Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Who is the real Maria Chin?


A: "People know jamal is an umno man, ambiga a lawyer but what (sic) is maria chin? i don't know anything about her except that she heads Bersih.."
B: "I think her family is rich. She studied urban planning and economics in the UK in the 70s where she met her husband who was a leftist student activist. Probably something like Marina Mahathir..."
C: "Actually, I remember reading about her and her husband .. her education background etc but don't remember the rich part."
C: "The late husband."
B: "Must be rich to afford such education". - A brief WhatsApp conversation involving three journalists



Puchong, 23 Nov: Before her detention under SOSMA, most Malaysians only knew Maria Chin as the head of Bersih 2.0 and little else. Many didn't even know she's a Muslim and that she was married to a Malaysian student activist-turned PLO freedom fighter-turned-Ops Lalang ISA detainee. But that is about to change. The "Free Maria" campaign has certainly made a lot of people want to know her better. Those who disagree with what she's doing have also been busy telling Malaysians who the "real" Maria Chin is ....

Check out this info sheet on the Bersih chief, for example:

MENGENALI SIAPA MARIA CHIN SEBENARNYA
Maria Chin Abdullah (Mary Chin Cheen Lian) 
Maria Chin berkenalan dengan Yunus Lebai Ali di London pada tahun 1979 dan berkahwin. 
Yunus Lebai Ali dan Hishamuddin Rais adalah aktivis berfahaman sosialis Universiti Malaya pada tahun 1970-an yang sama-sama melarikan diri ke luar negara kerana takut ditangkap polis. 
Maria Chin dan Yunus pulang ke Malaysia sekitar akhir tahun 1980-an dan terlibat  dengan NGO dinamakan NIEI (National Institute for Electoral Integrity). NIEI dan MAFREL (Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections) ditaja oleh Asia Foundation merupakan jaringan NAMFREL (The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections) dan ANFREL (Asian Network for Free and Fair Elections). 
Bekas pegawai CIA, Philip Agee mendedahkan NAMFREL dan ANFREL adalah 'tool CIA' bertopeng di sebalik slogan 'kuasa rakyat'. 
Modus Operandi CIA kini telah diambil alih oleh badan baharu yang dinamakan NED (National Endowment For Democracy). 
Maria Chin juga terlibat dalam NGO-NGO hak asasi manusia dan feminisme yang pro LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Biseksual dan Transgender). Antaranya; WDC (Women Development Collective), EMPOWER (Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor) dan SIS (Sister In Islam)...antara aktivis SIS adalah MARINA MAHATHIR... 
Ternyata beliau bukan orang biasa tapi merupakan seorang yang punyai Latar Belakang yg perlu di teliti lebih lanjut..
ResearchUCCmsia


For another view of Maria, try 10 things about: Maria Chin Abdullah, social activist - MalayMailOnline


Bersih 6 and Bersih 7
Now, the Bersih crowd would like you to forget that Jamal "Red Shirt" Yunos was also detained for his role in last Saturday's street rallies. But that's a fact. The police did not just detain Maria Chin, they also threw Jamal into jail. The biggest difference,  I suppose, is that there was no vigil for Jamal, no "Free Jamal" campaign. Therefore, Jamal did not have the pleasure of having Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and wife joining in a nationwide chorus to get him released from detention. Such is Jamal's predicament.

Why Mahathir is saddened by Maria's detention


But the brief detention has given him ideas: Jamal released, plans "Bersih 7" campaign aimed at Selangor Government . And such is OUR predicament!


