Controlled by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) since independence and now led by the increasingly autocratic Prime Minister Najib Razak, the Malaysian government knows Anwar is the only viable threat to its half-century of rule. Anwar became a risk to the government as deputy prime minister in 1998 when he began attacking corruption and calling for reform. Ultimately he became leader of the opposition.

Najib’s UMNO is trying to jail Anwar again in hopes of crushing his People’s Justice Party (PKR). A secular Muslim party, PKR leads a diverse political coalition with ethnic Chinese and Islamist partners. If Anwar is neutralized, this opposition movement would be paralyzed.

Anwar’s accuser – a former intern – admits to meeting with Najib just days before the alleged sexual act occurred and he has since changed his story several times. The charges against Anwar are transparently political. But the obvious intent of the trial matters little in Malaysia, where the government exercises a disabling grip on the justice system and the media.

Yet as one visits Kuala Lumpur today, these autocratic tendencies are not immediately visible. The modern splendor of this city and the surrounding wealthy state of Selangor help disguise one of the world’s most insidious authoritarian governments.

Najib’s most powerful tool is the Internal Security Act – a remnant from the days of British colonialism that gives the Interior Minister power to indefinitely and arbitrarily imprison any Malaysian without trial or even evidence. Through the ISA the government creates a climate of fear by arresting dozens of politicians, journalists, and student leaders.

Opposition voices like Anwar who are politically attacked through the courts are hardly better off than victims of the ISA. Virtually all positions in the justice system beyond the local level are held by government cronies.

Most problematic is that the local media cannot report on the ISA and the puppet justice system. The Printing Presses and Publications Act gives Najib near-absolute control over the news as media organizations need the government’s permission to operate.

Almost all major national newspapers, magazines, television channels, and radio stations here are tied to the ruling UMNO party. And Najib continues to tighten his grip in the face of Anwar’s trial. Suara Keadilan, the publication of Anwar’s PKR party, and the two other visible opposition outlets had their permits revoked on July 1.

The only way to get unfiltered news in Malaysia is online. Here, the media is protected by the “Bill of Guarantee of No Internet Censorship” – a law passed in the 1990s, at the strong suggestion of Bill Gates, to woo IT development to Malaysia.

Unfortunately, internet penetration is extremely limited outside of Malaysian urban centers. In some provinces, less than 10% of the population has online access, and most are stuck with the broadsheets. These read as if from a 1984 dystopia – there is no bad news, and other than culture and sports, there is cant-laden drivel about the government’s righteous quest to “serve the people”.

On a visit to the offices of a small opposition monthly, the editors despaired at the suffocating Malaysian media culture. Not just because it means Malaysians can’t easily find truth, but also because the next generation has grown uninterested: real journalism can no longer be practiced.

Through the silencing of opposition voices, vote-shopping, and gerrymandering, the UMNO-led government is able to continue its autocratic rule while calling Malaysia a democracy. And Najib seeks to perpetuate this charade by clamping down on Malaysian youth. Through the University and University College Act, students are forbidden from having any involvement in politics.

Despite their systemic nature, Malaysia’s human rights violations are largely unknown to the outside world. Many academics and journalists group the country with Indonesia and Turkey as a promising moderate Muslim democracy. And Wikipedia’s entries on Malaysia and on Najib avoid any mention of human rights, the Internal Security Act, censorship, or the crumbling rule of law. Such whitewashing is not surprising given that Najib hired Washington-based APCO Worldwide to burnish his image and besmirch Anwar’s.

Anwar, who has been profiled in TIME, The New Yorker, and Newsweek, and is frequently lionized as a promising Muslim leader, has recently been APCO’s target. In Malaysia, Anwar has often been mocked for having “Jewish friends”. Najib’s mentor and predecessor, Mahathir, even went so far as to say Anwar “would make a good prime minister for Israel.” In return, Anwar seized Najib’s hiring of APCO as a chance to issue inflammatory remarks on the firm’s supposed ties to Israel. This backfired when APCO distributed Anwar’s comments internationally along with a series of unattributed anti-Semitic statements posted on his website. The result is that on the eve of his trial many of his Western allies have questioned Anwar’s integrity.

The truth is that Anwar has been critical of some policies of the current Israeli government. And in the last few months he has even become more vocal as he wrestles with Najib’s media apparatus to avoid being pinned as blindly pro-Israel. But Anwar is hardly an anti-Semite. Contrast this with UMNO—which has led entire rallies inveighing against “the Jew”. Anwar’s critics should be careful not to carry water for Najib’s party, which proudly sports venomous anti-Semitic rhetoric and conspiracy.

Over dinner in Kuala Lumpur, Anwar told us that unless international actors address issues like censorship and imprisonment without trial, Malaysia will not become the oft-discussed bridge between East and West. Only if his trial is exposed as a sham and he avoids prison might Malaysia have a real democratic contest with elections in 2012 or 2013.

Sadly, this country’s appalling human rights record remains buried under a sea of APCO press releases.

Thor Halvorssen is the president of the Human Rights Foundation and the founder of the Oslo Freedom Forum http://www.oslofreedomforum.com. Alex Gladstein is its chief operating officer.
Read the original article in The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com

ATRIAL that could determine whether one of Asia’s fast-developing countries evolves into a democracy has been making lurid headlines this month around the region. Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader in Malaysia and one of the foremost advocates of political freedom in the Muslim world, stands accused of consensual homosexual sodomy, which in his country is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. That Mr. Anwar would be prosecuted on this charge is itself a human rights violation. But the testimony in the case is also revealing a blatant abuse of power by a man the Obama administration has been courting: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
Mr. Anwar, a 62-year-old married father of six, heads an opposition coalition that for the past two years has been chipping away at the quasi-authoritarian regime that has governed Malaysia since independence in 1957. He has a chance of defeating Mr. Najib in the next general election — and transforming the country. So it’s been more than a little suspicious to see the testimony of his chief accuser, a 25-year-old man who claims that he had sex with Mr. Anwar in June 2008. Two days before the alleged encounter, the man said, he met with Mr. Najib; the next day he phoned the national police chief. Before filing his complaint, he consulted with a close friend of Mr. Najib’s wife. When the accuser finally stepped forward, two days after the supposed sex, doctors could find no evidence of sodomy.
Mr. Anwar has been in this situation before. In 1998, when his reformist ideas challenged then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, he was prosecuted on sodomy charges and imprisoned for six years — until a court ruled that the testimony against him had been coerced. Since then he has become a leading advocate of democratic reform as an antidote to Islamic extremism. The success of his multi-ethnic coalition could decisively push Malaysia into the democratic camp with neighboring Indonesia at a time when China’s authoritarian system threatens to become a regional model.
In short, Mr. Anwar is a natural ally of the United States — which is why it is odd that the Obama administration has all but ignored his case. While the previous sodomy conviction was condemned by senior Clinton administration officials, including Vice President Al Gore, the State Department has said nothing publicly about this trial. Nor did the White House mention it when President Obama met with Mr. Najib in Washington last month — an event hailed by Kuala Lumpur’s pro-government press as a U.S. endorsement. In fact, the administration seems to find Mr. Najib useful; he’s been helpful on issues such as nuclear proliferation, Iran and Afghanistan. But failing to protest his ugly persecution of Mr. Anwar is both shameful and shortsighted.
The above article was published as editorial in Washington Post on May 19, 2010. Official website is at www.washingtonpost.com

On Sunday January 10th I attended (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com) a gathering of Church leaders in Petaling Jaya to express our solidarity with the Christian community where I read the following statement:
We are outraged by the tragic attacks on our Christian brothers and sisters and reiterate our unequivocal condemnation of the bombing of churches in Malaysia. Today’s attack on the oldest standing church in Malaysia, the All Saints Church in Taiping, is an attack on our nation’s heritage.
As a nation we struggle to uphold the spirit of unity that our founding fathers envisioned at independence. We must hold fast to Article 11 of the Federal Constitution which guarantees freedom of religion and the right of religious groups to manage their own affairs. In such times the spirit of engagement and dialogue must transcend those voices that would seek to sow discord and enmity across our land.

