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To keep people poor, that's why!

There are four main reasons why the Umno busnessmen-cum politicians oppose any mention of a minimum wage.

First is the fact that it will tend to inhibit foreign investment. This will reduce the ability of the businessmen-politicians leading BN to extort consulting fees for their approval. No foreign investment, no shares allotted to sons and daughters to guarantee favourable treatment and the elimination of pesky bureaucratic obstacles inevitably faced by those who fail to pay up.

The second reason the BN is against a fair minimum wage is that it reduces the profits they, as shareholders and owners, receive. This is the pure greed motive.

Third, if the people have a decent wage they will not be so dependant on party handouts, making them harder to control. Thus, keeping people poor is in the interests of the party leaders who rely on the need of the people in order to maintain their corrupt system.

Fourth, it would tend to have an inflationary effect on the price of a vote. This would make money politics more expensive, and perhaps prohibitively so. It already threatens to break the Bank Negara to hold a general election, so a minimum wage is not an attractive option for Umno leaders who are businessmen interested in their bottom line.

They plan to keep people poor for these four reasons. It is not good economic planning. At a time when the purchasing power of the domestic economy is important to sustain growth, why not give people enough money to buy the new Proton Waja and other big ticket items?

Suppose that a voter is too poor to resist selling his vote. What is the fair value of a vote in the coming by-election? It should be worth at least the value of a fair minimum wage for each year the election covers. So if RM7 per hour is fair, then a vote should bring at least RM15,000 for each of the five years, or about RM75,000. Anyone who sells a vote for less than this is being cheated out of a fair wage. When you consider that all of our human rights are also being given away, it is a bargain for the BN at that price.

But before you sell your vote, ask your children's advice, because you are selling their future also.

Harun Rashid

The way the mainstream Malaysian media totally ignores the ongoing trial of Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez bespeaks total cowardice, quaking fear and a knee-bending kowtow to Mahathir. This is despite the fact that the trial has exposed some of the most shocking testimonies ever heard in a Malaysian court of law.

We hear testimonies of illegal immigrants savagely beaten in shit-covered detention camps; we hear of hungry inmates having to eat grass from sheer hunger; of a sick inmate brutally kicked to death; of bizzare sex tortures including forced masturbation and forced oral sex, punishment so beastial that even Hitler and Stalin would have blushed at, let alone every decent Malaysian.

But these things are not happening in a Soviet gulag or a Nazi concetration camp. These are happening in your very own beloved Malaysia.

Yet, except for the 50,000 or so Malaysians who read Malaysiakini, the rest of the country is kept in the dark, never realising just how sick their country is beneath the surface. Thanks to the dung-covered pages of the local mainstream papers that whitewash all these unpleasant things out of existence so as to shield from public eyes, the maggot-ridden core of Mahathir's regime.

And it is ironic that Irene Fernandez, the brave woman who tried to bring to light some of these atrocities, is herself on trial while those beastial police officers are not so much investigated, let alone brought to justice. It is Irene who may have to go to jail for three years, not the sick minds in the police force.

This is the sort of society that you live in, this is the sort of government that you have, the sort of justice system you live under, the sort of mass media that provide an umbrella over it all. Think about it brothers and sisters!

The news blackout by our mainstream press on the 10 worst enemies of the press with Mahathir sharing the limelight with the likes of Milosevic and Castro shows the pathetic state of our mass media. Only Nanyang Siang Pau reported this newsworthy item but censored Mahathir's name off the list. Is this responsible journalism by a free and independent press? What clearer example can there be of how spineless and unfree our mass media has become?

Malaysians are being fed a diet of filtered news, moderated reports, biased commentary and lied to by omission of material facts. The result is a systemic distortion of the true picture to present Mahathir and company in a good light which they are undeserving of. Nothing bad or unfavourable about the political leaders will be reported and the government can do no wrong. But should there be favourable foreign reports such as Mahathir named Time's Asian of the Year, the mass media goes into a frenzy of loud reports, praise and adulation. What a double faced hypocrisy!

We are like a communist regime where the image of the leader is carefully cultivated and dressed up with no regard to the stark reality. I have compared reports by foreign news agencies on Mahathir's speeches with what is reported in our local press and it is glaringly obvious that his most controversial and usually comical xenophobic ranting are watered down. It is as if the local press has taken it upon themselves to protect his image by glossing over his illogical and sometimes senile ravings. We live in a make belief world of information dishonesty created by our rigidly controlled slavish mass media.

