Taib & Gang Ignore Penans Yet Again

Tired Penans snubbed

Joseph Tawie | May 23, 2012

Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and his 56 elected reps turned their backs on a Penan delegation who had journeyed five days to see them at the State Legislative Assembly.

KUCHING: A five-day journey from Long Sa’at in interior Ulu Baram came to nought yesterday when all Barisan Nasional elected leaders spurned a 13-member Penan delegation who came to see them to present the community’s development plan.

All the 71 lawmakers including Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and his deputy Alfred Jabu Numpang knew the Penans were coming.

In fact, they along with journalists had early yesterday morning received an invitation to attend the Penan community’s development briefing at 12.30pm at the media conference room in the State Legislative Assembly.

But neither Taib nor his 56 elected representatives turned up.

Only the 15 opposition assemblymen from DAP and PKR were present to hear their proposal on how the community could protect their rights, their adat (culture), manage their forests and develop their economy.

A disappointed Siang Ngadau, a spokesman for the group, said: “We are deeply disappointed. They (BN lawmakers) do not care about our plight.

“It is not easy for us to come here. It took us five days to reach Kuching depending on the availability of transport. Firstly, we have to walk through jungle tracks for three hours, use longboats for another three hours, riding on four-wheeled drive for eight hours before we can reach the nearest town.

“From Marudi and Miri, we have to fly to Kuching.”

When asked why they did not approach their assemblyman Dennis Ngau (Telang Usan), Siang said that Ngau knew of their plan, but was not interested in their welfare.

“If the BN assemblymen and the authorities can help us we will not come to Kuching to present our case.

“But they just don’t care about our plight,” Siang added.

Rude BN reps

Explaining the purpose of their visit, Siang said it was to share with all the elected representatives and journalists their proposal through their Penan Peace Park project to develop the community.

“The Penans from 18 Penan villages have since 2009 been discussing how they can uphold and protect their rights and adat, preserve their history, look after their forests, rivers and environment and to develop their economy.

“Thus the idea of Penan Peace Park came into being. We are worried that our survival and our livelihood will be affected once the Baram dam is constructed,” said Siang, pointing out that through this Penan Peace Park a number of projects would be launched not only to ensure their survival but also to carry out all those objectives.

Meanwhile, Sarawak opposition leader Wong Ho Leng pledged DAP’s support for the Penan Peace Park.

Praising them for their bold peace park project, Wong, who is also the Bukit Assek assemblyman, said that it was to preserve their community, their culture and forest resources.

“For all these reasons, DAP will extend its support to and to fight for the Penan cause.

“We cannot allow the Penans to be continually marginalised by the Barisan Nasional,” he said.

Wong also voiced his “disgust” at the BN leaders’ lack of courtesy.

“I must express my disgust at the absence of BN elected representatives at the briefing.

“Although every assemblyman and assemblywoman from BN, DAP and PKR were given an invitation letter to come, not a single minister, assistant minister or assemblyman from BN appeared here.

“I think the Penan community has every right to know the reason for the lack of concern on the part of BN on the plight of the Penan people,” said Wong, who is also state DAP chairman.

‘Nothing wrong in listening’

Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian also took the BN leadership to task.

“I don’t see why the BN elected representatives were not present. There is nothing wrong in listening to the whole thing.

“The important thing is that we work for everybody and for the good of the rakyat irrespective of their political differences.

“Don’t say that because they are with the opposition, then you don’t support them. That is not good.

“As far as we are concerned, what they (Penans) presented today is very logical and reasonable.

“There is a need for it, and I hope the authorities and ministers would support their project,” said Bian, who is the Ba’Kelalan assemblyman.

Comment by Sarawak Headhunter: Even the White Rajahs treated the Penans better than Taib Mahmud & his regime.

1 Lagi Projek Khianat UMNO-BN Diperlanjutkan

(Sabahkini) - SAYA, Chung Su Li, menujukan surat terbuka ini kepada Perdana Menteri Malaysia, Menteri Dalam Negeri dan Jabatan Penguatkuasa di Malaysia agar memantau kegiatan subversif iaitu pemberian kerakyatan songsang kepada warganegara India di Sabah.

Siasatan saya mendapati seramai lebih kurang 100 orang warga India di Sabah dan lebih kurang 1,500 di Semenanjung Malaysia telah berjaya mendapat Kad Pengenalan dengan membayar sejumlah wang di antara RM 30,000 sehingga RM 75,000 kepada sindiket yang mempunyai rangkaian di seluruh Malaysia.

Saya mewakili majoriti suara rakyat Sabah ingin menarik perhatian kerajaan yang sedang berusaha untuk mencari dalang-dalang dalam aktiviti menjual IC kepada warga asing, terutama daripada India, Pakistan, Indonesia dan Filipina.

HEBAT....Skandal IC Projek terbaru masih menggunakan Modus operandi yang sama iaitu laporan kehilangan kad pengenalan.

Aktiviti membuat IC menggunakan wang telah mula menjadi-jadi di Sabah setelah seorang yang bernama Nasir Bin Yusof berjaya mendapatkan IC untuk dirinya pada awal tahun 2011.

Nasir Bin Yusof atau Latiff, yang berasal daripada RegunathaPatti, Tamil Nadu, India datang ke Malaysia dengan mengunakan Visa Tukang Masak di sebuah Restoran India.

Beliau kemudiannya telah berjaya membuka beberapa kedai sendiri di sekitar Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Antara bekas Restoran beliau yang terkenal ialah Restoran Salimah berhampiran Hospital Mesra Bukit Padang dan di Terminal Inanam.

Beliau membuka kedai mengunakan nama seorang warganegara Malaysia dan menjalankan perniagaan tersebut sedangkan dia memegang Visa tukang masak pada ketika itu.

PASPORT.....Salinan Pasport India Nasir yang ketika itu menggunakan nama Kader Moideen Latheef. Mustahil Jabatan Imigresen tidak mempunyai salinan kerana beliau mempunyai Permit Kerja sebagai Tukang Masak.

Pada masa itu, beliau mula mengalihkan minat beliau ke bidang lain. Atas sifat-sifat beliau yang berani dan pandai menarik hati dan memikat pegawai kerajaan dengan memberikan suapan tertentu; telah berjaya menjadi agen menguruskan dokumen kepada pekerja asing dan majikan warganegara.

Beliau menjalankan tugas khas ini sedangkan pada hakikatnya beliau hanya seorang tukang masak di kaca mata undang-undang, mengatasi Agensi Pekerjaan Swasta dan Agensi Kerajaan yang mempunyai potfolio mengeluarkan dokumen pengenalan diri.

