Omigoat, why is it the authorities are so frikkin’ unable to take a joke?!

A blogger was charged in a sessions court in Petaling Jaya today with posting a parody on his blog, aimed at Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) accused Irwan Abdul Rahman, 36, of using the Internet [...]]]>

Omigoat, why is it the authorities are so frikkin’ unable to take a joke?!

A blogger was charged in a sessions court in Petaling Jaya today with posting a parody on his blog, aimed at Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) accused Irwan Abdul Rahman, 36, of using the Internet to send false comments, with the intention of hurting the feelings of others.

His defence counsel, Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos, said this is the first time a blogger is being charged under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for posting a parody or satire in his or her site.

If found guilty, Irwan (right), who is executive editor of The Malay Mail’s lifestyle and entertainment section and uses the blog name Hassan Skodeng, can be fined up to RM50,000 or not more than a year in jail or both.

So. What did this guy write? Is he suggesting we abolish the monarch, Malay rights, or nasi lemak?

No. Here’s how the offending article starts:

TNB to sue WWF over Earth Hour

KUALA LUMPUR — Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Malaysia’s premier energy provider today announced that they were taking legal action against the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) for organising the Earth Hour, a global movement that makes a stand against climate change by turning off all non-essential lights and electrical equipment for an hour every year.

In a Press conference, TNB president and CEO Dato’ Sri Che Khalib Mohd Noh said that the annual worldwide symbolic gesture, which this year would be observed this Saturday at 8.30pm, is nothing more than an ‘arrogant and thoughtless viral movement’ aimed to hurt power companies such as TNB.
CHE KHALIB: These people are inconsiderate

“Obviously these green-minded fellows think they’re really cute, organising such an irresponsible campaign,” said Che Khalib angrily. “They say ‘turn off your lights for an hour’ and people do. I bet that really makes them feel all powerful.
“What these western colonialists fail to grasp is how such drastic action affects the poor companies like us. One hour of unused electricity means an hour of wastage for TNB. Did you know that last year’s Earth Hour costed us millions in unrealised revenue?” asked Che Khalib, seething.

…

…….

…….

I read the rest and I couldn’t for the life of me find anything in the least bit worthy of 1 year in jail or the god awful amount of RM 50,000.

Have TNB and the MCMC lost what little is left of their collective minds?

With only one letter between the MCMC and the MACC, can we expect to see the same legal brilliance as we saw a few weeks ago?

I wish I was as funny as Hassan Skodeng.

But even he can’t make up fiction stranger than these truths.

Comics like him and Zunar should be put on the government payroll and be made Tan Sri’s for their service to the public – helping us bear the unbearable.

I’m really seething.

I guess our only comfort will be to eventually watch TNB and MCMC make complete asses of themselves if they go through with this process.

It’s shocking how unaware some people can be of how utterly ridiculous they look when they do things like this.

It is like some big bearish oaf who’s too stupid to get the joke, and unable to stomach the possibility people are laughing at him, picks up a club and goes on a smash-everything-in-sight rampage. (sigh, sometimes, that’s like our entire government).

No gentleman of any intelligence would respond so virulently to something so inane.

Haihz. Well, Mr. Hassan, we’ll stand with you through this nonsense. In the meantime, TNB/MCMC/gahmen: Take American chill pill!!

ps- check out funny article today at TMI :)

pps- one more important link via Shan regarding laws and comments on cyberspace!

January 2011 – that’s the date the Registrar of the Supreme Court has set for the Court of Appeal to hear Yong Vui Kong’s appeal against the High Court’s decision on his judicial review application.

Vui Kong’s lawyer was today informed that the appeal hearing has been set “for [...]]]> Some good news via Singapore’s intrepid Online Citizen:

January 2011 – that’s the date the Registrar of the Supreme Court has set for the Court of Appeal to hear Yong Vui Kong’s appeal against the High Court’s decision on his judicial review application.

Vui Kong’s lawyer was today informed that the appeal hearing has been set “for the week commencing 17 January 2011”.

On 26 August, a group of Malaysian lawyers and parliamentarians handed a memorandum to the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur asking for Singapore to show mercy to Vui Kong.
Vui Kong’s family, together with MP for Sabah, Datuk Chua Soon Bui, and supporters, paid a visit to the Istana on 24 August to plead for Vui Kong to be given a second chance. The family members handed over 100,000 signatures collected in both Malaysia and Singapore in support of the plea.

The campaign to save Vui Kong has gathered pace in recent weeks, with many non-governmental organizations, politicians (both from the ruling party and from the opposition), Buddhists associations and youth groups, giving their support to the clemency request.

As has been noted, that means one more New Year and prob Chinese New Year for this young man to continue making his amends – I’m very happy for him :)

I would like to express my sincere and deep gratitude to the Singapore government and their legal process for this brief reprieve. I think the whole world will look favourably on this decision.

