LAMENTS of a DESPAIRING Nation from malaysiakini

malaysiakini was founded on the basis of telling the news like it is, not like what the government wants you to hear.
Although many newspapers also cover stories that are not too flattering, they do know how to toe the approved bias.
So if you want to hear what most ordinary folks are saying, the letters and feed-back from malaysiakini articles are a good source.
Today's feed-back from malaysiakini reflects the tone and sombre mood of the dejected voters who are seeing the 'Checks, balances have clearly failed' .
The main cause is that the Executive have become too powerful and is now controlling all the other levers of government; thereby imposing a major threat to democracy and the rule of law in Malaysia.
We are becoming a dictatorship within the nice cloak of democracy.

malaysiakini and FAIRER Elections?

So the Elections Commission has decided to hold 3 by-elections on the same day; ie
7th April 2009 as described in this malaysiakini article Batang Ai by-election on April 7 .
Now if you observe the nomination date -the 29th of March that is a Sunday but polling date is for a Tuesday, a working day.
It appears that the EC is taking the easy way out by reducing the number of voters who will return to vote from outstation - ie the younger voters who are most likely to vote the opposition.
It seems that the EC always makes decisions that favour the ruling BN. Postal votes are not affected by a Tuesday poll but definitely some voters will not be bothered to travel for a Tuesday smack in the middle of a work week.
A Tuesday poll also creates havoc with thousands of school children who will be deprived of their schools while a Saturday or Sunday poll would not cause such a disruption. What is the view of the education authorities and the teachers?
Yesterday we witnessed the ugly scenario of the Executive bullying the Legislative and Judiciary branches so this latest ploy of the EC should not be surprising but a normal SOP.

malaysiakini and DEATHS in Malaysia

Yesterday, democracy was dealt a severe blow in Perak when the police and the courts made decisions that basically put the patient into the ICU. Yes the frail condition of democracy in Perak requires intensive care or the patient will not make it to the next general elections.
As this malaysiakini article shows, there is a glimmer of hope but many people think that may only be a false hope. Ball now in sultan's court .
The events in Perak are enthralling as most of us would not have read any of the articles of constitutional law and I suspect with the detailed phrasing and punctuation, many lawyers and even judges also may not fully understand the actual meaning and intent of the laws; especially since English fell from favour in the 70s.
The police showed an uneven hand by locking up the Assembly and obstructed the state assemblymen from gathering thereby preventing them from doing the duties they were elected to do.
In the case of 22-year old Kugan(see the video), it appears that the AG has been too slow in getting the officers charged. It also appears that the doctor who performed the first autopsy did not discharge his or her professional duties properly. It was definitely a case of not revealing the truth or misleading by claiming that death was caused by "water in the lungs".
We know there are criminal elements in the courts from the Lingam tapes and also Kugan's death shows police brutality, murder and cover-up by senior officers and related departments like the autopsy section. Isn't covering up a murder a chargeable offence?
So the critical state of the nation in Perak leaves us all disappointed and sad; especially when those who have the authoity act as if things will somehow muddle through.
Many Malaysians feel there is already anarchy in our institutions and if things are not put right, there could be anarchy on the streets.

malaysiakini and PERAK'S ROLE in MALAYSIA'S BEST REALITY TV SHOW

Even as I write this Malaysia's best reality TV Show is unfolding.
Just imagine the scene - a locked up Government building, guarded by a cordon of riot police and backed up by the water cannons.
Who are they guarding against? The state legislators who want to attend an emergency session to clarify who should lead the state government.
You can read the malaysiakini article here.
Meanwhile a plethora of lawyers are pleading their case in the Ipoh high court and suits and counter-suits are being filed - I guess the lawyers are happy at being able to plead some cases in constitutional law.
That branch of the law was gathering dust in the libraries but the cases in Perak are worth a closer study.
Let us hope that the police do not act with their usual Rambo tactics but follow the rules of engagement fairly for all.
Maybe we should thank the sultan of Perak for the script of this reality TV show. At least long abandoned Perak is now in the full glare of publicity. As the former Lord President of the highest courts of Malaysia, he is well qualified to create the sublimely intricate legal problems that Perak is facing.

malaysiakini and THWARTING democracy in PERAK

I purposely wrote "democracy" without a capital letter for it looks as if some desperate people are going all out to prevent the sitting of the emergency session called by the Speaker as decribed in this malaysiakini article State building to be closed tomorrow.
Funnily enough, the NST has a similar story on the main URL but when you click the story, it says the URL is not available.
First they hijack the MB's post, now they want to quarantine the State building; do you think they will next hold the sultan to ransom?
Do they think the good people of Perak will let them carry on like this if state elections are held?
The cry for freedom in Perak is so loud that only the very desperate will not heed the call for justice.
Let us all pray for justice to prevail in Perak.

malaysiakini and BURYING Democracy in PERAK?

The political impasse of the 2 MBs in Perak continues and it would be a great lesson for all freedom-loving Malaysians to see if our democracy will be buried in Perak.
According to this malaysiakini article Perak speaker and secretary at odds over assembly sittingit appears that the secretary is trying to override the authority and power of the speaker who has called for an emergency session.
This is as ludricous as a company scretary trying to prevent a CEO of a company to make executive decisions.
Of course in the state assembly, the situation is somewhat different but I think there is a great gap between the duties of the secretary and the speaker. In most cases, if one cannot agree with the boss, one usually resigns in protest.
Already there has been too much federal interference in the state matters and it is damaging state-federal relations.

malaysiakini and Banning ALLAH

Here we go again - ALLAH is being mocked when we allow ministers with petty minds to look after His Affairs.
Malaysia must be the only nation where the word "ALLAH" is being given a copyright; a God reserved only for Muslims.
We all know religion is the most sensitive topic and yet we get ministers who change their minds on whims and fancies.
If it was not a change of mind, then it is sheer arrogance and callousness when government gazettes can be made without proper vetting and scrutiny.
According to this malaysiakini article Another U-turn: Ban on 'Allah' in Christian publications remains.
This is what happens when people with pea-brains are made responsible for the affairs of heaven.
If we truly practise freedom of religion, we should allow anyone to convert into, or out of any religion. Of course religious leaders will protest but to me it is up to each individual to seek his own redemption and search for his own way to ALLAH.
The U-turn on tolls was another major case of a lack of any thinking but this religious U-turn smacks of sheer religious discrimination.