What does UMNO Penang fear?

Some Muslims in Penang were highly agitated when the khatib ( the man who reads sermons) offered prayers for the Penang chief minister. In what manner was it said? Was LGE's name mentioned in the context of something?

Actually we have not heard what actually transpired other than listening to a few emotionally charged statements from some people. Who are these people? If they are UMNO members, then their response was hardly surprising.

To me, the fearful responses thus far only reflect how desperate UMNO is in re capturing the Malay support in Penang. I won't say re-capture Penang, because that is already impossible. what UMNO fears now is losing Malay support in Penang. That is like the end of the world.

What UMNO fears is a rising consciousness among Penang Malays that despite detaching themselves from UMNO, their lot can still be improved. This will be the beginning of a wider consciousness debunking the myth that equates loyalty and allegiance to this country to loyalty and allegiance to UMNO. The two things are not the same. If Penang is successful in demolishing this long perpetuated myth and this awareness becomes a national phenomenon, UMNO is in serious trouble.

Neither UMNO nor Zaid Hamidi who is the Pengerusi Perhubungan UMNO Penang have the answer to counter this rising tide. The only way they can hit back is by manipulating the sermon issue. You hope this will escalate into a tidal wave of resentment.

I say, if we truly love UMNO we should stop this childish and very shallow strategy. offer Penang Malays a better vision and promises of a better future. Zahid Hamidi is wishing he is not the Pengerusi Perhubungan UMNO Negeri. Ini kes nyaya kat chek no.

Since capturing Penang from Gerakan and UMNO in the last elections, the state government has made serious inroads into winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim community. Mosques and suraus have been receiving a lot of facilities and assistance from the state government. What is the civil thing to do if someone has given you assistance? You say thank you sir.

So the particular imam who created the present controversy who happens to be the brother of the Penang mufti was telling the congregation that Muslims should pray the good deeds undertaken by the state government under Lim Guan Eng are carried out continuously. Muslims are thanking the state government under LIM Guan Eng. In addition, Muslims should be hopeful that Lim Guan Eng embraces Islam. What probably happened was perhaps Guan Eng's name was mentioned in that context.

To me, this is a stupid way of trying to leverage on a religious issue. The present controversy serves to further expose our hypocrisy. For so many years while Penang was under the JV government of Gerakan and UMNO, the lot of Penang Malays has not improved greatly. You even had a PM from Penang and he didn't achieve anything much for Penang Malays. He could offer only some nebulous ideas about Islam. People wanted more physical improvements not more sermonizing.

Before that you also had a former deputy PM from Penang, who did not achieve much either. All he could do was gurmal here and gurmal there. Senator Koh Tsu Koon could never match what Guang Eng has achieved in 2 years with what he has done all those years while in power. So really, you don't have any defense against what the present state government is doing.

The better action by Penang Malays is to throw out all those useless UMNO leaders who rose to prominence not through offering great ideas and thinking, but got where they are by mastering political intrigues. It's the comeuppance for many of these hollow leaders. For years you have come up not through the brilliance of your ideas or competency but you rise because you are more skillful at demolishing your political rivals, you rise by stabbing the backs of your political comrades, you rise because you plot here and there- suddenly you find you don't have the substance to sustain your political relevance.

So you have incompetent UMNO leaders thinking they can stand toe to toe with better qualified Gerakan leaders. Suddenly you realize, your skills in removing your own political comrades don't work when dealing with people from other parties.

So I find the Penang UMNO leadership and its 'spokesmen' behaving hypocritical in using religion to counter the state government.

Let's have some finesse fellers.

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Posted by sakmongkol AK47 Monday 23rd August 2010

