PAS Barks Louder Than Its Bite

Hantu Laut

I have, in my past postings, raised the question of the incompatibility of DAP and PAS, which, needless to say, is fraught with moral ambiguity.This marriage of convenience is destined for the rocks, sooner or later.

Can theocracy and secularism sleep in the same bed?

If you don't have the fortitude to rule the roost to push through your agenda, don't even try, it makes you a laughing stock and reflect on your weaknesses.If you can't fight them join them.

PAS should drop its Islamic badge so as not to confuse the Muslims in this country.

The controversy over the state-enforced entertainment ban during Ramadan in Kedah imposed by the PAS led state government has become a thorny issue with coalition partner DAP, demanding that the state government withdraw the ban immediately.The Kedah Mentri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak issued a strongly-worded statement that the state government would not withdraw the ban.

Obviously, the mentri besar has no balls to stand by his words and the irony is DAP has only 1 assemblyman in the Kedah state assembly and yet DAP has such powerful voice over policy matters.

This is not the first time PAS gave in to DAP demands.In 2009 PAS imposed a ban on the sales of beer in convenience stores in Muslim majority areas.MBSA officers unlawfully seized beer from a 7-Eleven store in Section 8.PAS Commissioner Datuk Hassan Ali lashed out at his executive council colleague Ronnie Liu for reprimanding MBSA officers conducting the raid.

What happened next?

PAS, the lame duck, with intervention from MB Khalid Ibrahim, gave in to DAP demands. The ban was scrapped.

PAS barks louder than its bite, have no balls to defend its position.

It takes just one twit from DAP publicity chief Tony Pua asking his party to pull out of the coalition Pakatan Rakyat that gave PAS leaders the cold feet.The blanket ban was withdrawn and to save face PAS agree with DAP to confine the ban to Muslims only.

It is now clear both PKR and PAS are lame ducks, it is DAP that call the shots.

A global culture to fight extremism

Why do transnational extremist organizations succeed where democratic movements have a harder time taking hold? Maajid Nawaz, a former Islamist extremist, asks for new grassroots stories and global social activism to spread democracy in the face of nationalism and xenophobia. A powerful talk from TEDGlobal 2011.

Shame On You Sarawak Report

Hantu Laut

Only suckers would read and believe this blog with a penchant for prevarication,fabrication and blatant lies.

Only this blog reported Najib was snubbed by the the British PM, no British mainstream media or blogs carry such story. Of course, the pro-opposition blogs and news portal joyfully picked up the fabricated story from Sarawak Report.

The writer whom I presumed is the pesky lady with an axe to grin against Malaysia did not realised that it was the British PM David Cameron that invited Najib to visit Britain.How so can a host of his stature snubbed a state guest invited personally by him? Obviously, the writer, whoever he or she may be, is a pathetic liar.The headline is a slap on the British PM's face not Najib.It reflects the British PM as uncouth and unstatesmanlike.

Najib Snubbed By UK PM?!

The flash crowd that turned up to boo Najib’s event at Mansion House (the official residence of the City of London’s Mayor) was larger than yesterday’s outside Downing Street. They had been joined by Amnesty International, who have spoken out about the treatment of the Bersih demonstrators at the weekend. Amnesty commands considerable respect in the UK. The Malaysian [...] Read more.

Obviously, not only it is a blatant lie, but also bad choice of word.

SNUB = rebuff, ignore, or spurn disdainfully - an act of showing disdain or a lack of cordiality by rebuffing or ignoring someone or something

Najib Razak, outside 10 Downing Street in central London" title="Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron greets Malaysia's Prime Minister, Najib Razak, outside 10 Downing Street in central London" class="vlz" height="522" width="512">

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (L) greets Malaysia's Prime Minister, Najib Razak, outside 10 Downing Street in central London

Najib Razak (C) on July 14, 2011 in Whitehall, London. The Malaysian Prime Minister is on a four day official visit to the UK and has met his British..." class="DL-photo DL-photo-inside" height="296" width="439">


With Queen Elizabeth.

With all the evidence above do you see Najib being snubbed? Only the foolhardy Clare Rewcastle Brown and Sarawak Report dare to lie to serve their own political agenda and that of the oppositions.

