A Tale Of Two Tuns

From the blog ARTiculations. An interesting read. Bullseye!

A Tale of Two Tuns

If ever there was a wish which I would want to be granted when I grow really old, - this is not to say that I am not already old, it is just that I am not that old, yet - that would be a wish that I could be given the wisdom of knowing when to keep my mouth shut. Because really, people who are pass their "best-before" date could really sound curious and funny, especially when what they are saying now goes against what they have been saying and doing while they were younger.

Amidst all the grief and disbelief caused by the tragic lost of life of an innocent son of Malaysia in the past week, two Tuns were also hogging the headlines over what they said. In a way, these two Tuns had almost connived to provide me - and many others, I believe - with much needed comic relief in times when such relief was really needed.

And so, I should have perhaps thanked both of them but for the fact that their statements were laced with so much irony and insidiousness.

Firstly it was Tun Abdullah. He was apparently conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Democracy by Universiti Utara Malaysia.

It is now of course fashionable within the ruling elite to have the prefix "Dr" somewhere between the array of prefixes preceding their name. Like Tun Tan Seri Datuk Seri Dr Hj So and so. It gives them the comfort of being in possession of something extra. Something which others do not have. Or so they think. Like when they buy a Mercedes, they must buy a Brabus. Things like that. Sorry, I digress.

Anyway, yes, Tun Abdullah was conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Democracy by UUM. I would not go into whether or not such conferment was justifiable - because this article would be too long otherwise - but what he said during his acceptance speech was what, in my opinion, precipitated the saying "silence is golden".

Upon being conferred, our newly minted Doctor in Democracy proceeded to the microphone and, in what was believed to be nothing short of an astounding moment, called for the abolishment of the ISA. I really hope he had read his prepared speech before delivering it. And if he had read it, I hope he understood what he was saying. If anything, I hope he was awake while he was doing so.

That call would have, in the normal course of things, been met with jubilant celebrations of orgasmic proportion. However, coming from an ex Premier under whose administration there were 82 arrests; 76 new detention orders and 87 renewal of detention orders under the ISA as at the end of 2007 (figures are from the SUARAM's Human Rights Report 2007), that call was as funny as - if not funnier than - a drunken kangaroo spinning like a top on its tail while shouting "kangaroo boleh!"

Added to that, under his administration, the ISA was abused beyond anything which was thought possible when Raja Petra Kamaruddin and Teresa Kok were arrested for apparently "insulting Muslims and Islam". Raja Petra, as we all know, was later detained at Kamunting before a brave Judge, Justice Dato' Syed Helmi of the Shah Alam High Court, released him (the government's appeal against that release is still pending in the Federal Court).Read more....

Read This:A New Disclosure

Hantu Laut

Is the MACC being flogged for crime that might have been committed by others.These are questions better asked by the police.We should not even in a moment of anger compose anything that's we are unsure of or have no evidence to support.

I wouldn't for a moment thought of such an extraneous subject let alone broach about it.

A possibility far remove from the thunderous storm whipped up by the oppositions against the Najib's government over the death of one Teoh Beng Hock. A death that has become a cause celebre of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat or a probable diversion from the truth, no one knows for sure.

A new blog has sprung up that tells a completely different story, one that will be vehemently denied, not on how Teoh died, but on the probable cause of his death. The blog is here.

Read with caution.

Pakatan supporters already saying the blog was put up by UMNO.Waiting for what Lim Kit Siang has to say.Raja Petra has his say here.

Pakatan's Gesture Politics

Hantu Laut

What is an inquest?

An inquest is a judicial investigation to find out the cause of death especially those that happened under mysterious or suspicious circumstances.In some cases, accidental death can also end up in an inquest to determine the true cause of death.

An inquest is usually presided over by a magistrate who acts as a coroner.If foul play was found than a full enquiry and criminal prosecution may follow.

An inquest, not a Royal Commission, is the first judicial step to find out the cause of death. If criminal act was established than the case can proceed with its prosecution. Alternatively, if the government is not satisfied with the finding of the investigation it can than call for a Royal Commission.

