The world now knows about Najib's 'baggage' thanks to NST's 'cheap' reporting trick

It's an encounter that has gone into the folklore of our diplomatic service.

An Australian envoy meeting a senior Malaysian official heard a familiar complaint about critical coverage of his country's politics in the Australian media.

He snapped back: ''The media in Australia are not owned or controlled by the government,'' the envoy said. ''Here they all are, and throughout my time here, I've never seen a favourable report about Australia.''

Umno sent NST to 'work on' Xenophon

Senator Nick Xenophon, who went up last month to join an international team looking at Malaysia's electoral system, has just had a personal lesson in just how slanted and hostile its media can be. After the team published a highly critical report, the New Straits Times newspaper, owned ultimately by the ruling United Malays National Organisation or UMNO, went to work on him.

It took a passage from one of his old parliamentary speeches on a favourite topic - ''Scientology is not a religious organisation. It is a criminal organisation that hides behind its so-called religious beliefs'' - and substituted the world ''Islam'' for ''Scientology'' throughout. It's hard to think of a cheaper reporting trick in a strongly Muslim country.

Malaysia no longer what it seems

Australians often trip rather too naively into Malaysia's murky political world. Succumbing to the happy multicultural story of ''Malaysia - truly Asia'' a lot of us don't see the deep racial fears and antipathies swirling in the country's history and heating its politics even today.

Malaysia is a country of great wealth and many competencies, but despite decades of high growth still falls behind its potential because it hasn't yet shaken itself free of its poisonous beginnings. Riven by massive fraud, waste and economic distortion, it is a country of religious zeal, yet as noted by Bridget Welsh, a political scientist at the Singapore Management University, its political life is dirty.

''Murder, sodomy, secret trysts, sex videos and conspiracy are all commonplace, and corruption scandals occur regularly,'' she wrote on the East Asia Forum website recently. ''Both sides wallow in this political gutter, each trying to darken the reputation of the other, and not fully appreciating how much the system as a whole has been damaged.''

Najib came with a lot of baggage

Australia and Australians have often been a convenient diversion from this domestic mudslinging, with sniping reaching low points in the 22 years of Mahathir Mohamad's prime ministership.

It's getting testy again as Malaysia's current Prime Minister, Najib Razak, heads towards a critical national election trying on one hand to preserve the ethnic dominance endowed in UMNO and on the other to reform the discredited underpinnings of that power.

Najib took the prime ministership after the UMNO-led ruling coalition suffered a big setback in the last elections, in March 2009, losing the two-thirds majority in Parliament that allowed it to make constitutional amendments and control five of the 13 states to a three-party opposition alliance put together by UMNO's alienated former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Najib came with a lot of baggage - notably a kickback scandal on French submarines purchased while he was defence minister, about which two examining magistrates in Paris would like to interview him - but he's tried to wield a new broom.

Reforms that don't work

A new economic policy is aimed at watering down preferences for ethnic Malays. Stakes have been sold off in bloated public sector enterprises to try to make them more efficient. Last month, the government repealed the colonial-era Internal Security Act, which allowed indefinite detention without trial, and it changed the public assembly law.

But the reforms haven't resulted in much perceptible change. The UMNO membership is resisting a loss of Malay perks, entrenched cultures remain in public enterprises like the national airline, and a replacement security law has been widely condemned by local and international human rights groups as wide open to similar abuse as the old one.

One result has been that Najib's personal approval has been running at a high 69 per cent in the opinion polls, while the UMNO coalition's support has been a lacklustre 46 per cent or so, suggesting the public give Najib marks for trying but don't think his efforts will work. About a third of those favouring Najib say they will still vote for Anwar's opposition.

What could be, won't be with Najib at the helm

Najib's support also has flicked sharply downwards when familiar instruments of repression are wielded. A movement for electoral reform called Bersih (meaning ''Clean'') led by a doughty woman barrister, Ambiga Sreenavasan, has had its demonstrations declared illegal and then met with massive police force. The latest was in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday, attended by tens of thousands. Xenophon and other observers shared in a dousing with tear gas and water cannon.

Bersih's concerns are echoed by the foreign observer group. The electoral system gives wide scope for gerrymandering, with electorate sizes ranging from 7000 to 100,000 voters. Suspiciously, numbers of new voters, over 30 per cent of the previous total, are being registered in opposition-held electorates. Party monitors have just been barred from scrutinising the eligibility of intending voters at polling stations.