Stop The Fabrications And Lies

by Din Merican on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 9:42pm
Attorney-General, IGP & MACC Chief:Stop The Fabrications and Lies
People have asked me why I don't seem to write about Sodomy II. They are curious if I have abandoned Anwar Ibrahim's cause or struggle. They are curious if I know something about Anwar that I don't seem to want to write in his defence, or report about his on-going trial. Yes, I do know a lot of things about Anwar, most important of which is that he is not guilty of the charge they have framed against him, whether in Sodomy I or Sodomy II. I know a lot of things about Anwar to know that Sodomy II is as evil as Sodomy I.
Sodomy 2 is a lost cause
So, why don't I write about Anwar's trial? Because, it is a lost cause! Because the BN government is galvanizing all its powers to
fix Anwar and they will convict him by hook or by crook. In Sodomy I, the combination of the government's might was used - the Police, the Attorney-General and the Courts. The same base tactic is being used again in Sodomy II, nothing creative nothing ingenuous. So there is nothing more to write there. I have become "Lelah" (the closest English word I can think of is "exasperated"), knowing that Sodomy II will end like Sodomy I. If such a thing can happen to a former Deputy Prime Minister, what hope is there for Rule of Law, for Truth and Justice to prevail?
Never Give Up Hope
But I am being reminded by concerned Malaysians that we cannot give up hope. For the sake of our future generations, we must believe that change is possible. We must believe that the struggle must not end with just the fight for Justice for Anwar. We now have the opportunity to send a strong message to this BN government that it must change, or it will be changed. We can direct the mind of the masses to recognize the fabrications and lies in the case of Kugan, Teoh Beng Hock, Altantuya Shariibu, Dato' Ramli Yusuff and Lawyer Rosli Dahlan.
We can galvanise public view so that the perpetrators are identified and be remembered so that they cannot hoodwink us to believe otherwise. It used to be said that history is written by the victors. But in this cyberworld, the pens of the individual observers can reach out to the hearts and mind of the masses. We can overcome the lies of the mainstream media which are nothing more than propaganda tools of the government.
Teoh Beng Hock's Suicide Note: The Mother of All Fabrications
While the family is still mourning Teoh Beng Hock's death. While Malaysians are still infuriated by the death of a young man whom the MACC has admitted was needed just as a witness. While the facts show Teoh was thrown out of the 14th Floor office of the MACC Shah Alam office, the MACC is conniving at a cover up. It is incredulous that on the day of the incident, the Selangor MACC Director should see it fit to run and seek directions from Dato' Abu Kassim in Putrajaya instead of attending to Teoh's death. That Abu Kassim would have then directed a denial to be issued, shows his complicity in this cover up. It is unbelievable that the whole machinery of the MACC, the Police and the AG's office are then seen working in unison towards this cover up.
Still, the public was willing to give the MACC a chance to explain what happened through the Coroner's Enquiry. But now, at this late stage, it is just unbelievable that AG Gani is showing contempt to all Malaysians by contriving a "suicide note". This is an affront to Malaysian sensibilities. This is insulting Malaysian intelligence. This is just too revolting.
Already, Attorney General Gani Patail has been embroiled in numerous allegations of fabrications and lies. Lawyer Manjit Singh Dhillon had previously accused Gani Patail of fabrication in Nallakaruppan's firearm's case. Dato' Mat Zin, former KL Police OCCI, had also accused Gani Patail and Musa Hassan of fabricating evidence in Anwar's black eye case. These two man are just too tainted. And yet Gani Patail now wants Malaysians to believe the existence of a suicide note? I will not bother commenting any further than to just quote what my good friend and Member of Parliament Gobin Singh Deo has said to Gani Patail: " I say it again, resign. Take the blame, do it honourably. If this can happen wit Teoh's case, what about other cases and prosecutions?"
Indeed, what about other cases? While in Teoh's case, they fabricated a suicide note, what did they do in the Altantuya murder case? Did they not make the Immigration records disappear? Did they not do that after they made Altantuya herself disappear? Or more like blown her to bits. Yes, they C4'd her and then erased the Immigration records of her entry. Yes that's what they did - fabricate and lie. Two policemen were convicted while Abdul Razak Baginda was acquitted. AG Gani did not appeal although the two policemen could not have done it on their own. AG Gani did not appeal and Razak Baginda made a quick exit out of the country.
In the Sabah case against Dato' Ramli, the MACC officer , Sok One a/l Essen lodged a false report by naming Dato' Ramli in a report. Sok One said that he received a telephone call and wrote on a piece of paper of what he heard about Dato' Ramli from this penghulu kampong . Under cross examination in Court, the Penghulu denied that he ever mentioned Ramli's name. Sok One has since admitted in Court that he had destroyed the paper on which the information was written. In effect, this MACC officer had admitted that he destroyed evidence. Judge Supang Lian acquitted Dato' Ramli in that case. AG Gani appealed and lost in the High Court. Yet, AG Gani is still appealing further to the Court of Appeal!
In Dato' Ramli's earlier KL case, the MACC IO Azmi Ismail admitted that his report against Dato' Ramli for being involved in corruption was not of his own knowledge or investigation but purely based on another report. That led to the startling discovery of several other cover reports No. 098/2006 to R/No: 075/2006 to R/No. 072/2006 to R/No: 065/2006 which all turned out to be fabrications as Dato' Ramli's name was not mentioned in any of it. That was why I wrote about Kevin Morais: The Liar Who Got Buried In His Lies. Judge M. Gunalen also acquitted Dato' Ramli without calling for his defence. AG Gani is also appealing. AG Gani did not see it fit to appeal against Razak Baginda's acquittal in a murder case, but sees it fit to appeal against Dato' Ramli in a fix-up misdeclaration of assets case. From this, you can AG Gani's priorities!
Recent Persecution of Dato' Ramli Yusuff
Then in the present Summons case against Dato' Ramli before Judge SM Komathy, the IO Wan Abdul Rahman admitted he knew there was an unsigned letter of approval from then IGP Tan Sri Bakri for Dato' Ramli to form a company and to be its shareholder and director. He did not ask where is the signed copy of that letter. He did not interview Tan Sri Bakri to confirm that Tan Sri Bakri had indeed given his approval. He did not interview Dato' Robiah to confirm that there was indeed approval and a signed letter.
MACC IO Wan Abdul Rahman did not ask how is it that the signed letter of approval from Tan Sri Bakri disappeared from Dato Ramli's service record kept with the PDRM's Pentadbiran when Musa Hassan became IGP in September 2006. Did Musa Hassan have anything to do with the disappearance of that signed letter? After all Musa Hassan is the famous mattress carrier in Sodomy I!
What is so clear here is that IGP Musa Hassan, MACC Chief Abu Kassim and AG Gani Patail are involved in fabrications and lies. Evidence can disappear and appear like David Copperfield's magic show. Witnesses can die while under their watch. What is so clear is that Malaysians can no longer trust the highest law enforcement officers of this country. It is time we say to the Home Minister Dato' Hishammuddin Hussein Onn- on the grave of your father , do the honorable thing. Don't you dare extend Musa Hassan's contract.
It is time we say to the faces of Gani Patail, Musa Hassan and Abu Kassim – Stop these lies and fabrications. It is time we say to them –Resign Now!