Even as this odious excuse for an independent press go about their business of slanted reporting, they are fond of maligning the foreign press as liars pursuing an agenda to put Malaysia in a bad light. The internet has opened up more sources of news than an average person has time to read and we can compare numerous independent reports. I am not saying that all foreign news reports are accurate 100 per cent but there is no basis to imagine that they have an anti-Malaysian agenda. They are all independent news agencies scattered around the globe with no connection between them and owned by business, not political interests. Their business is to report the news quickly and accurately to maintain and enlarge market share, not to run down anybody. Yet our political leaders want us to believe that for some mysterious reason they are all conspiring to gang up on Malaysia and our small country commands such importance and significance to warrant such concerted effort.

My sympathies goes to those who form their opinion and viewpoints based on the biased outpouring of our supine press. It is difficult not to form distorted conclusions and dogmatically defend a corrupt establishment if one is to depend solely on a diet of local news. They can almost be forgiven for thinking that foreigners are out to re-colonise us. Some of them have even written to Malaysiakini to express their pro-establishment viewpoints which is usually denial or "others are also doing it" type of argument. I can understand letter writers to the printed media who alternate between an orgy of Western bashing and dogmatic adulation of Mahathir as they may not have access to real news but writers to Malaysiakini have no such excuse. With a computer and an internet connection they should avail themselves of the many sources of independent news and inform themselves of the true picture. If they still think that this establishment is worth defending then the best metaphor for them may be the three monkeys who see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.

Kevin Gan

Although Lamin Yunus, president of the court of appeals that upheld Anwar's conviction and sentencing for corruption, may have wrote a 59-page judgement, it is 59 pages that insults the intelligence of every fair-minded Malaysian. There is so much rubbish in it that it was no surprise that Lamin chose not to read it out in court.

Consider this sentence: "(The judges were) inclined to think that there is a high degree of probability that the claims of heterosexual and homosexual misconduct were true.

"(Anwar) resorted to such improper and unlawful measures merely for the purpose of saving himself from embarrassment and protecting himself from criminal action, thereby at the same time preserving his public image and position,"

High degree of probability indeed! There is in fact, not a shred of evidence and the principal witnesses such as Ummi Hafilda Ali and Azizan Abu Bakar were soundly discredited. And what do they mean by "such improper and unlawful measures?" All Anwar did was to ask the police to investigate the matter. How can that qualify as "improper" and "unlawful." The judges concluded that Anwar should have simply made a police report and left the matter at that. But even if he had done just that, the police would have still used the same tactics of detaining and questioning the poison pen writers. What is so bloody "unlawful" about that? Look at all those organizers of the Black 14 rally who were detained and questioned and intimidated. If the police had mistreated the detainees -- and there is no evidence of that against Ummi and Azizan -- then shouldn't the police have to be arrested and charged for such "unlawful" tactics in addition to Anwar?

What we are witnessing is the worst prostitution of justice in the country by filthiest of judges wallowing in the cesspool of lies and deceit.

The names of Lamin Yunus, Mokhtar Sidin and Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim are well known as judicial lapdogs who are wont to give the government whatever judgement it desires so it comes as no surprise that Anwar's appeal against his unjust conviction and savage sentence has been rejected. But still the dogs of justice have exceeded themselves in being biased and unfair as well as painting an even bleaker picture of themselves as slavish minions of Mahathir.

For a start the judgement was so dirty and disgusting that even these judges of slime could not bring it upon themselves to pollute the air by reading it out. They may recall that they were men once before they were thoroughly corrupted by Mahathir. Their judgement was nothing more than biased opinionated statements against the accused without grounds or evidence. They failed to consider reasonable submissions from the defense lawyers or compelling evidence of conspiracy but merely stated their pre-determined conclusions based on shallow reasoning and blinkered views. No judges could scandalize justice more.

These judges of slime said that the trial judge was right to expunge the sexual evidence as the truth of the sexual allegations were irrelevant and need not be proved. But this did not stop the slimy judges from making prejudiced comment that there was a "high degree of probability" that the sexual allegations were true. On what grounds did they base this brilliant conclusion? None was offered. If indeed the three dogs of justice have concluded that the truth of the sexual allegations were irrelevant was it necessary to make such speculative unbecoming comment which is clearly sub-judice as the sodomy trial is still in progress? These dirty slimes who call themselves judges have clearly shown their rottenness and antipathy towards the accused to the core of their beings.

Respect must be earned and not bestowed by title or office. These 3 judges have shown that they are not entitled to our respect. They deserve our utmost contempt for their revolting brand of injustice. We may be in contempt of the court they preside over but it is a contempt that they have well earned.

