Blogger Wars: Of Mangkuk Hayuns and Blind Mice (Postscript)

Well it finally flares up in the open. It was bound to happen especially after Rocky, in comments to the Star newspaper, alluded to Bernard Khoo aka Zorro Unmasked, Haris Ibrahim and Raja Petra as being "...either inspired or sponsored by Anwar”. There was buzz in blogosphere Malaysia for weeks now, that Rocky had "turned" (or had been turned). I was wondering what that meant...turned, how so? By whom, for what? For titles and spondoolies? Or for flag, race and personal loyalties?

Zorro's The "Outing" of Rocky Bru labels Rocky an apologist for PM to be, Najib Tun Razak (and by extension, a Mahathir apologist too?) and apparently this is what is meant by "turned".


Actually, I think Rocky has always showed he was "pro" Mahathir so there is no "turning" in that sense. Rocky is probably trying to justify his rightist sway by insinuating his "former" counterparts feel ok to be obviously leaning left and with heads snugly on Anwar's lap. Zorro's beef is with the expected shenanigans to come and as he puts it in the conclusion of his post;

"Folks, let’s brace ourselves for the upcoming editorial reign of Rocky Bru under a Najib administration.

Shading the half-truth, deploying the sly dig – the stock-in-trade of the Mahathir era – will make a grand return. Dang, this is more than over-drive….you got a sixth gear? Go ahead Rocky, post this on to Ashraf Abdullah. Let’s see how he does a journalist blow-job.

Who says we have seen the last of Mahathirism.

So saudara Rocky, as a former blogger-buddy, as and when we do meet, I can still enjoy a beer or malt with you, I hope."

Now we will probably see Haris Ibrahim throw down the gauntlet by issuing a statement of his own. Din Merican has weighed in rather unconvincingly with his own post on the subject but I like what he said which I have heard from Haris before;

"These guys are what I would call “social entrepreneurs” (refering to RPK and his coterie) who are for freedom, democracy and justice. In fact, Haris, the most blunt of the three, told me in no uncertain terms that “if PKR and PR screwed up”, he would come heavy on us"

Well, if nobody really can know what promises will ultimately be delivered (if ever they are) then no blogger has the right to claim he is helping to lead Malaysia towards freedom, democracy and justice. What if Anwar does not deliver? It would be naive to think all the cyber venom from these same Anwaristas would bring him down in the short term...go ask Nallakaruppan!

On the other hand, Rocky's obvious example of journalistic toadying, "No Such Thing As Mahathirism" can be found, here

This is war and it will have its fair share of traitorous Mangkuk Hayuns and loyal foot-soldiers of blind mice.

Obamahathir Who?

It is no secret that I am a fan of M. Bakri Musa's writings. His commentary a couple of days ago describing Mahathir as Malaysia's Obama, drew a slew of responses in blogosphere. There have been bouquets and brickbats and I too am inclined to disagree.

It is well known that Mahathir is a Mamak (part Indian) and Obama is half white. Mahathir is perceived (or shall I say, positioned) as a Malay and Obama is viewed as a Black. So how can Bakri Musa draw his conclusion when Mahathir was PM is a Malay majority country whereas Obama's achievement is considered prodigious for a black in a white majority country.

There is no like for like comparison. Having said that, I think a Mahathir can never become President of America as yet...he has no White ancestry. Could an Obama be PM of Malaysia? Well, only if he is Muslim and used his middle-name i.e. Hussein.

Anyway who is this Obama? Perhaps this pictorial that has been spreading on the www by email will tell us more. Thereafter, you can compare by yourself whether Mahathir is our Obama.

Where did this man Barack come from? A picture is worth a thousand words! Pictures that turn a US President elect into a humble human being! Enjoy....

WHERE DID HE COME FROM? FATHER and MOTHER:

Father: Born in Kenya , Barack Obama Sr. came to the University of Hawaii in order to study for a degree in economics. This photograph hangs on the wall of his stepmother's house in Kogelo , Kenya.

Mother: Though she has signed this sophomore yearbook photograph of herself "Stanley" — her parents named her Stanley Ann at birth — Obama's mother was known as Ann for most of her life. After attending Mercer Island High School in Washington , she enrolled at the University of Hawaii , where she met Barack Obama, Sr.

Parents: Barack Sr. and Ann Dunham married in February, 1961 and Barack was born six months later. Their union did not last long, however. In 1963, Barack Sr. essentially abandoned his family to continue his studies at Harvard .The marriage ended in divorce in early 1964.

The Young Obama: For the first six years of his life, Barack lived in Hawaii .

Mother & Son:

Father & Son: Reunion. After the divorce, Barack Jr. only saw his father one more time, in Hawaii , in 1972, when this photograph was taken. The senior Barack then returned to Kenya , where he worked for a US oil company and the Kenyan government. He died in a car accident in 1982, at the age of 46. Barack Obama Sr. poses with his son in the Honolulu airport during Obama Sr. 's only visit to see his son while he was growing up in Hawaii . Young Barack was in the 5th grade when the photo was taken.

Grandparents: THE DUNHAMS: precocious, self-assured Stanley Ann (left); her impetuous father, who named his only child after himself; her mother, Madelyn, the quiet, firm influence in the home.

Barack Obama walks with his grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama at his father's house in Nyongoma Kogelo village, western Kenya , in Aug. 2006. (AP file)

Barack Obama with his grandmother, Sarah Hussein Obama , in Africa.

In this Obama Family photo are: (bottom row, from left) half-sister Auma, her mother Kezia Obama, Obama's step-grandmother Sarah Hussein Onyango Obama and unknown; (top row from left) unknown, Barack Obama, half-brother Abongo (Roy) Obama, and three unknowns.

Mother Remarries: In 1967, his mother remarried and the family moved to Indonesia. Pictured below at their home in Jakarta , Ann Dunham poses in this undated photo with her second husband, Lolo Soetoro , their daughter, Maya, and Barack Obama.

