What Makes You Think Malaysians Want Anwar As PM?

In short, Anwar is a political prostitute who imagines he is doing humanity a huge favour by becoming the Prime Minister of Malaysia. He imagines that Allah created him with only one motive in mind, to become Malaysia’s Prime Minister. The uncertainty and confusion that will be triggered if Anwar ever becomes Prime Minister will be so bad that many will commit suicide out of regret for supporting Anwar.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

In the May 2018 general election, only 2 million people voted for PKR. Another 2.5 million voted for Umno, 2 million voted for PAS, 2 million voted for DAP, 700,000 voted for PPBM, 655,000 voted for Amanah, and 4.2 million voted for the other parties.

So what makes these PKR people, Anwar Ibrahim and Dr Wan Azizah Ismail included, imagine that with just 2 million votes which PKR received this is indicative that Anwar has been chosen by Allah to become Malaysia’s Prime Minister?

Not everyone in PKR supports Anwar. Many PPBM, DAP and Amanah people also do not support Anwar, while some in Umno support Anwar, though for selfish reasons. Most in PAS detest Anwar. In fact, many of the ex-PAS people who are now in Amanah also believe that Anwar is an immoral person and is guilty of all the crimes he was alleged to have committed.

Anwar will not committ himself and will kiss all sides of the divide just to become popular

Just because Pakatan Harapan currently happens to be the federal government that does not mean they all want Anwar as Prime Minister. Between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar, many prefer Mahathir. In fact, between Najib and Anwar many would choose Najib in spite of what you may say about Najib.

The ‘good’ thing about having Anwar as the prime minister would be Malaysia would be in a even bigger mess than now. So, in the interest of seeing Pakatan Harapan fall faster, it is better that Anwar takes over as soon as possible.

Whatever you may think or say about Mahathir, whether he is a dictator or not, one positive quality about Mahathir is he is decisive and firm. He will decide based on what he wants and he will implement his decisions without caring what people may say.

Anwar banyak wayang but no substance

At least with Mahathir things get done, popular or not. With Anwar you will get wishy-washy decisions. Anwar will not commit himself to anything. He will try to please both sides — or even three or four sides — and not take an unpopular stand.

Take RUU355 as one example. Anwar will not state whether he is pro-RUU355 or anti-RUU355. RUU355 was the catalyst to break up Pakatan Rakyat so it is a very important issue but Anwar never said what his stand is.

When during an interview he was asked if he is gay, he refused to answer and went on and on about the political conspiracy against him. Anwar meant Mahathir, of course, but now he refuses to repeat the allegation he made in the past that Mahathir fabricated the allegations against him.

At least with Mahathir what you see is what you get and he does what he wants without caring about popularity

Anwar kisses the Arabs and at the same time kisses the Jews. Anwar is pro-America and also pro all those who hate America as well. Where does Anwar stand? He will never reveal where he stands and will kiss and hug any and all who can further his political ambitions.

In short, Anwar is a political prostitute who imagines he is doing humanity a huge favour by becoming the Prime Minister of Malaysia. He imagines that Allah created him with only one motive in mind, to become Malaysia’s Prime Minister. The uncertainty and confusion that will be triggered if Anwar ever becomes Prime Minister will be so bad that many will commit suicide out of regret for supporting Anwar.

Yes, freedom of speech is also for fascists

“I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an ass of yourself.” 

― Oscar Wilde

Syahredzan Johan’s piece asking if free speech is also for fascists (it is) is a welcome contribution to the free speech discourse in this country. As someone who has been targeted by the far-right (and by certain segments of the “moderate centre” of this country) for things I have written, the issue of free speech is something I take very seriously.

I note that Syahredzan had to add the qualifier, “this writer is not advocating absolute freedoms” as a means to preempt straw men that those against free speech like to use on people they disagree with. I am sure there are proponents of absolute freedom of speech but in most countries, the fight has always been to limit the state from intruding into our public and private spaces using laws designed to promote political agendas at the expense of legitimate dissent.

The fact that repulsive speech is also part of the speech that free speech advocates have to protect does not mean that laws that limit speech – libel, slander, incitement, etc- should be abandoned but they should always be open to scrutiny. However, I suspect Syahredzan knows this already.

In the Malaysian context, concluding that free speech is also for fascists is not a Herculean endeavour. Racial supremacy, religious supremacy, policies that benefit a specific race, educational institutions for a specific race but most importantly, mainstream political narratives embraced by Malays and non-Malays are all fascist in nature. Hence asking if free speech is meant for fascists is meaningless.

