Kanonis is Sei!
In plain chinoserie, She Yeh Foong, you sei-liau-liau-liau-LOH! During this oxpicious Chinese Niu Year, most Chinoserie happily LOH-SANG.
You, She Yeh Foong, are superB! YouWANDANkeluarga, do the opposite, you SEI-LOH, SEI-LIAU-LIAU-LIAU-LOH!
A Right Royal Constitutiional Crisis...
Because, in my humble eyes, the Royal member is not leftist like Desi. By "leftist" I mean a person who's with the masses > with the People, the Rakyat > with the Perak electors/voters in this case.
Okay, for contest, I reprise a former colleaue's report -- maybe biased a little, for all Malaysians come with some political leanings, right, left, centrist, don't we? THat's a blardy rhetorical question, but if you wish to throw pies in my face, do it via Comments, it may just help me reach that RIGHT CAPITALIST 20MILLION shore called
spirite
DES
tiNATION!
> > > > > Poor Perak!!!> > > > > > > >
WITHOUT IMAGES> > >
A constitutional crisis caused by the sultan>
K Kabilan Feb 6, 09 2:50pm>
In what appears to be a unique situation, Perak> by the end of today would have two menteris besar - Pakatan> Rakyat's Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin and Barisan> Nasional's Zambry Abd Kadir.> On one side, we have Mohd Nizar who is refusing> to resign as requested by Sultan Azlan Shah. And on the> other we have Zambry whom the sultan approved as BN seemed> to have the majority of seats in the state assembly.> > On the one hand, we have a MB who represents> the majority in the state assembly as elected by the people> in the last general election.> > And on the other side, we will have a state> head who becomes one by default as a result of defections.> > Mohd Nizar's reasons to stick to his ground> are quite valid. He is right in disputing the sultan's> request for him to step down as the new majority held by BN> could seep away if the court rules in favour of the state> speaker in declaring the three state seats vacant.> > Never mind the court ruling - it may take some> time to materialise. The least the sultan could have> suggested was for a vote of confidence taken at the assembly> before he asked Mohd Nizar to resign to give power to the> BN.> > However, the sultan was quite adamant on what> he wanted - for Mohd Nizar to step down immediately and a> few hours later he agreed to the appointment of Zambry as> the new menteri besar.> > He totally overruled Mohd Nizar's repeated> request for the dissolution of the state assembly, which> would pave the way for fresh state elections.> > And by doing what he has done, the sultan who> was a former lord president and an eminent reader of the law> had caused a constitutional crisis in the state of Perak.> > In defence of the sultan> > DAP leader Lim Kit Siang put it rightly when he> said that Mohd Nizar was still the legitimate menteri besar> until he has been voted out by a "no confidence"> motion in the state assembly.> > "Until such time, there is no vacancy in> the post of Perak menteri besar," he said in his> statement today.> > In the defence of the sultan, it can be said> that he read the state constitution rightly and literally in> asking for the resignation of Mohd Nizar.> > The sultan, rightly or wrongly, must have been> convinced of what state Umno/BN leader Najib Abdul Razak> told him during a meeting yesterday morning - that BN> enjoyed the majority support in the state assembly.> > The sultan also individually questioned the> four defectors - of which three are independents and one had> returned to Umno - of their support for the BN government.> > He also got an undertaking from them that they> will continue to support the new BN government.> > And with that, the sultan decided that Mohd> Nizar does not have the majority support of the assembly> which the BN enjoyed now, and that there was no need to> dissolve the assembly as he can ask the Pakatan government> to step down and hand power over to the BN.> > These are all fair and right as far as the> sultan's reading of the state constitution, especially> the important Article 16(6) of the constitution. > And many legal experts will also agree with the> sultan's reading of the constitution, never mind the> fact that the status of the three independents are still> under dispute.> > However, it must be said that while the sultan> had used his legal mind to the matter, he had failed in> thinking as the ruler of his subjects.> > There are at least three factors that the> sultan seemed to have missed in making his decision to hand> over power to BN.> > Is this what the rakyat want?> > Firstly, the people's wishes. During the> last general election, they overwhelmingly voted for Pakatan> Rakyat, giving the alliance the sufficient numbers to stake> a majority in the state assembly.> > The sultan has now reversed that by booting out> that people-elected government and handed over the power to> a coalition which failed to secure the sufficient numbers.> > Even the victories of at least two of the three> independents - both first time state assemblypersons - can> be confidently said to be due to their party and not their> personalities.> > Thus, the best thing the sultan could have done> was to send the matter back to the rakyat so that they can> decide who they want to be in the state government.> > "He is the guardian of his people. He must> listen to their wishes. He cannot make a decision which the> majority of his subjects do not approve," said> constitutional expert professor Abdul Aziz Bari.> > "If we thought a constitutional crisis was> looming yesterday, well it is with us today. Perak is facing> a constitutional crisis and it is caused by its own> sultan," he added.> > Abdul Aziz has a valid point. The sultan just> needed to look at the various blogs, SMSes or even his own> official website to get a glimpse of his rakyat's> thinking on the matter. He need not have to venture far out> of his palace to determine the feeling of the people.> > Can he stop further defections?> > Secondly, the moral issue of letting a state> government be formed with the aid of defectors, especially> when some of them are scandal-tainted.> > The sultan could have advised BN to seek> by-elections for the seats of the four defectors from> Pakatan. He could have done this at the meeting with Najib.> However, it is almost certain that BN would not have agreed> to this as the outcome would not have been favourable at> all.> > Likewise, the four defectors themselves would> not have agreed, simply because they could have been barred> from contesting since they had resigned to allow the> by-elections.> > The sultan is learnt to have grilled the four> defectors on the loyalty to the BN government. He had also> sought and gained oral and written undertakings from them> that they would not rock the new government.> > But what's the use of these undertakings?> The sultan similarly took such undertakings from all Pakatan> representatives last March before they could form the> government and yet there were defections.> > For all it matters, such undertakings are> worthless. There is nothing to stop further defections from> BN to Pakatan and the sultan would have to undergo the whole> process all over again.> > Given such circumstances, the sultan could have> taken the best option out by dissolving the state assembly> to call for a fresh mandate from the people.> > What about his own convictions?> > And finally, the sultan seemed to have> forgotten his own convictions in such matters.> > Flashback to 2004 - in his book, Constitutional> Monarchy, Rule of Law and Good Governance, the sultan wrote:> > "Under normal circumstances, it is taken> for granted that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would not> withhold his consent to a request for dissolution of> parliament. His role is purely formal."> > He also added that no sultan or agung had> withheld consent to dissolve legislative body, except in> Kelantan in 1977.> > "With his decision now, it looks like what> he wrote was just rhetoric...without any convictions,"> added Abdul Aziz.> > The decision of the sultan to deny Mohd> Nizar's request for the dissolution also indicated that> the sultan had seemingly subjected himself to a higher> political power play.> > And coming in his 25th year as the state ruler> - celebrations were held on Tuesday - the decision by the> sultan in handing over powers to the BN government without> his subjects having any say is very disappointing to say the> least.> > To put in bluntly, the decision of the sultan -> who is the custodian of the people, their protector and> someone who is supposed to act for the people - had just> killed any semblance of democracy in Perak.
