M for Merdeka: What Are We Really Celebrating?

Well, it looks like I’m flying the flag after all, but with a difference.

Today is 31st August 2007, the 50th anniversary of Malayan Independence, and almost 44 years since the Federation of Malaysia was formed. Today should have been a meaningful day.

And it is, but not in the way it should be.

Today, millions of flags large and small are flying throughout the country this week, ostensibly to mark a great day in the history of Malaysia: the 50th anniversary of independence.But what are we really celebrating? What are all those flags flying for?

Institutionalised racism, rampant corruption, criminal incompetence, backdoor theocraticisation and emerging fascism?

Taliban-wannabes (follow up on MyAsylum’s post)

CALL FOR CITIZENS’ ACTION

[ Video DELETED ]

This video was spotted at myAsylum. Thanks for posting the alert.

Congratulations, UMNO, look what you’ve created. A bunch of (in myAsylum’s words) Taliban-wannabe-retards threatening Namewee with harm upon his return to Malaysia.
I have more acid words to describe them, but they are unprintable.

Feel good now, all you UMNO wankers, Nazi Aziz in particular? Go home and jerk off to this video.

This is Merdeka, UMNO-style.

This nauseating video post will be up for 48 hours only for public information purposes, following which this filth will be deleted.

The Hollowness of Symbols: Why I Won’t Be Flying The Flag

One of my oldest, closest friends mocked me and some other friends today, for the fact that we are planning a Merdeka Day gathering, outside Malaysia, no less. Gathering and singing Negaraku to mark Merdeka Day is, in his opinion, the lamest thing to do.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t me he was mocking, and it wasn’t Merdeka or the anthem he was mocking;

It was the futility of clinging to a symbol that no longer represents what it once stood for, and his contempt comes out of enormous disillusionment and rage, not disrespect.

Let me be frank: I agree with him.
Symbols mean very little to me.

The national flag, the anthem, the Rukunegara. All these mean little to me in truth.

They are nothing but a colourful graphic, a reasonably dignified musical piece and a well-written list of aspirations and commitments; they are nothing but hollow symbols, if you strip away the original meaning. And that is exactly what UMNO-BN has been insidiously doing for so many years.

What does mean a lot to me is on the ground. Where it’s real.

Can I talk to my Malay neighbour without the awkwardness that comes with “talking to the enemy”? Can I stop myself from reacting negatively if in future my daughter says she’s dating a Malay or Indian boy?

Bangsa Malaysia: The Event (Pt 1)

[ photo above courtesy of TV Smith, via MageP’s Lab. Original poster art by mob1900 ]

Someone at the forum last night (Jordan I think) quoted:

it is better to light a candle, than to curse the darkness.

And that is what we did last night, at the Bangsa Malaysia Merdeka forum and gathering:

We lit a candle. We took a small step. Forward, mind you.

That’s a direction we haven’t tried in a long time.

What did last night prove?

Bangsa Malaysia Merdeka

BANGSA MALAYSIA MERDEKA

A gathering of concerned citizens to remember

the original meaning and objectives of independence and nationhood;

A celebration of multiculturalism and independent-thinking civil society;

and a sincere hope that this country will not go to the dogs.

 

Stand up and be counted as one whose colour does not matter,

but whose voice does.

 

 

 

poster by mob1900

 

 

M for Merdeka; V for Vendetta

One of the most memorable films I have seen in recent years is the noir political graphic-novel adaptation ‘V for Vendetta‘ (2005), directed by the Wachowski brothers and starring Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman. For those who haven’t seen it, the story is set in the UK of the near future, where a fascist government has taken over the United Kingdom and controls every aspect of the lives of its citizens. Like the earlier black satire ‘Brazil‘ (1985) directed by Terry Gilliam (which I will write about in a future post), the arrogance of the government is such that it believes it can even control the thoughts of its citizens by controlling and ‘spinning’ the flow of information — literally writing and re-writing the flow of history — to suit its political purposes.

UMNO Fascism: A Checklist

Dear readers,

You all know the disturbing pictures above. For several years now I have been referring to UMNO-BN’s increasing tendency towards inciting racism and suppression of dissent as ‘fascism’ and ‘UMNO Nazism’, and the tendency has become even more pronounced with recent actions such as UMNO Youth’s continuous racist threats (abetted by the crony-collaborator-lapdogs in BN, particularly the MCA and MIC), government impunity from wrongdoing and media suppression over the Islamic State debate and the ‘Negarakuku’ controversy.

Gestapo cum Waffen SS Chief Nazri ‘The Nazi’ Aziz

What is fascism?

Several days ago, I came across the reader Frank&Honest’s post in Jeff Ooi’s ‘Screenshots’ blog here, which refers readers to an article written by Dr. Lawrence Britt. Dr. Britt’s article gives a clear, point-by-point definition of ‘fascism’, which gives us a checklist to measure how much UMNO-BN has moved towards fascism and totalitarianism. Dr. Britt’s article can be found here.

