Merry Kerismas! Samy Gets a Big Cheer

Below: the Seminator ain’t gettin’ the love this Christmas but he did get his own reality TV show on live ASTRO broadcast at the Aatam 100 Vagai talent show in Penang on Sunday night (23 Dec). A salute to the audience who finally decided they’d had enough, and told Samy to vamoose in no uncertain (and I hear, some unprintable) terms.

So much for continuing to fool the people regarding the real status of MIC. I’m guessing it’s no presents for Minister for Misinformation Lord Zam Zam Alakazam bin Maidin either, because this is one he didn’t see coming and it was live.

1 down, 196 more BN MP’s to go.

Yes, The Chinese Are Short-sighted and Selfish: The Difficulty with the Chinese Vote

This was originally posted as my comment in response to the post “Are the Chinese Short-sighted and Selfish? Pt. 1” on Sagaladoola‘s blog. Sagaladoola hits the nail on the head with his frustrated post, making reference to this article. I strongly recommend reading Sagaladoola’s post before this to better understand the difficulties facing the Malaysian opposition and civil society in overcoming the paranoia, inertia and apathy of Malaysian society in general.

The following is my reply to Sagaladoola (with a few new insertions):

I’m Chinese myself, and with much frustration, I’d have to agree with you: the Chinese community are by and large, fundamentally selfish and shortsighted. More than any other community, the majority of Chinese are driven more by personal fears and incentives than by the greater issues – the result of pragmatism tending towards the mercenary.

The Malaysian Chinese are basically divided into 3 camps: the dedicated opposition camp; the BN government sycophants and mercenaries; and the kiasi/kiasu/kiachenghu/bochap (afraid to die/afraid to lose/afraid of the govt/just don’t care about anything outside their ricebowl) paranoid-apathetic camp – which makes up the majority.

As the article mentions: while there is widespread discontent amongst the Chinese, it is still an open question whether this will translate into opposition votes at the next election, especially if there is a danger that some foolish auntie’s shopping trip might be jeopardised by ‘instability’. This chronic myopia (willingness to sacrifice their rights for false short-term promises of stability) is what allows UMNO to keep playing the race card to bully the docile Chinese back in line.

I run into enormous resistance in the form of paranoia, inertia and apathy when trying to raise political awareness even amongst my own family and friends (who mostly fall into the paranoid-apathetic camp).

In this coming election, I believe the Chinese vote will be decisive. From my observations: PAS and Keadilan together will be able to secure a significant block of the Malay vote – at least 33% = 20% of total votes by proportion. The Indian vote is gone to the opposition I’m sure, which gives another 8%. That’s a min. 28% in the bag, with potentially more from the Malay bloc.

That leaves the Chinese with a critical 25% vote block. From this, at least 5% are hardcore opposition and can be relied on to deliver the votes. 5% are mercenaries and will vote BN.

The remaining 15% will decide the popular vote. Unfortunately, this is the paranoid-apathetic camp.

The Chinese vote will be decisive in the upcoming election. We must capture this block, or risk losing the reform momentum built up so far.

No more sitting on the fence, my Chinese compatriots. Wake up, it’s time to make a choice.

The activists and citizens out there on the streets are fighting for the rights of all Malaysian citizens. Last I checked, ‘Malaysian citizens’ means you and me too. The street protests are happening because there is simply no other way to get through to a regime so bloated on its own corruption and hubris that it cannot or will not hear any dissenting voices. And I will point out that every single recent street protest has been well-disciplined and peaceful right up to the point when the police initiated unprovoked attacks on the peaceful protestors. The real criminals and ‘terrorists’ are the ones in uniform, not the civil protestors.

Statements like ‘Indian grievances are none of my business’ and ‘the BERSIH protests are inconveniencing me’ are criminally stupid and selfish things to say. Nobody WANTS to protest on the streets; they protest because they have no choice. If you truly believe the BN propaganda then you deserve to live under the boot of UMNO-BN.

You can decide to vote for the BN menagerie and live on under the false pretence of stability, hoping every day that your UMNO masters will deign to throw you another table scrap, while your rights are slowly torn away from you and cancerous corruption consumes the country;

OR, you can decide to throw out the whole festering, irredeemable mess that is the UMNO-BN regime. Cut down the BN regime at the next election, and rebuild a country where all are equal, and the institutions of the country exist to protect, not oppress, the people. Bring in fresh, honest blood to rebuild and reinvent the country. Malaysia is a country rich with talent, it’s just not in UMNO-BN;

The choice is literally in your hands, and you need to decide, NOW.

