Misuari’s final gambit?

By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News

Old, forgotten and hounded, the once-great Nur Misuari, founder of the once-formidable Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), is now dealing his last card in Zamboanga City.

Zamboangueños woke up last Monday to his latest and what I imagine is his last caper as time and the tides of history dealt him an insurmountable blow a long time ago when he failed miserably as governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. Sidelined in the recent negotiations for lasting peace in Mindanao, he has resorted to the thing he knows best to get attention: blow his way into the national headlines.

His timing could not have been more impeccably suspect as protests against the scandalous multi-billion peso misuse of pork barrel funds is mounting and inching towards the doorstep of Malacañang. It does not take a rocket scientist, hence, to wonder if this Misuari misadventure in Zamboanga has been staged, complete with unlimited funding, to divert attention—and heat—from the capital. Even a lowly taxi driver told a friend and colleague of mine who rode with him, “When Misuari needs money, he goes to war.”

The question to ask therefore is this: Who is funding this little war that Misuari has foisted on the helpless people of Zamboanga? While Misuari may have some following in Sulu where his popularity among the older generation of the MNLF remains, I do not think those followers will risk whatever money they have to this caper that everyone knows will only end in pushing Misuari and whatever cause he is espousing further into the back-burner to be judged later by history. Old men tend to grumble when the latter and younger generation fail to notice what they want. But they do not go to war for it, not unless they have the guns and the bombs. And those cost money.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/486249/misuaris-final-gambit#ixzz2ejHogvam 

Also read:

Nur Misuari’s last scream

Philippine Pork and its Many Bedfellow

Written by John Berthelsen and A. Lin Neumann

Pork no more The current scandal over patronage funds exposes deeper truths about the country's feudal ways The Philippines' multibillion dollar Pork Barrel, the center of a massive and growing scandal, is a river of money that enriches those most at its confluence but then flows down to mayors and other local political leaders, corrupting the democratic process as it goes, with a trickle eventually reaching impoverished voters in the form of favors and benefits intended to buy loyalty for the local congressman. The Pork Barrel, formally known as the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), provides each of the country's 24 senators with P200 million (US$4.8 million) per year, or P1.2 billion for an entire six-year term. Congressional representatives receive P70 million per year, or P210 million for their three year terms. For months, attention has been riveted on the activities of Janet Lim Napoles, who made herself and her family massively rich after she set up a series of phony NGOs that were the recipients of PDAF funds that were then apparently recycled back to the lawmakers in cash after Napoles took a 30 percent cut. That story has been told extensively and is the subject of an official government audit report; at least six senators and 28 congressmen could be liable for criminal charges. Mother's Milk  But the other part of the story is how these funds even when "properly" used perpetuate an almost unbreakable system, helping to create a long chain of political dynasties. In effect the PDAF has been a government-funded way to sustain a corrupt and feudal system. The way the funds are used illustrates the enormous difficulty of ending or reforming a system that makes a truism of the phrase that money is the mother's milk of politics. The funds were intended to finance rural development projects for constituents but investigations have shown that while many districts benefit from them, more often they are used as a method of delivering patronage and furthering the business interests of powerful local families. The poorly audited PDAF funds and other sources of money that flow down from lawmakers to district officials or mayors are sometimes used to fund outright illegal operations including smuggling of drugs or weapons and munitions sales, according to a former military officer, virtually unstoppable by an outmanned, outgunned and often corrupt customs service trying to police an archipelago of 7,100 islands, about 2,000 of which are inhabited.Read more.

Mutalib MD - The Unsung Hero

Hantu Laut

Though I don't know him personally and have never met the man I share the loss of this unsung hero, who for many years have been ridiculed by those in power for exposing the issuance of I/Cs to illegal immigrants from the Philippines and Indonesia.

He was the first to expose the "I/C Palsu" and letting illegal immigrants to votes using forged I/C. He also started the first widely read Sabah political blog "Sabahkini"

A true Sabahan who for years pursue the illegal I/C and illegal immigrants problems but to no avail as the power that be denied any involvement.

As the adage "truth will out" what he wrote and has been saying all these years came true at the RCI (Royal Commission of Enquiry) that had many recipients of illegal I/Cs coming forward to testify.

A true and fearless Sabahan, who tried to right the wrongs, but did not live long enough to see through what he has been fighting for all these years.

A champion for Sabahans, an unsung hero, we will be missing him.

My deepest condolence to his family and may Allah bless his soul.