Barack walks along Waikiki Beach shortly before he and his mother moved from Hawaii to Indonesia to live with her second husband, Lolo Soetoro , in 1967.

Half-Sister: Maya Soetoro, the daughter of Barack's mother and her second husband, Lolo Soetoro, sits beside the young Barack, Ann and grandfather Stanley Dunham in this photograph taken in Hawaii the early 1970s. Ann came back to Hawaii to attend graduate school in 1974 and remained until 1977, when she returned to Indonesia.

Barack poses with his mother, Ann , half sister, Maya, and maternal grandfather Stanley Dunham in Hawaii in the early 1970s after the family returned from Indonesia. Neighbors remember the close relationship between youngBarack and his grandfather.

Family Ties: When Ann returned to Indonesia , the young Barack remained behind in Hawaii , where he was raised by his maternal grandparents. He eventually attended Columbia University in New York , where this photo was taken in the 1980s.

A page from Barack Obama 's senior yearbook features his personalized message to family, friends and teammates. (Photo from The Oahuan yearbook)

Barack Obama hugs his younger half sister Maya at his high school graduation.

Barack Obama shakes hands during his graduation ceremony from Punahou School in 1979. While in his early teens, Obama chose to stay at the school and live with his grandparents after his mother decided to move back to Jakarta , Indonesia.

At his high school graduation, Barack Obama gets a hug from his grandmother Madelyn as his grandfather Stanley beams. His maternal grandparents raised Obama in Hawaii while his mother was living in Indonesia.

Maya Soetoro-Ng, Barack Obama 's half sister, teaches her Education in American Society class at the University of Hawaii.

Michelle: Barack met his wife in the late 1980s, when the two worked at the prestigious Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin. They were married in 1992.. Shortly thereafter, they spent a Christmas in Hawaii , where this photo was taken

The wedding day of Barack Obama Jr. and Michelle LaVaughn Robinson ...... (Courtesy of the Obama Family).

Barack and first born

THE FIRST FAMILY ELECT

Barack Obama: The 50 facts you might not know

When it is still hot, then it would be good to share this list of fifty things you might not know about Barack Obama.

• He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics
• He was known as "O'Bomber" at high school for his skill at basketball
• His name means "one who is blessed" in Swahili
• His favourite meal is wife Michelle's shrimp linguini
• He won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir, Dreams From My Father
• He is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed
• He has read every Harry Potter book
• He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali
• He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now can't stand ice cream
• His favourite snacks are chocolate-peanut protein bars
• He ate dog meat, snake meat, and roasted grasshopper while living in Indonesia
• He can speak Spanish
• While on the campaign trail he refused to watch CNN and had sports channels on instead
• His favourite drink is black forest berry iced tea
• He promised Michelle he would quit smoking before running for president – he didn't
• He kept a pet ape called Tata while in Indonesia
• He can bench press an impressive 200lbs
• He was known as Barry until university when he asked to be addressed by his full name
• His favourite book is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
• He visited Wokingham, Berks, in 1996 for the stag party of his half-sister's fiancé, but left when a stripper arrived
• His desk in his Senate office once belonged to Robert Kennedy
• He and Michelle made $4.2 million (£2.7 million) last year, with much coming from sales of his books
• His favourite films are Casablanca and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
• He carries a tiny Madonna and child statue and a bracelet belonging to a soldier in Iraq for good luck
• He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard but was rejected by the all-female committee.
• His favourite music includes Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Bach and The Fugees
• He took Michelle to see the Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing on their first date
• He enjoys playing Scrabble and poker
• He doesn't drink coffee and rarely drinks alcohol
• He would have liked to have been an architect if he were not a politician
• As a teenager he took drugs including marijuana and cocaine
• His daughters' ambitions are to go to Yale before becoming an actress (Malia, 10) and to sing and dance (Sasha, 7)
• He hates the youth trend for trousers which sag beneath the backside
• He repaid his student loan only four years ago after signing his book deal
• His house in Chicago has four fire places
• Daughter Malia's godmother is Jesse Jackson's daughter Santita
• He says his worst habit is constantly checking his BlackBerry
• He uses an Apple Mac laptop
• He drives a Ford Escape Hybrid, having ditched his gas-guzzling Chrysler 300
• He wears $1,500 (£952) Hart Schaffner Marx suits
• He owns four identical pairs of black size 11 shoes
• He has his hair cut once a week by his Chicago barber, Zariff, who charges $21 (£13)
• His favourite fictional television programmes are Mash and The Wire
• He was given the code name "Renegade" by his Secret Service handlers
• He was nicknamed "Bar" by his late grandmother
• He plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds
• His favourite artist is Pablo Picasso
• His speciality as a cook is chilli
• He has said many of his friends in Indonesia were "street urchins"
• He keeps on his desk a carving of a wooden hand holding an egg, a Kenyan symbol of the fragility of life
• His late father was a senior economist for the Kenyan government

What Quantum For Solace?

Watched Quantum of Solace (QOS) with JJ last Sunday night; a father-son bonding thing. What better than a Bond movie...pun intended. It is Bond season again and time to indulge in fantasy...a break from the mundane and drudgery that daily existence can be.

There was no watching QOS without considering the first installment, Casino Royale (CR) which was shown about a year ago. I had to consult Wiki for a refresher of the CR storyline before watching QOS. Wiki did not disappoint as I would have been almost clueless about much of the QOS story. As it was, we found QOS a very good sequel to CR as the loose ends were neatly tied up at the end.

A refreshing difference with QOS is Bond without Q's wizardry and gadgetry...just the plain old brain and brawn and of course the Walther PPK.

What quantum for some solace? Less than RM30.00 for two tickets and drinks.