Respect the People

While no one who knows anything about the whorehouse that passes for the judiciary in Malaysia expected the Court of Appeals to free Anwar, the judgement when finally delivered still outrages. This is further compounded by the refusal of the three slimy judges to explain verbally the grounds of their "judgement."

The corruption trial under puppet Augustine Paul was so flawed and so obvious a kangaroo court that it lost the credibility of not just the general public, but also of international law experts. Yet the Court of Appeals supported every ruling of the unsanitary puppet judge including his decision to allow the prosecution leave to amend the charges at a late stage of the trial. The ruling meant that Anwar could not defend himself after having been slandered in every possible way by prosecution witnesses.

Even more glaringly unjust was the Court of Appeals' decision to uphold Anwar's savage six-year prison sentence. Six long years just for asking police to clear his name from slander. Compare this with a certain Datuk Mahfar who in March 2000, was sentenced to just 6 months jail for WILLFULLY causing the death of his wife.

Even more appalling, the Court of Appeals upheld Augustine the pig's directive that Anwar's sentence start from the day of his sentencing and not from the day of his detention, which was a full six months before sentencing. To take into account the accused's entire period of detention as part of the sentence would have been simply normal practise of Malaysian law, not an exercise of favouritism. But what sort of shit-filled judges administer justice in Malaysia?

Although Anwar will have zero chance taking his appeal further to the Federal Court, it is right that he should do so. The world can then see how the rot has extended all the way to the highest courts in the land. What a sad case!

So Mahathir and Abdullah Badawi have both won the backing of nearly all 155 UMNO divisions for party President and Vice-President respectively as directed by executive fiat. While some may crow over this compelling display of party unity, others can only view this outcome with extreme disquiet.

Given the normal range of human variability, this 99% uniformity of opinion can only be accounted a highly unnatural result. It is indicative of neither health nor vigour in the party. And it suggests the terrifying prospect that Mahathir has at last succeeded in destroying individuality to a degree more usually associated with the most brutal of Stalinist regimes.

This sort of schoolboy obedience has been achieved under a patronage system that combines a banquet of rewards with the most oppressive penalties for non-conformance. In this, the exemplary persecution of Anwar Ibrahim hangs like the proverbial sword of Damocles over UMNO division leaders, who risk not only their careers, but also their personal liberty for rocking the boat.

Thus, we have the melancholy instance of one would-be reformer, Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who, after his run-in with the ISA, emerged from incarceration with absolutely nothing to say that was not to the government’s exacting taste (Malaysiakini, April 1).

That Mahathir has succeeded in imposing his overwhelming personality on all his minions can be seen in the way they appear quite willing to parrot his every statement including his ill-conceived and utterly baseless line against foreign neo-colonists.

This sort of unnatural and enforced unity can only last as long as the top dog is around, after which, we can expect the volcanic pressures to erupt, the bitterness, resentment and divisiveness that have been gathering long in bottomless wells. Witness how the Indonesia immediately after Suharto collapsed into chaos.

In the same manner, if not to quite the same degree as our unfortunate neighbour, the already moribund UMNO is unlikely to afford the nation a smooth leadership transition. This is especially worrying considering that the heir-apparent Abdullah Badawi, shines chiefly by the reflected glory of his marionette master. A post-Mahathir upheaval will be compounded by the fact that UMNO has, by and large, lost the credibility of the Malays.

Although Mahathir has publicly declared this to be his last term, many are justified in believing that he will die in his jackboots.

Amidst all the general rejoicing when this moment finally arrives, perhaps the only note of regret will be this: that he who had done the most to sow the seeds of UMNO’s destruction will not be around to see how the dust of a crumbling organisation incardinate the sunset of an era.

Tsu Nam.

It came as no surprise to observers of Anwar Ibrahim's corruption trial that judge Ariffin Jaka has ruled that Mahathir will not be required to testify. After Mahathir publicly stated that he had nothing more to add to his absolute certainity that Anwar is guilty of sexual immorality, the marionette of a judge had no more room to jerk.

The fact that Mahathir's testimony is not just relevant, but central to the defence is a transparent to even those not trained in matters of law. Mahathir has repeatedly said that he has proof of Anwar's immorality; he claimed to have interviewed key witnesses involved before sacking Anwar; he is the recipient of police reports concerning Anwar; he had once stated that Anwar was innocent of all slander, then did a U-turn. The key plank in Anwar's defence is that he is the victim of a conspiracy hatched by Mahathir. And yet this puppet judge ruled that Mahathir's testimony is not relevant. This is like saying that NASA is not relevant to the moon landing or that Microsoft is not relevant to the PC revolution.