Alfateha.

Pinoy Babel Incorporated

Hantu Laut

Accident can happen when we least expect it and nothing we can do to stop it.

I always have reservations about flying in places like the Philippines, Indonesia, Burma, Laos and countries where air safety standard takes a back seat.

The Philippines had more than fair share of disasters, natural and man-made. 

From God's furies of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and seasonal typhoons to man-made maritime and aviation disasters and not forgetting the restive provinces in the south where killings and murders hardly bat an eye.

If you think the Titanic was the worst peacetime maritime disaster, it was, but not anymore.

The worst commercial maritime disaster in history happened in the Philippines. The collision, ensuing fire and eventual sinking of the "MV Dona Paz" in 1987 dwarfed the death toll on the Titanic. The death toll of the Dona Paz was estimated at 4,375 people.

The tragedy was caused by human greed. 

The Dona Paz was formally the "Himeyuri Maru" built in 1963 and plied the Japanese waters and had passenger capacity of 608 people. It was later sold to Sulpicio Lines in the Philippines in 1975 and used as inter-island ferry.

A ferry with 608-passenger capacity carried more than 4,000 passengers? A mind-boggling feat of sheer greed bordering insanity. Thousands of names were not on the ship's manifest and official investigation also revealed only one apprentice member of the crew was monitoring the bridge when the accident occurred, other officers were either drinking beer or watching television and the captain watching movie on his video player.

The Philippines has a long list of inter-island maritime disasters and Filipinos are one of the most indiscipline people in Asia.They have no time for rules and regulations.

Air and sea travel are still considered the safest mode of transport, but accident do happen and can happen when you least expect it and more often than not in countries where people have no respect for rules and regulations.

Cebu Pacific crash landing exemplifies a shambolic air transport system

The crash landing Sunday of a Cebu Pacific domestic flight in Davao City in the Philippines exposed a long series of disasters after the flight veered off the runway and ended up nose-down in a ditch.

More than 160 passengers of Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 971 escaped unharmed after the plane came to a stop, although passengers charged that the evacuation procedure was such a mess that if the plane had caught fire, disaster would have ensued. All flights into and out of the Davao airport were cancelled.

That was only the start of the passengers' problems, with the travel chaos spilling over to the next day as they were bused 170 km to another airport where crowds waited for hours to be processed. The plane was still stranded yesterday, making Davao City's runway inaccessible to incoming and outgoing flights. Read more.

Sabah crisis sends wider ripples

MANILA - Amid intensifying territorial disputes with China and new uncertainty over the US's military commitment to the region, the Philippines strategic headaches have been further complicated by the unfolding crisis in Sabah, Malaysia. 

Malaysian armed forces are now engaged in a full-scale mopping up operation against followers of the Philippines-based Sulu Sultanate, which launched a rag-tag occupation of a remote area of the Malaysian state to assert Sultan Jamalul Kiram's historical claims to the territory. After a long stand-off, Malaysian forces assaulted and killed several members of Kiram's non-state Royal Security Forces (RSF). 

The violence now threatens to spiral with an estimated 800,000 Filipinos among Sabah's 3.2 million population and signs of insurgent-style attacks outside of the initial occupation area. The crisis has ignited popular calls for a re-assertion of Philippine historical claims to Sabah, an oil-rich, ethnically diverse state on the island of Borneo that historically has had an uneasy relationship with the Malaysian federal government in Kuala Lumpur.Read more.

Manila Pooed On Itself Of A Pooh-Pooh Claim

Hantu Laut

Spain evacuated Sulu in May,1899 and on 26th August 1899 General Bates of the United States army concluded a treaty with Sultan Jamalul Kiram and the sovereignty of Sulu passed from Spain to the United States of America.

The status of Sulu had entirely changed by 1915 and the Sultan had by then been shorn of all temporal power and retained only the empty title of Sultan and certain religious jurisdiction exercisable only by the consent of the parties, a situation which is described by a letter to the Sultan dated 30th July 1920, from the Director of the Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes of the Department of the Interior, Manila.

After the death of Sultan Jamalul Kiram in 1936 the Philippine Government, the successors in sovereignty of the United States of America, decided not to recognise the continued existence of the Sultanate, according to a letter to the Governor of North Borneo dated 28th July 1936 from His Britannic Majesty's Consul General at Manila.

Those are extracts from a Judgement of Civil Suit 169/39 brought by Dayang Dayang Haji Piandao Kiram and 8 others against the Government of North Borneo.