Leadership Instead Of Mere Leaders

In an earlier post I mentioned Malaysia needs heroes and that we do not as yet have our own "Obama" where Malaysians can rally behind for change. This post by Khoo Kay Peng in his blog has more of the same and reading it makes me more disillusioned because I do not think Malaysia can change; change has to come to Malaysia. I do not see a leader in the horizon that can be strong enough to effect needed change. Too bad...

UPDATE (13th November): Can Zaid be a third force?

We Need Leadership

Anybody can claim to be a leader. A racial bigot. An adulterer. A corrupter. A sexist. A flip-flop. The list goes on. However, what we need are not mere self-proclaimed leaders.

We need LEADERSHIP.

Our race relations are broken. Our politics is distasteful and flawed. Our economy and those who help to run it are lost and misguided. Many things are not right about the country. Alas, many of us who hold the same pathetic view of our country take very different approaches to address the problems. Majority choose to bolt and many more choose to whine.

Malaysians cannot hide from the fact that we are governed by the ethno-religious conservatives who hold very rigid, selfish and perverted view on race relations. Many of these divisive politicians are very powerful individuals holding extremely important positions in the country.

These politicians will continue to practice their beliefs although we know they are part of the destructive force in the country. At the state UMNO annual general assembly, its members readily passed a resolution calling for the return of a racial bigot who was suspended by his party. The fact that the party does not hide from its hard, extreme right and conservative position worries me.

It worries me because they could be right about the society - that many of us are racial and religious conservatives who are still keen on supporting and rejoicing the most provocative statements and actions taken by them.

If not, why are these racially based political parties still in business? If not, why are morally bankrupt leaders are still being embraced by their party members to provide leadership?

Here, we need leadership not leaders. We need real and committed leadership which can help pull this society out from its racial mould. We need a leadership which can help to unite not polarize.

Our political system which insists on a two-tier society does not work especially if the intention is to seek racial superiority. A political system which helps to promote a false sense of superiority over others through the colour of skin is flawed and immoral. It is unimaginable for someone to be bought by the premise - no matter how convincing - that an airhead with the right ethnicity is the only requirement for success. Racial politics hurts more than it heals. Its over emphasis is self-destructive and demeaning to the very ethnicity it wants to glorify.

Here, we need a real leadership which can help us to see the humanistic values beneath our different skin colours. We need a sincere leadership which understands that diversity strengthens and not destroys a society. We need a leadership which understands the power of unity and not the sheer destruction of division.

Misguided and self-centred politicians should be allowed to preach wrong economic policy to us. It is nonsensical to suggest that we need to prop up the stock market to enhance consumer confident to spend. When an economy is in trouble, a caring government should help to protect jobs, help to put people in their homes not losing them, create more economic opportunities and help to ease socio-economic pains.

Not putting more money in the stock market to assist less than 2 percent of the people who are engaged in it. People of all walks of life are feeling the same anguish of rising cost of living, job insecurity and mounting personal and family debt. From the anguish, perhaps we are able to feel how similar we are from each other. Through the anxiety, we should realise that our need is the same. We need a good and effective government. Not a patronising one. Not one which bullies its people with the power entrusted to them by the same people.

Here, we need a leadership which understands the mechanics of running a people friendly economic policy. We do not need leaders who are fixated with equity share of each community and not what they can put on their dining table for the children.It is obvious that we need leadership, not leaders to fix a broken Malaysia.

She-Repost

Was just thinking of Jeannie...






The Beautiful You

My Darling,

As I look back over the 22 years we have shared and I think of you, a smile comes to my heart. Memory takes me back to that auspicious Thursday which started it all and the times we have shared since; my darling, it has been a wondrous path that I can never imagine walking with anybody else.

It must have been inspired insight that told me I had found a rare unpolished diamond but darling, what is even more important is that you are a diamond and have always been a diamond.

My good fortune had been to notice that sparkle which others seemingly have overlooked or simply would not believe…. or maybe I was blessed to be “passing by” when the great upheavals unearthed the gem that was to become my life.

We too have had our share upheavals together and whilst I now can only hope that they have somehow brought us even closer, I shudder to think I have too often risked losing something so precious to me.

The beautiful you my Darling, has always allowed love to soothe and heal open wounds even though some were inflicted in the name of love. It was inevitable that we both had to endure the consequences of insecurities and preconceived notions especially during our first half decade together but we have weathered that storm.

Darling, the beautiful you, has been this past 2 decades of unconditional love you have showered on me although I have often been guilty of judging you too harshly.

The beautiful you my Love, has been your strength in the face of adversity and your unwavering faith in Life. We draw from your strength in silent comfort knowing you will never hesitate to give us your all.

Your generosity has been the hallmark of the beautiful you for so long that many have come to doubt its sincerity while there are those who have come to expect it as a right. And yet there are those who feel threatened by it. For Darling, there are not many who know that your strong sense of loyalty was borne of this generosity.

Yes Darling, my heart smiles when recalling fond memories of you and when I see you now. I am heartened by the way you continue to amaze me as you evolve and grow. I am convinced yours is more than just Light but a Brilliance that grows not only with the each wisdom you acquire but also each shadow you encounter. Darling, the sparkle is real as the diamond is genuine and my Love, you are priceless.

I would like to think that I found you and that is probably all that I can lay claim to. Alas, only diamond can polish a diamond and Darling, I am no diamond.

Ling, I am content to be your partner for I cherish you as the jewel in my crown, the gem of my heart and foremost, the loving Mother to our children.

I Love You Darling and will always remain,


Your Dar
May, 2007



In Loving Memory Of Jeannie Cheah (1959-2007)

Blogger Wars: Of Mangkuk Hayuns and Blind Mice

The following opinion piece was in the Sunday Star (9th November, 2008). Maybe the title should have been the "wind vanes" of political change instead of "windmills".

In any case, socio-political bloggers in Malaysia who are worth their salt should be able to understand this piece between the lines or should I say between the sheets. As blogosphere struggles to define "mainstream bloggers" we in Malaysia have our own brand.