Latiff mula menjual satu demi satu kedai beliau apabila perniagaan haramnya mula maju. Beliau tidak perlu sakit kepala lagi memikirkan tentang apa juadah yang perlu di masak di kedainya. Beliau juga tidak perlu membayar cukai perniagaan dan pendapatan. Beliau mula memberikan perhatian yang serius dalam aktiviti agen tersebut kerana sudah terkenal di Sabah.

Mengikut pemerhatian saya, beliau keluar masuk hampir setiap hari di Jabatan Imigresen Sabah (JIS). Beliau akan datang biasanya waktu petang dengan membawa beg berisi pasport dan sampul surat berwana coklat. Beliau akan terus berjumpa dengan pegawai yang diperlukannya dan mendapat layanan istimewa.

Kenapa perkara ini boleh terjadi? Latiff telah pun membeli dua organisasi penting iaitu Jabatan Imigresen Sabah (JIS) dan Jabatan Pendaftaran Sabah. Beliau merasuah hampir semua kakitangan JIS bermula daripada sumbangan sarapan pagi, makan tengah hari, minuman, alat solek, peralatan rumah dan kredit telefon bimbit. Jika disemak telefon bimbitnya, sudah tentu terdapat nombor telefon semua pegawai pegawai tinggi kerajaan terutama Imigresen, JPN dan Polis.

Latiff akan menguruskan visa pekerja asing dengan bayaran bermula daripada RM600 sehingga RM 1,000. Majikan lain yang cuba berurusan sendiri di kaunter akan mengalami pelbagai kerumitan dan kelewatan serta syarat yang sangat ketat.

Pegawai JIS tanpa segan silu akan mencadangkan kepada majikan untuk bertemu Latiff untuk memudahkan urusan mereka. Ini semua hasil tunjuk ajar Latiff. Namun setakat ini, hanya Pengarah Imigresen Sabah, Mohd Mentek sahaja yang tidak dapat dibeli kerana ketegasan dan prinsip y utuh yang dimilikinya.

Latiff tidak berjaya meraih simpati daripada Mentek yang kental dengan semangat kenegerian dan memahami masalah Sabah. Agensi Pekerja Asing yang berdaftar dengan Pasukan Petugas Khas Persekutuan hanya bermimpi di siang hari untuk mendapatkan layanan serupa dengan Latiff.

SEGERA.....Nasir menjadi pemilih ekpress dengan kad pengenalan yang ada padanya.

Latiff juga membantu orang ramai untuk mendaftarkan pekerja asing mereka secara haram, menguruskan penubuhan syarikat secara haram untuk memastikan warga asing dapat membawa kaum keluarga dan kerabat mereka masuk ke Malaysia melalui visa pegawai dagang.

Beliau juga mempunyai kenalan pengawai yang telah dirasuah di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kota Kinabalu terutama Pegawai Kanan Imigresen untuk membenarkan pekerja yang mengunakan visa bekerja di Semenajung Malaysia masuk bekerja di Sabah selain menguruskan urusan balik warga asing yang mempunyai masalah Imigresen.

Selain itu, beliau turut membantu orang ramai dengan bayaran tertentu untuk menguruskan dokumen lain seperti urusan membuat sijil nikah dan urusan JPN yang lain. Beliau juga sudah semakin berani apabila menjadi Setiausaha Parti Kimma sejurus mendapat IC Projeknya. Beliau mempunyai ramai kenalan dalam facebooknya terutama ahli Kimma seluruh negara.

Latiff kemudian membuka sebuah kedai setelah memiliki banyak wang, semata-mata untuk menutupi segala aktiviti haramnya. Kedai tersebut ialah JJ One Phone di Lot 57, Bandaran Berjaya, Kota Kinabalu.

Dalam kedai ini, terdapat sekurang-kurangnya 50 pasport dalam satu-satu masa. Kedai ini dibuka untuk mengelirukan pihak berkuasa dan menutup mata orang ramai. Namun kedai ini hanya menjadi mesin 'Money Laundering' kerana hanya menjual kredit telefon dan telah memindahkan operasi haramnya ke Asia City, Kota Kinabalu.

Latiff ini berjaya melepaskan diri daripada tindakan undang undang kerana memiliki pengaruh yang kuat serta memiliki keajaiban. Beliau pernah ditahan kerana menipu dalam menurunkan tandatangan seorang majikan setelah pekerja asingnya yang ditahan di Kudat oleh Pegawai Penguatkuasa Imigresen Sabah yang dikenali sebagai Halid. Namun, kes itu ditutup tanpa sebarang tindakan.

Beliau juga berkawan rapat dengan seorang polis yang bernama Ayub kerana Ayub mengenali hampir semua polis berpangkat tinggi di Sabah kerana dahulunya mempunyai sebuah kedai runcit dalam kawasan Ibu Pejabat Polis Kepayan.

Dengan Ayub, semua kawan beliau terutama orang India boleh keluar daripada tahanan dengan mudah tanpa sebarang kerumitan. Selain itu, di setiap pusat tahanan terutama di Kimanis Papar, Latiff mempunyai orang untuk mengeluarkan sesiapa saja yang ditahan dengan mengenakan bayaran antara RM2,000 hingga RM5,000 setiap seorang dan wang tersebut akan dikongsi bersama pegawai yang terlibat.

Pendedahan saya ini khas untuk menekankan bagaimana Latiff, seorang warga India yang telah lahir semula di Malaysia dan menjadi Warganegara Malaysia seterusnya menjadi salah satu kepala dalam membuat IC di Sabah.

Mengikut rekod, Latiff atau nama asalnya, Kader Moideen Latheef yang mengunakan Passport India bernombor E3171231 yang sah sehingga 08.10.2012 dan visa juga sah sehingga hujung 2011 dengan tarikh lahir dalam pasport 10 Oktober 1972.

Kini beliau tidak lagi menggunakan pasport India setelah mendapat resit kad pengenalan Malaysia 620605-12-6421 dengan identiti dan nama baru iaitu Nasir Bin Yusof dan tarikh lahirnya di kebelakangkan pada 05 Jun 1962. Perkara ini sangat jelas menunjukan berlaku banyak penipuan yang dilakukan oleh Latiff. Bagaimana beliau boleh tua 10 tahun dalam IC berbanding Pasport beliau?

Siapakah Nasir Bin Yusof ini sebenarnya? Adakah orang yang telah meninggal atau pun orang yang tidak menuntut ICnya? Ini bukan fitnah. Saya sertakan salinan pasport dan semakan daftar pemilih beliau.

