Selasa, 5 Julai 2011

Kopitiam Bang Nan

Kopitiam Bang Nan

Bersih and the inane responses - Sakmongkol AK47

Posted: 05 Jul 2011 09:38 PM PDT

July 06, 2011JULY 6 — This present government has developed one distinguishing characteristic not unlike the previous administration. If the previous administration was maligned as being uninspiring and sleeping through its job, this present government isn't that far from being similarly aspersed. How so?

It has shown it has a knack of being inept at handling small shocks to the system. Many of us for example are not supporters of Anwar Ibrahim, but the manner the government handles the Anwar affairs — whether it's the sodomy 2 charge or the recent video clip showing a person resembling Anwar in a sexual tryst, the administration has shown its ineptness and incompetence.

In the video clip affair for example, people see the court as being a manipulated instrument to serve the interest of the sitting government. The court has allowed itself to be the pulpit for making political statements; lawyers representing the three people accused of possession and distribution or broadcasting pornographic material, used that occasion to declare the authenticity of the video and its main actor. How was it relevant and moreover we heard it through a secondary source- i.e. regurgitation from the defence lawyers. That become hearsay evidence and can be contested.

Its Anwar again this time having his hands tied behind and walloped defencelessly. Last time it was the physical black eye. This time it is the legal black eye. The last time, it nearly cost the loss of Najib in Pekan, this time it could probably cost more to Umno as a whole.

The current shock to the system — a system made merry by numerous announcements of projects by the PM and his chief major domo in this field of auta-mania, Idris Jala, is how the government handles the Bersih NGO.

This is an NGO led by a Malaysian Indian lady by the name of S Ambiga. This lady has managed to rattle almost all the top guns in Umno and those wishing they were part of Umno.

Ibrahim Ali is responding mindlessly justifying his conduct as an answer to his interpretation of Bersih as being a movement to (1) unseat the government and (2) attacking the position of Malays. So he steps in as the self-appointed warrior defending the position of Malays. He says he is willing to be murderous and warned the Chinese to stay away. But he hasn't asked his Chinese business backers to do the same.

Bersih was a godsend re-invigorating Ibrahim Ali from an otherwise political stupor. He now has an issue and Ibrahim Ali lives.

But why is Ibrahim Ali defending the Umno led government? Ibrahim Ali is not even an Umno member. Two, has Umno not got enough warrior politicians to defend it in its hour of need? Umno does not need Ibrahim Ali to speak for the party. If it does, then the warrior politicians in Umno have since become eunuchs.

The other reason for attacking Bersih as a movement to endanger Malays and Malay interests is too far-fetched to be dignified by answering it.

Who is the right mind will entertain the idea of unseating the government through undemocratic means? The only one that did, were the Umno politicians who engineered the downfall of the Perak PR government. Already there are signs that the Perak government will be retaken by the PR forces.

Ambiga and the Bersih people must be absent minded or must have suffered a bout of spontaneous amnesia to not be aware that Governments can be unseated only though democratic means, that is by way of free and fair elections. Therefore to seriously suggest that Bersih is a copycat version of the mass movements in Tunisa and Egypt is not acceptable.

Our response becomes more bizarre when the discovery of the portrait of Shamsiah Fakeh among Bersih rally paraphernalia is taken as proof that Bersih is communist inspired! The whole handling becomes even more macabre with the 'discovery' of weapons said to belong to Bersih would be participants. Oh yes. Oh yes — more of the incompetence. The discovery is a miracle to happen just before the planned rally. I hope the people masterminding the discovery will also be ready with some creative answers to tell the PM, how the weapons were 'planted' there. How convenient! The gods must be smiling at the politicians and police.

And now the investigation into the finances of Bersih shall be used as proof that Bersih is a Trojan horse for foreign subversion. That would probably provide an aphrodisiac for the recuperating Dr Mahathir who is a well-known opponent of any form of colonialism.

People may get inspired by those movements but were probably so without seriously entertaining the idea of unseating a government by undemocratic or violent means. Public opinion will certainly go against Bersih if that is the case. Ambiga will be lynched for that.