Okay, for contest, I reprise a former colleaue's report -- maybe biased a little, for all Malaysians come with some political leanings, right, left, centrist, don't we? THat's a blardy rhetorical question, but if you wish to throw pies in my face, do it via Comments, it may just help me reach that RIGHT CAPITALIST 20MILLION shore called
spirite
DES
tiNATION!
> > > > > Poor Perak!!!> > > > > > > >
WITHOUT IMAGES> > >
A constitutional crisis caused by the sultan>
K Kabilan Feb 6, 09 2:50pm>
In what appears to be a unique situation, Perak> by the end of today would have two menteris besar - Pakatan> Rakyat's Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin and Barisan> Nasional's Zambry Abd Kadir.> On one side, we have Mohd Nizar who is refusing> to resign as requested by Sultan Azlan Shah. And on the> other we have Zambry whom the sultan approved as BN seemed> to have the majority of seats in the state assembly.> > On the one hand, we have a MB who represents> the majority in the state assembly as elected by the people> in the last general election.> > And on the other side, we will have a state> head who becomes one by default as a result of defections.> > Mohd Nizar's reasons to stick to his ground> are quite valid. He is right in disputing the sultan's> request for him to step down as the new majority held by BN> could seep away if the court rules in favour of the state> speaker in declaring the three state seats vacant.> > Never mind the court ruling - it may take some> time to materialise. The least the sultan could have> suggested was for a vote of confidence taken at the assembly> before he asked Mohd Nizar to resign to give power to the> BN.> > However, the sultan was quite adamant on what> he wanted - for Mohd Nizar to step down immediately and a> few hours later he agreed to the appointment of Zambry as> the new menteri besar.> > He totally overruled Mohd Nizar's repeated> request for the dissolution of the state assembly, which> would pave the way for fresh state elections.> > And by doing what he has done, the sultan who> was a former lord president and an eminent reader of the law> had caused a constitutional crisis in the state of Perak.> > In defence of the sultan> > DAP leader Lim Kit Siang put it rightly when he> said that Mohd Nizar was still the legitimate menteri besar> until he has been voted out by a "no confidence"> motion in the state assembly.> > "Until such time, there is no vacancy in> the post of Perak menteri besar," he said in his> statement today.> > In the defence of the sultan, it can be said> that he read the state constitution rightly and literally in> asking for the resignation of Mohd Nizar.> > The sultan, rightly or wrongly, must have been> convinced of what state Umno/BN leader Najib Abdul Razak> told him during a meeting yesterday morning - that BN> enjoyed the majority support in the state assembly.> > The sultan also individually questioned the> four defectors - of which three are independents and one had> returned to Umno - of their support for the BN government.> > He also got an undertaking from them that they> will continue to support the new BN government.> > And with that, the sultan decided that Mohd> Nizar does not have the majority support of the assembly> which the BN enjoyed now, and that there was no need to> dissolve the assembly as he can ask the Pakatan government> to step down and hand power over to the BN.> > These are all fair and right as far as the> sultan's reading of the state constitution, especially> the important Article 16(6) of the constitution. > And many legal experts will also agree with the> sultan's reading of the constitution, never mind the> fact that the status of the three independents are still> under dispute.> > However, it must be said that while the sultan> had used his legal mind to the matter, he had failed in> thinking as the ruler of his subjects.> > There are at least three factors that the> sultan seemed to have missed in making his decision to hand> over power to BN.> > Is this what the rakyat want?> > Firstly, the people's wishes. During the> last general election, they overwhelmingly voted for Pakatan> Rakyat, giving the alliance the sufficient numbers to stake> a majority in the state assembly.> > The sultan has now reversed that by booting out> that people-elected government and handed over the power to> a coalition which failed to secure the sufficient numbers.> > Even the victories of at least two of the three> independents - both first time state assemblypersons - can> be confidently said to be due to their party and not their> personalities.> > Thus, the best thing the sultan could have done> was to send the matter back to the rakyat so that they can> decide who they want to be in the state government.> > "He is the guardian of his people. He must> listen to their wishes. He cannot make a decision which the> majority of his subjects do not approve," said> constitutional expert professor Abdul Aziz Bari.> > "If we thought a constitutional crisis was> looming yesterday, well it is with us today. Perak is facing> a constitutional crisis and it is caused by its own> sultan," he added.> > Abdul Aziz has a valid point. The sultan just> needed to look at the various blogs, SMSes or even his own> official website to get a glimpse of his rakyat's> thinking on the matter. He need not have to venture far out> of his palace to determine the feeling of the people.> > Can he stop further defections?> > Secondly, the moral issue of letting a state> government be formed with the aid of defectors, especially> when some of them are scandal-tainted.> > The sultan could have advised BN to seek> by-elections for the seats of the four defectors from> Pakatan. He could have done this at the meeting with Najib.> However, it is almost certain that BN would not have agreed> to this as the outcome would not have been favourable at> all.> > Likewise, the four defectors themselves would> not have agreed, simply because they could have been barred> from contesting since they had resigned to allow the> by-elections.> > The sultan is learnt to have grilled the four> defectors on the loyalty to the BN government. He had also> sought and gained oral and written undertakings from them> that they would not rock the new government.> > But what's the use of these undertakings?> The sultan similarly took such undertakings from all Pakatan> representatives last March before they could form the> government and yet there were defections.> > For all it matters, such undertakings are> worthless. There is nothing to stop further defections from> BN to Pakatan and the sultan would have to undergo the whole> process all over again.> > Given such circumstances, the sultan could have> taken the best option out by dissolving the state assembly> to call for a fresh mandate from the people.> > What about his own convictions?> > And finally, the sultan seemed to have> forgotten his own convictions in such matters.> > Flashback to 2004 - in his book, Constitutional> Monarchy, Rule of Law and Good Governance, the sultan wrote:> > "Under normal circumstances, it is taken> for granted that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would not> withhold his consent to a request for dissolution of> parliament. His role is purely formal."> > He also added that no sultan or agung had> withheld consent to dissolve legislative body, except in> Kelantan in 1977.> > "With his decision now, it looks like what> he wrote was just rhetoric...without any convictions,"> added Abdul Aziz.> > The decision of the sultan to deny Mohd> Nizar's request for the dissolution also indicated that> the sultan had seemingly subjected himself to a higher> political power play.> > And coming in his 25th year as the state ruler> - celebrations were held on Tuesday - the decision by the> sultan in handing over powers to the BN government without> his subjects having any say is very disappointing to say the> least.> > To put in bluntly, the decision of the sultan -> who is the custodian of the people, their protector and> someone who is supposed to act for the people - had just> killed any semblance of democracy in Perak.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Breaking... OR Heartbreaking News...
From The Star Online:
Link: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/2/5/nation/20090205173703&sec=nation
Published: Thursday February 5, 2009 MYT 5:37:00 PM
Sultan Azlan Shah’s statement
The following is the media statement issued by the office of Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, which was signed by the ruler’s private secretary, Col. Datuk Abd Rahim Mohamad Nor.
Media statement from the Office of DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan Perak Darul RidzuanYang Amat Berhormat Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin was granted an audience by Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan on Feb 4, to ask for his Royal Highness’s consent to dissolve the Perak State Assembly.
Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, also requested for an audience with his Royal Highness in his capacity as the Perak Barisan Nasional chairman and consent was granted to be present before his Royal Highness on Feb 5.
Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Seri Mohd Najib informed that the Barisan Nasional and its supporters, now comprising 31 state assemblymen, had the majority in the State Assembly.
On the order of the Duli Yang Maha Mulia to ascertain that the information given was accurate, all the 31 state assemblyman were to present themselves before Paduka Seri Sultan.
After meeting all the 31 assemblymen, DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan of Perak was convinced that YAB Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin had ceased to command the confidence of the majority of the State Assembly members.
DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan of Perak had also considered thoroughly YAB Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin’s application on Feb 4, 2009 for his Royal Highness’s consent to dissolve the Perak State Assembly.
His Royal Highness had used his discretion under Article XVIII (2)(b) of the Perak Darul Ridzuan State Constitution and did not consent to the dissolution of the Perak State Assembly.
YAB Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin was summoned to an audience with the Sultan to be informed of his Royal Highness’s decision not to dissolve the State Assembly, and in accordance with the provisions of Article XVI(6) of the Perak Darul Ridzuan State Constitution, DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan of Perak ordered YAB Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin to resign from his post as Perak Mentri Besar together with the members of the state executive council with immediate effect.
If YAB Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin does not resign from his post as Perak Mentri Besar together with the state executive council members, then the posts of Mentri Besar and state executive councillors are regarded as vacant.
This statement is issued with the consent of Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan. -- Bernama
DESIDERATA: feels a tremendous sense of letdown that the Perak State Assembly was not dissolved as requested by the incumbent Menteri Besar -- BECAUSE WHEN THERE IS A STALEMENT OR "HUNG" ASSEMBLY, THE LOGICAL CORSE OF ACTION IS TO GO BACK TO THE RAKYAT> THE PEOPLE > THE ELECTORS/VOTERS OF PERAK FOR A FRESH MANDATE.
God bless Malaysia!
I:
S:
A: men
Link: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/2/5/nation/20090205173703&sec=nation
Published: Thursday February 5, 2009 MYT 5:37:00 PM
Sultan Azlan Shah’s statement
The following is the media statement issued by the office of Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, which was signed by the ruler’s private secretary, Col. Datuk Abd Rahim Mohamad Nor.
Media statement from the Office of DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan Perak Darul RidzuanYang Amat Berhormat Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin was granted an audience by Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan on Feb 4, to ask for his Royal Highness’s consent to dissolve the Perak State Assembly.
Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, also requested for an audience with his Royal Highness in his capacity as the Perak Barisan Nasional chairman and consent was granted to be present before his Royal Highness on Feb 5.
Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Seri Mohd Najib informed that the Barisan Nasional and its supporters, now comprising 31 state assemblymen, had the majority in the State Assembly.
On the order of the Duli Yang Maha Mulia to ascertain that the information given was accurate, all the 31 state assemblyman were to present themselves before Paduka Seri Sultan.
After meeting all the 31 assemblymen, DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan of Perak was convinced that YAB Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin had ceased to command the confidence of the majority of the State Assembly members.
DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan of Perak had also considered thoroughly YAB Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin’s application on Feb 4, 2009 for his Royal Highness’s consent to dissolve the Perak State Assembly.
His Royal Highness had used his discretion under Article XVIII (2)(b) of the Perak Darul Ridzuan State Constitution and did not consent to the dissolution of the Perak State Assembly.
YAB Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin was summoned to an audience with the Sultan to be informed of his Royal Highness’s decision not to dissolve the State Assembly, and in accordance with the provisions of Article XVI(6) of the Perak Darul Ridzuan State Constitution, DYMM Paduka Seri Sultan of Perak ordered YAB Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin to resign from his post as Perak Mentri Besar together with the members of the state executive council with immediate effect.
If YAB Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin does not resign from his post as Perak Mentri Besar together with the state executive council members, then the posts of Mentri Besar and state executive councillors are regarded as vacant.
This statement is issued with the consent of Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan. -- Bernama
DESIDERATA: feels a tremendous sense of letdown that the Perak State Assembly was not dissolved as requested by the incumbent Menteri Besar -- BECAUSE WHEN THERE IS A STALEMENT OR "HUNG" ASSEMBLY, THE LOGICAL CORSE OF ACTION IS TO GO BACK TO THE RAKYAT> THE PEOPLE > THE ELECTORS/VOTERS OF PERAK FOR A FRESH MANDATE.
God bless Malaysia!
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S:
A: men
Important XXXXroads
Four XXXX because for some key people involved, a wrong turn may result in DEATH -- and in Chinoserie tongue, "four" is "Sei" meaning "the end of a mortal life on Mum GoOD earth".
But of greater importance is the potential death of a nation, so citizens of Malaysia have to keep an end when approaching key road junctions lest they make a wrong turn, like turning right when you're leftist like Desi. If you do not what I'm writHing about, that's part of the purpose of my exercise -- to wake up some lazy BUMmer Malaysians to the fact that many events unfolding in NegaraKu have "more than meets the eye". Sometimes"aMore" substitutes for "more" and you're on the right-er path.
From theSun, best coverage of the trial from among MSM, I subscribe for a copy, unlike cheapO Malaysian kind who line up at seven11 at unearthly hour of sevenAM to get a freebie. Do they also gift out tehtarik ah?:(
WEB EDITION :: Local News
Sirul: I was made out to be the "black sheep"
by S. Tamarai Chelvi
SHAH ALAM (Feb 4, 2009) : Cpl Sirul Azhar Umar broke down today when he said he was made out to be a “black sheep” (scapegoat) to be sacrificed to protect the plans and intentions of others who are not present in court to face the consequences of their act.
Sirul, who was wiping his tears while reading his 15-page statement from the dock, said he never knew the victim, Altantuya Shaariibuu, or Abdul Razak Baginda Abdullah and never had any dealings with either of them, personally or otherwise.
Sirul Azhar, 37, of the Bukit Aman Special Action Unit (UTK), tugged at the heartstrings of those in the High Court here by appealing that he not be found guilty and sentenced to death.“I don’t have any reason to cause hurt, what more to take the life of the victim so cruelly. I beg the court, not to punish me and to complete their plans against me,” he said, adding that throughout the proceedings, he had observed that a few key prosecution witnesses, especially from the federal serious crime division (D9), did not tell the truth and constantly changed their stories when cross-examined.
"I have observed this carefully, as to me their actions are to get me convicted," he said. "I appeal to the court, which has the powers to determine if I live or die, not to sentence me so as to fulfill others' plans for me," he said while wiping away tears. His younger sister and an older cousin who were in the public gallery were also seen wiping away tears.
Clad in a black suit and black shirt, Sirul paused several times to compose himself while reading from his statement. After he finished reading, he sat down on the bench in the dock and wiped his tears.
Earlier, Sirul was also emotional when he related how he was ordered by ACP Mastor Mohd Ariff to come back to Malaysia, while he was on duty as the prime minister’s personal bodyguard at a hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan on Nov 5, 2006.“Mastor ordered me to come back to Malaysia on the grounds that my former wife ... lodged a police report against me and I needed to go back to settle the problem, “ said Sirul, his voice breaking.
