10 May 2011

1Melayu, 1Bumi

Ayuh! Gerakkan segera 1Melayu, 1Bumi


ORANG Cina telah bersatu. Keputusan Pilihan Raya Negeri Sarawak telah membuktikannya. Malah, sebenarnya orang Cina telah pun bersatu sejak dulu lagi.
Perkembangan politik muaasir (kontemporari), selepas era-Mahathirisme dan semasa era-Abdullahisme telah membuktikan ikatan orang Cina lebih utuh dan berpadu. Hubungan kekitaan, kekeluargaan serta brotherhood dan ukhwah orang Cina lebih erat, tanpa boleh ditandingi oleh mana-mana kaum di atas muka bumi Malaysia ini.

Walaupun antara mereka berlainan haluan politik, tapi apabila sampai masa menentukan arah untung nasib kaum Cina – mereka akan bersatu atas pangkahan undi yang sama.

Dalam ekonomi, mereka membantu antara satu sama lain. Dari sekecil-kecil ekonomis kepadalah yang sebesar-besarnya, mereka akan tolong-menolong antara satu sama lain.

Budaya telah berjaya menyatupadukan orang Cina. Dalam masyarakat Cina tiada istilah bidaah yang boleh memesongkan mereka daripada soal budaya dan adat resam bangsa. Bahasa Cina diangkat tinggi, malah ada yang kata orang Cina yang tidak boleh membaca Cina pun akan turut membantu membeli akhbar Cina. Maka itu, akhbar Sin Chew Jit Poh – suara keramat orang Cina, menjadi antara akhbar yang paling tinggi edaran dan keuntungannya di Malaysia.

Sekolah Cina terus dijadikan sebagai cagaran politik utama – yang tidak boleh dikompromi sama sekali.
Pendek kata, orang Cina sebenarnya amat beruntung sekali berada di bumi Malaysia ini. Mereka telah menguasai segala-galanya. Sepuluh teratas orang mereka adalah bilionaire Malaysia. Sebahagian besar kedai yang ada di atas muka bumi Malaysia ini milik mereka. Hampir semua pelajar yang belajar di universiti swasta dan IPTS ternama dan mahal-mahal di negara ini rata-ratanya orang mereka.

Saya telah nyatakan perkara itu dalam Cuit bertajuk Apa lagi orang Cina mahu? tahun lepas. Tulisan itu dipetik sepenuhnya oleh akhbar Straits Times Singapura dan surat pembaca yang saya terima dari republik itu menyokong penuh tulisan itu.

Apa yang saya katakan ini adalah hakikat atau fakta.
Hanya kuasa mutlak politik yang belum dikuasai sepenuh oleh orang Cina, yang lain semua sudah. Kini DAP membawa slogan yang cukup hebat di kalangan masyarakat mereka iaitu Undi untuk Ubah, Enough is Enough (Cukuplah) dan Selamatkan Malaysia.

Slogan itu sebenarnya bukan ditujukan kepada orang lain, tapi khususnya kepada orang Cina. Terpapar megah di dada baju penyokong dan calon DAP dalam pilihan raya Sarawak supaya diubah kepimpinan Melayu Malaysia ini.

Terus terang saya katakan, saya amat menyanjungi orang Cina. Mereka mempunyai matlamat dan masa depan yang cukup jelas. Walaupun tindakan itu berbau politik atau bukan, soalnya mereka cukup bersatu. Politik digunakan sebaik-baik mungkin untuk menyatupadukan kaum itu.

Kita jangan salahkan DAP. Apa yang DAP lakukan itu amat betul untuk masa depan kaumnya. Jika Pas dipergunakan oleh DAP untuk memecahkan bangsanya sendiri, itulah operatif licik DAP.

DAP telah berjaya menjadi parti Cina yang telah menyatupadukan orang Cina. MCA gagal dan SUPP pun gagal. Itu hakikat atas kertas. Malah seorang sahabat saya berbangsa Cina, pengarang sebuah akhbar ternama bersetuju bahawa orang Cina kini ke arah menyokong pembangkang. Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-13 akan digunakan sepenuhnya untuk menyatukan kuasa mereka.

Sebaliknya apa yang orang Melayu buat? Tiada apa-apa. Mereka ialah satu bangsa yang cukup selesa, komplesen, alpa dan tidak peduli. Malah pemikiran mereka cukup bercelaru.