But the aims of Bersih are not that. By asking the elections commission to conduct itself properly shows that Bersih accepts that the means to unseat a government is through the voting system. But the voting system is in need of better supervision and that's where the demands on the election commission come to the fore.

This aim should be supported. Some people will show their support by participating in the rally. Some will not do so. It's a matter of choice.

The right to express their wishes must be upheld by the government. If Perkasa and other groups supportive of the sitting government are allowed to gather and demonstrate, that right must also be given to others. If the Bersih planned rally is wrong in law, then the same judgment applies to the rallies carried out by supporters of the sitting government.

Our laws are clear. If people break the law, irrespective of who they are, they must be brought to before the forces of the law. We have the institutions to deal with that and we certainly don't need a third line of defence. Can any secret society and gangster organisations apply to be a bona-fide 3rd line of defence?

The problem here is that the elections commission is seen as a pliant tool for one side of the contestants. It doesn't answer questions with solutions but gives all sorts of excuses. People accept the principle of elections as a means to establish governments. But they also want that means to be above board. They accept they are powerless unless they act collectively and speak as a voice. The powerless are striking back demanding that competition to get power to form governments be carried out fairly and in even handed manners.

The body that oversees elections is conducted fairly and transparently is the elections commission. We mustn't lose sight of the object of the current disputes now. Bersih's objective is to call upon the election commissions to conduct itself as it's chartered to do. This isn't a rally threatening the sovereignty of the Agong or to strike fear at Malays.

The election commission is an independent commission. It's not just another government department answerable to the Chief Secretary or even to the PM. It's the custodian of fair and transparent conduct of elections and it must guard this role jealously. It does so jealously from the meddling and intervention of interested parties. It must also rid itself of any perceptions of being a submissive tool for those holding power at the moment.

Its responses to criticisms therefore mustn't be evasive. It has to avail itself to the latest methods and technology that upgrade the participation of people in an electoral process. If the use of indelible ink is good for participatory democracy it must adopt the method as a natural development without having to be at pains defending its non-usage. If making voting compulsory and its cost effective doing so, then it must do so.

People are now diverting their attention to debating whether the planned assembly of people in the Bersih Rally should be allowed or otherwise. The real issue has and is always the conduct of the elections commission.

The watching majority must be dismayed at the response of our police. The police with all the sophisticated instruments of crowd control and other suppressive means appear to have admitted that they are powerless to control the crowds. What have we spent public money for then? The idea of a police is to keep the peace. In keeping the peace, it must conduct its business in a professional manner and be fair minded. If Bersih is not allowed to hold rallies, then other parties must also be disallowed.

In Penang, the police have given permit for some people to hold a rally? In Rembau, some people consisting of ex policemen were given permit? Ibrahim Ali was even given a permit to denounce a rally that has not taken place. He is a clairvoyant extraordinaire who can see the future. In ancient times, people like Ibrahim Ali got burnt at the stakes. Shall we roast Ibrahim Ali then?

Let's not forget the object of the issue. It's the election commission. It answers to the Agong and therefore should not be seen as working for an interested party. What's the problem with clearing the electoral registers off dead people? How can it apply its resources and time to restructure how postal votes can be seen to be fair and transparent? How can it monitor and apply strict rules to election spending and election funding etc.?

These are important issues to those looking at elections as a means to exercise their democratic rights to elect a government of their choice. This isn't an issue whether public demonstrations or going on a march as practices that are good only elsewhere but not suitable in Malaysia. The need to express publicly the collective wants and demands is part and parcel a democracy. — sakmongkol.blogspot.com

Doa TGNA Untuk Agong di depan Kaabah

Posted: 05 Jul 2011 07:01 PM PDT

Harakahdaily

KUALA LUMPUR, 6 Julai: "Di bawah naungan Kaabah, patik dengan penuh rasa kasih dan sayang berdoa semoga KDYMM Tuanku dan Permaisuri dilimpahi rahmat oleh Allah SWT," kata Mursyidul Am PAS, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz yang berada di Mekah waktu ini kerana menunaikan umrah menyatakan demikian di dalam suratnya kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Beliau yang juga Menteri Besar Kelantan mengutuskan surat itu sebagai respons kepada titah Yang di-Pertuan Agong berhubung perhimpunan aman Bersih 2.0 pada 9 Julai ini.

