Malaysian Democracy Goes Up In Flames

2 DEC 2015

THIS POST IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN: MALAY, IBAN

Scorched earth – how Malaysia’s democracy is going up in flameslike the Borneo Jungle  

Najib Razak claims that the draconian ‘security’ bill, which he is rushing through Parliament over the next three days, is based on provisions brought in by the UK to counter bombing attacks against civilians.

This is untrue.

Liberal forces may be up in arms in the Britain about what they describe as the dangerously wide powers granted by the UK anti-terror acts, but these are nothing compared to the sweeping provisions currently being rushed through in Malaysia, which allow the PM to introduce martial law at the drop of a hat.

In particular, the UK terror laws are directed specifically against mainly foreign nationals suspected of planning random and murderous attacks against innocent civilians – attacks of a kind that are yet to take place in Malaysia.

From reformer to dictator via the bank

By contrast, the main provisions of Najib’s act are clearly directed against internal critics.

Indeed, whilst the British law allows for indefinite detention of foreign nationals believed to be fomenting acts of terror, the Malaysian law allows similar sweeping powers against anyone the Prime Minister regards as threatening his own political position in any way.  He is allowed to imprison under this act someone he regards as threatening the economy for example…. this includes criticising his own management of it in any way.

The licence for dictatorship that Najib is currently rushing through Malaysia’s pretend Parliament in just three days goes much much further even than all this however. It is a sign of just how little regard the elected representatives have for their responsibilities that they are allowing this final public removal of their authority in such a way.

Najib’s council of war – the so-called National Security Council [from Malaysiakini]

Far in excess of anything that has been brought through in the UK, Najib is effectively allowing himself a War Cabinet, his so-called National Security Council, to run the country as a straight dictatorship, by-passing all the previous checks and balances that define a democratic system.

And his Parliamentary bosses (which is what the MPs elected by the people are supposed to be) are letting him do it overnight and without the slightest justification whatsoever.

Power behind the throne – wife Rosmah is given to ring up officials on her all-powerful husband’s behalf

Of course, he is pretending that all these powers are just ‘provisional’ to counter a ‘possible emergency’ – but there is nothing to stop him assuming them when he likes for whatever reason he chooses in this legislation and given how desperately he is currently hanging on to power there is little doubt he will do so sooner rather than later.

The Prime Minister is grabbing all these powers on the pretext of an emergency that simply does not exist in Malaysia. There have been zero terror attacks and there is no war – and yet he has taken on more powers and authority through this bill than Winston Churchill adopted when the Nazis were heading for Britain’s beaches.

When Churchill launched his own War Cabinet against the Nazi invaders, for example, he specifically included opposition politicians in key positions in order to preserve the democratic principle and bring the people with him.

Yet, Najib’s War Cabinet, consists of a handful of his closest political cronies, along with an un-elected police officer, that very IGP who has been running amok in recent weeks attacking anyone who raises concern about corruption in high places.

Running the country as they like from now on new DPM, PM and Police Chief

He is moreover granting this crony cabal arbitrary powers to run the country as they like and to arrest and detain who they like, without reference to any existing laws all in the name of fighting terror.  Most significantly, Najib is also granting his boys and himself total immunity from prosecution over any of their actions in advance, in case any ‘mistakes’ they might make in the heat of their battle against the “terror threat” facing Malaysia.

These ‘mistakes’ could under this definition most certainly include plundering the public purse further into their own bank accounts, perhaps under the ‘mistaken belief’ that this would increase their personal protection agains these bombers, criticisers, law enforcers and other such threatening figures allegedly ‘seeking to topple the Prime Minister’ of Malaysia.

This is Najib Razak’s bid for supreme and untrammelled powers of dictatorship over his country, all under the guise of protecting it from a terror threat that has so far not manifested itself within its borders.  And he is doing it because he can no longer rule by consent, since he has lost the confidence of his people and he is in trouble with the law.

This thinly disguised bid for dictatorship has nothing to do with anti-terror measures

To be clear, the British anti-terror legislation may have been locally criticised, but it does not allow the British Prime Minister to run the country along with his cousin, police chief and mad-dog new deputy, without reference to Parliament or the law and it does not allow the British Prime Minister personal immunity for all his actions.  Neither does it allow the British Prime Minister to define anything he likes as an ‘act of terror’ on grounds as woolly as ‘undermining the economy’ or ‘bringing the government into disrepute’.

This rushed through legislation has nothing to do with protecting Malaysian citizens from foreign bombing attacks and terrorists, it has everything to do with protecting Najib Razak from the consequences of corruption.