Windmills of political change
By SUHAINI AZNAM

Since ‘serious’ bloggers are also socio-political commentators, any change in the political seascape will also mean a shift in bloggers’ orientation.

BLOGGERS are the windmills of political change, shifting with political winds. When Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced that he was no longer going to defend his post as Umno president, he took the wind out of the sails of his sharpest critics.

One such is Syed Azidi Syed Aziz, 38, of sheih kickdefella fame, who now has to “do some soul searching”. Before the March 8 general election, bloggers were either outright pro-Opposition or pro-establishment but against the Pak Lah administration. The latter “had such a huge impact that they swayed the final majority,” said Sheih.

In 1999, those who opposed Dr Mahathir had not had such great an impact because they were preaching to the converted.

“Blogs then were just to update. The DAP and PAS had only 500 to 3,000 hits per day. They did not appeal to the masses,” added Sheih.

Former New Straits Times journalist and editor Ahirudin Attan, better known as Rocky of “Rocky’s Bru”, concurred. In March, “all three categories were blogging for change”.

But “almost overnight, post March 8, all bloggers who had been critical of the Government, toned down.

“We are seeing the true colours of the socio-political bloggers,” explained Rocky. “There is a change in attitude. Bloggers are shown to be political activists.

“Those claiming they are for change are not walking the talk,” he said, citing the Selangor Government’s stand on the latest temple demolition. People are rearranging their hierarchy of trust. Before, trust was very high. Now we are slipping very fast.”

“I used to support Pakatan,” declared Zainol Abidin, 50 (aka Mahaguru58). “I felt we needed a change. I expected change. Now they have taken over five states and there is no change. So I am aligning myself to no one, not the Barisan, and I will whack Anwar (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) left, right and blue!”

Former journalist Nuraina Samad, whose 3540 jalan sudin has over a million hits, was more philosophical. The Government had come under “unbridled attack and some people now feel that enough is enough”, she said.

“Umno lost because a lot of Malays voted for the Opposition,” observed Nuraina.

“A new group of bloggers, more pro-Barisan, emerged because a lot of people realised that maybe it was not such a good idea to vote the PKR. These were people trying to go with the renewal of Umno and trying to counter Opposi tion bloggers like Elizabeth Wong and Jeff Ooi.”

Before March, a lot of MPs and politicians who blogged were from the DAP, PAS, and the PKR. After Abdullah said the Barisan must counter this trend, several Barisan politicians answered the call, “opening Facebooks and using the tools that were said to have given them a miserable time”, said Rocky.

Jebat Must Die, Demi Negara, Chedet are all very influential, he added.Even Abdullah’s warkahuntukpm was launched after the general election to deal with thorny issues and people’s complaints.

Divided for change

Bloggers are very political now, on both sides of the divide, said Nuraina.

“Bloggers during the general election were for change,” she noted. “We walked together many times: the penguin walk, freedom walk, yellow march.”

If after the election, the PR had expected bloggers to continue with this line, they were disappointed. “We can’t attack the DAP, Anwar, Teresa,” said Nuraina.

When bloggers try to point out corruption in Pakatan-held states, they become very combative and go on the offensive.

“Those Opposition bloggers even view neutral ones like me as pro-government. I am accused of not being supportive,” said Rocky.

If readers have noticed a slight change in his stance, particularly after Abdullah said he was stepping down, Rocky maintained that “bloggers are divided more by political agenda, beliefs, than who they are rooting for as prime minister.”

With the changing of the guards to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the future of bloggers actually depends on Najib’s strategy in the local mainstream newspapers. Najib already has his own people who manage blogs for him, said Rocky, citing Najib’s 1malaysia, launched last September.

Already, the pressure on Pak Lah has eased, agreed Sheih. “Bloggers who endorse Najib will monitor him but won’t be that critical of him. The ball will be in Najib’s court”.

Speaking of NST and Berita Harian, how they will behave under Najib will depend on whether the Government changes its old ways in terms of media control, said Rocky.

“If the Government can show it is more liberal – meaning if they put me there (laughing) – intervention is vastly reduced, the relevance of blogs will be severely tested. It has been proven that “wherever the media is most free, blogs are dependent on crumbs”, hoping for that one big scoop a year, he noted.

The future

Rocky remains the bloggers’ favourite, as “Rocky’s Bru” not only has the numbers – a total of seven-going-on-eight million hits – but it also enjoys peer acclaim. Rocky, how ever, feels he has reached optimum point.

“Bloggers like me are finding that there are limitations to what a blog can do. At the rate I am doing (working alone), I get 30,000 unique visitors per day. Chedet gets 60,000 to 70,000 per day. To go beyond that is perhaps not possible,” he admitted.

He thinks the logical next step would be to “turn blogs into news portals, add new features, thereby increasing readership, while maintaining Rocky’s Bru (which would) occupy a small corner on the news portal.”

He thinks chedet.com, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s immensely popular blog, would also go the same route, and may be enhanced with a photo corner of his life’s experiences.

“This solo act is very tiring,” sighed Rocky, referring to the tremendous effort involved in researching and writing, plus sifting through the comments of their fans and detractors. “I can’t go on like this.”

What then drives bloggers in the absence of monetary rewards?

Whatever their political stripes and personal idiosyncrasies, bloggers are crusaders.

Dr Mahathir’s daughter Datin Paduka Marina (rantingsbymm) feels that “blogs grew exponentially because of people’s almost uncontrollable need to speak out. People were bursting to express themselves.”

Pride in growing their blogs is another motivator, and certainly there is idealism.

In April 2007, Rocky set up the National Bloggers Alliance, which has yet to be registered. It is being managed by a pro-temp committee of which Rocky is president. The Alliance is non-partisan and is intended to protect bloggers and promote responsible blogging.

A year ago, Zainol formed the Muslim Bloggers Alliance “to pool together the thoughts of Muslim bloggers, safeguard the good name of Islam, clarify and teach about Islam and to correct misconceptions about Islam, especially online”.