Saya percaya bahawa Tuhan akan meninggal bukti bagi menumpaskan semua kejahatan di dunia ini. Bukti yang saya berikan sangat jelas. Namun, bagaimana pula Latiff ini berjaya memiliki IC ini?

Adakah hal ini seperti yang dibangkitkan oleh Naib Presiden PAS, Dato Mahfuz Bin Omar baru-baru ini? Apa pun saya akan memberikan serba sedikit maklumat mereka yang terlibat dan terpulang kepada kerajaan Malaysia untuk menyiasatnya.

Jangan kerana nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga. Orang macam Latifflah yang menyebabkan desakan terhadap RCI terus dilaungkan oleh rakyat Sabah. Saya berpendapat, penahanan beberapa individu yang saya berikan ini akan mencari penyelesaian masalah IC di Sabah.

Latiff ini berjaya mendapatkan IC beliau melalui pertolongan Datuk Haji Jaffaer Henry, bekas Pengarah JPN Sabah melalui bantuan Suzina Binti Mohd Rahfee. Puan Suzina mempunyai hubungan rapat dengan Latiff. Latiff sentiasa mengambil dan menghantar Puan Suzina apabila pergi atau balik daripada mana-mana urusan di luar negeri terutama daripada Kuala Lumpur dan Labuan.

Selain itu, Latiff sentiasa mengunakan kereta Puan Suzina apabila dia tiada di Sabah. Latiff juga menyediakan semua keperluan rumah kepada Puan Suzina. Saya hairan bagaimana Puan Suzina yang bergred KP 27 yang juga baru mengangkat sumpah sebagai Penolong Pegawai Pendaftaran pada tahun 2009 dan menerima penempatan baru di JPN Kota Kinabalu boleh menandatangani resit laporan kehilangan kad pengenalan pada tahun 2004 dan 1996?

Beliau yang baru mengangkat sumpah untuk bertugas di JPN Kota Kinabalu pada 28 Mei 2009 bertempat di 'The Regency, Tanjung Tuan Beach Resort, Port Dickson berjaya menyediakan semua dokumen secara sempurna untuk mendapatkan IC kepada Latiff; tetapi tidak berjaya membuatnya tanpa meninggalkan bukti kukuh.

Selepas berjaya mendapatkan IC, Latiff melihat perkara ini daripada sudut perniagaan. Beliau ingin mengaut keuntungan besar dengan menjual IC seperti ini. Beliau kemudianya mencari jalan dan beliau mula bersekongkol dengan rangkaian Musakkar Bin Abdullah (Kadersha) yang juga memiliki ‘IC MASIH PANAS’ yang maklumatnya disertakan bersama ini.

Rangkaian Musakkar ini terdiri daripada beberapa orang daripada Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara. Mereka diketui oleh Abdul Rahman bin Md Noor (Gred 42) Ketua Unit Khas Sabah (KUS) di Putrajaya; diikuti Puan Farrah Izanni Binti Mohamad Ismail, Penolong Pengarah Unit Khas Sabah; Md. Solehan bin Omar, Pengarah Bahagian; Ruslan Bin Alias, Penolong Pegawai Pendaftaran; Susilan dan Puan Sulaiha dan beberapa pegawai di Bahagian Kad Pengenalan.

Mereka menerima permohonan Kad Pengenalan seperti ini hanya daripada Latiff, Musakkar dan beberapa orang lagi. Mereka akan meminta menyediakan butiran serta gambar dan kemudian mereka akan diberikan resit IC, Sijil Lahir dan seterusnya Maykad berserta dokumen lain oleh pegawai di atas.

Saya tidak mengenali semua pegawai tersebut, akan tetapi semua mereka ini benar-benar terlibat. Saya tiada memiliki bukti lain selain daripada ini. Namun, saya yakin dengan bantuan semua individu tersebut, Latiff berjaya mendapatkan IC seseorang yang telah mati ataupun yang tidak dituntut oleh pemohon.

Kejayaan Latiff ini berjaya menambah ahli rangkaian dan agen di Sabah. Latiff kemudian bertukar menjadi salah satu ahli rangkaian ini dengan harapan dapat menguat untung yang besar. Rangkaian ini kemudian di sertai oleh Salim Khan Bin Kaboor dengan IC bernombor 681012-12-5123 iaitu pemilik sebuah restoran terkenal di Sabah iaitu Restoran Salim, di Lintas Plaza, Kota Kinabalu.

Setelah beliau berkahwin kali kedua, beliau telah jatuh dalam perniagaan dan setelah mula berniaga IC, beliau kini sudah naik semula dan semakin kaya. Rangkaian ini kemudian berjaya mendaftarkan seramai 100 orang setakat ini di Sabah dan di Semenanjung 1,500 lebih.

Semua orang yang telah meninggal di Semenanjung Malaysia telah lahir semula dengan bantuan pendekar-pendekar yang baru wujud di Sabah ini. Adakah ini zaman batu atau zaman moden? Salim dan Latiff sentiasa menjemput Rahman apabila sampai di Sabah dengan menyediakan semua kemudahan termasuk hotel mewah dan sebagainya. Perkara ini amat merisaukan saya dan seluruh rakyat Sabah.

IC yang dimiliki oleh Latiff telah dibuat sebegitu sempurna tanpa boleh dipertikaikan lagi. Siap dengan salinan laporan kehilangan kad pengenalan yang kononnya pernah hilang pada 12 Mac 2004 dan 30 Disembet 1996 yang ditandatangani oleh Puan Suzina yang saya sertakan sekali dengan laporan saya ini.

Namun dengan kuasa tuhan, saya telah menjumpai beberapa kelemahan dalam laporan ini kerana nama penuh dalam laporan ini ialah Nasir @ Lathiep Bin Yusuf yang mana sangat berbeza dengan IC beliau. Adakah Puan Suzina ini bekerja dari tahun 1997 sehingga 2011 dalam satu bahagian yang sama dalam JPN Kota Kinabalu atau beliau baru ditempatkan di Kota Kinabalu pada Mei 2009? Adakah perkara ini boleh masuk akal?

Latiff mempunyai dua orang adik beradik lagi di Sabah yang mana salah satunya berada di Papar dan tidak mempunyai IC dan salah satunya yang bernama Peer Mohammad Bin Kadeer dengan no Maykad 600323-12-5465. Adik beradik satu bapa tetapi dibinkan kepada orang lain. Tidakkah pihak kerajaan boleh menyiasat hal ini?

Seorang lagi agen khas untuk pekerja asing India yang terlibat dalam rangkaian ini ialah Musakar Bin Abdullah dengan IC No 620305-12-5961. Jika meneliti kisah Musakar, beliau ini boleh dianggap sangat berbahaya dan saya memiliki beberapa dokumen untuk membuktikan bahawa IC Musakar ini baru di beli.