Yet that corruption has entrenched so deep within his own UMNO party that it does not occur to his MPs that they are solemnly tasked with the duty of protecting the rights and freedoms of the people, who elected them and who pay for their very comfortable positions.  Not a single one of them has thought to stand up in their pretend Parliament and express the slightest concern that their role has finally been made redundant.

These bow-wows are instead interested only in how much Razak will be prepared to pay them this time to do what they are told.  And, as long as it is enough so that they can pack their bags and leave Malaysia to live somewhere a little more free and congenial (e.g. London) when things get too rowdy back home, this is all these ‘legislators’ clearly care about.

By bringing through this so-called anti-terror legislation Najib is formally abolishing democracy in Malaysia, just a few years after assuming office under the pledge of reforming its earlier erosions.

He does so in the face of opinion polls that quite rightly show him to be the most unpopular Prime Minister ever in the history of the country – 16%.  At least when Hitler abolished democracy in Germany he was popular when he did it!  Even so, the consequences are there for all to remember.

Heil Najib – he is now ‘protected’ against all legal action against him – self-granted immunity.

No one should believe a word of it when Najib and his cronies declare that these provisions will never be abused or used except to tackle terror offences. It was not believable when he brought in SOSMA and other oppressive Acts in 2012 and sure enough SOSMA and all those acts have been first and foremost used not to tackle terrorists but to suppress democratic critics of corruption.

Never mind, say the UMNO frogs, we can parachute out to London or New York.  Never mind say the opposition, we will win the next election hands down and then we can repair the country.

Both are wrong.

Najib knows how desperate his measures are and he has no intention of holding a next election.  His solution will be to claim a terrorist emergency to abolish all elections till future notice.

Parliament will in the course of this week grant him that power to do so and also to claim immunity for this act against his people.  There is one major terrorist at large in Malaysia who is single-handedly threatening the peaceful and democratic way of life of the people and that is the Prime Minister himself.

As for those UMNO pleasure seekers, Sarawak Report and many others will be waiting to name and shame them from London to New York.  Exile might not be so easy after all.

Today, I feel like I do not belong

Fa Abdul

 | September 17, 2015

Why was the hatred that was spewed at the rally met with silence? Why did the Malay leaders not speak out against it?

COMMENT

A few weeks ago, while my friends and I were having a late supper at a mamak place in Jalan Ipoh, an elderly Malay gentleman in his 70s invited himself to our table. He then congratulated us on being ‘friends’.

“It is such a rarity to see people of different races having gatherings such as this,” he said as he shook our hands and took some time to get to know each of us.

My friends and I found it pretty amusing. We didn’t see anything unusual about us hanging out together. I mean, we do lots of things together all the time – we put on theatre shows, we handle acting workshops, play board games, celebrate birthdays, go on holidays, have potlucks and cookouts, watch movies, enjoy karaoke sessions… we even find comfort in each other when a shoulder to cry on is greatly needed.

While it was nice being applauded by the Malay gentleman for holding on to the Malaysian spirit, I thought it was kind of sad to have someone congratulate you for having friends of other races. I mean shouldn’t this be the norm in a country which takes pride in its multiracial status?

Today I finally understand the Malay gentleman’s surprise at the closeness he observed between the multiracial group he came across sharing a meal at the mamak shop. Maybe, we were never meant to be together after all.

As I browsed through reports on the Red Shirts gathering, and watched the video clips of what transpired and what the protestors and spokesperson of the rally had to say, my heart sank.

“Enough is enough. This is our land. Menjadi warganegara bukan bermakna kita ada hak bersama. Pendatang is pendatang. Babi is babi.”

The people I saw preaching those words weren’t people who had been dragged over and paid to say such things. They seemed like intelligent people. They seemed like my peers. They could have been my neighbours and my colleagues.

If educated young Malay folks had such strong hatred for the non-Malays, I fear for my future in this country I call my home.

But why? What have I done wrong to be treated in such a despicable way? Is it my fault that my ancestors weren’t Malay? Is it my fault that I have Indian blood running through my veins?

I have been a good child to my motherland all these years. And I can’t put into words how much I love and treasure my Malaysia. But today I feel like I do not belong here.

I used to believe that my Malay friends were the real Malays while those inciting hatred were puppets under the influence of others. But today as our atmosphere filled with so much hatred, my world came tumbling down. I did not see anyone standing up for me.

While some of my Malay friends ridiculed the Red Shirts Rally and some posted pictures with hashtags #IamMalaysian, the rest remained silent. As for me, I tried very hard to crack some jokes on social media to take my attention away from what the rally had turned into. But after a few attempts, I couldn’t keep it up. It had gotten to me.

The thing is, if only the Malay leaders who had been so opposed to the Red Shirts Rally, would have uttered a few words to console our bleeding hearts, it would have made a difference. It would have been much appreciated. If only my Malay friends had offered words of comfort to ease our troubled minds, instead of joking about images of Air Asia stewardesses dressed in red…that would have meant a lot.