What’ll it be?

Police to Block Solidarity Vigil for ISA Detainees, Again

Malaysiakini reports that the police are cordoning off Dataran Merdeka and have issued warnings to prevent citizens from attending the above silent, peaceful candlelight vigil for the 5 HINDRAF leaders now under ISA detention. The vigil is scheduled for tonight, at 8 pm.

The UMNO-BN government’s response was to be expected, of course.
Well, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, this is what I have to say. Make sure you pass the message to your attack dog Musa Hassan and your lapdog Johari Baharom.

It is our fundamental and inalienable RIGHT as free citizens to peaceably assemble and to voice our concerns without interference from the state. We as citizens have never relinquished the right to public assembly; instead, the state has illegally misappropriated our right by ‘giving’ the police the power to ‘approve’ public assembly.

Listen well, Abdullah.

I do not recognise the authority of the police or the state in this respect. And neither do an increasing number of citizens in Malaysia.

In every single one of the previous civil protests, the violence was instigated and initiated by the police, not the citizens who participated in the protest. In fact, I am glad to see how disciplined the civil protestors have been, whether they be from HINDRAF, BERSIH, the Bar Council or otherwise. It is the PDRM that has proven to be lacking in discipline and professionalism, shirking their professional code to act as the thugs and enforcers of your shoddy regime.

And now you send your attack dogs in uniform to once again bar the people from peacefully assembling in solidarity with the HINDRAF leaders you unjustly detained under the ISA, an obsolete and draconian law that should have been expunged from the Constitution decades ago.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, I have no respect whatsoever left for you. To address you by your birth name is a courtesy I do not intend to maintain much longer.

You are a failed leader of a failed government, trying desperately to protect a festering mess of failed policies.

I no longer recognise you as the Prime Minister of Malaysia. You are not fit hold the post. Nor do I recognise your Cabinet of fools, imbeciles and bigots.

You forget, Abdullah, that *I* am your boss. I am one of the rakyat, and the rakyat are very angry.

(click for larger version)

[ some components of the poster above were sourced from The People’s Parliament. ]

Merry Kerismas! Greetings from Bolehland

Seasons greetings from Bolehland! Above: Santa Dollah takes a break from doling out the Kerismas goodies.

Another quality product from Ghostline Industries Tidak Berhad, inspired by the brilliant poster below from Malaysiakini:

HINDRAF Leaders Detained Under ISA

I am in Ipoh, by chance. 5 HINDRAF leaders have just been detained under the ISA, a number of them reportedly detained right here. There is clearly an increased police presence here.

Early this afternoon, the High Hypocrite Abdullah Ahmad Badawi invoked the ISA against 5 HINDRAF (Hindu Rights Action Force) leaders, detaining them without trial for 2 years and denying them access to legal representation, trampling on their civil rights and making a mockery of The High Hypocrite’s baldfaced lie (not that he needs any additional help) that Malaysia is a functioning democracy.
These are the HINDRAF leaders detained:

1.  P. Uthayakumar

2.  M. Manoharan

3.  R. Kengadharan

4.  B. Ganabathi Rao, and

5.  Vasanthan

Shortly after we received the news of the ISA arrests, I passed 2 police checkpoints along the Jelapang-Chemor road and also received independent reports of a significantly increased police presence in and around Ipoh. The police manning the checkpoints were heavily-armed and appeared to be mainly stopping motorists of Indian origin.

My assessment is that the police operation was part of a police net set up to : (1) catch HINDRAF leaders, or (2) pre-empt a community response against the arrests of the HINDRAF leaders. I am trying to verify this conclusion, though events seem to be bearing out my assumption.

Still believe Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s baldfaced lies and pretence at being a “kinder, gentler, moderate, honest and fair ‘Prime Minister of the people'”?

Still think that Barisan Nasional is ‘okay lah’?

Still think that ‘let’s not rock the boat lah?’

The only way to save Malaysia is to rid it of the cancer called UMNO-BN.

People, your rights as citizens are being violated upon right in front of you. We no longer have the right to say, “We are not happy with the government, and it is time to change.”