Armed force and police personnel have their votes scrutinised by senior officers, and the 240,000 public servants assigned to election duties are required to make postal votes. But strangely, the hundreds of thousands of Malaysians working overseas or employed away from their home towns are not allowed to make absentee votes. A snap poll - a campaign is usually only about 10 days - means a lot of the country's best and brightest won't have time to return to their place of registry.

Bersih's experience with the Malaysian traditional media - owned either by the ruling parties in the case of the newspapers and commercial television, or by politically-directed state broadcasters - illustrates the problem of unequal access to campaign coverage. Before its recent mass demonstrations, media stories have linked it variously to Christian, Jewish and communist conspiracies, and even Islamic extremists.

The internet has given outlets for opposition voices and analysis that reach urban, well educated voters. But rural people get only the slanted pro-government media, at best anodyne, at worse mendacious.

Xenophon's experience suggests the settings won't change for the election Najib seems about to call. It's a pity, given what Malaysia could be.

http://www.smh.com.au/

Racial discrimination in Malaysia: Don't believe? Then look at the list ...

FROM THE BLOGS Discrimination of Non-Malays in Malaysia is plain racist. There is a list that is common knowledge to a lot of Malaysians, especially those who are non-Malays (Chinese, Ibans, Kadazans, Orang Asli, Tamils, etc.) and who have been racially discriminated against.

Figures in this list are merely estimates, so please take it as a guide only. The government of Malaysia has the most correct figures. Is government of Malaysia too ashamed to publish their racist acts by publishing racial statistics?

This list covers a period of about 48 years since independence (1957).

List of racial discrimination ( Malaysia ):

(1) Of the five major banks, only one is multi-racial, the rest are controlled by Malays.

(2) 99% of Petronas directors are Malays.

(3) 3% of Petronas employees are Chinese.

(4) 99% of 2000 Petronas gasoline stations are owned by Malays.

(5) 100% all contractors working under Petronas projects must be of Bumis status.

(6) 0% of non-Malay staff are legally required in Malay companies. But there must be 30% Malay staffs in Chinese companies.

(7) 5% of all new intake for government police, nurses, army, are non-Malays.

(8) 2% is the present Chinese staff in Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), a drop from 40% in 1960.

(9) 2% is the percentage of non-Malay government servants in Putrajaya, but Malays make up 98%.

(10) 7% is the percentage of Chinese government servants in the entire government (in 2004); a drop from 30% in 1960.

(11) 95% of government contracts are given to Malays.

(12) 100% all business licensees are controlled by Malay government, e..g. Taxi permits, Approved permits, etc.

(13) 80% of the Chinese rice millers in Kedah had to be sold to Malay controlled Bernas in 1980s. Otherwise, life is made difficult for Chinese rice millers.

(14) 100 big companies set up, owned and managed by Chinese Malaysians were taken over by government, and later managed by Malays since 1970s, e.g. UTC, UMBC, MISC, Southern Bank etc..

(15) At least 10 Chinese owned bus companies (throughout Malaysia in the past 40 years) had to be sold to MARA or other Malay transport companies due to rejection by Malay authorities to Chinese applications for bus routes and rejection for their applications for new buses..

(16) Two Chinese taxi drivers were barred from driving in Johor Larkin bus station. There are about 30 taxi drivers and three were Chinese in Oct. 2004. Spoiling taxi club properties was the reason given.

(17) 0 non-Malays are allowed to get shop lots in the new Muar bus station (Nov.. 2004).

(18) 8000 billion ringgit is the total amount the government channeled to Malay pockets through ASB, ASN, MARA, privatization of government agencies, Tabung Haji etc, through NEP over a 34 years period.

(19) 48 Chinese primary schools closed down from 1968 - 2000.

(20) 144 Indian primary schools closed down from 1968 - 2000.

(21) 2637 Malay primary schools built from 1968 - 2000.

(22) 2.5% is government budget for Chinese primary schools. Indian schools got only 1%, Malay schools got 96.5%.

(23) While a Chinese parent with RM1000 salary (monthly) cannot get school textbook loan, a Malay parent with RM2000 salary is eligible.

(24) All 10 public university vice chancellors are Malays.

(25) 5% of the government universities' lecturers are of non-Malay origins. This percentage has been reduced from about 70% in 1965 to only 5% in 2004.