How did Umno get hold of such a document which is still with the AG? Anwar Ibrahim has no access to important documents even the police report, witness list and medical reports, but Umno members get them so easily.

Tiada Maruah or Lack of Integrity At The Very Top

M. Bakri Musa

Last week I wrote, “So we have two disturbing displays of less than exemplary behaviors if not outright lack of professionalism at the highest levels of our civil service. One is the Chief Secretary not hearing both sides to the Lim Eng Guan and Nik Ali squabble before rendering judgment, and the other, the Solicitor General failing to recognize a breach of professional ethics.”

I penned that piece too soon. For a few days later we have yet a third example from another top civil servant, this time Attorney General (AG) Gani Patail. Responding to the allegation of improper behavior by one of his prosecutors in the Sodomy II trial, Gani Patail simply reassigned her.

Living ten thousand miles away I have little to do with the Malaysian civil service. My daily life is thus not affected by these tiada maruah (lack of integrity) folks at the top. The organization however, is essentially Malay; likewise the political establishment. These top civil servants and political leaders are thus seen as representing the best of not just their organizations but also of Malays. Consequently, their shortcomings are viewed less as personal failures but more of our community. When they behave tiada maruah, collectively Malays are also seen as such. That is what makes me angry.

Essence of the Exposé

The AG justified his action “to remove any negative public perception of the prosecuting team.” He did not address the substance of the allegation; he managed only the perception and ignored the reality.

Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) first made the explosive allegation in Malaysia Today (mt.m2day.net). In a headline-blaring column titled, “The Bizarre Case of Sodomy 2,” RPK in his trademark style named the specific prosecutor, and rightly characterized the indiscretion as “a conflict of interest of the first degree.”

The allegation appeared at the end of a long article, and seemed more as an afterthought. You have to read his entire piece to get to the stunning revelation. Those who gave up earlier would miss it. It was as if RPK was challenging his readers to be thorough and not be content with only the headlines and few introductory paragraphs.

There was also a teasing coyness to the exposé; it was uncharacteristically brief. Beyond the mention of the name, there were no other details. It was as if RPK was laying a trap. Throw a teaser out, and then see those bastards falling all over themselves condemning him.

