Ah, DA spanks for The Mole

Kuala Lumpur, Dec 6: Long before I started this blog, Dave Avran was already making a name for himself and poking fun at very important people at Spanking DA Monkey. He was doing it openly, without fear or favour, at a time when most people blogged using pseudonyms and commented in other people's blogs as Anons (many still do!). When social media invaded our lives, Dave founded M.A.R.A.H, an independent online crime-watch movement comprising concerned citizens, and devoted his time towards making our neighbourhood safer. Starting today, he joined The Mole officially as a Columnist. 

His column will appear every Tuesday.

I don't think Dave is vying for the most popular columnist title judging from this piece...

READ Ambiga and friends should support Rohingyas too 

Malaysia, Myanmar in war of words

KL, Dec 3: If you ask me, I say send back all the Myanmar citizens who are working here in Malaysia. - Rockybru

REBUTTAL TO THE “MYANMAR TIMES” ON THE STATEMENT MADE BY U ZAW HTAY, DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE, MYANMAR 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs views with concern the humanitarian crisis in Rohingya, the spillover effect of which will affect the safety, security and standing of Malaysia, as Myanmar's ASEAN neighbour. It is in this context that Malaysia has allowed the Solidarity March to take place. As a neighbour and a responsible member of the international community, it is Malaysia's obligation to ensure that its ASEAN colleague takes proactive steps to prevent the matter from further deteriorating. Malaysia is well aware of the principles upon which ASEAN was built, being a founding member of the regional organisation. 

In 2008, all ten member states of ASEAN adopted the ASEAN Charter, which binds the members to the international principles of the protection and promotion of human rights. Furthermore, all member states of ASEAN agreed to respond effectively, in accordance with the principle of comprehensive security, to threats, which the Rohingya issue poses to Malaysia's own security. The high number of Rohingya people in Malaysia (approximately 56,000) under the UNHCR banner, coupled with the hundreds of thousands in other neighbouring countries, makes this matter no longer an internal matter but an international matter. The fact that only one particular ethnicity is being driven out is by definition ethnic cleansing. 

This practice must stop, and must be stopped immediately in order to bring back security and stability to the Southeast Asian region. Malaysia need not remind U Zaw Htay of the 2015 boat people crisis which eventually became a regional issue with Myanmar's neighbours taking the brunt of the burden. It is with this in mind that Malaysia has repeatedly offered its assistance to the Myanmar government in finding a solution for a just and durable immediate solution to the persecution of the Rohingya in Northern Rakhine. 

This in keeping with Malaysia's position that this is not a religious issue but an immediate humanitarian concern. 

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

PUTRAJAYA

3 December 2016

Does Mahathir really want a DAP-led government?

The question is, who'll strike the other first ...

"In the next general election the voters are  going to be presented with two choices: either an Umno led Barisan Nasional or a DAP-led Pakatan Harapan. This is the reality facing the voters..."

I've read The two choices offered to voters and I agree with Salleh Said Keruak. A liberal Malay friend calls this "Umno's typical scare tactic", though.

Strategy Umno dlm PRU14 adalah, kalau Umno kalah, Msia akan diperintah oleh DAP. Strategy utk menakutkan orang Melayu utk tidak memilih pembangkang.

Jelas dari apa yg diucapkan oleh Najib dan juga kuncu2 Umno dalam whatsapp group pada hari ini.

Ini jelas menunjukkan Ummo tiada kekuatan utk menang tapi mengharapkan kelemahan pembangkang dan kebimbangan orang Melayu. Strategy yg diguna dalam PRU12 & 13 ini masih nak digunakan utk PRU14.

Harap orang Melayu kita sedar dan buat keputusan yg bijak demi masa depan anak cucu kita semua.

I am neither an UMNO member nor a DAP sympathiser. There are many Malays like me and we look at the facts. And the fact remains that despite all its proclamations, the DAP is not what it claims to be. Someone observed in his Twitter today that the DAP is no longer the chauvinistic party that it used to be. Lim Kit Siang's party has shifted somewhat towards the middle/centre. For example, it's no longer hostile towards what the Bumiputera concept stands for). The observer is either naive or stupid.  Or not a Malay!

The DAP has survived till today because it remains faithful to its political ideals. Malaysian Malaysia. This is the party whose raison d'être is to oppose Bumiputera privileges, including those afforded to these sons of the soil under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution. Refresh your history, h e r e. Can a leopard change its spots? 

Will the Lims allow a Malay or an Indian to rule DAP? 

Mahathir is very well aware of the answers. If he had a choice, you think he'd make compromises with the Lims? Mahathir was the one who sent the older Lim and his son to prison when he was PM because they were a threat. The fact that he is DAP-friendly now is because he has absolutely no choice. His new party Pribumi will not survive without Pakatan Harapan and to be in this Opposition coalition, Mahathir needs the Lims to say yes to Pribumi. 

But I don't think even Mahathir, despite his many amazing U-turns of late, would dare to turn around and tell the Malays that it's ok for the DAP to rule them. The Old Man may be desperate but he's not naive and certainly not stupid.