Beliau datang daripada India mengunakan Visa Tukang Masak untuk Kedai Kopi Farvin Inanam yang dijamin oleh Majikannya, Aziz Bin Kasim. Kemudian Aziz telah membatalkan visa tersebut dan menghantarnya balik ke India. Salinan tersebut turut disertakan. Beliau kemudiannya balik ke Malaysia dengan jaminan seseorang lagi.

Beliau kemudian membuka sebuah kedai barang-barang aneka kecil di belakang kedai Farveen Curry House berhampiran Shell, Kampung Air Kota Kinabalu. Seratus peratus barang dalam kedai ini ialah barang curi yang dibekalkan oleh sindikit tertentu dan menjadikan tingkat atas kedai beliau tempat menyimpan barang atau stor.

Kemudian beliau akan menjualnya di kedai tersebut. Pihak kerajaan boleh menyiasat hal ini dengan lebih lanjut lagi. Tambahan pula, nama Musakkar ini sewemangnya nama bukan India. Tentu sekali, Mykad ini milik rakyat Malaysia atau Indonesia.

Musakkar datang ke Malaysia dengan nama Kadersha Mydeen atau nama gelaran Katta Kaja dengan pasport India bernombor A7754373. Kemudian beliau membuat IC dengan bayaran RM 30,000 melalui rangkaiannya. Beliau berasal daripada Asoor, Trichy, Tamilnadu dan pasportnya sah sehingga 5 Mei 2009.

Beliau kini sudah membuka restoran sendiri di hadapan kedai barang anekanya dengan nama Restoran Farveen Curry House bertentangan Shell Kampung Air. Pada asalnya, beliau hanya bekerja di situ. Apabila berjaya mendapat untung yang banyak daripada penjualan IC, beliau terus membeli kedai tersebut dan menjadikan ia miliknya. Kegiatan Kadersha ini boleh mengancam keselamatan Negara kita.

Kadersha ini pada asalnya bekerja bersama Aziz bin Kasim. Atas kebiadapan terhadap Majikannya dan melakukan kesalahan Imigresen, beliau ditahan oleh Jabatan Imigresen Sabah yang ketika itu laporan ini dibuat oleh Aziz di pejabat lama di Wisma Dang Bandang, Kampung Air.

Semasa dalam tahanan, Aziz telah membatalkan visanya dan membeli tiket penerbangannya untuk balik ke India. Salinan tiket tersebut turut disertakan. Namun, Kadersha berjaya keluar daripada tahanan dengan bantuan seseorang.

Beliau kemudian membuat muslihat dan tinggal di Sabah. Sekarang ini beliau kembali ke Malaysia dan berjaya membeli Restoran majikannya sendiri. Fakta ini benar sekali, pihak berkuasa boleh menghubungi bekas majikannya, Aziz bin Kasim di talian 016-8105XXXX (nombor sebenar sila email ke Sabahkini) untuk maklumat lanjut.

Selain itu, satu kes yang masih dalam siasatan di Balai Polis Lama Kota Kinabalu terhadap Kadersha mengenai cek tendang yang dilaporkan oleh Aziz Bin Kasim, bekas majikannya. Baru baru ini, ada orang yang melaporkan tentang IC Musakkar (Kadersha) di Balai Polis Karamusing.

Tetapi kes ini berjaya ditutup olehnya dengan wang ringgit Malaysia. Kadersha juga menyembunyikan dirinya selama seminggu di rumah banglonya yang dibeli dengan wang hasil kerja kerasnya membuat IC di Semenanjung Malaysia sebelum menutup kes ini. SB Mohan daripada Balai Polis Karamusing juga mengetahui hal ini. Dialah yang menguruskan kes-kes India di Kota Kinabalu.

Sehubungan itu, saya mengharapkan satu penyiasatan khas dibuat mengenai hal ini. Saya bersama ratusan rakan saya tidak akan teragak-agak untuk mengumpulkan tandatangan bagi memastikan kerajaan Malaysia menyiasat hal ini dan tidak memberikan sebarang alasan.

Kami mahu IC mereka yang terlibat harus ditarik balik. Kami rakyat Sabah tidak mahu mereka menjadi salah satu pengundi dalam pilihanraya 13 akan datang. Kami mahukan penyelesaian menyeluruh.

Sekiranya kerajaan Malaysia tidak menyiasat dan mengenakan tindakan undang-undang ke atas semua suspek ini, maka kami akan meminta bantuan pembangkang untuk menuntut penyiasatan ke atas isu ini yang kami kira amat penting untuk kami warga Sabah. Kami hilang punca pendapatan angkara warga asing seperti Latiff dan Kadersha yang diberikan IC.

Saya berharap agar agensi kerajaan yang terlibat menyiasat hal ini serta merta sebelum pilihanraya akan datang. Penerima IC seperti ini harus dibuang dahulu. Mereka tiada hak memegang kad pengenalan Malaysia.

Pendedahan saya ini membantu kerajaan untuk mengesan individu yang bersalah dan seharusnya inilah peluang yang baik kepada kerajaan Malaysia untuk membersihkan nama daripada dakwaan pembangkang.

Apa pun jutaan rakyat Sabah akan menantikan berita gembira tentang dalang-dalang dan pemegang IC ini ditangkap secepat mungkin. Kami menaruh harapan pada kerajaan yang kami sanjung selama ini. Kami sentiasa menantikan langkah daripada kerajaan selepas ini dengan harapan yang besar.

Penuntutan pembangkang untuk menubuhkan RCI akan terjawab dengan tertangkapnya rangkaian ini. Maklumat ini saya kumpul daripada agen-agen SAH di Sabah dan orang ramai. Selepas penahanan rangkaian ini, Ini kalilah, terjawabnya semua misteri di sebalik desakan penubuhan RCI. Apabila berita ini diketahui oleh mereka, tentu mereka akan bersembunyi dan keluar selepas keadaan baik semula. Tapi ingat, kami tidak akan biarkan rangkaian ini berleluasa sampai bila-bila pun.

Kami tidak mendedahkan identiti kami seperti nombor telefon selengkapnya kerana risau tentang keselamatan kami. Semua yang terlibat amat berbahaya. Pegawai kerajaan juga dikira amat takut dengan mereka ini. Namun jika diperlukan, bukan saya seorang yang akan tampil nanti, ribuan orang yang menyokong saya dalam hal ini akan tampil ke hadapan.