I reproduce Frank&Honest’s post (and his follow-up post) and the article by Dr.Lawrence Britt in full below, and will post my point-by-point response to this later:

Look What The Cat Dragged In…

… It’s one of KJ/Azalina’s cyberthugs a.k.a. mangy lapdogs a.k.a. pusbags! The ‘seditious’ comment below was posted on my previous blog entry ‘NEGARAKUKU! I Am NOT The Mainstream Media’. See here the offending comment in red complete with IP address and (non-existent) domains.

CinaAhPek | cina@cina.com | cina.com | IP: 60.53.48.146

They failed to realised if May 13th were to happen again it will be the Chinese who is gonna KILL the Malays!!

And my response:

[ GhL ] : ‘CinaAhPek’, like the fictitious ‘Dr. Ng Seng’, you are obviously one of Azalina’s (overpaid) UMNO cyberthugs trying to plant a ’seditious’ comment on my site. How’s it feel like being hung out to dry like a drowned rat found in the toilet?

What kind of dumb f**k would register himself as ‘CinaAhPek’ with an email like ‘cina@cina.com’ and a non-existent URL like http://cina.com
IP: 60.53.48.146

OMG, could it be? Are you… are you… Mat Tyson in person? I am so honoured that you would visit my humble blog! Please visit my Idiots du jour Gallery to see the place I have specially reserved for you.

For others out there, please listen carefully:

I understand your anger, but please DO NOT MAKE RACIST THREATS, on this site or anywhere else. It only makes things worse. By indulging in racist rhetoric, we are no better than Hishammuddin or Khairy or any of the UMNO rabble. I know it is difficult, but try to rise above the trap of racist politics, and try not to see things through the lens of race, religion or gender.

My fury and criticisms are directed purely at the corrupt and racist politicians who run this country, not at the Malay race or any race in particular. Many of my targets are in UMNO (gee I wonder why), but I have not spared MCA and I will not spare MIC or, for that matter, anyone including opposition politicians if they indulge in racist rhetoric. I have many good Malay friends who understand what is wrong in this country, and I am working with some of them to try and change things for the better.

To all readers (except UMNO-BN cyberthugs – the plague upon you) I wish you well, and I hope that you may find the strength to rise above the scourge of racism.

NEGARAKUKU! I Am NOT The Spineless Mainstream Media.

Just when I thought I could cool down for a while and get back to writing more productive, level-headed posts (which I will get back to shortly)… UMNO-BN comes up with another baldfaced attempt to shut down public debate and a potential source of embarrassment for the government over the Wee Meng Chee a.k.a. ‘Namewee’ controversy over the ‘Negarakuku‘ video.

Just like when Najib shot his mouth off about Malaysia being an Islamic state (in contradiction to the Federal Constitution), the Internal Security Ministry is now trying to save the government’s collective arses by barring all further reports on the ‘Negarakuku’ issue in the mainstream media. Excerpt from Malaysiakini below:

Of course, our mainstream media being as spineless as it is (save, perhaps, the Sun), barring the ‘Negarakuku’ debate is probably a moot point. I forgive Che Din Yusof. He is only a poor mindless balaci reading from a script. A statement of such blanket idiocy could only have come from the top, either from Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharom (of recent ACA fast-track clearance notoriety) or from the habitually-comatose and/or absent PM Pak Blah. Pak Blah also happens to be the Internal Security Minister, and the buck has to stop somewhere, or is it another case of “saya tak tahu?”

Pak Blah Pak Blah. RM4.6 bil public money down the drain in Port Klang doesn’t warrant your attention, but a young man’s angry rap video does? Fast-track ACA clearance of tainted public officials doesn’t get your goat, but this does? Hisham and your monkey Son-In-Law waving keris and making racist threats are ok? UMNO MP’s making sexist remarks in Parliament are ok?

Are you actually conscious, Pak Blah? Or is someone propping up your fast-asleep body and making it appear as if you’re actually doing something?

People, do you see what is happening here?

Mihun Merdeka! Desecration of the Flag!!!!!!!

Dear Nazi Aziz,

You are our most conscientious and refined minister. We offer uncountable thanks and innumerable offerings that you — a paragon of virtue and culture — are there in Parliament to defend the interests of the rakyat and the values enshrined in the Constitution.

As a civic-minded and patriotic citizen, it is my duty to report to you — our hero of Law — the perpetration of a most heinous desecration of the Malaysian flag, spotted as I was having lunch in the KL Golf & Country Club. Please see the following photos for irrefutable evidence of a grave crime against the nation and the people of Malaysia.

I was happily sitting down with my friends for lunch, and ordered the ‘Mihun Goreng Singapura’. It arrived in due course, a steaming hot and fragrant pile of stir-fried mihun, colourfully decorated with chillies, chopped onions and… and… a Jalur Gemilang stuck in a piece of tauhu goreng!

I was SO OFFENDED by the sight of the national flag stuck in a piece of tauhu goreng that I spewed mihun and tauge out of my nostrils on to my friends (who will likely be suing KLGCC for physical injury, trauma and emotional distress). I was expecting that the national flag would be stuck in a piece of wagyu beef or a truffle, at least.