The people of Malaysia must unite against those who exploit race and religion to incite hatred for political gain. We must renew our commitment to religious understanding and religious freedom.

This is a time that tests the resolve of all religions for peace and mutual respect. We must remember that the God who we worship is in fact the same God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe.

With respect to the use of the word Allah, for example, it cannot be disputed that Arabic speaking Muslims, Christians and Jews have collectively prayed to God as Allah throughout the last fourteen centuries. While sensitivities over its usage have arisen in Malaysia, the way to resolve these conflicts is not by burning churches and staging incendiary protests but by reasoned engagement and interreligious dialogue.

Muslims must recall the memory of our own tradition’s remarkable commitment to understanding and coexistence with the People of the Book. Islam clearly grants respect to Christians and Jews. In the Quran’s second chapter, God says:

Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to a common word between us and you: that we shall worship none but God (Aal-Imran, 3:64)

And in the 29th Chapter He says:

And dispute not with the People of the Book but say “We believe in the Revelation which has come down to us and that which came down to you…our God [Allah] and your God [Allah] is One, and it is to Him we bow (al-Ankabut, 29:46)

Jesus is himself revered as one of the greatest prophets whose noble example should be followed. The Caliph Umar, who visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 638 AD, was careful to ensure that the Muslims respect the sanctity of Christian places of worship. What then of our own Police’s hesitation to offer an assurance of safety and security for Malaysian churches?

Much of the blame for the recent attacks can be placed at the doorstep of the UMNO-led BN ruling party. Its incessant racist propaganda over the Allah issue and the inflammatory rhetoric issued by government controlled mainstream media especially, Utusan Malaysia, are reprehensible. Such wanton acts of provocation are indeed criminal and demonstrate the duplicity of the 1Malaysia campaign.

I am encouraged by the swift condemnation of the attacks issued by Muslim organizations and leaders. I likewise applaud our Christian leaders for their strong statements calling for calm and forgiveness and resisting revenge and retaliation.

The need for interfaith dialogue in Malaysia is an idea whose time is long overdue. We must now advance the spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood which is inherent in our religions and enshrined in our Constitution. Pakatan Rakyat will collectively take steps to ensure that the necessary dialogue and discussion take place throughout the country. Our fellow Christians must feel safe and secure in this country knowing that their freedom to worship is protected.

Anwar Ibrahim is the Selangor State Government Economic Adviser. He is also Malaysia’s opposition leader.

It is without doubt that to worship and glorify Allah as the God is a fundamental right of every person. This is parallel to the provision of the Federal Constitution, Article 3(1) which guarantees the status of Islam as the Official Religion of the Federation while at the same time concedes that other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony. Unmistakably, it is also consistent with the recently affirmed Declaration of Understanding of the Pakatan Rakyat.
Additionally, we are of the opinion that the strive to advocate virtues and prevent misdeeds (amar makruf nahi mungkar) will be eased. Allah says:
Say: “O people of the Book! come to common terms as between us and you: that we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not from among ourselves Lords and patrons other than Allah.” If then they turn back, say: ye! “Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims (bowing to Allah’s will).” (Ali Imran 3:64)

Therefore, to maintain harmony and peace it is crucial for all parties to resolve the conflict by encouraging the culture of interfaith discourse with the highest level of maturity and wisdom. Allah commands:
Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth, best who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance. (An Nahl 16:125)

And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation) unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say “We believe in the Revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our God and your God is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam).” (Al Ankaboot 29:46)

PROF DR MUHD NUR MANUTY
Biro Pemahaman & Pemantapan Agama
Parti KeADILan Rakyat
06 Januari 2010

Wanted: Pornthip’s head!

Thai pathologist Khunying Pornthip Rojanasunan has promised to bring Teoh Beng Hock’s case to justice by requesting an exhumation of the dead political aide’s body for a second post-mortem, making her a well-known legendary figure across this country.

She fears no evil, and has over the past three decades brought justice to countless unjustifiably killed victims.

That explains why a million-baht tag has been placed on her head!

Guang Ming Daily travelled all the way to Thailand to talk to her. Other than seeing her dissect dead bodies in her white overall, we also saw her tender side as a Thai woman, a mother, and a wife.

Teoh Beng Hock’s mysterious death has yet to be solved. Under the recommendation of their lawyer, Teoh’s family agreed to invite internationally acclaimed pathologist Pornthip Rojanasunan to conduct a second post-mortem with the hope of unearthing any hidden truth.

Thanks to the intervention by Pornthip to conduct a second post-mortem on a wealthy Thai MP back in 1999, earlier police reports pointing at him committing suicide was overturned, resulting in a drastic twist in the development of the case.

Heads-on with the authorities

Pornthip fears no evil and would even go against the will of the authorities just to bring out the truth.

She has gained tremendous popularity since, but that has also made her a target of some people. Her life has been constantly under intimidation.

Pornthip said after she overturned the police report that the wealthy MP had committed suicide, she had received numerous unidentified calls threatening her life.

She was warned to stay clear of the case, or “a post-mortem will be conducted ON YOU tomorrow!”

That was only a beginning. Pornthip said the analyses she did on the six pieces of earplugs found at the site of an explosion in southern Thailand three years ago allowed the police to detain two suspects. One of the suspects was subsequently sentenced to death while the hearing of the other is still being conducted.

Since then, she has been told by the police that her head was wanted by certain people in southern Thailand.

“They offered at least one million baht (approximately RM100,000) for my head, but I’m not afraid of it!

“I’m well aware that my head fetches a good price, but I won’t chicken out, but will instead be more determined to get the truth out of the dark.”

A good price on the head of “Doctor of Death”

Popularly known as the “Doctor of Death,” Pornthip is someone who would never give up things easily. That said, she is well aware of the fact that she is constantly walking on a tightrope, and does not know when she will miss and fall to her death.

Militants, underground outfits, even hostile politicians have been offering rewards to get her wiped out from the face of the earth.

She often leads her team to the sites, especially of cases involving explosions, and believes DNA technology could be employed in the police force to assist in the identification of leaders of the militants in the troubled Deep South.

Pornthip said she had no regret of any sort for the sake of the safety of majority of Thai people.

Revisiting Malaysia this month

On Teoh Beng Hock’s case, Pornthip said the family’s lawyer Gorbind Singh had contacted her, but whether she would come to Malaysia would depend on whether the court would approve the application by Teoh’s family.

She admitted that it was inconvenient at this juncture for her to divulge any detail of her recent court statements in Kuala Lumpur, as the case is still on trial.

However, she said she would go to KL for a forensic conference in mid-November.

On Teoh’s mysterious death, Pornthip said boldly that it shared a lot of similarities with many of the suspense cases she had handled earlier on.

She cited an example in which a woman was found hanging herself at home in Bangkok not too long ago. According to post-mortem reports, the woman hanged herself to death, but after two weeks, the victim’s son and other relatives suspected foul play and requested Pornthip to conduct a second post-mortem to find out the truth behind her death.

After reading the post-mortem reports, Pornthip found some irregularities that did not match scientific evidences.

Generally, those hanging themselves to death will present injuries on the upper part of their throats, but this female victim had obvious injuries further down!