Berikut adalah kandungan penuh surat berkenaan.

Mengadap Ke Bawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah Al-Haj.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

Sukalah patik ingin memaklumkan kepada pihak Tuanku bahawa patik sedang berada di Tanah Suci Makkah Al-Mukarramah untuk mengerjakan umrah dan Insya-Allah dijadualkan akan pulang ke tanah air pada 10 Julai 2011.

Patik di sini mendoakan agar KDYMM Tuanku serta Permaisuri sentiasa dilimpahi keberkatan yang berpanjangan daripada Allah SWT.

Patik mendengar khabar berita bahawa pihak Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih 2.0) telah diberi ampuni untuk mengadap KDYMM Tuanku pada pagi ini dan menyembahkan tuntutan-tuntutan ke arah memastikan perjalanan pilihan raya yang lebih bersih dan terjamin ketelusannya.

Patik juga dimaklumkan bahawa pihak penganjur telah dinasihatkan agar tidak mengadakan perarakan di tempat terbuka dan memindahkannya di tempat yang tertutup seperti stadium bagi menjamin perjalanan yang aman dan tidak mengganggu ketenteraman awam.

Justeru, patik ingin merakamkan setinggi-tinggi tahniah di atas keprihatinan KDYMM Tuanku terhadap kehendak rakyat untuk merasai keadilan melalui sistem demokrasi yang telah dijamin di dalam perlembagaan Malaysia.

Sukalah patik mempersembahkan pendirian patik bahawa sebarang pertukaran kepimpinan negara di bawah sistem pilihan raya yang adil tidak akan mendatangkan huru-hara sama sekali seperti yang berlaku di negara-negara lain seperti Jepun dan terkini negara jiran iaitu Thailand.

Sekali lagi tahniah dan junjung kasih berpanjangan dari patik.

Semoga KDYMM Tuanku dan Permaisuri terus dilindungi Allah SWT dan terus berperanan sebagai payung yang menaungi seluruh rakyat jelata.

Sesungguhnya KDYMM Tuanku adalah umpama ibu bapa tempat rakyat yang terdiri dari pelbagai kefahaman politik mengadu keluh kesah.

Di bawah naungan Kaabah, patik dengan penuh rasa kasih dan sayang berdoa semoga KDYMM Tuanku dan Permaisuri dilimpahi rahmat oleh Allah SWT.

Patik yang menjunjung kasih,

YANG AMAT BERHORMAT DATUK BENTARA SETIA HAJI NIK ABDUL AZIZ BIN NIK MAT,

Al-Mursyidul Am

Parti Islam Semalaysia (PAS).

Bertarikh: 3 Syaaban 1432H bersamaan 5 Julai 2011M

On second thought...kat stadium OK gak. Hehe...!! Jangan marah Noh...

Posted: 05 Jul 2011 03:39 AM PDT

Yeh! Yeh! Kita menang!…hmm…or did we?

Bersih 2.0 will hold its rally for electoral reforms in a stadium and not in the streets, the group said today fresh from an audience with the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong in Istana Negara. "We accept the government's offer to hold the demonstration in a stadium. We will not hold it in the streets," Bersih 2.0 chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan told reporters today.

NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin

Datuk: Tan Sri!

Tan Sri: Calm down, Datuk….apa hal bising sangat ni?

Datuk: I have some good news, Tan Sri.

Tan Sri: Ah, what is it this time? Ambiga has migrated and has applied for Australian citizenship?

Datuk: No lah, Tan Sri. Better than that.

Tan Sri: What can be better than Ambiga leaving Malaysia?

Datuk: The BERSIH march is off…cancelled…batal.

Tan Sri: Hmm…that is certainly good news. How come?

Datuk: Ambiga had an audience with the Agong this afternoon and BERSIH has agreed to cancel the street march and hold a rally in the stadium instead.

Tan Sri: His Majesty agreed to meet Ambiga?

Datuk: Yes.

Tan Sri: So that means His Majesty recognises BERSIH?

Datuk: Looks like it.

Tan Sri: So that means we can't ban BERSIH then.

Datuk: Why not, Tan Sri?