That logic can be so twisted and justice so raped in Malaysia is a sad reflection on the state of our society. Although the slavish mass media has been told to play down the sodomy trial, what is playing to a worldwide audience is a shameful show trial worthy of Hitler or Stalin. After the sure-to-be guilty verdict, the sentence will be one that has been decided by Mahathir.

Slimy judges of a whorehouse judiciary are taking Malaysia down the cesspool of filth. And future generations will judge us harshly for standing by but doing nothing.

The unfair decision of judge Ariffin Jaka that Mahathir need not testify leaves no doubt on the ultimate outcome of this scandalous sex trial. No matter how good his defense Anwar will be convicted on the most tenuous of evidence by the words of a lying disreputable man and an equally deceitful, shameless slut of a woman with no corroborating evidence other than their lying mouths.

In the end Ariffin Jaka will do another Augustine Paul and shame the nation with an illogical judgement while all the while insisting glibly that he has a conscience and is answerable to God. These judges of slime use the name of God in vain knowing full well that they betray justice and twist the very fabric of morality in this country. There is no greater insult to justice than abuses and injustice done in the name of justice. Although Anwar may be convicted by this kangaroo court, the court of world opinion will judge the evil men who are responsible for this transparent sham.

This monstrous trial and the equally disgraceful one preceding it are no doubt the result of the depraved machinations of one man who is none other than "top dog" Mahathir. When this amoral ruthless dictator wants something, there appears to be nothing and nobody in this country who can stand up to his evil and say "No, Sir, we cannot do your bidding". So Anwar must be convicted of sodomy no matter how blatantly unfair the trial is, how flimsy the grounds for his conviction, how further mangled the reputation of the already disreputable judiciary is. It must be carried out by his corrupt minions even if the reputation of the country is torn to shreds and Malaysia becomes an international pariah in the eyes of the world.

But in the harsh light of day it is not Mahathir who has won, but his nemesis Anwar and the forces of good and justice. For the conviction of Anwar will show in stark relief the dark evil of Mahathir, a man as pitiless and ruthless as Stalin who uses public show trials to crush his political enemies. He aspired to be the spokesman of the third world but ends up hobnobbing with other dictatorial regimes like Myanmar, Cuba and Iraq because other democratic countries are embarrassed by him. In the end Mahathir shits on his own legacy and it is really him whom we should pity.

Justice

The character of Ummi Hafilda Ali has been laid bare in recent testimony given by defence witnesses during the sodomy trial of Anwar Ibrahim. Her own brother, Azmin Ali, gave testimony on how their father disowned Ummi for having run away overseas with a married man. This was then corroborated by Norazman Abdullah @ Baginda anak Minda who testified that he was the married man spoken of and had had sex with Ummi in London.

What is shocking is not so much the revelation of sex as the fact that Ummi had portrayed herself as an Islamic woman during the corruption trial of Anwar Ibrahim. She had also told reporters that she was still a lily-white virgin. Not only is she a sluttish woman, but she is also a liar and a hypocrite who has insulted her own religion.

The irony of it is that Ummi goes around on speaking engagements telling whoever will listen of Anwar's supposed sexual immorality including sodomy and adultery. During the elections, she campaigned against her own brother who was running for the state seat of Hulu Klang. On one occasion in London, she shared the stage with like-minded Mahathir. However, this shit-filled woman would have more skeletons in her closet than the persons whom she slanders.

Anwar's sodomy trial revolves around the allegations of Ummi and Azizan Abu Bakar whose characters have now been shown up to be both immoral and anti-Islamic. Azizan himself had been jailed for khalwat last year. On the other hand, there is still not a shred of evidence to support the sodomy charges against Anwar. Whatever the kangaroo court decides is immaterial against the court of public opinion. And the public will have the utmost contempt for two of the most disreputable characters ever to disgrace the nation.

On April 14, about 100,000 people filled the centre of Belgrade in a show of protest against Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Sixteen opposition leaders addressed the peaceful rally while demonstrators waved flags in support. Police kept a low profile and offered no provocation.

A day later, Malaysians who tried to gather peacefully in their capital in support of the ill-treated Anwar Ibrahim were suppressed by the sort of jackboot measures more normally associated with repressive regimes.