I find myself wishing they had been a little bit more sensitive. Is that too much to ask?

All my life I have been proud to be Malaysian. All my life I have been confident that if I was hanging on a cliff, my Malaysian brothers and sisters could be counted on to give me a hand. Today, I am not sure.

In my 40 years of life, I have contributed to this country and its people in so many ways. I have raised my two children to love this nation and to contribute to society when they are capable of standing on their own two feet. I have even written articles calling those who abandoned this country for another as unpatriotic. But today, I ask myself if I was wrong all along.

Maybe this isn’t my country. Maybe I do not belong here. Do I sound bitter? Trust me, it’s nothing compared to how I feel inside.

For what it is worth, thank you Malaysia for putting me in my place.

Original Artilce : Today I Feel Like I Do Not Belong (Clickable Link)

Mongolian's murder haunts Malaysian elite

Abdul Razak Baginda

Mongolian's murder haunts Malaysian elite

By LESLIE LOPEZ / Kuala Lumpur of The Edge Review

Published on Thursday, March 12, 2015 - 17:43.

Last updated on Thursday, March 12, 2015 - 20:17.

In mid-December 2012, a handful of Malaysia’s top lawyers adjourned for late drinks at a bar in a posh Kuala Lumpur hotel after attending a wedding dinner.

What exactly transpired among the group of friends that evening is now the focus of a nearly two-year probe into charges of misconduct against one of the attendees, who has been implicated in the widely publicised murder of a Mongolian woman nine years ago.

After six months of quizzing a dozen witnesses, including those present at the drinks party, a three-member disciplinary panel of Malaysia’s Bar Council is expected to decide in coming weeks whether Cecil Wilbert Mohanraj Abraham, one of Malaysia’s most senior lawyers, did engage in professional misconduct.

He is alleged to have acted improperly by drafting a private investigator’s sworn statement that government critics claim was part of a conspiracy to limit the fallout from the killing of Altantuya Shaariibuu by two police commandos.

The officers were at the time of her murder members of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s security detail.

Abraham, who declined to respond to questions for this article, has never made any public comment on allegations that first surfaced in late 2012 that he was involved in preparing the statement by the investigator.
Lawyers familiar with the tribunal proceedings say that Abraham has testified in recent months that he was not involved in any way in the making of the statement.

But the tribunal has also heard statements from other lawyers who have insisted that Abraham had privately admitted his role in drafting the sworn statement, which was also the subject of discussion at the mid-December drinks session.

Disciplinary cases are common in the Malaysian Bar Council, which counts close to 15,000 lawyers as members. The Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board – an independent body under the Bar Council empowered to investigate professional misconduct – receives as many as 600 complaints against lawyers annually. These complaints largely involve dishonesty among solicitors who misuse funds belonging to their clients.
Few have attracted the kind of intense public scrutiny as the complaint against Abraham. Here’s why.

For starters, it was the Bar Council itself that lodged the grievance with the disciplinary tribunal demanding an investigation into Abraham.
Then the disciplinary case goes directly to the heart of one of the biggest scandals that continues to bedevil the Najib administration – the murder in October 2006 of Altantuya, a part-time Mongolian translator, whose body was obliterated with hard-to-come-by C4 explosives in a jungle clearing outside Kuala Lumpur.

A one-time political advisor to Najib, Abdul Razak Baginda, admitted to having an affair with Altantuya and was charged with abetting the murder. But he was acquitted without having to present a defence.

Thirdly, there has been renewed public interest in the Altantuya murder in recent weeks. The two police commandos were found guilty of the murder in 2009 and sentenced to death, but their convictions were overturned and they were freed in 2013 over gaps in the evidence. This January, however, Malaysia’s highest court reinstated the convictions.

One of the two convicted killers, Sirul Azhar Umar, was arrested later in January in Brisbane, Australia, after fleeing Malaysia in October, and there is widespread speculation that the rogue officer could shed fresh light into the murder in order to secure asylum and avoid extradition and execution in Malaysia.

In particular, analysts say that Sirul could reveal the identity of the person, or persons, who ordered the two policemen to carry out the murder, an issue that both the defence and the prosecution failed to address in the lengthy murder trial.

Meanwhile, the disciplinary charge against Abraham is another possible window into why Altantuya was murdered.

The following account of events leading to the disciplinary charge and the many twists in the tribunal’s proceedings that have involved Kuala Lumpur’s leading legal lights are based on interviews with lawyers closely tracking the case.

Most of those involved directly in the matter have declined comment on grounds that disciplinary proceeds are held in secret.