Moreover, Pornthip also found other injuries around the victim’s body, including bruises on her arms.

As a result, she felt it necessary to revisit the site. Besides, the victim was said to have hanged herself with a certain type of cloth that did not match the actual situation.

Consequently, Pornthip got the victim’s husband to explain these irregularities, but her husband was unable to provide proper answers to her questions.

Pornthip said collecting evidences was of paramount importance in solving a case.

Solving a mysterious death

The next example that Pornthip cited, was the case in which she conducted a second post-mortem on a victim for the first time.

The victim was a Thai man who died under police custody.

According to post-mortem reports presented by the police, the victim died at about 11.00 p.m. while under police custody.

The family of the victim sought Pornthip’s assistance three months later, and wanted her to exhume the victim’s body for a second post-mortem, during which four apparent injuries and bullet shells were found on the body.

Besides, there was undigested food in his gastrointestinal tract.

Pornthip said the victim took his meal at 4 p.m., and this was contradicting the police’s claim that he died at 11 p.m.

Six months later, the Thai Legal Association issued a statement that the victim’s blood was found in the bush.

The victim had apparently been killed by someone else before his body was moved to another location.

Unfortunately, the case was put to an abrupt stop without any solution, as a member of the victim’s family met his doom during the process of finding the truth; and for their own safety, the family agreed to accept a 3-million baht “reconciliation” offer from the police.

Pornthip said helplessly, “Thailand lacks the say when it comes to human rights protection.”

Tracking down the bombing mastermind

As soon as Pornthip gave her statements in the court in KL on Teoh Beng Hock’s case, she took the next available flight to Bangkok, packed some simple luggage, and rushed to the turbulent South on military aircraft.

Bombing attacks were launched again in the southern part of the country known for chronic religious conflicts, and Pornthip had to rush there to collect evidences related to the bombings in order to help the police track down the mastermind.

On 26 October, a policeman was killed while another injured during a gunfight with some suspcious figures at a Muslim hamlet in Yarang district. A man suspected of involvement in a string of criminal acts also perished in the crossfire.

This was yet another incident believed to be related to the bombings in southern Thailand.

Since the first episode of violence broke out in January 2004, the situation has never improved to this day, and has instead deteriorated. According to unofficial statistics, at least 3,900 lives have so far been claimed by violent assaults in southern Thailand. Buddhists, Muslims, teachers, policemen and even estate workers have not been spared.

When Pornthip rushed in from Bangkok on 27 October, she was followed by Guang Ming Daily executive editor Tan Soon Keat and a photographer.

Taking the lead in collection of evidences

Intelligence Unit personnel and policemen visited the site on the third day after the incident, and proceeded to the four provinces in the south on a fact-finding mission.

Investigations were carried out from 8.00 a.m. to 4.40 p.m. at a few suspicious residential units as well as vacant lands.

Collection of evidences was led by Dr Pornthip herself with the assistance from the IU personnel and local policemen. Among the devices employed were GT200 long-distance explosive/narcotic detector, portable explosive detector, gloves necessary for smear tests, etc.

After the operation, all collected samples were sent to the IU administrative centre at Pattani camp for further analyses.

Searching for solutions

Forensics is a kind of science in which pathologists and forensic doctors make logical deductions from their DNA findings in a bid to get the solutions for unresolved criminal cases. Such scientific deductions begin with the collection of apparent and easily visible evidences such as splinters, debris, fingerprints, teeth and blood stains.

During the exclusive interview with Pornthip Rojanasunan, Guang Ming Daily followed her deep into the troubled South and witnessed how she moved about swifty among several predominantly Muslim villages looking for clues for a string of violent outbreaks in the region.

During the three-day, 72-hour expedition, we followed Pornthip and a large team of armed military policemen to tread the soil of southern Thailand, where violent outbursts and assaults could erupt anytime.

Thanks to the mysterious death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock, Malaysians get to know this fashion-conscious legendary woman.

This exclusive interview with Pornthip Rojanasunan was conducted at the forensic administrative centre in Pattani.

The sensational side of Pornthip Rojanasunan

While Pornthip Rojanasunan is highly praised for her skills in examining the dead bodies, she is super blurred when it comes to romance.

She wasn’t even aware that her husband Viroj, currently working with a bank, was falling in love with her for two whole years until her mother reminded her.

To test his him out, Pornthip went to his bank to deposit 100 baht during his busiest time of the day, and wanted him to help her with a whole lot of forms.

Although the romance started a bit tough, the couple eventually tied the knot on Valentine’ Day after dating each other for only half a year.

Pornthip agreed that she was of the passive type when it comes to romance. She only realised that her husband had been secretly falling for her after about two years; and even her marriage had been hastened by her father.

Whenever Pornthip came to the bank to deposit money 27 years ago, Viroj had always showed his positive and caring side. This lasted for the subsequent two years without Pornthip realising it.

Mother’s reminder

Pornthip never really realised that Viroj was secretly in love with her, and it never crossed her mind that this gentle and softspoken young man could have been her prince charming.

She told Guang Ming Daily, “Indeed, I must thank my mum for that.”

It all started in 1982. For the sake of her daughter’s future, Pornthip’s mother went against the family’s Buddhist traditions to seek guidance from a female fortune-teller.

This highly respected fortune-teller said the daughter would become a doctor in the future, and that her future husband was always around the corner and had shown up in front of her all the while.

Testing the guy

All Pornthip remembered was that two guys had seriously gone after her, but never expected anyone like that soft-spoken bank teller called Viroj. She knew the guy was a very serivce-oriented person and she thought it natural for him to be kind to her.

So she conducted a few tests on her courter, going to him during his busiest time of the day to get him to help her with forms and remittances just to put his sincerity and patience to test.

“The funniest part is, each time I only brought a hundred baht.”

Perhaps that is what we call yen fen (predestined romance); they started dating each other soon afterward, and tied the knot after six months. Pornthip was 28 at that time, her husband three years older.

They chose to marry on Valentine’s Day so that the busy couple could easily remember their anniversary.

Making her daughter’s dress

On Viroj, Pornthip believes true love can overcome everything.

Her husband is currently working as an auditor for the bank. Despite the vast differences in their work natures, the couple has been getting on pretty well.

Both her husband and daughter appreciate the effort she has put into her forensic work. However, her safety has always been the greatest concern of her daughter, therefore each time she travels to the South to carry out her field work, she will take special note of her daughter’s advice.

When asked whether she felt she was a good wife and mother, Pornthip said she would try her best to cook for the family during the weekends, unless she was tied down by her work. She said she even made dresses her daughter herself.

On reincarnation

As a devout Buddhist, Pornthip believes in rebirth. However, she said if given a choice, she would prefer not to be reincarnated as a human being in her next life, as she did not want to see deaths keep repeating over and over.

Buddhism has given Pornthip a positive perspective on life. This, coupled with the strict family education she has been instilled with since she was young, has made her realise the importance of right attitude and thinking.

Strict family education

Eldest in the family, Pornthip has two younger sisters and one younger brother. Since she was very young, her father Sathorn and mother Pissamorn had been instilling her with the right attitude towards life.

Unfortunately, her mother died of cancer at the age of 53, while her father passed away of old age at 77.

The interviews she has been having with Thai magazines and electronic media over the past few years have always been focused around her works of collecting evidences and examining dead bodies. She seldom talked about her family or romance.

However, Pornthip gave in to Guang Ming Daijly’s sincere requests, and shared some of her previously untold stories from a more sensational aspect.