Malevolent threats, including the use of the ISA, were issued by the authorities prior to the event while rally organisers were detained by police in a pre-emptive strike. On the day itself, a high tide of gun-touting police and paramilitary reinforcements inundated the capital, water cannons stood at the ready, roads were blocked at strategic locations and train schedules disrupted over the country. Small groups of protesters were harassed from place to place, tear-gassed and sprayed with chemical-laced water to get them going. Despite no report of any protestor violence, 46 were arrested for trivial offences, including the possession of anti-government literature and a toy gun in one case.

It may be of interest to Malaysia's newly formed Human Rights Commission that Prime Minister Mahathir offers his countrymen less democratic space to air their grievances than the Butcher of the Balkan. If even the much-hated Milosevic thinks he can withstand the slings of a 100,000-person rally in an economically devastated and militarily humilated country, then one wonders what Mahathir's problems are.

The brute force suppression of the planned Black 14 rally has, without doubt, brought the country great shame and destroyed even the veneer of fake democracy with which Mahathir's regime has been dressed up.

We are talking about a regime that commands not only a 75% parliamentary majority, but also the dog-like obedience of party members, the mass media and practically all public instruments of government including by popular perception, the Judiciary. The fact that such a stranglehold government still feels insecure in the face of the small voices of dissent shows empathically that it is founded not upon a rock, but on a slippery dunghill of corruption, falsehood, lies, hypocrisy and moral turpitude.

As for the pathetic silence of the already discredited Human Rights Commission, its members should step down before being overtaken by even more monumental shame.

Tsu Nam

Using sheer might, the police may have succeeded in preventing the Black 14 rally from taking off, but in doing so, they also tear away whatever veneer of democracy Mahathir's regime may have possessed. The government now stands unmasked as one comparable in style and quality with that of Myanmar, North Korea, Iraq or China.

The hypocritical, snake-tongued dictator may preach the virtues of democracy to the military ruler of Pakistan, yet cannot allow the least bit of democratic space to those of his countrymen who come in peace to express their discontent. Even small protesting groups are chased by cane-wielding police and dogs, sprayed with chemical-laced weapons and arrested. This is despite the fact that not a single incident of protestor violence has been reported.

If permitted to take place, a Reformasi rally of a few thousand would not have attracted much attention in the eyes of the world, howewer, the government's overkill in response has focussed the world's media attention on to this event. Numerous foreign news report have already appeared and more will appear tomorrow of a police juggernaut used to crush a small nut. This extraordinary intolerance to the small voice of dissent will earn the country a good measure of international contempt.

This steep deterioration of human rights in Malaysia has been met with silence on the part of Malaysia's newly-formed Human Rights Commission. Just as in the Orwellian nightmare, the Ministry of Truth broadcasted lies, this mis-named Commission could end up justifying violations of human rights for puppet-master Mahathir. Would it be too much to ask its members to step down before shame overtakes them?

On the one hand, we have a government with a 75% parliamentary majority, a lapdog judiciary, stranglehold on the mass media and all public instruments on a tight leash. On the other hand, we have a small band of citizens wishing to express their discontent. Yet, the most appalling jackboot methods are being employed by the one to crush the other, including the pre-emptive arrests of organisers, scrutiny of public transport lines and road blocks. One would have thought that the country was facing an invasion.

Can a few thousand peaceful demonstrators really be a threat to the government? If so, then it is a government that knows it has no moral legitimacy to govern, that its hold on power is based on a corrupt system of patronage, a seriously tainted Election Commission, a powerful propaganda machine and puppet-like judges. In short, a dictatorship.

Real democracies are not afraid of dissent, criticisms or opposition; these are in fact, the marks of a healthy democracy. Any democratic government knows that it can lose power if the opposition gathers sufficient support: it is this fact that keeps it on its toes, and when the times comes to go, it does so with good grace. On the other hand, dictatorships do everything to maintain their grip on power for as long as possible and, to do so, even the seeds of any rebellion must be summarily crushed.

Thus, we have the repulsive junta in Myanmar muffling all cries for democracy and the Chinese government's persecution of the Falun Gong, a harmless religious sect whose only crime seems to be their growing numbers and their ability to organise. That we have become an authoritarian regime under Mahathir can scarcely be disputed, a dictator whose control is so absolute that he can demand dog-like obedience from all members of his party and government, and get it too.

In this context, the attempt to crush the Black 14 rally can be understood as the fears of a government founded not upon a rock, but on a slippery dunghill of corruption, falsehood, lies and moral turpitude.

