IN THIS ISSUE
 Thousands
run riot in Kuala Lumpur
US
criticises police crackdown on demos
Police
recover lethal weapon from Reformasi supporter
Opticians
donate glasses to NUJ
Human
Rights Commission not an April Fool joke
Mahahtir's
call to restore democracy not an April Fool joke
Malaysia
in danger of losing world record
Melaka
Wall to prevent entry of 'bad influences'
Singapore
apology media reports
Philippines
rejects hostage rescue plan
Foreign
Ministry denies G77 rumour
UMNO
sends fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe
 ARCHIVES
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UMNO to send fact-finding
mission to Zimbabwe
| UMNO will be sending a high-level fact-finding
mission to Zimbabwe to study ways in which Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party
are silencing the Opposition ahead off polls in the country.
"ZANU-PF has been using many innovative techniques
to silence the Opposition," said an UMNO spokesman who refused to
be named. "They're bombing Opposition newspaper offices - we just
close them down. They actually shoot people wearing Opposition t-shirts
- we just get the police to beat them up. There is so much we can learn
about democracy from Zimbabwe."
The spokesman said that both countries have much in common
and can share experiences. "We both have oppressive governments. We
both have economies run by corrupt cronies. We both have ruling parties
that have been in power for far too long. We both blame all our troubles
on whites. We both have tin-pot dictators clinging desperately onto power
at all costs. There is so much we can share and learn from each other."
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Much in common: Tin-pot dictators clinging
desperately onto power at all costs
|
Foreign Ministry denies G77 rumour
IMF protest: Is that Mahathir (red arrow)
in the crowd?
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Officials from the Foreign Ministry today denied rumours
that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad went missing from the first presidential
summit of the Group of 77 (G77) in Cuba to join protestors at the IMF demonstrations
in Washington last month.
Speculation of his disappearance from the G77 Summit became
rife when there was hardly any mention of Mahathir in any of the international
press coverage of the event. "This was the ideal opportunity for him
to spew out his xenophobic, racist, simple-minded O-level economics to
a captive audience," said a political analyst who refused to be named.
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"But we didn't hear a peep out of him. Nothing about
foreign devils out to recolonise us, nothing about democracy being an evil
tool of the West. It was as though the loudmouth wasn't there at all."
"There was some talk about him doing something at
the Summit," said a local news editor who refused to be named. "I
think he moved a table or tabled a motion or passed motion on a table or
something like that. But that was it."
Speculation was rife that Mahathir had actually left the
Summit to be with the thousands of protestors attempting to disrupt the
International Monetary Fund meeting in Washington at the time. Mahathir
had frequently praised the violent anti-WTO protests that occurred in Seattle
last year. "I would not be surprised if the Conquering Hero of the
Third World and the Scourge of Global Capitalism was not satisfied with
just shooting his mouth off in Cuba," said the news editor. "He
wanted to be in Washington and kick ass with the demonstrators!"
Unconfirmed reports indicated that, during scuffles between
demonstrators and police in Washington, a man looking very much like Mahathir
was seen falling off a horse. A toy pistol was recovered from the man.
Speculation is also rife that Mahathir had left the G77
Summit early in protest against the draft declaration that was made at
the meeting, which he'd found insulting. The declaration pledged the G77's
commitment to democracy and respect for universally recognised human rights
and fundamental freedoms.
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