The charge against Abraham principally revolves around the affairs of the private investigator P. Balasubramaniam, who died in 2013.

Balasumbramaniam, who had  formerly been attached to the Special Branch division of the Malaysian police, was hired by Najib’s one-time advisor Abdul Razak Baginda to protect his family against harassment and threats from Altantuya.

Balasubramaniam testified in the trial against Abdul Razak and the two police officers in mid-2007. Displeased with the court proceedings, the private investigator signed a statutory declaration, as it is known in Malaysian law, on July 1, 2008, claiming that the police investigations were compromised to protect powerful political personalities.

It included allegations that Najib, who was deputy prime minister at the time, and Altantuya knew each other and had even had an affair. (Najib has always denied ever having met Altantuya).

That statement was made public at a press conference on July 3, 2008, but just a day later, in an astonishing about-turn, the private investigator made a second sworn statement retracting all of his previous claims. He and his family shortly afterwards fled the country and went into hiding.
Balasubramaniam reappeared in November 2009, and in a widely circulated video he recounted how he was forced to sign the second statutory declaration under duress.

He also claimed that he was never introduced to the individual who prepared the second sworn statement and only dealt with businessman Deepak Jaikishan, who coordinated the entire exercise to expunge the damning first sworn statement.

Balasubramiam’s new version of events didn’t amount to much at the time. But it did turn the spotlight on Jaikishan, a businessman with interests in carpet manufacturing who was widely regarded in Kuala Lumpur’s business circles as someone who enjoyed close ties with premier Najib’s family.

Sometime in December 2012, news surfaced that Jaikishan had fallen out with the premier’s family and was facing serious financial problems because of large loans on several property deals that had gone sour.
In what appeared to be an attempt to buy time and also some powerful intervention in his problems, Jaikishan began making public statements backing Balasubramaniam’s claims on events leading to the second statutory declaration.

In several press conferences, Jaikishan acknowledged that he helped facilitate the production of the second sworn statement that Balasubramaniam had said he was forced to sign.

He never publicly identified the author of the second statutory declaration, but there was widespread speculation at the time that Jaikishan was directing the blame at Abraham in private conversations.

Abraham, who started his law career in 1970, is widely regarded as one of the country’s top litigation lawyers. He holds the rare distinction of having acted as counsel for two sitting premiers.

Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew appointed him as lead counsel in the late 1980s when the then premier sued Malaysian Star Publications newspaper group for defamation.

Abraham also acted for Dr Mahathir Mohamad in a 2000 case in which the then Malaysian premier resisted moves by political rival Anwar Ibrahim to have him testify as a witness in the latter’s corruption trial.

A former senior partner of Shearn Delamore, one of Malaysia’s most prestigious firms, Abraham is currently a senior partner at Zul Rafique & Partners, a mid-sized legal firm considered one of Malaysia’s most politically well-connected law outfits.

According to lawyers close to the situation, the Bar Council wrote to Abraham on a number of occasions in January and February 2013 enquiring whether he had any knowledge of the allegations made against him with regard to the preparation of Balasubramaniam’s sworn statement.

They say the response the Bar Council received from Abraham’s solicitors was that their client could not provide any assistance on the matter because of solicitor-client privilege and confidentiality.

Things changed dramatically in mid-March 2013. Balasubramaniam died of a heart attack, and days later lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu told a packed annual general meeting of the Bar Council that he had met Abraham a couple of weeks earlier.

Americk, who had helped Balasubramaniam prepare his first sworn statement on the Mongolian woman’s murder, publicly declared that Abraham had admitted to him that he had drafted the second statutory declaration on Najib’s instructions.

Americk also confessed that he and Abraham had agreed that the matter would remain confidential. But he was forced to break that promise after Balasubraminam’s death.

Abraham denied Americk’s allegations in response to queries from the Bar Council in early April. But that did not stop Bar Council President Christopher Leong from lodging the official complaint against Abraham for professional misconduct a day later on April 4.

The disciplinary proceedings moved at a glacial pace for much of 2013, with Abraham flatly denying Americk’s claims about what was discussed at their meeting.

Sometime in mid-March 2014, the case took a surprising twist when the lawyers acting for the Bar Council in the disciplinary hearing were informed of the drinks session at the Renaissance Hotel in Kuala Lumpur in mid-December 2012 and that Abraham’s alleged involvement in drafting the second sworn statement had emerged as a topic of conversation there.

According to sources familiar with the disciplinary probe, six lawyers were present at the drinks session. Apart from Abraham, the other senior lawyers included Tommy Thomas, a senior constitutional and corporate lawyer; Johari Razak, a partner with law firm Shearn Delamore who is also a brother of premier Najib; Lim Chee Wee, a former Bar Council president and a senior partner of Skrine & Co; and Darryl Goon of Raja, Darryl & Loh, and his wife Foo Yet Ngo, who is a prominent family lawyer.
The sources say that all of the lawyers present have been asked to provide testimony to the three-member tribunal during several closed-door hearings over the past six months.