Below, Article III of the Madrid Protocol affirming the exclusion and cession of North Borneo (Sabah) to the British Crown, administered by the British North Borneo Company.

"The Spanish Government renounces, as far as regards the British Government, all claims of sovereignty over the territories of the continent of Borneo, which belong, or which have belonged in the past to the Sultan of Sulu (Jolo), and which comprise the neighbouring islands of Balambangan, Banguey, and Malawali, as well as all those comprised within a zone of three maritime leagues from the coast, and which form part of the territories administered by the Company styled the “British North Borneo Company.” 

Read full text of the Madrid Protocol here.

There are more than sufficient documentary evidences in existence to prove Sabah no longer belong to the Philippines by their own assertion. 

Manila pooed on itself by flogging a dead horse.

Read "Revival of Sabah claim under review", a  nation run by eunuchs and sissies, their balls shrank when facing a Moro-nic threat.

Flip-Flop Security: As Sabahan I Have Right To Be Angry

Hantu Laut

As a Sabahan I have the right to get angry and question whether these people are fit to be heads of our security forces.

The flip-flopping is unbelievable and becoming a huge embarrassment to the country and posed greatest danger to Sabahans.

Can we trust them to look after our safety? 

Are they fit to run the show after seeing how uncoordinated and confounded they are. 

If they can't coordinate their intelligence ground work, how are they going to coordinate fighting the enemies on the ground when they don't know where they are. 

Two days ago, the Sabah Commissioner of Police said here that Agbimmudin Kiram, the leader of the band of terrorists is still in Sabah.

Yesterday, the Chief of Armed Forces and the IGP made a joint statement here that Agbimmudin has fled Sabah, leaving his men behind.

Today, again the Sabah police chief stressed his so-called evidence here that the leader of the band of Suluk bandits is still in Sabah.

I think he is dead!, or just consider him dead. What difference does it make whether he fled, dead, or alive. He has no more communication with the Chief Extortionist, The Royal Highness Sultan of Sulu, so, very likely, he is dead.

Shouldn't we Sabahans be angry with this kind of ineptitude?

Read here what former OCPD of Lahad Datu said of the attitude of his superiors in KL when it comes to Sabah security, an unforgivable malfeasance act by irresponsible heads.

Najib Tell Your Security People Shape Up Or Ship Out.

Hantu Laut

Was he there in the first place?

If he was than how in hell he managed to disappear into the black hole when security was already thightened and the area cordoned off and the police told us Sabahans not to worry that everything is under control.

This is bad news for Sabahans.

If he can escape so easily it can only mean our security people do not know what they are doing, which also mean they can come and go as they wish. They can send for re-enforcement and come in undetected.




As I have mentioned in my earlier post he may not be in there, he may be directing his man from a hotel room somewhere in the Philippines or from a village in Sibutu, Simunul or Bongao, all very near to Lahad Datu.

It's definitely a black eye for our security forces and for the Chief of Armed Forces and the Chief of Police who told reporters at a joint press conference at the Le Meridien Hotel, Kota Kinabalu of the screw-up.




Najib, tell your security people to shape up, or ship out! Their intelligence gathering sucks.

The joke is Azzimudie Kiram is 72 years old, but have the prowess and mobility of a young man.

Suluks Exodus:Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish

Hantu Laut

God news for Sabahans. 

It's been long time coming and something good has come out of the armed incursion. 

Let's hope they leave in droves and never to come back again to this beloved land of ours. 

A culture of violence and barbarity that knows no gratitude nor compassion. We have a duty to respond with equal severity what they have inflicted on us. We shall leave no stone unturned to find them, flush them out and eliminate them.

Read here, bad Suluks fleeing the state.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

The bad rubbish!

A good question to ask is, if they can negotiate our waters to leave, can they also do the same thing to come in under stealthy cover?

Here, an ex deputy general's fart so stinky you can smell it a mile away. Had he been a better leader such incompetence won't happen, he was part of the problem.

Shafie Apdal Do You Know Your History ?

Hantu Laut

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"....... George Santayana

Was Sabah invaded by the British?

If one were to relive history and bring us back to the colonial era of European domination of the world one would be surprised of the many different ways, the many different European nations gained control over most of Asia, Africa and the Americas.

They achieved global domination by sending their armies to conquer, or sending their merchants to trade, or gunboat diplomacy, or by sending their people to settle.