Some may say it’s just a gimmick to delay the decision until after elections rumoured to take place later this year. I however, might not mind giving them the benefit of the doubt for now.

If they do have elections, I hope one of the issues will be how to reduce drug trafficking without disproportionate action on foot soldiers vs action against the real, big time drug kingpins.

In any case, let’s celebrate a few more days of life for Yong with some music, including Alfred Ho’s kind response to my request for Malay numbers :)

And celebrating September (nod to Ezra :)

The BBC researches many different stories, it is the normal process of news and current affairs throughout the media that not all make it to air for a variety of editorial reasons.

In this case, it became clear in our research that any comprehensive interview with [...]]]> Via MT: the reason why RPK got taken off BBC?

The BBC researches many different stories, it is the normal process of news and current affairs throughout the media that not all make it to air for a variety of editorial reasons.

In this case, it became clear in our research that any comprehensive interview with former Malaysia Today Editor Raja Petra Kamarudin would prominently feature issues that are currently the subject of a current court case in Malaysia, which raise issues of defamation.
The suggestion that the item was dropped due to political pressure is untrue. All BBC programmes adhere to the same strict editorial guidelines which ensure complete editorial independence and impartiality.

BBC Global News
Room 433CB, Bush House, PO Box 76,
Strand, London, WC2B 4PH

www.bbc.com/worldservice

www.bbc.com/pressoffice

Firstly, if this is genuine, isn’t the issue one of subjudice, not defamation? This doesn’t seem the kind of ‘mistake’ an institution like the BBC would make.

Well, we all know how long the fingers of the powerful can reach.

Curiouser and curiouser.

I spent a pleasant evening with a young reporter yesterday, who was filled with passion, a drive to do investigative reporting, and hoped to work for CNN one day.

I was reluctant at first to join any of the Merdeka twitter hash tags thing, thinking of Teoh Beng Hock, Kugan, Aminulrasyid, and the rest.

Manesh though reminded [...]]]>

I spent a pleasant evening with a young reporter yesterday, who was filled with passion, a drive to do investigative reporting, and hoped to work for CNN one day.

I was reluctant at first to join any of the Merdeka twitter hash tags thing, thinking of Teoh Beng Hock, Kugan, Aminulrasyid, and the rest.

Manesh though reminded me of one of the things I most love about Malaysia – the immense pool of talent and potential we have.

I sometimes feel we have a government that has for too long depended on a repressed Malaysia to ensure its survival.

The PPPA is a perfect example of this. No advanced, progressive civilisation would need such a nonsensical law to suppress freedom of information.

It is the type of law used only by people in power paranoid about the truth coming out.

For some, the truth sets you free; for the proponents of this law, the truth will likely land them in jail :P

While we all get cynical about the short term prospects of our country, I think it’s important for people like us who read the news all the time, to remember that Malaysia will last much longer than 53 years; and somewhere down along that road, people like yesterday’s reporter, you and me, will make this country all it can be.

I thought this a very measured, and above all, extremely learned piece, which analyses the mosque entering controversy from a scholarly perspective.

Take away the hype, and the hate scented hyperbole, and this is what the facts and religious scholarship suggests.

I’ve met Dr. Manuty, and he seemed [...]]]> For all our goofs, we sometimes get some things right.

I thought this a very measured, and above all, extremely learned piece, which analyses the mosque entering controversy from a scholarly perspective.

Take away the hype, and the hate scented hyperbole, and this is what the facts and religious scholarship suggests.

I’ve met Dr. Manuty, and he seemed to me a very kindly gentleman – a man who knew his subject material very well.

On this issue, I remember fondly my time in Aceh, where there I was made very welcome in mosques and suraus.

Pleasant memories….

(In the off chance anyone was wondering, I believe the mosque pictured in the background of this blog is in Terengganu. Isn’t it a gorgeous photo?)

*

Isu Bukan Islam Masuk Masjid

Bagaikan menahan lukah di pergentingan, UMNO dan para kuncunya tidak habis-habis menerkam apa jua kesempatan dan isu sebagai modal mempertahan survival politik perkauman mereka. Seperti biasanya, bagaikan jerat sudah mengena, UMNO dan para pendokongnya mengambil kesempatan ke atas tindakan beberapa pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat bukan Islam yang telah memasuki masjid dan surau baru-baru ini. Peristiwa Dr. Xavier Jayakumar berucap di dewan utama sebuah masjid di Taman Sri Andalas, Klang pada Ogos 2009 yang lalu, telahpun hampir dilupakan. Kini tindakan YB Teo Nie Ching (Ahli Parlimen DAP Serdang) masuk ke Surau Al-Huda, Kajang dan YB William Leong (Bendahari PKR, Ahli Parlimen PKR Selayang) masuk ke dalam Masjid At-Taqwa, Selayang Baru pula dijadikan isu besar.