Sources say that one of the lawyers did acknowledge that conversations with regards to the second sworn statement did take place, the rest informed the tribunal that they could not recall or that they were not aware of any such discussion taking place.

The tribunal is expected to make a decision in coming weeks, which could see either Abraham liberated from the allegations against him or face disciplinary action, which would result in his suspension, or in the most extreme circumstance, an expulsion from the Bar Council.

In the latter case, too, the questions surrounding Malaysia’s most notorious murder scandal of recent years – in particular why the second sworn statement was prepared – will not go away easily.

- See more at: http://www.theedgereview.com/node/1008#sthash.QsEwN2eO.dpuf

The Injustice System of Malaysia

Today is yet another sad sad day for the fellow citizens of Malaysia. A "whistle-blower" is found guilty after pointing out on the truth regarding the so called indelible ink that was used in the last General Election (G.E) 13. The most interesting part about that article.... was that the defence counsel couldn´t attend the proceeding, and the accuser was forced to represent himself! Is this how the law system really works? When your "lawyer" is unable to attend the proceeding, you just force the person to represent himself? It is definitely a clear message sent all across that the courts and the jury and judges have already come to a conclusion of that poor man´s fate! So now instead of correcting yourselves, you decide to disappoint the people of Malaysia by putting out the guilty sentence on him!

When will the people in Malaysia finally have a fair and just government who´s not so dirty till its all over the media?

Article : Found guilty, indelible ink whistle-blower says "see you in Allah´s court"

Found guilty, indelible ink whistle-blower says ‘see you in Allah’s court’

BY MUZLIZA MUSTAFA

Published: 12 January 2015

Royal Malaysian Air Force officer Major Zaidi Ahmad was today found guilty of violating protocol in revealing problems with the indelible ink used in the May 2013 general elections. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, January 12, 2015.Air Force Major Zaidi Ahmad was today found guilty by a military court of two charges of violating protocol in revealing problems with the indelible ink used in the May 2013 general election.

Asked by the court martial to appeal for a lighter sentence, the 45-year-old Royal Malaysian Air Force officer said he would meet his accusers and judges in the afterlife in "Allah's court".

After pronouncing Zaidi guilty, the panel allowed him to produce a witness to support his appeal for a lighter sentence and gave him time to address the military panel.

Zaidi charged the panel with having a political agenda, and said they were more concerned with "filling their stomachs" than using their heads.

This caused the court to interrupt his speech. As he continued speaking, he was stopped again and told to respect the court.

This prompted Zaidi to end his speech abruptly, telling the court that he had nothing more to say if he was not allowed the freedom to speak.

"I have nothing more to say. Jumpa nanti di mahkamah Allah (meet again in Allah's court)," he said.

Earlier today, the panel court ruled that the prosecutors had managed to establish a prima facie case against Major Zaidi in two out of seven charges made against him.

The panel, led by presiding officer Col Saadon Hasnan, said eight witnesses had been called to the stand since the trial began in May 2013.

“The prosecutors have managed to create a prima facie case against the accused for the second and the third charges and therefore, we found him guilty for the two charges,” said Saadon.

He earlier announced that Major Zaidi will be representing himself in court as the defence counsel ‘could not attend the proceeding’.

“The defence counsel could not attend the court, but the court will still resume,” he said before proceeding to announce the verdict.

Zaidi was found guilty for breaching two standing orders – speaking to the media without the consent of the Defence Ministry, and sharing confidential information with the media without the consent of the Armed Forces Council under Section 50 of Armed Forces Act 1972

Saadon in delivering the decision said that the accused had been given the chance to defend himself, but chose to remain silent.

Prosecutor Rose Annuar Aripin asked the court to make Major Zaidi’s case as an exemplary case for the benefit of all, including those in the Armed Forces.

“He is also one of the top officers in charge of his squadron and therefore he should be punished heavily,” said Rose Annuar.

Rose Annuar added as someone with more than 20 years in the service, Zaidi should be aware of what he was doing and should have been more mature in his actions.

The court adjourned for three hours and will resume at 2pm today where the court will decide on the sentence. – January 12, 2015.

The Irony of Speaking up

Growing up, I have always heard of how Malaysia pride itself with being a democratic country with free speech etc etc, but.... as time goes by, especially since migrating, I come to realize many a things about Malaysia. One of it is..... speaking up. Although many people - government included - preach to everyone near and far that they are a modern country that is democratic and able to speak your minds, this very article proves otherwise.