Earlier, in his defence, Sirul said first accused Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri told him that DSP Musa Safri told him (Azilah) of a friend who was facing “woman problem”, while they were on their way to Musa’s friend’s house in Bukit Damansara.He said Azilah also said “DSP Musa’s friend” is of high position, a businessman and wealthy. However, he said, Azilah did not reveal the identity of “DSP Musa’s friend” (Razak).He said Azilah told him a Chinese woman and a Chinese man, believed to be her brother, had caused a disturbance and chaos in front of the man’s house and that the woman was a former girlfriend of the man, whom he referred to as “DSP Musa’s friend”.Sirul said according to Azilah, he had promised DSP Musa that he would help his “friend” by patrolling around the bungalow area from time to time during after-duty hours to prevent the woman and man from causing chaos in front of the house.He said at that stage, Azilah asked him whether he could help to patrol if Azilah had official duty outside Kuala Lumpur and if Sirul did not have any official duty.Sirul Azhar said the agreement to make rounds of the vicinity of Abdul Razak's house was a favour as he knew Musa was a superior officer and it was also a directive from Azilah who was also his superior officer.He said along the way, Azilah also told him that a woman and a man believed to be the woman's elder brother, both Chinese, had caused a disturbance outside DSP Musa's friend's house.
Sirul (front), and Azilah being brought to the Shah Alam High Court for thetrial yesterday. (Visualise the pic OK! I can't spend precious time at the crossroad painting it for Thee, can I? -- Desi:(
He said according to Azilah, the woman was a former lover of DSP Musa's friend.He also admitted having gone to Hotel Malaya (where Altantuya stayed) together with Azilah that day to meet the Mongiolian woman but they were unsuccessful as Azilah did not know her room number. Sirul Azhar said on Oct 19, 2006, Azilah called him at 8.45pm and told him to come to Abdul Razak's house to provide assistance in case the Chinese man and woman who caused disturbance became violent. He said when he reached the house (on foot as he had parked on the curb), he saw Azilah talking to a Chinese woman and an Indian man, and when Azilah saw him, he motioned to him to get into a red Wira Aeroback.
"Not long after, I saw the Chinese woman walk towards the car followed by Azilah and the Indian man. The Chinese woman opened the back passenger door and got in," Sirul Azhar. He said the car driven by Azilah headed towards a junction and he asked Azilah to drop him off so he could get his car. He said Azilah then followed his car and stopped at a bus stop and he met Azilah and was told that the woman had shown good behaviour and repsonse after being advised not create a disturbance at Abdul Razak's house."I told Azilah that in view of the situation being under control and I had no further role I wanted to go home. Azilah said OK. After that I continued driving from Jalan Damansara and turned towards the Jalan Duta government offices complex.
"Before turning into the New Klang Valley Expressway, I called Azilah to ask if I had to patrol around DSP Musa's friend's house the following day as Azilah would be on duty in Putrajaya."Azilah said he had advised the Chinese woman and she had agreed not to create any disturbance in front of DSP Musa's friend's house anymore. Azilah told me I need not make a patrol the next day," he said. Sirul Azhar said he arrived at the house at 10pm and left at midnight and headed towards the Jalan Damansara toll plaza, on to the Jalan Duta toll plaza and on to Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur to 'bersahur' (post-midnight meal).
Earlier in the trial, the prosecution had put forward the route as an alternative route for Azilah and Sirul Azhar to take Altantuya to Puncak Alam from Abdul Razak's house.Azilah in his defence also did not state that Sirul Azhar had gone home but rather Sirul Azhar had followed him to Bukit Aman and had agreed to send Altantuya to the hotel that night. Azilah and Sirul are charged with murdering the 28-year-old Mongolian woman in Mukim Bukit Raja between 10pm on Oct 19, 2006 and 1am the following day. Justice Datuk Zaki Md Yasin on Oct 31 last year ordered them to enter their defence.
Sirul Azhar said before leaving for Pakistan on Oct 31, 2006 for protection duty for the Prime Minister, he had left his vechicle, a jeep, at the car park in the Bukit Aman compound and left the keys with a Sergeant Rosli. "Before leaving for Pakistan, I had cleaned my car and arranged things in it including a pair of red slippers which I placed beside a large plactic box in the rear of the vehicle," he said.However, he said, the slippers presented as evidence (which had stains of Altantuya's blood) were not his as the colour was different and were not the same size as his feet.Relating how he was taken to the scene of the crime, Sirul Azhar said ASP Tonny Lunggan (the investigating officer in the case) had instructed several police officers, who had a video camera, to go to an area on Nov 6, 2006, but were there for only a short while as it getting dark.
Sirul Azhar said the next day ASP Zulkarnain Samsudin (a prosecution witness) had asked him to make a confession by saying "...it's like this, Sirul, if you agree you follow me, you identify the items, you hold and point towards them while the photographers takes photos, I can help you and we will not take this matter to court."He said without asking any questions he followed several police personnel to his house and there he saw Zulkarnain open the door using a key which he had handed over to ACP Mastor Mohd Ariff (a senior UTK officer) while in Pakistan. However, Sirul Azhar said the key produced in court was not his house key as the key (produced) was shiny while his key was faded.
He said while in the house he was forced to hold a jacket and point to Altantuya's belongings to be photographed and at that time he was not read any 'caution' by any police officer. After Sirul finished reading his statement, his lawyer, Hasnal Redzua Merican, said the defence would not call any other witness and closed its case.Judge Mohd Zaki fixed Feb 16 and 17 for submissions before he makes a decision.
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From The Star Online:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/2/5/nation/3200276&sec=nation
Thursday February 5, 2009
Nizar leaves fate of govt in Sultan’s hands
IPOH: Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin failed yesterday to get the royal consent to dissolve the state assembly and call for fresh elections.
After a one-hour-and-40-minute meeting with Sultan Azlan Shah in Istana Kinta, a serious-faced Nizar emerged at 5.35pm and told reporters waiting outside the palace gates: “I have sought an audience with the Sultan and requested for the dissolution of the state assembly. I will leave it to him to decide whether to allow the dissolution.”
Stating his stand: Nizar (centre) speaking to reporters at a press conference at his office yesterday. — Bernama (Visualise2, yeah, use thy God gifted imagine-NATION ala Beatles-- Desi:)
At a press conference earlier, Nizar announced that the remaining 28 Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen had agreed to fresh elections, in view of the current situation.
“As you all know, two of our exco members have been pinched from us by Barisan Nasional,” said Nizar who also blamed Barisan for orchestrating the entire “fiasco”.
In the middle of the press conference, which was delayed by two hours to 3pm, Nizar received a phone call from the wife of Bota assemblyman Datuk Nasarudin Hashim.
After the call, Nizar said that Nasarudin’s wife Datin Umi said her husband had been kidnapped and brought to see Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
At a second press conference later in the evening, Nizar appealed to the Ruler to give the people the right to choose their government. “I told Tuanku that if we follow the majority, there would be crossovers from time to time and it would not solve the problem.”
Nizar also said the Sultan would need some time to study laws such as the state constitution before announcing his decision. “I am sure whatever decision he makes will be fair to the people of Perak and all political parties,” said Nizar.
Nizar added that the present government was still in power and would perform its duties as usual. He later insisted that the two former PKR members had resigned as assemblymen and that their seats – Behrang and Changkat Jering – were now vacant.
The same applied to Hee Yit Foong as she too had resigned as Jelapang assemblyman.