European imperialism and dominance controlled almost three-quarters of the world land mass and population in the nineteenth century and controlled much of the world's finance, commerce, intellectual life and military power. 

As they say "the sun never set in the British empire" as it covers the entire world's time zones where the sun rises in one and sets in another. The British Empire encircled the globe then. A good read on the British Empire is a book by Niall Ferguson titled "Empire:How Britain Made The Modern World"

Among the European colonialists, the British were probably the most temperate and civilised, most of her colonies are gained through trade, negotiation, or gunboat diplomacy. Unlike, the Spaniards and Portugese, who were true invaders with gun blazing in many of the countries they took, Britain seldom have to fire their guns to take a country. Only when they are set as colonial masters would they consider any uprising as rebellion and will quell it with armed forces as in the Indian Mutiny and other small and obscured uprisings in their other colonies.

It surprised me that the Federal Minister of Rural Development Shafie Apdal said in a news article that appeared on Page 5 of the Daily Express dated 9 March 2013 that when the British invaded Sabah the heirs to the Sultan Of Sulu whom he says had the rights but did not defend Sabah.

I am not sure which "Buku Sejarah" our minister read. 

The British never invaded Sabah as what the Sultan of Sulu is trying to do now with armed incursion.Not a single shot was fired by the British to take this land. 

The acquisition of Sabah by the British was a long drawn affair that started as a business by private individuals. It was governed by  private individuals and the Chartered Company for almost half a century before the Japanese invasion.

Sabah, was invaded by the Japanese in World War II and became a crown colony and part of the British Empire after being liberated by Britain after the war. 

The only country that ever invaded Sabah was Japan, not  Britain  as inferred by our honourable minister.

I will not delve further into the history book as most educated Sabahans would know the history, except our minister, who may have mistakenly equate the Sulu invasion an "casus belli" (act of war) as justification to regain a territory taken by force in the past.

Sabah was acquired from the Sultanate of Sulu by treaties who ceded the territory to the British by the then Sultan. The Sultan was not under any threat of war when his signed the cession treaty. Stupid, maybe, but certainly not under duress or threat of war.

Territory can be ceded for payment as in the Louisiana and Alaska Purchase. Louisiana was ceded by France to the US for a total sum of $15 million and Alaska ceded by the Russian at a cost of $7.2 million. 

Cession money can be paid in any form, in lump sum, by instalments or in perpetuity, up to the parties concerned to decide.

Cession is an act by which a personal claim is transferred from the assignor  to the assignee. Once the obligation is transferred the cession is entirely substituted and the assignor loses his right and the new concessionaire gains that right.

The Philippines government has refused to take criminal action against the Sultan and all those responsible for the death and destruction inflicted on our soil which make them complicit in the act of terror against our nation. 

Malaysia should claim damages from the Philippines government for losses suffered by the nation caused by the armed incursion of its citizens.

Najib, when this is all over we Sabahans demand that you seek compensation from the Philippines government for all losses and cost of the war against the Filipino terrorists.

Unpatriotic Pakatan Supporters Support Sulu Invasion

Hantu Laut

I am not sure what to make of this most irresponsible piece of garbage coming from Pakatan Rakayat supporters.

This piece of muck is to incite anger and hatred of the Suluk people against our police, armed forces and Sabahans.

Anwar Ibrahim, you should be ashamed of yourself as de facto letter of the opposition to allow your supporters post such irresponsible and dangerous propaganda that can endanger the lives of our police, armed forces and Sabahans by pitting the Suluks against us.

Read the Facebook posting below and judge for yourself if you want these people to be your next government.

Would anyone like to lodge a police report?

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  KUALA LUMPUR, 10 Mac — Ribuan warga Filipina dilaporkan melarikan diri dari Sabah dan pulang ke negara mereka bimbang tentang penderaan dan keganasan yang didakwa akan digunakan oleh polis Malaysia ke atas orang Suluk dan mereka disyaki penyokong keluarga Kiram, menurut laporan media Filipina.
  Golongan pelarian itu diwawancara oleh The Philippine Daily Inquirer semalam, mendakwa mereka melarikan diri dari Malaysia timur selepas menyaksikan keganasan yang dilakukan pihak berkuasa dalam usaha menghalau penceroboh awal minggu ini.
  Seorang pelarian berkata, lelaki Filipina ada yang diheret dari rumah mereka dan dipukul, dan memaksa mereka berlari sebelum polis menembak ke arah mereka, walaupun mereka menunjukkan dokumen imigresen mereka yang sah untuk tinggal di Malaysia.
  Laporan juga dikatakan sampai ke Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, yang mendakwa dirinya sebagai Sultan Sulu, dimana adiknya Agbimuddin Kiram mengetuai pencerobohan di Sabah, mengatakan warga Malaysia berketurunan Tausug juga dibelasah di tangan polis, termasuk mereka yang memegang MyKad.
  Orang Tausug juga dikenali sebagai orang Suluk yang datang dari kepulauan Sulu di Filipina.