Miscarriage during first pregnancy

Pornthip has had the unhappy experience of miscarriage during her first pregnancy, and the couple had to wait for another ten years before they got their only daughter, Yaravee.

Pornthip admitted that her husband had wanted to have a lot of children, but the miscarriage forced them to wait for another ten years before they could finally get their daughter, who is now 17.

“Actually the second pregnancy came as a miracle, and I believe it had something to do with the pledge we made to the late King of Thailand during a vacation in southern Thailand. Viroj asked for a child and soon I found myself pregnant again.”

To commemorate her unborn child, Pornthip and her husband also nicknamed their daughter “Ten.”

Yaravee is currently pursuing a course in interior design.

Never gives up hope

Despite the fact that she was down with cancers twice, Pornthip has never given up hope in fighting her illnesses.

Pornthip has the family history of cancers. Her mother suffered from cancers twice, and eventually died of lung cancer at the age of 53.

Because of this family history, Pornthip has been very careful with her diet. However, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 42. She took the initiative to go for cancer tests the following year, and was found to have also contracted colon cancer.

During her depression, Pornthip did not show her vulnerable side in front of her husband and daughter. Instead, she talked about cases of colon cancer survivors.

Fortunately, she sought early treatment and the cancers were soon brought under control.

After recovering from her illnesses, Pornthip has changed her dietary habits, and would not ingest any food after lunch. Besides, she also stays away from pork, chicken, beef and other foods.

Taking solace in Buddha

When Pornthip was giving her statements at the court in KL recently, she was constantly seen with a backpack.

But her backpack is quite unlike what other women would carry, full of cosmetics and sort.

Inside her backpacak are all kinds of chains and rings which are related to Buddha.

Besides, there are also pictures of the Holy Priest as well as the late kings of Thailand.

Pornthip: Big shots could be behind the heinous crimes in Thailand’s Deep South

Pornthip Rojanasunan knows that dangers are lurking at every corner, yet she moves ahead without fear. All she wants is to find more clues and scientific evidences to help the police solve the bombing cases in Thailand’s troubled south, and bring those responsible to book.

In a predominantly Buddhist country, Islamic outfits in the southern provinces of Songkhla, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat have been engaging in separatist movements over the decades with the ultimate motive of establishing an independent Islamic state.

Since January 2004, in particular, the chaos in southern Thailand has taken a drastic change for the worse, and so far more than 3,000 lives have been claimed by the separatists’ violent acts and bombings.

According to reports, the Thai government has openly denied the involvement of aggressive Muslim militants in these attacks, and does not rule out the possibility that a series of violent crimes in the southern part of the country have been caused by the clash of smuggling or prostitution gains between local crime syndicates and corrupt officials.

Pornthip said she did not rule out the possibility that the suspects of violent and bombing attacks in southern Thailand had been associated with local crime syndicates, and that some could have even been sponsored by politicians.

During the three-day interview with Pornthip in southern Thailand, Guang Ming Daily found that during a raid into a shophouse for evidences of crime, some baby napkins believed to be counterfeits were unexpectedly recovered. These napkins had been brought in from a neighbouring country.

Pornthip said the sources of counterfeit napkins would be investigated by the police, but initial investigations showed that these napkins, believed to be made in Indonesia, could be related to the suspects involved in violent and bombing attacks in the region.

She believed these militants might need sufficient funds to finance their operations, and it was therefore possible that they had paired up with local crime syndicates, or been involved in smuggling and other illegal activities to rake in lucrative profits.

“As what I understand, it is very likely that they have been sponsored by the politicians.”

A thorn in the flesh

As the director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFS), Pornthip is well aware of the turmoil in southern Thailand, and has assumed the all-important task of setting up a DNA database in the South.

Pornthip is a well-known, authoritative woman in the South, and has been widely respected by the military. She has been commanding each and every fact-finding mission there, with scores of military officers and bodyguards taking instructions from her.

That said, the Thai police do not seem to go too well with her, and few police officers are willing to work with her.

As such, the military has been her major partner in southern Thailand, and its Intelligence Unit at Angkayut military camp in Pattani has helped her search for more clues to resolve the criminal cases.

A self-sufficient workstation

Pornthip’s workstation looks very much like any dilapidated building. Despite its simplicity, the workstation is well equipped with some of the most sophisticated technology.

There are about 20 other people working with her in this office, and from the way these people carry out their job functions, it could be seen that they have all been very professional and dedicated. They ride their motorbikes to collect all the necessary information themselves, and even spend their lunch hours working at their office.

The office is located inside the military camp and is itself a self-sufficient place.

We put up in double-storey house about 1km from Pornthip’s office. There are grocery stores selling all kinds of stuff, mainly for supply to the military.

Besides, there are also hawker stalls and temples.

(Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Guang Ming Daily)

In the 2010 Budget, Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib announced that the Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (Public Land Transport Commission) would be formed in mid-2010 as part of the government’s committment to improve public transport.

We know that the Public Land Transport Commission will combine the duties of the Road Transport Department and Department of Railways and that the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board will likely be shut down. But we have also heard that the Public Land Transport Commission will be placed under the Prime Minister’s Department so that it can be closely monitored and allowed to grow successfully.

Having a singple Public Land Transport Commission is expected to help cut through bureauracy and red tape and improve public transport through better coordination of the various ministries and agencies that are currently involved. But rest assured, there will still be many agencies that will be involved, especially at the initial stages when SPAD is created.

The Finance Ministry will still be there as it is the owner of Prasarana and RapidKL.  The Economic Planning Unit will still be planning public transport projects and the purchases of new trains and buses. The Department of Town and Country Planning will still have some say, and so will the Works Ministry and the JKR. The Home Ministry will also be involved, with the police providing public transport security and law enforcement. And local governments will still have to help coordinate the public transport planning and services at a local level.

Ironically, one Ministry that may no longer be involved would be the Ministry of Transport. Remember, the Public Land Transport Commission will combine the Road Transport Department and Department of Railways and put them into the Prime Minister’s Department. All that might be left of the Ministry of Transport would be the departments that handle water and air transport.

So will SPAD improve public transport? The answer is, not immediately and probably not for some time to come. Initially, SPAD will be busy sorting out the massive bureaucracy and politics associated with its creation. Then, there will be the challenge of coordinating with the other ministries and agencies that it will still have to deal with. Then, SPAD will have to figure out how to make a difference at the regional and local levels.

This process will take time, perhaps years. And what will happen to public transport during that period? Will it continue to muddle along with inconsistency between planning and action, poor enforcement, incomplete networks and costly infrastructure? Not to mention the continuation of the unhealthy competition that is eating the industry alive?

When I suggested to the government to create a National Public Transport Authority, I imagined a coordinating body that would set national standards for the planning and operations of public transport.  The National Authority would provide the necessary infrastructure funding and support to Local Public Transport Authorities and Regional Public Transport Authorities. At first, these authorities would regulate and plan public transport at a local level.

Initally the authorities would work to improve public transport first by addressing the basic inefficiencies and weaknesses of the entrepreneurial model.   The second step would be to coordinate public transport and roads and highways, taking advantage of synergy between these modes of transport for better overall mobility for more people.

What seems to be happening is the opposite. Despite the talk about a Rakyat-centred approach and asking for public feedback, the government is taking the top-down approach.  The initial planning for the role of SPAD has focused on the centralization of public transport in the Prime Minister’s Department in Putrajaya. The decisions that are being made are not public or transparent at this point, and people are forced to adopt a “wait-and-see” approach.

Unfortunately, the “wait-and-see” approach cannot work. We simply cannot afford to ignore problems that exist on a day to day level. The best practices for public transport all focus on separation of regulation and operation, planning at the regional level, and contracting out of services.  These practices must be adopted in Malaysia with or without the Public Land Transport Commission.