Syahredzan Johan

What Helmi Effendy said, when you really think about it, is not something which is anathema when it comes to the mainstream political discourse in this country. Malay political operatives are always accusing each other of being race traitors. Malay political operatives are always claiming that the Malay polity will lose their power to non-Malays. What Helmi wrote is merely taking this position to its logical extreme. Honestly, people have either overtly or subtly implied what Helmi said in social media outlets.

My views on hate laws are a matter of public record. There are enough laws in this country to curtail certain kinds of speech without resorting to the kind of measures that only serve the political establishment. I broadly agree with Syahredzan but as a people, we need to dig a little bit deeper. Syahredzan gets to the heart of the matter in two paragraphs which expose the problematic nature of attempts to curb free speech in this country.

The first – “It is also clear that in advocating extrajudicial killings, Helmi has stepped beyond the boundaries of free speech. Even the most ardent advocate of freedom of speech and expression will agree that free speech stops when you call for injury or death onto others.”

Really? So if I advocate death for apostates, then I have “stepped beyond the borders of free speech”? Is this example only applicable if the state does not sanction the execution of apostates since we are talking about “extrajudicial killings”? Or is calling for the death of apostates never a good example of free speech even if its utterance is done by people who place their religious beliefs above the laws of the state (if the state does not execute people for apostasy)?

Helmi Effendy

As far as incitement goes, I am sure many people think that Helmi is guilty of this. In his Facebook posts,  Helmi fantasied of a virulent kind of far-right political body who would save the Malay polity and murder those of his Malay/Muslim brethren whom Helmi considered race traitors. Do people really find this shocking?

What do you think a criminal enterprise like Islamic State (IS) does on a regular basis? Look, we have a mainstream political dogma that claims that the Malay community will become slaves in their lands. We have the political establishment that warns that the Malays are divided and susceptible to manipulation by non-Malay political factions which are detrimental to the well-being of the Malay community.

Any rational person would consider such speech “incitement”. Any rational person would be offended by such speech since such speech is ahistorical and grounded in fabrications that are unfortunately part of the mainstream racial narratives of this country. At this point, "incitement" is merely a politically correct expression for not having to deal with the fundamental issues facing this country.

Is Helmi as dangerous as he thinks he is? Who knows? In writing about how young people are radicalised in this country, I spoke to security personnel who told me that what they found difficult to navigate was the extreme speech of racial and religious groups and the mainstream political dogma of this country.

Where do you draw the line? Sure, political patronage and the deep-level interference is part of the problem but we have to acknowledge that what passes as mainstream political discourse is extreme in this country and would be considered unacceptable in most "developed" countries.

Of course, our state security apparatus is functional enough to detect the elements that would bring harm to the citizens of this country but even they admit that it is difficult to disrupt the radicalisation process when the political apparatus encourages narratives that make it easy for young people to reject the system as not radical enough or embrace an ideology because they believe the system has let them down.

Which brings me to the second problematic paragraph in Syahredzan piece – “But what about situations where it is less straightforward? What about those spreading extreme right-wing narratives, or what is known as ‘fascist’ ideology? How do we deal with such expressions?”

Again, how does one tell the difference between mainstream political ideology and “far-right” ideology? Syahredzan uses Isma (Malaysian Muslim Solidarity) as a convenient whipping boy but how exactly is the ideology of Isma different from the mainstream political ideology of Pakatan Harapan when it comes to racial and religious policy in this country?

Syahredzan is right that we need to confront such extreme ideas but what does this mean exactly? Helmi fantasied that an extreme right-wing organisation was needed to battle the “extreme left-wing" in this country. That is his problem right there. There is no “extreme left” in this country. What Helmi is raging against is actually the moderate centre which Harapan is attempting to be.

The only way to confront speech and ideas like these are is to propagate speech and ideas which are a direct opposite to what people like Helmi and the far-right are advocating. This goes merely beyond words but must also translate to policy.

You do not need to limit free speech to do that. What you need is the political will to carry out policies which would demonstrate the falsity of the ideas propagated by the far-right.

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S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. A retired barrister-at-law, he is one of the founding members of the National Patriots Association. - Mkini

At least 11 killed, 6 injured in Virginia Beach mass shooting

At least 11 people were killed and six hospitalised in a mass shooting on Friday in Virginia Beach Municipal Centre, United States, local police said in a press conference.

The shooter, a current employee of the municipal centre, was also dead, Virginia Beach Police Chief Jim Cervera said.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the shooting happened on Friday afternoon at the Virginia Beach Municipal Centre in Virginia.

"This is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach," Mayor Bobby Dwyer said.

"The people involved are our friends, co-workers, neighbours and colleagues."

- Bernama

RMAF striving to become a 'full spectrum' air force

The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is striving to become a "full spectrum" air force that can boast higher capability, focus and "effect-based operations".

