Anwar’s Trial, Day 2 Briefing

Jonson Chong, Mustaffa Kamil, Razlan, Amiruddin Shaari

I dropped by HQ tonight for the first nightly briefing on the trial proceedings. Attendees were mostly reporters and local PKR grassroots.

Jonson Chong, PKR Director of Communications started the briefing by stating that:

• Karpal Singh requested the judge to cite Utusan Malaysia for contempt of court due to the headline it ran today.
• The judge ruled that there were no grounds for contempt of court, the defence can make a police report (which they did)
• What was stated in the article implies that multiple acts of sodomy occurred, but the charges are only for one

Razlan (I believe he’s assisting Anwar’s legal team) then continued:

• Today’s proceedings were held in camera at Karpal Singh’s request, so lawyers are not allowed to discuss what transpired
• There was concern that the contents of the testimony would be damaging to the court proceedings if made public
• There was a site visit to Unit 11-5-1 at the Desa Damansara Condominium by the judge and legal teams
• There may be another site visit tomorrow to the Sekysen 16 office

Mustaffa Kamil Ayub (PKR Vice President)

• We will continue to hold ceramah nationwide to educate people on current issues and the conspiracy that is going on in Anwar’s trial

Reporter Questions

Q: Why call Najib and Rosmah to testify?
Razlan: We know that Saiful met Najib prior to the alleged sodomy, so we want them to testify for the record.

Q: Can we have the court proceedings telecast live online?
Razlan: You can request, but normally that is not done.

Q: What about Saiful’s implication that sodomy occurred multiple times, and was the Can I F U remark made the first time or another time?
Razlan: That is outside the scope of the court proceedings, what I can say is the charges are for one incident.

Q: Do you have any comment on the turmoil in the Pakatan states primarily in Penang?
Mustaffa: We are not a party of angels, but it is clear that acts of destabilisation are going on. Small differences of opinion are being magnified and issues blown up out of proportion.

Q: What if Anwar is found guilty?
Mustaffa: I am confident that Pakatan Rakyat will go on.

Q: I’m sorry for this sensitive question, but why does Anwar use a condominium for his meetings when he has a house and office to use? This applies both now and in 1999 when he used Tivoli Villa.
Mustaffa: It is difficult for me to comment, but I can say that Anwar is a humble man and does not mind going to his friend’s house for a meeting. He does not stand on ceremony, you don’t have to go up to see him but rather he will come down to see you.

*Update* Date for Court of Appeal hearing has been fixed for February 12th.

Moving Towards a Change in Lifestyle – No Plastic Bags

Several years ago I used to stockpile used plastic bags from supermarkets, with the intention of sending them for recycling. Then a friend pointed out to me that such plastic bags were bio-degradable (actually, photo-degradable) and all my collecting was for naught. She was right. As the years went by plastic bags became thinner and quickly changed composition after exposure to air. They become flimsy constructs – a single touch and they break apart into tiny pieces. Pieces that are tough to clean up as they stick to rags, fingers and the inside of a vacuum cleaner. I still have a drawer full of stored plastic bags that I’m hesitant to open in case a gust of wind breaks them into pieces. This decomposition happens in stages by the way, I wouldn’t recommend you experiment at home.

These plastic bags used to come in handy for throwing rubbish, but due to their deterioration I had no choice now but to buy the black/blue/green plastic bags sold in supermarkets. What was I to do now? I can’t recycle them. I can’t use them. I hate just throwing them out with the garbage because it is so wasteful. I don’t even like that plastic bag usage is so dominant in our society – I’m strongly anti-plastic/Styrofoam/polystyrene. At one of the places where I worked I brought my own bowl to takeaway food from the nearby restaurant.

So the only solution left was to change my lifestyle to reduce the number of useless bags lying around the house. For years I’ve been following the lifestyle of ‘only buying what I can carry’ because I conveniently find myself near a supermarket every few days. Sometimes when I buy many items, or items that can’t mix I do use plastic bags. I often keep a scrunched-up bag in my pocket for such situations. These lifestyle changes have effectively removed the problem I used to have.