Moaz is the president of TRANSIT or  The Association for the Improvement of Mass-Transit.The above article was a letter which he had sent to the media in response to the announcement by Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib on the establishment of the Public Land Transport Commission.

Praise to almighty God that we are able to gather here tonight for this Budget Forum 2010. I thank all distinguished panelists and all who are present here tonight.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As all of us are aware, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak announced Malaysia’s 2010 Budget in Parliament last week. This was an important budget, being Datuk Seri Najib’s first as Prime Minister of Malaysia since taking over the reins eight months ago. The contents of the budget would help us to understand the goal, theme and his strategy in managing Malaysia’s economy over the next year.

It seems that the budget has been well-received by some quarters, and has been lauded as a rakyat-friendly budget due to the various ‘goodies’ given. For example, there are allocations for companies involved in green technology, students, community colleges and the urban poor, amongst others.

I will not go into the details of the benefits bound to be received by the various sectors in the 2010 budget here. On the contrary, I would like to highlight the deficiencies or limitations of the national budget that was just announced. What I want to address is this : “Reading between the lines of the national budget.”

I would like to highlight the danger signs that could well compromise our nation’s future. In this matter, we have to train ourselves to look beyond the superficial. On the contrary, we need to move beyond our worries that colour our perception towards the 2010 budget. According to the Open Budget Index 2009, Malaysia was given a score of 35% based on an evaluation of budget transparency and openness.

These findings are from an international study and Malaysia fell into the ‘poor’ category that said, “there was little or scarce information available to the public”, meaning that the budget document itself does not provide us sufficient information, what more not sufficient disseminated to the public.

When we read the 2010 budget book, we find that there is a lack of economic direction given the current national economic conditions. Phrases like “high-income economy”, “transforming from agriculture to industrial-based economy”, and “shifting to a new economic model based on innovation, creativity and high-value added activities” are actually weak attempts and lacking in substance. These phrases are just repetitions of what we have seen before the presentation of the 2010 budget.

Truth be told, our country is in dire need of transformation; major institutional failures have caused us to lose huge economic investment and tensions in our relationships with other neighbouring nations. Investors now favour Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia to Malaysia. We are in dire need of transforming the nation today; where key structural and institutional failures have caused us to lose out on greater investment and economic vigour relative to our neighbours. Investors say Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia are overtaking Malaysia in popularity.

If we truly want to transform Malaysia’s economy, a targeted and holistic economic plan should have been outlined. It involves stimulating economic growth, improving transparency in the market and administration and also job creation. In addition to that, clear goals must be set in order to reduce the budget deficit, reverse failed privatization, stimulate trade, dealing with healthcare and immigration issues.

However, where can we find these crucial elements in the 2010 budget? In actual fact there are huge gaps and limitations that have to be addressed and cleared up within this 2010 budget.

The 2010 budget is a reduced budget from RM215 billion in 2009 to RM191 billion in 2010. This drop is directly related to the Government’s reduced revenue of almost RM20 billion. The Government’s whopping levels of operating expenditure has been criticised in the last 4 years. Only this year has it been reduced by 13%, although it is unclear whether the civil servants’ bonuses will be announced at a later point this year or next. The amount of spending in the Federal 2009 budget was twice the size of the 2003 budget. This was an average increase of 8%, more than the population increase of Malaysia during the same period of time.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The fact that revenues are falling sends a signal that all is not well or healthy with the state of the federal government’s coffers. Now, every credit card holder is being charged RM50 even though the card was given without any charge in the first place. Datuk Seri Najib said that the study about the impact of a goods and services tax (GST) is in its final stage and the federal government is going to spend RM22 million for this study. This country needs to explore alternative revenue streams aside from petrol and gas as Malaysia will be a net-oil importer very soon.

We need to give serious attention to the announcement that the government is going to start a second wave of privatisation. Although it starts out with a good premise of reducing the size of government, we have to understand that privatisation in Malaysia is done in a flawed manner. Here, for example, whenever government agencies have been privatised in the past they end up riddled with debts, eventually forcing the government to pay off their debts (bail-outs), the amount of which reaches up to a few hundred million ringgit.

This time, companies will be privatised under the Ministry of Finance Inc. and other viable government agencies. Apparently this is to “reduce their financial dependence on Government”, but if they fall under the purview of the MOF it is highly unlikely they will be entirely independent from the government. Instead of stimulating small and medium enterprises, which is the correct direction of an innovative and entrepreneurial Malaysia, we are saying: Take a government department, “privatise it under the MOF with government funds and investment”, and give these companies preferences whenever we want something “outsourced”.

Malaysians have already suffered the bitter lessons of crony-privatisation in which selected cronies and individuals have benefited. Taxpayer money is used to enrich these selected individuals. Therefore, citizens of this country must be vigilant in finding out which agencies are being privatized; ensuring that its profits is enjoyed by all, and that the government would not be burdened should the privatized companies fail in the future. Therefore, citizens of this country must be vigilant in finding out which agencies are being privatised, which individuals are benefiting, who they are and what profits they will receive as a result.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Another issue I want to address is “Off-Budget Items”. For example, the Defence Ministry’s budget is left out of all budget documents given the reason that the information could compromise national security. For the year 2008, RM8.2 billion was spent by the Ministry of Defence where 54% were through “direct negotiations”, compared with that in 2006 where only 31% was carried out through “direct negotiations”. This means that the number of open tenders has decreased since the year 2006. Every one of those documents needs to be published as proof to the people that the government is being responsible and prudent in spending. We have already seen several controversial cases and shadowy transactions taking place, and Malaysia cannot afford to lose so much money to a few corrupt politicians.

Another example of an Off-Budget item is the increasing use of private sector consultants to achieve the government’s objective. For instance, I am told, that the whole KPI project (which Datuk Seri Najib so passionate drives) is now being farmed out to consultancy firms outside the government. Does this mean that all government projects, including the NKRA(National Key Result Areas) must be carried out by consultants that are paid a huge sum although the same job could be done by the civil service?

We already have a bloated civil service of 1.24 million people- the highest proportion of civil servants-citizenry in the region, and yet we continue to employ the services of consultants that cost a huge sum of money. Actually, this is the best time to reevaluate the operational expenditure, and examine whether employment of the public sector has already reached and exceeded its maximum limit. Although it is good that bodies like PEMUDAH are formed, a temporary time period must be ensured, and subsequently these functions should be absorbed into existing civil service.

The number of civil servants increased 26% from 2003 to 2008. In actual fact, it is not sustainable for the government to keep expanding the civil service as firstly, this action is inefficient for national productivity: secondly, top-heavy bureaucracy is supported by the taxpayer and thirdly, it creates a burden as some of the civil servants are not needed. It has become the employer of last resort.

On the subject of inefficiency within Government, I would like to ask this question: How many institutions and establishments are needed to formulate the national economic policy? Right now, the federal government has established the NEAC (National Economic Action Council) – originally formed to address the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis; the EPU (Economic Planning Unit) under the PM’s Office; the ICU (Implementation and Coordinating Unit) under the PM’s Office; PEMUDAH, and now a new PEMANDU is being set up. So, is this the version of economic efficiency that Datuk Seri Najib is referring to in the 2010 budget?

As far as I can see, the federal government is spending too much time on numerous meetings and empty talk within all the bureaucratic layers. Many of these institutions fall directly under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister’s Office, which boasts a budget of RM12 billion for 2010. This amount is almost 12 times the budget of the entire state of Selangor, which is the next area I will touch on.