Apa yang harus UMNO lakukan? UMNO harus berfikiran seperti DAPkah?

Pandangan saya, apa yang UMNO harus lakukan sekarang, di masa yang amat terdesak sekarang, ialah melancarkan gelombang perpaduan bangsa – 1Melayu, 1Bumi.

Lancarkan segera 1Melayu, 1Bumi dalam lingkungan UMNO dan parti-parti Melayu yang lain.
Jika Pas degil dan tidak mahu ikut serta, gabungkan dengan puluhan NGO-NGO Melayu yang kini tumbuh bagaikan cendawan di atas bumi Malaysia ini. Perlu diingat NGO-NGO itu wujud kerana mereka dahagakan wadah perjuangan untung nasib bangsa semakin ditinggalkan. UMNO harus tarik pertubuhan sukarela ini ke hadapan dan menjadi juara semula dalam soal ini.

Persetankan Pas yang ternyata telah menggadaikan perjuangan bangsa Melayu untuk kepentingan politik totok mereka. Hairan sungguh, para penyokong Pas akan menjadi lebih kuah daripada sudu semasa berkempen, dan mereka tidak pernah sedar bahawa secara senyap-senyap DAP cukup strategik mempermainkan mereka.

Saya kira, sekiranya lima kerusi Pas di Sarawak itu ditandingkan di kawasan Cina sudah pasti mereka akan menang dan ada wakil dalam dewan undangan negeri. Tapi DAP telah mempermainkan mereka. Pas diletakkan di kawasan kaum bumiputera, bagi membolehkan kaum bumiputera terus berpecah. Pas seperti biasa, tidak sedar semua itu.

Dalam usaha meniupkan gelombang 1Melayu, 1Bumi, tidak salah 1Malaysia diteruskan kerana ia adalah dasar jangka panjang negara. Parti komponen Cina dalam BN pun tidak akan marah jika UMNO melancarkan gagasan 1Melayu, 1Bumi kerana bagi mereka orang Cina telah pun bersatu.

Tidak salah bagi orang Melayu melancarkan seruan 1Melayu, 1Bumi kerana orang Melayu sendiri belum bersatu.

Dalam tulisan-tulisan saya sebelum ini, saya ada mengatakan orang Melayu berpecah kepada enam golongan. Melayu UMNO, Melayu Pas, Melayu PKR, Melayu DAP, Melayu Liberal dan Melayu Atas Pagar.
Orang Melayu cukup berpecah. Orang Cina tidak akan marah sekiranya orang Melayu bersatu kembali. Mungkin DAPlah yang tidak selesa kerana matlamat mereka untuk memecah-belahkan lagi orang Melayu akan gagal.

Bagi DAP, selagi konsep Malaysia Malaysian mereka tidak berlaku, selagi itu mereka akan berusaha keras untuk menjayakannya.

UMNO harus meniupkan gagasan 1Melayu, 1Bumi ini segera. Orang Melayu harus disatukan segera bagi memastikan mereka menguasai semula politik yang semakin terhakis daripada tangan mereka.
Walaupun Melayu berpecah, namun ada lagi suara-suara segelintir yang amat sayangkan bangsa. Seorang sahabat umpamanya, menghantar SMS semasa tulisan ini ditulis berbunyi: “Tolong tulis...BN jangan lagi bagi kawasan majoriti Melayu kepada wakil MCA, Gerakan dalam PRU akan datang... cukup sudah pengorbanan UMNO yang dibalas dengan tuba. MCA dan Gerakan WAJIB akur kerana kalau mereka kalah dengan DAP, wakil mereka tak perlu dilantik dalam kerajaan...”

Itu ialah suara marah. Orang Melayu marah. Tapi kita harus rasional. Susun semula barisan dan gelombang satukan orang Melayu.

Saya bercakap bagi pihak bangsa saya. Gagasan inilah yang turut dimainkan oleh sahabat saya, saudara Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, seorang mualaf Cina yang cukup kental jiwa ultra-Melayunya. Orang Cina amat tidak menggemari beliau di atas semangat assabiyah Melayu beliau itu.

Namun bagi Ridhuan, dan orang Melayu yang lain, mereka amat khuatir dengan perkembangan mutakhir yang berlaku di negara ini sekarang.