The article, from the Malaysian Insider homepage, entitled Air Force Pilot Pays The Price For Speaking Up (Clickable link) just shows and proves to many... how the government of Malaysia, instead of prosecuting the ones who did the wrong, is instead prosecuting the ones who speaks the truth about matters.  It´s indeed sad to read and see such things happening at the moment, even sadder to know what this poor Air force pilot has to endure due to being an Honest person and speaking up about the truth and nothing more.

I hope, one day, the government of Malaysia will actually open their eyes and realize, the Government are merely also humans, just like the citizens.... without the citizens, there is no government.

Happy reading below or clicking the link above.. *cheers*

Air force pilot pays the price for speaking up

BY LOOI SUE-CHERN
FEBRUARY 15, 2014

Maj Zaidi Ahmad is being made an example for speaking out about the indelible ink fiasco in the 13th general election. – Graphic courtesy of @malaysian_gags, February 15, 2014.When Maj Zaidi Ahmad lodged a police report after the indelible ink on his finger washed off only hours after voting in the 13th general election last year, the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) pilot did not expect to face a court martial and up to at least two years in jail.

He is facing a military court on multiple charges of violating Malaysian Armed Forces Council orders, making statements to the media without the Defence Ministry's authorisation, and sending two text
messages which were deemed political in nature.

The 45-year-old jet pilot, who has served the air force for 25 years, was shocked that he has landed in trouble instead of the supplier of the ink and the Election Commission facing the music.

“I knew there would be repercussions but I was surprised that the supplier and EC got away just like that while I am the one in trouble,” Zaidi told The Malaysian Insider in an email interview.

He was charged on February 7 before the military court in Kuala Lumpur. The case will be heard by a six-member panel on April 8.

In addition, the pilot's wings have been clipped and he has been reassigned to a desk job.

However, Zaidi said he felt compelled as a Muslim to make the report.

"To me, it is haram (illegal) for a Muslim to be an accomplice in cheating. What more if it involves something as important as an election to choose the country’s top leaders.

"As a civil servant whose salary comes from taxpayers' money, I have a duty to inform the people of the truth, which is that the indelible ink is actually delible," he said.

"I am not aligned to any political party. I'm only aligned to the truth."

His wife Shafinah Abdul Hamid and a RMAF technician had also lodged police reports over the indelible ink along with Zaidi.

"Like I said, as a Muslim, I should speak the truth even if I face action (from my superiors). The punishment in the afterlife will be worse if I had lied compared with any punishment in this world,”
Zaidi added.

"I am confident that Allah will help those who are in the right.”

The controversial indelible ink, which was used for the first time in the 2013 general election (GE13), came under fire after many voters complained that it washed off easily.

The opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has maintained that the systematic failure of the indelible ink used during advance voting and on polling day had adversely affected the elections’ outcome.

The EC finally admitted last November that the indelible ink used in GE13 had its flaws, among others, it was washable and took a longer time to dry and because of that, it left stains on the ballot papers.

However, it has insisted that the indelible ink would still be used in the next general election. Zaidi, who is based at the air force's Butterworth base in Seberang Prai, Penang, was one of the 235,826 security forces personnel and their spouses nationwide who voted in advance on April 30 last year.

He lodged a police report the next day after he found that the red ink on the left index finger washed off just two hours later. After he lodged the report, he spoke to reporters outside the police station in Kepala Batas.

The pilot's actions caused a stir and two days later, he was told that he was being transferred to Kuala Lumpur with immediate effect. The transfer also meant his flying days were over.

Zaidi was transferred to the Defence Ministry air force base in Kuala Lumpur for a month and when he returned to the Butterworth base, the pilot was no longer the commanding officer of Squadron 12, a post he held before GE13.

"My pay and allowances remained the same. So has my relationship with my colleagues. They are still the same. No one has behaved differently towards me. We have no problems."

Zaidi's problem is the multiple charges under Section 50(2) and Section 51 of the Armed Forces Act 1972 against him in the Military Court.

He is alleged to have issued a media statement on the indelible ink without the Defence Ministry's authorisation and failing to go through proper military channels to voice his grievances when he lodged the police report and spoke to the press on May 1 last year outside the Kepala Batas district police headquarters.

Zaidi is also alleged to have sent two text messages which were political in nature or seditious while on duty at the Butterworth airbase on May 1, 2013.

He is also charged with making a media statement expressing his disappointment over the indelible ink, which was supposed to be investigated through military channels, and with leaking a circular on the indelible ink to the media without obtaining the Armed Forces Council's approval in Taman Bertam Indah, Kepala Batas on May 3 last year.

Zaidi said he would end up in jail and lose his pension if he was found guilty.