This is real, it’s happening now.

Take back the country. Do not stand by while fellow citizens are being persecuted for the ‘crime’ of expressing their unhappiness with the way things are going in this country.  

Vote BN out.  

——————————

The situation is still developing. More reports and responses:

Reuters is the first international news network to carry the reports.

http://www.jeffooi.com/mt32/mt-tb.cgi/2198

http://elizabethwong.wordpress.com/2007/12/13/ops-selamat-pak-lah-dah-bermula/

http://harismibrahim.wordpress.com/2007/12/13/uthayakumar-4-other-hindraf-leaders-detained-under-isa/

www.malaysia-today.net

http://www.youtube.com/malaysiakini 

http://whatalulu.blogspot.com/2007/12/lulus-trying-not-to-cry-in-office.html 

http://www.darnmalaysia.com/2007/12/13/2-years-many-things-could-happen/

NEW! Naval-Grade Scandal-Whitening Toothpaste from PAC

[ Another Dodgy(TM) PACkaged* product, proudly brought to you by Ghostline Industries Tidak Berhad ]

(*thanks to reader ‘Xylogue’ for the term)

Fresh from whitewashing the RM4.6 bil Port Klang Free Zone scandal (previous post HERE), the energetic Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has moved on to its next job: removing the stubborn stains left by the RM 6.75 bil Navy OPV (offshore patrol boat) procurement scandal.

Again, after making a good show of ‘investigating’, PAC Chair Shahrir ‘Peroxide’ Abdul Samad has announced that a number of crucial financial records pertaining to the procurement of several offshore patrol vessels (OPV’s) for the Royal Malaysian Navy are not available because the records ‘have been destroyed’. No files = no case? ‘Case closed’ then, I presume?

How… convenient.

Procurement documents have been ‘destroyed’? No problem, Shahrir, follow the money — there is always a paper trail somewhere. Bank statements — records of transactions, accounts of the principals and wives/mistresses, unusual company/ministry expenditures; while you’re at it, go squeeze PSC Naval Dockyards’ (now Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd) Amin Shah Omar Shah’s balls till he squeals.

See Shahrir, your job really isn’t that hard. Unless, of course… you’ve been instructed not to find anything after all the sandiwara, which I rather suspect is the case.

Problem is, we ain’t buying it.

(Antares first alerted me to the defence procurements scandal embroiling DPM Najib Tun Razak – just before it broke in the media several days ago – but have been unable to post about it until now due to breaking events, particularly the violent crackdown in Burma.)

——————————

Article on the OPV procurement scandal, and DAP’s pointed remarks to the PAC. Extracted from Malaysiakini, below: (highlights added by me)

“Crisis? What Crisis?”

[ excellent poster by mob1900 ]

Ah, Malaysia’s favourite Nazi and denial artiste is back in top form.

Still got faith in the ‘independent’ inquiry panel? The half-cooked PR effort by the govt to stave off the Royal Commission has been hamstrung even before it starts by its ‘terms of reference’, which is “…to investigate if the Lingam tape is authentic”. No mention on what happens if the tape is (Heaven forbid) found to be genuine.

Extracted from Lim Kit Siang’s blog: (bold highlights mine)

“…In restricting the panel to the question of the authenticity of the Lingam Tape instead of allowing full investigations into all aspects of the allegations of perversion of the course of justice and the compromising of judicial independence, impartiality and integrity raised by the video clip, the government is avoiding the imperative issue of the long-standing rot in the judiciary and the urgent need to restore national and international confidence in the system of justice with a truly independent judiciary and a just rule of law.

A Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam Tape would have first to address the issue of the authenticity of the video clip and there is no reason why an independent panel should be formed with the very narrow and restricted focus of deciding whether the video clip is authentic or otherwise, without the further powers of proceeding to further conduct comprehensive investigations into all the allegations of perversion of the course of justice and the compromising with judicial independence, impartiality and integrity.

In short, the government is trying to focus public attention on the technical question about the authenticity of the Lingam Tape and distract and disregard it from the urgent, imperative and substantive issue of the long-standing rot in the system of justice which must be identified and stopped…“

Extracted from Malaysiakini, below: (red highlights mine)

Port Klang Brand Premium Whitewash, from PAC

[ poster by GhL ]

Assalamualaikum Pak Blah! I’m back from an outstation assignment, and I brought a little present for you: premium-quality whitewash, guaranteed to to turn the blackest scandal whiter than white.