“She had tendered her resignation to the state,” he said.
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And from mGf KIM QUEK, highlighted at cpiasia.net:)
Pakatan Riding Over Storms in Perak
Columnists
Written by Kim Quek
Thursday, 05 February 2009 08:51
February 4, 2009: Just as Malaysians were held spellbound by another round of the country's unique brand of "missing persons" politics, we are hit by another bombshell – the record-smashing move by the Election Commission (EC) to overrule a decision by the Speaker of a legislature to accept the resignations of members of the legislature.
When newly installed election EC chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof announced on Feb 3 that two assemblymen of the Perak state assembly should continue to hold their positions as assemblymen, despite having received a notification from the Speaker that these two have resigned, the EC was in fact telling the Speaker: your acceptance of those two resignations is no damn good, we don't recognize it, so the two will remain assemblymen, and there wouldn't be any by-election.
Sure, the EC did not use these exact words to reject the speaker's decision; in fact, it said that the "EC decided that it cannot establish that vacancies have occurred", and went on to say "we have decided that both the seats will remain with the incumbents" and that there would be no necessity to call for by-election. But doesn't this amount to a flat rejection of the Speaker's acceptance of those resignations, as without repudiating the Speaker's decision, EC had no reason to declare that there was no vacancy?
But since when have we amended the law to allow the EC to take over the function of the Speaker to accept or not to accept the resignation of members of the legislature? What legal standing does EC have to claim a say over the membership of a legislature? What legal power does EC have to interfere in the exercise of the speaker's authority to run the affairs of the legislature? And isn't the decision over the suspension or resignation of a legislator the exclusive domain of the Speaker?
RESIGNATION A FAIT ACCOMPLI
When Speaker V. Sivakumar received the letters of resignation from PKR assemblymen Jamaluddin Radzi and Osman Jailu, he had every right to accept these resignations and thereafter to inform EC of these two vacancies. The act of resignation was considered complete when Sivakumar announced on Feb 1 that following his acceptance of those two letters, "they have stepped down as state assemblypersons with immediate effect".
Next day Feb 2 at 8:00 am, Sivakumar personally handed his letter of notification of such vacancies to the Perak state election director Adli Abdullah. So on what ground EC rejected Sivakumar's decision over the resignation of Jamaluddin and Osman? EC chairman Abdul Aziz said in a press conference on Feb 3 that soon after EC received Sivakumar's notification on Feb 2 at 8:00 am, it also received one letter each from Jamaluddin and Osman claiming that their letters of resignation were invalid. EC claimed that these two letters had given rise to doubts over the validity of the resignation, hence its decision to maintain the status quo, meaning no vacancies and no by-election.
Asked whether the two denied in their latest letters that they had signed on the resignation letters, Abdul Aziz said: "they do not deny, but they do not agree as to the date of enforcement of the letter". When a reporter asked: "so they claim the letters were invalid?" Abdul Aziz answered: "not valid, they deny the date of the letter as Feb 2, 2009 ". (Malaysiakini, Feb 3).
DISPUTE ONLY ON DATE
So, the crux of the issue is now boiled down to the date of the letter. Jamaluddin and Osman had said earlier that they had signed undated letters of resignation soon after the Mar 8, 2008 election, presumably as a pledge of loyalty to their party PKR, in default of which their resignations would be tendered.And since both had disappeared for almost a week and steadfastly failed to respond to frantic calls by PKR leaders amid swirling talks of their defections to UMNO, it should come as no surprise that the two resignation letters were delivered to the Speaker for these to take effect as agreed solution for such eventuality as pledged earlier by the PKR legislators.
The point to note is that these two did not challenge the legality of such an arrangement of resignation that apparently serves to seal the relationship between the party and its elected representatives; they only dispute the timing of using such resignation letters, possibly on the premise that they had not yet declared their defection from PKR. In fact, through separate press conferences on Feb 2 when both again failed to appear themselves as promised, their supposed representatives read out press statements that claimed that they remained PKR members and denied they had resigned. They justified their continued non-appearance by claiming they were sick.
Now that Jamaluddin and Osman have objected to the timing of these resignation letters, what should EC do – to act upon the Speaker's notification and call for by-election or accept the two letters as valid complaints and brush the Speaker's notification aside? The EC has obviously chosen the latter. This is of course a horrible plunder on the part of EC, as it has no business to butt its nose into the correctness of the Speaker's decision, whatever complaints it may receive from the parties involved. The correct procedure in case of a dispute of such nature is for the assemblymen concerned to complain to the Speaker, failing which they should seek redress through the courts, and EC should be the last body considered for settling such disputes. It is therefore unthinkable that EC should have taken upon itself in this case the role of a judge and ruled in favour of the complainants, virtually passing a verdict against the action of the Speaker.
EC BLUNDER INEXCUSABLE
The big puzzle is: how could an election body that has functioned for half a century have committed such fundamental error? What conclusion can we draw other than that the EC under the new leadership of Abdul Aziz, instead of breathing a new life to the much discredited body with a higher level of independence and integrity, has in fact fallen into a greater depth of subservience to the ruling power, taking into consideration that even the much criticized former EC chairman Rashid Rahman had the decency to publicly declare that the EC had only one option – to act on the Speaker's notification to call for by-elections?
Facing such unprecedented and unruly challenges engineered by the incumbent federal power, it gives comfort to note that the Pakatan Rakyat government of Perak is riding over these storms with a steady hand. It has wisely resorted to two trump cards of incumbency – barring the two assemblymen from the assembly to maintain the present workable majority and contemplating a snap election for the state to seek a renewed mandate from the people.
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Another pluck from cpiasia.net:):)
CPI Press statement On “The Perak Mess”
Press Statements
Written by Centre for Policy Initiatives
Wednesday, 04 February 2009 12:27
The Centre for Policy Initiatives lauds the statement by Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, that the Sultan will be “neutral, nonpartisan and free of having personal interest to ensure justice for the people”.
Amidst uncertainty surrounding the resignations of Perak state assemblymen for Behrang and Changkat Jering – Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu respectively – Raja Nazrin’s assurance that his father the Sultan of Perak has always upheld the principles of justice based on the sovereignty of the law and emphasising solidarity, cooperation, consensus and consultation, is indeed timely. It is hoped that the national leadership will pay heed and take a leaf from the ruler’s book by similarly putting the interests of the rakyat first and foremost over political self-interest.
The interests of the rakyat are best served when the pivotal and watchdog institutions of state work with scrupulous integrity and are autonomous. To borrow from Raja Nazrin’s wise words, this independence “helps in enhancing the effectiveness of the check and balance mechanism”.
Public confidence in the federal government would be greater if statutory bodies such as the Malaysian Anti Corruption Agency are set free from their political masters and provided with the independence and autonomy sorely missing. No one who has examined the dismal record of the ACA and the structure of the reconstituted body will believe that much has changed by way of the political bias and partiality of the organization. Investigation of the two Perak state assemblymen, and their subsequently charge in Aug 25 last year for receiving bribes, has most unfortunately been turned to political opportunism by the Barisan Nasional – a fact clear to most Malaysians but apparently escaping the editors of the mainstream media, especially the NST and The Star.