Untuk menjelaskan pendirian kami mengenai isu ini, kami ingin membawa perhatian semua pihak kedudukan perkara ini dari perspektif fiqh (hokum Hakam Islam). Sekurang-kurangnya ada empat pandangan mengenai masalah ini. Pertamanya: Mazhab Hanafi yang membenarkan bukan Islam memasuki semua masjid. Keduanya: Mazhab Syafie yang membenarkan masuk kesemua masjid melainkan masjid Haram dan kawasan tanah haram Makkah. Ketiganya: Mazhab Hanbali yang membenarkan untuk memasuki masjidil haram dan lainnya setelah mendapat kebenaran dari umat Islam atas tujuan-tujuan yang munasabah. Akhirnya, Mazhab Maliki yang tidak membenarkan memasuki semua masjid melainkan kerana darurat kerja.

Beberapa peristiwa di zaman Rasulullah juga boleh dijadikan panduan. Baginda pernah membenarkan ramai orang-orang bukan Islam masuk dan tinggal lama di masjid. Rasulullah juga diriwayatkan pernah menerima tetamu Kristian dari Najran di dalam masjid Madinah, malah diizinkan oleh Nabi s.a.w untuk menunaikan sembahyang mereka di dalam masjid dan nabi menyebut kepada sahabat: “Biarkan mereka (untuk melunaskan sembahyang mereka)”

Kepelbagaian pandangan ini menggambarkan keluasan hukum Islam dalam persoalan yang digembar-gemburkan sebagai isu besar ini. Hakikatnya, majoriti ulama silam dan kontemporari jelas mengharuskan bukan Islam memasuki masjid-masjid biasa dengan syarat-syarat tertentu seperti keperluan mendapat keizinan umat Islam atau badan berkuasa Islam, mempunyai sebab yang munasabah dan menjaga adab-adab yang telah ditetapkan.

Oleh yang demikian, kami berpendirian bahawa adalah tidak wajar bagi siapa jua untuk menyempitkan sesuatu yang tidak jelas dari sudut nas-nasnya dan dalil-dalilnya. Apatah lagi jika kita sememangnya berpegang dengan mazhab al-Syafie sebagai mazhab rasmi umat Islam di Negara ini. Lebih jauh lagi, sikap menghalang bukan Islam memasuki masjid ini adalah bertentangan dengan semangat yang diputuskan oleh Muzakarah Jawatankuasa Fatwa Majlis Kebangsaan Bagi Hal Ehwal Ugama Islam Malaysia Kali Ke-90 yang bersidang pada 1 Mac 2010 telah memutuskan bahawa pelancong bukan Islam diharuskan memasuki masjid dan ruang solat dengan syarat-syarat yang telah ditentukan.

Amalan menerima bukan Islam memasuki masjid atas tujuan yang murni juga telah diamalkan di beberapa negara lain. Ia terbukti memberi nilai positif kepada keberkesanan pemahaman mereka kepada agama Islam, mengelakkan salah faham dan menjana interaksi yang harmoni dalam perhubungan di antara umat Islam dan bukan Islam.

Sewajarnya, para wakil rakyat PR demikian perlulah diberikan pujian kerana kesungguhannya dalam menjalankan tugasnya dengan baik kepada masyarakat majmuk di negara ini. Apatah lagi ia memang telahpun mendapat kebenaran pihak pengurusan masjid dan dilakukan pula atas tanggungjawab mereka sebagai wakil Kerajaan Negeri Selangor.

Kekecohan yang digembar-gemborkan hakikatnya akan memakan tuan. Inilah gambaran kegagalan UMNO selama ini dalam mendidik rakyat mengenai hakikat Islam. Sikap seperti ini akan menyuburkan pendirian fanatik melulu di kalangan orang Islam yang kurang berilmu. Lebih menghinakan apabila berita mengenainya ditokok tambah dengan pelbagai fitnah baru demi mencapai matlamat politik sempit yang diperjuangkan. Kita sentiasa mengingatkan bahawa umat Islam tidak boleh merelakan diri mereka terus dibelenggu dalam kerangka pemikiran sempit politik perkauman dan agama ala UMNO ini. Ini akan menjadikan kita semakin lesu dan masyarakat bukan Islam pula semakin menjauh dari kita. Yakinlah bahawa, kerja mereka ini akan menjadi sia-sia seperti mencari umbut di dalam batu.

Hakikatnya, tanpa mereka jangka, krisis yang mereka wujudkan ini akan menjadikan orang Melayu dan masyarakat Islam lebih memahami agamanya secara total dan lebih berkeyakinan bahawa Islam dan masyarakat Melayu akan lebih terjamin di bawah Kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat pada masa depan. Inilah keyakinan kita kerana Islam itu tinggi dan merupakan agama yang membawa rahmat untuk seluruh alam.