Applications for membership have flooded in but Zainol is careful. He vets through their blogs and has pared them down to a select 93. Once registered as a mutual benefit society, its monthly contributions will go to a trust fund to take care of legal fees and dakwah activities.

Political affiliations can also be ideals. A new, small grouping called the Barisan Rakyat bloggers, born during the March general election, became most prominent during the Permatang Pauh by-election in August.

Bernard Khoo (blog name Zorro Unmasked), Harris and Raja Petra Kamarud din (Malaysia Today) were all either “inspired or sponsored by Anwar”, said Rocky.

“It gives more variety, choice. It is good for the three to finally declare where their allegiance lie.”

Nuraina noted that “a lot of racialism has reared its head since the general election”. Like other responsible bloggers, she would edit for sedition and slander.

She steers clear of race and religion because “I might have to be brutally frank”. If commentators to her blog are racist or slanderous, she would have to address their issues.

For others, ideologies had emerged from blurred racial lines. Sheih has about three million plus hits, mostly from non-Malay and non-PAS visitors. “The majority read me for my stand on a few things like justice and equality.”

Span of influence

Public Relations consultant and The Star guest columnist Raslan Sharif feels that although most bloggers, especially those from Umno, may be younger people, their target audience are not necessarily so. “They just target voters, irrespective of age. And more people in their 40s and 50s are also getting tech savvy.”

Even among those who are not, “a lot of the issues I hear in the kedai kopi were (first) brought from the blog,” said Raslan.

The trend-setters, however, are not the socio-political bloggers but the personal bloggers, lifestyle, entertainment and business bloggers who form the bulk of the community. And while lifestyle bloggers are known to sell space, socio-political bloggers blog for free.

“We make the noise and they make the money,” said Rocky flatly.

“Lifestyle bloggers like kennysia.com have a huge following,” noted Raslan. “They are an advertising goldmine since readers are mainly in the 25-35 age bracket who tend to spend. In Kenny’s case, ad space would earn him about RM10,000 per month.”

It is a time-consuming task for “a serious hobby”, said Nuraina. “When bloggers carry google ads, you are not in control of what comes out,” even though you appear to have endorsed the products.

Being original is tough work and only the best succeed in stamping a distinctive mark.
“Most socio-political bloggers pick their topics from the newspapers, then dissect, deconstruct the report and analyse or comment on them. But their primary source is the newspapers,” said Raslan.

But Sheih, who does “not see bloggers as reporters, they are columnists, they analyse. People read them to see how they view (events)”, said he seldom picks items from the newspapers, preferring to go to “the source itself, my “informers”, people who e-mail me something”.

He would not, however, call his blog neutral. “They (readers) want a bit of emotion.”

Res Ipsa Loquitur

I was not at the Amcorp Mall last night since my opinion of those candlelight vigils is they are at most a "shiok sendiri" thingy, though at the very least they are a minor show of solidarity. I was at another mall (IOI Mall) watching "Quantum of Solace" with JJ before going down to Bukit Bintang for a meeting at 12.30 am. When we drove past the PJ Police HQ at 3.30 am on our way home, there were still about 20 people at the entrance waiting...and waiting.

The powers that be probably snigger at the thought of some 100 to 150 (majority the same) people sacrificing their Sunday nights to risk burning their fingers. The MSM hardly reports anything on these vigils and net citizens mostly take them for granted as being reduced to social gatherings. Uniformed cops are not even there on most occasions.

Notwithstanding the above, I did not contend on those vigils being used by the authorities as opportunity to send their own message, on their own terms and timing; using probably "illegal assembly" as the justification. Last night's police action is already well reported on the Net so I do not have to repeat here. I think the police has again been used to convey a message which is intended to resonate amongst ordinary folk (the vigil attendees) that this is the risk they face. It is a deterrence.

It is the "we don't give a shit" kind of arrogance that gets to me. The blatant denial of facts after the fact, shows utter disregard for public opinion. The following speaks for itself:

Compare this Malaysiakini report,

























...to



and




Res ipsa loquitur

The Third Son Of Ibrahim

In my previous post I referred to two sons of different Ibrahims. There is another son of an Ibrahim who though not as high profile, is contributing just as much towards a better Malaysia for all. He is of course Haris Ibrahim, the lawyer/activist/blogger of The People's Parliament fame. Haris does not only write; he puts his money where his pen (keyboard?) is - he goes to the ground!

I have observed him at many rallies and in the thick of things over the last year or so, and have spoken to him on numerous occasions. It suffices to say, Malaysia needs more people like him.

This The People’s Voice & The People’s Declaration is synonymous with this son of Ibrahim.

Saudara Anwar Bin Ibrahim...Apa Lu Mau?

Of late, there has not been much attention on Anwar Ibrahim but the other son of Ibrahim (different Ibrahim), Zaid has taken the limelight. Many have begun to wonder if this other son of an Ibrahim has more than it takes to be PM of Malaysia compared to Anwar.

With all the talk on Ketuanan Rakyat or for that matter the idea of "Malaysia for All Malaysians" and his famous "anak semua, anak saya thingy", Anwar Ibrahim has never (not that I know of anyway) put forth his conceptual framework of what he thinks is the formula to make the whole nation work as one.

So far, there has been little action and too much rhetoric; oratory skills alone does not a good leader make. For saudara Anwar Bin Ibrahim, the noise is beginning to ring hollow.

To this end, much attention is now focused on Zaid Ibrahim following his resignation as de facto Law Minister and senator, and after his landmark speech at the LawAsia 2008 Conference that appears to have set the parameters for Bangsa Malaysia.

The Singapore Straits Times has this report that was quoted in the Malaysian Insider:


What does Anwar really want?
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8

Sleepy Batu Caves became a hot spot of controversy recently all because of a 12.2m-high painted plywood cut-out of a smiling Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in a blue shirt and red tie and with his right hand held high. The opposition leader's supporters in the area had put up the RM5,000 replica of him in time for Hari Raya Aidilfitri. But it quickly drew flak from the Mufti of Perlis and Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Mohd Ali Rustam. They accused Anwar's supporters of idol worship and thus, being anti-Muslim and anti-Malay, since idol worship is anathema in Islam.