  Like ·  · Share · 33 minutes ago · 

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Philippines:Republic Of Anarchic

They were once labelled the "sick man of Asia" and things have not changed much ever since and even after every change of government, without doubt, they are still indisposed, economically and morally.

Every succeeding government leaders have their hands in the cookie jar, as competently corrupt as the previous ones.

The country is still suffering a cauldron of repressed anger from the Muslims of Southern Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, mired in abject poverty, mistreated, neglected and left to their own devices in one of the most most turbulent and lawless countries in the world.

About 30% of the population still live below the poverty line and things are not getting any better for them, the corrupt get richer and the poor poorer.

Due to decades of neglect by the Christian dominated government the Southern Filipinos are still mired in poverty and live in squalid conditions and the only thing they understand well is the barrel of the gun.  Read more.

Fake Sultan,Defunct Sultanate And Bunch Of Criminals, Wipe Them Out

Hantu Laut

A fake sultan, a defunct sultanate and bunch of armed criminals chasing an elusive dream.

Should I roll over laughing? The fake sultan calling for a ceasefire? 

What a joke!

What locus standi has he to send a band of bandits to try repossess our soil and now when the end is near for our armed forces to finish off the job he called for a ceasefire. 

Is he the legal Sultan of the Philippines, or a mad man out to extort money from our government?

Prime Minister Najib, we stand behind you, show no mercy to these cruel criminals who have breached the sovereignty of our nation and wantonly killed our security forces. 

Unconditional surrender or wipe them out.

Close All Undesignated Border Crossings

Hantu Laut

Unless, drastic measures are taken immediately the situation may get worse and spread throughout Sabah if the authorities don't nip it in the bud right now. 

There are just too many of them already inside the state, though, most are peaceful, came over many decades ago for economic reasons, it's difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.Among the multitude there are bound to be baddies.

They have planned the armed incursion for a while and have planted sleepers and weapons inside the state before the arrival of the main contingent.

Our top police and military brass are not putting their thinking hats on. Our Home Minister is a wimp. I hope he will not be returned as a minister if BN wins the elections. Make him an ambassador or something of that kind, he certainly not one that should be given the responsibility of a crucial ministry such as the one he is holding now.

Though I appreciate the job that they have done and my deepest condolences to the families of our fallen heroes, our security forces seemed unprepared for such eventualities. The high fatality with just two skirmishes against a ragtag armed intruders speaks volume of their capability to handle such perilous situation. So far there have been 8 fatalities on our side.

It is obvious many of them are already in the state and armed to the teeth, ready to kill or be killed. So far the clashes have been with our security forces.

Unless we arrest the problem now, I anticipate worst may come when they decide to cause widespread panic among the population by massacre of civilians. Knowing their ruthlessness in killing innocent and defenceless hostages in the past, such scenario is not far-fetched. It would be the last thing the military want on their hands.

Countering the menace is not just sending your police or army to go out looking for gunmen. Beside going on the offensive there have to be other military strategy employ to contain the problem.

By now the government should have close all border crossings between the two countries, with the exception of regulated designated ports. Designated ports should be confined to Kudat, Sandakan and Tawau.  No landing should be allowed on the whole stretch of coastline between Kudat/Pitas peninsular to Tawau other than the designated ports. Close all border crossings in the Lahad Datu and Semporna districts.

Deploy sufficent number of navy ships equipped with helicopter gunships to police the border and coastline. Shoot any boat found in unauthorised waters and any boat crossing the waters from or toward the Philippines waters.

All boat from nearby islands in Sabah waters must land at designated landing in the major towns. 

Designate landing for small boats from outlying islands in Sabah waters with strict police/immigration control. All person must go through police check. 

Only than you can contain the problem.Those already inside cannot leave and the armed forces can eliminate them as and when they found them and many more cannot come in as the border is closed and under strict surveillance.

