Kash’s World

Until the day Anwar Ibrahim changed from being the Prime Minister in Waiting (that’s what a DPM is in Malaysia) to Malaysia’s number one criminal, I had never attended a people’s march.

But the injustice perpetuated against him was just too great to remain silent and that led me to attend Reformasi gatherings back then including the famous Kesas Highway mammoth rally and the infamous Black 14 one when Anwar was sentenced to jail.

So there was no way I could ‘close off’ this decade without attending the gathering last night (read Malaysiakini’s report) at Kampung Baru to mark the return of Anwar to active politics after the expiry of his ban which arose from that unjust convictions and subsequent jailing.

And it was there that I heard last night for the first time the term that I hope will put for rest once and for all the curse of racist policies that prevents Malaysia from moving forward in a meaningful way.

That term is ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ (People’s Supremacy) and it is the bedrock of the new vision that Anwar espouses to bring to Malaysia.

He had to undergo severe beatings, be jailed for years and lose all his powerful positions before he could throw away his earlier principles and forge this new vision.

Welcome back Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, you’re now the Prime Minister In Waiting once again!

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I’ve yet to come across a full Windows Vista fan. Most long time Windows users hate this version. That’s not surprising because Microsoft is famed for coming up with sluggish and unstable first versions of new OS.

Windows XP was the same. People hated it when it arrived. It took years before it became stable. Now Microsoft wants to phase it out and XP users are crying foul, loudly.

It won’t disappear overnight but users will soon no longer be able to buy it. That’s not fair because people should have the right to use stable working versions of OS as long as they want to. After all they paid good money for it.

So if you are using Windows XP and don’t want to be forced to move on to Vista, help make the clamour a bit louder. Here

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Back to the bad old days or a new dawn for Malaysia? I guess the Royals are struggling with this issue just as much as us commoners.

Take One

(Via Malaysiakini and Malaysia-Today)

Tengku Faris: Non-Malays should not seek equality

Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra said today that Malays had given into granting non-Malays citizenship and the latter should therefore not seek equality or special treatment.

He said this during his keynote speech at a forum titled “Malay unity is the core of national unity” organised by the newly formed Barisan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu in Kuala Lumpur today.

Speaking to a crowd of about 1,000 people, Tengku Faris said the Malay rulers would be an umbrella to foster unity among all Malaysians, based on the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara.

“Therefore, the rakyat must unite and never raise issues regarding Malay rights and special privileges because it is a quid pro quo in gratitude for the giving in of citizenship (beri-paksa kerakyatan) to 2.7 million non-Malays into the Tanah Melayu federation.

“Thus, it is not appropriate for these other ethnic groups to have citizenship, only (later) to seek equality and privileges,” said Tengku Faris, who read from a 11-page prepared text.

However, the crown prince stressed that in an effort to unite the Malays, non-Malays also have rights that must be protected, such as in areas of religion.

As an example, Tengku Faris said non-Malays are allowed to practice their respective religions in peace. They must however do so in accordance with the law and “not be provocative towards Islam”.

“The Malay rulers are the head of the Islamic religion and Malaysia is a Islamic country (negara Islam), not secular. We have our own formula (as a country) which is different from others,” he added, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.

‘Dominance’

He added that the effort to instil Malay unity and defend Malay special rights does not mean that other races would be ignored.

“In fact, if Malay rights and special privileges are taken care of and is not disturbed, it would ensure national harmony. It does not just benefit the Malays but all ethnic groups,” he said.

In his speech, Tengku Faris said the 12th General Election results have shown that the Malays are being “challenged” and thus Malays unity is of the outmost priority.

“The election results have shown that the Malays are disunited and facing other ethnic groups who are more dominant politically and economically,” he said.

As the constitution provides that the Malays are the natives (penduduk asal) of Malaysia, Tengku Faris said every Malay must defend the constitution and Islam and this can only be achieved through Malay unity.

“We have to make an effort to unite. Don’t spilt up. Avoid polemics that can distance us. Ideology (and) having different interpretations does not contribute to Malay unity.

“Discussing about polemics such as Islamic state, secular state, welfare state… confuses the people… Resulting from this confusion, Malays are becoming more disillusioned,” he added. – Malaysiakini, 12 April 2008

Take 2

His Royal Highness the Regent of Perak, Raja Nazrin :

“Malaysians of all races and religions need to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have a place under the Malaysian sun.”

…sigh..

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