http://www.thestartv.com/episode/brave-new-world-ep-6-yelling-for-yellow/?program=brave-new-world&season=season-01
Wednesday 23 November 2016
Avoid path to unjust laws
Brave New World (The Star)
23 November 2016
We are in danger of becoming a country that may be exploited by some.
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I just had to laugh when I read reports of a minister saying the size of demonstrations does not matter and it does not translate into votes.
Well, of course, he would say that; he is part of a government that did not win the popular vote. When you can secure 60% of the seats in Parliament with less than half of the votes cast, of course size doesn’t matter.
Which is why Bersih and its demands are so important, because in elections at least, size should matter and in countries like ours, where the competition is usually between two groups, there should be no reason why those with the most votes should not get the most seats.
Unless, of course, there is gerrymandering. And there is. Oh Lord, there is.
This is the primary call of Bersih – fair elections. You must be totally afraid that you can’t win in a fair fight that you will oppose such a call.
But that’s not surprising really. Since the emasculation of the Election Commission in the 1960s, the present regime has been ensuring that the constituencies where they have their power base are kept small, thus ensuring that they don’t require many votes to win.
What is slightly more surprising is the sophistication of the powers that be in dealing with rallies. They appear to have got the hang of it now.
All right, before I go on a rant, in my view, the cops did do a good job in keeping the yellow shirts and red shirts apart. So, credit goes where credit is due.
However, back to my rant. It is obvious that the powers that be realised that when they blast peaceful protesters with tear gas and water cannons, it makes the news worldwide.
News agencies are not interested in measured arguments regarding electoral systems. They want the drama of people being gassed and attacked. Journalists love human misery. It sells.
So by not giving them what they want, the government and their agencies can ensure that whatever coverage we get in the international and even local media is small.
After all, who cares (apart from those of us living in this country) about the fact that a dozen people were arrested for no apparent reason apart from being key figures in Bersih?
Who cares that Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah is being detained under a law that they promised us was to be used in terror cases only? Not the world press, that’s for sure.
But we should care because this act of locking up a woman who has not at any time supported or incited violence, who has in fact bravely stood strong despite calls of extreme violence against her and threats to her family, is being treated very unjustly.
How can organising a peaceful rally (tidy even, as there were volunteers picking up garbage), that asked for things like fair elections, no corruption and good governance, be a national security threat?
Isn’t that what Sosma (the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act) is for? To be used against terror threats to national security? No one in their right minds can say that Maria fits this bill.
Oh, but I am afraid there are enough people who do. You’d be surprised at the number of folks, so-called academics, so-called journalists and politicians, who buy the rubbish about conspiracy theories and foreign intervention. Garbage spewed without an ounce of evidence.
We are in danger of becoming a country of unjust laws that may be exploited by those who are either purposefully deceitful or unbelievably obtuse.
The well-being of this nation depends on us avoiding exactly this, and Maria’s arrest and subsequent detention is a stark reminder.
23 November 2016
We are in danger of becoming a country that may be exploited by some.
______________________________________
I just had to laugh when I read reports of a minister saying the size of demonstrations does not matter and it does not translate into votes.
Well, of course, he would say that; he is part of a government that did not win the popular vote. When you can secure 60% of the seats in Parliament with less than half of the votes cast, of course size doesn’t matter.
Which is why Bersih and its demands are so important, because in elections at least, size should matter and in countries like ours, where the competition is usually between two groups, there should be no reason why those with the most votes should not get the most seats.
This is the primary call of Bersih – fair elections. You must be totally afraid that you can’t win in a fair fight that you will oppose such a call.
But that’s not surprising really. Since the emasculation of the Election Commission in the 1960s, the present regime has been ensuring that the constituencies where they have their power base are kept small, thus ensuring that they don’t require many votes to win.
What is slightly more surprising is the sophistication of the powers that be in dealing with rallies. They appear to have got the hang of it now.
All right, before I go on a rant, in my view, the cops did do a good job in keeping the yellow shirts and red shirts apart. So, credit goes where credit is due.
However, back to my rant. It is obvious that the powers that be realised that when they blast peaceful protesters with tear gas and water cannons, it makes the news worldwide.
News agencies are not interested in measured arguments regarding electoral systems. They want the drama of people being gassed and attacked. Journalists love human misery. It sells.
So by not giving them what they want, the government and their agencies can ensure that whatever coverage we get in the international and even local media is small.
After all, who cares (apart from those of us living in this country) about the fact that a dozen people were arrested for no apparent reason apart from being key figures in Bersih?
Who cares that Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah is being detained under a law that they promised us was to be used in terror cases only? Not the world press, that’s for sure.
But we should care because this act of locking up a woman who has not at any time supported or incited violence, who has in fact bravely stood strong despite calls of extreme violence against her and threats to her family, is being treated very unjustly.
How can organising a peaceful rally (tidy even, as there were volunteers picking up garbage), that asked for things like fair elections, no corruption and good governance, be a national security threat?
Isn’t that what Sosma (the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act) is for? To be used against terror threats to national security? No one in their right minds can say that Maria fits this bill.