DR MUHD NUR MANUTY
Pengerusi
Biro Pemahaman & Pemantapan Agama
Parti KeADILan Rakyat
28 Ogos 2010

This one time social political blogger has recently made his Youtube debut – I believe due to [...]]]> Some of you may have heard of Alfred Ho, who used to write occasionally to Malaysiakini, and once memorably told me, “If even a blind man can see how the country is being destroyed, so should the rest of the rakyat.”

This one time social political blogger has recently made his Youtube debut – I believe due to the great efforts of his wife Rufina :)

I think there are some 3-4 languages in the selection below alone :P Would love some videos of some nice Malay numbers tho, hehe. (I’ll update this more a bit later on :)

Anyway, I figured it’d be something nice to leave you with on the weekend :)

(I want to learn this one!!)

Along with Body 2 Body, 1FunnyMalaysia, Where is Justice, and hot on the heels of dismissals of TV producers and radio DJ’s, I think we are seeing a systemic clampdown [...]]]> Much work to attend to, but just a quick chronicle of yesterday’s events. First stop was a press conference on the confiscations of Kim Quek’s book.

Along with Body 2 Body, 1FunnyMalaysia, Where is Justice, and hot on the heels of dismissals of TV producers and radio DJ’s, I think we are seeing a systemic clampdown on responsible free speech.

Thereafter, went upstairs for the launch of Say Sorry Day, inspired by the case of Yong Vui Kong.

I think it’s a great initiative with universal appeal – hope everyone will stay tuned!

Went to seen an ex-colleague who filled me in on lots of recent political dynamics, after which had a nice visit to Pasar Ramadan!

This post is sadly not as good as it could be, and i blame Newsweek :P

Nonetheless.

So, our friend Najib so proudly tweeted [...]]]> Firstly, can I say that Newsweek’s website for this is a total piece of crap. Higher tech is not necessarily better you idiots! Most important is ease of browsing and spreading info!

This post is sadly not as good as it could be, and i blame Newsweek :P

Nonetheless.

So, our friend Najib so proudly tweeted that we came in 37th in some poll on the 100 greatest countries. I thought the poll was worth a closer look.

For starters, let’s look at who beat us:

Israel, Czech Republic, Greece, Croatia, Poland, Chile, Slovakia, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Costa Rica, Latvia

So basically a whole bunch of ex communist bloc countries, Latin American countries well off the beaten path, and a BANKRUPT nation all polled ahead of us?

Still want to be proud?

A friend of mine, who prompted me to finally ‘forgive’ Newsweek long enough to write this, pointed out more:

* Surprisingly Kazakhstan is ranked #14 in education while Malaysia is #36.

* China and Vietnam have better health care than Malaysia’s #52 ranking

* Even Cuba beat us at “quality of life” coming in at #32 while we are at #48

* Mozambique comes in at #47 while Panama is #35 for “political environment” while we are ranked #54

Funny how ex-Eastern Bloc countries, freed from the “evils of communism” in the 1990′s, seems to be doing better than us who has had 53 years of independence. Duh!

Now, said friend had to go through a very painstaking process to gleam these details, which I can’t say I had the patience to.

What that means is that there must be many more…

.. oh screw it. I’m going to pick out one by one and list out at least notable countries that ranked higher than us in political environment. Suck it, Najib.

El Salvador, Indonesia, Peru, Dominican Republic, India, Mozambique, Mexico, Jamaica, Ghana, Brazil, Argentina, Botswana, Uruguay, Latvia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Romania, Panama, Croatia, UK, Hungary, South Africa, Chile, Greece, Costa Rica, Israel, Lithuania, Japan, Slovakia, Portugal.

Ok, I think that’s enough. So basically it’s like a a good chunk of Africa is better of politically than us?

Great jobla, Najib – you wanna prize?

ps- as Pratamad put it, in other news: Newsweek ranked worst ever ‘interactive inforgraphic’, hahaha :)

pps- check out Stephen Colbert, haha

This is really too much. Trying to pick on some unknown bookstore owner?!?

A book vendor, who was initially investigated under the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA), had discovered yesterday that she now faces a sedition charge instead.

Police officers paid Hawee Othman’s bookshop a visit in May and informed her that they were [...]]]>

This is really too much. Trying to pick on some unknown bookstore owner?!?

A book vendor, who was initially investigated under the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA), had discovered yesterday that she now faces a sedition charge instead.

Police officers paid Hawee Othman’s bookshop a visit in May and informed her that they were there to inspect a publication that had no permit.

During the search they confiscated four copies of ‘Isu Dalam Kartun’ monthly magazine by cartoonist Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque, popularly known as Zunar (left), under the PPPA 1984.

They did not inform her of the particular section that she was charged with nor did the police charge sheet specify it.

Hawee tried to challenge the officers by showing them the publication number but was given another reason that the magazine “might have made reference to someone”.

She was stunned that the charge had been changed to section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 when she was called to give a witness’ statement at the Segamat district police headquarters yesterday.