The authorities have to do it now before more of these heavily armed terrorists  come in and the military will have a bigger problem on their hands.

If things get worse other option that can be considered is isolation and blockage of all their settlements in the state.

I understand this proposal will cause great inconvenience to the people but that the price we have to pay for the negligence of our government leaving our borders wide open to give our neighbour unfettered excess to our land.

From now on the story will be different, we should demand strict border control of all our borders with our neighbours.

Song For The Fallen Heroes Of Lahad Datu, Al-Fatiha

Hantu Laut

My heart weeps, my eyes in tears listening to this beautifully haunting song for the "Fallen Heroes of Lahad Datu" by what I reckoned is from a Sabahan lass, who like many of us, are sadden by the terrible tragedy befallen our once peaceful state.



May Allah, Tuhan, God or whatever divine name he carries give us the strength to overcome the adversity and fight to protect this land we called home.

George Hong, thank you for sharing.



May their souls rest in peace.

Aquino: Lame Duck President ?

Hantu Laut

Another gunfight ensued in Semporna and one of our policemen killed and one injured.

As I have predicted correctly there are sympathisers in our midst and the Semporna incident is just the beginning.

What next?

Are we just going to let these bastards continue enjoying the pleasures of our hospitality and kill our people, or we take drastic action to contain the problem by radical means before it gets out of hand.

Philippines President Aquino is a disgrace giving his time of day talking to the pretender Sultan (there are about half a dozen of them claiming to be the rightful heir to a non-existence throne, including one residing in Kg.Likas in KK), and they making a mockery of his impotent order. No suluks respect him, because he is inept, unfit and powerless to do what a president should have done.

Where in the world a private citizen is allowed to form his own army. 

Only in the Philippines, where law of the jungle prevails.

That by itself is already a crime and Aquino talking to the donkey is insulting the office of the presidency.

He is certainly a lame duck president and wet behind the ears and how the Filipino people can tolerate such kind of president is beyond comprehension.

To save his own skin he now mulls taking the Sulu claim to the International Court. 

First, let me ask him, does the Philippines government recognise legal entity of the Sultanate of Sulu in the present. If it does than he has to make the man as the Sultan or King of the whole of Philippines before he can lay claim to Sabah.

The Malaysian government should demand the Philippines government to arrest the bogus Sultan and charge him for murder. He has blood on his hand for the death of three of our security forces personnel.

Sabahans have tolerated this nonsense long enough and have allowed these people to reside on our lands peacefully and provide them with jobs, education and other public amenities that available to Malaysians are also made available to them and see how they repay our gratitude.........with guns and bullets.

Our government have shown great restraint under very trying time but they cheated our security forces by declaring a surrender but started shooting when our forces guards are down. These are acts of cowardice.

As there are many rumours floating around of Anwar's involvement in this terrible tragedy, which I shall give him benefit of the doubt, but, nevertheless, full investigation must be carried out to clear his name or otherwise. 

He is the only Malaysian leader who has close contact with Nur Misuari and the armed intrusion is supported by Misuari's faction.

Aquino should also investigate the claim of opposition Malaysian leader involvement from his side where the rumours first emerged.

Najib: Resolve The Problem Or Lose Sabah.

From the Taipei Times


Hantu Laut

The Sabah standoff with Filipinos terrorists have received wide coverage all over the world. 

Here in Taipei, the Taipei Times reported that only three were killed in the gun battle. Like always, the media never got their act together. The Malaysian media reported 15 death and 3 injured, out of which 2 Malaysian commandos were slain.

The question is, there were over 200 of them initially reported, what happened to the rest of them, have they surrendered or still holding fort, waiting for reinforcement?

Our security forces should give 24 hours notice for them to lay arms and surrender, failing which they should bomb the village to smithereens and take no prisoners. 

This is no time for sentiment or fear of reprisal, they have intruded into our land and killed 2 of our security forces, which we must deem as an act of war and must retaliate with the full force of our military power and without any consideration of the collateral damage that may come with the onslaught. 

The Federal government has full responsibility to protect us Sabahans from foreign aggression. 

As it happened under your watch you must take full responsibility of this most horrible tragedy, which has something to do with the RCI, the MNLF peace treaty you intermediate and last but not least the poor policing of our borders by security forces under your command.

If you don't take immediate reprisal action to countervail the uncalled for aggression by this foreign forces and protect us from further aggressions, we Sabahans will make sure you won't win the coming elections.