READ ALSO: Childish outcry against Maria's SOSMA detention - A Voice


Sunday, November 20, 2016

The day Dr Mahathir hijacked Bersih

No caption required ... Pic by Jahabar Sadiq

Puchong, 20 Nov: Someone asked me why Lim Kit Siang and I were not there at yesterday's Opposition rally Bersih 5. I was stumped: the DAP strongman wasn't at the Yellow gathering? I realised I didn't remember seeing his pictures from the rally, either! I checked with an Opposition friend immediately. "Dei, of course Uncle Lim was there. See today's front page of Utusan lah". I took his word for it and comforted myself: Ah, okok, so I panicked for no reason. I conveyed the good news to Someone. "Oh, my bad," I thought I heard her say, "I saw Mahathir and Mahathir and Mahathir only at the rally". 
Stumped again! Because that's really it, isn't it? When you come to think of the whole thing, and with the benefit of hindsight, yesterday's Bersih 5 was really about Mahathir! It was his show! Imagine if the Tun hadn't flown in with his private jet to join the 40,000-strong Yellow men, women and children, the rally would have been old news. I'm sure Kit Siang would be happier as he would not have to play second fiddle to the Old Man, but it would have been a non-event... 


Tun M addresses the Yellow people

Dr M waves to the Yellow people, who wave back, of course

Dr M wants 1 million people to attend Bersih 5

No Kit Siang in the picture, but future PM and DPM at hand

Why do you think PKR Shamsul Iskandar isn't wearing the Bersih shirt?

Yellow shirt, Red carpet

Can't wait for Bersih 6? I know, right ...


Read also:

Lessons learnt - rally can be peaceful, but unnecessary, the Mole
An online reporter covering the Bersih rally for the first time finds out that the people who join the rally - those she spoke to, at least - do it because they are unhappy with their lot

Kesan Mahathir - Rakyat menjauhi Bersih, Salleh Said Keruak
The BN Minister believes Bersih 5's poor turnout was due to the presence of Dr Mahathir!




Wednesday, November 16, 2016

When Down Under, beware some Kangaroos

Updates 19/11
CIMB to sell properties worth RM1.3 b in Australia, FMT 17 Nov 2016. I don't believe in coincidences, if you know what I mean. Perhaps Wisma Putra should issue an ADVISORY to Malaysians seeking to invest in properties Down Under, in view of these developments ...

Original article
Seeking justice in Malaysia. Wikipedia insists that kangaroo courts did not have its origins in Australia, where kangaroos come from. If that's baffling to me I can't imagine what Sarawak-born Malaysian businessman Hii Yii Ann might be thinking. Hii, 56, is fighting a decision by the Australian courts about his tax residency status that could rob him of AUD50 million!

Hii, a Malaysian passport holder who has never applied to be an Australian resident, says he's submitted to the Australian authorities documented proof that he is a Malaysian taxpayer and has never lived anywhere near long enough in Australia to be deemed the country's "tax resident". Yet, the Australian court deemed that he had denounced his Malaysian tax residency status and, therefore, owed whatever he had earned to the Australian Tax Office.

In response, Hii has filed an unprecedented lawsuit in the Malaysian court against the Australian government. The case management took place at Jalan Duta yesterday. Free Malaysia Today and the Malaysian Digest have the story; the Star carries an analysis.

FMT


The Malaysian Digest

The Star 

And prominent Facebook crime-fighter Dave Avran writes, If you own land or property in Australia, you need to read this. 


Related good reading:



Monday, November 14, 2016

Aw, Rafizi!

LATEST
Rafizi out of GE14 unless OSA conviction cleared - Malay Mail Online

KL, Mon: YB Rafizi Ramli is an example of a young, reckless politician. A legend in his own mind who rose too fast for his own good. When you look back at his meteoric rise, you will sooner or later wonder how he got to be where he is so fast. What were his contributions to society, or to his peers, or to his neighboruhood before he was elected to represent the people in Parliament? And how did he manage to get himself in trouble again and again with the law, the same law that lawmakers like him are supposed to uphold? Ignorance? Foolhardiness? Stupidity? 
Rafizi did say he would not be surprised if the Court found him guilty of breaching the Official Secrets Act. Well, the truth is many of us are not surprised., either. 
And mind you, the courts that found Rafizi guilty today aren't the same as the ones during the Mahathir era, and the judges today are viewed by many of us as rather anti-Establishment or even pro-Opposition (allegedly, of course; in other words, they are quite fair lah). 
So Rafizi can't complain ... 
In fact, that's a good reason to smile. We shouldn't be surprised if he wins his appeal, if you know what I mean ...