(26) Only 5% has been given to non-Malays for government scholarships in over 40 years.

(27) 0 Chinese or Indians were sent to Japan and Korea under the 'Look East Policy.'

(28) 128 STPM Chinese top students could not get into the course to which they aspired, i.e. Medicine (in 2004).

(29) 10% quotas are in place for non-Bumi students for MARA science schools beginning in 2003, but only 7% are filled. Before that it was 100% Malays.

(30) 50 cases in which Chinese and Indian Malaysians are beaten up in the National Service program in 2003.

(31) 25% of the Malaysian population was Chinese in 2004, a drop from 45% in 1957.

(32) 7% of the Malaysian population is Indian (2004), a drop from 12% in 1957.

(33) 2 million Chinese Malaysians have emigrated in the past 40 years.

(34) 0.5 million Indian Malaysians have emigrated overseas.

(35) 3 millions Indonesians have migrated to Malaysia and become Malaysian citizens with Bumis status.

(36) 600,000 Chinese and Indian Malaysians with red IC were rejected repeatedly when applying for citizenship in the past 40 years. Perhaps 60% of them had already passed away due to old age. This shows racism, based on how easily Indonesians got their citizenships compared with the Chinese and Indians.

(37) 5% - 15% discount for a Malay to buy a house, regardless whether the Malay is rich or poor.

(38) 2% is what new Chinese villages get, compared with 98% - what Malay villages got for rural development budget.

(41) 0 temples/churches were built for each housing estate. But every housing estate got at least one mosque/surau built.

(42) 3000 mosques/surau were built in all housing estates throughout Malaysia since 1970. No temples or churches are required to be built in housing estates.

(43) 1 Catholic church in Shah Alam took 20 years to apply to have a building constructed. But they were told by Malay authority that it must look like a factory and not like a church. As of 2004 the application still have not been approved.

(44) 1 publishing of Bible in Iban language banned (in 2002).

(45) 0 of the government TV stations (RTM1, RTM2, TV3) are directors of non-Malay origin.

(46) 30 government produced TV dramas and films always showed that the bad guys had Chinese faces, and the good guys had Malay faces. You can check it out since 1970s. Recent years, this has become less of a tendency.

(47) 10 times, at least, Malays (especially Umno) had threatened to massacre the Chinese Malaysians using May 13, since 1969.

(48) 20 constituencies won by DAP would not get funds from the government to develop. These Chinese majority constituencies would be the last to be developed.

(49) 100 constituencies (parliaments and states) had been racially re-delineated so Chinese votes were diluted for Chinese candidates. This is one of the main reasons why DAP candidates have consistently lost in elections since the 1970s. (update to 2008 needed)

(50) Only 3 out of 12 human rights items are ratified by the Malaysian government since 1960.

(51) 0 - elimination of all forms of racial discrimination (UN Human Rights) has not been ratified by Malaysian government since 1960s.

(52) 20 reported cases whereby Malay ambulance attendances treated Chinese patients inhumanely, and Malay government hospital staffs purposely delayed attending to Chinese patients in 2003. Unreported cases may be 200.

(54) 20 cases every year whereby Chinese drivers who accidentally knocked down Malays were seriously assaulted or killed by Malays.

(55) 12% is what ASB/ASN got per annum while banks fixed deposits are only about 3.5% per annum.

There are hundreds more examples of racial discrimination in Malaysia to add to this list of 'colossal' racism. It is hoped that the victims of racism will write in to help expose this situation.

The Malaysian government should publish statistics showing how much Malays had benefited from the 'special rights' of Malays and at the same time release the statistics which show how minority races are being discriminated against.

Hence, the responsibility lies in the Malaysian government itself to publish unadulterated statistics of racial discrimination.

If the Malaysia government hides the statistics above, then there must be some evil doings, immoral doings, shameful doings and sinful doings, like the Nazis, going on with the non-Malays of Malaysia .

Civilized nations, unlike the evil Nazis, must publish statistics to show its treatment of its minority races. This is what Malaysia must publish.

We are asking for the publication of the statistics showing how 'implementation of special rights of Malays' had inflicted colossal racial discrimination onto non-Malays.

Human Book

Do you believe in 1Malaysia after reading this? What is MCA and MIC doing after all these years. No wonder leaders like Samy Vellu and Ling Liong Sik have been accused of corruption and serving their own self interests.