Despite the most vile threats from Mahathir and his police dogs, the Black-14 rally will go ahead as planned this Saturday, April 15. Although branded an illegal gathering, those participating will only be exercising their basic Constitutional right to peacefully gather so that their united voice can be heard. It was Mahathir himself who made a speech overseas not too long ago about street demonstrations serving as a valuable wake-up call for errant authorities. His hypocritical tongue, however, does not apply this same logic to his home country.

Instead, this depraved and debauched leader has marshalled his minions to perpetrate acts of violence against peaceful demonstrators. Water cannons and tear gas canisters stand at the ready; police reinforcements are rushed to the capital, and road blocks are planned to thwart the rally. Police violence and mass arrests are a real possibility, and the organisers have been threatened with detention under the draconian ISA.

Hence, it is a testimony to the amazing resilience of the human spirit that the rally will go ahead as planned. What we are witnessing is the cry once more of Reformasi! that refuses to be silenced despite the worst sort of government-sanctioned brutality. It is the cry of those who love their country enough to stand their ground, the cry of those who can no longer tolerate the mountain of corruption, injustices and foul play that choke the Mahathir regime. To such people who may be beaten and jailed for their convictions, the nation owes a salute.

The event will also be a test of the newly formed Human Rights Commission for there will be abuses of human rights aplenty on the Day of Courage. The fact that this Commission has not voiced any support for the rally or deplored government moves to disrupt it does not auger well for the effectiveness of this body. It is looking as though this so-called Human Rights Commission will turn out to be just as cowering and shivering as the National Union of Journalists.

Tsu Nam

Bearing in mind the government’s recent attacks against Opposition papers, it would appear that the New-York based Committee to Protect Journalist was justified last year in naming Prime Minister Mahathir one of the world’s ten worst enemies of the press. Indeed, not even Marcos and Suharto in their political prime could command a local press as sycophantic and knee-bending as the Malaysian mainstream media of today.

While an international appeal to rescue the magazine Detik from licensing oblivion gathers strength, Malaysia’s own National Union of Journalists remains shamefully silent. Not that it is alone in its cowardice. Professional bodies by and large failed to protest against the Malacca government’s victimisation of Opposition supporters and we have yet to hear the Malaysian Medical Association’s concerns over the government’s refusal to issue daily API during the period of haze.

We are rapidly becoming a nation of brain-dead, resigned to whatever amount of social and political injustices heaped upon us whether it is Anwar Ibrahim’s savage treatment or Rahim Noor’s slap on the wrist. Even documentary proof of high level corruption fails to dent the careers of those politicians involved. Compare this situation to that of Thailand where the powerful Interior Minister was recently forced to resign over financial impropriety. Had this Minister been in the service of Mahathir, the whistle-blower would probably have had to go to jail instead.

We will sink lower in the estimation of our more progressive neighbours if we continue to be filled with either apathy or fear of a seriously corrupt regime. Has decades of being fed Barisan Nasional propaganda by a slavish press produced a population fit only to eat, sleep and sing fawning praises of the government — like the National Union of Journalists?

Tsu Nam

The failure of PAS to win the Sanggang by-election despite the use of the new electoral rolls and with the added indignation of the BN candidate increasing its majority over the previous election must come as a politically jarring event that PAS would do well to do some soul searching on. For in the results is the hint of a dreadful possibility that Malays may be swinging slowly back to Umno.

PAS is the conundrum of the Alternative Front. It is at once the strength and the weakness of the opposition alliance. It has the popularity and influence to draw the votes of ethnic Malays but it is also the cause of Chinese fears and inability to accept the opposition alliance whole-heartedly. But like it or not PAS is now a force to be reckon with in the Malaysian political scene. The future of the opposition and the ability of BN to play racial politics will depend very much on how well PAS can assuage Chinese fears as well as maintain the support of ethnic Malays.

Racial politics is responsible to a great extent for keeping the BN in power. There is nothing like playing off one race against another to win votes of fear. But the day is fast dawning when the baseless and deceptive issues raised by BN's racial politics is rejected by enlightened Malaysians as lies and deceit intended to keep them chained to a corrupt and unjust government. In peaceful and harmonious Malaysia stirring up fear of racial riots must be the epitome of flogging a dead horse especially when economic jealousy has virtually disappeared with the Malays achieving economic parity with the Chinese. Also the Malay fear of losing political power if Umno loses is irrelevant with the opposition now dominated by Malay parties. It is no longer Umno versus DAP but Umno versus PAS and Keadilan. However the Chinese fear of religious extremism under a PAS government is real and this is milked relentlessly by unscrupulous BN politicians with Ling Liong Sik leading the charge.