Got an image problem lately?

You and your minions just blew/embezzled billions of ringgit and don’t quite know how to explain yourselves?

Too many scandals breaking in quick succession and the pesky opposition and public just won’t leave you alone?

Don’t worry! The Public Accounts Committee is here to save your toasted arse!

While you and your minions hurriedly fly lintang-pukang overseas for a well-deserved holiday/medical leave/state visit/defence procurement contract discusssion, we at the PAC will put up an entertaining song-and-dance routine (we locals like to call it sandiwara) and we’ll make a good show of investigating the scandal, then lo-and-behold, in a couple of weeks, your record will be snow-white and your arse will smell like roses again, just in time for the sycophants to start kissing it all over again. Puteh berseri-seri!

Satisfaction guaranteed; we at the Public Accounts Committee aim to please (our UMNO-BN masters). ArrRf.

___________________________

Once again, straight from Malaysiakini:

[ UPDATED ] UMNO’s ‘Lingam’ Exposed. Whoa. Watch where you point that thing.

[ UPDATED ] 070926 . 0430

The Bar Council is marching later this morning to demand a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Case of the Dangling Lingam, which has irreversibly damaged the judiciary even while the tainted Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz bawls for help from de facto Law Minister Nazri ‘the Nazi’ Aziz, thus setting the dishonourable precedent of the Chief of the judiciary subjugating itself to the executive.

[ Ghostline ] sincerely regrets that he cannot be there (his physical avatar is currently manifested in SG) to lend his (meagre) strength to help the Bar Council and fellow citizens lift the Great Lingam from where it has fallen on and crushed the Palace of Justice, but will be there in spirit, walking with the Bar Council and fellow citizens.

Details of the Bar Council march at Zorro’s blog.

[ free postcard by GhL. Send it to your (lawyer) friends! ]

[ UPDATED ] 070922 . 0115

It seems that the Case of the Dangling Lingam has finally stirred up enough trouble (it’s HUGE, it’s obscene, it swings around dangerously and – inconveniently – it keeps pointing at people like Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz…) that even the habitually comatose Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has noticed the indiscretion — no small feat.

The Great Slumberous One has finally broken his elegant silence over the huge judicial scandal to bestow upon the rakyat one of his stock non-answers by flippantly rejecting calls for a Royal Commission of Inquiry and to assure the people instead that the government is investigating.

The person(s) charged with conducting the investigations will likely be the Dubious Duo of IGP Musa Hassan and AG Abdul Gani Patail. It is entirely possible that they will be joined by the Dastardly Duet of Johari Baharom and Nazri Aziz, who may be temporarily seconded from their ongoing crusade against the opposition and civil society advocates of transparency, accountability and free speech in order to lend their brute force assistance to stop the enormous swinging lingam from doing any more damage to the ‘establishment’.

Which, if you do the math, would give us lucky Malaysians a Questionable Quartet in charge of investigating the Mystery of the Dangling Lingam. Hurrah, we’re saved!
Pardon me, dear readers, for stretching the lingam analogy as far as I can. Sometimes you just need to pull (or squeeze) something sensitive to get the attention of a particularly insensitive beast.

(With apologies to all the innocent men named Lingam out there)

[ ORIGINAL POST ]

Ok, that was a bit of a naughty pun on my part. Still outstation but couldn’t resist posting this cheeky post title after seeing the explosive VK Lingam tape, which seems to be the ‘hottest’ topic in the Malaysian Internet community right now, and for good reason.

See, ‘Lingam‘ or ‘linga‘ is actually Sanskrit for ‘phallus’ or ‘penis’, and is usually used in a sacred metaphysical sense – usually in association with or as a symbol of the Hindu god Lord Siva — and by extension — as a symbol of masculinity and virility.

Of course, the ‘Lingam’ exposed in this case is anything but sacred. Check out the not-so-sacred Lingam below, if you haven’t seen it already.

The major civil society bloggers have this issue ‘well-covered’, particularly: Jeff Ooi and Elizabeth Wong.