What we need is a Malaysian Nelson Mandela!

What makes us sick are the Malaysian ‘white’ leaders practising apartied under the nose of the world community and getting away with it. They have the cheek to critisize the White South African regime and yet practise apartied at home. Maybe to camouflage their actions!! Smart? But actually very stupid because they will make Malaysia a failed nation. Not now but later as surely as the sun rises over the horizon.

From : The Malaysia-Chronicle

What Race Are You?

April 25, 2011

APRIL 25 — An incident took place amidst the “1Malayu, 1Bumi” movement and “using Chinese to subdue Chinese” advocacy.

Two weeks ago, 52-year-old lorry driver Ong Kim Koon saw a road accident on the MRR2 highway near the Tesco roundabout on his way home. A seriously injured Malay couple were trapped inside their mangled car.

Ong stopped and quickly pulled out Zainal Mohammad.

When he was about to return to rescue Zainal’s wife, Rosamiah Hashim, after placing Zainal on a road divider, he was hit by a MPV and dragged for a few metres. The MPV driver then fled the scene.

Together with the Malay couple, Ong was rushed to a hospital.

The couple were in a stable condition while Ong was put in an induced coma and had his right leg amputated.

The MPV driver who had sped off after hitting Ong was reported to be a Chinese.

Ong had been struggling on the edge of death over the past two weeks and his left leg had to be amputated too due to infection. However, the surgery was postponed as his condition was too weak.

His condition deteriorated and he passed away on April 22, 2011.

It is a great story about an ordinary man. Perhaps, similar incidents have taken place in car accidents, fire, flood and other disasters. They might not necessarily make front page stories or attract great attention.

However, when some people are advocating the “1Malay, 1Bumi” movement while some are talking about “using Chinese to subdue Chinese”, I am sad and angry over the incident.

When Ong stopped to help the couple, he did not check whether they were Chinese or Malays. What he saw were two lives waiting to be rescued.

When Ong was rescuing them, he did not consider whether they were Chinese or Malay, he just wanted to pull them out of the car as quickly as he could.

Every single life is precious regardless of race. It is a glorious human nature to view all lives as equally important.

I do not know whether the Utusan Malaysia covered the incident or not and I am not sure either what Mingguan Malaysia columnist Awang Selamat and Utusan Malaysia assistant editor-in-chief Datuk Zaini Hassan would feel when they read the news report.

I just want to ask that under the “1Melayu, 1Bumi” movement, should Ong just turn around and walk away when he found that the trapped couple were Malays?

When Awang Selamat said that the Chinese should not be taken care of, did Ong consider not to rescue Zainal and his wife because they were Malays?

No, of course Ong did not do so as he was a humane Malaysian. He saw no skin colour but life.

One day, if Awang and Zaini are in great need of help, would they ask those who come to rescue them: “Are you Malay or Chinese?”

Similarly, if MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s theory of “using Chinese to subdue Chinese” is justifiable, the Chinese MPV driver would have immediately rushed Ong to a hospital and sincerely apologise instead of speeding off when he found that they were having the same skin colour.

Foolish racial arguments have indeed disgraced the great spirit of Ong. — mysinchew.com

The Malaysian Insider

John Lennon, Bob Dylan ... and Namewee shape public conscience

An e-mail I received among many unsolicited ones caught my attention recently but this one, unlike the rest, is relevant as Malaysians celebrate their national day on 16 September and something that should arouse their national conscience. 

It is indeed sad that today's young generation suffers from the same plight that I described in an article I wrote and was published in Malaysiakini and the Centre for Policy Initiatives website a couple of weeks ago. The plight of the Merdeka Malaysian persists but for how long? 

Victimization is the 'bastardization' of every noble virtue and contradiction of everything the nation stands for. When patriotic and concerned Malaysians are persecuted (selectively) for trying to do the right thing for their country, something is drastically remiss. 

The e-mail was from Wee Meng Chee and it read, "Many accusations have been made upon me since 2007, and this time I like to defend for myself as nobody seems to be defending for me in the political arena. My name has been used on many incidents by politicians over the years, this time I am not going to let empty accusations with no basis being laid upon me again. I am only an individual with no political agenda or motives, who wishes to voice out his opinion against racism in this country." 