The cut-out has since been dismantled, but its exaggerated homage does raise a question about Anwar: is he keener on becoming the next prime minister of Malaysia than on shaping a credible alternative government?

Those aims are not mutually exclusive, of course. But since leading the opposition coalition to victory in five states in the March general election, Anwar has spoken of little else besides getting enough ruling coalition MPs to cross over to the opposition so he could become prime minister. He boasted that he would accomplish this feat by Sept 16, the anniversary of Malaysia's founding in 1963. The day has come and gone and Anwar is still not yet prime minister.

Whose cause is he more interested in championing: his or the people's? Many Malaysians now say that it is Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, not Anwar, who has what it takes to be prime minister of Malaysia.

Zaid was the law minister till he quit the Cabinet on, yes, Sept 16 to protest against the government's detentions under the Internal Security Act of an opposition politician, two bloggers and a journalist for allegedly inciting racial hatred.

Anwar's constant talk of taking over the government is like political bonfires which the ruling Barisan Nasional has to keep putting out. The bonfires have not made him premier, but they have caused the incumbent, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, to call an early end to his tenure, causing even more uncertainty about Malaysia's future.

Already, foreign investors are holding off on new forays into the country. Malaysian Investors' Association chairman P.H.S. Lim told The Straits Times that Anwar's bonfires have caused a big annual meeting in New York between global investors and Abdullah and his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, to be cancelled at the last minute.

On Oct 23, Anwar told reporters that he was now -in no terrible hurry- to seize power but would try working with BN instead to resolve the country's economic problems.

One might say that Anwar should not need to concern himself with the details of government and can leave his lieutenants to chalk up experience instead. But with almost 20 years of experience in the federal Cabinet himself, could Anwar not have prevented his lieutenants from making some serious mistakes and gaffes?

It is in Selangor, the country's industrial vanguard, where the opposition coalition is most beleaguered. Its patchy performance in the state so far may prove Anwar's undoing. That is because Selangor is governed by Anwar's own Parti Keadilan Rakyat, which has the least experience among Pakatan Rakyat's three component parties, having won only one parliamentary seat in the 2004 General Election.

Selangor's new Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim initially delighted his electorate by giving them some free water every month. But then he decided to go ahead with a RM100 million project to integrate pig farms. Many Muslims castigated him for it, even though it was his BN predecessor, Datuk Seri Khir Toyo, who had approved the project.

There has been little let-up since, with Khalid having to deal with the controversial demolition of Hindu temples, an aide hauled up for corruption, the vilification of his outspoken coalition compatriot Teresa Kok and the nomination of alleged criminals as town councillors. His suggestion that the all-Malay Universiti Teknologi Mara give 10 per cent of its places to non-Malays caused the campus to erupt in protest in August. Khalid need not have made this gesture for few, if any, non-Malays are keen on studying at UiTM.

To top it all, PR still does not speak in one voice. When Khalid announced on Oct 26 that a Chinese woman, Low Siew Moi, would temporarily temporarily, mind head the state's development corporation, PR's Islamic component Pas protested, saying that one from among her Malay colleagues should have been appointed instead.

How are Malaysians to hope that PR will bring about a Malaysia for all races, as Anwar likes to say at his stirring rallies, if its component parties cannot even agree on a Chinese occupying an official position temporarily?

Anwar would do well to remember that the large share of the vote that PR got on March 8 was meant more as a referendum on Abdullah's lackadaisical administration than as a ringing endorsement of PR as a credible alternative to BN.

In recent months, BN has bungled again and again, especially in hastily detaining opponents under the ISA and just as hastily releasing most of them. With such bungles, all Anwar had to do was just guide his compatriots in good governance and sit tight until the people voted them into power at the federal level in the next general election.

But where is the shadow Cabinet the opposition should have been able to form by now? The only shadowing PR has done so far was to tail ruling coalition MPs when they travelled to Taiwan, a trip allegedly arranged to prevent the latter from crossing over to PR.

The current buzz is that Najib, who is set to become the country's next prime minister, will call for snap polls when he takes over from Abdullah next March. Judging by its slip-ups since March 8, Anwar and the opposition seem ill-prepared for that eventuality.

Perhaps Anwar is keener on remaining just the leader of the opposition than on becoming the next prime minister of Malaysia.

Straits Times Singapore

Art Harun on "Ketuanan Melayu"

For me, one good thing about the release of RPK has been the limelight on his legal team and one of the members, Art Harun. I had heard of him but did not know that he blogs until I clicked on a link in Haris Ibrahim's blog entitled, "The road to liberty".

Art Harun's blog is called, "Navel Gazing" and it is insightful and interesting. I cannot resist reproducing below his piece on "Ketuanan Melayu" and the "social contract", but before that, please check out Haris Ibrahim's, "An ounce of courage, a few good men, and the prayers of the good people of this nation" that sums up well the roles that led to RPK's release.






Front L-R : Azhar (Art Harun), Malik Imtiaz, Chandra. Middle L-R : Neo ( behind Azhar ), Ashok, Sreekant, Amarjit. Back : Salim Bashir & Dipendra

Art Harun on Ketuanan Melayu

I have refrained myself from writing about politics for the whole of October. I was so muak of Malaysian politics that I felt I had to get away from it all. It is now November. And here I think I should say something about this subject.

I am normally very good at grasping a concept, understanding it, differentiating it from other not dissimilar concept, identifying it's positive and negative points and using it. However, try as I might, I just could not understand the concept of Ketuanan Melayu aka Malay Supremacy aka Malay Dominance. Let alone identify it. Now I wonder whether I have lost it. I have lost my intelligence. That could be it. Or perhaps, just perhaps, there is no such concept to begin with. And that is why I can't identify it.