RMAF chief Gen Affendi Buang (above) said that could be achieved through its Capability Development 2055 (CAP55) initiative, a long-term plan of the transformation of RMAF’s capability from 2021 to 2055.

He said although the RMAF was only a medium-sized outfit, it had a very high capability in the region.

"RMAF’s capabilities will be developed more effectively and efficiently through the restructuring of key assets with existing and future support.

“CAP55 covers three vital thrusts comprising the development of human capital, the development of doctrines and the alignment of the organisation," he said in a special interview with Bernama in conjunction with RMAF’s 61st anniversary tomorrow.

Asked about the achievements of RMAF over the last year, Affendi said sending RMAF troops on humanitarian aid and disaster missions in Palu, Indonesia last October was one of the highlights, where it helped tsunami victims in Palu using the A400M carrier.

"The A400M carrier was the only freight carrier that successfully flew large and heavy machinery from Jakarta to the SIS Al-Jufri Mutiara Airport in Palu.

"The carrier broke its own record by carrying 22 tonnes of excavators (hydraulic machinery to dig out earth) with additional four tonnes of other equipment, thus recording a total of 26 tonnes," he said.

In October, an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 on the Richter scale and the tsunami had cost thousands of lives with over 30,000 more people displaced by the tragedy.

On the purchase of new fighter jets, Affendi said RMAF always optimises the capabilities of existing assets and enhances human resource capabilities and expertise based on doctrines in line with current affordability.

"For the future, RMAF plans to reduce the number of aircraft to multi-role aircraft capable of performing multiple tasks in one flight.

"This way, the cost of management and operations can be saved whilst achieving the objective of air defence," he said.

He said this was incorporated in the CAP55. - Bernama

NGO makes police report over Adib-linked viral video

An NGO today lodged a police report over a viral video claiming that the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim in a riot was a government-orchestrated conspiracy carried out by the attorney-general.

Pertubuhan Gerakan Martabat Pejuang Negara (GMPN) made the report at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, calling on the police and the MCMC to act on the matter.

GMPN chairman Maj (Rtd) Razali Zakaria said the allegation made by Gerakan Pembela Ummah chairperson Aminuddin Yahaya (above) could jeopardise the ongoing inquest into the death of Muhammad Adib.

“The malicious slander of the alleged conspiracy will not be accepted by the people, particularly the family of Muhammad Adib,” he told reporters after making the report.

Last Monday, lawyer Syazlin Mansor withdrew as the counsel for the Housing and Local Government Ministry, Fire & Rescue Department and Muhammad Adib’s family at the inquest, raising speculation and questions on the inquest.

Muhammad Adib, who was a member of the Emergency Medical Rescue Service (EMRS) at the Subang Jaya Fire & Rescue Station, was seriously injured in a riot at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in USJ 25, Subang Jaya, on Nov 27, 2018.

He died at the National Heart Institute 21 days later. He was 24. - Bernama

Economist: It’s desperation that lead people to expect ‘free money’

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad might believe that people are conditioned to expect "free money" from the government but some experts said this is not a mentality but a matter of survival.

Economist Bajoyai Bardai believed that those who want government handouts were driven to do so by the lacklustre economy.

"When the B40 (lower income) group feel that there is no hope, they will take whatever they can get. It's like a person drowning because they don't know how to swim. They will grab on anything they can.

"If they can find other ways to generate an income, they won't rely on 'free money'. People have self-worth," he told Malaysiakini.

For Bajoyai, the government's focus should be on helping low-income earners make a decent living instead of arguing about handouts.

Mahathir said some are unhappy with his administration for cutting off BN's practice of giving out "free money".

The prime minister said it was necessary to wean the public off such policies because the government was facing financial problems and a burgeoning debt.

Subsidies can work too

Universiti Malaya's Azman Awang Pawi believed that the unhappiness with the government wasn't rooted in cutting down on handouts alone as many policy promises to reduce cost of living has yet to be fulfilled.

"It is not that the people are looking for 'free money'. People want highway toll charges abolished and PTPTPN (Higher Education Loan Fund) handled as promised.

"Cost of living is on the rise although GST (Goods and Services Tax) is no longer there. Pakatan Harapan is not living up to its promises," he told Malaysiakini.

He also pointed out that government handouts to the underprivileged was not unique to Malaysia, pointing to countries such as Singapore, Japan and the Netherlands.

"Even Finland provides the unemployed a universal basic income (UBI) for a certain period," he said.

Finland ended its UBI trial, involving 2,000 people, in February and is looking for other models as initial findings suggested that the scheme didn't help most participants to get out of unemployment.

