Where's the justice??

Read this in the Malaysian Star Online newspaper today. In the article, there's a picture of the biggest dickhead in the world. His name is Syed Hamid, our home minister. He really reminds me of Chemical Ali as he dishes out his reasons for detaining people under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) law. If you are curious to know what I'm talking about, this is the sequence of events...

1. Ahmad Ismail makes racist remarks during the Permatang Pauh by-elections - reported in Star Newspaper by reporter Tan Hoon Cheng

2. Ahmad Ismail gets suspended from his political party for three years. Everything else swept under the carpet.

3. Reporter Tan Hoon Cheng gets arrested under the ISA because there is a threat to her or she is a threat to the country (both reasons came from the same idiotic Malaysian Chemical Ali).

4. Selangor minister Teresa Kok also gets arrested under the ISA for allegedly stoking racist sentiments because she is petitioning for the mosque prayer call volume to be lowered. This is printed in a government controlled newspaper by a reporter who quoted a former Selangor minister.

5. Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) also arrested under ISA for allegedly stoking racist sentiments in his free speech website (which was ordered shut down by the same idiotic Malaysian Chemical Ali).

6. Mosque speaks out that Teresa Kok has nothing to do with the petition against it and also that they've received a request to lower the volume and complied. Malaysian Chemical Ali said police are still investigating.

7. Reporter Tan Hoon Cheng released after 17 hours. Malaysian Chemical Ali says that the police only wanted to talk to her (but using the ISA to arrest her????)

8. Teresa Kok released after a week spent in a cell and being fed food declared unfit for a dog. No real reason given for her arrest and release.

9. Today's announcement - RPK will be detained for two years

Unc Patrick's blog has a better explanation of all the going ons (and he writes better too). I recommend you read his postings in the last couple of weeks to see the sequence of events. You can also read about RPK's website on the Wiki page. The Malaysia today website is here. A mirror was set up when it was suspended.

Is this selective political persecution? Of course!! The original guy (Ahmad Ismail) who made all the racist statements in public is slapped on the wrist and nothing happens to the ex-Selangor minister who made the mosque allegations against Teresa Kok. The reporter who did her job reporting what Ahmad Ismail said is arrested, the person 'accused' of petitioning against a mosque is arrested and the person who runs a free speech website and reports the truth (both about the government and the opposition) is arrested. Where's the justice??

This in a country that aspires to be an industrialised, "first-world" country by 2020. Yet an alleged petition for lowering the volume of the azan call (prayer call over loudspeaker in a mosque) can land you in trouble with the sedition act and jail and detention, etc. Secular my a**e!

I'm glad the Star newspaper has a bit more guts to fight the state control. They'll probably get suspended soon but hey, that will really be stoking the fire won't it? Here are a couple more websites that are a little bit more objective when it comes to reporting i.e. not quite under government control: http://www.malaysiakini.com

Malaysia is my home country and will always be. Nothing takes that away but this? This is sad, very disappointing and depressing and it just makes you think that tiny little bit about staying away forever...

Please go sign the petition to FREE RPK!!



chet (still fuming!)