No Plastic Bag Day Campaign

In Selangor/KL, IKEA set an example by charging for all plastic bags in June 2009, with the proceeds going to the Malaysian Nature Society. This was part of its commitment to phase out plastic bags at all its outlets worldwide, initiated in March 2007. This was followed by Village Grocer since August 2009 that gave an option of getting a used free plastic bag, or paying for a new plastic bag. Cold Storage made the bizarre move of banning plastic bags on Thursdays, forcing customers to buy a canvas/polymer bag or use their own. For shoppers caught unawares at the cashier this seems like cruel punishment. Why buy a bag that can last for years, just because you forgot to bring your own? I have personally witnessed angry customers demanding they be given the option of a plastic bag rather than buy a bag. I learned my lesson after a few visits – don’t visit Cold Storage on Thursdays.

In July 2009 Penang government started a ‘No Plastic Bag’ campaign, implemented as a tax on businesses, with the proceeds going towards welfare. Retailers had to start charging customers 20 sen for plastic bags and starting 2010 the state government made it mandatory for retail outlets to adopt ‘No Plastic Bag Mondays’ or ‘No Plastic Three Days (Mon-Wed)’.

This month the Selangor government started a similar campaign for Saturdays and is considering making it mandatory like in Penang. I guess the Penang campaign started on weekdays to ‘test the waters’ and now that Selangor has seen the good reception there its safe to start with Saturdays where the consumer base is larger.

Unfortunately the campaign implementation in Selangor is left up to the supermarket, so the proceeds from sales of plastic bags are not guaranteed to go towards welfare. No wonder so many stores are eager to sign up, it’s a no-brainer for them because they can earn profit from previously free bags! You can read about how major supermarkets implemented it at this blog.

No Plastic Bags? Are They Crazy?

The name ‘No Plastic Bag’ sends a mixed message. As the unlucky customers of Cold Storage found out, one message is fear. The Penang and Selangor state governments had to clarify that they don’t mean to ban plastic bags completely, just reduce their usage. They want to promote reusable bags as an alternative to plastic bags, hence ‘no plastic bag’.

Couldn’t they come up with a less scary campaign title though? I know ‘No Plastic Bag, Reuse Bags Instead’ and ‘Less Plastic Bag Day’ aren’t catchy alternatives and given time people will understand. My first reaction to the campaign title was shock, because I don’t want to live in a future where I’m told to go home and get my own bag (because the store doesn’t provide any)!

We are right to fear a ban on plastic bags. Some items stain or smell so they need to be kept separate, especially meat, fish and vegetables. You can’t be expected to bring a container for each category of item, especially when its something small like a dozen eggs. There is also the hygiene aspect – reusable bags I see offered by supermarkets today aren’t easy to clean and wouldn’t survive repeated trips in the washing machine. Some form of disposable packaging is needed.

We didn’t always have the luxury of plastic bags. We used baskets, paper bags and cardboard boxes for our shopping. That was before the advent of hypermarkets where food, sundries, clothes, footwear, electronics and more can be obtained in one visit. You know how it is when you go shopping for a few items and end up at the cashier with more than you planned for?

Even if you did bring your own bag(s), the option of a plastic/paper bag should always be there. Start with 10-20 sen now, make it daily instead of one day a week and slowly raise the price over the next 5-10 years to phase out its usage.

Impact for the Future

The reason supermarkets moved into shopping malls is because of the convenience of it. Shopping malls with cinemas, restaurants, supermarkets and retailers meant people could go there for one reason (food) and sidetrack into shopping for clothes and buying groceries.

There will come a time when the cost of a plastic bag becomes prohibitive. Forcing consumers to bring their own bag means they will only go to the supermarket when it is planned. This reduces the amount of casual shoppers like me, who go to a mall for one reason then pop in for a few items because it’s convenient. When that day comes I will have to start making shopping lists and planning my shopping trips well in advance.

In the future I would like to see:

1. A ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags and food containers.
2. The government publish standards for biodegradability and reward manufacturers of low-cost, high standard plastic bags.
3. The Selangor government to adopt the Penang government policy of channeling the plastic bag sales funds towards welfare.
4. Stores reward consumers for bringing their own bag. People respond better to rewards rather than punishment, even more so in a materialistic urban society like Selangor/Penang. TESCO for example has a rewards system in place that I hope other supermarkets adopt.

I hope this ‘No Plastic Bag’ campaign runs daily like Village Grocer, with the option for used plastic bags. The price being charged is negligible now and what is important is to get the consumer used to the idea of paying for something they took for granted. Then phase out the use of plastic bags slowly.

