Monday, September 15, 2008

Is Abdullah In A Quandary ?

Hantu Laut

Zaid Ibrahim has made true his promise.He resigned from his ministerial post today.Would the rest dare do the same? Should they resign in drove to send a clear signal to Abdullah that the situation has reached critical point and the demise of BN is imminent if no solution is found to appease the coalition partners and some UMNO MPs from leaving? It may not happen on 16 Sept but it looks more and more incline in that direction.

The heat is on to save UMNO from disintegration and the government from falling into the hand of Anwar Ibrahim.

On the other side of the political fence the race is on to find enough BN deserters to steal the government from under Abdullah's nose.

Abdullah may not realise that the wind of change is about to reach Category 4 and can soon reach Category 5, the end of the scale and most destructive, unleashing fury of irreparable damage.By then it would be too late to do any repair, the damage is done, it would be total loss.

The recent ISA arrests had inflicted another serious dent in the BN already fractured armour.The Minister of Home Affairs lapse of judgement and ridiculous reasons given for the arrests had hasten the process of destruction.Nothing can be more stupendously ridiculous than saying the use of the ISA was to protect the person concerned from threat to her safety.Does the Minister think all Malaysians were born yesterday? He has done more damage to himself and the government.

Abdullah should take a leaf out of the Japanese political system where the prime minister would resign when he has exhausted his popularity within the ruling party.The situation with him is worse as not only he is unpopular within his coalition, he faces the same on the ground.

Prime Minister Abdullah may have to re-look at the transfer of power. He can either resign now or carry on at his own perils.The choice is his.

Tunku Aziz:An Enigma ?

Hantu Laut

After having done four years in a Malay primary school I was selected to go to one of the premier schools at Jesselton in the then British North Borneo.

Coming from a Malay school I had to attend two years of bridge classes, a kind of preparatory class to learn the English language and learn all subjects in English for entry to secondary level.

My first and second year at that school was the time I met Tunku Abdul Aziz, my English and form teacher.A tall burly man with light pockmarked face who spoke English with a twang, he can either give you comfort as well as strike terror.He was a perfect example of a person you either love or hate.Though I didn't have many years of his teachings, on hindsight, I would say he was a good teacher.

Tunku left North Borneo and went back to Malaya soon after I entered my secondary level.I believe most students have lost contact with him soon thereafter.

I only rediscover Tunku a few years back through his various articles published in our national papers from time to time and his active participation in Transparency International.He has also served in various capacities in the private and public sector.He is an avid critic of corruptions in government and has sat on the advisory boards of various International organisations.He has been apolitical all this while until last month when he joined the DAP which came as a huge surprise to many people.

One would have thought that if he had wanted to go into politics he would join PKR.The choice of DAP was baffling, making him an enigma.He wouldn't want to join UMNO because of his critical view of the party and his constant reminder of corruptions in government.

The probable reasons for him not joining PKR was that he might have burned the bridge between him and Anwar by his article that appeared in the New Straits Times on July 27 2008 titled 'Cut the theatrics,Anwar,and let Malaysians get on with their live'.

What I found inexplicable and one that left me in the lurch is that if Anwar isn't his cup of tea as the next prime minister of this country, isn't joining DAP is in conflict with this political philosophy ?

It is simply stupefying that someone who had written an irate article against the person a month ago can now join forces with him indirectly through a coalition partner who is likely to agree to stage a coup to bring down a duly elected government.

It would be interesting to find out where Tunku Aziz's stand is with Anwar taking over the government by luring BN lawmakers by offering sweeteners to defect to his side?

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Well Done, Zaid!

Hantu Laut

Well done Zaid! That's the way those entrusted by the people should act.

Zaid Ibrahim has announced that he would resign if the government continue to use the ISA to arrest civilian.That would make him the first Minister under Badawi who are prepared to forgo his ministerial position against policy that goes against his principle.

It may be the wrong man giving up his job, it looks more appropriate that the Minister of Home Affairs should resign from his job for the blunders and pathetic reasons given by him.How could Tan and Theresa Kok be threat to national security.

It appears that the government is scrapping bottom of the barrel in a desperate move to save itself. Theresa Kok claimed she had nothing to do with the allegation
that she asked the mosque to turn down the volume of its 'azan' call.

I urge Pak Lah to do the right thing.Free all ISA detainees.

The Ugly American

Hantu Laut

"Peaceful expression of political opinions is a fundamental right and critical to a democracy" said a US State official.

The Malaysian envoy in Washington was summoned by the US State Department to express their protest against the Malaysian government crackdown on streets protesters and demonstrations by the oppositions.

The use of the ISA to detain dissenters without fair trail is the bone of contention with the U.S. 

As much as I am against the use of the ISA, I equally detest the U.S interference and meddling in the internal affairs of other nation.Every country has different political structure.We may be a democracy, but it's 'different strokes for different folks' and it's not 'one size fits all' as the U.S wish to think.

The American think they are the most democratic nation on the planet and are the world's policeman and can go round the globe throwing punches and hankering other governments to measure up to their standards.

A claim,  if one were to go by its history of skewed foreign policies, belligerency and wars, certainly did not measure up to respecting  human rights and human lives. The have abused their military might to settle scores with poor defenceless nations without care and consideration of collateral damage to human lives and properties.

They have promoted and protected corrupt and repressive regimes, as long as the villains play and sing their tune. 

From the Shah of Iran, Marcos of Philippines, Sadam of Iraq and to some of the most corrupt and repressive regimes in African and Latin American countries, they have showered these villains with the best weaponry to keep themselves in power. Most were brought down by people's power and by the U.S itself when they started singing other songs. 

The U.S. has committed human right abuses in Iraq and Afghanistan, using its military might bombing and killing hundreds of thousand of innocent civilians in those countries, captured and  thrown suspected terrorists into prison in Guantanamo Bay, denied them rights to legal assistance and fair trail. 

They have helped run torture cells in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries to extract information from suspected terrorists.

Should people like this be allowed to speak up and protest against the laws of other countries when they are the biggest culprits of human right abuses of citizens of other countries. If you are not American, you are not human, in the eyes of the US administration.


If you are not with me you are against me!

When Hamas was elected to power through the democratic process, they withdrew all financial aids to the Palestinian people. If you are friends of America you can get away with murder like the Shah of Iran and his secret police known to have made many dissidents disappear without trace.
If you are friend of America, you can do what you like.

This bunch of hypocrites is now trying to help their poster boy Anwar Ibrahim overthrow a duly elected government because he is a great friend of America.

Shame on you, America!