Namun, penghargaan harus diberi kepada kaum bumiputera Sarawak yang telah melaksanakan tanggungjawab mereka dengan begitu betul sekali.

Saya angkat topi kepada kaum bumiputera Sarawak yang dilihat lebih matang daripada orang Melayu di Semenanjung. Sekiranya mereka tidak bersatu dalam pilihan raya 16 April lalu, maka Sarawak sudah tentu akan jatuh ke tangan orang lain.

Orang bumiputera Sarawak telah memberi satu petunjuk yang amat berharga supaya diikuti oleh kaum Melayu di Semenanjung.

Namun, orang Melayu Semenanjung berpecah enam. Mereka masih lagi berpecah enam.
Oleh itu menjadi kewajipan UMNO; atas nama pejuang-pejuangnya yang terdahulu; dan sebagai parti induk orang Melayu; lancarkan segera slogan 1Melayu, 1Bumi bagi menggerakkan semula gelombang kebangsaan bangsa itu.

Melayu harus dan wajib disatukan kembali sebagaimana kita mahu satukan orang Malaysia di bawah semangat 1Malaysia. Tiada makna adanya 1Malaysia, jika orang Melayu sendiri pun berpecah.
Kini terletak dalam tangan UMNO untuk menentukan hidup atau mati bangsa ini.

Orang Cina sudah ada 1Cina dalam erti kata tersendiri. Orang Melayu pun perlu ada 1Melayu, 1Bumi. Ayuh gerakkan!

7 May 2011

Al Qaeda plotted 9/11 anniversary rail attack - U.S.

Al Qaeda plotted 9/11 anniversary rail attack - U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Al Qaeda considered attacking the U.S. rail sector on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. government officials said on Thursday in describing intelligence from Osama bin Laden's hide-out in Pakistan.

They said some evidence was found indicating the al Qaeda leader or his associates had engaged in discussions or planning for a possible attack on a train inside the United States on Sept. 11, 2011.

"We have no information of any imminent terrorist threat to the U.S. rail sector, but wanted to make our partners aware of the alleged plotting," spokesman Matthew Chandler said of an intelligence message the Department of Homeland Security sent on Thursday.

The department and other U.S. agencies have been reviewing the treasure trove of information from bin Laden's compound in Pakistan seized by the United States during the raid this week that killed the al Qaeda leader.

An initial review of the information by U.S. intelligence analysts indicates that bin Laden, while in Abbottabad, played a direct role for years in plotting terror attacks, and was not just an inspirational figure to al Qaeda, The New York Times reported on Thursday.

"He wasn't just a figurehead," the Times quoted a U.S. official as saying. "He continued to plot and plan, to come up with ideas about targets, and to communicate those ideas to other senior Qaeda leaders."
The information on plotting against the U.S. rail sector indicated one possible tactic for attacking a train was trying to tip it somehow off its tracks, one official said.

The official said it appeared from the information that this was an idea that bin Laden or his associates considered, but there was no indication now from the intelligence that further plans were drawn up for the scheme or that steps were taken to carry it out.

Another official said al Qaeda in February last year contemplated the rail attack to occur on the 10th anniversary of the hijacked plane attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, but the group was not tied to that exact date.

Since the raid, the Department of Homeland Security has taken a number of steps in reviewing measures at all potential terrorist targets, including transportation systems across the country. It added more officers at airports and at the borders.

Chandler said the alleged al Qaeda plot was based on "initial reporting, which is often misleading or inaccurate and subject to change."

He added, "We remain at a heightened state of vigilance," but said there were no plans to raise the national threat level.

Officials have long been concerned that al Qaeda might try to carry out attacks on the U.S. rail system.
In 2008, U.S. authorities warned of a possible al Qaeda threat to transit systems in and around New York City over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Last year, an Afghan immigrant pleaded guilty in New York to plotting a suicide bombing campaign on Manhattan's subway system in what U.S. authorities described as one of the most serious threats since the Sept. 11 attacks.

(Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Vicki Allen)

6 May 2011

Medical Course Freeze, No new progammes for 5 years to ensure quality Training

Medical Course Freeze, No new programmes for 5 years to ensure quality Training

“Based on the current crop of medical graduates from existing institutions of higher learning, the country can reach its target of one medical officer to 400 people (1:400) by 2020."
KUALA LUMPUR: A freeze of five years on new medical courses has been imposed on institutions of higher learning in the country.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the freeze, effective May 1, will end on April 30, 2016.

He said, in a statement yesterday, the cabinet decided on the moratorium based on several factors, including the marked increase in the number of medical graduates, the competency of housemen, teaching staff and teaching hospitals.
“Based on the current crop of medical graduates from existing institutions of higher learning, the country can reach its target of one medical officer to 400 people (1:400) by 2020.

“This can be achieved in stages without having to add new medical courses,” Khalid said. At the moment, Malaysia’s doctor-to-patient ratio is 1:1,000.

Khaled said it was more important to establish a form of control to ensure that graduates could undergo quality medical training to become competent doctors.
“Apart from that, a moratorium on new intake was also suggested to institutions that have not met accreditation standards and criteria. The current accreditation, he said, could be withdrawn until improvements had been carried out.

The freeze, however, would not affect the number of medical officers needed in the country, he said.

“The number of graduates from the 33 existing institutions as well as foreign graduates who return to Malaysia will be enough to meet the country’s needs by the year 2020,” Khaled said.
As of Jan 31, there were 11 public and 22 private institutions of higher learning that offered medical degrees with a total of 47 cour ses.

Only 17 of these institutions had been given accreditation, including eight public institut i o n s.

In early March, Khaled had said the ministry was considering a moratorium on the offer of medical programmes at public and private institutions of higher learning due to a shortage of academic manpower and teaching hospitals.

He has also said the ministry would not approve medical programmes or the setting up of medical faculties at public institutions of higher learning without the approval of the Malaysian Medical Council.

Up to Feb 28, the ministry had approved the registration of 25 universities, 22 university colleges and five branch campuses of foreign universities.

Former Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican concurred that there were enough medical schools and it would not make sense to build more.
He said the focus now should be given on training housemen.

“I would be happier if they (housemen) can be trained in a more structured manner.”

17 accredited medical training and teaching institutions

1. Universiti Malaya
2. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
3. Universiti Sains Malaysia
4. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
5. Universiti Putra Malaysia
6. Penang Medical College
7. Universiti Perubatan Antarabangsa
8. Universiti Islam Antarabangsa
9. Mangalore University/ Manipal Academy of Higher Education
10. Royal College of Medicine Perak (MBBS-Malaya Programme)
11. Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology
12. Universiti Teknologi Mara
13. Universiti Malaysia Sabah
14. Alliance College of Medical Sciences
15. Monash University Sunway Campus
16. UCSI University
17. Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences

20 April 2011

'Ya Allah, Kau makbullah (kali ini) solat hajat untuk Anwar

‘Ya Allah, kau makbullah (kali ini) solat hajat untuk Anwar’

SOLAT hajat membawa erti yang cukup besar, terutama bagi orang Melayu dan Islam di negara ini. Ada yang melakukan satu stadium untuk memohon kepada Allah SWT bagi kemenangan dalam pilihan raya.
Walaupun kita tahu dalam pilihan raya, matlamat menghalalkan cara sering kali berlaku dan bukan 100 peratus ia bersih daripada piawaian keislaman, solat hajat akan tetap dilakukan.

Budaya solat hajat beramai-ramai ini, kalau tidak salah saya, bermula di Kelantan. Di bawah pemerintahan Pas ia sering kali dilakukan secara massa dan bersaiz mega.

Bersesuaian Kelantan di bawah kepimpinan ulama Pas, solat itu biasanya dilakukan untuk memberikan petunjuk terhadap orang itu, orang ini, kejadian itu dan ini serta untuk menjahanamkan sesuatu kumpulan lain.
Amerika Syarikat dan Israel sering kali dimohon Allah supaya diberi petunjuk keras – setiap kali mereka menyerang negara-negara Islam. Selain daripada itu, UMNO dan kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) yang dikatakan zalim oleh Pas dan pembangkang, sering kali dimohon petunjuk yang sama.