There was no genocide in Malaysia, no reason for Britain to rebuff Najib.

What Najib did to stop an illegal rally was nothing compared to George Bush and Tony Blair, both have killed more innocent people and are still roaming free.These two war criminals should have been apprehended and tried for crimes against humanity.

Malaysia's Winter Of Discontent

By Luke Hunt

Malaysians of all walks of political life were conducting a cost/benefit analysis in the aftermath of last weekend’s rally, which turned ugly amid baton charges, tear gassing and the arrests of almost 1,700 people.

Prime Minister Najib Razak had initially attempted to play down the protest by Bersih, which means ‘clean’ in Malay, calling for free and fair elections. But he changed his tune after Amnesty described the crackdown as the worst case of suppression seen in this country in years.

Speaking at a government function Sunday, Najib — widely expected to call an early election later this year or early next — lashed out at opposition-backed protesters, complaining they were trying to paint a picture of Malaysia as a repressive state.

‘They said they wanted to hold a peaceful rally. If the police had not monitored it, it would not have been peaceful,’ the prime minister said.

New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, also denounced the arrests, saying, ‘this is a maelstrom of the Malaysian authorities own making.’

Police were deployed under what they called ‘Operation Erase Bersih.’ They sealed off key roads, dispatched water cannons and then opened fire with tear gas as crowds formed and attempted to march towards the iconic Merdeka Stadium. Stampedes followed, and the crowds dispersed into smaller groups and taunted riot police armed with batons, guns and shields. Baton chargers followed.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was injured after police fired tear gas canisters into a tunnel. Another politician, Khalid Samad of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, was injured when police also fired a tear gas canister, at his neck.

The protesters, however, remained defiant.

Some wore yellow shirts. Most, fearing arrest, decided not to wear the colour synonymous with the movement. One man was dragged and kicked from outside the Chinese Maternity Hospital. Tear gas was then fired into the neighbouring grounds of Tung Shing Hospital where protesters had sought shelter.

Malaysia’s sometimes less than friendly neighbour Indonesia said it had warned its citizens to stay away from protest points, but that there was no need to evacuate its citizens and that it was confident that Malaysian authorities would handle the situation wisely.

It was almost a diplomatic faux pas.

Speaking on Sunday, Anwar said: ‘We will have to pursue – in parliament and outside of parliament – free and fair elections, even by rallying unless they change the electoral vote.’ He added that there was no confidence left in the government.

Crowd estimates vary widely, but tens of thousands certainly marched, the culmination of weeks of intense pressure on Najib's coalition to make election laws fairer and more transparent.

Opposition leaders have long accused Najib’s ruling United Malays National Organization of relying on fraud to maintain its 54-year hold on power. The government, however, insists the current electoral policies are fair.

Marimuthu Manogaran, an opposition politician for the Democratic Action Party, said protesters wanted curbs that would make electoral fraud more difficult, including closer monitoring of postal votes, and increased access to media outlets during campaigning. He also said the ruling party shouldn’t be entitled to the use of government assets like helicopters and other services when contesting elections.

‘Despite the police presence and oppression, I see there’s a large presence of people on the ground in the streets of Kuala Lumpur and what is very interesting is I see a large number of them are comprised of youths. Young people coming out there to demand their rights for electoral reform and I think that is a good sign for Malaysia.

‘We are used to this tear gas and this chemically laced water from before, but I think a lot of young people have not been exposed to it before and they are getting it for the first time now,’ he said.

This was the second such rally organised by Bersih. The first, in 2007, resulted in an estimated 50,000 people taking to the streets of the capital before they were also dispersed by riot police armed with water cannons and tear gas. That rally was partly credited for record gains by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat in the 2008 elections when the opposition pact was swept to power in five states and won 82 parliamentary seats at the national level.

As a result, UMNO lost its cherished two-thirds majority and Prime Minster Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was forced out of office by a party coup, making way for Najib, who has promised the party faithful to win back UMNO’s pre-eminent status with the electorate.

Speculation of an early election, which Najib has declined to quash, has persisted ever since, with observers arguing Najib is particularly keen on his own electoral mandate. If he can win back the two-thirds majority this would also allow him to repeal archaic laws that favour native Malays in business.Read more.