Against the backdrop of the duo’s case coming up for hearing on Feb 10 at the Ipoh Sessions Court, Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman have been under severe duress in the present climate of intense politicking. The two representatives could face a maximum of 20 years in prison if found guilty of corruption over the RM180 million housing project in Sri Iskandar. Coffee talk throughout the country is probably now focusing on the link between the charges and the defection.
The impartiality of the Election Commission should also come under scrutiny. Only a short while ago EC chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof said that such “unique” circumstances prevailing in Perak would have to be studied by legal advisers and various experts in law, the Constitution and election regulations. Yet the EC’s quick determination now that by-elections are not necessary for Behrang and Changkat Jering leaves the public to wonder if the commission has truly upheld the principles of justice. Its ruling on the invalidity of the resignation letters has been made with undue and unseemly haste. Given the gravity of the situation, the EC’s swift but “politically correct” announcement hardly inspires any confidence. Most analysts will see it more as an expedient political manoeuvre rather than a considered and neutral finding. It is telling of how out of touch the Barisan Nasional is with palace and public opinion when Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sees it fit to go on record to say “God willing, that may happen” on the prospect of possibly besmirched Pakatan assemblymen party-hopping. He was quoted as saying, “They want to join because they are confident of Umno’s struggle, so we will accept them.”
Presumably though after the corruption charges have been dropped! The outgoing Prime Minister appears set on leaving office on a low note in terms of his record of political integrity and the legacy he is leaving to the nation. Sadly Abdullah’s last days in office are seeing his endorsement of events which are subverting the proper spirit and procedures of law, and fraying the fabric of moral and upright governance. He had one more chance to show his commitment to clean politics and righteous government. He could have set for his own party, the larger Barisan Nasional, the opposition Pakatan Rakyat and other parties a higher standard on the contentious crossover issue. Unfortunately, he has remained steadfast to his “UMNO first and always” agenda rather than the national Malaysian one which he was entrusted with.
“He blew it” will be the verdict of history on Abdullah’s role in transforming Malaysia for the better. It is imperative that the instruments and levers of state – judicial process, electoral process, civil service, official media, etc. - must not be permitted to pander to the interests of Umno and the Barisan Nasional. The more this happens, the more damning will be the downgrade in the people’s perception of the integrity of our political leaders.
Dr. Lim Teck Ghee
Director, Centre for Policy Initiatives
4 Feb 2009
But of greater importance is the potential death of a nation, so citizens of Malaysia have to keep an end when approaching key road junctions lest they make a wrong turn, like turning right when you're leftist like Desi. If you do not what I'm writHing about, that's part of the purpose of my exercise -- to wake up some lazy BUMmer Malaysians to the fact that many events unfolding in NegaraKu have "more than meets the eye". Sometimes"aMore" substitutes for "more" and you're on the right-er path.
From theSun, best coverage of the trial from among MSM, I subscribe for a copy, unlike cheapO Malaysian kind who line up at seven11 at unearthly hour of sevenAM to get a freebie. Do they also gift out tehtarik ah?:(
WEB EDITION :: Local News
Sirul: I was made out to be the "black sheep"
by S. Tamarai Chelvi
SHAH ALAM (Feb 4, 2009) : Cpl Sirul Azhar Umar broke down today when he said he was made out to be a “black sheep” (scapegoat) to be sacrificed to protect the plans and intentions of others who are not present in court to face the consequences of their act.
Sirul, who was wiping his tears while reading his 15-page statement from the dock, said he never knew the victim, Altantuya Shaariibuu, or Abdul Razak Baginda Abdullah and never had any dealings with either of them, personally or otherwise.
Sirul Azhar, 37, of the Bukit Aman Special Action Unit (UTK), tugged at the heartstrings of those in the High Court here by appealing that he not be found guilty and sentenced to death.“I don’t have any reason to cause hurt, what more to take the life of the victim so cruelly. I beg the court, not to punish me and to complete their plans against me,” he said, adding that throughout the proceedings, he had observed that a few key prosecution witnesses, especially from the federal serious crime division (D9), did not tell the truth and constantly changed their stories when cross-examined.
"I have observed this carefully, as to me their actions are to get me convicted," he said. "I appeal to the court, which has the powers to determine if I live or die, not to sentence me so as to fulfill others' plans for me," he said while wiping away tears. His younger sister and an older cousin who were in the public gallery were also seen wiping away tears.
Clad in a black suit and black shirt, Sirul paused several times to compose himself while reading from his statement. After he finished reading, he sat down on the bench in the dock and wiped his tears.
Earlier, Sirul was also emotional when he related how he was ordered by ACP Mastor Mohd Ariff to come back to Malaysia, while he was on duty as the prime minister’s personal bodyguard at a hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan on Nov 5, 2006.“Mastor ordered me to come back to Malaysia on the grounds that my former wife ... lodged a police report against me and I needed to go back to settle the problem, “ said Sirul, his voice breaking.
Earlier, in his defence, Sirul said first accused Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri told him that DSP Musa Safri told him (Azilah) of a friend who was facing “woman problem”, while they were on their way to Musa’s friend’s house in Bukit Damansara.He said Azilah also said “DSP Musa’s friend” is of high position, a businessman and wealthy. However, he said, Azilah did not reveal the identity of “DSP Musa’s friend” (Razak).He said Azilah told him a Chinese woman and a Chinese man, believed to be her brother, had caused a disturbance and chaos in front of the man’s house and that the woman was a former girlfriend of the man, whom he referred to as “DSP Musa’s friend”.Sirul said according to Azilah, he had promised DSP Musa that he would help his “friend” by patrolling around the bungalow area from time to time during after-duty hours to prevent the woman and man from causing chaos in front of the house.He said at that stage, Azilah asked him whether he could help to patrol if Azilah had official duty outside Kuala Lumpur and if Sirul did not have any official duty.Sirul Azhar said the agreement to make rounds of the vicinity of Abdul Razak's house was a favour as he knew Musa was a superior officer and it was also a directive from Azilah who was also his superior officer.He said along the way, Azilah also told him that a woman and a man believed to be the woman's elder brother, both Chinese, had caused a disturbance outside DSP Musa's friend's house.
Sirul (front), and Azilah being brought to the Shah Alam High Court for thetrial yesterday. (Visualise the pic OK! I can't spend precious time at the crossroad painting it for Thee, can I? -- Desi:(
He said according to Azilah, the woman was a former lover of DSP Musa's friend.He also admitted having gone to Hotel Malaya (where Altantuya stayed) together with Azilah that day to meet the Mongiolian woman but they were unsuccessful as Azilah did not know her room number. Sirul Azhar said on Oct 19, 2006, Azilah called him at 8.45pm and told him to come to Abdul Razak's house to provide assistance in case the Chinese man and woman who caused disturbance became violent. He said when he reached the house (on foot as he had parked on the curb), he saw Azilah talking to a Chinese woman and an Indian man, and when Azilah saw him, he motioned to him to get into a red Wira Aeroback.
"Not long after, I saw the Chinese woman walk towards the car followed by Azilah and the Indian man. The Chinese woman opened the back passenger door and got in," Sirul Azhar. He said the car driven by Azilah headed towards a junction and he asked Azilah to drop him off so he could get his car. He said Azilah then followed his car and stopped at a bus stop and he met Azilah and was told that the woman had shown good behaviour and repsonse after being advised not create a disturbance at Abdul Razak's house."I told Azilah that in view of the situation being under control and I had no further role I wanted to go home. Azilah said OK. After that I continued driving from Jalan Damansara and turned towards the Jalan Duta government offices complex.