As those who may have read the full press release  of this young man better known as Namewee, it is yet another heartfelt and desperate plea of another victim of selective political persecution.

And the irony is all the victims -- from academics who exposed wrongs in the system to now patriot-in-exile Raja Petra Kamaruddin -- only wanted the best for their country, and acted openly and legally within their constitutional rights. 

Instead the real culprits escape admonition and punishment while the innocent ones suffer retribution.
 

Win by kicking the opponent 

Is the country now at a stage when those given the power to administer have lost their moral equilibrium and cannot tell the difference between right and wrong? Is political expediency the priority instead of justice for the victims and protection for the whistleblower? 

There are too many Malaysians who no longer uphold what is true and fair and virtuous but resort to animal instincts and will retaliate irrationally and unjustifiably against anyone who points out the error of their ways or oppose their ideas. 

They no longer know how to play the game but still want to be in the game. They hope to win by kicking their opponents and even the umpire! 

Namewee may be unconventional and speaks in the way he knows best through music and satire, in the tradition of protest, but it has turned out to be another instance of 'casting pearls before swines' as the saying goes, and indeed those who should know better have turned around to devour him. 

The older generation has seen it all before and many have resigned themselves to be perpetual victims of officialdom and the authorities' idea of justice, but the young generation cannot allow itself to be cowed and suffer a similar fate of their elders. 

"What to do?" the typical rhetorical retort of many pessimistic Malaysians won't do. 

"Just do it" is the approach of the young.  

Young are acting where old dither 

The future of their nation depends on their active participation and if the youth can be encouraged to play a more positive role in their country with the same passion they play the computer games, there is greater hope for change. Nothing should thwart their spirit and sense of outrage at societal wrongs. 

That is why Namewee wrote, "this time I am not going to let empty accusations with no basis being laid upon me again." And rightly so. 

You can only retreat so far, but when your back is against the wall, what you have to do is patently obvious unless grovelling like a cornered animal is a fate you choose. 

That is why more and more Malaysians from all races and walks of life are now realising that the future is in their hands and are beginning to come to life politically and taking their stand against all that is wrong and destroying their country. 

The days of Malaysian 'Nazism' -- the repugnant doctrine of racial superiority and prejudice -- must soon come to an end because there is a better way, and when Malaysians think of national day they must denounce the national shame of racism. 

Racism and corruption remain the twin foes of the nation and while every national leader has sounded the battle-cry against them, there is nothing they have done as concrete evidence of their sincerity. In fact one has even done the opposite and become an ardent supporter of the lost cause and added fuel to the fire of racial bigotry.  

I was travelling on an interstate bus a few days ago when the female Malay schoolteacher passenger sitting next to me discussed the case of the school principals who made insulting remarks to the students. She and I agreed that while some students may be mischievous, and some even arrogant, it was wrong of a school principal to use the racist language. 

Why is it so difficult for the authorities to step in and deal with something that is purely administrative and blatantly wrong, in an expeditious manner? Justice delayed is justice denied. That there is more than one glaring incident is cause for serious concern. 

The repugnant foot-dragging 

From media reports we are also told that certain groups spread the racist message in their centres of learning and coupled with politicians who major on racist policies and make wild racist threats. Such indoctrination methods are treacherous to and hijack the national agenda of racial harmony. 

It is this angst against the foot-dragging approach of the authorities against the racist school principals that prompted Namewee to do what he felt he had to do. It was the same sense of repugnance that makes others criticise the authorities when things go awry. 

No one is a proper citizen of a country who is unwilling to stand up and be counted and make the loud noise when all is disturbingly silent in the face of flagrant abuse of power. Populists and patriots may be like chalk and cheese. 

Hollow citizens do not make for a solid nation and young people like Namewee should be encouraged not discouraged from playing a significant role in shaping the public conscience and the destiny of his homeland. 

Let us not forget the late John Lennon (left) and Bob Dylan and a host of other musicians and songwriters did influence public opinion against the many wrongs they saw in their societies and while some of their antics may seem outrageous, they pale in comparison to the wrongs perpetrated by those they criticise. 

Namewee is not alone because the nation and all it stands for stands beside him. Indeed he is a true son of the nation and I hope as a passionate young citizen with a cause, he will prove his critics wrong and defend his country from those who want to harm it with their bigotry.

By: Steve Oh in Centre For Policy Initiatives