Update 2/2/2010: I read the notice issued by Elizabeth (Exco for Environment, Consumer Affairs and Tourism) on 29th December 2009 to participating businesses where she states that consumers must pay 20 sen for each plastic bag and the proceeds from those sales are to be channeled towards charities as part of the companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The wording implies it is compulsory because the campaign comes into force starting 4th January 2010. However it is clear that the Selangor govt is taking a soft approach as the participating companies are implementing CSR in their own way, such as absorbing the profits then giving discounts without a clear link between money earned and money returned to the people.

The main focus in Selangor now is on reducing usage of plastic bags and not about welfare as there is no tracking being done. This explains why I found no mention of channeling the money towards welfare in any media. I stand by my hope that we follow Penang’s example one day .

Arsonists Blacken the Name of Islam

I was shocked to wake up yesterday and read the news about the church bombings. Though I think the media could have used a better word – arson seems more appropriate because when people see ‘bomb’ they start thinking C4 and dynamite. It makes me sad to think that in all likelihood Muslims performed this crime. I cannot think of a group more motivated to do it other than the group that want Allah to be exclusive to Muslims in our country. That’s a large group with many suspects.

Reactions were swift and there were so many, I’ll only list some:

1. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak issued a statement condemning the attacks (link)
2. Selangor Chief Minister Khalid Ibrahim visited one of the churches attacked, condemned the attacks and called for calm (link)
3. BN Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin also visited a church, condemned the attacks and urged for caution by the public in making statements or taking action following these incidents (link)
4. The King urged people to remain calm (link)
5. Cabinet Minister Bernard Dompok stated that actions by irresponsible parties had clouded relations between the races in the country, and called for reflection and prayer (link)
6. Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein and Information Minister Rais Yatim condemned the attacks (link1 and link2)
7. The government warned that ISA will be used if necessary (link)
8. Pakatan Rakyat condemned the church attacks (link)
9. PKR President Wan Azizah issued a statement calling for tolerance and peace (link)
10. DAPSY and Selangor DAP issued statements condemning the attacks (link1 and link2)
11. PAS issued a statement condemning the attack (link)
12. Pakatan Rakyat asked UMNO to take responsibility for the attacks (link)
13. 121 NGO groups released a joint statement condemning the attacks (link)
14. Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan gave frequent updates on the investigation, too many links so I’ll only list one (link)
15. PM Najib allocates RM500,000 to Metro Tabernacle Church to be rebuilt elsewhere (link)

For the record, the four churches attacked by arsonists were:

1. Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawati, KL
2. Assumption Church in Jalan Templer, PJ
3. Life Chapel in Section 17, PJ
4. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in PJ

After reading the reports I can’t help but feel that these attacks were coordinated. The hacking of the Judiciary and Herald websites; the use of motorcycle helmets as bombs; the close timing of the attacks – all of these indicate an organised group at work to intimidate our people and keep our country divided.

What message do these attacks send to non-Muslims in this country? The SMS messages being forwarded around sounded extreme – if you wear a cross you will be beaten; if your car has a church sticker it will be smashed; a church in Kg.Subang torched; cars in Bangsar KL smashed. All lies yet people still forwarded it around.

Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance yet too often we see Muslims practicing bigotry, inciting hatred and curtailing personal freedom. Small wonder then that people are so gullible and paranoid.

It makes my heart weep to know these criminals have created fear of Islam and reinforced fear of Islam in this country. I am glad that leaders from both sides have condemned the attacks and the PM gave the allocation (despite losses of est. RM1+ million by that church).

Hopefully everyone will remain calm and there is no escalation to the conflict. I sincerely hope that Christians understand these acts do not reflect the feelings of most Muslims in this country.

I made the poster above, feel free to forward it around.

The Ban on Christians Reading Allah

When I was growing up I had a number of bad experiences with Christian friends trying to convert me. I’ll leave the details for another article but most of the time they would use deception by tricking me into joining their social outings that included prayers, chanting, singing hymns etc. Once the religious nature of the activity was revealed there would be an awkward situation as I excused myself. They did not respect my right to refuse, insisting that my faith was ‘wrong’ and I ‘needed to be saved’. Sometimes we would be friends for years and suddenly they would pressure me to join their faith. I have even seen Christians enter relationships with non-believers for the purpose of converting the other. I’m not making this up.