Throughout my years in government schools and later in government university, as well as my one year in a Mat Salleh university, I have not come across the concept of Ketuanan Melayu. And that despite the fact that history was my favourite subject. That also despite the fact that I took not only the Malaysian Federal Constitution as a subject, but also the Malaysian Administrative Law as well as Comparative Constitutional Laws as optional subjects. Not to mention the Study of Politics paper which I also took in the Economics faculty for fun.

No. I did not come across that concept in all my school years. Nada. Zilch! I must have missed the lectures or tutorials when the subject of Ketuanan Melayu was being taught or discussed (which is likely) or I was then asleep (which is likely too!). Or, it could be that that subject was never ever taught or discussed. And if it wasn't so taught or discussed, the most likely explanation to that omission would be that there is no such thing as Ketuanan Melayu. That is my logical mind at work. I can't put illogical reasoning to this conundrum because I am a logical person. Perhaps YB Zulkifli Nordin has a different view. I don't know. He probably has one. And then some. Because he is a clever fellow. Sorry, I digress.

So, if Ketuanan Melayu was never ever taught or discussed in my 18 years of studies, when it was a fact that I took subjects in which the matter would have ordinarily been discussed, I can make a reasonable conclusion that the concept never existed. If it did, it was insignificant or irrelevant to our history or laws so much so that it was not worth a mention.

How then this so called concept manage to infiltrate our socio-politico scenes lately? Dr Mahathir talked about it. Zaid Ibrahim said the concept was a failure. Shahidan Kassim said Zaid should repent for saying what he said. Syed Hamid Albar asked Zaid to apologise and branded Zaid a traitor! Shahidan went even further to say that Zaid should cease from being a Malay and that he should repent!

The question is, if Zaid was or is a Malay ,(is he? Am I? Are you?) how could Zaid cease from being one? How does one un-Malay oneself? Or was Shahidan talking about the legal concept of being a Malay? Under our Federal Constitution, a Malay is defined as being a person who:

i) practices the Malay adat and ways of living;

ii) professes the religion of Islam; and,

iii) speak Bahasa Malaysia (aka Bahasa Kebangsaan aka Bahasa Melayu which later became Bahasa Malaysia and then turned into Bahasa Melayu yet again and now is known as Bahasa....well...I don't know).

Following such definition, I suppose Zaid can un-Malay himself by not doing either or all of those things. We should pause here for a while. Note the first criteria above. One is a Malay if one practices the Malay adat and way of life. That's like saying one is an English if one is an English. Like how are we going to know what Malay adat is and Malay ways of life is when the word "Malay" is not yet defined? Jeez... The Malays used to carry the keris all over town. Nowadays no Malay in his/her correct mind would do so. Does that mean there are no more Malays around? The Malays used to be able to visit their neighbours without an appointment or pre-set date. Now most Malay urbanite don't even dream of doing that. Even the hari raya "open house" is only "opened" to invitees only. Does that mean most Malay urbanites are not Malays anymore? I don't know. I am just asking.

Back to Zaid and Shahidan Kassim. I was saying, rather, asking, how does Zaid un-Malay himself?

Then, apparently Zaid should "repent". Repentance connotes an act which is religious in nature. One repents if one has committed a sinful act. If so, since when, may I ask, has disputing or "challenging" the efficiency of Ketuanan Melayu become a sin?

Shahidan was also quoted as saying Zaid should leave the "rumpun Melayu". Yea...rite. Typical. Remember the MP's remark in the parliament not so long ago? "If the "pendatangs" don't like it here, then "they" should leave the country!". Very intellectual. Very stimulating engagement. What a polemic! Shahidan, ur da man.

Lets just for one moment accept that Ketuanan Melayu exists factually and conceptually. And let us all hypothesise that the Federal Constitution was premised upon such concept.

Question: what is the use of the Malays being a Tuan all the way if the Malays are still lagging behind in all aspects of achievements in their "own" country?

Question 2: how does one reconcile the "dominance" or "supremacy" of the Malays with the fact that the Malays, according to UMNO and our leaders, still need subsidies and preferential treatments - in Dr Mahathir's words or terminology, this is called "affirmative actions" - in order to make them successful?

Question 3: when we speak of the Malay Dominance or Malay Supremacy, what is the subject over which the Malays are supposed to be dominant or supreme?

In the phaleo-worlds, the concept of "dominance" connotes the physical power to assert control over a subject matter. "Supremacy" on the other hand is a state of being supreme. In terms of socio-politico outlook, the Malay Supremacy would mean the installation and maintenance of the Malays as the supreme authority of the society or the land. Historically, we would probably have to go back to the 1400s, during the era of the Melaka Sultanates, to find, if at all, such a level of dominance by or supremacy of the Malays.

The arrival of the Portuguese, Dutch and later the English as well as the Japanese had completely destroyed such socio-politico status of the Malays and their rulers. History would show that the English made our Rulers agree to the appointment of various advisors, the advice of whom must be accepted and implemented by the Rulers. That completely banished any iota of dominance or supremacy of the Malays over the society and the land. If the effect was immediately felt in the socio-politico arena, soon it would also have an economical consequences as well.

The Japanese were however more accommodating to the status of the Malay rulers and the Malays in general. However that was borne out of the necessity to win the support (or at least the acceptance) of the Malays as the Chinese was far more physical in their opposition of the Japanese. That was due to the historical animosity between Japan and China. And so preferential treatments were accorded to the Malays and even their rulers by the Japanese.

That was however to change when the British came back. The proposed Malayan Union would render the Malay rulers, and the Malays, as normal and equal citizens as the British were more interested in establishing a Westminster based democracy. The British ideals were however not well met by the Malays, who claimed historical dominance and "supremacy" in the phaleo-world.