Oh, but I am afraid there are enough people who do. You’d be surprised at the number of folks, so-called academics, so-called journalists and politicians, who buy the rubbish about conspiracy theories and foreign intervention. Garbage spewed without an ounce of evidence.
We are in danger of becoming a country of unjust laws that may be exploited by those who are either purposefully deceitful or unbelievably obtuse.
The well-being of this nation depends on us avoiding exactly this, and Maria’s arrest and subsequent detention is a stark reminder.
Wednesday 16 November 2016
Wednesday 9 November 2016
Much ado about a few thousand ringgit
Brave New World (The Star)
9 November 2016
____________________________________
IN Pahang, there is a lake called Tasek Bera. It is Malaysia’s first RAMSAR site.
Oh, but I am getting ahead of myself. The RAMSAR treaty is an international law which requires its members to establish a protected wetland site of international importance. We are a party to this treaty, hence the Tasek Bera site.
I haven’t been to Tasek Bera in almost 20 years, so this is not a piece about the place. I don’t know if it is as pretty as when I last saw it or whether it has been poorly managed and is suffering as a result.
I just want to make the point that in order to get Tasek Bera classified as a wetland of international importance, there had to be a scientific study conducted. The Pahang state government did not have the expertise or the resources so this study was done by an NGO called Wetlands International and the funding came from the Danes.
Oh, you must be shaking your head in concern now. After all, foreign funding was used for this project.
Good heavens, what sort of dastardly deeds did the Danes devise? Foreign funding must have some agenda right? Well, that’s what some of our leaders said and among them are those who are supposedly smart, so they must be correct.
Oh wait; foreign funding has an agenda unless the donor writes a letter saying that there is no agenda. How could I forget that proviso?
Obviously I’m talking about the hoo ha being raised about some bodies, namely Malaysiakini, the Bar Council and Bersih getting funding from the Open Society Foundations which is founded by the much demonised George Soros (at least here in Malaysia).
Now the money that these groups got was peanuts. Less than peanuts when seen in the light of the donations some have received.
We are talking a few thousand ringgit here. And it is to organise one-off things like workshops. Workshops on what, you may ask?
Well, stuff like good governance and democracy. How precisely is this a bad thing?
And the secret agenda is what exactly: to topple the government unlawfully? I don’t think so.
If a government is honest and competent then why should they worry about greater transparency and a more open democratic space? These were not workshops on how to make pipe bombs and mobile phone detonators, after all.
So we have this vague scaremongering that the Open Society Foundations and those who received funds from them have some sort of evil plan. Like the promotion of human rights and good democratic practices is evil.
Hey, people can spew any amount of rubbish. For some who are intellectually challenged, it is actually expected and quite fun to listen to.
But when it is being done by the so-called intelligent, with not one iota of proof, then it gets to be irritating. No, it is not just irritating, it is infuriating, because what that means is that one is saying dumb things not because you were born that way but because you want to purposely disseminate unsubstantiated accusations. I suppose, for their own agenda.
9 November 2016
____________________________________
IN Pahang, there is a lake called Tasek Bera. It is Malaysia’s first RAMSAR site.
Oh, but I am getting ahead of myself. The RAMSAR treaty is an international law which requires its members to establish a protected wetland site of international importance. We are a party to this treaty, hence the Tasek Bera site.
I haven’t been to Tasek Bera in almost 20 years, so this is not a piece about the place. I don’t know if it is as pretty as when I last saw it or whether it has been poorly managed and is suffering as a result.
I just want to make the point that in order to get Tasek Bera classified as a wetland of international importance, there had to be a scientific study conducted. The Pahang state government did not have the expertise or the resources so this study was done by an NGO called Wetlands International and the funding came from the Danes.
Good heavens, what sort of dastardly deeds did the Danes devise? Foreign funding must have some agenda right? Well, that’s what some of our leaders said and among them are those who are supposedly smart, so they must be correct.
Oh wait; foreign funding has an agenda unless the donor writes a letter saying that there is no agenda. How could I forget that proviso?
Obviously I’m talking about the hoo ha being raised about some bodies, namely Malaysiakini, the Bar Council and Bersih getting funding from the Open Society Foundations which is founded by the much demonised George Soros (at least here in Malaysia).
Now the money that these groups got was peanuts. Less than peanuts when seen in the light of the donations some have received.
We are talking a few thousand ringgit here. And it is to organise one-off things like workshops. Workshops on what, you may ask?
Well, stuff like good governance and democracy. How precisely is this a bad thing?
And the secret agenda is what exactly: to topple the government unlawfully? I don’t think so.
If a government is honest and competent then why should they worry about greater transparency and a more open democratic space? These were not workshops on how to make pipe bombs and mobile phone detonators, after all.
So we have this vague scaremongering that the Open Society Foundations and those who received funds from them have some sort of evil plan. Like the promotion of human rights and good democratic practices is evil.
Hey, people can spew any amount of rubbish. For some who are intellectually challenged, it is actually expected and quite fun to listen to.
But when it is being done by the so-called intelligent, with not one iota of proof, then it gets to be irritating. No, it is not just irritating, it is infuriating, because what that means is that one is saying dumb things not because you were born that way but because you want to purposely disseminate unsubstantiated accusations. I suppose, for their own agenda.
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