Please wipe out the menace once and for all, or you can say "goodbye to Sabah" for now and forever.

Najib: Please Send Lim Guan Eng and Tian Chua To Lahad Datu To Protect Us Sabahans.

Hantu Laut 

They talk too much and do too little. 

They shoot their mouth off before they shoot their brains. Everything, A to Z, is about politics.  

They practically think they are already in Putrajaya.

They make comment like "why kick out one unarmed Aussie lawmaker and not take immediate action to shoot and kill 100 Filipinos armed intruders." extemporaneously, without bothering to find out the crux of the matter. 

They all know the weaselling and lying Aussie came here to help his buddy Anwar Ibrahim to give this country a bad name and can do more harm than the 100 armed men which incident should be handled with great care.

These assholes think they are being clever. They think the security force should just shoot and kill the armed intruders without first giving them a chance to withdraw peacefully and to return to their homeland.

These assholes from the oppositions do not care about the safety of us Sabahans, all they care is politics and how to grab political power, whatever the means. 

They do not care that there are 500,000 or, maybe more, of these people already in the state that can undermine the security of the state and endanger the lives of Sabahans. They simply shoot their mouths from the comfort of their West Malaysian caves to gain political mileage without caring for the inimical danger Sabahans would be subjected to if the standoff was badly handled


Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng whose head has grown bigger than the gusty hot air ballon demanded that Home Minister Hishammuddin Onn should resign if he can't resolve the stand off in double quick time. This guy lives in Penang and farts through his mouth. Though, I don't think much of  our Home Minister, this incident is much more delicate and should be handled with extreme care. He alone can't act as commander-in-chief.

Here, another loud mouth good for nothing master forger and a chauvinist pig accusing the government of staging the whole incident to divert attention. Lest he forgets the Philippines government had already informed the Malaysian government that the group of armed men went to Sabah at the invitation of an opposition leader.

The only opposition leader who has met former MILF chief Nur Misuari and has been his friend since his UMNO days is Anwar Ibrahim, not that I believe he has a hand in this unfortunate incident.

The blame should fall squarely on the shoulders of  our Prime Minister, the oppositions and a number of BN leaders like Bernard Dompok who were overly vocal and instrumental in getting the government to conduct the RCI, which do not weather well with the Suluk people, thinking they would be forced out of Sabah after conclusion of the RCI.


A message for Najib from the pretender to the throne, the Sultanate of Sulu.

Past leaders have refused to conduct RCI because of the very same reason, that the safety of Sabahans must come first before the political expediency of a few selfish politicians like Dompok, who is expected to lose his seat if he contests in Penampang.

Najib should take full responsibility if anything untoward happen to Sabahans arising out of the anger of these migrant people who felt their tenancy here are being threatened.

There are other ways to handle the illegal immigrants problem in Sabah without disturbing the hornet's nest and jeopardising the security and safety of the people and the state.

Najib has become a "YES" man to the oppositions, succumbed to their every demand, from abolishing the ISA to RCI  on illegals in Sabah and much more, which is now backfiring right in his face. 

He gave away too much to the oppositions and what did they give him in return? Instead of thanking him, they taunt, provoke and ridicule him and make fun of every step he took with little respect for courtesy and protocol. His wife has become the punchline and punching bag of the oppositions. As affable as he is he has become the butt of every joke by the oppositions.

May I suggest to our dear Prime Minister, since the two opposition leaders are so smart, so macho, why not send Lim Guan Eng and Tian Chua to Lahad Datu to face the 100 armed men and see how skillfull they are in dealing with such situation.

Aquino vs. Arroyo: It's personal

Hantu Laut

Every president will have his/her hand in the cookie jar.

The next one, supposedly to clean up the mess, would continue the tradition.

A feud between two powerful political families embarrasses the Philippines

The pathetic standoff at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport involving former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Philippine immigration officials Tuesday evening, only highlights how far contradiction among the country’s privileged elite can go – a bitter clash that could plunge the country into a constitutional crisis.

Both camps – the Arroyos and President Benigno S. Aquino III – have only themselves to blame.

Arroyo, bearing a Supreme Court order to allow her to leave to seek medical treatment for a reputed rare bone disease, arrived with her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo to board a flight to Singapore. However, immigration authorities stopped them on orders from Aquino and the Justice Department.

That sets up a confrontation with the Supreme Court, the majority of which she had appointed, issued the order allowing her to seek treatment in any of five countries that do not have extradition treaties with Manila.

