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Almost forgot, wanted to write about the launch of Lawyers for Liberty, which happened more than a week ago now.

I really like these guys, not least because they take up the cases that I probably care most about, personally.

I only have brief words for here and now, but the courage, dedication and sheer stamina of these brave individuals who defend the most defenceless are a constant source of inspiration.

I feel bad naming some but not all (I confess, I’m sometimes bad with remembering names), but stalwarts like Latheefa, Surendran, Fadiah and Eric have long been at the forefront of cases like death/abuse/torture in custody, and have remained among the most outspoken critics of these brutalities.

I will leave it at those short and woefully insufficient words for now, and add only that I count it a great honour and blessing to count (if I’m not being too presumptuous) the Lawyers as Liberty as comrades and friends :)

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At that launch that pretty Saturday afternoon (where they served delicious food) I had the opportunity to chat briefly with some student (and recently student) activists, including the UKM 4 and friends.

It was a pleasure to see the multiracial gang (no mean feat, if you’re familiar with the situation at most local unis), and enjoy their good humour :)

I figured I would also take this opportunity to congratulate the Pro-Mahasiswa groups that seem to have swept a fair number of campus elections lately :)

At the very least, I think we have more and more proof that our best and brightest will not pander blindly to authority and the establishment. The ability to think for themselves is perhaps the best gift the young can be given.

So, well done guys – looking forward to continuing to see a strong student/youth component in activism :)

I wanted to highlight an initiative of the Selangor state government, who for the second time has written to the Home Ministry, asking that they be allowed to contribute auxillary personnel to the police in order to help prevent crime.

My family lives on one of those roads with private security. Truth be told, the guards don’t do much except sit there and move a little road marker when cars pass by. It’s not rocket science or high tech crime prevention.

That said, crime on that road has dropped to nearly zero.

Zero.

All it takes, is for someone to sit there all day and all night.

Is that beyond the power of the Selangor state government to help organise? I think not.

Now if only the federal government, who controls the cops, not letting them help?

What happened to People First? When such an offer that would clearly help combat the terrible scourge of crime affecting every Malaysian is shunned, it sure seems like Politics First :P

Also, check out the latest news – pregnant lady identifies cop who slapped her.

Happy Bunny Year!

Whoops, I mean…

D’oh! I mean…

I hope it’s a good and happy time for all.. :)

I wanted to take this quick opportunity to follow up on an earlier post and say that I think blogging in the year ahead will prob be a bit different.

I can’t help remembering that the last time I started thinking along these lines, where I was hoping to follow in a little mouse’s footsteps and blog a little more diversely, something happened soon thereafter that derailed those plans.

This being a time for luck, I hope such luck will keep me from such fates again :)

But yes, politics is basically a day job now, and there seems to be sadly less place for commentary that needs to be longer than a Tweet (where I seem to do most of my ‘writing’) but shorter than a column.

So, I hope you don’t mind if the blog might take a little bit more of a Tumblr like direction – shorter posts sometimes, much more variety in topics, copy/pasting, that sorta thing.

Apologies if this disappoints anybody, or changes the reading experience in any significant way.

I don’t really know how it’ll all pan out, but we’ll take it as it comes I guess… :)

It’s been a topsy turvy year, and as we leave the tiger for the rabbit, there is no let up in the maelstrom of madness.

Well, it’s time to spend with family. So as far as rumination goes, I’ll just (hopefully not offensively, given the glib beginning of the post – I received this video half way through writing) leave you with this.

Have a good year of the Rabbit everyone, let’s do good things for Malaysia and beyond.