So it is clear that the ability of BN politicians to play their repulsive racial politics in future elections hinge on the Chinese fear of PAS. If PAS is effective in neutralizing Chinese fears the stench of racial politics may be dispelled as early as the next general elections in 2004. If not, BN is likely to ride again and again to victory by pitting one race against another. This is especially crucial when Malay unity has been split following the sacking and ill-treatment of Anwar Ibrahim. The 1999 elections saw BN rode to a large victory on Chinese support with many seats won on thin margins. Had there been no racial politics of fear the Alternative Front would have seemed a much more attractive option to non-Malays who are sick of being perennially discriminated against in every aspect of life and who have been promised a more equitable treatment by the opposition coalition. Had Malaysians been voting on real issues of corruption, justice and good governance the BN hegemony may well be smashed.

PAS can no longer depend on the emotional pivot provided by the Anwar Ibrahim sacking to win Malay votes in future. It is not good enough to depend steadfastly on religious doctrine as the basis of government. Issues like the compulsory wearing of 'tudung' and separate supermarket checkout lines for genders do not endear Chinese or moderate Malay voters, in fact it heightens the fear of religious extremism. In the perception of the masses there is one thing worse than a corrupt dictatorship and that is a theocratic dictatorship where over zealous religious officers enforce their own brand of super-morality in the name of religion. PAS must also show that it can move beyond religious issues to forge and implement practical economic plans to preserve the nation's prosperity.

When PAS was a small rural Malay party rooted in the Islamic heartland, it can afford to be more fundamentalist than Umno. In fact at that stage in its existence it is necessary for PAS to be more radical and extremist in its brand of religion to attract those discontented or disillusioned with mainstream politics. One cannot attract support away from the mainstream by being the same so it must distinguish itself by being different. PAS had a lucky break in the late nineties when Malays gravitated to it in droves in their disgust over the treatment of Anwar. It was a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which saw PAS membership swelled tremendously with mainstream Malays. But now that PAS has broken out of the Islamic heartland to spread its wings wider it must also become more moderate and middle-of-the road to appeal to the masses. Failure to do so will result in its growth checked or even rolled back.

So PAS must now do some soul searching to decide whether to maintain its purity of religious ideology over practical politics. It must realize now that religious fundamentalism is a double-edged sword. Should it continue to cry for hudud laws or temper its religious enthusiasm with moderation to appeal to the masses? But while seeking to gain wider support it cannot also change its doctrine so radically that it loses its core support in the Islamic belt. PAS has to walk a thin line between religious idealism and popular secularism. It has to satisfy the mullahs as well as woo the Chinese for without Chinese support the BN juggernaut cannot be beaten. The other partners in the opposition coalition must help PAS find its place in multi-ethnic and multi-cultural Malaysia. The political future of the opposition depends on PAS. Malaysians like me hope fervently that PAS will become more moderate and more acceptable to non-Malays so that the evil empire of Umno can be defeated.

Kevin Gan

The disclosure that the Education Ministry has issued a circular last year barring private universities and colleges from recognising exam certificates of independent Chinese high Schools must come as a shock to many. As Lim Kit Siang rightly pointed out, it only goes to prove the impotence of the MCA in protecting Chinese interests despite the fact that traditionally the deputy Minister of Education comes from MCA. It is clear that the action of the Education Ministry has nothing to do with upholding academic merit, but is laced with the malicious intent to destroy Chinese high schools. With the depreciation of the ringgit resulting in the high cost of overseas studies many students from these schools now turn to private universities and colleges to further their studies. With the certificates also not recognised by public universities and the Public Services Dept., what incentive is there to study in Chinese high schools?

It is only because of the closely contested Sanggang by-elections that the Cabinet reversed the Education Ministry's ruling to gain Chinese votes. Do Chinese have to depend on fortunate chance co-incidences like this to reverse unfair policy rulings in future? It is noteworthy that the MCA has not given a squeak. As for Gerakan, we have Lim Kim Yeak making a fool of himself by declaring that the certificate had never been banned and the circular was written by a PAS sympathizer in the Ministry.

Chinese should have no illusion about the role of the MCA in protecting their rights. The MCA plays a completely subservient role to Umno and exists as an apologist for Umno and an eyewash for Chinese representation in the government while having no real power to influence things. Even worse it has neither courage nor inclination to speak out when Chinese rights are being trampled. I would far prefer to take my chances with a PAS dominated government with the DAP representating my interests.