"Before turning into the New Klang Valley Expressway, I called Azilah to ask if I had to patrol around DSP Musa's friend's house the following day as Azilah would be on duty in Putrajaya."Azilah said he had advised the Chinese woman and she had agreed not to create any disturbance in front of DSP Musa's friend's house anymore. Azilah told me I need not make a patrol the next day," he said. Sirul Azhar said he arrived at the house at 10pm and left at midnight and headed towards the Jalan Damansara toll plaza, on to the Jalan Duta toll plaza and on to Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur to 'bersahur' (post-midnight meal).
Earlier in the trial, the prosecution had put forward the route as an alternative route for Azilah and Sirul Azhar to take Altantuya to Puncak Alam from Abdul Razak's house.Azilah in his defence also did not state that Sirul Azhar had gone home but rather Sirul Azhar had followed him to Bukit Aman and had agreed to send Altantuya to the hotel that night. Azilah and Sirul are charged with murdering the 28-year-old Mongolian woman in Mukim Bukit Raja between 10pm on Oct 19, 2006 and 1am the following day. Justice Datuk Zaki Md Yasin on Oct 31 last year ordered them to enter their defence.
Sirul Azhar said before leaving for Pakistan on Oct 31, 2006 for protection duty for the Prime Minister, he had left his vechicle, a jeep, at the car park in the Bukit Aman compound and left the keys with a Sergeant Rosli. "Before leaving for Pakistan, I had cleaned my car and arranged things in it including a pair of red slippers which I placed beside a large plactic box in the rear of the vehicle," he said.However, he said, the slippers presented as evidence (which had stains of Altantuya's blood) were not his as the colour was different and were not the same size as his feet.Relating how he was taken to the scene of the crime, Sirul Azhar said ASP Tonny Lunggan (the investigating officer in the case) had instructed several police officers, who had a video camera, to go to an area on Nov 6, 2006, but were there for only a short while as it getting dark.
Sirul Azhar said the next day ASP Zulkarnain Samsudin (a prosecution witness) had asked him to make a confession by saying "...it's like this, Sirul, if you agree you follow me, you identify the items, you hold and point towards them while the photographers takes photos, I can help you and we will not take this matter to court."He said without asking any questions he followed several police personnel to his house and there he saw Zulkarnain open the door using a key which he had handed over to ACP Mastor Mohd Ariff (a senior UTK officer) while in Pakistan. However, Sirul Azhar said the key produced in court was not his house key as the key (produced) was shiny while his key was faded.
He said while in the house he was forced to hold a jacket and point to Altantuya's belongings to be photographed and at that time he was not read any 'caution' by any police officer. After Sirul finished reading his statement, his lawyer, Hasnal Redzua Merican, said the defence would not call any other witness and closed its case.Judge Mohd Zaki fixed Feb 16 and 17 for submissions before he makes a decision.
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From The Star Online:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/2/5/nation/3200276&sec=nation
Thursday February 5, 2009
Nizar leaves fate of govt in Sultan’s hands
IPOH: Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin failed yesterday to get the royal consent to dissolve the state assembly and call for fresh elections.
After a one-hour-and-40-minute meeting with Sultan Azlan Shah in Istana Kinta, a serious-faced Nizar emerged at 5.35pm and told reporters waiting outside the palace gates: “I have sought an audience with the Sultan and requested for the dissolution of the state assembly. I will leave it to him to decide whether to allow the dissolution.”
Stating his stand: Nizar (centre) speaking to reporters at a press conference at his office yesterday. — Bernama (Visualise2, yeah, use thy God gifted imagine-NATION ala Beatles-- Desi:)
At a press conference earlier, Nizar announced that the remaining 28 Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen had agreed to fresh elections, in view of the current situation.
“As you all know, two of our exco members have been pinched from us by Barisan Nasional,” said Nizar who also blamed Barisan for orchestrating the entire “fiasco”.
In the middle of the press conference, which was delayed by two hours to 3pm, Nizar received a phone call from the wife of Bota assemblyman Datuk Nasarudin Hashim.
After the call, Nizar said that Nasarudin’s wife Datin Umi said her husband had been kidnapped and brought to see Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
At a second press conference later in the evening, Nizar appealed to the Ruler to give the people the right to choose their government. “I told Tuanku that if we follow the majority, there would be crossovers from time to time and it would not solve the problem.”
Nizar also said the Sultan would need some time to study laws such as the state constitution before announcing his decision. “I am sure whatever decision he makes will be fair to the people of Perak and all political parties,” said Nizar.
Nizar added that the present government was still in power and would perform its duties as usual. He later insisted that the two former PKR members had resigned as assemblymen and that their seats – Behrang and Changkat Jering – were now vacant.
The same applied to Hee Yit Foong as she too had resigned as Jelapang assemblyman.
“She had tendered her resignation to the state,” he said.
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And from mGf KIM QUEK, highlighted at cpiasia.net:)
Pakatan Riding Over Storms in Perak
Columnists
Written by Kim Quek
Thursday, 05 February 2009 08:51
February 4, 2009: Just as Malaysians were held spellbound by another round of the country's unique brand of "missing persons" politics, we are hit by another bombshell – the record-smashing move by the Election Commission (EC) to overrule a decision by the Speaker of a legislature to accept the resignations of members of the legislature.
When newly installed election EC chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof announced on Feb 3 that two assemblymen of the Perak state assembly should continue to hold their positions as assemblymen, despite having received a notification from the Speaker that these two have resigned, the EC was in fact telling the Speaker: your acceptance of those two resignations is no damn good, we don't recognize it, so the two will remain assemblymen, and there wouldn't be any by-election.
Sure, the EC did not use these exact words to reject the speaker's decision; in fact, it said that the "EC decided that it cannot establish that vacancies have occurred", and went on to say "we have decided that both the seats will remain with the incumbents" and that there would be no necessity to call for by-election. But doesn't this amount to a flat rejection of the Speaker's acceptance of those resignations, as without repudiating the Speaker's decision, EC had no reason to declare that there was no vacancy?
But since when have we amended the law to allow the EC to take over the function of the Speaker to accept or not to accept the resignation of members of the legislature? What legal standing does EC have to claim a say over the membership of a legislature? What legal power does EC have to interfere in the exercise of the speaker's authority to run the affairs of the legislature? And isn't the decision over the suspension or resignation of a legislator the exclusive domain of the Speaker?
RESIGNATION A FAIT ACCOMPLI
When Speaker V. Sivakumar received the letters of resignation from PKR assemblymen Jamaluddin Radzi and Osman Jailu, he had every right to accept these resignations and thereafter to inform EC of these two vacancies. The act of resignation was considered complete when Sivakumar announced on Feb 1 that following his acceptance of those two letters, "they have stepped down as state assemblypersons with immediate effect".