Legally, there is nothing that would and should bar the besieged former president from leaving the country in the absence of a proper court order. In fact, Aquino’s Justice Secretary, Leila de Lima said that authorities can’t arrest the Arroyos because no charges have been filed against them. There is an executive order, ironically issued by the former president herself, however, that places a person under a watch list and whose flight outside the country may be stopped by immigration officials. It is an executive edict that is now being questioned before the highest court of the land by the Arroyos.

The Aquino government believes it has a case against the former president and is morally obliged to perform its duty of preventing a potential fugitive from justice from leaving the country. As it now appears, the Aquino government is taking the risk of being cited in direct contempt by the Supreme Court for what the current president believes is his moral obligation.

Longtime personal feud
The NAIA standoff however is not just mere legal and political issues between two of the country’s powerful political clans, it also has personal undertones to it.

During several attempts to impeach President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when she was still the president, the Aquinos – at least the Cojuangco side of the president’s family – were among the leaders of the movement that sought her resignation. President Noynoy Aquino’s late mother Corazon, also a former president, went to great lengths to apologize to former President Joseph Estrada for joining the protest movement that led to his ouster. Corazon Aquino played a major role in the installation of Arroyo as president of the republic in the aftermath of Estrada’s impeachment.

Ironically, it is Corazon Aquino, and to some extent her son, who also were among the first to drop Arroyo as an ally and call for her resignation due to corruption and widespread electoral fraud in 2004. It is a falling out that left Arroyo enraged. Under her watch, the vast Hacienda Luisita property of the Cojuangcos was declared subject to the coverage of the land reform program.

Aquino in turn has not got over the fact that the Arroyos pulled all the plugs during the 2010 presidential elections in which the current president won convincingly on an anti-corruption platform.

Both the former and current presidents share the same place in the history of Philippine politics. They are the only presidents whose parents also served as presidents of this oldest republic in Southeast Asia. They practically share the same origin, having roots in central Luzon. Their parents were stalwarts of the Liberal Party, one of the oldest political parties of the country. They are also among the old rich families in the Philippines. Read more.

Year of ASEAN Opposition?

By Mong Palatino

Since last year, opposition parties across Southeast Asia have achieved varying degrees of electoral and political success.

The opposition Liberal Party dominated the 2010 Philippine elections and defeated the ruling party, which had been in power since 2001. The opposition victory reflected the unpopularity of former President Gloria Arroyo, who was accused of electoral fraud, human rights violations, corruption and plundering state coffers.

Recently, the opposition Pheu Thai Party defeated the ruling Democrat Party in Thailand, which led to the election of Yingluck Shinawatra – the country’s first female prime minister. Yingluck is the younger sister of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was forced into exile after he was overthrown in a military coup in 2006. During the campaign, the opposition highlighted the culpability of the Democrat Party in the violent crackdown of anti-government protests last year, the worsening insurgency in the southern part of the country, the hostile relationship with Cambodia over a border dispute and the rising economic difficulties experienced by ordinary Thais.

Meanwhile, the People's Action Party (PAP) is still Singapore’s dominant political coalition after it won the most seats in the general election last May. Also, the candidate the party endorsed won last week’s presidential election. But the opposition scored some significant victories this year after it managed to win a few but strategic parliamentary seats. The PAP, which has dominated Singaporean politics since the late 1950s, also suffered its worst electoral performance this year, which according to analysts has permanently altered Singapore’s political landscape.

As in Singapore, the ruling coalition in Malaysia still has more than enough numbers in parliament, but the opposition is gaining ground. The disenchantment of the public with the country’s political leadership is also rising as seen in the massive participation of ordinary Malaysians in the Bersih democracy march in July. Organized in support of electoral reforms, the Bersih has since then evolved into an opposition political movement following the overreaction of the government, which violently dispersed the peaceful march. Bersih is expected to bring more votes to the opposition.

Moving on to Burma, many analysts were surprised to learn that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has agreed to meet President Thein Sein of the military-controlled government. They are now asking if the global democracy icon has decided to work with the people who imprisoned her for more than two decades. But it could simply be an opposition tactic for outmanoeuvring the generals. Just a few weeks ago, Suu Kyi was allowed to travel to the north of the country for the first time since she regained her freedom, and she was warmly greeted by the people in the streets. The opposition hasn’t yet ditched the prospect of revolution, but it seems to be quietly maximizing the limited democratic space afforded to it by the Junta. Read more.