I don’t care what religion you come from but if the person you are trying to convert is not interested in listening to your preaching then you should just leave him be. Don’t force them to listen or use deception. You can’t expect people to respect your faith if you don’t respect theirs.

I initially found myself conflicted when the Roman Catholic Archbishop as publisher of The Herald went to court to get the right to use Allah to refer to God in the publication. I haven’t met a religious Christian in this country who accepts that we both worship the same God but in different ways. I have also met religious Christians who find the idea of using Allah in that context to be insulting. Obviously Christians themselves are divided on this issue.

What is the issue really? What problems could it cause? I think back to my own bad experiences. If I did not have a strong grounding in my faith, and a group of friends came up to me asking for me to join them in prayer to Allah – I would say yes. If everyone spoke in Malay and someone preached teachings from God I would listen and take it to heart. I would be happily learning about Christianity, all the while thinking it was Islam. At some point my friends would lift the veil and reveal that all that the activities that had been giving me comfort and joy were Christian activities, and Islam isn’t providing me with any of this so I should become a Christian.

So I will admit that I felt a bit uneasy because I wasn’t sure why The Herald publisher wanted to use Allah instead of Tuhan (a generic Malay word for God, used in a monotheistic context).

I soon learned that this use of Allah issue is mainly for the benefit of Sabah and Sarawak where Malaysians have been practicing Christianity in Malay for a long time, where they do use Allah instead of Tuhan. It should be a non-issue then as there is a pre-existing use of the word Allah by the church.

So why is the BN-led Federal Government playing up this issue? Why file a stay of execution on the court ruling? The Home Ministry banned the use of the word by the publisher; the publisher went to court; court ruled in favour of the publisher – it should have ended there. Dragging it out further just continues to reinforce the message that the current government suppresses the rights of Christians, Sabahans and Sarawakians.

I know that Allah is merely Arabic for God. I do support the right of Christians to print Malay bibles and related publications for their followers. Religion should not be constrained by language because it’s easier to understand if it is written in your native language. I myself have an English Al-Quran because I understand English better than any other language, and a trusted fellow Muslim recommended the translation that I have. It should be alright to use Allah in a Malay-medium Christian publication whether in Peninsular or East Malaysia.

But I can’t completely shake off the fear that young Muslims will undergo more subversive conversion tactics such as the one I described. I don’t know if you, the reader, have experienced what I have but I’m glad I did because it helps me understand why many Malay Muslims are riled up about the court ruling and plan to protest today. Without my bad experiences I too would join the many bloggers out there condemning these protestors.

If I had not been exposed to foreign culture, not learned about other religions, and stayed in one town for most of my life then I would be quite narrow minded. It is easy to criticise the mentality of the poorly educated. What I feel the government should do is accept the ruling and allow The Herald to use Allah, and focus on improving religious education at school. Better yet have a Proposition for people to vote on so each state can have its own ruling on this issue. If that is not possible then let the State Assemblies vote on it for their respective states.

Remember, there are many Muslims in this country that don’t use Internet and have a poor command of English which limits their access to television shows and newspapers. Mention of Christians using Allah in their publications is very offensive to them – even PAS is internally divided on this issue.

I have more to say, but I have not been watching this issue very closely and I’m still playing catch-up. I’ll write further on this issue soon.

Augustine Paul’s Passing

I was surprised to learn of Judge Augustine Paul’s death this morning. I didn’t think much of it and felt nothing. It isn’t like I knew the man after all. I only knew him as the judge who sentenced Anwar to prison, and his involvement in other high profile cases was unknown to me.

I don’t get it. After he sentenced Anwar he walked freely around the neighbourhood, all alone, and nobody assaulted him (in retaliation for his judgment). In my naiveté I thought the nation saw him as a pawn, a small fish, not worth taking revenge on.

Yet now that he is dead I see all these postings online expressing joy, thanking God and so on for his death.

It was worse when I saw activists I knew expressing the same feelings. There is a dark vengeful side to them that I wasn’t aware of.

He was not the evil dictator of a downtrodden country. He was not a mass murderer. He was not a terrorist mastermind. Truly, are there not better villains out there to hate? Why take joy in someone’s death?