Here lies the claim for the "social contract". This hyphotesises an agreement between the Malays and the British - some sort of a modern aged Magna Carta - whereby the Malays would agree to the Chinese and Indians being granted citizenship to the fledgling Malaysia as long as certain Malay rights and the position of the Malay rulers are preserved. Hence the provisions of Articles 152 and 153 in the Federal Constitution.

If we accept therefore the existence of the "social contract" - and I have no doubt that it existed - surely the concept of Malay Dominance or Supremacy could not have existed anymore. That is because such concept would have been superseded by the "social contract" which our politicians so readily embrace and protect as a sacrosanct deed as well as the provisions in the Federal Constitution. Surely the establishment of a Westminster styled Federation and democracy would run repugnant to the concept of Malay Dominance or Supremacy as the two could not walk with each other on the same road.

A lot has been said about the social contract. But what is being focused at is the citizenship rights which have been so graciously granted by the Malays to the non-Malays (some called the non-Malays "pendatangs" or "immigrants"). However, no effort is being done to look at the social contract from the viewpoint of the non-Malays. Surely the non-Malays, in accepting the social contract, also had their own expectations. Surely the social contract is a contract which impose obligations and rights to both the Malays, on one side, and also the non-Malays, on the other side.

Consequently, would it not be unreasonable to argue that in entering into the social contract with the Malays, the non-Malays would have expected that they are not going to be dominated by the Malays and that all citizens are to be equal before the law and that no particular citizen shall be regarded as supreme?

I would have thought not.

Two Towering Malay(sian)s

One acknowledged "Towering Malay(sian), Tun Mahathir pointed out in his blog yesterday the headlines in the day's Star newspaper as he alluded to the federal government's myopia:

1) "Malaysians bearish on Economy"

2) "Tough road ahead for man in the street"

3) "Economic downturn to cause drop in passenger volume"

4) "Third quarter may be mixed"

5) "Moody's gives negative rating on gaming"

6) "F&N quarterly profit declines on property"

7) "Britain makes record interest rate cut"

8) "Fund to prop up South Korea stocks"

9) "Iceland's swap loss set to fall"

10) "Bonuses of top Wall St execs to be slashed"

11) "Toyota forecasts huge drop in profit"

12) "US vehicle sector faces 'critical' period"

13) "Snoring judges' verdicts overturned"

I do not think I am far wrong when I say most Malaysians fear the worst and feel "exposed" in this climate of economic uncertainty and suspect the government is in denial or worse still, clueless about measures to mitigate its impact on the nation at large. The BN government is under siege and cancer striken UMNO is almost completing the surgery which will incise a tumor to be transplanted with another. Yup! A leadership change in the midst of this political and economic storm. The patient may not survive the successful operation.

Malaysians are looking for heroes and we have two in Raja Petra Kamaruddin, a champion of free speech and social justice, and Zaid Ibrahim, a man of principle and a voice of reason who may well have set the conceptual framework for achieving Bangsa Malaysia in his speech at the LawAsia 2008 last week. We do not yet have our Barack Obama but when we finally see the CHANGE come our way, my hope is that these two towering Malay(sian)s be in the cabinet to effect the transformations they so passionately fight for.

First Echelon Is Released. But Why?

RPK has been released from Kamunting and the clutches of the ISA! So long as the ISA exists, Malaysia's prisoner of conscience has been freed but is not free; indeed no Malaysian is free. But it is great that he is back with his family and more importantly, back with his soul mate.

The question on my mind is; why was he released? I am too skeptical to think that all the candle light vigils (though I was at some of them) pressured the powers that be to turn around.

According to a Malaysiakini report, "This morning, the Shah Alam High Court ruled that the detention of Raja Petra under the ISA was illegal and ordered his immediate release. Judge Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad said that Raja Petra's detention was unconstitutional. He said the home minister had not followed proper procedure under Section 8 of the ISA to issue the detention order against Raja Petra."

I am not a lawyer but at first glance many people may ask; does the judge mean that if the Home Minister had stuck to procedure under Section 8 of the ISA then RPK would not be released even though as he said the detention per se is unconstitutional? Or is the ISA unconstitutional? I am sure this does not mean all ISA detainees can be released because their detention was unconstitutional. Does the ISA become constitutional only if the right procedure is followed? I am getting more confused here.

However, we must not take credit away from Malik Imtiaz and his team. The grounds for habeas corpus they fought on must have been the basis of the judgement and this same Malaysiakini report sheds some light:

A procedural non-compliance

Syed Ahmad Helmy in his judgment said the court looked into two factors, namely the constitutionality of the Act and whether the home minister acted correctly within his jurisdiction to issue the order.

He said Section 8(b) of the ISA indicated that those issued with the detention order by the minister might not be allowed for judicial review. However, the court could hear such an application if there were instances of possible abuse of powers.

“I agree the formulation of the ISA was to protect the security of the nation and is constitutional. However, the court can review the detention order if it finds instances where the minister could have acted beyond his jurisdiction to issue the two-year detention order.

Syed Ahmad Helmy said there was no relevance for the minister to issue the order against Raja Petra on the basis of ‘mala fide’ (bad faith).

“Following this, the court finds there is a procedural non-compliance as stated under Section 8(1) of the ISA based on the minister’s affidavit.

“Hence the court finds the minister had acted ‘ultra vires’ (beyond his powers) in issuing the detention order under the ISA section. For example, the minister cannot issue an order if a person has in bad faith decided to colour his hair red.

“Following this, the court is allowing the plaintiff’s application and orders for his release,” the judge said.

“This is not a situation like Jemaah Islamiyah or communists. This is just a man whom the government thinks can bring it down to its knees,” the counsel had argued.

There was no re-arrest that was initially feared but could there be more to the release of RPK?

Raja Petra was quoted after his release as having said, "This showed ISA cannot be used. I hope this is not a political decision. I don't want to be the prime minister. I want Anwar to be the PM".

What did RPK mean? What did he hope was not a political decision; the detention or the release? Who is it that wants to be prime minister? Semantics anyone?