Tan Sri: Aiyah...if His Majesty had an official meeting with BERSIH this would mean His Majesty recognises BERSIH.

Datuk: So?

Tan Sri: So it means we can't ban BERSIH. If not then His Majesty would be guilty of collaborating with an illegal organisation and we would have to arrest His Majesty under the Internal Security Act.

Datuk: Oh…I never thought of that.

Tan Sri: Yes…and that's why you are a mere Datuk while I am a Tan Sri.

Datuk: That also means we cannot allege that BERSIH is backed by the Communists and Jews. If not then His Majesty would be guilty of working with the Communists and Jews.

Tan Sri: Now you are getting it. So how can that be good news?

Datuk: Didn't His Majesty think of this? Aiyah…why so stupid?

Tan Sri: Hey, that is seditious. You can't call the Agong stupid.

Datuk: No, I didn't mean it like that. I meant it was stupid of us to allow the Agong to meet Ambiga.

Tan Sri: But we dragged the Agong into this. So how can we prevent the Agong from meeting BERSIH?

Datuk: Ia lah. We made a big mistake in issuing that statement from the Agong.

Tan Sri: Hey! Cakap baik sikit!

Datuk: Sorry, I meant we made a big mistake in asking the Agong to issue that statement.

Tan Sri: That's better. Don't ever say we issued that statement on behalf of the Agong.

Datuk: Okay lah, but at least the street march is off…now it's been reduced to just a rally in a stadium.

Tan Sri: How many people do you think will attend the rally?

Datuk: Not sure. Maybe 100,000…could even be 200,000. Now that it is no longer an illegal assembly and there is no danger of arrests many more people may turn out. Those who were initially afraid to turn out may now turn out since it is safe. Mana tahu? Could even be 300,000 people.

Tan Sri: How would 300,000 people park their cars at the stadium?

Datuk: Oh, cannot lah. There is not enough car park space for 300,000 people. They will have to park their cars elsewhere and walk to the stadium…or take public transport.

Tan Sri: So, to get to the stadium they will have to walk, right?

Datuk: That's right.

Tan Sri: Which means they will be marching to the stadium instead of marching to the Agong's palace, right?

Datuk: Yes, that's right…oh…I see what you mean.

Tan Sri: Yes, that's what I mean. So the march is still on then. Only now it is a legal march, not an illegal march. And they will march to the stadium instead of to the palace. And we can't do anything about it because the Agong has agreed to this. We can no longer arrest the marchers.

Datuk: Aiyah! This is a disaster. We got tricked. What to do, Tan Sri?

Tan Sri: What can we do? His Majesty has just given BERSIH legitimacy and it has been agreed that a legal rally can be held in the stadium and because of the huge crowd that may turn out they cannot drive to the stadium but will have to march there dressed in yellow shirts.

Datuk: Mampus!

Tan Sri: Yes, mampus. This is even worse. At least if they proceeded with the original plan we can ban BERSIH and declare it a menace to society and a threat to nation security. Now we can't touch them. We can't even arrest anyone on 9th July. And because the rally is legal more people will come out. They are not scared any more. And Umno Youth and PERKASA can't march on the streets in opposition to BERSIH. If they do we will have to arrest them.

Datuk: Alamak. We can't touch the BERSIH marchers but will have to arrest the Umno Youth and PERKASA marchers. And Khairy already said if BERSIH cancels the street march he is prepared to work with them. So Umno Youth must now support the BERSIH rally at the stadium.

Tan Sri: Exactly. Now you know why I am a Tan Sri and you are just a Datuk?

Datuk: And that means we can't also ask the Agong to revoke Ambiga's citizenship.

Tan Sri: Revoke citizenship for what? For obeying the Agong by cancelling the street march and by holding a rally at the stadium like how Najib asked them to?

Datuk: Somehow I think we have been had…suckered big time.

Tan Sri: Aiyah…please get out of here and leave me alone. I need to draft my resignation letter.

Datuk: What should I do, Tan Sri?

Tan Sri: I suggest you also go draft your resignation letter. Najib will want both our heads on a silver platter after this.
Dicatat oleh di

Tiada ulasan:

Catat Ulasan

Langgan: Catat Ulasan (Atom)