Having read these postings I feel sad now for his family, knowing that their father’s name is being cursed now and possibly for years to come. I feel sad to see the lack of humanity among Malaysians online, and among the ranks of Malaysian activists fighting for justice and peace.

You know what would have made me happy? If he had made a death-bed confession admitting to the corruption charges that people assume he is guilty of. If he done that and named the person(s) involved in said corrupt judgments. Who knows, if PR had taken over the Federal Government he might have worked out a plea bargain to deliver the bigger crooks to justice? It’s not like he can come forward now when the crooks are free to make his family disappear.

He’s dead now so we’ll never know what might have been.

 As it stands now his death served no good. It has given grief to his family and friends and short-lived joy to his accusers.

Does his passing on mean that the Judiciary is no longer corrupt? Does it undo any damage he has done to victims of his judgments?

No, it does not.

I’m sure some of the people dancing with joy now will realise that the next time the courts make a ruling that is deemed unfair. I hope they realise then that ultimately, revenge is not rewarding.

To think I’m friends with some of these people. Ugh.

References

The Star: Judge Augustine Paul dies at 66 (link)

The Star: Judge Augustine Paul laid to rest (link)

Malaysiakini: Federal Court judge Augustine Paul dies (link)

Ushering in 2010

I don’t think there’s much I can say about 2009 that wasn’t already covered in my previous post. One update I can share is that my ex-abuser picked a fight with me in public, totally embarrassing herself in the process. It was weird, depressing and funny at the same time. All this time I thought I would be the one to snap, but she snapped first. The aftermath of that was my being comforted by the people she expected to support her mad behavior, comfort I direly needed. It’s helped a lot.

I started this blog back in 2007 because it was relevant to my work at the time to keep tabs on the VK Lingam drama. Along the way I started cartooning which has long been a dream of mine (I’m a huge fan of single panel comics such as Far Side by Gary Larson). I also dabbled a bit in video but technology has evolved a lot since I last worked with the medium a decade ago, so catching up has been slow.

These past few months I’ve slowly been trying to evolve a new art style, the result of which you can see above. One reason is that I recently wrote a draft book, well more of a booklet really since its 70-odd pages of single panel comics which require a new art style. Another is moving on with life by leaving behind reminders of this difficult period.

This year I hope to make a return to writing, cartooning and documenting the political happenings in our country. I spent most of 2009 asleep and in a daze and need to get back in touch with current issues, and blogging is the best way to do that.

Living With Physical Abuse Trauma

It has been a difficult time, living with the pain that I have been carrying for over a year. Two weekends ago I came close to sobbing thrice, and got nothing done. Last weekend I spent most of it asleep, easily 10-12 hours in bed not because I was tired but just to escape into my dreams. Last night I got teary again, leading me to be too upset to attend an important function today.

So now I think its best to write something down, in the hope that it might help.

I started working for her early last year. Our working relationship was bad right from the start. She made racial remarks, she offered no guidance, she would avoid talking to me – there were times when I would ask her a question and she would keep quiet. Added to that was the fact that I have various health problems, one of which prevents me from travelling, so there were some company activities that I could not take part in. I let her know of this early on but she chose to pressure me to go for these activities instead. I had to endure severe physical pain.

I was in a difficult place. I enjoyed the work itself. I enjoyed working with our clients and the feeling was mutual. I had no issues with my co-workers, just her. I asked her to stop what she was doing because it was hurting me and she made false promises to stop. So, as the abuse continued I felt I had no choice but to resign. Emotional abuse in the workplace is one thing, physical abuse is another.

The first time I resigned in person her response was, ‘No, you stay here and work!’ followed by her blaming one of my co-workers, saying all our problems is that person’s fault and I need to work it out with that worker. She refused to discuss the matter further. I had no idea what she was talking about. She invented this fiction just to avoid facing the crime she had committed?

I waited a month to see if her behaviour would improve but it got worse, so I resigned a second time in writing. To avoid a nonsensical response from her I also informed our clients. Yes that was unprofessional, but I didn’t know what else to do after my first resignation. She never replied.

Months went by and I was still upset whenever I heard her name or saw her face. I couldn’t understand why – I had resigned already, so what more did I have to worry about? Yes, she made me bleed, but surely I can forget that with time.