Next day Feb 2 at 8:00 am, Sivakumar personally handed his letter of notification of such vacancies to the Perak state election director Adli Abdullah. So on what ground EC rejected Sivakumar's decision over the resignation of Jamaluddin and Osman? EC chairman Abdul Aziz said in a press conference on Feb 3 that soon after EC received Sivakumar's notification on Feb 2 at 8:00 am, it also received one letter each from Jamaluddin and Osman claiming that their letters of resignation were invalid. EC claimed that these two letters had given rise to doubts over the validity of the resignation, hence its decision to maintain the status quo, meaning no vacancies and no by-election.
Asked whether the two denied in their latest letters that they had signed on the resignation letters, Abdul Aziz said: "they do not deny, but they do not agree as to the date of enforcement of the letter". When a reporter asked: "so they claim the letters were invalid?" Abdul Aziz answered: "not valid, they deny the date of the letter as Feb 2, 2009 ". (Malaysiakini, Feb 3).
DISPUTE ONLY ON DATE
So, the crux of the issue is now boiled down to the date of the letter. Jamaluddin and Osman had said earlier that they had signed undated letters of resignation soon after the Mar 8, 2008 election, presumably as a pledge of loyalty to their party PKR, in default of which their resignations would be tendered.And since both had disappeared for almost a week and steadfastly failed to respond to frantic calls by PKR leaders amid swirling talks of their defections to UMNO, it should come as no surprise that the two resignation letters were delivered to the Speaker for these to take effect as agreed solution for such eventuality as pledged earlier by the PKR legislators.
The point to note is that these two did not challenge the legality of such an arrangement of resignation that apparently serves to seal the relationship between the party and its elected representatives; they only dispute the timing of using such resignation letters, possibly on the premise that they had not yet declared their defection from PKR. In fact, through separate press conferences on Feb 2 when both again failed to appear themselves as promised, their supposed representatives read out press statements that claimed that they remained PKR members and denied they had resigned. They justified their continued non-appearance by claiming they were sick.
Now that Jamaluddin and Osman have objected to the timing of these resignation letters, what should EC do – to act upon the Speaker's notification and call for by-election or accept the two letters as valid complaints and brush the Speaker's notification aside? The EC has obviously chosen the latter. This is of course a horrible plunder on the part of EC, as it has no business to butt its nose into the correctness of the Speaker's decision, whatever complaints it may receive from the parties involved. The correct procedure in case of a dispute of such nature is for the assemblymen concerned to complain to the Speaker, failing which they should seek redress through the courts, and EC should be the last body considered for settling such disputes. It is therefore unthinkable that EC should have taken upon itself in this case the role of a judge and ruled in favour of the complainants, virtually passing a verdict against the action of the Speaker.
EC BLUNDER INEXCUSABLE
The big puzzle is: how could an election body that has functioned for half a century have committed such fundamental error? What conclusion can we draw other than that the EC under the new leadership of Abdul Aziz, instead of breathing a new life to the much discredited body with a higher level of independence and integrity, has in fact fallen into a greater depth of subservience to the ruling power, taking into consideration that even the much criticized former EC chairman Rashid Rahman had the decency to publicly declare that the EC had only one option – to act on the Speaker's notification to call for by-elections?
Facing such unprecedented and unruly challenges engineered by the incumbent federal power, it gives comfort to note that the Pakatan Rakyat government of Perak is riding over these storms with a steady hand. It has wisely resorted to two trump cards of incumbency – barring the two assemblymen from the assembly to maintain the present workable majority and contemplating a snap election for the state to seek a renewed mandate from the people.
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Another pluck from cpiasia.net:):)
CPI Press statement On “The Perak Mess”
Press Statements
Written by Centre for Policy Initiatives
Wednesday, 04 February 2009 12:27
The Centre for Policy Initiatives lauds the statement by Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, that the Sultan will be “neutral, nonpartisan and free of having personal interest to ensure justice for the people”.
Amidst uncertainty surrounding the resignations of Perak state assemblymen for Behrang and Changkat Jering – Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu respectively – Raja Nazrin’s assurance that his father the Sultan of Perak has always upheld the principles of justice based on the sovereignty of the law and emphasising solidarity, cooperation, consensus and consultation, is indeed timely. It is hoped that the national leadership will pay heed and take a leaf from the ruler’s book by similarly putting the interests of the rakyat first and foremost over political self-interest.
The interests of the rakyat are best served when the pivotal and watchdog institutions of state work with scrupulous integrity and are autonomous. To borrow from Raja Nazrin’s wise words, this independence “helps in enhancing the effectiveness of the check and balance mechanism”.
Public confidence in the federal government would be greater if statutory bodies such as the Malaysian Anti Corruption Agency are set free from their political masters and provided with the independence and autonomy sorely missing. No one who has examined the dismal record of the ACA and the structure of the reconstituted body will believe that much has changed by way of the political bias and partiality of the organization. Investigation of the two Perak state assemblymen, and their subsequently charge in Aug 25 last year for receiving bribes, has most unfortunately been turned to political opportunism by the Barisan Nasional – a fact clear to most Malaysians but apparently escaping the editors of the mainstream media, especially the NST and The Star.
Against the backdrop of the duo’s case coming up for hearing on Feb 10 at the Ipoh Sessions Court, Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman have been under severe duress in the present climate of intense politicking. The two representatives could face a maximum of 20 years in prison if found guilty of corruption over the RM180 million housing project in Sri Iskandar. Coffee talk throughout the country is probably now focusing on the link between the charges and the defection.
The impartiality of the Election Commission should also come under scrutiny. Only a short while ago EC chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof said that such “unique” circumstances prevailing in Perak would have to be studied by legal advisers and various experts in law, the Constitution and election regulations. Yet the EC’s quick determination now that by-elections are not necessary for Behrang and Changkat Jering leaves the public to wonder if the commission has truly upheld the principles of justice. Its ruling on the invalidity of the resignation letters has been made with undue and unseemly haste. Given the gravity of the situation, the EC’s swift but “politically correct” announcement hardly inspires any confidence. Most analysts will see it more as an expedient political manoeuvre rather than a considered and neutral finding. It is telling of how out of touch the Barisan Nasional is with palace and public opinion when Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sees it fit to go on record to say “God willing, that may happen” on the prospect of possibly besmirched Pakatan assemblymen party-hopping. He was quoted as saying, “They want to join because they are confident of Umno’s struggle, so we will accept them.”
Presumably though after the corruption charges have been dropped! The outgoing Prime Minister appears set on leaving office on a low note in terms of his record of political integrity and the legacy he is leaving to the nation. Sadly Abdullah’s last days in office are seeing his endorsement of events which are subverting the proper spirit and procedures of law, and fraying the fabric of moral and upright governance. He had one more chance to show his commitment to clean politics and righteous government. He could have set for his own party, the larger Barisan Nasional, the opposition Pakatan Rakyat and other parties a higher standard on the contentious crossover issue. Unfortunately, he has remained steadfast to his “UMNO first and always” agenda rather than the national Malaysian one which he was entrusted with.
“He blew it” will be the verdict of history on Abdullah’s role in transforming Malaysia for the better. It is imperative that the instruments and levers of state – judicial process, electoral process, civil service, official media, etc. - must not be permitted to pander to the interests of Umno and the Barisan Nasional. The more this happens, the more damning will be the downgrade in the people’s perception of the integrity of our political leaders.
Dr. Lim Teck Ghee
Director, Centre for Policy Initiatives
4 Feb 2009
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