Check it out, and watch once again as our jelly-spined mainstream media refuses to touch this dirty ‘lingam‘ with a ‘ten-foot pole’ (to quote EW). Fortunately or unfortunately, a dangling lingam tends to attract a lot of attention. As it should. And it’s pointing at the CJ.

Here is the transcript of the entire conversation:

Straight from Malaysiakini:

Transcript of Lingam’s conversation with Ahmad Fairuz

Sep 19, 07 5:39pm Adjust font size:

Below is a transcript of the conversation by senior lawyer VK Lingam in his telephone conversation purportedly with Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, as recorded in an eight-minute video clip. The CJ (Chief Justice – judiciary No 1 post) said he is relative to now Agong, so he wants to stay on to 68, so… Tengku Adnan, I told Tengku Adnan, yesterday I had a meeting with him. He said PM is already very angry with him, he said no problem he is going to make you acting err.. confirm your position as PCA (President of Court of Appeal – judiciary No 2), working very hard, then working very hard to get Tan Sri Mokhtar as CJM (Chief Judge of Malaya – judiciary No 3). Ah, we just keep it confidential. I am working very hard on it. Then there is a letter, according to Tengku – I am going to see him tomorrow – there is a letter sent to CJ, I mean Tan Sri Dzaiddin, that Datuk Heliliah, Datuk Ramli, Datuk Ramli and Datuk Ma’roop be made judges, and he rejected Dr Andrew Chui and apa itu Zainuddin Ismail lah. Because Zainuddin Ismail condemned your appointment and Tan Sri Mokhtar’s appointment. And then you also, you seem to write a letter for the remaining five be confirmed as judges. As per our memo I discuss with Tun Eusoff Chin, and we sent the same memo to PM. I just want to get a copy (of the) letter that that has been done. And then Tan Sri Dzaiddin said he is going to recommend six people for the Court of Appeal, but until today the letter hasn’t come to PM. He never discuss, but neither he has sent the letter to PM. Yes, he has not sent. I know it is under the constitution for judges all that is your job, Datuk, to send, but we don’t want to make it an issue now. Ah. Okay. Actually I told Tengku Adnan to inform PM – PM to call you for a meeting. I organise it so that Tengku Adnan will call you directly. And then I got your number, I will tell him to call you directly for you to meet PM lah. So should be okay, then ar.. correct, correct, it is very important that the key players must be there. Correct, correct, correct, correct, correct. You know that the same problem that Tun Eusoff Chin has. He tried to do all this and yet he has run out of soldiers. He couldn’t do it because many are from the other camp. Last time was unfortunate because Tun Daim was doing everything, sabotaging. Otherwise, how are things with you – everything is okay? No, don’t worry. You know sometimes Tan Sri Vincent that half the time they are talking about judiciary rather than doing the work. But if I don’t do this part, my work will be useless. Ha, ha, ha. Ah, yes. Correct, correct, correct, correct, correct, correct. Right, right, right, correct. Ah, right, susah. You see, he has now up for six Court of Appeal judges, so that he can put his men before he retires. Correct, correct, correct, ah, and then ah, correct. But never mind, I will do this. I will get Tengku Adnan to arrange for PM to call you and Tan Sri Vincent Tan for PM to call you. And you know why? Actually, I am very grateful with Tan Sri Vincent Tan. You know why? I brainwash you so much even I quarrel with him. One day, I went to Vincent Tan’s house, I fired him at night in his house. I said bloody hell if you don’t do this, who will do it? All these people Tun Eusoff Chin, Datuk Ahmad Fairuz, Tan Sri Zainon, all fought for that. Then he called Tengku Adnan. Tengku Adnan, he said saya bukan Perdana Menteri Malaysia lah, you know. If the old man doesn’t want to listen to me, go to hell. He quarreled with me. I said never mind, never mind, you talk to PM again tomorrow morning to put Datuk Ahmad Fairuz to CJM. So next day morning, he went and he called me back 9.30 that he said PM has already agreed. So I said never mind, we hope for the best. So I said no harm trying – the worst that it can happen is that you lose. Being the old man, he is 76 years old, he gets whispers everywhere, and then you don’t whisper, he get taken away by the other side. But, now PM is very alert because every time he gets letters from Tan Sri Dzaiddin, he called Tengku Adnan, he said discuss with Vincent – come and discuss. Yes yes, ya. Correct, correct, ya, but you see although I know PM, I am a lawyer in practice, my views are.. I go through them, I go through them lah. Ah, ah, ah, ah. And then Dzaiddin will call them telling that you went saw PM and you make a big issue out of it. Oh ya, I think so, I think so. Okay, fine, fine, fine, fine. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Ah, ah. Correct, correct. Now I heard Raja Aziz, Raja Aziz two weeks ago spoke to my lawyer Thayalan and another lawyer Ailan in the High Court – they have a case each other. So, Thayalan and Ailan asked Raja Aziz, how is Tan Sri Wan Adnan? He said he is on his way down. But you know what is the shocking thing he said? Datuk Fairuz became CJM. He overruled everybody. In three months time, he is going be made PCA, and six months time, he is going to be CJ. He said he can’t think, he’s shocked. He told us. Ha, it seems that they are going to organise a campaign to run you down. But you just keep quite, don’t say anything. Even the press asked, you said I leave it to God, that’s all. Don’t say. I really like your message. You said you work very hard, what can I do? I leave it to God. That’s the best answer, Datuk, that you can ever be. Ah… I will also get Tan Sri to remind PM to put a Tan Sri-ship this year lah. This will elevate you, you know. Oh yes, yes, yes, yes. Ha. Steve Shim got so fast, Tan Sri Chong waited for whole year to get Tan Sri-ship. Ah.. My God that’s why, ah. Correct, correct, correct, correct. Ya, ya, ya, ya. Right, right, right. Correct, correct. Don’t worry, we organise this. If Tan Sri Vincent and Tengku Adnan want to meet you privately, they will, I will call you. We organise in a private arrangement, in a very neutral place. No, don’t worry, Datuk, I know how much you suffer for Tun Eusoff Chin. And Tun said ‘Datuk Ahmad Fairuz, 110 percent loyalty’. We want to make sure our friends are there for the sake of the PM and the sake of the country. Not for our own interest, not for our own interest. We want to make sure the country come first. Well, you suffered so well, so much you have done. For the election, Wee Choo Keong, everything. How much, nobody would have done all these. Yes, you know. Good lah. Don’t worry. I am constantly working on this. Ya, ya, don’t worry, don’t worry. We work hard on this. And Datuk, and then if Tan Sri Vincent and Tengku Adnan want to see you, I will organise it in such a confidential place. Okay, Datuk, very best. God bless you and your family. Okay. Thank you, thank you. Bye.