"It will be a terrible burden on my family. My wife is a homemaker and our four kids are schooling and still young."

His oldest child is 20 and studying in university and the youngest is three.

The airman has resigned himself and his fate to God's will and said he would accept the military court's decision.

"At least, I hope I will still have my health to find a way to support my family through legal means. I have thought of working as a pilot for some private company or do some business when I am no longer serving the air force.

"Some people have even suggested that I join politics. But I have not made any decision. I will have to wait for the court to decide first."

Zaidi also has a Facebook page called "Sokong Mejar Zaidi TUDM" (Support Major Zaidi RMAF) that users of the social network can visit to show him support and to learn about issues concerning the military.

For him, becoming a fighter pilot was a childhood dream come true. "When I was a kid, I fished part time in the river near my village, Kampung Permatang Tengah in Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah.

"I often saw fighter jets flying in the sky while fishing. That made me want to be a pilot, too," Zaidi said.

His long flying career included an eight-month posting in Bosnia during the Balkan civil war in the 1990s under the United Nations Protection Force.

Zaidi has received support from PKR-linked NGO Pahlawan, a grouping of former servicemen who said the pilot was being made an example by Putrajaya as a way to frighten all army personnel from exercising their rights as citizens.

Pahlawan said it found it illogical that the army had used a 40-year-old military law to fault the pilot for his police report.

Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) in its Facebook posting recently had also come out in support of Zaidi, saying he was obviously being victimised by the military and the government.

Bersih 2.0 questioned why Zaidi, who is the whistleblower in this case, is being court-martialed while the EC is being let off for dereliction of duty.

"The government obviously intends to make an example out of Maj Zaidi, to drive home the message to others, especially our armed forces and civil servants, not to act in the interest of justice where it is concerned.

"What the government fails to realise is that Maj Zaidi is already an example – one that we should emulate rather than avoid – of honesty, integrity, and bravery." – February 15, 2014.

Way to go Marina Mahathir! I just love the article and comments you pointed out! Hopefully, those wonderful Government people of Malaysia can finally think carefully about what they are doing to the future of Malaysia.... destroying the citizens who have lived so wonderfully harmoniously together for so many years....

Article from Malaysia Edition : Marina Mahathir: Turn country’s slogan “Malaysia Boleh” to “Malaysia Tak Boleh” (Clickable link)

Published On: Thu, Jan 2nd, 2014

National | By shikin

Marina Mahathir: Turn country’s slogan “Malaysia Boleh” to “Malaysia Tak Boleh”

Picture by K.E. Ooi

Social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir hit out at Putrajaya today for keeping silent on simmering contentious issues affecting the country.

In her “Musings” column in English daily The Star, Marina said that the country’s leadership may preach about unity, but remained silent over sensitive statements made by certain parties.

“What sort of leadership do we have which only mouths platitudes about moderation and unity, yet has absolutely nothing to say about the type of extreme pronouncements made not only by so-called NGOs, but also by some parts of government?” she said.

“Are they oblivious or scared? And if they are scared, why?”

Her article struck a chord with Malaysians, with many sharing it on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Without mentioning names, Marina said that the country’s leaders would rather spend time defending family foibles than speak up for the most vulnerable and defenceless in society.

“How embarrassing is that?”

Malaysians, she said, were being led by people who were ignorant, unschooled and yet proud to be so.

“We have celebrated the Gregorian new year for ages. So how did it suddenly become a Jewish celebration?

“We have wished our fellow Malaysians the best during all our festivities. So how did it suddenly become a threat to our faith? Or is our faith so fragile that it can hardly withstand anything?”

She said on a daily basis, there are more and more things Malaysians are told they cannot touch on, so much so that the country’s slogan of “Malaysia Boleh” might as well be turned to “Malaysia Tak Boleh”.

“We are told we cannot be nice to each other because it might endanger the faith of some of us.

“We are told that we cannot talk frankly because some people, obviously with weaker constitutions than the rest of us, might get offended.

“We cannot do anything without treading on eggshells because some people have paper-thin skins.

“So basically, the Malaysians we are supposed to be proud of are those with weak faith, who need constant government help and have such inferiority complexes, that anything and everything that anyone else does better is offensive to them.

“These are the people who think the fastest way to heaven is to oppress other people. Lovely!” she said.

She said the country now has a government in power which is disliked by the people and yet, they were unable to understand why that is so.

“And it is responding by thinking that all that the people want is more religion and to be bought.”

Even that is “failing miserably”, she said.

“There is a simple premise behind election promises and pledges: They need to be kept. Either that or rely on people’s short-term memory. Which isn’t reliable by any measure.

“It’s astounding to me that simple logic doesn’t apply to the way our politicians think.”