Saya harap kerajaan mulakan dahulu penyiasatan. Semua bukti kukuh telah saya berikan. Tiada satu pun tuduhan saya ini boleh dianggap fitnah. Kami sedang mengumpulkan nama-nama dan biodata mereka yang baru sahaja membeli IC daripada rangkaian ini dan akan didedahkan kemudian hari.

Sedangkan masih ramai pemegang kad bunga raya di Sabah akibat daripada kelewatan JPN menguruskanya yang berpunca daripada kekurangan maklumat, bagaimana kerajaan boleh bertindak mengeluarkan IC berbayar seperti ini yang seratus peratusnya haram?

Sekian, Terima Kasih,

Salam Satu Malaysia,

CHUNG SU LI

Basic Principles On The Role Of Lawyers

Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers

Adopted by the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, Havana, Cuba, 27 August to 7 September 1990 Whereas in the Charter of the United Nations the peoples of the world affirm, inter alia , their determination to establish conditions under which justice can be maintained, and proclaim as one of their purposes the achievement of international cooperation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion, Whereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines the principles of equality before the law, the presumption of innocence, the right to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, and all the guarantees necessary for the defence of everyone charged with a penal offence,  Whereas the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights proclaims, in addition, the right to be tried without undue delay and the right to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law, Whereas the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recalls the obligation of States under the Charter to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and freedoms, Whereas the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment provides that a detained person shall be entitled to have the assistance of, and to communicate and consult with, legal counsel, Whereas the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners recommend, in particular, that legal assistance and confidential communication with counsel should be ensured to untried prisoners, Whereas the Safeguards guaranteeing protection of those facing the death penalty reaffirm the right of everyone suspected or charged with a crime for which capital punishment may be imposed to adequate legal assistance at all stages of the proceedings, in accordance with article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Whereas the Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power recommends measures to be taken at the international and national levels to improve access to justice and fair treatment, restitution, compensation and assistance for victims of crime, Whereas adequate protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms to which all persons are entitled, be they economic, social and cultural, or civil and political, requires that all persons have effective access to legal services provided by an independent legal profession, Whereas professional associations of lawyers have a vital role to play in upholding professional standards and ethics, protecting their members from persecution and improper restrictions and infringements, providing legal services to all in need of them, and cooperating with governmental and other institutions in furthering the ends of justice and public interest, The Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, set forth below, which have been formulated to assist Member States in their task of promoting and ensuring the proper role of lawyers, should be respected and taken into account by Governments within the framework of their national legislation and practice and should be brought to the attention of lawyers as well as other persons, such as judges, prosecutors, members of the executive and the legislature, and the public in general. These principles shall also apply, as appropriate, to persons who exercise the functions of lawyers without having the formal status of lawyers. Access to lawyers and legal services 1. All persons are entitled to call upon the assistance of a lawyer of their choice to protect and establish their rights and to defend them in all stages of criminal proceedings. 2. Governments shall ensure that efficient procedures and responsive mechanisms for effective and equal access to lawyers are provided for all persons within their territory and subject to their jurisdiction, without distinction of any kind, such as discrimination based on race, colour, ethnic origin, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, economic or other status. 3. Governments shall ensure the provision of sufficient funding and other resources for legal services to the poor and, as necessary, to other disadvantaged persons. Professional associations of lawyers shall cooperate in the organization and provision of services, facilities and other resources. 4. Governments and professional associations of lawyers shall promote programmes to inform the public about their rights and duties under the law and the important role of lawyers in protecting their fundamental freedoms. Special attention should be given to assisting the poor and other disadvantaged persons so as to enable them to assert their rights and where necessary call upon the assistance of lawyers. Special safeguards in criminal justice matters 5. Governments shall ensure that all persons are immediately informed by the competent authority of their right to be assisted by a lawyer of their own choice upon arrest or detention or when charged with a criminal offence. 6. Any such persons who do not have a lawyer shall, in all cases in which the interests of justice so require, be entitled to have a lawyer of experience and competence commensurate with the nature of the offence assigned to them in order to provide effective legal assistance, without payment by them if they lack sufficient means to pay for such services. 7. Governments shall further ensure that all persons arrested or detained, with or without criminal charge, shall have prompt access to a lawyer, and in any case not later than forty-eight hours from the time of arrest or detention. 8. All arrested, detained or imprisoned persons shall be provided with adequate opportunities, time and facilities to be visited by and to communicate and consult with a lawyer, without delay, interception or censorship and in full confidentiality. Such consultations may be within sight, but not within the hearing, of law enforcement officials. Qualifications and training 9. Governments, professional associations of lawyers and educational institutions shall ensure that lawyers have appropriate education and training and be made aware of the ideals and ethical duties of the lawyer and of human rights and fundamental freedoms recognized by national and international law. 10. Governments, professional associations of lawyers and educational institutions shall ensure that there is no discrimination against a person with respect to entry into or continued practice within the legal profession on the grounds of race, colour, sex, ethnic origin, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, economic or other status, except that a requirement, that a lawyer must be a national of the country concerned, shall not be considered discriminatory. 11. In countries where there exist groups, communities or regions whose needs for legal services are not met, particularly where such groups have distinct cultures, traditions or languages or have been the victims of past discrimination, Governments, professional associations of lawyers and educational institutions should take special measures to provide opportunities for candidates from these groups to enter the legal profession and should ensure that they receive training appropriate to the needs of their groups. Duties and responsibilities 12. Lawyers shall at all times maintain the honour and dignity of their profession as essential agents of the administration of justice. 13. The duties of lawyers towards their clients shall include: ( a ) Advising clients as to their legal rights and obligations, and as to the working of the legal system in so far as it is relevant to the legal rights and obligations of the clients; ( b ) Assisting clients in every appropriate way, and taking legal action to protect their interests; ( c ) Assisting clients before courts, tribunals or administrative authorities, where appropriate. 14. Lawyers, in protecting the rights of their clients and in promoting the cause of justice, shall seek to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms recognized by national and international law and shall at all times act freely and diligently in accordance with the law and recognized standards and ethics of the legal profession. 15. Lawyers shall always loyally respect the interests of their clients. Guarantees for the functioning of lawyers 16. Governments shall ensure that lawyers ( a ) are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference; ( b ) are able to travel and to consult with their clients freely both within their own country and abroad; and ( c ) shall not suffer, or be threatened with, prosecution or administrative, economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties, standards and ethics. 17. Where the security of lawyers is threatened as a result of discharging their functions, they shall be adequately safeguarded by the authorities. 18. Lawyers shall not be identified with their clients or their clients' causes as a result of discharging their functions. 19. No court or administrative authority before whom the right to counsel is recognized shall refuse to recognize the right of a lawyer to appear before it for his or her client unless that lawyer has been disqualified in accordance with national law and practice and in conformity with these principles. 20. Lawyers shall enjoy civil and penal immunity for relevant statements made in good faith in written or oral pleadings or in their professional appearances before a court, tribunal or other legal or administrative authority. 21. It is the duty of the competent authorities to ensure lawyers access to appropriate information, files and documents in their possession or control in sufficient time to enable lawyers to provide effective legal assistance to their clients. Such access should be provided at the earliest appropriate time. 22. Governments shall recognize and respect that all communications and consultations between lawyers and their clients within their professional relationship are confidential. Freedom of expression and association 23. Lawyers like other citizens are entitled to freedom of expression, belief, association and assembly. In particular, they shall have the right to take part in public discussion of matters concerning the law, the administration of justice and the promotion and protection of human rights and to join or form local, national or international organizations and attend their meetings, without suffering professional restrictions by reason of their lawful action or their membership in a lawful organization. In exercising these rights, lawyers shall always conduct themselves in accordance with the law and the recognized standards and ethics of the legal profession. Professional associations of lawyers 24. Lawyers shall be entitled to form and join self-governing professional associations to represent their interests, promote their continuing education and training and protect their professional integrity. The executive body of the professional associations shall be elected by its members and shall exercise its functions without external interference. 25. Professional associations of lawyers shall cooperate with Governments to ensure that everyone has effective and equal access to legal services and that lawyers are able, without improper interference, to counsel and assist their clients in accordance with the law and recognized professional standards and ethics. Disciplinary proceedings 26. Codes of professional conduct for lawyers shall be established by the legal profession through its appropriate organs, or by legislation, in accordance with national law and custom and recognized international standards and norms. 27. Charges or complaints made against lawyers in their professional capacity shall be processed expeditiously and fairly under appropriate procedures. Lawyers shall have the right to a fair hearing, including the right to be assisted by a lawyer of their choice. 28. Disciplinary proceedings against lawyers shall be brought before an impartial disciplinary committee established by the legal profession, before an independent statutory authority, or before a court, and shall be subject to an independent judicial review. 29. All disciplinary proceedings shall be determined in accordance with the code of professional conduct and other recognized standards and ethics of the legal profession and in the light of these principles.