:| Had trouble getting the usual suspects so decide to take it out on a bookshop owner in.. Segamat?!?

Thank goodness Malaysiakini picked this up.

During a good lunch yesterday, talked about this insidious strategy by the authorities to really give book sellers a hard time, because they don’t want to attract foreign attention and bad press by ‘banning books’ outright.

Well, y’all can suck it ok? We will scream this nonsense from the rooftops.

This is no longer 1984, where you control all the media, and can decide what information is hidden any more.

STOP BULLYING!!

Hawee Othman: we all stand with you, and won’t let this bullshit go unnoticed.

*

In other book banning news, the Home Ministry is deciding to play semantics again with “seized” and “taken to undergo scrutiny”.

They can call it whatever they want, we know it’s intimidation.

And you know what the worst part is?

Like Amir’s other book, this action is taken like a year after this book hit the shelves.

So what does that mean? If there really was some hardcore porn, or truly seditious material on the shelves, it’ll take a year before the authorities find out? wtf.

On another book:

Meanwhile, Zaitun told Malaysiakini that the ministry is not responsible for any seizure of the book ‘The March to Putrajaya’ by columnist Kim Quek.

“Perhaps the police took those books, but not us,” she said.

??

Once again, I think we are seeing (a very Malaysian) lack of coordination on their part, and maybe different factions with different power struggles of their own.

These book burners should really just relax. Battle ideas with ideas, not brute force!

You know, I think records will show that I didn’t give Dr. Chua a hard time for his err.. ‘hard’ time depicted above (except occasionally on Twitter, when I cannot resist similarly bad puns :)

But this last week this guy has been really getting my goat.

Firstly, I cannot stand this stupid [...]]]>

(nono, that's not Jamal)

You know, I think records will show that I didn’t give Dr. Chua a hard time for his err.. ‘hard’ time depicted above (except occasionally on Twitter, when I cannot resist similarly bad puns :)

But this last week this guy has been really getting my goat.

Firstly, I cannot stand this stupid sandiwara where he tries to champion Chinese rights by fighting with Umno about ‘bumiputera rights’ etc.

Come onlah, we all know the real issue is corruption, and MCA has more than done it’s part to let that rot flourish in our nation’s recent decades.

This, once again, shows that BN guys keep going back to old, SUPER BORING ZZZZ tactics – harping on PAS, calling for ISA detentions, etc etc. Omigoat, get over it already.

Where do I even start?

First he berlagak, then at the first sign of trouble, he makes a cowardly about turn. Haiyo.

That one never mind, when something genuine is threatened, like responsible freedom of expression – as in DJ Jamal’s suspension (we may not always agree with what people think, but by God they should be able to express themselves) – this fler hangs the victim out to dry.

98.8 FM = owned by Star = owned by MCA. If you can’t even defend your own DJ’s, and instead attack them by saying things like:

Jamal should be more responsible as a Muslim and should not mislead the people during the holy month of Ramadan.

This fler? Wants to preach moral values to others? Hmm.

And is that why he doesn’t care to defend his employee? Because he’s a Malay and a Muslim, not a Chinese in the Malaysian Chinese Association?

Any politician worth his/her salt should be ready to defend the right of an individual to express their opinion. No nation will ever really get that far in the ways that matter without this fundamental liberty (think of some of our neighbours).

This whole thing just disgusts. Geram!

Knowing full well how they feel, I wanted to express solidarity with Kim Quek, Amir Muhammad, Pang Khee Teik, Jerome Kugan, et al. Their two books pictured above have been confiscated from bookstores – years after their publication :P

(I can just imagine our government officials pouring over Body 2 Body: “Eh, [...]]]>

Knowing full well how they feel, I wanted to express solidarity with Kim Quek, Amir Muhammad, Pang Khee Teik, Jerome Kugan, et al. Their two books pictured above have been confiscated from bookstores – years after their publication :P

(I can just imagine our government officials pouring over Body 2 Body: “Eh, maksud ‘and gave it to him’ itu… homoseks ke?” You got more speculation to add? :)

That’s not the only clampdown of today – looks like the government is also coming down hard on Chinese radio. Feeling that 9% heat there, BN?

This ridiculous clampdown on fundamental rights of responsible freedom of expression is deplorable, and puts paid any delusions we might have of a reformed BN government.

It’s almost impossible to believe that they’d be so stupid as to think this would make them more popular in the long run. Perhaps they really have written off the urban areas completely.

As a number of students wanted to attend the session but were unable to make the time, we are having a second info session this Saturday.

Please do try to make it, or at least get in [...]]]> Due to interest, I’m having a second info session for those interested in my 2010 US Applications classes.

As a number of students wanted to attend the session but were unable to make the time, we are having a second info session this Saturday.

Please do try to make it, or at least get in touch, if you’re serious about joining the class. It’s a little harder to take students in midway later.