She ended her column with her wish for 2014: that many more Malaysians will wake up and realise the danger our country is in.

“That to survive in the world today is by being strong.

“And strength comes from being educated and in tune with the realities of the world, not living in some fantasyland filled with bigots.”

Marina is also the daughter of Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. – TMI

Breastfeeding Viewed as Potential Terrorist Activity by New York Country Club (Clickable link)

A friend of mine tagged me in this post he found while surfing I guess..... and I just can´t help but die laughing at the stupidity of the people running the New York Country Club and also the police that was "dragged" in to the scene. So the people in New York actually thinks that everyone who is a mummy uses their kids as a terrorist attack to others? Or did they forget that mummies do need to breast feed their babies also? Or are boobs such a big thing in New York now that it is a terrorist thing?

Ok...... it may not be a right thing to breast feed in broad public ( speaking from coming from a Muslim country where even a little exposure is considered a huge "sin")..... however there is such a thing that is called a breast feeding room, which I have actually seen all around Europe that I have visited.... so, instead of "dumping" your customers and "forcing" them to breast feed in a toilet..... please ensure, especially since you are a Country Club, that you have such a room that is called a breast feeding room for mummies to go to, if you do not want your customers to be breast feeding at their tables.

Ironic how people are getting nowadays!

Happy reading this article

Breastfeeding Viewed as Potential Terrorist Activity by New York Country Club

by SARAH, THE HEALTHY HOME ECONOMIST on JULY 1, 2013

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When ignorance about breastfeeding coincides with an irrational fear of terrorists, what do you get?

A very nasty scene at a ritzy New York Country Club, that’s what!

This is exactly what Belgian diplomat Tom Neijens and his wife Roseline Remans discovered when they stopped by the Metropolis Country Club in White Plains, New York on June 8, 2013 and inquired about having lunch.

Club employees permitted the family to dine on the terrace despite the fact that they weren’t members, whereupon Remans began to discreetly breastfeed her daughter Luka at the table.

Neijens, first secretary of the Belgium Mission to the UN, told the New York Post that a female employee of the club quickly interrupted Roseline’s perfectly legal and proper feeding of her baby with this sharp rebuke:

“Please leave immediately, you are disturbing the members!”

When Neijens protested and said it would only take a few minutes, the female staffer insisted that Remans finish in the restroom.

Understandably incredulous at the blatant ignorance on display at such a high end establishment, Mr. Neijens inquired why a baby would be asked to have lunch in the restroom when adults are not.

The Greenburgh Police Department arrived minutes later with Detective Scott Harding apparently yelling, “Close the doors!” with two other diners ordered to leave the terrace.

Mr. Neijens described the chaotic scene as something straight out of a Western movie with the officer walking around like John Wayne with “one hand on his gun, one hand on his Taser.”

The officer warned the couple that they were trespassing despite the fact that country club staff had given them specific permission to dine.  He also said that some fearful members thought Mr. Neijens’ black backpack indicated they were terrorists.

Most laughable if not actually true, is what the officer came out with next when a tearful Ms. Remans asked why terrorists would breastfeed at a ritzy club:

“In Sri Lanka, babies are used by terrorists.”

Well, you learn something new every day, don’t you?

Attention all breastfeeding mothers. Your milk engorged breasts are actually considered weapons of mass destruction by law enforcement authorities. That liquid is NOT food for your baby. It is actually highly explosive material that could detonate at any time, sparking a chain of events identified by the media as bona fide terrorist activity.

Detective Harding quickly backed off his ridiculous posturing when Mr. Neijens revealed his State Department issued identification.

He dismissed his over the top behavior by explaining that the club had received terrorist threats in the past.

Despite the fact that they were doing nothing illegal or improper and possessed proper identification, the couple was still escorted off the premises via the back door.

A few days later, Mr Neijens sent an e-mail demanding an apology from Country Club general manager Tracy Fraus and assistant general manager Audra Vaccari.

“I am deeply worried about your staff if they cannot distinguish between a European couple looking for a quiet place to breast-feed a baby and suicide terrorists carrying a backpack.”

Lt. B.J. Ryan, a spokesman for the Greenburgh Police Department, labeled the incident as a simple “cultural misunderstanding.”

Ahem. On behalf of breastfeeding mothers everywhere, I beg to differ.

Breasts are not “cultural” and there is no “misunderstanding” their true purpose. They are the universal instrument for optimal feeding of babies.

Not “boob grenades”.

Hard to believe the terrorism handbook didn’t cover this point properly.

Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist

Sources:

Belgian diplomat booted from golf club, treated “like terrorists” over wife’s breastfeeding

Couple “treated like terrorists” over breastfeeding and backpack at ritzy restaurant