Malaysians cooped in Umno's 'Animal Farm'

'In Mahathir Mohamad's time, my civil servant friends were scared to voice their opinions for even the walls had ears.'

1Malaysian dream or Orwellian dystopia?

Rickee: I do not think we were in an Orwellian situation under former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi or currently under Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak. But under the Mahathir Mohamad regime, yes.

In an Orwellian situation, you would not have been able to write this article in Malaysiakini for thousands to read and for me to comment. In Mahathir's time, my civil servant friends were scared to voice their opinions for even the walls had ears. Nobody spoke their minds and only said things that were "safe".

During Mahathir's time Malaysiakini was raided and computers taken away. In Abdullah Badawi's time no serious raids have taken place, an indication of changing times. The resounding victory of Abdullah in 2004 was the rakyat expressing relief over the ending of Mahathir's suffocating oppression.

Things are better now, you can speak a little, both government and opposition have got their mouthpieces and people look over their shoulder less when speaking.

I'm not saying everything is okay but since Mahathir left, we are no more facing the Orwellian situation of Big Brother watching us all the time.

Rightan: I think the tide is already moving very strongly against the current regime due to many issues. people are just fed up with the existing system and yearn for a change.

Just look at Singapore, the president, despite his popularity and excellent track record amidst a booming economy, secured only about 35 percent of the popular vote.

That speaks volumes of the amount of dissent against the present regime which is, and has been, doing an excellent job of governing, in comparison with us.

Jedi_Who: This is a well-written article that says a lot about the state we are in. Remember how the government 'mind policed' us before Bersih 2.0 with scare tactics and the fear of possible clashes with Perkasa and Patriot.

Don't forget the many roadblocks and random arrests made. Every day, the media would play up these warnings. Links with communism and weapons stashes were flashed by the media. The army and FRU (riot police) were made to seem that they would use force.

We, the rakyat, especially the 'rural people' have to come out of this mind control and behavioral conditioning. Vote for Pakatan and we will be free again.

Kim Quek: I haven't read George Orwell's novel '1984', but from Hazlan Zakaria's description of it and his comparison with what we have been experiencing in Malaysia, I must say that there exists a striking resemblance between two.

Hazlan's analogy is a powerful way of awakening those Malaysians who have slept through it all. Thanks, Hazlan.

David Dass: There is something wonderful and exciting about Malaysia and Malaysians. We are at the confluence of many cultures and civilisations. After more than a century of integrated living, we have learnt much from each other. We have become less of what we were and more of each other.

We have learnt to walk lightly and talk softly acknowledging with respect and courtesy our differences of religious belief all the while, intuitively recognising that we take different paths to the same place.

Whatever the intent of our colonisers, however much they exploited us - we learnt much from them - a language we made our own and many institutions of government we successfully incorporated into our own. We are open to the world and all that it offers and our young travel all over the world in search of knowledge.

There are some who would destroy it all. There are some whose narrow bigotry would want to make us something we are not. Let us resist them. Let not greed, racism and the lust for power destroy us.

Kgen: Not only are we living in '1984' but also in Umno's 'Animal Farm'.

Guan Eng refuses to apologise to Umno

Dingy: Suing Umno in the biased courts is useless. Let's change the government first and then make our judiciary system truly independent. After that, DAP can start taking legal action against Penang Umno.

That will definitely be more effective. It's the same with the police, which is also working for Umno. Once BN is toppled, a clean-up is needed to remove the IGP and deputy IGP and replace them with ones who can act without fear or favour.

Hmmmm: Since they haven't arrested anybody yet regarding the arson at the Penang DAP headquarters, how do they prove that Umno is not involved? Or vice versa.

Alan Goh: From the many YouTube movies played over and over again on the Internet, only fools would not be able to recognise the regular few who carried out the numerous demonstrations at Komtar, Penang Bridge, etc, for cheap publicity.

Penang Umno, the more rowdy your behaviour, the more the non-Malays will feel alienated from BN. This will be seen in the 13GE.

Be gentlemen and prove that Umno/BN can win back Penang from Pakatan on a level-playing field and not by cheating with phantom voters, postal voters, clone voters, etc.

'Gov't can't stop telcos from passing on tax'

Anonymous_4031: The government must set a good example by removing the following:

1. Credit card service tax of RM50.00 per card;

2. Service tax on Astro users;

3. Service tax and government tax on food and beverages served by restaurants; and

4. Reduce subsidies on petrol and gas by allowing petrol companies to raise their prices.

The government can save on rental on the PM's and DPM's residences amounting into millions of ringgit per year; and instead buy those buildings. I do not know which economist had the smart idea of paying rental forever.

Wira: It is obvious that the suspension of prepaid phone card tax is temporary and will likely to be reinstated after the general elections.

This government lies, cheats, bullies, frightens, robs, steals, divides and suppresses its citizens and yet it is still supported by many. I believe the simple reasons are insecurity and ignorance. Overcome these, and we shall have a new government in Putrajaya.

2CTS WORTH: Sure the government can't stop the telcos (telecommunication companies) from taxing its consumers. Isn't it obvious that it's a consumption tax?

Why the flip-flopping of instructing the telcos to absorb it? I wonder who is absorbing the tax now or if there is any tax being paid after all.

Again the mighty Umno comes to the rescue. The devil and the hero are one and the same. - Malaysiakini