There are a whole host of provisions within the budget for items that would rightfully be channeled to benefit the States across the country. However, due to the nature of our political divide between Federal and State, we are never certain whether or not these funds will be channeled directly or into the accounts of certain people..

Although we are officially a Federalism, where states are given some level of independence, we have undergone greater centralisation of government over the years, leaving states with little jurisdiction; and this situation is exacerbated under a Pakatan Rakyat ruled state. For example, the RM2.6 billion announced for water supply and sewerage services – how will this benefit Selangor’s water industry which is currently being restructured?

The RM281 million for state economic development corporations – which states do they refer to, and shouldn’t meetings be held with the State government in order to determine the workings out of this? My hope is that there will be meetings between state representatives and respective ministries in charge of disbursal of funds, so that we are able to connect the funds from the top to the beneficiaries at the bottom.

In other federalist countries, there is a better arrangement made between the federal and state governments, even when they don’t belong to the same political party. Take for example, Canada and Australia. They are known to behave professionally to ensure cordial relations and that proper financing is distributed despite their political differences.

These countries use the concept of equality, an equalisation formula, where federal government makes equalisation payments to states to allow them to provide their residents with public services that are reasonably comparable to those in other states; at reasonably comparable levels of taxation. The old maxim of “no taxation without representation” rings true here.

State government would then receive these unconditional funds and use them to help pay for programmes, such as social programmes, education and environmental issues which would serve the public. This acts as a guarantee that a basic level of social and economic welfare is taken care of and available to all residents of states regardless of the local fiscal conditions within the state they reside in. Unfortunately, this does not happen in Malaysia, where Pakatan-led states are not given direct development funds from the federal government.

Now these funds are redirected to the Federal-government State Development Office (SDO) which was physically relocated out of our own state building. The Selangor state government does not officially know anything about its own SDO office, as it is a federally-run body. It is time we put away with these political games and realise that common development is necessary for the overall development of the nation for the sake of the welfare of the people

In order to truly be a 1Malaysia nation, political considerations that are filled with corruption and vengeance must be put aside, especially by the ruling federal government.

According to the Global Competitiveness Report, Malaysia has fallen in two of the global economic rankings, namely from 21^st to 24^th in the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s and from 21^st to 23^rd in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2010: Reforming Through Difficult Times, between 2009 and 2010. Although some may dispute ranking systems, saying that we are competing with all other countries, meaning Malaysia itself may not have deteriorated. However, the point about global competition is that Malaysia is not improving itself fast enough, compared to our neighbours around the world.

One of the ways the government has responded is to increase the level of funding for the Royal Malaysian Police to RM1 billion in 2010, because investors are worried about safety and security in this country. Although this is a good move to step up the fight against crime, my concern is that the bulk of this money is going to RELA, which is a volunteer organisation known for its harsh tactics against undocumented migrants. Every member of RELA, after receiving training for all of two weeks, will have the right to bear firearms to “fight crime” on the streets, something we must be very cautious of.

This glaring fact, accompanied by the annual AG’s report that names and shames institutions, should send a signal that the entire country is in need of reform. Our institutions are not professionally independent, our corruption culture has crept into the business sphere leading to a strong politics-business linkage that is so difficult to break.

Rural investment in the budget is not very clear in terms of its growth targets. Of course, this is difficult when the national budget places such a strong emphasis on subsidies and incentives, which actually mean handouts. As a “handout”, or as the term goes, “helicopter money”, there is no way for the government to calculate its incremental output ratio. Subsidies are necessary for a period of time but they also create inefficiencies in the market. Therefore, we need to think wisely on how to deal with this issue of subsidies.

There is also an unequal distribution in the 2010 budget, for instance, between Sabah and Sarawak. Growth inequality between these two states is very stark, where there are villages in Sabah and Sarawak that until today still do not have electricity or clean living conditions. All we hear on Sabah and Sarawak in the budget are allocations for schools, private infrastructure projects and welfare benefits. Nationally, our gini coefficient that measures income inequality of society, is one of the highest in the region.

The budget hasn’t sufficiently addressed this. It has changed the poverty line income for the urban poor to RM3000, which on one hand is a good sign, to give a clear indication that are more needs to be done to help them; on the other hand Federal government shouldn’t be expected to merely provide benefits without evaluating the effects of those initiatives designed to help them; are these interventions effective and what are their impact?

The concept of 1Malaysia as a uniting slogan in itself may be well and good, but I again observe the hypocrisies that it continues to support. The Biro Tatanegara, for example, should be abolished by Datuk Seri Najib’s administration in this budget. The BTN is a waterhole for racism and discrimination, social slurs targeted at the non-Malays in a very blatant manner. The fact that all civil servants have to undergo this training before starting their employment in the government sends a complete opposite signal of what 1Malaysia seeks to achieve. To support a uniting agenda, much more needs to be done.

Ladies and gentlemen,

For Malaysia to truly progress relative to its neighbouring countries, an overhaul of the ways in which our government operates is needed. Pakatan fundamentally believes in an economic policy that is just and fair, ensuring those from all races be given equal opportunity based on meritocracy and need. This does not mean the Malays will lose out in any way. Whenever Selangor state government has a programme targeted at the poor, it goes without saying that the Malays would be the biggest beneficiaries.

The current Datuk Seri Najib budget failed in its bid to provide fresh and bold ideas to truly stimulate the economy. It also failed to address the large looming elephants in the room; those involved in corruption, no transparency in government, and lack of accountability.

“Following the trail” of the budget money – at federal, state and local councill level – is a necessary skill set that allows us to evaluate if we are getting our (meaning tax payers) best returns on the taxes we pay to the government.

Yang Berhormat, Dato’-Dato’, ladies and gentlemen,

While the 2010 Budget does have positive perks for selected sectors of the economy, there are problems in Malaysia that are larger and deeper than what these perks can correct. The time has come for a massive overhaul in the way we manage our resources. This means that the budget has to be more open and transparent; there should be no more off-budget or contingent liabilities not recorded for the public.

In addition to that, the issue of inefficiencies and budget deficits has to be better managed. Issues of public concern such as security and public transport must be better addressed, inequality must be addressed especially in Sabah and Sarawak.

Finally, I hope that real growth mechanisms must be more carefully outlined.

With this I end my speech. In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful, I hereby officiate the Budget Forum 2010.

Wabillahitaufik walhidayah wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Let’s start by talking about the current situation in Malaysia. In a recent interview you described it as being almost a failed state, particularly in the context of its neighbours. What makes you say that and what in your opinion has caused that situation?

The issue of governance and in terms of failing to deal with the issue of endemic corruption, the judiciary is still questionable, so their decisions and independence and the absence of control; the media is so pervasive. For example, in the latest campaign there is a resurgence of the communist party. These are signs, you know, that [Malaysia] is becoming so authoritarian and so repressive. Why is there a need now to have a massive campaign in the government-controlled media – which is entirely, fully controlled by them – to suggest that there is a resurgence of communism?

There has also been a great deal of talk in Australia in particular about this being the Asia-Pacific Century. Do you agree with that? How do you see Malaysia benefiting from any possible shift in global economic and political power?