Thanks!

*

This is an information session for all students interested in joining our classes for 2010 applications to top US universities.

The purpose of this session is for students and Nat to get to know one another, see what our classes are all about, and see whether working together towards that application will be a good fit.

Details:

Time: 11.30am, Saturday, 21st August
Venue: 58 Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (3rd Floor)

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=3.1564297&lon=101.6229022&z=18&l=0&m=b

Those unable to make this time, get in touch and we will see what we can arrange. Thank you!

www.engage.my/mind

Malaysians for Beng Hock Campaign:

Dear fellow Malaysians, please lend your support to Dr. Pornthip and Beng Hock’s family by present at inquest on 18/8/10 (Wed), 9am, Shah Alam High Court. Dr. Pornthip will testify at the inquest that day. Please contact Yap Hwa at 012-2658448 if you have any queries.

关心明福冤案的大马公民，我们呼吁您出席8月18日（三）早上9点的验尸庭，以行动支持泰国法医普缇和明福的家人，地点是莎阿南高等法庭。普缇将于当天出席供证。如有任何疑问，请联络业华（012-2658448）

Rakyat Malaysia diminta memberi [...]]]>

Malaysians for Beng Hock Campaign:

Dear fellow Malaysians, please lend your support to Dr. Pornthip and Beng Hock’s family by present at inquest on 18/8/10 (Wed), 9am, Shah Alam High Court. Dr. Pornthip will testify at the inquest that day. Please contact Yap Hwa at 012-2658448 if you have any queries.

关心明福冤案的大马公民，我们呼吁您出席8月18日（三）早上9点的验尸庭，以行动支持泰国法医普缇和明福的家人，地点是莎阿南高等法庭。普缇将于当天出席供证。如有任何疑问，请联络业华（012-2658448）

Rakyat Malaysia diminta memberi sokongan kepada Dr. Pornthip dan keluarga Beng Hock dengan menghadiri inqueks pada 18/8/10(Rabu), 9am di mahkamah tinggi Shah Alam. Dr. Pornthip akan beri keterangan pada hari tersebut. Sila hubungi Yap Hwa pada 012-2658448 jika ada sebarang pertanyaan

Map 地图： Mahkamah Tinggi Shah Alam

TMI:

Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s recent attempts to embolden the MCA appears to have failed to recapture the confidence of the Chinese community as a recent poll here found that only nine per cent of the electorate regard him as a capable leader.

Instead, the voters were more in favour of his predecessor [...]]]>

TMI:

Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s recent attempts to embolden the MCA appears to have failed to recapture the confidence of the Chinese community as a recent poll here found that only nine per cent of the electorate regard him as a capable leader.

Instead, the voters were more in favour of his predecessor Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat to lead the second largest component party in the Barisan Nasional (BN).

Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon scored even lower than his BN counterpart and was named by only one per cent of voters as a capable leader to represent the Chinese.

Oh.

Looks like Najib backed the wrong horse. This brotherhood of womanisers thing doesn’t seem to have yielded much at the polls.

Now, to be fair, I would like to see who did the survey etc, before committing to comments.

But assuming everything was proper, this result is hardly surprising.

If I had to posit the biggest reason for this epic, one digit fail, I would say it is MCA/BN’s continuing obsession with old school tactics.

I can almost see them you know, sitting around. A few flers going “Eh, I think we should try something new.”

Then the old guard going “Nonono, this stuff worked before, it WILL work again. We must whack PAS all out, then seen to be champions standing up to Umno.”

The rakyat’s reaction? “Zzzzzzz.”

Go onla MCA, keep focusing on fighting Malays. At least you can revel in the fact that you won 9 times the support of Koh Tsu Koon, ahahaha.

Well, better he picks on me than grandmothers like Wan Azizah.. :)

Also, there might be some new upcoming initiatives of a universal nature. Stay tuned.. :)

There’s an information session for all students interested in joining our classes for 2010 applications to top US universities.

The purpose of this session is for students and I to get to know one another, see what our classes are all about, and see whether working together towards [...]]]> Another quick note with regards to Engage Education :)

There’s an information session for all students interested in joining our classes for 2010 applications to top US universities.

The purpose of this session is for students and I to get to know one another, see what our classes are all about, and see whether working together towards that application will be a good fit.

The session will be held at 4.30pm, Wednesday, 18th August. Further details are available at the Facebook event page. Thanks!

Teoh’s note, justice perverted

AUG 13 — Malaysian (in)justice belies belief. We have seen things here that defy the imagination of even the wildest storyteller.

I would like to start by examining in detail the statement released [...]]]> Just a quick plug for today’s TMI article, with a slightly longer ‘director’s cut’, edited-post-publication, pictures added, version printed below. Thanks!

Teoh’s note, justice perverted

AUG 13 — Malaysian (in)justice belies belief. We have seen things here that defy the imagination of even the wildest storyteller.