This time however, there was silence. There were no hysterical accusations or righteous condemnations that RPK was purveying “half-truths,” or as one novice politician would put it, “only 40 percent facts and the rest made up.”

My gut feeling is that RPK reveals way less than 40 percent of what he knows or has information on this evolving scandal. I had hoped that those UMNO jackasses would have resorted to their usual mouth-frothing denunciations of RPK. Then I could see him salivating like a lion that had successfully lured its prey to a trap where it could be pounced upon mercilessly.

Alas, no one walked into the trap. So we have to be patient with RPK or hope that someone would aggravate him enough for him to reveal the sordid details, perhaps titillating snippets of the videotape of the amorous illicit encounter!

The Larger Issue

It took less than a week for Gani Patail to respond to RPK’s revelation; unusually ‘efficient.’ This promptness, while laudatory, did not excuse his avoiding the heart of the matter – the truth to the allegation. For if the allegation were other than the “only 40 percent facts,” then the AG would have perpetrated a grave injustice on the young lawyer. Far from reassigning her, she should have been publicly exonerated, her integrity openly defended.

At the very least she should have been accorded due process. Even an accused murderer deserves that! The AG should be the last person to have to be reminded of this elementary legal tenet. Here we have the obscenity of the AG having a press conference first, with the poor prosecutor learning of her fate not from the media. Simple decency demanded that the AG should have met with the alleged wayward lawyer first, to get her side of the story and then to inform her of his decision.

If the allegation were true, then the AG has more than a serious disciplinary problem. There are the legal issues with respect to the Sodomy 2 trial. Additionally, the alleged act was also criminal per the Sharia.

Gani Patail cannot abrogate his responsibility. It is not enough for him to simply declare, “… [A]ny personal matter, if it can have any implication in whatever form on the department, will be handled very seriously.” He also has to demonstrate it.

If the allegation has substance, then the AG must remind himself that if she is not disciplined now, she would continue winding her up the civil service. She could one day be a judge or even the AG.

I am not concerned here with the career trajectory of a young lawyer. Nor am I particularly perturbed at the ineptness of some of our high level officials. I have seen enough similar examples elsewhere to be able to put that in perspective. The Peter Principle is after all universal.

I am however concerned with the pattern of tiada maruah leadership in the civil service and other essentially Malay entities. The recent scandal at Sime Darby reflects the pervasiveness of this blight. Again this being Malaysia, the racial element is never far from the public radar. One only has to read the bigoted comments on the Internet and elsewhere to be painfully reminded of this.

These tiada maruah Malays only feed this ugly stereotype. Of all people I would have expected them to be conscious of this, and thus make every effort to ensure that their behaviors would help tear down this unfair image.

I am not in the least comforted by the fact the Indian civil service is even more bloated and lumbering, or that the folks in Beijing are hideously more corrupt (note the recent scandal of tainted baby formulas) and disrespectful of basic human rights (witness their all too frequent summary executions). We are talking about Malaysia here, with our own rules, norms and expectations.

The other communities too have their own peculiar blights. The scandals with MAIKA and Port Klang Free Zone Project are obscene reminders of that. To me that is neither an excuse nor a consolation.

I feel for those honest, competent and diligent public servants who are Malays. They give all they have for the nation but their good work is being overshadowed by these yahoos at the top. How did the likes of Gani Patail reach the top? Likewise, I keep wondering how such unimaginative, frankly corrupt, and not terribly competent people get to lead us. More importantly, why did we let them? The answers elude me.

We can only change the negative image of our community by changing the reality. Vote these corrupt and incompetent bastards out! Voting them in again would only encourage them. Indeed this is exactly what has been happening. By repeatedly voting them in for the past 50 years, we are implicitly condoning if not encouraging their wayward ways.

Once we have capable political leaders, they will take care of the Napoleons in the public service, the little as well as the big ones. In the meantime we must do everything we can to shame them. This essay is an exercise in that. Come the election, we can punish them.

Those who love our community and champion its cause, including the Ketuanan Melayu folks, would do well to enlist in this urgent and critical mission of ridding our community of these tiada maruah leaders and civil servants.

Unless we destroy the blight now, it will be the undoing of our society. This is where we should focus. We must not be distracted by such imagined enemies as the pendatangs (immigrants), capitalism, or globalization. The enemy is us, specifically our leaders.