The Father Of The Illegitimate UMNO Baru (Haramjadah)

A deranged doctor in the house

Josh Hong

Mahathir Mohamad may have been a dutiful and well-respected medical doctor back in the 1940s. But his decision to enter the political fray has - it’s safe to say - turned out to be a sheer nightmare for the country as a whole.

Mahathir could have maintained his good reputation as a doctor, but his name is now ruined, forever associated with the Twin Towers of corruption and cronyism, his only solace being perhaps the personal wealth that he and his sons managed to accumulate when he was at the zenith of his tyrannical rule.

And the most pathetic thing about this old man is that he had a choice to become either a statesman or a rascal, but he has clearly opted to be remembered as a deranged veteran who refuses to believe the world around him has changed.

By any standards, Mahathir was an intelligent man among his contemporaries. Even Lee Kuan Yew found him a tough nut to crack.

Lee is an elite member of the old anglophile school who could easily quote a famous British judge to justify his own autocratic governance, but was confronted with tremendous difficulties in articulating his thoughts with the masses in Singapore’s early days as an independent state. But Mahathir, himself from the top drawer of his time, was often able to return to the grassroots and arouse populist sentiment for his own cause when the going got tough.

Which makes it all the more tragic that the doctor has now become deranged in his own house. With Barisan Nasional appearing to lose power sooner or later, he is living in great fear of his own misdeeds and transgressions being laid bare under the Malaysian sun. Had Mahathir been a righteous and just-minded leader, he would not have to shudder constantly at the scenario of an alternative government, for his rectitude would remain intact, come what may.

But integrity is precisely what the doctor is short of. To pre-empt potential change of government, he is now working profusely to smear both the Bersih movement and the opposition by joining the government’s chorus of vilification.

In fact, he is almost a lead singer!

Admittedly, Mahathir, who is single-handedly responsible for the erosion of the Malaysian judiciary does not see eye to eye with the Bar Council. The bad blood, however, came only from the doctor himself as he tried to ‘fix’ the judges as he did his own patients in Alor Star. His caustic remarks that the Bar Council has become a political party therefore only reveal his ineptitude in understanding the role of the legal fraternity.

Hence, it was a blessing that the colonial administration allegedly denied him a scholarship to read law in London!

Instead of hurling hollow accusations at the Bar Council, Mahathir should have the decency to admit as many as 90 percent of the judges, high-ranking police officers and “mainstream” journalists - especially those from RTM, TV3, Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian, The Star and the New Straits Times - actually joined Umno and became his underlings after 1988.

Speaking truth to power

No, the Bar Council is not partisan. It just so happens that the current government is more often than not found to be on the wrong side of the law, and our lawyers are duty-bound to correct it. A Singaporean lawyer once told me how much she wished her colleagues back home would have the guts to speak truth to power like many of her Malaysian counterparts. This time on the Bersih 3.0 rally, the Malaysian Bar Council has again proven her right, of which I am indeed proud.

And Mahathir consistently refuses to accept the simple fact that Malaysians have different political identifications as rightful citizens. As far as he sees it, anyone who votes for the opposition is a bad Malaysian and less worthy, yet he ought to be told that not all who vote for Pas are religious “fanatics” and those who opt for the DAP are Chinese “chauvinists”. They simply want a government that is less corrupt, more honest and knows its limits.

My parents, for one, voted first the Barisan Sosialis Rakyat Malaya and then PAS throughout their lives, and did that make them racists or religious bigots? And how would “racists” like my parents have chosen PAS over either the MCA or the Chinese-dominated Gerakan in the first place? Can the doctor see the abject lack of logic in his view?

Simply put, Mahathir is now so paranoid and caught up with profound angst that he has lost all his senses, bent only on poisoning the minds of the Malays - young and old alike - with his race-centric rhetoric. Instead of championing greater transparency, public accountability and political integrity, he is going on an immoral crusade against anyone who simply wants to make Malaysia a better country to live in.

Which, in retrospect, was perhaps a reason why he was rejected by the colonial administration, for Mahathir just beats the British at their own game: divide and rule that is.

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JOSH HONG studied politics at London Metropolitan University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. A keen watcher of domestic and international politics, he longs for a day when Malaysians will learn and master the art of self-mockery, and enjoy life to the full in spite of politicians.