Malah, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad pun sering didoakan di mulut-mulut pengikut Pas, ketika itu, sebagai maha firaun, maha zalim dan ada yang berdoakan perkara yang buruk terhadapnya. Malah solat hajat juga diadakan terhadap Mahathir, juga untuk memohon petunjuk kepadanya.
Berita lanjut, sila rujuk edisi cetakan Utusan Malaysia atau langgani e-Paper di http://ebrowse.bluehyppo.com/utusan/index.asp

19 April 2011

Registration of New Voters to be focus of UMNO Divisional Meetings

April 18, 2011 23:46 PM

Registration Of New Voters To Be Focus Of Umno Divisional Meetings

KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 (Bernama) -- The registration of new voters, especially among Umno members and other young people, is expected to be the focus when 191 Umno divisions hold their respective annual meetings between this May 1 and June 15.

Party secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tenku Mansor said more than 20,000 Umno branches already held their annual meeting until April 17.

He hoped the divisions would scrutinise their membership list to ensure that those aged 21 and above and eligible to vote, would immediately register as voters.

"The Umno membership is open to those aged 18 and above, so we hope the divisions and branches will get them to register as voters," he told Bernama, here.

He also wants the party which has 3.35 million members to hold more programmes at the divisional level, so as to get close to the people and to explain the 1Malaysia concept.

Tengku Adnan said all Umno members must also understand the new process of choosing the party's leadership to ensure a smooth party election expected in 2012.

He said the party would be using the best method in explaining to members, the party's new election process following amendments to the party constitution in 2009.

On the proposal to organise election trial runs at the branch and divisional levels this year, Tengku Adnan said so far, the matter had not been decided.

However, he was confident that the troubles that erupted during the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) elections last year would not happen in Umno.

"The difference between us and PKR or any other opposition party is that, we are a very structured party. The foundation is already there and we just follow," he said.

The Umno general assembly in October 2009 passed seven amendments to the party constitution, including increasing the number of delegates to choose the party's top leadership to 146,500 from 2,500.

The amendments also abolished the membership quota system, allowing the wings' leaders to accept new members to as to speed up the membership recruitment process, and also gave automatic delegate status to the divisional secretaries to attend the party's annual general assemblies.

However, last December Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that the branch, divisional and party Supreme Council elections scheduled for this year be postponed by 18 months.

This is for Umno to focus on efforts to restore and strengthen the party based on the New Political Model, to ensure Umno remains relevant and the main pillar of the ruling government.

-- BERNAMA

18 April 2011

Malay/Melanaus is 100% with PBB

FACED with the risk of choosing wrongly, the Malay/Melanaus opted to vote in all the 35 candidates fielded by Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), which made up largely of members of the community and a number of Dayaks.

The game plan was simple -- the Malay/Melanau community was not willing to gamble away its dominant role in the state government under Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who is one of them.

And why should it?

PBB has always played a dominant role in the state Barisan Nasional. The only time the party recorded a poor showing was in 1987, when it won 14 seats and lost nine.

That too, because the issue then was different -- some prominent Malay/Melanau community leaders had left PBB and formed a splinter group called Permas, thus splitting the votes.

But in 1991, PBB lost only four seats, one in 1996 and went on to record 100 per cent success in 2001 and 2006.

Universiti Sains Malaysia's School of Social Sciences deputy dean Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said the sentiment was understandable.

"The community has benefited much under Taib. It did not have any major issues with him, unlike the Chinese.

"PBB is 100 per cent solidly behind him and there is minimal voice of discontent or queries on when he will give way to a successor."

The community was willing to bury its dissatisfaction by looking at the bigger picture, and for the sake of the future generation.

"Yes, I am not saying BN is perfect but it is the best choice when we compare it with others. We can still depend on BN. One must think about the future and the younger generation. Do not follow your heart as the government is doing a good job," said kuih seller Makcik Dayang Jaenah Awang Maadon from Muara Tuang, near here.

As Sivamurugan said, the Malay/ Melanau community has indeed gained much from BN. An example of this is the Malay heartland of Satok, which consists of traditional Malay kampung, situated in the heart of the city.

The number of surau in the area, which are within a short distance of one another and similar to a mosque in size and architecture, is testimony to BN's deeds for the community.

The community is also familiar with its leaders from PBB, who have proven track records, unlike those from Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

Take the case of influential and well-loved eight-term Satok assemblyman Datuk Amar Abang Johari Abang Openg and his challenger -- political greenhorn Ahmad Nazib Johari.