I would like to start by examining in detail the statement released by the Attorney-General’s Chambers with regards to the alleged “suicide note” left by Teoh Beng Hock.

I shall attempt to retell the narrative this press statement suggests, in a more chronological order. The two main parties involved are the police and the AG’s chambers (yeah, think “Law and Order”). I must note that this account is based only and entirely on the official press statement from the latter.

So, their version seems to go thus: The investigating officer in Teoh’s case, ASP Ahmad Nazri Zainal, finds the note in Teoh’s bag on July 17, 2009, after the death. He does not understand the Chinese written on it and proceeds not to do anything about it until around October 7.

On October 7, ASP Ahmad Nazri approaches the AG’s chambers, and tells them something to this effect: “Hey, are you interested in this letter? I was recently told by a psychiatrist that suicide victims usually leave a suicide note, so I went back to look through his bag after that, and then found this.”

(Of course if the AG’s press statement is to be believed, he said “psychiatric” and not “psychiatrist” — a mistake on either part is equally plausible)

So the AG goes “WTF?” and promptly has the document sent to forensic document examiners on October 9 and 20. Based on their report, he then goes: “This doesn’t seem authentic; and if we bring up something like this two months after the death, people will think it’s fake. Best leave it be, no one needs to know about it.”

Now, fast forward to this last week.

The AG is now saying: “Hey, guess what? That Ahmad Nazri guy? He just confessed that *actually*, he did in fact find the note on July 17, 2009, and not later as previously indicated. He just, you know, didn’t know what it was all about. Yeah. So since he’s now telling us that he found it there and then, and not some time later as he originally told us (which we are writing off as just an honest mistake, really), we figured this is the right time to let the coroner and the public know.”

Were it not for the constraints of professional column writing, I would at this point insert a face represented by two upper case O’s separated by a full stop, to represent my disbelief.

Conversations

Let’s take a quick recap of the irregularities here.

First of all, ASP Ahmad Nazri is quite simply either lying or possessed of an incompetence that defies reason.

Even if we were to take his words at face value, they would have us believe that the cops, in such a high profile case, did not in fact have every single document in Teoh’s bag scrutinised with the utmost of diligence.

If they did not do this, then I suppose it is less of a surprise that investigations into murders like Altantuya Shaariibuu’s seem to end in such unlikely conclusions.

Secondly, why is ASP Ahmad Nazri going to the AG and telling him tales? According to this story, the major reason the AG did not bring this up back in October last year was because this note was allegedly not found on or around July 17, but considerably later.

Going by the press statement, the huge decision not to reveal the note was made after a conversation last year that may have gone like this:

AG: “Eh, you sure you didn’t find this on July 17?”

ASP Ahmad Nazri: “Err. Yeah.”

AG: “OK. Like that, we won’t tell anyone about this then.”

ASP Ahmad Nazri: “Err. OK.”

If your head has stopped spinning, let us then fast-forward again to recent weeks. Now, we are made to believe that a conversation along these lines transpired:

ASP Ahmad Nazri: “Err. Boss. You remember last year when I said I didn’t find that note on July 17?”

AG: “Yeah?”

ASP Ahmad Nazri: “Err. Yeah. Actually, right, I did find it on July 17.”

AG: “What? Really? Are you sure?”

ASP Ahmad Nazri: “Err. Yeah.”

AG: “Hmm. Well. Alright then. In that case, we better go ahead and make it public then, shall we?”

ASP Ahmad Nazri: “Err. OK.”

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen — Malaysian Law and Order.

Clearly you will think I’m being glib, but I do earnestly invite you to read the AG’s press statement for yourself, and see whether my “re-enactments” veer too far from what they would have us believe.

What’s really happening?

For my money, I reckon this is all a load of hogwash.

Given the pressure everyone was under, there is absolutely no way that a suicide note that had even the merest hint of authenticity would have been kept under wraps. Anything that might even have caused a semblance of reasonable doubt in the minds of those enraged at Teoh’s death would have been exploited ad nauseam.

This fairytale the AG seems to be spinning is rife with inconsistency, and can only be described as what we have come to expect from the man who first tried to convict Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy over 10 years ago. Now, as then, the things they expect us to swallow go beyond insulting.

How could a policeman worth even a shred of integrity be either so incompetent or be deliberately misleading the AG himself?

Furthermore, if the AG feels that the authenticity of the note is suspect, then the time the note was purportedly would have scant bearing on whether to release it to the inquest and public.

After all, what the AG’s press statement is actually implying is that he originally suspected the police of fabricating the note, or at the very least, that the note was planted by someone.

Now, some nine months later, he wants us to believe that ASP Ahmad Nazri’s convenient “owning up” as to when exactly he found the note (whether we have anything more than his word to go on, we can hardly say) is sufficient grounds to alter his position with regards to whether the note is fit to be showed to the court.