What The Opposition Must Do To Win Sarawak & Sabah In GE-13

To win Sarawak and Sabah in GE-13, the Opposition must promise (after the respective State Governments have also been changed) to:

1. Restore Sarawak & Sabah's Nation status as per the 18/20 Points Agreements;

2. Adhere to all the other provisions of the 18/20 Points Agreements;

3. Give back to Sarawak & Sabah full control over their petroleum resources & renegotiate what Sarawak & Sabah are willing to give to the Federal Government;

4. Allow Sarawak & Sabah to determine and control their own education, finance & taxation systems;

5. Re-designate the "Chief Minister" of each Nation as "Prime Minister";

6. Implement a system of proportionate and popular representation, by reducing the disproportions in the number of voters between each Parliamentary seat and also each State seat and whereby the Prime Minister of Malaysia as well as the Prime Ministers of Sarawak and Sabah shall be voted by the whole of the respective electorates;

7. Allow Sabah & Sarawak to establish their own Army and State Police and be responsible for their own Defence and Internal Security;

8. Allow Sarawak & Sabah full control of their own Citizenship, Customs and Immigration;

9. Implement full Borneanisation of Sarawak & Sabah's Administrative Service;

10. Give fair and full opportunities to Sarawakians and Sabahans who choose to join the Federal Diplomatic and Administrative Service;

11. Give Sarawak & Sabah the right of deciding at any time whether to secede from the Federation or not, by way of a referendum of their citizens; and

12. Give Sarawak & Sabah the right to remove the citizenships of illegal immigrants wrongfully granted by the (previous) Federal government.

This should do for a start at redressing the wrongs that have been done by Malaya to Sarawak & Sabah since the formation of Malaysia.

Let us see whether the Opposition is sincere enough in their dealings with Sarawak & Sabah to be able to make and keep such promises.
 

Kenapa Sarawak & Sabah Harus Keluar Malaysia

How To Tell If The Illegitimate UMNO/BN Government Is A Fascist Regime

From a post by Charles Thomas to the New Straight Times Malaysia Facebook Page. 

The following is a checklist to determine if one is a Fascist, and the powers that be in Malaysia fits the bill, well almost. It is slowly turning into a Fascist regime. God help us all!

Def ~ Fascism - often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.

Are you a fascist? Many people are fascists and they don’t even realize it. And sometimes, they know it all too well, but hide and deny it. Most of the time though, it’s obvious who the fascists are. For instance, you might be a fascist if…

1. You are obsessed with national power and pride and believe your country doesn’t have to follow the rules and shouldn’t ever apologize for doing things that are wrong. You think your nation can do whatever it wants.

2. You believe in the rule of the few, election rigging, political decisions being made by a select group of officials behind closed doors, embrace the informal and unregulated exercise of political power, arbitrary deprivation of civil liberties, and little tolerance for meaningful opposition.

3. You believe in survival of the fittest, an every man for himself mentality that causes you to believe that poor people and sick people are weak and must be punished. You think rich people are strong because they are wealthy and that they should rule us. You also believe your race is superior to all others.

4. You use the media as a political propaganda machine to target a specific audience and to push your agenda on others. You make sure the media demonizes your opponents and takes your side on nearly every issue. You use your propaganda machine to play on the fears of others.

5. You are obsessed with security, and war. You feed this obsession by spending trillions of dollars building up a large military force and are willing to sacrifice domestic programs your people count on to keep your military huge. You start unnecessary and costly wars and you are paranoid of other nations.

6. You are driven to indoctrinate others into your way of thinking. So much so, that you try to re-write history, change the way school children are taught and you brainwash the ignorant. You use your propaganda machine as a tool to achieve this.

7. You fear and demonize intelligent people who have a higher education because they are the ones who can thwart your effort to brainwash people. You then attempt to prevent others from achieving a higher education because you want the people as ignorant as possible so you can convince them that your way is the right way.

8. You have a deep hatred and fear of communists and you instill your followers with hatred and fear of others by accusing your political opponents of being communists. This gives you an easy scapegoat to blame when things go wrong. Any person or policy you don’t like is branded as communism.

9. You disrespect women and think their place is in the home. You believe women are weak and cannot do things that men do. You believe that sexual harassment or assault is no big deal and that the only thing women are good for is cooking meals and having babies.

10. You strongly align yourself with corporations and you support corporate money and influence in government. You despise government regulations that keep corporations honest because you believe everything should be controlled by the free market and that corporations should be allowed to do whatever they please.

11. You are obsessed with religion. You seek to declare and to impose religious laws on all the people across the country. You believe other religions are inferior and that those who practice them should either be converted or destroyed.

12. You believe your race is superior and seek to disenfranchise or humiliate other races. You believe in legalized discrimination and fantasize about a return to times when the races were separate or when those of color were enslaved. You use code words in an attempt to hide your racism and you make laws that weaken the influence of those of color. Immigration and voting laws in particular.

13. You absolutely despise unions. To you and those like you, labor unions represent the empowerment of workers. Since you believe corporations can do whatever they want, you see organized labor as a threat because they fight for higher wages, health care, safety regulations, less hours, vacations, sick days, and holidays off. This obviously threatens the amount of money corporations can give to you and your cause so you brand unions as proponents of socialism/communism and make laws that severely weaken them so that corporations can have a cheap, mindless labor force.

14. You are obsessed with crime and a major supporter of punishing those who commit crimes. So much so, that you don’t care about the concept of ‘innocent until proven guilty.’ You are proud of executing people and aren’t bothered if an innocent person is killed. You seek to make harsher laws, especially laws that target specific groups of people such as immigrants, women, and people of color. You also oppose human rights and using humane interrogation tactics and you seek to undermine the independent judiciary.

15. You believe every election should go your way and to reach that goal, you push voting laws that disenfranchise those who traditionally vote for opponents such as people of color, the elderly, college students, and the poor. You even stoop to fixing elections in some cases and complain when your opponents challenge the vote counts.

16. You believe in rewarding your friends with positions when you gain power and you reward those who support you with government contracts and money, especially corporations. You also do your best to aid your supporters in any way you can, such as repealing undesirable pieces of legislation and regulations. You often have something to gain financially from this.

17. You create scapegoats to blame when problems arise. Whether it’s communists, socialists, the West, minorities, homosexuals, the poor, foreigners, immigrants, one thing is for certain. You and your propaganda tool will blame each and every one of those groups for bad things that happen even if you were the cause of the problems in the first place.

18. You take advantage of a national disaster such as an economic collapse or an attack to demonize your opponents and push your agenda. You use these events to strike fear into the population in an attempt to scare people into voting for you and your cause. It’s all about fear and scare tactics.