Well, I don’t have an issue against that, in terms of there’s a need to fortify and even strengthen the economic cooperation within the region. I think we should be all-encompassing in the region. So I think that now there has been eagerness, particularly in the light of the latest financial and economic crisis. But we have to move on first by putting our own house in order. Yes the impact is felt by all countries and the countries have to take measures with these stimulus packages, but the way it is being done is questionable. It must be transparent. And [in Malaysia] we have to look at how it’s being done in Malaysia compared to China. China focussed 40 per cent [of its stimulus] on infrastructure in the earthquake-affected areas; another 30 per cent on rural infrastructure…

I am no great friend of China, but still there are issues that I think we have to look [at] and study. Now compare this to Malaysia. Out of the $70 billion so-called package, the funds allocated for infrastructure per-say is only $15bn. But I charge there are embellishments to push the figure upwards: $10bn for the stockmarket; another $15-20bn for bank guarantees in case there are problems. So you are not talking about a proper stimulus package; we do not know where it is spent or how it is going. Even at a time of crisis, I would use this creative destruction because you can use this to improve and build anew, not to fortify and strengthen the auxiliary and corrupt practices.

So is there a real danger in your eyes of Malaysia slipping behind its neighbours, particularly in light of the current global financial crisis?

In terms of the fundamentals, I must admit that Malaysia is on a much stronger footing, partly because of better infrastructure and the financial services. In light of the last crisis of 1997-98, I think some of the measures have been adopted to strengthen the position of the financial institutions, including the banking sector. That I concede, and I think is something positive that will help us. Similarly there are a lot of reserves, which are quite strong, although, I think, slipping really fast.

Our concern is more with the issue of governance. If you fail to improve the institution of governance, including the casting of an economic policy and preparedness to move so that Malaysia becomes more competitive, then we will certainly lose out. In some sectors we have lost out even to Indonesia and Thailand, to China, of course, and even Vietnam now. So I think that we have to depart from the obsolete economic policies. Now I think some positives measures have been implemented – in the services sector, for example. But liberalising and bringing in foreign investors [counts for nothing when you] fail to deal with the more substantive issues, like the need for affirmative action. Then these policies can never be fully endorsed by the general public.

I am for the market economy and for liberalisation, but we cannot ignore the grinding poverty and we cannot ignore the importance for affirmative action based on need, not on race. And more important still, the need to strengthen the system of government; the judiciary mustbe independent. The media must be free. How do you then evaluate and assess the success of policies if the statistics are all questionable. The government says ‘Our growth is two per cent, inflation is 2.5 per cent.’ [But those figures are] generally not well accepted. The people still have doubts and questions and are cynical, and this is dangerous in a modern government.

So is a fundamental overhaul needed in Malaysia? Not just a change of political party being in power, but in terms of overhauling the judiciary, overhauling the bureaucracy in order to eliminate an endemic culture of nepotism and corruption and cronyism?

Yes. But what has this result been instead? Racism – the problem of the Chinese and the Hindus. And then there is this new threat, including communism. Some rural sectors remember what it was like to suffer under militant communist activities in the ’50s and ’60s.

Last year you set a number of deadlines for the transfer of power. That was when Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi was there. Now that there is a new, or relatively new, prime minister in Najib Razak, are you still confident that transfer will happen in the next year or two?

We have to hope it will happen. We have won every single by-election [since the general election], despite the fact that we have to struggle without any exposure in the media. In the mainstream media in this country – TV, newspapers – you cannot see any photograph of myself or my wife or my daughter at all. To win under those trying circumstances, with questionable conduct of the election commission and the judiciary is extraordinary. So I’m still optimistic that given the chance, we would prove ourselves.

Quite clearly your opponents aren’t going to give in without a fight. You’re currently facing renewed allegations – similar allegations to the ones that were eventually dismissed after you spent six years in solitary confinement. It must take an enormous personal, physical and emotional stress on you and your family.

Yes, this isn’t an easy thing, particularly when it becomes so vicious and scurrilous a personal attack and dealing with exactly the same players. It is tough, but I am confident enough that it will be a very good fight inside and outside the court. But I’m not too optimistic about the issue of the conduct and independence of the court based on the previous decision and the influence the executive has on the courts.

What is of course is disconcerting to us and other opposition leaders is that the personal attacks on me and others have increased, using all agencies. The media has always been controlled, but the manner is different. We thought things might change with the new prime minister and his pronouncements of change and the separation of powers, but the media has become a sort of propaganda tool for the ruling party.

You’ve clearly got the ruling party and the prime minister rattled at the minute, because as you say, you’re winning by-election after by-election and clearly the general sense in the country is of the desire for change from all the people; from the native Malays, and also the Chinese, Indian elements of the population as well. Which must give you confidence and a degree of strength as you’re going through this?

Yes, it does. But it’s also becoming a joke – all this time and resources being spent to deflect from the central issue of poor governance. It’s strengthening our opposition forces.

If your worst-case scenario eventuates and you’re found guilty and sent to prison, what will that mean for those opposition forces? Will they be able to survive, to progress, without your unifying presence?

I have been told by very reliable sources that close to the ruling clique that one way out for that clique is to send me back to prison. I don’t know whether that involves Najib himself; I just hope that sanity prevails. But the fact that they proceed with charges so frivolous is shocking to say the least. But, of course, they’ve done it before. This is clearly a politically machination by a desperate group, so I have to be very prepared to fight.

But assuming the worst does happen – and I don’t believe it will happen because now I am even better prepared [with medical reports from government doctors] – we have made preparations to ensure the opposition coalition survives.

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Racism and religious intolerance have been fed into the blood stream of Malaysians for so long that all of us are so poisoned in our thinking that even those acting with the best of intentions find it difficult to see the woods from the trees; between law enforcement and law making, between legislative policies and social or religious concerns.

The recent comments by the Selangor State Executive Council member Hassan Ali of his fellow Pakatan Rakyat Executive Council member, Ronnie Liu on Shah Alam Municipal Council enforcement personnel seizing and confiscating beer sold by a convenience store is a case in point. Hassan Ali said that PAS Selangor supported banning the sale of alcoholic drinks in convenience stores in Muslim areas especially Shah Alam.  He also said PAS would come out with its draft by-laws governing alcohol sales in the State.

The statements show the urgent need for us Malaysians to be aware of this sub-conscious racial discrimination and religious intolerance poison in Malaysians and the dire need for Malaysians to cleanse and detoxify ourselves so as to stop looking at every issue from the perspective of race and religion, imagined or otherwise.  There is a need for a Malaysian renaissance of our views, our values and our mindset.   

Law Making and Law Enforcement

There are clear laws relating to the manufacture, distribution and selling of beer and liquor. There are also like smoking cigarettes valid social concerns. There are no doubt also religious concerns because all religions teach us to respect our own bodies and take care of our health. However, not all laws and not all concerns are due to race or religion.

The laws governing the powers of the Local Government Agencies are clear. There is no law prohibiting the sale of beer by convenience stores. There are laws governing the sale of alcohol and liquor but the sale of beer is not included as the alcoholic content of beer is lower than the prescribed limit of alcohol.

The enforcement unit of the Shah Alam Municipal Council is not empowered to make laws and regulations. They only have the power to enforce the existing laws and regulations. There is no law prohibiting the convenience stores from selling beer.  There are however, Syariah law governing Muslims from consuming alcohol.  However, the enforcement officers of Local Councils do not have jurisdiction to enforce Syariah law and certainly not against non-Muslims.  Therefore, the Shah Alam Municipal Council was wrong to confiscate the beer from the convenience stores.    

Legislative Policies and Social Religious Concerns

Hassan Ali in saying that PAS supported the banning of alcoholic drinks in convenience stores in Muslim majority areas ought to have also mentioned that he has been elected not only to represent Muslims but also all Malaysians irrespective of race and religions.  There are many other quarters, Christians, Buddhist, Hindus and social organizations that are concern about the ill effects of beer drinking and he should have sought their views and give voice to their concerns. It would be surprising if they are not concerned about alcohol abuse.  Hassan Ali ought to have articulated their concerns also.