A more plausible explanation seems to be that the AG is desperately grasping at straws — what more with Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand’s testimony on the horizon. Do they seriously take us for such fools?

Sadly though, no sooner do those words appear on my screen do I realise how clearly they do.

A history of judicial rot

This all begins with Umno Baru and Tun Salleh Abas. It continues unabated through Sodomy I and Sodomy II.

Only this week, the Federal Court upheld the Court of Appeal ruling that quashes a High Court decision that found activist Malek Husin’s 1998 detention under the ISA unlawful.

Reports state that Malek testified that while detained, he “was stripped naked in an air-conditioned room, blindfolded during interrogation, and physically assaulted up to 60 times, beaten until he was unconscious, forced to drink urine and subjected to sexual abuse.”

Lawyers throughout the nation are understandably enraged at this latest in a growing trend of justice frustrated in the upper courts. The most prominent similar example was the case of Perak, where the High Court found in favour of ousted mentri besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, only to find its decision immediately overturned by the Court of Appeal.

Given this recurring pattern, we are confronted with the question of which individuals make up the bench in the appealleate court, and how they got there. Judges, after all, are still human beings, and much as we would like, we cannot assume all would have the same inclinations given the legal merits of a particular case.

In the question of promotions, the elevation of Gani Patail, Musa Hassan and Augustine Paul – all key players in Sodomy I – to apex positions in their profession have aroused the suspicions of many with regards to meritocracy and promotions.

More recently, even the highest judicial officer in the land, Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi, was appointed to his position in a considerably controversial manner.

Tun Zaki was not promoted from any level of the bench, but from his position as a lawyer and, as ‘coincidence’ would have it, a legal advisor to Umno. I’m not sure, but would that technically make even a sessions court judge ‘outrank’ him prior to his catapult into power?

Whatever Tun Zaki’s personal integrity, surely such a conflict of interest would be beyond inconceivable in any real, functioning democracy. If we cannot trust the promotion of key judges to the higher courts, how then, can we expect them to uphold justice pronounced by the lower courts – as in the Malek Husin and Perak cases?

These ongoing, mind-boggling trends cannot but put us in the mind of justice as being treated like a cheap whore — used and abused at will by those with money and power. I daresay there are plenty of actual prostitutes around with far more integrity than seems to pervade our justice system.

We can only hope that Malaysians from all backgrounds will do everything that is necessary to stop these perversions of justice, before the rot runs too deep.

Today we see ex-ISA detainee Malek Husin’s appeal with regards to his torture and wrongful detention dismissed. He won the case at the High Court, overturned by the Court of Appeal in a decision now supported by the Federal Court.

In a much smaller case, we saw yesterday or so Bung Mokhtar’s jail sentence [...]]]>

Today we see ex-ISA detainee Malek Husin’s appeal with regards to his torture and wrongful detention dismissed. He won the case at the High Court, overturned by the Court of Appeal in a decision now supported by the Federal Court.

In a much smaller case, we saw yesterday or so Bung Mokhtar’s jail sentence from the Syariah Lower Court being overturned by the Syariah High court.

(Worth noting: the judge said “The court notes that this is not a Syariah criminal offence, and that this is only a procedural and matrimonial offence. However, this ruling will not stop other courts from imposing a jail sentence for similar offences.”

Wah. So if you guilty, you get jail, unless you MP? Wtf)

Another major case of course was the fall of Perak to BN, where once again, the decision of the High Court was overturned on appeal.

The dire and ongoing pattern raises a simple but important question – how are judges for the Court of Appeal and Federal Court promoted?

If I’m not mistaken, the ultimate authority for promotion of judges is determined by the Chief Justice, who is in turn is selected by the Executive.

It is worth pointing out of course that our current Chief Justice, Tun Zaki, was appointed under highly irregular circumstances.

Not only was he the first ever individual to be catapulted directly from practising lawyer to highest judicial officer in the land at the sudden stroke of a pen – directly before his appointment, he served as a legal advisor to Umno.

Many lawyers are quite aghast at the Malek Husin ruling. @EdmundBon said it well:

Amazing justice. Detained w/out trial 57days,tortured,beaten up& now to pay costs rm70k. Don’t tell me we s/things not wrong

I share similar shock at the way we Malaysians continue to tolerate the most blatant conflicts of interest, and the ongoing rape of our judiciary.

Tun Zaki’s appointment is the latest in a line of events that began with Tun Salleh Abas, and exemplified in Augustine Paul’s own rise to the Federal Court.

Without fixing (in all likelihood ie, replacing) our Executive, I’m not sure how we can stem this tide of disgusting rot, where the upper courts continue to pervert the course of justice.

R: You want to lose your that one?! FASTER SMILE BIGGER!

N: OUCH!! erk…. okokok

2.

N: *mouths silently* … whatever you do, don’t stare straight into her eyesssssss!….