Read also: 

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Muhyiddin (and Mahathir), publicly reformed


Puchong, Nov 12: I try not to post too often about Abang Din. 
But this one is heartbreaking. 
Or laughable. 
Depending on how you choose to see Malaysian politics (and politicians).


Today: Muhyiddin, Malaysia's likely next Prime Minister
 if the Opposition wins the 15th GE


Muhyiddin a couple of years ago, when he was DPM

Yes, Malaysian politicians are fond of posters and placards. Other than that, they love to play the Anwar (Ibrahim) issue. Nearly 20 years ago Dr Mahathir Mohamad, then the PM, sacked Anwar and sent him to jail with sensational allegations of power abuse and sodomy. Today he's backing the "Reformasi" movement openly, even if the love is not reciprocal. 

This photograph of the sneering Tun with a very special badge tells a thousand words of hypocrisy at its best. Or worst. 


Thursday, November 10, 2016

"We'll do a Trump on Najib!"

KL, Thurs: Malaysians probably followed the Trump vs Clinton race more intimately than any other US presidential elections and more than any presidential or general election in other countries, except the Malaysian GE! Not just because the US is a close trading partner or a big investor, but because we have kids, friends, relatives over there and we used to spend some years "the States" ourselves. It's where Hollywood is, land of the free and home of the brave, birthplace of Apple and Macs, CIA, FBI, WMD, DOJ, blah blah blah. The reaction towards Trump's victory ranged from WTF! to I-told-you-so, even my 13-year old had a one-line to add: "Some of my friends are scared shit, Trump's President". I asked her: "What are they scared shit of? She said: "They are just scared shit". 

Me, I think it's OK to be wary of the unknown. What scares me are people who think that Trump's victory is a sign from God for Malaysians to act against the evil and the corrupt!

Take Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's strongman Matthias Chang's response to Trump's thumping win yesterday:

"What a sweeping victory. Trump won the Presidency, the Senate and House of Representatives.  No quarters given and no quarters asked. He was betrayed by party scumbags corrupted by the Obama/Clinton Crime Syndicate. They sabotaged his campaign. Top party leaders did not turned up at the party convention when he won the nomination. Then these criminal scumbags declared they will vote for criminal Killary in the election. He spent his own money. The bulk of his campaign funding. Yet, inspite his flaws and never ran for any public office he trash all his opponents because he at least dare say in the most blunt terms the truth about his country - bankrupt and dying and inspire his people to defeat the scumbags and save America, turn their backs on the criminal war agenda by the Neocons anf to work for peace in Syria and the Middle East with Russia. God indeed work in mysterious ways. I was not right.  God was right and all I did was to pray and have absolute faith in HIM to answer my prayers and millions the world over for global peace.  Not pawns to Soros zionist money and schemes to control the nations that he had targeted under the guise of philantrophy. Allah be praised. God willing Malaysia will be saved from the same scourge of corruption. But we must be vigilant. Trump did not bow to Soros money.  We do not need Soros or any Zionist money to defeat the Najib regime.  All we need is Allah's blessing. Pray."

I hope you are not laughing. Matthias has a faithful, cult-like following online as well as on You Tube. You underestimate him, like you underestimate Trump, at your own peril! 

But I guess Dr M's longtime special advisor was not aware that Najib is, supposedly, Trump's golfing buddy and "favourite Prime Minister" ...




Najib's other detractors will be trying hard not to go down Matthias' way. They have their own ideas. South China Morning Post boldly asks in its post-US election analysis:



If they'd asked me, I would suppose that Trump will deal with the probe as Najib's other "golfing buddy", Obama, deals with the 1MDB probe. Right?

Anyway, I speculate that by this weekend Malaysians will go back to their other worldly concerns. Trump, like Obama back then and Justin Trudeau last year, will pass us by. As Najib says, Trump's victory will not affect our ties with America i.e. our kids, friends and relatives there should be fine and we can still travel to the US for holidays and business as we've always done, the Apple phones will continue to be very expensive even if the Dollar tanked, and it will still not be the land for the Red Indians' braves.