Azman said welfare policies need not necessarily entail handouts as the government can instead rely on subsidies for goods and services. - Mkini

Yoursay: Harapan must face race-religion challenge head-on

YOURSAY | ‘Make race a non-issue instead by placing importance on M’sians and bringing them to the fore.’

PM: Harapan needs to address race issues to beat Umno-PAS

Multi Racial: Pakatan Harapan won GE14 talking about fighting corruption and helping the poor regardless of race and religion.

Now, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad wants to fight on Umno and PAS’ terms. PKR, DAP and Warisan will suffer because of that.

The worst part is, fighting on Umno and PAS’ terms will only benefit Umno and PAS. Not even Bersatu will benefit.

Bersatu has to raise its game and be different from racist and religious extremist parties like Umno and PAS. It should take the stand of moderate and modern Malays.

It is not going to happen overnight. But at least those moderate Malays who support Harapan will continue to support it. And with better education and communication, more Malays will begin to understand these issues better and that will lead to more votes.

One thing is for sure, taking a moderate stand will ensure PKR, DAP and Warisan win. Better still, it may attract moderate parties from Sarawak to join Harapan as well.

Yes, the racial and religion play by Umno and PAS is working.

Perhaps before GE14, they controlled the administration, media and mosques, and the people, especially those in rural areas, didn't get to hear the truth.

Now that Harapan is the government, they should reform the education system and improve communication. They do not have to preach politics, but speak of moderation and fight against corruption and lies.

If Dr M and Bersatu don’t see this and want Bersatu to be Umno 2.0, they are going to bring down Harapan in GE15.

Drngsc: Mahathir, you are wrong. Or perhaps you are just speaking as Bersatu president.

The majority of Malays (who are silent) are with you. The minority of Malays (who are extremely vocal) are with Umno/PAS.

Keep doing the right thing for Malaysia, and more and more will leave Umno/PAS and support you. Play the racial card, and you will lose the majority of Malays as well as the strong non-Malay support.

Have confidence. The silent majority of Malays are with you. Ignore the noisy gongs.

FairMind: Common sense will tell you that if you make race a non-issue by placing importance on Malaysians and bringing them to the fore, then race-based politics will automatically cease to be significant.

You must control the narrative and never play to Umno/PAS’ strength, which is race and religion, because you can never beat them on this. So far Harapan hasn't got a clue in this game.

Wsoi: There is no need to be so afraid to talk about race and religion. Only through open dialogue can one understand the other better.

Nobody is forcing anybody to change your race or religion. So there is no threat posed to any persons or group.

Understanding each other basically will enable us to know our differences. Then we will voluntarily respect each other, rather than reluctantly.

Those who refuse to conduct dialogues on religion are either incompetent scholars or hypocrites.

Hopeful123: Indeed, there must be open discussions and more interactive events where all races and religions participate wholeheartedly.

Recently, I met some of my primary school teachers. They shared some beautiful moments when the non-Malay teachers cooked in their homes and brought the food to be shared by all the other teachers. The Malay teachers had no qualms sharing the food.

The non-Muslims have always been sensitive to the religious beliefs of the Muslims. They lamented that things have changed so much.

Storm over school block: PSM tells Nga to learn from Dr M

Anonymous_1538808416: I agree with Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) central committee member S Arutchelvan.

Deputy Dewan Rakyat speaker Nga Kor Ming explained he had contributed a lot to the school and thus what was wrong with naming the block after himself?

This is wrong thinking. Nga should know that as a lawmaker, he is obliged to serve with honour and expect nothing in return.

Brave Malaysian: Frankly, Nga should have just politely declined, just like all DAP politicians are told by the party to decline awards such as datukships until they retire.

If the school feels so strongly that he has contributed immensely to the school, name the block after him after he retires. Meanwhile, just call the block "Knowledge" or "Harmony" or whatever while waiting for him to retire.

I wonder if they will then still name the block after him when he is no longer in power. That would be a true reflection of his worth.

Karma is Just: I am quite sure most, if not all, of the commentators who are against the naming of the school building after Nga are not contributors to the school building fund.

So if you do not contribute, who appointed you to be judge and jury to condemn Nga for accepting the honour of having one of the school buildings named after him by the majority of the school board?

It is the prerogative of the school board to name the building after whomever they decided. After all, they must have contributed a lot of their time and money as well to raise funds for the school building.

Clongviews: Nga, in the interests of the party and as a role model, you should politely tell the board to suspend the naming of the block after you for now. The board would understand and know what to do.

You are setting a precedent for other leaders, especially those in your own party, to follow. Remember the hoo-ha over the state awards for datukships in Malacca?

Mahathir has set a fine example. Why not follow it? - Mkini