How UMNO Failed Malaysia on 28th April 2012

Many people failed Malaysia on Saturday — A Malaysian

May 01, 2012

MAY 1 — Tan Sri Ahmad Fuad Ismail, the Datuk Bandar of Kuala Lumpur, failed us when he forgot that he was a public servant and instead, became a servant of the ruling party of the day.

Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein failed us when, even after the experience of Bersih 2.0, he oversaw, as Home Minister, the unnecessary violence wreaked on an almost wholly peaceful gathering of citizens who merely were out to state their concerns over what they see as a flawed electoral process. And to rub salt into the wound, in the aftermath, Hishammuddin sought to justify the unwarranted violence.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak failed us when as Prime Minister of all Malaysians — regardless whether they support him or not — he uttered not a squeak to ensure his flock (and as citizens, we are his flock) were facilitated in gathering peacefully to voice their concerns.

The mainstream newspapers — The Star, the New Straits Times, Berita
Harian and, but of course, Utusan Malaysia — failed us yet again when they sought to justify the wrongs and entrenched their position as propagandists rather than the chroniclers of truth that they are supposed to be.

And while the police and the ruling party may want us to believe that the organisers of Bersih 3.0 also failed us, I disagree because everything that Fuad and the authorities did to prevent their citizens from gathering at Dataran Merdeka, I believe, was a formula to encourage a few hotheads to breach the barriers and they got what they wished for — an excuse to blame the organisers.

Some, like the New Straits Times, say the organisers should have taken the option of gathering at Stadium Merdeka as offered by the authorities and that would have prevented any incident. Really? Why not argue that if Fuad had allowed Dataran Merdeka as a venue, there would not have been any incidence either? But Fuad acted as if Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) — an oxymoron after Saturday’s events — is his personal turf. Why so adamant Fuad? Independence is not only yours to savour; it is ours as well.

I have never voted for the opposition parties in my life. Now, months towards retirement age, I will ashamedly say that every election that I have been eligible to vote, I blindly marked X next to the “dacing” symbol. Yes, I had my concerns about issues. But I always felt that the Barisan Nasional was the better alternative, despite its shortcomings, despite its corruption and abuse of power, despite its authoritarian ways.

But in recent years, many a time I have looked up and asked the Almighty, is this what we deserve — a choice between bad and slightly worse? When Bersih 2.0 took to the streets in July last year, I stayed away, monitoring their progress on the news portals. I believed in their cause but I was one of the many who asked what use it would be to gather like that. Nothing will change.

But, like the many who were appalled at the way our ordinary fellow citizens were herded up like cattle and bundled into Black Marias to Pulapol and who were appalled at the way the authorities and the mainstream media tried to lie to us in subsequent days that there were only 6,000 “violent” protesters, and that they arrested a quarter of them, I decided then that I would be at Bersih 3.0. I believed then that whether things changed or not, I would be there to tell this Government, this ruling party that I have supported for more than 30 years, that I, too, want them to change things.

There have been so many accounts in cyber world of “My Bersih 3.0” experience — some heart wrenching, some angry, some bitter and some, in the spirit of all the great religions of this world — Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism — urging forgiveness and asking us to move forward.

But this is what I saw.

I saw friends who had never shown an interest in politics coming with their wives and children to say they wanted free and fair elections, because rightly or wrongly, they believe that the electoral system is flawed. They were not there to be violent.

I saw in the narrow alleys cutting through to Lebuh Ampang, a group of young and old Muslims, praying as a Jemaah in their distinctive yellow T-shirts. They were not there to be violent.

I saw many mothers and their teenaged daughters; fathers holding up small children. They were not there to be violent.

I saw the normally reticent Chinese, many young people among them, taking to the streets — either in green “Stop Lynas” or yellow Bersih tees. I saw this refined old Malay gentleman, well dressed and in his 60s, holding on firmly to an equally distinguished looking Chinese gentleman of similar age, marching to show that they were friends united in a cause. I saw this elderly Chinese lady, caught by a skull-capped, bearded PAS Unit Amal, as she almost stumbled and fell while taking photographs. I heard him say: “Aunty, jaga-jaga sikit. Jangan jatuh…”

I saw the lawyer-type Indian gentlemen and ladies marching proudly, side by side their spouses and children, laughing and joking in between chanting “Hidup Bersih.” I saw them passing water bottles to those who did not have any; I saw them aiding the old; I saw them carrying the young; I saw — after such a long, long time, Malaysians who represent the spectrum of the Malaysia that should be, united in purpose.

None of them were there to be violent.

Many a time I choked up — like when they burst into the national anthem and despite the heat and the rush of bodies, trying to stand at attention. Like when they played around with the huge yellow balloon, pushing it from one to another, like a carnival. Like when I saw the children and fathers of different races looking out for each other, offering a tissue or a sweet, holding up umbrellas for the old. Like when this teenaged Chinese boy asked me: “Uncle, why you not wearing yellow?” Like when the old Kelantanese man — whom I knew not from Adam — spoke to me in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman: “Dah make? Make dulu. Lama nak tunggu.” (Have you eaten? Better eat. It’s a long wait.)

Who, I ask myself, among them was there to be violent? To whom should we pose this question?

Tell us Tan Sri Fuad. Tell us Datuk Seri Hishammuddin. Please tell us Datuk Seri Najib and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Please tell us Datuk Seri Rais Yatim because you, who once led unruly demonstrations when you were in Semangat 46, had so many mean things to say about us. Tell us Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, you who ruled us for 23 years and brooked no dissent — who among this crowd of elderly to very young, representing the 1 Malaysia you all pay lip service to, who were the violent ones out to overthrow the Government?

Perhaps there were some amongst the tens of thousands who were carried away and broke the barricades. Perhaps it’s a sign of the level of trust and confidence that people have in their Government that some believe agent provocateurs planted among the crowd started the trouble. But pray tell Datuk Seri Hishammuddin and Tan Sri Ismail Omar — what justification was there to punch, kick, tear gas and baton charge so many of us who were on our way back and were so far from the scene of the incident? Our pain and our blood are on your hands.

Barisan Nasional has not learnt from the past. They do not listen. They only want us to listen. As far as I am concerned, July 9, 2011, and April 28, 2012, made up my mind and that of my family and friends.

In a perverse way, the Barisan Nasional has achieved what it could not through its sloganeering — a growing number of Malaysians united in purpose.

That spirit, Datuk Seri Najib, you cannot break, no matter how many baton charges, how many beatings, how many tear gas canisters and how much chemical-laced water you throw at us. You know why? Because you failed us.