Why are people like Lim Kit Siang and Anwar Ibrahim making senseless objections to what they know very well is the first step to establishing the cause of death.Their attempts at politicising the tragedy is most disgraceful and shows their heartless disrespect for the family of the deceased. This is a time of grief where even the choice of words must be chosen with care.The least said the better it is for the bereaved family.

People like Lim and Anwar probably have never lost their loved ones and do not understand the pain, the agony and the heart breaking moment of losing someone you loved dearly. This heart wrenching experience are only known to those who had the misfortune of losing their loved ones.

Having gone through the ordeal twice in the past thirty years, I feel for the immeasurable pain of members of the family and fiancee of the late Yeoh Beng Hock and the nonsense that they have to go through every day played out by Pakatan leaders, politicising and publicising the tragedy, to lessen not the sorrows of the family but to serve Pakatan's political agenda.How cruel and selfish can one gets to gain political mileage at the expense of other people's grief.

The government and the Prime Minister himself has taken personal interest in the case to ensure justice will be served.He has done more than what is necessary to ensure no cover up and the truth be told to the family and the public upon completion of all the necessary investigations.

It is most unfortunate that we do not have responsible opposition in this country.At a time like it they should be fraternizing to help the government to get to the bottom of the tragedy and allow full investigation before making all kind of unfounded allegations and politicising the tragedy to incite the people's emotions.

What is gesture politics?

Gesture politics is an action made by a person or organization for political reasons and is intended to attract public attention but has little real effect.

Damned If You Do Damned If You Don't

Hantu Laut

I must congratulate the Prime Minister for making the right decision on the Teoh Beng Hock case and as I have suggested earlier to look into the internal workings of the MACC and the Police too.

The opposition must have been caught by surprise as they have secretly wished Najib would not agree to the formation of a Royal Commission which undoubtedly will make him more unpopular.He did the right thing.Their wish didn't come through.Now, look what they are trying to do.They are raving mad and accused BN of leading Teoh's family up the garden path.Read what that shit-stirrer Lim Kit Siang says here.

His headline screamed:

Teoh Beng Hock’s death – Cabinet decision on Royal Commission of Inquiry falls far short of public expectation, unsatisfactory and unacceptable

Whose expectation Kit Siang, yours and your Pakatan minions or the public ?

Still not happy, shit-stirring, stoking fire and steering the people in the wrong direction.He is venomous and dangerous.This man needs help.

Nice try Mr Lim.You are exothermic and dangerous.Your burning desire to bring UMNO and the BN down is not going to happen. In your eyes full of hatred anything the BN do can't be right and that the extent of you madness.Damned if you and damned if you don't.

For you to suggest that Tungku Aziz Ibrahim (my ex-form teacher) of DAP be made head of the Commission is absolutely ridiculous.Members of the Commission should come from a mixture of prominent people, ordinary citizens and if necessary some from any of the commonwealth countries.All should not have any political affiliation to any political parties in Malaysia.

Eddy, a regular commentator to this blog has suggested a few names which I think is good.They are:

Royal Professor Ungku Aziz
Emeritus Professor Khoo Kay Kim
Former Judge NH Chan
Former Attorney General Abu Talib

Those are just few names.The government can cast the net wider to find the right people who are neutral and impartial.

What happened at the MACC is what the opposition have always wanted, that the anti-corruption agency be made more independent and given wider powers.This is the result of former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi giving in to demands of the opposition, a new anti-corruption agency with wider powers to arrest, detain, interrogate and bash you up if needs be.Unfortunately, they do it under their own whim and fancy.This is what can happen when power falls into the wrong hand.Badawi must have unknowingly created a monster.

The government should pass a law making it compulsory for the MACC and Police to conduct all interrogations under camera.All interrogations must be video taped and formed as part of the evidence if called for.A law should also be passed to set the maximum length of time a person can be put under interrogation.This is to protect the innocent.The criminal minds and the hardcore will not crumple under extreme torture, it is always the innocent that succumb to such method.

Najib's next job, to reform these two agencies and make them more professionals and respected by society.