Why am I so traumatised? It took a long time for me to realise some of the reasons:

• I was forced out of a job that I enjoyed. Until today I still want to know what’s going on in the office and how the business is doing.
• I was abused by my boss, whom I trusted to protect me, guide me and motivate me to continue supporting her to best of my ability. No boss can justify hurting their employee.
• Having to keep quiet because her reputation is so good that nobody would believe me. I confided in my best friend (her friend as well) and he refused to believe me, which ended up hurting our friendship.
• Having to keep quiet when our clients/friends asked what her problem with me was, as our body language together made it very obvious.
• The betrayal of trust and the horror of experiencing what happened – I never expected her to behave this way.
• Having many mutual friends, and myself attending some of the same functions as her- I will never be able to take the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach with these reminders.
• Not knowing why she did what she did, right from the start. I never did anything to deserve this.

I have been living poorly since I resigned. It’s like being half-asleep all day long. I have to force myself to eat. I sleep far too much. It’s impossible to get work done at a reasonable pace. I shouldn’t have to beg for contact with her given the circumstances of my resignation, but I needed answers so I started lobbying to see her since February.

I finally met with her on July 22nd this year, just over a year since my resignation. I thought her willingness to see me meant she had cooled down and was willing to explain why she did what she did. I was wrong. First she denied I had resigned. Then she asked me to come back and work for her. She did not want to discuss the physical abuse but I insisted. She didn’t deny what she did, but only gave an insincere, “I’m sorry”. How do I know? Because I worked for her – I know the sound of her fake apology line very well. There was no shame or surprise, she just couldn’t be bothered.

To make it worse she still asked me to come back. Then she left.

I just said, ‘you physically abused me’ and her response was, ‘you can still come back’?

What madness is this?

I don’t hate her. I don’t want bad things to happen to her. I just want to know why she did it and how she lives with what she did.

I’ve lost a year of my life to this problem. It’s scary to think of all the achievements I could have made but didn’t. Now that I know I will never get my answer from her, well at least I got that confirmation. That’s the only good thing that I see coming from that meeting.

I just hope I climb out of this pit soon before I go completely mad.

Hassan’s Moral Police Draft

It bothers me greatly to hear that many people believe that Dato’ Dr. Hassan Ali has created something new: a moral police that watches Muslims and arrests them for drinking.

JAIS officials have been empowered to ‘nab’ Muslims drinking alcohol and committing adultery for many years. Hassan Ali did not create any new laws – the moral police already existed. Just because you don’t hear about raids does not mean they do not happen, or that the threat does not exist. Maybe this ignorance among the people explains why it’s not hard to find Malay-Muslims drinking outside convenience stores in the wee hours. They have no fear of getting caught.

What Hassan Ali has done is draft more people into the moral police. Empowering untrained persons to monitor the morality of others… it’s a recipe for trouble. There’s bound to be a case of some overzealous chap harassing a Malay-looking fellow drinking beer or worse, starting fights.

Personally I don’t see how PAS/JAIS can implement their moral police. It is not right to enforce Islamic practices on non-Muslims. When a raid is done on a hotel/disco, the very act creates fear among the non-Muslim patrons. They should have the freedom to enjoy their life without being suddenly harassed on suspicion of being Muslim.

I am conflicted on the issue of JAIS keeping an eye on Muslims though. I know alcoholism is a problem among the urban Malay youth. JAIS has the responsibility of ensuring Muslims don’t stray from the path. But I disagree with the methods currently used. I think that finding out the reasons Muslims drink in the first place, then addressing those reasons makes more sense than banning alcohol or having moral police.

JAIS should only advise errant Muslims on why Islam has such rules. Fining, jailing, whipping and shaming are such harsh punishments in comparison. If a Muslim is flaunting the rules of the faith, chances are their faith is weak. Such punishment may then only serve to scare them into pretending to be Muslims; and be more careful when breaking the rules in future. They need to be convinced in their heart, and to reach someone’s heart is a slow and arduous process.

I hope one day that religious officials in our nation remember that Islam’s goal is to help spread peace and harmony. They need to focus on co-existing peacefully with other religions, instead of trying to police their brethren at the expense of non-Muslims’ quality of life.