But if Trump's America turns ugly, uglier than it already is, then there's always China. It's not a pretty alternative, but we've always wanted to Look East, anyway.

Sunday, November 06, 2016

How Mahathir tried and failed to get China's RM144 billion

Updates: 
"The opposition is jealous and worried about Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s China visit, which has turned out to be a roaring success." - Mahathir's weapon of distraction, Salleh Said Keruak



Really Nazri, Mahathir jealous of Najib's China success? 

Sunday, 6 Nov: I don't often agree with Nazri Aziz but the point he underscored in Jealousy prompted Dr M's comments (Malaysian Digest, 3 Nov) made me look back at Mahathir Mohamad's own politics re China when he was PM. 

A lot of people forget that Dr M tried very hard to be in China's good books. Through his ambitious but ill-fated East Asia Economic Group (EAEG) proposal, he tried to get China to lead Asia, together with Japan and South Korea, against America and Europe. EAEG was renamed a Caucus after consultations with spooked and reluctant Asean partners (and Japan and South Korea) but it remained a proposal until the end, much to Mahathir's chagrin. 
Imagine if he had succeeded! It would have been Mahathir announcing last week's historic RM144 billion Chinese investment into Malaysia, not Najib!

In any case, China (not the US or Japan) has been Malaysia's largest trading partner since 2009, the year Najib became PM. Quite naturally, the biggest trading partner would start bringing in huge direct investment into Malaysia, just as the US and Japan had done before, and become this country's leading investor. 

But that's something not only Mahathir finds difficult to accept, whether out of jealousy or his own past failure to put China in his pocket. 

An expert writing in The Diplomat Is China now Malaysia's largest investor? (Jan 2016) authoritatively concluded that he couldn't see China investing heavily in Malaysia:



"That said, even if official data eventually does show China as being Malaysia’s largest foreign investor, that could just be a 2015 aberration instead of a sustained trend, given the uniqueness of these year-end investments. As The Post notes, it will be difficult for Beijing to sustain the top position since Malaysia’s plan to become a high-income nation by 2020 prioritizes high-value industries, with such investments typically coming from traditional sources like Europe, Japan, Singapore, and the United States."

A lot of people having to eat their own words. I think that's why they hate Najib.

READ ALSO:
By Helen Ang, DAP got nothing to say about Beijing's embrace of Najib Razak?
Annie, Shouldn't reject an offer of friendship
The Brick, China trip ... marks the dissolution of Mahathirism
Kadir Jasin, Show us genuine China money

Thursday, November 03, 2016

Ah, Kadir Jasin ...

"Demokrasi tidak diamal dalam pemerintahan sekarang dan rakyat hidup dalam ketakutan ... [Democracy is not practised in the government and the people live in fear...]' - Dr M, here, after the "undemocratic" government approved the registration of his Bumi-only party

Puchong, 3 Nov: So, my ex-boss A. Kadir Jasin is officially a former journalist. Sad but, I suppose, inevitable. Kadir ended a sterling career that lasted nearly half a century, starting as a Bernama reporter in 1969, peaking with the management buyout of NSTP and TV3 in 2003 and ending as a socio-media journalist, to join Dr Mahathir Mohamad's Pribumi Bersatu party that the former PM set up to end Najib Razak's tenure as Prime Minister and Barisan Nasiona/Umno's reign as Malaysia's longest ruling party. 
Zainuddin Maidin is the other Tokoh Wartawan Negara besides Kadir who left journalism to become a full-time politician for Dr Mahathir after a long and rewarding stint with journalism. The former Utusan Malaysia chief editor was made Deputy Information Minister in 2002, the year before Mahathir stepped down as PM, and in 2006 was appointed the Information Minister by Pak Lah. His political career was cut shot by his defeat in the 2008 general election. 
I wish Kadir all the best and hope he'll fare better than the new party will ...

The Pribumi Bersatu aka Parti Bunga (Flower Party, see logo) line-up.
Kadir is standing 7th from right, breathing down Mukhriz's neck