However, there is a difference between concerns and laws. For concerns to be turned into law, the laws should be amended before enforcement agencies act to prohibit convenience stores from selling beer. Whether alcohol should be banned should be debated by all Malaysians, by those who drink and those who do not and those who do not drink but will defend the right of those who wish to drink.  In doing so, we should not reinvent the wheel because Selangor is not the first and certainly not going to be the last society in having to deal with alcohol.  We can look and learn from history of other societies and countries.     

Prohibition

The first half of the 20^th century saw periods of prohibition of alcoholic beverages in several countries:

• 1900 to 1948 in Prince Edward Island and for shorter periods in Canada
• 1914 to 1925 in Russia and Soviet Union
• 1915 to 1922 in Iceland (though beer was still prohibited until 1989)
• 1916 to 1927 in Norway (fortified wine and beer also prohibited from 1917 to 1923)
• 1919 in Hungary
• 1919 to 1932 in Finland
• 1920 to 1933 in United States of America

In the United States the manufacture, sale and transportation of liquor was made illegal on 16 January 1920 pursuant to the 18^th Amendment to the US Constitution and clarified by the Volstead Act that stated beer, wine or other intoxicating malt or vinous liquor meant any beverage that was more than 0.5% alcohol. The Act stated that owning any item designed to manufacture alcohol was illegal and it set specific fines and jail sentences for violating Prohibition. Prohibition was meant to reduce the consumption of alcohol to curb crime and corruption, solve social problems, poverty and improve the economy.

The Prohibition was ineffective. It caused an explosive growth in crime and increased the amount of alcohol consumption. Drinking went underground and illegal “speak-easies” mushroomed all over the country. Bootleggers smuggled liquor from overseas, stole it from government warehouses and produced their own. The illegal liquor business fell into the control of organized crime. Al Capone is perhaps the most infamous Bootlegger during the period known as the Roaring 1920s.

Instead of reducing crime, Prohibition saw the crime rate skyrocketing with a nearly 78% increase. It saw serious crimes such as homicides, assault and battery increased by 13 %. There were gruesome shoot-outs as gangs fought for control over the profitable illegal business. The number of Federal convicts increased 561%. Consumption of liquor instead of reducing increased. Seldom had a law been more flagrantly violated. Not only did Americans continue to manufacture, barter and possess alcohol, they drank more of it.

Prohibition was a dismal failure and it was repealed on 5 December 1933 by the 21^st Amendment to the US Constitution repealing the 18^th Amendment. It was the first and only time in US history that an Amendment has been repealed.

 These countries that have experimented with Prohibition have now come to realize that not all social concerns and society’s ills can be solved by making them illegal.   With alcohol abuse, it is through education and voluntary temperance that these societies learnt to be more effective measures to counter alcohol abuse than by making the consumption of alcohol illegal. 

The Religious Looking Glasses

It is unfortunate that Hassan Ali looked at the problem solely through a pair of Muslim’s spectacles.  The problem is wider than that and the evils of alcohol abuse affect all races, followers of all the various faiths, and even the atheists and agnostics.   His statement has caused a perception that has turned the problem from a social concern to a struggle between Muslims and non-Muslims.  It has raised the mistaken belief by non-Muslims that Islam does not tolerate the existence of other religions.  Based on what I know of Islam, this is not true.   Allah decreed in the Quran, Surah 2 verse 256:

“Let there be no compulsion in religion;

Truth stands out clear from Error;

Whoever rejects Evil and believes in Allah;

Hath grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that never breaks.

And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.”

According to the notes to this verse, compulsion is incompatible with religion because (1) religion depends upon faith and will, and this would be meaningless if induced by force, (2) Truth and Error have been so clearly shown by the mercy of Allah that there should be no doubts in the minds of any person of goodwill as to the fundamentals of faith, (3) Allah’s protection is continuous and His Plan is always to lead us from the depths of darkness into the clearest light. 

There are many examples during the lifetime of the Prophet that shows the tolerance of Islam for other religions.  Islam recognizes that there is a plurality of religions on this earth and give the right to individuals to choose the path which they believe to be true.   Religion is not to be and was never forced upon any individual against his own will and there are many examples of this in the life of the Prophet and in the verses of the Quran.

Under the present oppressive and repressive rule of UMNO, it is important to understand that Malaysians have to resist oppression and repression. It has always been the central approach of Islam to resist all forms of oppression. It is this approach that is the foundation of Islamic  religious tolerance.  To succeed in this struggle against oppression, mere tolerance by Muslims of other religions is not enough; Muslims must unite with people of all religions and work towards the common goal of justice, mutual respect, equal treatment and robust pluralism.

Malaysian Renaissance

After 52 years of the myth of racial inferiority of the Malays as leverage for special privileges which in actual fact are enjoyed by a selected few, the Malays, instead of enjoying God’s gift of a life to be lived with dignity, are trapped in the bondage of a dependency on UMNO chained by subsidies, loans, scholarships and handouts. Those brave enough to dissent and dare to be independent of UMNO are punished by having these forcibly taken away. We, Malaysians of all races must standup to liberate our fellow brothers from this bondage. To do so we need to maximize the common features of our different racial descent and to use the strengths of our diversity to forge a stronger bond.

In doing so, it is imperative that we Malaysians accept that the Islamic concept of Man and the concept of Man founded on the religions and traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and the major religions practiced in this country share the basic fundamental ideas of the virtues and morality of mankind.  It is time to have a Malaysian renaissance where the growth, development and flowering of our Malaysian society is to be based on the common vision of the perfection for Mankind, imbued with truth and the love of learning, justice and compensation, mutual respect and forbearance and freedom with responsibility.  There is a need for the renewal of our faith and the assertion of our multiculturality as a Malaysian phenomenon not to be hidden away in shame but to be shown off to the rest of the world in pride. 

It is prayed that all Malaysians and in particular our Pakatan Rakyat state executive members will heed the call for a renewal of our values and to steel ourselves with the conviction that only a Malaysian renaissance will set us free.

William JK Leong
Ahli Parlimen Selayang

6 August 2009

The survey – carried out between June 5 and June 15, 2009 – found that 60% of Selangor citizens feel that the state is heading in the right direction. A total of 63% are satisfied with performance of the Menteri Besar while 19% expressed dissatisfaction.

Some 64% of Selangor citizens are satisfied with the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat Government’s performance after winning the March 2008 General Elections, while 22 percent are dissatisfied. Broken down into ethnic groups, the survey found 59% of Malays, 69% of the Chinese and 69% of Indians expressing satisfaction.

Based on the feedback, reasons leading to the people’s good ratings include the state’s welfare programmes, transparent and efficient administration and reduction of corruption. Within 100 days of its administration, the state introduced its Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor agenda which includes several welfare programmes including Tabung Warisan Anak Selangor, Skim Mesra Usia Emas, free water of 20metre cube for all residents, an education fund for children of plantation workers and Hadiah Anak Masuk Universiti.

As for the State Government’s ability in the management and administration of the state’s economy, 58% said that they are satisfied – out of which 13% were very confident while 45% somewhat confident.

The State Government commissioned Merdeka Centre to conduct the survey with the objective of assessing the rakyat’s views and perceptions of its performance and gauge the effectiveness of its programmes.

The survey identified several areas that the state will need to improve upon, including its communication outlets, creating awareness of its various programmes, reduction of bureaucratic red tape and better service delivery for the people.

The state is thankful for the confidence and trust expressed by the people of Selangor towards its performance and views the results as an encouragement for the state leadership to further improve its administration in line with its “Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor” agenda.

PRESS SECRETARIAT
OFFICE OF DATO’ MENTERI BESAR