Kevin Gan

The sorry state of the Malaysian mainstream press is aptly reflected in the sorry state of the National Union of Journalists. Truly bankrupt of morals and ethics, they have nothing to say about the Home Ministry's ban on Detik or of defending press freedom. Is it any wonder then that our local press have been rightly seen as slavering mouthpieces of the government? If these so-called journalists do not have the courage to express a few words of concern at the strangulation of press freedom do they have the right call themselves journalists or would Umno propagandists be a better name?

It is indeed shameful that the task of condemning the undemocratic action of the government has fallen on foreign journalistic organizations while our local NUJ remains silent and can only mouth "no comment" when prodded by Malaysiakini. The NUJ may as well disband itself for being totally spineless and impotent and bringing a bad name to journalists worldwide. They have proven to us all that the people who write the trashy mainstream newspapers are nothing more than morally apathetic spineless self-serving lackeys devoid of any guts or ethics with Kadir Jasin as their inspiration and example. Can we depend on this bunch of nincompoops to tell the truth and report the news fearlessly? One can imagine them scurrying to censor themselves at the slightest hint of any imagined displeasure of the political overlords while giving themselves extreme moral license to distort the truth.

By being silent the NUJ has spoken volumes. Malaysians should rightly be wary of any news put out by these bunch of journalist cowards.

Kevin Gan

Despite requests, the Malaysian Medical Association has still refused to issue a statement condemning the victimisation of doctors in Malacca seen to be supportive of the Opposition. Given that it is the responsibilty of a professional body to look after the interests of its members, silence in this case is inappopriate and can be interpreted as being in tacit agreement with the oppressive antics of Malacca's Chief Minister, who appears to be unaware of the separation between state and party in a functioning democracy.

That the MMA is a cowardly body was shown in September 1999 when its President, P. Krishnan, publicly cast doubts on the results of Anwar's arsenic test from a Melbourne laboratory just because a false name had been used. The obvious manner in which he bent over backwards to please Mahathir even before the NUH has released its own test results was clearly unbecoming of a profession with a mission to save lives. But Dr. Krishna acted as though his organisation exists to shore up a seriously corrupt regime.

The MMA is of course, not alone in cowardice. Bodies of architects, engineers and surveyors, whose members have similarly been booted out of government service simply because they voted Opposition have also been suffering in silence. One would have expected the educated layer of society to exhibit some interest in social issues, and to be concerned about the country's progressive slide towards dictatorship. What chances do we have if those who are presumedly well-educated cower in fear instead of making a stand?

Are we fast becoming a brain-dead nation like that of North Korea? Those who think this comparison exaggerated will do well to be reminded of the government's refusal to issue APIs during this period of haze, as though the health of its citizens should take second place to tourist numbers. This is one issue that the MMA should have taken a combative stance, but they have again let us all down. But the lack of public protest against so stupid, disgraceful and inconsiderate a governmental policy is sad testimony to the fact that we prefer to choke slowly in silence, until our children are dead if need be, rather than fight for our rights. In the same way that brain-dead North Koreans die of starvation still singing the praises of their government and their Dear Leader, are we expected to die of lung cancer still praising BN and dear Mahathir?

Tsu Nam

It is with revulsion that one reads of the arrest of three leaders of a group protesting the lifting of the Rent Control Act in Penang. According to reports, no crime had apparently been committed, except the handing over of a memorandum to Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon, yet these detainees are likely to be charged with illegal assembly or rioting. Laws were bent to deny two of the detainees access to their lawyers and relatives while in detention, and their case was improperly heard inside a police station where there can be no witnesses.

Whatever the merits or otherwise of the grievances of the group calling itself SOS (Save Ourselves), the arrogance and high-handedness of the Penang state government in dealing with their protest is appalling. No citizens in a free and democratic society should be subjected to such jackboot treatment simply for being critical of the government or trying to change things. But do we live in a free and democratic society?

Given that Barisan Nasional won stunningly in Penang during the last elections, both at state and parliamentary level, and given their long track record of corruption, injustices and moral turpitude, have Penangites got anyone else to blame other than themselves? Or should we say that they are only getting what they deserve?

It may seem a remote matter to many that an ex-DPM was treated in the cruellest and most unjust manner possible by an abject dictator employing all the instruments of government at his disposal. After all, what can one do with abstract notions like justice, freedom and democracy? One can hardly eat them can one? Yet, it's today the ex-DPM and tomorrow you. As more than 16,000 families in Penang face astronomical rental increases and as their legitimate grievances are stomped down, one can only ask: "Did they vote for BN?"

Tsu Nam