Kuuki ga Yomenai; Knowing When It’s Time To Step Down

[ notice ] Dear readers, am travelling for work the next few days and will be updating less frequently while away, but would like to leave some food for thought in the form of this article featured in today’s editorial page of the (Singapore) Straits Times, which addresses the resignation of embattled Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

kuuki ga yomenai: “cannot read the air”, or completely out of touch.

sonnano kankeinei: “So what? I don’t care!”

There are many parallels with our own situation (except of course the willingness of failed leaders to accept responsibility and resign — or be forced out dishonourably). Click to enlarge:

Here’s the disgusting fact: the real and perceived shortcomings of the Shinzo Abe administration pale by far in comparison to that of Badawi’s UMNO-BN administration.

Fortunately for the Japanese, their level of awareness and the honour code is so deeply ingrained in their social psyche that when an individual, group or government’s misdeeds come to light, the position of those implicated soon becomes untenable. Even if an individual’s own honour code fails him and he tries to cling desperately to power, the Japanese people will vociferously demand that he be held accountable and to take responsibility for his or his subordinates’ misdeeds. Resignation or (political or actual) suicide usually follows such a dishonourable public backlash.

Despite the fact that the Japanese have also had the same (Liberal Democratic Party) party in government for most of their post-war history, no tainted leader/minister has ever been able to survive for long (politically) after their (or their subordinates’) misdeeds or mistakes were brought into the light. The maturity and independence of Japanese (civil) society and media has generally been able to act as an effective moderating factor to check government abuses.

I don’t need to explain how far our own miserable political situation differs from that of the Japanese.

The Japanese political system is far from perfect, but it is also far ahead of our own. Can we do the same? Vociferously demand accountability of our corrupt, inept and malignant leaders – and since we know it shall not be forthcoming – throw them out at the next general election.

So, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, have you learned to read the air yet? Or are you — as always — both kuuki ga yomenai AND sonnano kankeinei?