From day one, it was clear that Nazib, despite his confidence which some perceived as being too much, was no match for Abang Johari.

Nazib, although born and bred in the same neighbourhood of Satok as Abang Johari, is not known among the people here. He makes his living in the peninsula, hence the view among the kampung folk that he failed to relate to their issues.

Sivamurugan said the Malay/ Melanau community could not identify with PKR leaders.

"The Malay/Melanau leaders from PKR are alien to the community. Also, PKR does not have any single leader from the community whom the party can be proud of."

This is very true. While PKR projected its state head, Baru Bian, as the designated chief minister, it did not have any names among the party's top leaders who could be the sole voice of the Malay/Melanau community.

"PKR is history as far as Sarawak is concerned. The Malay/Melanau community wants a local voice and not one from the peninsula, as PKR is looked at. The party can never make inroads into these constituencies and its only hope is the Dayak and Chinese areas," added Sivamurugan.

PBB also did very well in the neighbouring Tupong and Samariang constituencies, earlier perceived as grey areas for BN owing to some dissatisfaction with the assemblymen, who were retained in Saturday's state election.

Indeed, PBB improved its majority in most of the Malay/Melanau constituencies. Examples include Pantai Damai, where its vote majority increased from 2,164 in 2006 to 5,071; Samariang from 2,488 to 5,431; Sadong Jaya from 858 to 2,934; Lingga from 1,870 to 2,506; and Jemoreng from 1,710 to 2,926.

The Malay/Melanau community has spoken -- it wants continued stability and is not willing to take a gamble. And as long as PBB listens to the voice of the grassroots, it can be sure of being seen as a formidable party.

12 April 2011

'Protect MACC officers handling high-risk cases'

'Protect MACC officers handling high-risk cases'

2011/04/11
By Masami Mustaza
masamimustaza@nst.com.my


KUALA LUMPUR: The investigation of high-profile cases by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers may place them at grave risk, requiring the need for the provision of maximum protection.
Yayasan 1Malaysia Board of Trustees chairman Dr Chandra Muzaffar said this was not something unusual as the MACC dealt with high-profile graft and money-laundering cases.

"They may face trouble from cartels or syndicates that work hand-in-glove with some corrupt government agencies.

"Like the crackdown on the Customs Department, a massive operation such as this may come with a possibility of risk.

"There is surely a lot of powerful vested interests that would want the MACC to slow down, in light of the recent death of a senior Customs officer. As long as the MACC continues to exert pressure, you don't know how they would react."

On April 6, Selangor Customs Department assistant director Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed, 56, was found dead on the first floor of the MACC building in Jalan Cochrane here.

Chandra said protection of the MACC investigation officers could be in the form of a special police unit or plainclothes policemen assigned to provide security for the officers.

He also urged all parties to cease calling for MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohammed to resign, saying it was an "ill-conceived move inimical to public interests".

Instead, he said, the opposition should join forces with the government to table a resolution in Parliament to endorse the work of the MACC and to enhance its resources.

A bad attack of the jitters among Chinese leaders, and dissidents pay the price

Banyan

On the defensive

A bad attack of the jitters among Chinese leaders, and dissidents pay the price


THE rest of the world may gasp in awe at China’s surging economy and cower somewhat in face of its growing might, but its own leaders seem far from complacent. Indeed, to judge from its latest defence white paper, and from a continuing crackdown on its critics at home, China’s government feels besieged.

The white paper, produced every two years since 1998, with the latest dated 2010, did not appear until March 31st this year. Maybe it was late because the world has been changing too fast, in too many unsettling ways. The paper suggests a world resentful of China’s emergence as a global power, and trying to thwart it: “Suspicion about China, interference and countering moves against China from the outside are on the increase.”

The white paper claims “the armed forces resolutely subdue all subversive and sabotage activities by hostile forces.” In fact, that task is being pre-empted by other organs of the Chinese state. They have been conducting the biggest round-up of dissidents, human-rights activists, lawyers and bloggers seen for years.
According to Chinese Human Rights Defenders, an NGO, by April 4th some 30 people had been detained and faced criminal charges relating to the so-called “jasmine revolution”—an inchoate internet campaign to emulate in China recent upheavals in the Middle East and north Africa. Human Rights Watch, another NGO, reports that a further 100-200 people have suffered repressive measures, from police summonses to house arrest. This has been accompanied by tighter censorship of the internet, the ousting of some liberal newspaper editors, and new curbs on foreign reporters in China, some of whom have been roughed up.