References

Sultan wants explanation over arrest powers for mosque officials – Malaysian Insider (link)
Crackdown: Breweries not targeted … yet – Malaysiakini (link)
Pegawai masjid S’gor boleh tangkap pesalah serta-merta – Malaysiakini (link)
Selangor mosque officials can detain beer-drinking Muslims – Malaysiakini (link)
Selangor mosque officers can now arrest Muslims drinking in public – Star (link)

A Show of Support

The outpour of support for Elizabeth since she made her offer to resign has been overwhelming. It even surpassed the public outcry and support given by the public when Teresa Kok was detained under ISA! I myself have scores of emails from her supporters clogging my inbox.

I did some research online and its safe to say that over 90% of bloggers and commenters support her and don’t want her to resign. I figured that with this level of support, the backlash against PKR (i.e. lost votes) would be severe. Wouldn’t she have to come back?

Sources within the party say it is highly unlikely, even with the public reaction as it stands now. At best she may resign the Exco position and remain an ADUN.

I’m sure right now everyone is angry, hurt and confused. We don’t know why she offered to resign. We can speculate, but we know so little. After the unending outpour of support, Elizabeth issued another statement (link) saying that she intends to resign. No more ambiguity.

I choose to respect her wishes. To chase her and plead her to stay or ask her why – this would only be more hurtful.

A Book of Support

Last Wednesday (18/2) a signature campaign was started in Bandar Utama to gather personal messages by voters and friends. Not a petition, just a way to write a few kind words to show our support.

We got 40 signatures the first day, and reached 100 the next day. A trip to the CNY dinner event opposite Amcorp Mall on Friday brought the total to 190.

Wednesday night

A couple of pages from the signature book are below, where you can see the messages penned by her PKR ADUN & MP friends:

Sivarasa, Tian Chua, Gan Pei Nei, William Leong

Wan Azizah, Azmin Ali, Syed Husein, Hee Loy Sian, Loh Gwo Burne, Ronnie Liu, Irene Fernandez

A banner of support was also put up at the Sony Bridge interchange next to Bandar Utama:

The book will be at the service centre in BU3 from Tuesday (24/2) onwards. I hope those of you who are able, drop by and sign the book. It is easy to spend a few minutes to write an email, send an sms or write a comment, but to make the journey there takes real love and dedication that I’m certain she will appreciate during this difficult time.

A Petition to the Menteri Besar

A group of NGO’s and RA’s (Residents Association) started an online petition last Wednesday which at this time has 5000 signatures. They are also running a physical petition in parallel with that. The petition is addressed to the Menteri Besar and is intended to show the level of support by her voters and friends. You can read more about it here (link).

There was a road trip today to various places in Elizabeth’s constituency to get as many signatures as possible to be submitted to the Menteri Besar on Tuesday/Wednesday. I dropped by the first stop at BU3, group photo below:

An offer of resignation

I was surprised by today’s events. At first I was upset because I thought she resigned over such a minor thing. Then upon closer reading of her press statement (link) I saw the key phrase: offer my resignation.

Elizabeth’s offer to resign instead of tendering her resignation could imply that she is being pressured to resign either by the party or by some anonymous person(s). Maybe there are more damaging photos/videos which have not been released to the public. Something that creates a real scandal and brings further shame to her, her family and the party.

Whatever this ’something’ is, its not strong enough to make her resign immediately.

I am certain she would never voluntarily resign over what has already been released, perhaps that explains today’s compromise where the final decision rests with PKR’s top leaders.

An offer of resignation (which many take as being the same as tendering resignation) appeases the voters who want their politicians to be absolute saints – and the PKR haters too.

If PKR were to refuse to allow her to resign, she retains the benefits of having already offered. Not 100% of course, but from what people tell me the offer alone was like an admission of guilt, which they found acceptable. Then she can announce that she offered, but the party and the voters want her to stay.

If PKR accepted her resignation, she keeps her pride of not allowing these photos to force her to resign. Not allowing the criminals who took them, to control her.

I have no doubt that there are other issues that prompted her action today, its not just photos.

I have my doubts that there will be a good outcome to this, but we will just have to wait and see. Don’t go celebrating or mourning just yet.

References

Nude photos: Wong offers to quit – Malaysiakini (link)

Tearful Wong quits over nude pix – The Malaysian Insider (link)