Then this week the dragnet pulled in Ai Weiwei, the best-known dissident in China not to be behind bars. A famous artist, with an installation now on display at a gallery in London and a lasting legacy in the “bird’s nest” stadium in Beijing built for the 2008 Olympics, Mr Ai is also, as the son of a revolutionary poet, the Communist equivalent of minor royalty. On April 3rd he was detained at Beijing airport as he tried to board a flight to Hong Kong. His companion was told that Mr Ai had “other business”.

He has been in trouble before. Last year he was prevented from travelling abroad to attend the ceremony in Oslo where Liu Xiaobo, a jailed Chinese dissident, was awarded the Nobel peace prize. This January his studio in Shanghai was demolished, in what he saw as an act of retribution for his political activism.

Now the police seem determined to find evidence of some “crime”. Soon after his detention, a dozen officers arrived at his studio. They detained people they found there for questioning, and confiscated computers. Mr Ai’s associates fear that his latest troubles are more serious than previous tangles with the authorities, and that the instructions to take action against him have come “from the top”. After the detention, the official press was at first silent about him, until Global Times, a party newspaper, described him as “close to the red line of Chinese law”. Then, in a terse midnight report, the official news agency revealed that he was being investigated for “economic crimes”. It smacked of “Alice In Wonderland”—detention first, suspected crime later.

In the end, Mr Ai’s celebrity seems to have afforded him no protection, and may even have rendered his liberty more precarious. The party seems intent on showing that it will allow no leeway to those dreaming of a people-power movement or democracy. The higher-profile the victim, the more forcibly that message is conveyed. Mr Ai seems likely to become the latest victim of the use of the law to impose political orthodoxy. On March 25th Liu Xianbin, an activist, was sentenced to ten years in prison for “slandering the Communist Party”.

Even more worrying, however, is the increasing resort to informal detentions, punishments and disappearances. These are outside the law, offering the victim no protection at all. The government now dismisses the idea that one function of the law is to defend people against the arbitrary exercise of state power. On March 3rd a Chinese foreign-ministry spokeswoman told foreign journalists: “Don’t use the law as a shield.” Some people, she said, want to make trouble in China and “for people with these kinds of motives, I think no law can protect them.”

It is tempting to dismiss the current crackdown as just the latest twist in the unending cycle of repression and liberalisation through which China has been spinning for over three decades. Popular uprisings abroad, like sensitive political anniversaries or big events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics at home, offer pretexts for a round-up of the usual suspects. They provide a stiff but effective reminder that in China’s political system—“a people’s democratic dictatorship”—it is the dictatorship bit that counts.

This bout of repression, however, may reflect more than the usual cycle. For a start, it is a huge overreaction. For all the online chatter, no one thinks China is on the brink of a jasmine revolution. Also, with a leadership transition coming next year, and China’s new rulers mostly already identified, it helps quash any notion that they might usher in an era of liberalisation.

Never taking off

Although the short-term risk of a copycat revolution in China is small, events elsewhere have demonstrated the long-term corrosive effect on repressive regimes of the internet, mobile telephones and social networks. Better, the party seems to have concluded, to crack down long and hard now than to wait and see. In George Orwell’s novel “1984”, an intellectual party hack paints a vision of the future as “a boot stamping on a human face—for ever”. China has updated that. Its vision seems to be of a computer screen with a message that the website you seek is unavailable; or perhaps of a mysterious encounter at immigration, and the interpolation of “other business” between check-in and flight.

7 April 2011

Tubuhkan Suruhanjaya Siasatan Diraja Untuk Allahyarham Ahmad Sarbini Mohamad

Assalamualaikum

Kesiannya kes kematian pegawai kastam ini.  Untuk mengelakkan SPRM di tuduh bukan2 saya cadangkan satu Suruhanjaya Siasatan Diraja ditubuhkan untuk menyiasat apa sebenarnya yang telah berlaku.  Ini untuk mengekalkan keyakinan rakyat kepada SPRM.
 
Raduan Md Taib